Phase Seventy: Man On The Moon
Istanbul
Phil Jackal would be standing in the center of the ring dressed in a Guardians of the Galaxy t-shirt and black jeans. He would raise the microphone he had in his hand to his mouth before speaking into it. “The last time I was standing in this ring, I was embarrassed by the Monarch of PCW, Ms Taya Valkyrie. She had me standing in the ring looking like an idiot, but tonight, I am not here to talk about that. I am here to talk about what happened at Black Rain. What happened at Black Rain is a sign of what is bound to happen. Taya cannot hold me down. I will always be a thorn in her ass, so that’s why I went to Quack and asked him to give me what I earned.”
Jackal would lower the mic to let the crowd voice their opinions, and it wasn’t great at all for Jackal, as they were all booing the man. “Shut up you peasants, I’m not here to hear you boo me. I am here because I have a message to send to Taya’s real-life version of a Ken doll, Tyler Breeze. Tyler, you might’ve escaped every challenger that you went toe to toe so far, but I am nothing like them. I am the King of Highflying. I am the King of Kings. And most importantly, I am the King of Opportunities. And that’s what I am going to be doing. I am biding time and I am going to wait for the right moment to seize my opportunity to take that championship away from you. So you better keep that championship close to your heart, because soon... very, very soon, I will take it away from you, and you can’t do anything about it.”
The crowd would start to rise in volume to the announcement that Jackal just said. They absolutely hated the man, but they wanted to see him go against Prince Pretty. “And in the meantime. I am going to do what I always do—prove to each and every one of you people sitting in that crowd, sitting in their parents' basement watching this wrestling show, and most importantly... Everyone in the back why I am the greatest superstar to ever step foot inside this building. I am going to prove to every one of you why I call myself the King of Highflying by to dominating anyone who tries to stop me from achieving my goal. I am going to show each of you what a real-world champion looks like. So Tyler... Taya.. y’all better be prepared for a plane ride to hell because I am going to do everything in my power to take you both down.” Phil would toss the mic on the ground before his theme song would come on. He would then head to the back, leaving the crowd shaking the arena in anger.
UIC Pavilion
Austin Aries vs Corvus (With Vipress)
Vipress tries to get involved early on, but Aries stays one step of her and Corvus. As Corvus tries for a clothesline while Vipress distracts Austin on the apron, Aries ducks and Vipress is knocked down instead. He tries to roll up Corvus, but he kicks out. Corvus gets him with a knee to the gut quickly and drops the veteran with a side suplex for the pin. Austin kicks out at one. Corvus slams his head to the mat before dragging him to his feet by the ears. Aries fights back with a kick to the leg. He follows up with a jumping DDT for a two count.
Austin looks to go up high, but Corvus gets to his feet and wiggles the ropes to drop him down. Aries is stuck on the turnbuckle and Corvus tries for the suplex. Aries fights back and shoves Corvus off before going for the dropkick. He takes Corvus off his feet and hooks the leg for a two count. Still Corvus kicks out. Aries gets him into the headlock, but Corvus shoves him off into the ropes and gets the shoulder block as he rebounds. He leapfrogs over Austin and rebounds with a big boot, but misses. Austin gets him with a German suplex into the bridged pin for a two count.
Vipress is in the ring with the bell. She tries to swing at Austin, but he quickly ducks out of the way. He dropkicks her in the back and Corvus bites his back while the referee is distracted. Corvus kicks the back of the leg and rebounds off the ropes with curbstomp. Austin manages to kick out. Corvus tries to lift him off the mat, but Aries rolls him up for the shocking three count victory. Austin quickly ducks out of the ring as Vipress slowly stands. Corvus looks disappointed as Aries walks away with the win, but Vipress? She was furious. She grabbed Corvus tightly by his wrist and jerked him out of the ring, clearly having a plan in mind after this loss.
Scarlett Bordeaux vs Indigo Kelly vs Jimmy Havoc
Indigo and Scarlett take Havoc down together with a double dropkick, but Indigo instantly rolls up Bordeaux. The blonde kicks out and trips Indigo before rebounding off the ropes with the meteora from behind. She rolls Kelly over for a one count pin. Scarlett drags her by the hair into the corner and stomps Indigo down before swaying her hips as she struts around the ring. Scarlett slaps her ass before racing forward for the hip attack. Jelly ducks out of the way and follows up with a bulldog out of the corner to get a two count.
Havoc is back in and had Kelly by the arm for a lock. He gets behind her and scoops her up, slamming the woman onto of Scarlett. Indigo cradles the arm as Jimmy strikes down against the back. She crawls away into the ropes and he connects with a running knee to the face. Jimmy hooks the leg for a two count. He lifts Kelly off the mat and onto his shoulders for a sitout cutter. He tries to pin her, but Bordeaux breaks it up. She beats down on his back and forces him to his feet. She sends Jimmy into the corner and forearms him before climbing up. She attacks the skull multiple times as the crowd counters before he lifts her for a powerbomb.
Indigo rebounds with a big boot to his face to cover Scarlett, but she kicks out. Kelly tries for the Fade to Black submission, but Bordeaux fights back before she can lock it in. Scarlett yanks her up and connects with a drop of the crotch to the knee. Bordeaux then rebounds off the ropes and takes Indigo down with a clothesline for the pin. Indigo kicks out at two. Bordeaux has her up just as Havoc races forward to take them both down with a clothesline. He then focuses on Indigo, yanking her by the hair. He tries to lift her, but she wiggles out and gets behind him to plant him with a neckbreaker.
Havoc rolls out of the ring as Scarlett is up behind Kelly. She slams the head down by yanking the hair before stepping on her chest. She then slams the head back to the mat again and blows Indigo a kiss. Bordeaux starts to laugh before Indigo shoves her face aside. Scarlett slaps her and tries to lift her onto the shoulders, but Indigo counters into a huracarrana. Kelly takes her down with multiple clotheslines and lands a cutter for the pin. Bordeaux kicks out. She grabs Scarlett and looks for the submission, but Bordeaux connects with a sit-out jawbreaker. She whips Indigo into the ropes, but misses the clothesline as Kelly trips up the legs and gets the camel clutch. Scarlett eventually escapes. They both stand and Indigo misses the forearm only for Bordeaux to get the knee to the gut. She quickly sets Kelly up for the Scarlett Letter and secures a victory.
Scarlett earns a point despite losing momentum after Black Rain. She pretends to kick dust on Indigo and blows her a kiss before climbing the turnbuckle to celebrate. Kelly flares at the blonde for a long while until she exited the ring. Only then did Indigo race from the ring and attacks Bordeaux from behind. She sends her into the barricade before stomping her down. Kelly smirks as she drags the blonde closer to the ring, retrieving a kendo stick and choking her on the floor with it. Bordeaux struggles to breathe and tries to stand for leverage, but Kelly kicks her back and forces her back to the ground. Indigo slams the stick down against the already bruised body from the title match, adding new marks to the woman. Kelly then pretends to kick dust on Bordeaux as she’s lying in agony, feeling the animosity that’s suddenly stemmed from her opponent.
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Goody Two Shoes
Rhea is seen backstage with a smug grin on her face. She stares into the camera, proud of her interference last night. “Taya had the nerve to not only leave me off of Black Rain but to exclude me from PCW for weeks on end. I should be running this company, not sitting in the back on the sidelines. She wants to put all these little girls on the show, all her little boy toys, but she wants to leave out the Nightmare?” Ripley starts to laugh sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she starts to shake her head.
“No, I don’t think so, sweetheart. I waited and waited, sitting with my bit of points that could’ve been more than enough to face Tyler at Black Rain had I been booked. It’s so blatantly obvious who Valkyrie wants to see thrive, but I’m going to change all of that. Her plan is about to be crushed by the Nightmare and she’s going to be forced to pay attention after I beat the darling, Tessa Blanchard.” Rhea pauses and smiles as she speaks of Tessa.
“She probably believes it’s personal, but really? You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. You were the one who stood out last night, the only one I know I can use to my advantage. If I want to climb to the top, I gotta start chomping at the bit at the bottom and it doesn’t get any lower than Tessa Blanchard. Haven’t really won a match in weeks, then loses several more times to Priscilla Kelly, of all people. I know, though, that Taya still sees you as a star...so I’m going to squeeze the life out of you until you don’t glow anymore, Tessa. I’m going to use you as sacrifice for my inevitable rise in PCW...and if you don’t like it, mate, try to stop me.”
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Heart2Hart vs Melissa Santos & Alexxis Nevaeh
Heart2Hart await their opponents, but it wasn’t long before Alexxis makes her way out onto the scene. The woman looked dressed for a street fight, not an ordinary matchup. She grinned as Frankie brought a mic to her lips. “Uh...this is a TAG TEAM open challenge. While it's brave to see you wanna step up solo, you nee—“
“You need to shut up and listen up because I am only gonna say this once—we’re coming for you tonight because we’re done being damsels in distress. We aren’t gonna run from the fights...we’re gonna start them.” Alexxis drops the mic as Melissa Santos comes to her side in similar attire. Neither looked as if they wanted a title match. They race down the ramp and enter the ring, fists flying immediately. Santos clotheslines Frankie out of the ring and rolls out to keep her busy as the bell rings. Alexxis forearms Natalya and tries to Irish whip her in the ropes. Natalya whips her instead, but Alexxis rebounds and slips through the legs to trip up the champion. Alexxis follows up with a double foot stomp to the back and rebounds off the ropes for a running knee as Natalya sits up.
She tries for the pin, but only gets a one count. She lays in fist after fist into the face before stomping Natalya in the chest. Melissa is on the apron and Alexxis tags her in. Santos forced her up into the corner and knees Hart multiple times until she slumps back down. She tags Alexxis back in and both women connects with running boots from adjacent corners. Alexxis goes for the cover and gets a two count. She tries for a knee drop, but Natalya rolls out of the way. She makes the hot tag and Frankie took them both down. Santos drops to the floor, but she’s up fast and grabs a chair. Frankie forces Alexxis in the corner and uppercuts her before racing back in with a splash. Frankie follows up with a dropkick to the back and gets the one count pin.
She gets Alexxis up onto her shoulders, but she wiggles free and shoves her forward into the referee. She’s knocked for a moment. Frankie tries to help, but has to focus on Alexxis as she comes running with a chop to the chest. Frankie chops her back twice as hard and plants her with a side-to-belly suplex. Alexxis rolls into her corner and Santos is in with the chair. She swings and narrowly misses Frankie’s face. Natalya races in with the discus clothesline to take out Melissa. They tussle and roll out the ring as Alexxis is back in. She picks up the chair and just as the referee starts to stir, she tosses it at Frankie to grab. Alexxis drops to the mat and the referee sees Frankie instead, seemingly attacking her opponent.
The referee calls off the match and awards Alexxis and Melissa as the winners. Enraged, Frankie tries to explain and is taken out with a superkick from Alexxis. Santos had taken care of Natalya and raced in to help Alexxis beat down on her. The women stood tall over the champion, raising their hands in the air as they soak in the boos of the crowd.
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Happy Together
Mitchell stands in the ring, the leg brace still visible. He smirked as there was a mixture of boos and cheers. He held up the Future Phoenix Championship and the arena erupts. Knight laughs it off as he starts to speak. “I could talk about Black Rain, but I’d rather move on and speak of the future. I fought hard to retain my championship, damn near lost my leg in the process. Now I’m looking forward to a new challenger. No more of Will or MJF—they had their chance and blew it. They choked when it mattered most. Since beating Phil Jackal, I’ve gone on to make this championship mean something. I’ve made it the most prestigious title and Tyler Breeze can be pissy about it if he likes. It’s a fact that I’m the top champion in this company, so I’m looking for top talents to face me.”
Mitchell pauses as he looks at the title on his shoulder and smirks again. He looks to continue, but a new star makes their way to the stage. Knight raises a brow in surprise as Austin Theory steps up to the plate. He doesn’t say a word and simply stands on stage as the crowd erupts in boos and cheers. Knight doesn’t say anything in response and simply pats the plate of the belt. The two stare each other down, a silent agreement that this could very well be the next big matchup for the Future Phoenix Championship.
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Jay Lethal (With Taeler Hendrix & Isla Dawn) vs Ivelisse Velez
What should’ve been a match broke into chaos as Taeler ambushes Ivelisse from behind. The redhead beats down on Velez as Isla watches in amusement. Hendrix slings her unto the barricade before dragging Ivelisse down the ramp. Dawn remains on stage as Hendrix slams the face into the apron. Ivelisse fights back with an elbow to the face. She whips Taeler into the ring post before following up with a boot to the face. Dawn sees her presence is needed and races down the ring, jumping on the back of Velez.
This allows Taeler the chance to connect a superkick. The women join forces to beat down on Velez before Isla follows up with the half Nelson suplex on the floor. The two women leave Ivelisse in a heap, but before they can exit, Velez has a mic. Still down on the floor, she stares them both down with smirk. “You bitches wanna jump me? You both wanna fight me so bad? Aight, bet. Next week? Next week I’m bringing in my own partner and it’ll be the two of us against you.”
Tyler Breeze vs Killer Kross (With Isla Dawn)
Tyler was visibly hurt from last week, but remained confident as he locked up with Kross. The champion drove a knee into the gut and followed through with a jumping DDT for the quick pin. Tyler tries to stay on top of Kross with kicks to the back before running the ropes. Dawn trips up the leg with a slight of hand to slow him down and Kross is up in time for an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Kross continues his onslaught, yanking Tyler up from the mat and slinging him across the ring. Breeze rolls out of the ring to recuperate.
Kross is after him and grabs him by the throat. The champion manages to gouge the eyes and escapes before connecting with a thrust kick to the gut. He follows up with a knee strike that pops up the head and ends the sequence with clothesline. Dawn looks on, careful not to throw the match, but she was watching him intensely with a smile. Tyler tosses Kross back into the ring and Dawn just barely claws the back, enough to distract him. Kross races forward with a big boot and sends him to the floor again. The referee calls for Isla to back up, warning her of disqualification. He reaches the count of seven, but Kross steps out and drags Tyler by his leg along the floor. He grabs Tyler by his other leg and slings him into the steel steps.
Killer Kross then forces Tyler up and drops him on his back with a chokeslam to the floor. Kross reenters the ring as the referee counts. Breeze struggles to get to his feet, but he’s up by eight. He tries to enter the ring, but Dawn climbs the apron, looking as if she’s going to strike him. Tyler clotheslines her instead. Dawn drops to the apron, but as the referee is barking orders at her to leave, Kross has the blonde by the throat and slams his face into the ring post. Tyler falls to the ground and the referee has no choice but to count him out. The fans boo Kross as Dawn slips into the ring to raise his hand. She then grabs Tyler by the hair and pulls him back through the ropes. She meant to plant him with the half Nelson, but he elbows his way out and Dawn eats a superkick. Kross tries to attack him, but Breeze ducks and retaliates with a Beauty Shot. Both roll out of the ring to avoid further damage, but Dawn was smiling. They were already more than halfway to the gold with the countout victory.