After Shock Preview for the Sydney Supershow

[Adam Grant]

The instrumental version of “Boom” by the X Ambassadors starts to play as we open on Jake and Gia arriving at an empty studio. Only the video wall behind them is there as they look around and at each other confused. Suddenly the video goes into fast forward as suddenly production staff immediately start moving in the furniture. The pair watch as the staff moves at a pretty quick pace (thanks to fast forward) and get everything set up: chairs and table too. The two hosts look pleased with that before they sit down. One staffer places Gia’s crown on her head, bringing a smile to her face before the After Shock logo appears on the video screen before the camera zooms in on it. A bolt of electricity appears and then we cut inside the studio to see Jake and a special guest sitting on opposite sides of a glass table. Situated on that table is the FFW No Surrender Championship held by this week’s guest host.

Jake: Hi, everyone. Welcome to After Shock. If you’re new here, this is your one stop for all the latest news as it pertains to the girls of Future Shock seen every other Tuesday on ESPN at 9pm. But this show we’re about to discuss is only on FFW All Access, a monthly streaming service for $10 a month that lets you see every show ever produced by FFW. And now…the SVW library is completely uploaded there too. My guest co-host knows a lot about both FFW and SVW as well as Future Shock, she’s reigning No Surrender Champion Lilly Arthur!

Lilly: Hi Jake. Hi everyone out there. I’m happy to be here this week to talk about the biggest show in Future Shock’s calendar and I’m sorry to anyone who was tuning in to see Gia but unfortunately she wasn’t able to be here today, I’m afraid. And FFW All Access now includes every single show that SVW has ever produced too? And it’s still just $10 a month? The biggest bargain in professional wrestling just became even better value for money!

Jake: It is, the whole library. As for Gia, she’s on a modeling assignment. Doing a lingerie shoot, I think. This show attracts mostly guys, so as long as they have a beautiful woman to look at, they’re happy. So no need to apologize at all, Lilly. I’m positive they’ll find a woman who looks like you and can probably make them tap out equally as exciting.

Lilly: I certainly hope so. And if not, well, hopefully they’ll stay because we’re going to be breaking some of the most hotly anticipated matches between some of the world’s best wrestling and I’ll be trying to give some insight into what we might be able to expect.

Jake: Due to the fact we have a big show to cover, we’re gonna work in the last show during the previews. One week from today on August 30th, the Future Shock girls have their own version of Unstoppable when they return to Sydney, Australia for their one recurring visit each and every year. Sydney has been a regular stop every year for quite a while, and will continue to be…despite SOME or really just one who wants the show moved stateside permanently.

Lilly: And I think unless she finds a magic lamp and a genie with phenomenal cosmic power she’s likely to have to pretty much spend a day on a plane. I’m sure she can afford to be in a pretty comfortable seat for that flight though…or, you know, she can always stay home and I’m sure Adam would have plenty of people happy to take her place and fill in for her.

Jake nodded in agreement as he listened to the titanium titled champion.

Jake: So let’s dive into it all. The sixth annual Sydney Supershow will be headlined with the Future Shock Championship on the line in a rematch from Unstoppable 13 when new champion Jacqui Minogue defends against Sydney Christensen. But unlike Unstoppable, this will be 2 out of 3 falls, which is going to tax them more, I believe, than their last match did. You’ve been in those kinds of matches, right?



Lilly: I’ve been in a two out of three submissions match against Cassandra at Unstoppable 12 and I guess you can count the match I had at the first Crossed Out against Valerie McKinley and Cassandra Steen…I’d have had to score two falls to win that.

There was a shrug of her shoulders

Lilly: This is going to be a whole new challenge for these two. At Unstoppable they both went all out and hit each other with almost everything they had to try and win. You certainly saw what the Future Shock Championship meant to both of them. This match is going to have a little bit more of a strategic element to it. You’ve got to pace yourself a little bit and remember that you’re going to have to find a way to beat your own opponent twice - and they have to do likewise. So emptying the tank for the first fall or spending too long trying to escape a submission in the first fall might not be the smartest thing in the long run. But then, you don’t want to come back to the locker room, knowing you’ve still got more to give and rueing not getting your strategy right. It’s a tough balance to strike and it’ll test them both.

Jake: After hearing what Jacqui had to say on the last show, it’s hard to believe it but she sounded even more confident than ever before with that title. She made sure to thank herself too for all her hard work. You’ve held that title before, so you know what each woman who holds it has on her back. And that’s a great big bullseye. How did Jacqui come across to you?

Lilly: Jacqui came across like she usually does. Supremely confident in herself and all her abilities. As much as she’s said she’s going to give respect to Sydney and to anyone who faces, I get the impression that she doesn’t believe that she can  be beaten - at least not by a mere mortal.

Jake: That brings up a question for me. Since you are a former Future Shock Champion, do you ever wish you had held it with the format they use now with a constant roster and show rather than how it went during the seasons?

Lilly: I’m happy I held it when I did. I still had to contend with anyone who had been in Future Shock being able to challenge for the title, so it some ways I don’t feel like it’s all that different - there’s just maybe more big shows and more chances to test yourself against the best Future Shock has to offer.

Jake: You can always take some solace in the fact that  you are one of the women who helped pave the road that Future Shock travels on now though. The next match we’ll be discussing is probably one of the most anticipated tag matches in a long time. And I have a personal interest in this, as regular viewers know.



Jake: It’ll be the first ever tag team steel cage match in Future Shock history between Latina Heat and the Shaolin Belles. The Belles just came up short trying to regain the tag titles against Target Acquired last week, but I promise you that hasn’t quelled the fire they have for the Heat. What do you make of this whole situation that’s been going on for about half a year?

Lilly: The Heat have certainly been pouring fuel on the fire ever since they came in and started targeting the Belles and I have to be honest, I know they’re undefeated so far, but I think they might have bitten off more than they can chew here. There’s a reason that the Belles are as well regarded and as well respected as they are. There’s a reason why they’re one of the few teams that have picked up a win over Target Acquired and why they’re in the conversation when it come to the Future Shock Tag Team Championships. Plus they’ve both enjoyed single’s success too. Given how fired up they are, I think both Frani and Dani are going to get introduced repeatedly to the steel and left with it imprinted pretty much all over their bodies.

Jake: I can guarantee you this is 100% personal for them, and you can’t really blame them. I’m sure you’d be pretty ticked off if someone tried to take Colin from you and attempt to shave your head.

Lilly: Yes I would and whoever it was who tried that would find themselves trapped in a really painful submission and probably facing surgery and several months on the shelf afterwards as a result. Especially if I was in a position where I couldn’t get disqualified. Latina Heat’s best chance of survival in this one might be to do their damnedest not to get inside the cage.



Jake: Our next match is one of the four title matches you’re going to see on the show. It’ll be No Disqualifications when Charlotte Harker defends the Anarchy Championship against Sapphire Taylor of the Gem Stones. Sapphire has gone out of her way, it seems to me, to get on Charlotte’s bad side. Now she has to face the consequences, and Ruby Tyler will be the woman in charge of the match….because we’ve seen Gem Stones don’t do anything much on their own.

Lilly: You know Jake, the more I reflect on this the more I can’t tell if this abject stupidity from Emerald and Sapphire; a total inability to read the room if they thought they stood any chance at all of manipulating Charlotte into their dirty work for them. Or if it was a moment of absolute sneaky genius and fox like cunning to incite Harker into attacking her and getting Sapphire a title shot this early on in her career. I certainly don’t fancy her chances in a straight up No DQ fight with Charlotte who has proven herself as one of the toughest and arguably most sadistic women in Future Shock. But as you said, the Gem Stones don’t do anything alone and Ruby could have a very busy night trying to keep the entire family…band…whatever they might be at this point…at bay and stop them from having an effect on the outcome of this match. And if any of them do get involved, I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes when Charlotte catches up with them.

Jake: It’s hard for me to connect the word ‘genius’ to the idea of pissing off Charlotte. But they are welcome to prove me wrong. Something just occurred to me! You and Diamond both have the same maiden name, maybe that’s what all that with Emerald at Breaking Point was about. Maybe she wants two Steele families to work together? I don’t know, it’s hard to think like she does.

Lilly: If she thinks I’m going to do anything to help her or any member of her family then she’s delusional. The best chance she has of getting anyone from my family to help her out is making a plea to Ryan…and he changed his name to try and make sure NO-ONE ever associated him with Diamond. And I don’t think he’s been dropped on his head anywhere near enough time or will ever be that desperate for money that he’d consider changing that stance.

Jake: Plus I’m positive you are quite happy being Lilly Arthur. I don’t think Aquamarine Steele or whatever they would have called you would be appreciated. I mean River was supposed to be Topaz…

Lilly: I am very, very happy to stay as Lilly Arthur and not be named after any rock that might be rattling around in their heads. And I think given the way River has spoken about Diamond, there’s even less chance of her joining their group and changing her name to be part of their collective.



Jake: Speaking of River, she just regained possession of the SVW Aggression Championship that Ashley Marie Chase has been carting around since she arrived in Future Shock. But the ..is she still the Forever Champion without the title? Hmm.. Anyway, she could pick up a title that actually is able to be defended when she meets Nadia Beaulieu for the Diamond Championship in Sydney. Nadia’s one of the very few women to hold two titles simultaneously in FFW history, and she sounded as annoyed with Ashley’s antics during her interview on the last show as anyone.

Lilly: Nadia certainly seemed to have lost patience with Ashley. Between her antics in the ring, the Forever Championship debacle and the request to have this match in California rather than Sydney.

There was a roll of the eyes as Lilly paused for a moment.

Lilly: That said, I don’t think we should write Ashley off. This is a woman who undoubtedly has talent inside the ring - as you can see on FFW All Access for $10 a month, she beat River for the SVW Aggression Championship - which is why she had it in her possession to begin with. And on top of all that, she has Kyle Kilmeade in her corner. Whether you like him or not, he does make a habit of managing successful wrestlers in this business and of making sure they are well prepared for the challenges they are going to face. However. Nadia. Like you said, she’s one of the few double champions in FFW history and right now, she’s riding a wave of momentum and coming off a big Tag Team Title defence on the last edition of Future Shock and was also told that she’s the latest entrant into the Future Shock cup this year. It’s hard to look past someone who is as talented as she is, as decorated as she is and who is on as much of a hot streak as the Frenchwoman is.

Jake: I’m totally supporting Nadia. But I’m also wondering if we are going to see a much more aggressive and angry side to Ashley that we haven’t to this point, considering that River has that title she’s been showing off for months past SVW’s closure. What do you think?

Lilly: I think that’s totally possible. I think she might come into this being very aggressive and very angry…but it has to be controlled. Otherwise that will just play into Nadia’s hands. That…and we’ve seen Nadia experience a lot of success against the aggressive and permanently angry Doomsday Sisters. Ashley and Kyle have to be smart and channel whatever anger she’s feeling the right way.



Jake: Our fourth title match on the show will be a crowd pleaser no matter who wins, I think. Madyson Stone makes her first defense of the Nova Championship against Gwen Margolis Gwen just faced River on the last show, and I thought they really tested each other. Originally, this was going to be Gwen facing Fiona, but Adam changed the match to what we’re going to see after Fiona’s recent actions at the pool party. Do you think that was the right call? And who do you like in this match leaving with the Nova title that River is already deemed the next challenger for?

Lilly: I might be a little bit biased given the attack Fiona orchestrated was on one of my best friends and mentors. And I’m sure the crowd would have loved to have Gwen pound on the weathergirl until she’s as flat as a pancake and could be stretched over one of those trick umbrellas of hers. Instead, Gwen gets this shot against Madyson Stone and a chance to pick up her first singles title in Future Shock. I’m sure she’ll give it her everything, take her display inside the ring to another level and will really push one of the toughest women in this company every step of the way. This should be a barn burner and one that might just steal the show.



Jake: And finally, we have a pure grudge match here. Nessa Wall returned to Future Shock after several years, and managed to patronize and try to humiliate one of our rising stars, Aviva Miller. It irritated Aviva so much that I’m told she left the ring, didn’t stop to get checked out at all before she went to Adam’s office and requested a rematch. And obviously, he granted it and it’s going to happen in Sydney.

Lilly: First match we saw all of Nessa’s experience come to the fore as she managed to shut down Aviva everytime she started to build some momentum and we saw the mind games that Wall loves to play, making sure her opponent knew where Nessa considered Aviva’s position in the pecking order to be. I’m certain that Aviva has watched that match back countless times now and I’m sure she’s learned her lessons from it, ready to teach Nessa a lesson and tie the series up. Nessa would be wise to not underestimate Aviva because we’ve seen her get better and better with every match she has and I think she might well shock the Snarktopus in this one.

Jake: I think Nessa probably underestimates everyone she faces. It says it in her own entrance music, she’s a genius. And when you go into every situation thinking you’re the brightest person in the room, it’s very easy to underestimate people. Speaking of Aviva though, we now know she and Serafina and Nadia will be part of this year’s Future Shock Cup. That’s already a pretty stacked field of opponents.

Lilly: It’s a very stacked field so far. One of the hottest prospects, a double champion and one of the most decorated wrestlers in Future Shock. It’s already looking like this might be one of the most hotly contested Future Shock cups ever and I’m sure Adam has another couple of names up his sleeve to throw into the mix too and they’ll only make the field stronger and this match more competitive and more hotly anticipated than it currently is.

Jake: My sources tell me it’ll be a field of six this year with three qualifying matches where the winners meet in a triple threat the same night to try to win the Future Shock Cup. I didn’t get a date on that, but that sounds like it’ll be a big edition of Future Shock to me.

Lilly: That certainly sounds like it would be one heck of a show and it would certainly be a test for all the competitors. It’s not easy to win two tough matches in the same night and whoever leaves with the Cup and whatever prize goes with it, will certainly have earned it with the names that have been put forward so far.

Jake: We may have more news on that one week from tonight on August 30th when the Future Shock girls return for the sixth annual Sydney Supershow at the Qudos Bank Arena. It will be exclusively on FFW All Access. Six matches including every singles title in Future Shock on the line that night. Big thanks to Lilly Arthur, the FFW No Surrender Champion, for joining me and we’ll be seeing you in the Land Down Under for the Sydney Supershow!