[Fade in from black. Several recorded events from pass Aggressions begin to play through in black and white. The sounds of “In My World” by Anthrax provide a harsh backdrop for the already violent images… shots of men beating the living hell out of one another, competitors bleeding for the new upstart company that has taken the wrestling world by storm.]
V/O: It has been three weeks of brutal hell. For some, the path was ended much earlier than expected. For others, pain is pushed aside as a climb to the top continues. Now, more so than ever, Empire Pro prepares for a Black Dawn….
Fade from “In My World” to “Imperial March” by Rage Against the Machine.
Cut to: Christian Sands hitting the Sand Blaster on an unknown opponent.
Cut to: Karl Brown nailing someone with The Dragon's Bite ddt.
Cut to: Jonathan Marx slapping an intense STF on an unknown individual.
Cut to: Adam Benjamin knocking the absolute bejesus out of an opponent with a shining wizard.
Cut to: The Crimson Calling destroying their opponent with a Crimson Crasher.
Cut to: Beast delivering a high impact Tiger Driver '91 to an unnamed man.
Cut to: Dan Ryan, an evil grin on his face, stomping his massive frame towards the camera.
[The shot fades to the inside of the Continental Airlines Arena, where thousands of Empire Pro fans have gathered to watch their favorite superstars compete. The Empire Theme continues to play as pyro ignites, flying out of the entrance way and ramp, shooting off into the rafters. Signs are held up in the audience… some reading “Goodbye Paul Freeman!”, “Suicide broke my neck!”, “Daymon was screwed!”, “Adam Benjamin for Prime Minister”, “Black Dawn on MSG”, and many, many more. The shot cuts to a view of Dave Thomas and Mike Neely, both wearing their traditional Empire polo shirts, adjusting their headsets.]
DT: Ladies and gentlemen… welcome… to Aggression, WEEK FOUR!!
MN: Whoooo daddy… this one is gonna be a good one, Davey! We’ve got a crapload of great matchups tonight… all setting up one of the sweetest PPVs in wrestling history!
DT: That’s right Mike… tonight’s the last stop on the road to Black Dawn, and things look more exciting than ever! We’ve got the Intercontinental Title Tournament match that will determine Adam Benjamin’s opponent at Black Dawn!
MN: Man does that one look good. Daymon, Douglas, and Brown all in one match! That’s some insane talent taking the ring at the same time! It could go any way!
DT: I’m looking forward to it too Mike… it should be an incredible matchup! Also on the agenda is Paul Freeman vs. Jonathan Marx! Lots of people have been talking about this one, Mikey… what’s going to go down? I have to say I fear for the safety of Mr. Freeman in this one!
MN: Man, Freeman’s a goner. There’s no way he can stand up to Jonathan Marx. I guess it was a little tough love applied by Dan Ryan that made this one happen.
DT: Speaking of Mr. Ryan, rumor has it he won’t be in attendance tonight. One has to wonder what the reasoning behind that is.
MN: I dunno, but it’s gotta’ important. Ryan IS a busy man, Thomas. He’s a freakin’ world champion, you know?
DT: Well ladies and gentlemen, things have been chaotic around the Empire offices lately, as I’m sure a lot of you know already.
MN: Chaotic? Try INSANE. The World Title tournament has gone haywire… we’ve lost two… count ‘em TWO… Empire wrestlers to injury in the past weeks, another to contract disputes, and now there’s rumors about Lindsay Troy’s involvement in things… I don’t even know where to start!
DT: I’ve gotta’ agree with you there, Mike. But nonetheless, the show must go on! Tonight we were supposed to originally see Maelstrom vs. Sands, and Suicide vs. Beast. For reasons unknown, Maelstrom has left the Empire roster. Now we’ll see Sands taking on Suicide and Beast in a three way dance! The winners continue on to Black Dawn, where they’ll engage in a showdown to crown the very first World Champion!
MN: Who’s your pick, Thomas?
DT: I don’t really have one, Mike…
MN: Man, me neither…but I’m tellin’ ya, we could see ANY of those men advancing to Black Dawn. You’ve gotta ask yourself though, what’s the deal with the Burning Hammer? IS it banned, or what? And how the hell are we supposed to know if Ryan’s not in the building??
DT: That IS a good question. I’m sure the matters have been taken care of… and we’ll all find out soon enough what’s going down! Folks we’ve got a ton of other matches tonight… let’s kick this show off!
MN: Whoooooo!!
DT: Well, next up we've got -
[CUE UP: "War Machine" - Kiss. The video wall shifts to an image of the United States flag flying behind transparent images of tanks and warplanes. CROWD: "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!"]
DT: - Wait a minute, what's this?
MN: Sounds like everyone's favorite patriotic killing machines!
DT: Covert Ops aren't scheduled to be here, but here they are!
[As the song lyrics kick in, Cloak and Dagger of Covert Ops emerge from behind the curtain, sparking off a volume increase for the USA chants as they wave large American flags above their heads. They walk to the ring, saluting fans here and there along the way before stepping into the squared circle and waving the flags some more. Finally, Cloak grabs a mic as the music dies down.]
CLOAK: ...Something around here is SERIOUSLY FUBAR!!!
[CROWD: *pop!*]
CLOAK: Man... what the hell, Freeman? What the hell, Ryan? What're you guys thinking? Last week you booked eight rookies in two tag matches, yet WE, who SQUASHED one of the most dominant teams on this circuit, went unbooked. I mean, CRAP! Who the hell cares about the f*ckin' STALKER? And is anybody out there really busting their balls to tune in to watch a match with Culpa in it? Derek Shmaltz, John Deere - sh*t! How the HELL did all these kids get on the card while WE are ignored? And THIS week - the SAME MORONS get matches, but NOT US? This is RIDICULOUS!
DAGGER: But hey. If Ryan and Freeman aren't going to let us beat the sh*t out of anyone, I guess we'll take matters into our own hands. See, we've gone too long without beating someone to a bloody pulp. But that's alright, 'cause we're going to remedy that. And in doing so, we're gonna even the score for Uncle Sam. We're full-blooded Americans, born right here in the greatest country in the world - and just like our country, if you f*ck with us, you get f*cked with. Our next guest has f*cked with America. Now it's our turn.
CLOAK: So without further ado... Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, all the way from a rat hole in what's left of Afghanistan... OSAMAAAA BIN LADEEEEENNNN!!!
DT: Osama bin WHAT?!
MN: Boo! Hiss!
[CUTTO: The entrance ramp as a man with a long, ratty-looking beard and a bath towel wrapped around his head prances down towards the ring as "Uncle F*cker" from the South Park movie soundtrack plays. The crowd, naturally, is showering "Osama" with garbage. Osama quickly hops into the ring and prances around like an idiot.]
DT: I can't BELIEVE this! It's either bin Laden or a reasonable facsimile!
MN: Boo! Go back to your cave!
DT: This crowd's certainly mirroring my colleague's sentiments, as they're booing Osama out of the building!
[As Osama prances about, Cloak and Dagger set aside their flags and grin. Dagger promptly grabs Osama by the neck and chokeslams him to a HUGE crowd pop! Osama bounces off the mat once and lands in a heap, and Cloak immediately pounces on him and starts pummeling him with rights and lefts! The crowd, meanwhile, is cheering thunderously!]
DT: This is surreal! These fans are going NUTS as Covert Ops DESTROYS Osama bin Laden!
MN: Yeah! WOO! Show that prick who's boss, boys! Smoke him! WOO!
[After a few more punches, Cloak picks Osama up by the collar and slaps him on both cheeks, then spits in his face, evoking a MASSIVE reaction from the fans! Cloak quickly pushes Osama back into Dagger, who picks him up and DRILLS him with a Dagger Driver! Cloak moves in again, nailing Osama with the Cloak Cutter! The crowd goes wild as Dagger sets Osama up for a powerbomb, bringing him down with the help of a second-rope flying neckbreaker from Cloak to complete Covert Ops' double-team move - Shock and Awe!]
DT: OH! The Shock and Awe! Covert Ops just OBLITERATED Osama!
MN: HELL YEAH, MAN!!! U-S-A! U-S-A! Score one for Uncle Sam, mothafu-
DT: Family show!
MN: -fuggawazza.
DT: What?
MN: Sorry, couldn't think of a good word.
[Osama lies unmoving on the mat, his eyes rolling back in his head. Cloak crosses Osama's arms across his chest funeral-style, then snatches off his turban and throws it into the crowd; it is caught by some moron in a Beast T-shirt. With that, both members of Covert Ops mount a turnbuckle, each crossing his right hand over his heart. The cheering falls silent and everybody comes to their feet as the American national anthem plays across the speakers.]
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
[As the anthem comes to a close, the arena EXPLODES into tumultuous, mindblowing, deafening cheering, which quickly coalesces into a booming chant: "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!" Cloak and Dagger drink in the cheers, still standing resolutely atop the turnbuckles. After a moment, they take up their flags and depart, walking slowly up the ramp, waving the stars and stripes proudly until they finally slip behind the curtain.]
MN: *sniff* That was... SO moving.
DT: I have to admit, the national anthem was a nice touch.