[FADEIN: The broadcast table, with Thomas, Matthews and Neely sitting there, headsets on.]
DT: This has been an incredible night of action so far, and up next one of the biggest matches of the night as Cameron Cruise defends the Intercontinental Championship against Shawn Hart. The story of this title and this match, is the story…Of Anthology…
[CUEUP: B-Roll footage. CUTTO: Unleashed, Jared Wells in the ring with Kin Hiroshi, Cameron Cruise, and Shawn Hart, as he talks there’s distortion effects on his voice.]
WELLS: With myself, IT’S WHAT WE CALL ANTHOLOGY. The EPW today consists of the same old boring sausage story. Sean Stevens is a bad case of VD. My god the poor bastard is a poster boy. I really want to give him credit but I won't. He is your typical dumb ass in the EPW. It's like having that one crack head friend around that you feel sorry for. Sean Stevens fits the bill. Stalker is just somebody that missed a few hugs in life. Mommy and daddy couldn't do the job and all I can tell him is get a woman which I'm sure thats hard for him. How about Fusenshoff? He's that guy at a party who drinks four Miller Limes then passes out and everybody tea bags for a MySpace picture. You know I listened to JA talk about his match with "THE ORIGINAL TRIPLE X" Sean Stevens. [laughs] I'm not sure whether I want to suggest he is a better wrestler or sports-caster. I actually heard JA talk and I thought ESPN was on. I said to myself this isn't the spice channel. Of course I changed it right away.
[Jared pauses, puts down the mic, high fives Cruise and Kin then puts his arm around Hart.]
WELLS: The pretty picture here is that Cruise, Kin, Hart, and myself are bored with everything. Each of us don't intend on picking up the ball and running with it. All four of us have a pair of scissors and we plan on sprinting towards each and everyone of you. I've been known to rape history, yet make it at the same time and tonight marks the first day in the EPW with aristocracy. I take these three men with me at all costs. Now that daddy is back I heard Larry Flynt made a new porno called Who's Nailin' Palin? That's easy, Daddy Wells is nailing Palin!
[Dave Thomas narrating the video.]
DT: Kin Hiroshi wouldn’t last long, but Larry Tact would take his place…And quickly he and Wells would bring glory to Anthology.
[CUTTO: Agg 43. Forsaken Vs Wells/Tact]
DT: FELIX RED IS HERE! TACT MAKES THE TAG...FIRST MAKES THE TAG AS WELL!! FELIX ALL OVER JARED WELLS WITH RIGHTS AND LEFTS! Wells staggered and sent for the ride...BIG BACK BODY DROP! Wells staggering to his feet and now Tact is back in the ring and he's being hammered away on by Felix, now The First is back in there and fighting away with Tact.
DM: The ref has lost all control of this match, this is complete chaos!
DT: The ref trying to get Tact and The First out of the ring...WAIT A MINUTE!! CAMERON CRUISE JUST RAN OUT HERE! HE'S GOT FELIX RED!!! REALITY CHECK!!! HE JUST DROVE FELIX INTO THE MAT!! CRUISE SLIDES OUT OF THE RING AS TACT PULLS FIRST OUT OF THE RING WITH HIM!!! THE REF TURNS AROUND AND SEES WELLS PINNING FELIX!!!
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!!
[MUSIC UP: "It Was A Good Day" by Ice Cube as the crowd is booing]
TF: The winners of this contest...AND NEW...EPW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!! JARED WELLS AND LARRY TACT OF ANTHOLOGY!!!
DT: The Forsaken's over year long run with the tag titles has ended tonight in controversal fashion to say the least...What more can happen tonight?! We'll be right back!
[CUTTO: Wells and Tact walking away from the ring, EPW World Tag Title Belts in hand.]
DT: And Cameron Cruise would strike for gold of his own.
[CUTTO: Agg 42, Cruise Vs Douglas]
DT: Cruise isn't taking any chances this time. He brings Douglas up and sets him in place.... REALITY CHECK! He hits it perfectly on the Intercontinental Champion!
LT: FORMER Intercontinental Champion in...
DT: Cover by Cruise, could we see a new Champion?
ONE!
TWO!!
THREE!!!
DT: That's it, it's over! We have a new EPW Intercontinental Champion!
TF: The winner of the match... and NEEEEW EPW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION.... CAAAMMEEEERRROOOONNNN CRRRUUUUUIIISSSEEE!!!!!
[CUTTO: Cruise standing on top of the ramp, patting the IC Title belt now being worn across his waist.]
DT: Then at Wrestleverse III, Anthology’s ranks, and power, would continue to grow.
[CUTTO: Slow motion replays of the masked man pushing The First off the top rope, First crashes to the ground, and is then picked up and REALITY CHECKED by Cruise, who gets the pin. CUTTO: The masked man unmasking and revealing himself as Copycat. CUTTO: Copycat in the ring Anthology, Copycat on the mic. His voice, like Wells before it, is warped by distortion effects.]
Copycat: And THIS is what it’s all become since I made the mistake of ignoring the developments in this business. For that, I am sorry. But before I even called Jared Wells back, I knew there was HOPE. I knew there was a shining light still left in EPW, the beginnings of what could be a last-ditch effort to save this industry from itself.
[He gestures to the other men in the ring with him]
Copycat: These men you see before you now are men who are no longer in business for themselves. They’re in business for the business. These men are the cure for the sickness that has overtaken this industry. And though you fans boo them today, you’ll thank them later. The heroes you worship now will only destroy what you love. It’s the villains in this who will write the chapters that lead to a happy ending. For my last few years in the ring before I went into acting full-time, I told myself that I wouldn’t turn against the wishes of the fans. I told myself that I wouldn’t join forces with a faction of people as long as I was perfectly capable of doing what needed to be done on my own. But right now, I need all the help I can get to turn this thing around before it gets beyond the point of recovery. These men will help me achieve that goal. There’s only one HOPE for patching the holes in this business that will soon grow into abysses too large to fix – and that HOPE is the Anthology.
DT: The next show Anthology would continue to expand, but also, cracks would form.
[CUTTO: Sean Edmunds running in on Anarky and revealing an Anthology T-Shirt. CUTTO: Shawn Hart hitting Cameron Cruise with the World Title Belt in the mist of the Stevens/First Vs Copycat/Cruise main event from Agg 44.]
DT: It was an accident according to Hart, he had been blinded, and he thought himself still in Anthology’s good graces…But on the next show, he had reason to believe otherwise.
[CUTTO: Hart Vs First at Agg 45, with the ref tied up Hart looks to the back for help from Anthology, it never shows up, and then First blinds Hart with mist and hits a Soulbreaker and pins him.]
DT: Feeling he’d been abandoned…Hart took the only path he felt left to him.
[CUTTO: Hart standing in the ring at Agg 45 after his match]
HART: "I've had it........... I'VE HAD IT!!! I'm sick and tired and SICK of giving EVERYTHING I have to ensure that the NUTBAG BROTHERS get theirs, while the man the fans reeeeeeeally want to see, the jiggiest JACKHOLE this side of Jersey, Shawn Jessica Hart, gets STUCK with scraps!"
[The fans respond to SJH. Some with cheers, some with jeers, but most seemingly in agreement with this statement on some level.]
"Before I made my GRAND RETURN to this God-forsaken place, Anthology was NOTHING but a couple of weasels trying to wiggle their way into the main event. I'm the one who legitimized this whole operation, the guy that brought the whole thing together... HELL, I'm the person who coined the Anthology term! And where has it all gotten me?! HMMM?!?! What have I got to show for it?!"
[He looks inquisitively to the crowd, then turns his attention back to the hard camera.]
"NOT A GODD[FCC]AMN THING!! It's the same old story, week in and week out... Cruise and Wells get theirs while the Phenom's duckets somehow keep finding their way into the hands of the latest has-been to join the fold!"
[SJH SPITS in anger.]
And the truth of the matter here, Cameron Cruise, Jared Wells... Mr. Tact, Mr. Edmunds, Copycat... is that as relates to aaaaaaaaaaall things Anthology..............
I QUIT!!!
The PHENOM has left the building!!!"
DT: His actions would make him pay a heavy price
[CUTTO: Agg 46, Hart is blindsided by Cruise who cracks him with the IC Title, allowing Larry Tact to pin him. CUTTO: Agg 47, where AGAIN Hart is blindsided by Cruise who blasts him with the IC Title, allowing Edmunds to pin him.]
DT: But turnabout is fairplay [CUTTO: Hart distracting Cruise, allowing Westscott to get the advantage and then powerbomb Cruise through a table covered in thumbtacks and get the win.]
DT: Now the man who most see as Anthology’s leader, faces the man who left them, for the Intercontinental Championship. The stakes could not be much higher for both men.
[CUTTO: Tony Fatora standing in the middle of the ring, getting ready to make the announcements.]
TF: The following contest is set for ONE FALL and it is for the E! P! W! INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP! And there are NO DQ’s OR COUNTOUTS in this match! [Crowd pops, buzzing!]
DT: What?! When was that announcement made?
MN: I don’t care, this only plays into Anthology’s hands! Clearly some wheeling and dealing in the back by Cruise and company to get an advantage.
[MUSIC UP: “Phenomena” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The crowd pops BIG as Shawn Hart comes through the curtain, he’s wearing black tights with SJH in gold on one leg and PHENOM in gold on the other leg, with black ring boots. Hart has a big smile on his face as he walks to the ring.]
TF: Making his way to the ring, hailing from Orlando Florida and weighing in at 217 pounds…Here is the CHALLENGER…THE PHENOM…SHAWN!!! HART!!!
[Hart hits the ring and paces back and forth, waiting for the champion…After a few moments MUSIC UP: “Killing In The Name Of” by RATM hits on the PA the crowd boos loud as Cameron Cruise steps through the curtain. The IC Title Belt resting on his shoulder. Cruise has on blue trunks with “Cruise” on the seat in white, and blue knee pads and ring boots. He strides to the ring looking daggers at Hart. He enters the ring and climbs to the second rope holding the IC Title belt over his head and soaking in the LOUD booing that is going through the arena.]
TF: And his opponent, hailing from Jacksonville, North Carolina, weighing in a 260 pounds…Representing Anthology…Here is the INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION…CAMMMMERONNNNN…CRUUUUUUISEEEE!!! [Crowd booing loud as Cruise hands the belt off to head ref Pat Jones. After a couple moments the bell rings.]
DT: And here we go…Cruise locks up and backs Hart into the corner, Cruise with a knee to the gut and another…Cruise punching away on Hart and Hart crumbles to the mat under a flurry of big time right hands from the champion.
MN: No mercy for this goof, he betrayed Anthology and must pay in the most brutal way possible…And with this match no DQ, then Cruise can do anything he pleases to maim this putz.
DT: Cruise drags Hart to his feet and slams him down…Cruise with an elbow…Nobody home! Both men up and Hart now rifling a series of jabs to the chin of Cruise…And a ON THE BUTTON DROPKICK DROPS CRUISE…HART WITH A COVER!
ONE!
NO!
DT: Cruise quickly out of that pin attempt, but Hart presses the advantage with kicks to the gut and now he whips Cruise into the ropes…Backdrop by Hart…NO! Cruise with a kick to the face…NO! Hart catches the leg and foot sweeps Cruise down…Hart DROPS BOTH LEGS INTO CRUISES’S GUT!
DM: Those feet might have landed a bit lower on Cruise then that.
DT: Well if they did it’s no DQ so it doesn’t much matter. Cruise sits up in agony from the leg drop and GETS BLASTED BY A ROUND HOUSE KICK TO THE HEAD! Hart with a quick cover! Leg is hooked!
ONE!!
TWO!!
NO!!
DT: Cruise kicks out again and Hart locks on a chin lock…Cruise fighting to his feet, and now Hart lets go of the headlock and fires in a quick kick to Cruise’s leg…Hart cracks Cruise with a jab, and Cruise responds with a bull rush taking Hart into a corner…Cruise now throwing punch after punch into the stomach of Shawn Hart…And now driving a series of shoulders into the ribs of the challenger.
MN: There we go! Take this clown to school Cruise! No mercy!
DT: Hart now launched HARD into the other corner…Hart drops to his knees before falling face first to the mat. Cruise now stalking Hart, taking his time as he kicks Hart in the lower back and now a stomp to the head.
MN: Cruise in control, now dealing out the beating as he sees fit, Hart is in a world of trouble here, and I for one am going to enjoy watching him suffer before Cruise finally puts him out of his misery.
DM: Cruise now grabs Hart and pulls him into a camel clutch. Cruise wrenching back on the chin of Hart who now has to fight to escape this hold, and remember this is no DQ so the ropes won’t save Hart…He’s got to escape this.
DT: Cruise has this locked in tight and is really leaning back on the lower back of Hart…Hart gets his knees under himself, and now he’s starting to try to power up from under Cruise. Cruise just breaks the hold and clubs Hart down to the mat with a series of forearms to the back of the neck. Cruise now off the drops…DRIVES A KNEE INTO THE BACK OF HART’S HEAD! Cruise with a cover.
ONE!!
TWO!!
NO!!
MN: Come on ref…These officials are a joke…I could have counted to six!
DT: Well you should apply to the EPW ref’s academy so Dean and I can at last be rid of you.
MN: Not on your life pal. This company would sink without me keeping you two in line.
DT: Cruise now goes to the outside and he gets himself a chair…That’s legal in this match, which was shockingly declared to be no DQ’s or count outs just as it started…Cruise now in the ring waiting on Hart…Hart to his feet…CRUISE WITH A CHAIR SHOT! HART SIDESTEPS! HART FIRING AWAY A SERIES OF RIGHT HANDS! Hart pulls the chair away from Cruise and HE SWINGS IT! CRUISE AVOIDS! Cruise now gets behind Hart…HANGMAN’S NECKBREAKER! What a move from the champion!
DM: Cameron Cruise clearly knows he has to be on top of his game to keep his title away from Shawn Hart and he’s really bringing the A-Game here tonight.
MN: What are you talking about Matthews? Cruise is always on top of things. He’s had this punk the whole way.
DT: Cruise now takes the chair and unfolds it in the center of the ring…Cruise grabs Hart and pushes him into the corner…Cruise hooks him…He’s going to bulldog him into the chair…NO! Hart pushes Cruise off…Hart grabs the chair and folds it back up and throws it at Cruise…Who catches it…HART DROPKICKS THE CHAIR INTO CRUISE’S FACE! [Pop!]
DM: That’s a match changing move right there for the phenom!
MN: Oh come on…This is just not my night..
DT: Hart shakes out the cobwebs and makes the cover!
ONE!!
TWO!!
NO!!!
DT: Cruise kicks out! Hart quickly back to his feet and now he wedges that chair in between the top rope and the second rope…Cruise staggering to his feet and Hart backs him into the corner opposite the chair…Hart now whips Cruise INTO THE CHAIR! Cruise staggers out of the corner clutching his back and now Hart takes him and RAMS HIM HEAD FIRST INTO THE CHAIR! Cruise slumped over in the corner wearing that chair like a necklace…
MN: NO! NO! This isn’t right…We need Anthology out here now!
DT: Hart now waiting on Cruise…Cruise gets himself out of the chair and shatters towards Hart…HART ON! NO! Cruise shoves Hart off and Hart hits the mat hard! Cruise falls to the mat and both men are down!
DM: Cruise would have assured been beaten if Hart had landed that move, Cruise saving the title by countering Hart there.
MN: How do you know Cruise wouldn’t kick out? You two do nothing but doubt this man.
DT: Hart back to his feet and he goes to get the chair…CRUISE GOES LOW! As Hart was going to get the chair Cruise just jumped up and nailed Hart with a low blow…Cruise now getting to his feet and he gets the chair and now walks over…CHAIRSHOT TO THE BACK OF HART! COVER BY CRUISE!
ONE!!
TWO!!
THR—NO! NO!!
DT: HART KICKS OUT! [Crowd pops!] Cruise shakes his head at Pat Jones and now he puts the chair down in the middle of the ring…He grabs Hart and hooks him…BACK SUPLEX ON THE CHAIR! THAT’S GOT TO DO IT!
ONE!!
TWO!!
THRE-NO! NO!!
DT: HART KICKS OUT AGAIN!! [Big pop!] Cruise can’t believe it…Cruise pounding the mat in anger. Cruise now grabs the chair and BASHES HART! NO! HART ROLLS AWAY! CRUISE SWINGS AGAIN! MISSES AGAIN!! Hart rolls to the floor…Hart trips Cruise and now grabs Cruise’s legs…CROTCHES CRUISE ON THE RING POST!
DM: Hart with the smarts to avoid the chair attack by cruise and now gets to turn the tables on Cruise with some smart thinking.
MN: Cruise lands a low blow and you’re whining about it. This guy smashes Cruise’s junk into the ring post and you’re praising him as a genius.
DT: Hart now rolls back into the ring and he kicks Cruise in the head…Hart grabs the chair and a BIG SHOT TO THE BACK OF CRUISE WITH THE CHAIR! Cruise down and out on the mat…Hart now going to the outside…He’s up top…HART DROPS THE ELBOW ONTO CRUISE!! THE COVER!!
ONE!!
TWO!!
THR—NO! NO!!
DT: CRUISE ESCAPES! [Crowd groans, some ‘two’! shouts] Hart gets back to his feet, and now he’s waiting on Cruise to get up…Cruise back up, a kick to the gut doubles him over…Hart off the ropes…SWINGING NECKBREAKER! HART WITH A COVER!!
ONE!!
TWO!!
TH-NO! NO!!
DT: AGAIN CRUISE KICKS OUT! [boos!] Hart has to wonder what it will take to finish this match. Hart now going to the chair…Hart waving for Cruise to get to his feet…He’s going to blast him with that chair…Cruise is up…HART SWINGS AND MISSES! He lost control of the chair! Cruise hooks him…REALITY CHECK!! [Boos!] REALITY CHECK OUT OF NOWHERE!! CRUISE ROLLS HART ONTO HIS BACK AND DRAPS AN ARM OVER HART!
ONE!!
TWO!!
THR—NO!! NO!!
DT: HART KICKS OUT!!! [pop! “Hart” chants!] Oh that was so close!
MN: Close my eye! This is a bag job!
DM: Well no matter your feelings on that call, this match continues on.
MN: Bah…Cruise has had this match won 5 times at least, this whole company is out to screw Anthology!
DT: Cruise now gets the chair…Hart staggering to his feet…CRUISE DENTS THE CHAIR OVER HART’S SKULL!! THAT’S GOT TO DO IT! CRUISE WITH A COVER!!
ONE!!
TWO!!
THR—NO! NO!!
DT: MY GOD HOW DID HART KICK OUT?! You HAVE to be kidding me! Cruise is beside himself…But now he’s outside the ring, he’s got his belt…The Intercontinental title belt now in Cruise’s hands…And he’s now waiting for Hart to get up…What with the damage he’s done with this belt to Hart on the last two shows…You almost knew this had to happen…CRUISE CHARGES…HART SIDESTEPS…HART ON!! HE HIT IT OUT OF NOWHERE!! I THINK CRUISE MIGHT EVEN HAVE FALLEN INTO THE BELT WHEN HE LANDED!! HE’S OUT!!! HART WITH A COVER!! A NEW CHAMPION?!?!
ONE!!!
TWO!!!
THR—NO!! NO!!
DT: CRUISE GOT THE SHOULDER UP!!! THIS IS…I don’t even know HOW to describe it!
MN: Heart of a champion, guts, will! Hart’s hit him with everything and can’t put him down, you can’t beat Cameron Cruise kid! You gave it a good try, but you’re going to come up short like everyone else!
DT: Hart now grabs that dented chair…Hart stumbling as he holds that chair, he’s taken quite a beating in this match already…Cruise getting to his feet, he’s got the IC title belt still in hand…HART CHARGES AT CRUISE…HE HITS HIM WITH THE CHAIR AS CRUISE HITS HIM WITH THE BELT!! BOTH MEN DOWN!! BOTH MEN LAID OUT IN THE RING!!
MN: Count them both out! Cruise retains by draw!
DT: You know that’s not happening Neely, we’re getting a winner out of this no matter what…
[Crowd pops loud as The First, suddenly rushes down the ramp to ringside, he begins banging on the apron trying to rally Hart, the crowd starts clapping along with him!]
DT: Wait a minute, The First is out here now! First urging this crowd to try to will Shawn Hart to get back to his feet…
MN: What is he doing out here?! This isn’t right! Somebody escort this scumbag away from the ring!
DT: Cruise pulling himself up by the ropes…And now he sees The First on the outside…Cruise glaring at First [First yells “What?! It’s only OK when you’re thugs are outside the ring?!” at Cruise] Hart getting up now…Gets ROCKED with a Clothesline from Cruise...Cruise drops a BIG elbow and HE COVERS!
ONE!!
TWO!!
NO!!
DT: First hopped up on the apron and Cruise broke the pin…[“Get the f*ck out of here you piece of sh*t” Cruise yells at First. “Why don’t you just make me?!” First replies] And these two…No love loss at all…WAIT!! [Crowd screaming] FROM BEHIND IT’S SEAN EDMUNDS CHARGING IN WITH A CHAIR! HE JUST BLASTED FIRST WITH THAT CHAIR!! First falls into the ring…Cruise pulls him up…REALITY CHECK ON THE FIRST! [Crowd booing!]
MN: Shades of WrestleVerse III…I love it, Anthology 1, this idiot negative 15!
DT: Cruise now calling for Edmunds to hold up Hart…And he does…CRUISE WITH A BIG CHAIR SHOT TO HART…HE’S OUT COLD!! WAIT A SECOND [Crowd buzzing as Layne Winters, hobbling a bit from his brutal ladder match, makes his way out to the ring…”Wait, wait just a second” he yells to Cruise and Edmunds] What is he doing?
DM: Well Winters has had run-ins with The First a bunch of times and he’s fought with Anthology also…Him being out here is truly confusing…
[“Look, I’ve seen what you guys have done…I know what you’re capable of…And well…” Winters says, and then stops talking and he kicks First in the head, and then stomps Hart…”I want a piece of these losers!” he yells and grabs a chair…]
DT: Is Layne Winters…Joining Anthology?! I can’t believe this!
MN: The kid is wising up…He might have had a ugly situation with Copycat, but well, business is business and Winters is making a smart decision here!
[Edmunds pulls Hart to his feet and holds him up for Winters…WHO BLASTS CRUISE WITH THE CHAIR!!]
DT: OH MY GOODNESS!! WINTERS JUST LEVELED CRUISE!!! AND NOW HE SMASHES EDMUNDS!!! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!
MN: WHY THAT NO GOOD SON OF A!!!
DT: Winters now grabbing Cruise and he’s got him locked up…CRUISE IS UP!! HERE COMES GREEN RIVER JUSTICE!! [Crowd screaming!] WAIT COPYCAT IN WITH A CHOPBLOCK ON WINTERS!! Winters crashing to the mat and clutching at his knee…Copycat putting the boots to Winters now and now stomping away on First and Hart…Cruise and Edmunds trying to get to their feet here….Copycat now setting up the two steel chairs in the ring…He pulls Hart to his feet…Hart’s out of it…He throws Hart to Cruise [Copycat yells “FINISH IT! BREAK HIS NECK!” at Cruise, who begins to set Hart up for the Reality Check] Oh my lord he’s going to reality check Hart into those unfolded chairs…It might well break his neck!
MN: After he maims Hart I hope he crippled that idiot freak and that backstabber Winters!]
[Lights go out in the arena, crowd pops loud!!]
DT: WHAT?! THE LIGHTS!
DM: What on earth could this be about?!
MN: This is never good, it’s never ever good!
[MUSIC UP: “More Human Than Human” by White Zombie, the crowd erupts in noise, some cheering, some booing, but all of it is VERY LOUD!]
DT: THAT…THAT’S ANARKY’S MUSIC!!
[Anarky’s video package plays on the EmpireTron, after a beat the lights come back on, Anthology now glaring at the entrance way on the ramp, when suddenly Anarky, in his ring gear and skull face paint, charges into the ring from the crowd, he’s wielding a pair of sawed off baseball bats in his hands!]
DT: ANARKY IS HERE!! ANARKY WITH A BAT TO THE GUT OF EDMUNDS! ONE TO THE SKULL OF COPYCAT!! CRUISE GETS A KICK TO THE GUT AND ANARKY CRACKS HIM IN THE SKULL WITH A BAT!
DM: What is Anarky doing here…After he…Well…ATTACKED ME…I thought he’d been suspended by EPW!
MN: NO! NO! NO!!! HE’S NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE COMPANY! SOMEONE STOP THIS!!
DT: Edmunds getting to his feet…GETS BLASTED BY A BAT FROM ANARKY!!! EDMUNDS CRASHES TO THE FLOOR!! COPYCAT UP!! HE TAKES A SHOT FROM ANARKY AND HITS THE FLOOR!!! And now First, Winters and Hart all getting up…Cruise slowly getting to his feet…And now he sees he’s surrounded by these four men…He sees Anarky with the bats at the ready…He turns to escape Anarky…AND GETS NAILED BY A BELT SHOT TO THE SKULL BY HART!! HART KNOCKS HIM COLD WITH THE IC TITLE BELT AND HE COVERS!!!
ONE!!!
TWO!!!
THREE!!!
[Bell ring, crowd going INSANE! Hart grabs the belt he just blasted Cruise with and holds it high over his head…]
TF: HERE IS YOUR WINNER…AND…NEEEEWWWWWW!!!! EPW!!! INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION!! THE PHENOM!!! SHAWN!!! HARRRRTTTT!!!
MN: This was a robbery! It took 4 men to STEAL this title off Cameron Cruise! This is an outrage!
DT: I seem to recall you having no problem with Anthology pulling stunts like this…
MN: FOUR GUYS!! THIS IS A CRIME!!
[The First asks for a mic from ringside and gets it]
FIRST: So, I suppose you’re all wondering exactly what we’re doing here…Well you see, at WrestleVerse III I had the dream of being Intercontinental champion…A dream that SHAWN HART JUST HAD COME TRUE [pop!] and well…Copycat took care of that dream…And as I laid on the floor outside the ring having just been screwed out of winning gold…As I thought about how much that sucked…I had to listen as that self righteous scumbag decided to tell the crowd that he joined Anthology…Because they gave him HOPE…That they gave HOPE to EPW…And to this whole industry…
And well…He was right…Because the four of us in this ring…This…Is…HOPE…Anthology has caused EPW to find HOPE…That’s right…Anthology thought they wanted to find HOPE? No…It’s as I’ve said all along…HOPE will destroy Anthology…And that’s what we’re going to do…[pop]
It’s a two front war…Front one…Well you saw it tonight, we’re fighting Anthology, in this ring, out of the ring, in the back, in the dressing room, in parking lots…We’re going to beat Anthology till they BEG for mercy…We will beat them till they FINALLY BREAK and admit defeat [pop!]
The second front…Well it’s simple…I know Cameron Cruise ducked a World Title Shot and everyone likes to give him crap about that…But the truth is, Anthology will get desperate, and they will pin…[pauses, smiles]…Well they’ll pin their hopes…As it were…On winning the EPW World Heavyweight Title…And because they have such numbers and they aren’t truly that bad in the ring…If they all put their minds to it…They might just get that job done…
You see I can’t trust Marcus Westscott or Sean Stevens with that belt…They could lose it to a Cameron Cruise or a Copycat or a Jared Wells…No…That belt…It has to be in the HOPE camp, so WE control it…So whoever wins tonight’s main event…Don’t worry about finding HOPE…Cause HOPE is coming for you…
[First hands the mic to Winters. The crowd buzzes, some booing, some cheering as he speaks]
WINTERS: Surprised to see me? That's right, ME of all people, the man too proud and too god[BLEEP]mn hard to ally himself with anyone...has found HOPE. [Pauses] Call it an insurance policy. Call it backup reserve, HELL...call it whatever the F[BLEEP]K you want, because the truth is on any given night, I could lose EVERYTHING I worked so hard for to a guy who never deserved it in the first place. All cause some idiot knelt down and kissed Cameron Cruise's boot. I may still win nine out of ten times, but even I'm not willing to take the risk, not even one time. Show after show, a guy like me can bust his ass, open up his forehead, and give his all for a W...only to play second billing to the latest Anthology recruit. So it got me thinking: if a blithering IDIOT like Cameron Cruise and his merry stooges can grasp at straws enough to stranglehold the main event...then how EASY would it be for a guy like me, a true MASTER of his trade, to bind with two or three guys and take back this company? HOPE: so easy, a painted up freak, a psychopath, and a prancing faggot could do it. And rest assured, they'll need me EVERY-STEP-OF-THE-WAY. A convenient alliance, yes...but I'll ride this wave to the top before it breaks, you can count on that!
[Winters smirks as he hands the mic to Anarky.]
ANARKY: For every action, there is an equally violent reaction. HOPE is… what it is… a means to an end… a moment in time. An opportunity to destroy something worth destroying. Nothing more, nothing less. First. Hart. Winters. No matter. They only need breathe my name and I would come and feast. And Anthology. You are on the menu. How sad for you, that you should suffer this calamity. You may ask yourself if you have done anything to deserve this. You may pray to your God. I don’t know. But I do know… that HOPE is alive… and so am I… here in EPW... Do you not know, gentlemen? There is no war, because the war is over, and you have lost… Because I am the blade in HOPE’s vengeful hand… for as I use HOPE, HOPE uses me… we are symbiotic… Something Anthology would know nothing about. But you’re going to learn, gentlemen. That is HOPE’s promise. That is my promise.
[Anarky hands the mic to Hart]
HART: You know what Anthology means to me? It means this [pats belt] and it means Anthology is going to suffer night in and night out…And now, The Phenom…and HOPE…Have left the building!
[MUSIC UP: “Surprise! You’re dead!” By Faith No More as HOPE leave the ring]
DT: First, Hart, Anarky, Winters…HOPE…I’m…I’m at a loss…
DM: You had to think sooner or later something would happen as a challenge to Anthology…And well we’ve just seen it…
MN: I’m gonna be sick…
DT: Well in spite of how you feel about it Neely…Shawn Hart is the new IC Champion and EPW...Well EPW has HOPE…and we got another big match coming up…. Anthology will try to salvage a bad night for the team… when they defend their Tag Team Titles against Jungle Storm..