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Cold Open/Sery buys the "other" 4CW: For anyone who doesn't know there was another 4CW that recently closed its doors and it wouldn't be Sery if he didn't turn it into some kind of fourth wall breaking skit. It was fun to write.
S&M vs Phoenix & Moxie: Sorry, this was rushed. It got to the point where I just needed to get the show up and this match suffered for it.
Paige/Supreme segment: Loved this segment. Truly iconic. The Ironman challenge is awesome, Supreme nitpicking a flaw in Paige was the most Supreme thing he could do, and this match should be a technical masterclass.
Hardcore Title, Dark Lotus (c) vs Nik Waverly: Wrote it.
Carstein/Inferno segment: Lords of Salem always have such a cool aura around them. You know they are coming for Valentine.
Valentine/MagneZ/Kim/Sery segment: Set up for our main event and a stipulation tease for our Revival main event. Good segment all around.
Soul Survivor Round 4, Total Elimination match: Wrote it. All I will say is there was a lot of seed planting in this match.
Lords of Salem vs Kim/MagneZ: I love that Valentine is so weasely that he won't even face his enemy in a tag team match before Revival. The announcement of the Hard Knocks Life match boosts this match all the more and it was already a classic Revival main event. I can't wait to see this unfold. It has a super big icon vs icon feel to it that I love about Revival. The feud has gotten personal fast and I'm loving the story that's developing.
Match of the Night: Lords of Salem vs MagneZ/Kim
Graphic/Video of the night: Kinzy Kane graphic.
MVP of the Night: Has to be Tsukiko Mizuno after that monumental Soul Survivor win.
Overall, I think this was a great go home to Revival. It had some exciting matches, some meaty promos and plenty of story progression to come to a climax at Revival.
Thanks Taker_2004 for the banner!
Cold Open/Sery buys the "other" 4CW: Well, this was unexpected, yet rather fun! I'm glad you explained what the hell was going on Rhys, because for me, it was a tad jarring in a way. Cool, but jarring. Still an effective and different way to open the show and I did enjoy it, even with a complete and total lack of context!
S&M vs Phoenix & Moxie: Fun little match. I'll be honest, if this was the match you rushed, it didn't really feel like it. It flowed well, had some good spots and some good story. I foresee Phoenix and Moxie getting into it pretty hard, pretty soon!
Paige/Supreme segment: I enjoyed this segment, Paige feeling supremely confident (yeah I did that on purpose!) and Supreme doing his best to burst her bubble. Should be a damn good match, but I have to ask if Supreme is actually up to it! Paige is on a good run and I can't see her losing that momentum just yet! If anything, she just looked like she was enjoying herself and Supreme just seemed like a petulant child. I look forward to this match with great anticipation!
Hardcore Title, Dark Lotus (c) vs Nik Waverly: I mean, the way things are, Tommy copuld probably beat all six of these loons so having them come up against Dark Lotus, well, it was a forgone conclusion as far as I'm concerned! The end bit was fun and has set itself up for a fun bit in Revival. I wonder if the Supergroup will survive at all...
Carstein/Inferno segment: Well, how's this for history in action! I used to read some of the Carstein stuff well back in the day, it may even have been pre Lords of Salem! Anyway, it's great to see this team back home. This segment had a really goof feel to it, really kept the mysticism high and sucked me right in to the narrative. Great read.
Valentine/MagneZ/Kim/Sery segment: This was pure Valentine! Dodgy little bugger, always trying to get an advantage over his foes, and this time, that looks to have backfired! Even the presence of his minions can't save him from the whims of the boss! And on those minions, I gota admit, MagneZ is a new on for me! And I'm glad a bit of his history was laid out for us.
Soul Survivor Round 4, Total Elimination match: AAaaahhhh, Cain finally getting what he deserves, and having that bloody smirk wiped off his face! And I gotta admit, I'm particulary happy to have been the one to wipe that smirk all over the matt! I'm also happy that Kira got the pin on Bonham. Apart from the end, that was a nice bit of revenge on the part of Silent Sorcery for what happened the previous week. All in all, a damn good match. Now we prepare to the finals, and I'm just wondering how Cain is gonna mess this one up!
Lords of Salem vs Kim/MagneZ: Ouch, this one was a gruelling one for LoS! Inferno especially didn't come out of this well! I actually quite liked the fact that Valentine essentially used the Freebird rule to sub himself out of this match, but was still able to haunt it very successfully! A whole load of dick moves from him, along with some decent team work from his cronies and Inferno and Carstein were given a very hard hill to climb! But then, climb it they did. And what a stip for Revival, this is gonna be fun!
Match of the Night: I'm gonna go with the Soul Survivor match, but then, I am a tad biased!
Graphic/Video of the night: Honestly, very little to choose from here... But I think I'll go for Vince McMahon with Brian Kendrick's face badly photoshopped over his!
MVP of the Night: This is actually pretty hard for me... Kiko did well, but for an over all impact on the show, I actually think I'm gonna give this to Jack Valentine!
4CW Hall of Fame Class of 2018. Triple Crown Champion 2020. 2 times Universal, 2 times Tag team and 1 Time World Heavyweight Champion.
Wrestler of the Year 2017, Champion of the Year 2017, Most Improved 2017
Cold Open/Sery buys the "other" 4CW:
Had a feeling it had to do with those tool bags who stole our graphics lol I did like the reference to McMahon buying WCW.
S&M vs Phoenix & Moxie:
“And you know how I love hot tension between hot women!”
This comment and the commentary that followed. LOL
Nice match to start off the evening, I like the commentary on Phoenix and Moxie and everything leading up to this point. As good as those two are, it was nice to see the team that had been tagging for quite some time get the win. Saying that, the whole Moxie not tagging Phoenix in was great. I did expect it, but I should have lol.
I apologize if I don’t remember if there is anything going on between McGroin and Phoenix, it’s been a while but I didn’t think there was. Either way it was a nice little brawl that led to the announcement of the lightning in a bottle contestants and therefore was somewhat foreshadowing. This match is one of the ones I’m most curious to see the winner. As I somehow managed to get screwed as the universal champion, if I still have the world title, this could mean trouble lol
Hot start to the show!
Paige/Supreme segment:
This was awesome. Like top notch.
“This is met with the kind of smirk that looks like it could give way to a snarl at any moment”
Don’t get mad when Valentine uses something very similar down the line. Please lol
“Supreme: Psssh. Scharff? Yeah, you went a half hour with a guy who retired five minutes later!”
Disrespectful but I literally laughed out loud at work lol.
Don’t get many of these Ironman matches anymore and it’s great to see for Revival. I can’t think of two better competitors for this. Title is on the line. HOFer vs HOFer. 30 mins which makes more sense then an hour. Awesome stuff and made me look forward to this match even more.
Hardcore Title, Dark Lotus (c) vs Nik Waverly:
Firstly, I apologize for not reviewing the show that it happened on, but Glock Nine changing into this new Dark Lotus is such a breath of fresh air and exactly what the character needed. Getting that Hardcore title and actually defending it is a gimmick within itself. Pumping the brakes with all the title swapping. I like what I’ve seen so far. Keep it up!
Now for the match! I’d say I was on board with about 90-95% of this. I truly loved the idea. We got a mix of Taker with the Ministry of Darkness and Bray Wyatt. I like the “swamp people” as well. Just seemed like when the lights went out, did I read that the Super Group and the mud and all completely disappeared? It felt like they got backstage awfully quick. Maybe I missed something, it’s nitpicking anyway. I really like what is going on here. Just no magic tricks lol I seriously look forward to the growth of this character and…….stable??? Nice job!
Carstein/Inferno segment:
This was an easy visual for me, knowing them both pretty well now. The location set the scene and aided their gimmicks, which they both already have done pretty well. Nice job acknowledging/recapping what’s happened and what’s going to happen. Short and sweet. Nice!
Valentine/MagneZ/Kim/Sery segment:
Wrote it!
Soul Survivor Round 4, Total Elimination match:
I did not expect that from Cain and Bonham AT ALL! I thought they’d sleaze right into the finals. But wow. Cain’s elimination felt like everyone teaming up at the rumble to eliminate a big guy, but this was a combined dislike for the guy and his antics. What a way to go lol
This match was PPV quality. Everyone for the most part got their time in and I like that evolved into the later stages of an elimination triple threat. I honestly had no clue how it was going to end. Everyone honestly seemed deserving enough. I thought Run n Gun had this, especially considering how long they both lasted, but I also like that it was a roll up victory too. Great match, looking forward to the stipulation.
Lords of Salem vs Kim/MagneZ:
This was beautiful. I really enjoy when other writers write my character, I like seeing their interpretation of him. And to see that we all are basically on the same page is fantastic. And on top of that, I like the creativity. Valentine weaseling out of the match, but basically being a third man was classic Valentine. Interesting to see a lot of talk from the official. Not sure I’ve seen that before.
This played out better then I had hoped and with three other strong matches on the card, I’m glad this was very much main event worthy. Really ramped up this feud in very little time!
Match of the Night:
Soul Survivor Round 4, Total Elimination match
PPV quality with a surprise in Rhys and Bonham being eliminated and solid a finish
Graphic/Video of the night:
I like the doctored Revival Poster, but I’ll go with Kinzy Kane intro. Those kinds of promos makes the fed just seem more involved and real honestly.
MVP of the Night:
Tsukiko Mizuno......huge win with the odds stacked!
Former 4CW Champion
4CW Hall of Fame Class of 2019
4CW 2019: Champion/Wrestler/Moment
Note: This is a super late review, I know. RevivalWorld review is also in progress.
4CW Storm Front (March 2020 edition) review
Cold Open/Sery buys the "other" 4CW
- Fun bit of meta humour to start the show.
- "A ear-to-ear Grinch grin erupts on Sery's face." This is the exact right descriptive text for both the WWE moment and this homage.
S&M vs Phoenix & Moxie
- I like the awkward exchange on commentary right before this match.
- Good use of two wrasslin' tropes here: 1) Two rivals forced to team together ahead of a PPV clash, and 2) The classic heel refuses to tag moment.
- We also get a successful tag team who'll be in an every-person-for-themself type of match. It's all pretty straight-forward, but it works fine as simple build for a tournament match.
- ... And a little post-match brawl featuring every prospective tourney participant. Again, it's simple but it works just fine here.
Paige/Supreme segment
- Wrote it. I like the Supreme character, was fun writing an exchange between him and Paige.
Hardcore Title, Dark Lotus (c) vs Nik Waverly
- I don't think I commented on this repackaged character at all yet, so yeah. It's a pretty drastic, thorough gimmick change indeed. Definitely has Wyatt Family vibes, what with the whole backwoods voodoo look and feel. Theme song is cool, trippy anonymous pseudo-faction element is cool. Not much to say on the match, it's a basic squash match with a little Brood-esque moment in it and a Ministry-esque moment after it. I guess I'll see where this goes at RevivalWorld.
Valentine/MagneZ/Kim/Sery segment
- "Hop on your computer and log into Fandom, search for 4CW, and BOOM! You’ll have hours and hours of 4CW history at your fingertips." Heavy-handed plugs are tight!
- Valentine having cronies just works. Nice to see him at his dickiest here. Yes, "dickiest"... who cares if it's not a real world, it fits!
- Sery's really got his work cut out for him lately, with the likes of Cain and Valentine causing all manner of trouble.
- Some good setup here for the tag match / eventual stip decision.
- Solid seg, but that goes without saying for any seg that ends with Valentine throwing a tantrum!
Carstein/Inferno segment
- The setting and the way this seg is introduced kinda takes me back to my old RPs
- I'm not overly familiar with Inferno's history in 4CW, but I am superficially familiar with The Lords of Salem and know they were a strong force in the tag scene at some point, and are now reunited.
- Aaand just as I say that, these two guys throw a little history out there for uninitiated readers like myself, heh.
- The synchronicity between Carstein and Inferno is pretty apparent here. I look forward to seeing them in action later.
Soul Survivor Round 4, Total Elimination match
- Seeing my little dynamic duo get back into the SS tourney was a cool moment.
- Early Dragon Rage was a fun outta-nowhere spot.
- Pretty chaotic action overall.
- Group effort to eliminate Cain and Bonham was pretty entertaining and satisfying for the story being told, I quite liked this bit.
- Some frantic eliminations thereafter, with Tsukiko's resiliency and resourcefulness carrying her through to a surprising last pinfall. Kinda reminded me of when she was left 1 vs 1 against White in the 2017 War match. Wow, we've done a lot here in 4CW since then!
Lords of Salem vs Kim/MagneZ
- Vintage Carstein-affiliated Marie Dubois attire is back, that's pretty cool. (She may have worn same or similar prior to this show but if so, I didn't notice it.)
- I like the aggression and competitiveness in this match. Always fun seeing Valentine play the opportunist, too.
- "Hey zebra shirt!" ... yes!
- "Roberts: Just thought the audience watching at home would be interested. / Jeffrey: Well I ain’t, so they can’t be either." ... never change, Ray. Never change.
- I dunno if it was on purpose, but I like that Mike Kim gets caught bending the rules while Valentine gets off scot-free with a brutal form of cheating. To me, it's a neat little thing that shows how experienced Valentine is at heeling it up.
- But the double-team rule-bending *does* work! Actually, overall, there's real solid tag wrestling going on in this one.
- "Valentine: C’mon, tear his leg off!" ... again, Mad Dog gotta Mad Dog,
- "Jeffrey: Well this won’t work, Kim hasn’t got singlet straps to take off." ... yes. Love that bit of meta humour.
- I like the Guerrero-esque shenanigans on the outside.
- This match is a bit too "conversational" for my liking. When it comes to the big confrontation though, I get it.
- Eyyy Renfield! Another name I know from back in the day. Plus, y'know.. Dracula's thrall. Anyway, decent run-in finish.
- And the Hard Knocks Life stipulation for RevivalWorld, which is a match I've not yet read at the time I write this. Looking forward to it.
Match of the Night
- Tag team Soul Survivor semi-finals match.
Graphic/Video of the night
- RevivalWorld.
MVP of the Night
- Carstein + Inferno.
~☆~☆~Pronouns: she/her/hers~☆~☆~
~☆~☆~4CW Grand Slam Champ~☆~☆~
NOTE: If parts of this show suck, it's because I rushed them. Work life is crazy, and personal life is pretty crazy too. Nothing bad, just very busy. So I took some shortcuts here so we can get to Revival sometime this year. Anything that was shortened, it was simply because you were the last thing I got to. Not a slight on any of you.
Sery appears on the titantron. He is standing in front of a caged backdrop, looking as smug as anything. He looks around in faux-awe, and then turns to the camera.
Sery: Imagine that. Me, Sery. Imagine that! Here I am, on 4CW television. You may all think that's pretty normal, but this isn't *our* 4CW. This is the other 4CW. The one we pretend doesn't exist, remember? Here I am, on the *other* 4CW television... how can that happen?
He grimaces, then smirks.
Sery: Well, there's only one way... you see, it was just a matter of time before I, Sery, bought my competition! That's right! I OWN 4CW. Undisputed! So therefore, in it's final broadcast tonight, I have the opportunity to address *you*, the *other* 4CW fans. What is the fate of 4CW? Well, tonight in this special simulcast, you will all find out... because the fate...
Sery cups his hands as the camera zooms in...
Sery: The very fate of 4CW is in... my hands!
A ear-to-ear Grinch grin erupts on Sery's face. The camera fades to commercial. But there's a small delay and the microphone on Sery's jacket is still on.
Crew Member: *muffled* What are we going to do with the other 4CW?
Sery: Literally nothing. They will never be mentioned again... and yet, they will constantly be mentioned. It's genius!
We finally fade to commercial.
4CW Presents... Storm Front
March 29, 2020
Live from 4CW Fight Island
**PYRO**
**PYRO**
**PYRO**
Phoenix: Welcome to 4CW Storm Front! This is the go-home show to Revival, the greatest show of the year! I'm Scott Phoenix, joined as ever by my broadcast partners Ray Jeffrey and James Roberts! Guys, there's so much on for tonight's show!
Roberts: You've got that right! We have the semi final of the 2020 Soul Survivor tournament tonight! Three tag teams battle it out for the final spots at Revival!
Jeffrey: But that is just the tip of the iceberg! We also have S&M vs Madeline Phoenix & Erica Moxie in tag team competition! Moxie and Phoenix are pretty much mortal enemies at this point, but are being forced to team up due to the nature of this tag match which involves every confirmed participant of this year's Lightning in the Bottle match! And you know how I love hot tension between hot women!
Phoenix: Ahem - that's my daughter, Ray.
Jeffrey: I, uh - meant hot as in on fire and on a roll, Scott, get your head out of the gutter!
Phoenix: Uh huh... and also tonight, we will hear from Sery in regard to the full list of competitors for Lightning in the Bottle, as well as hearing from both Carstein and Inferno, in regards to Jack Valentine's heinous actions!
Roberts: We also know that Dark Lotus will make his first Hardcore Championship defence tonight!
Phoenix: And you will only see all this and more here on Storm Front, LIVE from 4CW Fight Island!
Carson: The following contest is a Lightning in the Bottle preview TAG TEAM match scheduled for one fall!
"Head Like A Hole" by Miley Cyrus hits the PA system. The humongous Marquis the Moose steps out through the curtain. He is being led by Dirk Meyer, as Senecca rides on top of the mammal.
Carson: Introducing first, from Valhalla, New York, being accompanied to the ring by MARQUIS THE MOOSE, weighing in at a combined weight of 570lbs, SENECCA ... DIRK MEYER .... S AAAAAAND M!!
The fans clap S&M as they make their way down the ramp (though they seem to be enamoured with Marquis the Moose more than the two wrestlers).
Phoenix: This tag team match will feature four competitors in the Lightning in the Bottle match at Revival! S&M recently were eliminated from the Soul Survivor tournament, but if either of them won the Lightning in the Bottle at Revival, they could get a tag team title match any time they want!
Jeffrey: Or whichever one of them won could open that bottle for a singles title shot at any time!
Roberts: One thing is for sure though - in this preview tag match - they have the advantage! Their opponents tonight are two individuals who have a long and storied, brutal history. It's safe to say they do not like each other.
Marquis the Moose is led off by some handlers as Senecca and Dirk Meyer enter the ring. They go the corners and pose for the fans, before turning and facing the stage to wait for their opponents.
"Break and Dominate" by The Charm The Fury hits the PA system. Erica Moxie bursts out from the curtain and marches down the steps and the ramp.
Carson: And their opponents, first, representing The Black Flame, from Omaha, Nebraska, weighing in at 147lbs, ERICAAAAAA .... MOXIEEEE!!!
Moxie reaches the bottom of the ramp and starts pacing back and forth, waiting for her partner to arrive but not taking her eyes off her opponents in the ring.
"Phoenix (Volkor X Remix)" by Scandroid hits the PA system. The small crowd become unglued for their hero of this match as she steps out on to the stage, complemented by dimmed lighting and dancing red spotlights. The spotlights encircle her, then give way to just one, which centres itself over Phoenix herself.
Carson: And her partner, from Nara, Japan, weighing in at 125lbs... MADELIIIIIINE ... PHOEEEEEEEEENIX!!
Phoenix: I know my daughter absolutely hates Erica Moxie - and Moxie feels the same about Madeline - but they both are willing to put aside their pride aside for the sake of a victory, as each of them do not want a loss on their records tonight against S&M.
Jeffrey: Of course! Lightning in the Bottle is at Revival and this is the final stop - you want to go into that match with ALL the momentum, to stand the best chance of surviving long enough to win it!
Roberts: But look - they can't even stand to look at each other. They are just ignoring each other, interacting as little as they need to. But how long will they last with that tactic? S&M are essentially life-long friends, who know each other better than they know themselves. They will have a clear advantage here.
Phoenix and Moxie arrive in the opposite corner to S&M. Moxie decides she's starting the match, and Phoenix doesn't protest. On the other side of the ring, Meyer takes his place as the legal competitor. The referee, Anna Molly, calls for the bell.
The opening exchanges in this match between Meyer and Moxie are frenetically paced and savagely brutal. Meyer attempts a technical start to the match, with a side headlock, but after being pummelled with several strikes and elbows, reverses Moxie's momentum with a flurry of knife edge chops and a spinning back elbow, which rocks Moxie down to her knees. Meyer goes behind Moxie and digs his knee into her back, locking her into a sitting full nelson. She writhes around, knowing staying too long in such a position would be perilously bad for her, and manages to break free and get back on her feet. Moxie reverses a Meyer charge, then stands in front of the referee. Meyer tries to get to her and she pulls the ref in and while his view is obstructed, sticks a thumb in the eye of Meyer!!
Meyer falls away and the referee scolds Moxie for putting her hands on him, but she's not listening. She picks up Meyer and takes him out with a suplex! Keeping hold of Meyer, she lifts him up and hits a second suplex! On the third suplex, she spins down and hits Meyer with a brainbuster variation and hooks the leg! ONE ... TWO ... TH---NO! Meyer kicks out! Phoenix yells at Moxie to tag her in, and Moxie seems like she is going to, but pulls her hand away at the last moment laughing. Phoenix and Moxie start getting into it, shouting at each other, when suddenly, Meyer rolls up Moxie from behind! ONE ... TWO ... Moxie kicks out!
Moxie is quick to her feet and tries to clothesline Meyer, but Meyer ducks and rolls through. Moxie turns on the spot and charges after him again, but Meyer sidesteps her. Moxie's momentum carries her all the way and she inadvertantly knocks Phoenix off the apron to the ringside area! In the distraction, Moxie doesn't notice Meyer stumbling over and TAGGING Senecca! Moxie spins around in an attempt to catch up, but Senecca charges into the ring and takes her out with a BRUTAL Big Boot to the face! Moxie goes down and eats a BIG SPLASH! Senecca quickly grabs Moxie and lifts her on his shoulders with ease, before hitting the DARK PLUNGE! He hooks Moxie's leg! ONE ... TWO .... THREE!!
Carson: Here are your winners, SENECCA ... and DIRK MEYER!!
Win-Loss Records:
Senecca 1-2
Dirk Meyer 1-2
Erica Moxie 0-2
Madeline Phoenix 0-2
Phoenix: Well, it's a solid victory for S&M - but Moxie's selfishness cost her and Madeline! Phoenix didn't even get a chance to tag in, and then Moxie knocked her off the apron!
Jeffrey: I guess we had more faith in them to put their pride aside for a victory - apparently, not!
Roberts: And look - Madeline is not happy!
S&M have already left the ring, celebrating their victory up the ramp! Madeline Phoenix rolls into the ring as Erica Moxie stumbles to her feet. They start arguing in the middle of the ring, and Moxie slaps Phoenix across the face! Madeline Phoenix takes down Moxie with a Lou Thesz Press and the two start brawling on the mat!
Phil McGroin suddenly runs down the ramp with a steel chair in hand! He runs past S&M and slides into the ring! McGroin swings the steel chair right across the back of Madeline Phoenix!
Phoenix: Oh, come on! What the hell is McGroin getting involved for?
S&M debate whether to get involved, and inch towards the ring, when "Inked in Blood" by Sigh hits the PA system! To a pop from the crowd, Witch Hazel sprints right past S&M and down into the ring!
Roberts: HERE COMES HAZEL!!
McGroin swings the chair but Hazel ducks. She runs to the ropes and comes back with a slingblade that takes down McGroin and sends the chair flying. She picks up Phoenix and together the two each take Moxie and McGroin out of the ring with a clothesline! Phoenix's music hits. S&M watch from the ramp, seemingly entertained by all the action.
Phoenix: And I have some breaking news! As per GM Sery, the full list of participants in the Lightning in the Bottle match at Revival are as follows: Senecca, Dirk Meyer, Madeline Phoenix, Erica Moxie, Phil McGroin and Witch Hazel!
Jeffrey: That's a hell of a line up!
Roberts: Only one of them can retrieve the Lightning in the Bottle - and it will happen at the biggest show of the year, Revival!
Back from ads, a casually-dressed Pilgrim Paige is standing in the middle of the ring with Gabriel Crowe at her side and the Universal Championship belt slung over one shoulder.
Roberts: Take it away, Gabriel!
Crowe clears his throat, turns to his interviewee and raises his mic to his lips.
Crowe: Paige, your name has been on the lips and fingertips of the 4CW universe since the dawn of this new year. In the span of just a few short months, you've earned yourself the Universal Championship, won the honour of being a Triple Crown Champion and received news that you'll be inducted into the 4CW Hall of Fame at Revival XIV! Now of course, your reduced social media presence during these trying times is understandable—many people are doing so, including myself.
At the commentary desk, Ray Jeffrey looses a mighty guffaw.
Jeffrey: Ha! As if Crowe has any followers to miss him.
Roberts: I follow him on Instagram, he's quite the baker and he shares a lot of great recip—
Jeffrey: You don't count, Roberts! I mean actual people!
Crowe continues...
Crowe: So Paige, the fans wanna hear straight from the horse's mouth. My only question tonight is: Will you share some of your thoughts with the 4CW Universe?
The crowd buzzes at this prospect. Paige look out over the modest waves of fans, nodding as she vibes on the energy. She then raises her own mic, throws her head back and kicks things off in characteristic fashion.
Paige: WOOOOOOOOO!!!
The inherently modest mimicking of this call manages to sound impressively full nonetheless. Paige turns back to Gabriel, then alternates between addressing him and the fans.
Paige: You hear that, Gabriel? Honestly, that right there is more than enough to pump me up and keep me pushing to be the best competitor I can be. That's fuel for the fire in my belly; the milestones are the fire irons, breathing extra life into the hearth. Without the fuel, there's no fire to stoke. All these people in attendance right now, all the people watching from home? They all either love me or hate me—there's no lukewarm takes on the Lunar Pilgrim! Simply put, the 4CW Universe, in and of itself, is the first and foremost reason that milestones have meaning. You could earn all the accolades a fed has to offer and it wouldn't mean shit if no one gave a damn either way.
This is met with some cheers and applause.
Jeffrey: Damn right!
Phoenix: I've gotta say, Paige set on a path of personal and professional growth when she came back in the summer of 2018, and she's only grown more and more since her World Championship run ended.
The Universal Champion confidently strolls around the ring, getting into her element.
Paige: In just 4 short years, I've found myself prepping for a Hall of Fame induction. The way I figure it—
"Good Times" by Finger Eleven hits the speakers to a chorus of boos.
Roberts: Oh, here we go!
The crowd noise only rises when Supreme appears on the stage and makes his way down to the ring. Upon entering, he walks up to Crowe and gestures for his mic; Gabriel apparently takes a moment too long for Supreme, who snatches it away and gets up in Paige's face. A short stare-down ensues, then abruptly ends when Supreme laughs in Paige's face and calmly backs off.
Supreme takes a second to to address Gabriel Crowe, gesturing at him dismissively without so much as a glance in his direction; instead, he keeps his eyes on Paige.
Supreme: Go away.
Gabriel goes away.
Roberts: What a dick!
Jeffrey: Get within arm's reach and tell him that, James, ya little badass...
The former Universal champion locks eyes with the current holder of that title.
Supreme: Intense one, aren't you? It's in the voice, the eyes, the competitive drive. And accordingly, what a beautiful, spirited speech that just was. Nearly brought a tear to my eye, and yet... why am I still. So. Un-im-PRESSED BY YOU?
Paige has an immediate response for this.
Paige: Because I'm not your reflection. Try again, Narcissus.
This is met with the kind of smirk that looks like it could give way to a snarl at any moment.
Paige: Seriously, though. I'm surprised to see you here at all. Figured you were still back at the resort, nursing that wounded ego of yours.
A collective "ooh" ripples through the air.
Roberts: You can feel the atmosphere changing here!
Jeffrey: I know Paige is tough and all, but I don't think it's wise to poke the bear like that!
A long, tense moment passes and then... Supreme is all smiles: snakelike, self-assured smiles.
Supreme: Very funny stuff.
The Universal champion offers up a grin of her own.
Paige: I have my moments.
All at once, Supreme is right back up in her face.
Supreme: And THAT is why I'm not impressed by you, Paige. You have... moments. Four years' worth of fleeting... little... moments.
The crowd bristles at this; 4CW's original egotist, of course, revels in it. Paige, meanwhile, is utterly unfazed. In fact, if anything, she looks to be perfectly content with listening to Supreme rambling on—for the time being. She steps away and takes up a corner, gesturing for Supreme to go on.
Supreme: The problem with you is that you talk the talk... but from where I stand, it looks to me like you're only willing to walk to where you can take some foolish risk.. or steal away into the fog! I remember your biggest moments, just as all these little charisma sponges do: Diving from the rafters; dumping Sery off a steel cage; tumbling out of the ring, stuck tight to old Wolfbaine like a parasite... what I don't remember is Pilgrim Paige going the distance.
A large number of fans bite into him for this.
Jeffrey: Okay, well that's just way off base!
Phoenix: No kidding! She's been in the driver's seat with her foot on the gas for the whole of many classic matches.
Paige audibly laughs, despite having her microphone resting against her thigh. With a shake of her head and a look of bewilderment, she raises the mic again.
Paige: Damn! You might wanna have that head of yours checked, Supes. You've clearly gone mad watching your own matches back on a loop. Only reason I watch my own matches back is for scouting and for confirming I'm not being bullshitted when people tell me I just did 20-30 minutes or more with the likes of Freight Train, Hazel, Wolfbaine... the list goes on. Hell, it's not even one full year since I did a half hour in 3 Stages of Hell with Jacob freaking Scharff!
This namedrop yields a big pop. Supreme, however, is laughing derisively.
Supreme: Psssh. Scharff? Yeah, you went a half hour with a guy who retired five minutes later!
Phoenix: Major disrespect to a fellow Hall of Famer and to Paige right there!
Paige's face tells us that she's officially bored of this.
Paige: Just get to the damn challenge already.
Supreme: Ha! It's like this, sis: As far as I'm concerned, for as long as you go on without having gone the distance with me in this ring, you haven't gone anywhere! You're inertia incarnate. Let's see you move, Pilgrim!
Supreme practically spits the last word more than speaks it. Paige approaches the ex-Uni champ, who just waggles his finger in response.
Supreme: Uh-uh-uh! Not here. Not now... and you know why.
Paige smirks and throws a curt nod at her verbal opponent.
Supreme: That's right. You know exactly what I want.
Paige: Thirty, yeah?
Supreme: Thirty.
Billy Talent's "Red Flag" beats away on the speakers, a harbinger of the general manager's presence. Soon, Sery appears on the stage to a huge pop. Ordinarily, Sery would soak this in, but he seems momentarily distracted by the elaborate set pieces surrounding him; a set which is shown off all the more by the indigo sky encircling the island, serving as a fine backdrop to it all. Idly, he murmurs into the mic.
Sery: Man, I love this place...
Shaking his head to snap out of his late evening reverie, the 4CW GM clears his throat and addresses the matter at hand.
Sery: Right! So I just got wind of what was going down out here and frankly, I feel we shouldn't waste any time on making it official: Paige; Supreme... you're on! Yes indeed folks, at Revival XIV we will see the Golden Pilgrim go toe-to-toe against Supreme in a 30-minute Ironman Match!!!
Jeffrey: Oh yeah, baby!
Phoenix: That's gonna be one hell of a contest, mark my words!
The fans are all for this announcement. Supreme is grinning from ear to ear, off in his own, while Paige turns attention to pumping up the crowd for what's to come in June.
Sery: Then we can see both these great competitors truly go the distance against one another! And come that time, it'll be Hall of Famer vs Hall of Famer! Who's gonna come out of this undoubtedly gruelling contest? You'll have to tune in to Revival to find out!
"Red Flag" takes over the PA system once more, and Sery returns to the backstage area.
---
A fog fills the stage area and down the blue, steel steps. The lights remain out several seconds after the video concludes. Then a dim, forest green light slowly begins to light the stage up. "Spider on the Wall" by Magnolia Bayou with its signature opening guitar riff begin to blare through the arena. The Hardcore Champion steps out on to the stage, with the title over his shoulder. Ol' Smokey walks down the ramp with the champion.
Carson: Ladies and gentlemen, making his way to the ring, accompanied by Ol' Smokey... From Devil's Back Bone, Louisiana, weighing in at 275lbs... DAAAARK ... LOOOOOTUS!!
A green light shines behind the Dark Lotus and Ol' Smokey. In the distance, we see a small group of very unkempt Swamp Folk with voodoo-like white powder on their faces. They begin to lurch to the ringside area, almost in a daze. The fans react to those horrible odour coming from them, covering their noses and fanning the air with their hands. Ol' Smokey waits at the ring steps and allows Dark Lotus to enter the ring. Lotus removes his ghillie suit.
"Superstar" by Lupe Fiasco hits the PA system. All six members of The Supergroup come out and appear on stage but there is one man leading the pack; Nik Waverly. He has a mic in hand.
Waverly: Lotus, bro... can I call you Lotus? You gotta understand the only reason you beat me last week bro, is because you caught me by surprise. I mean, it's a hell of a makeover. Not crazy on the new look bro, but I respect your creative freedom. Not sure why you brought some bums from the streets -
Waverly pointed at The Swamp People.
Waverly: But I'm here for my rematch... and since this is a Hardcore match, I'm not even breaking any rules by having The Supergroup do this!
Suddenly, each member of The Supergroup invades the ramp and ringside area, attacking The Swamp People. Almost immediately, the lights go out. When the lights come back on, The Supergroup are found scuttled on the top of the ramp, cowering. They realise from the laughs from the crowd what happened and try to recover their composure.
Inside the ring, Dark Lotus lifts his arm up in the air and clenches his fist. Suddenly, an assortment of dead moths, live worms and cockroaches, and other bugs... as well a whole heap of mud lands on top of the entire Supergroup, sans Waverly, who rolls out of the way just in time. He does get a worm in the hair and flicks it off. The rest of The Supergroup freak out at the bugs all over them and run to the back, slapping their own heads and shaking away what they can.
Nik Waverly runs down to the ringside area, grabs an empty chair from ringside and rolls into the ring. He stands up and eats a BIG BOOT, the chair smashing him in his own face. Dark Lotus covers! ONE ... TWO ... THREE!!
Carson: Here is your winner and STILL 4CW Hardcore Champion... DAAAAARK ... LOTUS!!
Win-Loss Records:
Dark Lotus 2-0
Nik Waverly 1-2
Dark Lotus is handed his belt by Ol' Smokey. Lotus raises it up for everyone to see.
Phoenix: Well that was quick!
Jeffrey: I'll tell you what, remind me to never get on Dark Lotus' bad side... I hate bugs.
Roberts: Nik Waverly with... well, I can't say a valiant effort, but he did at least make an attempt at ... something.... and what's this, now -
Inside the ring, it seems Dark Lotus isn't finished with Nik Waverly. He slides him out of the ring with his foot. Lotus then looks over to the Swamp People and clicks his fingers. Immediately, the Swamp People surround Waverly. They lift him up in their arms so they are carrying him above them like some kind of sacrifice. They head around the side of the arena, taking Waverly with them. The lights go out as "Spider on the Wall" by Magnolia Bayou hits the PA system. When the lights come back up, every trace of The Swamp People, Ol' Smokey and Dark Lotus are gone. Even the remains of the bugs and mud on the stage are completely gone.
Phoenix: Wait - did they just... take Nik Waverly?
Jeffrey: Sure as hell looked like it - and they're gone, everyone is gone.
Suddenly, the titantron flickers on. It showed a simple black screen with a scrawled message in white ink.
We reside in the swamp.
Come and play.
Phoenix: It seems Dark Lotus has a message for The Supergroup - if you want Waverly back, come and get him!
Roberts: Yeah, but come on - it's The Supergroup! They aren't gonna do that! Not even they are stupid enough to - actually, never mind.
The camera cuts backstage where The Supergroup are now doused in water with towels around their necks. Rane, who is of course deathly terrified of water, is still pulling worms out of her long, clumped-with-mud hair. Gabriel Crowe appears with a microphone.
Crowe: Supergroup, if I could just get a quick word?
Justice: What is it, Crowe, bro? Can't you see we - huh... Crowe bro... that rhymes... Can't you see we're kinda busy here?
Crowe: I know but - after Dark Lotus' message to you to come to the swamp and find Waverly, what is your response?
Justice frowns.
Justice: Bro, did you eat some brownies? I mean, respect but - what the hell are you talking about?
Crowe: Uh - The Swamp People, they took Nik Waverly and vanished.
Justice and the rest of The Supergroup start suddenly exclaiming in confusion and outrage.
Justice: BRO - WHAT?! What - ? Bro... bro.... what? BRO??
Starr: Come on, bro! Get it together! We got a swamp to search!
Rock: One problem - I doubt we'll get there by the end of the show, bro.
Justice: No, no - Rock, you're right... we probably wouldn't get to the Swamp til say...
Myback: RevivalWorld?
Justice: Yeah... yeeeah, that sounds about right! At Revival, we're going to visit The Swamp People - and Nik, we're coming to get you, bro!
The Supergroup leave, high fiving, fist bumping and talking plans for the Swamp Search.
Jeffrey: They realise Revival is ... like a month away, right?
Roberts: I - ugh, who cares at this point?
---
“Supernova Goes Pop” by Powerman 5000 hits. And after a few moments two “men in black” with bald heads and goatees come walking out, led by an old time 4CW familiar face.
Phoenix: That’s not Jack Valentine! That’s….
Roberts: Oh boy, here we go again.
Jeffrey: Come on Scott, use that 4CW encyclopedia I bought you for Christmas. And for those of you at home, if you want to beat us to the answer! Hop on your computer and log into Fandom, search for 4CW, and BOOM! You’ll have hours and hours of 4CW history at your fingertips.
Phoenix: MagneZ! That’s Julian MagneZ! From 2010-2011, he was hot after Rhys Cain’s Custom Cup championship!
Roberts: I take it he was unsuccessful. But what’s he doing here now?
The three men “secure” the stage and then MagneZ whistles. Another few moments later and out walks Jack Valentine in full wrestling attire with his World Championship belt, wrapped around his waist.
Phoenix: Valentine looks ready to fight!
Roberts: After what he did to Inferno, he should be. Suddenly, all this makes sense. Valentine knows he’s a marked man!
Mike Kim can now also be seen on stage and he’s got a clipboard with papers in hand. Valentine looks around and then motions for everyone to head to the ring. The five men march down to the ring with Valentine sporting a concerned and almost angry look. He rolls right into the ring and with one fluid motion, detaches his belt from his waist, and with the same hand, grabs it and pulls it around in front and lifts it up high for all to see. Everyone else gets into the and Valentine hands MagneZ the title and he puts it on his shoulder. Valentine, MagneZ, and Kim all face the stage, while the two men in black, stand behind them and watch the outside of the ring. One of them demands a microphone and is given one. He immediately hands it over to Valentine.
Jeffrey: I’d say that ring is nice and secure.
The music finally cuts and Valentine wastes no time.
Valentine: As you all know. On the last Storm Front, besides your 4CW Champion making an example out of an old rival. And my man Mike Kim right here, embarrassing Carstein after he introduced his fake title. There was one very important detail that was missed.
Roberts: Uh…….yeah.
Mike Kim holds up the clipboard for all to see behind Valentine. The 4CW Champion points with his thumb over his back shoulder at the clipboard, as if it were planned.
Valentine: Now sending a message took priority. Message sent. Revival inches closer and closer. It’s time to settle important details for my match with Carstein. Now I’ve had my lawyers review this contract in its entirety. This contract simply states that I am to defend my title in a match with Carstein at Revival. It is at this time, that I would like to enact my Champion’s Prerogative and choose the stipulation of my choosing. What about Carstein, the challenger’s, prerogative you might ask?
Phoenix: Quite frankly, I haven’t heard of either.
Roberts: Ditto, Scott.
Jeffrey: Champion’s Prerogative is a serious issue that needs to be taken seriously. A challenger’s prerogative on the other hand? Simple does not exist! He’s lucky to be in the match for the championship at all!
Valentine: Does…..Not…..Matter! And here’s why!
Valentine motions for the camera man to get closer and Kim walks over to make it easier to zoom in. And there we clearly see Carstein’s signature already on the contract.
Valentine: Yeah! Look at that! We already have ourselves half the agreement. So! I will just add my stipulation as well as my John Hancock, and voila! Julian, give me my pen!
???: Alright! Alright that’s enough!
Roberts: I was waiting for this, it’s about time.
Jeffrey: And naturally when a 4CW superstar starts making well deserved demands, the boss just had to come out. Unbelievable.
Phoenix: More like erroneous demands. Let him have it Sery!
Sery comes walking out from behind the curtain with purpose, with microphone in hand. He stops at the top of the ramp and stares down to the ring.
Sery: Champion’s prerogative? What is this? Amateur hour? No such prerogative exists! You will compete in a match of my choosing at Revival and your title will be on the line!
Valentine drops his head and walks over to the ropes facing the ramp and leans onto the top of them.
Valentine: Sery. Mr. GM, sir. I alluded to this a few months ago. You need to do a better job. You need to start showing some Goddamn respect to your champion! To your franchise player! If Rhys Cain has gotten one thing right in that sick head of his, it's that you are not up to snuff! And until you show the respect I deserve, I refuse to sign this piece of trash! Good luck replacing Jack Valentine at Revival!
Sery in turn drops his head, takes a moment and continues with his rebuttal.
Sery: Jack, you are nothing without that title. You know it, I know it, your fellow superstars know, and everyone at home knows it! So you will be defending your title at Revival. Or it will be stripped and handed to Carstein.
Valentine turns around and grabs the clipboard out of Kim’s hand and tosses it out of the ring and it lands near the bottom of the ramp. Sery grins.
Sery: I am not stupid Jack. As much as I would enjoy ripping that title away from you, not having the main event match at the biggest pay per view of the year, would be devastating. And sure, I'm a FUN GUY! I like to entertain the masses, maybe I'm a bit quirky... but don't take me for a fool... So while I still hold all the cards, I will meet you halfway. You and your newly found friend Mike Kim, will be teaming up. And your opponents will be none other than The Lords of Salem themselves! And the winner will determine the match stipulation for your title match at Revival!
Valentine looks on with his jaw flapping wide open as Sery simply turns around and leaves. Valentine begins kicking the bottom rope and then rolls out. He drops his title and picks it up, but he’s too quick and it drops again. He begins to have a small fit, as he kicks the ring apron and then walks over to the steel steps and gives them a real nice solid kick. Valentine immediately regrets this as he starts limping on his bad foot. Julian MagneZ has picked up the belt and holds it out for Valentine, who in turn rips it out of his grasp and everyone makes their way up the ramp.
Phoenix: And how about that folks! Lords of Salem will compete together and the stakes are as high as ever!
Roberts: Valentine overplayed his hand and despite all that security, he will have to face Carstein and Inferno anyway!
Jeffrey: Sery is the worst General Manager 4CW has ever had! He should be on his knees, thanking the Gods that he was gifted Valentine’s return!
---
The 4CWTron comes to life and we see a small clearing in the woods, one of the many small copses dotted about on Fight Island. In the middle of the clearing burns a small fire, the sound of crackles and burning wood filling the clearing, and grey smoke drifting up into the night’s sky like a legion of spirits. Stood behind the fire are Carstein and Inferno, the Lords of Salem. The orange light from the fire dances across their faces from the flickering flames, the many scars from countless battles highlighted by the shifting shadows cast by the flames’ warm glow.
Inferno: Last Stormfront, I was jumped from behind by Jack Valentine. Mad Dog and I go way back. We’ve battled each other across the world, so I thought he’d have had a bit more respect for me. That was my first mistake, making assumptions about an enemy. The second mistake, letting Valentine go this long without giving him a return beat down.
Carstein: Tonight, that beat down will come, whether it’s Valentine or his goons.
Inferno: They drew blood, and now we see blood.
Carstein: They’ve awakened a dragon we long thought gone.
Inferno: They’ve woken the Lords of Salem.
Carstein: Two-time Tag Team Champions together.
Inferno: Both former World Champions.
Carstein: And both the first two-time Hall of Famers.
Inferno: Tonight, we’ll remind you all why we have these accolades.
Carstein: We’ll remind you why the Lords of Salem is one of the most feared tag teams in 4CW history.
Inferno: We’ll remind you of everyone we’ve destroyed, everyone we’ve retired.
Carstein: Tonight, our list of victims will be that bit longer.
The two pause, and the crackling firewood is all we can hear for a few second.
Carstein: Valentine, tonight I’ll show you a preview of what’s in store at Revival.
Carstein pats the old 4CW World Championship belt around his waist.
Carstein: Tonight Valentine, you’ll see why this belongs with me. Tonight you’ll see that you’re just the Pretender Champion.
Carson: The following contest is the semi final of the 2020 Soul Survivor Tournament and it will be... a TOTAL ELIMINATION MATCH! Each member of each team must be eliminated before a team can be eliminated. Eliminations can occur only via pinfall or submission! The first team to be eliminated will be out of the tournament! The winning team will decide the final stipulation of the Soul Survivor Tournament at Revival!
"As I Am" by Dream Theater hits the PA system. The crowd break out in low, howling boos as The Black Flame steps out on to the stage.
Carson: Introducing first, from Swansea, Wales, weighing in at 225lbs ... THE BLACK FLAME.... RHYS CAAAAIN!!
"3s & 7s" by Queens of the Stone Age hits the PA system. Clyde Bonham saunters out to meet his partner on the stage.
Carson: And his partner, from Death Falls, Nevada, weighing in at 231lbs... CLYYYYYDE ... BONHAM!!
The two Hall of Famers come down to the ring with a confident strut.
Phoenix: Well, these two shouldn't even be in this damn match! Cain and Bonham took the last round off, as the doctor couldn't clear Cain! As a result, Silent Sorcery lost their spot in this tournament as well as their cherished tag titles!
Roberts: It's preposterous! There needs to be some accountability here!
Bonham and Cain get into the ring and eagerly await their opponents.
"Taking You Down" by Egypt Central hits the PA system. Two men, one smaller than the other, but with the same focus and intensity in both their eyes, come out on to the stage.
Carson: And their opponents, first, from New York, New York, weighing in at a combined weight of 485lbs... ELFAN SIMTUL .... MAXIMILLIAN YESGILL ... UMBRAAAAAA ... MAXIMAAAA!!
Phoenix: Arguably the most dominant tag team in 4CW history, Umbra Maxima were the winners of the last round. For this round, they have chosen a total elimination stipulation!
Jeffrey: I'm not sure if it's even arguable, Phoenix. I think Umbra Maxima are definitely the most dominant tag team in 4CW history. They've held the tag belts longer than anyone in history! They've beaten almost everyone they have faced. And even if they lost a match or two somewhere along the way, you can be certain they got their win back down the road.
Roberts: Well, they've made it this far - if they survive tonight, they will battle at Revival for the right to call themselves three-time 4CW Tag Champions!
Umbra Maxima take a corner opposite Cain and Bonham. The tension builds as the last team is waited on.
"Thundersteel" by Riot hits the PA system. Lights fade to dark as the intro riff hits. An animated graphic of a Spitfire with a flaming skull design on it's nose flies across the screen, it's engine noise blaring even over the music. It flies up and we see a steam train with a flaming skull at the front of it's boiler stack speeding along the line. The Spitfire begins to fly above it as the train turns to head towards camera. Drums come in as the flaming skull comes into centre screen and the words Run 'n' Gun can be read as Brian White and Tommy Young both hit the stage, making their signature poses With Miss Teri coming to stand seductively between them, hand on hip, looking across the crowd with a half cocked smile on her features.
Linking her arms with both men, she leads them down the ring, Tommy smiling and slapping hands as he goes, Brian resolute and serious, but still slapping a few hands as he goes.
Carson: Next, from Barry, South Wales, being accompanied to the ring by Miss Teri... BRIAN "THE FREIGHT TRAIN" WHITE ... "TOP GUN" TOMMY YOUNG ... THIS IIIIIIS RUN 'N' GUUUUN!!!
Miss Teri leaves the two men at the bottom of the ramp and heads to the stairs whilst Brian and Tommy climb the apron. Tommy hops over the top rope, White grabs the second rope, steps on the bottom rope and makes more room for Miss Teri to enter the ring, before stepping over himself. Tommy mounts the far corner post, whilst White takes the closest and they both pose for the crowd, Miss Teri standing in the centre of the ring, again hand on hip and smiling to the audience. The music fades as the two men step into the corner with their manager to confer.
Phoenix: While these three teams prepare for the match, it should be noted there's a lot of bad blood here. Simtul and White have had a very personal rivalry over the few months, and Rhys Cain has about pissed off everyone on the roster.
The three teams each choose a competitor to begin and the referee looks about ready to start the match when "Red Flag" by Billy Talent hits the PA not for the first time tonight. Cain frowns and snaps his head towards the stage as Sery comes out with a mic in hand.
Sery: Hello, teams! Congratulations for making it this far! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on where your morals lie) I have an announcement: this match has ANOTHER team that hasn't entered yet!
Inside the ring, Cain approaches the ropes and leans over, pointing his finger at Sery and shaking his head with a threatening warning on his expression. Sery makes a baby face and voice.
Sery: Oh, what is it, Cain? Are you gonna get all sour and gwumpy now? Shut the hell up or I'll eliminate you from this match myself.
Huge pop from the crowd. Cain visible goes "OH RLY?" with a furious, stunned look on his face.
Sery: That's right. See, Cain, what you need to realise is, no matter how many people you bribe, no matter how much of the board you have in your pocket, until the moment comes where you pay them to fire me, I'M THE FUCKING BOSS. So shut your mouth and get back to your corner like a good little boy. This match will include SILENT SORCERY!
Another huge pop.
Roberts: Huh?
Phoenix: Yes! That's great news!
Sery: Silent Sorcery were never eliminated from the last round as far as I see it, and so they never lost the 4CW Tag Titles. And the amazing thing is, *my opinion* is really the only one that matters, no matter how much of a hissy fit Cain has in the ring there. And I'm in a good mood today, having solidified this company as the undisputed 4CW in this imaginary world of ours... So, enjoy the show folks, and I am HONOURED to introduce, the 4CW Tag Team Champions.... Tsukiko Mizuno.... Oki-Kira.... SILEEEEEENT ... SOOOOOORCEEEERYYYY!!
"Eternal Lotus" by RUDE. hits the PA system. To a massive pop, Oki-Kira and Tsukiko Mizuno come out from each side of the curtain, Tag Titles very much AROUND THEIR WAISTS!
Phoenix: Silent Sorcery, proud 4CW Tag Team Champions, get their true opportunity to fight for survival in this competition! This is the justice we have come to expect from 4CW GM Sery over the past couple of years!
Kira and Kiko slide into the ring and take the last remaining corner. They hand the belts over to the referee, who raises them both in the air and then hands them to a ringside assistant. With Cain starting in his corner, Kiko in hers, White in his and Simtul in his, the tension is thick. The ring of the bell gives all four of them permission to collide in a melee in the middle of the ring.
Phoenix: Absolutely mayhem to start this match as Rhys Cain, Tsukiko Mizuno, Brian White and Elfan Simtul collide in a flurry of offence in the middle of the ring!
White and Simtul are the two left standing when White takes out Cain with a headbutt and Elfan takes out Kiko with an elbow. White and Simtul start lamping each other with lefts and rights, until White grabs Simtul and lifts him up and over with a belly to belly suplex! A recovering Tsukiko runs at White and jumps up for a hurricanrana, but he catches her and slams her down with a powerbomb! Before White can cover though, Cain runs at him with a DRAGON RAGE BUSAIKU KICK!!
Phoenix: OH MY GOD! Cain with a DRAGON RAGE in the opening moments here! COULD WE BE GETTING A SHOCK ELIMINATION?!
White falls and Cain crawls over to him - but White INSTINCTIVELY ROLLS and falls out of the ring!! Cain tries to grab him but he's too slow and grabs only air!
Roberts: WOW! You can be damn sure if Cain had gotten that cover, White would be taking an early shower!
Jeffrey: He managed to escape but for how long? He's in trouble after that!
Kiko is back up to her feet and stumbles over to her partner Oki-Kira, tagging him in. Kira is ready to take aim and immediately finds Cain, who is just getting to his knees. A swift roundhouse kick knocks Cain on his back again. Simtul grabs Kira from behind and throws him into the the Maxima corner. Simtul runs at Kira for a corner attack, but Kira swiftly ducks and rolls out of the way. Simtul stops his own momentum and avoids hitting his partner, but gets sweeped off his legs from behind by an attacking Kira.
Kira starts to stomp mudholes in the gut and chest of Simtul but Simtul swats his leg away and roughly stumbles up to his feet again. Now just looking angrier, Simtul challenges Kira to bring all he's got. Kira approaches and ducks under Simtul's swing. Kira comes back from behind. Simtul spins around but Kira wraps him up and takes him out with a hurricanrana! Simtul quickly gets back to his feet and eats a dropkick, which sends him stumbling into his own corner.
Kira sees in the corner of his eye Cain recovering enough to reach his corner and tag in Clyde Bonham! Bonham charges into the ring and Kira bends backwards into a low bridge, matrix-style, before popping back up and taking out Bonham with an Enziguri! Simtul charges in and takes down Kira with a clothesline that Kira is unable to avoid this time. Kira crumples on the mat. Simtul picks up Bonham - WHO HITS A LOW BLOW - and Simtul goes down!!
Phoenix: What the hell?!
Jeffrey: The only way to eliminate someone in this match is via pinfall or submission, which means there are no disqualifications! Genius move from Clyde Bonham!
Bonham grabs Simtul and pulls him up, before whipping him with such force that he goes over the top rope and out of the ring!!
Phoenix: Bonham takes out Simtul with the gunslinger!
Jeffrey: That move just screams "I don't respect you."
Bonham is looking happy with his impact in the match and taunts the crowd by bragging. He leans against the rope, when Brian White suddenly appears on the apron behind him! White grabs him from behind and bashes him in the chest with a big forearm! Bonham stumbles back into the middle of the ring and White enters! Bonham charges at White and smashes him in the face with something shiny!! White slumps into the ring and collapses on the mat! Bonham grins and raises his hand in the air - to REVEAL A PAIR OF BRASS KNUCKS!
Phoenix: This is preposterous! Low blows, eye gouges and now brass knucks! Cain and Bonham came in with one clear plan - do anything they can, no matter how despicable, to win this match!
White is down and out for the count! Bonham covers! ONE ... TWO .... NO!! Oki-Kira runs in and takes out Bonham with a swift roundhouse, breaking the count!
Jeffrey: Well, why the hell did Kira do that? He has to eliminate White one way or another, why not let him be eliminated there?
Phoenix: Maybe Kira and Kiko are both fed up of Cain's antics! He has cheated every step of the way, both in and outside of the ring, to get ahead! Silent Sorcery are direct victims of Cain's power-grabbing! If White is going to be eliminated from this match, it won't be after such a dastardly move if Kira can help it!
Jeffrey: I think Cain and Bonham are dicks as much as the next guy, but Kira's honour is what will cost him this match! Mark my words!
Kira picks up Bonham and pushes him away. Bonham falls back a few steps but keeps his balance. All he does though is give Kira a perfect target for the KINSHASAAAAA!! Bonham crumbles and Kira hooks the leg! ONE ... TWO ... NO! Cain runs in with a steel chair and slams Kira across the back, breaking the count! Young, Yesgill and Kira all run into the ring. Yesgill gets a blast across the back with the steel chair. Cain swings for Kira but Young pulls the chair out of his hands from behind! Cain spins around, Young throws the chair at him. Cain catches the chair - then eats a dropkick from Young with the chair! Cain falls and the chair slides away. The three kick Cain out of the ring and return to their corners. Kira stumbles up to his feet. Kiko is begging him to tag her in, reaching over the ropes... but Kira shakes his head. This is something he needs to do. He lines up a recovering Bonham, and takes him out when he's on his knees, with a swift, thunderous KADO KICK! Kira covers Bonham! ONE ... TWO ... THREE!!
Carson: Clyde Bonham has been eliminated!
Phoenix: And you know what that means! Now Rhys Cain is all on his own!
In all this development, Simtul tags in Yesgill. White, Kira and Yesgill all look at each other as the legal competitors, ready to break into another frenzied brawl. However, they start to notice Rhys Cain stumbling up to his feet on the outside of the ring. They all watch as Cain slides in, not seeing his opponents in the ring. He stands up and turns to face them - and for the first time he gets a good look at the situation ahead of him. The realisation dawns on Cain's face that he's surrounded three on one.
Phoenix: Cain is all alone! Moxie has already competed tonight and The Liberation and Zephyris are not even AT 4CW Fight Island tonight! So Cain is OUT OF OPTIONS!
Cain decides to fight his way out of the situation, for that is the only realistic choice he has! Almost immediately he gets rocked by a Kado Kick! Cain stumbles and falls into the hands of Yesgill who takes him out with a big DDT! White is the only one left to get his hands on Cain. He waits patiently as Cain crawls back up. The other competitors wait patiently, as if the elimination of Cain is the most important thing right now. White eventually gets tired of waiting and grabs Cain. He lifts him up in the air and brings him down with a RUNNING POWERBOMB!!
Phoenix: White with the TRAIN CRASH! ONE ... TWO ... THREE!!
Carson: Rhys Cain has been ELIMINATED. This means Rhys Cain and Clyde Bonham are eliminated from this match AND the SOUL SURVIVOR TOURNAMENT!!
Phoenix: HA! Despite all the cheating, all the bribery, everything they tried - Cain and Bonham are the FIRST team eliminated! Meaning they are OUT of the tournament and will NOT be going to Revival! I can't think of a more deserving duo to receive such a reward!
The crowd, though low in number, goes absolutely wild at this announcement! Cain rolls out of the ring, destroyed and defeated. It seems the match is going to naturally go back into a steady rhythm, when suddenly Yesgill has rolled up Kira!! The referee counts! ONE ... TWO ... THREE!!
Carson: Oki-Kira has been eliminated!
Phoenix: Wow!
Roberts: A stark reminder that it's every team for themselves! It's now entirely down to Tsukiko Mizuno to win this round of Soul Survivor!
Brian White tags in Tommy Young, who scouts the ring. Yesgill is resting in his corner, with Simtul congratulating him on his elimination. Tsukiko Mizuno enters the ring, stunned at the quick elimination of her tag partner.
Kiko goes immediately for Yesgill, to get revenge for her fallen partner. The two exchange quick strikes, until Young breaks up the commotion with a hurricanrana to Yesgill. Kiko changes targets and approaches Young instead, but eats a dropkick which knocks her down. Young is fired up and immediately approaches Yesgill to continue his assault. He whips Yesgill into the now empty corner previously occupied by Cain and Bonham. He charges at Yesgill, but Yesgill ducks out of the corner. Yesgill hits three knife edge chops in quick succession to keep Young in the corner. He steps back from the corner to set up for a move but Young suddenly breaks out of the corner and takes down Yesgill with a slingblade.
Roberts: Young flying out of the corner like a jet! Yesgill didn't see that coming!
Young decides it's time to up the ante as he turns to the turnbuckle and starts the climb to the top rope!
Phoenix: Top Gun going up top! What does he have planned?
Young hypes up the crowd by raising his arms on the top rope, then dives off and hits a FEROCIOUS ELBOW DROP!!
Phoenix: Young with the TOMAHAWK MISSILE! ONE ... TWO .... NO!! YESGILL KICKED OUT!
Jeffrey: Now that's resilience! I thought Max's night for was over sure!
Yesgill rolls away from Young, who takes a moment to recover from that dive. Using the ropes as an aide, Yesgill somehow manages to get to his feet first - but a new challenger approaches! Tsukiko grabs Yesgill's arm from behind and hooks him up, then takes out Yesgill with a cutthroat backstabber!!
Roberts: Tsukiko hits the Cut-lass!!
Kiko climbs the top rope of her own corner, and dives off with a picturesque Five-Star Frog Splash!!
Phoenix: AND THERE'S TSUKIKO'S TSUNAMI!! ONE ... TWO ... THREE!!
Carson: Maximillian Yesgill has been eliminated!!
Phoenix: We're down to Brian White and Tommy Young, and then the individuals of Elfan Simtul and Tsukiko Mizuno representing both their teams! Run 'N' Gun have a major advantage here at this point in the match!
With Yesgill gone, Simtul steps into the ring to take his place. Both Kiko and Young decide their best bet to take down Simtul is together. They both approach with shoot kicks, but Simtul quickly shoves them away. Young falls on his ass but Kiko rolls through and charges back with a dropkick. Simtul falls back into the ropes, and uses the momentum to surger himself forward and take down Kiko with a BIG BOOT!!
Simtul picks up Kiko and lifts her high in the air with a Gorilla Press before slamming her down on to the mat! Simtul goes down to his knees to cover Kiko when Young runs in with a drive-by dropkick to the face! Simtul falls away and recovers by lifting himself up on to the middle rope. This is a huge mistake, as Young runs in and hits the Tiger Feint Kick on the ropes!! Simtul stumbles back and Young sets up for the flying forearm smash but as he comes down from the springboard, Simtul clubs him in the face with a chunky forearm and Young drops to the mat in a heap!!
Phoenix: My god! Simtul saw it coming and swatted Young out of the air like a fly!
Roberts: And it looks like Young is out for the count!!
Simtul covers Young! ONE ... TWO ... THREE!!
Carson: Tommy Young has been eliminated!!
Phoenix: And that means we're down to three! It's Brian White vs Elfan Simtul vs Tsukiko Mizuno! One of these three competitors will take victory for their team and choose the stipulation for the Soul Survivor Final at Revival!
White charges into the ring. He grabs Tsukiko and throws her out of the ring, under the botom rope with ease. Elfan Simtul gets to his feet just in time to take a right hand from Brian White. The two juggernauts exchange slow, methodic lefts and rights. With each strike, a little more power is heard, another stumble the victim takes. After six or seven strikes back and forth, something snaps in White. He unleashes a four-jab combo, in quick succession, that corners Simtul. White charges his shoulder into the gut of Simtul several times in the corner and then whips him to the opposite side of the ring. White wastes no time in charging after his opponent, but Simtul lifts a boot and hits White in the face! White stumbles backwards and Simtul takes him out with a meaty clothesline! Simtul then grabs White and jerks him up to his feet before lifting him up ON HIS SHOULDERS!!
Phoenix: Once again, Simtul shows his incredible feat of strength! He has White right where he wants him - NO!!
Somehow, White shifts his weight enough where Simtul loses grip and White lands on his feet. White kicks Simtul in the gut, and lifts him up into a PAVEMENT SLAM! White then stands on the opposite side of the ring, and gets in position for the RUNAWAY TRAIN!! Simtul slowly gets to his feet as the fans around the arena bang their chairs to create a tribal drumming. White launches forward and knocks Simtul out of the air with a SPEAR!!
Phoenix: RUNAWAY TRAIN! WHITE COVERS! ONE ... TWO ... THREE!!
Carson: Elfan Simtul has been eliminated!! Therefore, Umbra Maxima have been eliminated from this match!
Phoenix: We're down to two! It's Brian White vs Tsukiko Mizuno! One of these two will choose the stipulation for the final round of Soul Survivor, in a triple threat match featuring Run 'N' Gun, Umbra Maxima and the 4CW Tag Team Champions Silent Sorcery!
Kiko is up on the outside, but she's groggy and clearly dazed. She stumbles back into the ring, but White is absolutely ready for her, and lifts her up - PAVEMENT SLAM!
Phoenix: This could be all she wrote for Tsukiko Mizuno!
Kiko struggles to get up of her own accord as White climbs to his feet and picks her up again. This time, he sets her up for the running powerbomb. He hooks her up, and then lifts her high into the air - but Kiko comes to life!! She drills White in the head multiple times with sharp knuckles. White lifts her up and over but Kiko lands on her feet! She somehow rolls up the 400lber, using his own weight against him, as she lays across both his legs, bent over his head!! ONE ... TWO ... THREE!! Immediately, White breaks out of the pinfall after the three, but it's a NANOSECOND TOO LATE!!
Carson: HERE IS YOUR WINNER, REPRESENTING SILENT SORCERY, TSUKIKO.... MIZUUUNO!
Win-Loss Records:
Tsukiko Mizuno 1-2
Oki-Kira 1-2
Brian White 1-4
Tommy Young 1-3
Elfan Simtul 1-2
Maximillian Yesgill 1-2
Rhys Cain 1-1
Clyde Bonham 1-1
Tsukiko is launched from the frantic kick out, but the bell rings and the music plays. She rolls out of the ring, grabs her belt and joins Kira on the apron. Inside the ring, White is perplexed at what happened.He seems to be more impressed and astounded than angry, and knowing that he has an opportunity to get his own back at Revival leads him staring down the tag team champions with some intensity.
Phoenix: Wow! Tsukiko Mizuno with a roll-up victory that none of us would have expected!
Jeffrey: And because of that, Silent Sorcery will choose the stipulation to the Soul Survivor Final at Revival!
Roberts: Silent Sorcery will defend the 4CW Tag Team Championships against Umbra Maxima and Run 'N' Gun! Whatever stipulation they choose, it's going to be one hell of a final for the Soul Survivor Tournament!
Phoenix: And still to come tonight, ladies and gentlemen, in our main event, we have The Lords of Salem BACK IN ACTION! Don't go anywhere!!
---
Carson: The following contest is our MAIN EVENT of the evening, scheduled for one-fall, with the match stipulation for the 4CW World Heavyweight Championship match being chosen by the winning team!
Jeffrey: That’s not right you fool! Sery said that Valentine gets to choose if his team wins, didn’t say anything about Carstein choosing if he wins.
Phoenix: Well I guess we’ll find out.
Jeffrey: Nah, I’m moaning about nothing. Valentine’s the man with the plan. He’s already won.
For the second time in the night, “Supernova Goes Pop” by Powerman 5000 plays, and out comes Jack Valentine in a nice looking suit with the 4CW World Heavyweight Championship around his waist. By either side stands his two minions, Mike Kim and Julian MagneZ.
Carson: Introducing first, being accompanied to the ring by the 4CW World Heavyweight Champion, “Mad Dog” Jack Valentine, MIKE KIM AND JULIAN MAGNEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!
Phoenix: So as it turn out, Valentine's little tantrum earlier meant he kicked some things a little too hard and hurt his foot! So it looks like Julian MagneZ and Mike Kim will be competing tonight, rather than Valentine and Kim.
Valentine basks in the non-existent crowd cheers, pretending the empty arena is full, then walks down the ramp, Kim and MagneZ slightly behind. The three men slide into the ring then stand together in a line in the middle of the ring, looking up at the entranceway. Then the arena lights switch off.
Roberts: Oh boy, it’s been a while since we’ve seen this entrance!
A bolt of lightning strikes the stage area, and a large circle of fire appears, lighting up the stage and 4CWTron. Then Rob Zombie’s “Lords of Salem” plays. From within the circle of fire, three figures emerge. Carstein and Inferno, wearing matching sleeve-less leather trench coats, black tights with “LoS” written down the side and black boots, with Inferno topless and Carstein wearing a black shirt. Marie Dubois wearing a black leather corset, dark red leather mini skirt, black boots, a black leather jacket with “The Lords of Salem” on the back and Carstein’s old 4CW World Championship belt draped over her shoulder.
Carson: And their opponents! Being accompanied to the ring by Marie Dubois, the two-time 4CW Tag Team Champions and 4CW Hall of Famers, Carstein and inferno, the LORDS OF SALEEEEEEMMMMMMM!
Phoenix: One of the meanest, toughest and sadistic teams to ever have graced a 4CW ring.
Roberts: Carstein and Inferno were accomplished wrestlers on their own before they teamed, but when they joined forces as the Lords of Salem, we saw a whole new definition to the word brutal.
Jeffrey: I’ll say! They left their opponents beaten and bloodied. They even retired “The Law” Carlos Murphy!
The Lords of Salem step out from the fire, and walk down the ramp. They reach the bottom of the ramp and Marie points at the ring. Carstein and Inferno take off their trench coats and slide into the ring under the bottom rope. Kim, MagneZ and Mad Dog back off. Valentine pats the two on their shoulders.
Valentine: Well good luck boys!
He then steps out of the ring, leaving MagneZ and Kim along with the Lords of Salem. Carstein and Inferno whisper, then Carstein steps out onto the ring apron, with Kim following suit.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Inferno reaches out with his right hand and grabs MagneZ by his shirt. He extends his left arm and pulls MagneZ forward, his arm colliding with MagneZ’s throat.
Roberts: What a vicious looking clothesline to start things off here tonight!
Phoenix: Inferno’s in a vicious mood after what Jack Valentine did to him on the last episode of Stormfront.
Gagging and coughing, MagneZ falls to the mat. He tries to scramble away but isn’t quick enough as Inferno lays in some kicks and stomps, stopping his escape. Before MagneZ can recover, Inferno grabs his right ankle and drags him over to the ring ropes, to the corner where Carstein stands in wait. Inferno tags in the Lord of the Night, who, holding onto the top rope, propels himself into the air and over the top rope, landing on MagneZ’s throat with a leg drop.
Roberts: Almost twenty years after his 4CW debut and he can still fly through the air like a cruiserweight.
Carstein rolls off of his fallen foe, throws a quick glance at Valentine prowling outside the ring, and grabs a hold of MagneZ. He picks him up then throws him into the ring corner with an Irish whip. MagneZ collides into the turnbuckles, his momentum almost causing him to fly over the top.
Phoenix: Aah jeez, what impact!
Roberts: The ring completely shook!
With MagneZ clinging onto the top turnbuckle to stay on his feet, Carstein tags Inferno back in. Standing side-by-side, they survey MagneZ, and make their move.
Phoenix: It’s like watching a pair of hungry lions moving in on the wounded gazelle.
Inferno smacks MagneZ in the mouth with a nasty left hook, then the Lords of Salem take a hold of him, and sit him up on the tope rope. MagneZ, slightly groggy from Inferno’s quick jab, does nothing as they climb up beside him, instead trying to regain his senses. But before he can, they hook him up and swing him into the air then leap off and land on the mat, hitting a massive super-plex.
Roberts: Look at the way MagneZ bounced! His back could’ve shattered with that!
Carstein rolls away as Inferno hooks MagneZ’s leg for a pin attempt. The ref slides down beside them, makes sure MagneZ’s shoulders are touching the canvas, and starts to count the pin.
1!
2 -
But the pin is broken up by Mike Kim, who darts through the ropes and lunges at Inferno, kicking him in the chest and breaking up the pin. Inferno falls backwards, but Carstein flies through the air like a missile from out of nowhere and collides into Kim before he could follow-up on his kick. The two fall down onto the mat as the ref yells at them.
Jude O'Cater: You’re not the legal men! Get back to your corners now!
Inferno, his chest redding from Kim’s kick, backs away from the prone MagneZ and sits up against the ring ropes. Valentine, seeing the ref distracted, decides to level the playing field against the legal man. Steel pipe in hand, he quickly dashes over to where Inferno is sat, then hits the back of his head with the pipe.
SMACK!
Inferno slumps forward and Valentine drops the pipe as he rolls into the ring. Making sure the ref is still yelling at the brawling Carstein and Kim, he grabs MagneZ by his arm, and drags him over onto Inferno. Satisfied, Valentine slides out of the ring, and quickly dashes over towards the commentators’ table and smirks as he sees the ref hasn’t noticed, still trying to break up Carstein and Kim.
Valentine: Hey zebra-shirt! There’s a pin over there!
Valentine yells at the ref, trying to get his attention to show the pin. But the ref can’t hear.
Valentine: Hey you idiot, I said there’s a pin going on! Do your job and pay attention to the god-damn match!
Jeffrey: Yeah you idiot! Sery better dock his pay, incompetence shouldn’t be rewarded.
Marie meanwhile, dashes over to the pin and yells at Inferno to get up, banging the mat to wake him up.
Marie: Get up! Inferno, get up!
Valentine’s yells and Marie’s shouting and banging eventually gets the ref’s attention and he sees the pin. Ignoring the brawling Carstein and Kim, he slides down beside Inferno and MagneZ.
1!
2!
Kick-out!
But it’s too late; Inferno was given enough time to recover slightly and meekly lift up his shoulder, kicking out.
Marie: Yes!
MagneZ too comes to his senses. He slides off of Inferno, and sits up, taking in his surroundings. He notices Carstein and Kim have now separated and returned to their corners, so he slowly gets up to his feet, and hobbles over to Mike Kim, and makes the tag.
Roberts: Mike Kim’s first time in a match since 2007!
Jeffrey: So? It’s not like he’s a big name main eventer or anything.
Roberts: Just thought the audience watching at home would be interested.
Jeffrey: Well I ain’t, so they can’t be either.
Kim ducks underneath the top rope and steps into the ring. Inferno rolls over onto his front and pushes himself up onto his knees. Before he can realise what’s happening, Kim spins around and swings his foot into the back of Inferno’s head, smacking him with a devastating round-house kick.
Phoenix: Oomph!
Roberts: Straight outta Street Fighter!
Jeffrey: Meh, I’ve seen better.
Inferno slumps down to the mat, barely conscious as Kim locks in a cross face. The sudden pain wakes up Inferno, and he realises how close he is to the ropes. He reaches out, and grabs a hold of the middle rope. The ref tells Kim to let go, and starts counting.
1!
2!
3!
4!
Phoenix: Smart of Kim, using the extra couple of second to keep that cross face locked in.
Kim lets go before the 5 count, but as he does so, he jabs his thumb into Inferno’s eye. Inferno falls down onto the mat in pain, clutching his face, and the ref shrieks at Kim.
O'Cater: Any more of that and you’re out of here! Get it?
Kim nods, but in a “yeah whatever” kind of way. The ref doesn’t like Kim’s attitude, and yells at him some more. Kim doesn’t take much notice and the ref seems to be falling for Kim’s ploy of keeping him distracted for Valentine. The champ, standing outside the ring, grabs Inferno’s ankle from beneath the bottom rope, and drags him over towards the ring post
Roberts: It’s a trap!
Valentine then swings Inferno’s ankle into the hard steel. Inferno howls out in pain, then Kim strikes, sliding into Inferno with a baseball slide, which pushes Inferno right into the ring post.
Phoenix: Talk about clever, these guys have this planned out.
Jeffrey: I told you this match is already won. My boy Jack knows what he’s doing.
Kim face-palms Inferno in the face as Valentine taunts him from outside, then pulls him into the middle of the ring. Inferno tries to scramble away, but Kim grabs a hold of the ankle Valentine swung into the ring post. Holding onto the ankle, Kim lays some stiff shots, causing Inferno to cry out. Then to rub some metaphorical salt onto the metaphorical wound, Kim twists Inferno’s ankle, locking in an ankle lock. The hold stops Inferno’s slow crawl away and instead he shouts out, the pain shooting from the ankle and through his body.
Carstein stares at Inferno, almost as if he were using his mind to will Inferno on. Marie however bangs on the ring apron, willing Inferno to fight through the pain. Valentine and MagneZ yell too, taunting Inferno and telling Kim to hurt him further.
Valentine: Harder! Twist it more! Rip his god-damned foot off!
Marie: C’mon! Keep going! Keep going!
Inferno tries to crawl towards Carstein, panicking Kim that he might break out. He twists the ankle some more, then falls down onto his back, wrapping his legs around Inferno’s ankle for some more pressure.
Valentine: C’mon, tear his leg off!
Jeffrey: Well this won’t work, Kim hasn’t got singlet straps to take off.
Roberts: Eh?
Jeffrey: Everyone knows that your strength increases when you take off singlet straps, perfect for an ankle lock!
But Kim miscalculates. Inferno weighs more than Kim and is a lot stronger, and with the lighter Kim down on the mat, Inferno manages to dig deep and find the strength the pull himself forwards towards Carstein.
Jeffrey: See, I said it wouldn’t work!
Kim shakes his head, and twists Inferno’s ankle some more, trying to stop him. Then he lets go and rolls over towards MagneZ, who tags himself in. MagneZ jumps over the top rope and stomps down hard on Inferno’s ankle, who roars out in pain. Inferno rolls over on to his back, clutching his ankle in pain. Valentine points at Carstein.
Valentine: Let him tag in Carstein. I want him softened for Revival!
MagneZ shrugs then goes to sit up on the top rope, and watches Inferno writhe in the middle of the ring in pain. Whilst there, MagneZ tags in Kim, who casually leans against the top rope. Inferno, realising that Kim and MagneZ are leaving him alone, crawls over to Carstein. Just before he reaches his partner, the Insane One grabs onto the ropes and pulls himself up to his feet. Once up, he looks at Carstein, then turns around and sees Kim leaning against the ropes. Then Inferno charges Kim, who doesn’t expect the sudden attack.
Roberts: Woah, where did that come from?
Kim, shocked and surprised, barely reacts at the hobbling Inferno throws himself at his opponent, and the Korean MMA star flies over the tope rope and crashes down hard and awkwardly on the mats and concrete outside. MagneZ, dumbfounded, just stares at Inferno as he taps into the last droplet of his adrenaline to dash towards Carstein.
The Lord of the Night tags himself in, and Inferno collapses to the mat, rolling out onto the ring apron. Marie rushes over to Inferno, checking on him to make sure he’s ok. MagneZ and Valentine, meanwhile, check on Kim who’s crying out in pain due to the awkward landing onto the concrete floor. Carstein bounces against the ring ropes and runs towards his opponents, and dives through the ropes, landing on top of Valentine and his minions. Carstein leaps up onto his feet, and grabs the shocked MagneZ, throwing him into the barrier surrounding the ring side area. Valentine blinks furiously and shakes his head, trying to regain his senses, and Carstein lifts the crying Kim, rolling him into the ring.
Kim crawls away towards the middle of the ring, and Carstein hops onto the ring apron to step into the ring after him. Valentine, back firing on all cylinders, gets up to his feet to grab Carstein. But as he lunges, Marie, having dashed over, grabs the back of Valentine’s suit jacket and pulls him away. The ref notices Valentine’s attempt at Carstein and goes to shout at him, just as he tries to swing at Marie. Marie steps back, and Valentine knows there’s nothing he can do as the ref yells at them both to separate.
Roberts: Jeez, Marie needs to be careful, Valentine won’t hesitate if he gets the chance to strike.
Meanwhile in the ring, Carstein hoists Kim into the air and drops him with a powerbomb, his back slamming down hard on the ring mat. Kim arches his back in pain, and then lies there prone. Carstein stares at him, deciding whether to pin him or to inflict some more pain.
Jeffrey: Ha! Old Man Carstein’s got dementia; he doesn’t know what to do!
Phoenix: Will you stop that?
But before he can make a decision, MagneZ, now recovered from being thrown into the barrier, slides into the ring and dives towards Carstein, clotheslining the back of his knees. Carstein collapses to the mat like a sack of potatoes.
Jeffrey: Timber! And that’s what happens when you take too long to decide what to do.
Roberts: I hate to say this, and I’ll have to go straight to the nearest church for confession and to say a dozen Hail Marys, but you’re right Ray. A wrestling ring isn’t the place to pause to make decisions, and Carstein should’ve known better.
MagneZ rolls onto his knees and jumps up to his feet, and starts laying in some stiff kicks on the fallen Hall of Famer. Inferno, though not quite 100% but recovered enough, hobbles into the ring to rescue his partner. MagneZ spots him and the two start trading some lefts and rights. Carstein gets up and kicks MagneZ in his stomach. Kim too gets up and punches Carstein in the back of his head. Then the four men start trading kicks and punches, and the match degenerates into a nasty looking brawl in the middle of the ring. The ref dives in, trying to separate all men.
Valentine decides to take advantage of the chaos, grabbing a chair from under the ring. Before he can slide into the ring, Marie warns him off, brandishing the pipe that Valentine had used to whack Inferno earlier. He bites his lower lip then throws a glance at the ring and realises his opportunity’s over as the ref orders MagneZ and Inferno back to their corners.
Roberts: Nicely played Marie!
The ref hasn’t seen Mad Dog holding the chair or Marie with her pipe, so Valentine slides the chair back under the ring then falls down onto his knees. He clutches his forehead and cries out.
Phoenix: What’s this all about?
The ref, hearing the commotion, looks at Valentine.
O'Cater: What’s going on?
Valentine points at Marie.
Valentine: It was her! She hit me with that pipe. Ooo-www!
The ref, looking very stressed and exasperated, points at the ring-arena entrance at the stage and yells at Marie.
O'Cater: Get outta here Dubois! I’ve got enough going on without this shit.
Marie’s shocked; she can’t believe what’s going on.
Marie: I didn’t do anything! That piece of shit is making things up!
O'Cater: I haven’t got time for this, go!
Valentine: Oooww!
Marie drops the pipe and walks away up the ramp, and Carstein approaches the ref and spins him around.
Carstein: The fuck’s going on?
Before the ref can answer, Kim sneaks up behind Carstein and pulls him down for a roll-up. But the momentum is more than Kim realises, and Carstein reverses the roll-up into a pin of his own. The ref drops down to count the pin.
1!
Valentine jumps up and pushes Carstein, causing him to roll-over and giving Kim the pin, all beyond the ref’s eye-line.
1!
2!
Kick-out!
Furious, Carstein spins towards Valentine, who’s jeering the Midnight Aristocrat. Realising Mad Dog’s getting the best of him, Carstein decides to ignore him and turns around to face Kim. But Kim is waiting, and smacks Carstein in his face with his elbow. Dazed, Carstein stumbles backwards right into his corner and accidently tags in Inferno.
The ref orders Inferno in the ring. Still not 100%, Inferno steps into the ring, ducking under the top rope. On the other side of the ring, MagneZ shakes the ropes, causing the middle rope to bounce up and down into Inferno. The middle rope connects sharply and hard with Inferno’s private areas, causing the Insane One to fall onto the ring mat in pain.
Phoenix: And those are steel cables remember!
Jeffrey: Even I have to admit that that’s pretty low.
Furious, the ref marches over at MagneZ.
O'Cater: What the hell was that about?
Grinning, Valentine slides into the ring to get at Inferno, but Carstein notices goes after him.
Valentine: Oh shit.
Valentine slides back out of the ring, and Carstein gives chase. Valentine runs up the ramp in an attempt to escape. He reaches the stage then turns around, and sees that Carstein in hot pursuit.
O'Cater: Hey hey! Get back here! You’ve got a damn match to wrestle!
But the Hall of Famer is seeing red, and ignores the ref as follows Valentine, who disappears behind the curtain to the backstage area.
Roberts: Where are they going?
Phoenix: Can we get a camera crew to follow them?
Down in the ring, Inferno looks up at the stage area in despair, then looks back at Kim and MagneZ.
Kim: It’s play time!
MagneZ: Your ass is ours!
Not wanting to go down without a fight, Inferno tackles Kim, but MagneZ climbs into the ring, punches Inferno and he and Kim double-team the former World Champion. They drag the fallen Inferno to their corner. MagneZ climbs onto the ring apron as Kim kicks and stomps. Then he tags in Goo, who kicks and stomps. Then he tags in Kim, and the two go on, stomping and tagging, tagging and stomping.
This goes on for a while, with Kim and MagneZ varying it up with some different moves. Then Jack Valentine emerges on the stage, a big smile on his face.
Jeffrey: Thank God! Jack’s safe!
Roberts: Great.
He casually walks down the ramp, yelling at Kim and MagneZ.
Valentine: C’mon you idiots, put him away! Let’s end this!
The champ reaches the ring, and bangs on the apron.
Valentine: C’mon I wanna go home!
Then Carstein emerges from the back. But unlike Valentine, the Lord of the Night is far from unscathed.
Phoenix: What the hell’s happened here?
Carstein limps onto the stage, his hair scruffy and unkempt, and blood dripping down his face. Valentine looks up at the limping and approaching Carstein in shock. Kim and MagneZ too look up dumbfounded. Valentine shakes his head when Carstein reaches the ring and climbs up onto the ring apron.
Roberts: He can’t continue the match like this! Look at him, he can only just about walk!
Inferno, himself barely able to stand and just about clinging on to consciousness, slips away from Kim and MagneZ who stare at Carstein. He leaps into the air and tags in Carstein, then collapses. Kim looks around, surprised that Inferno wriggled away without him noticing. Then Carstein, his vision blurred from blood, steps into the ring. The ref goes to check on him, but he pushes the ref out of the way. Kim steps forwards to the middle of the ring, Carstein following him. Then the two stare at each other. Fury grips Kim, Carstein straight-faced and unreadable, blood dripping off the tip of his nose and his chin to stain the ring canvas.
Kim: You betrayed me you son of a bitch. We were supposed to be friends, and then you stabbed me in the back and tossed me aside like I was nothing.
Carstein just continues to stare.
Kim: We rode together; we had each other’s backs. We shared our first Revival together!
Kim takes a few seconds to gather his thoughts.
Kim: I’ve waited for this moment for years, waiting for the right time to strike. Waiting for the right time to kick your fucking head in!
Carstein: I dropped you Kim because you were and are nothing. We lost at Revival, because of you. You were the weak-link in our team. I didn’t betray you Kim, you betrayed me. You promised me strength; you promised me a devastating team that could reach the top. But instead I got dead-weight. Sticking with you would’ve ended my career before it even started.
Kim: You mother fucker!
Kim charges at the bloodied Carstein, and they batter away at each other, their bodies bruising and specks of Carstein’s blood flying everywhere.
Valentine: BEAT HIM! HE CAN BARELY WALK, END HIM!
Valentine starts to panic, not happy that the match has gone on longer than he wanted. With the ref focused on Carstein and Kim, Valentine goes over towards MagneZ. He whispers in his ear, pointing at the two men in the ring. MagneZ nods and steps into the ring, running towards Carstein and Kim then distracting the ref. Valentine finds the chair he grabbed earlier, and then looks at the ring. Then a figure jumps over the barrier and runs over towards Valentine.
Phoenix: Wait a minute, it’s Renfield!
Jeffrey: Oh no, how did that freak get here? Surely he’s contagious?
Renfield, now behind Valentine, low-blows Valentine, who keels over, howling in pain. Renfield slides the chair into the ring and vanishes again. Clutching his private parts, Valentine falls down onto his back. Carstein spots the chair, and sees the ref still with MagneZ. Carstein jabs a thumb in Kim’s eye, causing Kim to squeal and steps backwards. Before Kim can do anything, Carstein knees him hard in the stomach and sets him up for the Blood Drinker. Before he drops Kim, he looks at Valentine.
Carstein: Hey you son of a bitch! Next time it’ll be you!
Carstein leaps backwards and Kim’s head collides hard with the steel chair. Carstein quickly slides the chair out of the ring, and covers Kim. MagneZ doesn’t see any of this, and follows the ref’s instructions to leave the ring. The ref turns around and sees the pin. Valentine looks up.
Valentine: Shit!
1!
2!
3!
Ding! Ding! Ding!
MagneZ stands up on the ring apron and looks backwards, completely shocked that all of this happened without him seeing. He looks at Valentine then back at the ring.
MagneZ: Oh shit, oh fuck no!
Marie comes running down the ramp and slides into the ring, and checks on Carstein. Inferno, having now regained consciousness, too steps into the ring.
Carson: And the winners of the match, the LORDS OF SALEEEEEEEEMMMMM!!!!
Win-Loss Records:
Carstein 2-0
Inferno 1-0
Mike Kim 0-1
Julian MagneZ 0-1
Carstein tells Marie to grab a microphone.
Roberts: Well this backfired horribly for Valentine!
Jeffrey: This is a travesty! Carstein cheated with that chair! The match should be re-started!
Phoenix: Oh for God’s sake Ray. You know what, I’m not going to bother.
Marie passes a microphone to Carstein, who’s still laying on his back in the ring. Valentine’s managed to crawl away towards the ramp, whilst MagneZ cowers slightly by the commentators’ table, wanting to stay away from what will surely be a furious Valentine.
Carstein: Well Sery said that if you win you get to choose the match stipulation for Revival. We won, so we’ll be making that choice. You and me Valentine, in a match Inferno here made famous. A Hard Knocks Life Match!!
Phoenix: What an announcement! Jack Valentine vs Carstein for the 4CW World Championship at Revival - in a HARD KNOCKS LIFE match!
Jeffrey: The last time we saw that match was three years ago, when Rhys Cain fought Jon Viper! It is not a match for the faint of heart!
Roberts: Two Hall of Famers go to war at Revival for the biggest prize in pro wrestling! Don't miss out!
Phoenix: We'll see you at RevivalWorld!!
Quick Results:
-S&M defeated Madeline Phoenix & Erica Moxie
-Dark Lotus (c) defeated Nik Waverly to retain the 4CW Hardcore Championship
-Silent Sorcery (c) defeated Cain and Bonham, Run 'N' Gun and Umbra Maxima in a Total Elimination match in the semi final of the 2020 Soul Survivor Tournament
(Cain and Bonham were eliminated from the tournament)
-The Lords of Salem defeated Mike Kim and Julian MagneZ to choose the stipulation for Valentine vs Carstein at Revival. Carstein chose a Hard Knocks Life match.
Writing Credit:
Cold Open/Sery buys the "other" 4CW: Rhys
S&M vs Phoenix & Moxie: Rhys
Paige/Supreme segment: Pilgrim Paige
Hardcore Title, Dark Lotus (c) vs Nik Waverly: Rhys
Carstein/Inferno segment: LHeat/Compy
Valentine/MagneZ/Kim/Sery segment: LHeat
Soul Survivor Round 4, Total Elimination match: Rhys
Lords of Salem vs Kim/MagneZ: Compy
Review Sheet:
Cold Open/Sery buys the "other" 4CW:
S&M vs Phoenix & Moxie:
Paige/Supreme segment:
Hardcore Title, Dark Lotus (c) vs Nik Waverly:
Carstein/Inferno segment:
Valentine/MagneZ/Kim/Sery segment:
Soul Survivor Round 4, Total Elimination match:
Lords of Salem vs Kim/MagneZ:
Match of the Night:
Graphic/Video of the night:
MVP of the Night:
Thanks Taker_2004 for the banner!