PCW Phase Seventeen: The Valley of Fear

The lights of the UIC Pavillion lit up red, orange and yellow and washed over the ring and the crowd as The Phoenix by Fallout boy began, booming over the sound system. The crowd cheered instantly and in near unison started singing along.

Just ahead of Louden's old cue, Griffin West came sliding into view at the top of the ramp and cried out into his mic.

Hello, Hello Chhiicagoo! Welcome to another exciting night here at the UIC Pavillion for PCW!

He spoke as he made it up the ramp and pulled himself into the ring.

We have a full night here and up first we have a fight that's sure to get your attention. Both competitors are coming into this strong with two points, but only one will come out with one a championship shot! Alright, let's get this show on the road, people!

He waved a hand in a vague circle above his head and rolled out of the ring. In no time the ring announcer was sitting with the commentators, leaning over to speak into other peoples' mics.

Princess Kimber Lee vs Britt Baker

As the beat slowly revs up, the fans all shift their attention to the stage in time to see Britt Baker race out onto the stage. “Bad Blood” is in full effect as the woman shows a burst of enthusiasm, arms flung around her as she gives a little hop on stage. The brunette makes her way down the ramp with a wide smile, fans having the honor of giving her high-fives as she makes her way around the ring. Britt hops onto the apron and enters the ring. She races to the opposite side and climbs the rope before throwing an arm in the air. Britt puts a hand to her ear, soaking in the adoration of the fans.

The first thirty seconds of 'Fighter' by Sumo Cyco began to blare throughout the arena. A few moments later, the tiny princess made her way through the curtain and out onto the ramp. A bright smile planted across her lips as she wore a tiara upon her head, a second one held in her hands. Kimber Lee made her way to the ring, smiling brightly and slapping hands with fans. Only stopping halfway around the ring spotting a small girl wearing one of her t-shirts. She gave her a tight hug, placing the extra tiara upon her head before quickly sliding into the ring and into a vertical stance. She gave a bow, smiling brightly as she waited for the referee's signal in her corner of the ring.

Both Kimber Lee and Baker were fighting for their third contention point, and they gave it all in the ring, they pushed each other to the limit, knowing that the one to come out victorious from this bout, would be the one to face Hania for the Women's Championship.

Unfortunately for the princess, it was her who succumbed to the Baker Buster, returning her point count to zero.

Matt Riddle vs Buddy Murphy

A Bass Renaissance filled the air to announce the arrival of Buddy Murphy in a very ominous way. The 5'11" Australian came down the ramp, flanked by Mick Moretti, the leader of the Rapscallion's Rebellion, who accompanied him to the ring and let him do his entrance, stopping at Murphy's corner only when he was face to face with his opponent.

Mad Icarus's Hang Cool Teddybear hit and the crowd knew exactly what to do. The chants of "bro" filled the arena even before Matt Riddle stepped through the curtain. Smiling, calm and collected, following the rhythm of his song on his way down, slapping hands and leaning in to reach the fans who weren't on the front row. He walked up to the ring and got inside, cleaning his bare feet on the apron before spinning his way inside, waiting on his corner.

With championship contention on the line for one of the competitors and honor on the line for the other, the match was as relentless and strong as it was expected of the two experts. Buddy escaped every submission hold by the skin of his teeth and despite the exhaustion and how much the battle had taken from both of them, Buddy's meteora put an end to Matt's dream of being number one contender. At least for the time being.

Rachael Ellering vs Tessa Blanchard

The opening strands of Shinedown's "Cut the Cord" begins echoing throughout the arena as the fans all begin to stand in anticipation for who's coming out. Finally, when the drums begin to ring out, Rachael Ellering busts through the curtain, screaming for fans to get on their feet. A smile was etched across Rachael's face as she made her way down the ramp, slapping hands with the fans before sliding in the ring. Rachael goes to a corner, and stands on the turnbuckle, staring into the crowd. Hopping off, she waited patiently in the corner for her opponent.

Tessa's music hit, and she was out there and being greeted by mixed reactions from the audience. She turned, her hair flipped, she winked and she walked with her arms at her sides, owner of her actions and the floor she walked on. Even as she got up on the apron, she seemed unfazed by her dangerous opponent.

Former friends met in the center of the ring without any trace of that old sentiment of fondness that bound them together previously. Their word exchange had fueled a fire between them and there seemed to be no way of solving it other than in a match of skill versus skill.

While both of them fought valiantly, and neither was willing to give up when faced with the chance of quitting, it was Ellering who took the victory with the TKO.

After the match, Rachael waited on Tessa, offering her hand to help her up, nodding her head. After a few seconds of unintelligible talking amongst them, they hugged and walked out of the ring together.

So you've all had a lot of action tonight, right?

Griffin spoke as he hopped up onto the apron then climbed to the top of a turnbuckle to perch.

I know what you're thinking. It's been a full show already and it can't possibly get any better, right?

He paused for a small amount of reaction from the audience.

Well, you're Wrong! Dead wrong! It's time for a title match! Let's hear it for the second defense of Frankie J's All-Weight Championship!

He stood and jumped off the turnbuckle, standing to the side of the ring, out of the way but closer than normal to watch the entrance.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs Frankie J. Valentine (All-Weight Championship)

Zack walked calmly to the ring, the red, blue and white lights bounced back from his light jacket, reflecting on it from the moment he came out and even as he stood in the middle of the ring, the collar of his jacket popped up in his usual fashion. He started stretching and looked straight at the ramp, standing back up and jumping from side to side while he waited for his opponent to arrive.

The first few notes of “I Will Not Bow” hit and the crowd perked up, anxious to see the owner of the Breaking Benjamin tune as the titantron loads. The cheers quickly split to boos, albeit a few groups of fans, as Frankie Valentine’s name and face appear and she sauntered out of the curtain with her hands up, making a turn to show herself off and flexed, before walking down the ramp. She slid into the ring and up on the turnbuckle and flexed her arms again with a smirk on her face, hopping down to get ready for her opponent.

The technician and the powerhouse met with absolute respect, they shook hands and obeyed referee counts most of the time. Frankie's resilience and Zack's expertise found a perfect place to bloom as they moved smoothly through the long minutes of their encounter. Little by little, as if reinforced by her training, Valentine started to find ways to escape Sabre's holds. 

Zack, as impressed as he was, didn't budge a bit, and continued targetting the smaller competitor's limbs one by one, trying to neutralize her most powerful weapons by applying armbar after armbar, octopus hold after octopus hold. And though Frankie held on firmly throughout all of them, shaking her head frantically when the referee asked her if she was going to give up, and put Zack through more suplexes than any other human could withstand, in the end, Sabre's Young Boy Killer gave him the win when Frankie's hand fell limply three times after being lifted by the referee.

The crowd was in an absolute uproar, many of them split on the result but either way, they were going crazy. Griffin seemed not far behind, sitting at the edge of his seat on commentary until he jumped out of it and walked up to the ring with a bounce in his step.

Well that was short lived. Zack Sabre Jr is officially your All-Weight Champion, Flock! Let's hear it one more time for the brave Ms. Frankie who brought us this belt in the first place!

He allowed them to cheer for a moment then waved them off.

Alright, alright! Seriously, thank you all for supporting us again here at PCW! We'll see you next week for the conclusion of this season, Phase Eighteen: A Scandal in Bohemia. Be here or be disappointed that you aren't! Goodnight!

The lights faded and the music played out at the conclusion of another weekly PCW show.