PCW Live: The Masque of the Red Death
Logan Square Auditorium
Ivelisse Vélez vs Zara Sabre
Ivelisse has Zara in an armlock, but the woman breaks free and kicks Velez in the gut. She whips the redhead into the ropes, but is taken down with a clothesline. Ivelisse looks to follow up with scoop slam and rebounds to drive a boot to the face. She hooks the leg for a one count. Salina cheers her on at ringside as Ivelisse has Zara in the corner with multiple shoulder blocks to the gut. She elbows Zara in the face before going for a corner clothesline.
Zara ducks out from under it and forearms Velez to the mat. Zara rebounds off the ropes and transitions into the Muta Lock. Velez refuses to tap out, dragging herself to the ropes. Salina pushes the bottom rope out so Ivelisse can grab it, causing the submission to be broken. Salina tries to play innocent, but she still pays as Scarlett Bordeaux comes racing down the ramp. She drives fist after fist to the face before Salina manages to scratch the eyes. She slams Scarlett’s face onto the apron and tries to follow up, but Bordeaux knees the gut. She sends Salina into the barricade.
Ivelisse is distracted, allowing Zara to roll her up from behind. Only a two count. Velez kicks the woman back and tries to handle Scarlett. Bordeaux fends her off, the brawl causing a disqualification. Salina tries to interfere, but Bordeaux uses Ivelisse as a shield before dropping Salina with a DDT. She doesn’t stop there, setting Velez up for the Scarlett Letter and plants her on the floor.
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No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.
The champion took watch of the show backstage, accompanied by Indi Hartwell. The two were scouting out the talent just as the briefcase holder came into the picture, eyeing the belt around Knight’s waist before staring him in the eye. Hartwell focuses her gaze on him and even steps forward between the two men, but Knight reassures her she can handle him. “If Aleister has something to say, he should say it directly to my face.” Knight closes the gap between them. “So say it.”
“Your time is slowly ticking away, Mitchell. You are very close to losing your title. You may think that Marty will be the one to do it, but your eyes should be focused on the actual threat...” Black holds up the briefcase and stares Knight down with a cold gaze. His eyes glowed with a dark intensity that even had Knight unconsciously on defence.
“Ease up, champ. Relax your shoulders and take a deep breath. Ruminating on your eventual demise will only soften you up for the killing blow. When I am ready, I will strike you dead, and relieve you of the weight that you simply carry around like a toy.” Black’s eyes settle on Indi momentarily. “And I’ll drag you down with him if you so happen to get in my way.”
Knight instantly grabs Aleister by his suit jacket in rage. No words were necessary. The fire in his eyes were enough to let Aleister know a nerve was struck. Black’s eyes twinkled with malevolent glee as he gripped one of Mitchel’s fist with his free hand. “A weakness already exposed.” He forces Knight off him and backs away from view, the champion staring after him with silent rage.
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Austin Aries vs Phil Jackal
Aries gets the wristlock and slams the elbow down on the arm multiple times before flipping Phil onto his back. Aries drops the knee on the arm and remains kneeling on it as he twists the wrist. Jackal refuses to quit and manages to get the leg up to kick the back of the head. Aries is stunned long enough for Jackal to stand. Phil goes for the huracarrana, but Austin lands on his feet and immediately knocks Jackal down with a shoulder block. Aries claps for himself before running the ropes. Phil trips him up as he returns and quickly gets the heel lock.
Aries desperately crawls to the ropes to break the hold. Phil backs off and Austin is to his feet before rolling out the ring as Jackal charges. That doesn’t stop the high-flyer from going through the ropes for a dive onto Aries. He yanks Austin to his feet and tries to send him in the ring, but the veteran reverses and shoves the shoulder into the ring post. Jackal cradles his arm in pain as Austin gets behind him for an inverted DDT onto the floor. Aries rolls back in, content with a count-out. The referee gets to four before Phil is to his feet. Jackal rolls into the ring and is met with stomps to the arm.
Austin runs the ropes again and transitions into the calf mutilation onto the arms. Jackal is in the center of the ring in agony, but he doesn’t give in. He tries to slowly lift himself and Aries to their feet. He manages to break free and turns Austin around for a jumping knee to the face for the cover. Austin kicks out at two. Jackal looks for the lionsault off the ropes, but Austin gets the knees up and transitions into the Rings of Saturn. Jackal gets the bottom foot on the ropes. By now? Theory makes his way down to support Austin. As Phil gains some space on the apron, Austin distracts the referee as Austin gets to the apron and kicks the side of Jackal’s head.
Phil is stunned as Austin drags him in for the pin. Phil kicks out at two barely. Aries slings Jackal’s arm into the corner and stomps him down before he’s pulled back. Theory rakes the eyes and chokes Jackal as the referee is distracted. Austin yanks Phil up and looks for the corkscrew neckbreaker, but Jackal rolls him up and shockingly gets the three count. Phil avoids Aries’s wrath by racing out the ring, but Theory gets the superkick to knock Jackal to the floor. “You and me? Next week, Jackal. I’ll show you how it’s really done.”
Paige vs Marty Scurll
Marty has the front headlock early on, but Paige reverses out of it and yanks Marty into a knee strike. The raven-haired beauty sends the man onto his back with a snap suplex and rolls over onto him to lock in a seated guillotine choke. Scurll struggles to escape her hold as she wrenches harder with each second, but he eventually rolls her into her back and strikes the sides multiple times. Paige weakens her hold and he’s able to stand before tossing the woman up and over onto her back with a suplex. Marty rolls over into the ropes and Paige gets to her feet. She tries to pull him in from the apron and eats a hotshot manoeuvre as Marty jumps down from the apron.
Paige holds her throat before she’s pulled down by the legs and yanked to the floor. Marty has her up and slams the face into the apron before chopping the chest. He slings the woman into the barricade before knocking her down with a clothesline. Marty enters the ring again, showing off to the crowd with a cocky grin and takes a bow. Paige slowly stands just as Priscilla makes her appearance. The Succubus looks as if she’s going to attack, forcing Paige to turn her back to Marty. She tries to attack Kelly, but the demon dodges and Paige hits the barricade again. Kelly forces Paige back into the ring as the referee gives her a warning.
Marty tries to capitalize and Paige rolls him up. Marty kicks out at two and kicks the woman in the gut. He whips her into the corner, but eats an elbow. Paige takes him down with multiple clotheslines, getting the crowd behind her. She rebounds off the ropes and has her hair pulled by Kelly. The referee warns her again as Paige mouths off to her. Kelly points behind Paige, but it’s too late as Marty gets the Bird of Prey and puts her away for the three count. Kelly smirks as she makes her way back up the ramp. Scurll ignores her presence and requests a mic.
“My debut was spectacular...as to be expected. It needs to be known that Marty Scurll is about to change things in this company and it starts with the Future Phoenix Championship. My message, however, is not for the champion. It is in fact for Aleister Black.” Scurll looks towards the ramp and shakes his head.
“You, Mr. Black, seem to lack basic comprehension because I made it clear that Mitchell was off-limits. It appears that wish to toy with the young man and I normally would enjoy such a show myself....but not tonight. And certainly not for the foreseeable future, so I am warning you for the last time. Enough is enough. You had your fun tonight, but Mitchell is mine to deal with for now. Another slip-up will cost you your head.”
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Atwell with Heart2Hart
Natalya stands confidently beside Frankie with a smirk on her face as Hayley holds up the mic. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m currently joined by former tag team champions, Heart2Hart. My guest, Natalya, recently defeated Taeler Hendrix for six points. Natalya, how are you feeling?”
“I couldn’t be better! I had planned to face Tyler Breeze, but it seems he chickened out at the last minute. It seems our champion had little confidence in beating me and must’ve struck some kind of deal with Hendrix.”
“You have six points meaning you could actually challenge Hendrix if you wanted to.”
Natalya thinks for a moment and shakes her head. “No, I’m aiming for the top spot. Frankie has had a taste of singles success and I want that, too, but with the big belt in PCW. I want Tyler, but Mike knows that’s a match worth a lot of money. He’s saving us for the big screens because by then? I’ll have the ten points necessary to challenge him.”
Frankie chimes in. “I know Natalya is capable of beating Tyler. He’s been unstoppable for seven months, but he’s never been one-on-one with the Queen of Harts. Natalya has helped me transform into a better competitor and she can do the same for the champion.”
Hayley looks to continue before Breeze appears from behind her and pushes past the woman. “You talk a lot of crap for an uggo. Like everyone else, you believe that you can dethrone the prettiest reign in all of PCW. Well, you’re wrong. You got over on Taeler, but that’s to be expected. She could only beat people due to distractions. Her match with Ivelisse is proof of that. Me? I’ve been killing the game since I beat Jenny, holding my own against each and every challenger.” Tyler pauses to remove his shades and look Natalya over with a disgusted look.
“And you think you’re different because your little lap dog said so? You are a tag team specialist. You were always meant to have a tag along to help you shine. I was both a solo act, a star meant to shine all on his own merit. Tonight? You better do your job right as referee and keep your biases to a minimum. Ruin my night, steal my spotlight, and I’ll give you a very painful makeover.”
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Corvus & Vipress vs Austin Theory & Zack Sabre Jr
Corvus starts the match against Zack and immediately gets the technical wizard on his back with a deep arm drag. Corvus latches his teeth into the fingers and the referee starts the count. Sabre hollers in pain as Corvus bites even harder until the count of four. He twists the wrist and eventually kicks the bent arm before rolling Zack onto his stomach for a stomp to the back. Corvus then drills multiple punches to the back of the head before lifting Zack off the mat with a German suplex into a bridged pin. Zack kicks out at two and immediately tags in Theory before rolling out of the ring.
Austin doesn’t allow Corvus to get the arm drag, showing off his strength by countering into a hip toss. He rebounds off the ropes and connects with a sliding knee to a seated Corvus’s chest and hooks the leg. Corvus kicks out at one. Theory forces him onto his stomach and crosses the arm around the neck for a submission. Corvus struggles, but doesn’t tap. Vipress watches with a smile as Corvus eventually uses his enhanced strength to stand with Theory on his back. He rams the back into the corner multiple times as Vipress slaps the shoulder for a tag.
The woman slaps the chest multiple times before flipping Theory out of the corner with a snapmare. Theory gets to his feet and races in for a clothesline. She counters with a neckbreaker and hooks the leg. Theory kicks out at two. She forces him up and whips Austin into the corner for a running clothesline. Austin leaps over her and rolls through. She tries to catch him with a spinning heel kick, but he catches the leg and drops Vipress with a single-leg suplex into a bridged pin. One...two...th—Corvus rushes in with wild strikes to break up the pin.
Theory tries to fight him off and looks for the tag as Corvus has his other arm. Zack glances his way and drops down from the apron, leaving Theory alone. Austin has to battle his way out from Corvus, but unfortunately takes a big boot from Vipress. She hooks the leg, but Theory kicks out at a close count. Vipress tags in Corvus and they try for a double suplex. Theory manages to land on his feet and connect with a double neckbreaker. Vipress rolls out of the ring as the men stand. Corvus shrieks at the top of his lungs as he swings wildly and Theory manages to evade him from taking him out with the Unproven Cutter for the pinfall. Zack claps him up and gives him a thumbs up, but Austin wasn’t having that.
He rolls out of the ring and shoves Sabre hard into the steps. Zack is up in seconds and shoves Theory into the apron. They’re in each other’s faces as the referee tries to separate them. From behind, Vipress slings a chair into Theory’s back. She strikes him again as Zack backs away and slips from the scene. As Vipress attacks, Austin Aries races into the ring and suicide dives into the woman. He takes her down and continues the attack until she flees with Corvus, glaring down both men.
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His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre.
(Right click on the picture below to open link in new tab.)
"Mary Mary, Quite Contrary"
The ring that was cloaked in darkness had one red light flicker to life in a single beam at the center.
"How does your garden grow?"
Pavor's haunting sing-song voice came over the sound system. Bathed in that red light stood Pavor beside Spike Trivet but Spike didn't look quite right. His skin was too smooth and his eyes were too gold. The sculptor of fear looked pleased with his handiwork.
"With Silverbells and Cockleshells and Pretty Maids All In a Row..."
The nightmare himself walked in a circle around the haughty doll. "Zara... I know it's been a long time, but I've made you a present. Why don't you come say hello?"
The Spike based creation straightened his tie and reached up a hand to slick back his hair in preparation. He looked ready for this, almost like it was more him receiving the gift as opposed to her.
At first there was no reaction but the two of them stood in wait, finally she entered, no music playing but the lights came back, though dim and the red spotlight turned to bright blue. She stood at the top of the ramp, hands balled into fists at her sides. "I don't want anything from you. I-"
Before she could say much more, the Spike Doll had left Pavor's side and slid smoothly out of the ring, none of the rattling porcelain sounds Pavor's first doll used to make when he moved. He went to the technician without hesitation and reached for one of her hands. She recoiled initially but she let him have her hand, thrown off by seeing that look on Spike's face again.
He took her hand, that earnest look in his glimmering eyes. "Zara. I'm sorry I was away for so long. I've missed you so much." He reached out so he could hold both her hands, smiling in that boyishly charming way he'd always had about him. "The house hasn't been the same without you." It looked like she was physically trying to get her bearings together.
She studied his face with her eyes, taken by him for the moment. "I missed you too, but..." Her brows furrowed up though and the expression turned sceptical. She pulled away trying to slip her hands from his grip. "But I thought you didn't want me there. Didn't you say? You had them take me out!" It looked like she was getting a little worked up remembering their fight.
Pavor leaned on the ropes, one hand at his chin observing his new masterpiece with a chilling smile. He didn't have any reason to interfere.
Spike tightened his grip on her hands and yanked her to his chest, his hold shockingly strong considering his construction. "None of that matters. It must just be tricks of the mind. I would never do that. You know that Right? That I would never push you away? It's great to have you back. The world is still at our grasp. I would never let you go now." His expression hadn't changed much, looking just as happy to see her, have her but there was a clear edge to it now.
Zara reached up one of her feet, putting it between them, planted it on his stomach and shoved him back away from her with as much force as she could muster from that position. It was enough to send him reeling and stumbling back away from her. She shoved past the doll, rushing for the ring and slid under the ropes to face the fear monger herself. "Where is he?" Her voice was steady but there was no question that she had the stance of a predator. "What did you do with him?"
Pavor didn't back up from her but did unfold to stand in front of her with perfect posture, his hands out as if to say wordlessly that he had no idea. "I haven't seen him. Why? Did you actually want to find him? Here I thought you hated him." A cruel smile tugged at the edge of his lips. "Or was that wrong?"
The doll was clambering to get back in the ring but Pavor held up one finger to him, telling him to wait. It looked like he wanted to disobey, to claw his way in there but he physically couldn't, stuck in place.
Zara almost laughed at the exchange and the intimidation and walked closer to the doll. "Aren't you afraid, Pavor? You made this "gift" you set this whole thing up? You have to know how it's going to end. I broke one of your little dolls. You think I won't break another?" She raised a foot like she was going to stomp it down on the faux Spike but Pavor launched himself in a deadly looking spear taking her right off her feet.
"Get back!" He shouted to the doll who did back up. She tried to fight back but he wound a long arm around her neck from behind, holding her in place. "Lightning doesn't strike twice." The lights all went out and when the came back, Zara was alone in the ring and pounded the mat with her fist.
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Tyler Breeze vs Taeler Hendrix
(Special Guest Referee Natalya)
(Special Guest Referee Natalya)
Taeler and Breeze lock up, fighting for the upper hand early on. Breeze gets the side headlock and takes her down. Natalya watches closely as Hendrix slowly rises to her feet, but Tyler whips her into the ropes for a dropkick. Taeler drops to the mat and rolls away onto the apron. He tries to yank her back in, but she drops his neck on the ropes. Taeler slides back in as he’s choking and takes him down with a clothesline. She hooks the leg for a one count. Hendrix stomps the abdomen and runs the ropes for a neck twist to the champion.
She boasts a bit, striking a pose as she licks her lips. Eyes focused on the crowd with a wicked smile, the redhead laughs to herself before yanking Tyler up by the hair. Natalya gives her a warning before the redhead sends him into the corner. She gets him with a corner clothesline before following up with a bulldog for the cover. A two count. Taeler puts the knee to his back and crosses the arms for a submission. The champion struggled to free himself as she drops the knee into the back multiple times. He slowly rises to his feet and breaks free before yanking her hair to slam her down to the mat. Natalya gives him the warning and he waves her off.
Tyler stomps the chest multiple times and goes for the cocky pin with his boot on her. She easily kicks out at one. Tyler drags her up to her feet by her hair and lifts the woman by her legs to shove the back into the corner. He attacks her with multiple shoulder blocks before Natalya starts counting. By three he backs up and glares at the blonde before racing in for the dropkick. The momentary hesitation allows Taeler to sidestep him. Breeze crashes into the corner and she capitalizes with multiple stomps down into him before Natalya has to pull her back. Hendrix shoves her off. “Keep your hands off me!” She gets in Natalya’s face but the blonde doesn’t seem phased. Breeze comes up from behind with a roll-up. Natalya counts almost too fast for a two count. Taeler was not pleased. “What the hell are you doing?!” Natalya holds her hands up and steps back, trying to maintain neutrality.
Breeze clobbers Hendrix from behind and drops her with an inverted DDT into a backbreaker across his knee. Hendrix remains seated and Tyler rebounds off the ropes for a dropkick to the face. He hooks the legs then puts his feet on the ropes. One...tw—Natalya stops the count, noticing the tactic. Tyler stares her down with an ugly glare before slamming Hendrix’s head down multiple times. He drags her up to her feet and connects with a snapmare before kicking the back of the head. He hooks the leg for a two count. Tyler starts to choke her on the mat and Natalya starts the count. He backs off at four before kicking the woman in the head gently, toying with her.
Tyler gets her to her feet and uppercuts her before whipping the champion into the ropes. She rebounds with a big boot to his shoulder, knocking him off balance long enough for Hendrix to capitalize with a scoop slam. Taeler kicks the back as he sits up and slams a fist down into his abdomen. The redhead gets the headlock and squeezes down. Tyler slowly gets to his feet, but she drops him with a side-to-belly suplex for the two count. Taeler drags him by the arm to the ropes. She looks to use the ropes to her advantage, but Tyler grabs the leg to slow her down. She breaks free and tries to slightly jump off the ropes for a leg drop. He rolls out the way and quickly runs the ropes for a low clothesline. He hooks the leg, once again with the feet on the ropes.
Natalya doesn’t even bother counting this time and now Tyler is pissed. He gets in her face and even shoves the woman back. Natalya wastes no time swinging for the discus clothesline, but Tyler ducks and Natalya nearly takes down Taeler by accident. As the blonde turns, she eats a Beauty Shot from the champion. Breeze doesn’t stop there, dragging Natalya to her feet before tossing her out the ring. He attacks the blonde by slinging her into the barricade. He stomps down on her then presses his boot down on her face in a mocking manner. “You don’t disrespect the champion, uggo!” Hendrix watches the turmoil unfold with a grin before slipping from the ring. She and Tyler had plenty of time to work on their own issues in the future. She allows the champion to assault Hart by working on her left leg. He slammed it into the barricade before twisting the ankle and dropping knees into the leg.
Frankie eventually comes racing down to chase off Breeze. She stands guard by her partner as Tyler retrieves his title and flees up the ramp. He smirks, holding his belt up high. Long as he was still champion, tonight’s results made no difference to him. Frankie helped Natalya to her feet and the two stared Tyler down from ringside.
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And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.
Mike Quackenbush sat behind what used to be Taya’s desk. He shuffled through her papers, attending to any matters she may have overlooked or plainly ignored. The man let out a sigh. Everything was disorganized. He didn’t understand how she even managed. As he started to fix her mess, he peeked at the cameras occasionally. At one point, he believed he saw a shadow, but there was nothing there when he looked again. The man continued on with his work before the security cameras began to static.
Mike tapped the monitors twice before it fixed itself, but there was the very familiar figure of Valkyrie. The blonde was smiling outside the building and even waved when his eyes widened. She looked normal. No flesh nor meat hung from her lips. Her eyes were the same dark brown he’d always known her to have, but something was off about the way she stared into the lens. In the next instance, the camera statics again. He hits the monitor and she was gone.
He gulped. Sweat was building along his brow as he sat back in his seat. He listened carefully, sure she wasn’t gone. The sudden slam against the door had him jump out of his seat. Color drained from Mike’s face as the deep, inhuman growl he heard weeks before slipped through the door from the other side. “That’s not your seat.” Another slam made Quackenbush jump back and nearly trip over the desk chair. “Get out.” He said nothing, not bothering to engage whatever that is. It damn sure wasn’t Taya.
“I scared you last time. It’s been weeks now. I haven’t eaten anyone.” Her voice was back to normal. “Open, Mike. Let’s talk.” He didn’t move a muscle. “I haven’t done anything wrong....” She slams the door again. “¡ABRE LA MALDITA PUERTA!” (Open the damn door!) He was frozen. His first instinct told him to call for help, but who could tame this...monster? There was nothing anyone could do. His only comfort is that if she wanted to tear him open, the door would’ve been gone long ago.
“Podría destrozarte. Sería fácil. Esta puerta no es mucha protección. Ella no me deja, sin embargo. No lo admitirá, pero le agradas hasta cierto punto. Pero dijo que podía hacerte daño. Puedo hacerte mucho daño...” (I could rip you apart. It would be easy. This door is not much protection. She won’t let me, though she won’t admit it, but she likes you to an extent. She said I could hurt you, though. I can hurt you real bad...)
The thing starts to laugh quietly to itself before going silent. It slams the door repeatedly and Mike ducks under the desk. It was all he could think to do. He was shaking, hands trembling as he pulled his phone from his pocket. 9-1-1 flashed across the screen. The entire room started to shake, as if she were rocking the entire building. Mike pushed the dial button. As it rang, the trembles only worsened. It was deafening. Mike could barely hear dispatch... Then it suddenly stopped. “9-1-1, what is your emergency?” There’s shuffling before Mike hears a snap of bone and tearing of flesh. He can hear her walk away from the door. “Hello? Is anyone there?” This time, he felt more at ease. The heavy feeling in the air was gone. Danger was averted again...for now. He hung up the phone and slowly stood to his feet.
Mike took deep breaths as he leaned against his desk before turning to face the door. It was hanging on only one hinge. At the doorway, Quackenbush saw something on the floor. He stepped closer for a look and kneels down before covering his mouth. It was a human finger. Skin still intact, blood spilling from it. Another kill. It was fresh. He can smell the metallic from the finger as it laid on the floor. What really made him shiver? It was petite, very delicate. There was no sign of wear and tear from age or roughness of the skin. It was smooth as he picked it up. It was so tiny... It was barely half the length of his own. He looked further down the hall from his office and noticed a small shoe. Pup Patrol on the sides with one dog’s face caked with blood.
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