FFW Breaking Point - April 9, 2022

[Adam Grant]

 
Live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
April 9, 2022

The exterior of FFW headquarters is shown at night as Savannah Star walks through the front doors into the lobby, giving a little wave to the receptionist as she passes her. As soon as the Siren is out of her sight, she pulls the fire alarm and causes sprinklers to go off as “One Woman Army” by Porcelain Black begins to play.

I'm on the battlefield
Like, oh my God (ooh la la)
Knocking soldiers down
Like house of cards (ooh la la)

In another part of the building as employees are evacuating due to the fire alarm, two women step off the elevator with grins on their face before it’s revealed to be Michelle Storm and Kristina Spencer. They head into a room and slam the door behind them before the power shuts off and emergency flood lights illuminate the hallways as they head back out.

Let's march tonight
The music is still playin'
So get and up fight
You know dat you want it
You know dat you would

The next shot shows the FFW Championship sitting inside an office, now bathed in lasers as part of an emergency theft system. Then all of a sudden, a woman descends from the ceiling in front of it. She’s hanging on a wire and has a mask over her face as she starts cutting the glass surrounding the title. Quickly as she does so, the lasers are deactivated and she lands on her feet. The mask comes off, and Kelly is revealed to be the cat burglar.

I hit cha with dat kung-fu Jackie Chan
Boom, boom, boom, pow
I'm super fast
High heels, big deal
I'll kick your ass

She tosses the title over her shoulder before the lights come back up, and she finds herself surrounded by Harley Shannon, Cassandra Steen, Savannah Star, Valerie McKinley, and Lacey. Kelly lays the title down on the table near her, and waves them forward. And as the group closes in on her, that’s when the show goes live inside the arena to a roaring crowd.

I'm on the battlefield
Like, oh my God (ooh la la)
Knocking soldiers down
Like house of cards (ooh la la)
I'm a one woman army (ooh la la)
Yes, I'm a one woman army
(ooh la la, ooh la la, ooh la la)

Fireworks explode from the stage and across the top of the arena while the fans make a thunderous amount of noise. The ring mat has the Breaking Point logo on it, which is shown before the shot changes to the broadcast booth with Zack and Lexi.

Zack: The fallout from Relentless begins tonight, and we welcome you to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas! You’re watching FFW Breaking Point, and we thank you for joining us. I’m Zack Hudson, and this is the stunning Lexi Carmichael. Relentless has come and gone, but I’m not sure a whole lot was settled on that card. 

Lexi: That was an explosive first Pay Per View of the year if I ever did see one. You’re right though, not much was settled so I have a feeling it could potentially spill over into our first Breaking Point following it. 

Zack: Tonight in our main event, you’re going to see Valerie McKinley square off against the reigning Phoenix Champion Mara Werth. Both of these women are Future Shock alumni, and both have held their top title. Who do you like here?

Lexi: In terms of who I like of course that’s got to me Mara, but in terms of who I think can get the job done, well that’s really a pick ‘em I think. 

Zack: You’re also going to see Harley Shannon meet up with Ruby Steele of the Gemstones. Diamond and her entourage didn’t have a good night at Relentless, and I suspect they’ll be looking to reverse their fortunes here. But Harley isn’t a woman you overlook.

Lexi: Overlook Harley at your own peril. And she’s no stranger to facing people who have a group behind them, so I’m not sure the numbers that Ruby has on her side will phase Harley in the slightest. 

Zack: We’ll also see Rebecka Hate meet up with the “Lioness” Elizabeth Lannister. Absolutely nothing was settled in that No DQ match with Stacey at Relentless. But as we know, when you fight one of the Gold Standard, it tends to be all of them. Becka may want to keep her head on a swivel.

Lexi: It does seem to be that way, but it has been said many times the talent don’t usually book their own matches so I’m not sure the Gold Standard can take credit for, or be blamed for that depending on your perspective. 

Zack: We’ll hear from “Killer B” Bianca Reed, who got her open challenge filled at Relentless by FFW Hall of Famer Crystal Zdunich…and threw cockroaches on her as a result. I doubt she’s heard the last of Crystal after that. 

Lexi: I’ll tell you now, if there’s going to be more cockroaches then I’m going to be elsewhere for that little chat. 

Zack: There’s a whole lot going on tonight, as is usual. So let’s stop talking about it, and get started with the action. Kat, it’s all yours.

The show cuts to the ring with Kat Grayson in a sequin dress listening to the crowd before she begins the introductions.




Kat: Ladies and gentlemen… WELCOME TO BREAKING POINT!!!

The crowd cheered loudly before the announcer raised the microphone once more and continued with the announcements.

Kat: Your opening contest 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 slid into the ring and popped 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: Harley is one of the most decorated women to ever be part of Future Shock during her time there. She’s also entirely self taught till she joined that roster. It’s certainly served her well so far in her career. 

Lexi: Harley is one of the most consistent wrestlers on the roster, and I’m sure that one day we’re going to be calling her FFW Champion… I’m calling that now. 

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston begins to blast all across the speakers and as it does, we are able to see Ruby Steele emerging from the curtain. She is clad in a sparkling ruby glow in the dark jacket. The jacket shines brightly and she excitedly sprints to the ring. Diamond emerges from behind the curtain to support her cousin although her eyes are too focused on her pocket mirror where she just admires her hair.

Kat: Making her way to the ring being accompanied by Diamond Steele, she weighs in at 112 pounds. This is  Ruby Steele!

Ruby however is over the top excited as she does some cartwheels before finishing up with one massive backflip. She giggles before she slowly slides into the ring. She nips up to her feet and blows kisses to the crowd before she bounces about waiting for the match to begin.

Zack: Last we saw Ruby in the ring, she was facing off with a very angry Vivi Traeger. I think she’ll find Harley is a different kind of wrestler to Vivi. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad one for Ruby though.

Lexi: Harley might not be as angry as Vivi was when Ruby met her, but I think we can agree she’s going to have her hands just as full. 

Stephen Wilson was the referee in charge of the contest and checked both combatants for illegal objects, confirmed that they were ready and when he got the okay from both called for the bell. The two wrestlers stepped out of their respective corners and circled each other for a moment before they locked up. Harley quickly got the advantage and went to send her foe to the mat with a hip toss only for Steele to counter with a one handed cartwheel that saw her land on her feet. Shannon looked at her as the musician headed to the corner and hopped to the middle rope, throwing her hands into the air only for the crowd to boo her, Ruby blew a kiss to the fans regardless before she hopped back down to the mat. 

Zack: I don’t think this is the time to be showing off your acrobatic skills with cartwheels. I’m starting to get the sense she’s underestimated Harley.

Lexi: It’s definitely starting to look that way, Zack, but I’m sure that Harley will show her the error of her ways sooner rather than later. 

Again the pair took a moment to circle each other before they once more went to lock up in a collar and elbow tie up only for Harley to drop step under the attempt as she went to apply a rear waistlock. Steele caught hold of her wrists before she could get it locked in and countered into a rear waistlock of her own. Harley went to try to pull the musician’s hands apart but found herself unable to and had to block the German suplex attempt. As Shannon landed on her feet she fired off a pair of quick elbows that caught Ruby a glancing blow to the side of her head; the Gemstone released her hold enough that the former Future Shock Champion was able to counter into a hammerlock. As the flame haired wrestler went to twist the arm up behind her back to her shoulder blade, the British wrestler grimaced for a moment and went for a pair of back elbows of her own which were easily avoided by her opponent and caused Steele to jerk her head backwards, surprising Harley enough that it caused her to step back, easing up on the hold enough for Ruby to take her down to the canvas face first with a drop toe hold before floating over to apply a seated side headlock.

Zack: Well maybe I was wrong. Looks like Ruby is getting a little more serious about this match, which is absolutely what she should do.

Lexi: They seem to be pretty evenly matched at this point, but whether that continues is another story entirely. 

Steele wrenched on the hold tighter as Harley started to force herself up to her feet. As the pair came to a vertical base, Ruby wrenched on the hold again, flexing her arm to put the squeeze on her opponent’s head as Harley started walking her back into the ring ropes, using them to shoot her off across the ring. The Gemstone hit the opposite rope and came back only to run into a shoulder block from Harley that saw the musician get sent down to her back on the canvas. Ruby rolled to the side as she hit the mat and immediately started to come to her feet, slapping her shoulder before she took off towards the ropes once more, bouncing off them and again was sent crashing back down to the canvas as Shannon stood her ground for another shoulder block. Once more Ruby rolled to the side and came to her feet and again took off towards the ropes but as she did so, the flame haired woman also charged forwards, hitting the ropes as though going for a criss-cross with her opponent but only resulted in her colliding with the Gemstone in the middle of the ring and sending the musician flying across the ring, her own momentum causing her to hit the canvas in front of the corner.

Zack: Harley had a little more ‘oomph’ behind her, and sent Ruby to the mat. Ruby might be wise to try another tack here.

Lexi: Ruby might be wondering what hit her after that, Harley’s not the biggest woman on the roster, but that certainly seemed to hit with some force. 

Ruby started to come back to her feet and as she did so, Harley caught her with a running clothesline that took her down to the canvas. Steele sat up and found herself pulled back to her feet where Shannon shoved her back into the corner where she immediately connected with a fierce open handed slap to her opponent’s chest. Ruby tried to cover up only for Harley to jerk her hand away from her body and deliver a second ferocious open handed slap to her chest, followed by another before she pulled her out of the corner and into a running bulldog, driving her opponent face first into the mat. Steele started to push back up to her feet from the canvas as Harley made it back to her feet and again the red haired wrestler took off across the ring, hitting the ropes…and face planted to the canvas thanks to Diamond slapping her heel as she hit the rope while pretending to again fix her hair on the outside. 

Zack: That’s what we’ve come to expect with the Gemstones in matches. I don’t get the sense Ruby particularly likes Diamond, but she certainly lends a hand regardless.

Lexi: Ruby’s as much to blame for that as Diamond, if Ruby really didn’t want her help I’m sure she could tell her to do one. 

Harley rolled into a sitting position and stared at the multi-nicknamed wrestler on the outside as the referee also stared suspiciously at her while she continued to act oblivious while primping her hair. Shannon shook her head and came back to her feet where Ruby caught her with a European uppercut to the jaw. Two more European uppercuts followed that before she took the flame haired American down to the canvas with a snapmare and unloaded a trio of stiff kicks to her spine. The former Phoenix Champion rolled to the side and came to one knee only to get a running knee to the jaw from the Gemstone. Harley started to push upwards, holding her jaw as she did so and Ruby hoisted her and dropped her over the top rope with a stun gun. Shannon landed on her knees and went to push back up to her feet once more as Ruby hit the opposite ropes and caught the rising former Future Shock Champion with a running big boot to the face. 

Zack: Sometimes you don’t need finesse to put your opponent down, especially when a boot to the face will do it just as well. 

Lexi: A boot to the face after an assist from a bandmate is definitely one way to put your opponent down, I don’t think that Harley will stay down for long though. 

The American wrestler leaned back against the ring ropes for a moment before she was pulled forwards by two handfuls of her hair by her foe who dropped down to a sitting position to deliver a jawbreaker. It caused Harley to fall back against the ring ropes once more, holding her jaw as she did so while Ruby rolled backwards to come to her feet, stepped forwards quickly and onto the middle rope to deliver a step up enzuigiri to the side of Harley’s head. Shannon stumbled forwards three steps before she fell face first to the mat once more and Ruby again hopped up to the middle rope, holding the top rope as she did so and again played to the crowd, trying to get them loud…only getting more boos as she did so. Meanwhile, behind her, Harley was starting to push up to her feet.

Zack: Now she’s back to toying with the crowd. Which leads back to my earlier thought that she’s not taking Harley as seriously as she should.

Lexi: The more she plays up to the crowd, the longer she’s giving Harley to get back to her feet. It doesn’t seem like the wisest of moves to me. 

Before Harley could make a step towards her opponent though, Ruby launched herself off the ropes and caught Shannon with a disaster kick to the jaw, sending her down to the mat. As she hit Shannon instinctively rolled onto her side and to her hands and knees only for Ruby to once more grab hold of her flame coloured hair, jerking her upwards, spinning her around and hurling her chest first into the middle rope. Harley hit the rope and landed on her knees and before she could get any further, Ruby dropped to one knee, forcing her foe’s throat first against the middle rope, pulling back on the plastic coated metal cable to choke her opponent out. The referee immediately called for the break and started the count, getting to four before Ruby knelt up, holding her hands in the air as she did so. A moment later though, Ruby threw herself against Harley’s back once more, choking her out against the ropes again. The referee again called for the break and started the count, getting to four before Steele knelt up with her hands raised again. This time Ruby popped back up to her feet and kicked the middle rope as Harley laid over it, causing her to crash back down to the mat. The Gemstone dove on top of her opponent and made the cover, the referee sliding into position to make the count and as his hand rose into the air, Ruby kicked her feet onto the bottom rope.

Lexi: Stopping your opponent from being able to breathe is definitely one way to get them down, and she might be about to steal this one. 

One..

Tw–

Zack: Even with her feet on the ropes, she struggled to get even a two. Harley has way too much energy still. 

Harley kicked out of the pinfall and from her knees Ruby began to deliver hammer and anvil elbow strikes into the side of her opponent’s head. It caused Wilson to demand that the musician let her opponent up from the canvas and started the count once more. Again he made it to four before Steele ceased slamming her elbow into the side of her opponent’s head and pulled her up to her feet with a handful of hair at the back of her head. As she brought Harley to a vertical base, she used the handful of hair to send her into the nearest corner. As Shannon hit the turnbuckles, Ruby started to fire off a series of kicks into her midriff, landing six in quick succession before she pressed her boot against Harley’s throat to choke her out again, the flame haired wrestler trying desperately to shove the boot away from her to no success. 

Zack: I see a lot of potential here with Ruby, if you take away the cheating and the nonsense. She’s shown flashes of competency here.

Lexi: Ruby seems to be controlling the match pretty well at the moment, but I think we’re a long way from done. 

It saw the referee call for the break and start the count once more. Again he got to four and this time as Ruby backed away, he started to read her the riot act over the repeated chokes, demanding that he listen to her. While he had his back to Harley Shannon, Diamond hopped up onto the apron, grabbed hold of the former Future Shock Champion’s head and snapped her throat over the top rope as she stepped back off the apron to the floor. Harley reeled backwards gasping for breath and as she did so, Ruby caught her with a codebreaker, sending her down to the canvas and immediately scrambled to make the cover, hooking both legs as she did so.

Zack: There’s a tight leg hook, and Ruby’s looking for the bell to ring in three!

One…

Two…

…THR–

Lexi: Harley’s managed to keep herself in this despite the blatant cheating from Diamond. 

Harley kicked out, shoving her foe off of her as she rolled to the side. Ruby asked the referee for the three but didn’t argue as he showed her the two and instead headed towards the corner. Steele quickly climbed to the top rope and perched there, measuring up a rising Shannon. As soon as the flame haired wrestler was upright, the Gemstone launched herself off into a hurricanrana only for the move to be countered as she went to snap it off; the former Future Shock Champion driving the musician back first into the mat with a powerbomb. The New Hampshire native held on both of her foe’s legs as she landed the move and leaned forwards to pin her shoulders to the mat. 

Zack: Harley showing some muscle with one helluva powerbomb, that might do it!

One…

Tw—

Lexi: That came from nowhere, but Ruby has far too much left in the tank yet. 

Ruby kicked out on the two count and as she did so, Harley kept her grip on her legs as she stood up and stepped through to transition the hold into a Boston crab in the middle of the ring. Quickly Wilson adjusted his position and asked Steele if she wanted to quit, getting a ‘No’ from the Gemstone as Harley sat lower and leaned backwards, applying a little more pressure to her foes spine. Again the referee asked, getting a shake of the head from the musician as she pulled at her hair, then dragged her fingers over her features, her face showing that she was in pain. Still the official asked if she wanted to quit as Harley kept the hold applied, getting another refusal as Ruby started to lean to the side, clawing at the canvas in an effort to make it to the ropes, still refusing to submit. She curved her body around a little further, the look of anguish increasing on her face as she did so then stretching out towards the bottom rope, her fingertips brushing it…until Diamond leaned on the bottom rope and pushed it into her hand. The official stopped as he was about to tell Diamond to move away and instead called for the break, starting the count which came as he reached four.

Zack: Diamond is paying off in dividends here for Ruby, which is pretty much par for the course since the Gemstones do the same for her. 

Lexi: As if we really need another group who get involved in each other’s matches. I’m surprised Kyle isn’t trying to manage them. 

Harley stepped away from her opponent as she released only to take off across the ring as she saw Ruby roll underneath the bottom rope to the outside where she was joined by her cousin who seemed to be giving a mix of a motivational speech and berating her bandmate for her performance. Shannon hit the opposite ropes and came charging across the ring, launching herself into a superman dive through the ropes that saw her catch both Steeles on the outside, sending them both back into the crowd barricade; Diamond losing her balance and falling to her hands and knees as she did so while Ruby started to slump down to the floor against the barrier. The former Phoenix Champion didn’t allow her opponent to drop to the floor as she pulled her upwards and delivered a chop to her chest before she rolled her into the ring underneath the bottom ropes. Harley went to pull herself up onto the apron as Ruby rolled away and started back to her feet but as the American went to stand up, Diamond caught hold of her ankle below the ring apron, wrapping both arms around it. Harley tried to shake her leg free but Diamond was holding onto her like a limpet which allowed Ruby to take full advantage before the official could go to investigate; the least experienced member of the Gemstones springboarding off the ropes and catching Harley with a dropkick to the side of the head that sent her falling hard to the floor.

Zack: Harley should have brought Mara with her tonight. I know she’s got her own match to prepare for, but this is ridiculous.

Lexi: She definitely could have done with having some back up in her corner to keep Diamond at arm’s reach. This is like a handicap match. 

Ruby followed her out to the floor, where she was met by her cousin who stood up straight from her position beside the ring, the musicians wrapping an arm around each other's shoulders as they told the camera they had all the greatest hits and their next one was going golden. The fans booed loudly as Ruby turned back towards Harley and charged towards her, looking to take her down with a sling blade clothesline but only got air as the former Future Shock Champion ducked beneath the attempt. Steele stopped on a dime, spun and immediately charged straight back towards her opponent but this time the flame haired wrestler was ready for her, dropping her shoulder as she neared to send the newcomer up and dropped her face first into the floor with a flapjack, falling backwards as she delivered it.

Zack; There we go! Ruby’s nose and the rest of her body could be a little flatter going forward.

Lexi: Karma is a redhead called Harley… at least as far as Ruby’s concerned tonight. 

Harley rolled to her front and pushed up to one knee, feeling her jaw as Ruby held her body as she writhed on the floor for a moment before she came back to her feet with the help of Diamond. The more experienced member of the Gemstones seemed to be issuing instructions to her cousin and as Ruby turned towards her foe the flame haired wrestler suddenly launched herself forwards and took both members of the Gemstones down with a thunderous double clothesline. Quickly the former Future Shock Champion pulled her foe up to her feet, rolling her into the ring underneath the bottom rope once more and immediately following in behind her. Steele rolled away from the ring ropes and started to come to her feet but as she did so, Harley charged her, wrapping her arms around her waist as she rushed her into the ropes and used the momentum to send Ruby flying from one side of the ring to the other with a belly to belly suplex, Ruby catching herself on the bottom rope as she rolled across the mat to stop herself from going to the outside.

Zack: That was some serious impact from Harley, and I’m a little impressed Ruby was able to stop herself from hitting the floor as a result.

Lexi: Harley threw her like a rag doll there, can we rewind that and watch it again?!

Ruby started to pull herself up with the aid of the ropes only for Harley to catch her with a sliding forearm, the flame haired woman sliding underneath the bottom rope as she delivered the move. Shannon landed on her feet on the outside and took off towards Diamond, catching her as she rose to her feet with a bicycle knee to the jaw that sent her down to the floor. Quickly the former Future Shock Champion pulled herself up onto the apron and climbed to the top rope where she launched herself off immediately to catch Ruby with a knee strike to the side of the head. It staggered the musician and Harley jerked her downwards into a cradle, rolling it around and around the ring as the referee chased after the pair before finally coming to a halt with Ruby’s shoulders on the canvas. Wilson slid into position to make the count.

Zack: Harley’s looking to pull one out of nowhere!

One…

Two…

…THRE–

Lexi: Oooooh that was close, but not close enough. 

The crowd were squarely behind Harley as she came to her feet, not arguing the two count with the referee and dropped back to the ropes, launching herself off them and catching the rising Ruby with a knee lift to the jaw. Steele staggered backwards only to hit the canvas a second later as a discus forearm connected with her jaw from Harley. The Gemstone rolled to one side, propping herself up on her elbow as she did so and Shannon dropped down, driving a knee into her opponent’s spine as she used both hands to apply a shoulder claw to her foe, digging her fingers into the nerve at the base of her neck. Ruby was grimacing in pain as she forced herself up into a sitting position and reached across to try and pry Harley’s hands away from her but with little joy as the former Future Shock Champion only seemed to dig her fingers in deeper, causing Ruby to cry out in pain before she reached for the ropes. Desperately the musician reached out for them, trying everything she could to will herself towards them despite still being several inches away as Harley dug her fingers in deeper.

Zack: You can see Ruby almost willing those ropes to be closer. Vivi made her submit when they faced, and I can tell Ruby is much more hellbent on not letting that happen twice.

Lexi: As hellbent as Ruby is, Harley seems just as hellbent on making it a reality. She doesn’t look like she has any intention of letting go. 

Again Ruby cried out in pain before she finally reached up and raked her fingernails down Harley’s face to gain the break, Shannon staggering backwards, holding her face and trying to clear her vision as she did so. Steele quickly came back to her feet, shaking her arm as she held the shoulder that Harley had been working on and skipped forwards quickly to catch the flame haired wrestler with a superkick as she cleared her vision. It dropped the Future Shock Champion down to the mat where she rolled to her side as Ruby took a couple of seconds to massage her shoulder and shake her arm, looking to get a bit more feeling into it. The American started to push her way back to her feet and as she did so, the Gemstone stepped towards her and caught her with a thrust to the throat. 

Zack: Just like the eyes, your throat isn’t something you can toughen up with training. Ruby just robbed Harley of her oxygen to give herself a little bit of an opening.

Lexi: An eye rake is one way to get out of a submission hold, and it was pretty effective for Ruby there. 

Harley started to gasp for breath, hands moving to her throat as she did so Ruby grabbed hold of one of her wrists and Irish whipped her straight into the nearest corner. Shannon struck it chest first and staggered backwards and Steele darted past her into the corner, hopping up onto the middle ropes where she launched herself into meteora that drove Harley down into the mat and allowed Ruby to make the cover once more as she knelt on her chest.

Lexi: Ruby is definitely wanting this match over with, and she might just have done it for her first win in FFW. 

One…

Two…

…THR-

Zack: I think that’s as close as Ruby has come tonight to putting Harley away.

Harley rolled her shoulder to stop the count and Ruby looked towards the official, asking for three but as the two count was confirmed she nodded and pulled her foe’s head up off the canvas, cradling it with one hand as she drove forearms into the jaw of the flame haired woman. As she did so, Diamond slammed her hands into the ring apron to the beat of “We Will Rock You” by Queen while the official called for the break, getting to four before Ruby bounced her opponent’s head off the canvas before she rose back to her feet. The British wrestler played to the crowd for a moment before she pulled the rising Harley the rest of the way upright and fired her across the ring into the opposite corner. This time the former Future Shock Champion struck the turnbuckles backfirst and her opponent charged in behind her to catch her with a running European uppercut. As soon as it landed, Ruby spun around and delivered a second European uppercut, followed by three more before she pulled Shannon out of the turnbuckles and dropped her to the mat with a DDT. Steele kipped straight back up to her feet and once more used the ropes to her advantage as she delivered a springboard leg drop across her chest. Again Ruby made a lateral press cover.

Zack: Excellent aerial offense from Ruby, and there could be a W in her record coming up!

One…

Two…

…THRE–NO!!!

Lexi: No! Harley is having none of it, she doesn’t want Ruby’s first win to be at her expense. 

Harley again rolled her shoulder to stop the count and Ruby this time looked to the referee, asking for the three. When she was only shown the two, she slapped her hands together three times in quick succession, raising her arm in the air in victory but Wilson very clearly waved it off, showing the two once more and telling her in no uncertain terms that it was only a two count. The British wrestler pushed back up to her feet and skipped around the ring, encouraging the crowd to get behind her…only to get loud boos in response. The musician stopped and stared across the ring at Harley as the flame haired woman was making it to her knees before she charged towards her and caught her with a shining wizard; the former Phoenix Champion getting her hand up in the nick of time to take the majority of the force of the blow - but still it sent her sideways to the canvas. 

Zack: Harley managed to deflect that somewhat, but it still put her down.

Lexi: These two have really been giving as good as they get, I’m not sure how much either one has left in them. 

Ruby once more came back to her feet and with her opponent flat on the mat she threw her hands to the air in victory, pointing to the top turnbuckle for a second before she ran towards the corner. Quickly she climbed to the top rope and launched herself off backwards into a diving moonsault…

Lexi: This could be the end for Harley….. 

…and crashed down onto empty canvas as Harley rolled out of the way at the last moment. Ruby bounced up onto all fours, holding her stomach and body as she collapsed back down to the mat, writhing in pain for a second before she again pushed back upwards. As she came to her knees, she found Shannon was waiting for her; the flame haired wrestler immediately catching her with a palm strike to the side of the jaw. Ruby fired back with an open handed slap only to immediately receive a second palm strike to the jaw. Again she slapped her foe across the mouth and a moment later ate another palm strike. The musician reared back to reply but instead Harley caught her with another palm strike. And another. And another. And another. The former Future Shock Champion’s hands were moving in a blur as she fired off the blows before she came to her feet, pulling Ruby up with her, hooking her head as she did so and driving knees into her body. 

Zack: Look at those blistering knees from Harley, and how fast she can land them!

Lexi: Harley saved herself and boy is she making it count now. I think Ruby could be in real trouble now. 

Finally Harley pulled her upright and straight into a belly to belly overhead suplex that sent Ruby back first into the turnbuckles where she slid down to land on her shoulders in the corner. Quickly the flame haired wrestler grabbed hold of her ankle and used it to roll her onto her knees where she wrapped her arms around her waist and jerked the smaller woman up into a German suplex, bridging for the pin as it landed.

Zack: Shannon with a German suplex into a bridge, perfect execution!

One…

Two…

…TH–

Lexi: So close, but not quite close enough. Ruby is proving herself to be pretty hard to put down. 

Ruby’s shoulder came up from the canvas to stop the count and rolled away onto her stomach. Harley confirmed the two count with the referee, not arguing with the decision as she pushed upwards to her feet. Steele slowly began to pull herself upwards, only getting as far as her feet before Shannon crashed a knee trembler into the side of her head. Ruby collapsed to her knees and was quickly jerked towards the middle of the ring by her foe who double underhooked her arms before DDT-ing her, spiking the musician’s head into the mat and flipping her over. As the Gemstone collapsed to the canvas, the former Future Shock Champion dove on top of her, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: Double underhook DDT, and Harley may be about to seal the deal!

One…

Two…

…THRE–NO!!!!!!

Lexi: Oh come on! I was sure that she had that then. 

Ruby managed to get her shoulder up off the mat at the final second and Harley looked towards the referee with three fingers raised only to get a shake of the head from Wilson as he showed her the two count. Coming back to her feet the flame haired favourite mimed a mushroom cloud with her hands, causing the crowd to cheer loudly as she stepped back into the corner and started to wave Steele upwards. The musician made it to her knees and grabbed hold of the referee’s legs as he checked on her, using them to pull herself upwards as Diamond came up onto the apron behind Harley on the referee’s blindside. Diamond screeched into Shannon’s ear, causing her to spin around and immediately the more experienced member of the Gemstones went to grab hold of her head. The former Future Shock Champion slipped out of her grasp and fired off a flash kick to Diamond’s jaw causing her to sway backwards as she grabbed hold of the top rope to try and steady herself. Harley followed up with a roundhouse kick to Diamond’s jaw that caused her to fall, hitting the apron and bouncing to the floor.

Zack: Well done, Harley! Diamond’s been asking for that practically since the bell rang!

Lexi: I bet that felt great for Harley after everything Diamond’s done in this match tonight. 

Harley turned back to her foe and immediately spun away from a busaiku knee attempt from Ruby. Steele managed to adjust and land on her feet but as she did turn towards Harley, Shannon fired off a flash kick to her jaw, following it with a roundhouse kick to the side of her head. Ruby collapsed to her knees and the former Future Shock Champion finished off the Eruption with a backward thrust kick to the jaw that saw the musician keel over backwards to the canvas. Quickly Harley jerked her foe away from the ropes and made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: There’s the ERUPTION!! And I don’t know anyone who gets up from it!

One…

Two…

…THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi: Yes! Harley has managed to pull it out of the bag despite the numbers being against her for most of the match. 

The referee completed the count and called for the bell, Harley sitting up and taking a moment before she came to her feet and had her hand raised in victory by Stephen Wilson; the crowd cheering her loudly as he did so.

Kat: Here is your winner, by way of pinfall… HARLEY SHANNON!!!

Zack: Great job by Harley Shannon, who overcame more than just the woman she was facing in the ring to get the job done tonight in Dallas. 

Lexi: Harley has shown again that she is one of the most consistent wrestlers on the roster. 

Diamond managed to pull herself up with the ring skirt, holding the side of her head as Ruby rolled to her side also holding her jaw only for the less experienced Gemstone to get pulled out of the ring by her cousin. The pair started to complain to the referee…about something…as Ruby continued to hold her jaw with a look of pain on her face. Meanwhile the fans were cheering loudly as Harley climbed to the middle turnbuckle and threw up her hands in victory before the show cut elsewhere.



Pre-Approved Questions

The show cuts to a familiar scene from a few weeks ago, to what looks like a posh living room with a sofa, a recliner and a glass table between them. In the recliner is Allison Marx, while “Killer B” Bianca Reed and her agent, Carson Black, occupy the sofa.

Allison: I’m here once again with Bianca Reed, who we last saw at Relentless in an open challenge she laid out two weeks prior. Tonight, I wanted to talk about what happened during that match. 

Carson cleared his throat, and offered her a few index cards in his hand.

Carson: I happen to have your questions right here, Miss Marx, so there’s no confusion like last time. Also you forgot to introduce me. I’d appreciate the consideration.

Allison: Fine. She’s with her agent, Carson Black. Better? 

Carson: It could have been a bit better, but in the interest of time, it’s acceptable. Now you are free to ask any of those questions you like.

Allison rolled her eyes as she took the index cards, and started to flip through them to see what questions had been approved. She didn’t seem too enthusiastic after reading them.

Allison: So Bianca…

Carson: Miss Reed, thank you.

Allison: ….Ms. Reed, how did you feel about the fact that Crystal Zdunich accepted your open challenge? 

Bianca: Honestly, I was not impressed. I said I didn’t want any more has-beens, and so who shows up? Crystal Christina Rose Hilton Zdunich, she who has done precisely fuck all in the last five years except change her name a bunch of times. So she decided to come to FFW to ride my coattails and try to make herself feel relevant again off of my hard work and my reputation. So I guess now I gotta toss some more trash out in the dumpster.

Carson: Mrs. Zdunich or whatever the name is now is very much like many wrestlers in this business. They come back for one more glory run, they think they have unfinished business in a promotion. To my knowledge, she has zero unfinished business in FFW. I was here for her last run, and…I think it’s best to leave some things in the past.

Allison took a deep breath, and flipped through the cards again reluctantly.

Allison: Given your….extremely talented skills as compared to a…flash in the pan…like Crystal, did you feel she wasn’t worth your time which led you to….anoint her with creatures that she does belong with? 

Bianca: That’s exactly right, Allison. Crystal doesn’t deserve to be in the same ring as me, so I let the roaches deal with her.

Carson: Allow me to ask you a question, Miss Marx. Bianca Reed has, for all intents and purposes, ended the legendary career of Emma Mackenzie without so much as even having a match with her. Now I weigh Emma a fair bit higher than I do Mrs. Zdunich. So my question to you is do you think if Mrs. Zdunich decides to push this issue…do you think my client will even break a sweat in defeating her in front of the world? I don’t. As a matter of fact, I’m of the mind you could probably run a stopwatch when the bell rings. 

Allison didn’t respond to the comment before Carson smiled and plucked the index cards out of her hand. 

Carson: Well if you have nothing else to say, this has been a most exhaustive interview. You really know how to get to the heart of the matter, and present the facts in a clear and concise way, Miss Marx. 

He offered his hand to Bianca before they stood up. She took his hand and stood up, giving Allison a withering look.

Bianca: Crystal Zdunich has been bargain basement Bianca Reed for years now, and Relentless was an opportunity for me to show her where she truly belongs - with every other disgusting pest.

Turning her attention toward her manager, the two walk away and we go elsewhere.

[Adam Grant]

The camera cut back to the ring where Kat was waiting to begin the announcements for the next match.

Zack: We’re back for more action. I want to remind everyone to tune into Future Shock this coming Tuesday night. It’ll be the last show before the girls head for Global Wars in the gorgeous country of France. I know you’re looking forward to that trip, Lexi.

Lexi: Who wouldn’t be? France is such a beautiful country and I’m sure that the fans there are going to give the Future Shock roster one hell of a welcome. 

Kat: Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is scheduled for one fall to a finish. Introducing first…

As the fans sit in their seats in anticipation of what is to come, they are greeted by the lights dimming. A brilliant golden spotlight focuses on the stage as the opening strains of “Massive Addictive” by Amaranthe begin to play.

“Give me purity, strength and affection
Give me lust to ignite my devotion for life
It's where beauty comes alive
Can't you see I'm a slave to the darkness
Cutting down
And I know I have done this before
As I stare into the wall
And now it's time to let it shine
Cause don't you know I'm addicted”

The curtains to rustle a bit before the dapper figure of one Kyle Kilmeade emerges from the back, his ever present smirk etched on his face. He steps out onto the stage and glances at either side of the stage at the crowd before stepping to the side, holding out his hand to the curtain. Out from the back emerges the beautiful Elizabeth Lannister. Stepping out onto the stage, she takes Kyle’s outstretched hand and promptly twirls around slowly, showing off the intricate work on her robe. Dropping his hand, Elizabeth nods and starts to walk down the aisle, Kyle walking in stride next to her.

“Massive addictive
And suddenly I'm greatly affected
Like burning fire inside
My cyanide
Scared of losing my mind
Massive addictive
I'm totally completely afflicted
As I inspire the lie like a lullaby
Crawling around in my mind
My mind”

The pair slowly make their way down the aisle, Elizabeth’s gold and red robe flowing with each step she took, completely ignoring the fans on either side of her. As the pair walk, the spotlight changes so that the entire arena is soon engulfed in gold light.

Kat: Ladies and gentlemen, making her way to the ring, being accompanied by her manager Kyle Kilmeade…..from Scottsdale, Arizona…’THE LIONESS’ ELIZABETH LANNISTER!!

Once she reaches the ring she begins to climb the steel steps, with Kyle hopping up onto the apron and holding the ropes open for her. She carefully climbs through the opened ropes and steps into the middle of the ring, flipping her hair over her shoulders and sticking her arms out to the sides, her head tilted back, a confident smirk etched on her angelic features. She then returns her head to it’s normal position and unclasps her robe, shrugging it off as Kyle reaches forward to carefully hand it to a nearby stagehand. She then moves her arms back and forth to loosen up as the lights return to normal and the music begins to fade out.

Zack: Elizabeth has a busy few days ahead of her, Lexi. Tonight, she’ll deal with Rebecka Hate. And she’s issued an open challenge to ANYONE on the Future Shock roster when she visits Tuesday night in her hometown of Scottsdale. 

Lexi: I’m just hoping that there’ll be no cockroaches like there was in the last open challenge issued around these parts. 

The lights fade before the viking horn starts in.  As the first verse starts, Becka comes out dressed like a viking warrior.

Ships on vigor of the waves are skimming
Barren summits to the verdant plains
Each horizon is a new beginning
Rise and reign

Far from the fjords and the ice cold currents
Ravens soar over new frontiers
Songs and sagas of a fate determined
Shields and spears
 
Vows of favor or the thrill of plunder
Pull together for the clan and kin
Clank of hammers and the crash of thunder
Pound within

Becka makes her way down the ramp, high-fiving fans as she makes her way to the ring.  Along the way, she picks out a little girl and gives her the faux-fur cloak that she is wearing.

Oh-ho-oh
The echoes of eternity
Oh-ho-oh
Valhalla calling me
Oh-ho-oh
To pluck the strings of destiny
Oh-ho-oh
Valhalla calling me
Valhalla calling me

Becka’s outfit looks similar to what Lagertha would wear when she wasn’t in battle sans the sword.  Becka takes a lap around the ring, soaking in the cheers from the fans before stepping up onto the ring apron.

Sails a' swaying on the crimson rivers
Blood and glory in the fighting fields
Shields a' shattered into splintered timbers
Iron and steel

Fires are rising and the bells are ringing
Glory take us into Odin's halls
Golden glimmer and the sound of singing
Asgard's call

Becka smirks to the crowd as she hooks her arms on the top rope and leans out away from the ring.

Oh-ho-oh
The echoes of eternity
Oh-ho-oh
Valhalla calling me
Oh-ho-oh
To pluck the strings of destiny
Oh-ho-oh
Valhalla calling me
Valhalla calling me

Kat:  Hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, weighing in at 168 lbs.  She is the harbinger of vengeance.  Introducing………….REBECKA HATE.

Wind and the waves will carry me
Wind and the waves will set me free
Wind and the waves will carry me
Wind and the waves will set me free

Oh-ho-oh
The echoes of eternity
Oh-ho-oh
Valhalla calling me
Oh-ho-oh
To pluck the strings of destiny
Oh-ho-oh
Valhalla calling me
Valhalla calling me

Becky climbs into the ring and sits on the turnbuckle as she waits for the bell to ring.

Zack: We saw a very violent and dangerous side of Rebecka Hate at Relentless in her No DQ match against Stacey Sky. She and Stacey both have highly volatile tempers. 

Lexi: This isn’t a no DQ but I doubt that’s going to make Rebecka any less violent or dangerous. 

Melinda Davis was the referee in charge and ordered Kyle to leave the ring. As he did so, she checked that both wrestlers were ready to begin the match, seeing Hate slide off the turnbuckle to her feet and start to advance across the ring towards her opponent only for the official to stand in her way and try to send her back to the corner. Rebecka, though, lifted Davis off her feet and moved her out of the way only for Lannister to catch the SVW Hall of Famer with a flying forearm to the jaw. Immediately the Lioness followed that up with a furious flurry of forearms as she tried to put Hate off balance with the speed of the blows - even forcing the powerhouse back a step. The Gold Standard member stepped back and looked to be about ready to launch into another flurry of forearms only for Hate to slam an open handed chop into the blonde’s chest; the blow sounding like a whip crack as it cut through the noise of the crowd. Lannister immediately covered up and staggered away with a look of pain on her face. 

Zack: I don’t think taking Rebecka on head to head is going to be a good idea. Elizabeth tried to overwhelm her to start the match…and that didn’t work well.

Lexi: That’s definitely gonna leave a mark, I hope Elizabeth isn’t gonna want to wear anything too low cut for a while. 

Rebecka immediately went after, wrapping a hand around the back of her head as she pulled her forwards and drove three knee lifts into her midsection, dropping the blonde down to one knee only to haul her straight back up to her feet and jerked her into a short arm clothesline to send her down to the mat. Lannister rolled to the side and quickly went to rise only for Hate to dart past her towards the ropes, hitting them and bouncing off to launch herself into a cross body block that took Elizabeth back down to the canvas. The crowd were cheering the SVW Hall of Fame wrestler loudly as she pulled her foe back up to her feet and quickly lifted her up over her head into a Gorilla Press position, holding her there as she turned to face the crowd on each side of the ring, causing them all to cheer a little louder once more before she stepped out from underneath the Lioness and let her plummet to the canvas, landing face first. The blonde bounced as she landed, coming to her hands and feet for a moment before she quickly rolled away and out of the ring to her manager.

Zack: Lannister making the wise move here, have a little powwow with Kyle. Might be time to switch to Plan B. 

Lexi: I’m not sure that’s gonna help her much against Rebecka, if anything I have a feel it might make it worse for her when Rebecka does get her hands back on her. 

As Kyle met her on the outside, ordering Davis to keep Hate back, the referee told Rebecka to stay on the opposite side of the ring. While Elizabeth and her manager discussed strategy on the outside, Hate took a moment to rally the crowd behind her before she turned back towards her foe, pointing at her and waving for her to come back into the ring. The referee was counting slowly and as Lannister climbed the ring steps and got onto the apron, she told the referee to keep ‘Magilla the Gorilla’ back. The official told Hate to stay on the far side of the ring even as Rebecka was starting to advance towards her, the Louisiana based wrestler backing away once more with a sigh. Satisfied, the Lioness stepped through the ropes once more and this time she took off towards Hate once more and this time used a baseball slide through her legs; Hate stumbling slightly as she tried to catch hold of her as went by. 

Zack: Playing cat and mouse isn't the best strategy either. She needs to get her off her feet, easier said than done.

Lexi: Elizabeth is playing a dangerous game and potentially winding Rebecka up even more. Though something tells me Elizabeth isn’t too concerned by that, there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance after all. 

Rebecka found her balance and turned towards her opponent  only for the Lioness to rock her with a roundhouse kick to the side of the head. A second roundhouse kick followed before Lannister left her feet to deliver a high knee to the jaw of her foe. Rebecka stumbled backwards a step and then found herself taken down to the canvas with a drop toe hold. As soon as Hate hit the canvas, the Gold Standard member floated over and took position on her back, grabbing hold of the more powerful woman by her hair and started to drive her face first into the canvas, bouncing her head like she was dribbling a basketball as the referee called for the break and started the count. As Davis made it to four, Lannister drove a forearm into the base of her foe’s skull and then transitioned into a side headlock, wrenching it on tightly. 

Zack: She’s trying to wear down Rebecka, take some of the starch out of her. Who would you like to see take up Lannister’s open challenge Tuesday on Future Shock, Lexi? 

Lexi: I’m sure whoever takes up the challenge will give her a good run for her money. The Future Shock roster is jam packed with talent so any of them will put on an amazing show for the fans. 

Hate started to push up to her feet; Elizabeth squeezing tighter and tighter on her head as she was forced upwards by the rising powerhouse. As the pair got to their feet, Lannister tried to shift her weight to send her foe sprawling back to the mat with a headlock takedown but Rebecka managed to block the attempt and instead countered it by lifting her opponent up from her feet into a back suplex that drove the blonde down into the canvas spine first. The Lioness held the back of her head as she rolled to the side and came back to her feet where she charged towards Hate and caught her with a bicycle knee to the jaw. It rocked the wrestler from New Orleans, causing her to step backwards but as she found her balance Rebecka stepped forwards and caught the blonde with a headbutt that saw Elizabeth step backwards before she collapsed and landed on her ass. 

Zack: Just watching someone take a headbutt hurts, much less having to feel it. Elizabeth got dropped with just one of them.

Lexi: There’s no question that Elizabeth is at a disadvantage when it comes to sheer strength against Rebecka, so she’s going to have to find some way to counteract that. 

Lannister began to rise back to her feet and as she did so, Rebecka dropped back to the ropes and launched herself forwards to drive a big boot into her opponent’s jaw, dropping her straight back down to the canvas. Quickly the Gold Standard member looked to come to her feet but as she did so, Hate hooked her head and lifted her upwards, holding her upside down. The SVW Hall of Famer held her opponent vertical with one hand as she used the other to encourage the crowd to cheer and as they grew to a crescendo, Rebecka dropped back to complete the vertical suplex. Immediately the blonde sat up, holding her back as she did so. It brought a grin to Hate’s face as she moved into position to lock in a full Nelson on the blonde. She used the hold to pull the Arizona born wrestler upwards, shaking her from side to side as they got to a vertical base before she slammed her down into the canvas and this time, Hate made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Lexi: Rebecka looks like she’s having fun now, but she’s still looking to end this pretty quickly. 

One…

Two…

…THR–

Zack: A for effort, but Elizabeth still has a lot more left in the tank yet.

Lannister kicked out and shoved Hate away from her as best she could to roll off to the side and out of the ring once more. Again she was met by Kyle and the pair demanded the referee - who was already starting to count her out slowly - control Hate and ensure that she kept her distance as they started to regroup. The referee tried to keep Rebecka back but this time the Louisiana based wrestler shook her head as she instead dropped back to the ropes, launching herself across the ring and took off towards her foes with a tope con hilo…only to crash hard into the floor as Kyle pulled himself and Lannister out of the way at the very last moment. Before Hate could sit up, Lannister went to work on her, stomping away violently at her chest. Despite the blows, the powerhouse started to force herself upwards, making it to a sitting position at which point Lannister spotted one of the camera cables trailing around ringside and grabbed hold of it, looping it around Hate’s throat to choke her out. Davis leaned through the ropes, telling the Lioness to let go and bring it back into the ring before she continued the countout, reaching seven before Elizabeth released her grip on the cable and rolled in and out of the ring to break up the count. 

Zack: She’s using everything within her reach to try to keep Rebecka on the backfoot. If it’s me after what I saw at Relentless, I’d try to keep this in the ring at all times.

Lexi: If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think Elizabeth had planned this. Instead I think she’s just making the most of the opportunity to use some underhand tactics to get an advantage. 

The momentary break was enough for Hate to continue her rise, coming to her knees as she gasped for breath only for Lannister to use her position to spike her head into the canvas with a hurricanrana delivered to her from the kneeling position. Lannister quickly grabbed hold of her foe’s hair once more and started to haul her upwards, pulling her slowly up to her feet where, with some effort, she managed to roll her into the ring underneath the bottom rope. Lannister followed her in as Rebecka rolled away and started to pull herself up from the canvas forcing herself to get to her feet and as she made it to a vertical base, Lannister darted towards the ring ropes, using them to build momentum and deliver a spear that drove her foe down to the mat. Quickly the Lioness made the cover, hooking both legs as she did so. 

Zack: Lannister with an explosive spear and looking for the win!

One…

Tw—

Lexi: Rebecka is pretty resilient so I think it’s going to take a lot more for Elizabeth to be able to keep her down for a three count. 

Hate kicked out with authority and as she did so, Lannister took up the mount position and started to hammer forearms into her jaw causing the referee to again call for the break and start the count, getting to four before Lannister rolled away and came to her feet. Rebecka also started to rise and as she got upright, Elizabeth grabbed hold of her from behind and applied an abdominal stretch to the powerhouse. The Lioness applied a little more torque in the hold, wrenching the arm away from her body and started to drive the point of her elbows into her side and rib cage that caused Hate to grimace in discomfort. The referee asked Hate if she wanted to submit but only got a growled, angry ‘no’ in response which saw Lannister deliver another series of five elbow shots into her rib cage before she started to grind the point of the joint into her kidney area.

Zack: Elizabeth is well versed in the technical aspects of this sport, and she’s getting maximum benefit from this abdominal stretch. 

Lexi: It’s clear that she’s causing Rebecka a fair bit of discomfort, but honestly, I can’t see her tapping out any time soon. 

Again the referee asked the question and got another refusal from the powerhouse which again saw elbow strikes driven into her body as the Lioness looked to punish her further. Hate used her free hand and went to try to pick one of her foe’s ankles causing the blonde to step back which was enough for Rebecka to send her crashing to the mat as she powered out of the submission hold with a hip toss. Both competitors took a moment to try and recover and as Elizabeth rose back to her feet, Rebecka sent her straight back to the canvas with a standing dropkick. This time the Gold Standard rolled to the side and started to come back to her feet only for Hate to meet her as she got to a vertical base with a huge open handed slap to her chest. Another followed it before Rebecka fired her across the ring and into the turnbuckle using every ounce of her strength as she did so. It saw Lannister crash hard spine first into the pads and start to gingerly step forwards towards the middle of the ring where she was scooped up onto Rebecka’s shoulder and driven hard into the canvas with a running powerslam in the middle of the ring. The former SVW Champion made the cover.

Zack: Big time powerslam from Becka, and a three count may be in her future!

One…

Two…

..THR–

Lexi: No! Elizabeth is still in this. While she might not have the strength that Rebecka has she has proved time and again that she has resilience by the bucket load. 

Lannister rolled her shoulder to break up the count once more and Rebecka stared at the referee as the two count was shown to her but didn’t argue the decision. Instead Hate pulled the blonde up to her feet and once more fired her across the ring and into the corner. This time the Lioness hit the turnbuckles and her back bowed away from the pads which saw Hate charge in and catch her with a clothesline in the corner. Hate immediately jerked her out of the corner and sent her into the opposite corner, following in hot on her heels and delivered a splash as the Gold Standard member hit the corner. As Rebecka backed up, Elizabeth staggered forwards and was again fired across the ring, this time when she hit the opposite turnbuckles she flew up, over the top rope, landing on the apron and started to stumble unsteadily along the apron only to be sent flying into the crowd barricade as Rebecka charged across the ring and delivered a running big boot to her jaw. 

Zack: You’d have almost thought Lannister’s head was about to land in the fourth row after that big foot to the dome! 

Lexi: You think Rebecka plays soccer in her spare time? If not, maybe she should. 

The crowd cheered loudly for the woman from New Orleans as she stepped through the ropes and measured up her opponent, waiting for her to step away from the crowd barrier before she leapt off and delivered a double axe handle blow to her spine, sending her down to one knee. Hate pulled Lannister back up to her feet and delivered a spinning back elbow to her jaw that sent her falling back to the floor. Again Rebecka didn’t waste any time at all as she pulled Lannister back up to her feet and this time sent her into the ring underneath the bottom rope. Elizabeth rolled across the ring and used the ring ropes to pull herself to her feet, falling into the nearest corner and slumping against the pads as she did so. Rebecka entered the ring and stalked towards her, spinning her around as a turnbuckle pad dropped to the apron. The powerhouse pushed Lannister’s head back over the top turnbuckle pad and reared back, hand raised high in the air before she brought it straight down, looking for another vicious, chest caving, open handed slap to the body…

Lexi: I don’t think Rebecka has noticed that pad falling…. I have a bad feeling about this. 

…but Lannister moved at the last moment and Hate’s right hand struck the exposed steel bolt of the top turnbuckle. Rebecka stepped back, holding her hand with a look of agony on her face but didn’t get to go any further before the Lioness caught her with a chop block to the back of her leg, buckling her leg and caused the powerhouse to fall forwards; her forehead striking the exposed metal before slumping to her knees in the corner. Elizabeth immediately moved in front of her opponent, grabbing hold of her head as she pulled Rebecka up while turning to face the corner and used the middle rope to slam Hate down into the mat with a shiranui. Quickly Lannister sat on Hate’s chest and hooked her legs for the cover.

Zack: Hook of the legs…and sitting on her chest too!

One…

Two…

…T-

Lexi: And it still wasn’t enough to keep Rebecka down! That’s unbelievable!

Rebecka kicked out and Elizabeth didn’t waste any time at all even bothering to confirm the count with the referee as she grabbed hold of her foes right wrist and slammed her hard against the canvas three times in quick succession. Rebecka tried to pull away and hold her right hand but Lannister didn’t allow that to happen as she pinned Hate’s arm against the mat while she came to her feet and delivered a stomp down to the right hand. This time the SVW Hall of Famer rolled away to a sitting position and held her right hand against her body. The Lioness didn’t give her anytime to recover though as she immediately swooped in from behind her, grabbing hold of her right hand and pulling it up over her head to apply an overhead wristlock, applying as much as pressure on the hand and wrist as she could in the hold which caused Hate to grimace in pain. The official asked her if she wanted to quit and got a shake of the head and a definite ‘No’ from the SVW Hall of Famer which only made Lannister apply more torque to the hold. 

Zack: I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen Rebecka tap out, and still have fingers left. Elizabeth might add her name to that list here.

Lexi: Anger and adrenaline seem to drive Rebecka a fair bit, I don’t think we’re gonna be seeing her tap out tonight, Zack. 

Again Rebecka refused as the look of pain on her face grew even more intense as Elizabeth continued to torture her with the submission hold, but still she refused to submit and instead started to force herself up to her feet. As she forced herself to rise she started to lift Lannister off her feet into the air and into a Gorilla Press position once more. The Lioness, though, continued to wrench on the hold and as Rebecca got her into position she let out a cry of pain and the blonde was able to counter into a Japanese arm drag that sent Hate across the ring into the corner. Rebecka came back upright, holding her right hand against her body but as she made it to her feet, the Gold Standard member charged forwards and drove a double knee strike into her chest. Hate stumbled out of the corner as Lannister took off across the ring and left her feet as she approached her opponent, hooking her head and spiked her head first into the canvas with a jumping DDT. Rebecka rolled onto her back and once more the Lioness made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Lexi: You can’t deny Elizabeth’s desire to win, and she might have it here. 

One…

Two…

…THR–

Zack: Still too much fire in the tank for Rebecka. She can absorb tremendous sums of punishment.

Hate kicked out and as she did so, Lannister grabbed hold of her right arm and slid out of the ring, dragging the SVW Hall of Famer with her as she pulled on the limb. Landing on her feet on the outside, the Lioness raised her foes hand high into the air and slammed the right hand down into the air. Rebecka tried to roll to the side and back into the ring only for the Gold Standard member to grab her by the right wrist once more, pulling her onto her back and again slammed her hand into the ring apron. This time the blonde allowed her foe to roll away and into the ring, holding her hand against her body as the Arizona native played up to the crowd, causing them to boo her loudly. Elizabeth only seemed to revel in their dislike of her as she slid back into the ring and popped up to her feet, stomping down on Hate’s hand as she was on all fours and twisted her heel to grind the fingers into the mat as Davis demanded the break and applied a quick count. 

Lexi: Elizabeth is really targeting that hand, but you can wrestle with only one hand. It’s not going to be pleasant though to be in that much pain. 

The Lioness almost seemed to let out a laugh at the referee as she stepped backwards and waved Hate to her feet before she fired off a Kingslayer reverse roundhouse kick to her jaw. Rebecka dropped down to her knees, sitting back on her heels for a moment after receiving the blow and again Lannister waved her upwards. As the SVW Hall of Famer began to push upright, Elizabeth moved around behind her, applying a rear waistlock to hoist her upwards and into the #HearMeRoar wheelbarrow facebuster. Quickly the Gold Standard member rolled her foe onto her back, hooking her legs as she made the cover.

Zack: I know that one! Elizabeth with HEAR ME ROAR, and this could be the end of the night for Becka!

One…

Two…

…THREE—--------NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi: That was the closest we’ve been in this so far, and I’m sure Elizabeth is wondering just what it’s going to take. 

A moment before the referee’s hand hit the canvas, Rebecka Hate’s shoulder came up from the mat, Davis waved off the count and threw up the two. Lannister stared at her as Kyle pulled himself up onto the apron and began to berate the official. Melinda Davis looked over at the manager with a look of disdain before the Arizona native spun her back around and demanded she raise her hand. The official again waved her arms to tell her it wasn’t a three and the shoulder came up which caused the Lioness to shake her head at her, giving her a verbal volley that left the referee in no doubt as to the regard she was held in before she turned back towards Hate. As Rebecka pushed upwards, Lannister dropped back to the ropes only to catch her with a yakuza kick to the side of the jaw as the powerhouse made it to one knee, stopping her in her tracks. 

Zack: Kyle has Elizabeth exceptionally well prepared for this match, she is working one hell of a strategy against Hate. 

Lexi: The strategy of arguing with the official didn’t do much to help her though. You think she would have been better spending that time on wearing Rebecka down some more. 

The Gold Standard member immediately gave the signal to the crowd, telling them this one was over before she went to pull her opponent upwards and went to get her into position for the Debt Fulfilled swinging leg hook fireman’s carry slam only for Hate to stop her in her tracks with a discus forearm to the jaw that dropped Lannister to the canvas. Elizabeth quickly went to pull herself back up to her feet but as she did so, Rebecka jerked her forward, lifting her up onto her shoulders and fell backwards to drive her into the canvas with a Samoan drop. The New Orleans based wrestler sat up, holding her right hand in her left with a look of pain on her face and as she tried to massage some life back into it, she forced herself to her feet and took off towards the ring ropes, bouncing off them and coming back to catch the blonde with a running big boot to the face. 

Zack: There’s that big boot again from Rebecka! That’ll make you forget your middle name right there. 

Lexi: Elizabeth gave her too much time to recover while she was arguing with the referee, and I have a feeling Rebecka is going to make her regret it. 

Lannister sat up after taking the boot to the jaw and Rebecka immediately followed up with a stiff kick to her spine, followed by another. The Lioness rolled to the side and pushed up to her hands and knees which saw Hate use her left hand to bring her to her feet and into a standing headscissors, using only her left arm to lift her vertically and drop her on the top of her head with a quickly delivered piledriver. As the blonde collapsed to the mat, Hate leaned across her and made the cover, with her back against her foe’s chest so she could reach with her left hand to hook the leg.

Lexi: Rebecka is looking to end this now, and who can blame her after the damage she’s taken to that hand?

One…

Two…

…T-

Zack: She almost had her right there. Credit to Elizabeth for kicking out in time.

Lannister kicked out and again Hate sat up, massaging her right hand once more, still looking pained as she did so. With a slight shake of her head, Hate pushed up to her feet, pulling Elizabeth up with her and sent her into the ropes, grimacing when she used her right hand but nonetheless caught her opponent on the return, scooping her up and spinning her around into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Using her left hand, Hate pulled her foe up off her knee only to lift her up off her feet and this time drove her down into the canvas with an STO. The Lioness arched her spine up off the canvas and as she did so, Rebecka dropped the elbow straight into her heart before she made the cover once more.

Zack: Thunderous impact, and Hate’s ready to hear the bell!

One…

Two…

…THR-

Lexi: No! Elizabeth isn’t ready to stay down yet. I’m not sure how much more either one can take though. 

Lannister rolled her shoulder and went to push up to her feet once more as Hate again rubbed her right hand, starting to open and close her fingers to form a fist as Elizabeth came back to her feet. The former SVW Champion shook her head as she looked down at her right hand and instead skipped forwards and delivered a bicycle kick to Elizabeth’s jaw, dropping her to the mat once more and this time Hate pulled her up again, using her right arm to trap her head as she used her lift to lift her up and deliver an impaler DDT, dropping her on her head. Once more Hate made the cover and this time used her right hand to reach down and hook the leg albeit grimacing as she did so.

Lexi: Rebecka surely has her bang to rights this time?!

One…

Two…

…THRE—-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zack: Elizabeth has tremendous staying power, given all she’s been absorbing in this match.

At the very last second Lannister rolled her shoulder to break up the pinfall and once more Kyle pulled himself up onto the apron in the corner while Davis was explaining to Rebecka that it was only a two count and the shoulder came up ahead of time. As he made it to the apron, Kyle began to call out the referee for a fast count in the pinfall which saw the official head straight towards, telling him to get down and stand in the corner before she had security escort him to the back. He continued to argue with the official, Hate glaring at him as she looked down at the slowly recovering Lannister. Suddenly the wrestler from Louisiana darted towards the manager and threw a right hand aimed at his jaw, only for him to duck and drop off the apron at the last moment. Hate managed to stop her fist before she caught the ring post and turned back towards Lannister heading towards her as she got to her feet and drove a right fist into her chest with a heart punch - immediately grimacing as it connected, but it dropped Elizabeth to one knee. 

Zack: She loves that heart punch, but it hurts her too. One of those shots will stop your heart for a second. 

Lexi: With that much power behind it while her hand is damaged, Elizabeth should be thanking her lucky stars that it wasn’t at full strength. 

As she stood over her opponent, Hate mimed slashing her throat with her thumb before she moved to set up for the KALFU psycho pumphandle slam. Rebecka took a moment as a pained look crossed her face while she tried to use her right hand then went to lift her foe up…only for the Lioness to slip out of the back, locking in a sleeper hold accompanied by a bodyscissors to her opponent. Elizabeth immediately tightened up the sleeper hold as tight as possible while her legs restricted Hate’s ability to draw a full breath. The referee went to check the hold as the SVW Hall of Famer tried to pull her opponent’s arms away from her head to little success. It saw the brunette change her tactics to try and try to prise the legs around her body apart - again not meeting with any success.

Zack: Another smart move from Lannister. It doesn’t matter how big or bad you are, you still need oxygen to the brain. 

Lexi: Elizabeth’s buying herself a bit of time to gather herself too while she has Rebecka locked in tight. 

Lannister wrenched the hold on even tighter, causing Hate to stagger and stumble a little as the hold was taking effect; the powerhouse dropping down to one knee for a moment. Rebecka pushed back up to her feet as she again pulled at her opponent’s arms, not able to pull away but instead she started to stumble backwards, her feet starting to move quicker and quicker before she drove Lannister into the turnbuckle pads back first. It caused the Gold Standard member to break the hold. Rebecka took a step or two forwards, holding onto the top rope as she did so, trying to catch her breath for a moment or two before she suddenly spun around and caught Lannister in the corner with a gamengiri kick. It saw Lannister start to slump down to a sitting position in the corner as Hate lay back on the canvas, trying to catch her breath and recover from the sleeper hold. Rebecka started to come back to her feet, spotting her foe sitting in the corner and backed up to the middle of the ring where she seemed to be measuring up for a bronco buster.

Lexi: Rebecka needs to capitalize quickly if she wants to put this match away. If she takes too long she’s going to give Elizabeth time to recover. 

As she charged forwards though, she suddenly caught  a knee to the side of the head as Stacey Sky charged down the ramp, slid into the ring and cut her off. 

Zack: Where the hell did Stacey come from?!

Lexi: She came down the ramp, Zack. 

Hate stumbled to the side and Sky charged her again, delivering another leaping knee strike - this time to her jaw as Davis was calling for the bell. Hate fell against the ropes and Stacey quickly lined her up and delivered a superkick to Rebecka’s jaw, that saw her lean back against the ropes only to get rebounded off into a second superkick from Stacey. Hate shook her head as she was sent back against the ropes once more and this time as she was sent forwards she stood up straight and strode forwards to drive a boot in Sky’s face as the Californian was looking for another superkick.

Kat: Ladies and gentleman…the referee has disqualified Elizabeth Lannister…and therefore your winner… REBECKA HATE!!!

Zack: Relentless didn’t solve a damn thing, Lexi! And the worst part for Becka is I don’t think she has any friends in FFW to help her.

Lexi: I’m positive that Rebecka wouldn’t have wanted to win this way, but I’m sure she has no qualms in getting stuck into Stacey at any chance she has. 

Stacey reeled away and as she did so, Hate went after her, catching her with a forearm to the jaw, followed by a second before Lannister came out of the corner and jerked the powerhouse backwards and downwards into backstabber. As Rebecka sat up, Stacey bounced off the ring ropes and delivered a running busaiku knee strike to the face, sending Hate laying back down to the mat. Quickly Stacey dove on top of her to take up the mount position and began to fire off right and left hands into her face and jaw while Lannister started to stomp away at her head. Davis tried to get them to stop and leave the ring, only for Kyle to walk her back into the corner, trapping her there as Lannister told Stacey something , getting a nod from her fellow Gold Standard member as the Lioness pulled her up into a sitting position, applying a sleeper hold, leaning in to make it as effective as possible while Sky began to stomp away at her stomach only for Stacey to suddenly hit the mat as Harley Shannon hit the ring and took her down with a clothesline.

Zack: Maybe I was wrong! Hate came to Harley’s aid several weeks ago, and Harley is returning the favor! Now the sides are even! 

Lexi: Now where the hell did Harley come from?! I swear she must have the ability to teleport or something. 

Lannister immediately released the hold and went to catch Harley spinning her around only for Shannon to catch the Lioness with a forearm shot to the jaw before she lifted her up and spiked her down into the canvas with an Alabama slam. As Harley was starting to get to her feet, Sky launched herself off the ropes and into a springboard forearm to the flame haired wrestler's jaw before she pulled her head down and started driving knees into her body repeatedly. Until Rebecka Hate fed her head between the legs of the Sensational One from behind, lifting her up off the mat. Sky started to drive fists down into Hate’s head before the SVW Hall of Famer dropped into an electric chair drop to the mat. Meanwhile Harley stopped the Lioness from jumping Hate with a flash kick to her jaw, causing her to stumble backwards and fall through the ropes to the outside. 

Zack: It’s like trying to contain wild animals in there, and this has not been settled in the slightest! Harley returned the favor for Becka, but this is a powderkeg!

Lexi: This thing just keeps brewing and I’m sure it’s going to explode sometime soon. I personally think we should all take cover when it does. 

As Stacey rolled back to her feet, security hit the ring and started to get in between Hate and Sky; the pair of them both trying desperately to break free and launch themselves at each other as multiple members of security were desperately trying to hold them back before the show cut elsewhere.



Family Matters

After a commercial for FFW All Access, the show returns live and we find Amber Carano backstage. Unlike previous appearances, she’s with the FFW Champion Kelly Kincaid and her husband this time.

Amber: Welcome back, fans. After the melee that occurred moments ago, I have been informed that Stacey Sky has been escorted out of the American Airlines Center here in Dallas. Joining me now is a woman who not only is familiar with Stacey but also fresh off her first defense of the FFW Championship, Kelly Kincaid and her husband. 

Christian: Before you get into whatever you want to talk about, Amber, let me just give Savannah her due. At Relentless, she was a stark reminder of how determined everyone who comes for the FFW Championship is. She was ferocious out there, and you’ll never hear me downplay her abilities. I know Kelly feels the same.

Kelly: Absolutely. I know it’s a cliche to talk about how hard it is to get to the FFW Championship and it being harder to hold on to it…but I’ll attest to it being a thousand percent true. And you know, Amber, I had a real hard time to win the FFW Championship. I didn’t hide it, I put it all out there, I was upfront and honest about it. And it was still harder at Relentless to keep hold of it. All credit to Savannah for that. She brought the fight, she pushed me as far as I can be pushed, hit me about as hard as I’ve been hit and wrestled one heck of a match. I didn’t downplay her abilities before the match and I’m certainly not about to start doing so now.

Amber: There’s only a couple things I wanted to touch base with you both on. One of them involves family. Recently, we’ve seen both Scarlett and Cody on FFW shows as well as Future Shock. They are trying to get Cody back in a management capacity in FFW. And we’ve seen some resistance to that from Adam Grant. Where do you both stand? 

Christian rubs his chin for a second.

Christian: Right now? I’m behind Adam on this. I understand his point of view only too well, because for as bad as Cody treated him, he humiliated me on live television. Slapping me across the face, having me thrown out of the building, putting me in a match to end my in-ring career. And while I have gotten an apology about all that, it doesn’t wash away the taste in my mouth at how my career ended…without my consent. 

Amber: Kelly? 

Kelly: For most of the back half of last year, Cody was a royal jackass. There’s no two ways about it - everyone saw it live on TV. Now, I guess, I didn’t get it all that bad from him compared to Adam and Christian…and let’s be honest what he did to his own brother is pretty damn bad. Every athlete wants to go out on their own terms, not having the decision taken away from them. If he does manage to get back into management here….then I hope and pray he really has learned his lessons and turned over a new leaf. And lost the number of the last PA he had because she was quite the piece of work. I guess those are bridges to cross IF he ever gets a job in management here again.

Amber: Sounds like you are in the same camp as your husband on this then. You don’t think he’s proven himself enough yet to be given the job back. Is that right?

Kelly: I think he made a LOT of big mistakes, hurt a lot of people. I know it hurt him too to lose his dream. I’ve been there - last year in Wembley and…yeah…I’m sure he hit his lowest moment. I’m sorry about that. But sometimes, like CK said, an apology only goes so far. We’ll see how things go as time passes and when he gets the chance to really prove himself.

Amber: The other thing I wanted to bring up is that there will be an announcement very soon on who your next challenger for the FFW Championship will be. And I’m also being told that it’s someone who has never had a shot at the title too.

Kelly: Good. I’m looking forward to seeing who I get to face next for this title; who I get to test myself against and I’m happy that it’s going to be against some new blood - someone who has never had a shot at the title before. I’m sure whoever it might be that gets the next shot will deserve it and will have earned it, so let’s give them the chance to shine; let’s give them the chance on one of the biggest stages in this industry. I’m all for it and I’ll be ready, no matter who it might be that I defend this title against.

Amber thanks them before the pair head off camera. As the show goes to a commercial break, the camera also spots a pacing Rebecka Hate still in her ring gear and looking none too happy.

[Adam Grant]

Kat: The following contest is a non-title match. It is scheduled for one fall to a finish and it is your Main Event of the Evening!!!

Zack: We finally got things settled down after that last match, and now it’s time for the featured match here in Dallas. I think this may be the first time these two have met one on one.

Lexi: This should be a pretty good match between two Future Shock alumni. 

The lights in the arena sharply cut off, leaving everything in complete darkness. The chiming of a clock is heard echoing in the darkness, followed by a chipper, circus like chime tone. As the tone chimes on, a vibrant gold spotlight shines down on the top of the stage. The circus chimes are soon replaced by the opening chorus of “Villain” by Wild Fire.
 
"Tic tic toc, the time bomb clock
Ticks grinning ear to ear here baby
Tic Tic Toc, the time bomb clock
ticks counting down...
tic, tic stop!"
 
At the exact moment “stop” is sung, the song kicks into full gear, setting off a series of shimmering gold strobe lights going off on either side of the ramp. A few seconds pass before the controversial redhead, Valerie McKinley makes her way out from behind the curtain and stands in the immediate center of the stage, standing in the gold spotlight. Coming out behind her and standing next to her was her manager, one Kyle Kilmeade.
 
"You know I speak in riddles,
And I’m plotting to destroy
Villain as I always was
Crazy is as crazy does"
 
Clad in a mid-thigh length leather jacket worn open over her gear, Valerie looks around at the crowd showering her with a rousing chorus of boos. She looks over at Kyle and the pair simply shake their heads. The strobe lights begin to lessen in intensity as the pair makes their way down the aisle, her arms at her side and a focused look on her face. As she makes her way to the ring, the fans on either side of the aisle make their displeasure at her appearance rather noticeable, which Valerie simply dismisses with an arrogant flip of her hand.
 
"My sanity's in short supply
Mad as a hatter, hey surprise!
T-T-T-Ticking bomb on the inside
Livin' with the villain pacing in my mind."
 
Kat: Ladies and gentlemen, making her way down to the ring, being accompanied by Kyle Kilmeade…..from Providence, Rhode Island…….Valerie McKinley!!
 
The boos grow louder as Kyle hops up onto the apron and climbs into the ring. Valerie hops up onto the apron and spins around so her back is resting on the ropes. With her head bowed, she lifts both arms up towards her head and has her pointer finger and thumb on both hands close to her head. She lifts her head up and extends her arms out, her fingers pointing out at the crowd like pistols. She then makes a motion like she was firing her finger guns at the crowd before turning around to see Kyle already holding the ropes open for her. She steps through the open ropes and into the ring.
 
"I'm blowing up the mystery
And all the pretty things you see
Light flame to fuse
And Sparks will fly
You said goodnight
Now say goodbye."
 
Once in the ring, she walks around with her arms extended outward, reveling in the heat from the crowd. She walks over to the corner and peels off her jacket, letting it drop to the apron as the lights return to normal and her music fades out. She rests her back against the turnbuckles and brushes a few stray strands of hair out of her face, awaiting the start of the action.

Zack: Valerie carries herself like a blue blood, and for my money, she may be one of the most polished technical wrestlers we have in FFW. It’s just her attitude…

Lexi: Nobody can deny her skills inside the ring, but you’re right her attitude stinks more than a sweaty jockstrap. 

"I'm only human
I'm only—I'm only—
I'm only human, human

“Human” by Rag’n’Bone Man starts to play over the soundsystem as the video screen shows a jail cell door sliding backwards and a pair of black ring boots with legs going all the way up to a simple blue skirt step out onto the landing only to suddenly stumble as if given a push in the small of the back from the man who appeared behind her in shiny black shoes and black pants.

Maybe I'm foolish,
Maybe I'm blind
Thinking I can see through this
And see what's behind
Got no way to prove it
So maybe I'm lying

As the pair pass by, the camera gets a shot from behind before it cuts to more grainy CCTV footage that shows the guard escorting the raven haired prisoner across a prison yard of patchy grass and into another building. There’s another cut as we see a shot of exposed midriff on the other side of a counter that has a pack of gum, some loose change on it and a hair bobble on it. A hand reaches forward, picking up a pen and signs a name quickly before scooping up the possessions as she stiffly pushed to move onwards.

But I'm only human after all,
I'm only human after all
Don't put your blame on me
Don't put your blame on me

There’s another cut; this time to show the back of the black haired woman as she reaches up to tie her long loose hair back with the bobble while still walking forward, coming to a stop in front of a large closed door. The camera cuts to the opposite side of the door and low down, watching as it swung open and the woman stepped out; only for the blazing sun to obscure her face and body; the video screens becoming a blazing yellow-white sun glare with a spotlight shining bright as the same woman has appeared at the top of the entrance ramp. The spotlight dims to reveal Mara Werth standing there in her black boots, blue skirt and white vest top with her title belt slung over her shoulder.

Take a look in the mirror
And what do you see?
Do you see it clearer
Or are you deceived
In what you believe?

Kat: Ladies and gentlemen please welcome from Tuscaloosa, Alabama… the FFW PHOENIX CHAMPION... MARA WERTH!!!

'Cause I'm only human after all,
You're only human after all
Don't put the blame on me
Don't put your blame on me

With a smile on her face she begins to head down the ramp to the ring, running up the ring steps. She moved down the apron, facing out to the crowd and threw her arms up into the air, raising the title aloft before she stepped through the ropes. Heading to the corner, the girl carefully stepped up onto the middle ropes, throwing her hands up into the air again, holding the title above her head before she bounced back onto her feet and passed the title belt off to the referee. She stretched as she waited for the match to start.

Zack: Mara Werth is one of the most inspirational women you could ever meet. She paid her dues after a crime, and worked her ass off to rebuild a life for herself. She pulled herself up by the bootstraps, and look where she is now.

Lexi: Mara has gone from strength to strength since she first joined Future Shock, and I don’t think there’s anyone that can deny she has a very bright future in FFW. 

Jennifer Stringer was the referee in charge and handed the title belt off to Kat as she left the ring before checking with both that they were ready and as she got the confirmation from both competitors, she called for the bell. McKinley strode out of the corner towards the middle of the ring, playing to the crowd for a couple of moments as she did so before she turned her attention to Mara, telling her that it was only a matter of time till Stacey took the Phoenix Championship away from her. Mara rolled her eyes as Valerie continued to run her mouth and antagonize her opponent as she asked the ex-con if her parole officer knew she was crossing state lines. Again Mara rolled her eyes but this time as she did so, she threw a right hand towards McKinley’s jaw only for the red head to drop to one knee as she avoided the blow and used her arm to sweep the legs of the Phoenix Champion sending her crashing back first to the mat.

Zack: I think Mara may have to rely on her strength and agility tonight, because I’m not sure she’s going to be able to match up from a technical standpoint with Valerie. I’m happy to be proven wrong.

Lexi: Stranger things have happened, Zack, but I think you’re right. There’s no question though that she will have the strength advantage of the two. 

Mara rolled to the side and started to rise back to her feet only for McKinley to move around behind her and as the former jailbird made it to her feet Valerie sent her straight back down to the canvas with a German suplex. Again Werth went to rise quickly back to her feet only to get pulled into a running bulldog that drove her face first into the mat, the Gold Standard member quickly rolling to her knees and disdainfully paintbrush slapping the back of her foes head before she popped back up to her feet and backed away to the corner with an arrogant grin on her face as she waved the Phoenix Champion upwards as Mara was on all fours.

Zack: See what I meant about that attitude earlier? Valerie looks down on everyone who isn’t part of the Gold Standard or signs the paychecks. 

Lexi: Arrogance will usually get you knocked on your ass pretty quick around here though, so she might want to watch that. 

Werth came back to her feet, giving a tiny nod of her head as she took a moment to adjust her hair before she stepped towards Valerie and offered her a test of strength. Valerie glanced over to Kyle for a second before she stepped forwards and took her foes hand, locking fingers with Mara. As the ex-con raised her other hand, McKinley this time shook her head and fired off a stiff kick into her opponent’s thigh, followed by a second and a third before she fell backwards and sent Werth into the corner with an armdrag. Mara rolled through and came to her feet in the corner and was immediately on the receiving end of a clothesline in the corner, that was followed by an enzuigiri to the side of the head. The Alabama born wrestler stumbled two steps out of the corner and as she did, Valerie took her down to the mat with a drop toe hold and once more floated over to paintbrush slap the back of her head in a show of disrespect then applied a front facelock to Mara, telling her that she wasn’t going to get off that easily. 

Zack: It’s bad enough getting worked over, but to have your opponent talk to you while they do it…

Lexi: I think she might be making a rod for her own back here. Trash talking your opponent rarely works out well for anyone. 

McKinley wrenched on the hold tighter before she started to move her foe around the ring with a gator roll coming to a halt and again tightened up the hold before she started to pull Mara up from the mat as she rose to her feet only to twist her around to deliver a neckbreaker to the ex-con. As Werth held her neck on the canvas, Valerie came back to her feet and pressed a boot across her foes throat, telling the crowd they were seeing a true One Percenter in action and they should all be honored that they were. Meanwhile the referee had called for the break and started the count, getting to four before the Rhode Island native stepped backwards and pulled her opponent up from the mat once more, hooking her head as she did and lifted her up only to drop her down stomach first to hang over the top rope. Immediately the Gold Standard member took off for the ropes, bouncing off them and delivered a running knee lift to Mara’s jaw, sending her backwards and onto wobbly feet on the apron. Before Werth could find her balance, the red haired wrestler grabbed her by the head and dropped to her knees, snapping her throat first over the top rope and sending her falling to the floor.

Zack: A stun gun from the Gold Standard OG there, and Valerie has certainly done her homework in preparing for tonight. Once again, it’s clear Kyle has her primed.

Lexi: That’s a pretty effective way of stopping your opponent in their tracks. 

The referee started to reprimand Valerie for her use of the ropes only for her to continue the conversation with Stringer, keeping his attention as Kyle snuck around the corner. As he did so, he charged towards Mara, driving a kick into her rib cage before following it up with five rapid vicious stomps to her stomach before he walked away, fixing his tie and telling the crowd to shut up as they booed him loudly. In the ring, McKinley finished her conversation with the referee and walked past him, stepping through the ropes and to the floor where she started to stomp away at Mara before pulling her to her feet and drove her face first into the crowd barrier and then into the ring apron. As Werth staggered backwards McKinley grabbed her with two handfuls of hair and used them to beal the one time jailbird into the steel ring steps. The One Percenter swaggered towards her foe, pulling her up from the steps and rolled her back into the ring, confidently walking up the steps and through the ropes to follow her.

Zack: Every move she makes says it. There’s no conceit in the McKinley family, Valerie has it all.

Lexi:  I have a feeling it’s going to come back and bite her on the ass sooner rather than later though… or maybe that’s just wishful thinking. 

The One Percenter advanced confidently towards Mara, hooking her head as the Phoenix Champion made it to her knees and pulled her upwards, trapping one arm as she did so before she spiked her down into the mat with a single arm DDT. As Mara slumped face first to the mat, Valerie rolled her onto the back and made a cover, pressing a forearm against her throat as she did so while Stringer slid into position to make the count.

Lexi: Valerie’s looking to make this a short show tonight. 

One…

Two…

…TH-

Zack: It’s gonna take more than that to keep the Phoenix Champion down, no question about that. 

Mara kicked out, pushing McKinley away from her and sat upright. Valerie grinned and gave her opponent no chance to recover as she pulled her head backwards and locked in a dragon sleeper. As she locked the hold in tightly, she told Mara that Stacey would beat her black and blue; would destroy her and claim the Phoenix title that should’ve been Stacey’s anyway - that Mara didn’t deserve and she was surprised a convict hadn’t sold the gold already while Stringer checked the hold and made sure Mara didn’t want to quit. Werth fought to try and escape the hold, pushing at her opponent’s body as she tried to slip her head free but to no avail. The Gold Standard member lifted up in the hold to apply more pressure and try to make the hold more effective, Mara still refusing to submit but her hand movements were starting to fade. The Alabama native started to twist her body towards the ropes, kicking her legs out and coming up just short of the ring ropes.

Zack: Mara has astounding flexibility, but unfortunately at the moment for her, it doesn’t help her get close enough to the ropes to catch a break.

Lexi: She’d need to be stretch armstrong or inspector gadget for that to work, and unfortunately for her, she’s neither. 

Again the referee checked to see if Mara wanted to quit, getting no answer as Mara’s arms seemingly went limp at the sides of her body. It caused the Rhode Islander to wrench up in the hold again and the referee went to raise Mara’s arm, dropping it and watching it fall to the side. As it did so, though, Mara kicked out her leg once more and this time hooked the toe of her boot over the bottom rope. The referee called for the break and started the count, Valerie raising her body up off a little higher, putting more pressure onto her foe’s neck as she did and milked the count for all it was worth before releasing just before the five. Mara fell to her back on the mat, her foot sliding off the bottom rope as she tried to catch her breath and Valerie immediately went for the cover, hooking the leg and trapping the arm nearest the ropes as she did so.

Lexi: Valerie is determined to put this match to bed, and she just might do it here. 

One…

Two…

…THR–

Zack: We almost had a three count right there, and Valerie’s done an exceptional job of making sure Mara doesn’t get out of the blocks tonight.

Mara rolled her shoulder to stop the count just after the two and a half. McKinley checked the count with the referee, shaking her head as Stringer showed her the two once more before she pulled the Alabama born competitor to her feet and shoved her backwards into the corner. As Werth hit the turnbuckle pads, Valerie took hold of the top rope and started to drive stiff kicks into her foe’s stomach, driving her boot home in rapid fire motion. The referee telling the One Percenter to let the Phoenix Champion out of the corner and started the count again, once more getting to the verge of counting five before Valerie stepped away with her arms up, stepping back for a moment before she turned and headed for the ropes, building momentum as she bounced off them and came back looking to catch Mara with a flying forearm smash in the corner. But Mara stepped out of the way at the last moment; Valerie caught herself before she struck the turnbuckles chest first and spun towards Mara who caught her with a closed fist uppercut to the jaw, causing the red head to sprawl back in the corner, her eyes looking a little glassy.

Zack: Mara’s finally turned the tables, and rocked Valerie in the process. She needs to capitalize on this quickly.

Lexi: Valerie is really lucky she doesn’t have a glass jaw, because that shot would have shattered it for sure. 

The referee started to reprimand Mara for using the closed fist but as she did so, Werth began to unload on McKinley, crashing a combination of right and left hands into her body before she capped it off with a vicious European uppercut that not only snapped the head of the One Percenter backwards but brought her feet up off the mat and into the air. Mara stepped backwards, following the referee’s instructions only to step forwards once more and deliver another vicious European uppercut to her foe’s jaw, snapping her head back once more and bringing her feet up off the mat again. This time Werth caught her legs as they came up and before Valerie could do anything to stop her, the Tuscaloosa native jerked the red haired wrestler out of the corner and crashing hard spine first into the mat. Mara adjusted her grip around her opponent’s legs as the Gold Standard member writhed in pain on the mat from the impact before the jailbird let out a roar of effort as she used her strength, jerking her opponent up from the canvas and into a modified wheelbarrow suplex, driving Valerie face first into the mat.

Zack: It’s gonna be harder for Valerie to look down her nose at people the way she landed off that facebuster!

Lexi: I knew that trash talking and arrogance earlier would come back to bite her, and I’ve never been more pleased to be right. 

Mara rolled away to the ring ropes holding her stomach as she did so and used the ropes to pull herself to her feet as her opponent was already upright and advancing towards her. McKinley grabbed her around the shoulders but as she did, Werth threw an elbow into her opponent’s gut, a second followed that caused the Rhode Islander to stagger backwards and she was sent two further steps backwards as Mara drove a Savate kick upwards and into her jaw. As Valerie found her balance, the ex-con used the ropes to launch herself forwards and caught her with a running forearm to the jaw before she grabbed the One Percenter by the wrist and Irish whipped her into the ropes. As the Gold Standard member returned, Mara left her feet for a Thesz press which saw her land on top of Valerie and instantly she grabbed a handful of hair in her left hand and started to pepper her face with right hands.

Zack: Look at Mara fire up! That’s what she needs to do! Bring that power game to bear, and wallop McKinley! 

Lexi: Mara is really taking control of this match now and Valerie is getting smacked around as a result. 

The referee immediately told her off for grabbing the hair and called for the break, getting to four before Mara rolled away and came back to her feet. Valerie scrambled to get back to her feet but as soon as she was upright, Werth ran her over with a lariat, sending her straight back down to the canvas. Again McKinley pushed upwards but only got as far as her knees before the Phoenix Champion caught her with a knee lift to the jaw, rocking her back on her heels. The Alabama native didn’t waste any time as she pulled her opponent up to her feet and Irish whipped across the ring, catching her on the return with a back body drop. The Gold Standard member hit the mat and sat up as the brunette spun and darted towards the ropes in front of her, coming off them and driving the red haired wrestler back down to the canvas with a kick to her sternum. As the former Unity Champion laid flat back down on the canvas, Mara began to stomp away at her, driving her boot downwards into her body rapidly, her foot starting to move in a blur as she slammed it downwards while the referee told her to let her opponent up and started the count.

Zack: Mara’s stomping a mudhole in Valerie’s body. After how things started in this match, you can’t blame her a bit!

Lexi: Not a soul in here would blame her, except maybe Valerie and her manager… but come on, they don’t count. 

As Stringer got to four Mara backed away with her hands raised, making sure the referee knew that she’d followed the instructions before she stepped back towards Valerie and Irish whipped her across the ring into the corner, following her in as she struck the pad to deliver a backsplash to her. Werth landed on her feet and stepped back into the corner, trapping her opponent against the turnbuckles and started to fire off back elbows into the side of her head, alternating lefts and rights. The referee again told the Alabama native to allow her foe out of the corner, using the count once more and getting to four before Mara acquiesced, stepping forwards only to turn around, step forwards and drive a high knee into her opponent’s chest before she jerked her forwards and sent her flying to the middle of the ring with a belly to belly suplex. As Valerie landed she sat up and Werth scrambled towards her, jerked her back to the canvas and made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: McKinley bounced hard off the mat, and Werth’s got a three count on her mind!

One…

Two…

…

Lexi: Even with the punishment she’s taken so far, it’s not quite enough to keep Valerie down. At least not yet. 

McKinley kicked out and rolled onto her front as Mara checked with the referee, nodding her head in acceptance of the two count as she came to her feet and again started to stomp away at her, driving her boot down into her spine and shoulder over and over and over in quick succession. Valerie tried to roll away but the Phoenix Champion followed her, continuing to deliver stomps as Stringer tried to get her to back up and used the count. Mara finally relented as the official made it to four while McKinley rolled under the bottom rope. It was only momentary relief for the Gold Standard member as the ex-con strode towards her, grabbing hold of the top and once more started to stomp away at her body. The referee once more called for the break and started the count while Kyle was on the outside in front of his client and was shouting at the referee, telling her to do her job while threatening to have Mara sent back to the big house. As Stringer reached four, Mara stepped back, raising her hands and Kyle eased Valerie off the apron to her feet on the floor, asking her if she was okay and while she wrapped her arms around his body he demanded that Stringer keep the thug on the opposite side of the ring.

Zack: Kilmeade’s earning his commission tonight, and buying Valerie a little extra time. He doesn’t really give a damn about Mara’s past. This is all stalling.

Lexi: It definitely is and everyone knows it. 

As Stringer turned to tell Mara to back away, the Alabama born wrestler was already in motion, charging across the ring and coming back off the far ropes and was about to launch herself into a superman dive…only to pull up short as Kyle pulled himself up onto the apron in front of her. He told her to back up and turned to the referee, demanding the senior official do her job and exert some control even as Mara started to square up to him. Kyle stared at her before he told her she belonged behind bars before Strigner stepped between them, telling Mara to back up as the manager dropped back to the floor and again checked on his client. As Werth made it to the opposite side of the ring, she held her hands up and told the referee that she’d stay right there, causing the referee to turn back and finally start the count on the Gold Standard member on the outside…as the Phoenix Champion dropped to the mat and rolled out of the ring. 

Zack: At this point, most of what Mara accomplished has been negated because Kyle has managed to give Valerie all kinds of time to get herself together. 

Lexi: He’s earning his money tonight, isn’t he?

As the official counted, Mara took off around the ring, turning the corner as Kyle saw her coming and told Valerie to go. As Mara approached and looked to step around him, Kilmeade sidestepped into her path, slowing her down as she went to go the other way only for Kyle to again put himself in her way, hands raised as though it was accidental. This time Werth spun around him and went to slide under the bottom rope as Valerie was already back in the ring only for McKinley to meet her with a baseball slide to the body as she did so. Quickly Valerie grabbed hold of her foe’s feet, spinning her around as she wrapped her arms around her thighs and fell backwards into a catapult that snapped Mara chest first into the bottom rope. The Phoenix Champion writhed in pain underneath the bottom rope and as Stringer read the Gold Standard member the riot act for using the ropes that way, Valerie took hold of the top rope and started to drive her boot into Mara’s body, just as had been done to her earlier. Stringer demanded the break and started the count again as McKinley flirted with disqualification before she backed up, but not without grabbing hold of her opponent by the ankle to pull her away from the ropes as she did so.

Zack: The referee’s not gonna catch Valerie with a DQ here. She knows exactly what she’s doing, and milks that count like so many others.

Lexi: I’d actually be more surprised seeing someone not milk the referee’s count to be honest. 

Mara had a look of pain on her face as she was still holding her chest as she laid on the mat and with the referee satisfied the break had been given, Valerie stepped towards her and pulled her back to her feet. As she got the former jailbird upright the Gold Standard member pulled her arms away from her chest and delivered a stinging knife edge chop to her chest. Another two followed that before she sent Werth in for the ride, firing her across into the opposite corner. As Mara hit the far corner, Valerie charged in towards her and caught her with a running knee to the gut, backing up a step only to launch herself into a European uppercut to the jaw. As she delivered the move, McKinley spun around and caught her opponent with The One Percent gamengiri kick to the side of her head. Werth stumbled forwards out of the corner and as she did so, Valerie hopped onto the middle rope and launched herself into a springboard roundhouse kick to the back of the Phoenix Champion’s head, sending her down to the mat. Quickly she rolled Mara onto her back and made the cover, hooking the leg as she did so.

Zack: Good Lord, that could be a knockout shot! 

One…

Two…

…THREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi: How?! I thought for sure Valerie had stolen this one then. 

At the last possible moment Mara’s shoulder popped up from the canvas before falling back down to the mat. Valerie glared at the referee as Stringer showed two to the timekeeper and slapped her hands together three times, demanding the three. The official shook her head, telling the Gold Standard member it was only a two count as Kyle climbed up onto the apron to join in berating the official. Stringer told them both it was a two count, that the shoulder came up ahead of time, that the match would continue and if Kyle wanted to stay at ringside he’d return to the corner and stay there. Kilmeade stared daggers at the referee as McKinley jerked the official to face her, telling her to get her shit together and to stop harassing an innocent man who was only trying to make sure she was doing her job like a professional. Stringer warned the One Percenter that she’d disqualify her if she laid her hands on her again and once more told Kyle to get down and get back to the corner.

Zack: WHy keep threatening him? Just throw him out of the arena, and things will go much more smoothly. 

Lexi: Or let Mara loose with him for a couple of minutes, I’m sure that would see him behave himself for a little while. 

Valerie looked to Kyle who gave her a slight shake of his head and told her to end the match. The crowd booed loudly as the red head gave a sign to the crowd and pulled the rising Phoenix Champion up to her feet, applying a wrist lock to her as she set her up for the Crown Jewel. As she yanked the brunette towards her though, Mara ducked underneath the short arm clothesline attempt, spun behind her opponent and lifted her off her feet and into an Atomic Drop before she fell back against the ropes while McKinley stepped forwards gingerly. 

Zack: That’ll send shockwaves up your spinal column from the lowest point possible. 

Lexi: That was some effective counter from Mara, the tides are turning I think. 

The One Percenter took a moment before she turned back towards her opponent and as she did so the Alabama native forced herself forwards and delivered a bicycle kick that dropped the Gold Standard member to the canvas. Mara again stumbled backwards, catching herself on the ropes as she did so. Werth took a moment to gather herself and catch her breath, rubbing her chest. As Valerie started to push up from the mat, Mara stepped forwards and pulled her upwards only to deliver a single knee facebreaker to her foe. As the One Percenter staggered backwards holding her face, Mara launched herself into a leg lariat that took McKinley down to the canvas. Quickly the Phoenix Champion dove on top of her opponent and hooked the leg to make the cover.

Zack: Big time leg strength mowed Valerie down, and Mara’s looking for three. 

One…

Two…

…THR–

Lexi: Close but no cigar. Valerie is still in this much to Mara’s disappointment. 

McKinley kicked out of the pinfall and Mara didn’t even bother looking at the official as the two count was confirmed, pulling her opponent upwards from the canvas and into an Irish whip. As Valerie hit the ropes and came back towards the Phoenix Champion, Werth raised her boot and caught her square in the face. The Gold Standard spun as she fell, landing on all fours and quickly the Alabama native pulled her back up to her feet and drove her downwards with a single arm DDT, rolling her over as she landed and again made the cover, hooking the leg as she did.

Lexi: That was some impact and I think Mara might just have this in the bag now. 

One…

Two…

…THRE—

Zack: Indeed it was, Mara. It was close to a three as you can get though.

This time Valerie rolled her shoulder to stop the count and Mara looked to the referee, asking her if it was definitely just a two count. Stringer nodded her head, confirming the two and advising that the shoulder came up in time. Werth nodded her head in acceptance as she pushed up to her feet and waved McKinley up with her as the crowd cheered loudly for the Tuscaloosa born wrestler. The Gold Standard member pushed up onto all fours and as she did so, Mara stepped towards her, wrapping her arms around her waist before she jerked her up and slammed her down into the canvas with a gutwrench powerbomb. The Rhode Island native arched her back up from the canvas as Mara pulled herself back up to her feet and pointed to the top rope as she walked towards the corner where she slowly climbed to the top rope. She took a moment to find her balance as Kyle shouted at her from the floor. Mara flipped him the bird before she stood on the top turnbuckle, turning her attention back to her foe only for the former Unity Champion to suddenly scrabble to her feet and hurl herself at the ropes, causing the Phoenix Champion to lose her balance and crash down on the turnbuckle arm. 

Zack: Some quick thinking by Valerie right there, and Mara’s gonna be feeling that for days, I imagine.

Valerie used the ropes to push herself back up to her feet and headed towards the corner where she started to climb. As she did so, she pulled Mara upwards until the pair were both standing on the top turnbuckle and hooked her head as though she was about to go for the superplex but Mara blocked the attempt. McKinley tried again, finding it blocked once more and this time Werth fired back with a pair of forearms to the gut that caused the One Percenter to wobble on the turnbuckle before she fired back with a headbutt to Mara, causing both them to teeter, only staying on the top turnbuckle thanks to the fact they were holding on to each other. Valerie recovered a second before her foe and unloaded on her with a single hard slap across her face before she pulled her forwards and hurled Mara across the ring with a German suplex. Both wrestlers landed hard on the mat, Werth sitting up for a moment before she keeled over to the side, unmoving while McKinley was writhing in pain, holding the small of her back with one hand. 

Zack: Not often you see Mara getting thrown around like that, and both women are reeling. Clearly Valerie doesn’t skip arm day.

Lexi: Valerie definitely dug deep for that then, but I think it’s taken as much out of her as it did Mara. 

As Jennifer Stringer went to check on both wrestlers the camera cut backstage where Rebecka Hate with her right hand bandaged sent a security guard sprawling to the floor with a backhand blow to the side of his head. Another security guard tried to step in her way but as he did so, Rebecka picked him up off his feet and hurled him up head first through one of the tiles in the suspended ceiling and as he came down to land she caught him and threw him towards three more security guards, causing them to tumble like skittles. The camera cut back to the ring where Stringer was starting the count on both wrestlers as Rebecka emerged from the back and charged down the entrance ramp to the ring. 

Zack: Wait a minute!! Stacey may not be in the building right now…but Becka still is! 

Lexi: I’m not sure what those security guards did to Rebecka, but you’d think they owed her money they way she just sent them flying. 

Kyle tried to warn Valerie and get her to slide out as she was rising unsteadily from the mat. However, before the Gold Standard member got the message, Rebecka slid into the ring and the moment that McKinley was upright she charged her and caught her with a running big boot to the face. Stringer called for the bell. As it sounded Hate pulled McKinley back up from the mat and the crowd roared as she set her up and slammed her down hard into the canvas with the Kalfu psycho pumphandle slam.

Kat: Ladies and Gentleman, due to outside interference, the referee has disqualified Mara Werth. Therefore, your winner… representing the Gold Standard… VALERIE MCKINLEY!!!

Zack: Rebecka’s temper has cost Mara this match, and I don’t think the Phoenix Champion is gonna appreciate it!

Lexi: You couldn’t blame her either. Rebecka’s issues with the Gold Standard are nothing to do with Mara. 

In the ring Hate was starting to pull McKinley upwards once more only to drop her back to the mat as Mara jumped onto the back of the woman from New Orleans, locking in a sleeper hold. Kyle slid in and pulled Valerie out of the ring by her hand and the pair of them started towards the back. As Kyle and Valerie made their way up the ramp, Hate drove Mara back into the corner to break the sleeper hold and stalked towards the middle of the ring before she turned and charged towards the Phoenix Champion only for Mara to get her feet up. Rebecka staggered backwards and Werth hopped up to the middle rope where she went to deliver a spinning knee strike to the side of the head. Rebecka though caught her leg in mid air and shook her head before she hurled Mara down to the mat with a capture suplex. Rebecka started to get back to her feet, glaring at Mara as Harley sprinted down the entrance ramp into the ring and put herself between the pair, trying to calm Hate down and pointing her towards Valerie as the red head was getting to the top of the stage.

Zack: The war between Rebecka and Stacey has become nearly all-encompassing! Valerie scores a DQ win over the Phoenix Champion…and this situation just gets bigger and bigger.

Lexi: This is going to get messy before it’s done. A storm is brewing and it’s going to be a big one. 

Zack: That’s gonna do it for us here in Dallas! We’ll see you Tuesday night for Future Shock in Scottsdale! Hold up! Mara’s about to go at Becka right now!

Rebecka stared a hole through the Gold Standard member and then to Mara who was getting back to her feet, looking to go after the SVW Hall of Famer only for Harley to push her back as Mara argued that the powerhouse cost her the match. Hate glared at her for a moment before turning her attention back to the disappearing McKinley as the show faded off the air.