Phase Eighty-Five: Oh!, The Places you'll Go
UIC Pavilion
Kenny Omega vs Rey Mysterio
Kenny awaits Rey in the ring, but rather than his opponent appearing, the lights go out and the titantron lights up. There was nothing, but static at first...then the screen slowly creates a distorted image. The silhouette of a man appeared, but the static caused a brief disconnect in his words. He cleared his throat and the transmission seemed to stabilize for the moment. “Kenny...did I not tell you to stay out of the way? Did I not warn that you cannot meddle with the timeline? Because of you, I had to....delete Mysterio from the show tonight. If I had let the match go on, who knows what would’ve happened.”
“Let me put it simply, Kenny. You don’t belong here. And that isn’t a dig at your skill or accomplishments. You literally do not belong here in PCW at this time. Your presence is causing a disturbance, and if something doesn’t change soon? Sweeneymania... It very well may not happen. PCW may crumble. I’ve seen it for myself and I cannot let that happen... I've decided to call this place home. For now. It has been a great hiding spot from... Galactic forces that threaten my very existence. I’m not going to let you put me in danger. Final warning: You must leave PCW or I will make you leave.”
The two men go at it from the very beginning with Brian taking out his frustrations with Balor on Maxwell. Ford watches at ringside as Pillman backs MJF into the corner with multiple forearms. As Brian looks to close in with a clothesline, Ford quickly drags Friedman from the ring to safety. The referee is on her immediately and the blonde pleads her case as Brian tries to follow up with a suicide dive. Friedman catches him with an uppercut to the face just before he can get through the ropes.
MJF capitalizes with a DDT onto the apron and Brian tumbles to the floor. Maxwell quickly slams his back into the barricade and Ford claps him up as the crowd starts to boo. Pillman is tossed back into the ring and MJF covers him for a two count. Maxwell drags Brian into the ropes and chokes him on the bottom until a count of three. As the referee backs him up, Penelope races in with a big boot to the face. The fans boo her heavily as Brian is yanked up from the mat and dropped with a belly-to-side suplex for another close pinfall.
Friedman has him up, but Brian headbutts him back suddenly. He gets the kick to the midsection and follows up with an elevated armdrag from the ropes. He quickly gets the running knee to the face before MJF can fully stand and capitalizes with a suplex into the double knees across the back. Brian hooks the leg. One...two—Ford is in the ring and the referee has to hold her back. Pillman wastes no time driving a superkick into her chin, but while he’s distracted, MJF rolls him and grabs the tights. One...two...three! MJF steals the win and races out of the ring to celebrate with Penelope.
As they exit, Brian tries to collect himself after the loss. The man grabs at his face in frustration, but as he starts to exit the ring, Finn Balor appears on the titantron. “Another swing and miss, Pillman. Seems the apple does fall from the tree because you can’t seem to live up to the name you so proudly carry. You add nothing to this company and it’s starting to show that you’re nothing short of a glorified rookie that just so happen to come from a famous family name.” Balor starts to laugh a bit and shake his head. “Honestly, Brian. It’s time to pack up and call it quits while you still have a chance...because once I feel like switching the blanks for a real bullet? Well...PCW is going to be one member short by the time Sweeneymania passes.”
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Moment of Bliss
Alexa sits in her chair with a cup of coffee in hand as she smiles to the crowd and waves. The blonde takes a sip and lowers her mug to the table before clearing her throat. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to a Moment of Bliss with your host—the Goddess! It’s been a real long time, but I felt it was time to bring this show back with a very special guest tonight.” She claps her hands and waits patiently as a drum roll begins. “My guest tonight is none other than...” Spotlights flicker around the stage until strangely settle on her once more. “....me!”
Bliss gets up from her chair and gives the crowd a small smirk as she continues. “After last week’s performance, I thought it was best I had the chance to give my thoughts... I was just moments away from stealing the win from Scarlett and she knows it. She was fortunate enough to counter the Twisted Bliss, but that’s a once in a lifetime occurrence. Another matchup and I guarantee you all she wouldn’t walk out as the winner. Even Taya recognized how damn great I was last week, so this week? I’m putting my foot down.”
Bliss flips her hair over her shoulder as a frown slowly settles deep into her features. “I’ve been in the background long enough. I am calling my shot right now. I know what I’m capable of and after last week, you all know, too. I want a chance to not only be good, but to be successful. I gave the champion one hell of a fight and was moments away from victory, so I know I can take the rest of the roster. Anybody, anytime, anywhere—bring it on. I’m ready to prove that the one, true goddess of PCW is more than capable of taking over.”
Alexa drops the mic and walks off the stage with the crowd buzzing after her challenge. Next week, Alexa Bliss looks to force her way into Sweeneymania by any means necessary.
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Rocket Stars vs South Wales Subculture
The two teams fight hard for the win, knowing every win counts towards Sweeneymania. The champion has Mark Andrews in a daze as she catches him with a dropkick to the chest. He collided with the corner and Arisa follows through with the double knees. She tries for the snap suplex out of the corner, but Mark battles back. He’s rewarded with a quick roundhouse to the skull and drops to the mat hard for Arisa to take the pin. He kicks out at two.
She drags him to Blake and the blonde tags in for a double superkick to the skull. Jenny looks to go up high early, but Andrews rolls out of range and tags in Morgan. The two lock up and Webster gets the arm drag before connecting with a jumping knee to the face. He sets Jenny up for a half Nelson suplex, but she breaks free and reverses into a forearm shot. Blake springboards off the ropes with a reverse Frankensteiner to drop him on his head for a two count pin.
She has him up for the huracarrana, but he manages to overpower her and drops her in the corner with a buckle bomb. Webster tags in Mark and the man races to the adjacent corner while Morgan holds Blake down for the coast to coast dropkick for the two count pin. Mark has her up and drops Blake with the stalling suplex before getting the standing moonsault for another two count pin.
Andrews keeps the control until Blake catches him on the ropes with a dropkick to send him tumbling down to the apron. Blake tags in Hoshiki and the two trap Mark on the apron with a double superkick—knee strike combo. Arisa tosses him back in and catches him with a Brazilian kick to knock him out for the winning pin. Rocket Stars both grab a point as they return to tag team action.
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You're on your own. And you know what you know.
As advertised, the Smokeshow logo appeared on the screens both in the arena and around the world to those watching PCW. The champion was already standing in the middle of the ring, however, the usual set-up for the show was nowhere to be found. There was a singular spotlight shining down upon Bordeaux, sporting her title proudly across her shoulder. The expression on her face was stern, the crowd chanting and cheering for the champion. "Now, this won't be the usual speech I'm sure you're accustomed to hearing. I began last week on my Twitter page and I intend to expand now. This won't be me standing here, bitching and moaning because of the odds Taya has placed against me. Actually, I'd like to thank her for this outstanding opportunity. Something that has become synonymous with my name in PCW is history." This drew cheers again from the crowd.
"I've made my name here on creating opportunities, stepping into matches that no one else has and coming out the other side victorious. Despite a first loss, I was the only person on this roster able to dethrone Tyler Breeze and take his title. He likes to brag about the time period he spent as champion, hell, I would too. Anyone that says his reign was anything shy of stellar is fooling themselves and bitter it wasn't them." A brief pause was made, where Scarlett looked down at her championship.
"That being said, it also makes my victory all the more impressive. All that time, all of those challengers and I was the one that succeeded. That's why odds, of any kind, they don't intimidate me. Those who fear odds are the ones who know they're mediocre, they're less than ordinary. Scarlett Bordeaux is perfection, she's miles above the rest in every single facet of life."
Despite the confident words, the crowd still cheered. "I've shared my thoughts on each individual person that stood on that stage last week, those haven't changed. I don't need to stand here and repeat what I've said when you can go and find that. Let's just say I'll be watching all of the action with a very close eye. I'm eager to see which of these fives I'll get the pleasure of ripping limb from limb, making my legacy grow and walking out the other side still your PCW Champion. Good luck, bitches. You're the ones that need it."
With that, Bordeaux dropped the microphone and symbolically held her championship title high above her head. The crowd roared, her music played and she stood still ensuring this image would burn into the minds of all who dared to contend for this matchup.
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Sami Callihan vs Tyler Breeze vs Ivelisse Vélez vs Jimmy Havoc
The minute the bell rings, Breeze takes on Sami and drives his back into the corner with multiple kicks to the torso. He drives a forearm into the face and whips Callihan into the opposite corner for the double knees. Velez has Havoc in the headlock and gets the hangman neckbreaker across the shoulder for a half-second cover. The redhead has him up and he suddenly headbutts her before sending the woman into the ropes for a big boot to the chest. He covers her for a one-count and starts to drill fist after fist into the face. As Ivelisse is grounded, Sami takes control over Breeze with a knee to the gut and sends the former champion to the apron. He knocks Tyler down with a bicycle kick before racing in on Havoc with a superkick to the back of the head. As Velez tries to recover, Sami takes on Jimmy.
He grabs Havoc by the hair and uppercuts him back into the ropes before whipping him across the ring. Havoc tries to counter with a clothesline, but Sami has him up in the Argentine hold and drops him with a slam. Ivelisse is up now and tries to take advantage with the vertigo kick to Sami’s cranium. She rolls him up for a two count. As he stands, Ivelisse drives another kick to the head and tries to lift him. Callihan remains grounded and shoves the woman off him to get a jumping knee to the face. As he makes the pin, Breeze leaps from the ropes with a moonsault to Sami and breaks it up. All this time, Jackal watches at ringside with curiosity, scouting his potential opponents. As the action continues, Jackal pulls up a chair closer to the ramp and crosses his legs, grabbing popcorn from the crowd to share with a fan.
Tyler has control of Velez with a suplex and drops her chest first to the mat before getting the basement huracarrana. Before he can cover her, Havoc drags Breeze off and slams the face into the mat repeatedly. He drags Tyler by the hair to the ropes and starts to choke him violently, no rope break being in place for this match. Callihan tries to overtake Velez with a powerbomb, but counters into a huracarrana over the ropes. Sami topples to the outside as Breeze nearly passes out on the ropes. Jimmy yanks him up and dumps his body to the apron with a hash slam. Velez quickly uses the ropes and springboards into Havoc with the reverse Frankensteiner. She then follows up with the Desert Eagle to take home the victory and the three points needed to enter the chamber in April.
Jackal applauds her as he enters the ring and looks to shake her hand as a way of congratulating her. Velez scoffs and starts to laugh before shoving him out the way and exiting the ring.
Tables Match
Natalya vs Frankie Valentine
Natalya vs Frankie Valentine
As Natalya attempts to make her entrance, Frankie races in with a chair to the back. The veteran drops to the floor as Frankie continues to savagely attacks her before the match can even start. Frankie drags her to the ring and slings her back into the apron before connecting forearms to the chest. She tosses Natalya in and goes after her to the start the match with more chair shots to the body. Frankie tosses the chair and looks to get the table early at ringside. She slides the table in and Natalya grabs one end as she has the other. Natalya smartly shoves the table into Frankie’s abdomen and pins her in the corner. She slams the table repeatedly into the body until Frankie is slumped on the mat. Natalya puts the table aside and stomps Frankie even further down to the mat before grabbing the legs to pull her out.
Natalya has her protégée up and connects with a snap suplex into the corner. As Frankie is down, Neidhart rolls out the ring and grabs the legs for the figure-four around the ringpost. Frankie hollers in pain as Natalya stretches the legs around the pole. There was no count, no ref stoppage. Natalya could tear the muscles or break the legs if she wanted, but she released Frankie moments later. The rookie cradles he legs in pain as Natalya retrieves a staple from under the ring. The blonde rolls back in and tries to staple the chest, but Frankie holds her off and manages to kick the woman back. She tries to regain feeling her legs as she crawls to the ropes, using them to stand. Natalya marches after her with the staple in hand, but Frankie kicks it away and spears her to the mat with multiple strikes to the face.
Natalya manages to escape and crawls to the apron. Frankie uses her hurt legs to limp-run and spear Natalya through the ropes. They topple to the floor, but Natalya is up first with healthy legs as Frankie struggles to stand. The veteran takes advantage with a kick to the gut and finds a kendo stick under the ring. She strikes down against the legs and lower back to keep Frankie down before fixing up a table at ringside. The blonde sets Frankie on the table face up and climbs into the ring. She looks to go up, but Frankie rolls off the table and onto the apron before she can jump. She fights through the pain and races to the corner on the outside to knock Natalya’s legs down. The blonde hands upside in the corner and Frankie connects with a double foot stomp from the top to drop her to the mat.
Both women are down on the mat for a few moments, but Frankie is up first with the limp still in her legs. She retrieves the table from earlier and slides it out of the ring between the apron and barricade, hovering over the table Natalya set up. The rookie grabs Natalya by the hair and slings her in the corner with multiple punches to the face. She forces Natalya up high and starts to make the climb, but Neidhart kicks her in the face and snatched Frankie up from the mat by the arm and head, standing up high before dropping back to send them both through the tables and to the floor. The bell is rung as Natalya is declared the winner. The paramedics rush to their side, helping them both out of the arena. Natalya gains three points and now enters the chamber for April.