FFW Breaking Point - June 20, 2020

[Adam Grant]

Live from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois
June 20, 2020

The FFW logo is seen on the back of a bench at a bus stop before Nevaeh Summers takes a seat in front of a spa. She checks her cell phone for the time  Almost immediately, Casey Atherton joins her on the bench, causing her to roll her eyes as “The Violence” by Asking Alexandria begins to play and a car speeds by the camera.

Open up, drink it in, don't ask too many questions
Become the vessel for the shame they feed you through suggestion
There's a rumor on the breeze, secrets that bring you to your knees
We made the problem, we are the poison, whoa

As the car whizzes past, the next thing we see is a roll of clips including: Tara Cortez raising both hands overhead to rate herself 10 stars, Elizabeth Lannister standing at the top of the ramp in a black dress, Dawn Lohan coming off the top rope, Lilly Arthur applying her favorite submission, and Mel Avilo dropping an opponent with a backbreaker.

All they wanted was violence
To plant their seeds and divide us
If they want the worst that's inside us
We'll bring on the violence, the violence

We’re back to the bus stop bench as Casey is reading Scripture to Nevaeh, and the blonde is clearly getting her fill of hearing Casey’s voice. The would-be prophet continues talking as Nevaeh tries to ignore her and taps her fingers on her leg. Her face is starting to scowl at Casey’s continued ministering. Another car blazes past the camera.

Back and forth, daily take apart what you've been building (Building)
Everything you have is to be fed into the system
There's a force out pushing fear, a deafening silence drawing near
Sit, absorb it, guess we've been toxic all along, all along

The next set of clips features: Caitlyn and Mila fist bumping on their way to the ring, Sophia Pike cranking on her armbar submission, Savannah Star looking her husband with a smile on her face, and Shaw thrusting the FFW Championship over her head.

I'm on the edge and I'm not alone
Remember this is what you asked for
I'm on the edge and I'm not alone
Remember this is what you asked for

At the bus stop, Nevaeh’s had about enough of Casey as she starts forcefully trying to get her to listen. The blonde finally snaps, and starts firing away at her with right hands as a gathered crowd started cheering her on. A bus with “Breaking Point” written on the side zooms past the camera before we are taken inside the arena live to a deafening crowd. Spotlights flash through the crowd as Kat Grayson heads for the ring, while “The Violence” continues to play.

Zack: The Windy City is in for one hell of a show tonight as Breaking Point is live from the  United Center in Chicago, Illinois! FFW continues its 10 year anniversary with the Unity title son the line tonight in the main event! The Gold Standard defend against Valerie McFarlane and Luci!

Dante: Plus Jo and the NEW Evolution Champion Mel Avilo face Missy and Scarlett Silver! The Franchise continue to dominate Chaotic Temptation as they always do.

Zack: Did you not watch War Games at the end of the year? Because that wasn’t the case then. But be that as it may, Abigail Lindsay and Harley Shannon have a grudge match on tap tonight too after she helped Lacey retain the Fast Track title in what was basically a handicap match.

Dante: There was no handicap match! Lacey shoved Abigail during the match. Enough with your spin doctoring! I know we’ll hear from Starla McCloud tonight too.

Zack: That’s true, the No Surrender Commissioner has some thoughts to share and there’s a whole lot more! I have a feeling tonight is going to be very special! I can feel it in my bones! Kat, it’s all yours!





Kat: The opening contest of Breaking Point is scheduled for one fall to a finish. 

As Seven Notes in Black by the Vince Tempera Orchestra begins to play, Harley Shannon appears on the stage wearing a leather jacket over her ring attire, with her tied up in a bun, held in place with a pair of chopsticks. Harley stands quietly in the spotlight as the song stops playing.

Kat: Weighing in at 122 lbs, standing 5’6” tall and coming from Hanover, New Hampshire...HARLEY SHANNON!!!

After a couple of moments of silence the song starts up once more - with a more eerie tone and at that moment Harley starts off down the ramp, shedding her leather jacket before reaching back and pulling the chopsticks out of her hair and shaking her head to let her bright, flame red hair fall down around her shoulders. As she got to the bottom of the ramp, the girl picked out a young fan at ringside, giving the chopsticks to the fan before she slides into the ring and pops to her feet. Heading for the corner, Harley climbs to the middle rope, throwing her hands up in the air to get cheers from the fans before she drops back down to the canvas and waits for the match to begin.

Zack: How angry must Harley Shannon be after what happened in the triple threat match for the Fast Track title?

Dante: The better question is who cares? There’s no rule that says two of the opponents have to attack each other. She’ll get over it.

A loud purrrrrrrrrring engine can be heard from somewhere in the arena. The chorus of "Wreak Havoc" by Skylar Grey begins the play. Suddenly, a motorcycle burst from backstage. It stops at the top of the ramp, the person driving the motorcycle briefly takes off her helmet, revealing herself to be Abigail Lindsay.

Kat: From Los Angeles, California, weighing in at one hundred and fifty five pounds, Abigail “Serenity” Lindsay.

She places the helmet back on and drives down to the ringside area. She circles the ring twice. The bike comes to a halt. Serenity slides off, takes off her helmet. She hops on the apron apron, proving how flexible she is she lifts one leg off, then drops down in a full split. she slides under the bottom rope. She slumps down into the corner waiting for the match to start.

Zack: These two have met before, but I doubt there’s been more animosity inside Harley for an opponent since she got to FFW more than Abi.

Dante: Abi warned her to let it go. She could have refused this match, but Harley didn’t take the advice. She’ll regret that tonight.

The camera pans around the live Chicago crowd, before going back to the ring, just as Kat is making her exit between the ropes and down the steps. Referee Kevin Fisk waits for her to be clear before calling for the bell to get the match underway. Harley heads straight out of her corner to the centre of the ring, where unsurprisingly Abigail takes her time about it, making it clear she’s going to get there at her own pace.  As she reaches the centre, she lashes out quickly and grabs Harley by the wrist. She attempts to fire the former Fast Track Champion across into the corner but Shannon plants her feet making it impossible for her to do. Undeterred, Abigail tries again but Harley plants her feet firmly and instead pulls Lindsay into a short-arm clothesline. She keeps her grip on Abigail’s hand and pulls her up again, only to drop her back down with a second short-arm clothesline.

Zack: What intrigues me here is both of these women are probably waiting for Lacey to no longer be the Fast Track Champion. I can guarantee you they both want to be the Phoenix Champion.

Dante: I’d back Abi for that one She’s already proven she’s smarter than Harley. It’s all child’s play from that point forward.

Harley goes to pull her up for a second time but Abigail surprises her with an uppercut that sends the former Fast Track Champion reeling. Getting back to her feet quickly, Abi grabs Harley by the wrist and reverses to drop her with a short-arm clothesline instead. Without skipping a beat she pulls her back up but rather than drop her with a second short-arm clothesline she fires her across into the ropes. Harley rebounds and Abigail is waiting with a spinning heel kick that puts her straight back down to the canvas again. With Harley down on the canvas Abigail takes off towards the ropes herself and rebounds off them as Harley rolls onto her front and pulls herself up to her knees. Shannon doesn’t have chance to get any further before Abigail comes back at speed with a shining wizard to flatten her back to the canvas again.

Dante: Have you noticed how much better Abi is since she joined the Gold Standard? Because I’m seeing it.

Zack: I’m not. She’s still the same Abigail we’ve seen for months now. The only difference is she joined up with a squad.

With the Chicago crowd cheering her on, Harley rolls back up to her feet again, but as soon as she reaches a fully vertical base Abigail comes back at speed looking to run her down with a running clothesline. Harley sees it coming and ducks out of the way to avoid it getting her a massive pop from the live crowd. Abigail stops her momentum and spins back around quickly, only to find herself on the receiving end of a crescent kick from Shannon. Lindsay just manages to stay on her feet, but that doesn’t last for long as Harley comes off the ropes, and leaves her feet to deliver a crossbody block that flattens Abigail to the mat. Harley rolls the Gold Standard member up as Fisk slides into place for the count.

Zack: Harley with a big takedown, and that might be the end of the night for Abigail!

ONE!!!

T-NOOOOO!!!

Lindsay gets her shoulder up without any trouble and pushes Harley off of her, sending her back into the ropes.

Dante: Like hell it is. You think Abigail was anywhere close to being defeated? Please!

Harley gets back up to her feet and takes straight off towards the corner and scales to the top turnbuckle. Perching herself she watches as Abigail sits up holding her ribs. The Californian wrestler gets back to her feet looking none too pleased and even less so when Harley launches herself from the turnbuckle. A missile dropkick to the chest sends Abigail crashing to the canvas and gets Harley another loud pop from the crowd. Harley pops back up to her feet again as Abigail rolls onto her front and starts to push herself up, only to stop part way causing Harley to eye her suspiciously. The flame haired wrestler watches intently as Abigail slowly starts to rise again, but just as she is about to pull Lindsay the rest of the way up, Abigail grabs hold of her ankle. She gives a short, sharp tug towards her and sends Harley stumbling backwards.

Dante: I hope Kyle brought his running shoes tonight, because he’s gonna be busy with one match after another tonight.

Zack: Yeah, and for once, I’ll be happy to have him. He’s joining me for the next match, so you can shine Cassandra’s title or whatever it is you do when I have guests in the booth.

Shannon narrowly manages to avoid landing on her back, by hopping on one foot to try and get her balance.  At least until Abigail grabs her other ankle and yanks that too, sending her crashing back first to the canvas. Abigail quickly rolls Shannon onto her front and then sits on her back. She grabs holds of both of Harley’s wrists and crosses her arms under her chin, before she pulls back to cause more pressure. Harley straight away gives out an annoyed grunt of discomfort and tries to free herself from Abigail’s grip, but the more she struggles the tighter the hold gets. The crowd come to their feet again in support of Harley, trying to rally her, as Fisk drops down in front of her to ask if she wants to quit.  Harley responds in the negative immediately which gets her another round of cheers from the live Chicago crowd.

Zack: It goes to show you how much Harley has the fan support. She’s had it from the day she arrived, and I think that might be part of the key to her success.

Dante: What success? She lost the last match she had, which was for the Fast Track Championship against the greatest woman to ever hold it? You call that success?!

Shannon starts to kick her leg behind her until she feels the rope with her boot. She manages to get her foot across it, which Fisk sees and calls for the break as soon as he does. Abigail doesn’t immediately release her grip, pushing it all the way until a four count, before she lets go. She storms back to her feet and stomps down onto Harley’s back getting a yell from the former Fast Track Champion in response. Harley rolls out of the way of Abigail and towards the ropes, using them to help her get back to her feet as she supports her back and gives it a little rub with a wince. Straightening up, she turns around as Abigail comes off the opposite ropes with a springboard DDT that plants Shannon back on the canvas. Lindsay goes straight for the cover, prompting Fisk to slide back into place beside them for the cover.

Dante: There’s gonna be orange hair dye staining the mat for the rest of the show!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE!!!

Shannon gets her shoulder up with such force that she clocks Abigail in the jaw, sending her backwards to land on her butt.

Zack: Well I doubt we’ll ever see if there’s any bruising where Abi landed there.

Harley quickly rolls out of the way as Abigail rubs her jaw looking more than a little annoyed. Not wasting a second, Harley gets back to her feet and leans against the ropes, keeping an eye on Abigail as she does for any signs of her advancing. The Californian wrestler gets back to one knee but before she can get any further, Harley takes off towards her and uses a knee trembler to the side of her head to flatten her back to the canvas. Starting to shake off the cobwebs, Abigail pulls herself up to a seated position, as Harley grabs her and pulls her the rest of the way up to her feet. Shannon hits Lindsay with a headbut that sends her reeling backwards on her heels and then follows with a second that sends her rocking back even further. Moving quickly, Harley applies a front facelock, before executing a swinging neckbreaker with near perfection. She hooks a leg for the cover as Fisk again gets into position.

Zack: Harley’s looking to put this woman behind her right here!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-NO!!!

Abigail kicks out at the last possible moment before Fisk can bring his hand down to complete the three.

Dante: She could have put her behind her ages ago if she had listened to what Abi said. But nooooo!

Harley rolls back to her knees and looks towards Fisk for clarification who confirms it was only two, getting a little sigh from Harley in response and quite a loud boo from the Chicago crowd. While Harley is getting the clarification from the referee, Abigail rolls out of the ring under the bottom rope and spotting her, Harley makes a dive towards her to grab her ankle to try and stop her from going. Abigail kicks her off and slides out onto the apron, only to grab Harley and pull her out under the bottom rope with her. Harley tries to grab the bottom rope to stop herself from going any further, but Abigail peels her fingers from the ropes, bending them backwards as she does and then kicks her off the apron to the arena floor. 

Dante: Ha! Look at Abi taking out the trash! Harley has no one to blame but herself honestly. She could have forfeited and pulled a Nevaeh!

Zack: Tell me one time Harley has ever not shown up for a match. If you can name one, you can have my job and replace me on commentary forever.

Shannon hits with a thud and Abigail measures before launching herself off the apron to land a double knee drop into Harley’s back, flattening her face first to the floor. Fisk tells both competitors to bring it back into the ring but Abigail ignores him while Harley starts to push herself up to her hands and knees. Before she can get any further than that, Abigail stomps down on her back again to push her back down to the floor, before she gets a smirk on her face and moves around the side of the ring. 

Zack: There’s no point in the match being out here if you’re Abi. She can’t pin Harley or make her quit on the floor.

Dante: No, but she can beat the snot out of her some more and prove to her why she should have taken her advice.

Harley starts to push up again and this time makes it back to her knees before she hears the sound of a motorcycle engine from around the corner of the ring. She bolts back up to her feet fully just as Abi rounds the corner aiming straight at her. Harley dives to the side and over the crowd barricade just as Abi would have crashed straight into her. Lindsay keeps on riding up the ramp and out of the arena as Harley leans against the barricade watching her go with a disbelieving look on her face. 

Dante: HARLEY’S GONNA BE ROADKILL!!

Zack: WHAT THE HELL IS SHE THINKING?!

Checking that she isn’t coming back for a second attempt, Harley climbs back over the barricade. 

Dante: Hey, she warned her!

Zack: Abigail tried to run over Shannon with that motorcycle of hers! Thank God she missed!

Dante: Now take a lesson, Harley! Leave the Gold Standard alone!

Harley looked up the ramp where Abi had disappeared on her motorcycle, a bewildered expression on her face before Breaking Point went to commercial.




Isn’t It WONDERFUL?

“Mz Hyde” by Halestorm plays. The Chicago crowd immediately comes unglued in a negative way. Dawn Lohan walks from the bag. On this day she is wearing a white blouse with a yellow, flowery skirt. She doesn’t let the negativity of the crowd rattle her as she calmly walks down to the ring waving to the fans who have flat out rejected The Wonderful One. She reaches the ring. Walks up the ring steps. There is a microphone on the steps she bends down to pick up. Dawn enters the ring, walks to the center. The fans aren’t letting up. “Mz Hyde” slowly dies out. Without the music to drown out the noise, the audience at home gets a full picture of how loud the disapproval is. Dawn sighs. Puts the mic to her lips.    

Dawn Lohan: “Is everyone having a WONDERFUL day so far?” 

The crowd boos knowing Dawn isn’t being sincere. She cracks a smile. 

Dawn Lohan: “I am, thanks for asking.” 

“Chicago is an upgrade over Kentucky, at least I am in a major wrestling city. Not a safe one, I was soooo close to requesting for the National Guard to ensure the safety of the most WONDERFUL person in human history to be protected at all cost, I didn’t want to overreact; unlike certain people.”

“Now... I know you are disappointed I am not competing tonight. I would be too. Rest assured, a couple days from now on Velocity you get the absolute pleasure of watching me and Rose Gardner blow the roof off the place. She is a unique one, always spouting about holding on to butts, in any event, I am looking forward to giving her the most WONDERFUL match of her career. The least I can do.”

Dawn smiles at the thought of wrestling Rose Gardner. The fans? They are not sold on her sincerity. The boos are confirmation of that. She doesn’t respond to their feelings. She picks right back up where she was before the fans made their voices known. 

Dawn Lohan: “But enough about Velocity. Ms. Star was gracious enough to give me the floor to address the most despicable moment in FFW history. A former FFW Champion, a woman who should have her Hall of Fame credential revoked, decided to no-show a major pay per view contest, for what? This is not just Unstoppable season we are in. FFW has been around for ten years. The mastermind. The leader. The beginning and the end of all things FFW is Ms. Star. If it wasn’t for our fearless leader FFW wouldn’t exist. If it wasn’t for our boss, Nev, you wouldn’t have a Hall of Fame ring. Do you honestly believe you would be the star that you are today if she didn’t take a chance on you? I am grateful to her. I wouldn’t be in wrestling today without her grace. It continues to baffle me you disrespected our boss, this company, and me at FFW Fury!”

Dawn rolls her eyes. Mentioning the events of FFW Fury is enough to make her blood boil. She takes a deep breath. Calms herself down. Does her best to push forward. 

Dawn Lohan: “Nevaeh, does it feel good knowing every time Christian hosts Face Off and my name comes up, he’ll always bring to light how you didn’t show up? My opponent at Velocity even took a slight dig at you. You will forever be known as the woman who decided to take her bag and run home. The rest of the locker room whether they liked or hate your guts have effectively branded you with a scarlet letter. And they should. Let me guess, the locker rooms opinion doesn’t matter. What about the fans who came out in droves to vote you as the most loved wrestler?”

Dawn points out into the crowd for emphasis. 

Dawn Lohan: “My opinion may have changed about the fans who flock to the arena every day. The one thing I will never cheat them out of is a performance. You cheated them at Fury. Above all else, you cheated me. Know who else you cheated... your girlfriend.”

The crowd visibly groans. Dawn shakes her head. The camera is focused completely on Dawn’s face.  

Dawn Lohan: “Hey Kiana, are you having a wonderful time trying to mend Nev back together again? You shouldn’t waste your time. Has Nev come a long way since the Silas Mason days? Sure. I’ll give her that much credit BUT, Nev  still has the same fundamental issues that have plagued her for the longest time... the main one is  selfishness. Don’t believe me, ask Cassandra Mason how selfish Nevaeh was.”

The fans start chanting “You Suck” at Dawn for going down a very personal road. The Wonderful One is undeterred.    

Dawn Lohan: “It is not fair to Cassandra to replay the whole saga. In short, Nev wanted her cake and eat it too. Cassandra wanted to be with Nev. She said no. When Cassie wanted to move on with her life, Nev didn’t like that. Your girlfriend sabotaged the relationship of the person Cassandra was with. In Nev’s egocentric mind if she couldn’t have Cassandra no one could. How selfish!”

Dawn rolls her eyes. 

Dawn Lohan:  Fast forward to today. Nev made another selfish choice. She turned her back on her fans who paid to watch her perform. No tweet. No blog. No explanation. She vanished. Why? I betrayed her? I don’t buy that. She is not the first person who was betrayed. Technically I didn’t betray her. That’s besides the point. Friends of mine stabbed me in the back plenty of times. Did I take a sick day? No! I showed up to work. I did my damn job! Don’t be sad, Kiana, the truth hurts. I am here for you. The most wonderful thing about all this, you can heal. You can walk away. Create a brand new WONDERFUL life without Nev’s toxicity to drag you down. And I know just the WONDERFUL upgrade to make you forget what a selfish unreliable woman Nev has historically been.”

Dawn pauses. A warm, genuine smile forms on her face. 

Dawn Lohan: “My sister, Abigail Lindsay.”

The boos start reigning in again. Dawn pulls her attention away from the camera and focuses on the Chicago crowd. 

Dawn Lohan: “Hey! Don’t boo. My sister is a misunderstood WONDERFUL person. Not her fault her previous girlfriends have been toxic, unreliable, flat out rotten people. Sure, Abi has her ways when it comes to wrestling. I hope she doesn’t kill me for this, why would she, I am the most WONDERFUL sibling she has. Abigail is a sweetheart. She has all the love to give in the world. Abi will make a good wife to any lucky man or woman. That is my gift to you girlfriend, the gift of my sister. “Kiana, slide in Abi’s DMs. You two will hit it off. ”

Dawn smiles, proud of her act of generosity. The Chicago crowd isn’t as grateful as Kiana likely won’t be that Dawn is pimping out her sister to one of the few people in the world Nev can’t stand.

Dawn Lohan: “Ain’t I WONDERFUL? Not only am I the Most WONDERFUL Performer of the Modern Era. I am the Most WONDERFUL Match Maker of the Modern Day. I am multi talented. As much as I would love to be out here allowing all of you to bask in my WONDERFUL light, I will enjoy the rest of the show from the comfort of Ms. Star’s office. Hope you have a WONDERFUL night. I will.”

Dawn drops the mic. “Mz Hyde” plays. “The Most Wonderful Performer of the Modern Era” leaves the ring to a chorus of boos. She doesn’t bother to wave or acknowledge the crowd as she walks to the back. 


 
Looking Down On The World

Earlier Today….

The next shot takes us up….way up actually as the camera peers down to a city street below. Far below. As it turns around, that’s where we find “10 Star” Tara Cortez and her manager as the wind is clearly blowing a little, judging by their hair movement.

Christian: Welcome to Willis Tower, specifically the Skydeck. The tallest building in the Western hemisphere and when you look down there…

The camera aims back towards the streets below.

Christian: That’s 103 floors below us. Whenever I visit a city, it’s always good to look around and take in the sights. And that’s why I wanted to show my “10 Star” client here the view from what feels like the top of the world. 

As the camera pans back to CK and Tara, the “10-Star Prodigy” has a large smile on her face.

Tara: Do you know why they call buildings like these “skyscrapers”? All you need to do is look at the word itself. Sky scrapers. That which scrapes the sky. There’s a way of looking into it that says it comes from the Norse “skrapa”, that means “to erase”. Erase the sky. What happens when you erase the sky? Heaven, maybe? Indulge me for a moment, there’s poetry to be admired here.

Tara turns to the view of the city of Chicago below her.

Tara: Imagine you could scrape, erase the sky, and reach the heavens. The audacity alone would equal you to angels, gods, superior entities as it were, as you’re able to look down upon the world from where you stand. And now that you’ve reached heaven, what’s your plan? Will you admire how small the world can be beneath your feet? Or will you attempt to fight with God to see who’s the superior being? This choice is what differentiates those who are more like gods… And those who are more like runts.

Tara turns back to the camera.

Tara: I enjoy watching the rest of the world from this height. Not something I’m unfamiliar to, you see -- as I stand before the FFW roster with my superior intellect, I can’t help but be able to look down upon how… little, how insignificant some of these girls can be. Because at the height of my knowledge and capability, my personal skyscraper… I’m as close to being a goddess as it’s humanly possible.

Christian: No matter how you get though, there’s always someone who wans to try to box with God, so to speak. And you and I didn’t have to wait long to find out who that was going to be, did we? No more than an hour passed since I posted that open contract for Unstoppable 11, did you get a nibble, in fishing terms. Would I have preferred it to be one of the champions on the roster? Maybe, but you know what? Luci will certainly do. Tara and I just got back recently from Japan, where she managed to absorb even more knowledge than she had before. A true renaissance woman, if ever there was one. And now...Luci decides to step up.

Tara: And that alone is admirable. Because few people are courageous enough, bold enough… DUMB enough… to box with God, no matter how small they’re aware their arms are. Heh, there’s a Broadway reference if you wanted one. See, Luci… I’ve been watching. Watching how you and Mrs. McFarlane have hit it off and eventually ascended to #1 contendership for the Unity Championships, and I commend you on that. I mean, Valerie McFarlane is a formidable partner, as she’s had those belts before, as well as the now long defunct Trios Championship. For those uninformed, google ‘Spectra Fantasia’ and ‘Shades of the Sun’, and thank me later. I should ask, though: does standing and fighting alongside a woman so iconic in our craft rub off on you in anyway? Do you believe that, by sitting under the shadows of the learning tree that is Mrs. McFarlane, wrestling’s own infinitely smaller scale version of Odin hanging from Yggdrasil, you’re rendered ready to wrestle… ME?

Christian: Well she and Valerie do have one thing in common besides what you mentioned. At one point or another, they have both been involved with Luci’s manager. Valerie years ago and Luci married him today. Do you think skill and talent and success could be sexually transmitted? Not to say she and Valerie didn’t have it before they met Vincent, but...just a theory.

Tara: Well, let’s be honest -- if talent and success were sexually transmitted, I’m sure Tabitha Belmont would’ve had a way better fortune in FFW, my dear… But that’s beside the point, let’s not talk about the dead and gone here. Luci… Much like God who has allowed man to touch the sky with their buildings, but still sits atop the heavens waiting for the day one will try to challenge Their reign… As the one who sits the closest to Heaven between the two of us, I welcome your challenge. Let’s see how ready to scuffle with a higher being you are. Because while I may commend your courage and your bravery… I can’t help but… have to remind you that…

Tara turns to the small city beneath her again and smirks.

Tara: The bigger the height, the taller the fall. And the taller the fall… The more catastrophic is when you splat.

The camera turns back to show the long distance to the ground before the show cuts back to the live broadcast. 

[Adam Grant]

Breaking Point returns from the commercial break to ringside, and finds Kat Grayson ready and waiting for her cue to begin the introductions.

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

Zack: If you like seeing factions facing off, tonight's your night. This is the first of two major tag team matches scheduled. And I’ll be joined momentarily by Kyle Kilmeade.

“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 a smirk on her face.

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….”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, still 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 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 arms up high then jumps down to join Christian in her corner, for a last minute, pre-match discussion.

Zack: This is the first time in what feels like quite a while that we don’t see Scarlett Silver with the Evolution Championship in tow. But I have heard that she will be looking for a rematch to get it back.

The lights in the arena go off before a single purple spotlight hits the stage. As the opening bars of Wild Side by Cross My Heart Hope To Die starts to play Missy appears at the entrance way. Missy stands perfectly still, as her head stays bent, looking towards the ground and her manager Christian Kincaid walks out to stand behind her.

I've been on my best behavior
But I've heard that good girls finish last
And once you're gone they say no one can save you
But who knows if I go I may never want to ever come back
We've all fell victim to temptation
It seems that I'm the last one holding on
What's the use in fighting for my salvation
And why does it feel so damn right to want to be so wrong

At the side of Missy purple lights flash on and off, looking almost like fireworks, as she remains perfectly still. As the lights subside, Missy raises her arms up to the air and a single white spotlight accompanies the move.

I just wanna dance with the devil tonight
I wanna know what it feels like
I wanna close my eyes, put my hands in the sky
I wanna walk on the wild side

Kat: Introducing at this time…. Hailing from Leeds, England and weighing in at One hundred and twelve pounds… she is MIIIIISSSSSY!

Missy makes her way down the ramp to the ring keeping her eyes straight ahead, focussing on the ring, with Christian following a few steps behind. When she reaches the ring she slowly climbs the steel steps, surveying the crowd as she does until she reaches the top. She steps onto the apron and gives one final look around before she enters the ring between the top and middle rope. Leaning over the top rope she shares a few last minute words with her manager as her theme music ends.

Zack: She’s the number one contender to the FFW Championship, ad Missy’s got a date on the biggest stage of them all at Unstoppable 11 on July 25th only on FFW All Access.

The arena darkens, bringing with it a large quantity of dry ice. In the ring, the green, white and orange lights pulse until they form the Irish Tricolour in the centre of the ring. It’s this sight that brings about jeering from the audience. As the lights settle, a drumbeat hits the speakers, soon to be followed by a well-known riff that doesn’t quite sound as people would know it to be. It is then that a woman steps out on the stage; Jo McFarlane. Not that you can tell right away - her face is obscured by a white bandana covering her mouth and nose, and she wears a green beanie on her head, which appears to be entirely covering her hair, showing only her eyes. She is also dressed in camouflage; traditional green colours, a long-sleeved jacket and trousers. Through the fog as the crowd begins to jeer, standing by her side, is her father.

If you’re havin’ trouble with the high school head,
He’s givin’ you the blues.
You wanna graduate, but not in his bed,
Here’s what you’re gonna do!
Pick up the phone, I’m always home
Call me anytime.
3624-360, I lead a life of crime.

Kat: Introducing first/And her opponent, from Derry, Northern Ireland, weighing one hundred and twenty seven pounds, she is “THE REBEL CHILD” JOOOOOOOO MCFARLAAAAAAAAANE!

During the verse and Kat’s introduction, Jo first taps the stick on the floor, then starts off down the ramp, towards the ring. Tommy remains a step behind her the whole time...though it’s difficult given the massive height difference. She moves quite quickly, and stops at the bottom. Moving towards a corner at ringside, she drops the kendo stick in her hand against the barricade, making sure the referee sees that she did, giving him a pointed stare.

Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap!
Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap!
Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap!
Dirty deeds, and they’re done dirt cheap.
Dirty deeds, and they’re done dirt cheap.

As the chorus plays and the solo starts up, Jo ascends the stairs, removing the jacket she wears, revealing a similarly coloured top. The beanie soon follows and she steps through the ropes. She then heads towards her corner, where she stands on the middle turnbuckle, looking around her before jumping down. Her father joins her in the corner, and the two exchange words as the music fades out.

Zack: Realizing that Tommy was going to be out here for this match, it made sense why Kilmeade offered to sit on commentary with me. Tommy can run all the interference himself.

“Something New” starts up over the speakers, and the jeers have almost drowned out the music before Mel has even arrived (though in fairness, the beginning is pretty quiet). Yellow, green and blue spotlights dance around the arena, while the tron shows images of the brunette in action. Suddenly, the music stops and the tron cuts out...only for the sound of crashing thunder to echo loudly through the arena.

Love to hate,
Repeating my mistakes.
But there’s no one left to listen,
No one left to listen.
Take a chance, and fuck the consequence
When there’s no one left to listen,
No one left to listen.

As a curtain of dry ice smoke fills up the entrance stage, the Brazilian wrestler walks up to the top of the ramp with her manager Kyle Kilmeade right behind her. Once there, she looks over the booing crowd with a smirk on her face before she stops for a pose: Mel twirling on her feet and taking a soft dip of a bow, also with her arms open. After a couple of seconds in that pose, Mel starts walk down the entrance ramp, with her manager following her with a lonely round of applause.

Right now! We’re taking control!
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for something new!
Right now! We’re taking control!
Tired of waiting
Tired of waiting for something new!

Kat: Introducing first…from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, by way of Craigleith, accompanied by Kyle Kilmeade...she is the reigning FFW Evolution Champion….MEL AVILO!

Instead of going straight to the ring though, the girl walks up to a camera, getting right up to the lens with her mischievous smirk. Mel’s smirk becomes a grin as she gives the camera, and the viewers at home, some choice words about their opponents. After that, she rolled into the ring and moves from one corner to the opposite corner, climbing onto the second rope and staring into the booing crowd, only to wave them off before going to her corner. Mel docks herself there, as they wait for the match to begin while she strategizes with Kyle before he heads to the commentary booth with Zack.  He carries the Evolution title with him.

Zack: It was at Fury that Mel Avilo won her first singles title in FFW after years of trying to get to that point! And I gotta tell you, Kyle, Mel looks like she has a little more swagger to her.

Kyle: Of course, she does. Do you blame her? She’s holding one of the most prestigious championships in FFW’s 10 year history. She has every right to be feeling proud.

Referee Melinda Davis checks all four women for hidden objects, finds none, and calls for the bell as Kat leaves the ring. Jo chooses to start for her team, while Scarlett starts for hers. Scarlett points toward Mel, telling Jo to let her start the match. The redhead rolls her eyes, and looks back to Mel as if to ask her if she wants to start instead. Mel holds out her hand and tags in. She doesn’t make it all the way through the ropes before Scarlett rushes her with a running kneelift to the delight of the crowd. She drags her the rest of the way inside, and starts unloading with forearms to the champion’s head. Silver fires her into the far side, and catches her with another running knee to the ribs to double her over. She pulled her into position for a side Russian leg sweep, but Mel grabs the top rope with her free hand. That sends Scarlett to the mat instead, and the champion looks down at her with an annoyed look.

Zack: Wow, Scarlett really wanted to send a message about getting another crack at Mel, didn’t she? Not that it did her much good for very long.

Kyle: That’s exactly it. She didn’t even let her get all the way into the ring before she pulled that crap. Now she’s irritated the champ, and that’s never a good way to start things.

Mel pulled Scarlett to her feet, and shoved her into the nearby corner. A discus elbow caught her flush on the jaw before the Brazilian beauty landed a few closed fists to her head. Davis warned her about those, and Mel followed them up with an elbow to the top of her head. She ignored the referee as she scooped her onto her shoulders, and took off out of the corner with a running Samoan drop. Avilo quickly got to her feet, and delivered a standing fist drop to Scarlett’s head before she could sit up. Mel popped up again, and yanked Scarlett up with her before sending her into the Franchise corner. The champion backed up a couple steps, and charged in with a running clothesline before making the tag back to Jo.

Kyle: Do you realize, Zack, that I am the manager of the FFW Champion, the Evolution Champion, the Fast Track Champion, AND the Unity Champions?

Zack: I am aware of that, but one of those titles could well fly the coop before tonight is through. I wouldn’t count those chickens before they’ve hatched.

Jo stepped into the ring, and grabbed the top rope before stretching her leg to choke Scarlett against the corner. Davis got to four before Jo lowered her shoulder, driving it into Scarlett’s body. She tagged Mel again before they both joined forces to send Scarlett across for the ride. Dual running knees to her ribs from both women dropped Silver to her knees before the pair connected with a kick to both her back and chest simultaneously that put her face down on the mat. Jo stepped back out to the corner, and got tagged back in again before she came in with a diving forearm to the head that put Scarlett down again.

Zack: Jo and Mel are showing some strong tandem offense here. You’d think they have been teaming together for years.

Kyle: That’s what top quality trainers can help make happen. Jo and Mel are naturally gifted athletes anyway, and it wasn’t much work at all for them to gel together like this.

As the former Evolution Champion was trying to get up, Jo pulled her into a front facelock followed by a few knees to her body. She then hooked her leg for a fisherman’s suplex into a bridge before Davis dropped into position.

Kyle: Man, this is gonna be the easiest money Missy’s ever made for a match, isn’t it?

ONE!!

TW-NO!

Scarlett kicks out before the two hits, and Jo gets back to her feet. She glances over to Missy with a bit of a scowl as Silver starts to get up. The momentary look away costs the redhead though as Scarlett fires a few punches into her stomach. She rises to her feet to deliver a jawbreaker that sends Jo backwards.

Zack: Jo’s still a little unhappy about being shut out of the Unstoppable main event, but she better---OH, I WAS GONNA SAY!!

As Jo stumbled backwards, Scarlett used a three point stance to hit a running tackle that flipped the Hall of Famer over to the mat. She took a second to collect herself, and immediately went on the attack as Jo was getting to her feet. Scarlett darted towards the ropes as Jo turned around into a rolling koppu kick to the head that sent her backwards into the ropes. A bicycle kick sent the redhead into those ropes where her arms got caught between them. Tommy immediately headed around the corner to free her before Scarlett started unloading with furious right hands to her head.

Zack: Jo got stuck, and Scarlett’s not above taking full advantage of that! Look at those piston-like right hands landing right on the button!

Kyle: The referee should be counting her right now, but Tommy’s got this under control. Why do people cheer her anyway?

Tommy struggled with the ropes to get Jo’s arms free, and Scarlett surprised Mel in the corner with a dropkick off the apron to the floor. She glanced back to Missy, seeing if she wanted to enjoy herself. The Brit held out her hand, and Scarlett made the tag. But unlike her, Missy didn’t get much of a chance as Tommy freed his daughter’s arms before she made it. Jo collapsed to a seat on the mat before Missy fired a front kick into her chest. It sent her backwards into the ropes, and forward into another kick like a pinball for three more of those shots.

Zack: That bottom rope is making Jo’s life hell right now, and the number one contender to the FFW Championship is practicing for the Premier League tonight in Chicago!

Kyle: She’s lucky she got the win over an inferior opponent at Fury, because that wouldn’t have happened to Jo. She’s never proven she can beat Jo.

Jo finally broke the cycle and rolled towards the corner. She barely got to her feet before Missy charged in after her, using a scorpion kick to send her against the turnbuckles. She climbed up to the middle rope, landed ten elbows to the top of her head, and hopped down. The Hall of Famer stumbled out of the corner, and got caught by a running Missy into a hurricanrana with both legs hooked for the cover.

Zack: Picking up right where they left off at Fury, and Missy practically made Jo’s head part of the mat!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOO!!!

Jo kicked out at the two, and Missy pulled to her feet into a standing side headlock. A couple closed fists to the top of her head followed that before she went for a running bulldog towards the corner. Jo shoved her off before she reached it, and instead Missy went to bounce off the ropes. Tommy pulled the middle rope down as she hdit them, and caused her to go through them to the floor.

Kyle: She’s a little bit clumsy in there, isn’t she? What do they call it? Two left feet?

Jo dropped to a knee to collect herself as Tommy hopped up onto the apron. The referee went to get him down as Mel dropped down off the apron. When she saw Missy starting to get to her feet, the Evolution Champion used a lariat to mow her down to the floor again. She pressed a boot against her throat, trying to choke her out as before heading back to the corner when she saw Tommy coming down off the apron.

Kyle: Given what I heard you saying backstage during the introductions, I think you owe Tommy an apology. He hasn’t touched a single person in this match.

Zack: The match isn’t over yet, and i think he’s causing enough havoc already without bothering with physicality yet anyway.

Davis started to count Missy out of the ring. She had made it to five by the time the #1 contender got to her feet. As soon as she did, Jo took off towards the ropes to land a suicide dive onto the brunette to send her back to the floor. McFarlane looked pleased with herself, thanks to a smile on her face. And she pulled the brunette to her feet, bouncing her head off the apron before tossing her back inside the ring. She slid back in after her, and made the tag to Mel. The Evolution Champion stepped through, and together they lifted Missy up into a double gutbuster. Mel immediately made the cover as the referee dropped to count.

Zack: Missy desperately needs to make a tag here. She’s been taking both Jo and Mel on here in the last few minutes, and no one is gonna withstand that for long.

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THR-NO!

Missy kicked out in time before the three, and Mel dragged her back to her feet. She fired her into the far side, and caught her on the rebound with a high knee to the jaw that dropped her to her knees.

Kyle: That’s the fun of tag matches, Zack. Someone’s always going to get double teamed at some point. I assure you Missy wouldn’t mind at all if it were her and Scarlett doing this.

Mel shared a grin with her tag partner as she grabbed Missy into position for her finisher. But the Brit surprised her with a backdrop. The Evolution Champion didn’t stay down long though, and immediately went to grab her. But Missy rolled to her back. As soon as Mel leaned down to grab her, she was pulled into a triangle choke! Davis darted around closer to check for a submission as Mel struggled to grab anything she could with her free arm.

Zack: Mel got stuck, and I don’t know where Missy pulled this from but she’s got the upper hand on the Evolution Champion.

Kyle: As worn down as she is, how much power could she be exerting at this point? I think Mel can get free of this fairly quickly.

Avilo even grabbed the referee’s top, and was forced to let go as Missy kept the hold tightly applied. The champion’s arms started moving a little more slowly. The Chicago crowd was behind Missy totally as she gritted her teeth as she held it. Finally, Mel had all but stopped moving when the referee raised her hand to let it drop. It fell twice, but she didn’t get to lift it a third time before Jo came in with a stomp to Missy’s head. That broke the hold as Davis went to get Jo out of the ring.

Zack: Jo made a timely save, therek, Kyle. But look at Mel, she may have only prevented the inevitable at this point.

Kyle: You’re entitled to feel that way, no matter how wrong you are. This is the Evolution Champion you’re talking about here.

Mel did begin to move a little as Missy started towards her corner. Jo shouted at Mel to make the tag, though the champion was clearly worn down. Missy made it, and tagged in Scarlett. She darted into the ring, and caught Jo with a running forearm to the head that knocked her off the apron. Mel rolled onto her back before Scarlett dropped a knee on her, and hopped off the middle rope to deliver a second. She quickly hooked both legs for the cover as the referee slid into position.

Zack: Scarlett’s gonna prove she can pin the Evolution Champion with a little bit of the BOOM BOOM!!

ONE!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOO!!

THREE-NO!!

Mel got her shoulder up before the three came down, and Silver headed for the corner once again. She came off quickly with a top rope elbow drop right to Mel’s chest. The former champion rolled back to her feet, and pulled Mel up with her.

Kyle: Scarlett’s had all that time to recover, and she’s feeding off energy and adrenaline. But the sad fact is adrenaline will leave you quickly.

She whipped the Brazilian beauty in for the ride, and caught her on the rebound with a lungblower that flipped her over to the canvas. Scarlett used the middle rope for a springboard moonsault, but Mel rolled in the other direction and let her hit the mat instead. The champion struggled to get to her feet as Jo started back into the ring. Davis went to stop her as Tommy hopped up onto the apron from around the corner with his kendo stick. Mel pulled Scarlett up and pinned her arms behind her back to line her upt!

Zack: What was that you were saying about Tommy not touching anyone?! What do you think he’s about to do now?!

Kyle: He hasn’t done anything yet. You can’t be guilty of a crime you haven’t committed yet. Don’t you know the law?

Christian darted around the ring to try to stop him as Tommy went to crack the kendo stick over Scarlett’s head. But she ducked, and he caught Mel instead. Kincaid jerked him off the apron, and clocked him just as Scarlett caught Mel with her asiatic spike and pulled her into a small package! The referee turned back and went to make the cover as Missy went to stop Jo from coming into the ring!

Zack: He hit the wrong woman! The SCARLETT SPIKE!!

ONE!!!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Davis called for the bell as Scarlett rolled out of the ring to the floor. Missy joined her quickly as the referee did the same to raise both their hands. Mel clutched the top of her head on the mat as she was coughing.

Kyle: So what does this prove? Scarlett still hasn’t defeated Mel on her own. It took Tommy unwittingly helping her!

Kat: Your winners by pinfall……………..SCARLETT SILVER & MISSY!!

Zack: Scarlett and Missy pick up a crucial win tonight, and Mel may not be sending Tommy any well wishes anytime soon either!

Christian joined them, and congratulated them on the victory. The Chicago crowd did the same, making plenty of noise for both brunettes.

Zack: It’s not looking good for you tonight, Kyle! And the Unity Tag Titles will be on the line next!

The show cuts to the back as Missy and Scarlett bump fists, and do a little hip bump with smiles on their faces.




The Stage Is Set

The closing moments of the triple threat main event from Fury is shown as Missy becomes the new number one contender for the FFW Championship at Unstoppable 11. As the clip concludes, we see the FFW Champion and her manager watching it as well on a monitor before they turn to face the camera. 

Kyle: Well what do you know, champ? The one everyone pegged as the long shot turned out to be the one and only. Honestly after the way the night had been going up till the main event, I was pretty convinced that Jo was going to win the match and get another hard-hitting lesson on FFW’s biggest stage. After all, the Franchise swept up two titles and even won one match because the opponent didn’t even bother showing up to the arena. By the time the introductions for the main event began, I had no reason to think anything else. 

Shaw nodded her head.

Shaw: Momentum was certainly on Jo’s side after the success of her friends. I mean, seeing as how she’s already headlined FFW’s biggest stage with both the Evolution Championship and the FFW Championship on the line, it’s unlikely that she choked under the pressure did she?

There was a shrug of her shoulders. 

Shaw: Personally I’m pretty glad Missy pulled it out of the bag and the one everyone claimed was a long shot won the match. I’m glad that I get a challenger I’ve never met inside the ring at Unstoppable 11 and that I get to defend my title against Missy. I’m excited by the prospect and I can’t wait for Unstoppable to get here. I know Missy is going to bring the fight to me. I know that she’ll do everything that she can to beat me; that she’ll pull out all the stops - all that resiliency and ability to absorb punishment we saw from Full Metal Mayhem against Mallory Bennett and all that desire and determination from the Fury main event. 

Kyle: I’m sure she will. But the numbers of this match, the metrics, don’t really match up in her favor. Until Fury, she had never once pinned Jo or Sophia in one on one matches. Sure, she pinned Sophia in the triple threat, but that was with a little assistance from Jo. Do you know who has pinned Jo and Sophia one on one for the FFW Championship? 

He placed a hand on his client’s shoulder.

Kyle: Unstoppable 11, the lights will never be brighter than that. Do you think Shaw here is going to be less prepared and on her game that night? Of course, you don’t. You’re not that ignorant. Do we think you won’t be even more fired up on the night? Of course not. We’re certainly not that ignorant. But I’m curious to know what makes you think you can do what no one for over a year has been able to do? What makes you think YOU are the one who can dethrone the longest reigning FFW Champion of all time? Think about that. Ten years we are celebrating in FFW right now. No one in all those years has done what Shaw has. What makes you believe that it will be you? 

The French Canadian nodded her head.

Shaw: I’m a natural born winner. A proud Quebecois. One of the most consistently excellent wrestlers this company has ever seen - and that’s not hyperbole like we’ve seen from those who have called themselves “The Greatest In The World” or “The Living Embodiment Of Professional Wrestling” and some kinda Goddess grouchily inhabiting their temple. And I don’t call myself Killer. I tell the truth, I let my actions speak louder than words and for almost five hundred days they have screamed that I am the standard bearer for one of - if not THE - greatest wrestling company on the planet. No matter the stage, no matter the occasion, no matter the opponent, I raise the bar and I continue to get better. At Unstoppable you’re going to have to be perfect; you’re going to have to wrestle the match of your career - the match of a lifetime. You’re going to need the sledgehammer to crack the nut, the nuclear warhead to kill the fly - those are the sort of lengths that you’re going to have to go to Missy if you want to achieve the near impossible, if you want to take this title away from me.

Kyle: For nearly 500 days, she’s lived up to being the “One Woman Show.” And at Unstoppable 11, Missy, there’s no room in that spotlight for you. 

He glances down to the title in Shaw’s hand before exchanging glances with her as we head back to the ring. 

[Adam Grant]

Kat: The following match is scheduled for one fall to a finish. It is your Main Event of the Evening and a Tag Team match for the FFW UNITY TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!

Zack: It’s main event time on Breaking Point as FFW will be featuring title match main events all throughout June as part of it’s 10th anniversary. I’ve got Jem of NHB here, who is keenly interested in the outcome here, along with her partner.

Jem: You bet your ass we are Zack. Angela and I both want to get back into contention for - and one day real soon would like to hold - the FFW Unity Tag Team Championships. Though we know that we’ve got to earn our shot to get there.

“Just Like Fire” strums out of the system, bathing the arena in blue, red and white lights. As the verse is sung, Luci steps out from the back to a pop from the crowd, a smile on her face as she lifts a hand to them. As she drops her hand, Vincent Belmont comes out to join her.

Kat: On her way to the ring, hailing from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, weighing in at one hundred and sixty pounds, please welcome LUCI!

The blonde begins to make her way down the ramp, smiling all the way down. She stops at the bottom of the ramp and takes a step back, then lunges forward and throws herself under the ropes, popping back to her feet. She takes to the middle of the ring where she raises both arms out wide, spins in a circle and then heads to her corner, where she meets Vincent again, the two talking between themselves as the music fades out.

Zack: This will mark Luci’s second chance at taking a title off the Gold Standard, Jem. She came up short against Lacey for the Fast Track, but she and Valerie proved they could put the champions down for a three in a non-title match a few weeks ago.

Jem: They certainly came out of the gate hot as a pairing and it’s been great to see. Luci is a phenomenally gifted and talented athlete and a great wrestler who has a very bright future ahead of her. Personally, I wouldn’t bet against her.

The arena darkens, and a familiar purple light bathes the arena with flashes of green and black for effect. The colours alone bring a cheer from the crowd, even though the music is yet to hit. It’s then that the opening keyboard strokes of “Beyond the Burning Skies” play over the speakers. Giving way to much heavier riffs, the song kicks in fully and from the back steps Vincent Belmont.

Power. Power and glory,
Things my empty soul has craved since dawn.
Fury, eternal, painful longing.
It grows inside me like a raging storm.

Burning ablaze in my heart
My will, my wish to see it all!

Turning to face the curtain again, he waits expectantly for someone. That someone comes a moment later; Valerie McFarlane. Valerie grins widely, dancing around on the stage to the music, making sure she covers both far ends of it before returning to the centre, where she grins up at her friend and manager.

Close your eyes and reach beyond the heavens,
Touch the moonlit sky,
An awe-inspiring view of the world!
Feel the beast, go on and grasp your future
On your way beyond...beyond the burning skies!

Valerie then takes off down the ramp, purple and green pyro exploding with every step she takes on her way down. Once at the bottom, she keeps going and throws herself into the ring, under the bottom rope. Rolling to her feet, she spins around three times, stopping herself by putting one leg out, digging it into the mat. Her hand then shoots upwards in a fist and she throws her head back, to a loud roar from the crowd. She then takes to the turnbuckle, putting her hands on the top rope and leaping to the middle one, where she throws both hands out to the crowd.

Kat: On her way to the ring, from Edinburgh, Scotland! Weighing 150 pounds, please welcome VALERIEEEEEEE MCFARLAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!

On Kat finishing her introduction, Valerie hops back down and heads to her corner, where she meets Vincent. Removing her leather jacket, she hands it to a ringside attendant and discusses something with Vincent while awaiting what comes next.

Zack: Little did Valerie here think that when she came to Luci’s aid after her first match with Lacey that the pair of them would upset the tag champions and earn themselves a title shot in just their third actual match as a team.

Jem: Sometimes that’s just the way wrestling is. Valerie might not have been expecting it, Zack, but she’s done pretty much everything a person can do in this business and I’m sure that she’ll be more than ready to make the most of this opportunity.

The lights in the arena go out as the opening bars of ‘Redheaded Woman’ by Bruce Springsteen begin to play. A white spotlight hits the stage and Kyle Kilmeade walks through the curtain with a smug smile in place. The spotlight turns to red and Kyle proceeds to open the curtain to allow Valerie McKinley and Lacey to step through. They move to stand one either side of him, with all three soaking in the animosity from the booing crowd.

Well brunettes are fine man
And blondes are fun
But when it comes to getting a dirty job done
I'll take a red headed woman
A red headed woman
It takes a red headed woman
To get a dirty job done

As the song continues, Lacey and Valerie walk down the ramp with Kyle between them giving them a little applause as they go. Reaching the ring, they both move to an opposite corner and climb the steps, before meeting again in the centre of apron to look out over the still booing crowd.

Well listen up stud your life's been wasted
Till you've got down on your knees and tasted
A red headed woman
A red headed woman
It takes a red headed woman
To get a dirty job done

Kyle joins the duo on the apron to hold the ropes open for Valerie to enter elegantly, while Lacey drops down into the splits and lowers her head towards her foot to roll under the bottom rope.

Kat: Introducing at this time and accompanied to the ring by Kyle Kilmeade and the reigning and defending FFW Unity Tag Team Champions….Valerie McKinley and Lacey…. THE GOLD STANDARD!

The three make their way to the corner to share some last minutes words before the match begins, and their music fades out.

Zack: As the Gold Standard pointed out in their promo, Jem, they have been holding one tag title or another for 21 months combined. That’s the Future Shock and now the Unity titles. Who’d have thought a team with egos the size these two have could have worked so well together for so long?

Jem: They also pointed out that they are pretty much like sisters too...which means that I’m sure they’ve had disagreements but when push comes to shove, they stick together like glue and have each other’s backs. Which is one of the reasons they’ve been so successful.

Kevin Fisk asked the Gold Standard to hand over their title belts only for the pair of them to head towards their foes, trash talking both Luci and McFarlane as they raised their titles above their heads. The Challengers moved to meet them which saw Fisk try to get between the four to separate them, stepping between Luci and McKinley as Valerie stepped to get right in the blonde Australian’s face. As the referee tried to separate them, Lacey suddenly lashed out, driving the faceplate of the Unity Championship into the Scottish wrestlers face. McFarlane collapsed to the mat as Lacey dropped the title belt and dove on top of her opponent, taking up the mount position while she drove right and left hands into her face. The referee moved to separate Lacey from McFarlane as Luci went to do the same only for the Gold Standard’s Valerie to spin her back around and caught her with a thumb to the eye as she dropped the title before she took her down to the mat with an arm drag as Kat left the ring..

Zack: Things got off to a hot start, and your tag partner’s boyfriend is already having to exert some authority before we’re even two minutes into this match.

Jem: Let’s be fair Zack, the Gold Standard have never met a shortcut they didn’t enjoy taking and we’ve seen how many times in the past that they’ll always take full advantage to get the upper hand.

Luci rolled through and started to get to her feet, getting as far as one knee before McKinley caught her with a running knee lift to her jaw. The blonde came to her feet and turned away from McKinley who took her back down to the canvas with a neckbreaker. The Providence, Rhode Island member was quick to kip back up to her feet and again cut Luci off as the Australian was trying to get her feet underneath her - this time with a trio of stiff kicks to her chest before she grabbed hold of her hair and jerked her off balance as she slammed her face first into the mat. McKinley didn’t waste any time in delivering a series of vicious looking stomps to Luci’s back and shoulders. Meanwhile Fisk was trying to pull Lacey off of McFarlane; the Fast Track Champion shrugging him off before she came to her feet, pulling Valerie up with her using a handful of hair that she kept hold of as she built up a headful of steam to hurl the Scottish born wrestler over the top rope to the outside.

Zack: This coming Thursday at Velocity, Lacey there will be defending the Fast Track Championship for the last time. Either she’ll complete four defenses and join some very elite company or Angel will be the first ever Phoenix Champion. Did you get a look at that title?

Jem: It’s absolutely beautiful Zack. If Angela and I weren’t hell bent on winning the Unity Championships… I think that Phoenix belt would probably look pretty good around my waist.

The referee reprimanded Lacey for the handful of hair only to get ignored by the Gold Standard member who called out to her partner. She got a nod of the head from her fellow Unity Champion who pulled the Australian challenger to her feet and Irish whipped her towards Lacey who measured up the on rushing blonde before she launched herself forward and caught her with a busaiku knee strike to the jaw. Luci dropped to the mat and Lacey came back to one knee, holding her arms outstretched and getting booed by the crowd. The boos only got louder as she high fived her partner. Fisk immediately told one of them to leave the ring and Lacey headed towards the corner as the official quickly gathered up the titles and lay them on the apron for a ringside official to collect and as Lacey stepped through the ropes to the outside, he called for the bell to get the match underway.

Zack: Do you think this match being so close to her title defense Thursday is going to work in Lacey’s favor or against her? Not being 100% by then or being totally warmed up and ready?

Jem: I think that all depends on whether or not she can get through this match without suffering any injuries. If she gets through this unscathed then she’ll be fully prepared, otherwise you know Angel will pick on any weakness.

As Lacey left the ring, McKinley darted towards Luci and delivered an elbow drop to the back of her head as the blonde made it to her hands and knees, following it up with a second elbow drop before she took up position on the Australian’s back and started to grind her foes face into the canvas. Fisk called for the break and started the five count, getting to three before the Gold Standard member jerked Luci upwards and lifted her into a back suplex, dropping her down hard on her back. Valerie didn’t give her any chance to recuperate as she immediately pulled her upwards once again, using her hair to get her to her feet before she yanked her back into a hair pull back breaker across her knee. She shoved Luci off her knee and onto her front on the canvas before the Rhode Islander planted her knee in the small of her back and reached forwards to pull back on her head by interlocking her fingers under her jaw. Fisk dropped down in front of Luci to ask her if she wanted to quit, getting a ‘No’ from her as she tried to prise apart her foe’s fingers before kicking out her leg and hooking her foot over the bottom rope.

Zack: Valerie McKinley and Luci are far from strangers to one another. You might remember a few weeks ago when they met one on one, and Valerie was relentless in punishing Luci till she got the win.

Jem: And it looks as though the Gold Standard have decided they want to isolate and pick apart the less experienced half of their opponents tonight. Maybe they’re hoping that they can do it again.

Fisk immediately called for the break and McKinley held on until he reached four with his count before she started to pull the blonde up to her feet with a handful of hair once more, positioning her so that she was facing the ropes as she came upright. The Gold Standard member immediately took the opportunity to deliver three stiff forearm shots into the small of her back before she hooked her arms around Luci’s waist and snapped off a German suplex that she bridged for the pinfall.

Zack: A little too early for this against someone of Luci’s caliber, I think.

One…

Two--

Jem: Just a two count but the Gold Standard are rolling and haven’t let their foot off the gas since they got the jump on their challengers.

Luci kicked out on the two count and rolled backwards to her knees where she quickly started to get to her feet only for Valerie to surprise her as she lunged towards her and delivered a European Uppercut to her jaw. A second European uppercut followed that one, snapping Luci’s head backwards before McKinley dropped back to the ring ropes and bounced off them, charging back towards the blonde and launched herself into a flying forearm smash...that Luci sidestepped. Valerie stumbled forwards before she caught her balance and turned back around to the Australian who immediately began to unload on McKinley with stiff right handed haymakers before she jerked her forwards into a short arm clothesline that put her down onto the canvas. As Valerie rolled and started to get back upright, Luci took off towards the ring ropes, bouncing off them and delivered a running big boot straight to McKinley’s face that put her straight back down on the mat as soon as she reached her feet.

Zack: You’ve been in the ring with both of these teams, Jem. Where do you think the weaknesses are with Luci and Valerie?

Jem: Individually they’re both incredibly strong and can do a little bit of everything to a really high standard. I think the weakness when it comes to them as a team is simply that this is their third match. Being friendly and working out together isn’t quite the same as the fire of competition, but as we’ve seen that can be overcome.

The fans were cheering the Australian on loudly as she began to pull her opponent upwards, driving knees into her chest and body of the Providence native as she did so before she set her up and went for the suplex but as she lifted McKinley, Valerie shifted her weight to land on her feet behind the blonde. She shoved Luci forward and as the blonde found her balance and turned back towards the Gold Standard member, the Unity Champion jabbed her thumb into her eye once more. Luci tried to clear her vision as Valerie grabbed hold of her wrist and whipped her into the Gold Standard corner.

Zack: You’ve faced the Gold Standard more than once in multiple tag matches. Where do you think their flaws may lie as a team? After all, you and Angela have been a team far longer.

Jem: That’s a much more difficult question to answer Zack. Obviously both are pretty damn good individually - we’ve talked about how Lacey is on the verge of potentially joining a very exclusive club and Valerie is a former Future Shock Champion. Even if you do find a weakness...they have Kilmeade outside and the three of them find a way.

Luci hit the turnbuckles hard and back first and Valerie charged in behind her, leaving her feet to catch her with a high knee to her chest. McKinley landed on her feet and shoved Luci back into the corner as the Australian attempted to stagger out of it. The Gold Standard member held her opponent there for a moment as she raised her hand and delivered a stinging open handed chop to the chest. A second and third followed it before she made the tag to Lacey and then delivered a hard open handed slap to Luci’s face, snapping her head to the side. Before the challenger could recover, McKinley spun her around and jerked her downwards into a lungblower holding her face down across her knees as Lacey came off the top rope with a double foot stomp to her back. Luci rolled away, writhing in pain and holding her back with both hands as Valerie rolled out to the apron and sat up, playing up to the crowd who booed her further as she came back to her feet and took up position in the corner.

Zack: If Valerie is looking for support here tonight in Chicago, it’s going to be in very short supply with this crowd.

Jem: I think it’s no secret who this crowd is behind tonight but with the Champions in charge she obviously feels like she can get away with a little bit of showboating for her fan.

In the ring, Lacey pulled the blonde upwards, only to slam her back down into the canvas with a snap reverse DDT before she made the cover.

One…

Two…

...T-

Jem: Luci escapes again...but I’m not sure how much longer that she can keep this up Zack. She needs an opening and needs the tag.

The Australian rolled her shoulder before the three count could be completed and Lacey shook her head as the referee showed her the two count; the red haired woman came back to her feet and as Luci started to sit up she lay her back down on the canvas with a stiff kick to her sternum. Quickly Lacey grabbed hold of her foe by the hair and pulled her forward to drape her over the bottom rope before she stepped up on her back and began to choke her out over the bottom rope. The referee called for the break and reached four before Lacey stepped off and straight back on again, taking another four count before she broke - this time bouncing on the bottom rope before she jumped upwards and delivered a curbstomp to Luci’s lower back. The Australian rolled away, spasming in pain and holding her back with both hands as Lacey moved to her corner once more and made the tag to Valerie. As McKinley came back into the match the Unity Champions moved towards Luci, taking up a position on either side of her as they hauled her up from the canvas, off her feet and dropped her down into a double backbreaker. Lacey left the ring once more by sliding underneath the bottom rope and McKinley made the cover.

Jem: Nice quick tags from the Champions who are working like a well oiled machine.

One…

Two…

...TH-

Zack: Another two count for the champions, and this match continues. We’ll be hearing from the No Surrender Commissioner after this match, folks.

Again the Australian rolled her shoulder and McKinley came back to her feet, waving Luci upwards. Slowly the challenger started to rise, holding her back as she did so and when she got back to her feet, McKinley used the ropes as a springboard to deliver a roundhouse kick that flattened the Australian wrestler to the canvas once more. McKinley this time made a lazy cover on her opponent.

Jem: That’s rung Luci’s bell, but look at the arrogance of the count. This isn’t gonna win McKinley the match.

One…

Two…

...THR--

Zack: The Gold standard has done an excellent job of keeping Luci under control, and if they have their way, McFarlane won’t even get a tag tonight.

Again Luci rolled the shoulder and McKinley looked to the referee, asking for the three count only to be shown the two once more causing her to shake her head. The Gold Standard seemed to accept the referee’s count as she got to her feet and moved to her corner, tagging in her partner once more. Lacey entered the ring and once more the Unity Champions moved to take up a position on either side of the Australian wrestler before they bent down, grabbing hold of an arm and a leg each and on the count of three they both flung the challenger into the air and let her crash down into the canvas. Luci hit and rolled to the side, holding her back in pain as the referee ordered McKinley to the corner, only for the Providence native to high five the Fast Track Champion. Lacey grinned as she pulled Luci up to her feet and sent her into the ropes, using her momentum as she rebounded to deliver a snap powerslam which drove her back first into the mat. Luci arched her spine away from the canvas and tried to hold her back with her hand only for Lacey to shove her back to the mat and make the cover once more as McKinley turned to face the crowd and started to count along with the referee.

Jem: Luci’s back is going to be in a very bad way by the time this contest is over.

One…

Two…

...THR--

Zack: The Hall of Famer wasn’t going to take any chances right there, not with the Unity Tag Team Championship hanging in the balance.

McFarlane came into the ring and launched herself towards Lacey, catching her with a double axe handle blow to the back of her head to break up the pinfall before she began to hammer away with the point of her elbow to the back of Lacey’s head. The Scottish wrestler than pulled Lacey upwards and straight into a pulling piledriver, spiking the top of the Fast Track Champion’s skull into the mat. McKinley turned around just in time to see the move get delivered and started to enter the ring, only for Fisk to warn her and send her back to the outside as he got in McFarlane’s face. The Scottish wrestler backing up to her corner as she kept her eyes on her namesake in the Gold Standard corner. As McFarlane left the ring, the official turned his attention back to the two legal competitors. Luci was slowly starting to sit up as Lacey crawled towards the ropes, holding the back of her head before she started to pull herself upwards.

Zack: I’m being told that there’s going to be some major news coming our way on the next Breaking Point coming July 4th, Jem. We’re going to learn who the 2020 FFW Hall of Fame inductees will be.

Jem: That’s a massive honour for whoever has been chosen. Only the very, very best in the business get the call and join the icons of the biggest, brightest and best wrestling company in the world.

The Gold Standard member made it back to her feet first and leaned against them for a moment as she watched Luci start to make it back to one knee. At which point the red haired wrestler cried out “KNEEL BEFORE ME” and started to step forwards towards Luci, building up speed as she went for the running big boot...only for Luci to have it scouted as she rolled to one side, catching Lacey’s leg as she did so to counter in a Dragon screw legwhip that sent Luci face first to the canvas. As soon as the Gold Standard member hit the mat, the challenger applied an ankle lock, twisting and wrenching on her foot as she did so before grapevining her leg as she tortured the same ankle that Serafina had on the latest SVW show. Pain immediately spread across Lacey’s face as the referee asked her if she wanted to quit, getting a definite ‘No’ from the red head before she cried out in pain.

Zack: How good would it feel for Luci if she managed to make Lacey tap out here tonight after all she’s been through with her to this point?

Jem: Luci had obviously done her homework ahead of this match and has taken a page out of Serafina’s book. You know that she’ll be looking to make it count and I’m sure Angel is paying close attention as Christian takes notes.

Luci tightened up the hold even further, wrenching on the joint even more that caused Lacey to cry out in pain again but still refuse to quit as she scrabbled at the canvas, using her free foot to push against the mat and finally managed to reach out and wrap her hand around the bottom rope. The official called for the break and Luci held onto the hold until he reached four before she released and rolled away holding her back. The blonde rolled over onto her stomach as she got her bearings and began to crawl towards her corner as Lacey held her ankle in pain. Luci made it close to her corner and just before she dove to make the tag, McKinley entered the ring to distract the referees attention away from the tag. Immediately McFarlane went towards Lacey as she was still holding her ankle and drove a stomp into the joint, followed by another before McKinley pushed past the referee and went to help her partner only for the Scottish wrestler to catch as she approached with a superkick to the jaw that dropped her down to the canvas. Immediately McFarlane dove on top of her namesake and started to hammer away at her with right and left hands, causing McKinley to cover up.

Zack: The news just keeps coming. As we have Valerie on Valerie violence...alliteration for the win...the main event for the July 4th Breaking Point has been revealed. It’ll be Savannah Star meeting Scarlett Silver two weeks from tonight!

Jem: That’s a huge match right there, Zack. The former Evolution Champion meeting a former two time No Surrender Champion and former number 1 contender for the FFW Championship. That could be a taster of a future Unstoppable Main Event.

Fisk dragged the challenger off the top of the Providence born wrestler and ordered her back to her corner, threatening her with disqualification. McFarlane argued that she made the tag only to be told that the official didn’t see it. The Edinburgh born grappler continued to argue with the referee, only for him to start the five count as he told her to return to the corner. As McFarlane started to back up, McKinley moved past her to grab Luci by the foot and pulled her all the way back across to the Gold Standard corner, dropping an elbow into the small of her back and came to her feet as McFarlane stepped out of the ring and the referee turned back to see McKinley in the ring before she could clap her hands together to simulate the tag; instead the referee ordered her out of the ring and saw her step through the ropes and take up her position once more. As she did so, the Scottish wrestler started to stomp the apron and slap the top turnbuckle, rallying the fans behind Luci in the ring.

Zack: It says a lot when your own hometown isn’t in your favor. Kilmeade is from Chicago, but his clients aren’t getting any benefit of that from these fans.

Jem: This is nothing that the Gold Standard haven’t faced and overcome multiple times before, Zack. I’m sure they’re not at all phased by these boos.

Luci started to push upwards, getting as far as one knee before Lacey hobbled forwards quickly and caught her with a knee lift to the jaw. Lacey then pulled Luci upwards and shoved her backwards into the corner before she backed up a couple of steps and looked to charge forward and deliver a shoulder thrust into her midsection. Luci though saw it coming and caught the rushing Lacey with a quick knee to the face that sent her staggering backwards. The blonde followed that up with a back elbow to McKinley’s face before she spun around and clocked with a discus forearm to the jaw that connected with such ferocity that it sent her into the ring post as she fell off the apron and to the floor. Lacey looked to rush forwards once more, only to be hampered by her ankle and as she came forwards, Luci was able to kick up and drive both of her boots into her face. Again the Fast Track Champion stumbled backwards unsteadily and Luci hopped up onto the middle rope and launched herself off them and into a hurricanrana that was executed perfectly, taking Lacey down to the mat and into a pinning predicament; Luci reaching back and hooking both legs as she landed the move.

Jem: Luci was cleaning house right there and she’s got a chance to put this one away!!!

One…

Two…

...THRE--

Zack: There’s a lot of tenacity in both of the challengers tonight, but I get the sense Luci may savor this potential victory just a little bit more, with all she’s endured.

Lacey kicked out before the three count could be made, sending Luci sprawling forward. The blonde looked up and saw her partner with her hand outstretched and dove towards her, making the tag. The referee signalled it as McFarlane stepped through the ropes and took off across the ring to catch McKinley as she tried to slide into the ring underneath the bottom rope with a baseball slide to her chest, sending her back to the outside. Quickly the Scottish wrestler came back to her feet and moved quickly towards Lacey, catching her as she came to her feet with a running forearm smash to her face before she lifted her upwards and delivered an Atomic Drop. Lacey’s eyes went wide as she stepped backwards gingerly before McFarlane left her feet and caught her with a standing dropkick to her jaw that knocked the Fast Track Champion down.

Zack: What do you think Angel can use watching this match so far as she prepares to face Lacey at Velocity? Seen anything she might be able to exploit to become the first Phoenix Champion?

Jem: Firstly I’d look to make sure that I land the first blow and from there I’d stay on top of her as much as possible. Secondly, I think I’d look to test out that ankle a little more.

Lacey once again tried to get upwards and only made it as far as all fours before the former FFW Champion dropped down to wrench a side headlock on to her. The Scottish wrestler kept the hold applied to her fellow redhead as she pulled her up to her feet and with a couple of quick steps forward, drove her face first into the canvas with a running bulldog. The Fast Track Champion quickly pushed up to her hands and knees once more only for McFarlane to catch her with a knee drop to the side of her head that caused her to roll onto her back before she pulled the Gold Standard member upright and straight into a double underhook DDT. The former FFW Champion glanced over her shoulder to spy McKinley entering the ring as she rolled Lacey over and made the cover.

One…

Jem: Huge double underhook DDT and her comes McKinley...

As the referee’s hand hit the mat, McFarlane moved quickly and surprised her namesake as McKinley moved to break up the pin, catching her with a drop toe hold that sent her into a falling headbutt into Lacey’s chest. The legal member of the Gold Standard rolled to the side as her partner pushed upwards to her knees, holding her head for a moment only for McFarlane to wrap her arms around her waist and in one smooth, fluid motion jerked her upwards and straight into a release German suplex that saw her crash into the mat near the ring ropes. Kyle helped her to the outside and back to her feet, checking that she was okay as McFarlane moved straight towards Lacey, pulling her up from the canvas once more and began to use chops to back her up a step or two before she used a double palm strike to her midriff. Lacey stumbled backwards, doubled over as she cradled her gut and Valerie launched herself into a bicycle knee strike to her face that dropped Lacey to the mat. As soon as she hit, McFarlane went back to work on the ankle, taking hold of it in her hands and twisting on it to lock another ankle lock.

Zack: If Valerie maintains this focus tonight, Jem, I think Angel may already have a leg up since I doubt Lacey’s ankle is going to be fully healed by Thursday.

Jem: If it didn’t have a target on it already, it certainly will now. Maybe the Doc’s can give her something to numb the pain temporarily and strap it up tightly...but it’s still a weakness that I’m sure Angel will exploit.

Immediately Lacey let out a cry of pain, shaking her head as the official dropped down next to her asking her if she wanted to quit. Lacey started to flail with her free leg, trying to kick the experienced veteran away from her as she scrabbled at the canvas to try and make it to the bottom rope. Again the Fast Track Champion let out an anguished cry, shaking her head as the referee asked her the question before McKinley and Kyle reached into the ring, grabbing a hand each and managed to jerk Lacey into the ropes. The referee called for the break and started the count, McFarlane releasing her grip on four with her hands held up as she took a step backwards while Kyle and Valerie helped Lacey out of the ring.

Zack: Looks like the Gold Standard wants a little breather. Kilmeade reminded me during the last match how he is the manager of the FFW, Evolution, Fast Track, and Unity Champions right now. What do you think these women see in a guy who has no wrestling training whatsoever?

Jem: I think it’s a mix of things Zack. He might not have any wrestling training but that doesn’t prevent him taking cheap shots or distracting the referee at the most opportune times. Secondly, he knows the business side pretty well and does a great job of getting his clients opportunities which can be half the battle sometime.

McFarlane shook her head as she was backed up by the referee only to get a call from Luci. The Edinburgh native nodded her head as the Australian stepped through the ropes and despite Fisk’s instructions, McFarlane began to back up towards the ring ropes as the Australian native charged her partner who used a back body drop to send the blonde up and over the top, where she crashed down into both of the Unity Tag Team Champions and their manager with a cross body block that sent them both down to the floor.

Jem: Now we’re seeing good teamwork from the challengers and they’re not allowing the Gold Standard to take time out to regroup. This is smart work from them to press the advantage while they have it.

Luci came back to her feet, pulling Lacey up with her and rolled her back into the ring where Valerie pulled her upwards as Luci followed the Tag Team Champion into the ring once more. McFarlane started to fire off knife edge chops into Lacey’s body before she Irish whipped her into the challenger’s corner. As soon as Lacey hit the turnbuckle pads, Luci charged in towards her and caught her with a corner clothesline; Valerie followed up a moment later with a second corner clothesline before the pair of them left their feet and delivered stereo step up enzuigiri’s to the Fast Track Champion. Lacey staggered out of the corner, making it three steps before she flopped forwards and faceplanted to the floor as Luci stepped out of the ring and into the corner. Valerie made the tag to her partner before she climbed to the middle turnbuckle and launched herself backwards into a moonsault that connected perfectly across Lacey’s body. McFarlane rolled away to the apron as Luci launched herself off the top rope and into a five star frog splash. As she landed this across Lacey’s body, the blonde hooked her leg for the cover.

Jem: You’ve got to applaud the way the challengers are working right now. This match is fast becoming a tag team wrestling clinic. Kids, take note.

One…

Two…

...THRE--

Zack: Still no dice, but the challengers are getting closer to ending the now eight month reign of the Unity Tag Champions!

Lacey rolled her shoulder to break up the pinfall and Luci looked to the referee, asking for the three count but accepted the two when he showed it to her, telling her that it was only a two count before she pulled the red haired woman to her feet. As she got Lacey vertical she fired off a series of kicks into her body before she wrapped her hand around her throat and lifted her off her feet to drive her down into the canvas with a chokeslam. Luci quickly backed up into the neutral corner and pushed up to the middle rope where she measured up the Unity Champion before she launched herself off and into a flying elbow drop to the chest. Lacey immediately rolled away and started to push herself upwards, the Australian waving her upright and when the red haired seductress made it to one knee, Luci quickly stepped towards her and delivered a shining wizard to the side of her head. Lacey fell to the mat and onto her back which saw Luci dart to the ropes, bouncing off them and delivering a senton backsplash. As it landed, Luci leaned back to make the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Jem: The adrenaline is flowing and Luci looks like she’s putting a little extra into every shot - looking for victory and a little bit of payback...for the Fast Track Championship match, for the start of this match...

One…

Two…

...THRE--

Zack: Closer and closer, but still not enough to secure the titles so far. I’m sure you and Angela would prefer to face these two again if you had the choice of them and the Gold Standard.

Once more Lacey rolled her shoulder to break up the cover before the three count could be completed and Luci looked towards the official with a nod of the head as she was showed the two count and the blonde quickly grabbed hold of Lacey’s injured ankle, locking in another ankle lock as she pulled the Fast Track champion into the Challengers corner and made the tag to McFarlane. The Edinburgh native stepped through the ropes and dropped an elbow into the top of her spine. Luci released the the ankle lock and stepped back through the ropes to take up her position in the corner. As she did so the former FFW Champion brought the legal half of the Gold Standard back to her feet, hooking her head and legs as she did so before she took her down to the canvas with a fisherman’s suplex that she bridged for the pinfall.

Zack: We saw this move used in the last match, it’s been pretty popular tonight! Let’s see if it works here!

One…

Two…

...THR--

Jem: NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Valerie made it just in time and I think she’s saved the titles for the Gold Standard right there!!

Before the referee could make the three count, McKinley launched herself into a double axe handle into her namesakes gut, causing her to lose the bridge and break the pinfall. Quickly McKinley pulled McFarlane upwards, driving knees into her midsection as she double under hooked both of her arms before she lifted the former FFW Champion off her feet and dropped her into the canvas with a double under hook brainbuster. McKinley got to her feet in the challengers corner and Fisk immediately got in her face, ordering her out of the ring; the Gold Standard member held her hands up, telling him that she was going only for her to stop and suddenly leap upwards to deliver the One Percent Gamengiri kick that caught Luci in the side of the head and caused her to fall from the apron and collapse to the floor. Once more Fisk got into her face only for the Gold Standard member to shrug her shoulders and drop to the mat, rolling to the outside and pulling Lacey out with her where they were met by Kyle who was holding a chair as he told Vincent to keep his distance while the three started to slowly back off as they made it to the bottom of the entrance ramp,

Zack: That chair is about the only way Kyle’s gonna be able to keep Vincent at bay right here.

Jem: You said he had no wrestling training and I don’t think he wants to pick a fight with Vincent. It’s probably Vincent’s presence that has kept Kyle fairly quiet throughout this match.

Kyle dropped the chair and the trio started to make their way towards the back, Valerie helping to support Lacey. Fisk threw up his hands, telling them to bring it back into the ring before he started a slow count. Behind the official, Vincent was helping Luci to her feet as Valerie sat up inside the ring. Together the challengers saw the Unity Champions beating a strategic retreat and both had the same idea - Luci moving around the ring and building up a head of steam as Valerie slid out of the ring past the referee and charged towards them. Luci crashed into the back of McKinley sending her down face first into the steel with a spear while Valerie grabbed hold of Lacey by her long flowing red locks, driving a kick into her bad ankle that caused her to collapse as McFarlane dragged her back to the ring, and rolled her in underneath the bottom rope and followed in behind her, stopping the referee’s count at eight. Luci meanwhile bounced McKinley’s face three times into the steel before she started to head back to the ring and her position on the apron, leaving Kyle to tend to McKinley and help her back to her feet.

Zack: The One Percenter’s gonna have a much flatter nose after this match is over, and we got a showdown in the ring too!

Jem: The Gold Standard have had enough but the challengers were never going to let them just walk out of here that easily.

Lacey rolled away, sitting up as she did so and scooted backwards across the canvas, holding her hands up as McFarlane advanced upon her. Lacey suddenly found herself backed up against the ring ropes and with nowhere else started pleading with her opponent. McFarlane shook her head as she grabbed Lacey by the hair once more and started to bring her to her feet only for the Gold Standard member to fall backwards and send her throat first into the top rope. McFarlane staggered, gasping for breath and Lacey lashed out once again with a stiff kick to her knee. The red head grimaced in pain and reached for her ankle for a moment as McFarlane stumbled and fell to one knee. The Fast Track Champion fought through the pain as she grasped hold of the top rope and pulled herself upwards. As the former FFW Champion started to recover, Lacey stepped forwards and drove a knee into her gut before she grabbed hold of her by the head and slammed her face first into the mat with a sit out facebuster, Lacey falling to the side as she landed the move.

Zack: Lacey’s managing to work through the pain she has to be feeling in her ankle after all she’s absorbed, and doing it well.

Jem: Every move is jarring that ankle and sending pain shooting up through her leg. Lacey’s gotta be in agony but it’s testament to how much these titles mean that she’s prepared to fight through it.

The two legal women started to move at the same time. Valerie rolling to the side and crawled the short distance towards the corner where she made the tag to her partner as Lacey was heading towards her corner. Luci quickly headed towards the Gold Standard member and pulled her up to her feet, grabbing hold of her arms as she got her upright only to slam her down into the mat with a cobra clutch bulldog. Quickly she rolled the Fast Track Champion onto her back and hooked her legs for the cover.

Jem: It was a race to the corner and Lacey came up well short and Luci is three seconds away from ending this!!

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zack: It was a heartbeat away! It was just that close to the crowning of new Unity Champions!

At the last moment, Lacey’s shoulder popped up from the canvas and Luci looked towards the referee, begging for the three count only for him to shake his head and tell her it was just a two. Luci came to her feet, shaking her head as she looked down at the unmoving Lacey and took off towards the ropes, using them to deliver a lionsault...that saw her crash down upon the red head’s raised knees. Luci came up to one knee, cradling her gut with her arms and as she did so, Lacey grabbed her head and pulled her into an inside cradle pinning combination.

Zack: Lacey’s going for broke here! Luci’s stuck in that cradle!

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jem: A heartbeat away!!! Lacey almost stole victory from the jaws of defeat!!

Before the  three count could be completed, Luci kicked out of the pinfall and rolled away to come up to her feet as Lacey forced herself upwards. Luci came towards her and as she did so, Lacey suddenly surprised her with a codebreaker. The blonde bounced off her knees and Lacey quickly rolled over and dove towards her corner...only for Luci to catch her foot and pull her backwards, keeping her a few inches short of making the tag. Quickly Luci went to apply the ankle lock once more but Lacey saw it coming this time around and wasted no time at all in pushing up and kicking out with her good foot, driving it into Luci’s jaw and getting the release.

Zack: You know who else is watching this match, Jem? I’m referring to Tara Cortez, because Luci signed her open contract for Unstoppable!

Jem: I’m sure publicly we’ll hear a lot of bravado and a lot of confidence from Tara, but this display from Luci and the punishment that she’s taken has to have given her food for thought.

Lacey pushed upwards, trying to get to her feet only for Luci to catch her with an elbow strike to the side of her head as she made it to her knees before she pulled her upwards. As she got Lacey to her feet, the Gold Standard member lashed out with a two handed throat thrust. As Luci gasped for breath, Lacey fell backwards into the ropes where McFarlane made the blind tag as her partner bounced forwards towards Luci who, despite still gasping for breath, had the wherewithal to leave her feet and connect with the Shattered spinning knee strike. Lacey dropped to the mat and Luci fell on top of her, hooking the leg for the cover. Fisk tried to explain that Lacey wasn’t the legal woman...only to get cut short as McKinley stepped through the ropes and delivered a curb stomp to the back of Luci’s head.

Zack: Shades of Missy right there, but I’m sure the One Percenter would tell you she does it a lot better, referring to that curb stomp.

Jem: If it works for the number one contender to the FFW Championship… Though Missy usually follows it up and ends the match which Valerie doesn’t look too interested in right now.

Lacey rolled away to the apron, holding her ankle with a look of pain on her face as McKinley circled Luci, delivering a Garvin stomp to her. As the Australian pushed up to her hands and knees, Valerie finished off the stomp with a second curb stomp to the back of the blondes head, driving her into the mat. McKinley took a moment to circle the ring, playing to the crowd...until she got to the challengers corner when she suddenly burst forward and caught the former FFW Champion with a bicycle kick to the jaw, sending her off the apron and into the crowd barrier. It got McKinley louder boos, only for the one percenter from Providence, Rhode Islander to smirk in delight as she waved Luci upwards, letting her get to her knees before she darted towards her, driving a knee strike into her face before she pulled her upwards and into the Crown Jewel wristlock into a short arm clothesline. Luci collapsed to the mat and Valerie made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: Luci’s running on empty, but the Hall of Famer is looking to become tag champions one more time!

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jem: Another save!! Right in the nick of time!! McFarlane isn’t about to let this opportunity slip through their fingers!!

At the very last second, Valerie McFarlane pulled McKinley off her partner by the leg, jerking her towards the middle of the ring where she delivered an elbow drop to the back of her head. McFarlane came to one knee and wrapped her arms around the waist of the One Percenter as she looked to be about to lift her up into the Gutwrench powerbomb only to hear Lacey shout out KNEEL BEFORE ME as the Fast Track Champion caught her with a big boot to the back of her head, sending her to all fours. McFarlane rolled away and started to use the ropes to get back to her feet only for Lacey to hobble towards her, trying to build up speed before taking them both over the top rope with a clothesline - the pair landing on a heap in the floor.

Zack: Lacey with a kamikaze style clothesline that wiped her and McFarlane out here on the floor! It’s a race to their feet in the ring between McKinley and the Aussie.

Jem: Neither of these women can have a lot left and you can see how much has been taken out of them in this war over the Gold!!

In the ring, McKinley started to get to her feet and advanced upon Luci who was slowly rising to her feet. The Rhode Island native pulled her the rest of the way to her feet and delivered a Mongolian chop to the sides of her neck before she set her up for the Divine Providence swinging reverse STO that saw her drive Luci into the mat a second later. McKinley made the cover, hooking both legs as she did so and Fisk slid into position as Lacey grabbed hold of McFarlane by the back of the tights to keep her outside of the ring as the former FFW Champion tried to slide underneath the bottom rope.

Zack: DIVINE PROVIDENCE!! And I don’t know anyone who got up from that!

One…

Two…

...THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jem: And Luci wasn’t about to add to that list - not after everything that she’d already absorbed in that match.

Fisk called for the bell as Valerie rolled away, Lacey coming to her feet on the outside as McFarlane had turned towards her and tried to kick the red head away from her only for Lacey to fall backwards to send her face first into the ring post before she pulled herself up using the ring skirt and slid into the ring under the bottom rope as Kyle retrieved their title belts.

Zack: Love them or hate them and most fall into the latter category, but the Gold Standard have a deathgrip on the Unity Tag Titles! And no one has been able to break it yet!

Kat: Here are your winners, by way of pinfall...and STILL FFW UNITY TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS… the team of Valerie McKinley and Lacey… THE GOLD STANDARD!!!!

Jem: You’ve got to doff your cap to them, Zack. They keep finding a way and keep on proving the doubters wrong. But it was an heroic effort by both Luci and Valerie tonight and they came within a whisker of victory. The Gold Standard were given the fight of their careers tonight.

The crowd booed as Lacey helped her partner to her feet and cut off Vincent as he looked to enter the ring with a running punt to the side of his head before she threw him through the ropes and back out of the ring. The pair  had their hands raised in the air by Kyle and the referee. The crowd booed them louder as they raised their titles in the air, Elizabeth Lannister came down the entrance ramp applauding them before she built up speed and caught the rising McFarlane with a busaiku knee strike to her face. Quickly she pulled Valerie up and rolled her into the ring as McKinley and Lacey pulled Luci up and Lacey slammed the Australian wrestler into the mat with the Throe of Passion. Lannister rolled into the ring as McKinley and Lacey started to pull McFarlane up - the former FFW Champion starting to fire off elbows and closed fist shots into their midsections, fighting them off. As she was upright, Lannister went to deliver the Rains of Castermere jumping swinging DDT...but was pushed off by McFarlane.

Zack: Here comes Lannister and they are going to try to take Valerie and Luci out of the tag team picture...permanently! The Gold Standard doesn’t like challengers, and they tried this with Luci weeks ago too!

Jem: The Gold Standard know just how close they came to getting dethroned tonight and they’re trying to make sure they never have to deal with Luci and Valerie again!! They’ve even called for backup to make absolutely sure of it!!

As Lannister landed on her feet and sought her balance, the One Percenter and Lacey swept the former FFW Champion’s feet out from underneath her and both knelt over her as they started to rain down right and left hands into her head. Luci pushed up and started to pull Valerie off of her only for Lannister to catch her with a stiff kick to the side of her head that sent her falling to the side. Lanister then started to drive kicks into her ribs only for the crowd to suddenly explode into cheers as a woman burst out of the back and sprinted down the entrance ramp, sliding into the ring and came up swinging a crowbar held in one hand, her other hand balled up into a fist with chain coiled around it.

Zack: LOOK AT THIS!! That’s ALYSSON GARDNER!! We haven’t seen her in months, but she’s not going to let the Gold Standard injure her wife! And unsurprisingly, the tag champs and Elizabeth want nothing to do with a fair fight!

Jem: Alysson came prepared and the Gold Standard are heading for the hills!!!

Zack: A chain in one hand, a crowbar in the other, Alysson Gardner may have just saved her wife and Luci from permanent injury! And she looks like she’s ready to go right now!  WELCOME BACK, ALYSSON!

The Gold Standard quickly scattered, bailing out of the ring and coming back to their feet on the outside. Lacey and McKinley raising their titles in the air as Alyson Gardner and Vincent Belmont checked on Valerie McFarlane and Luci respectively before the show cut to an advert for Unstoppable 11 and then a commercial break.




The Starla Strategy

Breaking Point returns from the commercial break, and finds the No Surrender Commission Dr. Starla McCloud already in the ring. She gets a very positive response from the crowd as she begins. 

Zack: That was our last commercial break tonight, fans! What a wild night it's been! Abi tried to run over Harley, the tag titles were defended successfully and then Alysson Gardner returns! And now Starla’s in the ring with some news for us. I’ve been looking forward to this.

Dante: I haven’t. Where's Abi with her motorcycle?

Starla: There are two things I would like to address this evening. The first is what happened at the end of Velocity last week when Cassandra Steen…

Her name got immediate boos from the crowd, garnering a nod from the doctor.

Starla: Along with her manager, robbed Lilly Arthur of the No Surrender Championship. Had there been TV time enough, I’d have made this announcement then. But what I want to make clear to Lilly Arthur is that she will receive a rematch for No Surrender Championship against Cassandra Steen….at Unstoppable 11 on July 25th only on FFW All Access.

Zack: Now there’s a fantastic spot for Lilly to see about regaining her title, on FFW’s biggest stage!

Dante: She was unconscious at the end of the match, why does she need a rematch? I think we’re wasting airtime at Unstoppable! 

That announcement garners a very strong response from the crowd.

Starla: And to ensure what happened at Velocity does not happen again. I am going to have Dante Knox put where he belongs during that match…..in a cage hanging high over the arena. He’ll have a bird’s eye view of everything, while Lilly Arthur can focus on her opponent that night, Cassandra Steen, in a bid to regain the FFW No Surrender Championship.

Zack: YES!!

Dante; EXCUSE ME?! I AM NOT GOING TO BE IN SOME CAGE LIKE AN ANIMAL! 

Zack: Wanna bet? I’m looking forward to this already and even more now! I hope they lose the key. 

Starla: Good luck to both women. Now that brings me to what happened to me at Fury a few weeks ago at the hands of Savannah Star….

There was silence; the lights began to fade away slowly. A soft instrumental echoes out across the audience. It starts slowly, a beautiful sound that contrasts the heaviness of the world. Like feathers, it glides among the waiting audience. The lighting fixtures produce a gentle spotlight upon the stage, offset by the occasional flash here and there. As 'Just Close Your Eyes' by Waterproof Blonde continues to play, a woman’s words begin to come through. Her voice is tender, not raising upon a whisper.

"Deceived by my eyes and all I was told I should see
Opinions not mine, the person they taught me to be
One night in the dark, a vision of someone I knew
And in the darkness I saw, a voice say, I'm you."

On the stage, Savannah Star appears to nothing but boos from the capacity crowd. She pays them no mind, and makes a beeline for the ring. She glides through the ropes and looks over to the Commissioner, while the redhead stares back at her. Just as Starla is about to speak, Savannah slaps the microphone out of her hand and gets in her face. Starla reminds her she’s in management, while the fans continue to boo.

Dante: Go ahead and drop her on her head a few times, Savannah. I’ll pay your fine with Canadian money, it’s the currency the world relies on after all! Put me in a cage….what the--

Finally, Starla has had enough and starts to take off her earrings as she looks back to Savannah. That seems to amuse the blonde as she watches her until……

The lights dim down and take on a purplish hue as a light smoky mist fills the entranceway. The soulful opening to Nipsey Hussle’s “Been Down” begins playing as Swizz Beats offering the tracks opening monologue.

Dante: Who the hell is this now? I don’t recognize that music!

Never sell out
Sometimes you gotta talk that talk to em, Nipsey
Sometimes they can't handle it though...
But we don't care..

Yeah
This a moment, This special…

Zack: I do! 

As the beat drops, the crowd gives a loud pop as Cordelia Stevenson emerges from the mist with a bounce in her step and dancing to the music. She comes to a stop atop the walkway, glancing around and taking in the reception. She rolls her neck around before bowing her head and letting her hair fall in front of her face. A few seconds go by before she snaps her head up, whipping her hair back from in front of her face. She continues on down the ramp, and steps through the ropes. Savannah spins around to face her as the two lock eyes.

Zack: That’s CORDY STEVENSON! Was she Starla’s surprise?! Look at Savannah’s face, she damn sure recognizes her! That’s the woman who took Star’s title in another promotion not that long ago!

Dante: Does she even work here?!

Cordy gives Savannah a little finger wave as the blonde woman glares at her while the fans in the arena show Cordelia a lot of love! The brunette takes a step towards her, and merely says… “SURPRISE!” with a grin. 

Zack: I never saw this coming, and I don’t think Savannah did either! I don’t know what this is all about, but I can’t wait to find out! We’re out of time! 

The fans begin a “CORDY!” chant that rumbles through the arena as Savannah looks clearly irritated and annoyed at the sight of Cordy Stevenson before Breaking Point fades off the air.