TBirdSCIL
League Member
(FADE-IN: A cameraman is following King Krusher as he walks down a hallway and to a door. K.K. blasts the door open with a hard shot, not even bothering to knock. It's a small dressing room where Michael Manson is holed up. Manson is sitting on a bench, wiping his face with a towel)
KING KRUSHER: "I'm only gonna ask this once. Gimme my damn wallet....now."
MICHAEL MANSON: "What are you talking about?"
K.K.: "Look, somebody in back told me what you did so fork it over right now before I suspend you forever! I ain't got time for this!"
(Manson just shrugs as if he could care less about Krusher's questions)
K.K.: "OK, since I told myself that I'm going to try and keep my hands off of the wrestlers and be professional, I'm not gonna touch you. But HE will!"
(Just then, stepping into the doorway behind King Krusher appears none other than MAELSTROM! The crowd pops hard when they see him on the big screen in the arena. Manson tries not to be visibly surprised at the site of the massive Pandorian stepping in front of K.K. and staring down at Manson with wild intensity in his eyes, muscles bulging out of his black sleeveless T-shirt. Maelstrom cracks all of his knuckles inimidatingly)
M.M.: "Look in the garbage can out in the hallway and get this ape out of here. I'm not intimidated in the least. It's not my fault you need somebody else to fight your battles, Commish."
(Krusher leaves the room quickly to go find his wallet as Maelstrom stays in the locker room staring a hole through Manson)
MAELSTROM: <quietly> "Soon enough, little man.....soon enough..."
(Maelstrom then backs out of the dressing room, his stare never leaving Manson's eyes, and he vanishes down the hallway. Manson once again shoves the cameraman out and slams the door. CUT-TO: The announcer's table)
TONY ROSS: "Oh my!! Maelstrom has made his first appearance here in GLCW! What a confrontation backstage that was with Manson, and we may be seeing the seeds planted for an epic battle in the weeks to come!"
RICK WISEMAN: "Are you kidding me!? Manson vs. Maelstrom would sell out any building in this country! That must have been Maelstrom's motorcycle parked outside that we saw earlier and not Nevada Smith's! Of course, we haven't seen Nevada Smith yet and if what JC says is true, he should be here tonight as well!"
T.R.: "Fans, GLCW has become a powderkeg with the match about to fall upon it! Maelstrom is here tonight and Nevada Smith may or may not be here as well! But now, let's take it up to Matt for our next match!"
(CUT-TO: Matt Faley standing at mid-ring)
MATT FALEY: "Ladies and gentlemen, in our next Quarterfinal match, coming to the ring," (CUE-UP: "Chop Suey" by System of a Down) "From Parts Unknown, weighing in at 213lbs., REDEMPTION!!"
(The fans cheer as Redemption makes his way to the ring, with a black mask and full black body suit. He climbs into the ring, and raises his arms up as the fans cheer)
M.F.: "And his opponent," (CUE-UP: "Shadow Man" by WASP) "From Hell, Michigan, weighing in at 265lbs., JAROD POE!!"
(The fans cheer again as Poe emerges from the curtain with a cocky grin on his face, his body littered with tattoos and piercings, wearing black leather pants and black boots. He climbs into the ring and grins at Redemption, then turns and stares out at the crowd, who respond with cheers. Poe then loosens up by the turnbuckles)
T.R.: "This should be one hell of a match as the fans have taken to both of these men! But talk about contrasting styles, Poe is a no-nonsense power-brawler while Redemption is more of a high-flying technican! We'll see if Poe can outmuscle Redemption and keep him grounded or if Redemption and can out-maneuver Poe and avoid his power!"
R.W.: "Both of these men looked really good in the first round, with Redemption beating Jon Savage to get here while Poe defeated Dean McQueen! Whoever wins here goes on to face Michael Manson in the semi-finals!"
T.R.: "And if either of these men advance it will be quite a contest! Ok, the bell rings here as Poe stands in the corner, staring at Redemption as if to size him up. Redemption's style does seem a bit familiar but we can't really place who we think he might be. At this point there are just too many possibilities and I'm not going to waste time and speculate who it is, especially if I'm wrong!"
R.W.: "Poe may end up doing the favor for us!"
T.R.: "That is always a possibility! Poe could rip that mask off at any time! Poe wrestles with all those piercings and I wouldn't be surprised if Redemption yanked one out, but I don't think Redemption operates like that! They lock up at center ring and Poe grabs him in a headlock! Redemption tries to back suples his way out of it but Poe holds his ground! redemption tries to push him into the ropes but Poe maintains his vice-like grip!"
R.W.: "Poe is in great shape and is thickly muscled but I don't understand why he would want to put tattoos and piercings all over his body! I guess it's personal preference!"
T.R.: "Poe holds the headlock but Redemption is able to pry his way out of it and turns it into a chicken wing on Poe! Poe tries some back elbows but misses as Redemption manages to hold that arm behind his back and holds the pressure! Whoah! Redemption just turned it into a crossface chickenwing as he pulls Poe to the mat!! This is a very painful submission hold but they are too close to the ropes and referee Dave Powell forces the break!"
R.W.: "I don't think Poe would have submitted to that anyway, it's too early and he's just put up with too much pain in his life to give in that easily! In fact, if I was Redemption, I would abandon any submission holds because it looks like it would take a mortal flesh wound to make Poe quit!"
T.R.: "Both men are up and Redemption hits him with a few vicious chops! Poe smiles and asks for more!! We saw him take that vicious chair shot from Dean McQueen last week, and it seemed like he actually liked it, and he got the DQ win because of it! Redemption with more chops and a kick to the gut followed by a face plant! I don't think Poe liked that too much! Redemption pulls him up and whips him in and hits a nicely executed tilt-o-whirl backbreaker and a quick cover!! 1....2....No!!"
R.W.: "Even though Poe has about 50 pounds on Redemption, Redemption is no slouch in the strength department! He hit that backbreaker with ease on Poe!"
T.R.: "Redemption pulls him up for a back suplex! He's up quickly and he drops a series of knees on Poe's midsection, possibly softening him up for the Deliverance Frog Splash! Redemption pulls him up and drops him with a gutbuster! Redemption comes off the ropes with a big elbowdrop to the sternum!"
R.W.: "He's trying to knock the wind out of Poe and that is a strategy that always works! I don't care how big you are, you gotta have air!"
T.R.: "Redemption pulls him up and knees him in the gut and picks him up for a slam but Poe wriggles out of it, goes behind, and drops him with a sleeper slam! Poe goes to the ropes to catch his breath and Redemption charges and he gets flipped right over the top and out! And nhe lands hard on the concrete!"
R.W.: "He got a little eager there and paid the price! Poe seems to be pretty ring savvy and knows where he is at all times!"
T.R.: "Poe goes to the outside now and rams Redemption face first into the apron before rolling him back in! Poe slingshots himself over the ropes with a splash and a cover!! 1...2....No!! Redemption kicks out!! Poe pulls him up and hits him with a takeover suplex! Poe drops a knee right onto Redemption's face! Poe pulls him up, whips him in, and hits a thunderous powerslam!! 1....2....No!!"
R.W.: "I can't believe he didn't get him there! That impact was tremendous!"
T.R.: "Poe pulls him up again but this time Redemption has enough wits about him to roll him up in a small cradle!! 1....2....No!! Poe is visibly angry with that as he drags Redemption to his feet but Redemptions chops him back and hits a perfect standing dropkick!! Poe goes down hard and Redemption comes off the ropes with a high legdrop!! 1.....2....No!!"
R.W.: "Redemption was completely airborne with that legdrop and it seems like these guys are really starting to pull out the big ammunition to take each other out!"
T.R.: "Redemption rams the back of Poe's head into the mat a few times before dragging him to his feet again! DDT is blocked! Poe turns into an overhead throw suplex!! Both men are down on the mat catching their breath now! Redemption is up first and he knees the rising Poe right in the face and drags him to his feet! Face-first Russian legsweep!! A cover!! 1....2.....No!!"
R.W.: "Several near-falls here by both men and somebody has to give in eventually!"
T.R.: "Redemption pulls him up and hits an inverted DDT onto his knee! That move has to do some serious damage to the neck! Redemption mounts the ropes and he's going for the Deliverance Frog Splash!! He leaps...and Poe gets both knees up to block!! He somehow had enough wits about him to know that Redemption was coming off the top!! Redemption took the full force of those knees in his mid-section and he is sucking wind!"
R.W.: "And look at Poe slap himself in the face, he knows he needs to clear the cobwebs and seal up the victory here!"
T.R.: "Poe stalks the downed Redemption and pulls him up and hits a cradle suplex!! 1.....2.....No!! Redemption has enough energy to kick out, but he is in serious trouble as he is really favoring those ribs from the blocked frog splash! Poe pulls Redemption up and Redemption fires back with chops, and Poe answers with some huge rights!! Redemption chops Poe right in the neck and whips him into the ropes! No! A reversal!! Poe catches him in an airplane spin and he drops him into a diamond cutter!! What a move!! 1.....2....3!! Poe secures his spot in the semi-finals with an huge victory over Redemption here in Madison!!"
R.W.: "Poe calls that the Black Circle of Death and that proved to be all Redemption could take, but what a great match between these two GLCW gladiators! Poe exits the ring exhausted and breathing heavily but he is still in the running for the GLCW crown!"
T.R.: "Redemption will get a chance at the GLCW TV Title though, and he will be entered into the next series of qualifying matches to get into that seven man Great Lakes Gauntlet match at Chi-Town Showndown 1 that Scott Malec announced earlier! But next week on Riptide from the Castle Hall in Racine, Wisconson we will see Jarod Poe move on to face Michael Manson which will be a very interesting match to say the least! Fans, let's take it back to Lady V standing by with Chris McMillan!"
(CUT-TO: The GLCW banner backstage. Lady Veronica stands alongside Mister Dread. McMillan is attired as usual in jeans, boots, and a tattered Dogs of War t-shirt. He’s slick with sweat from a pre-match workout.)
LADY VERONICA: "Mister Dread, in just moments you face Golem in the Quarterfinals of the GLCW Heavyweight Title Tournament. He’s had some strong words for you in recent days. Your thoughts?"
MISTER DREAD: "Golem and I have been strutting and posturing at each other a lot in the last few days. But right now none of that matters. All bets are settled when we come face-to-face in the ring tonight. He THINKS he’s got a huge psychological advantage. He thinks he’s gonna step into that ring and overwhelm Mister Dread. Outwit Mister Dread. Outwrestle Mister Dread. Well, it ain’t gonna happen. Golem names himself after a mythical creature, a construct of wood and clay and string. A Golem is supposed to be unstoppable. But a Golem is also a construct. A mindless, faceless automaton running purely on the instructions of those that created it. Is that what you are, Golem? A mindless creation of the promotional machine, lumbering inexorably towards your goal? I don’t think so. But either way, your road to the GLCW Heavyweight strap AND your path to salvation end TONIGHT. They end with Mister Dread. Count on it."
(McMillan brushes past Lady V. Fade to commercial)
KING KRUSHER: "I'm only gonna ask this once. Gimme my damn wallet....now."
MICHAEL MANSON: "What are you talking about?"
K.K.: "Look, somebody in back told me what you did so fork it over right now before I suspend you forever! I ain't got time for this!"
(Manson just shrugs as if he could care less about Krusher's questions)
K.K.: "OK, since I told myself that I'm going to try and keep my hands off of the wrestlers and be professional, I'm not gonna touch you. But HE will!"
(Just then, stepping into the doorway behind King Krusher appears none other than MAELSTROM! The crowd pops hard when they see him on the big screen in the arena. Manson tries not to be visibly surprised at the site of the massive Pandorian stepping in front of K.K. and staring down at Manson with wild intensity in his eyes, muscles bulging out of his black sleeveless T-shirt. Maelstrom cracks all of his knuckles inimidatingly)
M.M.: "Look in the garbage can out in the hallway and get this ape out of here. I'm not intimidated in the least. It's not my fault you need somebody else to fight your battles, Commish."
(Krusher leaves the room quickly to go find his wallet as Maelstrom stays in the locker room staring a hole through Manson)
MAELSTROM: <quietly> "Soon enough, little man.....soon enough..."
(Maelstrom then backs out of the dressing room, his stare never leaving Manson's eyes, and he vanishes down the hallway. Manson once again shoves the cameraman out and slams the door. CUT-TO: The announcer's table)
TONY ROSS: "Oh my!! Maelstrom has made his first appearance here in GLCW! What a confrontation backstage that was with Manson, and we may be seeing the seeds planted for an epic battle in the weeks to come!"
RICK WISEMAN: "Are you kidding me!? Manson vs. Maelstrom would sell out any building in this country! That must have been Maelstrom's motorcycle parked outside that we saw earlier and not Nevada Smith's! Of course, we haven't seen Nevada Smith yet and if what JC says is true, he should be here tonight as well!"
T.R.: "Fans, GLCW has become a powderkeg with the match about to fall upon it! Maelstrom is here tonight and Nevada Smith may or may not be here as well! But now, let's take it up to Matt for our next match!"
(CUT-TO: Matt Faley standing at mid-ring)
MATT FALEY: "Ladies and gentlemen, in our next Quarterfinal match, coming to the ring," (CUE-UP: "Chop Suey" by System of a Down) "From Parts Unknown, weighing in at 213lbs., REDEMPTION!!"
(The fans cheer as Redemption makes his way to the ring, with a black mask and full black body suit. He climbs into the ring, and raises his arms up as the fans cheer)
M.F.: "And his opponent," (CUE-UP: "Shadow Man" by WASP) "From Hell, Michigan, weighing in at 265lbs., JAROD POE!!"
(The fans cheer again as Poe emerges from the curtain with a cocky grin on his face, his body littered with tattoos and piercings, wearing black leather pants and black boots. He climbs into the ring and grins at Redemption, then turns and stares out at the crowd, who respond with cheers. Poe then loosens up by the turnbuckles)
T.R.: "This should be one hell of a match as the fans have taken to both of these men! But talk about contrasting styles, Poe is a no-nonsense power-brawler while Redemption is more of a high-flying technican! We'll see if Poe can outmuscle Redemption and keep him grounded or if Redemption and can out-maneuver Poe and avoid his power!"
R.W.: "Both of these men looked really good in the first round, with Redemption beating Jon Savage to get here while Poe defeated Dean McQueen! Whoever wins here goes on to face Michael Manson in the semi-finals!"
T.R.: "And if either of these men advance it will be quite a contest! Ok, the bell rings here as Poe stands in the corner, staring at Redemption as if to size him up. Redemption's style does seem a bit familiar but we can't really place who we think he might be. At this point there are just too many possibilities and I'm not going to waste time and speculate who it is, especially if I'm wrong!"
R.W.: "Poe may end up doing the favor for us!"
T.R.: "That is always a possibility! Poe could rip that mask off at any time! Poe wrestles with all those piercings and I wouldn't be surprised if Redemption yanked one out, but I don't think Redemption operates like that! They lock up at center ring and Poe grabs him in a headlock! Redemption tries to back suples his way out of it but Poe holds his ground! redemption tries to push him into the ropes but Poe maintains his vice-like grip!"
R.W.: "Poe is in great shape and is thickly muscled but I don't understand why he would want to put tattoos and piercings all over his body! I guess it's personal preference!"
T.R.: "Poe holds the headlock but Redemption is able to pry his way out of it and turns it into a chicken wing on Poe! Poe tries some back elbows but misses as Redemption manages to hold that arm behind his back and holds the pressure! Whoah! Redemption just turned it into a crossface chickenwing as he pulls Poe to the mat!! This is a very painful submission hold but they are too close to the ropes and referee Dave Powell forces the break!"
R.W.: "I don't think Poe would have submitted to that anyway, it's too early and he's just put up with too much pain in his life to give in that easily! In fact, if I was Redemption, I would abandon any submission holds because it looks like it would take a mortal flesh wound to make Poe quit!"
T.R.: "Both men are up and Redemption hits him with a few vicious chops! Poe smiles and asks for more!! We saw him take that vicious chair shot from Dean McQueen last week, and it seemed like he actually liked it, and he got the DQ win because of it! Redemption with more chops and a kick to the gut followed by a face plant! I don't think Poe liked that too much! Redemption pulls him up and whips him in and hits a nicely executed tilt-o-whirl backbreaker and a quick cover!! 1....2....No!!"
R.W.: "Even though Poe has about 50 pounds on Redemption, Redemption is no slouch in the strength department! He hit that backbreaker with ease on Poe!"
T.R.: "Redemption pulls him up for a back suplex! He's up quickly and he drops a series of knees on Poe's midsection, possibly softening him up for the Deliverance Frog Splash! Redemption pulls him up and drops him with a gutbuster! Redemption comes off the ropes with a big elbowdrop to the sternum!"
R.W.: "He's trying to knock the wind out of Poe and that is a strategy that always works! I don't care how big you are, you gotta have air!"
T.R.: "Redemption pulls him up and knees him in the gut and picks him up for a slam but Poe wriggles out of it, goes behind, and drops him with a sleeper slam! Poe goes to the ropes to catch his breath and Redemption charges and he gets flipped right over the top and out! And nhe lands hard on the concrete!"
R.W.: "He got a little eager there and paid the price! Poe seems to be pretty ring savvy and knows where he is at all times!"
T.R.: "Poe goes to the outside now and rams Redemption face first into the apron before rolling him back in! Poe slingshots himself over the ropes with a splash and a cover!! 1...2....No!! Redemption kicks out!! Poe pulls him up and hits him with a takeover suplex! Poe drops a knee right onto Redemption's face! Poe pulls him up, whips him in, and hits a thunderous powerslam!! 1....2....No!!"
R.W.: "I can't believe he didn't get him there! That impact was tremendous!"
T.R.: "Poe pulls him up again but this time Redemption has enough wits about him to roll him up in a small cradle!! 1....2....No!! Poe is visibly angry with that as he drags Redemption to his feet but Redemptions chops him back and hits a perfect standing dropkick!! Poe goes down hard and Redemption comes off the ropes with a high legdrop!! 1.....2....No!!"
R.W.: "Redemption was completely airborne with that legdrop and it seems like these guys are really starting to pull out the big ammunition to take each other out!"
T.R.: "Redemption rams the back of Poe's head into the mat a few times before dragging him to his feet again! DDT is blocked! Poe turns into an overhead throw suplex!! Both men are down on the mat catching their breath now! Redemption is up first and he knees the rising Poe right in the face and drags him to his feet! Face-first Russian legsweep!! A cover!! 1....2.....No!!"
R.W.: "Several near-falls here by both men and somebody has to give in eventually!"
T.R.: "Redemption pulls him up and hits an inverted DDT onto his knee! That move has to do some serious damage to the neck! Redemption mounts the ropes and he's going for the Deliverance Frog Splash!! He leaps...and Poe gets both knees up to block!! He somehow had enough wits about him to know that Redemption was coming off the top!! Redemption took the full force of those knees in his mid-section and he is sucking wind!"
R.W.: "And look at Poe slap himself in the face, he knows he needs to clear the cobwebs and seal up the victory here!"
T.R.: "Poe stalks the downed Redemption and pulls him up and hits a cradle suplex!! 1.....2.....No!! Redemption has enough energy to kick out, but he is in serious trouble as he is really favoring those ribs from the blocked frog splash! Poe pulls Redemption up and Redemption fires back with chops, and Poe answers with some huge rights!! Redemption chops Poe right in the neck and whips him into the ropes! No! A reversal!! Poe catches him in an airplane spin and he drops him into a diamond cutter!! What a move!! 1.....2....3!! Poe secures his spot in the semi-finals with an huge victory over Redemption here in Madison!!"
R.W.: "Poe calls that the Black Circle of Death and that proved to be all Redemption could take, but what a great match between these two GLCW gladiators! Poe exits the ring exhausted and breathing heavily but he is still in the running for the GLCW crown!"
T.R.: "Redemption will get a chance at the GLCW TV Title though, and he will be entered into the next series of qualifying matches to get into that seven man Great Lakes Gauntlet match at Chi-Town Showndown 1 that Scott Malec announced earlier! But next week on Riptide from the Castle Hall in Racine, Wisconson we will see Jarod Poe move on to face Michael Manson which will be a very interesting match to say the least! Fans, let's take it back to Lady V standing by with Chris McMillan!"
(CUT-TO: The GLCW banner backstage. Lady Veronica stands alongside Mister Dread. McMillan is attired as usual in jeans, boots, and a tattered Dogs of War t-shirt. He’s slick with sweat from a pre-match workout.)
LADY VERONICA: "Mister Dread, in just moments you face Golem in the Quarterfinals of the GLCW Heavyweight Title Tournament. He’s had some strong words for you in recent days. Your thoughts?"
MISTER DREAD: "Golem and I have been strutting and posturing at each other a lot in the last few days. But right now none of that matters. All bets are settled when we come face-to-face in the ring tonight. He THINKS he’s got a huge psychological advantage. He thinks he’s gonna step into that ring and overwhelm Mister Dread. Outwit Mister Dread. Outwrestle Mister Dread. Well, it ain’t gonna happen. Golem names himself after a mythical creature, a construct of wood and clay and string. A Golem is supposed to be unstoppable. But a Golem is also a construct. A mindless, faceless automaton running purely on the instructions of those that created it. Is that what you are, Golem? A mindless creation of the promotional machine, lumbering inexorably towards your goal? I don’t think so. But either way, your road to the GLCW Heavyweight strap AND your path to salvation end TONIGHT. They end with Mister Dread. Count on it."
(McMillan brushes past Lady V. Fade to commercial)