PCW Phase One: Lines Not Crossed

The UIC Pavilion was still filling in as the show began. But the 9, 500 seat monster was already roaring with the chattering of wrestling fans.

The lights dimmed, leaving only the reflectors in the arena to illuminate the ring, and the music blasted through the speakers, Fall Out Boy's "The Phoenix" kicked off the spectacle, and the ring announcer, Louden Noxious, came out to welcome the fans in attendance, his flair and energy bringing the place to life and getting people hyped for what was to come.

Phoenix Flock! Welcome to the first formal Phoenix Championship Wrestling event! We're bringing you a delayed Christmas gift in the form of two out of the four qualifying bouts for both the Women's and World Championships. Or... As the boss likes to call it, "the Men's championship."

This... Is a singles match, between the Monarch of Kicks, Rhea Ripley and the Howling Huntress, Hania!

Women's Championship Tournament: First Round. (Match One)

Hania came in with her usual seductive cadence, walking down the ramp calmly, making her way inside the ring through the third rope, using it to propel herself up and landing on her knees, howling right before removing her wolf-like cloak, setting it on her corner while she waited for her opponent to appear.

Rhea came out to a happier beat, bouncing and running down the ramp while touching hands, stopping a few seconds here and there before reaching the ring, climbing up on the apron and sliding between the ropes, climbing up on the turnbuckle to pump the already excited audience, the fans cheering even louder for the hyper Australian.

The match went on for a gruelling total of thirteen minutes. Hania's technical prowess and athletic feats were evenly matched by the energy and strength of her opponent, but after two kick-outs and a final Solefood attack from Ripley, the match was over. They shook hands in a display of sportsmanship and returned to the back after the referee had raised the victor's hand.

Once they were out of the ring, Louden came out to introduce the next match of the night, making sure the audience was as excited for this one as they were for the one before.

Next, we've got the first round of the World Championship tournament. Lee Grimwood's unorthodox style meets the legendary Minoru Suzuki in a singles match! Are you ready?!

The crowd roared in approval as the lights dimmed and pulsated to give way to the first man to go into the ring.

World Championship Tournament: First Round. (Match One)

Suzuki came down the ramp without preamble, making his way inside the ring as menacingly as always, the towel on his head obscuring his face until he saw fit to remove it, once inside the squared circle. He spiked the back of his hair and waited on the other man with unnerving patience.

Grimwood took his time in jumping inside the canvas, calmly jamming and slapping hands with the crowd on his way there, hardly even acknowledging the man in the ring or the threat he posed. His entrance had the arena a lot more illuminated than the revolving blue lights of Minoru Suzuki's, and his attitude matched the brightness of the venue.

From the start of the match, Suzuki proceeded to basically maul Grimwood with relentless violence, each blow, each kick delivered with uncontrolled force. The younger man took a stand for himself near the middle of the twenty minute long encounter, making the veteran retreat to the corner a few times, perhaps only to give himself time to breathe. There was, however, very little he could do when the leader of Suzuki gun set him up for a cradle piledriver. Minoru took his time after the bell and offered a small bow at his unconscious opponent before leaving the ring. Lee got up (with help from some of the ring crew) and left the ring after a few minutes.

Once the crowd had become slightly more silent, Louden announced the next match to be held.

That was a good match, wasn't it? Should we take a break? 

The crowd responded with a loud "no" and he continued on.

Well, then... Lined up, we've got the second match for the first round of the World Championship tournament! The Modern Maharaja meets the Silent Striker when Robbie Sallis faces Jinder Mahal for our next singles contest!

World Championship Tournament: First Round. (Match Two)

The lights in the arena went completely out, and a design of elegant patterns filled the ramp floor as the tall figure of Jinder Mahal made his way to the ring with confidence and poise. His mere presence demanded respect, and the audience obliged. 

Robbie Sallis came out as confident as his opponent, jumping up and down and decided to make an impact for the people who didn't know him yet. The loud crowd made up for his silence as they cheered him on all the way to the ring.

The bout started slow, with both competitors respectfully shaking hands for a brief moment, entering into a series of lockups which ultimately led to chops, and things took a less-friendly turn. Both of them exchanged kicks and blows at an equally fast and strong pace, the match evenly distributed in advantage between both competitors. Close to the end of the fifteen minute encounter, exhausted and not knowing what would it take to keep the other one down, Jinder locked in a cobra clutch slam and expertly delivered The Khallas, leaving Sallis on the canvas for the count of three. He celebrated his victory and waited for the other man to regain full consciousness before helping him up with one hand, offering a nod and moving out of the ring without anything else to add. Sallis rubbed at his neck with one hand, but raised the other one to thank the crowd for their supportive chants and applause.

 Our next match is the main event for this evening. The Poison Princess and the Viking Pixie face off in a battle of wits, strength and technical prowess for the second first round qualifying match for the Women's Championship!

Women's Championship Tournament: First Round. (Match Two)

Frankie Valentine's gymnastics made themselves known from her entrance, her balance and strength astounding the audience as she made her way to the ring, she seemed aloof and collected, despite the match she was about to have. The newcomer didn't seem intimidated at all when her opponent came down the ramp.

Taeler's moves and seductive pace left the crowd speechless, hypnotised almost by the way she seemed to control her body, even as she slid up on the apron and threw her head back, letting her red locks touch the canvas before standing up and getting inside to face her opponent.

The match took the remaining thirty minutes of the event. The exchange was strong, both females fearless and ruthless. The mohawk'd Frankie never took a step back, and despite the best efforts of the redhead to intimidate her, she continuously surprised her with her resilience and determination. Each spinning side kick was met with a strong forearm, dropkicks were met with equally powerful dropkicks. The referee started the ten count when both women remained on the mat in the middle of the match.

With heavy breath and broken bodies, they stood back up, exchanging forearms while kneeling, after which, Frankie seemed to gain footing and took the poisonous Hendrix by surprise, her feet repeatedly striking her in different parts of the body until an enraged Taeler took a hold of one of the smaller woman's legs and swung her to one side, roaring and preparing her for The Kiss Goodnight. She waited patiently like a predator for Frankie to stand up.

She grabbed her by the waist, flipped her effortlessly and piledrove her into the canvas, hooking her leg to secure a pin. She sat there for a few minutes after the bell had rung, her victory was announced through the speakers and the referee raised Hendrix's hand, after which, she wobbled her way to a standing position and observed her opponent. The match had taken as much from one as it'd taken from the other, and Hendrix knew it could have been either of them, but in the end, it was her who'd taken this battle, and she walked out of the ring with her head held high, clutching her sides, but proud in herself, as always.

Frankie took a few more moments to come to, the referee checked on her and though she wasn't happy with the result, the crowd offered a standing ovation for her amazing effort.

Night was settling when the show came to an end, Louden came out to thank the audience for their support, asked for one more round of applause for the men and women who'd put their bodies on the line for our entertainment and finally, invited everyone to join us for the next show "Phase Two: Scorched Earth", where we'll see the final four matches of the first qualifying round, and on the 20th of January for the finals of both Tournaments.