[[“Diamond Is Forever” by Jay Z blasts over the PA system as “DIAMOND” flashes on the Tron along with various footage of Mike Diamond.. the crowd gets on their feet in anticipation of seeing Diamond.. He stalls for a moment then comes strolling out arms thrown to the side up in the air as if he was embracing the Empire fans.. Diamond smiles looking at the whole arena then goes walking down to the ring.. He gets to the ring steps and walks up to them and climbs into the ring… quickly calling for a microphone.]]
MD: “Ladies and gentlemen.. boys and girls .. I’ve got some good news and unfortunately I got some bad news as well.”
[[Pausing only for a moment]]
MD: “Let’s start off with the bad news and get that little ball of badness out of the way. Tonight we will not see the famous, award winning “Open Mike” that made the whole show back in that one place, I forget the name.. What’s it matter, right?”
[[Pacing a bit..]]
MD: “Now for the good news… Tonight, oh tonight folks, we are going to see Mike Diamond back in action for the time in several months.”
[[Crowd: BOOOOO!]]
MD: “The doctor said, ‘no’.. he said I needed at least two more weeks, but Mike Diamond being the soldier that he is… I’m going to show all this guts, not for the glory, the paycheck… but for all of you beautiful people.”
[[Saying this with a sarcastic tone, the arrogance of his grin says it all as the crowd continues to boo.]]
MD: “Through this neck injury.. I’m going to tough it out, but you know what made my final decision a lot easier? The fact that I’m facing a guy that calls himself “The Dragon…” This is a grown man walking around calling himself a dragon. That’s what made the decision a lot easier as folks… the comeback is in effect… 2004 … the year of the Diamond.. So without anymore interruption … Karl, oh Karl, come on down … You’re the next contestant on, ‘I’m going to get my ass kicked by Mike Diamond’…”
[[Diamond drops the mic as he awaits Karl Brown’s entrance. The arena is bathed in darkness seconds before “Rainmaker” blares out, causing a cascade of green and white lights to flicker across the arena in time to the music and pyre to explode from the side of the stage. With the first words, Karl steps through the curtains, looking around at the crowd. He high-fives fans either side of the aisle, stopping for autographs along the way, as he walks to the ring. Circles the ring once, then vaults over the top rope, standing on the second rope, arms aloft, saluting the fans on each side of the ring. As he jumps off, he turns around to see Mike Diamond sprinting at him.]]
DT: And Diamond isn’t going to wait for the bell!
MN: He’s a real go-getting, I’m sure!
[The bell rings as Karl Brown drops to the mat and snaps Diamond head first into the turnbuckle with a drop toe hold. The fans applaud for the move, but Brown doesn’t stop there. He quickly floats over and applies a headlock to the fallen Diamond.]
DT: And Brown’s already working the head and neck of Diamond!
MN: That’s just the smart thing to do, Thomas. I’d do the same.
[As Diamond makes it up to his feet, Brown still has the hold applied with full force. Diamond attempts to turn the move into a back suplex, but Benjamin flips over and lands behind Diamond. He then executes a picture perfect release german suplex that gets the fans cheering. He goes for a quick cover. One… kickout.]
MT: Diamond doesn’t want to be humiliated on the first night of Empire TV, Mike!
MN: Would you? We’re on National TV now, Dave!
DT: And darn proud of it, I might add!
[Brownd lifts Diamond up and locks him up for a snap suplex. He hits one, then goes for a second. Diamond blocks the second, however, and executes a decent one of his own. Diamond immediately goes straight for Brown’s legs, lifting up to drive a knee straight into Karl’s. Diamond continues to do this until after the third time. He then drags Brown over to the nearest ropes, placing his leg up on the bottom one. Holding onto the top, he slingshots himself up, slamming his butt down on Brown’s knee. Karl screams out in pain, holding his leg.]
DT: Smart wrestling by these two. They’ve each picked a key area to concentrate on.
MN: Diamond’s weak in the neck though, that could be the deciding factor of this one, Thomas.
[As Diamond goes to perform the move yet again, Brown takes his free leg and uses it to eject Diamond over the ropes and to the floor. The fans cheer for the mild bump, and a dazed Diamond tries to recover on the outside. Brown walks over to the ropes, limping slightly, and a now fully recovered Diamond reaches into the ring and pulls Brown to the floor. As soon as both men are facing each other, they start to trade off rights and lefts.]
DT: And action has spilled out onto the floor, Mike!
MN: Hey, it makes for great entertainment!
[As the two lay into each other, Brown gets the upper hand by blocking one of Diamond’s rights. Karl quickly grabs a hold of Diamond’s wrist and whips him hard into the nearest set of ring steps. Diamond does a complete flip, hitting the steps with his knees and landing hard on the floor with his back. Brown raises his hands to the Empire fans, igniting some cheers. Brown then slides back under the bottom rope, waiting for Diamond.]
DT: Ouch, Diamond’s gotta be hurting after that one, Mike!
MN: Yea, hitting a set of steel steps will do that to you!
[As Brown waits anxiously, Diamond is slow to recover. After a few moments pass, he slides in under the bottom rope. Brown stomps at his face, but allows him to his feet after a few shots. Brown then takes the dazed Diamond and goes for a side Russian leg sweep, which he hits effectively. He goes for another cover, but only gets a two count. Brown pulls Diamond up to his feet, but quickly receives a chop to the chest at the hands of Diamond. Diamond repeats the process a few more times, before sending Brown to the ropes with an irish whip. When Brown comes back, Diamond nails him in the face with a sickening superkick. Brown hits the mat hard, and Diamond uses it to his advantage by going back to the legs.]
DT: Diamond’s back on top now, let’s see what he can do with this momentum.
MN: He’s goin’ for the legs again, Dave.
[Diamond grabs one of Brown’s boots and lifts his leg to drive an elbow into the inside of his knee. He wrenches back on the hold a few times before letting go of it. He circles the fallen Brown, almost taunting him, before he applies a Boston Crab. As Diamond leans back on the hold, Brown screams out in pain. He tries to push Diamond off, but it’s unsuccessful. Finally, after a minute in the hold, Brown crawls to the ropes to break the maneuver.]
DT: Diamond’s really workin’ those joints all he can, huh Mike?
MN: He’s just smart, that’s all. You don’t get as good as Diamond by making mistakes…
DT: What about Brown? He’s a solid grappler…
MN: Oh, by far. This match could go either way, Thomas… Personally, I like Diamond’s style.
[As Diamond lifts Brown to his feet, he whips him into the furthest corner. Brown hits hard, but remains against the turnbuckles. Diamond approaches, then lays a couple of shots into Brown’s stomach. Diamond then lifts brown up onto the top turnbuckle, setting him up for what looks like a superplex. The fans start to cheer as Diamond goes up with Brown, but soon thereafter, Brown gets a couple of shots of his own in on Diamond. Bending him over, Brown floats over into a gorgeous sunset flip powerbomb that smashes Diamond’s head and neck off the canvas at an extremely devastating angle. The fans “ohhhhhh” as Diamond hits the mat. Brown lays on top of him for a cover.]
DT: This could be it!!!
1…..
2…..
3…..
MN: NO! Diamond kicks out at 2 and 3 quarters!!!
DT: I thought it was over!
MN: Don’t count Diamond out, Davey!
DT: That had to be devastating to Diamond’s neck! How is he still going!?
MN: He’s workin’ for Empire, isn’t he?
DT: Good point!
[Brown looks slightly frustrated, but is quick to continue his attack. He lifts a limp Diamond up to his feet, tossing him back to the mat with a vicious t-bone suplex. Diamond gets up slowly, and is then hit with a swinging neckbreaker. He lies motionless for a few moments, then stirs to get to his feet once more. Benjamin comes flying at him to go for a running version of the move. Diamond uses a good deal of his strength, however, and delivers a solid clothesline that knocks Brown straight to the mat. Seeing that this is his opportunity to take the match back, he applies an intense figure four leg lock. Brown screams out in pain as Diamond does all he can to apply the move even harder. Brown sits up to try and swing at Diamond, but hits nothing but air. After several moments, Brown flops back to the canvas, and the ref makes a count. 1…2… Brown pulls up at the last second. A few more moments pass and the same thing is repeated.]
MN: He’s got Brown where he wants him!! This has to be wearing him down!
DT: What a vicious figure four by Mike Diamond! He’s tenacious in his assault on Brown’s legs!
[After a few more moments pass, Brown starts to slide towards the ropes, using his hands to push. The fans start to chant “DRA-GON DRA-GON”. Eventually, Karl makes it to the ropes and the ref forces the break. An exhausted Diamond tries to recuperate from the move, while Brown holds his knee in pain. Diamond is the first to his feet, and slowly makes his way over to Brown yet again. As he goes to lift up Karl’s legs one more time, he receives a boot to the face. He attempts again, and gets yet another boot. Suddenly, Brown pops up and starts to lay into Diamond with some hard knife edged chops.]
MN: Brown’s coming back yet again!
DT: This match has had some great back and forth action in it!
[Diamond is rocked with another chop to the chest, and is quickly snapped over into another suplex. This time Brown repeats the move a second time, swinging his hips to complete it for a third as well. Brown then limps over to the corner, ascending the turnbuckle.]
DT: What’s he gonna do?? He’s got a bad leg, he could easily fall….
MN: This could be super-sick, Thomas, shut up….
[As Diamond slowly gets to his feet, Brown leaps off of the top with a somersault and lands on Diamond’s shoulders. He then throws his body back into a hurricanrana, holding on to the move for a pin attempt. The fans ignite for the move, one of the biggest pops of the night thus far.]
MN: Holy bejesus! Did you see that Dave? A dragoncanrana!! That was absolutely perfect!
DT: Brown with a great maneuver here on Diamond! He’s going for a cover! 1…. 2….KICKOUT BY DIAMOND!!!
MN: Damn, that was close!!
[Brown immediately picks Diamond up to his feet and sets him up for a dragon sleeper. Then, without hesitation, Brown turns the move into a reverse impact DDT… also known as the Dragon’s Bite.]
DT: DRAGON’S BITE!!
MN: Oh damn, that move looks painful as sh…
DT: Family television, Mike!
MN: Right!
[Brown quickly pounces on the fallen Diamond and makes a quick cover. The ref drops to make the count. 1….2….3!]
DT: Brown pins Diamond!!! What a matchup!
MN: Wow, that was great… they looked evenly matched in there!
WINNER: Karl “The Dragon” Brown
DT: Well ladies and gentlemen, what a matchup that was! I’m sure both men will continue to stir things up here in Empire, they’re two highly talented individuals!
MN: A great way to open the show, Davey. What’s next?
DT: Let’s see here…
[The cameras cut to Thomas and Neely at their announcers’ table. Thomas leafs through the papers in front of him before speaking. Neely looks back at the fans and continues to try and spark some commotion. Thomas finally finds the right paper…]
DT: Folks, up next we’ve got Killjoy Tommy Mayhem taking on “Yours Truly” Adam Benjamin!
MN: This one shows a lot of promise Dave. These two are extremely talented, and I wouldn’t be surprised if either man made his way through the ranks quite rapidly.
DT: Mayhem’s trained in the infamous Reeves’ Ringers facilities, and has been put through quite a lot to get where he is today. Benjamin’s been stirring things up in various promotions lately, and was Major Championship Wrestling’s Champion at the time of the league’s closing.
[Let the Bodies hit the floor cues up. Killjoy Tommy Mayhem makes his way to the ring. Tommy is wearing blue jeans and no shirt, The scars on his upper body stand out in the arena lights. Tommy slides in under the bottom rope. Tommy slowly gets up to his feet and leans into the top turnbuckle. He gets ready for Benjamin, but doesn’t have to wait very long before Loose yourself by Eminem begins to blast. "Yours Truly" Adam Benjamin makes his way slowly to the ring. Adam is wearing two English flag bandana's one that cover his head and the other that covers the lower part of his face revealing only his stone cold eyes. Adam makes his way into the ring and stands firm in his corner waiting for the bell to ring.]
DT: Wow, both of these men looked primed for a fight here, Mike!
MN: They better be, these people paid good money!
[The bell rings and Benjamin approaches Mayhem. Both men extend their arms, telegraphing the collar to elbow tie up that soon follows. From that position, Benjamin executes a hammerlock and ends up behind Mayhem. Mayhem reverses this, and instead of applying it on Benjamin, slams a clubbing blow into the back of his head with a forearm.]
DT: Mayhem’s not the most technically sound individual in the world…
MN: But he can sure whip some ass!
[Mayhem bends down to pick Benjamin up off of the mat, then sets him in a standing headscissor. Benjamin lifts up, however, and performs a back body drop that causes Mayhem to hit the mat hard. Benjamin quickly floats over to Mayhem’s arm and applies a standard armbar. Mayhem refuses to submit, though, and soon Tommy is back up to his feet. Mayhem fights Benjamin off, then tosses him to the ropes, hitting a vicious clothesline on his return. He goes for a cover. 1…2….kickout.]
DT: Mayhem’s looking for the victory early here… and he wont get it.
MN: You’re not going to beat Adam Benjamin with a clothesline, that’s for sure.
[Mayhem lifts Benjamin to his feet, then forms a clasp with his hands around Adam’s back. In one fluid motion, he sends Benjamin up and over with a head and arm suplex that shakes the ring. Benjamin holds the back of his head, but is quick to try and recover. He gets to his feet in time to see Mayhem coming at him, and throws a couple fists to his face. The two start trading blows, and eventually Benjamin gets the advantage with a hard right. Benjamin sets Mayhem up for a vertical suplex, but it’s quickly blocked. Benjamin is then lifted into the air by Mayhem for a vertical suplex of his own. However, when Benjamin is vertical in the air, he shifts his weight backwards, coming back down in the same motion he went up, only faster. Towards the tail end of this, he executes a quick snap suplex that puts Mayhem on the canvas. Benjamin makes a quick cover…]
DT: WHAT A REVERSAL! Benjamin’s got the cover… 1…2…kickout!
MN: Benjamin’s got great skills in that ring.
[Mayhem recovers slowly as Benjamin starts to work on his body with a few stiff kicks. Benjamin then lifts Mayhem to his feet, throwing some hard knife edged chops into his chest. The fans in the crowd start to cheer “WHOOOOO”. Benjamin works Mayhem back to the corner, where he eventually lifts him up onto the top turnbuckle. Benjamin, who is about to go for a superplex, is knocked off guard by a few shots by Mayhem. As the two rumble on the top rope, Mayhem locks on a front headlock. He jumps off the turnbuckle, twisting in the air, executing a tornado DDT. The move gets a good response from the Empire crowd, and Mayhem quickly makes a cover. 1…2… kickout.]
DT: Some great back and forth action here!
MN: You got that right, Dave!
[The fans applaud for Benjamin, who is again up on his feet. Both men lock up once more, this time Mayhem uses his strength to push Benjamin hard into the corner. Mayhem then rushes at Benjamin, but Adam executes a picture perfect arm drag takeover. Benjamin then jumps to Mayhem’s legs, locking on an ankle lock. Mayhem refuses to submit, and after a few moments, he reaches the ropes.]
DT: Mayhem’s lucky he got a hold of the ropes there! Benjamin had that ankle lock cinched in pretty tightly.
MN: This Mayhem kid’s one tough S.O.B. though…
[Benjamin is up to his feet first, but Mayhem quickly lays a couple shots into his gut to double him over. He then stands to his feet, kicking Benjamin the stomach. Pulling Benjamin between his legs, Mayhem then executes a hard piledriver that puts his opponent flat out on the mat. Mayhem then gets on top of Benjamin’s chest, laying into his face with hard rights and lefts. Mayhem is able to switch positions with him, though, and ends up on top. Benjamin then applies a leg grapevine, pulling back as hard as he can. Mayhem cries out in pain as he reaches for the ropes, but gets nothing.]
DT: Ohhh, this could be crucial, ladies and gentlemen… Benjamin’s got a leg grapevine locked on in the center of the ring.
MN: Mayhem’s not tappin’ though… WAIT… YES HE IS! HE TAPPED!
DT: Oh Mike, he was not. Quit playin’ with our viewer’s minds…
MN: Oh but it’s so fun…
[Mayhem lifts his free leg up to push his boot into Benjamin’s face, then kicks as hard as he can. This causes Adam to release the hold, and Mayhem to escape. Both men get to their feet, and Benjamin is the first to strike, going for a quick clothesline. Mayhem ducks, then hits a hard clothesline of his own that almost knocks Benjamin out of his boots. However, when he goes to pick Benjamin up, Mayhem is rolled up in surprise small package. The ref counts. 1…..2….kickout.]
DT: I thought he had him there, Mike.
MN: You know, it’s not impossible for one to win like that. You can really catch your opponent off guard and pin him in an instant.
DT: 3 seconds, actually…
MN: You know what I mean, dork.
[Benjamin and Mayhem quickly get to their feet, and this time Mayhem goes for yet another clothesline. Benjamin ducks, coming up behind him, and then executes a release german suplex that puts Mayhem down on the back of his head and neck. This gets a great reaction from the crowd, but Benjamin wastes no time going after Mayhem, who is folded up in the middle of the ring. Benjamin stomps at the inside of Mayhem’s thighs, weakening his legs for yet another submission. He goes for a texas cloverleaf, but Mayhem quickly frees his already damaged legs.]
DT: That is one spot Tommy Mayhem does NOT want to find himself in.
MN: Benji’s been workin’ the legs pretty good this match, we’ll have to see if that factors into the outcome…
[As Mayhem pushes Benjamin off of him, he backs himself up and gets to his feet. Benjamin is relentless though, and charges at Mayhem once more. In an instant, Benjamin is locked up in an overhead belly to belly suplex, which Mayhem uses to toss Benjamin up over the ropes! As Benjamin sails through the air, he comes crashing down on the timekeeper’s table, cracking it in half. Some fans in the seats start up a “holy ****” chant. Benjamin holds his back in pain as Mayhem raises his arms to the crowd. He gets mostly boos, but a few hardcore freaks out in the audience cheer heavily for him.]
DT: OH MY GOD!!! Benjamin just went up and OVER the ropes with that belly to belly suplex!
MN: And ended up going through a table as well! DAMN… now that’s rough!
[Mayhem goes through the ropes and jumps down to the arena floor, picking up the beaten Adam Benjamin. He rolls him back into the ring, then pursues him just as quickly. After a few moments, Mayhem lifts Benjamin to his feet, getting behind him to apply his finisher, the Buzzkill.]
DT: This could be it… we may be seeing the Buzzkill tonight!
MN: That’s a katihajime choke out for you new viewers out there!
[As Mayhem goes to perform the maneuver, Benjamin reverses and gets behind Mayhem. A shock to both the fans and Mayhem, Benjamin executes a vicious german suplex. Then another. Then another. On the third, Benjamin wrenches back with all his might and completely flips Mayhem in midair, causing him to land on his stomach.]
DT: Oh my god… what’s gotten’ into Adam Benjamin???
MN: The man just went through a table… and he’s freakin’ pissed!!
[Benjamin backs up to the ropes, then waits for Mayhem to stir. As he does so, Benjamin comes flying at him, nailing a wicked shining wizard. The fans in the audience let out an “ooooooooohhhhh” as Benjamin’s knee cracks Mayhem in the head, crumpling him to the mat. Benjamin falls on top of Mayhem, hooking the leg. The ref counts. 1….2….3!]
DT: Benjamin’s done it!! He’s beaten Killjoy Tommy Mayhem to win his first match here in Empire Pro!
MN: A damn good match by anyone’s standards. I’m lookin’ to see how well both these guys do in the future.
DT: One thing’s for sure, something must’ve clicked inside Benjamin when he went through that table. Let’s take a look at that again…
[The feed switches to a replay of Benjamin flying over the top rope to the outside, landing squarely on the table, going through it. It is again played from a different angle.]
DT: Wow, you’ve gotta’ have some determination to come back from that!
MN: Benjamin’s looks like he could be a huge threat here.
Winner: “Yours Truly” Adam Benjamin
DT: Folks, I’m being told by the boys in the back that we’ve got a few tidbits of information to tell you here…
[The camera cuts to Thomas and Neely at their table. Thomas holds his headset, then relays the information. A few fans in the background are tossing around a beach ball.]
DT: The details of Freeman’s World and IC title tournaments have been revealed in full. As the competitors advance through the tournament, they will be randomly entered into 2 fatal four way matches. The winners of these matches will meet each other to determine who is the Intercontinental Champion on the same night as the World Title finals.]
MN: That’s right ladies and gentlemen, I’m also being informed that the pay per view… which is entitled “Black Dawn”...