XWL Roulette: 11/19/2018 - 12/3/2018

*The scene is that of somewhere in the Mojave Desert.  It's the late evening.  All is quiet.  A few tumbleweeds pass by the dimly lit scene.  Suddenly the silence is broken by a fancy black sports car, roaring down the trail at some speed.*



*The view switches to inside the car and it's none other than co-World Heavyweight Champion, Johnny Gargano!  He's wearing sunglasses, and casual wear, which includes a Johnny Wrestling t-shirt (of course).  His World title sits comfortably in the passenger seat.  Johnny takes a sip out of a drinks carton through a straw and lets out a satisfied sigh as he places it into a drinks holder.  He reaches for a switch and the roof of the car comes down, as it's revealed to be a convertible.  Johnny begins to speak.*

[Johnny Gargano]
Those who travel a bumpy road can expect to get into some difficulty.  My road to the top has been anything but easy...

*Gargano approaches a billboard and looks at it long and hard.  It's a smiling image of The Miz, promoting his upcoming movie, soon to be in theaters!*

[Johnny Gargano]
When I thought everything was going my way, the rug was swept out from under my feet.  My world was turned upside down in an instant...

*Another billboard nears, this time it's an image of Gargano with the extreme barbed wire variation of the Gargano Escape locked on The Miz at Final Stand X!*

[Johnny Gargano]
I resorted to unspeakable violence to taste redemption.  But in doing so I began to lose myself...

*Another billboard - an image of a hooded Chris Jericho standing over a downed Gargano with a steel chair in hand!*

[Johnny Gargano]
Others began to prey on my weakness as the darkness consumed me...

*Another billboard - Dean Ambrose with the World title in hand standing over a downed Gargano!*

[Johnny Gargano]
But soon enough, the darkness and I, we became one.  It soothed me.  It became something I could use for my own benefit...

*Yet another billboard - Gargano with the strange emotionless look on his face that has alarmingly become more familiar than his fans would like!*

[Johnny Gargano]
Make no mistake about it, I am still the same guy.  I am still Johnny Gargano... I am still, Johnny Freakin' Wrestling!...

*A double billboard this time.  One image of Gargano pinning Chris Jericho, and another of him pinning Dean Ambrose in the main event of Anarchy on Slammy Award Night!*

[Johnny Gargano]
But everything I have been through has changed me.  I have adapted.  I have evolved.  I have become a stronger human being.  I have gone to places in my head that I never knew existed.  Chris Jericho says he wants to get inside my head?  Well come on in Chris!  Come and join the party!

*Another billboard of Gargano looking at his raised bloody hand from last week after single-handedly (literally) destroying the monitor which Jericho had appeared on moments ago!*

[Johnny Gargano]
What you see in there, you may not like Chris!  Because you have changed something in me!  I no longer have limits!  The ends justify the means!  I will do whatever it takes to hold on to my life's work...

*Gargano glances over at the World title before looking forward once again.*

[Johnny Gargano]
...and neither you nor JBL will take it away from me!  Mindgames?  Bring them on!  Sneak attacks... beatings?  I relish them.  Wheel spins?  Go for it.  Round and round the wheel goes... where it stops... nobody knows...

*Gargano laughs to himself a little, almost maniacally.*

[Johnny Gargano]
Whoever is unlucky enough to be my opponent tonight will serve as a small preview of what you have coming to you Chris.  Because when it's all said and done, when we finally finish this... I will be the one and the only World Heavyweight Champion.  And you... well...

*Gargano suddenly stops the car.  He's right on the edge of Las Vegas, the location of tonight's historic show and the neon lights cast an eerie glow over him.  He removes his sunglasses and smirks into the camera.*

[Johnny Gargano]
If I told you... that would spoil all the fun wouldn't it?

*Gargano winks, replaces his sunglasses and speeds off down the Strip under the bright lights of Fabulous Las Vegas as he heads towards the arena.*



*The view switches quickly to the silhouette of a chopper perched atop a sand dune.  It slowly begins to take off.  As it reaches optimum height to scour the area, it turns on a spotlight.  It makes it's way down a different stretch of road to the one Gargano traveled.  This road has several billboards erected on it too.  The chopper steadies itself in front of each and shines it's light on each one individually, illuminating it's content.*

*The image of Bray Wyatt and Finn Balor advertising their match has the word "DEMONIC" scrawled over them in what appears to be dried blood.*

*The chopper moves along to the next billboard, revealing it's image to be that of Pete Dunne and Sami Zayn.  The word "BRUTALITY" is scratched into the board.*

*Next up, is the image of the trio of Matt Sydal, Pete Dunne and Intercontinental Champion Eli Drake.  The championship title has been defaced, scratched out of recognition and the word "EGOTISTICAL" is scrawled over the entire image.*

*Scott Steiner and Kurt Angle's billboard contains the word "DEGRADATION" in what appears to be spray paint.*

*The Pirate Princess Kairi Sane vs Alexa Bliss is tarnished by the word "REDEMPTION" which seems to have somehow been burnt into the board itself.*

*The first four-person billboard showcases The Hardy Boyz vs Rusev Day, although the word "BROTHERHOOD" has been somehow ripped into it perfectly.*

*The most crowded billboard shows the Tag Team Championship match - Trash City Stupid Idiots vs The Undisputed Era vs The Alpha Club.
The word "CHEMISTRY" written over and over again in any free space on the board. The tag titles have smiley faces drawn on them for some unknown reason.*

*Liv Morgan looks way too happy to be on a billboard with Ronda Rousey.  The ominous word of "REVENGE" is etched into this specific billboard.*

*Toni Storm is flanked by Shayna Baszler and Ember Moon with a silhouette watching over them in the background.  The North American Championship is centre stage of this image.  The word "HISTORICAL" is neatly placed in a decent spot, which is odd considering the nature of the rest of the billboards.*

*The final billboard has the co-World Heavyweight Champions upon it.  Chris Jericho is looking to his right and Johnny Gargano is looking to his left.  Both men share an icy stare and in the middle is the infamous XWL Wheel. No title is present.  On each segment of the wheel, there is a skull icon and the word "CHAOS".*

*After viewing this final billboard, the chopper inexplicably loses control.  It begins to sway and struggle to maintain height.  Suddenly it crashes into the billboard showing the co-champions and it crashes into the ground, bursting into flames.*

*The flame ignites a trail of some kind of accelerant which has been placed on the crash site.  It snakes around several times until the word "ROULETTE" is spelled out on the sand which we can clearly see from an aerial view.  The broken images of Gargano and Jericho are shown amidst the carnage.*

ROULETTE BEGINS NOW!

The theme hits sending the crowd wild with boos. The song of the Scottish Psychopath bringing people to their feet, ready to see him lose to the one and only John Cena. The man himself steps from behind the curtain, walking out onto stage with his hair covering his face. As he makes it to the top of the ramp he throws his hair back and lets out a roar of dominance which can be heard even over the music to those through the camera.

McIntyre continues to walk down the ramp, ignoring the jeering fans as he makes his way to the ring. In moments he has arrived, jumping up onto the apron and mounting the turnbuckle. He does his normal pose, throwing his hair back and taunting the crowd. He then jumps off, ripping off his jacket and tossing it to the ground on the outside. His eyes are glued to the stage, where he awaits his opponent for the night.



Drew doesn't have to wait long as the crowd erupts in a chorus of cheers for the leader of the Cenation. This on going rivalry between these two has been waiting for this night for weeks. John Cena erupts onto the stage, throwing his hands up as he does and taunting. He has a huge smile on his face as always, nodding to the fans in attendance. He stops at the top of the ramp and pulls himself to the position of attention. His hand shoots up, saluting the ring before he takes off in his infamous run for the ring.

Down the long ramp he goes jogging his way until he hits the ring. As he does so he slides under the bottom rope. He jumps to his feet and as he does he his taken right back off of them with a huge boot from Drew McIntyre. In one moment the entire wind has been sucked out of the arena, Drew standing over Cena, grinning as he hovers over the carcass of the Franchise.

[Corey Graves]
Drew just hit Cena with a Claymore! The match hasn't even begun! That was brilliant!

[Mauro Ranallo]
If by brilliant you mean cheap, then maybe you're right. That was dispicable.

[Corey Graves]
Call it what you want, it worked.

Drew McIntyre looks around at the jeering crowd before dragging Cena up by his shirt which he didn't even get the chance to take off. Drew rips it off of him and throws him back to the ground, tearing it up in front of the crowd. A sign of dominance and destruction. Cena is stirring now, crawling to his corner and slowly getting to his feet. His back is to Drew, probably still not sure where he is.

Spoiler:

When Roulette returns from a video package promoting the rise of The Women's Division that has now led up to tonight's historic Main-Event to crown The First Ever North American Champion...we're taken backstage inside JBL's office where his assistant Drake Maverick is standing by a wheel with special options for an upcoming match. We notice specific stipulations that stand out such as "Strap Match" or even "Bliss Stick On A Pole" but before we can truly pay too much attention to what's on it, a figure decked out in a pink, teal, black, and white pirate ensemble consisting of a big coat, and a pirate hat to match, steps into the frame...and it's none other than The Pirate Princess herself, Kairi Sane!

She's smiling from ear to ear, a smile that does not fade the second another figure steps into frame, from the opposite side she's on, and they're dressed much more "dark." A black leather jacker, halfway zipped up but enough of her attire is exposed to see that under the jacket is a black leather top with a custom "Jason" mask from The Friday The 13th series, this mask has pink tipped pig tails on each side of it, and more feminine eyes. This of course is a classic look that Alexa Bliss has worn many times through this last year...and it is her gear of choice tonight as she's set to go one on one with Kairi Sane in a rematch of an impromptu encounter they had 3 weeks ago.

[Drake Maverick]
Ladies in just a moment I will ask one of you to spin this wheel, and whatever it lands on will be the stipulation of your impending match this evening. Before I continue, is there any objection to anything on the wheel?

Alexa is the first to glance at it, looking it up and down, letting out a light laughter before shaking her head.

[Alexa Bliss]
I mean honestly Drake you've outdone yourself. A Strap Match? Sounds like the perfect form of corporal punishment for the misdeeds this "pirate" has made against me. Actually, a Bliss Stick On A Pole Match is fantastic too, what better way to introduce her to my wrath, than by doing so with my beloved Bliss Stick?

Kairi Sane
You talk too much.

Bliss over-dramatically takes a step back, placing a hand on her chest, as if she's offended by The Pirate Princess' outburst. Paying no attention to the dramatics playing out in front of her, Kairi turns her attention towards Drake, not even acknowledging Bliss.

Kairi Sane
Spin the wheel.

[Drake Maverick]
I will gladly spin the wheel, but wouldn't either of you ladies like to do the honors? You can decide amongst yourselves which one of you is spinning it.

As if there was a discussion to be had. Alexa and Kairi instinctively both place a hand on the wheel, Bliss on the left while Sane is on the right. A stare down quickly ensues shortly after for control of the wheel spin. Each tries to force it to spin in their direction but the wheel is hardly budging, proving quite the adversary for both of these rivals.

[Drake Maverick]
Ladies, please. Have some class. Instead of resorting to violence ahead of your encounter, why not choose a different approach: A game of Rock Paper Scissors?

[Alexa Bliss]
ARE YOU INSINUATING THAT BECAUSE WE'RE SHORT WE HAVE TO RESORT TO CHILDISH MEANS OF COMING TO A DECISION?

Drake chooses to ignore the comment instead of dissecting it, motioning for both women to get into position.

[Alexa Bliss]
Besides, a little known fact I've never lost a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors...

With that said, Alexa reaches into her jacket's inner pocket, pulling out one of her trademark gloves, sliding it onto her right hand with ease. After it's fastened and secured to her precise specifications, she begins rotating her shoulder counter clockwise for a few rotations before reversing the motion. A handful of moments pass before she stops this and begins to work on her form, winding her arm backwards before sending it forward, bringing it to a halt in the same place every swing, each attempt yielding a different result of Rock, Paper or Scissors. While this is happening, Kairi has turned to Maverick, a confused expression etched on her face, while Maverick is almost mirroring her expression, a simple shrug is all that he could muster from the scene unfolding before them. A few moments later, Bliss leans forward in a peculiar position with her arm behind her, apparently ready for this once friendly game where the victor is granted the right to spin the wheel for their match later on in the evening.

[Drake Maverick]
O...kay then. Are you both ready?

Kairi, unsure of what she just witnessed before her, now reluctantly raises her hand in the shape of a fist towards Alexa, now being mere inches apart from one another. The fire in Bliss' eyes is easily noted as Sane is almost shaken, or at the very least, confused at Alexa's pregame ritual.

[Drake Maverick]
Go!

With the proverbial gun fired into the air, both women bring their arms backwards, Bliss' being more strategic while Sane's is more on the graceful side. The first drop is now in the past as they both bring up their arms from the destination, the fire in Bliss' eyes burning a hole through The Pirate Princess while Sane has seemingly grown a bit more comfortable with the motion. The second drop has come and gone as Alexa begins to adjust her angle for the final landing. With Kairi's right arm out of the way, she bends her left arm in the shape of an elbow, sending it towards Bliss' direction, causing her to abandon her intended strategy and defensively cover up from the impending strike. Kairi stops herself moments from impact, pulling it back to her side as a smile forms on her face. Alexa, having her arms x'd in front of her face, begins to slowly lower them when there was no impact made, her arms instinctively in the shape of fists. Almost angered by the underhanded maneuver, Bliss goes to shout Sane's ear off but notices that her hand has taken the form of “Paper.” Her eyes slowly begin to shift towards her own hand, which has taken the form of “Rock.” Bliss' mouth drops open as the realization begins to set in. A simple “No!” screeches through the air, shattering eardrums throughout the arena as Maverick as shown clapping in the background, unaffected by the pitch of Bliss' voice.

[Drake Maverick]
Congratulations on your victory, Ms. Sane. You may now spi-

[Alexa Bliss]
Whoa whoa whoa, EVERYONE knows that a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors is not settled in one round. I will not have my impeccable record besmirched by this clearly inaccurate call. BEST TWO OUT OF A THREE, LET'S GO!

Bliss, without hesitation, returns to her original position, ready to redeem herself after her tragic loss just moments ago. Kairi, on the other hand, has her arms extended while looking at Maverick as if to ask why she has to do this again, causing Maverick to return an expression that reads “Just go with it.” causing Kairi to shift her attention back to Alexa. Bliss begins to readjust her glove, as if it were the cause of her loss, before extending her arm out towards the center, Kairi doing the same moments later.

[Drake Maverick]
Go!

Bliss winds her arm back in similar fashion to the first time, Sane doing the same, both women bringing it back down to the center in the default shape of “Rock.” With the first swing coming to an end, they both pull away and lift their arms into the air, returning to the destination for a second time. The final time is now upon us as both women bring their arms as far back as their anatomy would allow before bringing them back down. But this time, it's a reverse of their previous encounter, this time it's Alexa who has a wicked smile appear on her face before transforming her left arm into a blissful elbow and swings it toward's Kairi, who has yet to break eye contact with Bliss. The elbow stops just inches short of landing a cheap shot, the smile still being a prominent feature. Sane's eyes shift from Bliss towards the elbow near her face before looking back at Alexa, a smile now forming on Kairi's face. Bliss' confusion is slowly turned towards anger when she looks down at Kairi's hand, which has taken the form of “Paper” for the second time in a row, following up with looking at her own hand, which is balled up into a fist as her elbow is pointing at Sane. Clapping, from Maverick, breaks the painful silence before he begins to speak once more.

[Drake Maverick]
Excellent game, ladies. Well, there we hav-

[Alexa Bliss]
YOU, SHUT UP!

Alexa quickly places both hands on the wheel like a child that's doing something they know they're not supposed to be doing, so they try to do it quickly just to at least get the enjoyment out of the moment even if it may yield some series scolding later. But as Little Miss Bliss attempts to forgo the ruling of this serious roshambo showndown...which saw the apparently undefeated Alexa Bliss lose miserably.. The Pirate Princess isn't about to just stand there smiling, no she earned the right to spin so that is what she's going to do. Drake tries to restore order, but it's long lost, and we see both hands of each Women grab the wheel and with all of their force, they begin to spin it...TOGETHER! Not exactly what either of them had in mind, but what's done is done, they both got the spin the wheel, but on the other hand...they BOTH to spin the wheel, which means this sucker isn't going to stop anytime soon.

[Drake Maverick]
Be careful, if that wheel breaks Mr. Layfield will NOT be happy!

Both Women ignore him, their eyes glue to the wheel as it spins round and round. Alexa's eyes seem to light up anytime the wheel nears The "Bliss Stick On A Pole" Match but there's still too much momentum so it just keeps passing it, not landing just yet...while Kairi just seems excited at all of the possibilities she's fairly confident in her ability to defeat Alexa again no matter what stipulation fate delivers to them. Finally, the wheel goes slower and slower...



It once again is right on Bliss' clear ideal choice...but as quickly as it lands on it...it continues moving along, causing the twinkle that momentarily appeared in Alexa's eyes to fade as it becomes clear her beloved Bliss Stick will not be involved in tonight's match. FINALLY, the wheel stops, and fate has determined what special stipulation will be attached to this match...both Women see it stop, and immediately share a confused pause, before turning to Drake Maverick for an explanation as to what this means.

[Drake Maverick]
Well well, A TRADING PLACES MATCH, how exciting!

[Alexa Bliss]
I mean, for people like me that know what that is...because only a novice wouldn't be able to grasp such a simple concept...I fully understand what that is. But for people like Kairi here, who seem to be a little lost...perhaps you could explain the rules of this type of match, you know...for Kairi.

Despite Alexa's remarks, which clearly are meant to draw attention away from her own obvious confusion..Kairi doesn't seem too bothered by her antics. It seems to take a lot to upset a Woman like Kairi Sane.

[Drake Maverick]
Of course, Alexa...you see it's quite simple. This will be a traditional Wrestling Match turned on it's head, because you will not be in that ring as yourselves, no...you will be in that ring as your opponent.

[Alexa Bliss]
Again, I FULLY understand what you mean...but it seems like that's still a little too far above her head...please continue.

[Drake Maverick]
Both of you will come out to each other's music, perform each other's entrances, AND most important of all...you will be dressed as each other! It's essentially as if you Kairi will be wrestling as Alexa Bliss...and she will be you. So with that said, if you'll both please return to the locker room and change out of your gear, someone will be by to collect it and deliver it to your respective opponent.

Kairi looks down at her trusty wheel that returned to her hands after spinning the wheel, and the idea of someone else carrying it isn't exactly something she's too happy about. After all, the wheel is one of the most prized possessions of a pirate, or so we've been told...but Alexa's expression is completely the opposite of Kairi. She's suddenly quite thrilled by this idea, so much so that she immediately snatches the wheel out of Kairi's hand.

[Alexa Bliss]
Looks like you won't be needing this.

Then as if she's already fully committing to the bit, Alexa positions the wheel at an angle, then spins it with the most bitchy of faces that have ever bitched, and outbitches herself as she mocks Kairi one step further by doing The "Captain's Salute" before walking off to go get changed out of her gear. Clearly Alexa's already embracing this "Trading Places" gimmick, but the question remains...how will The Pirate Princess fair as she prepares to undergo a blissfully twisted transformation into The Wicked Witch of XWL for a match that we'll truly have to see to believe later tonight? The final sight is Kairi removing her Captain's hat, and heading out out of the office.

We transition from the shot of Kairi leaving the office to a wide pan shot of the arena and the sold out crowd within it. Thousands and thousands of members of the XWL Universe pack every available seat and space within the arena to take in multiple hours of XWL's finest putting on a spectacle for them here tonight at Roulette.



(Corey Graves)
WHAT THE HELL???? IT CAN'T BE!!!



The roof damn near comes off this building as a shocking and unexpected event has just taken place, the theme of the Phenomenal One began to blast, the signature blue lighting had taken over the arena, the trons lit up with various AJ and P1 logos, and within moments the man who we haven't seen in this company in months had made his way through the curtain just like he has hundreds of times before, THE PHENOMENAL AJ STYLES IS HERE!!!

(Mauro Ranallo)
MAMA MIA IT IS!!!!!! AJ STYLES IS BACK IN AN XWL ARENA!!!



AJ takes position on the top of the stage in his signature position before rising up on perfect cue with his theme and flipping his hood back causing a massive set of pyro to go off on each side of the stage. Normally, AJ would form the P1 logo with his gloves at this moment, however, he's rocking some street clothes tonight, jeans, one of his older model P1 t-shirts from XWLshop.com, and his leather jacket with hood as always.

(Mauro Ranallo)
It feels good to see AJ Styles back in an XWL arena, what's your thoughts Corey?

(Corey Graves)
What do you think my thoughts are Ranallo? of course it's great to have AJ Styles back here in XWL, he makes the company alot of money, and money is something our general manager is quite fond of, so it's a win-win for everybody!



AJ begins to make his way down the ramp towards the ring, slapping some lucky fans hands ob both sides of the aisle along the way, he approaches the steps and ascends them, AJ stares out to the fans whilst standing on the apron before entering the ring in his signature style where he runs off the ropes on the far side of the ring before executing his signature extended arms taunt. AJ motions for a mic and within moments a ringside tech has handed him one, AJ's theme dies down paving the way for him to speak, but the XWL Universe are gonna make AJ wait just a little longer to do that because a massive "WELCOME BACK!" chant has broken out within the arena.



(Mauro Ranallo)
This is great to see, the XWL Universe is showing The Phenomenal One just how much he means to them.

(Corey Graves)
A bit rude of em if you ask me, it's great to have him back and all, but he was clearly about to raise his mic and talk, it's just another case of these fans trying to hijack the program from the true superstars if you ask me.

(Mauro Ranallo)
Oh c'mon Corey, don't you think that's a bit of a hot take you've got there?

(Corey Graves)
Call it what you will, but it's my take and I'm sticking to it.

After about a full 2-3 minutes of nonstop chanting whilst a huge emotional smile is displayed across AJ's face, the chant dies down allowing AJ to address the XWL Universe for the 1st time in months.



(AJ Styles)
Before I get into why I'm here tonight and whatnot, I just wanna say 2 words, Thank you.....

The XWL universe gives AJ a round of applause before firing up some "Thank You AJ!" chants.



(AJ Styles)
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for that reaction right there because honestly, I didn't know what the hell ya'll were gonna do when I stepped through the curtain, so to come out here and feel that warm reaction and to know that our connection and our bond is still that strong even after all this time of being away with no explanation, it's just unreal man, that reaction right there, that's something I'm never gonna forget, that's something that's gonna stick with me for the rest of my life so once again thank you.

More "Thank You AJ!" chants pour in as the Phenomenal One waits a few moments for them to die down before continuing.



(AJ Styles)
So I guess now's the time to get into exactly why I'm here tonight. This event in particular, this city, this ring, it's all symbolic to me, it has a special place in my heart and that's why I chose Roulette to step through that curtain once again. 2 years ago at this very event, I overcame the biggest challenge in my career up until that point, I SLAYED the Beast Brock Lesnar for the 1st and only time and I stood at the top of a ladder with the World Heavyweight Championship in my hands, I was at the top of the world so to speak, man how times have changed, that feels like a lifetime ago, I guess in alot of ways, it was a lifetime ago.



(AJ Styles)
2 years, isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things, but so much has changed for me in my life and in my career in that timespan, to the point where there's guys who can go a whole 10 year or so career and not have that much rapid fire change, and chaos, and drama transpire in that amount of time. I went from being loved as an underdog against Brock, to having my championship stolen and trying to rip Matt Sydal's leg off with a chain, to Bullet Club, to John Cena and The Miz, to reconciliation with all of you earlier this year, to winning the Elimination Chamber for the Intercontinental Championship, then losing it to Jericho, then winning it back at Final Stand after getting pinned by Jericho in that match, ya'll get the point, it's been a chaotic 2 years for me.

As the XWL Universe along with Styles himself use this time to reflect on AJ's last 2 years, AJ paces around for a few moments to get his thoughts straight before continuing on.



(AJ Styles)
But where things really hit rock bottom for me, was the loss to Eli Drake with the Intercontinental Championship on the line. That's when it hit me, I had hit rock bottom. It was easily the worst loss of my career and I ain't ashamed to say it. Eli, he beat me fair and square and I ain't gonna stand here and take nothing away from him, but that was the point where something snapped in my head, the light bulb went off, I don't know how to really explain it but something happened that night, that was the night where AJ Styles shutdown and went home. I needed to get away from it all and ask myself the important question that every wrestler must ask themselves at some point in their career, "is it time to hang em up for good?"

The crowd's breath gets sucked back into their lungs at the mere thought of AJ Styles calling it a career whilst he's still one of the most talented wrestlers on the planet, it's something they clearly don't want to see and or think about anytime soon.



(AJ Styles)
I had to ask myself "when is enough gonna be enough AJ?" I had to ask myself that because I've accomplished so much throughout my career, championship after championship, award after award, accolade after accolade, what's left for me to accomplish? what's out there in the wrestling world that's gonna give AJ Styles that spark and determination to lace up those boots, put on those gloves, and step back into the ring? What's gonna make me say to myself "you know what? I still got what it takes to be the best in the world and I still got something to prove, I still got something to offer the wrestling world"



(AJ Styles)
And lemme tell ya, I did alot of thinking on those questions and many others, I spent alot of time at home fishing, hunting, playing my retro games, anything that could put my mind at ease and help me think through all of this clearly, I did it, all of it, and I stand before you today to tell you that I just don't know what the answer to any of those questions are anymore. I am no more sure or less sure or certain or less certain of my future then I was the moment that I packed my bags and went home to Georgia.

The XWL Universe clearly feels for the Phenomenal One and his mental struggle of whether to continue wrestling or not, but one thing's for sure, a majority of this sold out crowd here tonight in Sin City wants to see the Phenomenal One in action for years to come.



(AJ Styles)
I want ya'll to understand something, if I was 5-10 years younger? I probably would've came back from my time away after a couple of days, because make no mistake about it, you guys are my driving force, I'd fight for ya'll and put on a show for all of you for free if I was at an earlier stage in my career, that's how much I love wrestling and that's how much I love all of you. But the reality is, I ain't as young as I used to be, times are harder now, sure I'm more well off then most, and I'm eternally grateful for that, but times are hard, I still gotta provide for my family and ensure their future is safe and secure because that's what a man does. But the cold hard truth is, I can make money by becoming a producer, or a road agent, or just about any job in the wrestling business that involves a non physical role, I've already had a few offers hit my voicemail whilst I was away, but stepping away from this ring, I'm not sure it's something I'm ready for just yet, that's a big decision to make and I just don't know if I'm capable of making it.



(AJ Styles)
My brotherhood is gone, Bullet Club is gone, which means part of my family is gone. I tried to reach Dean over the last few weeks, no answer, straight to voicemail everytime, but regardless, he'll always be my brother. We were the last 2 standing of a dying breed, and now, now it's just me, the last man standing is AJ Styles. The Phenomenal One is the only ONE left, the structure is gone, my brothers are gone, it's just AJ Styles, my family back home, and the XWL Universe nowadays, and although I love each and every single one of you, this is a decision I have to make on my own, because if tonight has proven anything, to me at least, it's that I'm more unsure of the future then I've ever been, I just.....I just don't know.....'s

The crowd is near silent as they here the conflict radiating off AJ and his tone of voice, and in that moment, it hits them, AJ is the last man standing of the Bullet Club era, almost like the last outlaw if you will, him and his BC brothers went through many wars, and in war, comes casualties, and AJ Styles has managed to survive it all, but there's no sense of pride or accomplishment here from the Phenomenal One, but rather somberness, sadness, loneliness, a true feeling of loss can be read by AJ's facial expression and tone of voice and the XWL Universe is feeling AJ's pain and conflict within himself in this moment.

(Mauro Ranallo)
It's clear the XWL Universe is feeling for the Phenomenal One right now, and I gotta say, so am I, this is hard to watch, the pain and the conflict this man has had to endure, you just can't help but feel for the guy.

(Corey Graves)
I mean he wanted to go out there and re-from Bullet Club a couple years ago, he wanted to run this place by force, and over time he may've had a change of heart, but he made his own bed, it's time to lay in it. I don't wanna see the guy retire, like I said, he makes this company money, but I ain't gonna sit here and feel sorry for him like these pathetic people are, it's time for AJ to atone for his sins.

(Mauro Ranallo)
How can you be so damn soulless Corey? this man has given everything he's had to this company for the better part of 4 years now and that's how you wanna treat him right now? you wanna kick this man whilst he's down? whilst he's at his weakest point? his lowest moment? shame on you Corey, I thought you were better then that.

(Corey Graves)
I guess you never truly knew me then Mauro...

AJ lowers the mic and walks over to the ropes, he puts one foot through to the apron but stops as his other foot is still in the ring, he just pauses in that stance for a few moments before reversing course and re entering the ring fully.



(AJ Styles)
Lemme tell ya somethin, life, it's full of highs and lows, and I've been through the highest of highs, but also the lowest of lows, I think I've been fortunate enough to experience more high's then low's, but the truth is, life has knocked me down over and over again these past 2 years, but I was raised and taught to believe that it's not about how many times life knocks you down, it's about how many times you're willing to get back up and take that punishment time and time again to keep pushing forward, that's what defines a man's character, that's what defines who you are as a human being and THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA DEFINE ME DAMMIT!!!

(Mauro Ranallo)
Hell yeah AJ!!! You see Corey? that's a man with true character right there, unlike your classless self at times.

(Corey Graves)
Character and class don't always take you to the top, just remember that Mauro, and if Styles wants to "keep getting back up?" Lemme tell ya something, there's ALWAYS going to be some ready, willing, and able to knock him down even harder the next time, so go right ahead AJ, have at it.



(AJ Styles)
The day I'll leave this ring for good? is when someone MAKES ME! when someone is man enough to step up to the plate with everything on the line and that person puts me down for good, that'll be the day I hang em up, until that day comes however? AJ Styles is gonna wake up every morning, lace his boots, put those gloves on, and he's gonna get back in that damn saddle and start knocking these fools down left, right, and center!!!



(AJ Styles)
I used to have an brotherhood, a family, a club, it's all gone now, but through the ashes, 1 man remains, a battle scared warrior who won't stop fighting until the day he dies, and if he hopes to survive this rugged wasteland, rather then command an army once more, he must evolve and transform himself into a 1 man army....



(AJ Styles)
Bring on the Anarchy, I'll be waiting....



(Mauro Ranallo)
YES!!!! That's some truly PHENOMENAL news right there if you ask me Corey, AJ Styles is returning to the ring!!!

(Corey Graves)
Just like I said earlier Mauro, every time he gets back up, someone will knock him right back down even harder, but hey, the company will make alot of money watching AJ get pummeled week after week, and if the company makes more money, inevitably so do I, so by all means, welcome back AJ!

(Mauro Ranallo)
In a much less condescending and sarcastic manner, I say from the bottom of my heart, WELCOME BACK AJ STYLES!!! It's truly PHENOMENAL to have you back.

AJ drops the mic and his theme hits along with a massive set of cheers from the crowd who are ecstatic that AJ Styles has chosen to step back into the ring rather then call it quits. The XWL Universe serenade the Phenomenal One with "AJ Styles!" chants as he makes his way up the ramp fired up and slapping every fans hand in sight, he takes position at the top of the stage and throws up the "too sweet" with both of his hands for the XWL Universe before stepping through the curtain and heading backstage as Roulette heads for a quick advertising break.

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So like, typically this is where we say watch the match, but literally you should. This was so much fun AND THAT ENDING THOUGH.
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[Corey Graves]
Get ready to walk the plank Kairi, there's a NEW Pirate in charge, and her name is Alexa Bliss!

[Mauro Ranallo]
It's been a rough couple of weeks for Alexa Bliss, but tonight she proved why she is indeed a future Champion delivering Kairi Sane her first defeat in XWL.

As the audience boos, disappointed in the outcome of this contest, Alexa wastes little time in rising up to her feet placing one foot over Kairi Sane as if she's David after conquering Goliath. The referee tries to check on Kairi before raising Alexa's hand, something The Wicked Witch of XWL immediately shuts down. She gives the official as close to a death stare as you can come without actually staring someone dead, and shouts "RAISE MY HAND!" He sighs grabbing her by the wrist and lifting her arm up for all to see which brings the pure arrogance oozing out of her. As a couple of seconds pass by, he finally begins to lower it, to which she turns her head back to him and doesn't say a single word...instead she lets her leer tell him that he better raise her arm back up and he better do it now, and while she's small in size...there's something intimidating about a Woman like her when she's angry, so he obliges and raises her hand back up.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Quite a unique encounter, it's been quite some time since we've seen a Trading Places Match in XWL, if ever actually.

[Corey Graves]
Alexa Bliss proving beyond a shadow of doubt why she is the most underrated female in XWL today. She didn't just dress up as Kairi, she didn't just perform her entrance, she executed some of Kairi's signature moves FLAWLESSLY.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Let's not act like Kairi didn't do the same. That middle rope diving Insult To Injury was a thing of beauty.

[Corey Graves]
It was nice I'll give you that, but it's got nothing on the original.

The referee stands there wishing he could let go of Alexa's wrist, but he doesn't want to get yelled at again, so he continues to let her bask in her moment until she's good and ready. She yanks her arm away from him, as if this is all the time he's allowed to touch her, then looks back at Kairi with a grin as she begins to "kick" imaginary dust in her direction, clearly not letting this victory go to her head...after that she makes her way through the ropes and approaches the time keeper who had collected all of their entrance gear for safe keeping once they had finished their entrances. Alexa normally might opt to retrieve her leather jacket, but instead...she reaches forward grabbing Kairi's pirate hat and places it onto her head, slightly tilting it off to the side as she runs her hands through her hair to ensure it's on display as well.  

[Corey Graves]
Absolutely stunning.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Not only did she take away the victory tonight, she's also taking her Captain's hat?

[Corey Graves]
She earned it, Mauro. There's a NEW Captain at the helm, and I pity anyone that tries to flank her ship, because they'll have to deal with every bit of her five feet of fury.

Strutting her way around the ring, Alexa begins to make her exit, taking the opportunity to rub her victory in the faces of all of the fans that rooted against her. At last she reaches the ramp and decides to gloat just a little bit longer spinning around to face Kairi who has risen up onto her knees and is noticeably disappointed in her loss to the Woman she defeated in her debut at The Slammy Awards last month. With Kairi watching her, Alexa starts to mockingly wipe tears away with a frown before cackling like the wicked witch herself and spreads her arms wide with the biggest smile on her face. Never subtle in her arrogance, she finishes things off with yet another mockingly display, bringing her hand up to her forehead with a "Captain's Salute" that ends with the words "Later Loser" as the scene finally comes to a close.

Starring: ....





Begins the video followed by a wide screen view of what appears to be a small suburban town. The camera pans upward towards the higher end of the street. As it does, a subtle yet infamous tune begins to play.



On the upward end of the street it can be seen that a dense smoke has covered the road. Engulfing some of the houses even from the point of view being shown. As it would happen the imagery is being shown in slow motion, being made apparent as a figure emerges through the smog. With gritted teeth, a headband and his hair flying in the wind being the first we see of him, we find Chad Gable, erupting from the smoke in slow motion. His sweat can be seen slowly falling down his face as the rest of his body comes from the field of gray. His clenched fist followed by a foot. It's made apparent that he's mid sprint as he fully erupts from the smoke. His name appears under him, in colorful letters.

Chad Gable

As he does so, the camera pans over slightly to reveal another shadow billowing out of the smog. Mouth fully ajar, hair struggling to get behind him and the look of pure fear in his eyes is the head of Chris Sabin. His foot emerged first but his face is what tells the story of what is to come. As he comes from the smoke with the song carrying him, he can be seen wearing a TCSI shirt along with some running pants opposed to Gable who is dressed in sweats. Just as before Chris Sabin's name appears beneath him allowing the world to know who he is, as if they didn't already.

Chris Sabin

A third figure appears from the smoke, this one equipped with a bushy beard and thick smile. A ball cap turned backwards and no shirt is the perfect description of Eric Young, who comes barreling out of the smoke, still in slow motion. He has a wild look in his eye and unlike the two before him, he seems to be enjoying himself. He slowly is making his way down the road, his name also appearing and sliding in underneath him.

Eric Young

As if things couldn't get any more odd, another figure appears from the smoke. Appearing all at once is that of cardboard Alex Shelley. Two hands appear on either side, appearing to be the person carrying him but that person is never seen. Instead we get a stand still vision of Alex Shelley, with his hand pointed into a pistol right at us as his frame comes towards the camera.

and Alex Shelley

The quartet of men comes out of the smoke and then the real issue begins as the Tag Team Champions of the World begins to try and get ahead of one another. In slow motion they can be seen pushing and shoving each other until Eric Young and Alex Shelley come darting past. In this moment everything turns into normal speed as a herd of bulls comes exploding out of the smoke. With red in their eyes they hurdle towards the quartet of fools running away from them.

Chad Gable is the first to break away from the group as he attempts to duck behind a car. As he does so a bull turns off, attempting to gore him. Gable squeezes his way slightly under the car which is great and all until the bull moves the car just enough to get to him. Gable is forced to dive out of the way and roll, only to get trampled by said bull moments later.

Chris Sabin, however, ducks into a house. Slamming the door behind him. The bull that took off after him just slams into the door, knocking it plum down and continuing through. The door begins to move as it is on the ground making it apparent that Chris Sabin is trapped underneath it, thanks to the bull now destroying the house it's in.

Alex Shelley, or should one say the man holding Alex Shelley gets the great idea to drop Shelley and try and out run the horde. As he does so, the bulls part, allowing Shelley to land on his feet and stay standing, staring down the horde while the man comes head to head with a bull. The bull flips him over, out of the way of the horde but at least a few feet into the air and a few horns into his behind. All the while, Alex Shelley smiles into the abyss of bulls, not scathed.

Now Eric Young takes off, trying to jump a fence which is gored by a bull. In doing so the bull has taken the fence with his, hooked onto his horn and in the process has carried Eric Young off. The last we see is him atop the wild bulls, bouncing wildly yet riding them to what one could hope is safety. Eric Young looks back at the camera and yells.

"THIS IS ERIC YOUNG AND WELCOME TO ROULETTE!"

After the words finish escaping his lips, the shot slows down to a standstill, fading into black and white as the words “8 hours earlier” appear on the screen for all of a few moments before transitioning to the next shot. With the chaotic surroundings now behind them, or ahead of them, the serene sight of a small clearing surrounded by beautiful trees on one side, their leaves blowing alongside the gentle breeze, and a calm lake make this the destination for two figures sitting around a table in the center of said clearing. At first glance, it appears to be the current XWL Tag Team Champions in the Trash City Stupid Idiots but upon further inspection, it's one half of the group, sitting across him appears to be his long time tag team partner in Alex Shelley, a paper sitting between them on the table, each armed with a pen or pencil of their choosing. Upon even further inspection via the camera zooming in more, it's not in fact Alex Shelley, but a cardboard cutout of him, the pencil being taped firmly into his hand. At least that was the idea, until the tape undid itself causing the pencil to fall onto the table with a light thud.

Chris Sabin
Here, let me get that for you.

Sabin reaches for the fallen pencil, rising from his seat and walks around the table, placing it on Alex's cardboard hand, causing it to fall onto the desk once more. Sabin picks it up from the desk and looks towards the cardboard cutout of his best friend.

Chris Sabin
Firmly grasp it.

Again, Sabin picks up the pencil, looking around to ensure that he isn't being stalked by an unsuspecting foe and drives the pencil through his cardboard friend's hand, guaranteeing that it won't fall out again before taking his seat and continuing whatever they were doing prior. The paper that has been patiently waiting for them still sits on the table, a rather large “hashtag” shape marked on it meaning it could only be one game: Tic Tac Toe.

Chris Sabin
You won't win this time, Alex.

Sabin starts off with an “X” on the middle left of the board, causing him to look towards his tag partner turned adversary in this heated game between friends with a confident smile etched on his face. He looks back down to see that his cardboard counterpart has somehow managed to scribble an “O” in the center slot, causing Sabin to concentrate as hard as he's ever had to before. He follows suit, putting an “X” on the middle right column, locking out the middle row in the first few moves. Sabin looks up towards Cardboard Shelley to see if he could dissect his gameplan but he's just getting nothing from the emotionless face of his former tag team partner. He looks back down to see that an “O” has been made on the top left spot. With Cardboard Shelley just one “O” away from victory, Sabin quickly scribbles an “X” on the bottom right corner, stopping his best friend from gaining another victory and putting himself in prime position to win in the process. A look of horror appears on Sabin's face, just realizing the mistake he's made. He looks up towards his friend to see if he can even get an ounce of pity for the inexperienced player but all that's returned is an emotionless gaze back at him masqueraded as a smile, looking down at the loss he's about to suffer, seeing that Cardboard Shelley has put an “O” on the top right corner of the board. With no way to block this and a loss just moments away, Sabin begrudgingly brings his pencil forward, ready to seal his fate but before he could, a voice is heard a short distance away.

???
Lost again, huh?

Sabin turns around, spotting the other half of the Trash City Stupid Idiots in Chad Gable walking up to the pair sitting around the table, looking at the paper in front of them.

[Chad Gable]
You were never really good at that, were you?

Chris Sabin
It's not as easy as it looks, why do you try it?

[Chad Gable]
Fine, I'll show you how it's done.

The “Stupid Idiots” tag out, causing Sabin to rise from his seat and Gable to take his place, the pencil being exchanged between them.

Chris Sabin
He's a wily one, don't let him lure you into a false sense of security.

Gable's response is a simple nod, a look of intensity now filling his eyes as he looks towards Cardboard Shelley. He flips over the paper and marks down lines going down and two across, making the required “#” shape on said paper. Gable is the first to move, placing an “X” on the top left corner of the board.

Chris Sabin
Good start.

Sabin taps Gable's shoulder, causing the latter to look towards the former as if to say “Thanks.” He turns his attention back to the board, a look of confusion fills his face as a line of “O”'s has filled the middle row. Unable to comprehend what just happened, Sabin simply taps him a few times on the shoulder as a consolation prize.

Chris Sabin
That's how he gets you. You can't be too careful with Alex.

[Chad Gable]
But how did he-

Chris Sabin
Yep. That's the old Alex Shelley Special, I told you he was a wily one.

[Chad Gable]
Forget this, I know how we can get some real training. Let's go, Chris.

Chris Sabin
Alright, come on, Alex.

Sabin takes a few steps towards the cardboard cutout, wrapping his arm around it to carry it with him but he's stopped in his tracks.

[Chad Gable]
Chris, we need someone to watch the camp... and our Championships.

Chris Sabin
Not it.

[Chad Gable]
Not it.

Cardboard Shelley
…

Both men took towards the cardboard cutout under Sabin's arm for a moment before Sabin breaks the silence.

Chris Sabin
Too slow, Alex.

Sabin places Cardboard Shelly back in his seat and joins Gable on their journey to find the location of some “real” training. Within mere moments the camera has panned to a backwoods farm house. We come to the side of the house in which a lake sits, a figure sat on the end of the dock with a fishing pole in hand. The camera slowly pans over to find Chad Gable stood with a lightsaber in hand, extending it towards the figure at the end of the dock.


"What are you doing?"

The words come from Chris Sabin who pops up between Gable and the figure, interrupting the silent and still image. Gable sighs, shaking his head.

[Chad Gable]
One, you're going to scare the fish away. Two, you're gonna scare him away too!

Sabin lowers his tone to a whisper, talking quiter as to not scare anyone away.

Chris Sabin
Okay, so, what are you doing?

[Chad Gable]
What does it look like Chris? I'm extending the lightsaber in hopes that he will train us. Just like the Last Jedi.

Chris Sabin
Which one is that again?

[Chad Gable]
You're kidding me, right?

Chris Sabin
I stopped keeping track after they made prequels. Those were just, bad.

[Chad Gable]
I can't believe you're saying this right now.

Chris Sabin
I mean, I'm not wrong.

[Chad Gable]
You are wrong! The sequels have been great, I mean, minus Last Jedi kind of sucking. The third installment was great!


Chris Sabin
Wait, the third sequel, prequel or original?

[Chad Gable]
One of those hasn't come out yet, Chris.

Chris Sabin
Alright, you lost me.

"DAMN IT. YOU TWO ARE SCARING AWAY ALL THE FISH!"

The tag team champions stop in their tracks, slowly turning to find Eric Young stomping towards them, angry as a hornet.

[Eric Young]
All I wanted to do was fish but no, I have to be bothered, again, by a dumb Star Wars reference, which I still don't get!

Chris Sabin
See! I'm not the only one!

[Eric Young]
Zip it you. What is it you want? Didn't I already train you once Chad?

[Chad Gable]
Yeah but now we want real training. You see Chris and I are tag team champs and we need to defend them-

Chris Sabin
Don't forget about Alex.

[Chad Gable]
Oh yeah and car-

[Eric Young]
Shelley? Alex Shelley?

[Chad Gable]
I mean, kind of but-

[Eric Young]
I'm in.



Suddenly, they've returned to camp TCSI. Just as they left it, nothing has moved. Then again, Shelley was in charge and well, yeah, nothing moved. Chad Gable is leading the way, followed by Chris Sabin and Eric Young. They enter camp TCSI, and Eric Young lets out a gasp, eyes glued to Alex Shelley.

[Chad Gable]
I know it isn't what you-

[Eric Young]
ALEX! HOW ARE YOU!?

[Chad Gable]
Oh, not you too.

Young takes a step forward, picking Shelley up and bringing him into a hug. Careful not to bend him too much, he holds onto his old friend. That is until Chris Sabin steps in and prys Shelley away, the two having a tug of war for a moment before Chad steps in and pulls Eric away, diverting his attention.

[Chad Gable]
Not to be rude, but that training you promised? You got to see Alex, just as promised.

[Eric Young]
Any friend of Alex is a friend of mine. Of course I'll help. But only if you agree to do anything and everything I ask, deal?

[Chad Gable]
Deal.

Chris Sabin
Deal.

Cardboard Shelley
Deal.

Everyone turns to the cardboard figure of Shelley, taking a moment before Eric Young quickly directs attention back to himself.

[Eric Young]
Alright then, follow me!

Young turns and vanishes out of the camp, Gable sighing and turning to Chris who is having his own conversation with Shelley at this point.

[Chad Gable]
Chris, can I have my title please?

Sabin nods, grabbing hold of the belt and picks it up. He looks down and frowns. On the name plate, where it is supposed to say Chad Gable it instead has been covered up by some paper and tape with the name "Alex Shelley" written on it.

Chris Sabin
Oh, sorry Alex. That one's yours.

Chad Gable lets out a loud sigh, reaching up and facepalming as the camera transitions once more.



The video cuts into a shot of the Trash City Stupid Idiots standing on either side of Eric Young, Sabin wearing his half of the Tag Team Championships around his waist while Gable is shown without hit. The camera zooms out to show the rest of the scene: The cardboard cutout of Alex Shelley strapped to a chicken, proudly wearing Gable's half of the XWL Tag Team Championships with the piece of tape with his name still over the nameplate. Sabin turns his attention to Gable as if to ask why he was seeing this, causing Gable to just shrug in response.

Chris Sabin
Look at that, Alex, you're finally living the dream. Cross that off the bucket list.

Sabin turns his attention towards Eric Young.

Chris Sabin
Okay, so explain what we're doing again.

Eric turns towards Gable.

[Eric Young]
Is he always like this?

[Chad Gable]
Only when he has to deal with chickens.

[Eric Young]
Fair enough. So the goal of this exercise is to catch the chicken in the least amount of time and as an incentive, I've strapped Alex to a chicken with his Tag Team Championship around his waist.

[Chad Gable]
Actually, that's MY Championship.

[Eric Young]
Really? Because from here, it looks like the tape says “Alex Shelley” on it.

Chris Sabin
He's got you there, Chadsworth.

[Eric Young]
Are you both ready?

[Chad Gable]
Are you not using a stopwatch to time us?

[Eric Young]
Why would I need a stopwatch when I got a perfectly good sun right above me. Go!

With that, the chicken is set loose to run rampant throughout the campsite, Gable and Sabin following it in an attempt to end this “training” as soon as possible. Sabin is the first to attempt, leaping forward into a dive, just barely missing the sidestepping chicken. As Sabin recovers from his failed attempt, Gable manages to cut it off, stopping it in its tracks as he stands a few feet in front of it, ready to wrestle it down should he need to. Gable makes the first move, attempting a takedown but the chicken is small enough to avoid contact, clucking about as it makes its way past Gable. With the chicken's path being unpredictable, Sabin begins lining up his next attempt, charging the chicken from the side with a low angled Yakuza Kick, leading his shot but the chicken stops in its tracks, causing Sabin's momentum not allowing him to stop fast enough and kick a tree stump, taking him out of the competition for the time being. The chicken, just mere feet from Sabin at this point, begins clucking in what appears to be Morse Code.

Chris Sabin
What the-

A small group of chickens emerge from the trees and begin pecking a downed Chris Sabin for the attempted assault on their friend. Sabin does his best to cover up from the vicious and unrelenting pecks aimed at any and every exposed part of his body. Young continues watching this unfold for a few more moments before deciding to end the all out chicken assault by walking up to Sabin and throwing his arms at the chickens, causing them to scatter from the scene.

[Eric Young]
In this business, you gotta be ready for anything.

Chris Sabin
Even a group of chickens?

[Eric Young]
Especially a group of chickens.

While all this was happening, the main chicken has remained stationary, possibly enjoying the sight that has just unfolded before it. This gives Gable the opening he needed, sneaking up on the chicken and instead of it being his target, he wraps his arms around Cardboard Shelley and begins to lift it and the chicken into the air for what appears to be a German Suplex. Just when it seemed the fates of both the chicken and Cardboard Shelley would be sealed, the chicken unintentionally rolls through the move, landing perfectly on the ground as if nothing happened before clucking away without a care in the world. Seeing how all this transpired, what was meant to be a simple exercise ended up being more than the pair bargained for, Eric Young decides to bring this travesty in disguise to an end.

[Eric Young]
Enough! Winner: The chicken and Alex Shelley.



[Eric Young]
Well, that's that.

We come to an image of Eric Young pacing in front of the two young champions, and Chad Gable. Eric has his arms crossed behind his back, almost like a drill sargent as he addresses the three in front of him.

[Eric Young]
I've taught you all I can. So now it's finally time for you to prove to me that you have what it takes. Of course, Alex already has but he is a part of this team so he has to join in as well.

[Chad Gable]
What.... Could it possibly.... Be?

Chad speaks through heavy breaths, still struggling after chasing the chicken. A squack draws the attention of everyone to Shelley, looking down, able to see the chicken looking up at Gable in this moment.

[Eric Young]
Exactly Clucksworth.

Eric nods, taking a step forward and reaching into his pocket. Gable and Sabin share a look of confusion, not understanding the chicken, yet somehow Young does. Young pulls a small orb from his pocket, attached to a long string. He sets it on the ground and begins to walk away, the strong following as the orb stays sat. Eric Young lights a match that he seemingly pulled from his pocket as well, lighting the string to reveal it is in fact a fuse.

[Eric Young]
There is only one way to prove yourself to me. That, is through the running with the bulls.

"The running with the-"

The duo of Chad and Chris begin to speak as the orb blows up, setting a huge boom followed by an explosion of smoke. As it does, the screen slows down into a slowmotion movement as it had at the beginning of the segment. That far too familiar song taking over as smoke covers the quartet.








Starring: ....

With gritted teeth, a headband and his hair flying in the wind being the first we see of him, we find Chad Gable, erupting from the smoke in slow motion. His sweat can be seen slowly falling down his face as the rest of his body comes from the field of gray. His clenched fist followed by a foot. It's made apparent that he's mid sprint as he fully erupts from the smoke. His name appears under him, in colorful letters.

Chad Gable

As he does so, the camera pans over slightly to reveal another shadow billowing out of the smog. Mouth fully ajar, hair struggling to get behind him and the look of pure fear in his eyes is the head of Chris Sabin. His foot emerged first but his face is what tells the story of what is to come. As he comes from the smoke with the song carrying him, he can be seen wearing a TCSI shirt along with some running pants opposed to Gable who is dressed in sweats. Just as before Chris Sabin's name appears beneath him allowing the world to know who he is, as if they didn't already.

Chris Sabin

A third figure appears from the smoke, this one equipped with a bushy beard and thick smile. A ball cap turned backwards and no shirt is the perfect description of Eric Young, who comes barreling out of the smoke, still in slow motion. He has a wild look in his eye and unlike the two before him, he seems to be enjoying himself. He slowly is making his way down the road, his name also appearing and sliding in underneath him.

Eric Young

As if things couldn't get any more odd, another figure appears from the smoke. Appearing all at once is that of cardboard Alex Shelley. We get a stand still vision of Alex Shelley, with his hand pointed into a pistol right at us as his frame comes towards the camera, just as we did earlier, minus the man behind him making you wonder if there was ever really a man at all.

Alex Shelley

The camera zooms into the feet of Shelley, finding a beak slowly opening in the slow motion speed of the rest of the video. His feet moving far faster than his upper body however he sticks tight, as does Shelley to his back.

And Clucksworth the Chicken

The quartet of men comes out of the smoke and then the real issue begins as the Tag Team Champions of the World begins to try and get ahead of one another. In slow motion they can be seen pushing and shoving each other until Eric Young and Alex Shelley come darting past. In this moment everything turns into normal speed as a herd of bulls comes exploding out of the smoke. With red in their eyes they hurdle towards the quartet of fools running away from them.

Chad Gable is the first to break away from the group as he attempts to duck behind a car. As he does so a bull turns off, attempting to gore him. Gable squeezes his way slightly under the car which is great and all until the bull moves the car just enough to get to him. Gable is forced to dive out of the way and roll, only to get trampled by said bull moments later.

Chris Sabin, however, ducks into a house. Slamming the door behind him. The bull that took off after him just slams into the door, knocking it plum down and continuing through. The door begins to move as it is on the ground making it apparent that Chris Sabin is trapped underneath it, thanks to the bull now destroying the house it's in.

Alex Shelley, or should one say, Cluckworth becomes detached to Shelley, the cardboard cut out falling away and landing in a standing form. He looks into the horde of bulls, smiling and pointing his gun finger towards it as Cluckworth disappears far ahead.  All the while, Alex Shelley smiles into the abyss of bulls, not scathed.

Now Eric Young takes off, trying to jump a fence which is gored by a bull. In doing so the bull has taken the fence with his, hooked onto his horn and in the process has carried Eric Young off. In the final moments you see a heep of feathers fly into him, holding on for dear life causing Young to smile wildly into the camera and yell once more:

"THIS IS ERIC YOUNG AND CLUCKWORTH, WELCOME TO ROULETTE!"

That fucking segment above though  

---

As Roulette rolls right along, we're taken ringside briefly for a word from our commentary team as always consisting of Mauro Ranallo & Corey Graves.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Ladies and Gentlemen, we'd like to take a moment away from tonight's exciting action to reflect on something that happened on last week's edition of Anarchy, most specifically the very beginning of it.

[Corey Graves]
The Women's Champion Natalya had borrowed one of our cameras to give an intimate address to The XWL Universe regarding of course recent issues with Kaitlyn, her success at The Slammy Awards, and perhaps a nod to what might be next for her...but instead Kaitlyn who has repeatedly gone after Natalya every week since Cyberslam, found her way into the stairwell Natalya was in, and looked to bring about another ambush on The Queen of Harts.

[Mauro Ranallo]
We don't want to go back and show you the footage because quite honestly it's too graphic for what we heard alone. But Kaitlyn's issue with Natalya bridged beyond frustration and into unthinkable territory.

[Corey Graves]
She tried to throw Natalya down the stairwell, after Natalya had stated that she was done with Kaitlyn, perhaps hearing that made Kaitlyn snap we're still not sure...but Kaitlyn professed that if she wouldn't defend against her...then she wouldn't defend against anyone.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Unsettling in tone, and in her very demeanor, she tried to bring great harm to Natalya, but as we all know, Natalya is a fighter and she fought her assailant off. But, in doing so...Kaitlyn was instead the one sent rolling down the steps in a split second decision by Natalya to try and throw Kaitlyn off of her which resulted in the nasty spill that followed.

[Corey Graves]
Natalya was an emotional wreck after realizing what she had inadvertently done, and left the show with the ambulance that rushed Kaitlyn to the nearest medical facility. We understand that she spent several days there, refusing to leave until she knew Kaitlyn was going to be okay. It's a bit strange to think that she expressed such a concern over the Woman that tried to do something like that to her...but I suppose that speaks to Natalya's character.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Thankfully we did learn that Kaitlyn is going to be okay, it was a scary moment, one that apparently she's having trouble remembering, we think she perhaps hit her head in the fall, and she has been diagnosed with a concussion, and of course there's some bumps and bruises but ultimately she is okay. However we have learned that there is no set timetable for her return at this time.

[Corey Graves]
Official word from our General Manager JBL states that up until Kaitlyn's attempt at Natalya's well being, he had intended to give her another shot at The Women's Championship here at Roulette...but obviously things have changed and Natalya will not be defending her title tonight. He believes that Natalya has built something very strong and rushing a challenger without any sort of formality is just not best for business. Furthermore JBL sees this as an opportunity to instead go all in on the presentation of The North American Championship Match tonight.

[Mauro Ranallo]
While Natalya isn't competing tonight, he has arranged for her to sit down with Michael Cole to discuss recent events, as well as reflect on the year that is nearly over, a year that without question has been her year.

[Corey Graves]
So with that said, we'll go now to that interview.

The lights dim in the arena as the titantron lights up, showing first and foremost, The Women's Championship sitting on a coffee table between two chairs, the first chair of course occupied by Michael Cole former XWL commentator, and most recently the presenter for Match of The Year at The Slammy Awards where he had the opportunity to present it to Sasha Banks and Natalya for their Hell in a Cell Match that Main-Evented Final Stand serving as the first time females closed the biggest show of the year. But the other seat is taken by Natalya dressed in all black, with her hair done up as usual, but a bit more nicely. The focus shifts directly to Cole who prepares to give the introduction to this special interview.



[Michael Cole]
Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight we take a look back on the most dominant female in XWL this year, someone who overcame the failures of her past, and whose determination to be the best there is, was, or ever will be...finally paid off as she has gone undefeated on Pay-Per-View for a year, as of this very event one year ago when she defeated Sasha Banks a month after her treacherous betrayal, personal attacks, to her and her family. She is an example that you can find success if you simply work hard enough, and is is my honor to introduce to you The Women's Champion herself, Natalya Neidhart.

She nods as if to say thank you, a faint smile on her face, not as bright as usual likely due to what transpired last week.



[Michael Cole]
I'd like to start things off by simply asking this, how are you?



[Natalya]
I'm not quite sure of that, Cole if I'm being honest...I'm as always ever so humbled to sit here with The Women's Championship in front of me, and I am grateful for the year I've had...but, last week was...difficult.

[Michael Cole]
Let's talk about what led up to that moment, why do you believe Kaitlyn went off the handle at Cyberslam, and every week thereafter? You've spoke about how you feel like, she's almost a mirror image of who you might have become had things been different, elaborate on that.

[Natalya]
I like to believe that I'm strong, that I've overcome the "demons" that turned me into who I used to be, but the fact is...nearly everyone has that darker part to themselves...it takes a lot of strength to resist the temptation to just take the route everyone else does. After all, it works out for them, so why make things more challenging for yourself? Why continue to beat the horse when it's been dead for years? Why embarrass yourself for a second longer when you could take that anger out on someone else and maybe that spark will ignite something. That's always been the go to for everyone in this division. Since it began, that was the blue print to success, tear everyone else down to build yourself up by any means necessary. Why worry about your fellow Woman? Why worry about the bigger picture, all that matters is that you're the one with the title, right? I fought against that idea for so long...and as the years pass by, it starts to look enticing. You wonder what if, you question if you're truly on a path to success or only endless heartache?



[Natalya]
I didn't veer off my path, but...the thoughts were there, I would go out there and put on a brave face, and smile through it but in my mind...there was a voice saying, this isn't going to ever work, just give up, GIVE IN to your anger and take it out on everyone. Be that dominant ruthless Woman you were when you first arrived and this division will grovel at your feet. I just look at Kaitlyn, and how she acted, and I see the option I didn't take. I wonder if this year didn't turn around for me, if it'd have been me doing what she did? If I'd have lost it and gave in. I'm so grateful that I stuck to my goal, that I believed it WOULD turn around, that one day the stars would align for me and I could prove there IS another way. But was I a fluke? Am I just the unicorn that can't be replicated? Can I really fault someone for giving in to what I nearly gave into myself? After all, you look at my path to success, and you immediately question why anyone would waste 2,945 days being "good" when you could just follow in the footsteps of the dozens of Women that found success by being nasty, selfish, and cutthroat. It's hard to, even after last week...blame her. Because she's a result of her journey, she was robbed of an opportunity by someone she never even got closure in knowing WHO attacked her. It's been years, they've likely left Wrestling now, and here she is trying to pick up the pieces of what was her era of dominance, and it wasn't working.



[Natalya]
You know in a way it's entirely different circumstances too, I just failed repeatedly, over and over...she had her entire career ripped away from her, in her prime. How could she make her return and not regain her former glory? It's almost an injustice to all the tears she cried over the years when she'd have those thoughts of what could have been. That's what's most difficult about this for me, I want to say it's all her fault, and be angry about the actions she's made this past month...but, it's not her fault. Yes a big part of her is to blame for snapping, but...I think all of us can understand why she snapped. She's the longest reigning Divas Champion in XWL history, and as she finally gets a title opportunity since returning, she loses to the Woman she beat to secure that record. A bitter dose of reality that times have changed, and at one time she was this unstoppable force, but now...she can't seem to recapture that magic. That sort of realization can drive someone to do something drastic...and it did.

[Michael Cole]
She repeatedly assaulted you, the first being after your successful defense in a 2 out of 3 falls match against her, the next being at The Slammy Awards, she made an attack on your integrity as Champion by trying to get you disqualified to taint the pristine reign you've built for yourself. And then last week, as you looked to move on, she attacks you in the stairwell, and tries to throw you down the stairs, citing that if she can't get a title match against you, then no one will. We know this has been a deeply emotional topic for you since it happened, you were at The Hospital for days after it happened trying to find out any updates as soon as they became available. I guess my question regarding that is, what is it that gave you such an overwhelming guilt that you would stay there concerned over the Woman that had she succeeded, and did the same to you...she most certainly wouldn't have been by your side like you were. It's a bit confusing because no one blames you for what happened, you were defending yourself in the only way you could in a moment like that?



[Natalya]
Because the person that did all of those things wasn't Kaitlyn. It was a frustrated Woman that lost her way, and yes...I was upset at her before that happened, I was furious over the stunt she pulled the week before, after I put my neck out to practically beg JBL to let me give her another shot, and that's how she responds? By trying to get me disqualified so that she can say I'm not as righteous as I claim to be? It's pathetic behavior, and I wanted nothing more to do with her or this act of defiance. But in that anger, in that annoyance...I look at how I handled the situation. I essentially played the role of Ruby Riott stating that she wasn't going to be in the ring with me again and that I was done with her. Which if you recall, Ruby refused to give me a title match, I had to jump through hoops to prove I was "worthy" and even after that when her foot was on the ropes in the eventual title match I received, she went back to acting like she was finished with me. And when someone tells you that they're done with you, you don't take it very well. You do everything to respond with a statement of some kind that says you better take notice of me because I'm not going away. That's what she did, that's what I did. The parallels make this hard because...yes they're different because I wasn't running from her, or saying she wasn't worthy like Ruby did to me. But to her, that was how it felt, in her mind she deserved another shot, in her mind I was the evil villain withholding the opportunity she still believed she was owed. It just feels like I drove her to that behavior...and I know...I'm being too hard on myself, but when something like that happens, you just can't help but believe it's somehow your fault, that if you had just responded differently, or been more aware of your surroundings, maybe it would have ended differently.

[Michael Cole]
I think the conclusion everyone has drawn from that moment is, really it was going to end badly for one of you. It had escalated the moment Kaitlyn initiated the attempt at throwing you down the stairs, and either you fended her off, by any means necessary, or we'd be conducting this interview from your hospital room after you had to surrender The Women's Championship. You can't hold yourself responsible for the actions of someone else, and certainly not for how you reacted to those actions. Any human being, regardless of character when thrown into a situation like that would have one thing and one thing only in their mind, survive. There's no going back, you can't change how it ended, all you can do right now is move forward, thankful that you are still able to sit here as Women's Champion and continue the incredible run you've had, and hope to continue going into 2019.



[Natalya]
I guess it all just feels like it didn't need to come to this, so seeing as I've always sort of put the division ahead of my own wants at times, it's difficult to see it that way.

[Michael Cole]
Of course perhaps the reason for your emotional state over this incident is due to a number of things that have transpired this year. We won't get into the first one, because I understand you have asked us to respect your privacy in regards to something that happened before Warzone. But in the last year of course we saw your friendship with Sasha Banks torn apart by Sasha's quest for success...and while all of your issues for the most part have subsided as you emerged the clear winner of that rivalry, there was a moment that took place at The Slammy Awards that probably have led to more guilt within you. I happened to be there to present you and Sasha The Slammy for Match Of The Year for your historic Hell in a Cell Match for The Women's Championship that saw Women Main-Event Final Stand for the first time ever. But Sasha wasn't interested in celebrating, so you came out to accept the award only to call Sasha out because without her this in a way wouldn't have been possible. Sasha was very candid regarding her feelings over how her career has gone, her failure to defeat you and in typical fashion for you, you couldn't just stand there and let her beat herself up. You tried to empower her, to give her tough love to bring that fire back within her...but, in a very unexpected turn of events...she would place her glasses on the podium, and leave. She just up and left and hasn't been on XWL programming since. Can you talk to us about that?



[Natalya]
This is tough for me because, I should hate her, right? And, you know I've put what happened behind me, and I'm not saying we'd ever be friends again because she betrayed a trust that is hard to really gain back...but we're competitors, and at the end of the day we did something incredible, we had a game changing glass ceiling shattering moment together, and as a competitor I couldn't just let her sulk on that stage as if she didn't deserve to celebrate what we accomplished. Did the chips fall my way and not hers? Yes, and I know how difficult it is to bounce back from tough setbacks, but no one knows her more than me, at least...I thought I knew her. Because while she's not character wise the most admirable for her poor choices? She's one of the most driven and passionate Women I've ever met. The Sasha I know wouldn't let me go on my spiel as she calls it and just essentially give up. She would tell me off, she would get in my face and tell me that just like I couldn't win the big one at first she will one day put me down just like she promised she would, and that if I think I'm being cute for telling her to give up then just wait until she shows me how wrong I am. But, she didn't. She didn't pop off at me, or take the bait as you will, she just...essentially said you're right I should leave, and left. And, that's a first for me. Because it's like, was that my fault? Did I go too far in my efforts to bring her out of this rut that I buried her deeper in it?

[Michael Cole]
Your intentions were pure, I guess she's just finding herself filled with regret over how this year was supposed to be hers, but instead it was emphatically yours.



[Natalya]
We all have regret, I regret how I handled myself in my first 6 months as an XWL Superstar. I wish I could go back and be who I am now, but the thing is everything in our past shapes us into who we are today and can become. If I could choke for 2,945 days...and have the year I've had thereafter, I think that's proof that there's nothing that can truly stop anyone from reaching the top of the mountain.

[Michael Cole]
With one disappearance of a former friend, recently came another in the form of a former enemy turned best friend, April. While The Slammy Awards were an unbelievable night for you in the best of ways due to all the Awards you claimed, and a successful title defense over a very game Alexa Bliss. April was dealing with an internal battle over issues that reached a grim point with Allie and Nikki Cross at Cyberslam. But you being a true friend and rock for her gave her the motivation to snap out of it, and head into her clash of the titans with Nia Jax. We were witnessing a Woman that at that point had only ever lost one on one ONCE collide with The Longest Reigning Women's Champion in XWL history in a Last Woman Standing Match. But then, in true Slammy fashion suddenly Carmella is back, and not only costs April that match, but was immediately granted a "rematch" for the contract she had to vacate due to an injury, and ultimately regained The Money In The Bank briefcase she refers to as "Frankie." Normally you would expect April to go on a tear to avenge what happened, but...she hasn't been seen since that night. Even rival Nikki Cross who has had a telling tale of unique issues with her has been unsuccessful in uncovering what happened. As her best friend, have you heard anything?

She shakes her head, worried as much as the fans regarding April's disappearance. They didn't have the best relationship for a while but they built a strong friendship over the last year, and it's hard for her to not have April here with her, or even know what happened.



[Natalya]
I wish I could say I have, but it turns out I'm just as in the dark as everyone else. I was utterly annoyed by what happened to her, and once I heard I barged out of the trainer's room to go check on her...but, her locker room was empty. Her stuff was there, but, she wasn't. I just, at this point hope she's okay more than anything else. I know she was dealing with a very volatile inner struggle and maybe that was the final straw, and you know everyone has their tipping point where they need to just step away. So I'm hoping that's all this was, but the fact I can't even get into contact with her is just troubling to say the least.

[Michael Cole]
I'm sure I speak for The entire XWL Universe when I say I hope she's okay wherever she is as well. Now with Carmella regaining her position as Miss Money In The Bank what does that mean for you as Women's Champion? The very event where she suffered an injury in her Steel Cage Match with Alexa Bliss, she had earlier in the night tried to cash her contract in after your historic Elimination Chamber title defense, but in the first moment of your reign that proved you were going to be a formidable threat to anyone that hopes to hold The Women's Championship...you easily thwarted that attempt and locked her in The Sharpshooter for her troubles. Are you worried she might be looking to avenge what happened before, and maybe switch up her strategy? After all, your dominant run is beginning to approach April's and her reign was brought to an end by that very contract, it's fair to say you could be in jeopardy of suffering the same fate.



[Natalya]
For Carmella's sake, as someone that's unfortunately failed to succeed with that contract, I sure hope she's not going to try the same thing twice. I have proudly defended this 5 times, against some of the best this division has to offer, and that is what I aim to do going forward until my time as Champion is up. Whether it's her, or a future challenger, I have the same advice to them, and the same mindset for myself. Be ready, be ready for a FIGHT, be ready to prove why you deserve to carry this title in front of me. This is an honor above all honors, this title deserves the best and it will get nothing less. So if that's me, I will remain Champion. But if someone else comes along and suddenly I'm not the best, then they will earn the right to call themselves Women's Champion. I went into this reign with a lot hopes, and very clear goals, and amazingly enough I've kind of achieved all of it. I made it through my first defense, and I did so by doing what no Champion had ever done before me. I avenged what happened to me at Final Stand when my downfall first began, and I did so in The FIRST Ever Female Main-Event. I have given opportunity where it is owed in Alexa Bliss, and Kaitlyn. And, my efforts have been rewarded with incredible honors that came at The Slammys. Being named Champion Of The Year, just as April had been the year prior, is proof that I am upholding the merit she instilled upon this title, and that is all that I could have ever hoped for.

[Michael Cole]
Tonight you are not defending your title due to JBL believing that it's unfair to the reign you've built to just throw someone against you with little story to it, and the fact that you have defended your title twice in the last 3 weeks. So while you are merely a spectator of tonight's show, I can confirm right now that come our next Pay-Per-View Breakthrough you WILL be defending your title in your 6th defense, and we will be determining what challenge awaits you next as Champion next week on Anarchy. With the influx of incredible talent, do you have any preference on who you'd like to face you next?


[Natalya]
First of all I appreciate JBL's sentiment, but let me be clear if it was up to me I'd go out there and issue an open challenge because I believe my place as Champion is to ensure this title remains represented on the big stages, and I hate that instead of being defended tonight, it's sitting on this table as if it's just a prop. But, with that being said...when it comes to Breakthrough? I simply want the best, the same thing I've wanted since I captured this back at Emergence. I want to continue to be tested, to face nothing less than the absolute best, names do not matter, ability to give me the best fight does. So whoever believes that's them? Step on up and test yourself against The Best there is, was, and ever will be. I've never been better than I am at this moment, and to whoever believes, not thinks...but BELIEVES they are better than that? I sit here eagerly anticipating the moment we meet in that ring.



[Michael Cole]
Lastly, while you won't be in action tonight, you do have a role in tonight's landmark Main-Event where we will crown The First North American Champion. On The 2 Year Anniversary of the first time Women Main-Evented a Pay-Per-View we will witness the battle to determine the holder of the newly minted addition to The Women's Division. Competition as we have said is at an all time high, and now Women will have more to drive their hunger than ever before. Toni Storm, Ember Moon, Shayna Baszler, and a fourth Woman to be determined at the end of the night will collide in a Fatal Four Way. You I understand will serve as the special guest ring announcer, as the voice of Women empowerment, and overall empowerment for the division JBL believes you deserve to be apart of this moment. And not only that, after the dust has settled you will have the honor of presenting The New Champion their prize. What does this truly mean for not only you, but the entire division?

As someone that has been apart of this division for so long over the years, she nods as she thinks deeply on his question. Because this is a big deal, this entire year has been a big deal for her, but tonight everything that every Woman including her has worked toward is now a reality. She smiles as she finally pulls the words together to truly express what it means.



[Natalya]
It means that change is here, and just when you think we've achieved all we can, suddenly the road to equality grows even bigger as now we're not limited to one title. As a Champion it motivates me to remain on my A Game because I'm not going to be the only Woman walking around with a title around her waist, I have to perform at my best because there's now someone else that gets to stand at the top of the mountain alongside me, and you know that competitive spirit, we want only ONE of us to be at the highest peak of that mountain. I am beyond proud of our division for fighting for this and everything else up to this point that has led to this. I'm a bit envious that I'm not going to be in there with them because hey North American Champion Natalya has a nice ring to it...but I am so happy for Toni, Ember, Shayna, and whoever ends up in there with them tonight. They are going to kill it, and the fact that I have a run row seat to that fight? I am ready to witness history, and seeing as I'm not typically the one that does ring introductions, I'm also hoping I don't flub my words because that's a lot of pressure.

Natalya playfully laughs as she seems to have come to the end of this interview with less of a tense demeanor than when she entered it.

[Michael Cole]
One more thing, because you know I can't ask you about that match and not get your predictions...who do you think will leave tonight as The First North American Champion?



[Natalya]
Oh gosh, how can I even choose? I think that makes this title match so different from any other in years, is that...this truly is a career making night for one of them. Toni, Ember, and Shayna are all very accomplished Women outside of XWL in their own ways, but this is their first big break in XWL. And they'll be apart of it together. They enter that ring as the "new girls" but one of them leaves it with an accomplishment that will never be taken from them. They will be immortalized in history, and seeing as all 3 of them so far are so different...it's honestly a toss up. There's no way I can even come close to making a prediction because I honestly believe this is one of the most unpredictable matches XWL has ever had. There's no clear favorite, there's a lot of untapped as of this moment potential in that ring. Not only that we don't even know who the fourth Woman will end up being and that could change everything. I think the winner will be whoever captures that lightning in a bottle and comes into their own before all of us tonight. Sorry to sit on the fence, but I'm going to be on the edge of my seat along with all of you, and whoever I get to present The North American Championship to later? I cannot wait to see the look on their face as they hold that title for the first time. There's no feeling like it.

[Michael Cole]
Well Natalya, a pleasure as always. Thank you so much for sitting down with us, and don't worry if you flub your words just act like it didn't happen. I've had a lot of experience over the years and the biggest piece of advice I've ever received was no matter what happens, the show must go on. So if you happen to call Ember for example...Amber? Just go with it, I'm sure she'll understand.

[Natalya]
Gee thanks, Cole...totally not going to be thinking of the name Amber all night now.

Once more she lets out a light laughter as she ends it with a smile and endearingly looks at him, perhaps happy she was given the platform to really talk about some of the things that have happened that maybe added to her stress as of late.

[Natalya]
But thank you for having me, I feel a bit more like myself and I guess all that's left to say now is good luck to all The Women that will be apart of The Main-Event tonight, and may the best Woman win.

The Women's Champion reaches forward grabbing her title off of the table in front of her, then places it over her shoulder and smiles. Clearly excited for an even more competitive division as she no longer will serve as it's only Champion. The scene comes to a close, and we fade away from Natalya's smile and to a highlight of a pivotal moment of what has led to tonight's historical match when none other than Layla defeated Mickie James to become The First Ever Women's Champion back in late November of 2008.

THIS MESSAGE IS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY


________________________________________________________


The scene sets in with a group many of you know that has caused quite the commotion around XWL territory. In a dim lit area backstage the group consists of Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, Roderick Strong, Matt Sydal and Pete Dunne. They all stare directly into the camera side by side and The Bruiserweight decides to speak first.

THE BRUISERWEIGHT’
Pete Dunne
Tonight is the night, where we finally strike gold. Where we put our plan into motion that we set out to do from the very beginning. This is where we overtake the regime from it’s current holders.

Dunne points to the ground and gets passionate with his words as he continues.

THE BRUISERWEIGHT’
Pete Dunne
We don’t only shock the system, we shock the world and what a better Pay-Per-View than Roulette? Only we said it time and time again, it isn’t luck. It’s the absolute undisputed truth that we’re dominating this entire show, whether you like it or you don’t. You walked into a warzone Sami Zayn, right into where I want you, and you led Owens and Jericho along with you to face off against the best tag team in the entire world. Oh, and if you think you’re going to get lucky Eli, think again. Matt and I have you in the palm of our hands, and it isn’t looking pretty, it’s looking really..really GRIM.

Pete looks at Sydal and slaps his chest as he takes center focus. Dunne retreats behind him and fistbumps Roddy as they all remain chilled out.

[Matt Sydal]
That's an UNDISPUTED FACT, Pete. Look no further than last week when I had challenged our dear Intercontinental Champion to a good old fashioned one on one, non-title match. I beat him, I drove "The Elite" down to the mat for a count of three, proving not only could I do it tonight, but that I most definitely WILL.

Sydal never lacking in the confidence department stands there with a grin you couldn't wipe off of his face if you tried.

[Matt Sydal]
We have been patient, we have been leaping through hoops to get our opportunities, but at long last tonight The Undisputed Era is going to seize control of The Intercontinental Championship, and The Tag-Team Championship. We know that it won't be easy, because unlike a lot of fools that have been in our position, we don't underestimate our competition, but we also don't sell ourselves short. We know we're the best, we know we're a collection of talent unlike any other group in XWL history.

O'Reilly takes a breath before he takes his turn to speak.

[Kyle O'Reilly]
Everything has led to tonight.  Ever since day one, The Undisputed Era has been promising to take over XWL.  Promising to claim championship gold.  We've had our ups and our downs, we've even lost a few of our brothers along the way... but we're finally here.  Tonight is the night we become champions.

O'Reilly looks from his left to his right at each of the other members of the UE.

[Kyle O'Reilly]
What you see before you, is something special.  Never before and never again will there be a group as talented and as dominant as we are and will continue to be.  If you don't believe me, you're making a mistake.  They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?  Not for us.  Tonight, we're taking the Tag Team Championships and the Intercontinental Championship, and the whole damn world will know about it.

Roderick Strong steps in messing with the zipper on his jacket zipping it up and down several times. He stops looks up at the camera then slicks his hair back.

Roderick Strong
Kyle’s right, tonight is the night we truly show the world who The Undisputed Era truly are. I may not be scheduled for a match tonight but maybe lady luck will be on my side and grants me the opportunity to beat Johnny Gargano or Chris Jericho to be entered into the World Heavyweight Championship match. I wish us all the best of luck tonight, even if I’m not chosen by the wheel. But on a different note I want to apologize to you guys for being a little distant as of late, as you all know I got married and I’ve spent time with the wife and kid but come Monday I will be back and things are going to be different.

Bobby Fish takes a step forward and places his hand on the shoulder of his tag team partner, Kyle O'Reilly

[Bobby Fish]
This is our night boys! We've all got a chance to claim gold, a chance to prove our dominance! Every one of us has that shot tonight! We've all got a title opportunity!

[Kyle O'Reilly]
Erm..Bobby...Roddy doesn't.

[Bobby Fish]
Well...This is awkward. I'm sure it'll come your way soon enough Roddy! But tonight isn't about the individuals, It's about all of us...as one, as a group! The odds are in our favour for the Intercontinental Championship, Me and Kyle have dominated tag teams across the entire world. Tonight is our chance to do that in XWL. I might not have been here since day one, but we are more together now than Undisputed Era has ever been. Tonight, Undisputed Era...become Undisputed Champions!  


With that said the entire Undisputed Era look across at each other with a nod of approval, before walking off camera

The camera focuses on the stage, and suddenly we hear a voice that is all to familiar voice that echoes throughout the arena.

I AM ELITE

[Corey Graves]
Could it be? It has to be. I believe it is time for Intercontinental title match. Tonight, Eli has the odds stacked against him, but he said he will overcome the odds, and walk out with the belt! Lets see if he stays true to his word!

The crowd in the arena stands to their feet cheering on their Intercontinental Champion as his music begins to play.



Eli Drake steps out onto the stage with Intercontinental title around his waist, and determination in his eyes.

[Mauro Ranallo]
There he is ladies, and gentlemen! The Intercontinental Champion himself. The Elite Superstar of XWL, Eli Drake!

The only thing that is true in these next moments is that this is the biggest match of Eli's career. He stops right before the ramp, and closes his eyes as he unlatches the belt. He slowly raises the belt into the air, and when the belt reaches its highest point. He opens his eyes once again, and begins his walk down the ramp. Fans are leaning in to get high fives from Eli.

[Mauro Ranallo]
These fans just can't get enough of Eli. Look at this Corey the arena is losing it here!

He smiles, and walks closer to the fans. He high fives them, and stops to sign a poster for a little girl who is in the crowd. She looks absolutely flabbergasted that he even stopped for her.

[Corey Graves]
He just made that little girl's day. Nothing can bring her down now.

The mom asks for one picture, and he takes the phone. He holds it outward with the camera point on him, and the little girl. He looks at her for a brief second, and then places the title on her shoulder. The two looks at the camera of the cell phone, and smile as he snaps the photo. He turns back to the mom, and hands her phone. Then Eli looks upon the little girl again. He kindly asks for his title back, and she hands it over with a smile on her face.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Look at this! How can you not like Eli? He is an all around great guy! Always wanting to meet up with friends, and he goes out of his way to have special moments like that. He is very intune with the XWL Universe.

She screams off the top, "GO BEAT THE UNDISPUTED ERA!!". Eli smiles, and nods. He turns back to the ring, and now feeling on top of the world he quickly makes his way into the ring. Eli goes to the furthest corner of the ring, and takes his place. He now awaits for Matt Sydal, and Pete Dunne.


As The Intercontinental Champion settles into the corner to await his two challengers, suddenly the lights go out...and the infamous words of The Undisputed Era echo through the arena "SHOCK THE SYSTEM"



Their theme soon follows, and it appears that while technically opponents heading into this Triple Threat Match...Matt Sydal and Pete Dunne are as united as ever, stepping out from behind the curtain together, in matching camouflage gear that the entirety of The Undisputed Era unveiled in their segment earlier tonight as they addressed the upcoming night ahead. Eli's two challengers stand side by side, looking to one another with a smirk, ready to seize gold for The Undisputed Era at long last.

[Mauro Ranallo]
This is certainly interesting...I didn't expect them to come out together.

[Corey Graves]
Matt stated to Eli in a bold way that tonight would not be a Triple Threat Match, it is for all purpose...a Handicap Match. I think this drives that sentiment home even more, they realize that once Eli is eliminated they'll have to duke it out, but they're here together to see to it that The Undisputed Era, no matter who it is...leaves this building with The Intercontinental Championship.

[Mauro Ranallo]
This match is really a disaster for General Manager JBL who orchestrated this entire match to obviously try and screw Eli out of his title by stacking the deck against him as much as possible...but in doing so he ended up thanks to the randomness of a wheel granting opportunity to the group that put him in that wheelchair and utterly decimated he and his Cabinet at Final Stand.

[Corey Graves]
Not the best of outcomes...but hey, he gets to watch 3 people he hates beat the hell out of each other, so it's still a win.

The 2 Number One Contenders throw up both hands with their trademark "U E" hand gesture, and as they start to descend down the ramp, not losing eye contact with Eli for even a moment. He stands in their way of bringing gold to The Undisputed Era, and their job tonight is to guarantee that he doesn't leave this match as Champion, that one of them no matter who it is, brings this victory home. Despite the unfortunate circumstances Eli's found himself in, he hasn't lost any of his bravado, he stands in the ring fully ready for whatever awaits him. Matt and Pete finally reaching the bottom of the ramp glance at one another then suddenly rush the ring, leaping up onto the apron similar to how The Undisputed Era did this on the night they formed surrounding the ring united before they unleashed an unforgettable assault on The Cabinet. Quickly they enter the ring and toss aside their Undisputed Era t-shirts, Pete opting to throw it to the floor, while Matt chucks his to one lucky member in the audience.

[Mauro Ranallo]
The question is, can Matt and Pete's own very large egos keep their eye on the target that is Eli Drake? Or is there hope for Eli to maybe try and split them up, at least for this match's sake?

[Corey Graves]
I think the competitors in them certainly could overtake any allegiance they have to each other, but I don't know. Matt's been very outspoken since he learned the news of this match that their objective is to eliminate Eli and then duke it out.

[Mauro Ranallo]
But, Pete hasn't exactly been as outspoken, perhaps there's a reason? Let's not forget what happened last week on Anarchy either. Matt had Eli 1 on 1, in a non-title match. And Matt defeated The Intercontinental Champion. He proved he can do it...and he could do it again tonight. So does Pete instead opt to ensure he's the one that gets to by maybe being too late on a cover? Or something of that nature?

[Corey Graves]
Anythings possible, when you're a Superstar your goal is to be a Champion, and if Pete wants to leave this match as Champion...well, he has to ask himself. Does he believe he can beat Matt in the final two? Or does he think he stands a better chance against Eli? If he doubts his chances against his fellow Undisputed Era brother...then maybe the element of surprise might ensure it doesn't come to that. I still believe they'll ride it out together, but when that bell rings? When even the slightest bit of miscommunication happens, will they remain on the same page? I guess we'll see.


Matt leaps up onto the far left corner throwing his arms up to a loud pop from the fans, "I'M READY TO STRIKE GOLD TONIGHT!" his declaration bringing the cheers up just a pitch louder as he motions around his waist. Meanwhile on the other side of the ring on the opposing corner Pete stands on the second rope shouting that "TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!" ending his promise of sorts with an elbow strike to the air, symbolic of a move we've seen end a number of his matches. Once their final gestures have been made, they turn around looking to one another then hop off the ropes in unison as they once again set their sights on The Intercontinental Champion Eli Drake. As the the three men prepare for battle however, they all gain a look of despair upon their face as a certain theme begins to play, causing each of the three men to turn their attention from one another towards the stage.



[Mauro Ranallo]
Now what is he doing out here? These three men are ready to go to war for the coveted International Championship and just before the referee can signal for the bell to be rung, we are interrupted!

[Corey Graves]
He’s the boss Mauro! That’s one of the privileges of being the General Manager. He gets to go anywhere he wants to or say anything he wants to without having to answer to anyone.

[Mauro Ranallo]
He doesn’t have to answer to anyone besides Vince McMahon you mean.

[Corey Graves]
To be honest with you Mauro, I’m not even sure Vince can touch him. You saw how Vince backed down from JBL due to his legal contract. It would seem our General Manager has the XWL president backed into a corner. And if Vince can’t or won’t do anything, there’s no chance in hell anyone else will. Besides, as far as I can tell, he’s the best General Manager XWL has ever had.

[Mauro Ranallo]
I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear that Corey.

Anarchy’s very own General Manager rolls out from behind the curtain in his wheelchair. A wheelchair that he is coincidentally confined to because of the brutal assault he received from two of the three men standing in the ring before him. However, for a man who is paralyzed from the waist down, who can no longer compete for gold, who is looking at not one, not two, but three men he despises that are all about to fight for championship gold, he seems quite lively. He has a smile upon his face as he looks down to the ring. Matt Sydal, Pete Dunne, And Eli Drake however do not seem to find this very amusing. JBL scans the ring with a smile before raising a mic from his lap.

$JBL$
Gentlemen, I must say that you three have impressed me. Ever since I announced that Eli Drake would be defending his Intercontinental Championship in a “triple threat” match, against the golden weasel and job squad member Pete Dunne raiding have gone up quite significantly. They also went up when I introduced the new North American Championship, which will have its inaugural crowning in tonight Main Event! As a matter of fact they also went up when I crowned Chris Jericho AND Johnny Gargano co-World Heavyweight Champions. Come to think of it, railings have been up since I became General Manager, so I guess instead of thanking you three and being impressed, I should thank Myself because it is my doing that is making XWL Great Again!

The crowd mainly boo’s as JBL shits on all the top talents of XWL, however there are some fans who agree with him, as they cheer.

$JBL$
Now I’m sure you three are wondering just what it is that I am doing out here. Why is JBL out here interrupting us before we can get this match started for the prized Intercontinental Championship. A championship that I have held not once, but twice. A championship that I pinned not only Sami Zayn for, but the very man who stands here as Intercontinental Champion tonight, Eli Drake. But I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m here to talk about the future. The future of XWL aswell as the future of professional Wrestling. For you see, in this profession anything can happen at anytime gentlemen. You can go from being a nobody to a somebody in a matter of 3 seconds.

JBL looks to Eli referring to him winning the Intercontinental championship, making a name for himself here in XWL.

$JBL$
You can also go from being a “Mega-Star” to a man servant.

JBL looks now to Matt Sydal referring to the events that transpired a year ago tonight, at last years Roulette.

$JBL$
Or you can stab someone in the back, biting the very hand that feeds you, throwing away the biggest opportunity of your pathetic life.

JBL now looks at Pete Dunne referring to when he betrayed JBL and the Cabinet yo join the Undisputed Era.

$JBL$
But you see, to be one of the greats of this business, you must expect the unexpected. You must be ready for change and embrace it. And that’s exactly what I’m doing here tonight. I’m bringing the unexpected change to this very match. For you see, you three have been planning for a handicap match here tonight, but what you failed to realize is that it isn’t only you three participating for the Intercontinental Championship here tonight. Because as of right now I’m declaring this match to be.....A FATAL FOUR WAY! So without further delay, spin the wheel!

Eli, Pete, And Matt all look up to the top of the ramp in disgust and disbelief. How can he come out here and change everything on them at the very last minute? How is this fair? How does it seem, that the fans love this idea!? The fans cheer in excitement as JBL looks up to the titantron as the wheel begins to spin.









[Mauro Ranallo]
You have got to be kidding me.

[Corey Graves]
This just might be the greatest night in wrestling history!


The sinister grin sprawls across the face of John Bradshaw Layfield as the spin lands on it's final mark. He turns to the arena, them showering the spin in a huge mixed reaction of boos and excitement for the match to come when the titantron lights up and the Chosen One's theme begins to play.













The curtain parts as the behemoth of Ayr emerges from the back. His hair all across his face as he walks out next to JBL. He looks to the General Manager of XWL's Anarchy and then to the ring before throwing his hair back. His face that of pure anger and determination. He removes his jacket and drops it on the stage, the time for talking and show to be done as he then begins to walk to the ring.

[Corey Graves]
The Scottish Pyschopath on his way to being one of the top guys in this company within such a short time. Tonight, he walks out with the IC title. That's my prediction Ranallo.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Despite how shady this looks, the wheel was spun in front of us. Drew is in the match and very well may be the Intercontinental Champion by the end of it, but not if the Undisputed Era or Eli Drake have anything to say about it.

He strides, eyes glued to the three men in the ring. This makeshift tag match is going to be brutal as one would imagine and with the Scottish Psychopath in the mix, no one can see just how nasty it will be. Unpredictable and undefined, Drew McIntyre is now in contention for the Intercontinental Championship. Is this GM Abuse? Is this admin abuse? Does anyone read these things? Drew McIntyre doesn't know. What he does know is he is about to put the roster on notice as he makes his way into the ring, pacing it as he watches the other three men in it.

[Mauro Ranallo]
The deck just got further stacked against The Intercontinental Champion, 3 VERY game challengers, in a match that won't end until only ONE man is left remaining.

[Corey Graves]
And that man will stand alone as Intercontinental Champion.






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[Mauro Ranallo]
Pete Dunne with the save on Sydal.

[Corey Graves]
Their strategy has remained consistent and it's hard to argue how well they've done thus far. My pick is still Drew McIntyre all the way though.


Pete quickly pulls Matt up to his feet, giving him a pat on the chest as if to say "I've got you." Matt appreciative, though maybe not needing him to break it thanks him then the two turn from one another, to a prone Drew McIntyre resting on his hands and knees. Pete gives a nod to Matt who gives a nod right back then they start to back up...stalking Drew from his front, and from his back. Pete standing in front of him swings his arm around, cocking the elbow with a gleam in his eyes. Matt in the rear looks to be preparing for some sort of kick, all we can access from this second is that they're about to bring a serious dose of double trouble to JBL's chosen one. With Drew unsuspecting of what's to come...he rises up...and CRACK! Matt and Pete in perfect unison rush forward, Matt connecting with a stiff jumping knee to the back of the The Sinister Scotsman's head as Pete jams his elbow straight into his face. The result is a limp big man that goes flopping down to the mat like a fish out of water as he is presumably knocked out within an instant.

[Corey Graves]
Good god, Drew just collapsed to the mat, this isn't good! This isn't supposed to happen!

[Mauro Ranallo]
Part of what has led to the success of The Undisputed Era is their uncanny ability to string together the most sickening of moves. Drew McIntyre may be eliminated right here, right now.

With McIntyre out, the decision now is...who pins him? Sydal and Dunne look at the fallen Superstar and each motion to the other to cover. Upon their support, each kneels down to cover, not expecting the other to go for it, then they crack a slight smile and nod. "Okay, there's only one way to settle this." Matt throws his hand out, balling it into a fist as if he's going to take inspiration from Kairi Sane and Alexa Bliss' exploits from earlier when deciding who would spin the wheel, but as Pete looks down at Matt's fist, he simply places his palm over it and smugly, yet with a calm demeanor says "I win." Not following the rules at all, he seems quite pleased with himself as he kneels down and covers Drew, while Matt is almost too amused by his stunt to even be mad about it. The referee standing there the entire time as he waited for the pin finally begins to count as The Bruiserweight goes for the cover.


1....




2.........












NO! DREW'S SHOULDERS FLY OFF OF THE MAT!



We now present you the footage of part 2, that was captured when it disconnected someone. Thanks 2K, you da real MVP, followed closely by Josh's hard drive.




The following is a recreation to the best of my memory of how the rest of the match went, with some spice cause if you have to type a write up may as well amp things up a little bit.  Please enjoy.




With The Intercontinental Champion going into overdrive, stalking Pete as he stumbled back to his feet...he quickly thrusts his knee upward, catching The Bruiserweight straight into the jaw, with such a precise impact that Dunne staggers over to the ropes trying to find some stability to not fall victim to what's to come, but he's so rocked by that knee that he eventually starts to lose his ability to remain fully conscious, falls forward onto the top rope, bouncing back off it...spinning back around...RIGHT INTO THE SHORT ARM CLOTHESLINE THAT COMPLETES THE BFT!


[Mauro Ranallo]
MAMA MIA!!

[Corey Graves]
WHY IS MATT JUST STANDING THERE, PETE'S IN A BAD WAY! DID YOU JUST SEE THAT? THAT WAS THE MOST SICKENING BFT WE'VE EVER SEEN!

Eli collapses on top of Pete, covering him in hopes that this can turn into a one on one rematch of his match on the last episode of Anarchy between he and Sydal. Matt seeing his fellow Undisputed Era brother getting pinned, the man that chose to forgo their alliance just 2 minutes ago when he grabbed Matt who was posing on the turnbuckle from behind, and GERMAN SUPLEXED HIM OFF TO THE MAT! Sydal kicked out, and instantly their allegiance to ensure it came down to the two of them was broken. So with Pete now finding himself needing Matt, as he previously may have believed he didn't for the last 2 minutes...Matt seemingly comes to a similar consensus with himself deciding that he doesn't need Pete in this match, after all...he beat Eli on Anarchy, if it comes down to the two of them? He knows he can do it again. So as the referee's hand begins to strike the mat...Pete's Undisputed Era brother rests against the corner watching it play out.



1.........


[Mauro Ranallo]
I don't think Matt's going to break it, Corey.

[Corey Graves]
But their odds are way better if they're both in this match, Eli's liable to steal it if it comes down to him and one of them.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Pete decided to switch up his strategy, and it's fair to say...it was his undoing.


2......

















3!!!!!!!!!!!!


The fans cheer as one of the crowd favorites Eli Drake successfully eliminates one of his challengers, and this once Fatal Four Way has become a ONE ON ONE. Eli stands up, and his eyes meet Matt's who stands there sarcastically clapping. "So, here we are again..." Sydal quips, moving forward as the two now come chest to chest. There's a respect between them that we've seen since the news of this match broke. Matt and Eli are not enemies, they are competitors that recognize they are two of the best. Even when Matt openly told Eli that he would be in a Handicap Match heading into Roulette, Eli appreciated Matt's openness, it wasn't ideal...but he didn't try to fool him, he was up front. And they had quite the match last week on Anarchy, a match that saw ELITE in-ring action. With a stare down ensuing, it's finally broken by Eli extending his hand to Matt, Matt immediately takes it shaking his hand as the two slowly pull away, and the audience is rowdy over this final two showdown we're about to witness.

[Corey Graves]
What's with all this sportsmanship? YOU'RE COMPETING FOR THE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP, HIT EACH OTHER!

[Mauro Ranallo]
It's called respect, Corey. They have outlasted the other two, and now tonight we see a rematch of their encounter on Anarchy. Matt was able to defeat Eli in a non-title showing...but, now that the title is on the line, and The Intercontinental Champion just eliminated one challenger from The Undisputed Era...he could be poised to do it again.

Dueling "LET'S GO ELI!" "LET'S GO SYDAL!" chants breakout in the arena as fans are split between their support of both Superstars. Noticing the chants they each flash smiles, appreciative of the support as they slowly start to inch forward to one another. They're about to meet, in what looks to be a lock up, when Matt ducks under Eli, then goes straight for the strategy that earned him his non-title victory over Drake by kicking him in the leg with his lighting fast kicks. Eli winces from the first kick, but once Matt goes for a second, Eli catches his foot then shakes his head and reeling him in as he looks to be attempting a Gravy Train out of nowhere...but Matt wily as ever the minute he's put into that position squirms out then lands behind Eli and with a quick sweep of his legs, brings Eli down to the mat...and right away Sydal's eyes turn to the top rope. He wastes little time in leaping up onto the top rope, signaling for the end.

[Mauro Ranallo]
The pace has quickened and this match could come to an end right now if Matt is able to hit this.

[Corey Graves]
He better think of something else because Eli's already back to his feet.

Matt's plan is thwarted as Eli rushes to him with a punch to the legs, causing him to lose his footing and land perfectly seated onto the top rope. It's now Eli that has Matt right where he wants him as he starts to climb the second rope and throw Matt's arm over his shoulder, trying to rise one rope higher for his signature Superplex that often sets up The BFT. Matt knowing this isn't about to go down without a fight, he wiggles and lands one good knee to the temple of Eli that enables him to slip over Eli landing on his feet behind him. With Matt thinking on his feet as to what to do next, he does the only thing that comes institutionally to him...grabs Eli by his ankle, and YANKS HIM OFF THE SECOND ROPE. Eli's face bounces off the turnbuckle as he stumbles around...right into a swift kick to the gut He doubles over, putting him in a dangerous position. Matt hooks him, and immediately delivers THE HERE IT IS DRIVER!

[Mauro Ranallo]
This could be it! DO WE HAVE A NEW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION?!

[Corey Graves]
Wait, why isn't he going for the cover?

The Champion driven into the canvas, sprawls out on the mat ripe for the taking...but Matt doesn't do as he did on Anarchy and follow through with a pin, his eyes instead go right back to the top rope. This gesture makes the fans cheer louder, knowing what he has in mind. He then pulls himself up, steps out onto the apron, opting for a slower journey this time, perhaps due to exhaustion setting in. But he still goes as quickly as possible climbing up onto the top rope and throwing his hands up to his waist as he motions around it. With one final catching of his breath, breath that is sure to be knocked out of him when he makes impact, he leaps off the top rope, beautifully executing THE SHOOTING STAR PRESS....RIGHT INTO BOTH OF ELI'S KNEES!

[Mauro Ranallo]
Oh! There's nothing pretty about that!

[Corey Graves]
He tried to double his chances with a combination of both of his Finishers but now...he could be the one that's finished.

Right away Matt clutches his ribs with both hands, writhing on the mat, rolling around as the audience cheers Eli's wherewithal to avoid the move that has earned Matt a number of Championships over the years. We are witnessing a game of cat and mouse and it's hard to even know who is going to win it. But the game looks to fall into the favor of The Defending Champion as he pops up to his feet, places both hands on his knees, and stalks Matt like he's his prey waiting for him to get up and take him for a ride. Matt flailing about rises to his feet still grabbing his ribs as the wind was knocked out of him...and he's pulled right into Eli Drake's grasp WHO DELIVERS THE GRAVY TRAIN!

[Mauro Ranallo]
HAS THE CHAMPION JUST RETAINED?!

[Corey Graves]
If you have to ask, you already know...Matt's done.

The referee gets down and begins his count as Eli hooks his challenger's leg.


1.........












2................





















NO! MATT SYDAL KICKS OUT TO A HUGE ROAR OF EXCITEMENT FROM THE LAS VEGAS CROWD!

[Corey Graves]
I'd ask how, but then you remember how accomplished Matt Sydal is, and the fact that he holds a record that hasn't been broken for the last 8 years...and then suddenly it shouldn't feel impossible anymore.

[Mauro Ranallo]
His career was forged off of defying expectations, and he is STILL doing that to this day, right this very second with that incredible heart to STILL have the fight in him to stay in this match. Eli looks to be beside himself after that. The Gravy Train has been his bread and butter to seal the deal, and Matt just kicked out of it so late into this match.


Eli's noticeably a little dumbfounded by what just happened, he was sure that was it, that he had just retained his title...but that isn't the case at all. Still, despite his shock, he isn't going to let this shake his confidence. He knows he can beat Matt, he knows that he can defy JBL's hopes and leave this match as Champion to prove that you may not be able to spell ELIimination without Eli as he smugly claimed...but you can't cannot ELIMINATE Eli. The Gravy Train didn't get the job done so what can? The move that eliminated the other Undisputed Era member, The BFT. So Eli once again gets into position, watching, waiting, locking eyes on his target's every move as Matt begins to get to his feet not knowing that in just a matter of seconds his fate could end up the same as Dunne's. Matt finally is up, and Eli spins him around, launching his knee upward, right into the jaw of Sydal! Having connected with the first stage of The BFT...he pulls his arm back, and prepares to rock Matt's world with a clothesline he SURELY won't kick out of.


With his lariat locked and loaded...he swings for the fences....BUT MATT DUCKS IT! The audience lets out an excited "pop!" rarely remembering a time where anyone's ever been able to do that once Eli got this far into the move. Matt then jumps up off of the mat, DRIVING HIS KNEE INTO ELI'S JAW WITH A JUMPING HIGH KNEE! Despite the impact, the suddenness of it...much like Matt who wasn't taken down by one knee alone, Eli is STILL on his feet! He wobbles, and sways, falling backward against the ropes as his back bounces off of it....ricocheting himself BACK INTO A SECOND JUMPING HIGH KNEE THAT FLOORS HIM!

[Mauro Ranallo]
Matt Sydal with a KNEED to become Intercontinental Champion delviers not one, but TWO unbelievable knee shots to Eli, and Corey...ELI IS OUT!

[Corey Graves]
I feel like we've said that a couple of times already in this match and he's come back from each of them, but wow...that was honestly as much as I hate to use this pun...that was a shock of EVERYONE'S system, especially Eli's.

Upon Eli falling to the mat like a sack of bricks, Matt right away breathing heavily looks to the top rope. He's a glutton for punishment, he's gone for this twice and it hasn't worked out, but as Mauro mentioned bread and butter moves, The Shooting Star Press is Matt Sydal's bread, butter, and everything else in between it. He could try to pull Eli's dead weight up for The Here It Is Driver, but instead...he extends his arm out pointing to the top rope, and the audience just as excited as he is to hit it, scream at the top of their lungs for him to do it. He slips out onto the apron, mounts the top turnbuckle, then stands tall as he looks down at The Intercontinental Champion. He takes a breath, not to protect his lung capacity like last time, but more so to say..."Okay, here we go again." Determination fueling him, as it does every match he's in...he pushes off, jumping into the air....transitioning into The Shooting Star....AND IT HITS ITS MARK! Matt crashes down onto Eli Drake, and collapses on top of him for the cover.



1....









2..........















3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




As the referee's hand strikes the mat the final time, the bell sounds, and this incredible Intercontinental Championship Match comes to an end! The fans erupt in loud cheers, as the man that rises up to his feet almost immediately is none other than our NEW Intercontinental Champion, MATT SYDAL! Within barely seconds, the old "glow" he had about himself has returned, and you see the arrogance we came to love regain it's highest of high as he now has pinned Eli Drake for the second time in 2 weeks, and this time...IT HAS WON HIM THE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

[Mauro Ranallo]
Matt Sydal just shocked the system!

[Corey Graves]
A hell of a valiant effort from Eli Drake, but in the end...the man that puts The ELI in ELITE...has been ELIiminated from his position as Intercontinental Champion!

[Mauro Ranallo]
Eli was able to eliminate Pete Dunne after he questionably threw away their 2 on 1 strategy by attacking Matt Sydal...I'm not entirely sure what his intentions were, but that "shocking" act ensured that once Pete found his shoulders pinned to the mat by Eli Drake...Matt just stood there and let it happen.

[Corey Graves]
I think Pete got a bit ahead of himself and Matt while loyal to The Undisputed Era...saw that if Pete remained in that match who knew what would happen, egos were certainly playing a factor before his elimination.

[Mauro Ranallo]
We even though Eli had Matt eliminated when he hit The Gravy Train shortly after, but the man that holds the record for The Longest Reigning World Heavyweight Champion in XWL history...proved why he holds that record by kicking out, and shortly thereafter now stands here as The NEW Intercontinental Champion!



The official retrieves The Intercontinental Championship from the timekeeper, and walks back over to Matt to present him his new prize. Matt stands there clearly elated, after all this event one year ago saw him lose his shine...it kick started his downfall all because of JBL and The Cabinet...all because of fate being a royal asshole to him by deciding that JBL would be his partner against The Bullet Club, and because of his desire to beat them...he ultimately found himself forced to join The Cabinet, or lose his XWL career. JBL being an even bigger asshole than fate exploited some unspoken agreement, and it led to months upon months upon months of anguish over losing who he was.



That all began one year ago at Roulette, but now...as he stands here with gold at his fingertips, his hand extends out to it...and you see his swagger growing by the second as he gets closer and closer...and at last is handed HIS prize for winning this match. When The Gold touches his hands, as it rests there...suddenly he looks up staring directly into the camera, and emphatically says these two words...."I'M BACK!" raising the title for all to see.



With those words echoing for a couple of seconds....his music suddenly stops, and all the lights in the arena go out, it's as if nobody paid the Electric bill at the worst possible time, like surely that's not the case, right?

[Mauro Ranallo]
What...what's going on?

[Corey Graves]
I don't know but can you think of a worse possible time for this to happen? The NEW Intercontinental Champion just said he's back, whatever that means and before we even find out what it means, the lights go out, we lose his music, this is just a disaster.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Perhaps JBL furiously demanded to end this celebration out of anger over something he for sure didn't want to see happen.

[Corey Graves]
Oh come on, that's just ridiculous. Did he want to see him leave tonight as Champion? Maybe not, but insinuating he would try to sabotage his own product because he doesn't like someone is completely unfounded. I'm sure the owner of this arena just gambled away the rent, this is Las Vegas after all.

Seconds pass, and they start to feel like forever, but the longer it lasts, an odd excitement bubbles within the arena. Because while the pitch black scene persists, we start to...feel a bit of Déjà vu. We're not sure what it is, but...something feels familiar about this, like...this isn't just some random outage. We swear this has happened before, a lot actually...it's as if this happened before something else would come, it's not to signify the arrival of The Undertaker...it's not the emergence of The Demon...no, it's...something else.

[Corey Graves]
Uh hello, we're trying to put on a show here...can we really not fix this yet?

[Mauro Ranallo]
Wait a second, Corey...I think you might be right. I was out of line...this has nothing to do with JBL.

[Corey Graves]
What do you mean?

Before Corey gets an answer, suddenly...the lights briefly flicker back on, only to shut back off. But, they didn't appear to be their normal color..., perhaps we're just seeing things because we're been staring at the darkness for so long? No, wait...it just happened again. The fans start to get even louder...as it happens once more....and the darkness begins be illuminated by sudden flash of....GOLD...lighting. Soon the frequency of these flashes grow, we're starting to connect the dots, but the audience here in Las Vegas has fully assembled the picture. Getting LOUDER AND LOUDER as suddenly, the lights stop, and the darkness returns.

[Corey Graves]
WHAT IS GOING ON?!




















A GOLD spotlight casts down over the ring, as the once INFECTIOUS tune of THE GOLDEN ONE sounds in it's fullest form and Matt Sydal stands in the ring, his Intercontinental Championship held high into the air as the gold light bounces off of it, and every man, woman, and child have jumped to their feet as they realize they are witnessing the REEMERGENCE OF THE GOLDEN ONE HIMSELF, ONE YEAR AFTER HIS SHINE WAS TAKEN FROM HIM, HE HAS REGAINED IT, AND NO LONGER IS HE A MAN OF FLESH AND BONE...HE IS THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TOUCH, BECAUSE AS HIS THEME SAYS, AS THE AUDIENCE BEGINS TO CHANT ALONG WITH IT...EVERYTHING HE TOUCHES...TURNS TO GOLD, GOLD GOLD!

[Corey Graves]
OH NOT THIS AGAIN!

[Mauro Ranallo]
MAMA MIA, HE HAS RISEN, THE GOLDEN TICKET OF XWL IS BACK!

[Corey Graves]
BUT IT'S SO OVER DRAMATIC! IT TAKES HIM LIKE 20 MINUTES TO MAKE AN ENTRANCE!

[Mauro Ranallo]
That's called suspense, Corey.

[Corey Graves]
It's hard to build suspense when you're sitting in the dark for 10 minutes waiting for something to happen.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Now you're the one that's being over dramatic.

With pure joy overcoming him, Matt Sydal rushes to the corner leaping up onto it as he raises his title up with both hands and screams at the top of his lungs "IN CASE YOU NEED A REMINDER, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE BEST GOLD DAMN SUPERSTAR TO SET FOOT IN THIS RING!" His all to familiar phrasing ramps the cheers up that much more, as fans in the arena, and surely those at home continue to sing along with his theme in parts. "WHEN EVERYTHING EVERY EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH!"  "TURNS TO GOLD GOLD GOLD!!" It's as if we've been transported a year back in time, and they haven't skipped a single beat.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Fate works in funny ways, it took Matt Sydal's golden aura away from him with the darkest chapter of his career...but one year later it has restored his shine, and like a golden phoenix he has risen up from the ashes!

[Corey Graves]
And I thought Natalya took forever to celebrate a win...CAN WE PLEASE MOVE ON WITH THE SHOW?

[Mauro Ranallo]
Bask in it, Corey. THIS IS THE RETURN OF THE GOLDEN ONE!

[Corey Graves]
YEAH, I CAN TELL BY THE GOLD LIGHTING, AND THE SONG THAT REPEATS GOLD EVERY 5 SECONDS!

[Mauro Ranallo]
If this is your reaction I can only imagine JBL's...

The lights resume back to normal as his celebration nears it's end, but it's not quite over just yet. He dismounts from the corner then walks close to the ropes, nearest to where a cameraman is filming, and pulls The Intercontinental Championship close to his waist.



"I HOPE YOU'RE WATCHING, JOHN! I HOPE YOU'RE THROWING A TANTRUM AS YOU SIT IN YOUR OFFICE BITCHING AT YOUR ASSISTANT TO CUT THE MONITOR OFF! I HOPE THAT THIS SIGHT INFURIATES YOU BECAUSE IN SPITE OF YOUR POWER, DESPITE OF HOW YOU GOT IT? YOU COULDN'T STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING!" Clearly his emotions come flooding out in this moment, realizing that in spite of all that JBL did, it ultimately failed because here he stands THE NEW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION...and while JBL might be General Manager, he ultimately was powerless to stop Matt from proving why he is one of the best Superstars in XWL history.

[Mauro Ranallo]
It is quite incredible how lady luck shined brightly over Matt Sydal to get him this opportunity, and he certainly made the most of it.

[Corey Graves]
I might not be a fan of the whole hour long entrances...but no one can deny Matt's ability, he's proven it since his first title win, to every title win thereafter, no one truly appreciates being Champion more than he does. There's something admirable about that.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Once again a great match, that has now brought about the RETURN OF THE GOLDEN ONE!

Having delivered a message that was loud and clear to The General Manager wherever he is right now...Matt backs up until he's in the center of the ring, then places both hands on over his title and raises it high into the air to one final "pop!" from The Vegas crowd.



The Golden One is back, and he's our NEW Intercontinental Champion. We don't know what the future holds but we know that with Matt's shined restored, he's ready to reclaim his spot as The "Best Golden Damn Superstar" In XWL today. The cameras at last fade away, and our final sight is a triumphant Matt Sydal proudly holding his new prize. The Undisputed Era have indeed stricken gold tonight, can they add The Tag-Team Championship later on? We'll soon find out.

Following Matt Sydal’s monumental intercontinental championship victory, we fade out from the image of him walking up the ramp to what some new viewers may think is dead air, but most of the audience is well aware is the lair of Bray Wyatt. A longer period of time than usual passes, before Wyatt makes his way into frame with his signature lantern, ready to address the XWL Universe for the first time since his first attack on Finn Balor, which he has been unusually quiet on.

[Bray Wyatt]
Tonight the first step on the path to armageddon will be completed, and XWL will finally begin to cure itself of its wounds. Tonight, this demon, this ’executioner will finally be put to rest.

Wyatt paces back and forth for a few moments, softly laughing to himself.

[Bray Wyatt]
Executioner. Finn, that’s always been a funny name, hasn’t it? You see, I am not targeting you out of everyone else for lack of reason, no no no. The spirits that compel me towards my ultimate goal do not act on impulse. No, there are certainly reasons, reasons I am finally willing to explain.

Wyatt takes a few steps back and places his lantern down, revealing that his old rocking chair has been behind him this entire time. Wyatt glances down at the chair, possibly reflecting on everything him and the chair have been through over the years, before sitting down and continuing to speak.

[Bray Wyatt]
You see Finn, demons are a fascinating thing. Beasts whose true powers may never truly be known to us mortals. Eternal tormentors, looking up on humanity and judging, planning, waiting for their turn to destroy us. And you Finn, you have made a most daring claim, you have claimed yourself to be a demon, a being bent on torturing others. But the truth is Finn Balor, you are no demon. You are nothing but a man, easily corrupted and willed towards the ways of others.

Wyatt leans forward and picks up his lantern once again, examining the light inside.

[Bray Wyatt]
A man’s soul is a most interesting beast as well, however. And many a time a demon has found its way into said souls, twisting the men they belong to until all that is left is a shadow of what there once was. And Finn, this is exactly what has happened to you as it happens to so many unfortunate souls. You have been corrupted by demons, consumed by them. And yet, you claim to have control over them, to harness them. But what do your actions say, hm? What have you been without the Bullet Club? The men who sheltered you, gave you a purpose, allowed you to be their ‘executioner’?

[Bray Wyatt]
Do not get me wrong Finn Balor, I believe you are a truly skilled man, who has the abilities to shatter the world around him. But you have become corrupted, as has the rest of this company. Thus, you are the chosen one. You will be the first who is saved right here tonight, and brought back to their former glory. You will be allowed to be a man free of others, free of his demons, free of himself. And then, it will be onto to savior for the next poor soul in need, as the cosmic spirits continue to course through my veins and lead me as their warrior to save all those in need of saving.

At this point Bray Wyatt has gotten out of his chair and is on the ground in front of it kneeling, arms outstretched, and begins to let out his signature laugh. As he continues, the camera zooms in on the lantern next to him, as Roulette continues.

With Roulette rolling right along, we're taken backstage where none other than Renee Young is standing by, and she isn't alone. No, standing alongside her, still proudly sporting her "Captain's Hat" that she "borrowed" from Kairi Sane, along with a huge accomplished smile is Little Miss Bliss herself, Alexa Bliss.

[Renee Young]
Ladies and Gentlemen, she successfully defeated Kairi Sane earlier tonight in a Trading Places Match, please welcome Alexa Bliss!

Alexa looks at her with an expression that essentially says "I mean, is that all you have to say?" As if she expected a bigger introduction, Renee put off by this just stares at her blindly blinking until Alexa speaks up.

[Alexa Bliss]
Like, not to tell you how to do your job, because you're moderately passable at times...but like, this Woman took advantage of me after I had already competed at The Slammy Awards to further embarrass me, and what I just did? Was right the wrong that her entire debut night was, and prove that Alexa Bliss is NOT to be walked over like I'm some plank on the side of a ship over the sea of success. Don't downplay my redemption, Renee. I've been through a lot this year, and after finally overcoming the biggest bully in the world, Asuka...I thought I had finally put all of the bullying behind me, but then here comes this "Pirate" and suddenly it's like I'm almost fighting the same battle.

[Renee Young]
My apologies, that wasn't my intention. You did indeed redeem yourself tonight, let's talk about The Trading Places Match, how did you execute so many of her moves with little time to prepare?

[Alexa Bliss]
It's called talent, and besides...I wouldn't exactly say she's that hard to copy. I mean did you see my Insane Elbow? Eat your heart out, Kairi.

[Renee Young]
I do have to ask about, the hat...

As if Alexa somehow forgot she's wearing this monster of a hat she looks up and smiles, placing her hand on it with a prideful glee.

[Alexa Bliss]
Oh, this? Well, seeing as I just defeated the so called "Pirate Princess" I figured that kind of makes me The Captain now, doesn't it? Isn't that how a duel works? I'm pretty sure I read that in a book one time, and who am I to break tradition? After all, Kairi seems so into this whole yo-ho business I didn't want to act ungrateful. So I figure y'know, I wear this tonight, maybe enjoy a night out on her ship, I mean surely she has one, right? What kind of Pirate doesn't have a ship? But then once I get bored with it, which let's face it...it's not exactly an exciting lifestyle choice. But once I've had my fun I'll throw this hat in my closet and who knows, maybe next year I'll dress up as her for Halloween. This was pretty fun, and actually...I'm not hating the attire either.

[Renee Young]
Well I'd hate to put a damper on your celebration, but since I do have you here, there is another topic I kind of wanted to talk to you about.

[Alexa Bliss]
I swear to god, Renee...this better not be about Nattie...if it's about Nattie, I will walk off this set right now, I just want to forget The Slammy Awards happened, okay? Can you let me do that?

[Renee Young]
Actually, it's nothing like that at all...um, it's kind of hard to even make mention of it, but a couple weeks ago someone said something about you, in a truly unexpected way...so out of the blue that it kind of caught all of us by surprise. And I'm sure with you being so busy preparing for your fight with Kairi you maybe haven't had a chance to hear about it yourself. But well, I just...with your stance against bullying, it felt textbook bully to me, more so that anything anyone else has ever said about you, ever.

[Alexa Bliss]
Renee, I appreciate you looking out for me...but do not for a second try to minimize the horrible things I have dealt with.

[Renee Young]
That's not what I'm doing it's just...it's really bad stuff...and even though you can be a bit much at times, I was disgusted by what I heard, and I guess I feel like someone needs to address it.

[Alexa Bliss]
Are you going to stand there stammering all night? Just spew it already!

[???]
Oh, you’re pretty used to spewing it, aren’t you? After all...you nearly killed yourself doing it.

Alexa has a ghost-white look on her face as she hears the voice behind her. The Wicked Witch turns around into a hard punch to the solarplexus from Ruby Riott! The self-proclaimed “Voice of Anarchy” smirks as Alexa doubles over from the impact of the blow to her midsection, coughing and wheezing for air before Ruby winds up and connects with a vicious boot to the side of Alexa’s head. Renee runs off to seek help knowing this isn't going to end well. Alexa drops to her back before Ruby stands over her, grabbing her by the hair.

[Ruby Riott]
Your entire life, you’ve been handed opportunity after opportunity. You’ve been handed the perfect life, handed popularity, handed a contract, handed your dreams on a silver freaking platter! You never had to work for a goddamn thing and knowing how many times you tried to throw it all down the toilet makes me as sick as you made yourself! Well you know what? Let me hand you one last opportunity...the opportunity to be as thin and as pretty as you always wanted to be, even if it meant starving yourself half to death to get there. Open wide, bitch...

Ruby has a downright vicious, evil look in her eyes as she yanks Alexa to her knees by her hair. Holding Alexa up by the hair, the Wicked Witch begins to stir. However, her eyes quickly widen as Ruby brings her free hand forward, jamming her middle and index fingers into Alexa’s throat, triggering her gag reflex. Immediately Alexa starts panicking  as security rushes in to break it up, but before we see them even appear, the cameras abruptly cut away from showing any more of what's to come...but while the camera was cut, the audio remains in tact for a few brief more seconds. Long enough to hear retching sounds coming from Alexa Bliss as Renee's voice cuts through the moment screaming at the top of her lungs "OH MY GOD STOP HER!" followed by the dead silence of the audio finally being shut off.  We didn't see what happened, but we can put the pieces together enough to know that what just happened...was one of the most vile things to ever take place on XWL programming..and we can't even believe it just happened.

We return from commercial break and we’re focused on the titantron that quickly goes from yellow to red as the words are spoken loudly across the entire arena.

“SHOCK…. THE SYSTEM”




A sudden flash along with drums and a brooding bass kick in. A shadow comes from the back  and you can see emerge from the back poised and ready is Pete Dunne to take on his opponent tonight in Sami Zayn. Dunne standing tall at the top of the stage and he flexes both his arms out wide and pulls them in together, into fists. He grins with his mouthpiece in full view, and then sends a fist down near the cameraman who almost gets caught.

Rushing down the ramp, The Bruiserweight doesn’t waste any time and finds himself at the end of the ramp way, looking side to side. He’s menacing and he’s ready to put a hurting on 1/3 of Alpha Club. Dunne takes a quick run up the steps and then inside the ropes.

He flips his hair out of his eyes and power walks to the ropes, slamming his balled up fist off the top, causing it to shake uncontrollably. Pete stops for a moment, heavy breathing and then scowls as he goes to the corner.

He perches down in the corner and stretches his back against the turnbuckle pads. The ring announcer backs off from him, as he adjusts himself. Dunne gets out of the turnbuckle pad and rests his boot on the bottom rope, rolling his eyes just ready to get his hands on Zayn. The fans are eager now too, they are chanting “BRUISERWEIGHT” repeatedly amping him up.



Sami Zayn skips out onto the stage to a chorus of boos loving every moment of it. Sami throws his arm in the air and screams "LETS GO!" as Dunne looks unimpressed, Sami gets into the ring face to face as they await their match type.

https://imgur.com/Gd4PIHS

Samis face sinks into doubt as he now realizes he can no longer run away for Pete Dunne, which was 90% of this strategy, Sami turns around and his eyes meet a ready and willing Pete Dunne.






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ELBOW! Dunne CRACKED SAMI WITH A HUGE ELBOW AND NOW CLUTCHES HIM FOR THE BITTER END! Dunne hits the Bitter End on Sami and goes into the cover, the ref counts 3 as Dunne stands victorious.

XWL cameras return to the ring where we see Jimmy Havoc already in the ring sitting in a chair awaiting not only his rival but the stipulation to this match.



Cody's theme hits as we see him not wasting any time rushing to the ring with a chair of his own. Cody gets in the ring sets the chair up facing Jimmy face to face as we see Drake Maverick pop up on the titantron.

Drake Maverick
Cody, Jimmy it is time to reveal your match type.


Drake gives the wheel a good spin.



Drake Maverick
Gentleman, your match will be a TLC match! Now this will not be a normal TLC match where you must climb the ladder and retrieve what is hanging above, instead the only way to win will be by pin fall or submission, best of luck to you both.

The bell rings and the match is underway.

ARE YOU READY TO FACE THE FACTS!



CURT HAWKINS CAN LIFT UP A CHAIR WITH ONE HAND... WHILE HE'S SITTING ON IT...

BEFORE GOING TO BED, THE BOOGEYMAN ALWAYS CHECKS HIS CLOSET FOR CURT HAWKINS.

CURT HAWKINS PLAYED RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH A FULLY LOADED GUN AND WON.

The man of the hour would walk out onto the main stage. He would twirl the cane in his hand as he would grin from ear to ear. He was not booked on the show tonight, but that did not mean he could not be here to speak his mind and dish out the facts to people.

“Finally at long last things are actually going my way for once. Finally I have gotten myself up off my hands and knees and I have started to win again. Winning used to come naturally to me and it is good to be back on the right track, the road has been a little bumpy so far, but now it looks like things are about to get a hell off a lot better for me. Now for all those who have not been paying attention or just have not bothered to watch recently…I finally got myself back on tract by doing the one thing I have recently failed to do…win a match here as a member of XWL.”

He would let a small chuckle leave his lips as he would walk from the main stage and move forward as he slowly takes his time as he walks down the ramp way to the ring. He had all the time in the world and he was going to milk it all for it’s worth.

“I have been here before. I have had runs in this company before, but it never amounted to anything of worth, but last week was different. I managed to turn everything around when I stepped into the ring against the one and only Scott Steiner. When that match was announced last week, everyone counted me out, they all told me that Scott Steiner was a rising star here, while I had my chance and I blew it. To be told that I stood no chance against Scott Steiner was the most insulting thing that has ever been said to me. I may have been on a losing streak, but there was no way in hell that I was ever going to be beaten by a guy like Scott Steiner.”

He would reach the bottom of the ramp at long last. He was walking slowly and taking his time, spinning his cane in his hand and enjoying himself as he moves to the ring steps and placed one foot on them as he starts to walk up the steps and then onto the ring apron as he slips into the ring.

“Times are hard for me right now, but things have not gotten that bad for me yet. I walked into that match last week against that chump with my head held high, I took all the negativity that had been thrown my way and I used it to my advantage and you want to know what happened! I beat Scott Steiner! Not only did I beat him…I totally destroyed him…you don’t see him here tonight…you don’t see him standing here do you - no you don’t… Scott Steiner attacked me and he still failed to keep me down. Scott Steiner believed all the hype…he believed in the fans words and his own, he actually thought he had a chance against me…that was his biggest mistake. I had way too much on the line in that match, there was no way about it I had to win and I did just that. Sure people might say that cheating may have played a small part in my important victory, but let me assure you I had that match in my hand as soon as the bell rang. Everything you do in order to win is legal in my eyes. Scott Steiner never had a chance, from the moment the bell rang it was game over for him. I enjoyed making that little bitch my own and I am going to enough doing it again and again, because Scott Steiner was not the only person I have my sights set on. I told you all. I am coming for the relics of this company, Scott Steiner was the first - but men like HBK and Bray Wyatt - they are next on my list - and that is fact!”

The arena then fills with a superstars entrance music which receives a mix off cheers and boos from the crowd.



HBK comes out onto the stage as the mixed reaction gets louder which brings a smile to the face of hbk as he dances on the stage and does his suck it taunts to certain members off the crowd. He then lifts the microphone that he has up to his face and begins to talk.

HBK: A relic? Seriously? Do you know who you are talking about? Have you been dropped on your head a few times? Did you see what I did to leo kruger only a few weeks ago? A man in his prime, some considered him one of the best wrestlers in the world and I destroyed him! That mans career is now ended thanks to me. Do you think a relic could do that huh? I am the best god damn wrestler in this company by a country mile. Nobody can touch my quality in that ring. I am the greatest god damn wrestler off all time and who are you? some nobody, someone not even worthy to lace my boots yet alone walk a mile in my shoes.

HBK seems seriously pissed off after what he has heard Hawkins come out with.

HBK: You know JBL has given me a few weeks off after what I did to Leo Kruger getting rid of that pest for him, doing something he couldn't do and I was quite happy to sit back relax and rest for the rest of my scheduled off time but now it looks like I am going to have to come down there and show you exactly what this so called relic is made off. GET A REF OUT HERE NOW I AM ABOUT TO KICK SOMEONES ASS!

HBK drops the microphone and strips off to reveal his ring gear underneath as the crowd begin to cheer in anticipation off a match. A referee then begins to run from the back and into the ring. HBK makes his way into the ring, the ref checks both competitors and rings the bell to get the match underway

“Hold on, hold on - HOLD ON!”

Curt Hawkins would raise his voice, his hands would come together to form the time out signature as he would drop down to the mat and then just as quickly as he did that he would roll right outside of the ring. This was all - well this was all happening so fast that he did not have time to even prepare. He did not come here to have his time wasted as he looked on from the outside of the ring as he paced back and forth.

“Listen, I admire your fighting attitude, but last time I checked my friend you where not the acting general manager - THATS A FACT! You cannot just go ahead and do as you wish, booking matches as you see fit, that’s - that’s not how it works - FACT! You see HBK - I am the man that beat the roided up Scott Steiner. I am the man that scared Broken Matt Hardy so much he was afraid to come out and face me. All of that is FACT my friend. I am at the top of my game and do you - DO YOU THINK I WANT MY TIME WASTED. The FACTS are as follow. I am not competing tonight and if I were, it would not be against you. MAYBE ONE DAY YOU WILL FACE THE FACTS - but that day is not today. Your good HBK - but I am so much better than you and my time - unlike your own, is worth something. This is all a waste of my time, if you want a match against me then prove yourself - because the FACTS don’t lie - I am above you now, it is you - who has to work to have a match with me.”

He would grab his cane and point it at the man in the ring, his music would play as he would turn his back on the man in the ring as he would make his way back up the ramp. This was a match that the people wanted to see, but the facts have been dropped, HBK was going to have to prove himself to Curt Hawkins.

*Renee Young is shown in the backstage area.*



[Renee Young]
Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time to determine who will face co-World Heavyweight Champion Johnny Gargano tonight where if they are victorious they will be added to the World Heavyweight Championship match at the next XWL special event, Breakthrough!

*The camera pans to the left where the infamous XWL Roulette wheel is shown.  Renee steps towards it and begins the spin.  Round and round the wheel goes...*










[Renee Young]
There we have it!  Finn Bálor will be pulling double duty here tonight as he will have the opportunity to-

*Renee stops suddenly as her attention is drawn to something out of view.  Johnny Gargano himself walks onto the scene.  He isn't happy nor upset.  Just emotionless.  Something which has become all too common lately.  He nods his head and claps slowly as Renee aims her mic towards him.*



[Johnny Gargano]
Finn Bálor... "The Demon King"!  Great.  That's just great Renee.  You know, I'm sure Finn and I will tear the house down tonight, but I have bigger problems to deal with than someone like Finn.  That's why he can expect no mercy from me when we do battle later on tonight.  I don't care about his ambitions.  I don't care about his dreams.  All I care about, is ending Chris Jericho... and holding on to my life's work...

*Gargano looks down at the ground and takes a deep breath before continuing.*

[Johnny Gargano]
So Finn... Demon King!  I hope you're ready to face something you've never faced before.  Because Finn, I too have my own demons, but unlike you, I don't keep them locked away as an alter-ego.  Neither do I have a strange, unhealthy body paint fetish.  No, my demons.... they allow me to do things I never knew I was capable of before.  I no longer have limits.  I'll cross whatever lines I have to, to remain champion... and you think you're going to get one over on me and reduce my odds of keeping my title at Breakthrough?  Think again!

*Gargano is notably more aggressive than usual as he barks into the mic.*

[Johnny Gargano]
You like to say that nobody can outrun a demon or a bullet.  You say it pretty much every time you're on TV... but I'm not running.  Why would I?  You aren't anything to be afraid of... but I am Finn.  And that's something you're going to find out tonight, and what Chris Jericho will find out whenever I have the opportunity to get my hands around his neck!

*With that, Gargano inexplicably walks away all fired up, leaving Renee Young slightly out of sorts with his unexpected interruption especially given the nature of it.*

*Roulette rolls on...*

*The words "Earlier Today" flash across the screen briefly before video footage begins to play.  The scene is in some kind of gym area.  The Lightning From Down Under and one quarter of tonight's main event, Toni Storm is shown on-screen.  Off-screen is an XWL interviewer.  Storm appears calm and collected, showing no sign of nerves ahead of the huge match due to take place later in the night.*

[Interviewer]
Toni, tonight you make your in-ring debut inside an XWL ring.  In the main event of a major show, Roulette, no less.  And not only that, but it's a championship match to determine the inaugural North American Champion as the Women's Division welcomes it's second championship into the fray...

*Storm breaks into a grin.*



[Toni Storm]
Yup, it's pretty wild isn't it?

[Interviewer]
Now you requested this time in advance of the match to get a few things off your chest.  What is it that you'd like to say to everybody watching right now?

*Storm takes a deep breath.  Her grin fades as a more serious expression replaces it.*



[Toni Storm]
You're right, I requested this time because I think everybody has gotten me all wrong.  I've been portrayed as the bad guy ever since day one because of what I did to Dakota Kai.  I've already said that I was sorry for my actions.  Despite what everybody thinks, I do have a conscience.  I'm a human being.  I only did what I did because I felt I had to.  If you come into this business without making an impact, you're just going to fail and become irrelevant.  I worked too hard to get to XWL for that to happen, so I needed to do something crazy.  I needed to get people talking.  Unfortunately, Dakota Kai was a necessary casualty in doing that.  She was collateral damage.  It wasn't personal, it was strictly business.  I needed the world to be talking about Toni Storm... and I succeeded.

*A look remorse and almost sadness crosses the face of Storm as she continues.*



[Toni Storm]
I wish Dakota Kai the very best in her recovery.  Honestly, I do.  I really hope she makes a comeback and I'm more than happy for us to beat the hell out of each other inside the ring someday if that's what she wants.  But anybody in my shoes would've done the same thing if it meant achieving your dreams.  My dream has always been to get to XWL and to be a champion.  Stage one is complete, stage two is in progress.  The ends justified the means.  In hindsight, would I have done anything differently?  Maybe.  But I'm here, and I'm about to head into a championship match, so I'm not going to dwell on the past too much and I'm 100% focused on the here and the now.  And that is becoming the first ever North American Champion.

[Interviewer]
You say you've been portrayed as the "bad guy" but you haven't really done yourself any favours with some of your words aimed towards other members of the roster...

*Storm snaps back a little, taking some offense.*



[Toni Storm]
If the other women on the roster can't face up to some harsh realities about themselves when I get on the microphone then they're in the wrong line of work.  I've studied the best promo guys in the business from a young age when I was growing up in Australia.  From Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Raven, Stone Cold, The Rock... the list goes on and on.  If you can't handle a promo, you're in the wrong business.  And besides, at the end of the day, insults are entertaining.  If you respect your opponents too much or don't go all-in inside the ring and outside of it then you're just going to fail. I've already explained my thoughts on failure.  I've meant every word I've said up to this point, because I see weakness on the roster.  But I'm not weak, and I can definitely back up every last thing that I say about myself inside the ring.  Tonight I'm going to prove that.

[Interviewer]
For those people out there who haven't followed your career, can you give us an insight into how you made it to XWL?  And what can we expect from you inside the ring in your first XWL match-up?

*Storm perks up and is clearly excited to talk about her long road to the big stage of XWL.*



[Toni Storm]
I was a strange kid... a crazy 80s glam metal fan, a big Mötley Crüe fan which is why I have the line on my face.  I fell in love with wrestling at the age of 10.  It just drew me in with the larger than life characters.  It was like watching superheroes come to life.  And I was just like, "That's what I'm going to be when I grow up".  Ever since that moment that's all I ever wanted to be and I'm a certified wrestling fan for life.  I begged my mom to let me train and I finally got to a few years later.  I moved to the UK when I was 18 years old for better opportunities. I did a few tours around the world, all across Europe and Japan and finally I worked my way here.  I've taken experience from everywhere I've been, mashed it all together to bring it into one: the Japanese style, the English style... just picking stuff up from wherever I go.  Just kind of brought it all together into one thing which is me.  I'm a hard hitter, I just go crazy and all out every time.  It's my escape.



[Toni Storm]
The match tonight means a hell of a lot to me.  Not only is it the culmination of all my hard work, but hopefully it will mean I will go on to have an awesome career and eventually go down in history as one of the greats.  It's an opportunity to not only become the first ever North American Champion, but it's my chance to show the world exactly what Toni Storm is all about and maybe earn back some of the respect that I might've lost recently.

*Every word she speaks has meaning.  Every sentence has a purpose.  You can tell that Storm is being genuine throughout this interview.  Maybe she isn't that bad after all?*



[Toni Storm]
I need to succeed, there's no other alternative for me, this is just what I do.  Tonight I'm walking out as champion, I promise you that.  I just hope that the XWL Universe understands why I've made the choices I've made up to this point and I wish the other three in the match with me the very best of luck, as they will need it when they come up against me.  I wasn't kidding or playing around when I said a storm was coming... and tonight it comes to Vegas.

*Storm has a determined look in her eye as the video fades away.*


*Roulette continues...*

[Corey Graves]
Mauro, call the cops! This woman might have committed murder last week!

[Mauro Ranallo]
Well, it doesn't seem like anyone is exactly missing James Ellsworth around here, especially Miss Money in the Bank...

[Corey Graves]
Carmella should've pressed charges for this banshee kidnapping Frankie!

Nikki Cross has a rabid look in her eyes as she sprints down the ramp and slides into the ring. The Psychotic Scot shouts as she rips her jacket off, slamming it repeatedly against the mat before beckoning for a microphone, giggling as she starts to speak.



[Nikki Cross]
It seems as if someone wants to play. Well...I do really, really like to play! Somebody around here seems to know what happened to my beloved April. Somebody around here knows...a secret! And I'm out here now...to call out whoever it is!



[Nikki Cross]
You want to play, hm? Do you want to play!? Well...don't be scared, now! Play with Nikki! Play with Nikki! I won't bite! Well...unless you happen to be into that...but this is not the time or place to nibble on someone! I want to play a game! So if you think you can match wits with Nikki!? Get out here and come and prove it!



[Nikki Cross]
Is it Carmella!? Is it Mr. JBL? Is it his little gang of pretty little puppets? C'mon...let's play! Don't be shy! I just want you to come out to play! Hehehehehehe!

As Nikki giggles to herself, however, the lights suddenly fade to black within the arena. Nikki continues to cackle wickedly into the microphone until the lights come back on, revealing... A venus fly-trap?? The audience gasps in shock and instantly begin to rile up at the possibility of what this might entail. This symbol can only be indicative of one woman. poking out of the jaws of the carnivorous plant is another white note, sealed with a lipstick-stain kiss. As Nikki pries the paper from the mouth of the plant and scrambles to open it, she looks down before scowling, grabbing the potted fly-trap and punting it like a soccer ball outside of the ring, causing the porcelain pot to shatter. The camera focuses in on the note, which reads:




Game on.



[Corey Graves]
You don't think-...

[Mauro Ranallo]
It can't be!



[Nikki Cross]
Aw...are you too much of a pussy to come out here and face me? Are you too scared to play with Nikki! Well...that's no fun! I want someone to play with! But now...I guess whoever you are...if you don't produce my April...you will just have to be purged!



[Nikki Cross]
Purge! Purge! Purge! Purge! Purge! Everyone in my way will be purged until I find my April! You will all be purged! Purge! Purge! Purge the world!

Nikki Cross slams down the microphone before dropping to a seated position, unstable as she is, rocking back and forth at an erratic, wild pace while clawing her hands through her unkempt hair. Repeating the words "Purge the world" over and over again, as Roulette heads into another segment.

Bray Wyatt makes his way out to the ring to start this match between him and the man he has attacked week after week, Finn Balor. While his intentions had remained unclear for quite some time, earlier tonight he outlined his reasoning that he was trying to "Save Finn Balor from himself", which may not make much sense to the average person such as us, but when has Bray Wyatt ever said something that does, truthfully? As he makes his way down the ramp slowly, lantern in hand, one has to ponder what exactly Wyatt has planned for tonight and beyond. What happens if Wyatt does what he claims he will do and defeats Finn Balor? Will he truly be ever closer to completing his quest to "cleanse" XWL? What will it take for XWL to be up to his satisfaction? For him to be at peace with these "spirits" within him? Wyatt makes his way to the ring steps, seemingly not asking any of these questions, simply dedicated to his task at hand. He makes his way between the ropes inside the ring and paces around the exterior a few times, forming a callous grin. What cruel thoughts of destruction are on his mind? Eventually, he decides to reach the center of the ring and blow out the lantern, marking the end of his entrance.



A creepy song begins playing throughout the arena and the crowd automatically gets on their feet. The lights in the arena begin to flicker on and off as demonic voices can be heard behind the music. The music continues to play as the lights begin to flicker faster and faster. A demonic voice can be heard as the music stops.

???:
Bray Wyatt. Your time has come to feel the wrath of The Demon.



The lights go out and heartbeats are heard around the arena. The Demon has arrived. The menacing music continues to play as red lights begin to shine throughout the arena. Smoke begins to rise from the ground and the Demon emerges from it with an intense look on his face. He is ready for a fight. The Demon begins walking slowly towards the ring as some of the crowd cheer and some of them boo. Demon Finn throws up the top sweet in honor of his former Bullet Club brethren.

[Corey Graves]

Demon Balor is ready for a fight tonight. Bray Wyatt better be ready because there is no prediction of what this man will do.. or should I say Demon.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Straight out of the pits of hell. Demon Finn is here and ready to take on The Eater of Worlds, Bray Wyatt.

Balor walks up the steps with Bray locked in his sights. Bray stands in the ring smiling at the monster he has brought forward but no smiles are seen on Balor’s face tonight. The Demon is through playing games. Balor hops in the ring and squats in the corner staring straight at his opponent.

















[Mauro Ranallo]
FINN BALOR DRIVING BRAY WYATT THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE!

[Corey Graves]
HE’S TRYING TO KILL HIM!

Indeed, Finn Balor had just driven Wyatt right through the announce table to the cold, hard floor below. While Balor himself clearly had some damage done to him, it is clear that the intended victim had done exactly as planned and taken the brunt of the move. With a devilish grin on his face, Balor wastes no time picking Wyatt up his long strands of hair and dragging him back inside the ring.

[Mauro Ranallo]
This has got to be over Corey, look at what Finn Balor just did to Bray Wyatt!

Clearly Finn has the same belief as Mauro, as after moving Wyatt into the ring, he takes some time to play up the crowd, clearly already believing himself to be the winner. Eventually, he makes his cover on Wyatt, but only for a two count!

[Corey Graves]
WYATT’S STILL IN THIS!

Kneeling on the ground next to Wyatt’s almost limp body, Finn Balor is in shock at the fact that Bray Wyatt, whether it be through sheer will, these “spirits” of his or a mix of both, has managed to stay alive in this competition. However, it’s not lone before we see that devilish smile once again, and Finn picks up a steel chair already in the ring with demonous thoughts in mind. Finn sets up the chair in the middle rope of the turnbuckle, clearly planning to send Wyatt head first directly into it, creating a painful collision course between his neck and steel. However, as Finn Balor makes his way back over to Wyatt to prop him up for the attack, Wyatt instead seemingly all the strength left inside him to counter Balor’s irish whip, into an irish whip of his own! Before he can even react, Balor is being sent straight into the chair that he himself just set up!

[Corey Graves]
Mauro, is this keeps up, I don’t know if either man will be able to walk after this.
























After a grueling battle between these two entities, the victor is none other than Bray Wyatt. After everything that has transpired, he sits uprights besides the body of Finn Balor, surrounded by the weapons of destruction these two have used on each other. A steel chair. A baseball bat. A kendo stick. A ladder. Tables. These men took each other to their limits, both to prove themselves as something more than just a person, a true being that is greater than mortal. But in the end, it is only Wyatt who can say he accomplished this here tonight. And such, as the lights go out at Roulette, only for them to come on mere moments later with both Wyatt and the Balor vanishing, yes, it is concerning, but these works of illusion are something we may need to simply accept as time draws forward, just as XWL Roulette does, live.

Mauro Ranallo
It’s Seth Freakin’ Rollins!

Corey Graves
Well yeah, Mauro, we can see that, his name’s plastered all over the screen, and all these people are screaming his name. I’ve heard of pointing out the obvious before but I mean come on, you’re supposed to be a professional. Can’t you think of anything better to say?

Mauro Ranallo
I’m just excited Corey! It’s been a while since we’ve seen the man, I wonder why he’s here?

Corey Graves
I’m sure he’s about to tell us, so try to contain your excitement, I just got this suit tailored and I don’t want it getting stained by your ‘excitement’

Rollins has made his way to the ring, a microphone in hand, he gives it a few seconds to let the volume of the crowd die down a bit before he starts to speak.



[Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins]
You know, it doesn’t matter whether it’s nine months or just a couple of weeks, being away from this ring kills me.

The audience go crazy cheering for Rollins.

[Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins]
But lately, being inside it was killing me as well…

Silence



[Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins]
Wrestling is my everything, it defines who I am, it makes me THE man, but over these past couple of months I’ve fallen into a slump, and I haven’t been able to pull myself out. I’ve tortured myself for weeks going over and over all the mistakes that I’ve made, just thinking about how I could have prevented it.  But while I sat there feeling sorry for myself, I remembered something that I seemed to have forgotten, and it lit a fire under my ass that shot me back up to my feet. I remembered that I’m… Seth Freakin’ Rollins!

The audience livens up again

[Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins]
It doesn’t matter if I lose a few matches, or if I mess up every now and again, because at the end of the day, I’m the best damn wrestler on this entire roster, and that’s not me bragging, and hopefully Hawkins doesn’t try to sue me for this, but it’s a fact! I lay my body on the line every single week, and I do it with flair, I do it with style, and I do it with skill.

Even though he’s stood in the ring boasting, the audience continue to cheer for Rollins.



[Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins]
But I’m not out here just to brag about how Freakin’ awesome I am, frankly, I don’t even need to. I’m out here, to remind myself, and to remind every one back there, why I’m the man, and to do what I do best, put on one hell of a show. Call it an open challenge, it doesn’t matter, I don’t care, I just want to kick some ass!

Seth drops the mic on the floor, pulls off his shirt and waits ready for whoever decides to accept his untimely challenge. As he stands in the middle of the ring, the fans can’t hold in their excitement, wanting to know who will be the man to go toe to toe with Seth Rollins in his in ring return to XWL. Wondering does Seth still have it. Wondering these questions and more, and it seems the questions will now have answers as every light in the arena simultaneously fades. The titantron goes black. The arena is left in complete darkness, awaiting the man to answer Seth’s call.

Mauro Ranallo
Who do you think it’s gonna be Corey?

Corey Graves
Well I’d say either we’re having some technical difficulties, or were about to see the return of the Undertaker Mauro.

Mauro Ranallo
Or maybe Matt Sydal? He returned as the “Golden One” earlier tonight in a similar fashion.

Corey Graves
You just had to remind me didn’t you.

The arena continues to be covered in darkness. There is no sign of light to be seen, besides that of a few cell phones, but that isn’t nearly enough to see what is going on in the ring. The arena is also in complete silence. The fans all silent wondering, waiting, hoping this is some sort of hype for a return that has been long awaited, however as time progresses it seems that just simply isn’t the case.

Mauro Ranallo
Well I’m terribly sorry ladies and gentlemen, but it seems we are having some sort of technical difficulties.

Corey Graves
There’s no way. You believe this is just some kind of coincidence? Seth Rollins issues an open challenge and we suddenly have “technical difficulties”.

Mauro Ranallo
Well I’m just going off what I can see, and as of right now that isn’t a whole lot.

Corey Graves
Mauro I’d be willing to bet that as soon as those lights come back on, th-

Suddenly, as if the “magic word” had been spoken, the lights in the arena return, chasing away the darkness. Everyone in the arena however, is somewhat blinded due to the fact that they were kept in the dark for so long, before Suddenly being drowned in the bright light. As some of the fans regain their composure, they begin to call for Rollins in an attempt to get his attention, however he himself has not even fully regained his composure. He squints, trying to make out what he sees as just moving blurs.

Mauro Ranallo
I don’t remember the lights being this bright Corey. They are absolutely blinding.

Corey Graves
We were sitting in darkness for quite a while. And I guess you were right. We have the XWL tech-team to thank.

Mauro Ranallo
Everyone makes mistakes Corey. We’re all huma- SETH WATCH OUT!

Mauro cries out exactly what the fans have been trying to, however with so many of them yelling different things, it’s very hard to understand what’s being said, especially when you can’t see. However Seth begins to regain his senses and begins to look to the crowd before him. He sees them frantically waving their arms in a frenzy, and screaming but he can’t quite make out what is being said. He tries to focus in on them, but he simply cannot make anything out. He thinks he can possibly ask them what it is they are trying to say, but he threw the microphone to the ground. So he turns around to retrieve it.....


SMACK!!!


Mauro Ranallo
Oh my god, No!

Corey Graves
What the hell!?

Seth collapses to the ground, his body going completely limp. Blood begins flowing from his faces, making a small pool around his body. For this is no way anyone should have to spend their return, but the man responsible obviously doesn’t seem to care. The camera shows Seth’s lifeless body and begins to pan upward revealing black boots. This obviously revealing nothing, as 99% of professional Wrestlers wear black boots. The camera continues to reveal black jeans and a glove gripping a steel chair. Is this the return of Dean Ambrose? Or maybe even James Storm? Again the camera rises showing a completely black hoodie. This has to be Sami Zayn, Bray Wyatt, or AJ styles right? Well keep reading and find out because finally everyone’s question is answered. The camera comes to a halt at the mans face. However, it isn’t his face?

Mauro Ranallo
This coward, he’s wearing a mask!

Corey Graves
For once I agree Mauro. Not because he’s a coward, but because I want to know who this man is.

Mauro Ranallo
Who this man is? He’s a monster, no man would attack someone from behind. That is a coward in my book.

Corey Graves
Or maybe he just did what Toni Storm did just recently at Cyberslam. Maybe he just made a name for himself in the biggest way he could. Take out the returning superstar, Seth Rollins.

Mauro Ranallo
Well if he wanted to make a name for himself, why the mask? He obviously doesn’t want anyone to know who the hell would do something so sick and twisted.

Corey Graves
Or maybe his thought are beyond the comprehension of some man child like you.

The mysterious masked man stands over the fallen and bloodied Seth Rollins, This obviously not being the return he had planned. The fans in attendance go completely silent, shocked and worried for Seth, as he has not moved an inch. The masked man looks down at Rollins and then up directly into the camera with a gaze of no regret, and as the arena is completely silent and in complete shock the screen again goes black as Roulette fades to a commercial break.

Steiner makes his way down to the ring in his usual black tights attire on, chainmail headress, and shirtless.  Steiner at the end of the entrance ramp flexes his arm and kisses his bicep.  The crowd surrounds him with him with "BOOS" as Steiner snatches a mic from a guy at ringside and the enters the ring.

Steiner paces the ring for a second while his music still plays then lifts the mic up to his face and begins to talk in a rather more aggressive tone than normal.

STEINER
Tonight, I get 60 minutes.  Just what the ladies ordered.  But they all know I'm going all night long.

The audience of women have a mixed reaction but clear cheers can be heard.  The rest are boos.

STEINER
ANGLE! tonight I'm going to make it my goal to make sure you don't walk out of this arena tonight! Tonight, I end you, and I end your career!

Steiner tosses the mic and gives his headdress to a guy at ringside as Kurt Angles music begins to play and he makes his way to the ring and the match begins.




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As Scott Steiner picks up the heavy steel steps, the referee of the match calls for the bell because Angle looks lifeless after taking the Steiner Screwdriver on the announce table.

RANALLO
The ref called for the bell the match is over!

GRAVES
I don't think it is in the Big poppa pumps mind.

Steiner proceeds the assault on Angle with the steel steps as security and medics rush to the ring with a stretcher.

RING ANNOUNCER
Due to referee stoppage the outcome of this match is a DRAW!

Steiner angry as all hell  is held back by 10 security guards and taken up the ramp as XWL goes to commercial.

As Scott Steiner bounces off the roof of the car and rolls of onto the ground the bandages up Kurt Angle looks down with a look of accomplishment. He has done what he has set out to do. However, before he can continue this assault or walk away, whatever he planned to do next, is now interrupted by the voice of Anarchy’s own GM.

$JBL$
What the hell is going on here!?

Kurt turns to see JBL rolling into the parking garage in his wheelchair accompanied by His assistant Virgil, aswell as 4 members of XWL security.

$JBL$
Just look what you’ve done. You’ve destroyed Virgils car!

Virgil turns, not having realized this, before breaking down on his knees next to the destroyed car and begins to cry.

$JBL$
That’s it, you’ve both crossed the line. Pick his ass up!

JBL yells to the security team. The assist Steiner to his feet, but keep him and Angle separated.

$JBL$
I hope you two still have some fight in you, because your match isn’t over. Take your asses to the ring, the clock resets at 30 minutes.  I hope you two rip each other apart!

Security now escorts Kurt and Steiner to the ring as JBL attempts to comfort Virgil and XWL goes to commercial break.

After the commercial break we see Steiner and Angle in the ring as their match is about to restart at 30 minutes!





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Steiner celebrates his victory on the top rope and gets out of the ring and heads up the ramp as XWL goes to the next segment.