4CW Storm Front - May 27, 2018

4CW Presents... Storm Front
May 27, 2018
Live from the Joe Louis Arena - Detroit, Michigan
Att: 19,011

4CW Storm Front opens cold. We cut to the crowd, who are solemn and quiet, and the 4CW roster all lined up at the top of the stage. The bell tolls ten times in memory of MONSTAR. Then, the crowd explode in applause and cheers as we cut the opening package.

"Vertigo" by Eclipse plays over the usual opening video package, highlighting the champions Eddie Wolfbaine, Clyde Bonham, Umbra Maxima and Witch Hazel - as well as a plethora of other stars in the forms of Jacob Scharff, Phil McGroin, Reamer, Glock Nine, Rhys Cain, Tommy Young and more. The video package transitions to the Joe Louis Arena and our commentators welcome us to the show.

Phoenix: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, to 4CW Storm Front! We are LIVE from Detroit! And we have a massive show in store for you tonight! However, we will start tonight on a sombre note as Lord Skywolf is on the way down to the ring to address the untimely and tragic death of MONSTAR. While he makes his way down the ramp, let me introduce to you my broadcast partners, Ray Jeffrey and James Roberts!
Roberts: It's great to be here and tonight, we have a historic Ultimate X match in the first round of the Soul Survivor tournament!
Jeffrey: We also have Jacob Scharff vs Rhys Cain! The winner of this Hall of Famer clash will challenge Eddie Wolfbaine for the 4CW World Championship at 4CW Duskfall!
Phoenix: All that to come tonight and much more! But first, here is Lord Skywolf.

Lord Skywolf stands in the middle of the ring with a mic in hand. He looks stressed and solemn, with bags under his eyes. The crowd quieten down to hear what he has to say.

Skywolf: It is with great regret that I can confirm the cause of death of MONSTAR... MONSTAR died of a heart attack, caused by... caused by extreme continuous steroid use.

A ghost of an ironic chuckle appears on Skywolf's face for a moment, but he hides it well.

Skywolf: Given these circumstances, my position is being considered here as General Manager pending an investigation. MONSTAR's family have decided to sue 4CW for not ... seeing the problem and taking any action.

Skywolf says this through gritted teeth; like he's desperate to let everyone know he knew the whole time that MONSTAR was on steroids and tried to stop it, but no-one listened.

Skywolf: I'm not going to speak ill of the dead. So I'll just say this: MONSTAR was a great competitor. If I can say one thing, it's that he made this job ... interesting. He will always be remembered as one of the most dominant men in 4CW history and his tragic passing is a black mark on 4CW forever: but we will mourn and we will move on. The lawsuit will probably take a few months to be finalized and so in the meantime, I am continuing as General Manager... however, it is possible, that at the conclusion of the case, I may not be the boss anymore.

Skywolf stops talking for a moment to let that sink in - like it's the first time he's said it out loud. He sighs.

Skywolf: But that day hasn't come yet - so I'm still in charge! Tonight, you're gonna see exactly why this is the best wrestling promotion in the world! We're getting Cain v Scharff, Hall of Famer vs Hall of Famer, a match for the ages! And that Ultimate X match in the Soul Survivor 1st Round will be something to remember, mark my words!

The crowd pop in anticipation for the two announced matches.

Skywolf: But we're going to kick things off tonight with the new 4CW Tag Team Champions! Tonight, champions Umbra Maxima's Elfan Simtul will go one on one with Liberation's Bruce Rigg! And that match will be NEXT!

The camera cuts to backstage where Marie Dubois is seen walking towards the door of a locker room. She stops outside the door and turns to the camera.

Marie: Ladies and gentlemen, I’m here outside the room of the tag team champions, hoping to get a word with them.

Marie knocks on the door. After a few moments Maximillian Yesgill opens the door, steps out, and pulls it shut behind him.

Maximilian: Yes?

Marie: Maximilian... You and your partner walked into Revival last month as practically completely unknown competitors and yet you captured the tag team titles like you’ve been here a while. What do you attribute that success to?
Maximilian: Ah. First, our better teamwork. Obviously the best tag team has the best teamwork and Liberation is not champion, ergo, our teamwork must be better. Second, luck. It was a tag team open yet we were the only two tag teams. Had there been others I am not sure we could have stemmed the tide. Finally, but most importantly, our discipline.

Marie: …Can you elaborate on that last point?
Maximilian: Ah. As you’ve noticed I presume, Elfan is not out here with me. He is inside our locker room, meditating for his match with Bruce Rigg. He will not let anything disturb him. Our discipline is our greatest quality it can prevent us from rushing headlong into situations that are not to our benefit.

Marie: But doesn’t instinct just take over sometimes?
Maximilian: If it does it means you simply lack discipline. Inside of the ring, we are paid to be instinctual, savage individuals. Outside of that ring? We were taught to be disciplined, civil beings. This world is savage now Ms. Dubois. We would do well, outside of the wrestling ring, not to perpetuate that. Just because the sun is shining, does not mean darkness doesn’t exist. Discipline controls darkness.

Marie: Very well. Any final words for Liberation before Elfan’s match tonight?
Maximilian: Cadas tu et luna sub umbra est scriptor.
Marie: Excuse me?
Maximilian: Liberation, you will fall under the moon’s shadow.

*Maximilian nods slightly to Marie and reenters his locker room.*

When we return, James Roberts is talking to the camera.

Roberts: After a grueling win at Revival, its been a whirlwind for Eddie Wolfbaine. He's been everywhere, from magazine covers to late-night talk shows and everywhere in between! We even have a clip from the nation's hottest new morning show "Cranz & Stern"! Let's have a look...

The video feed switches to a pre-recorded segment. Eddie Wolfbaine sits at a coffee table, across from two women in a casual interview setting.

Cranz: Hello, America, I'm Rose N. Cranz-
Stern: -and I'm Gilda Stern-
Cranz: -and we're here this morning with someone you may or may not have seen before to tell a story you may or may not have heard before.
Stern: He's gone by many different names over the years, but since last Halloween you can just call him "champion". He's 4CW Heavyweight champion Eddie Wolfbaine.

Wolfbaine: Thanks, ladies, but it's just "4CW World Champion". It may be a small difference, but I sacrificed so much for it.

Eddie motions to the belt laid on the table before him, polished to an absolute perfect sheen.

Cranz: Right. So Eddie, the first thing I have to ask... why wrestling?
Wolfbaine: Ah, geez... why not? I mean, I get to travel the world and when someone bothers me I get to punch them in the mouth.
Cranz: Seems awful barbaric.
Wolfbaine: You sound jealous. Tell me that you've never had that urge, that need to bash someone's face in.

Cranz and Stern share an awkward glance.

Stern: Still, it can't be fun when it happens to you.
Wolfbaine: You'd be surprised. I had my entire nervous system removed in 2012.

Stern: ... Really?
Wolfbaine: God, no! Yeah, it hurts... but it's also a language in a strange way. A guy trying to choke you out and a guy trying to kick your head off your shoulders are telling you two entirely different things.

Cranz: That's... oddly poetic. How'd you get into wrestling though? It's not exactly something you major in college.
Wolfbaine: Well, to be honest, I wouldn't know. I grew up... I grew up in the system. When I was 16 I found myself in San Diego when this Mexican company hit Tijuana. The bug hit me right then and there. I hopped the border that night and followed them all the way down Baja until I caught up with them in Cabo. I had to bug them for about a month before they let me in. And it's been a hell of ride ever since.

Stern: So what's next for Eddie Wolfbaine? After defeating your hated rival, Jacob Scharff at Revival, how-
Wolfbaine: What? No. I don't hate Scharff.
Stern: Excuse me?
Wolfbaine: Why would I hate him? Yeah, he wanted to take my title, but I'd have done the same to him. We're 100% cool. The only reason I'd hate him is if he gave me anything less than his best. He gave me all and then some.

Stern: Well, at any rate, what's next?
Wolfbaine: Truth be told, I don't know. The scuttlebutt originally was Wolfbaine/Paige at Duskfall, but she's a bit banged up, so that's off. It's looking like the winner of Rhys/Scharff now.

Cranz: Do you have a preference?
Wolfbaine: No, not really. They call Rhys "The Bruiser" for a reason. And Scharff? I've had luck against him so far, but he's too smart not to learn from his mistakes. What's gonna happen? I guess we'll find out together.

Cranz: Indeed we shall. Thank you, Mr. Wolfbaine. After the break, Gilda and I officially reveal the results of the month long geneology project we like to call "Rose N. Cranz and Gilda Stern: Our Dead". Stay tuned!

Roberts: Well, some very interesting exchanges there between the hosts and our 4CW World Champion Eddie Wolfbaine! He will surely be watching closely the number one contender's match later tonight!

"Eye of the Storm" by Killswitch Engage blasts through the PA system. The Liberation makes their way out with Fischer patting Rigg on the back. They bump knuckles and come to the ring with pace and purpose.

Carson: On his way to the ring, accompanied by Garrett Fischer, weighing in at 310 lbs, Bruce Rigg!

*Fischer and Rigg enter the ring at the same time, sliding under the bottom rope. Rigg shakes the ropes wildly and then Fischer climbs on the turnbuckle and raises his arms to the crowd. He jumps down, bumps knuckles with Rigg again, and leaves the ring as they await Rigg’s opponent.*

“Taking You Down” by Egypt Central begins to play and Umbra Maxima make their way out. Both men are clad in cloaks but they are wearing the 4CW Tag Titles proudly around their waists as the crowd cheers.

Carson: His opponent, accompanied by Maximillian Yesgill, weighing in at 280 lbs., one half of the 4CW tag team champions, Elfan Simtul!

*Elfan and Maximillian enter the ring and shed their cloaks. Elfan hands Maximillian his title and then puts the smaller man on his shoulders and Maximillian raises both titles high. The ref manages to retrieve them and Max gets down and leaves the ring as Elfan goes to his corner.*

Phoenix: Umbra Maxima had a hell of a debut winning the newly revived 4CW Tag Team Titles on their first night and now Elfan Simtul looks to continue that hot start against Bruce Rigg here tonight.
Jeffrey: Liberation needs a win from Rigg here to show that they’re more than just talk.
Roberts: Umbra Maxima can’t really afford a loss though either or people might think Revival was a fluke.

*The bell rings and Simtul charges at Rigg with a shoulder tackle but the heavier Rigg absorbs the blow. He yells at Simtul who tries again to no avail! He goes for a third shoulder tackle but Rigg sidesteps it and when Simtul comes back Rigg slams him with his own shoulder tackle sending Simtul to the mat! Simtul rolls out to the floor and kicks the steps in anger.*

Phoenix: Simtul’s emotions getting the better of him here in the opening moments of this contest. He needs to calm down.
Roberts: He may be taller than Rigg but Rigg weighs more.
Jeffrey: It’s a good start for Rigg. If he keeps getting under Simtul’s skin it’s gonna be a good night for Liberation.

*Simtul gets up on the apron and goes to get in but Rigg runs in with a knee and sends him to the floor again! Rigg quickly follows him out to continue the attack with a clubbing blow to the back! He drags Simtul up to his feet and goes to throw him into the steel steps! Simtul reverses it mid-run though and uses the momentum to send Rigg into the steps instead! Rigg crashes hard and Simtul rolls him back in the ring! Cover!

1!

Rigg kicks out! Simtul starts stomping away on him while he’s down. Fischer gets up on the ropes to yell at Simtul and the ref goes to admonish him as Simtul just looks at him, taking his eyes off Rigg. Fischer hops to the floor and Yesgill is right there staring daggers at him. In the ring Rigg has gotten to his feet and surprises Simtul with a clothesline to the back of the head!

Outside, Yesgill jabs a finger into Fischer’s chest stops and says “Stop.” Fischer slaps his hand away. In the ring Rigg is letting Simtul get to his knees before hitting another clubbing blow. Outside Yesgill has just slapped Fischer across the face! Fishcer and Yesgill proceed to start brawling on the outside!*

Phoenix: The two smaller men of both teams are going at it now and it’s clear that Liberation wants the belts that Umbra Maxima have and Umbra Maxima will fight to retain them.

*Rigg rolls out and pulls Fishcer off of Yesgill and tells him to knock it off. Yesgill gets up and drills Fishcer with a running dropkick. Rigg gets in front of him as he gets up and stares him down!*

Jeffrey: Hah! Yesgill needs a stepstool for this stare down.

*Yesgill slaps the taste out of Rigg’s mouth!*

Roberts: That might’ve been a mistake.

*The ref calls for the bell and Rigg chuckles to himself and then wraps his hands around Yesgill’s throat and lifts him into the air! Yesgill struggles and kicks to no avail as Rigg keeps him suspended for several moments before finally letting him drop but then Yesgill is promptly tackled by Fishcer! Rigg looks pleased with the situation and turns back to the ring…right into a suicide dive by Simtul!*

Phoenix: The big man of Umbra Maxima can fly?! Who knew?
Roberts: And this match has simply been thrown out! Chaos has reigned!

*Simtul and Rigg start brawling on the floor as Yesgill and Fischer do the same! Refs finally run out to separate the men! They pull both pairs apart and Yesgill and Simtul immediately calm down while Fischer and Rigg struggle, looking to continue to take the fight to the champions.*

Phoenix: That’s the discipline Umbra Maxima mentioned earlier tonight.
Jeffrey: Let's let 'em fight, for crying out loud! This is a wrestling show!
Roberts: Umbra Maxima would have the advantage now. They’re expecting Liberation.

*The referees push Liberation towards the back as Umbra Maxima retrieve their titles. Among the chaos, we cut to a commercial break.*

We cut backstage where Gabriel Crowe is standing in the interview area.

Crowe: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest at this time, "The Bruiser" Rhys Cain!

Rhys Cain comes into the interview area and the fans pop at the arrival of the former 4CW World Champion.

Crowe: Cain, tonight, you have a huge opportunity vs Jacob Scharff - and the winner will receive a 4CW World Title match against Eddie Wolfbaine at Duskfall! With such a huge match coming up, how are you preparing mentally?

Cain nods slowly, almost to himself, and then answers.

Cain: It's been a long time coming to get where I am tonight. After losing my 4CW World Title and failing to reclaim it against Jon Viper, I had to start all over again. Glock Nine tried to stop me, so we went to war. Then I got screwed out of that by Reamer and had to put my career on the line to get my hands on him: but I did it, and I won, and now I can put that chapter away. Now it's time for me to get back what I've been trying to get for almost a year - a shot at the 4CW World Title - all I have to do, is defeat Jacob Scharff tonight... and that's no easy feat!

Scharff and I have never seen eye to eye - but since he came back to 4CW, he's earned my respect massively. He came so close to beating Wolfbaine at Revival - and on another night he may have done it! He'll have to bring THAT kind of performance tonight, because as far as I'm concerned, this is a must win match for me. This match is my redemption. This match is my second chance at glory. I will not let it slip through my fingers, and if Scharff wants to pry it out of my hands, he'll have to kill me first.

Cain gives Crowe an appreciative nod and walks away. Crowe watches him leave as we cut away to another backstage area.

Janitur is seen backstage. He is practicing some odd stretches that seem as if he is trying to touch his foot to the back of his head. Some noise is echoing in the background. The familiar tones of Supergroup's "BROOO!" can be heard in the distance down the hall.

Janitur: "Me ready. Me be ready. Janitur open challenge will begin. Right after this commercial break!"

The screen fades to black right as some other backstage crew taps their finger on Janitur's shoulder.

As we return from commercial the camera focuses on the stage for a couple of seconds, but no music plays.

Phoenix: Well we're expecting Janitur's open challenge right about now, but he's nowhere to be seen!

The house lights come on and the screen flickers to life. Janitur is seen mopping up some area with knocked over tables and food spread out throughout the mess on the ground.

Janitur: "And they call them the Superfriends. They really be the super mess.  They will pay! Next month, since me has to finish cleaning them's mess!"

Janitur continues to mutter to himself as he mops away.

The camera cuts to backstage where Marie Dubois is standing by in the interview area.

Marie Dubois: Joining me at this time; Brian "The Freight Train"White!

Brian White moves into camera as the smiling Dubois turns to face him.

Dubois: You have your first one on one match with the new Universal Champion, Clyde Bonham, next. What are your thoughts on this 4CW veteran?

Brian White: Hmph... What are my thoughts? What are my thoughts on a guy who's come in after so many years, gone straight into a title match without any proof he should be there, and then doesn't pin the champ... Well, let me tell ya Marie, he ain't no champ! You be the man, you gotta beat the man, and Clyde Bonham hasn't done that! He's a paper champ, and I'm gonna get my belt back tonight so this company cab have the Universal Champion it deserves!

With that, White stomps off before Marie can respond, leaving her looking slightly bemused at the camera. We cut to the ring.

Carson: This match is set for one fall and is for the 4CW Universal Championship! First, the challenger, weighing in at 400lbs, from Barry, South Wales, Brian, “The Freight Traaaiin”, WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE!!!

“Wherever I May Roam” by Yashin starts as lights are lowered until music drops, then as music punches back up pyros go off and a video package showing Brian strength and abilities shows interspersed with a steam train running at full tilt along it's tracks. Brian White makes his entrance, focused on the ring. White ignores the crowed as he deliberately walks to the ring, stepping over the ropes, and music fades. Standing in the centre of the ring, he folds his arms and turns towards the ramp expectantly.

Phoenix: No Tommy today as he's preparing for the main event.
Jeffrey: Not that he needs him, White's a wrecking ball on his own!

Carson: And his opponent, from Death Falls, Nevada, He is the 4CW Universal Champion, Clyde BOOOOONHAAAAAM!!

The sound of firecrackers begin to echo around the arena and smoke begins to fill the air. Sparks begin to shoot out of the ramp and the revving of an engine can be heard, followed by a car speeding away into the distance. The guitar kicks in as "3's and 7's" by Queens of the Stone Age begins to echo around the arena. Clyde Bonham steps out in a black wifebeater and blue, torn jeans, a slightly maniacal smile twisted on his face. His black leather jacket completes the ensemble, reflecting the sparks seemingly off of it. He stands at the top of the ramp for a second, holding the Belt above his head before dropping it to his shoulder. He walks down the ramp, smirking at the fans a bit, occasionally acknowledging a sign or to that reference him. Clyde climbs the stairs and swiftly enters the ring via the second rope, spinning and raising his belt in the air. He removes the jacket and folds it over, handing it and the belt to the time keeper before rotating his wrists and bouncing on his legs to loosen himself up. He stops after a few seconds and leans back into the turnbuckle, eyeing his opponent as he waits for the bell to ring.

Roberts: Bonham looks ready for a fight tonight!
Phoenix: Indeed. This will be his first one on one match up since his return. He did well in the Fatal Five Way at Revival, but this will be the real test.

The ref eyes up both men, going through the usual opening preparations, before calling for the bell.

DING! DING!

White, still standing with his arms crossed in the centre of the ring, cocks an eyebrow at Bonham, taunting the smaller man to attack. Bonham for his part, confidently shrugs and obliges, charging in with a shoulder block. White barely budges as Bonham bounces off. Smirking, White invites Bonham to try again. Unperturbed, Bonham tries again, this time bypassing the big man to bounce off the ropes, dodging again and bouncing off the opposite ropes before leaping in a diving shoulder block. The extra momentum seems to do something as White is moved back several steps, though is still standing. Bonham, stretching out his shoulder a tad looks on to see White nodding appreciatively, before he makes his own move.

Striding up he instigates a collar tie up, easily overpowering the smaller man and going into a headlock. Bonham struggles in the big mans grip, kneeing him once or twice behind Whites knee before showing off his surprising strength and throwing him into the ropes.

Roberts: Bonham showing off surprising strength there!

White rebounds off the ropes and just runs strait through the smaller man. Bonham quickly regains his feet just to meet White's shoulder as he rebounds off the other rope. Again, Bonham regains his feet in time to this time grab White around the waist, quickly popping his hips. Much to his surprise, nothing happens!

Roberts: I think Bonham may have made a mistake there!
Jeffrey: I'll say, Mr Obvious! Trying to suplex White at this point is frankly suicide!

White's smirk deepens as he wraps his own arms around the smaller man and throws him over his shoulders in a massive release belly-to-belly suplex. Bonham crumples as the crowd roars it's appreciation. White strides over and picks up the smaller man, intending to powerslam him, but Bonham has other ideas and rakes the bigger man's eyes. White let's go and grabs his eyes.

The ref goes to berate Bonham, but he's already moving, bouncing off the ropes and leaping through the air to impact Whites back with a massive drop kick! White's air is forced from his lungs, but he doesn't go down. Bonham goes for another drop kick, this time to one of White tree trunk like legs, forcing white down to one knee. Determined to put the bigger man down, Bonham goes for a third drop kick, this time impacting White in the back of his head. This finally does put White on the mat, and Bonham quickly starts working over the bigger man with stomps and elbow drops, trying to ware out the bigger man with a flurry of blows. White slowly tries to regain a vertical base, but Bonham aims a stiff swing kick to Whites thigh, dropping him again.

Sensing a victory, Bonham tries to go for his camel clutch but White arches his back violently, throwing Bonham off balance and allowing white to turn over and aim a stiff strike at Bonhams midriff, forcing him back a few feet.

Phoenix: White is trying to regain some momentum here...
Roberts: If he get's back to his feet, Bonhams in trouble!
Jeffrey: Again with the Mr Obvious track... You think you can think of something interesting to say? Hah, no you can't, so shut up Roberts!

White takes a second to shake out some cobwebs as he regains his footing, managing to sense just in time, Bonham charging at him with a clothesline. White however grabs the smaller man, and using his momentum, spins around and drops a devastating spinning pavement slam! White grabs Bonham by the hair and lifts him back to his feet, fully intending to continue the power game, but Bonham, seemingly beginning to get irritated by his lack of progress slaps White arm away and deliberately pokes his thumb in Whites eye.

Roberts: Whoa, that's the second time Bonhams gone for the eyes!
Jeffrey: Anyway to topple a giant Roberts.

The ref however doesn't feel the same way and whilst White is backtracking to a corner, the ref is up in Bonhams grill, shouting about using illegal manoeuvrers and the next time means disqualification. Bonhams grin becomes a little sick at this point as he sees the big man rubbing at his eye.

Pushing past the ref, Bonhams charges and slams his knee into whites chest before climbing up and starting to drill punches into Whites skull.

The crowd start to count along; “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!”

By this point the ref is practically pulling Bonham off the big man, still shouting about pushing his luck. Bonham glares at the ref before quickly jumping back up and starting again.

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...”

Phoenix: Bonham is starting to ramp things up. I think he's looking to finish this match pretty soon.

At the seventh, White shoves the smaller man away and regains enough awareness to begin charging towards him. Bonham, seeing the big bulldozer coming towards him, seemingly wildly grabs the ref as he dodges out of the way, meaning that the heavy tackle meant for Bonham instead takes out the ref. The ref goes down lack a sack of potatoes and White stumbles through to the other corner. Bonham, his smile now positively evil, looks down at the ref then over at the dazed White. He confidently saunters over to White, turns him around and stabs his other eye with his thumb, not even bothering to try and hide it.

Roberts: Bonham is definitely taking advantage of the ref being out here, that was evil!
Phoenix: Can't say I disagree with you there.

As white flinches back into the corner, Bonham again mounts the ropes, and, grabbing Whites head, begins to level stiff punches into the top of his head.

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,  10...”

Jeffrey: Doesn't look like Bonhams gonna stop any time soon...

At about the 18th punch, White slumps down to a sitting position, a small trickle of blood beginning to be seen. Bonham jumps down and moves to the opposite corner before running forward and delivering a massive dropkick to Whites chest and sternum. White slumps forward with a cough. Bonham Stands up and looks round at the crowd who've begun jeering at him. Bonham even mounts the ropes to be able to here better the increasingly negative response from the crowd, a response that Bonham seems to thrive on.

Phoenix: Bonham feels in complete control. White is down, the ref is down, so it seems he's taking the time for a little breather!
Jeffrey: The sign of a true champ, right there! Yeah!

Whilst Bonham is detracted with the crowd, White is quickly recovering, anger readily showing on his face as he focuses in on the apparent champion. Hauling himself to his feet he stalks over, surprising the smaller man as White pulls him off the ropes to face him. With a snarl, White plants a solid punch right into Bonhams face, knocking him back again. A second then third forces then drops Bonham against a corner and White retreats to the opposite corner in preparation for his patented spear.

Phoenix: Here we go, White is back up, and he is angry! Get ready for the Runaway Train!
Jeffrey: Even if it hits, the ref is still down...

Bonham groggily gets back to his feet and even more quickly ducks back down under the ropes as White comes charging through, smashing his shoulder into the ropes.

The crowd groan as Bonham laughs, then looking around, he spots the timekeepers desk and the belt laying on it. Moving towards the table Bonham grabs the belt and makes his way back into the ring.

Roberts: Looks like Bonham's looking to put White down, and keep him down!

As White turns towards Bonham, nursing his shoulder as he does so, Bonham runs forward and slams the title belt into Whites forehead, knocking him completely out!

DING! DING! DING!!!

Phoenix, Jeffrey and Roberts: WHAT!!

Bonham looks up too, shock coming over his face as he spots the ref on one knee, holding onto the middle rope and with a furious look on his face.

Carson: Due to a disqualification, the winner of this match, Brian “The Freight Traiiin”, WHIIIITE! But still the 4CW Universal Champion, CLYYYDE, BOOOOONHAAAAM!

Bonham, realising what happened, laughs loudly as he hoists up the now blood adorned Universal Title and looks down at his opponent to see the blood now freely pouring from his forehead.

Roberts: Another cheap victory for the Universal Champ there...
Jeffrey: Hah! Show's what you know Roberts! Clyde Bonham wins by whatever means necessary!
Phoenix: Necessary or not, Clyde Bonham is still the 4CW Universal Champion.

“3's and 7's” begins blaring over the PA as the ref comes to check over the big man and call for medtechs. Bonham climbs through the ropes and begins to make his way up the ramp to a chorus of boos, insults and jeers.

Bonham reaches the top of the ramp, soaking in the jeers from his heinous actions. He motions to someone back in the gorilla position and a mic is quickly ran out to him. He slings the title over his shoulder with a bit of swagger, sweat and a slight bit of blood strung across its precious metal, glimmering in the bright lights. Bonham raises the mic to his mouth, quickly silencing some confused stammering from the announce team.

Bonham: Now some of you are probably wondering right about now, why I would choose to end things so abruptly, especially after I already beat this man in the ring, one... two... three... and well, you see the answer is quite simple.

Bonham chuckles a little as he looks at staff aiding White in the ring.

Bonham: Well, it got the job done.

The fans hiss and boo at Bonham for such a lackadaisical justification.

Bonham: You people can hate me all that you want, but not a DAMN one of you can deny that what I said is not true! Not a DAMN one of you could say that you wouldn't...

The raucous crowd over takes the arena and drowns out Bonham mid sentence. A callous smile creeps upon his face as he almost brings his voice to a whisper, forcing the fans to let the fervour simmer for a moment.

Bonham: Not a single one of you could say that would not have done it too. 

The fans let their heat unleash with a snap of a finger.

Bonham: YOU SEE! YOU SEE! You can't take the fact that someone around here has to make the hard decisions! You can't realize the simple fact that I already beat this man and he had the audacity to come back for more. So, I took care of the problem, I gave it a SOLUTION!

Bonham chuckles a little bit before continuing.

Bonham: Me and my title, we are gonna change the game around here ladies and gentlemen, and you can likely expect a lot more of that. A means to an end folks, that's the way of the world.

Bonham tosses the microphone carelessly to the side as "3's & 7's" picks up. One more cocky little mug for the camera before heading backstage.

"The Burden" by Bury Tomorrow hits the PA system. The crowd erupt in a big pop for one of their favourite superstars hot off his career-saving win at Revival. The Bruiser steps out on to the stage and uses his hand as a guide so he can see all the crowd in one panoramic sweep. He heads down to the ring with confidence, slapping as many fans' hands on the way down that he can.

Carson: The following contest is a #1 Contender's match with the winner challenging Eddie Wolfbaine at Duskfall for the 4CW World Championship! Introducing first, now residing in Tampa Florida, weighing in at 220lbs ... THE BRUISER ... RHYS CAAAIN!!

Cain slides into the ring and climbs to the top of the nearest turnbuckle. He beats his chest and looks out at his sea of fans one more time, before jumping down and awaiting his opponent.

Phoenix: The Bruiser looks ready for this huge match!
Jeffrey: He better be! Scharff is on fire!

"His World" by Crush 40 hits the PA system. The crowd pop for the opponent as loudly as they did for Cain. Jacob Scharff comes out in a yellow hoodie, emblazoned on the back with a blue lightning bolt and makes a lightning bolt in the air with chops before heading to the ring.

Carson: And his opponent, now residing in Atlanta, Georgia, weighing in at 260lbs, JACOB ... THE THUNDERBOOOOLT ... SCHARFF!!

Scharff comes down to the ring looking amped and determined. He slides into the ring without much fanfare and stares down his opponent. As Scharff's music fades out, the two Hall of Famers stand off in the middle of the ring. The crowd start a "Let's Go Bruiser / Jac-ob Scharff" chant that gets gradually louder as the two continue to stare. The ref calls for the bell and the two competitors break into a blitz of punches out of nowhere!

Phoenix: And this match is getting underway! Both men flying into action!
Roberts: This match could main event any Revival and instead we get it right here tonight on Storm Front!

The two brawling former World Champions start to slow down after taking several shots from their opponent. Scharff, being the bigger man by some 40 pounds, is able to gain the advantage with big elbows to the temple. Cain falls back and collapses into the turnbuckle. Scharff switches strategies and slaps Cain in the chest with a knife edge chop!

Jeffrey: The slap of thunder heard all around the arena!

Scharff hits another knife edge chop. Cain winces as his chest starts to blister and Scharff hits a third knife edge chop. Cain finds some adrenaline to fight back and throws a few lefts. Cain then takes the momentary advantage to lock in a side headlock. Scharff, however, is in no mood to be put in a headlock, and pushes Cain away sending him to the ropes. Cain bounces back and throws his arm out for a clothesline, but Scharff ducks. Scharff comes back off the ropes himself as Cain turns around on the spot.

Scharff attempts a clothesline of his own, but Cain ducks under it. Cain turns to face Scharff, but Scharff instead swings himself around, hitting a spinning backfist straight into the face of Cain! Cain falls like a sack of potatoes clutching his face!

Phoenix: What a BRUTAL spinning backfist! It could be all over with that, oh my god!

Scharff gets down and hooks the leg and the referee slides in to count. ONE... TWO.... NO! Cain kicks out!

Jeffrey: It took some doing to kick out of a shot like that! I'm surprised Cain wasn't knocked out cold!

Cain crawls away from Scharff trying to get back up and shake the cobwebs from that blow but Scharff is not prepared to allow Cain to recover. He grabs Cain from behind and takes him out with a German Suplex out of nowhere, releasing Cain across the ring!

Roberts: Scharff is showing everyone why he is one of the best in-ring competitors 4CW has ever seen! Release German Suplex with such grace!

Cain uses the ropes to scramble up groggily to his feet. Scharff approaches him and attempts to hook up a belly-to-belly, but Cain fights back, throwing his elbow into the side of Scharff's head and getting a moment of reprieve. Scharff stumbles back clutching his head and Cain takes the offensive, sliding up to Scharff and taking him out with the Side Effect! Cain rolls over Scharff and hooks the leg! ONE... TWO... NO! Scharff kicks out!

Phoenix: It's gonna take more than a Side Effect to put away The Thunderbolt!

Cain sits up and takes a moment to get his breath back while Scharff recovers from the Side Effect. Cain stumbles back up to all fours and then to his feet, with Scharff right behind him. Cain grabs Scharff and whips him into the corner and Scharff hits the turnbuckle with a thud. Cain runs at Scharff and hits a corner clothesline! Cain holds Scharff in the corner and unleashes a knife edge chop of his own!

Roberts: A battle of chops here tonight!

Cain continues his onslaught of chops as he hits Scharff with another two, three, four knife edge chops. On the fifth, Scharff's chest looks red and raw and he clutches it in agony as Cain finally lets him stumble out of the corner. Cain continues his assault by grabbing Scharff and sending him to the ropes. On his return, Cain lines himself up, and then hoists Scharff into the air and hits a Sidewalk Slam! Cain jumps back up to his feet and runs around the ring, throwing his arms in the air. The crowd get behind him and start a "LETS GO BRUISER" chant.

Roberts: Almost 20,000 strong chanting The Bruiser's name!

Cain feeds off the momentum of the crowd and climbs the turnbuckle going to the very top. Scharff staggers back up to his feet and turns to see Cain flying off the top turnbuckle, hitting the Diving Dropkick!

Phoenix: Cain hits the Blaze Kick! That's a rare sight here in 4CW!

Cain rolls over and hooks the leg! The referee slides in ... ONE ... TWO ... NO! SCHARFF KICKS OUT!! Cain rolls back up to a sitting position and runs his hands through his hair, frustrated at the two count. He slaps the mat angrily and gets back up to his feet, a bit gassed, but determined to deal the finishing blow. He grabs Scharff and lifts him up to his feet and whips him into the corner again. Cain follows Scharff and unleashes a few mean lefts to keep Scharff on the ropes. Then he crouches under Scharff's arm and lifts him up so that he's seated on the turnbuckle.

Phoenix: Cain has put Scharff up on the top rope! We know what comes next!
Jeffrey: Is this the stupid Harry Potter bullshit?

Cain moves away from Scharff and shakes the ropes in a rage of adrenaline on the other side of the ring, pumping up the crowd once again. Then he sprints towards Scharff's corner, jumps up, steps up on the rope, and hits the ENZIGURI to Scharff's head! Both men CRASH down to the mat!!

Phoenix: Cain hits Platform Nine and Three Quarters!!
Jeffrey: That midget can fly when he wants to! They both hit the mat hard!

The crowd chant "HOLY SHIT!" as both men grimace on the mat, trying to recover from the high-risk move. Cain crawls slowly over to The Thunderbolt, and manages to slap an arm over Scharff's body! The referee once again slides in to count! ONE... TWO... THR--NO!! SCHARFF GETS A FOOT ON THE ROPE!!

Phoenix: This match has gotten really hot, really fast!
Jeffrey: Scharff got his foot on the rope! Amazing! Come on, Scharff!
Roberts: Cain needs to find something to put Jacob away because everything so far hasn't worked!

Cain and Scharff both struggle to get back to their feet - but the important thing is they do! Cain is up first and he grabs Scharff's head and tries to hook him for a suplex. Scharff blocks the attempt and lifts Cain up with a suplex of his own! Cain goes up and over - but lands on his feet! Cain attempts a Discus Clothesline as Scharff spins around, but Scharff sees it coming and ducks, running to the ropes. Cain just has time to spin back around when Scharff takes him out with a huge Lariat!

Phoenix: What a Lariat by Scharff! Maybe the tide will turn here!

Scharff and Cain both lay on the mat for a few moments out of pure exhaustion but this time Scharff is able to get back up to his feet first while Cain is still on his knees. He lifts up The Bruiser and sends him to the ropes. Cain comes back at breakneck speed and Scharff lifts him up and takes him out with a Sitout Spinebuster!!

Jeffrey: Scharff with the Shock Buster! SHOCK BUSTER!! PIN HIM, SCHARFF!!
Roberts: Scharff's gonna take it right here!!

Scharff stays in the sitout pinning position and the referee counts the fall! ONE ... TWO ... THRE--NO!! CAIN SOMEHOW KICKS OUT!!

Phoenix: Wow! Cain managed to kick out right at the last nanosecond!
Roberts: This is insane! Who's gonna find that one move to put this match away?!

Scharff rolls out and back to his feet. He grabs Cain and drags him roughly back up to his feet - but Cain is playing possum - and he grabs Scharff out of nowhere and flips backwards in the air, hitting the Moonsault Side Slam!!!

Phoenix: OH MY GOD! CAIN HITS AVADA KEDAVRA!!
Roberts: THAT'S IT! IT'S OVER!!

Cain hooks the leg, and the crowd count along with the referee as the hand comes down for the ONE ... TWO ... THR--!! NO!!

Phoenix: I - BUT - HOW?! HOW DID SCHARFF KICK OUT OF THAT?!
Jeffrey: He's a Hall of Famer, that's how!

Cain is beside himself in the ring, staring down at Scharff in complete disbelief. Shaking his head vigorously, he climbs back up to his feet with the little remaining strength he has left. Cain stumbles over to the corner and uses the ropes to help catch his breath. As Scharff begins to stir, Cain turns and signals that the end is coming!

Phoenix: Cain is setting up for Dragon Rage! If he hits this, it's all over!

Cain waits until Scharff is almost back up to a full standing position and starts his run. Scharff turns around - Cain launches into the air knee first - and Scharff SIDESTEPS CAIN! Cain slams onto his back and looks temporarily winded as he coughs and stumbles back to his feet. Scharff is ready, though, and tucks himself behind Cain. At the right moment, he lifts Cain up and hits the THUNDER DROP!!

Scharff rolls over and hooks the leg of Cain and the referee slides in to count: ONE ... TWO ... THREE!!

Carson: Here is your winner and the #1 CONTENDER, JACOB ... THE THUNDERBOOOOLT ... SCHARFF!!

An exhausted Jacob Scharff makes his way to his feet, allowing the referee to raise his arm in victory. Cain rolls out of the ring and out of sight.

Phoenix: Scharff wins! Scharff wins! You know what this means for Duskfall?
Jeffrey: A guaranteed piss-break match?
Roberts: No, you nincompoop! It means that-

"Ten thousand against one!"

The white-hot crowd erupts into an absolute supernova as Eddie Wolfbaine appears on the entrance ramp with the 4CW Heavyweight Championship slung over his shoulder. Both men stare each other down with a pair of not-so-innocent grins.

Phoenix: Ladies and gentlemen, there are so many things I could say about this match. But all the superlatives in the world, all the hyperbole couldn't do it justice. So instead, I'll let this capacity crowd do it for me!
Jeffrey: Only you could take so long to shut up.

All three announcers fall silent as the audience's chants begin to approach deafening levels.

"One more time!"

"One more time!"

"One more time!"

We return from the back and go backstage as we once again join Marie Dubois in the interview area.

Dubois: Joining me at this time, “Top Gun” Tommy Young!

Tommy comes into camera with a slightly bemused smile on his face, like he can't actually believe he's the one being interviewed. He stands next to Marie but mostly fails to make eye contact. Marie smiles encouragingly at him, though succeeds in only adding a little more red to Tommy's already flushed face.

Dubois: Tommy, it's your first time in the Soul Survivor and you got to pick the first stipulation. Where did the idea for Ultimate X come from?

Tommy Young: Uh, well... (Marie again tries to encourage the nervous young man with a smile) Uh, yeah, well I used to watch 4CW when I was younger, as well as some of the indys, and I was always a little disappointed that my favourite match on the indys never made it to the the big leagues. So, I kinda promised myself, if I got the chance, I'd bring 4CW the Ultimate X. And here we are!

Marie nods with appreciation, happy to have gotten over Tommy's stutter...

Dubois: And is it true what Lord Skywolf said when the announcement was made, did you indeed design the structure that you will be fighting on later this evening?

Tommy kinda laughs self deprecatingly. “Well, yeah...”

Dubois: Well, it's very impressive Tommy! And what about your opponents? Do you have any strategies?

Young: Yeah, I guess.. I mean, Witch Hazel and Phil McGroin shouldn't have too much of a problem over all, but Glock 9's gonna have problems I think... Either way, he's gonna be a main target for me I think...

Dubois: Thank you Tommy.

Marie turns her dazzling smile to the camera.

Dubois: And there you have it, a quietly confident Tommy Young ready for the task at hand!

As the screen fades, Marie is still slightly audible; “Good job Tommy, now off ya go....!”

Back from commercials, we are backstage. Marie Dubois is running into the parking lot with the camera man chasing after her. She arrives just in time to see Rhys Cain getting into his car.

Dubois: Bruiser - wait!

Cain ignores her and slams his door shut, turning on the engine. Marie Dubois tries to get close to speak to him through the window, but Cain speeds out of the arena, leaving nothing but an unsatisfied interviewer in his wake.

Back to the ring, we're greeted with multiple views of the Ultimate X setup: the ring steps have been taken away, and four vertical metal structures—each standing 20 feet from floor to peak—stand by the corner posts instead. Atop the vertical structures is an "X" formation of horizontal metal beams. And at the 15-foot mark, two bright blue ring ropes loom over the ring, criss-crossing in an "X" formation and secured at the middle, from which hang three dark blue objects needed for retrieval: a "4"; a "C"; and a "W". A brief "4-C-DUB!" chant breaks out before ring announcer Michael Carson hits the ring.

Carson: The following contest marks the first round of Soul Survivor and is 4CW's first-ever Ultimate X match! The first competitor to retrieve a suspended object will be declared the winner, and will choose the round two stipulation. The competitor who fails to retrieve an object is eliminated from the tournament. Ladders may not be used for retrieval.

Linkin Park's "Numb" hits the PAs. Camera Man is seen walking backward and flitting about to get the best angles as Phil McGroin makes his entrance to a chorus of boos. He carries a steel folding chair in one hand; upon reaching the top of the ramp, he raises it high in the air. The chair bears the word "Ultimate" spray-painted in black on the back of the chair; the seat itself is emblazoned with a huge letter "X".

Carson: Introducing first... now residing in Helston, England and weighing in at 14 stone... the man who once made a cow tap out... PHIL... MCGROOOIN!!

Roberts: The Ultimate X matches of other promotions have rarely involved or even discouraged weapon use, so leave it to Phil McGroin to bring his own.
Jeffrey: Damn right he will. McGroin does what he wants, when he wants. Ultimate X has come to 4CW, baby, WOO!
Phoenix: Looking at this structure of steel and wire, boy it's a scary sight to behold. This won't be for the faint of heart, folks!

Phil McGroin takes his sweet time heading down the ramp, posing with his chair for his personal cameraman. At ringside, McGroin strolls over to referee Anna Molly, unsuccessfully attempting to chat her up. McGroin shrugs it off, stomps up the steps and enters the ring. Upon doing so, Phil goes right back to his usual belligerent self. Camera Man, meanwhile, takes a seat in the timekeeper's area as McGroin's theme cuts out.

Metallica's "Am I Savage?" hits the PA system. A round of boos breaks out from the crowd as the intimidating Glock 9 hits the stage in his familiar black trenchcoat. He tromps down the ramp, radiating his usual aura of overconfidence.

Carson: On his way to the ring, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he stands at 6'6, and he is known as... GLOCK NINE!!

Jeffrey: And here comes Glock Nine! I challenge you to find a meaner bastard in 4CW. Not even McGroin is so callous!
Roberts: Beyond being the meanest, he's also the most physically imposing presence in this match by a long shot.
Phoenix: Lotta history between these two guys—all of it incredibly competitive and incredibly violent, simply put. Glock got the last laugh in that feud at Gallows End, but this match format is a different beast altogether. It doesn't favor his size or speed. Needing more time to climb means he'll need a big opening to do so. I wager he'll have to completely incapacitate his opponents tonight.

Glock Nine makes his way confidently down to the ring, sneering at the fans as he passes and making sure none of them can reach him. He begins to climb up onto the apron, but McGroin rushes him, swinging the chair like a madman! The crowd "oohs" as Glock ducks away in the nick of time. Annoyed, he slowly circles the ring, trying to think of the best way to handle the chair-wielding McGroin.

The crowd buzzes as Lycia's gothic dirge "Baltica" begins. Bluish-white spotlights dance about the stage. A pair of silvery, cat-like eyes appear on the 4CWTron. Suddenly, it malfunctions, glitching into broken images and then freezing. The lights, tron and music all cut out at once. Dancing, colorful spotlights illuminate the stage as the jumbotron restarts. Brightly-lit carnival rides and colorful game stalls are displayed for a few moments. Suddenly, the imagery switches out to show eerie, abandoned amusement parks under dark, foreboding skies. The imagery fades to black, and those silvery eyes reappear on the screen. Sigh's "Inked in Blood" rattles the speakers! The lights dim and a spotlight illuminates Witch Hazel as she darts out from behind the curtain to a huge pop! Hazel is all smiles tonight, and wears the Custom Cup title belt loosely around her waist, with Licky in one hand. She takes a quick look around, then charges to the top of the ramp. Hazel bends low and windmills her hair around like mad!

Carson: Making her way to the ring, accompanied by Licky the Unicorn... from both everywhere... and nooowheeere... weighing in at 128 pounds... she is the NEW 4CW Custom Cup Champion... WITCH! HAAAZELLL!

Phoenix: And here comes Witch Hazel, hot off the heels of a career-changing match at Revival!
Jeffrey: WOOHOOHOO! The Silver-Haired Sorceress of 4CW is now my golden gal!
Roberts: Oh, please—
Jeffrey: Shut up, Roberts! Not even the sound of the testicle-shrivelling ullulations you substitute for intelligible speech can break the spell I'm under!

Witch Hazel makes Licky headbang for a while; so do the fans in the arena with their own Lickys. (Now available at SeryShop.com!) Hazel tucks Licky back into her belt, then takes a few steps to her right, standing near the edge of the ramp. She takes a deep breath, focusing on the ring. The silver-haired sorceress bolts toward the barricade—leaps—and proceeds to run the length of the barrier all the way down to ringside! At the end of her daring sprint, Hazel jumps and latches onto the nearest metal column, then begins to scale it. Glock and McGroin watch on, stupefied. Near its pinnacle, she pulls Licky from her belt, props herself atop the structure and sets Licky in her lap.

Roberts: (chuckling) Hazel's gotta be the most one of the most eccentric competitors this company's ever seen.
Phoenix: Well, she's unique, to put it lightly. This young woman has been on a roll lately, no doubt about it. A meteoric rise if ever there were one.
Roberts: And with both Paige and Tsukiko dealt with—and not here, seeing as they're both on the injured list—you can tell she's breathing a little easier tonight.

Iron Maiden's "Aces High" hits the PA system. The arena goes dark and black and white scenes of war appear on the tron, with white lights following the rhythm of the drums.

As the song kicks in proper, pyro explodes up from the stage and Tommy Young quite literally flies through the fire to hit a perfect three point landing. The young man rises to his feet, with his stance wide and a big grin on his face. He raises his arms above his head, forefinger and thumbs outstretched so his thumbs touch and his fingers are pointing above the ring.

Jeffrey: Man, this kid is electric!
Roberts: Like Hazel, Tommy Young is a fast-rising competitor here in 4CW, having debuted in-ring just 6 months ago.
Phoenix: He's been dazzling us with his high-flying abilities and has shown a talent for fast-paced catch wrestling as well. And for those new to 4CW, Hazel was in fact Young's first opponent. The two have been crossing paths a lot ever since.

Tommy holds the pose for a few seconds before dropping his arms and making his way to the ring, slapping outstretched hands on either side of the ramp as he does so. The screen continues to show scenes of jet fighters flying in formation and gun cams showing missiles destroying bunkers, interspersed by stock footage of Tommy flying about the ring.

Carson: Next, from Barry, South Wales, weighing in at 195lbs... he is ... TOP GUN... TOMMY ... YOUNG!!

Young reaches the bottom of the ramp and looks up at the the crossed ring ropes... and Hazel, who waves excitedly down at him.

Hazel: HEI, TOMMY! THIS IS SO COOL! COME TRY IT!

Hazel points feverishly at the other vertical structure on the ramp side of the ring, across from her own. The crowd cheers and chants "TRY IT! TRY IT!" Tommy Young can't help his lips from breaking out in a huge smile. Tommy approaches the structure and begins to climb up. A third of the way there, Glock Nine—who by now has done a slow lap around ringside—grabs a hold of his ankle, trying to pull Young down. Tommy fights him off with a series of kicks to Glock's right shoulder and arm, breaking the big man's grip. A calculated stomp catches Glock square on the forehead, knocking the brute away! Not one to miss an opportunity, McGroin rushes at Tommy with a baseball swing of his chair, but Young bails out at the last second, bending at the knees and landing heavily on his feet at ringside. Close by, Hazel begins to climb down from her perch, setting Licky on top of it in her stead. Behind Tommy, Glock has recovered and now bears a sadistic grin on his face. He grabs Tommy round the waist and hoists him onto the ring apron. Keeping the waistlock on, Glock pushes Tommy's upper body further into the ring, holding him a wheelbarrow-like position—his lower body suspended helplessly and upper body under the apron.

Roberts: Young's head and shoulders are in prime chair-shot territory!
Jeffrey: Worst ad spot ever!

McGroin laughs, approaches Young and hits the mat as Hazel dives from the top rope with a targeted dropkick to the right shoulder, knocking McGroin down and the chair away! The crowd pops. McGroin rolls out to the apron on the ramp side of the ring. The crowd pops. Glock's shock at his plan's misfire is enough distraction for Tommy to scramble out of the waistlock, slide the rest of the way into the ring and boot Glock in the face yet again, sending him staggering back! Hazel gathers a head of a steam and drives McGroin out to ringside with a quick baseball slide! Tommy finds his feet and locks eyes with Hazel. She grins, then drops to her hands and knees in front of the ropes. Tommy takes the hint, hits the far rope and rebounds back, leaping off Hazel's back with a suicide senton bomb that takes out both Glock and McGroin! At some point in all the chaos, referee Anna Molly calls for the bell. The Joe Louis Arena erupts in a cacophony of cheers and applause!

DING-DING-DING!

Jeffrey: Holy crap!
Roberts: It's total chaos here tonight, folks, and we're just getting started!
Phoenix: Referee Anna Molly is gonna have her hands full tonight, I tell ya. These four athletes are gonna give it their all tonight!

As Tommy and Hazel hype the crowd up, Glock and McGroin recover at ringside, facing one another. No sooner does each man lay eyes on the other than they begin brawling, throwing wild shots at each other. McGroin lands some stiff chops, but Glock soon closes what little gap there is between the two—gaining the upper hand by kneeing McGroin square in the gut. The Hollowpoint Bullet then grabs the smaller man by the wrist and forearm, and fires him off with a hard irish whip into the barricade! McGroin goes down in a heap.

Roberts: Vicious maneuver by Glock Nine! Don't expect anything pretty from this guy, folks!

All the brawling outside has caught the attention of Tommy and Hazel, the latter of whom stands close to the ropes. Behind Hazel and slightly to her right, Young takes off and baseball slides right past her, to the outside. Quicker than a hiccup, he spins around and grabs Hazel by the ankles, pulling her down onto her back! The high-flying hedge witch kips up and takes a few steps back, standing at center ring. Tommy offers her a cheeky smile, then slides back into the ring to square off with the newly crowned Custom Cup champion.

Jeffrey: Man! Young is quick, slick, and has a sleeve full of tricks.
Roberts: A lot of the 4CW universe, myself included, foresee a very bright future ahead of him, no question.

On the outside, Glock Nine is laying into Phil McGroin with a series of stomps to the ribs. In the middle of the ring, Witch Hazel and "Top Gun" Tommy Young lock horns in a collar-and-elbow tie-up. Young fights Hazel backward, eventually bringing her against the ropes. Tommy sends her across the ring, but Hazel pulls a trick out of Young's playbook and baseball slides along the way, turning as she goes. As Hazel returns to a full vertical state, Top Gun races at her with his right arm outstretched, catching only air as Hazel performs a quick matrix evasion. When Tommy turns back, Hazel kicks her feet off the mat and rotates back, scissoring her calves around Tommy's neck. Before she can follow through with the takeover, however, Young grabs Hazel's legs, frees his neck and shoves her away. Hazel rolls through the motion and back onto her feet, facing Tommy with a grin. The fans make some noise during the momentary stalemate.

Phoenix: These two athletes seem to have a lotta fun competing with each other, but make no mistake about it: when it comes down to brass tacks, neither athlete will hold anything back!

Back at ringside, Glock props his prey up against the barricade. He takes a few steps back, measures his man and barrels into McGroin with a body avalanche against the barrier! McGroin folds up like an accordion! The crowd "oohs", and Glock Nine looks pleased with his work, mouthing off to the crowd in his version of celebration.

Roberts: High-impact maneuver by the Hollowpoint Bullet!
Jeffrey: Yeesh! Someone should tell our resident chicken farmer he's supposed to eat scrambled egg, not turn into it!

Glock wrestles his mouth into a snarl—his version of a grin, probably. He strolls over McGroin once again.

Roberts: And it appears Glock isn't quite done with McGroin yet!
Jeffrey: Well, he appears to still be twitching a bit. We can't have that, can we?

Glock Nine grabs McGroin by the legs, swings him around for a hundred eight rotations, then launches him sidelong into the barricade. The fans "ooh" and groan in response.

Phoenix: Man alive! That's gotta be the biggest swing you can see without ol' Jack Nicklaus and his trusty nine iron around.
Jeffrey: Yeah, yeah, we get it, Scott—you're old. Hey—that's a good name, actually. Nine Iron. Ha! Fits perfect on Glock!

In the middle of the ring, Young and Hazel approach each other again. Young abruptly goes high for a roundhouse kick that Hazel narrowly ducks under. Tommy follows through the momentum and swings himself round while ducking low, catching Hazel off-guard with a spinning leg sweep to the back of her calf. Top Gun hits the ropes as Hazel recovers and turns over, dropping to her belly. Young skips over her as he runs and rebounds off the ropes from the other side of the ring, but Hazel runs and leaps forward before he can attack, taking Tommy down with a Lou Thesz press!

Phoenix: Surprisingly traditional application of the Thesz press by the unpredictable Witch Hazel!

On the mat, Hazel hops forward and kneels on Young's shoulders, pinning them down. She then drops low, sitting on Young's chest and pulling his head off the mat by the neck. Tommy wears a confused expression for a moment; this turns to red-faced embarrassment when Hazel decides to playfully tousle his hair, grinning like a kid on Christmas.

Phoenix: I stand corrected.
Jeffrey's fist pounds the desk.
Jeffrey: Teeheehee! 😄

Apparently taking exception to this treatment, Tommy uses his agility to hook his legs under Hazel's arms and take her down onto her back. The Hedge Witch rolls through this, however, and rushes Tommy Young with a shoot kick to the chest. Hazel hauls Tommy onto his feet and sets him up for the chokehold STO. Young elbows his way out, performs a quick go-behind and  spins Hazel back around for a fireman's carry takeover. Hazel rolls back to her feet and charges at Young, receiving a deep arm drag for her trouble. To cap it off, Tommy hits a running dropkick to the chest, sending her crashing to the mat near the apron. Hazel rolls out to the floor, recuperating on the opposite side from Glock Nine and Phil McGroin. The action on their side of the ring has been all Glock thus far. Glock rams a dazed McGroin against the ring apron, then starts hammering away on his lower back. With Hazel temporarily dispatched, Tommy Young turns his attention to the brute. He hollers out to catch Glock's attention, creating an opening for McGroin to drop to his knees and shock Glock with a low blow! The crowd "oohs" and groans, and Glock reels away, falling to his knees.

Roberts: Well, that's one way to get the boogeyman off your back!
Jeffrey: I don't know what makes me cringe more: nut shots, or you. Hmm. It's a toss-up, honestly.

McGroin goes for a short walk and retrieves his chair from the ring apron. A cheer raises up from a portion of the audience as he triumphantly raises it over his head like he's found the Holy Grail. McGroin then climbs onto the apron and holds the chair sideways in both hands. The man who once made a cow tap out takes flight, brutally bashing Glock across the face with the chair like a battering ram! The crowd roars!

Jeffrey: WOOO!
Phoenix: Well, folks—near as I know, pigs can't fly, but this farm boy sure can!
Roberts: Sure; but half the time he crashes and burns.
Jeffrey: Oh, yeah. Ha! I almost forgot about that! Ahaha!

McGroin then turns his attention to Tommy Young, just in time to avoid a baseball slide from the up-and-comer. McGroin throws some stiff forearms that Tommy has some trouble defending against, then sets Young up for a suplex out on the floor. Top Gun block it, wrapping his right leg around the back of McGroin's left. The Cornwall native drives his forearm into Tommy's ribs a few times, throwing him off-balance. He tries and successfully gets Tommy up and over, but Top Gun turns in mid-air, managing to land on his feet. McGroin whirls around to face his opponent, but Tommy is one step ahead, landing a quick sole kick to the solar plexus! Creating some distance and taking off at a clip, "Top Gun" Tommy Young plants Phil McGroin with a wicked Sling Blade on the floor!

Jeffrey: MAN!
Phoenix: Absolutely scintillating! Talk about going from zero to a hundred, and this kid makes it look effortless!

Tommy Young is all fired up and rearing to go, but he yells out in agony when Witch Hazel rakes her fingers down his back, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Roberts: Where the hell did she come from?!
Phoenix: I think Hazel went under the ring at some point!

Hazel shoves Tommy up onto the apron and slides into the ring to drape him over the middle rope. Hazel stands to one side, takes a step and flips forward, smacking Young in the back of the head with a somersault leg drop! Tommy falls to one side on the apron. Witch Hazel drags Tommy Young into the ring by the arm and climbs the nearest turnbuckle. Without a moment's hesitation, Hazel confidently walks the rope, turns and brings Tommy down with the Coldschool—an impressive ropewalk seated senton! The crowd applauds and cheers. Hazel pops right back up and locks Tommy into a headscissors. With a wink to the hard cam, Hazel turns onto her belly and gives the dazed rookie a nice Minge Binge!

Jeffrey: WOOO! Tommy Young's one lucky bastard. It won't cure that headache, but it'll make him a man!
Phoenix: Are you ever not "on"?
Jeffrey: You mean turned on? Sure, but not when Hazel's around!

4CW's mirthful mystic rises to her feet after a sequence of five face-crushing thrusts, turns and eats canvas on the receiving end of a big Glock Nine clothesline! Hazel is unmoving on the mat! A loud "OOH" and chorus of boos sounds out in the Joe Louis Arena.

Jeffrey: Oh, no!
Roberts: Good lord, Hazel might be out cold!

The Hollowpoint Bullet turns his attention to "Top Gun" Tommy Young, who's taken up a corner to recuperate. Glock makes a beeline for Young, hitting his second body avalanche of the night. Young staggers out of the corner, unwittingly walking right into Glock Nine, who hoists him up and hits a big sidewalk slam! Before Glock can stand, Phil McGroin slides into the ring and repeatedly bashes the big man with quick stomps and clubbing blows. Glock fights his way up just the same, though, and manages to grab McGroin by the neck and retaliate with a nasty headbutt. Impressively, McGroin keeps his feet—but this proves to work against him when Glock Nine throttles him once more. McGroin winds up 7 feet in the air in the military press position, then is sent crashing down spine-first across Tommy Young's abdomen! McGroin rolls out to the apron as oohs and boos overtake the arena.

Roberts: Manhandled! Glock Nine's a on a rampage!
Phoenix: Well, I'll be damned! I said he'd have to take everyone out to get his opening and he's clearing house right now.

Glock glances up at the dangling letters and wastes no time heading out to the apron. Soon, the massive Milwaukeean is in unfamiliar territory, standing on the top rope. The 6-and-a-half footer reaches up and grabs hold of the suspended rope, not needing any help from the scaffold-like structure or even needing to stand on the tips of his toes. Slowly but surely, he begins to pull himself along the rope, monkey-bars style, 15 feet above the ring! The rope bends heavily with the weight of Glock Nine on it, but ultimately holds strong.

As Glock makes it halfway to his target—the big, red "4"—Hazel begins to stir. Soon, so does Tommy Young. Hazel looks up, spotting Glock Nine, and points him out to Tommy. The two head out to the apron on opposite ends of the ring and begin to climb the turnbuckles. McGroin nabs Young's ankle and yanks him back onto the apron, but gets kicked away before any follow-up action. Tommy hops down to ringside and cusses Phil out, explaining what's going on and gesturing to Glock, who's now three-fourths of the the way to the middle of the X rope. Phil is running his own mouth, however, and isn't listening to a word Tommy says. He opts to throw a cheap shot at his frustrated opponent instead. Young ducks the strike, hops up onto the barricade and leaps off with a moonsault out of nowhere! Both men are down!

Phoenix: Remarkable, the talent of this kid. Great awareness, athleticism and no wasted movement whatsoever.
Jeffrey: McGroin could have avoided all this if he'd just listened! Can't say Tommy didn't try; Phil just doesn't play well with others.
Roberts: To be frank, I think the only voice he truly listens to is his own.

Hazel seems distracted by Young and McGroin's fighting, but spots Glock Nine's progress out of the corner of her eye. Aware that she's running out of time, Hazel hops down from the turnbuckle and onto the apron. Taking a deep breath and bracing herself, Hazel launches herself onto the top rope, springboards off with a high vertical leap—and just manages to catch hold of the rope overhead!

Roberts: Now that's impressive!
Jeffrey: Yeah, quick thinking—now what? No way she's overpowering The Hollowpoint Bullet!

Hazel performs a pull-up on the rope, raising herself up enough to grapevine the rope with her legs. It's in this manner that she begins to shimmy forward, closer and closer to Glock Nine, who's nearly in reaching distance of his prize! Soon, the Lunatic Minge is right behind Glock. With a grin on her face, she taps him on the shoulder.

Phoenix: Shades of Bugs Bunny on that one!

Glock turns his head—and gets a shot of Brain Fog right in the eyes! The crowd pops! As the "mental mist" takes effect, the big man totally loses control—of his focus, his temper and most importantly—his grip! Glock Nine falls 15 feet to the mat, swinging his fists blindly the whole way down! Glock crumples in a heap in the middle of the ring! The fans are on their feet!

Jeffrey: What goes up must come down!
Roberts: And what came down was the near 300-pound frame of The Hollowpoint Bullet!

Above the ring, Hazel inches her way forward and nears middle of the X. The crowd is buzzing with anticipation. Hazel has some trouble getting a good angle from which to hook down the "4", so she takes a somewhat unorthodox approach instead. Maintaining her leg grapevine on the rope, she releases her hangs upside down like a bat. From here, she curls up and reaches out for the prize. All at once, "Top Gun" Tommy Young is on the apron. He springboards high and catches onto the rope, directly across from Hazel. Tommy brings his legs up and crosses them, shimmying fast—too fast! Young's grip slips, and with his legs not properly grapevined, begins to falls—and yet, is stopped along the way by Witch Hazel, who catches him round the arms from her curled-up bat position. All at once, Hazel is dangling precariously above the ring with a grip on Tommy Young, who's low enough to the mat to safely fall. And yet, Hazel won't let go! Ignoring the strain on her arms, Hazel brings her face as close to Tommy's as she can—and drags her tongue along his forehead! Hazel lets go, and Tommy hits the mat on his feet, more confused than anything else.

Roberts Blech!
Jeffrey: Peter Parker and Mary Jane, eat your hearts out! Or just puke your guts up! Ahahahahaha!
Phoenix: Well... another, uh, "first" here in 4CW, to be sure.

Not letting his sexual frustration get the best of him, Tommy takes off to the apron again as Hazel tries for another stomach crunch 15 feet above the ring. Young hesitates a moment, but ultimately takes a deep breath, springs off the top rope and catches Hazel square in the face with a skull-rattling forearm smash! Hazel's legs give way, and with no grapevine to keep her elevated, she falls to the mat—crashing down on Tommy Young himself! The Joe Louis Arena erupts in a cacophony of human voices!

Jeffrey: OH SHIT!
Phoenix: Absolutely astonishing! If this doesn't diminish one's chances, I don't know what will.
Roberts: Scary stuff. That could be a pair of concussions right there!

Referee Anna Molly is in the ring, checking on Tommy and Hazel. At ringside, Phil McGroin has recovered and now finds himself the only one still standing. Spotting some movement from Glock, he rounds ringside and retrieves his personally tagged "Ultimate X" chair. McGroin enters the ring with chair in hand and takes up a corner, surveying the carnage around him. Referee Anna Molly gets the hell out of dodge and when Glock finds his feet, McGroin takes a running leap and bashes Glock over the head with the chair! Massive pop throughout the arena!

Jeffrey: WOO BABY! X marks the spot!
Roberts: Really, Ray? X marks the spot—
Jeffrey: —Is what I said to your mom last night when we played pirate—
Phoenix: RAY!
Jeffrey: Yeah, yeah. I mean—aye-aye, cap'n!

Seeing his opening, McGroin tosses his chair and heads to the nearest corner, climbing the turnbuckle with great determination etched on his face. On the top rope, McGroin reaches out and grabs onto a horizontal bar on the 5-piece vertical structure. These appear at every 3 feet of the structure, comprising the top and bottom of each section. These ultimately become Phil's foot- and hand-holds as he climbs and soon, he finds himself hanging from one end of the suspended "X" rope. Like Witch Hazel did earlier, McGroin performs a kind of pull-up, bringing his legs up and grapevining them on the rope. Unlike Hazel, however, McGroin is turned the opposite way. This proves to be a faster mode of transport, leading with his arms and having a clear view of his goal the whole way along. Phil soon meets the middle of the X, reaches out and grabs his head, retracting his arm to nurse his sudden headache after having a chair—his chair—thrown by a recovering Tommy Young! McGroin winds up hanging like Hazel did, but maintains his grapevine—only to be hit again, still courtesy of Young and his apparent chair-tossing skills. Tommy moves a still-groggy Hazel out of the way as McGroin hits the mat with a sick thud, motionless on the mat. Young pulls McGroin up to his feet and unceremoniously throws him out through the ropes!

Roberts: Nothing pretty about any of that, but it got the job done and then some!
Phoenix: These four competitors will stop at nothing to achieve victory and select that next stipulation!
Jeffrey: Can you blame 'em? This tournament has a long tradition of propelling careers; there's championship gold directly involved in the final; and getting to make that call is a damn good way to swing the odds in your favor. The guys are looking to win 4CW gold for the first time ever, and the champ wants to hold onto it by any means necessary!
Phoenix: Thanks for that uncharacteristically cogent and pertinent commentary, Ray.
Jeffrey: Co-what-now?

Top Gun heads to a far corner and is about to start climbing when suddenly, his left leg is taken out from under him. Young turns his head to identify his attacker and is greeted with a series of forearm shots from none other than Witch Hazel.

Jeffrey: Oh, here we go!

Hazel lands strike after strike on Tommy Young, trying to wear him down. She takes off to the ropes and comes sprinting back, leaping into a headscissors. Mid-rotation, Hazel releases the hold and transitions into an elevated facebuster, planting Tommy Young's face into the canvas!

Phoenix: Beautiful transition maneuver there. Hazel has dubbed that one "Running with Scissors".
Roberts: Of course she did.
Jeffrey: Love it.

The Silver-Haired Sorceress pulls Tommy back to his feet, goes round his back and chickenwings his arms, setting up for the Nilswitch. Hazel rotates 180°, but before she can perform a sit-out, Young struggles free and shoves her away. Hazel turns around—right into Top Gun's perfectly executed spinning heel kick! Tommy does his fighter jet taunt, hits the rope and leaps high, landing a big double leg drop across Hazel's midriff. Tommy rolls back onto his feet, pumped up and feeding off the crowd's energy!

Roberts: Tommy Young is pulling out all the stops in this match!

Young drags Hazel over to the ropes and sets her up over the middle one. The fleet-footed young athlete backs up, bounds forward and swings between the middle and top ropes with a tiger feint kick to the champion's head! Hazel slumps down onto the mat, stunned. Top Gun gets into position on the apron, preparing to take flight for Aces High. All at once, Glock Nine has a hold of his arm, standing to one side of him in the ring. Glock pulls Tommy along the apron, taking him down with a ferocious short-arm clothesline! Tommy tumbles awkwardly to the ringside floor, much to Glock's sick amusement. This brings more oohs and boos rippling through the crowd.

Jeffrey: And that's how you shoot down a fighter jet!
Roberts: I thought you liked Tommy Young?
Jeffrey: I do. I also like high-impact maneuvers. Haven't you read my ghost-written, semi-biographical self-help book, "How to Lose a Wife in One Day"? That was some high-impact legal maneuvering right there! Ahahahaha!
Roberts: You wrote a book?! Well—"wrote" a book, but still!
Jeffrey: I do lots of things.

Satisfied with his handiwork, The Hollowpoint Bullet turns around picks up a wounded Phil McGroin, then proceeds to toss him like a lawn dart. Phil skids across the canvas, under the bottom rope and out onto the floor in front of the ramp. Chuckling, he moves on to the last opponent remaining in the ring. Glock grabs Hazel under the arms and stands her up on rubbery legs. He scoops Hazel up onto his shoulders in a rack position, then hoists her high, arms outstretched in a military press. The fans are variously livid and mortified. Glock picks a direction free of fallen enemies and runs forward. As he's about to toss Hazel out of the ring, she finds her bearings enough to squirm down Glock's back, falling to her knees. Glock instinctively slams on the breaks and turns around—straight into the most efficient move Hazel can hit him with from here! Glock Nine falls to one knee, clutching at his "bullets".

Ray Jeffrey cringes.
Jeffrey: That's the second low blow in one night! Someone tell that guy to buy a cup. It's a no DQ environment, fool!

The Hedge Witch hits the far rope, bounces off and lands a low dropkick to the brute's other leg, bringing him down now to both knees. Formulating some kind of plan, Hazel rushes at the ropes behind Glock, springboards carefully and twists in mid-air. Splaying her legs, she lands on the shoulders of the giant, straddling his neck. Hazel then locks in a figure-four necklock and when Glock tries to pull her off, Hazel rakes his eyes! Glock reels, swaying this way and that. back towards center ring. Seizing the moment, Hazel releases the hold and carefully stands—using Glock's head for leverage—up on his shoulders! Hazel reaches high, gets a hold of the "W" and just manages to pull it from its hook before suffering a desperation electric chair drop! The crowd pops as "Inked in Blood" overtakes the speakers!

Phoenix: She did it! Hazel brought it down! First of the match—you know what that means!
Jeffrey: Yes I do! WOOO!

*DING!* — The bell rings once.

Carson: Here is your winner, WITCH HAZEL! She will go on to select the next round's stipulation! The remaining competitors will continue to compete for a spot in the second round.

Referee Anna Molly hits the ring, but Hazel is clearly in no condition to have her hand raised at the moment. Instead, she checks on Hazel and ensures she can exit the ring okay. Hazel soon rolls out to ringside, just as Tommy and McGroin re-enter it. Anna raises Hazel's hand in victory, unwittingly yielding a weary but sincere lick along the cheek. And with that, Hazel gingerly makes her way up the ramp to a huge response from the crowd!

Jeffrey: Very impressive showing by Hazel, huh guys?
Phoenix: A great performance and a clever win, no doubt. I often wonder how much of this she makes up as she goes.

Hazel's theme song cuts out, and Glock Nine finds himself in the middle of the ring with an opponent on the apron at either side of him. Young and McGroin stare down Glock, unflinching. The Hollowpoint Bullet seems impressed—or rather, he would... if he allowed more than a slight curl of his lips to form. Glock Nine selects his old rival for punishment and bum rushes Phil McGroin. Glock swings high, so Phil goes low—ducking in the nick of time and driving his shoulder into Glock's abdomen. Glock persists, so McGroin repeats this attack once more, knocking his opponent off-balance. McGroin slingshots up and over Glock's back, trying to bring him down in a sunset flip—but Glock has a firm grip on the ropes. Tommy enters the ring and makes momentary eye contact with Phil. McGroin switches to pulling Glock further off-balance, making him lean over the ropes. Tommy Young then charges full-tilt at Glock, dropkicking him in the lower back and with McGroin's help, spilling him over the ropes! Glock Nine collides spine-first against the apron and topples down to the floor! The audience hoots and hollers, impressed with this successful and unexpected moment of cruiserweight co-operation.

Phoenix: Some solid teamwork on display there.
Jeffrey: Strange circumstances make for strange bedfellows. I think Tommy would prefer Hazel for a bedfellow, though.
*Scott Phoenix heaves an exhausted sigh.*

Mission accomplished, Phil McGroin scrambles to his feet and belts Tommy Young in the face with a wicked forearm. The two of them close the gap and start trading blows, with Phil gaining the upper hand. He takes a step to one side and kicks Young right in the shin, bringing him down to one knee. McGroin backs off, waiting for Young to stand. When he does, McGroin runs up, hooks on a three-quarter facelock and takes Tommy down with a quick swinging neckbreaker. McGroin hits the rope and drops an elbow on Young's sternum, wearing Brian White's protégé down some more.

Roberts: Credit where credit is due—Phil McGroin is on top of his game tonight.

McGroin wastes no time scooping Young back up to his feet, then sets him up for the Eggcution DDT. Young cleverly drops to one knee, blocking the move and biding some time. McGroin rains clubbing blows down on Tommy's back, forces him to stand and tries again. McGroin bends at the knees and hoists Tommy up, but Young kicks and squirms his way back down onto his feet. Top Gun manages to shove McGroin away, and when the pissed-off Cornwall native comes at him, Young decks him with a slick super kick, plowing through McGroin and falling to the mat himself! The Joe Louis audience is red-hot!

Roberts: McGroin is down! Crucial counter for Tommy Young!
Phoenix: This is a big opening, let's see if he can make good on it!

When Young makes his way to a far corner, he seems to be favoring his right ankle a bit. Gingerly, he makes his way up the turnbuckles, then climbs onto the structure itself. Young is met along the way by a winded Glock Nine, who pulls him back down onto the top turnbuckle by the legs. Tommy struggles in Glock's grip and manages to mule kick him away, bringing the big man down to one knee at center ring—but aggravates his own ankle in doing so. The crowd "oohs".

Jeffrey: Guy's a little worse for wear, huh? That ankle might be sprained!
Phoenix: Maybe so, and this is not an environment that's easy to navigate with a leg injury, that's for damn sure.

Tommy returns to his task, pulling himself up the vertical structure as best he can and glancing back at his opponents along the way. As he grabs the rope above him, a groggy Phil McGroin attempts to reclaim a vertical stance, not quite managing it yet. Glock is still on one knee, wearily nursing what appears to be a bloodied, potentially broken nose. Tommy seems to think to himself for a long moment, weighing something out on his head. The fans start to catch on, and a moment later, Tommy Young relinquishes the rope and returns to climbing the structure, fighting his way up each 3-foot section like he's in a multi-part boss battle.

Phoenix: Oh, don't do this, kid!
*Ray Jeffrey is squeezing the hell out of a seemingly random, Sery-brand Licky the Unicorn™ plush. He grabs its head and rips it off.*
Jeffrey: DO IT! DO IT! DOOOOOO IIIIIIT!
Roberts: Uh... riiight...

With great effort, Tommy Young reaches the top of the structure. From here, he crawls and pulls his way along a stretch of the horizontal, metal "X" structure. Free of the burden of trying to maintain a grapevine on a bad leg, Tommy makes fast work of reaching the middle of the structure. As McGroin finally finds his feet, he spots Tommy overhead. Glock stands as well, and rears back for what would most assuredly be a bone-breaking wind-up punch, when McGroin tells him to look the hell up. Unsure of McGroin's sincerity, Glock warily offers a quick glance up. Tommy has carefully wrapped his good leg around part of the rigging and is now dangling from the structure, head just above the rope line and arms outstretched, trying to lay hand on the big blue "4" or the "W".

Jeffrey: This is nuts! This is... uhhh—
Roberts: The word you're looking for is "precarious".
Jeffrey: Shut up, Roberts! The word you're looking for is... *Ray trails off into complete silence.*

Understanding, Glock lets his arm fall to one side and backs off. Communicating quickly, Glock goes behind McGroin, then ducks low and hoists the smaller man up onto his own shoulders, in the electric chair position. Glock gets into prime position for his temporary ally to strike. McGroin and Tommy wind up awkwardly smacking at each other with any strike they can manage. In absolute desperation, Tommy Young grabs McGroin by the head and bashes his own into it, sending McGroin flying backward and down, stopped from hitting the mat only by his stature and Glock Nine's iron grip around his ankles. "Top Gun" Tommy Young strikes gold in the form of catching hold of the "4", and successfully unhooks it!

Phoenix: He got it! Tommy Young got it!
Roberts: And with that, he's cemented his spot in the next round!

The glorious intro to "Aces High brings the PA system to life while Tommy Young works his way back up to his hands and knees on top of the cage. He carefully finds his feet and raises the big blue "4" above his head in triumph! The crowd is deafening!

Carson: Advancing to round two... "TOP GUN" TOMMY YOUNG!

Jeffrey: Man, this kid's unstoppable lately!
Roberts: An incredible showing tonight at the Joe Louis Arena.

Tommy's theme cuts out. In the ring, Glock Nine still has a hold of Phil McGroin's legs. With a furious bellow, he swings McGroin forward, full-tilt in a reverse Alabama Slam of sorts—but McGroin catches onto the last remaining object hanging in the middle of the rope: the "C". McGroin hangs on for dear life!

Jeffrey: Oops! Ahahahaha!

McGroin squirms in Glock's grasp, caught between hanging from the "C" and hooked by the ankles in front of Glock's shoulders. McGroin manages to wriggle one leg free, and drives it—mule-kick style—into Glock's already bloody nose! Glock Nine loses grip on McGroin's other leg and reels away. The crowd is abuzz.

Phoenix: Well, if that nose wasn't broken before, I'll wager it is now!

McGroin reaches up and grabs the rope with his left hand, giving him something secure to dangle from. Right hand already clasping his prize, McGroin jerks it free of its hook and the bell rings!

*DING! DING! DING!*

Linkin Park's "Numb" sounds out through the arena as McGroin hangs awkwardly above the ring.

Carson: And in the final spot of Soul Survivor's second round... PHIL MCGROIN! Glock Nine has been eliminated.

Phoenix: And it will be Phil McGroin who joins Tommy Young and Witch Hazel in round two!
Jeffrey: Call it luck, call it what you want—McGroin found himself in the absolute prime position for retrieval and got the job done!

Glock Nine is absolutely irate. He makes a grab at Phil's ankles, but McGroin manages an awkward stomach crunch and grapevines his legs, safely out of reach. Referee Anna Molly, standing nearby, looks a bit downtrodden—perhaps saddened by the lack of victorious hand-raising she's gotten to do. Glock barks at her to go get him a microphone. Anna stands her ground.

Anna Molly: That isn't my fucking job, asshole.

Glock's face is so red and tight he looks like he might explode. He grabs Anna by the throat, but is distracted by a ring attendant sliding in and bringing him the mic he asked for. Anna and the attendant slip out of the ring as Glock Nine growls in McGroin's general direction. He speaks in a slightly muffled voice on account of his nose.

Glock: Gone soft, McGroin? Some kind of coward? *He pauses, nursing his nose. How fitting you've got yourself the "C". Ya know what "C" is for where I come from? Coward. Hell, I'll do you one better. "C" is for CUNTFLAPS, McGroin! That's what you are.

Glock tosses the mic while the crowd roars. A brief, somewhat uncomfortable "cuntflaps" chant breaks out. McGroin seems to be growing tired, still hanging on the X rope. Soon, his legs give way, and Glock is quick to yank him down, throttling him the second his feet touch canvas.

Roberts: Oh, this won't end well.

Above the ring—above even the X rope—a voice rings out, directed down at the two men in the ring. They turn and look up. The fans are rise to their feet and gasp as Tommy Young—forgotten in all the chaos and anger—dives from TWENTY FEET above the ring, crashing all of his weight down on Glock and McGroin! ALL THREE MEN ARE DOWN!

All three commentators are speechless. It takes a long moment before Scott Phoenix finds his voice.

Phoenix: Unreal. I've no other words for what we've just witnessed!
*Ray Jeffrey incoherently produces another Licky the Unicorn™—this one a mini—from seemingly nowhere and hugs it tightly to his body. Roberts just stares for a while.*
Roberts: Uhhh... riiight. What an eventful night this has been!
Jeffrey: Be sure to check our social media pages for updates on whether those guys are alive!
Phoenix: Thank you all for joining us for this month's Storm Front, folks! Tune in next month for more exciting 4CW action!

Quick Results:
Bruce Rigg vs Elfan Simtul ended in a no contest
Brian White def Clyde Bonham via DQ; Bonham retains the Universal Title
Jacob Scharff def Rhys Cain to become #1 Contender to the 4CW World Title
Witch Hazel def Tommy Young, Phil McGroin and Glock Nine (Ultimate X Soul Survivor 1st Round)
(Glock Nine is eliminated)

RP Judge:
Rhys

Writing Credit:
Cold Open/Skywolf Segment - Rhys
Yesgill Interview - Stingmon
Wolfbaine Talk Show Segment - Dread Pirate
Rigg vs Simtul - Stingmon
Cain Interview - Rhys
Janitur Segments - RD
White Interview - Gorgrim
Universal Title: Bonham vs White - Gorgrim
Bonham Post-Match Segment - JH007
Cain vs Scharff - Rhys
Cain/Scharff Post Match - Dread Pirate
Young Interview - Gorgrim
Ultimate X: Witch Hazel def Tommy Young, Phil McGroin and Glock Nine - Paige
(Soul Survivor Round 1 - Glock Nine eliminated)

Review Sheet:

Cold Open/Skywolf Segment:
Yesgill Interview:
Wolfbaine Talk Show Segment:
Rigg vs Simtul:
Cain Interview:
Janitur Segments:
White Interview:
Universal Title: Bonham vs White:
Bonham Post-Match Segment:
Cain vs Scharff:
Cain/Scharff Post Match:
Young Interview:
Ultimate X: Witch Hazel def Tommy Young, Phil McGroin and Glock Nine:

Match of the Night:
MVP of the Night:
Graphic of the Night: