Phase Seventy-Three: The Raven
Once upon a midnight dreary
Tyler stands in the center of the ring with a mic in hand as shades cover his eyes and a fur vest covered his back and shoulders. The fans were mixed with boos and cheers, hating the man while knowing he proved to be a formidable champion since day one. Still the match left its mark as he abdomen was tapped. “None if you expected to see Prince Pretty with gold still around his waist, but here I am in the flesh—still the PCW Champion.”
“Time and time again, I’ve had to deal with uggos staking their claim for my title and come up short every time. I’ve been a gracious champion, letting all these uglies put their hands on me, talk down to me, and critique my reign. I’ve gone out to this very ring and constantly proved that winning the belt, while controversial, wasn’t a fluke. It was destined to occur and I’m going to keep this baby all the way to February—the month in which is was won. The longest reigning champion in history once 365 days is met.”
“I can see it now! The celebration would be incredible. The champagne, my girlfriend by my side, the dancers would be here, the food table there, all of you in the audience with confetti and steamers—it’ll be fabulous.” He gives the crowd a cocky grin before beginning to make his exit.
Natalya makes her way out in the nick of time and grins. “You talk a lot of crap for someone who’s about to tap out tonight. You might want to hold those celebrations because I’ll be challenging you in October as soon as I gain those ten points. Tonight? I’ll earn six. In the next few weeks, four more will be under my belt and I’ll skyrocket from the tag team division to the big leagues.”
Breeze and Natalya meet on the ramp, the two stare each other down before Tyler finally pushes past her, clearly unimpressed with her words tonight.
UIC Pavilion
Phil Jackal vs Kevin Steen
Jackal takes down Owens with a Lou Thesz Press with multiple forearms before yanking Kevin up to whip him into the corner. Owens is too strong and pulls him into an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Phil slowly stands, but is barreled over with a shoulder block. Kevin drags him to his feet in the corner and elbows Jackal to the mat. Kevin follows up with a cannonball and hooks the leg. One...two...t—Phil kicks out. Owens lifts Phil into what looks like a packaged piledriver, but Jackal fights out of it. He strikes the leg, forcing Kevin to kneel and rebounds off the ropes with a big boot to the back of the head.
Phil hooks the leg, but Kevin powers out at two. Jackal tries to go up high, but Owens cuts him off. He tries to follow up with suplex, but Jackal forearms him back multiple times before leaping off with a dropkick to take him down. Jackal follows up with a hurricarana as Owens tries to stand, but Kevin uses his power to get the buckle bomb into the corner. He tries to follow up with the Pop-Up Powerbomb, but Jackal counters into a Frankensteiner and hooks the legs for a rollup pin. One...two...three! Jackal earns a point after suffering a loss in the title match last week.
MJF vs Jenny Blake (With Arisa Hoshiki)
Arisa cheers Jenny on as she gets the clothesline. Jenny follows up with a standing moonsault before hooking the leg. MJF kicks out quickly and rolls out of the ring. He tries to recuperate on the outside. Blake springboards from the ropes for a crossbody, but Maxwell suddenly grabs Arisa and puts her in the way. Jenny crashes down onto her partner and Friedman takes advantage with stomps to Blake. He yanks Jenny to her feet and slings her into the barricade before rolling the woman under the ropes for the pin. Blake kicks out at two.
MJF drags Jenny to her feet and traps her in the corner with multiple boots. Blake slumps in the corner and MJF races in for the running knee, connecting with the face. Jenny is out and MJF tries for another cover. One...two...—Jenny manages to get the shoulder up. Maxwell has her up, looking for the suplex. Jenny punches the abdomen multiple times before getting the corkscrew neckbreaker to escape. Both parties are down and Arisa tries to rally Blake to her feet. As both stand, Blake gets the hurricarana. Maxwell crashes to the mat and Blake tries going for codebreaker. MJF manages to sling Blake into the turnbuckle.
MJF quickly slams Jenny to the mat with a flapjack as she stumbles out of the corner and slaps on the Friedman Special armbar. Blake tries her best to fight out of it, willing herself to the ropes towards Arisa before finally shifting her weight to roll him up. He kicks out at two, but shoves Jenny into the referee. He jabs her in the eye while the referee is distracted and connects with the South Hamptons Plunge for the three count.
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Nameless here for evermore
Vipress held our her hand with a bowl balanced in her palm. Corvus looked into the bowl, green Corvus staring back at him from the liquid. He looked at her nervously. She smiled and put the bowl away. “Corvus, we won. We finally won, but...it’s much harder to keep our precious gems than to acquire them. In order to do that, in order to continue dominating PCW...you have to drink it.”
He makes a face at her and sighs. “It’ll hurt again...”
“Yes...but you were the reason we won. What I’ve made, it bonded with you better. It could kill me. You’re stronger than me, better than me. All I’ve done is to guide you. You hold the real power and together? We can expand beyond these tag titles and take over this entire company.”
He stared at her then back to the bowl. They were underground, right beneath the company. He could see dust fall from the ceiling as everyone above was on the move. She looked up, following his gaze, and shook her head. “Imbeciles. Nothing but pack rats just waiting to be caught...”
“If it hurts...”
“I’ll be right here to comfort you.” She took the bowl again and he took it from her. Corvus took a sip. It was disgusting and he immediately gagged. She waited and watched as he forced the rest down. It burned his throat and left a bitter taste in his mouth. Corvus puts the bowl down and stands to his feet, only to drop to his knees in agony. Vipress came to his side as he fell over onto his side, body convulsing as the elixir courses through his veins.
“Shhh, shh...” She took his hand and squeezed it tight, letting the process continue.
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Melissa Santos vs Alexxis Nevaeh vs Scarlett Bordeaux vs Rhea Ripley
Earlier in the night, Alexxis and Melissa were seen causing chaos in the parking lot. The two women scrapped until Santos slammed the face into the a car’s windshield. Melissa was suspended as Alexxis was taken to the hospital. This left only Scarlett and Rhea. Neither woman had issue going head to head. Rhea took advantage with a wrist lock and jerks the arm down over her shoulder before sending Bordeaux onto her backside with a hip toss. She kicks the back of the blonde’s head and forces her down into the pin. One...two...—Bordeaux kicks out.
Ripley sends the woman into the ropes, but eats a kick to the chest as Scarlett rebounds. Bordeaux takes her down with a clothesline and rebounds off the ropes as she stands. Rhea lifts the woman up into the air midway, stopping all momentum with a toss into the air. Scarlett drops to the mat and Ripley starts to stomp the back relentlessly. Rhea yanks Scarlett up and sends her into the ropes before connecting with big boot before she can rebound. Scarlett drops to the apron.
Rhea looks for a shoulder block, but Scarlett dodges and brings the knee up. She tries to follow up, but Rhea quickly kicks the leg out from under Bordeaux to send her to the floor. Ripley shakes off the knee strike and rolls out the ring, going for a clothesline. Bordeaux counters with a neckbreaker, both women going still on the floor. The referee starts the count, but before either woman can stand, Ivelisse and Salina marches down the ramp. They attack both women, throwing out the match. Velez slings Scarlett into the steel steps before she focuses on Rhea with Salina. They work together to put Rhea’s arm between the steps and post before Ivelisse kicks the steps into the arm.
The Australian hollers in pain as Velez continues to stomp on the arm multiple times. Salina holds her up and Ivelisse follows up with the Desert Eagle onto the floor, taking out Ripley. They both glance to Scarlett, who starts to stand, and laugh. Bordeaux used the apron to remain on her feet, glaring at them both. She charges at Velez, but eats a sudden right hook from Salina. The woman kicks dust in Bordeaux and laughs with Ivelisse as they head back up the ramp, proud of what they done.
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Prophet still, if bird or devil!
Darkness. That’s all that swallowed the room besides five candles in the middle of the room. All in the form of a pentagram. From the darkness a figure trailed through the room before entering the pentagram, taking a seat in the center of the circle. The man pulled his hood down, revealing himself to be Aleister Black. “The power I possess is something man fear to use. Lucifer himself has granted me the power of the darkness and that is what will take PCW. This briefcase I won is a weapon and all the champions have targets on their backs, it’s only a question of who is going to suffer. I can go after anyone and nobody would have a clue who it is. This is just the first step in my plan.”
With Aleister’s speech finish, from the darkness behind him, a mysterious figure would appear in the background of the scene. Slowly moving forward, the sight of a plague mask emerged from the shadows and Marty draped in his long black coat and umbrella in hand as he would interrupt the devilish man. Stood toe-to-toe Marty slowly tilted his head to the side, as he would begin to speak:
“Listen here pal, I’m aware that you have that briefcase and everything but there is one man that I want you to stay away from. Knight, don’t go near the man that I’m looking to end. I had my eyes on him only but if you step into my spotlight, I might have to take you down and I’m not afraid of all of this demonic bull— ha, ha. I respect you, I know that you will do the right thing.
Don’t cross the villain.”
With finishing his little monologue, Marty would slowly pull his mask off his head, holding it in his free hand as he would glare deeply into the eyes of Aleister, a devious smirk slowly appearing on his lips as the hand he held the mask in would slowly tap the briefcase that he has and gingerly walk backwards, keeping his eyes on the man that is Aleister Black.
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Austin Theory (With Austin Aries) vs Mitchell Knight
Austin had Mitchell in a headlock before taking him down. Aries looks on at ringside as his potential protégée drags the champion to his feet just to transition into a suplex. Theory hooks the leg for a one count. He transitions to the leg, bending the knee in a leglock. Austin crosses the legs and applies more pressure until Knight finally elbows the back of the head. Mitchell gets to his feet and connects with a roundhouse as Theory stands. He quickly follows up with a DDT and hooks the leg for a two count. Knight forces Theory into the corner, driving kicks to the chest before following up with the running double knees to the face. Theory stumbles out of the corner and Knight gets the jumping leg drop from behind.
He goes for the pin, but Aries is on the apron. He argues with the referee and Knight sweep the legs out from under him. Aries crashes to the apron, but Theory rolls Knight up from behind with a two count. Theory gets the headlock, but Knight reverses out of it and gets the enzuigiri. Knight looks to go up high, but Austin wastes no time getting up once more on the apron. He grabs the leg, but Mitchell kicks him off. The champion goes for the double foot stomp, but Theory has it scouted and rolls out the way. Austin has Mitchell up and gets the Unproven Cutter to put him away. Aries holds up his partner’s arm in celebration, but as they exit the ring? Someone else makes his entrance.
Marty comes down the ramp, mask covering his face. He watches the champion silently, stalking him as he rounds the ring. Mitchell uses the ropes to stand. At the same time, Black makes his appearance with the briefcase in hand. He stares down Marty, having already been face-to-face with the latest signing to PCW. Knight looks back and forth between the two, readying himself. Aleister keeps the case clutches in his hands, simply warning Knight of what could happen. As he remains, Marty simply fades into the shadows. His own warming was headed for tonight.
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Atwell with Paige
Paige stands with Hayley as the show progresses, watching the last match take place before shaking her head. “Paige, you haven’t been welcomed to PCW quite as you expected. Priscilla AND Rhea took issue with your sudden debit and victory. Last week, Ripley eliminates you from the gauntlet match before Kelly proceeded to attack you. W—“
“Actually, I knew my return—not debut—wouldn’t be so welcoming. In fact, I counted on the competition to heat up. I can’t be mad at either woman because I’d react the same. Rhea Ripley beat me fair and square. The problem I have right now is Priscilla Kelly going around attacking me because she played second fiddle.”
Hayley nods and looks to continue, but Paige cuts her off. “If she wants to have a match with the Anti-Diva, all she had to do was ask. I’m not someone to be trifled with because I’d rather be upfront and get shit done right then and there. Kelly doesn’t seem to realize that playing games will only get her hurt, but she’ll find out.”
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Natalya (With Frankie Valentine) vs Tyler Breeze
Natalya awaits Tyler with Frankie beside her giving her a pep talk. Unfortunately, Breeze wasn’t the one to appear. Instead, Taeler Hendrix walks out with a smirk. Her hips slowly sway as she brought the mic to her lips. “Don’t look so upset, Natalya. I just saved you from embarrassment tonight.”
The fans boo Hendrix as she flips her hair over her shoulder. “I take issue with Quackenbush excluding me from tonight’s show. The heart of this company, it’s very foundation, should always be in the spotlight. Considering Tyler and I aren’t quite on good terms, I took it upon myself to steal his moment. Tonight, Natalya? You face the best champion this company has.”
Taeler sprints into the ring, but Natalya doesn’t back down. The two collide and the blonde locks in Taeler with a wristlock. The champion tries to escape, but Natalya takes her down with a hip toss and keeps the wrist locked in. Hendrix slowly gets to her feet and knees Natalya in the gut before connecting with a snap suplex. Hendrix hooks the leg, but Natalya kicks out at one. Taeler yanks her up by the hair and slings her into the corner. She chops the chest and slams the head back into the corner before whipping Hendrix into the opposing corner. Taeler goes for the clothesline, but Natalya quickly slams her with the STO onto the knee for a backbreaker. Hart covers the champion, but she gets the shoulder up.
Natalya keeps the advantage with a whip into the ropes for a toss into the air. Hendrix drops hard on her back and sits up, allowing the Hart Dungeon graduate to step on the back of the head and rebound with a dropkick. She hooks the leg, but Taeler kicks out again and rolls out of the ring. She tries to grab a chair to attack, but Frankie yanks it away from her. Unfortunately for her, the referee sees this and starts to argue with Frankie. Natalya tries to bring Taeler back in, but Hendrix drops the neck on the ropes and chokes Natalya until the referee finally pays attention. She gets to the apron and grabs the blonde through the ropes before racing forward to slam the face into the post.
Hart drops down onto the mat and Hendrix quickly goes for the pin. One...two—Natalya kicks out. Frankie cheers her partner on the outside as Taeler slams the face down repeatedly. The fans join in and Hendrix covers her ears. “Shut up! SHUT UP!” Natalya quickly rolls her up for a two count. Hendrix gets her with a forearm as they stand and whips Natalya in the ropes, running up from behind with a knee to the gut. She goes halfway through the ropes and brings the leg up for a back kick to the face, stunning Natalya. Taeler looks to finish off the former tag champion, but Natalya slips out of the piledriver and grabs the legs, setting up the Sharpshooter. Taeler tries to get to the ropes, but Natalya has it locked in until she finally taps out.
Taeler crawls out of the ring as Frankie races in to celebrate with Natalya. Hendrix stares up from the ramp with rage, glaring down the blonde. Natalya blows her a kiss, bouncing back from last week’s loss and earning herself six huge points tonight.
Next Weekly Show:
PCW Live: The Masque of the Red Death
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
"What a mind you have... I've finally seen for myself."
A dark room shows on the Titantron, just barely shifting shadows and a silvery-blue light.
One spindly hand lifts to tilt the light and nearly looking like a movie straight from the silver screen Pavor Nox comes into view, only his unsettling blue eyes coming through in color. The eerie light of his gaze fell on a pale figure just before him. There were specks of white flecked like the first snow or a volcano's fine, fresh ash coating his hair, clothing and the room around him.
"Do you know her?"
The portender of peril used one finger to slide a photograph closer to the other figure, just in front of them. "What do you remember?"
A voice began, only unsure for a syllable at most before gaining its bearing, and its confidence. "She's...Of course I do. She's mine." The accented voice loss its direction. He opened his mouth to say something else but Pavor covered his lips with two smooth fingers.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Spike. I couldn't have made him without you."
The nightmare monger slid his hands over the trim body encouraging him to stand. Every detail was perfection. Spike had never looked more flawless. His hair was neat and tidy, his eyes without emotion.
"Of course I couldn't." His eyes were fixed on the camera, looking straight ahead, speaking to Spike who wasn't there. This point was confused because the figure he now slid a hand over the shoulder of looked exactly like Spike but with limited movement and striking gold eyes, glowing brightly in his aristocratic face. “He is you... or would be if you had twice the focus, the strength and the creativity. He is you magnified, amplified and perfected. He has been moulded, shaped and sculpted into the best version of you. Because of you... I admit... I have experienced loss. And once again because of you, I have repeated the act."
The camera pulled back and it was possible to just make out an arm on the ground, shattered pieces of porcelain lay strewn around their feet, littering the otherwise pristine, Victorian room. “Do you want to know the recipe for perfection, Spike?" His attention turned back to the new doll who had been looking unconvinced as the wraith-like figure spoke and as though magnetized the doll's eyes snapped to meet his, his body following. "You will have no mercy. You will not betray me. You will pick him apart until he crumbles. You will protect what is mine. You will have her for your own." The doll focused on him suddenly and completely repeating the words like a mantra, the two of them repeating them once more.
“Go."
The Spike doll rolled his eyes, a little sneer pulling his upper lip as the trance broke. "As though I don't know what needs doing. Consider it done." He vanished from view, porcelain heels clicking and crunching over the pieces of fallen brethren he never came to know.
In a rare occurrence, Pavor suddenly came into full focus, view and color. "The recipe for perfection is as follows... Loss. Intent. Direction. Reason. And in this case memory... and blood." His fingers tapped on a scar that ran from collar bone to collar bone on his marble white skin. "You won't remember her. Not like you once did. You... and that woman made it so I would feel something... I admit, the two of you got the upper hand for a time but now... the tower falls. My revenge will not be swift but it will be complete. Sleep well, Spike..."
For just a second it sounded as though a small, high voice in the background said "Pavor?" but the feed cut in the middle of the name.