PCW Phase Twenty-Three: You're Gonna Carry That Weight

The Korakuen Hall in Toyko was stacked full of people for the closing of the season. They'd gotten to know the roster and the story and were as invested as it could be from just the short month they'd been following it. As soon as the theme song, The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy began, the crowd began clapping in time with it. But this time it wasn't Griffin that joined them at the center of the ring, though he did come out and swerved them by moving towards the announce table, crossing the ring first.

Mike Quackenbush came out after him, met with loud applause. Slowly, but surely, he got inside the ring, wearing a very tame dark grey suit and waiting for his microphone to come down from the ceiling.

Welcome everyone to the closing of season five of PCW! I will be your host, my name is Mike Quackenbush and I'm normally over there, where Mr. Griffin joined Colt. However, as part of tonight's astounding events we have prepared for you, I wanted to come out and personally thank you for your support.

He spoke quite a few chunks of his introduction without the aid of his interpreter, though he did ask him to interpret for him for the last part.

In today's menu, we have an assortment of debuts, of special appearances, of mind-blowing technical and aerial ability. And without further ado, I'd like to leave you to the first match of the night, where The Future of Flight meets The Greatest First Generation Wrestler.

After introducing the match, he let go of the microphone, letting it return to its position and sitting right next to Griffin, near the timekeeper's table.

Ricochet vs Jay Lethal

"One and Only" by CFO$ began to play as the fans in attendance jumped to their feet, as loud cheering echoed, bouncing off the walls like rubber balls. Ricochet stepped on to the stage as a blue light illuminated his silhouette. The man outstretched his arm, reaching for the sky as lasers shot through the blue light, creating a grid-like effect. Suddenly the man brought his hand down as the lights came on in sync with the titantron. A smile stretched across Ricochets face as he saw the reaction from the crowd. The thunderous reaction was enough to cause the mounted camera in the PCW arena to shake slightly, and this overwhelmed the man as he nodded, feeling the energy of the crowd pulse throughout him. As Ricochet walked down the ramp he was feeling more and more confident in his upcoming match, he knew that he had a lot to prove, but he was feeling more than up to the challenge. He grasped the rope and squared down, before jumping up and propelling himself over the rope, doing a front flip as he landed in a traditional "superhero pose". Ricochet stood up as he scanned the fans one more time before taking a deep breath. This is it, this is what he had been waiting for. And he had finally made it to PCW.

The lighting shifted, and "Scorched Ops" blared through the speakers, giving way to Jay Lethal, who didn't make much of a fuss getting to the ring, fast and direct, determined to make this one a match for the ages.

Between Lethal's unwillingness to give the pace of the match to Ricochet, and Chet's speed and high-flying abilities, the opening bout had the crowd pumped up for the show from the start. They exchanged blows, their perfect technique shining like the professionals they both are and while Ricochet seemed unstoppable, Lethal was able to put a halt to him with the Lethal injection, successfully winning his first point.

Braun Strowman vs PJ Black

PJ Black's "Black Fire" played through, and the werewolf ran down the ramp, around the ring and into it, climbing through the outside to the top turnbuckle, flipping to the inside of the ring and climbing the rest of them to make sure all his fans knew he was there and he was looking at them.

A roar blasted through the arena as "I Am Stronger" played and the fans sitting down in the arena got on their feet to witness the spectacle that was Braun Strowman. The goliath of a man came walking out of the curtains and everybody started cheering for the Monster Among Men. Strowman raised his arms and screamed loudly and then proceeded to march down the ring focused with the intent to bring the pain to his opponent. He stepped up to the apron and stepped over the top rope with his tree trunk legs and walked over to the corner waiting for the bell to be rung.

While it was hard for Braun to catch the speeding werewolf during half of the match, and even if PJ got some serious hits on the Monster Among men, elbowing his head and neck relentlessly before stepping away to regain his breath, the mountain of a man just stood there, waiting for his chance to strike, and just as PJ was coming down from his 450 Splash, Braun caught him mid air, planting him in the middle of the canvas with authority, knocking the wind out of his sails and leaving him planted there for the three count. Braun pointed at the back and demanded someone else to come out, and just as it seemed nobody else would show up, Flash Morgan Webster stepped through the curtain, without his ring gear, and climbed on the apron, accepting Braun's challenge.

"Killer" Kelly vs Madison Eagles

A remix of Superstar by N.E.R.D. Started playing and Killer Kelly came out to the ramp, basking in the screams of the fans. She leaned down and removed the hood from her head before running down the ramp, slapping hands on her way to the ring, circling the announcer for a moment before climbing the turnbuckle and putting on her mouth guard, slapping her own cheeks a few times to get ready for the fight.

The opening of Prelude 12/21 hit the speakers, surrounding the arena, as Madison Eagles arrived through the curtain. A smug and arrogant smile on her face that didn't do anything to get the fans on her side anymore. Madison just gave a few members of the crowd the middle finger and crotch chopped a few others while she made her way down the ramp before sliding into the ring. 

After their recent exchanges, with all the hurtful words they'd been delivering to each other even before the match had been announced, the match was nothing short of impressive and violent. Both women tried to push the other to the limit, bringing their A game to this encounter, pushing on buttons they shouldn't.

Madison tried to use her physical strength and technical ability to beat the younger competitor, while Kelly's own physical strength helped her out of every hold. Finally, enraged and charging at full speed, Killer Kelly walked right into Madison's big boot, which took her down and out for the count. She kicked out right after the referee had counted three, and got up to continue fighting, but Eagles just shook her head and continued walking away from the ring. The announcers read her lips, and the words "Soft" and "not ready" were the last things she said to her fierce opponent before leaving her out in the middle of the ring.

Charlie Morgan vs Carmella

Jessie J's "Do It like a dude" started playing and though the crowd didn't know what to do with themselves for a moment, as soon as the energetic Charlie Morgan came out to the ramp, jumping and posing, everyone was sold on her. Her brave character and her determination shone through every one of her moves and after going to the turnbuckle, she jumped down and started stretching fully, ready for what was about to come.

Fabulous by CFO$ hit the speakers and the crowd responded to it with a huge pop, receiving a surprise visit from the Princess of TWA, Carmella. She came out skipping, stopping on the ramp only to Moonwalk on it with her J's. Heads over to the ring and slides inside it, stretching the bottom rope by putting one leg on top of it to lift herself up, sticking out her tongue at the crowd.

Princess and warrior met in the center of the ring, and though the Princess refused to get her hands dirty at the start of the match and sought refuge between the ropes from the strong hits of Charlie Morgan, after Morgan pulled her by the hair to the center of the ring, and slapped her while yelling "Is this how you want to fight? Do you want to fight like a girl?" Carmella's mood changed drastically.

She was no longer scared of getting down and dirty and nearly destroyed Morgan with consecutive Lou Thesz presses. But Morgan didn't back away either, as vocal as she had been before, she beckoned the princess of Staten Island closer and demanded more from her. Once she was sure the dainty gloves were off, it was time for Charlie to put her wrestling boots to work.

The match went as hard-hitting and heavy as it would have been expected from a match between 6'6 competitors, no pulled punches, no rope breaks, just sheer power and force. And before Carmella could put down her opponent, Charlie took her out with a jumping DDT, holding her down for the three count, but staying there, heaving and kneeling beside the blonde with a knowing smile on her face.

Standing up, Morgan helped Carmella up to her feet, tilting her imaginary hat at her before stepping out of the ring, letting the Princess bask in the cheers of the audience, despite having lost, the character and strength she showed, were like nothing she'd ever shown before, and they recognized her excellent work.

Mike went inside the ring once the competitors had vacated, clapping while he waited for the microphone to come back down.

Thank you So very much for joining us tonight, we hope you enjoyed this little taste we brought you as much as we enjoyed being in Japan. It was a wonderful month and it wouldn't have been this successful without your support. For all of you watching at home, we'll be back next week with Season 6: Phase Twenty-Four. 

And to all of you, from everyone in the back, I'm Mike Quackenbush, signing off. 

He bowed respectfully, stretching the interpreter's hand and sliding out of the ring while the lights started to turn off little by little.