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SEGMENT
"Invictus."
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{ Sail by Devildriver hits the pa and the entire arena goes into a chorus of boos. The lights dim and the burning X takes over your screen as Angel and Amber Richards step out onto the stage. Angel stands back and soaks in the boos as he holds his arms out, Amber slinks underneath him and kisses him up the neck and to his mouth. He cradles her for a moment as pyro erupts behind them in a firey X and then the two of them head down the ramp. Angel absorbs the boos and smiles as he stops at the foot of the stairs, Amber heads up and sits on the second rope as Angel walks up and climbs into the ring, Amber follows. Valance hands Angel a mic as the music dies down and “YOU SUCK ANGEL!” chant breaks out. }Angel: This passed week at Danger Zone you all bore witness as Roberto Verona kept me from cementing my legacy as the greatest high flying wrestler this world as ever known.
{ “THANK YOU ROBERTO!” }Angel: However it has become painfully apparent with Bob Pooler’s successful title defense that there is no one left for him to face, he truly is the best cruiser weight in the world today. That left me with few options as head of booking…
{ The crowd begins to fall silent as Angel smirks. }Angel: You see I have been of the opinion for quite a while that by separating the weight classes we are depriving you the fans of some world class competition…
{ The silence doesn’t last as the boos pick up again, Amber puts her arm around Angel as they both smile. }Angel: That is why at High Stakes, with approval from the board of directors you will the IWF Cruiser Weight Champion take on the IWF Heavy Weight Champion in a match that will have no limits, no restrictions and the winner shall be the first ever… IWF… INVICTUS CHAMPION!!!
{ Angel is immediately cut off by King of the World as Roberto Verona steps out onto the stage to a huge pop from the crowd. }Roberto Verona: So let me see if I am understanding you correctly, you failed to do the one thing you’ve been talking about for months which is win the cruiser weight title and your knee jerk response is to abolition the division?
{ Angel nor Amber look happy as the crowd chants for Verona. }Roberto Verona: Apparently that isn’t an abuse of power, however I like the sound of this Invictus Championship, almost as much as I like the little match you made for me Monday night.
{ That remark brings a smile to Angel’s face. }Roberto Verona: And since I find myself subject to such wonderful treatment from our head of booking I figured I would do you the honor of booking your next match. You claim to be god, above the rest of us so I decided it was time for you to prove it. Next week it will be Angel… Versus… THE IWF ROSTER!
{ Verona smirks as Angel drops his microphone and takes a few steps forward but Amber stops him. We get a close up of Verona as he mouths “Prove it.” }
{The screen darkens, before flickering to life once again, showing the words IWF Presents: Thursday Night Battleground. The banner slowly fades, taking us all into a small, well-lit studio. There are pictures and various wrestling memorabilia hanging on the walls. It’s a very familiar set, almost exactly the same as last week’s, and the camera slowly comes to a stop on Willy Carter and JJ Biggs, both of whom look ready to get the show rolling.}Willy Carter: It's me, it's me, the beautiful and charismatic Willy Carter! And, of course, with me as always is JJ Biggs, the man with a face that not even his own mother could love. What a massive opening to this week's show, JJ. Next week.. Angel... against the whole roster? Wow.
JJ Biggs: It's going to be insane, that's for certain.
Willy Carter: And the title situation? Man, my mind is just blown! But I have to regain focus. So, let's get it going.. We're fresh off the heels of yet another exciting Thursday Night Battleground last week, which concluded with a victory over Jack Lionhart for Malaki Taola. But the thing about our program, ladies and gentlemen, is that the excitement is forever! Last week was spectacular, but this week is going to be even better.
JJ Biggs: You are right about one thing, we do have another great show lined up this evening. Four hard hitting, fast paced matches are ahead, concluding with a battle between Jimmy Zane and Todd Williams.
Willy Carter: Which, of course, all of you lovely people will be able to experience in its entirety, because we're just awesome like that.
JJ Biggs: And you really know how to give the people what they want, right?
Willy Carter: I'm a people pleaser, JJ, especially a woman pleaser, if you know what I mean.
JJ Biggs: I think everyone knows what you mean, Willy.
Willy Carter: All right, all right, just checking. Well, let's get things going then, eh? We'll be starting things off with a fatal four way match between Muru, The Sherriff, Khaos, and Renee Pleasant.
JJ Biggs: There are a lot of question marks in this match, every man in this match is looking to make a strong impact here in the company, so a strong showing tonight is definitely needed.
Willy Carter: Khaos lost in his debut match last week on our show, while the other three men are appearing on Battleground for the first time! Should be exciting.
JJ Biggs: And let's just see how it all plays out, shall we?
{And with that, both men turn their attentions to the monitor and the picture transitions into the arena, and right in the middle of the action!}----------------------------------------------------------
FOUR WAY MATCH
Muru vs The Sheriff vs Khaos vs Renee Pleasant
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{Renee Pleasant has Khaos off the mat, showing terrific power as he handles him with ease before dropping down into a vicious Backbreaker. Khaos arches in pain and Renee moves in to go for the pin: 1.................2.........Muru launches off the rope rope, hitting a Flying Elbow Drop to the back of Renee's head, effectively breaking up the pin attempt. Renee rolls over in pain and Muru drops on top of Khaos, going for the pin himself: 1...................2..........BUT NO! The Sheriff moves in and stomps hard on the back of Muru's head. He yanks him to his feet and kicks him stern in the midsection, before dropping Muru down hard with a Double-Arm DDT!}JJ Biggs: Lots of back and forth action in this one. Neither man is able to get enough time to pick up the victory before someone comes in and breaks things up.
Willy Carter: And looks like the trend is going to continue!
{Willy is right, as Khaos slowly gets to his feet. With Muru down, Caleb drops to his knees to go for the pin, but BAM! Before he can go down for it, Khaos hits him with a thunderous Dropkick in the back of the head. The Sheriff is down, Muru is down, but Renee is starting to get back to his feet! Khaos charges for a Clothesline, but Renee ducks under it. Khaos continues running, bouncing off the ropes, and Renee also charges towards the opposite ropes. Both men come back.. and both had the same idea as they hit each other with a Clothesline!}JJ Biggs: And now everyone's down!
{Muru slowly gets to his feet, as does Caleb. Muru nails Caleb with a couple of solid right hands, backing the big man into the ropes. Muru steps back before charging forward, but The Sheriff bends forward and launches Muru over the top, causing him to crash hard on the outside. Caleb slouches into the ropes, trying to find his bearings. Meanwhile, behind him, both Khaos and Renee have made it up. They are exchanging rights, until Renee manages to block one. He sets Kahos up... THE RAV! He destroys him with a Cut Throat Back Chokeslam. Caleb, realizing he needs to do something, bounces off the ropes, grabs a handful of Renee's hair, and tosses him over the top rope. Caleb quickly drops on top of Khaos: 1....................2.......................3!}JJ Biggs: And Caleb White is victorious here tonight. Renee had everything locked up, he had Khaos down, but Caleb was all over it and showed some veteran presence by picking up this victory.
Willy Carter: He cheated. He stole this victory! It didn't belong to him.
Willy Carter: Up next, we have a battle brewing from the Diamond's division. We'll be seeing Avery McCullen taking on the angry giant, Christine Rochette.
JJ Biggs: Avery's been on fire since the very first episode of Battleground. She's been on every show thus far, and she's won all three of her matches, coming up with an impressive victory last week over Alice Pleasant.
Willy Carter: But it's going to be very tough for her to get a fourth straight victory this week. Christine is huge!
JJ Biggs: Avery has a lot of fight in her, she's not going to let size intimidate her. Both of these women are going to bring it, both of them want the victory, that's for sure.
Willy Carter: Well, let's see if Avery can get it, or if Christine is going to squash her like an ant.
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SINGLES MATCH
Avery McCullen vs Christine Rochette
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{Avery ducks under a massive Clothesline attempt from Christine. She continues running, bouncing off the far ropes, and BAM! She comes back and eats a huge shot from Christine in the form of a Big Boot. Christine bounces off the ropes and returns with a Splash, before going for the pin: 1.................2.......KICK OUT! Christine wastes little time as she lifts Avery to her feet and sends her flying into the corner. Christine charges in behind her and connects with a hard Clothesline in the corner. Avery stumbles forward and Christine grabs her, sending her across the ring into the opposite corner. Rochette charges in, this time looking for a Big Splash, but Avery manages to move out of the way. Christine stumbles out backwards, allowing Avery to quickly catch her with a Neckbreaker, leaving both women down on the mat.}JJ Biggs: That may be the opening Avery needs, Christine isn't going to be down for long though, so Avery needs to get moving.
Willy Carter: You see that? She could hardly reach her head to hit that move.
{Christine is already making it back to her feet, but so is Avery. Christine charges for a Clothesline, but McCullen ducks beneath it. Christine stops and Avery kicks her hard in her knee, causing her bigger opponent to fall to her knees. Avery charges forward and catches her with a huge Shining Wizard. Christine is down and Avery moves in for the pin: 1......................2................KICK OUT!}JJ Biggs: Wow, Christine kicked out at the very last moment, I thought Avery had it there.
{Avery looks a little frustrated as she moves back to her foot. She waits patiently, allowing her much larger opponent to get up on her own. As soon as Christine is upright, Avery charges forward, and dives onto Christine, clubbing her hard with right hands. She manages to back Rochette into the ropes and tries to send her across the ring, but Christine reverses it. But NO! She doesn't let go, instead she pulls Avery in.... CHOKE "A BITCH" SLAM! Christine drops down for the pin: 1.....................2....................3!}JJ Biggs: Wow, Christine took that victory out of no where. Avery was on the offensive, but before she knew it, the lights turned out.
Willy Carter: That's a whole lotta woman. I kind of like it, or -- her, I mean.
Willy Carter: All right, well, IWF's number one commentating team is back with all of you once more.
JJ Biggs: You're kind of an arrogant prick, aren't you?
Willy Carter: It's not arrogance if it's factual, baby. You know that!
JJ Biggs: Shut up, Willy. Up next, we have a triple threat match between Mac Bane, Killian Creed, and Eric Price. Last week, Mac and Killian were involved in a triple threat match on our show, one that ended with Jimmy Zane picking up the victory.
Willy Carter: Yeah, now Jimmy is in the main event and these guys are in yet another triple threat match, but this time Eric Price has been added to the mix.
JJ Biggs: Should be exciting, all three of these men could use a victory, in a very bad way.
Willy Carter: Let's see who ends up taking the pie, eh?
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TRIPLE THREAT MATCH
Eric Price vs. Killian Creed vs. Mac Bane
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{Eric Price and Mac Bane are exchanging rights and lefts in the center of the ring. Both men look exhausted as they try to get the upper hand over the other. Price goes for a huge right, but Mac is able to block it. Mac uses the opening to lay into Eric with a couple of quick and hard-hitting right hands. He has Eric stumbled as he grabs him and sends him into the ropes. But, from the outside, Killian grabs Eric's foot and causes Price to trip to the mat. Killian hops up onto the apron and in one swift motion, he springboards off the top and catches Mac with a big time Dropkick. Killian gets back to his feet and focuses his attention on Eric, who is starting to get back to his feet as well. He grabs Price and tries to send him into the ropes, but Price reverses it. Killian bounces off and runs right into a strong Clothesline from Eric. Price is off the ropes and connects with a huge Leg Drop. He goes for the pin: 1.....................2..............KICK OUT!}JJ Biggs: A quick offensive assault from Price leads to a two count. But he better watch out, Mac is starting to regroup and I'm sure he's thinking about his next move.
Willy Carter: Here he comes!
{As soon as Eric is back up, Mac runs up and clubs him in the back. Price arches and turns around, only to have Bane lift him off the mat and drop him with a beautiful Vertical Suplex. Bane is feeling it as he bounces off the ropes and comes back, jumping high into the air, and landing with a vicious knee to the face of Eric. Mac wastes little time as he goes for the pin: 1......................2...............And Creed dives on top of Bane, effectively breaking up the pin attempt.}JJ Biggs: A close pin fall attempt, may have been won there, but Creed made sure the match continues.
{Creed and Bane slowly rise to their feet. Bane charges towards Creed, looking for a Clothesline, but Killian ducks under it. He latches onto Bane and has him in the Rear Naked Choke! Mac struggles to free himself, and as he's doing so, Price is slowly getting back to his feet. Eric charges forward, and just before contact, Killian slides out of the way, releasing the hold, and Price spears Mac nearly in half! Eric quickly gets back to his feet -- SPINNING BACK ELBOW! Price drops, Killian goes for the pin: 1...................2....................3!}JJ Biggs: And this one's over. Terrific battle between all three men. Killian had the submission locked in on Mac, and Eric stopped it, only to find himself in a bad, bad place.
Willy Carter: Vicious elbow, Eric better reach up to see if his head is still attached.
Willy Carter: All righty, we are back once again, and up next is our main event of the evening.
JJ Biggs: Indeed, the match pits Todd Williams against Jimmy Zane.
Willy Carter: These two in the ring, at the same time, not only does it equal ratings, but it equals entertainment on a scale that no one else can match!
JJ Biggs: That's a bold statement, Willy.
Willy Carter: By a bold man.
JJ Biggs: Oh, yeah, definitely. Anyway, we have reached the main event and as always, you guys will be able to watch it from start to finish. We hope you all enjoy. And saying goodbye from the studio, with Willy Carter, I'm JJ Biggs and we'll see all of you next week.
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SINGLES MATCH
Jimmy Zane vs. Todd Williams
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{The familiar twinge of "wherever I may roam" begins to echo throughout the arena. Just as the music reaches its crescendo, Jimmy Zane flies out from under the stage and lands on his feet with pyros flying all around him. He stands there for a moment before sprinting to the ring. He leaps and slides under the ring feet first, and pops to his feet and stands in the middle of the ring, arms outstretched, as his opponent looks on.}JJ Biggs: Zane looks ready to go as we await the arrival of his opponent.
{“Still Fly” by The Devil Wears Prada begins to blast across the speakers. As it does so two spotlights quickly hit the ramp and we are able to see the silhouette of a man standing behind the curtain along with that of a woman. Todd Williams slowly backs up through the curtain backwards and extends his arms out into a crucifix. He isn't alone as his wife Fiona Williams is with him. The fans immediately boo him loudly and he shrugs it off as he finally reaches the ring. Todd grins as he walks inside the ring staring at all of the booing fans. Fiona pops an Umbrella open as she blocks Todd receiving the boos and the spit from the crowd.
T-Will: HATERS GONNA HATE... YALL KNOW YALL LOVE ME. DON'T GET MAD BECAUSE I DEAL WITH NOTHIN BUT THE BENJAMINS!!!
Todd grins as he receives more boos in return. He runs to the top of the turnbuckles raising his hand proudly in the air before he backflips off of them. He waits in the corner as Fiona stands outside clapping her hands for her man.}Willy Carter: The things I would do to that woman...
JJ Biggs: Shut up, Willy.
{The bell rings. Both men immediately engage in a collar-elbow tie up in the middle of the ring. It's a stale mate as first, but only for a moment as Jimmy manages to twist Todd around, locking him into a side headlock. Todd tries to fight free, but Jimmy applies a lot of torque. Todd manages to shove Jimmy away, sending Zane into the ropes. Todd lunges for a Clothesline, but Jimmy ducks under it. Zane stops immediately and as soon as Todd turns around, he hops up and catches him with a beautiful Dropkick. Todd hits the mat hard, but proceeds to immediately get back to his feet. He looks a bit dazed, however, and Jimmy continues the assault as he nails Todd with a Spinning Heel Kick, which drops Williams back to the mat once more. Williams rolls onto his hands and knees, and once more he starts to climb back to his feet, but Zane quickly hops over him and manages to roll him up as the referee counts: 1.................2...........KICK OUT! Jimmy is back to his feet in a hurry and Todd looks shocked as he tries to regain his composure on the mat.}JJ Biggs: Jimmy has been in total control from the beginning. I think Todd is trying to figure out a way to stop the bleeding, Willy.
Willy Carter: I don't see any blood.
JJ Biggs: It's a figure of speech, Willy. Try not to be such a moron all the time.
{Jimmy moves in and yanks Todd to his feet. Williams shoves him away and catches Jimmy with a strong right hand. Todd tries to knock Jimmy out with a Superkick, but Zane manages to duck and avoid contact. He charges forward and drops Todd with a well-timed Clothesline. Jimmy wastes little time as he quickly hustles towards the corner. He scales to the top rope and launches himself off, connecting with a beautiful Frog Splash! He goes for the pin once again: 1....................2............KICK OUT! Jimmy refuses to slow down and give Todd time to recover, as he once again rises back to his feet, pulling Todd up with him. He sends Williams into the ropes and goes for a Clothesline, but Todd ducks it! And as soon as Jimmy turns around, Williams launches himself and takes Jimmy down with a hard Shoulder Block, leaving both men down on the mat.}JJ Biggs: This may be the opening Todd needs to get himself in this match.
{Both men are not down for long, however, as Jimmy gets up under his own power and Todd rises to his feet by using the ropes. Jimmy charges towards Todd, but Williams ducks down and sends Jimmy over the top rope. But Zane catches himself on the apron and as soon as Todd turns around, he springboards himself off the top. BUT NO! Todd catches him with a hellacious looking Superkick, which he calls the Sweet Dreams, in mid-air! Jimmy crashes to the ring like a sack of rocks. Todd moves in and hooks the leg: 1...............2............KICK OUT! Todd finds himself in control now as he lifts Jimmy to his feet. He sends Zane flying into the corner via an Irish Whip. Todd charges in after him and nails Zane with a hard Clothesline in the corner. Zane stumbles out, into the waiting arms of Todd, who sends him overhead with a vicious Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Williams quickly moves in for the pin attempt once again: 1....................2..............KICK OUT!}JJ Biggs: A couple of near falls for Todd, now he finds himself firmly in the driver's seat as Jimmy is trying to figure out what to do next.
Willy Carter: There is definitely some fast paced action coming from this contest.
{Todd looks a little frustrated as he climbs back to his feet. He waits patiently, allowing Jimmy the time he needs to get back to his feet under his own power. As soon as he's up, he charges forward, looking for a Clothesline, but Jimmy ducks under it. Zane catches Todd with a right hand, but Todd comes back with one of his own, followed by a kick to the midsection. He drops Zane with a strong DDT. He yanks Jimmy up in a hurry and tosses him into the closest corner. He moves in, catching Jimmy with vicious rights and lefts, targeted at the body and the face. He sends Jimmy across the ring into the opposite corner and charges in, looking for a Big Splash, but Jimmy ducks out of the way! Todd stumbles out and Jimmy catches him with a Reverse DDT, and both men are down!}JJ Biggs: And just like that, it's anyone's ball game!
{Both men slowly make it back upright, as the referee reaches seven on his ten count. Todd nails Jimmy with a right hand, and Zane returns the favor. Both men are exchanging blows, until Jimmy blocks one! He hits Todd with a right, left, right -- he grabs Todd, and BOOM! Drops down with a huge Jawbreaker. Jimmy is exhausted and in pain, but he refuses to slow down as he hops up and climbs to the top rope. ANDDDD -- InZane! He hits the Swanton Bomb, he hooks the leg: 1.......................2...........................3!}JJ Biggs: Jimmy Zane picks up a HUGE victory! He and Todd left it all in the ring tonight. Hell of a match.
Willy Carter: Made me kind of excited down below, to be honest.
JJ Biggs: Don't be honest. It's not your style. But that's all we have for you tonight; for Willy Carter, I'm JJ Biggs -- and we'll see you next week!
{The scene focuses on the ring, as Jimmy slowly gets to his feet and soaks in the victory as his theme music plays in the background.}
Well howdy there pardner.