PCW Phase Four: Native Ground

There was a general buzz of excitement through the UIC arena in Chicago, Illinois. Most of the fans were in their seats earlier than needed so they would be ready for the anticipated show. Most of them had been present for the previous two shows and they were on the edges of their proverbial seats for what was to come.

As soon as the first notes of Fall Out Boy's The Phoenix hit, at least a third of the crowd was on their feet, applauding and screaming out cheers. A handful of them already had posters raised and the majority were clapping in time with the music.

When the first Chorus hit,  Louden ran out to the top of the ramp with his arms outstretched wide, a mic gripped in one hand. He stomped in time with the music just a few times before he ran all the way up to the ring, jumping up onto the apron, hanging onto the turnbuckle with his mic hand outstretched. He was greeted with enthusiastic applause. The host ducked under the second rope and into the ring, bathed in red, orange and yellow light while the theme song blared. He turned around in the ring and the volume of the song dropped enough so that he could be heard.

Goooood Evening Chicago!

The ovation rose again in response.

That's what I like to hear. You've got a lot to be excited for because we have one explosive show tonight here at Phoenix Championship Wrestling coming to you live from the lovely UIC arena here in Snowy Chicago!

We have the last two matches of our semi-finals, and the result of some bad blood we've been seeing over the last few shows. And now to start us off, I bring you Hania The Howling Huntress versus the greatest hugger I know, Bayley!

The crowd seemed divided in who they were cheering for but seemed overwhelmingly in favor of the match.

Louden slid back out of the ring, making his way back to the commentary table to watch the match unfold, scanning the audience for reactions. In the front row alone there were a handful of signs, at least one for each of the upcoming women being raised proudly.

Hania. vs Bayley

"Make a Wish" started playing and the crowd lit right up to the beat of the song, their cheers were rewarded when Bayley appeared with her usual energy and a huge smile. She walked down the ramp, touching hands and stopping to hug the people and kids who wanted to get a hug from her. She got inside the ring, spinning a few times before settling, jumping from side to side to wait for her opponent.

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, landing right in front of Bayley, almost nose to nose.

Hania had the upper hand for most of the match, expertly countering Bayley's attacks. They fought hard for over fourteen minutes, and found themselves about even, near the end. They went on with the match until Frankie Valentine ran down the ramp with a chair in hand, and slid under the third rope to attempt to fight both of them, swinging at them and getting Bayley right in the stomach with the chair before security could run down there to remove her from the ring.

"You're dropping the ball on your biggest star, Quackenbush, you are!" She kicked and screamed as she was taken up the ramp. Both Hania and the referee checked on Bayley, even if Hania did get the win during this match. Bayley was able to walk on her own after catching her breath, but still accepted help from The Huntress.

Louden went to head back into the ring after the competitors had left the ring, making an exaggerated "Yikes" face. The fans were in an uproar over the result.

As always, expect the unexpected here at PCW, folks. We have a lot of people here just begging to make their mark on the wrestling world.

He straightened his black suit and ran one hand up as though he was adjusting one of his hair spikes before continuing.

Our next match is the highly anticipated culmination of the alleged bullying we've been seeing from the lockeroom lately. Without further ado, I bring you Robbie Salis, our Silent Striker vesus Warren "The Mouth" Hearst accompanied by Jinder Mahal!

He threw in the little jibe about the always confident blonde.

Robbie Sallis vs Warren Hearst (With Jinder Mahal)

Robbie Sallis came out as confident as always, jumping up and down. He was met with cheering this time around, people knew him and loved him, and they had his back with signs and with chants. The reception followed him to the ring, and he waited there until his opponent came down the ramp.

"Bad Attitude" started playing and the crowd's entire mood changed. They boo'd immediately, even before Hearst stepped onto the ramp, closely followed by Jinder Mahal. Warren was trying to shut the audience up since he came out, he disregarded their hatred and antagonized the people in the front row. The Maharaja just settled at the edge of the ring, shaking his head at the behavior of the shorter man, but not really stopping it from happening.

The match didn't start clean from the very first moment. Warren leaped at Sallis with a closed-fist Lou Thesz Press, the referee pushed him off after he didn't obey the count and the blond stepped away from the fallen man just to come right back with a kick to the stomach. Sallis held his leg and turned him over, keeping him grounded with a series of locks. After Robbie had proven he would not be just a sitting duck for Warren's abuse, the match went a little better on the technical side, but the desperation on the long-haired wrestler was visible when he couldn't regain the upper hand.

He rolled out of the ring for a moment and exchanged a few quick words with Jinder, climbing back inside the ring to continue the match. The Maharaja distracted the referee for a few seconds, just enough so that Warren could kick Sallis below the belt, and the referee missed it, turning around in time to watch a suffocated Robbie get pinned with a basic schoolboy.

The pair left victorious, much to the anger of the audience, and the Silent Striker went up the ramp, just as angry as his fans, who clapped for him on his way out.

The crowd was outraged and chanting a number of phrases at the duo that were largely bound to be censored out of any normal TV viewing. The ring crew helped Robbie up and out of the ring to the supportive applause of the PCW Fans.

Louden made his way back under the middle rope and into the centre of the ring.

Our next contest is one of the two semi-final matches of the night and it is set for one fall. Let's hear it for Mandy Leon and Rhea Ripley!

He backed out of the ring and perched back at the edge of the commentary table, even putting on a headset himself to add to the commentary during the match.

The crowd was amped up and already cheering out for one woman or the other, adding in by singing along with their theme music.

Women's Championship Tournament. (Match Two)

The smoke and flickering lights announced the arrival of the Exotic Goddess Mandy Leon. She came out with her sheer cape and leaned down, turning her body around and looking at the audience through the triangular symbol of the Eye of Nazar. She swung, slapped hands and made her way to the ring with her usual hypnotic rhythm, climbing up the turnbuckle and running her eyes once again through her protective triangle. She left her cape in the corner and waited for the Heir of Flair to step down the ramp.

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.

Rhea started strong, trying to keep the fight away from the mat and all up in their feet so she wouldn't be subject to the technical abilities of the Queen of Honor. The match was an even exchange for the minutes it took to complete it, clean, fast-paced, the crowd cheered for both as loud as they could, the room divided in half on the number of supporters. Leon worked on Rhea's limbs as much as she could during the match, trying to take down the Australian for a good amount of time and being pushed back every time, but the wear and tear of the match were slowly taking a toll on the blonde.

During one of the gear changes of the match, Mandy saw her opportunity to take her opponent and locked her in the Havana Dreams. Ripley held on as much as she could, trying to wiggle her way out, but finally had to tap out or risk injury.

The victor was announced and Leon's hand was raised, but she offered her hand to the Australian, who shook it, if still a little bothered by the loss, respectfully accepting her defeat in the match. 

The titantron screen lit up, static on it. There was a faint clapping sound coming from it, it lasted a few seconds and then stopped altogether. 

There was a faint ripple of confusion through the applauding fans as Louden made it back into the ring.

Sorry about the technical difficulties, everyone. I'm sure we'll get all that cleared up right away.

You've all been amazing all night so I have one more match I know you're just waiting for!

This is our final, Match Two Semifinal match. It's set for one fall and is Minoru Suzuki versus Aleister Black!

He rolled out of the ring this time.

World Championship Tournament: Semi-Finals. (Match Two)

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.

The lights all went out, giving way to Aleister Black. The dark figure stood from his coffin position with the magical ease he always did, and made his way down the ramp and into the ring with the same ominous aura which always surrounded him. He rolled gracefully over the third rope and landed cross-legged in the middle of the ring, landing in front of his opponent with both hands on his knees.

The match, to start, was a dream come true. A legend in the making facing a living, breathing legend. Their levels of experience converged in the ring like a full class on how to put on a match. They were both very respectful the whole beginning, they locked, they countered, they kicked strong and hit even harder. As the match progressed, the heat started to raise between the ropes, the moves became more polished, they turned more violent, it became a full brawl and the audience was silent through it, observing, there weren't any phones in sight, no light other than the stage light.

Both opponents tried to one-up each other, and as the thirty-minute mark rolled in, three consecutive kicks of Aleister finally made the legendary Minoru Suzuki stay down. The crowd took a few seconds to come back to life, and they did so with a roaring round of applause for both men, who were kneeling at the center of the ring, watching each other, finally standing up and offering their respects for the wonderful encounter they'd had.

The UIC Pavillion was alive with the raucous reactions of the thousands of present fans, the majority of which were standing. Louden put a hand on his chest in a dramatic show of how touching their reactions were to him.

Thank you for being an incredible audience tonight, Phoenix fans! Next week, during our first PCW Takeover: Arise we're going to be bringing you another action filled evening of wrestling but for a change of pace, we'll be coming from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

Meet us there for the Finals of the crowning of the Inaugural Women's and World Champions as well as a couple surprise matches.

We'll see you next week, Phoenix Flockers!

Thank you all and Good Night!

He raised one hand in a huge wave as the lights went down, the last sound being a huge final cheer from the still amped up crowd.