Life doesn’t give you anything. If you have to beat the shit out of life to get what you feel is yours. Every bit of success isn’t a handed thing, you can’t accept that you have to work hard to get to the top. That concept is for fuckers who don’t have it in them to take what is theirs. Those are your underdogs, the ones who will follow what they are told or believe that the right way to the top is waiting for the opportunity. I’ve been in this industry long enough to know that, you claim what is yours. Whether people find it disrespectful, that doesn't matter as long as you get that shot.

I turned Japan into my fucking domain, I turned OWT’s Women’s Division into a fucking destroyed wasteland and the only way they were able to rip away my OWT Women’s Championship was by stacking three opponents against me. All through my tenure, I send messages through actions and I hope Alyssa got that message, loud and fucking clear. It was definitely loud when that steel briefcase connected with the back of her head. Now imagine what I’m gonna do to her with my bare fucking hands. If you guessed beat her ginger ass? You damn fucking right I will. This time it’s gonna be mugging in the ring, the poor woman has already lost some blood recently, and hopefully, the poor woman understands that she is messing with the wrong breed of competitor.


You can love me, hate me, treat me like a fucking god, or curse death upon me. I don’t give a fuck. What I did to Alyssa Grace, that shit was gonna happen regardless of she liked it or not. She decided to look down on me and I made sure she left Staples Center as a mess. Her skull getting cracked open, it was a louder message than anything Alyssa Grace has preached in the last few months. I’m gonna love knowing that when Alyssa Grace feels the back of her head from now on, it’s gonna be a constant reminder of me and also a reminder to not run her mouth against me.

Speaking of which, how are you doing, ya’ dumb cunt? How was the doctor’s appointment? Let me know, you owe me the satisfaction of hearing how your skull felt when you were losing blood.

Understand this, you have been around this place long enough to know that nobody’s place is secured. Including yours and I’m gonna prove that shit. People have put you on this pedestal and I’m gonna tear that shit down to the fucking ground. Whether I’m hated by the wrestling world for taking away your chance to be world champion or beloved by putting down some overrated ginger, I don’t care. While you desire to be this noble champion, the fucking Superman or Captain America of Odyssey. I just desire to be the best and the path towards that goal runs through you and that precious briefcase of yours. Nobility can go take a backseat if it means I am world champion because who cares about that shit when the end goal of everyone is to be the absolute best. Being an inspiration? That shit is overrated, why do I want to inspire people when I can worry about myself? This

And it’s not you didn’t have your chance to be competing for a world title. You were everyone’s favorite to win this past clash, everyone thought Clash 2021 was gonna be your moment. And what the fuck happened there? You lost, you didn’t even make the final four. Move aside and make away for actual-world championship-level competitors to take the spot that you have been holding onto. You’ve been rotting that spot away for far too long with your preachy ass shit.

Tell me, Alyssa, you got access to the OWA Network? You’ve been paying your 9.99 to watch every single OWA show? Because if you have, I want you to look back at Uprising: Los Angeles and see what it took to make sure I didn’t get called up with the OWT Women’s Champion but also look at where I was on the card. The main event and look at where we are on this Atlantis card. Main event. Common denominator? Me. You’re welcome for that, Alyssa. 

You wanna talk about how Odyssey is your turf. Bitch, I walked in on my first day on the job right in front of you and told you that I coming for your briefcase. Do you think I care about how this was your turf or not? It didn’t even matter if it was you, Dulce, or Gwen, whoever out of you three won the briefcase. You’re just the lucky one who ended winning the special sweepstakes and the prize is gonna be a beating from me. Secondly, turf?  What the fuck are you? Only fucking animals worry about shit like turf and territory. I don’t care about who’s at the top of Odyssey because my path to the top is inevitable, I said this on my first day. Odyssey is Tokyo and I’m Godzilla. So you can proudly claim that Odyssey is your turf and I’ll be right there to burn it all to the ground, leave you burning along with it. 

Alyssa, understand that this isn’t a match against any other Odyssey wrestlers because there is no wrestler on this fucking brand like me. You gave me the match as an opportunity? Listen, sweetheart, even if you didn’t give me this match, I still gonna make sure that I get a piece of you and a shot of your briefcase. Whether it’s the easy or the hard way. You’re just stupid to hand me your briefcase on a silver platter. Because again, I have the guts to walk up to someone like you and tell you that you’re on my hitlist. I’m not gonna wait around and wait for the chance to be the best. I’m gonna out there and go prove that I should have been up on the main roster years ago. And I want you to take a good look at something. Do you see the people in the battle royal? They weren’t gonna do that, they don’t have it in them to step and walk out and make a statement but I did. That’s who you’re facing and this time, nobody is gonna be a distraction or an annoyance or a fucking pain in the ass.

You think the assault with your prized possession as a weapon was my warning. It was the trailer of what’s to come on Atlantis, Alyssa. The feature film is gonna be a 20-minute ass-kicking from yours truly. The belief from the world is that I’m gonna get my ass kicked. First of all, I call bullshit on that. If anything, I’m about to give Alyssa Grace the greatest beating of her life. Because you messed with The Top Tier, let me remind you how dominant the woman you called a rookie really is. Just because I’m the new bitch around Odyssey, doesn’t mean that I’m not the same woman that has run rough shots all throughout the world of wrestling. If anything I’ve been in a good mood to remind the world about why I’m The Top Tier. That shit isn’t a nickname because I felt like it. It’s a statement to the world and a reminder of who I am and what I have accomplished in my career.

It’s gonna be a mugging when I beat your ass senseless on Atlantis, they’re gonna need to call the police and probably charging me with assault. You wanna be a killer, well you can’t be one when you’re left in the pool of your blood. You didn’t come here to make friends? No, because instead, you ended up finding your true love. 

Alyssa Grace, false advertising at its finest. Me? I’m that same thing they advertised me as. Bold, brash, self-confident, and built like a fucking kaiju. You? Alyssa, you can run your mouth about you’re different, you’re the gamechanger but if anything you’re the same thing as everyone else this brand puts on a pedestal. You act like you’re different but you’re the girl who got into wrestling and start claiming to be nothing like the other girls just because you like to act smug.

And yeah I like to act smug but you know where it’s different? I have the body of work over the course of my seven years to prove it. You? You got one lengthy reign as Goddesses Champ and a few awards. I took over not one but two different promotions. I’ll brag about my career even if you don’t care about it. It’s my right as someone who has earned and worked for it. At the same time, while you claim to be different, you are built the same as the Dianthas, Dulces, and Natalies of the world. Look at me Alyssa and tell me that we’re equal? I tower over most on Odyssey, I chiseled out of stone and then you say you’re different than me? You’re the same as the rest, the mass-produced girls who want to say they’re different.  Tell me that a woman who wants to be a proud champ is the same as someone like me who just wants to champion to remind people who is the best.

Talk all you want but you’re molding into nothing more than the same thing that the rest of the pillars of Odyssey are becoming. Stale, and yesterday’s news.

Meanwhile me? I’ve been the same woman since day one, the same fucking bitch who knows how good I am. Good enough to skip the line of all the people who have been here for the past few months and get bum ass into your first major show main event. I don’t need to say that I’m a killer because the world knows that, the dent I left on the back of your head and the imprint I left on your briefcase is my evidence. 

Alyssa Grace, I need you to understand everything you are dealing with. The beating you’re gonna get, the downward spiral that’s gonna be inevitable, and of course, the failure that you’re gonna become. You made history as the first woman to capture the Ascension To The Heavens Briefcase and you’re gonna make history for a second time. This time it’s gonna be the first person to lose the briefcase before even cashing in.


When I beat Alyssa and she loses her briefcase to me, the poor girl is gonna become like her boyfriend, depressed 24/7. Don’t worry Alyssa, he could probably get you a spot on The Blacklist, I hear that’s where all the old news of OWA goes.

Alyssa’s briefcase looked really nice when it dented with the back of her skull, and it’s gonna look even better when I raise it in the air. You had the nerves to look down on me, I’m gonna make sure that after I beat your ass when you look at my face, it’s gonna be with a look of fear.

See you soon for your live humbling on Atlantis: Battlepass, courtesy of your NEW Ascension To The Heavens Briefcase holder. You better keep your damn promise and raise my hand after I beat your ginger ass.

The plane touched down a little less than two hours ago and after going through customs - explaining the big gold Championship belt in his carry on - and gathering his belongings, Noah Reigner was picked up in the private town car limousine he would call for himself. The perks of coming from money, innit? Well, that private town car limousine that he would call for himself took him directly to the Rose Bowl venue. It was days before Game Over, but the OWA trucks had already arrived in town - beginning to build the sets and stage for the grand event. The sun was just beginning to set over the city of Pasadena, painting the sky in a mixture of blue and orange. The outside lighting of the arena automatically switches on, and that was when Noah stepped in front of the camera. Dressed in a business suit, as he usually was when traveling, and the Television Championship slung over his shoulder, held in place with a firm grip from his right hand. The champion had a hint of a smirk touching his lips and his eyes almost immediately found the camera.

“What goes around, comes around.

Turnabout's fair play.

Karma.

Call it what you want, Matt, but when you question why men like myself and Graham Baker are being cheered for our actions, while you and the Dynasty are detested; that is the answer. The OWA universe, fans and roster members alike, were sick and tired of seeing guys like you - guys like Senn - guys like Darkane cheat to win, use numbers to your advantage and jump people; so we gave you a taste of your own medicine. For months you and your goons, at every turn, decided to come after myself and Baker - but the second the tables are turned, the second we give you a taste of your own medicine, it’s a big deal. You say the war is ‘over’ because the Troupe pinned Brian Daniels - a man with one foot out of the door already and his mind was in ‘retirement’ mode. I didn’t give a fuck about Daniels then, or now. Same with Baba Yaga. The war isn’t over because you beat up on two dudes who aren’t even around anymore. The ‘resistance’ - the fucking Corsairs are still standing - and until myself and Baker are officially taken out by you and your goons … until we no longer breathe, this isn’t over. Neither of us have forgotten about the sneak attacks or anything else that went down, this is our payback.

You live by the sword, and you will die by it as well.”

He shrugged his shoulders. He was emotionless at that fact. As he said, turnabout is fair play. He didn’t care if Matt, Teddy, Jacob or even Darkane were upset with it. He took only a brief second before he continued to speak.

“The difference is, Matt, why the fans cheer for us and not you - is because it’s all about the payback. Everyone’s tired of the Dynasty doing whatever they want with no repercussions. Everyone’s tired of the Dynasty running the brand, the company, with no one to stand up to them. So when those Corsair boys showed up, when you and your goons targeted us, we became those fighters that the OWA Universe desperately wanted and needed.  We may exude arrogance, but when compared to the Dynasty? We’re the lesser of two evils. When we stood up to you at Civil War, and then even further at Clash of the Titans, the OWA Universe knew they could rely on the Corsairs to end the tyranny of the Dynasty. And make no mistake about it, Matt, that is exactly what we’re going to do. One by one, we will take down the Dynasty and if we have to use their own tactics against them in order to do so? Then we will. Teddy Mac, I’ve already reminded him of his place; kicked his sorry ass off of the mountaintop where he climbed to challenge me, and watched him tumble all the way back down where he belongs. Graham Baker is going to fucking bury Darkane once and forall, and you? I get to put a Hollow Point into your chest, and a Kill Shot right between your eyes. You can say that this ‘war’ is over all you want, but it’s not. That’s you packing up your ball and running away because now you know the numbers game isn’t to your advantage anymore. Now that you’ve eliminated the wastes of space that were Daniels and Yaga, you’re left standing against the backbone that was the Resistance. There’s a reason I was cuffed in the War Games match, there’s a reason you didn’t put Baker down in that match, there’s a reason you spent all those months leading up to the War Games jumping us from behind; because you know - face to face - you can’t get away with that shit. Those victories you have over Baker? Not quite by yourself, were they. Distractions a plenty. I go back to what I said; face to face, you won’t beat us - you won’t stop us - you won’t end us. But, flip side, when we do beat the Dynasty - Darkane will be dead and in the ground, and you will be humbled in front of the entire world. Just like Teddy, reminded that you will never be as good as the top tier athletes in this company. In this case, that being me.”

“But I thought you were different, Matt. I thought you knew the level of talent that I possess and you would be willing to go into the fight of your life without having to resort to the same old, tired cliche approach that everyone else has since I walked into this company; “what have you done to deserve it”. You’re coming off as stupid as Mark Michaels did, and I whooped his ass all around the arena - twice - for that same stupidity. I’m a former - multi-time - WORLD champion. According to most that I’ve stepped in front of, that’s enough clout to throw my hat into the World Championship division without having to start from the bottom up. You wouldn’t know anything about that, though. You’ve stayed being regulated to the middle of the pack for your entire career. Sure you’ve had championships, sure you’ve had success - but never at the level that I’ve competed at. But, as myself and Baker have shown you and your punk ass Dynasty - we can also play your little games. You ask me what I’ve done to deserve the title, I can ask you what you’ve done to deserve a chance at it. Ignoring the fact that I put out the open challenge; you Matt Miles don’t even hit the radar of those ‘deserving’. You can talk down about my Clash appearance and such, but I had a better showing there than you did, and then it’s been nothing but classic Noah Reigner since then, bodying everyone that’s stepped in my path since. You? You’ve slipped further and further into the background of the Dynasty - especially now that Senn is challenging for a championship, and Darkane is champion. Is that why you accepted the open challenge? Little ol’ Matt Miles feeling left out of his brothers success, so he tries his own hand? It can be spun a multitude of ways; you playing ‘gatekeeper’ to Darkane, which I’ve already covered - you trying to catch up to the others to show a solid, dominating force that shouldn’t be reckoned with. Whatever. However you want to spin it, the outcome is going to be the same - you finding out, first hand, just how good I am.”

It was as if those words reverberated. “How good I am.”. Reigner’s career pre-OWA was well documented. SSW World Puroresu and Two-Time Tag Team Champion, EAW World Heavyweight Champion, and so on. His name was put in the same breath with legends in the industry, even two/fourths of the Dynasty - and rightfully so. He earned it. He deserved it.

“Do you think a chair shot is going to stop me from ascending to where I rightfully belong, which is in the conversation for the OWA World Championship? If that’s the case, you truly have no idea who I am - or what I’ve been through in this industry to be standing where I am today. I’ve already went to fucking Hell with Graham Baker. Darkane and I battled in a Death Match where neither one of us could beat the other. Fuck, my first taste of this profession was in some cesspool that catered to the ‘Ultraviolent’ world of professional wrestling, and I came out of that with more scars than I could count. So, Matt Miles, you’re going to have to try a little harder than a chair shot to slow down my roll. If a chair shot is the best you can do, the ‘pain’ you promise to put me through at Game Over is going to be a fucking joke. And, for someone who’s crying and complaining that Civil War is done and over, how the War with the Corsairs is over and you don’t need to deal with us any longer; you certainly like to bring up the War Games match to strengthen your argument as to why you’re “better” than the Corsairs - even though it falls on it’s face because you didn’t actually beat us because your crew singled out the worst parts of the forced ‘resistance’. But a win is a win, right? A scratch in the column for you - just as it was for me at Final Destination even though, according to you, I don’t deserve the title because I didn’t get the pin. A win is a win, and if it’s good for the goose - Matt - it’s good for the gander … as they say. But, we both know the ‘war’ between Corsairs and Dynasty isn’t over. I’ve already told you that myself and Baker are on the warpath to eliminate the Dynasty after you started it. You know that it isn’t over, Matt, that is why you accepted this. You may see it as the perfect opportunity to fire your own Kill Shot to the Corsairs - but I know - that you know - it isn’t going to happen. Doubt has already creeped into your head, which is why you decided to use a chair as a form of accepting a challenge. You used a chair in order to try and weaken me heading into Game Over because - as you said, I’m running at my best right now in OWA, and you know deep down that you can’t contend with me when I’m at my best. Play tough to the camera all you want, but everyone can see your insecurities showing Matt. Me? I don’t need to attack you with a chair because, you are right, I am in top form. Yeah, you’re going to be a bigger challenge than Lil’ Petey or Teddy Mac, but you are nothing that I haven’t seen and beaten before. Just another dude who thinks too highly of himself. Another dude who thinks Noah Reigner’s going to be an easy mark to roll over on.”

“There’s too many people like you that have ended up on the wrong end of a Kill Shot to count. There’s always going to be some group that think they’re better than the Corsairs - there’s always going to be those people that are so delusional to believe that they’re better than Noah Reigner, and one by one they all fall. One by one they all learn, the hard way, that I’m one of the best in this industry. No matter what part of the world we’re in. Japan, America, Europe - wherever - I’m at the top of the ladder. And now that I’ve finally started my roll here in OWA, once again - the Dynasty members, specifically you in this case, feel the need to attack from behind. It all circles back to you and your group being threatened by my presence. So you scramble together and find another way to try to establish dominance by way of an attack and this stupid little gatekeeper thing you got going on. Trust me when I say, Darkane doesn’t need a “gatekeeper”. He’s a grown ass man that can fight his own battles. You gave yourself that role because you - and everyone else - noticed the Corsairs picking up steam and you - and everyone else - knew it would only be a matter of time before Baker and I are standing at the top of OWA just like we have done, and currently still do, in SSW. You gave yourself the role in hopes to slow me down, once again, feeling threatened that the Corsairs are going to outshine and eliminate the Dynasty and you fear for your place in this company. You attack me in hopes of weakening me, because you know that’s your only shot at beating me. It’s okay, Matt. You’re not the first to be in that position, and you’re not the last. And, just like all who came before you with this attitude and approach, you’ll end up on your back with an imprint of my boot on your face and the eternal knowledge that you will never be on my level. So if it helps you sleep during the nights leading up to Game Over, tell yourself all of the lies you want - about beating me at my best, about the Dynasty ruling over Olympus with an iron fist - just know that this weekend all of that becomes simply that; lies being told by a man who has no actual chance of victory. A man who has no actual chance of survival because he stands armed with a pocket knife while an Assault Rifle is aimed directly at him.”

With his free hand, the one not occupied with keeping the focal point of the video,  in place on his shoulder - he aimed at the camera, pulling the faux-trigger as if he were shooting down his next target who stood directly in front of him.

After that momentary action, he dropped his arm but only briefly. Bringing it up again, he stroked the scruffy facial hair along his jaw and another smirk formed over his lips as he brought up one more thing that Matt Miles said in his promotional video.

“You’re right about one thing though, Matt. A new, greater foundation of Olympus will be forged this weekend at Game Over, but it won’t be with you, Darkane and Senn standing on the top of the mountain. At Game Over, the Corsairs - myself and Graham Baker - make good on what we promised after Clash of the Titans. Twenty-TwentyOne is the year ... the era of the Corsairs. And you will have a story to tell for the rest of your career; that you were responsible for the shift in power when you you fell to the fuckin’ Corsair Ace himself.”

And with that line, that smirk, that confident nod - the video faded to black.

(The scene opens backstage in the arena as we see "The Fem Phenom" Nakita DuBov and her 4'11 manager Kevin Edward LeBrock walking into the arena. Nakita is rolling her suitcase with all of her ring gear inside with one hand and in the other she is carrying "Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton" in the other hand book marked in the middle showing that she is halfway completed with it's reading. She is wearing a Chris Paul Phoenix Suns jersey, and matching Phoenix Suns ball cap with her long fire red hair put up in a pony tail. Kevin is wearing a white three pieced custom made suit and walking with his cane in hand. They appear to be talking and deep in mid conversation.)

Nakita DuBov: "I'm telling you Kevin, with the way that my Phoenix Suns are playing this entire post season, they have yet to lose a game let alone the series, and now they're up 2-0 over the Clippers in the Western Conference Finals. I know that it is too soon to tell, but all signs are pointing to them sweeping the Clippers and going on to play in the NBA Finals. I've been waiting for them to get back to this mountaintop for over twenty years. Not since the days of Sir Charles Barkley having a career year and getting beat by Jordan and the Bulls. Did you not see final ally-oop from Deandre Ayton at the buzzer to win the game. I mean come on Kevin, Hollywood couldn't even script that shit."

Kevin LeBrock: "Well you know me, I'm a die hard Atlanta Hawks fans and even though I'm pulling for your Suns to win it up until we get a Hawks/Suns NBA Finals then all bets are off and it is on, but even with that play there is no denying that this is the Suns' year and if they do beat my Hawks, I cannot be mad at all in the least, but I will still root for them regardless. It's gonna be a good series all the same. It's gonna be a lot of fun to watch."

(As they are talking, OWA Correspondent, Cori Simmons approaches them with a microphone in hand.)

Cori Simmons: "Nakita DuBov, I apologize for interrupted, but I wanted to get a word from you in regards to your upcoming match in the number one contender battle royal in order to crown a new number one contender for the OWA Openweight Championship after Game Over and whether it will be against reigning and defending champion, Elizabeth Karlson retaining or if challenger Daisy Thrash can unseat her and become new champion. What are you thoughts to all of your competitors in this upcoming match on Battle Pass and how will that veer into your hopes of taking on the OWA Openweight Champion and whomever it will be after Game Over?"

Nakita: "Certainly Cori, I know that being biggest, the fastest, the strongest, the...eldest...er I mean most experienced, most freakishly athletic and genetically superior alpha in the OWA and despite some of my most recent setbacks as of late, there is still no denying that is who I am and those are facts that define what I am. I know a lot of people like Rebecca Filth, Emmanuelle, NAMI, Skylar Arceneaux, Audry Atlas, and even the likes of Devi Krysis and Azurine Vebbins want to dismiss any chance that I have at besting all of them and becoming the new number one contender to the OWA Openweight Championship.  But that is not going to stop me from staking my claim, digging my heels deep in the center of that ring, outlasting all seven of them and getting what I want...no I take that back, getting what I need and that is OWA Openweight Championship. I know that people like Rebecca Filth has went on record and pretty much said that as the biggest and strongest women in this match that I am walking into this match with the biggest target on my back so that is going to make the other seven women all gun to eliminate me first and foremost from this match and I get that, so that automatically makes me look like that I am not going to be a factor and get taken out first and cement their chances of becoming the new number one contender, but I going to prove them all wrong. I am going to shock the entire world, send their jaws dropping on the floor and they will know that little strategy will not only be in vain but prove to be utter futile and all for nothing. They think that they can all take me out but I'm gonna suplex, press, kick, and knock all their asses out of my ring. I'm still in this fight and I will not rest until I've marched all the way to being crowned the new OWA Openweight Champion, and whether it is that thief Liz Karlson, or little miss crippled neck Daisy Thrash, I am going to run and gun right through both of them in order to get what I need."

Cori: "Speaking of current reigning OWA Champion, Liz Karlson, it seems that there is history between the two of you there. It was Karlson, who was also debuting along with you that defeated you in that debut. You have went on record as to calling Liz a thief for stealing your debut win despite your incredible and strong showing, she was the one whom was victorious in that encounter and had it been reversed, one might think that you would be the OWA Openweight Champion. Does it seem like Karlson has been a bit of an obsession for you and how you have had quite the chip on your shoulder ever since then?"

Nakita: "Yeah I've went on record and called her a thief for stealing my thunder and that match from me, but I get it. It was a triple threat match. I had that match won and she took full advantage and won the match just as I was seizing my moment of glory. Karlson will get what is coming for her...in the end and believe it or not, I am pulling for her to beat Thrash at Game Over just so I can be the one that finally takes her title off of her. It should be me, it is going to me, and I will stop at nothing and go through hell and back in order to get back everything that was taken from me. I am going to cut that thieving bitch's hand at the gallows in front of God and everyone, but for right now I must take things one step at a time and outlast and win against seven other competitors in order for me to be the number one contender. I am making sure that I am more than ready to go to hell in order to get what I need. Try and single me out, try and eliminate me early from this match. All those women are going to find out the hard way just how impossible that feat is. I got to take things one step and one day at a time. As good as my Phoenix Suns are doing right now in the NBA playoffs, their path to becoming World Champions are not set in stone. Nothing is certain. The same can be said for me, for every single one of my seven competitors in the battle royal, for Thrash, or for Karlson. Anything can and will happen. I can't think that I have this match in the bag because anything can happen in this match. Now granted, this is nothing like the Clash of the Titans and how I man not have to go through twenty or so randomly drawn entrants trying to toss me over the ropes. My odds may have gone down from twenty to seven, still I have to stay alert and grow eyes in the back of my head and not take my mind off whatsoever. Until I eliminate the final competitor from the match over that top rope and my hand is raised, I am at risk and can't take anything for sure. It is me verses the world and I know what my worth is and what I am capable of doing between those ropes."


"Take Devi Krysis for example. Yes I have defeated her just as I have defeated her partner Azurine Vebbins last week on Odyssey. I know that they will be looking to even up the score and for the most part they are capable of doing it. I just cannot nor will I ever dare let that happen. Contrary to what most of the other girls are saying that Devi hasn't done anything in the OWA and for the most part they are half-right, but being the current reigning LAW Lethal Sparks Champion is in fact nothing to sneeze at. Now granted LAW might only be the minor leagues and the OWA is considered to be the crown jewel major leagues, still those are building blocks to grow and excel in this business and for her feats to be ignored or dismissed is a disservice to Devi and her accomplishments thus far. I now that Devi hasn't been successful much and she fell short in her pursuit to capture the OWA World Tag Team titles with Azurine but I give her credit that she continues to keep looking forward and march onward. I don't like her, and I take pleasure in owning her when we have faced each other but still I have to respect her for keeping at it and I now that Devi as well as Azzy will be looking to step up and show up big in this match, and as much as I can admire their work ethic, still I will never admit that you better than me. I've owned you both before and I'm looking to do it all again at Game Over."


"You see Cori, people like Devi and Azzy or those other girls like little miss 'Finger Cuffs" Rebecca Filth spewing out at both ends may all want to win this match and be the number one contender, but I will bite and say exactly that...I don't just want this match, I NEED THIS. You all want this match and to be number one contender? I have to have this. This is do or die for me and I refuse to let myself quietly die out to the likes of all of you. No matter what you all think, I am never or ever going to die that easily so don't think that you can all gang up and eliminate me early from this match and let the rest of Battle Pass be smooth sailing for you because I've got another thing for you. It won't. Not one bit. You coked out bitches and cracked up trash pandas are not even on my level. I am head and shoulders better than all of you both literally and figuratively and on Battle Pass I will show it to the entire world and there will be no denying it any longer. I am 'The Red Headed Leviathan', you all will look stand in the center of the ring, look 'The Green-Eyed Devil' in the eyes and you all will shit your tights in fear right before I knock all your cabooses over that top rope and on the floor below. You will all look back up and there will be no more denying that I'm not only here to stay, but one hundred percent for real and the ultimate threat to the OWA Openweight Championship, and then after that who knows, the OWA Goddess  Championship, the OWA World Women's Championship, or dare I say it, the OWA Omega World Championship. I look damn good in gold and I have a dream that I have seen me with title gold draped on both my shoulders, wrapped around my waist, and give me two more gold titles draped on either arm for good measure. Yeah it would be really heavy but trust me when I say this, I am more than strong enough to carry all that gold on my back. That is my worth and how I see myself as. I maybe ambitious but whatever I see I will get...


...but first thing is first and that is Game Over, Battle Pass, one battle royal, and taking out seven trash pandas over the top rope one right after the other in epic storybook fashion and being crowned the new number one contender. OWA Openweight Championship, here I come regardless of who is holding it."

(To Kevin LeBrock.)

"Come on Kevin, wrap this up for me."

(Nakita walks away ahead of her advocate where Cori Simmons stands by to get a closing quote from the four foot eleven, well dressed, and dignified gentleman in the dapper suit.)

LeBrock: "And that's not just a prediction, not just a fact, we're going way beyond spoiler, that just...is."

(LeBrock casually walks off away from Cori Simmons catching up to Nakita as Cori is left in their wake."

Cori Simmons: "This is OWA Correspondent, Cori Simmons, signing off, reminding you to subscribe and be prepared to watch Game Over Battle Pass and who will walk away as the new OWA Openweight Champion number one contender. Who will it be? Tune and find out."

Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.

It’s simple really. 

I’ve logged enough miles on me over the years to know when it’s time to shit or get off the pot. That’s one of the perks of being a savvy veteran, you’ll know when your time is up. I don’t have a crystal ball to gaze through, but I’d imagine when it’s time to pay the piper it’ll happen pretty quickly. And you know what? I’m okay with that. I’m not a spring chicken anymore and unlike others, I’m not on a constant voyage to drink from the fountain of youth, when my time is up, my time is up. I can’t say the same for others. Some refuse to acknowledge that father time or the wear and tear of this business is kicking down their door. I’ve seen it time and time out where old washed-up prunes throw caution to the wind and put themselves through absolute hell. Most of them have a chip on their shoulder, they want to prove that they’ve still got what it takes. They want to prove they can hang with the current crop of talent without breaking the sweat but it just doesn’t work that way. In some cases, they don’t even have to be over the hill, some are in the prime slot of their careers but they’re so reckless that the injuries pile up and shorten their tenures by a significant margin. I’ll be fine they say, I got kids to feed they say, I gotta put food on the table they say, I’m invincible they say. 

Fucking fools.

And you wonder why they meet their maker; sucking mashed potatoes through a fucking straw with trembling hands in the confines of a hospital bed at age thirty because they didn’t know when to call it quits. I don’t feel bad for them in the slightest, they get what they deserve. They drag their families through the wringer for what? Overbloated pride? An unwillingness to wave the white flag? 

Will you do the same thing, Graham?

When I separate your skin from bone?

PLEASE DARKANE, PLEASE! You’ll plead, maimed and unable to quiver as you watch me tower over your fucking grave with a shovel of soil in tow. They say pride comes before the fall but your pride will be smeared under my boot when I’m standing on your burial mound. No wonder you hold your dignity so close to the vest, without it, Graham Baker wouldn’t cease to exist. Your pride is your safe haven but when I thoroughly defile you of your self-worth, the only weight you will carry is that of the blood you spill. It’s painstakingly obvious that you’re past the point of no return, stuck in your ways, waving your false bravado like a gun in the middle of a standoff and why? It’s a ploy; you’re a hope clinger; a one track mind with starry eyes and balled fists. Deep down underneath the rugged surface lies a man who doesn’t want to believe, but knows he is royally fucked. I know that you secretly yearn to bite the dirt at Game Over. That’s the dark side of Graham Baker’s moon. A locked and secluded internal cell that you’re trapped in, a place that nobody is supposed to find, not even the ones you love. 

It’s a prison and the pessimistic cynic in you wants it all to fucking end. This isn’t about psychological warfare, this isn’t a mind game or a conspiracy theory, it’s Graham Baker at his worst. Your despair has poured out through your sentiments, through your body language because behind closed doors you’re a miserable cunt and your misery is like grade-a porn to me; it makes me want to cum blood all over your grave. And to think something so surreptitious and stored away; protected by a cloak and dagger is now at the mercy of the one man you shouldn’t have fucked with. There’s only so much one man can do to hide the truth that he’s a mental midget. Everything you’ve said was said on eggshells, you’re not just uncertain, you’re wetting your rubber piss sheets, staring up at the ceiling at night, imagining the horror of what’s to come.

And I’m right there with you.

With every step you make, with every breath you take. To think they call Havoc The Nightmare King yet I’m the one who’s cackling like an old witch in your dreams, while you’re running, constantly running with strings attached to your back like a puppet; searching for an exit and you know what the real pièce de résistance is? 

I’m there when you wake up.

You can’t escape me, boy.

Who would have thought that the king of the Corsairs and someone who prides himself off his toughness has been reduced to an inward kneed, pigeon-toed fucking wimp who would rather spend his time praising Darkane instead of marching The Corsairs into war? Do you think all of this gratuitous ass-kissing will soften the blows? Oh, Darkane! You have such a way with words! I pay my respects to you oh mighty Death Reaper! I give you the ups you deserve even though you’re going to cave my skull in from front to back! Somebody fan me! I didn’t sign up for a hand job Graham, I signed up for a cold-blooded fucking murder that even forensic pathologists would grimace at. There’s no fine print in the contract that warrants worship but here you are, on your hands and knees like a god damn slave ready to attend my beck and call, ready to do whatever is required at my behest. Your fire or lack thereof has been extinguished and the match hasn’t even started yet. Who am I fighting but OWA’s version of the walking dead with a limp dick and an open mouth? The proof is in the pudding everybody, this man wants out.

Suicide by Darkane.

Since he’s too much of a pussy to pull the trigger himself.

Some might play devil’s advocate and say that Graham’s pulling the wool over my eyes. That this is a master scheme to lure me into complacency but Graham isn’t that complex at his root. He’s a straight shooter even though he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. Graham may show a lack of urgency, but I won’t. Just because Graham is off-kilter and playing passive-aggressive grab ass doesn’t mean that I’ll stop whipping this bitch raw. Didn’t any of you get the memo post Final Destination? I’m the very antithesis of what Fiora represented. He played that constant cat and mouse game and he wasn’t built for a long reign as a result. I am. I’ll put my title on the line anywhere, anyplace and anybody who thinks they can outwork or outmatch me will need to realize that I’m at a fever pitch and on the prowl. I won’t shift gears into cruise control mode at the top, make no mistake about it. I know what’s on the line here, and that’s why whether Graham is ready or not I’m bringing forth a relentless, brutal fucking attack. He won’t know what hit him before it’s too late and before his vessel is crushed by pure darkness. That right there encapsulates what this championship means to me. I’ll always fight in its honor and I’m always on the go no matter what. Game Over is step one when it comes to expanding my territory and expanding my dominance across OWA strongholds. That’s what not just a victory but an absolute onslaught of Graham Baker will do. I’m a shameless glutton and maybe that’s to a fault but no champion will ever get anywhere by sitting on their ass. 

But you’ll never come to that crossroads, now will you?

Especially when you’ve openly accepted the dark horse role and not only that you’ve embraced it with open arms. I thought Graham Baker was supposed to be a front runner? I thought Graham Baker was supposed to be the captain of his ship, who does as he pleases but now, now after all this fucking build up, you yield to the ideation of being a dark horse. That’s not a championship mentality Graham, no matter which way you slice it. If I walked into every match believing that I am a lesser version of the man or woman who opposes me I’d be dwelling in the OWA dungeon, scrubbing the grime off the floors with a hard brush, only for my superiors to drop a juicy deuce on the spot I just cleaned. Nobody remembers second-place players. They only celebrate the mainstays. The ones who believe that every time they step through those ropes they will fucking annihilate the opposition. Even in my downtime, I never thought of myself as a runner-up. You’ve fallen into that monster trap and it’s got you by the short and curlies. Look at me! I’m an unsung hero! I have the odds stacked against me! At least I have pom pom wavers like Noah Reigner and Devin Mitchell cheering me on from the back! Even though my confidence is teetering on the cliff’s edge, even though I’ve blatantly acknowledged that Darkane is better than me, at least I know that if I give it the ole college try and hope for the best then I’ll probably hold my own (I think). Graham Baker has gone from a main event regular to Darkane’s lowly beer-fetching thrall in less than a week’s time through verbal evisceration alone. What the fuck did I say about moral victories? This man has one foot in the grave already I swear. I remember when I was a rookie I made the same mistakes. The ifs, the maybes, the shots in the dark, the glimmers of hope only to be dashed when I was brainwashed by more experienced veterans who knew how to make Darkane tick both in and out of the ring. I’ve grabbed that torch and I’ve gotten you to believe that you are a subordinate tick in comparison to me but it isn’t just cut and dry manipulation.

It’s the truth.

Look at you Graham.

Just look at you.

The fans on the OWA message boards have picked against me! WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

You fucking baby.

The fact that you actively go online and keep tabs on menial tripe like that AND let it sit in your head tells me all I need to know. Who cares what the OWA universe has to say? They’re just walrus sized neckbeards with social deficiencies who scathe Graham Baker on their cum encrusted keyboards. The mental capacity you lack to let shit like that bother you has to be at a record low, you fucking invertebrate. Why is your focus on a bunch of PC warriors when you have an Omega Heavyweight Championship opportunity on the horizon; motherfucker get your priorities straightened out. Imagine being so sensitive that you let a bunch of talking heads play you like a fiddle. How can you set a bar so high and subsequently kneel before a bunch of predictions and hearsay? I never imagined Graham Baker as a cakewalk, but you’re trembling in your own piss; this Graham Baker feature presentation has been nothing short of a bust. And sure, actions speak louder than words but confidence is a key contributor in everything you do. It bears repeating - your confidence is fucking shot and that’s easy pickings for scumbags like me. I’m certainly not going to give you a shot of confidence in the arm, you gotta dig deep Baker, deeper than you’ve ever dug before. 

There’s no light at the end of your tunnel.

It’s just a long winding endless abyss.

With the lack of confidence, the hesitancy in your voice, the dark horse mentality, you might as well be served up on a silver platter but then you roll back and unravel every excuse in the book when I called you out on your lack of success. This son of a bitch is so delusional that he thinks his opportunities were stolen from him. STOLEN! As if he’s owed something. The Ascension to The Heaven’s briefcase was stolen, even though you lost fair and square. The Clash was stolen from me, even though I eliminated you, fair and square. War Games was stolen from me cause, cause THE PHANTUM TWOOPE HANDCUFFED MAH BRWOTHA NOAH TO THE WOPES!

:’(

I’ll say it again - you fucking baby. Nothing was stolen from you Graham in any regard, you just fucking suck. Again - You. Failed. To. Get. The. Job. Done. God forbid Graham Baker ever shows some accountability for being a massive choke artist. It’s nobody’s fault but your own yet you still gotta point fingers don’t you? Even in your match against The Derelict, your ‘stolen’ case against the court of OWA is immediately thrown out because you started the fire to get things rolling. I’ll beat that dead horse until there’s nothing left but the tail. Even hypothetically speaking if it was stolen, tell me what bitching up a storm does to alleviate the problem? Do you think the GM suits like Aren Mazeltov or whatever the fuck his name is will come to your aid and side with you? Yeah, I don’t think so, pal. Sometimes you gotta trudge through miles a shit to find the diamonds in the rough. Whine bags like you don’t wanna put in the work and that’s your achilles heel. For all this blue collar surface paint you wear, you are one bonafide lazy son of a bitch. The day you stop making excuses is the day Graham will actually resemble a man because right now you’re as fragile as fine china.

And if his excuses don’t convince you people that he’s a lost cause, then his think-outside-the-box dunce cap he wears will.

Trying to make shit up on the fly, essentially faulting me for my dominance like it’s a stigma against me. Yeah, you really knocked it out of the park with that one. Yer dominance will be your downfall Darkane! Nah my dominance is earned through hellfire and brimstone bitch boy, I didn’t get a shortcut magic carpet ride to the stratosphere. I actually you know, took years off my life by putting my nose to the grindstone. I know that’s inconceivable to you but such a thing does exist. I’ll never get used to dominating because I’m out there to one up my previous effort all the fucking time. I’ll never be satisfied, even as the Omega Heavyweight Champion. Simpletons like you would think I’d start to get a bit vainglorious riding so high but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The grind is always on and always real. Nothing you see here is superficial, unlike someone I know. My dominance will never be my undoing but it will be on full display at Game Over. It’s just a matter of time at this point. I know that the sound of the clock ticking is in your ear and these so-called advantages you think you have over me are nothing but last ditch efforts to throw me off my game.

You may be younger, fresher, and even healthier but realize I’m at the top of my game, it doesn’t matter how much wear and tear there is on my body, it’s a moot point because I’m a heat-seeking missile who has clawed the jugulars out of every soul in my path. If wear and tear was an actual issue I would have been out of the game years ago but I age like fine wine. I’ve run the gauntlet many times over and I still come back asking for more with chunks of blood in between my teeth. My body is so used to destruction Graham, that I’ve built up immunity towards it. Think about that, the only thing that can knock me off my perch is if I’m buried alive and I’ll still raise my hand through the fucking dirt and rise up like the undead. I know I’m not impenetrable, I won’t make the mistake of fooling myself like say, Fiora would. But I know my tolerance for pain more than anybody else and it’s higher than the sun that lights the world. Be it physical or emotional I have little to offer when it comes to sheer volume. I’m an empty shell inside and I sure as hell don’t have the makings of a varsity athlete but when it comes to your proposed second ‘advantage’? Bitch I set the bar for resiliency. You could drop a nuke on my ass and my ashy frame would have a smile on its face knowing full well that I got the last laugh. As for Graham? You blow on him and he’ll act like he got shot. Anything for sympathy eh?

Fuck your advantages. You’re putting your life on the line against a hardcore God, a deathmatch god, a god of violence while you lay in a fetal position, cradling yourself with a cig hanging out of your mouth wondering how you’ll be able to put this fucking monster in a grave.

But as Johnny Cash once sang, there ain’t no grave that can hold my body down.

I am a God after all.

Hey Johnny, why don’t you sing Graham out for me will ya?

“You can run on for a long time.
Run on for a long time.
Run on for a long time.
Sooner or later God'll cut you down.”

Sooner or later God'll cut you down.

“Savannah, talk to me.”

The view fades into the familiar fighting gym in MYOJIN's and their recently announced fiancée, Himari's, apartment home.  Sitting around are a practice dummy, a punching bag, weights, and other utilities. Though, currently at the moment, they aren't being used. The blonde was sitting on a mat with their tag partner and the other half of Team Starburst, Savannah Sunshine. MYOJIN sat in casual athletic attire, a black tee and black Nike shorts, with their legs crossed- looking toward Savannah with a curious, but a lightly concerned expression for their teammate. “What's going on? You don't seem all that focused right now.”

Admittedly, there had been a lot going on over the past few weeks. Mentally, physically, and emotionally, she felt entirely drained. But, a bigger part of her knew that she couldn’t let herself get too distracted. So, she wore forced smiles and tried her best not to worry anyone. But, it was easier said than done these days. As she sat across from MYOJIN, there was a deep frown set upon her features. Sweat soaking through her own workout gear as she brushed curly hair across one shoulder. How did she even put everything into the proper words? How could she place everything with a simple phrase? She couldn’t.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.” There’s a brief pause as she sighs softly. “Between Jason and I not being on the same page lately and everything in between, it’s all just a lot to deal with and I know life isn’t sunshine and rainbows all the time. But, lately it feels like I’m stuck in some dark stormy rain cloud. Except permanently and not just temporarily. But, I’m trying. I swear I am.”

The blonde simply nodded, the expression on their face wasn't judgemental or frustrated- if anything, they could empathize with her. She was going through a lot at the time- but the blonde also knew they couldn't afford to walk into Game Over 4 without their minds solely focused on the OWA World Tag Team Championships. “I know you are, I'll admit it- I've been a little off my game as well after that match in XHF… But do you want to talk more about it? We have to stay on the same page for this.”

It was important not just for her, but for them as a team, to be on the same page and to be focused on the task at hand. They didn’t have to worry about just one team. They had to worry about two teams all with the same common goal. That made things all the more harder when it came to what they were up against at Game Over 4. “I think what’s bothering me the most is I know what’s going on mentally is what’s really throwing me off. I’m trying to focus on a lot at the same time, all while trying to focus on other things as well. On top of not being able to be in the same room as my boyfriend lately because he doesn’t like how things are turning out for me lately. But, that’s a conversation for another time, I suppose.” She inhales a gentle and calming breath, a long and slow couple of sips taken from her water bottle a moment later.

“What matters right now is being on the same page for what’s in store. There’s a lot of variables to consider here. On one side, we have Miltiades and Reggie. On the other side, we have The Blacklist, Finn and Nate. The fact that there’s more than one team to worry about here is what’s the difficult part of this.”

“Believe me, I know.” MYOJIN ran a hand through their hair, sighing as they brought a knee up to their chest in thought. “I know we can handle tall, dark, and bitchy and his pasty white friend- We've done it before. The real challenge is Blacklist, even though I don't really get why Wakefield and Cage are the ones being sent- considering they weren't even the Blacklist team that had lost the titles- At least it makes things just a little more interesting.”

“But… this is it. This is the match that'll either have the rest of OWA finally realize that we're not just another flavor of the week- or prove everything that people have said about us right- That we're just overrated underdogs… And I'm kind of fucking tired of being looked at as an underdog.”

Gentle laughter spills from her lips at MYOJIN’s description of Miltiades and Dampshaw, head shaking just a bit as she turns her attention to the task at hand now. “I used to know how Wakefield and Cage operated a long time ago, just from studying them and watching them as competitors. But, they’re a lot more cunning and vicious than they were before. Which is going to be an issue when it comes to how hard and how fast they strike. Though, Cage is a lot more unpredictable than Wakefield is in his style.”

She pauses, taking a moment to properly pull her thoughts together. Hands rest against the mat beneath her and she leans back a bit. “There’s nothing underdog about us, I think that’s what people fail to realize. No matter how many times people try to knock us down, we’re always getting back up and looking a challenge in the face. Nothing is more determined than a couple of people who have nothing to lose and who are willing to go above and beyond to pull out all the stops to capture what they want.”

“You're right, Wakefield and Cage definitely will come into the match with that whole trademark Blacklist aggression. That doesn't really bother me, I've faced people who have tried to run my face through barbed wire- hostility isn't anything new. I guess… The thing that worries me the most, is that neither of us has to be pinned to lose. We've been waiting for this chance all season, and it doesn't have to be our fault or our mistake if one of the other teams pins the other.”

MYOJIN placed a hand to their chin,
“You and I? We both have our mean streaks that people seem to conveniently ignore and only judge us by our personalities and looks, no matter our accomplishments in the ring. Maybe it's time to let our angrier sides come out.”

“Sounds like we’re already on the same page then. I know all about aggression and taking frustrations out on others, I’ve been there before. So, I know what it will be like for The Blacklist. However, I also know how to keep myself at bay long enough to not let that frustration cost me a match in the end.” She taps at her temple with a small grin, a mere gesture of being a little smarter than people give her credit for. She has her own past here with OWA, a past that several people are constantly bringing up. If anything, she still has a lot more to prove and she knows that.

“You should consider yourself lucky. At least no one is bringing up the fact that you’ve been fired from this place before. But, hey. Look at me now! A shot at gold with one hell of a tag team partner. I say we pull out all the stops, really show them how far we’re willing to go to prove ourselves. Even if that means doing things we normally wouldn’t do. It’s about time people started taking us seriously and not looking at us like mere jokes. Nothing frustrates me more than people who underestimate others.”

The blonde simply smiled in response,
“That's true. Nothing is more satisfying than serving out some humility. But also, I want you to know that… Whatever's going on, whatever you're dealing with, if you ever need someone to talk to- I'm always here. I know we haven't been a team for that long, but you can count on me as a shoulder to lean on. I'm not doing this with you just because I want to win some gold, I'm doing it because I consider you a friend.”

Humility. A word she knew more about than she cared to admit. Though, it does bring a small smile to her face as she shakes her head slightly. “I think that’s the first time in a long time that someone has said they were willingly partnering with me merely because they consider me a friend. That’s what I like most about this whole thing, you know?” She claps her hands together momentarily, moving to stand to her feet. “We’re not just some team who is incapable of letting our actions speak for us. The time for talking is over with and from here on out? Team Starburst is going to give back what everyone dishes out to us times ten.”

Fingers brush through messy curls momentarily as she takes in his words, lips quirking slightly as she walks over to give them a lopsided hug from the side. “I appreciate you a lot more than words could ever say. I can’t begin to explain how much having you as a tag team partner means. This isn’t just the beginning of a good partnership, it’s the beginning of one of the best teams around and we’re going to give them all one hell of a show.”

The hug was a bit of a surprise, but MYOJIN welcomed it. Patting their partner on the shoulder in the response with a soft nod. “We're in this together, I promise you that'll never change. Tag championships or no tag championships…”

“But we are definitely going to win those titles. Now let’s get back to training.”


This is it.

The moment Savannah and I have been waiting for ever since the last season..

The moment where we finally get our chance at the OWA World Tag Team Championships, and I haven’t felt more confident than ever in our abilities. We’ve been unstoppable as a tag team, no matter who or what has gotten in our way. We didn’t get here easily, it’s taken months of patience and trust in each other to get ready for this big chance and we won’t take it for granted. Those championships aren’t to me just another piece of gold to add to my collection, but they’re more of a symbol. A symbol of what a cohesive unit and teamwork is able to accomplish- a symbol of who of the best team in this entire promotion is- and the very first titles I’ll be competing for in OWA. I’m excited and I’ve never felt more ready.

But this tag match is a triple threat. In between us, Blacklist, and two bitches that Savannah and I have already beaten in the ring before.  We’re finally getting what we’re owed and what we clawed our way through the BOB Games for in order to gain our shot at you two- but there’s one glaring problem in this match, it isn’t just us two teams- The Blacklist are in this, meaning that neither Savannah and I have to be pinned in order to lose the match- and does the extra challenge scare me? No, not really- it actually makes the match way more interesting.

I mean, let’s be honest, would anyone really doubt us beating those two incels again? Especially when they’ve clearly learned nothing since we last faced them? They’re still doing their corny holier than thou wannabe villain crap, and they still don’t like or really respect each other as a team- The only reason they’re still champions is because they haven’t been given a REAL challenge since winning the belts. And just like last time, we all know that the both of them will just end up choking again when facing us.

But my interest lies more with Blacklist.

And you know what? I was almost considering being respectful toward you two- after all, it’d be my first time running into either of you. My only problem really lies with the “champs”...

Until Wakefield opened his pretty mouth.

Finn, honey, for the sake of everyone listening- Shut the fuck up.

This pretentious rambling about how you joined the Blacklist is something I can tell you for sure NOT A SINGLE PERSON in this match cares about. No one is interested in your villain origin story, your cliche “I’m doing this for the greater good” mentality. You’re self-absorbed ramblings about how you’ve been held back. Everyone’s heard this story before from plenty of other wrestlers who have tantrums and suddenly decide they want to be the edgy bad guy. I guess that you just really enjoy hearing yourself talk, thinking you sound like some cunning intellectual who’s pointing out all the problems within OWA and how it’s chaotic and that you and your ragtag circle jerk of friends will fix it- When the truth is- not only are you just a fence sitter who isn’t really making any change, and instead is talking out of his ass to sound like you’re on a crusade- But you are a PART of the problem you just announced.

Your tag partner is literally a psycho who probably wouldn’t mind putting someone out of commission if it meant it got him what he wanted. You’re a part of a group that is just as lawless as you say the rest of OWA is. The truth is simply that you’ve started lagging behind and you took the easiest option to get back ahead. Like you said yourself, you joined a group that took pleasure out of terrorizing you- You sold out just to find some importance again. After all, if you can’t beat them- join them, right?

And of course, to top it off- You say the same criticisms about Savannah and I that both of us had heard a million times. Saying that I put on a persona in order to stand out, completely ignoring my wrestling ability and putting all your attention on the fact that I dress and look flamboyant. This isn’t a persona, this isn’t some larger than life character- This is me, hun. I’m as genuine as it gets- It’s not my fault that you have the charisma of damp cardboard. Honestly, joining Blacklist might have been your greatest decision now that I think about it- at least you now have something to hide how BORING you are.

I think the funniest thing about your little speech is you called us the “third party”. Bitch, you aren’t even in the team in Blacklist that lost the titles to the other two clowns. We not only BEAT them, but if any doubts were made, we went on and worked our asses off with teamwork and willpower to officially earn our shots. How did you two get yours? Oh right, some rematch clauses- and so Blacklist

Now you have your tag partner, Nate Cage, another run of the mill “Look how scary and evil I am!” wrestler. Another stereotypical wannabe-intimidating cRaZy GuY WhO’S So UnPreDiCtAble. When you’ve see one of his type, you’ve seen them all. Hi, Nate- I bet after seeing this you’re going to violently threaten me and tell me how you’re going to kick my ass or something along those lines, yeah? Good, give me your best shot and you BETTER not miss or else you’ll regret it.

You’re a tag team specialist and your accolades clearly show that, I respect that. I expect you and Wakefield to act as a well-oiled machine in that ring, and I’m glad you will. Because I wouldn’t want to win the tag titles any other way than beating one of the better teams OWA have to offer- because Dipshit and     Miltiades clearly aren’t that.

And Wakefield? You’re probably one of the best submission artists that wrestling has ever seen- and despite how I think you’re full of yourself in every regard, getting in the ring and grappling with you is going to be fun. You keep saying how you’ve been held down by others somehow, so you better show me something amazing- after all, I don’t doubt you’ll be a tough fight- you finished a match after getting stabbed after all, but I don’t really give a fuck if you’ve only tapped out a few times in wrestling- I have more than just submissions to knock you out and pin you for three seconds, but if I have you in my heel hook or my Kimura? I don’t care if you tap or not, all I have to do is wait til’ one of your skinny ass limbs snap like a twig, you pass out from pain, or the referee calls it off.

At Game Over, I won’t deny it- Savannah and I are going to be in the fight of our lives. The biggest match we’ve tagged in yet, and the odds might be stacked against us- but when haven’t they? Since the beginning, the both of us have always been looked at as underdogs punching up, the unlikely duo that are always overlooked and underestimated- and we’re finally going to put that bullshit to rest once we win. This isn’t just about the titles, this is about proving that we’re more than what all of you continue to think we are- This is about showing the audience that no matter how many times others try to put you down, you can shine above them. This is about making a message- and when Team Starburst is announced as the new OWA World Tag Team Championships, there will be NO excuses for the four of you.

Miltiades and Dampshaw, you’re going down just like you did the last time we faced.

Wakefield and Cage, there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop us.

We’ll be seeing you boys soon.

BATTLEPASS.
"May the cascade of chaos bring newness into your life."


Entropy.

It's a word I've been thinking a lot about lately, I suppose it's a consequence of being forcibly surrounded by people who project overwhelmingly difficult-to-conceptualise ideas like it's the only thing they know how to do. There's a lot of people here who are a bit like the word, big, scary, a little overzealous and just extravagant enough to make me want to hit my head against a wall as hard as I possibly can. But what does it mean? To mince words, entropy is just a fancy way of describing the tendency of the universe to lean towards chaos, it's a measure of uncertainty and randomness.

It's a very good way to describe this life, this career of mine.

Life is entropic, and recently everything I know seems to have a tendency to change from a state of order to one of disorder. Nothing can ever stay the same and sometimes it feels as if the constancy of comfort has run out of the front door and I'm suddenly hurtling down a dangerous slope, one that bottoms out into darkness. Because it brings about such chaos and disorder, one would think that entropy is inherently evil, but the truth is that it isn't so black and white. Life is complicated, and entropy, while it measures randomness and things disrupted, it also brings growth. With entropy comes variability, a freshness not found within predictability. Without the concept of entropy, I fear that as a person and as a performer, I would become stagnant and somehow, the concept of dormancy, to merely exist instead of living, to have a career when I'm guaranteed a protected spot at the top at all times, is a more terrifying thought than things forever changing. I mean, take a look at the world, how many people do you think are just settling? It's got to be millions. People settle into "okay" relationships, "okay" jobs, "okay" friendships and an "okay" life because "okay" is comfortable. "Okay" pays the bills and provides a warm bed at night. Some people are fine with "okay" and guess what? That's okay. But "okay" is not thrilling, it provides no passion, it certainly isn't life changing or unforgettable. "Okay" is not the reason you risk absolutely everything you've got for the smallest chance that something absolutely amazing could happen.

I've had time to dwell on everything and I think that's exactly why I decided to challenge BIANCA to this match. I don't want to be remembered as the one who did "okay" when they had this briefcase in their possession. I'm a very hard woman to please and I'm forever going to be the kind of person who feels the need to better the things they've already done so my aim is to make people remember this run as much as they'll remember my inevitable cash in and run as Women's World Champion.  

I also want to give BIANCA the chance to live up to the hype she's given herself. Let's face it, this doesn't have to be happening but just strolling around backstage, waiting for the right time to strike was becoming a little boring. I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie and more often than not, I go looking for trouble instead of allowing it to come and look for me. BIANCA is a bold and cocky son of a bitch, which I can respect to some degree, I can respect her wanting to come in, kick Odyssey's door completely off its hinges, take the brand by storm and show everyone why we're living in her era.. but I can't respect or allow that to happen at my expense. I like to think I have thick skin, I can take insults thrown my way about my appearance, my attitude and how cliché I can be because there's usually a certain degree of truth in some of the things people have said to me that are meant to be insulting. Hell I've even grown used to receiving preposterous comments regarding my relationship thrown my way because the level that people are willing to go to in order to try to provoke others these days gets lower every week, but I just can't wrap my head around why BIANCA has decided to simply lie about the things I've achieved and the names I've EARNED for myself. If there's funny business surrounding the opportunities I've found myself getting through consistency and visible signs of improving whenever I'm lucky enough to find myself on any card then please fucking point it out to me because truthfully I have no idea what BIANCA was trying to get at last Odyssey. But, let me speak directly to you now BIANCA because I know you're watching this, I hope you're watching everything I do and everything I say as intently as you have been for the past month or so. The message you were obviously trying to send by busting me wide open hasn't been received. I gave you what you clearly wanted and you respond by giving me a warning. I'm correct in assuming that little stunt was a warning, am I not? Since you've had your chance to, it's only fair for me to give a warning of my own.

Think. Of. The. Future.

Sound familiar? You should be careful with the words you use and the choices you make. Do you think that I'm walking into our bout a little on edge because you were the one lucky enough to have walked away in one piece last time? Do you think I'm afraid of you and what you're inevitably going to do to me? I can see why you ran OWT once upon a time, I can see why you've been so dominant up until now but your bravado, your size, your strength, your lack of filter doesn't put me off, it actually kinda reminds me of myself. It also gives me more of a reason to kick your ass and open your eyes as to what life on the Odyssey roster is really like. One would think your fight with Emmanuelle not too long ago would've knocked some sense into you but apparently not, I suppose if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself so here we are. My mere presence has already been enough to throw you off your game long enough to be forced to choke on the words you'd promised to back up so I'm intrigued to see how you'll handle yourself when you actually come face to face with me. I'd say I'd hate for history to repeat itself but I'm actually quite looking forward to making you eat the things you're bound to say. In any other scenario, in any other world, perhaps the likelihood of you winning this bout and taking away this briefcase is high, in any other world, perhaps the roles would be reversed and I'd be the one wanting to be you and have what you have. If I were to make my presence known in any of the places you've dominated and called home, there's no doubt in my mind that you'd kick my ass in seconds. But we're not in JET, we're not even in OWT sweetheart. We're in my turf, my playing field. I give my life to this division and if I could physically give more, I would in a heartbeat, I gave my everything against a combination of the fiercest competitors this company has to offer in order to win this briefcase and I will willingly walk through hell with a smile on my face yet again to keep this in my possession. The grave you're trying to dig for me? I will leave you at the bottom of it. The thing you don't seem to understand is that no one is stopping you from being the future, it's great that you want to be that and I'm all for you envisioning yourself doing great things, it's just that no one, yourself included is going to stop me from being the now. The most valuable lessons this life has to offer are often learned the hard way and I promise to teach you that there are ways to make a name for yourself that don't involve disrespecting Alyssa Grace. Honestly? The future can get fucked because as far as I'm concerned, the present is coming, and she's coming to make a statement.

I can almost sense what's going to happen next and honestly I am rather entertained by the incredible lengths I just know you will go to in order to try and present a stunning case to convince the world to bow at your feet and believe you to be everything you desire to be. To tell the truth, the greatness you have achieved in the past has been nothing more than a brief, fleeting moment. One that you're going to struggle to replicate for as long as you choose to work here. I'm sure that you've been able to dub yourself as the greatest, the future, the top tier or whatever without much contentment from those around you, maybe people have been to afraid to challenge you and the things you stand for.. but that changes now. When people allow the things they've achieved in the past to have such a firm grip on them, they make mistakes because there comes a time when you have to stop being who you were, when you have to let the past stay where it is, you have to let it go in order to survive. I know this to be true because it's something I've come to experience and realise recently myself. I know that if I want to have that world championship around my waist one day and prove to myself and the entire world that the praises sung about me ever since my arrival are deserved, earned and factual, I need to ensure I am constantly evolving, I can't be the girl I was when I won the Goddesses title and I can't even be the girl I was when I won the ATTH ladder match. When the lights fade and the match is done and you find yourself defeated with no opportunity to become world champ, no claim to currently being mentioned alongside me, no chance to measure up, will this have been worth it for you? No. You'll have to find a way to live with the fact that you were a mere inch from almost touching the heavens above, only to be snatched back down to the same place as so many others.. the place you just emerged from. These opportunities are rare but I’m sure you don’t need to be told that. I’m not interested in fighting you for personal reasons, because they don’t matter. I’m not interested in this being a merciless affair, because it doesn’t need to be. I’m not interested in beating you to a pulp, because I don’t have to. I’m just looking to beat you and leave the same way I entered. Because that’s all I need to do.

I didn't come into this business looking for friends, I'm not here for the washed up stars of yesteryear, or the people who think management owes them something for managing to stay alive, I came into this business looking for the killers. The hard ones. The hungry ones. The ones like me. This is my time and I am so fucking over allowing others to have the privilege of thinking they know who I'm meant to be.

“Hey, is everything cool?”

Stephanie opened her eyes to find Monica staring at her across the dinner table. Her wife looked worried, an expression Matsuda was starting to notice far too often. Stephanie used her fork to play around with her shrimp and pasta before saying anything.

“I’m fine, sweets. I’m just tired.”

Monica sighed and leaned back with her arms crossed.

“You’ve been saying that all the time. I’m extremely worried about you, Steph. I know we both said we’ll deal with you burning the candle at both ends, but you looked more tired than usual. And on top of that, you have Game Over and Hardcore Revolution in the same week-”

“Mon. I’m good. I just...I’m just anxious. I’m one step closer to achieving my goals, one of them I didn’t think would be possible. I just need to stay focused, that’s all.”

Monica sighed and got up from the table with her empty plate.

“It’s not like you’re going to tell me anyway.”

Stephanie shook her head as she watched her wife walk to the kitchen. Whenever they’ve been around each other, it’s been like this. While they both show up to EWC shows with their best foot forward, it’s only when they reunite after being apart when the trouble starts. Stephanie couldn’t lie - most of it was from her end. She didn’t know how to tell Monica how she’s been feeling, nor what has been making her feel this way. Yes, she was her wife, but if Mon knew what she was putting at stake just for some recognition that might be forgotten about several decades from now, she’d lose her shit. But, this cold war they had going on didn’t help things either. After Game Over, Stephanie would confide in her wife. But for now, she needed to clear her head.

Reaching into her phone, Stephanie decided to reach out to the one person she felt understood her the best.

“I need to see you…”


The camera opens to Matsuda at home on her laptop, live streaming to the OWA Universe. 



"If there's anything Natalie and I agree on, it is that she's become very complacent as of late. The woman she used to be was much more vicious. She was a creature with a bottomless pit of desire you devoured everything around her. Natalie Cage was one of the most dangerous women in the world and didn't hesitate to let you know. That Natalie? She no longer exists. I know, because I put that creature to sleep with my own hands at Final Destination. She came at me like a hurricane, like a wild animal, fangs bared and all. But alas, I tamed the beast. She is not as dangerous as she once was. What remains is a shell of her former self, crawling and searching for remnants of her glory days. Natalie Cage wants to convince you that she's getting her groove back, but all she's doing is repeating the mistakes of the past. She thinks the title needs her, but it doesn't. Just like the rest of the world, the title scene has moved on without Natalie Cage. She claims the belt belongs to her, but she hasn't done shit to show she deserves it. Hell, she couldn't even take my belt from me! What makes her think she deserves to be Women's World Champion when she's the reason why things have stagnated on Odyssey!? For a whole year, it was The Natalie Show and through her complacency the entire roster got lazy. Now after destroying the very product she claims she improved, she wants to finish the job. I refuse to let Natalie Cage kill what makes women's wrestling what it is. I refuse to give in to the false narrative that she's created for herself. I will never deny her of what she's accomplished in the industry. Hell, she defeated Kayla Winters and Midori Miyamoto back at Trifecta. But this...isn’t about her. Odyssey’s much-needed evolution is about moving on from the “Year of Cage”. The girl is so delusional about her current stock that she thinks our match was a final boss battle of sorts.”

Stephanie laughed and shook her head. She took off her glasses for a moment to wipe her eyes before placing them back on her face. 

“Natalie can spout all the bible verses she wants. It doesn’t shy from the fact that the only way Natalie can beat me is when other people are involved. But I learned my lesson from our Triple Threat Match with Azumi. She used the beef we had to her advantage to squeeze out a win. But when I was focused on her, she couldn’t hold shit over me. That’s because Natalie Cage only thrives when she knows she can beat someone. She’s used bullying tactics her entire career to get what she wants, and when she came across a real-ass bitch like myself, there wasn’t a damn thing she could do. That’s the thing about bullies - once you stop being afraid, they’re nothing. And once that fear went away, so did her value. That’s why she’s been booked in such craptastic matches, because she lost her value. When taking care of your own career, you have to make the right choice for its longevity. The problem with Ms. Cage is that she doesn’t choose her battles wisely. She’s not a leader - just a blind soldier with a bloodthirst. Unlike her, I’m a professional fighter. I don’t fight for free and I no longer fight just anyone. I fight for a prize, to hone my art for those who deserve to see it and experience it on the other side of that ring. If anything, this match at Game Over is a demonstration for the Women’s World Champion to see that not even three women at the same time can stop me from taking the gold for myself. The moment I decided to take myself and my commitment to Odyssey seriously, the ball started rolling. Natalie is the only one in this match seeking redemption. As for me, I’m pursuing my destiny. She, Dulce, and Llorona had their chance to shine and decide the future of this company. It’s not my fault that they squandered their opportunities.”

Stephanie took a moment to take a sip from her coffee.

“As for Dulce, she couldn’t save Diantha, so what makes her think she’s fit to protect this roster as a whole? The Banshee’s time will come- I’ll personally make sure of that. Like Banshee, the only time Dulce was ever able to get one over me is when I was feuding with someone else. But once that title is around my waist, exorcising that bitch from Odyssey will be my first priority. As for the immediate future, I’m the only qualified one to stand at the top of the mountain. Dulce has so much promise, but she goes with the flow too often. She has little control over her own future like every other ‘company person’ that came before. The Banshee keeps getting her way because she deals with a reactive roster. It’s time to go on the offensive and do what needs to be done. But, I should impart some advice upon Dulce. In fact, I only have one bit of criticism for her. Like Natalie, Dulce got comfortable. She thought the future was promised to her, and now everything looks uncertain. I understand this, for I’m the shadow that has been cast upon Odyssey. My very presence has created doubt amongst the population in a way that has put everyone in a state of unease. Dulce thinks she can get the job done, even with me there. She considers me to be a non-factor. Heh, Natalie thought the same thing. Hell, the EWC Undisputed Champion thought our previous match would be a walk in the park, that I wouldn’t earn a title shot against the oldest active belt in this business. Shit, three years ago, April Song didn’t think I was going to molly whoop her across the head with a trophy to win the biggest accolade of my career thus far. People think a lot of things about me, but yet here I am. To underestimate me is to spell your own doom, and once again Dulce is going to JR Smith her way out of a title shot. At this point, you wonder if it’s bad luck, or if the girl is just that much of a masochist? I used to have a thing for those back in the day, but I prefer a woman who’s not keen on repeating the same mistakes. As cool as it would’ve been for ‘Ria to recognize what I can do for this brand, I don’t need her approval to get into the world title scene. I jumped the line when I faced her and despite not winning the belt, she couldn’t put me down either. Heh, Dulce has it in her head that I’m some kind of egotistical warlord who is stuck in her own head with a god complex. What she fails to understand that I’m more in tune with my flaws than anyone else in this goddamn industry. You can’t surpass your limitations if you can’t identify them, but yet everyone walks around like they’re-”



“Heh, sorry I couldn’t help myself. But, everyone thinks that an overabundance of confidence is going to win the day. That’s what I think being delusional is. Wrestling is a competitive sport- EVERYONE HAS CONFIDENCE! DUH! But what else can Dulce bring to the table!? What can she deliver that will be able to defy the odds where she can overcome TWO former world champions and ONE current world champion!? I’m quick to shit on Nat and Llorona, but I won’t dismiss their talents. Dulce is good, but she’s not phenomenal. Whoever walks out of Game Over with the opportunity of a lifetime has to be someone who has more to give than hard work. The winner will be someone who can think outside the box, someone who doesn’t hesitate to use their privilege when it suits them. Yes, there was a time where I didn’t think like this, where I was just some cute and cuddly babyface who thought getting over the fans and doing a good job was enough. My heart was broken so many times, several of those times were caused by your dear sweet general manager. It was women like Aria who taught me that time waits for no person, so I might as well do whatever it takes to establish my legacy. Everyone is a legend in their own head, right? We all want that Great Founder clout, but you all don’t know what it means to hold that kind of power. It does something to you -it alters your perspective. Not everyone can handle that kind of clarity on a macro scale. Especially Llorona who allowed herself to get played by her own stablemate. She didn’t see the knife coming, which is ironic considering Jonetta would’ve never gotten this far without climbing on the shoulders of others. Part of me admires that quality, but it also means as easy as it was for her to rise to the top, she’ll fall off just as quickly.”

Stephanie folded her hands together as she leaned forward.

“My three opponents are the best Odyssey has to offer, but come this weekend, not even the best can beat The Queen of Fighters. When my foot is on their chests in victory, only then will they know, understand, and believe. You know who does, though? Aria. And as time goes on, you’ll see what I mean when she’s raising my hand in victory when we’re standing over Jonetta with the Women’s World Championship raised.”

Matsuda shook her head smiling as if some kind of realization dawned upon her before turning off the camera.

“Now it all makes sense to me.”

(Camera rolling as Kenta Saru is wearing his ninja skeleton suit in an empty street, sitting on a bench, and has an Azumi Goto picture, a Michael Bishop picture, and a Theodor Pavel picture. There is a traffic light behind him)

I'm Praying to the Lord, to God, to Shinigami, and to every single greater being than humans about what is going to happen….

I'm Praying from the bottom of my heart and soul for the tragedy that is going to happen.

I'm Praying for the fate of Michael Bishop, Theodor Pavel, and Azumi Goto so that they would still be able to breathe after the event that OWA calls GameOver.

Are these individuals ready for this War?

Are these creatures willing to sacrifice their blood and bones for the greater goods as they might want to call it?

Are these beings ready to vanish from this earth to be remembered as the good guys?

Should The Black Sun teach them what is the true meaning of The Rules of Dominance?

I hope you all are ready for what it's worth….

(Kenta Saru clapping his hands once as the traffic light lamps turns off only for him to claps his hands once again and the traffic light lamps to turn on again)

Welcome to the Hardcore War….

(Kenta Saru takes off from his bench as he walks around for a bit as he walks up to a Campfire. He tosses the Michael Bishop picture as Kenta Saru ready to let it burn)

You've been talking too much, Michael Bishop. For every single word that has come out from your mouth, you have to be ready for every single sin that you're going to pay because you've been the focal point of this issue. For every single word that you decide to say, there are things that are going to bite you in the ass. I'm happy that you're feeling happy by hitting me with a spear once. Props to you. But one thing for sure, you didn't make an example out of me. If you did, I wouldn't accompany Arata Asakura and Jack Daito for the war that we're about to do. I'm here for them and I'm going to be there to break your soul. You keep barking about how Arata Asakura betrayed you and all but was it wrong for him to follow the trails of the gold? He won the God of War Tournament and he earned the right to challenge Havoc at Final Destination 3. What did Jeff X do to earn his right to challenge Havoc back then? You and Theo didn't support Asakura at all. What kind of a friend is that? You're being the unloyal one, you son of a bitch. That's what makes The Frontline and The Black Sun different. Call me and Daito as followers if you will, but we both are here to support Asakura to achieve whatever goals he's pursuing and that's how The Black Sun works. We're no Frontlines, far from it, and I hope you can survive, Bishop. Keep walking while you can. Keep marching on, Dreadknight. Your so-called good fights are going to die with you.

(Now Kenta Saru throws the Azumi Goto picture to the Campfire this time)

Ms. Goto, aren't you supposed to retire from OWA? Why postponed the plan? Because you love the wrestling business so much? Because you enjoy the fans' support? Because you still want to accomplish a lot of things? Are you trying to accomplish something for this match? That you expect to beat The Black Sun with the help from Bishop and Theodor Pavel? Do you want to beat Arata Asakura twice in the row? I wish so bad that you would stick to your plan by retiring but too bad that you're still here. Women are indeed complicated but we'll make you decide by sending you to a retirement home, especially under such circumstances like Hardcore War match. Don't get me wrong, you've been in countless fights and that's why you're a Hall of Famer now but as both Asakura and Jack have pointed out, you're too comfortable with the Western system. No, I won't call you a traitor and as a matter of fact, you're running JET in Japan which is good, but the Hardcore War is beyond your imagination. If you can't beat Haruna Sakazaki who has stayed away from the ring for so long, what makes you think that you can survive in this match? Don't get too cocky by beating Asakura. It took a few Giant Slayers and one Path To The Heaven to beat him. And Arata Asakura is just one man….just one man and now you have 3 trained killers that are standing right in front of you. What are you going to do to survive? I wish I could say "I hope you can answer this", Azumi, but don't bother if you don't want to answer this. What you want to do, whatever you're planning, might not work at all. Hopefully, there is still a place in the retirement home for you, you Daughter of a Bitch.

(The final picture is Theodor Pavel's and Kenta Saru throws it to the Campfire too to let it burn)

Ah, Theodor Pavel. The Outlaw Champion. One of the International sensation right now. Hopefully you're going to learn something in this match. Out of all the three of you, I'm expecting you to be the one that survives, Theo. Not because I want to be your friend personally, but because I want you to see the dead bodies of Azumi and your dear friend, Bishop. But if you happen to have your soul hanging up in the sky, that's fine by me too because I don't care who The Black Sun has to kill in this match. Killing 3 birds with 1 stone is good enough for me. But the problem is, it's not just 1 stone. It's 3. I know you can fight and I know you aren't backing down but can you survive? You have the MMA background but MMA won't help you as much as you expect because weapons are stronger than bare hands no matter how you twist it. But one thing that I also know for sure is that, I know you will use those bare hands of yours. But let me remind you. You can use any MMA move-set all you want but my own bare hands are able to break shoulders. I hope you won't let your hands get caught by me and before you think that's wishful thinking, it's not. I'm a SSW Dojo graduate and I'm a former and the first ever SSW Rising Sun Champion. I too know a lot of things about MMA just like both Asakura and Daito are, but we know weapons too, which puts you at a disadvantage. I hope you don't let your guards down too because in a worse case scenario, not only would you have a hard time to survive, but also you might lose your Outlaw Championship.

(Kenta Saru stands up)

One is a bitch, one is a wash-up, and one is too naive. What a great combination to teach a lesson and to send a message why The Black Sun is The Rules of Dominance.

(Kenta Saru claps once as the camera fades to black)

A Openweight reality check
Game Over: Battlepass #2

Mcarthur Enterprise
3:15pm
Inside the Training Facility

LAW Lethal Sparks Champion, Devi Krysis is training for the Openweight Battle Royal. She's been doing 100 pushups, weightlifting, striking on heavy bag, etc. She wants to focus on getting the opportunity at Openweight Championship.

Devi: *sigh* *sigh* I can't rest now even if the #1 contender for the Openweight Championship.


McArthur Secretary: Miss Devi, The OWA Correspondent Cori Simmons is here for the interview.


Devi: Cori's here? Sweeett!! Send her in.


McArthur Secretary: Yes Ma'am!


As Devi sat down on the bench in the Training Facility, OWA Correspondent Cori Simmons has arrived to see Devi for a interview.


Cori: Devi?


Devi: Ah, Cori good to see you! Apparently Damian has invited you here to interview with me.


Cori: Yes he did invited me, and he's really hot for a boss to run this enterprise.


Devi: Whatever you do, don't ask him on the date. Because word has it, when I preparing for the match against Audrey S. Atlas, he and one of his female Secretaries went at it in his office.


Cori: Ok? Well then shall we get to the interview?


Devi: Sure! Glad you came by. I know that you're not happy with your interview with NAMI, but with me this interview will be fine!


Cori: Alright! I'm hope it's the last time that I interview with that idol bitch and her bodyguard. Let's get started! Devi it's been 24 hours for you lately, you recently signed with LAW and debuted in one of the biggest events in LAW, Lethal Hearts 3! Overcoming the odds of The Sparks Cup Battle Royal and become the Inaugural Lethal Sparks Champion! And I was wondering how did it feel after winning the Battle Royal?


Devi: Yeah, it was surreal moment for me Cori. The moment that I had joined LAW by signed on the dotted line, I didn't know that i'm gonna debut for the last season, let me rephrase that the "End" of season. And then I had made a promised to Monica Vaughn and to everyone *Devi grabbing the Lethal Sparks Championship belt* that this belt is all about the legacy of one lady. And the lady is the OWA Hall of Famer, Brody Sparks! And i'm the person that will carry on that legacy, from here and throughout!


Cori: Sounds like that you carry out the legacy very well by using her signature Seeing Sparks. And I hope that she'll be proud of you for doing that. And let me congratulate you for Winning the Lethal Sparks Championship! And now that you're a Lethal Sparks Champion, it seems that you got alot on your schedule. You're part of the LAW Lethal League represent B Block, and you won your first match against Bianca Page. But in the coming weeks you'll be defend your Lethal Sparks Championship against Atsuko Godai at LAW Americana. However on the 23rd you'll be going to war against Slaughterhouse Wrestling in World War Z, in the 5 on 5 Elimination match.


Devi: Listen Cori, for the past few days before Game Over week, I've been training, both mentally and physically for the Lethal League and World War Z. And there's one thing that I learned from Stark is staying focused, that's what I had been doing in the last season and look at me now Cori, holding a Championship and now represent Team Lethal with the awesome captain, April Song! You know I've give credit to Madam Moore for setup amazing team, take no credit from her she founded this women fed for the ladies that loves to go hardcore, no complaints here for the "Hellcats" in SHW, and come to World War Z, we'll showed that LAW is the top women's league here and once it's done, i'm continue on winning The Lethal League, my Lethal Sparks Championship against Atsuko Godai, and more importantly winning The Battle Royal and become the #1 contender for the Openweight Championship!


Cori: That's awesome goals Devi, speaking of the Battle Royal several of the competitors had there say about the Battle Royal, how do you respond to those comments?


Devi: Wow, wow, wow...I heard everything what they say, and it's high time to address those ladies who thinks that they'll win the Battle Royal. Skylar Arceneaux, La Verduga. To be fair I had no quarrel with newbies such as yourself. You're about Pride, Wealth, Power, Influence, and Legacy. Like it meant something to you, well my pride had gotten me beat down and getting back up, but I'm not about the wealth and power, but my influence came from my friends and family who has always support me when I had my ups and downs, my legacy is to help build that already cemented that's why I'm LAW Lethal Sparks Champion! And one day my legacy, "MY" fucking legacy will lead me to more gold, more accomplishments! You don't know me and i'm sure as hell don't know your ass, unless you had a legacy, and championship like I do? There's a old saying..."Don't let your mouth write checks that your ass can't cashed!" As far as NAMI concerned, the so called "Golden Queen" needs a some sort a idol wake up call Cori, because this bitch may have the fame in J-pop, K-pop, whatever pop music she accomplished. At least she didn't win any awards in the Grammys like Billie Eilish has.


Cori: *laughing* Damn, Devi!


Devi: I knew you got a laughed at that Cori, but seriously why that false idol like NAMI need a fat-weighted, Out of shaped that need to eat a damn salad, piece of shit bodyguard like Oni Ushii? I mean this walrus will do anything to make sure that NAMI will win this match, but i'll let you know that if that bodyguard gets in my face, i'll make sure that she'll be beat down and choke'd out! Audrey, pretty sure that i'm not gonna say anything about her, she did gave me a fight but at the end I beat her. Emmy I hadn't forgot about you, last time I made a error for doing the discus lariat but you did live by your motto from the last Odyssey when we fought, but it won't go down like last time, because when we fight again in the Lethal League the result will be different! But however you did mention that you gonna throw me and Azzy out without a problem, i'll like to see you try bitch! Nakita, my friend Azzy has had you beat, but you got lucky against her but I'll let you know that you'll never reach that Openweight Title before I do! And finally that slutty piece of trash from Kingdom Pro Rebecca Filth! I was wondering how's that lost against Natalie Cage? It seems that is eating you alive, but atleast you're improving at bit for guttery whore. And you may say that i'm holding the Lethal Sparks Championship as a security blanket but i'll tell this, THIS championship is all about the legacy of one lady, Brody Sparks and i'll show you and the rest of the competitors that i'm one that's winning the Battle Royal. I done it once, and I will do it again even if my friend Azzy help. And to Liz and Daisy you've better watch what happened because this lady might be your future opponent. This is a reality check to all the ladies in the Battle Royal that'll try to throw me over at Battle Pass. Remember this...The Wolf is always at your door! Cori thank you so much for this interview!


Cori: Much appreciated Devi and good luck!


And so the interview has concluded and Devi and Cori hugged has she left, Devi continues to trained and screen fades black.

Despite all I said to Elijah Hampton on Olympus, I'm actually happy to say that he is a young gun that has a bright future ahead of him.

Sure, he needs some Attitude Adjustment and all that stuff, but Elijah Hampton is someone that has all the tools and access to be the guy in the future.

And Elijah, are you ready to have the future right now?

Well, I'm not joking when I said you have all the tools and the access to be the guy, Elijah. First, you were the runner up in the B.O.B game at Final Destination 3. It was a fun game and all, but it took a lot of stamina and energy to win that one. You lost to Jacob Senn but that's ok. Senn is a two time Hall of Famer, countless times World Champions, and I always see him at the top everywhere he goes.

The feat you accomplished is very great when you think about it. This is proof that you're one of the best young guys around here.

But now you also have access and tools to improve your game to another level. You have The Blacklist under your gloves now. You can certainly learn a lot of things from guys like Nas and Nate Cage…..and maybe even Finnegan Wakefield. See? Those guys have the experience and if you listen to them, which I'm sure you will, you'll be better than ever. The best of the best. The strongest of the strongest.

And even better….Nas, Cage, and Finnegan all have beaten me, so I surely would be disappointed if you don't beat me at Game Over, Elijah.

I mean, I would be disappointed too if I lose my Hybrid Championship but at least I know the Hybrid Championship would be in good hands if you beat me.

That being said, I do want to retain my Hybrid Championship but that is the key word "Want".

Just because I want to retain my Hybrid Championship doesn't mean I can do it. After all, I already gave my 2 cents on how you can beat me, Elijah.

And if you want to join the boat like any other people have, that's fine by me too. I won this Championship in a 6 Man Tag Match with Noah Reigner and Liz Karlson as my partners. Two of the best in their games. You can argue that I was carried by those two wonderful athletes and I wasn't the guy that pinned one opponent to win the matches anyway so there's that.

But then I heard what you said about you respecting me which is flattering. I think with what I've said everything about you so far, you can say that the feeling is mutual too, Elijah.

But in case you don't think it that way, let me say it to you clearly. From one wrestler to another, I respect you. I hope you know that I really mean it.

And you ambushing me out of nowhere is just your way to make a statement. That you just want to be heard by people that you're ready to take OWA by the storm. It's natural for a young guy to want to make a statement to some veterans.

Though I'm sure people already acknowledge you as someone that needs to be taken seriously, you want to make sure that everyone hears your voices. I know how that feels and I know how hungry you are to chase for the gold.

You should have won one already but for some reason you haven't won one yet. Not your fault, but it makes me wonder why you haven't won a Championship yet.

This is where I believe you're going to push me to the edge. You're going to make me desperate to retain my Hybrid Championship. You're going to kick my ass harder than I would expect.

I don't doubt all of those, Elijah. You have all the quality to do them all to me. I don't mind it. If you're going to get your first taste of my gold in my expense, I wouldn't mind it.

But as I said, I'm still having the Hybrid Championship. I'm still the Champion and I would like to keep that way after Game Over and afterward as long as possible.

The next number one Contender for the Hybrid Championship is going to be named soon and I want to be the Champion that they need to beat.

But before that, I have to go through you first Elijah. You're going to do everything you can to put me down and I have to make sure that you don't knock me out.

Whoever wins at GameOver, it won't be really a Game Over for both of us. If you beat me, I can try to go after other Championships just like you can, Elijah. And this is going to be a history that will be written as you said that The Hybrid Championship doesn't have a history. I already added a bit of history for this Championship. I beat Teddy Mac fair and square and made him losing his job. That is a history.

And I'm going to do all I can to write another history by beating you which will make me having two succesfull title defenses in the process. That will surpass Mark Michaels' number of defenses actually.

But can I do it? I would like to think I can. Not underestimating you by any means, Elijah but I simply want to bring more prestige to the Hybird Championship as a former World Champion.

Now speaking of Teddy Mac. You mentioned something about my former friends. Teddy and The Professional or Pizza Boy or Andy Sanders, whatever his name is. They were my friends and they turned on me eventually as you said. Am I the problem in my relationship? Not really because Teddy wanted to join The Phantom Troupe because he wanted to surprass me and yet, he was unable to do it twice. And Pizza Boy? He was the one that hid his face behind a mask so he clearly had an agenda of his own because he thought I had no future in pro wrestling and he can't stand the fact that I'm much more than a third wheel. I made my name for myself and I got my first taste of Gold when everyone wasn't around me.

You don't have to be my friend Elijah. I also already mentioned it that Nas, Cage, and maybe Finnegan would be the better picks to you because they have beat me, so I hope this is going to work for you because if you can't beat me after hearing those guys, then you would just embrass yourself.

Well, there is no shame losing to me because I have been in the business for a long time but I do acknowledge it that you're a fast learner so you can definitely kick my ass much harder than I could possibility imagine.

I'm not going to let you win that easily though because I have to prove it that I'm a good Hybrid Champion by pinning you 1-2-3 or making you tap out.
Despite all I said to Elijah Hampton on Olympus, I'm actually happy to say that he is a young gun that has a bright future ahead of him.

Sure, he needs some Attitude Adjustment and all that stuff, but Elijah Hampton is someone that has all the tools and access to be the guy in the future.

And Elijah, are you ready to have the future right now?

Well, I'm not joking when I said you have all the tools and the access to be the guy, Elijah. First, you were the runner up in the B.O.B game at Final Destination 3. It was a fun game and all, but it took a lot of stamina and energy to win that one. You lost to Jacob Senn but that's ok. Senn is a two time Hall of Famer, countless times World Champions, and I always see him at the top everywhere he goes.

The feat you accomplished is very great when you think about it. This is proof that you're one of the best young guys around here.

But now you also have access and tools to improve your game to another level. You have The Blacklist under your gloves now. You can certainly learn a lot of things from guys like Nas and Nate Cage…..and maybe even Finnegan Wakefield. See? Those guys have the experience and if you listen to them, which I'm sure you will, you'll be better than ever. The best of the best. The strongest of the strongest.

And even better….Nas, Cage, and Finnegan all have beaten me, so I surely would be disappointed if you don't beat me at Game Over, Elijah.

I mean, I would be disappointed too if I lose my Hybrid Championship but at least I know the Hybrid Championship would be in good hands if you beat me.

That being said, I do want to retain my Hybrid Championship but that is the key word "Want".

Just because I want to retain my Hybrid Championship doesn't mean I can do it. After all, I already gave my 2 cents on how you can beat me, Elijah.

And if you want to join the boat like any other people have, that's fine by me too. I won this Championship in a 6 Man Tag Match with Noah Reigner and Liz Karlson as my partners. Two of the best in their games. You can argue that I was carried by those two wonderful athletes and I wasn't the guy that pinned one opponent to win the matches anyway so there's that.

But then I heard what you said about you respecting me which is flattering. I think with what I've said everything about you so far, you can say that the feeling is mutual too, Elijah.

But in case you don't think it that way, let me say it to you clearly. From one wrestler to another, I respect you. I hope you know that I really mean it.

And you ambushing me out of nowhere is just your way to make a statement. That you just want to be heard by people that you're ready to take OWA by the storm. It's natural for a young guy to want to make a statement to some veterans.

Though I'm sure people already acknowledge you as someone that needs to be taken seriously, you want to make sure that everyone hears your voices. I know how that feels and I know how hungry you are to chase for the gold.

You should have won one already but for some reason you haven't won one yet. Not your fault, but it makes me wonder why you haven't won a Championship yet.

This is where I believe you're going to push me to the edge. You're going to make me desperate to retain my Hybrid Championship. You're going to kick my ass harder than I would expect.

I don't doubt all of those, Elijah. You have all the quality to do them all to me. I don't mind it. If you're going to get your first taste of my gold in my expense, I wouldn't mind it.

But as I said, I'm still having the Hybrid Championship. I'm still the Champion and I would like to keep that way after Game Over and afterward as long as possible.

The next number one Contender for the Hybrid Championship is going to be named soon and I want to be the Champion that they need to beat.

But before that, I have to go through you first Elijah. You're going to do everything you can to put me down and I have to make sure that you don't knock me out.

Whoever wins at GameOver, it won't be really a Game Over for both of us. If you beat me, I can try to go after other Championships just like you can, Elijah. And this is going to be a history that will be written as you said that The Hybrid Championship doesn't have a history. I already added a bit of history for this Championship. I beat Teddy Mac fair and square and made him losing his job. That is a history.

And I'm going to do all I can to write another history by beating you which will make me having two succesfull title defenses in the process. That will surpass Mark Michaels' number of defenses actually.

But can I do it? I would like to think I can. Not underestimating you by any means, Elijah but I simply want to bring more prestige to the Hybird Championship as a former World Champion.

Now speaking of Teddy Mac. You mentioned something about my former friends. Teddy and The Professional or Pizza Boy or Andy Sanders, whatever his name is. They were my friends and they turned on me eventually as you said. Am I the problem in my relationship? Not really because Teddy wanted to join The Phantom Troupe because he wanted to surprass me and yet, he was unable to do it twice. And Pizza Boy? He was the one that hid his face behind a mask so he clearly had an agenda of his own because he thought I had no future in pro wrestling and he can't stand the fact that I'm much more than a third wheel. I made my name for myself and I got my first taste of Gold when everyone wasn't around me.

You don't have to be my friend Elijah. I also already mentioned it that Nas, Cage, and maybe Finnegan would be the better picks to you because they have beat me, so I hope this is going to work for you because if you can't beat me after hearing those guys, then you would just embrass yourself.

Well, there is no shame losing to me because I have been in the business for a long time but I do acknowledge it that you're a fast learner so you can definitely kick my ass much harder than I could possibility imagine.

I'm not going to let you win that easily though because I have to prove it that I'm a good Hybrid Champion by pinning you 1-2-3 or making you tap out.

Goodbyes are hard.

Luckily enough I never gave two shits worth about anybody to warrant a tear-laden goodbye but when you’re close to somebody, I can only imagine the despair one must feel when they lose a significant other or a family member to the clutches of death itself. I’ve never attended an actual funeral personally, but I’ve hung around them quite often. I’ve crashed some in hot pursuit of some tail I could snatch while they were in ruin and needed a shoulder/cock to cry on. Some take death worse than others. I’ve seen husbands remain statuesque throughout the whole funeral process. But on the contrary, I’ve seen wives stuff their husbands like taxidermy and encase them in glass. Yes, I’ve been known to dabble with despondent widows from time to time and bed them as I see fit. I mean when opportunity knocks you have to take it right? It was just eerie to have their deceased husband stare you in the eye in the midst of doggy style. It’s like, dude, I want some alone time with this bitch. The point is, when you say goodbye to someone for the last time it’s best to let them rest in peace. Don’t dump their ashes in an urn and place it on your mantle. Don’t jam cotton up their fucking poop chutes because you can’t let go, just live and let die. It’s a natural part of life, is it not? That’s the problem with attaching yourself to someone, you can’t move on, so you’re stuck in this inescapable bubble. When you box yourself in like that it puts a stranglehold on your psyche, it torments you for months, if not years afterward. The period of bereavement that follows is fine but to chain yourself to a memory or to a person is unfathomable to me. Nobody is worth that. Imagine being so stricken by sorrow that you, in turn, mutilate your own soul to where it’s irrecoverable. That’s such a tragic way to carry yourself. I get the whole object of your affection thing, but when it turns into an obsession, when it turns into a detriment, when you Graham, turn into a fucking liability.

That’s when somebody’s gotta step in and force you to say goodbye.

Say goodbye to the Omega Heavyweight Championship. Take a seat, write a love letter addressed to her, I’ll make sure to read it and deem it fan mail in front of my silver goddess. While I reap the rewards of putting you underneath Pasadena, I’ll simultaneously rip your fucking heart out of your chest in the process. It’s a win/win for everybody involved except for you but nobody gives a rat’s ass about Graham Baker anymore. Maybe they did last year, when you were coming in hot but since then they’ve swept you under the rug and taken a liking to me. They being the seven Corsair marks that followed your trail from SSW into OWA like a pack of lost puppies. I guess everybody has to have one fan. So I’ll be your fan Graham, I’ll be sure to watch Graham Baker’s greatest hits while I’m on the john, shitting my fucking brains out even though watching such an atrocity should have me blow my brains out instead yeah? I’m not gonna Kobain myself all over the kitchen cupboards (or Courtney Love), depending on who you ask. I die on my terms and my terms only. The catch is, so do you. My shovel is gonna get in some serious overtime but that’s okay, she’s tried and true. She never complains (like you do), never fails to do the job (like you do), and most importantly, she doesn’t fear the thought of entering a grave (like you do). Ain’t that something? My shovel has more repute to her name than Graham Baker does in a career’s worth. She has character, she has moxie, and she’s more of a ‘man’ than you’d ever vomit forth. She doesn’t mind being used either, she’s a weapon of mass destruction and I will use her like a two-dollar whore who’s wetter than a mermaid’s twat. How many graves has she dug? How many mouths has she crushed over the years? Your guess is as good as mine but she likes shattering teeth by the dozens. She’ll have to pick and choose with you though, there aren’t many chicklets left to bash the fuck out of your gaping maw. That’s the price you gotta pay when you compete in deathmatches or when you snort crystal meth off of ring aprons like a goddamn vacuum. 

Your misery has a pulse Graham and I can just tell through your half-assed soliloquy, that playing the victim card is what brought you to the dance. It wasn’t your prior credentials or your reputation. You seek out pity more than anything else and that’s a damn shame. I thought you were better than this Graham. I thought milking OWA dry for every drop of empathy was past you. Silly me. Graham’s always gotta be the one to rehash his infamous rags to riches story, to score pity points, to get people to relate to him because he’s an average fucking Joe at best. What is this but a vapid rallying cry? I was an indie darling! I worked in shadowy bingo halls and open fields where everybody parked their car next to the ring while I sucked down lighttubes to remind people that I’m built differently. Gee, I haven’t heard that story before.


Let’s all buy a round of beers for Graham Baker, he came from nothing and made himself into something!

Been there done that. I set the standard for that little ragtag street slug from humble beginnings that could chronicle to the point where it’s beaten to death. It ain’t that impressive. Yet you’re going to overexaggerate your trials and tribulations to get a leg up on me? Bitch, I’ll cut that leg off just like I did Bishop’s, you can rot next to it when I’m covering you in the dirt like an old cat turd. That’s the issue with plugs like you and those bottom-feeding indie shits. They gotta remind let alone convince everybody that they paid their dues. You’re all one and the same, take Graham out and drop another fist-taped street soldier in his place and you won’t be able to tell the difference whatsoever. At least I was able to separate myself from the pack. 

Graham’s just another ugly mug with some stubble and a carton of cigarettes in a sea of ugly mugs with some stubble and a carton of cigarettes.

What did I fucking say?

I’m everything you want to be.

You’re nothing but a neutered Darkane; anything more than that and people are fooling themselves. You’re a piss poor excuse for an edgelord who thinks he can hang with the Death Reaper because he makes outlandish hyperbolic declarations like ‘his time is now’, even though in his heart of hearts he knows he’s beating his head against a cement wall. He knows that this is an uphill climb but he’s so fixated on graduating from the school of hard knocks and over-selling himself as a fucking world-beater. I guess when you have nothing else to your name in OWA, it’s fair game even though it’s more of a defense mechanism than it is inherent confidence. I called you a liability not necessarily to this company, but to yourself. You’re obsessed with Darkane and I already explained that latching yourself to someone even with intense hatred and vehemence is like signing your own death warrant. I could dangle the bait in front of you all day long, it’s a fucking joke. The Omega Heavyweight Championship shouldn’t be an afterthought but that’s what it is to you. It’s paramount that Graham gets his revenge on Darkane above all else, he’s gotta right the wrongs, he’s gotta do this that and the other thing while losing his grasp on the one thing that makes us all tick. I didn’t know your headspace had a for rent sign jammed into the fucking ground but here I am, putting my feet up on the lazy boy recliner and watching you soil yourself in a useless effort to erase Darkane from existence.

When you’re actually erasing yourself.

Thus you hold me to such a lofty standard. Are there Darkane posters scattered across your wall? I don’t do Cameo’s either, but maybe I should start. Maybe I should whore myself out to Graham Baker since he’s so infatuated with how I operate. And while you worship me, I’ll stuff you in a grave, free of charge. No frills, no special treatment, just straight and to the point. Consider it a bonus; a complimentary gift for a ‘good’ effort. That’s the legend, after all, isn’t it? Graham Baker puts forth commendable efforts on a consistent basis but he can’t quite fit the last piece into the puzzle to make it a GREAT effort. It’s a constant internal see-saw battle that has haunted you ever since you broke into the scene. You’re right, I had no idea who the fuck you were prior to your SSW and OWA dog and pony shows that amounted to jack diddly squat. Don’t rest on your laurels when SSW as is, struggles to put a card together nowadays. My Shinigami Championship is collecting dust at the moment due to incompetence from the head bookers like Stark, maybe he’s still on the rag from that shellacking I gave him right before your very eyes but that’s beside the point. To consider yourself an SSW trailblazer while stinking up the joint in OWA paints two different pictures entirely. It tells me outright that when Graham tried his hand at upgrading from mid-tier promotions like SSW up the ladder to OWA - it resulted in complete disaster. Whatever fool’s gold you accumulated in bumfuck promotions means fuck all when we both know that OWA is the money shot here, let’s not kid ourselves and still, you struggle to keep your head above water. Even Noah Reigner has outshined you in every conceivable way and he’s supposed to be the ass end of the pair. Graham Baker is supposed to be the unconquerable leader, crunching beer cans and spitting out toothpicks in his wake yet time in and time out he drops the fucking ball, and honestly, it’s grown tiresome. 

When the fuck is Graham going to cement himself and stop pissing in the wind?

I get it, you’re a warrior, you’ve treaded the deathmatch waters and fought some of the nastiest critters on planet earth but when it comes to me, I’ve been able to take everybody’s best shot dating back years. Having a target on my back isn’t uncharted territory. People LOATHE me. They loathe what I’ve become, they loathe what I represent day in and day out and they can’t stand the fact that I’ve tasted even a modicum of success. Even in SSW, I’ve had motherfuckers with giant machetes and samurai swords screaming iyiyiyiyiyiyiyi trying to take my head off and chase me out of Tokyo. They want to see me die a gruesome death, they want Graham Baker to exorcise his big stage demons. They want to see Graham ascend to the heavens and reach his apparent destiny. And I love it. 

Why?

Because I get to defecate on the pipe dreams of millions at Game Over.

It’s not enough to throw you in a hole, I have to throw your support systems in there with you. Case in point this three-headed trilogy you want to succeed at Game Over is like shoveling shit against the tide when Matt Miles is perfectly apt to kick Noah’s reign to the curb and Devin Mitchell has the numbers game working against him. They will all feel the wrath of Darkane anyway because there will be a trickling down effect. When you sap the confidence from the top which I clearly have it branches to Noah and from Noah, it branches to Devin. You can choose to be headstrong about it, you can refuse to adhere to the perceptions around you and you can refuse to wilt to the whispers in your ear. I wouldn’t blame you for going that route. It’s all you have really. Graham’s gotta put on his war face to benefit his crew, it’s a tale as old as time with captains. They know they’re neck deep in shit but they still scream in their enemy’s faces, but there won’t be a heroic comeback story for the ages or a triumph of all evil incarnate. I won’t let you scream Graham, because you’ll be gargling on soil. They say a true captain never abandons his ship. I’ll put that notion to the test. There aren’t enough life rafts in the sea to save you from yourself. Fuck your pirate horde fantasies and everything that comes along with it. We’re not trying to find the Dutchman’s treasure you whimsical dipshit. Down here on planet earth, I’m gearing up for war while you’re drawing in the sand trying to connect fiction with reality. For what? To build up the Corsair’s brand? Drop the argh-me-matey-pirate charade for a second and realize that the closest you’ll ever get to gold is the piece of plastic you found in the toy bin. Anything more than that is a delusion of grandeur. 

Or stay a fucking freebooter for all I care and live up to your name. Go ahead, steal my title at your peril but get this: that flavor, that taste you speak of should have been realized last year but you failed against The Derelict, it should have been realized at Clash of The Titans and at Final Destination too but we all know what happened there. I had that World Championship aroma hit my nostrils as soon as I stormed through the Hardcore Havoc gates last year. Why has it taken you all this time to finally get a whiff of it huh? Everything you say is see-through. There’s no weight behind your words. Just a desperate half-court heave hoping to hit pay dirt. Further proof that your trademark ‘we’re cut from the same cloth’ compare and contrast routine is bone-dry and tired. You may look at me and see a mirror image of yourself but that’s because I’m the motherfucking devil on your shoulder. When I look at you Graham, all I see is prey. And I’m going to sink my claws into your jugular until you’re spurting blood into the air like a geysir. If all I gotta do is rework my will, then you gotta do your part and pick out your headstone as there is nothing worse than a nameless grave. It’s too bad your plot will be deep in the GraveWorm’s lair which in lamens terms means when you’re pushing up daisies.

I’ll still own your fucking ass.

This isn’t a battle of two icons, Graham, you’re far from an icon but you’re damn right that you’re the lesser man. One who is still trying to find his way, still trying to find his footing, still following the same old treasure map.

That will lead ye straight off the fucking plank.

“You had to know that I wouldn’t be content with just defending my Television Championship against the likes of Teddy Mac and Lil’ Petey. I want to face anyone and everyone that wants to step up. My goal is to restore honor and prestige to this championship. My goal is to elevate the Television Championship to heights never seen before. That was why the open challenge was made; anyone and everyone was encouraged to step up. I want to be a fighting champion.”

That was the voice of the Television Champion, Noah Reigner. The ‘Ace’ of the Corsairs group stood on, what would be considered the balcony, of the Corsairs Compound. He was leaning forward on the railing, looking out over Osaka, Japan where the Compound was located. This was his city, this was where he resided now.

“Of course the Television championship doesn’t quite satisfy my championship desires. My eyes are always on the bigger prize, and admittedly the OWA World Championship would look nice sitting next to the EAW and SSW World Championships that I’ve already collected. Three defenses of my Television championship grants me that opportunity, which is why I set the open challenge. And, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy about the man who accepted. Matt Miles. A man who is, arguably, one of the most talented people that I’ve seen step into the ring. A victory over someone as good as Miles would definitely solidify myself as a bonafide champion and worthy challenger. But - that is where the praise for this man ends.”

“Am I surprised that he came at me, from behind, with a chair? Not even in the slightest. Since the moment that myself and Baker stepped foot into the OWA, The Dynasty - or Phantom Troupe, whatever - has felt threatened, and I know why. Before Baker and I were signed by Tarah Moore - you could say that the [u]then[/i] Troupe were the top guys in the company, especially on Olympus. While not yet having the World championship, they were the men that everyone in the OWA talked about. They held Olympus by the throat with a death grip on it. And then the Corsairs were brought in. Arguably two of the top stars in Japan at the time. Men whose reputations preceded them, for the most part - and for those who had seen and met us prior to OWA? They knew those reputations were justified. Immediately all talk went from the Troupe to us. Immediately all focus went from them, to us - because everyone knew it was only a matter of time before myself and Baker showed this company exactly what we were all about, just like we had done in every other company from Japan, to America and everywhere in between. Jacob Senn, he knew what would happen. He knew from past experiences that myself and Baker would push him into the shadows of irrelevancy. Darkane, he knew from past experiences that once I step onto a scene - men like him instantly became nothing more than a memory. The insecurities of these men came to light once our names were signed on those contracts. Week after week, the Troupe would descend to the ring during our matches and attack us. Costing us matches as an attempt to keep us down. But it didn’t work, did it? Even after a questionable, and fucking shitty, win at Civil War - the Troupe, now rebranded as ‘the Dynasty’, couldn’t keep us down. Baker and I made a statement at Clash of the Titans. I then went on to Final Destination Three and put bullets into the ship that was The Awakening, and now we all watch with a smile as it sinks. With Karlson and Nobi, we took the final step in stripping the Awakening of all of the power they held by removing their titles from their clutches. Despite months of trying to stop us, to put us down, and to run us out of OWA - the Dynasty couldn’t stop me from becoming champion.”

A satisfied smirk touches his lips. Satisfied in knowing that the Dynasty failed to rid the OWA of a major thorne in their side, and now he stands as one of the top two champions on Olympus.

“Am I upset at Miles for the sneak attack? Nah, it’s par the course with the Dynasty. Nothing new when it comes to them and myself - after all, they have been doing it for a year. But it’s what he said after the fact that stuck in my head. It’s what he’s said in the past that has stuck in my head. Last week on Olympus, Matt said that he was the ‘Gatekeeper’ to the World Championship that ol’ boy Darkane has over his shoulder. A ‘Gatekeeper’ to his buddies championship that he has admitted - he allowed challengers to slip through his fingers. Doesn’t sound like much of a ‘Gatekeeper’ to me at all. To me that sounds like failure, someone trying to protect his friend - to protect the Championship that he feels belongs to the group - but ultimately can’t accomplish that task. You think Graham Baker just ‘slipped’ through your fingers, Matt? No. Graham Baker did what he needed to do in order to take the next step in his career. His desire to challenge for the championship was greater than your feeling of ‘need’ to protect Darkane. And I’ll tell you right now, point blank, the exact same thing is going to happen at Game Over. I will not ‘slip through your fingers’, because I will flat out beat you. That’s what frightens you, isn’t it? That explains the charade. That explains the constant attacks from behind. That explains the false bravado. Anything you can do to hide the fact that you know you can’t beat me one on one, head to head. Sure, I’ll be the first to admit that you technically have a win over Noah Reigner in your column - but do you really? Darkane singled me out, cuffed me to the ropes because he knew - no disrespect to my team - that I was the major player that night. He knew, just as you did, that if I wasn’t taken care of in that match - then Civil War would have ended on a different note. But this isn’t about Civil War anymore and you won’t have Darkane to cuff me so I can’t fight back. This is you and me for my championship - one on one - and Matt, it’s not going to go the way that you expect. You claim that this is your era - that this is the Dynasty’s era? Hardly. I applaud Darkane for his title win, but it’s only a matter of time before Baker or myself take the next step in our careers and remove that championship from his clutches. You? While you think you’re a roadblock on my way to the championship - you are nothing more than a temporary distraction. A car-crash on the opposite side that people slow down to look at. Make no mistake, Miles, I will cruise right past you and onward to my destination.”

”That final destination, no pun intended, is the World Heavyweight Championship. The very same one that Graham Baker will be challenging for. How is that going to look, Miles; the Corsair boys - the two that have been ridiculed, mocked and talked-down to since our arrival - challenging for the title in succession? So much for being in yours and the Dynasty’s shadow, huh? That is what you said, right? That Baker and the Corsairs, in general, were in the shadow of you and the Dynasty. I don’t agree with that at all, if I’m being honest with you. The second that we stepped into this company, you and your crew were all over us. You and your crew were more concerned with our presence, than we were of you. That ‘shadow’ you talk of? It’s nonexistent. The Dynasty might be in possession of the World Heavyweight Championship, but apart from that - Baker and I have outshined everyone at every turn. That’s why you’re challenging me - remember? Because I’m the one standing here with the championship. The only thing that the Dynasty has over the Corsairs is some bullshit win at Civil War, and the World Heavyweight Championship that Darkane holds. And who’s to even say Darkane will have the title once Baker is done beating the brakes off of ol’ boy and dumping his disease infested body in a shallow grave; we could be looking at the rematch to Gaijin Genocide, and no, this time there will be no guns. All I have to do is go through you, and I can’t tell you how much - and how long - I’ve wanted this opportunity. And there’s a couple of reasons for that, Matt. One being what I’ve already mentioned - the talent that you possess. Facing someone with talent, with potential such as yours pushes me. Mock it all you want, but I said it to Lil’ Petey a few weeks ago - iron sharpen irons. Against the greats, against people like Aria, like Graham, like your boys Darkane and Jacob, I’ve become better.  Against the top-tier athlete, I grow - I thrive - and guess what, Matt? I generally win. Aria? I have victories over her. Baker? He’s my brother, but I’ve beaten him. Jacob Senn? Done. Darkane and I have had some battles, but one-on-one? We’re at a stalemate. Nothing more than a draw, so you know I’m itching - salivating even, for the chance … for the possibility of having another go at the ‘Graveworm’. You, Matt? You, I want to add to that list. That list of talented individuals that help me become even better than I am. I want Matt Miles to become another one of those top-tier, top calibre athletes that I beat in order to cement myself - and my legacy - as one of the best in this industry. Period, no questions asked. And that is my goal - well, one of the goals I have set out for Game Over.”

He took a momentary pause, casting another glance over the city of Osaka that was blanketed in darkness now.

“The other goals? Defending the Television championship, of course. And the last goal - which is also the second reason why I’ve been wanting this match with you - is to even the score. Yeah, Civil War is said and done, behind us now, and Baker and I have vowed to make this year - our year in the OWA. But since Civil War, there’s been this nagging voice playing on loop in the back of my head, repeating the fact that you and your partners have beaten me. Any other man would have shrugged it off, coping with it by saying ‘you didn’t pin me, it’s all good. My ego is still intact.’. That’s not me. So the second reason why I’ve wanted this since Civil War, is so I can have my chance to beat you - straight up. As I said, no team mates - no handcuffs - no cheap tactics. I’ve already run through Teddy Mac. Jacob Senn, I’ve been there and done that already - and to be honest, had it not been for Darkane in my first OWA match - Jacob would be oh-and-two against me. Next up is you - the ‘Gatekeeper’ - to the last man, Darkane. It’s time to reap what you sow, as they say. Sooner or later, Civil War was going to come back to haunt you. You had to have known that, sooner or later, I would come back for that. If you thought that I was going to roll over and take that, then you clearly don’t know me at all. I’m not a chump that sits back and allows scrubs like The Dynasty to pull one over on me. In fact, I’m the complete opposite. I’m the guy that goes on to become an even bigger deal than those who pulled the fast move in the first place. Sure, I may not have won Clash of the Titans - but I sure as fuck sent a message to you and your crew. That message being, I’m not finished with you - not at all. Teddy Mac was just the first piece of your crew that fell into place. And, I’ll be honest with you -- I wasn’t satisfied with just Teddy. In the grand scheme of things, Teddy Mac means absolutely nothing to me. A B-player when it comes to the Dynasty. It’s always been you, it’s always been Darkane, it’s always been Jacob Senn. Now I have the chance to take aim at one of the three heads of this Hydra, and you can bet your ass that I won’t miss this shot. There’s too much at stake for me. Title defense, title opportunity and a shot at revenge. Three reasons alone that are going to prevent me from losing.”

“I don’t care if you think that you’re going to show up at Game Over and expect an easy roll - because that simply isn’t going to happen. You might have beaten Graham in singles matches, but this is different. With all due respect to my partner, I’m a whole different beast. I’m also not Devin Mitchell. I’m not a young pup looking to make a name - I’m as real as they come. You can think you’re going to run through the Corsairs single handedly, defeating all of us to establish the Dynasty’s dominance - to make that ‘shadow’ line real, but it’s not going to happen. It’s not going to be from lack of trying, or even lack of talent - I’ve established you’re talented; but you beating me isn’t going to happen, because I’m not going to allow it. I didn’t earn this championship just so I can drop it to the first credible threat. I didn’t become Television Champion, just to pass it off to you - Matt. I’m a fighting champion, I always have been. You will have to pry the title from my grasp, and that’s not something that a lot of people can do.”

Noah finally turned to the camera. His eyes pierced through the lens as he spoke.

“People talk a lot of era’s - of “their time”, and I would say a good ninety percent of those people don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about though. But what I said to Teddy Mac in my first defense was the fuckin’ truth. This is the Era of the Assault Rifle, and I promise that I’m going to cut every challenger in half in a hail of bullets. You, Matt, are no different. At Game Over, I will be the one standing over you - my championship still in my hands, my arm raised in victory, and my sights adjusted and set to the World Heavyweight Championship.”

---

 

Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA
Saturday







Stephanie “Cloud” Matsuda and her manager Samantha Garza exited the arena, an hour after Odyssey ended. The Queen of Fighters sighed as they made their way through the parking lot. Samantha raised an eyebrow at Matsuda, who seemed lost in her thoughts.

“You okay?” Samantha asked. It wasn’t a common thing to see her client look so perturbed. 

Matsuda casually shrugged her shoulders as they entered the rental vehicle.

“I’m...just tired of these games, you know? I’m done fucking with these heauxes, Sam. We both know I deserve to be Women’s World Champion. We both know I can elevate this product to unforeseen heights. And as much as she doesn’t want to admit it, ‘Ria knows that too. But, she wants to play games. She’s probably holding a grudge from what’s been happening on SSW. She's so tight that I recruited one of her prospects.”

“That Satima Thando girl?” Samantha asked.

Stephanie nodded as she started the car. There was a moment of silence as she drove out of the arena. Samantha leaned back as she crossed her arms. She knew there was more to Stephanie’s feelings but she wasn’t going to pry. Eventually, if it doesn’t come out in the wash, it’ll come out in the rinse. That was something Sam’s abuela used to say back in the day. For now, she decided to ask another question.

“Does she have something to do with this ‘Inevitable’ project of yours?”

“Yep. The next generation needs to be protected, by any means.”

“Is there anyone else you have in mind?”


“I’ve been looking around. In fact, there’s someone on Odyssey I’ve had my eye on.”

“Oh really? Mind sharing?”

Stephanie cracked a smile and remained quiet for a moment.

“I’ll give you a hint: the only woman on the roster other than me to have held the JET World Championship.”

“You mean-”

“Nothing’s concrete yet. She has yet to give me an answer, but I’ll let you know if she says yes.”

Samantha nodded as she considered Matsuda’s words. This woman indeed was running on some kind of clock. While Samantha herself was eager to become General Manager of Odyssey again, Stephanie seemed to be running on her own time. As Sam stared out the window she saw the car slowing down. She stared at Stephanie with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Is everything okay?”

Stephanie remained silent as she pulled over and turned off the vehicle. Sam knew something was up, especially since Steph refused to look her in the eye. The eerie silence only increased the tension as both women remained silent, albeit for different reasons. For Garza, she wanted to give Stephanie the chance to speak first.

“I don’t have much time.”

Those five words in addition to the coldness in Stephanie’s voice made Garza feel uneasy. Her lips barely opened when she spoke.

“What do you mean...you don’t have enough time?”

Stephanie sighed as she considered her words. Samantha was going to be the first person she opened up to about her situation. This was something that not even her wife knew. Stephanie leaned forward against the driver’s wheel and buried her face. If she says the words out of her mouth, it’ll become real. But she owed it to her manager to say something. She was the woman who invested her trust in Stephanie’s career. The least she could do was tell her what was driving her to make the decisions she’s made lately.

“I’ve been in pain, Sam. Not the usual kind that every wrestler feels, but some kind of serious almost mind-numbing kind of pain. My legs...my back...everywhere it hurts. Maybe I’ve pushed my body to its very limits from this intense schedule, but my doctor says if I continue on, I could end up with a serious injury. I’ve never had one in my entire career, Sam. I’ve been hurt, but nothing that’s put me out of commission for a while.”

Samantha shrugged her shoulders. While she appreciated Cloud opening up to her like this, she knew she wasn’t telling her the whole story.

“So why don't you slow down your schedule? I know you have the Undisputed Championship Match coming up in EWC and everything, but you stated that Odyssey was a priority. Forget everywhere else. Let’s change the world right here in OWA.”

Stephanie nodded a few times, but her eyes were wet with tears as she lifted her head from the steering wheel. Sam has never seen this side of Stephanie before. The Queen of Fighters seemed so vulnerable, the complete opposite of how she was on television or in the ring.

“That’s...not the only reason why I don’t have much time. Well, nothing is confirmed about that, either. I’ve been seeing a specialist. There’s something on my father’s side, something I don’t feel like discussing at the moment. Let’s just say it can lead to the same thing that claimed my mentor Michael Hunter. Hell, it claimed my ancestor Matty.”

“Wait..Matty Matsuda? The El Paso wrestling legend from Japan!?”

“Heh. You know your wrestling history, huh?”

“My great-uncle had his first match against him. Just a week before his final match…”

“Where he died in the ring. Like Michael.”

Stephanie sighed and shook her head. Samantha could tell this was getting uncomfortable for the five-time world champion, but Stephanie continued.

“If these injuries don’t sideline me, then the other thing will. Permanently. But...I’m not finished with this part of my life, Sam. Not yet, at least. I just...need more time. I want the next generation to be stronger. I want to have a legacy that won’t be forgotten-”

“Nothing lasts forever, dear. But I doubt anyone is going to forget The Queen of Fighters anytime soon.”

Stephanie finally turned to Garza. Her normally relaxed eyes contained something Sam has never seen on Matsuda’s face: trepidation.

“I don’t want to fade away, Sam.”

Sam crossed her arms while shaking her head. A smile appeared from the edge of her lips. This was probably the most human she’s ever seen, Stephanie. She was surprised that Matsuda trusted her enough to expose this side of her. Sam placed a reassuring hand on her client’s shoulder.

“You won’t Because you’ll become the OWA Women’s World Champion. And next week, You capture the EWC Undisputed Championship. Once the world acknowledges you as the best in the world, then you can rest, Stephanie. But, promise me you’ll take care of yourself. I’ve seen the bottles of pain pills in your duffle bag. Are you handling that okay?”

Stephanie gave a solemn nod. That’s all Sam needed to put her at ease.

“Alright, let’s drive back to the hotel. You have that KPRO match coming up. By the way, when do you plan on walking away from this? When will you be satisfied enough to walk away?”

Stephanie shrugged as she started the car.

“I’ll let you know when.”

Samantha nodded as Matsuda resumed their drive back to the hotel. With this new development, Garza knew she had to work on her own plans for the coming future. Hopefully, Stephanie’s body lasts long enough for Sam to see her own plans through. She had to place her trust in the possibility that Matsuda will walk away from this intact and not in a body bag.

Hopefully.


Brooklyn, NY
Matsuda Residence
Friday, June 18
Late Night




A webcam live stream opens to Stephanie “Cloud” Matsuda sitting at her computer at home. She’s wearing a black “Cloudpunk 2077” T-shirt and her glasses instead of her usual contacts. Her blue hair is tied into a ponytail. This was a different look for The Queen of Fighters, who normally approached her opponents with intimidation. 

“Aria loves to make things difficult for herself, doesn’t she? She could’ve named me number one contender and been done with it, but nah. She seems to have enough faith in my three opponents to give them a second chance at glory. You see, that’s the thing. Each of these ladies had their shot with the OWA Women’s Championship. Before I get into that, I want to do a little mini-review of their vignettes from the last Odyssey episode. Now, I was being honest when I said they should be proud of their accomplishments. Odyssey is the premier brand in women’s wrestling...in the west. Maybe I’m being a bit biased, but those JET World Revolution tickets are selling like hotcakes.”

Stephanie chuckled while shaking her head.

“But alas, Aria’s precious pink brand has garnered some conversation but despite that, the brass still treats Odyssey as a third-string show. Despite all the blood, sweat, and tears each of my opponents have put into this company, their efforts are not respected nor are they recognized. There’s a reason for this: nobody takes them seriously. Why? Because they don’t take themselves seriously. Despite what they’ve accomplished, despite their potential, it’s still not enough to put this brand on the pedestal it deserves to be on. Aria could have fought on Odyssey and made that happen, but she got caught in that “Kingdom is a flagship” nonsense. Instead of leading them, instead of defending them, she sat there in the boardroom as Oasis and Nas made Kingdom and Olympus the headliners for Final Destinations 1-3. Pluto’s Gate? That was a scooby snack tossed to make them feel better. We had a show like that in my old place - I think it was called Malicious Intentions or whatever. Because ha, ha, #WomenBeSoToxic. Then again, after seeing Gwen Harper run around like a level five ranger, maybe that’s not far from the truth, huh? These Odyssey girls are doing anything and everything to hide their lack of greatness with an abundance of personality. Take my opponents for example. Llorona wears a bandanna to the ring like yours truly. But it feels like her personality doesn’t extend anywhere beyond her bandanna and that butterfly knife. If I didn’t know what Llorona looks like I would assume she was some random Chola off the street. She claims to be different from most people, and you know what? She might be onto something, because she sure has hell ain’t like the rest of us in this match.  Not only did she drop the ball when representing OWA in LAW’s Amazon Warfare show, but she failed to retain at Final Destination, allowing someone like...Jonetta to hold the strap. Roxy and Jonetta, two former Dollhouse members are world champions at the sametime and it’s all Llorona’s fault. I hate to see DiVa end up somewhere with a world belt and I swear to god we wouldn’t hear the end of it! All because Llorona didn’t have the cojones to get the job done. She's too busy talking about the matches she would’ve won that she fails to see the future laid out before her. We all eat Ls, but what matters most is what we do about it. For every L I ate I replaced it with a fucking title belt. In one year I gained more prestige than most people will obtain their entire career! That’s what I like to call my “Cloud Consciousness!” It’s the state of being awake and aware of my surroundings while I tower above all of my foes! It doesn’t matter who beats me on a random night because at the end...when it’s all said and done...they will be forgotten. Their memories will wash away into the universal ether. No matter what bumps we encounter in the road, no matter the hurdle you must fly high enough to soar above and shatter the ceiling! It’s not that Lorona lacks the skill...she lacks the imagination. She’s so consumed with being a street thug to retain a reputation that nobody cares about, she fails to see that she’s more of a wrestler these days than a gangsta! I don’t care about how many bodies the bitch buried! I don’t care about where she grew up and how hard life was! Because when that bell rings, the squared circle cares not for your backstory! The wrestling gods only acknowledge the best in the world and if Llorona can’t see herself as something more than a Mexican stereotype then send that bitch to the barrio where she belongs! At least Dulce doesn’t rely on stereotypes and call it character development! It's one thing to be proud of who you are and where you come from, but that can’t be all you are, sweets. A revenge-driven Chola will only get so far in this business.”

Stephanie sighs and shakes her head.

“Speaking of stereotypes, if Natalie Cage gets any more edgier, she might cut the fabric of the universe! This walking cardboard cutout of 2000s indie wrestling decides to show a different side of herself...at home with her recently unemployed girlfriend. Now don’t get me wrong - I don’t hate Viola DeMarco. In another world, we would be good friends. Shit, we might’ve even been lovers. But, she had the unfortunate fate of standing in the way of my ambition. And like Nobunaga in the Sengoku period, my goal is a unified Odyssey. One that I will build from my own hands. Natalie didn’t see me coming because she lacked foresight. She underestimated me all the way to the end, because like her brother, she thinks she’s the smartest person in the room. She thinks she’s the toughest in the room as well. Heh, Natalie doesn’t realize that despite my personal dislike for her there’s a part of me that deeply respects her bravado. In fact, I’ll reveal a little secret: Natalie is tougher than me. Hell, Llorona is scarier than me. And Dulce? She’s more talented than I am, but more on that later. Hell, everyone in OWA is better at something than I am in this business. But when you put my talents together and mixed them with my experience and intangibles... I as a whole package trumps them all. To be the best you have to be more than the sum of your parts. Natalie thinks I beat her because she lacked the edge and hunger. She doesn’t realize it never left her. I beat Natalie because I take myself seriously. I beat Natalie because not only do I know her, but in my own way I honor her. I allow myself to overcome my own insecurities and understand what I’m up against. The problem with Odyssey is that they’re all too conceited. All. Of. Them. They think confidence will see them through, but fuck confidence. If I know and understand what I have to do to win a match, then I can believe I will achieve victory. That’s why a coward like Jonetta Stone is holding the Women’s World Champion because she knows how to play the long game. But she’s not me. She’ll never be me, not in a million years. Natalie Cage can be as much of herself as she wants, but as long as she’s blind to the reality of this business she’ll always fall at the feet of The Queen of Fighters. Just like she did at Final Destination.”

“Dulce. The self-proclaimed Day One of Odyssey. The fan-favorite, forever chasing the gold with that never-give-up attitude of hers. If there’s anyone in this match that has a real chance at coming out of this the winner, it’s her. But unfortunately, I’m here. Ms. Torres can have all the confidence in the world. But in the end, confidence is not going to win the match. It’s cunning. It’s being at the right place at the right time. It’s about using the environment to your advantage! No disrespect to the girl but being “Dulce Torres” just ain’t gonna cut it. Maybe that worked back home, but being a cute Tex-Mex with a phat ass isn’t a personality trait. It’s not going to give her some kind of psychological advantage, even though brunettes seem to be a preference for Natalie and me, but I can safely say that we’ll be too busy beating the shit out of each other to care. Le sigh, Dulce has to come the fuck on. She has to give me something else other than being herself. She thinks she’s the only one who works hard!? She thinks she’s the only one who bled and sweated for this goddamn business!? We’ve all endured! We’ve all crawled our way to the top! We’ve all suffered a great loss...but only one of us was able to find redemption.”

Stephanie takes out the PWN Unified World’s Heavyweight Championship and places it on the desk.


“Only one of us will be walking into this match as a world champion. And when I walk down that ramp, I will be a year-long champ, the longest I’ve ever held a title. This is living proof that I know how to get the job done. Alyssa couldn’t take this from me, and neither could Natalie. And just like I remade this title and brought it more prestige than it ever had, I’m going to do the same with Odyssey as a whole. And you can trust and believe that there’s not a damn thing any of those three women can do to stop me. Know it. Understand it. Believe it.”

Stephanie turns off the camera and the screen fades.

NAMI Promo 1


(The feed opens up to the SSW International Dojo in San Jose, California. Several trainees for the promotion are running drills around the various rings set up in the facility. The camera pans over to show NAMI in the ring, training with her fellow Bad Boy Collective member Ryo Shimada, as well as her bodyguard and best friend, Oni Ushii. Ryo runs at NAMI trying to take her down but she grabs him by the head and rolls him to the mat, grabbing him by an arm before laying into him with the Velvet Blood. The Superkick knocks Ryo Shimada out and NAMI falls back into a corner to take a breather. Oni Ushii hands her a towel and a bottle of water. OWA correspondent Cori Simmons walks into frame, entering the ring opposite NAMI and Ushii.)

Cori Simmons: Why do they keep making me interview this bitch... 

NAMI: Hmm???? I heard that. 

Cori Simmons: Oh hello NAMI! I didn’t see you there. How’s the training coming along?

NAMI: You bitch... Yeah. The training is going well. I wish I had a better sparring opponent than this idiot Ryo over here but oh well. I’ve never quite been in a Battle Royal before, but the concept should be simple enough. Throw your opponent over the top rope, and don’t get thrown over. The good thing is from my idol days I’d learned to dance quite well. I’ve got body control that these other failures could only dream of having, so I’m not going to be so easy to get rid of. There’s a lot of talent in that match, from people I’m familiar with to people I’ve never even heard of. I guess that’s one of the things that’s always amazed me about wrestling though, how so many different people from all walks of life can have their paths converge at one spot... for championship gold, we’ll do anything.

Cori Simmons: Wow NAMI, that was surprisingly eloquent coming from you. I didn’t know you were capable of such deep thought.

NAMI: ... I’m smarter than I look. You don’t reach the level of success I did without the brains to match your brawn, and... I’m really skinny. There’s not a lot of brawn here either. So using my brain is what’s gotten me this far in wrestling. The OWA Openweight Championship is what’s on my brain right now. My first shot at gold in OWA, in the United States of America, just outside of Japan in general. I know it might not be the sort of championship that’ll get all eyes on me, but I’ve been training and wrestling for too long to disrespect what it means to be champion. I’ve seen a lot of Liz Karlson, she’s no joke. She’s someone who could challenge for the Women’s World Championship tomorrow and be a credible threat for it. I’ve got a big ego, but I’m not really an idiot either. I’m good enough to accept that I’m not good enough to go head to head with the likes of Jonetta Stone or Alyssa Grace yet. But I’ve been at rock bottom before, I know what it’s like to want something more than anyone else and still not be able to get it for yourself. I’ve learned from those experiences that in cases like this, where you’re in a hole so deep that no one can help you out... You have to drag yourself out with your own hands. I may be an idol, but I’m more gritty than you’d think. Beneath my beautiful face, my perfect skin, my luscious hair is the spirit of a woman who has suffered but persevered. I’ve waited a long time for a way to restore that glory and the spotlight that shined down on me and me alone. I am The Golden Queen, but a queen is no queen without gold. Seven other women stand in my way when it comes to realizing this ambition of mine, but I’ve stood before the whole world before when it had me on my knees, making me crumble under its crushing weight. If I overcame the judgments of some of the most toxic entertainment industries in the world in Japan and Korea, with millions of people doing nothing but scrutinizing my every move... Going against just seven women are odds I’ll take.

Cori Simmons: Wow... You’re actually making me believe in you NAMI. If you weren’t such an unpleasant bitch overall, I might actually cheer for you.

NAMI: Fuck off.

Cori Simmons: All jokes aside, your road here has definitely not been easy. I know people would probably write you off because of your attitude, your unconventional physique for wrestling, and your relative inexperience in the ring, but there’s no doubt that you’ve been working hard to overcome that. To that point, I’d like some perspective from you, Oni Ushii. From an external perspective, how would you describe NAMI’s growth, from how we’ve all seen her in her initial OWA debut, to now, after her run in JET and all the other work and training she’s put in since then?

Oni Ushii: Hmph. Well, I’ve been NAMI’s bodyguard for 8 years, since she entered the idol industry at the young age of 14. With all the predators that exist within the entertainment industry especially when young girls are involved, I made sure to keep her safe. I beat up a lot of creepy old mens, disfigured a few faces, and perhaps some forced neuterings happened for the worst offenders. I can’t confirm or deny those claims. NAMI was spoiled, entitled, and to be completely honest, I hated working for her most of the time. She was the crown jewel of the Japan idol industry, and it went to her head. She thought she was better than everyone else, and she had thousands of people telling her that that was the truth. Then of course, she fell in with some bad people. A couple of Americans who took her to a party and let her try cocaine. She got addicted over time, and once the news broke, her fall from grace was something to behold. Going from being the golden girl of J-Pop to one of the most hated stars in the nation. Her contracts and endorsements terminated. She was refused service almost anywhere she went to the point she had to leave the country. Don’t get me wrong. Her ego never went away, perhaps it got even stronger. Put coal under pressure, however, and it becomes a diamond. When NAMI decided to join the world of professional wrestling, when she had nothing left - no family, no job, no friends, no home - that is where she discovered who she really was. That wrestling ring means everything to her now. She’s given that ring more blood, sweat, and tears than she’s given everything else. She put it all on the line and it paid off. She reigned as the JET Academy Champion, earning the respect of her peers and the admiration of her fans. As the JET Academy Champion, she started to once again learn who she is. She is The Golden Queen, and now that she’s gotten a taste of what the spotlight feels like again, she will do anything to regain it. So if you ask me how far NAMI has come since she first arrived in OWA, my answer is farther than I could’ve ever thought. I am truly proud of NAMI, and I fully believe in her and her ability to win this match at Battle Pass.

NAMI: Ushii-san, you’re too kind to me. She’s right though, Cori. I have come a long way. I’ll never shy away from praising myself especially if I’ve earned it. But now is not the time for a premature celebration. I could be partying right now, I could be at home relaxing, I could be at the spa or the mall or a hundred other places that the diva in me would rather be... but I know it is within these ropes, on this canvas, where I belong. I dug my way out of the deepest hole I’ve ever been in mentally, and with all the people who have offered their hand out to me to help me rebuild myself as The Golden Queen, I simply can’t afford to lose. I won’t disappoint them. Oni Ushii, my bodyguard. Eijiro Takahashi and Azumi Goto, the two people who took a chance on me when I was nothing more than a disgraced idol and gave me a home at the JET Dojo, invested in training me as a wrestler, and allowed me the opportunity to compete for the Academy Championship. Aria Jaxon, for giving me another chance on Odyssey. I won’t let these people down after they’ve helped me come this far. We can talk about reaching the top of the mountain, but I’ve only just reached the base. My climb has only just begun. Seven other women stand at the same starting line as me, but only one of us can take that next step. Standing above us all is the one woman we seek to face, Liz Karlson, holding the OWA Openweight Championship. But before I look up at what’s ahead, I can’t lose sight of the women who will try their hardest to drag me down.

Cori Simmons: Who would you consider the greatest threat in this match?


NAMI: From my understanding of battle royal matches, you can never just pinpoint one specific person as the biggest threat. You can be the biggest, the fastest, the most flexible, but it won’t change the fact - once your feet go over that top rope aimed at the floor, you can be the best wrestler and the world and you won’t be able to change the fact that you just got eliminated. I have seen some major upsets happen in the few years I’ve been a part of the wrestling world. Some people even said that me winning the JET Academy Championship was an upset, a fluke. That reign did prove them wrong, but it reminds me of something. I’ve always been considered a fluke of a wrestler. Maybe it’s the attitude of pure wrestlers that don’t take too kindly to former entertainers like me walking into their world and doing it better. You don’t think I was hazed or bullied in JET? I took all of that to the chin and still kept moving forward. I’ll be honest Cori, there’s not a lot left in my life outside of wrestling and shallow pleasures. I keep up with as much as I can these days. Seeing women like Skylar Arcenaux throw petty insults my way doesn’t upset me anymore. I’m sure some of the dustier women like Rebecca Filth are going to have similar things to say too. The disgusting undignified behavior of these women is a sight to behold sometimes, and perhaps they have more vile things to say to me out of the obvious insecurity that any woman would feel having to stand in my presence. But if you really want an answer to your question, I guess I would have to say that if there was one great threat in this match, at least for me personally... Without a doubt, Emmanuelle.

Cori Simmons: Right, you two were a part of that Fatal Four Way that she ended up winning on Atlantis.

NAMI: Yeah, and I’m still not over it. I barely respect anyone, but I do respect Emmanuelle. She took that win fair and square last time, and I can’t be mad. When it comes to experience and technique, Emmanuelle is a few steps ahead of me. She knows the taste of holding some of the most coveted championships in this world, and now that she stands on the same line as us ready for this race to the top on Odyssey, it puts the rest of us at a disadvantage. Not to say that I’ll be taking anyone else lightly, but everytime I practice a move, the person I’m picturing in my mind is Emmanuelle. Whether or not it’s at Battle Pass, I WILL get one on you one day Emmy. If there’s one thing I’ve sworn on since becoming a wrestler, after everything I’ve been through in my life, is to pay everyone back double if they’ve done me wrong. I’ve gotta get back to training Cori, but for the first time I can say... Thanks for the interview.

(NAMI surprisingly bows to Cori Simmons and gets back to running drills in the ring.)

 

 

 

 

 

 
What, you think I’m just walking around with my head held high like my shit don’t stink? Like I’m incapable of failure? Fuck that pussy shit. Yeah, I didn’t get the job done at FD and Viola lost her job and that shit has been EATING away at me. I made it my mission to stop Cloud from fucking this brand up. I was the first line of defence and she beat me with the exact same trick I used against Diantha way back when. Bra-fucking-vo. Payback’s a bitch, I get it. Now that the ace up the sleeve’s been played, what’s left? Because the last time we were in a multi-man match together Stephanie, who walked away with their hand raised? Way I see it, me and you aren’t done yet. Shit, we’re even if anything. We both took each other out of a Clash and we’ve traded wins in big matches. You think you can get one pin over me and walk on through like you’re some uncrowned champ? Not as long as I’m drawing breath. I’m breaking down these false idols like Moses when he descended from Mount Sinai. You’re a golden bull, I’m carrying the Commandments of Odyssey:












Cloud, you’ve broken every one one of these and your sins are getting a righteous fury from the chosen messenger. Because no matter how much you tell yourself I’m the product of nepotism, that I had everything handed to me, the lifeblood of Odyssey pumps through my veins day and night. You know how much of that blood’s been spilled. I’ve been carted out of the arena and taken straight to hospital more times than I care to mention. But for every trip to the emergency room I've taken, I’ve always taken someone with me. You don’t go to war with Natalie Cage and come out of it the same. I will always take my piece. That right there is my real legacy. Look at how many people here were changed after sharing that ring with me. How many souls were blackened by the fire and smoke of my will. Your mark on this brand is a temporary tattoo that came in a box of candy sticks. My mark is a tribal tatau, carved in with a hammer and blade, blessed by the gods, birthing warriors for generations. Every time you enter this house, it’s because I’ve let you in, understand? You can never run this brand because you will ALWAYS be an outsider. Everyone in the back knows it and you’re about to step into the ring with three women who have all done something you haven’t: win a world championship in OWA. You think you’re the favourite here? You’re our enemy. You’re the target. All three of us have no intention of letting you anywhere fucking near that title that we held with so much pride. You don’t get to have the ending you want because we’re writing the story now. I’ve got quills in both hands. In one I’m writing your end and in the other I’m writing my new beginning. I can do more with two hands and an idea than most can do with their entire body.  

( We open on a warm night in Pasadena, California. Cars pass by on and otherwise quiet night. It’s here we find ourselves at the feet of a large stadium. old white pain and stands in stark contrast to the forest green letters that read ‘Rose Bowl’.  Beneath the stadium’s logo we find find a figure standing under a street lamp dressed in an Awakening T-shirt with a lead pipe resting on his shoulder. The camera closes in to see Mark Michaels looking upon the stadium In quiet reflection, his face the one of a man pondering everything that lead him to this moment.)

“ Get awoken, or get broken. That’s what it has all boiled down to between myself and Eon Blue. I never thought I would have to utter these words to a man I once respected. A man who I stood with shoulder to shoulder inside a fox hole with while we faced off against the world at large. But now he’s gotten such a big head because he got just taste of power. In a matter of weeks he’s gone from a trusted ally, and friend, to this insufferable asshole who is throwing a temper tantrum because he doesn’t have father Nathan to coddle him.  His head has grown so big that there’s no longer enough room in the Awakening for the two of us. There’s an old saying, blood in and blood out. Me and Eon Blue are headed to Game Over about to wage a holy war that will see both of us bleed buckets. I didn’t want it to be this way. I tried and I tried to take the humble route. To smooth things over between us. To do the right thing. Part of me wishes things could have been different, and that it wouldn’t mean that I would have to stand against a man I called a friend, a man I called brother. But the sad thing is that the man I called my brother doesn't share that camaraderie and arguably never really did.  I had his back at every turn, where was he when I was getting sucker punched by Noah Reigner?  So while one part of me wishes that me and Eon could have just buried the hatchet, there’s a bigger part of me that wants nothing more than to stomp Eon’s teeth down his throat for burying said hatchet in my back. That part of me  wants to say fuck having a ring, a referee, and a pinfall for this one, if we’re gonna have a fight, let’s have a fucking fight. Eon wants to escalate this thing between us to the point where it’s basically keep your spot in the Awakening, or die trying, well that’s fine with me. If that’s what it takes to either get him to shut up with all this weak link bull crap, or simply put me in a place where I don’t have to hear it anymore, it’s fine by me. When that bell rings,  You’re  is gonna learn that sometimes you have to walk through hell when you’re  trying to get heaven, and right now you’re looking into the eyes of the devil himself. No rules, no mercy. What else is there to say about a street fight other than It’s not gonna end well, especially for Eon. You questioned my devotion to the message of Father Nathan. Eon, you’re gonna find out exactly how committed to the Awakening I am first hand. Because whatever you throw at me, I will not submit, I will not surrender, and you will damn near have to kill me to beat me. Not because I want to pontificate from on high the way you’ve chosen to, but because I believe that the actions you take will always speak louder than anything you say.
  The fact of the matter is   We all bought into what Nathan Fiora was selling a bit, especially when we started seeing results. But Eon didn’t just drink the Kool-Aid, he came back for seconds. And now because I’m more focused on showing why the Awakening is THE way to a better future, instead of going out on some street corner rambling on and on regardless of the fact that nobody is listening, Eon’s got his little blue panties in twist because of it. He bit hard, and for it the “Honored Disciple” was dubbed ready to be a leader. If this is how Eon acts as a leader, then it shouldn’t be any wonder why we’re about to come to blows?  ”

( Michaels shifts his gaze from the towering stadium to the cold hard pipe in his hands. His face now baring an angry scowl from the weeks, His eyes are a window into his mind which is dreaming up all the ways he can use his chosen weapon to inflict punishment. Slowly he shifts his sight back to the camera.)

“ Eon thinks that things will be paradise when I’m gone from the Awakening, but let me tell you something. if he somehow gets the win and banishes me from the Awakening, he’ll go through this same shit with whoever would be fool enough to follow him. If he can spend weeks trashing me even when he’s the one who dropped the ball, than what makes anyone who would chose to follow him any better. He talks about preaching the message of Father Nathan, and completely forgets what Nathan told each and everyone of us. Father Nathan didn’t look down on his followers, he didn’t pin his woes on them, and he sure as hell didn’t bash them for doing what they could to better themselves. Here’s a bit of free advice Eon, if you really want to get the message of the Awakening out there, why don’t you get off the soapbox you’ve been so goddamn busy preaching from, and try leading by example. That’s what Nathan did when took the Heavyweight title belt. That’s what he did every time he defended his championship. That’s what he’s doing right now by setting his sights on the biggest baddest mother fucker he can find, instead of  squabbling with the only allies he has left like a passive aggressive cunt!  Nathan Fiora inspired us to do better, you simply sit around all day looking for someone to pin all the bullshit that comes for both your insecurities about actually being a leader, and your frustrations at not being up to snuff in the ring. Some call this the story of the implosion of the awakening. What this really is, is the story of Eon boo-boo face and he’s never ending bitching. He bitches about me losing the tittles one moment, then the next moment he bitches about me trying to win them back. He bitches about me not being devoted or something, and every week I keep hearing him whine about what happened at Final Destination. Man it’s been two months, move on already. He’s forgotten one of the core principles of the Awakening, one that United us all in the beginning, forgetting the past. Letting go of our failures and moving forward was a pretty big part of the success we all found last year. One way or another when this is all said and done, I’ll be happy to forget all about Eon Blue and his time as the “leader” of the Olympus Awakening. 
 
  You know I never claimed to be a leader myself, but I know that I tried to make things right. I tried to show some class.  More importantly I tried to handle this like a man by owning up to my faults, and trying to grow from them the same way the four of us did last year. A few weeks ago I came out and owned up to coming up short in that winner takes all match. I apologized for accidentally knocking out the referee in that triple threat match, even though the only reason I came out it was to have Eon’s back when he was getting double teamed. I did that because I’m a man, and apparently a better man than Eon who sat around bitterly whining under his breath but didn’t have enough balls to just come out and say what he thought about me to my face.  I did for him exactly what I would have done for Nathan Fiora because I’m not petty, or insecure, or so full of myself that I can’t handle a setback or two. I didn’t go looking for an out, or scapegoat, neither did Nathan or even Noah. I also have enough self respect to know that I’m gonna keep getting crap for this, and a shit load of other stuff, and not smack Eon so hard they call him black and blue!   Eon tried to blame me for what Happened at Final Destination because my shoulders were the ones that got pinned. We had the match won, all Eon had to do was make sure nobody broke up the pin, where’s he to own up to that mistake? Or better yet, Eon throws a wild kick, it misses and nails me right in the mouth, and that somehow is my fault?! Where the fuck is Eon to say sorry Mark, didn’t mean to get you back there?! Instead he throws another bitch fit and tries to pin another loss on me. Does Eon Blue know who I am?!  Before I came to OWA I earned the reputation of being the man who busted his ass night in and night out and whether anyone in the locker room loved me or hated me, they fucking respected me because I gave my all every day, every week, every year.  I have bled and been bruised in the kind of matches where there aren’t really winners or losers, just survivors, and when it comes to bloody battles you can bet your ass I’m a survivor. But that’s not all, once I got here to OMEGA, I became the guy who in his first six months here was not only a part of the most dominant stable OWA had ever seen, but  also defeated the then reigning world champion,  won championship gold, and entered my name into the history books when I did. Have taken a few L’s? Yeah, and every one of them makes me want to come back harder, stronger, faster than before. It’s a spark that sets off a fire in me. So with my history bare for the world to see I gotta ask, WHO THE FUCK DOES EON BLUE THINK HE IS TO TALK DOWN TO ME?!  What did he do before The Awakening?! Before Chaos Elite?! What the hell did he do after?! If you need a reminder he’s the guy who won the vacant Openweight title, and never defended it once!  He’s the guy who had the good sense to know who’s coattails he could ride to places his lack of talent in the ring could never get him!  I can say that because the minute Noah Quinn no longer had to carry him, Noah became a record setting champion and a can’t miss prospect in OWA.  But notice how when he had to go back and carry Eon the Awakening suffered its first big loss in tag match against the Cosairs, and then again at Final Destination. Hell, I tried to carry him in a tag match against Devi Krysis for fucks sake, and he somehow managed to fuck that up as well. And he has the balls to call me the weak link?! For as high and mighty as Eon has been acting lately, i can’t seem to find a damn good reason why he should. Where’s his victories over world champions? What’s his claim to fame besides standing next to greatness like Luke Walton next to Shaq and Kobe.  Where’s his mental mettle or intestinal fortitude to not just settle for what he’s handed? To go out there and make enough noise to get yourself back in the title picture? I mean for god sakes who wants to follow in the footsteps of a man who shrinks in a corner and cries every time he loses? Who would respect a leader who catches a hissy fit and wants to call it quits whenever he doesn’t get his way. I think the summer heat must get to Eon’s head, because he was pulling the same crap he’s pulling on me on Noah Quinn last year. It must be! Either that, or Eon is simply a pussy who can’t handle the pressure when things get a little tough. Myself on the other hand? I’m like a piece of coal that becomes a Diamond whenever the pressure is on. 

Still in the end it’s a shame. Me and Eon could have been apart of something huge. One faction, two brands, and all of OWA hearing the message that changed the way OWA saw guys like us. such a feat would be considered impossible for any stable, but The Awakening had already done the impossible before.   Noah and Nathan have the big bad boogie man of Kingdom in the palms of their hands. Soon enough they’ll run that brand the way the four of us ran Olympus.  Meanwhile Eon’s going around like Rudy Giuliani demanding trial by combat with the one guy who had his this back no questions asked. If Eon could quit whining and throwing me under the bus for a second We could have had it made here on Olympus. We would have picked things back up and would have stood tall on top of the mountain again. But Eon quite frankly he’s been so butt hurt these past few weeks that it’s come to me having to either knock the sense back into him, or simply walking over his bloody, and unconscious body to move on to the next chapter for both Mark Michaels and The Awakening as a whole. 
  So I’ve got one last friendly word of warning for my soon to be former brother, This is gonna get ugly. I am gonna to show you exactly why Jamal and Nathan approached me to begin with. I am gonna show you why you never want Mark Michaels as an enemy. You’re time as a member of the Awakening is about to get a shot of the Lethal Injection straight to the heart, from one brother to another. When I curb stomp your skull in, it means the Downfall of your short, but much maligned tenure playing a second rate Nathan Fiora wannabe. When You submit, it means the Liberation has begun, and The Awakening will be free from every bit of your impotent influence. And when the Ref counts three it’s a New Order that comes in the Awakening by saying what you mean, and being able to back it all up. Do you hear me Eon? You asked for this, so don’t go around whining, complaining, bitching and moaning about it after I’m done with you. This is the end of not just your time as a member of the Awakening, but your time when you get to blame someone else for you just being a worthless piece of crap. Your time in the Awakening is up, but for me I’ll be coming up roses, come Game Over.”

( with that the shot begins to fade out with Michaels looking resolutely into the camera his confident expression under scored by the determination in his eyes.)