[Earlier today...
CUT TO: The rear entrance door. Who stands there ready, willing and able to ask the hard questions? KENNY LOMBARDO, of course.]

KL: Fans, I am told that any minute now the most sensational superstar in Empire Pro's recent history will arrive. The performer known the world over as ICE TRE was jailed on weapons charges just a few short weeks ago and will be making his FIRST APPEARANCE BACK TONIGHT against "Phenomenal" Frankie Scott! Frankie Scott, of course, is determined to--

[The door opens without much fanfare and in strides CASSIDY STEWART -- conspicuously WITHOUT his client, the indefatigable Ice Tre. Stewart takes a moment to register the camera crew, then Lombardo.]

CASSIDY: Mr. Lombardo.

[A moment later and he had reconciled the fact that avoiding an interview would be impossible at this point. If anything, he could make it more difficult. Cass turned, following the sign towards the lockerroom and Kenny chased after him -- the cameraman scooped his equipment from it's tripod and trotted down the hall.]

KL: Mr. Stewart .... where is Ice Tre?

[Stifling a sigh, Stewart began the spin.]

CASSIDY: Rest assured ... Ice Tre is in New Orleans--

[A quality, cheesy, home-grown pop reverberates through the arena, catching Stewart off guard. He allows a slick smile, coming to a rest outside a lockerroom boasting a "t r e" nameplate.]

CASSIDY: --and Ice Tre WILL be in action tonight! I understand you want the first scoop, the first word. But with all due respect, Mr.Lombardo, now is just NOT the time. This ... is just not the place. Ice Tre will speak to the people tonight. As a matter of fact, his first Public Service Announcement is set to air tonight. I can guarantee that My Client will not leave ... without reminding the world Who He IS .... and What He WANTS.

[Cass opens the lockerroom door and half-steps in.]

CASSIDY: Thanks, Kenny. 

[Slammed in Kenny's face, he took an annoyed step away from the door with disgust.]

KL: Guys, we had hoped to get a word with the King of the Streets and instead got STONE-WALLED by a suit. I promise every viewer at home that I will stand my ground, right here, WAITING for Ice Tre to arrive! You had better believe that--

[The screen fell dark as someone stepped before the lens, a silhouette of anger and hate. It is STALKER, flanked by NAKITA DAHAKA. He wrenches the mic from Kenny's hand, tossing it to the ground -- it popped, dying, sending furious feedback through the line. Dahaka was through the door and in Cassidy's space within moments. Stalker pressed Lombardo out of the shot and gestured to the cameraman to get lost before striding into Tre's lockerroom -- slamming the door behind him. The camera would cut out just as Stalker turned his attention towards it.]

--

[Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the building at the exact same time...]

"Your turn, Stevens. JA's already signed it, so I just need the other John Hancock and we'll be squaresies." 

[CUTTO: A rather large, corner office, with all the trims and fixings that are usually associated with high level executives. Large window with an incredible view? Check. Fully furnished living room, plush sofa and 50 inch plasma TV? Check. Comfy leather chair, in front of a desk made of the finest oak, the size of a dining room table? Check.]

"B[BLEEP]tch don't talk to me."

[Reigning EPW King of the Cage, former champ, and the man responsible for Rocko Daymon's close encounter with death, SEAN 'TRIPLE X' STEVENS stood in front of the desk of EPW owner, Lindsay Troy, contract in hand, eyes fixated on her.] 

TROY: Cut the 'tude, Sean, because I have zip problem tearing up the contract, tossing JA the belt and banning you from the World Title scene for the rest of the year. Sign the thing and then you're free to have Dahaka suck the wax out of your ear up until the match. 

TRIPLE X: ...but, then you'd prove to the world what *I* always knew. That you're a walking contradiction. Or did you forget your whole spiel about nothing being handed out for free in 'your' company? Or does that just apply to me? ...Considering I was on the verge of doing something in this promotion that nobody had ever done, yourself included.

[Trip was in competition mode, in his brand new, sleeveless, 100% cotton, "King Of The World" t-shirt, black and silver tights, sloppy pony-tail, and two day old shadow. 

Troy, on the other hand, looked classic in a white blouse and sharp black pants.]

TROY: What were you going to do, be a bigger d[BLEEP]ck than Troy Windham? Because that's not exactly something anyone should strive for. And as far as you're concerned, considering all the sh[BLEEP]t you've pulled lately, the only thing you've earned is my ire. JA was next in line for a crack at the world title. Only thing you've done to get in this position is lose it to Daymon.

[Stevens frowned.]

TRIPLE X: Troy who? 

[The 'Blue-Eyed Badass' brushed her off.]

TRIPLE X: JA wasn't in line for anything. He's a clown. He went an entire four months without so much as cutting an EPW promo, and you reward him with a title match? Why? Because he showed promise when you wrestled here?! Well, that was a long time ago, Lindsay, and if you keep f[BLEEP]king with me, I'm going to remind the both of you why you lost your smiles and ran away.

TROY: [smirking] And I could very easily tell you that you never beat me, you pinned Melton for the title, whereas I hold a pinfall over you. But at the end of the day, who really gives a sh[BLEEP]t? You may be in a position, by my good graces, to become the only two-time Empire Pro World Champ, but EYE still have a monster two PLUS year reign. Two titles? That's real shiny, Captain, but much more attainable by others than my feat. What I did is something that no one has ever done before...and something that Idoubt will ever happen again. 

[Feeling disrespected, the King of the Cage began breathing heavily, which eventually led to Sean taking a couple of aggressive steps in Lindsay's direction. Not knowing what to expect, her natual instincts caused her to stand up from her desk, and face him. 

They were now nose-to-nose. Merely an inch apart.

With the contract still in his left hand, Stevens used his right to violently knock all of Lindsay Troy's items off of her desk, laptop included. You could hear pieces scattered all over the office upon impact with the floor.

Lindsay Troy didn't budge, she simply stood her ground, prepared for the worst. 

After a couple more seconds of staring a hole into one another, Sean placed the contract on her – now empty – desk, and signed it, before backpedaling slowly to the office door, and opening it.]

TROY: Did I mention that you and the Bride of Creepzilla are both fined 25k for that stunt with Freeman last show? I'm pretty sure I had that on my "To-Do List" tonight, [She looks down at the mess on the floor] but since you had to go and throw a hissy I'm not sure where it is in that pile anymore.

[The Queen of the Ring snaps her gaze to Stevens, and gives him a positively gloating smile.]

TROY: And since she's my Curtain Jerker For Life, she can't afford that hefty sum. Looks like you'll be dipping a little deeper into the bank account to cover her cellulite ass. 

[Stevens extended his neck, trying to get a glimpse of Lindsay's posterior.]

TRIPLE X: You can hardly afford to talk about anybody's ass.

TROY: Hey pal, my ass is so hot it sears corneas. Go peep my PRIME bio. 

[The door slams] 

TROY: Jackass. 

[FTB]

[CUE UP: "Imperial March" - Rage Against the Machine. A video montage plays, featuring smoke-wreathed images of various wrestlers, some of them leaving blurred trails as they move. 
CUT TO: Beast nailing the Absolution on Adam Benjamin.
CUT TO: Shawn Hart coming off the ropes with a Quebrada. 
CUT TO: Felix Red standing victorious in the ring. 
CUT TO: JA delivering the Karelin Driver to Ron Artest 
CUT TO: Adam Benjamin delivering a Shining Wizard to Karl Brown.
CUT TO: Joey Melton, mugging for the crowd. 
CUT TO: Lindsay Troy dropkicking Beast. 
CUT TO: Ice Tre flailing away as he falls from a cage.
CUT TO: JA and Kin Hiroshi locking up in the middle of the ring.
CUT TO: Rocko Daymon, mugging with Caitlyn, tapping the belt over his shoulder.
CUT TO: “Triple X” Sean Stevens on the second turnbuckle staring out into the crowd with one arm raised overhead.
CUT TO: Dan Ryan sitting sedately in a chair, staring into the camera. 
CUT TO: With a clash of metal, a logo slams across the screen, its edges flickering.] 

T: Ladies and gentlemen, this is Aggression 38 and we are LIVE from the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana!! With me as always are my partners in crime, Dean Matthews and Mike Neely. Dean-o, I have to say …we really dodged a bullet with the weather and despite a little flooding here and there…the city as a whole made out pretty well.

DM: Definitely, Dave. You gotta love the great fans in New Orleans. Half the city is evacuated but we’ve got a full house on hand. That says something about these people right here.

DT: Well let’s get the festivities started…..Last week Ice Tre issued an open challenge to the entire EPW roster. One man accepted. His name is "The American Idol" Frankie Scott. 

DM: Unfortunately Dave, that's all we heard from Frankie this week. He's been incognito. 

MN: He's been as hard to find as Michael Phelps' bronze medals in his trophy case. 

DM: Some may not remember, but prior to Black Dawn Scott told the entire backstage roster at EPW to kiss his ass. Ice Tre was one of the men he specifically singled out. It makes it all the more peculiar that he's been AWOL this past week. 

MN: How the heck do you remember that Dean? It was months ago. You have something you want to tell us about your relationship with The American Idol? 

DM: Not really Mike. I just had this note waiting for me to mention it before the match starts. They'd give you notes like that too. You just need to learn how to read. 

MN: What's the point? Books are on CDs now. The Internet's got everything on video. I do just fine with my third grade reading level. 

DM: Well you could read your prescriptions correctly. You could stop taking your Valtrex three times a day thinking its your Valium. You can't kill herpes by taking more pills.

MN: You'll never understand the suffering I go through three to six times a year Dean.

DT: ANYWAY, back to the show. Here comes The American Idol now.