#but the SCU desperately needs more women

[rabbithaver]

heard about the shadow trailer. they are going to murder that little girl on screen and I am PSYCHED. silver cameo when

god yeah i hope jeff fowler puts a bullet in that white girl on camera. i want blood. give me bloodshed, jeffrey

[southwalessubculture]

don’t actually go to parties right now, y’all, we’re in a pandemic. just imagine that this is from before (or after, if we make it that far) the social distancing/covid era.

He’d been eyeing you all night, to be honest, and it wasn’t like he’d been subtle; Marko had called him out on it a few times (a bit louder that he’d have preferred, the alcohol loosening his already quite loud friend’s lips even more), and he couldn’t pretend that Luchasaurus’s knowing glances were lost on him. He knew that he was being too invested, that you would catch on soon enough, but he couldn’t necessarily help it. He’d been desperately in love with you for over a year, and he was so tired of wondering if you reciprocated his feelings that he honestly wished that you would catch on so he would get, at the very least, an answer of some kind to his feelings.

He’d looked at you as a close friend (and wanted that to turn into more) since essentially the moment he’d met you; you had joined SCU when they had come to Jurassic Express’s defense after an attack by the Dark Order, you showing your almost effortless ring expertise as you helped to fight off the band of Followers from the ring. He still remembered the way that you’d helped him off the ground, your touch warm against his skin as you’d wiped a bit of blood from a cut on his cheek.

Ever since then, you’d worked well together; you occasionally trained with him and his tag partners, you had come to the aid of the group in quite a few matches since then, and he’d even gotten to team with you in mixed gender matches on a couple of occasions. Even outside of the ring, he always enjoyed getting late-night dinners with you after shows, movie nights in your apartment, and even the time that Marko had once (jokingly?) tried to put you through his kitchen counter after you won an intense game of Clue.

He always felt a surge of pride when you used one of the moves he’d taught you, relief when you came backstage unharmed from a brutal spotfest, and pure happiness when you would get excited over a good song on the radio. He’d never gotten tired of your smile, the way that you’d hug him after a rough loss, or the laugh as Marko would jump on your back during an entrance. Even when you were upset or angry, he would sit and listen to your struggles and worries, letting you run your hands through his hair (an absolute rarity for anyone) to calm yourself.

He blinked a few times, eyes dry from the reminiscing, and immediately lost the color from his face when he noticed that you were looking at him. You giggled a bit, waving to him before turning back to your conversation with The Butcher and The Blade, fingers loosening the belt around your waist to give you a little more room. Your words flowed along with theirs, but your mind was far away from the conversation, stuck on Jack. 

You’d noticed how excited he (and his teammates) had been when you came backstage from winning your first AEW Women’s Championship, clutching your new prize with diamond tears of pride on your cheeks. You tried to make it to the group, so excited about your victory and wanting so desperately to celebrate with them, but you’d constantly been cut off every time you’d made an attempt to get to them. To him.

First, it was an excited Brandi Rhodes, who had hugged you to the point where you was sure your waist would have purple bands around it in the morning. A crowd had quickly followed her, everyone from Sonny Kiss and Scorpio Sky to, oddly enough, Brodie Lee and MJF congratulating you over the three hours from your victory to the party. You had noticed that Jack kept glancing at you, and you honestly wished that he would just come over and talk to you instead of sitting by the wall, obviously trying not to add to the crowd that was starting to overwhelm you.

You waved goodbye to your current conversation-mates, promising to be back as soon as you took a quick trip to the bathroom. You felt like the room was closing in on you, so exhausted from the day’s stresses and looking for even a moment of escape. You were lucky to find an empty closet of some sort and shut yourself in, sitting on the floor as you waited for the banging headache to soothe under the quieter environment, away from the pounding music and pulsing lights, courtesy of the Bucks.

You groaned as the music got louder, lights peeking in as someone invaded your private space, but the noise got choked in your throat, turning into a grin as you looked up to see Jack shutting the door behind him. He turned on the closet light, half-hidden under a shelf, and sat down next to you. You leaned onto his shoulder, letting your weight fall against him as you finally let yourself relax.

“So, how does it feel to be the new champ in the division?” 

You let out a small laugh, wincing as you noticed how loud even that was. You pulled the strap free behind you, pulling it around into your lap and running your fingers over the cool metal.

“Honestly, I keep expecting Tony or Cody to take the belt from me and tell me that I haven’t earned it yet or something. I can’t believe it’s real.”

He reached up, pulling his hat off and letting his hair fall down, strands tickling your face as it landed against his shoulders. You let your fingers brush it away, sighing as you noticed how peaceful you felt. How happy you were.

As you finally realized how much you really loved him, so much more than just as a friend. 

“Hey, you there?”

You shook your head, letting out a noise and trying to focus on what he said.

“I said that I’m proud of you. We all are.”

“I have heard so much of that tonight, I’m starting to wonder if it’s actually true.”

He let his arm reach up, his hand falling on your shoulder as he held you.

“I can’t speak for everyone, but I can for me and the boys. I think Marko nearly cried at how you almost wouldn’t take the belt.”

“I couldn’t believe that I’d actually won, I thought it was a mistake. I’d never even dreamed of beating Shida for the title, and then it actually happened.”

You looked up at him, noticing how handsome he looked when he smiled at you.

“Well, darling, you did it. You’re here, at the top. What comes next for the great champion?”

Your heart pounded, the sentence flying around in your head and making you dizzy. Darling? He called you darling?

“Can I kiss you?”

The words had left your mouth before you could even process the thought behind them, and you instantly backed away from his touch, trying to apologize in what just became a heap of incoherent syllables. He reached out, fingers brushing your arm, and he felt his heart break when you pulled away, so obviously scared of what you had said.

“If you want to come back over here, the answer’s yes.”

The championship suddenly felt like a weight against your legs, and you pulled it over to the side with slowed motions. You moved a bit closer, thinking that you were on the edge of euphoria as his fingers locked with yours.

“You...you mean it? You’re not just making fun of me for asking?”

“Absolutely not. I’ve kind of been thinking about asking that same question for the past year or so, if you want the truth.”

You looked at him, trying and failing to find any giveaway that he wasn’t being honest. You leaned in, heart caught in your throat, and brushed your lips against his. You wanted to just kiss him, get it over and done, but something stopped you from closing the distance.

“A little nervous?”

You gave him a nervous grin, then looked down as you nodded. He chuckled, tilting your head up with a finger under your chin.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”

It felt like there were sparks of raw electricity everywhere that your skin met his, and the feeling only intensified as he finally kissed you. His lips were warm against yours, and the feeling of his hand moving to your waist had you absolutely reeling. You let the fingers of your left hand curl into his hair, arms resting around his neck. You felt like you could lose yourself in his touch...and then you heard someone knock at the door, nearly jumping apart from him in a mild panic.

“Hey, is anyone in there? Do you know where Jack is?”

You looked at him and then let out a silent giggle, brushing his hair back down as he made a face that told you he wasn’t necessarily pleased about Marko interrupting the moment he’d waited so long for.

“Yeah, buddy. I got a little overwhelmed with the crowds and he came in here to hang out with me for a bit.”

You were a little surprised at how quickly the door flew open, Jack’s teammates looking down at you.

“Hey, congrats, kiddo. You finally got to the big one.”

You thanked Luchasaurus as well as you could with Marko’s arms around your neck, laughing as Jack pulled him off by the collar.

“Dude, did she not just say that she’s overwhelmed with the crowds?”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry. It’s just...well..you won, you know? You did it!”

You laughed, taking Jack’s hand to stand up as you looked to Marko.

“I appreciate it, just think a bit next time, okay?”

He nodded, looking at Jack for a moment before laughing.

“Hey, I didn’t know Jack wore lipstick!”

He took off down the hall, Luchasaurus (Luchadad? Dadasaurus? this is completely unrelated to the story but i need to know) apologizing before taking off down after him. Jack looked mortified, but you reached up and thumbed away the bright color on his skin.

“I dunno, man, red’s really your color.”

[zackmephisto]

dirt watches aew

this episode changed me as a person

nick vs fenix NAME A MORE ICONIC MATCH

this is already fucking stunning no one ever @ me ever again

THE ADIOS AMIGO AND THEN COUNTERED AND THEN THE SEE YA I'M EMOTIONAL DON'T TOUCH ME

HOLY SHIT THAT ROPE SHIT INTO THE HURRICANRANA

oh god that's right they're both the younger brothers THIS IS POETIC

if u wanna show someone pro wrestling. this should be a match you show them.

was upset when nick got him in the sharpshooter just bc I didn't want the match to end

holy fuck that was so good

if this crowd isnt as hot for this women's match as they were just then i'm yeeting myself off my balcony

god I am so heart eyes for these women. could watch this for ages

THE REVERSAL

THIS AWESOME

god these two are so fucking good

shida won but tbh both of them looked fucking stunning in this match. could have ended any which way and i would have been thoroughly impressed.

what the fuck.

COWBOY SHIT!!!

HANGMAN BEING THE ONLY ONE WITH AN ENTRANCE THIS IS DIRT RIGHTS

orange Cassidy and chuck coming out during commercial is actually dirtphobic so nvm

o kip ok I'm interested

jimmy havoc ok. didnt he get his ass beat not too long ago

JUNGLE BOY AND MARKO STUNT I'M DECEASED

Pentagon!!!!

SONNYYYYY

joey!!!!

oh god. oh god. oh fuck its MJF OH FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!!!!! god hes looking so tan and s*xy

how old is Billy Gunn now

OH OH GOD MY DUDE

CHUCKIE OH MY GOD THANK YOU I LOVE YOU

orange... I love you.

SONNY TWERKING THANK YOU

max.... i hate that I love you. but I do love you.

CHUCK HUGGING ORANGE LIKE THAT ME TOO

MARKO I LOVE YOU KILL HIM

marko :(

ew. staple gun.

this is big nasty

cant i have one dynamite where i dont have to see shawn spears

ok the asshole chants for max i want u 2 kno that i agree w the crowd but I still love u

ORANGE BEAT HIS ASS PLEASE IM BEGGING

THANK GOD

that's the most heel thing mjf has ever done. fuck him breaking up with cody. he eliminated orange

HELLO?!?!?!??!

please don't eliminate mjf my crops are dying

thank u wardlow. whoever u r

THANK U HANGMAN!!!!

ideally this ends with hangman and mjf. can you imagine that match? can you imagine my rights?

fuck you penelope ford what else have you done

JUNGLE BOY HOLY FUCK

OH GOD JUNGLE BOY AND HANGMAN but when did max get eliminated

OH HE DIDNT

oh my god.... oh my god it really is my rights...

SORRY AEW SAID DIRT RIGHTS !!!!!!

SHUT THE FUCK UP I'M GONNA SCREECH ABT THIS UNTIL THE END OF TIME

an upset? who was upset? i for one stan our southern californian kings

where can I get that blazer. so i can wear it with my tiddies out so jericho sees how ridiculous looks

me: shits on chris jericho

also me: sings hella loud to his theme

i have champagne should i pop it for him

ok me when i have to admit a customer is right and hager is my manager right behind me

OK THIS IS GOOD CONTENT SORRY

"Chicago has a hockey team and two baseball teams" and then the hard cut to the dude in the bears jacket made me shit myself

say bubbly. do it.

hager say sorry for jericho's dollar store headband challange

SCU LOOKS GOOD OMG

wait hold on can we talk abt how a black man handed chris "i played the grand wizard of the kkk in a movie" jericho his first L in a e dub

THE YOU GOT PINNED CHANTS FUCK YEAH

U GET UR DATE SCORPIO SKY

the melanie chants are sending me-

"i never meant to embarrass you" HEYOOO

"melanie gained a lot of weight since high school" "i like big butts and i cannot lie" SCORPIO MY FUCKING KING THANK YOU I OWE YOU MY LIFE

"I think its cuter than baby yoda-" ok... maybe he got it

MAKE IT A TITLE MATCH

FUCK YEAH OH MY GOD I CANT WAIT

oh my god scorpio sky i.... i...... I-

<censored bc minors follow me>

LE BITCH!!!!!! LE!!!! BITCH!!!!!!

hey sammy guevara 2008 dirt called she wants her maroon skinny jeans back

i'm kinkshaming proud n powerful

what did nakazawa and cutler ever do to anyone other than be good boys

scorpio sky finessed that title match and i'm frankly jealous

WHY BRING MARKO AND JUNGLE BOY THIS HURTS

LUCHASAURUS THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING

oh okay. okay. they're big. they're bug dudes. jesus damn.

can't blame hager. i wouldn't want to fight luchasaurus either i would have ran too he's big and clearly Better than u

big depressed that dynamite is only 2 hrs long

luchasaurus vs Peter Avalon???? ok.... ok.

"it looks like life has found a way" for this. i hope that peter Avalon survives for even a minute longer

anyway luchasaurus <censored>

good evening luchasaurus <censored>

i stan one dinosaur family and also luchasaurus <censored>

oh! private party and proud n powerful ok. dirt rights.

o the t shirt. maybe i'm crying.

that pin break holy fuck I love these two teams

holy vertical lift

i literally would have cried if they got that double stomp holy shit

Noah fence but this match needs to be faster bc i desperately need darby vs mox. my crops are dying

hurricanrana is still one of my fave moves in all of pro wrestling

isiah kassidy's leopard print ass. that's it. send the tweet.

that was so fucked up what the fuck???? i thot aye ee dub was better than that

Nick Jackson And His Ugly Shirt Make The Save

and thank god. would have sued if private party lost

DUSTIN?!?!?!?!?!?

i'm so <redacted> for mjf vs hangman none of you have a Clue

KENNY AND PAC SCREEEEEE

kenn...ny????????????

kenny :(

THIS! FUCKING! POP!

darby you dramatic fucking SHIT

god his theme goes so hard.

THE BODY BAG I!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I'M NOT READYYYYY

holy fucking shit.

is moxley huge or darby tiny

THAT NO SELL. JESUS.

suddenly I'm a whore all the sudden

i'm so goddamn tense I cant liveblog my butthole is clenched

the body bag moving is cool and I get it but it's also a little funny. maybe I'm drunk. per aew tradition. but it's a little drunk funny

don't talk to me I'm tense

AAAA!

oh my god he fucking killed Darby

yes darby lost but sorry. mox needed to paradigm shift him from the top rope to get the pin. that speaks. fucking. volumes.

[hazyheel]

AEW Double Or Nothing 2019 Review

We started with the Casino battle Royal, with five guys in the ring. We had Sunny Daze, Michael Nakazawa, Brandon Cutler, MJF and Dustin Thomas. MJF had mega heat by attacking Thomas and calling him lieutenant dan, and then saying that Cutler was a favor to the young bucks. Nakazawa was oiling himself up like crazy, which was super weird to see because I do not know him. Next in was Brian Pillman Junior, Jimmy Havoc, Joey Janela, Shawn Spears and one more guy. Spears immediately went for MJF, and they beat each other up. Next in was Jungle Boy, Glacier, Billy Gunn, Mark Quinn and Ace Romero. MJF got a bunch of heat for eliminating Glacier, after Glacier frozen misted Sunny Daze. Adam Page was the final entrant in the match, and had a warpath. Stunt took a rough pump to be eliminated, as Romero shoved him out through the air and to the floor. Jungle Boy then eliminated Romero, Spears and Thomas had a bit of an alliance, until Thomas pulled him out over the top for the elimination. MJF eliminated crowd favorites Thomas and Cutler. Janela had a disgusting bump through a table on the outside from Luchasaurus, which was very terribble looking. Orange Cassidy showed up for no reason, doing his little kick spots to dreamer before being eliminated in a match that he wasn’t even in. Fun guy though. The final three were Luchasaurus, Adam Page and MJF. MJF hid on the outside, and Page eliminated Luchasaurus. He celebrated winning, but MJF ran in to try to throw him out. Page was okay, and hit the buckshot lariat, and threw him out to win.

Grade: C. This had a lot of fun spots, but there was very little connecting the action. I liked having Page get the win after his match with Pac was cancelled. I think there were a lot of terrifying things happening here, especially that table bump. Janela may be dead, but probably not. I liked the winner and there were some interesting things happening. A fine battle royal, but nothing specacular.

Then we had Kip Sabian vs. Sammy Guevara. This was a fun little cruiserweight match. There was a lot of misdirection based offense, like when Sabian faked a suicide dive only to hit a spring board somersault senton. Sabian locked in a cool looking submission at one point, Guevara went for a moonsault, landed on his feet forth another, only to land on his feet again and hit a standing shooting star for a near fall. At another, Guevara hit a 450 to Sabian while he was on the barricade. In the finish, Guevara went for the 630 senton, only for Sabian to get his knees up and hit deathly hallows for the win.

Grade: B. Fun little spotfest. I think both of these guys are super good, and they can put on some great matches in the future. I’m surprised that Guevara lost given how much emphasis he has had on BTE lately, but that is fine. Both of them are really good, and I’m sure that they will be big talents in the future. 

We opened up with SoCal Uncensored vs. StrongHearts. Of course, SCU cut a promo shitting on the town and the LA crowd love it. Both teams were working together really well, with SCU isolating El Lindamen. The match quickly became a cluster of bodies, with each team desperately trying to support any person that they have in the ring. The match felt a lot like the multi-man matches in New Japan, with the partners covering the ring while people are being pinned. The Stronghearts hit an awesome combination of a pop up knee from T-Hawk, followed by an ensiguri from CIMA, a slam from T-Hawk and a german suplex from Lindaman. Everyone started really flying around with dropkicks, suicide dives and cutters. Daniels hit the angels wings for a near fall, followed by a splas hfrom CIMA for a near fall. In the final stretch, Daniels hit the best moonsault ever into the piledriver (called the best meltzer driver ever) for the win. 

Grade: A-. Holy crap was this good. So fast paced, lots of action and people flying all over the place. This was a really great match, and if they continue to have tag matches like this one, I will definitely enjoy the tag division in this company. Awesome stuff.

Into the triple threat match, we had Kylie Rae vs. Nyla Rose vs. Britt Baker. However, as match began. Brandi Rhodes came out with her ring gear. She said that she didn’t want a great match, she wanted an awesome one. Awesome Kong then came out, and made it a four way. Kong and Rose immediately squared up and fought a bit. Kong was beating down everyone in the match, but left some room for Rae and Baker to fight. There was a cool spot where Kong caught Baker out of a splash, only for Rae to hit a suicide dive to take them both down. Kong had a huge tower of doom spot, and nearly powerbombed Baker off the apron in another spot, for Baker to fight out, Rae to hit a superkick, and then Rose to hit a spear into the steps. Baker was finally able to get the win with a superkick and the brainbuster on the knee. 

Grade: B-. Another car crash of a match. Kong, Baker and Rae all really impressed me. Rose didn’t really impress me, but there were a lot of really nice spots here. I want to see a match between Baker and Rae one on one, that could really be awesome. Can’t wait for the AEW women’s Championship.

Next up was a tag match, Best Friends Chuck Taylor and Trent vs. Angelico and Jack Evans. Best friends went for a hug early on, but their opponents stopped that. Evans and Angelico worked on Trent’s legs, and really showed off their Lucha style of wrestling. Best friends hit a lot of awesome offense, such as a tornado DDT into a double foot stomp to the face. They then also hit a crucifix bomb into the cutter for a near fall. For another near fall, Angelico hit a cruicifix bomb into the corner, followed by a 630 senton, but Taylor broke it up. Taylor took out Angelico with a tope con hilo, and they pinned Evans with a Storm Zero. 

After the match, The Best Friends asked for a hug. Angelico and Evans tried to do a handshake, but the Best Friends refused. They hugged, and then the lights went out. A new tag team had emerged after the match, but I didn’t know who they are. They went out again, and there were a bunch of minions that came out to assist. This new team beat down everyone. Evans was hit with a ripcord flatliner, and Trent was hit with a reverse electric chair facebuster.

Grade: A-. I loved this. It was another sprint of a match with a bunch of awesome spots, and some really good tag wrestling.  I always had a soft spot for tag wrestling, and they did a great job here. I liked the attack afterwards, but I don’t know who they were. This tag division looks really great, and I cannot wait to see it start up in full. I felt like Best Friends made sense as the winners, although I predicted otherwise. They will be a united front for a while before picking up the storyline later. 

Into the 6-woman Tag, we had Aja Kong, Emi Sakura, Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hikaru Shida, Riho and Ryo Mizunami. Ryo and Aja kong had a little strength vs. strength match, but Ryo really didn’t stand a chance against the legend of Aja. Riho and Emi had some good looking action, doing some technical wrestling before Riho hit an awesome armdrag. Kong drilled Riho with a awesome looking piledriver, but her team broke it up. Ryo drilled Yuka with a great looking deadlift suplex for a near fall. At one point, the ref was distracted, Shida and Kong dueled with a trash bin and a kendo stick. Somehow the kendo stick won. In the finishing stretch, Sakazaki took out Shida and Ryo with a plancha. Kong then accidentlly hit Sakura with a back fist, and then Riho destroyed her with a crossbody. Shida then ran into the ring to pin Sakura with a shining wizard.

Grade: B+. I didn’t know any of these people before the match, and I came out of it as a fan of every single one of them. Their characters are interesting, and I apologize if the review wasn’t great. I was trying to keep track of too many people and learn too many names. But it was awesome, and I hope that they end up joining the AEW women’s division.

Next up was Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes. Before the match, Brandi grabbed a sledgehammer for Cody. Cody then used it to destroy a throne on the stage, officially declaring war on the WWE (it was all a symbol for Triple H). Dustin came out with half face paint. The two circled each other for a while, and the crowd was chanting that it was awesome. Dustin absolutely laid into Cody with some crazy shots, and Cody almost walked away, but managed to get back in the ring. At one point, Cody distracted the ref a bit, which allowed Brandi to hit him in the head with a water bottle. The crowd was so loud for this match. At one point, Cody was set up for the kick to the balls that he used to do, and Cody removed the turnbuckle. Dustin saw, threw the turnbuckle in the crowd, but was then sent face first into it. This “busted him open,” so he bladed. Brandi then speared Dustin, and was thrown out, with DDP carrying her away. Dustin was absolutley gushing blood, and Cody nailed him with a curb stomp for a near fall. Cody nearly whipped Dustin with the belt, but threw it away, only for Dustin to grab it and whip his bare ass with it. Dustin was able to hit a superplex, followed by the final cut, but just for two. Cody then fought back and hit a cross rhodes only for two. Dustin then hit cross rhodes for another near fall. Cody was able to hit his back sliding piledriver, and followed it up with a Cross Rhodes to finish it.

After the match, Cody got on the mic and said that Dustin didn’t get to retire here. The crowd was chanting thank you, but Cody said that he couldn’t retire. He needed a partner for a match against the Young Bucks next month. He said that he didn’t need a partner, he needed a brother. The two started crying, and then embraced. They left the ring together.

Grade: A. This was much much better than I thought it would be. The crowd made the match a hell of a lot better. They were super hot, and it made the emotion and drama increase exponentially. They beat each other down, and the story accompanying it made the match that much better. This was awesome, and I hope we see more matches like this from Cody in the future. This was great, and I hope that it is evident of the type of story telling that will be around in this company. 

Then we had the belt presentation, and Bret fucking Hart came out. I marked out like crazy. Hart cut a promo, basically just putting AEW over. He then called out Adam Page, who is one of the #1 contenders for the belt in a few months. MJF then came out, to an asshole chant. He said that they bought a ticket to see him, so they should shut up. He is a phenomenal heel. He called Page a horse, and said that when a horse had a bad leg, you shoot it. Then he said that Page should give up his title shot, and shit on Hart for having a bad catchphrase. Jungle boy then came out, to confront him. MJF called him a prepubescent teenager, and walked past him. Jimmy Havoc then came out, and he was stuck between all three guys. They kicked his ass, through the crowd, as Hart showed the belt for the first time. 

Grade: A-. Jesus MJF can talk.  He carried this segment, along with the awesome Bret Hart appearance. This was super good, and I hope that he becomes a big part of the product, because he is phenomenal. I love him. Bret Hart was a shocking appearance, and it was super cool to see him. The belt looks beautiful as well. 

Then we had Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros for the AAA World Tag Team Championships. This was given a big fight feel. Young bucks weren’t completely on the same page, having some flubs together early on. Fenix and Nick seemed to be completely evenly matched. the Lucha Bros hit their signature offense early on. At one point, Fenix strung Nick up on the ropes, while using Matt to balance going up to the top rope. Fenix hit a superkick on the top rope, and then springboarded to hit Nick with the hurricanrana. Later on, Matt hit Fenix and Penta with several northern lights suplexes, and nearly locked in a sharpshooter but got shut down. The Bucks were able to lock in the sharpshooters at one point, and they barely got to the ropes. At one point, The Bucks hit a powerbomb and flipping over with a neckbreaker for a near fall.  They then hit a flurry of kicks and chops until everyone fell over. At another, Fenix ducked so that Penta could hit a destroyer on the apron to Matt, followed by a Destroyer to Nick in the ring. Another time had Penta holding Nick in the package piledriver position, with Matt in the gory special, and dropped them down. Fenix followed up with a swanton to Nick for an incredible near fall. Matt then drilled Fenix with a brainbuster on the top rope, and gave Penta more bang for your buck for a near fall again. The Bucks then hit Penta with fear factor, and Nick ran to hit a plancha to Fenix, but still only a near fall. Penta then drilled Matt with the armbreaker and the pentagon driver for a near fall. Fenix started to work the arm, superkicking it, but got caught trying to continue. Matt pulled him up for a Meltzer Driver. Nick then superkicked Penta on the outside, and got up for the Meltzer Driver, and got the win. 

Grade: A. This was a phenomenal match. The Young Bucks became a coherent team again, and went through hell to do it. I think that the kickouts at the end were a little much, I like a bit more buildup in my near falls like that, but it was still incredibly exciting. They flew around like crazy, and beat the crap out of each other. It looks like the tag team division in AEW will be awesome. 

And finally, the main event. Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega. Winner faces Adam Page for the AEW World Championship. Jericho went through a bunch of his his gimmicks before actually making his entrance. Omega had some new music. They had a cracker barrel in the ring, probably a sponsor. They had trouble getting it out of the ring, so Jericho picked it up and shoved it through the second rope, and then yelled at the ref. The two started out with a slugfest, beating each other down. Early on, Omega tried to do a move off of the barricade, but Jericho pushed Omega into the crowd. Omega was busted open early on, bleeding from the nose. Jericho tried to introduce a table into the match, but Omega dropkicked it, and then a tope con hilo to both. Then he did a springboard double stomp to the table. That was when Omega started up the v triggers, destroying Jericho’s head from the back. At another point, Jericho started to fight back, and dumped Omega out of the ring and through a table. Omega went for a frog splash at one point, but Jericho countered with a codebreaker, but he waited too long for the cover and only got a near fall. Jericho nearly locked in a lion tamer, but Omega countered it and was able to hit a powerbomb for a near fall. Jericho was able to get the walls in, eventually transitioning into a lion tamer, but Omega fought out and nailed a v trigger. Jericho was able to hit yet another codebreaker, but did not go for the pin. Instead, he waited for him to get up, and hit a spinning back elbow called the judas effect for the win.

After the match, Jericho got on the mic. He yelled at them for booing him, and he said that he was the best guy in AEW, he owns the company. He is the biggest star through and through. He claimed that every success the company had was because of him. He demanded that the fans thanked him, and then, mutherfucking Jon Moxley showed up. He killed Jericho with dirty deeds, and then did it to the ref. He tried to hit Omega with hit, but Omega was able to tackle him out of the ring, and they brawled into the crowd. He eventually was able to climb on top of the giant poker chips, and he gave Omega a dirty deeds on the stack, and then slammed him off of it, onto a box that broke. 

Grade: A. I bumped that up a grade after the post match angle. This was a great match, although not the best on the card, but that mammoth debut was awesome. In the match itself, it didn’t quite have the same feel as their first match, but they tore the house down nontheless. They were really really good, and I am really unsure of who will be winning the AEW World Championship when that time comes. 

Predictions: 5/9. Imma say that I got the battle royal right, cuz I said that Page would win whatever match he was in.

Overall Grade: A-. I’m bumping it up a bit because of the historic nature of the show, and how hot they were coming right out of the gate.

Pros: Guevara vs. Sabian; 6-man tag; best friends vs. angelico & evans; 6-woman tag; cody vs. dustin; belt presentation; AAA tag team championship; main event; moxley debut

Cons: battle royal

Just throwing this in at the end of the review. I normally hate writing the tags for these posts, but I am genuinely so excited to say that I am writing an AEW review right now. Just saying

[onceuponanolicity]

Thank you everyone for the great response to this story. 

This chapter is for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon prompt Choose (Week 15).

                                                            Felicity was left with a choice. She had to choose between going home or spending the night with Oliver Queen.

           She was nervous. Felicity could not recall a time in her life where a decision was so critical. What if she went home?

           “You’re more than welcome to take that option. I will not force you, Felicity.” She gulped hard as he met her eyes. She had no idea she spoke out loud. Oliver reached out and swept a hand across her hair smoothing down a wayward strand. “I want this, but if you don’t, just say no.” His eyes narrowed on her. They pierced through the nervousness she felt and drew out some of the courage that she had long since buried deep within her. “At any time. Just say no.”

           “I want to…”

           “You’re scared,” he noted with no censure. “I am, too,” he admitted. “I don’t do this. And I especially do not do this with my students. I don’t care what the rumors say.” Oliver pocketed the phone that still lay in his palm. “Talk to me, Felicity. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

           “Why me?”

           “Honestly?” When Felicity nodded, she saw him smile. “I wasn’t asking you. I was more surprised that you don’t already know.”

           “Enlighten me.” Felicity pushed back her glasses as her eyes swept over the man in front of her. He was easily one of the best looking men she had ever met in her life. And for the life of her, he was actually interested in her. “I’m not exactly your type.”

           She expected him to deny it. Most guys would. They’d wax poetic about how she was the epitome of beauty just to get her, or any girl, into their bed. Guys like Oliver Queen, who was rumored to be one of the worst party boys in Starling City in his youth.

           “Maybe that’s the point.” His arm swept around her and pulled her flush to his heated body. “I kept looking for my type. Each time I found her, I was disappointed. Then the last few years, I stopped looking. What was the point?” Oliver lifted one of his shoulders in an imitation of a shrug. “The woman I wanted wasn’t any of those women. Then I walked into class one day, and there you were. Nothing like I expected, but what I wanted. Smart, beautiful, clever. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you kissed me.”

           “You kissed me.”

           Oliver smiled down at her. The brightness of it almost blinding. His dimples slashed through his cheeks in such deep indents that Felicity was worried if she tried to put her finger in one it would become lost. “Since we kissed each other.”

           “According to everything I’ve heard, you’ve slept with countless numbers of students. Why should I believe that I am any different?”

           “Male and female, I presume.” At her nod, Oliver let out a harsh laugh. “More like students who wished it happened. Not one of them could tell you one identifying mark on my body.”

           Felicity’s eyes touched upon the mole that sat below his lower lip, still visible despite the scruff he sported. Oliver leaned into her, his lips brushing her ear. “Besides that.” His tongue shot out and ran slightly down the edge of her ear. “You can laugh at them all. You’ll know.”

           “I don’t know if I am ready,” Felicity practically said into his shoulder as he continued to lave at her earlobe. She shivered at the sensations he created within her.

           She felt him nod, as he swept her hair further back so his tongue could continue his onslaught on her neck. “We’ll take it slow then.”

           Felicity heard him groan before he pulled himself away and stepped back completely releasing her. Her wet skin making her cold. He held up his hands. “No touching then.” He might have told her that but his eyes sparkled with a mischief that made him look younger than she had ever seen him. “Unless you can’t keep your own hands to yourself.”

           She shook her head and rolled her eyes at his teasing comment before turning serious. “Do you promise?”

           “Yes.” His expression grew tight, but he inclined his head. “If I said I won’t touch you, I won’t.” He walked over to gather his things together, almost shoving them into his bag. She watched him take a shuddering breath before he faced her slightly. “Tonight we’ll just get to know each other.”

           There was a pause. Felicity could feel the air humming around them before he spoke again. “Are you okay with that, Felicity?”

           “Yes.”

           He turned and began to step toward her again but stopped abruptly. His hands went down to the desk. They curled around the edges, his knuckles turning white with the force. “Diggle is waiting for you. I’ll see you soon.”

OQFSOQFSOQFS

           “Where to?” Diggle asked her as he held open the back door of a black town car.

           “He didn’t tell you?” There was no need to say his name. They both knew of who she referred to. Honestly, she was surprised. She thought for sure that Oliver would have told Diggle to drive her to the club. Diggle already knew she was supposed to be there after last night. He was the one who told the bouncers after all.

           “Mr. Queen only said that your car broke down and that you needed a ride.”

           That left Felicity once more with the ability to choose her fate. Oliver had done this on purpose. He wanted to make sure she was completely on board with whatever it was that he had planned for the two of them at Verdant.

           It really didn’t matter. She was already told Oliver that she was okay being with him despite her reservations. It wasn’t like she was going to sleep with him, though when she had arrived at class today, she felt sure that would have been the outcome.

           But, if Oliver didn’t want to sleep with her yet, that left Felicity with the question of what would happen to her car. Oliver said it would be ready for her by morning. Which brought to mind another question. Why would it be brought to the club? It wasn’t like they’d hang out there all night long. Or could they? Oliver did say his sister owned it. But, if he wanted to have sex with her, when and where had he planned for that to happen? Felicity was not an exhibitionist by any means and she hadn’t read any reports of Oliver doing something like that in any of the papers since his return.

           Resolute in her decision from earlier, even if that left her with so many more question, Felicity gave Diggle the answer he waited for. “Verdant.”

           He nodded once and indicated the backseat. Felicity slid inside and he shut the door behind her with a snap. Luxury cars did not seem to have the same loud slamming sound that her older car was capable of.

           Diggle went around the car and stepped into the driver’s seat with efficiency. He casually pulled out SCU with an ease that Felicity envied. She was still a nervous driver. It was when they were on the highway, on the way toward the Glades that Felicity knew that her destiny was sealed.

           Diggle glanced in the rear view mirror at the small blonde in the backseat of the Queen family’s town car. She seemed unsure. Not as much as Diggle was, though. He didn’t know what his friend had planned for this woman, but whatever it was it could not be good for either of them.

           Felicity was a child playing with matches. While Oliver held a ticking time bomb in his hands. Both could, and probably would, be hurt. Diggle could only hope that the path they decided to walk on would not lead to any of their deaths.

OQFSOQFSOQFS

           It was Oliver who almost ended it all before anything had even begun.

           He stood across Verdant studying her as she stood off to the side desperately trying to blend into the raucous crowd that surrounded her. She failed miserably.

           Her pureness and innocence radiated off her in spades. It wasn’t until she left his class that night that he decided to look up her file in the school’s system. Oliver had reasoned with himself that it was to know more about her going into tonight. A little bit of insight into the brilliant mind that was Felicity Smoak.

           He’d keep the promise he made to her earlier tonight to keep his hands off. Mainly because he now knew the truth of her age. Oliver was already well aware of how intelligent she was. He could glean that well enough without the added benefit of test scores and transcripts. But her age had surprised him. Oliver would have never guessed that she was only nineteen, despite the purity she radiated.

           It was exactly that incorruptibility that drew him in. He had not been that innocent in a very long time. Even in the stupidity of his youthful transgressions, he had been more pure of heart than he ever could be again. But just being near Felicity made him ache to taste it again. To be nothing more than the Oliver Queen he tried to project to the world. The one that his family still tried to believe he was.

           Felicity did not need him in her world. To slip some of his darkness into the bright light she gave off to everyone she came into contact with. Even Digg had commented on it. His text warning Oliver off from doing whatever ill-advised thing he had planned had greeted Oliver as he handed his car off to the valet upon his arrival at Verdant.

           “What caught your interest?” Thea asked as she sidled up next to Oliver at the railing of the VIP level of the club.

           Oliver nodded in Felicity’s direction. “Her.”

           “Ah.” Thea nodded and a small smile graced her features. “Felicity Smoak.”

           Oliver faced his sister curious over her response. “You know her?”

           Thea shrugged. “I know of her.” She smiled more fully at him. “She comes in here at least once a week with some friends. But, I didn’t pay much mind to her until someone added her to the list of VIP guests that my bouncers have.” Thea’s smile turned wicked and taunting as she glanced between the two of them. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

           Winking at his sister, Oliver own features lightened from the frown that had been there before as he contemplated his future moves in regard to Felicity. Facing the railing, Oliver stared down at the woman who had held his interest for a while now. “What do you think about her?”

           “In general? Or…?”

           “Or,” Oliver responded. He knew where his sister had been going with her lost question. It generated from her concern over him. She had been pushing him to find someone to share himself with. Someone who wasn’t Laurel. Thea could see the toxicity that revolved around the two of them. Most of which had to do with their past, where Oliver followed every lead that he could to cheat on her. Probably because he had never been truly happy inside the relationship to begin with.

           Thea leaned on the railing studying the blonde thoroughly. She reminded Oliver a lot of their mother when she did it. Their mother never seemed to miss anything, especially when it came to her children.

           After a long, hard look, Thea shook her head and what was left of Oliver’s resolve to continue with the affair sunk. “She doesn’t know what she’s getting into, Ollie.” Thea turned and grabbed onto Oliver’s arm, squeezing it as she normally did when she tried to reassure him. “But, I think she’s what you need. You’re not your past, Ollie.”

           “Yes, I…”

           Thea shook her head. “No, you’re not. Even if you think that you are still surrounded by it.” She pushed forward and hugged him. The feel of her arms around him reminded him that there could be human connection that didn’t always cause people to be hurt. “I know you have your secrets, Ollie. They are a part of you, as much as your past is, but they don’t define you. They never will.” Thea pulled back and glanced back over at Felicity, nodding in her direction. “If you don’t hurt her, she could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Something, Laurel, as much as I love her, will never be.”

           With another soft smile and a squeeze of his hand, his sister took off. Oliver wondered what happened to her while he was away that made her so wise. Or maybe it wasn’t just one thing. Maturity kept coming to her with each new experience that life threw at her. The club. Their parents’ divorce. The discovery that Tommy’s father was her own. And now Roy.

           Oliver smiled to himself. Nothing seemed to break his sister. Instead it all made her stronger. Just as his experiences had made him.

           Making his way down the stairs, Oliver pulled his phone out of his suit jacket and shut it down. Nothing was more important than his meeting with Felicity. Nothing. Not even Bratva business.

           Oliver approached Felicity from behind. He reached out and was about to pull her close to his chest to savor the feel of her against him, when he remembered his promise. No touching. Not tonight. If he touched her, things would combust quickly and he wanted to take things slow with her. He needed to enjoy this because there was something different about her. Oliver needed to savor that feeling, not burn it out.

           “Miss Smoak,” he gritted out gruffly.

           She spun in his direction, a hand at her throat. “Professor.”

           Shaking his head, Oliver stepped closer. Close enough to smell her even with all the overwhelming scents that radiated off the people around them. “Call me Oliver.”

           “Oliver.”

           The sound of his name off her tongue almost made him break every promise he made to her and himself. He wanted desperately to hear her scream it at the top of her lungs as he surged into her. Shaking his head, Oliver realized there was still plenty of time for that. Later. “Come with me.”

           “Where are we going?” she asked as she trailed behind him through the Wednesday night crowd.

           “Here.” Oliver directed her over to a hidden door. Keying in the code, Oliver reached inside the door and turned on the stair light. “After you.”

           He saw her glance over her shoulder back toward the crowd. Her indecision lay heavy between them. Oliver had to take a deep breath as he awaited her denial. “It’s okay if you still want to leave.”

           “No, I’m fine,” she said with a resolve that he admired in one so young.

           After a brief peek within the door, Felicity began to make her way down the stairs and Oliver secured the door behind him following her down. When they reached the bottom, Oliver held up a finger indicating that she should wait while he turned on the rest of the lights.

           Felicity did not know what to think once the lights flooded the area. She had just been presented with an entire living area inside the basement of one of the most popular clubs in the city. A place where Oliver Queen spent a lot of time. Felicity may not know much about her professor other than the rumors and the news stories she spent the night reading, but what she did know allowed her to recognize the signs of him throughout the space.

           She watched him strip off his suit jacket and set it on the back of a nearby chair, as if this was his nightly ritual. He proceeded to roll up the sleeves of his light blue shirt. Oliver had not bothered with a tie that night. An interesting thing in Felicity’s mind since he always seemed to have one around his neck whenever he taught classes.

           “You live here?”

           “Sometimes,” he told her as he waved her closer into the space.

           Felicity let her eyes roam. There were a few rooms separate from the main area they stood in. One seemed to be a bathroom. Another a bedroom. Their doors were open, available to her inquisitive eyes. But, one room that lay on the opposite side of the space caught her attention. It was the only door that was closed and Felicity had a strong suspicion that it was also locked. “What’s that?”

           “My office.”

           She nodded. That made sense. Felicity tended to lock up her own things whenever she could. Her computer had an encryption code to access most files. It was something a normal person would never be able to crack. Even a world renowned hacker would have a hard time breaking in.

           Felicity walked further into what could be termed a living room. It contained a couch, a few chairs, a coffee table and a side table. There also appeared to be a television behind a prominent picture on the wall. She had seen something similar in one of her technology magazines a few months ago. But, further than that, there was a cluster of exercise equipment. Felicity nodded toward it. “You use that?”

           “I do,” Oliver told her from her side. He had approached her and she had not noticed in all her inspection of his space. She tried not to tremble at the strength of his gaze as it landed on her. “And you now have seventeen questions left, Miss Smoak.”

           “Seventeen?” Felicity asked him confused.

           “Sixteen,” he told her with a smirk. “I’d choose them much more carefully if I were you.”

           Felicity turned to face him uncertain how to proceed. If she asked him, it would use up another of her precious questions. She had to be smart about this game they were playing. One that she hadn’t been informed about fully. “I didn’t realize that we already started. Or that there were rules.”

           Oliver winked at her and slipped her purse from her shoulder. “There are always rules, Miss Smoak. Even when you don’t believe there are any.” He set her purse down on the coffee table next to them and raised his hand as if to caress her face only to drop it back down to his side. “Take the no touching rule.”

           “You implemented that one,” she reminded him.

           “So, I did.” His eyes glazed over for a moment dulling the bright blue of his gaze. It did not make him sad. No, there was something deeper. Pain. Fear. And if she wasn’t wrong, a tinge of coldness that could only be brought on by fighting through both and surviving.

           “I read that you were gone for almost two years. Where were you?”

           The normal piercing blue of his eyes returned. And so did the smirk that seemed to rest at the edge of his mouth during most of their conversations. “Hitting below the belt from the beginning, Miss Smoak. I’m impressed.”

           Felicity laid a hand on her hip. “It wasn’t meant to impress you. I just don’t know anything about you outside of what I found out on the internet.”

           Silence fell. Felicity could almost hear the pounding of the club’s music from above them. Before it seemed like the place was soundproofed from the noise, but when the quiet descended between them, she could make out at least the thumping of the bass.

           Felicity heard the intake of his breath. Maybe he was going to answer her. It made her hold her own. She tensed up preparing herself for whatever answer he was about to give her.

           “Not now. Later,” he promised as he stepped away.

           “Okay,” she agreed. Felicity racked her brain for another question. Something that had nothing to do with the time he was away. Suddenly, she remembered what he told her in the classroom. “What marks do you have on your body that none of the other students know about?”

           “Too many,” he told her with a tinge of sadness to his voice.

           “Can I see?”

           His head barely inclined before his hands began to reach up for the buttons of his shirt. Felicity swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure if she was prepared for a shirtless Oliver Queen. What she was less prepared for was the marred skin that littered his chest and side. Felicity gasped. Her feet led her directly in front of him. Her brain blanked on the no touching rule as her fingers trailed over the mottled skin.

           Knife marks. Bullet holes. Burns. Those were just the marks she recognized. Others were undistinguishable. Several overlapped. His body rippled with each swipe of her fingers. Felicity only wished that she could find a way to take the agony the away from him when he had received such devastating wounds. Her eyes raised up to his.

           There were shutters over his. Despite his body moving under her gently touches, she noticed how tense he was by the whiteness of his lips that he had pressed together. Felicity laid her palm over the largest mark, a tattoo that was imprinted over his heart. “How?”

           Oliver gentled after her question. His eyes lightened and his mouth relaxed as a gently smile came over it. “We’ll add that to the later pile.”  

          Felicity nodded. She was sure he would tell her. He did not seem like the kind of man who would easily forget or back away from a promise. Which was probably why his own hands were fisted at his sides while hers were plastered to his body.

           Her name was whispered out of his lips. He stepped closer and her hands became trapped between both of their bodies. Felicity felt every one of his breaths. Every beat of his heart. His skin as it heated under her touch.

           “Let me kiss you.” His voice was deep, needful. Blue leeched from his eyes as the pupils dilated and his lips softened under her watchful gaze.

           Felicity knew she assented but she’d never be able to remember how before his lips descended on hers. His mouth was warm and dry. His tongue burned her as it swept across her lips. They opened under the onslaught and he invited himself inside drawing her tongue into his own mouth. None of it was fast. Each move he made seemed slower than Felicity would have anticipated it would be. Deliberate. Calculated.

           She wanted to wrap her arms around him. She wanted to caress his skin as his mouth penetrated hers. She wanted to be closer to him than she already was, which was probably why her hips surged upwards almost upending her balance.

           That was when he finally touched her. His hands practically encircled her hips they were so large. But, while she had been sure they would begin to roam her body, they stayed put. Not even a finger strayed. Oliver Queen literally had more control in one little finger than Felicity Smoak had in her entire body.

           All too suddenly, he tore his mouth from hers and set her from him with an ease she admired. Her hand came up to rest on her swollen lips. Ravaged ones that ached for more. Oliver didn’t kiss, he consumed.

           “You need to go.”

           “I thought…” Felicity did not know what she thought. Not anymore. Oliver seemed to have stolen her thoughts as easily as he took her breath.

           “If you stay,” Oliver told her with a penetrating stare, “you will not leave the same person that came here.” He swallowed hard and Felicity could see him reining in his control. “You need to leave.”

           Felicity was not sure what he was even talking about. However, she refused to address it as a question and become penalized for the use of one later. Changing her course of action, Felicity asked a different one. “Do you really want me to leave?”

           “No.” He did not even bother to meet her eyes when he answered. He turned away and went to lean against the wall near the closed door. Oliver crossed his arms and hung his head, almost resolute in his decision.

           “What would happen to me if I stayed?” Felicity asked as she took a hesitant step in his direction.

           His head shot up as his eyes met hers and his nose flared. “Everything.”

           With that last statement hanging in the air, Oliver walked away from her. He went over to a section of the wall and pressed on it. A panel shot open and revealed a liquor cabinet. She watched as he pulled out a crystal cut glass and a bottle of vodka. He splashed some in and quickly downed it before pouring more. The bottle went back in and the panel closed under his large hand. His eyes raised to hers as the glass came up to his lips. “I’d fuck you until you couldn’t walk and then I’d fuck you again just because I could.”

           Felicity shivered at his bold words. He wasn’t boasting. Oliver seemed pretty sure that would be the result. She did not dare tell him that she could sense the vulnerability that lay behind the words. Felicity had a feeling that he did not want that to happen to her, but he was unsure if he could control how he would react. Which was probably what drove him to implementing his no touching rule to begin with. There was something about Oliver that screamed that as much as he could hurt her, he could also be gentle. Maybe more so than any other guy that Felicity had ever slept with. Which with her track record was a total of two. “I still have ten questions left.”

           “And I have twenty.” The liquor shot down his throat as he tossed it back. Oliver set his glass down gently on the coffee table. It did not even make a sound on the heavy wood. “But for our own peace of mind, I believe another night would be a better choice.”

           “So, you want to…” Felicity didn’t need to add, do this again. They both knew it hung there in the empty air. Instead, Felicity gestured toward the open door of his bedroom. If she wasn’t wrong, she could almost see a hint of red tinging his cheeks while he glanced in the direction she indicated.

           “You’d rather send me home,” Felicity continued uncertain as to why. “I don’t think ten questions will even come close to letting me get to know you.”

           Oliver stepped toward her and then hesitated. “Maybe that’s the point.”

           “Can…” Felicity cut short the question at his raised eyebrow. “I need to get home. Diggle told me that he was going to have my car towed to your mechanic.”

           Oliver nodded once and went over to his suit jacket. He pulled out his phone. It seemed that he had turned it off because it took a minute for the screen to come one. “Diggle will see to it.”

           His phone call to his bodyguard was brief and to the point. No extra words were spoken besides what was necessary. But Felicity could sense there was more to the conversation than what she actually heard. The two men almost shared a silent communication by what was left unsaid.

           When Oliver hung up, he threw the phone carelessly at the coffee table. It slid across the surface and landed next to his discarded glass. For some reason that struck Felicity as symbolic but she could not place why she would think so.

           Oliver’s eyes met hers as he approached. “Diggle will be here soon.” He nodded toward another door. It was one that she had never noticed before because it laid in a shadowy corner. “He’ll knock when he’s here.”

           Walking past her, Oliver made his way over to a piece of equipment she did not recognize. It looked like the chin up bar that they made her use back in high school, but there were levels to it. Like the bar was adjustable. But if that was what it was designed for, it left Felicity to wonder why they levels went up so high. There was no one who would be able to reach the bar if it was raised to the top. Ultimately, it made no sense.

           Oliver hopped up onto the bar, unmindful that he was still in dress pants, even if he wasn’t in much else. He made a quick move and the bar went up to the next level and him with it. Up he went to each level with an ease that Felicity envied. Not that she noticed much at all besides the rippling of his chest and arm muscles with each movement he made. She had to swallow hard to remind herself to breathe.

           The sound of a knock echoed in the space as easily as the clanging metal that Oliver produced from the equipment he was using. Felicity went to pick up her purse before she left. She glanced over at Oliver who had reached the top and was now descending the same way he had gone up. He seemed unconcerned by her movements or the knock on the door.

           “Mr. Diggle is here,” Felicity raised her voice so he could hear her over the sound of metal hitting metal.

           Oliver paused. He hung there with his powerful arms. Arms that had held her not too long ago. “Goodnight, Miss Smoak.”

           “Friday, then,” she said back to him, deliberately keeping it from being a question.

           “Friday,” he agreed.

           Oliver watched Felicity leave. He had been completely aware of her every second that she was in his space, no matter how hard he tried to dismiss her. But the second she was gone, it was like a vacuum. All the life had been sucked out, including his own.

           “Fuck this.” Oliver jumped down from where he hung. He needed to get this pent up energy out and the Salmon Ladder was not doing it for him tonight.

           With a steady pace, Oliver made his way over to his phone and picked it up. It only took a second to call the most memorized number in his contacts. The phone only rang once before a familiar voice picked up on the other end.

           “Ah. My favorite American. What can I do for you?”

           “Who do you need me to kill?”

@almondblossomme @thebookjumper @olicityhiatusficathon @jaspertown @miriam1779

[jxffhxrdy]

AEW Double or Nothing 2020 Predictions

What’s up everyone, let’s do some predictions for this year’s Double or Nothing PPV. I cannot TELL y’all how excited I am for this pay-per-view; every match has the potential of it to be complete gold. So let’s talk about how I think the matches will go down and who I think will win. I am not associated with AEW in any way, so what I say is not bible.

♡Tag Team Pre-Show Match Private Party vs. Best Friends w/ Orange Cassidy Winners: Best Friends w/ Orange Cassidy

First of all, HELL of a way to start off the pay-per-view. Best Friends have been doing great work with Orange Cassidy as of late and Private Party have been getting some good wins on AEW Dark as well. As far as this match goes, I think it just makes sense for the higher profile team to get #1 contendership- so I think it’s going to go to Best Friends. I think Private Party need a little bit more time to gain some traction, maybe do a tag match with teams like Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havok or SCU before getting to that #1 spot. I do not think either of these teams are going to be the ones to dethrone Omega and Page though. Regardless, it’s gonna be a good one. 

♡Dustin Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears Winner: Shawn Spears

Well, I’d be lying if I said I knew where this match came from. Shawn’s little news segment on Dynamite this past Wednesday seemed a little random, but honestly, I love Shawn and I am excited to see him have a match in this pay-per-view. I do wish this was a “career-deciding” match though like Flair vs. Michaels at Wrestlemania 24, since there was clearly no defining retirement after Rhodes’ match with Lance Archer. I do think we’re going to see a Spears win here, although I wish there was just a little more stakes. Also- random side note- I would love to see Spears with the TNT title somewhere down the line.

♡MJF w/ Wardlow vs. Jungle Boy Winner: MJF w/ Wardlow

This MATCH. I am so excited. Okay, so first of all- I think MJF is going to take it. He is undoubtedly one of the best heels in professional wrestling and I think he’s going to be the next contender for the TNT title (regardless of it being Cody or Archer). However, I LOVE Jungle Boy with my whole heart and I would actually be happy with a win for him too; I just don’t think it’s going to happen just yet. Especially with the traction Jungle Express has been getting in the tag division lately- splitting him off into a solo competitor right now would just be stupid. HOWEVER. THE THING I AM MOST EXCITED ABOUT. With Wardlow being ringside, I am willing to bet money that Luchasaurus is going to be making an appearance and officially starting that feud with Wardlow that we all desperately want. I know everyone loves to see the high flying styles of Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt, but I just really want to see two large men beat the shit out of each other. I am so ready for that possibility, please tony khan please give it to me.

♡Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D vs. Kris Statlander Winner: Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D

So I am writing this under the assumption that the match is still even going to happen. At this week’s Dynamite, Britt seemed to take a real heavy fall and busted her knee. Didn’t look very kayfabe to me, but let’s assume it was. I think Britt is going to take this one. They are setting Britt up so nicely to be number one contender and be the one to dethrone Nyla (spoiler for my later prediction) and be the leader of the womens’ revolution in AEW. Statlander is a great performer, but I think she needs a little bit more growing to do before she gets a win here. 

♡The Casino Ladder Match (Darby Allen vs. Colt Cabana vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Rey Fenix vs. Scorpio Sky vs. Kip Sabian vs. Frankie K vs. Luchasaurus vs. TBA) Winner: TBA or Orange Cassidy

So let’s first talk about who I think is going to be the mystery entrant. I have a couple opinions here. Yes, I would absolutely LOVE it to be PAC, but the man can’t get into the country at the moment, so he’s out of the question. I’ve noticed a lot of people predicting that it might be Drew Gulak, who just recently ran out his contract with WWE. This is definitely possible, I won’t deny that fact, but according to most wrestling insider blogs, Gulak is not dead-in-the-water when it comes to resigning with WWE so unless something has dramatically changed there, I think Gulak is out. However, it would be really smart on Tony Khan’s part to sign someone that everyone has been talking about. My brain is saying it’s Brian Cage considering he just announced he’s been cleared for ring work and AEW foams at the mouth for Cage. My heart is saying its’ going to be Wardlow (if we don’t get a Wardlow vs. Saurus stand off earlier in the night) and he officially starts that feud. Can you tell I really want Wardlow and Saurus? I think at the end of the night, either the mystery competitor is going to take it or Orange Cassidy, considering how much traction he’s gotten on Dynamite as of late. I don’t think anyone in this match (except maybe whoever the TBA is) is going to dethrone Moxley. Not a chance in hell.

♡Nyla Rose (c) vs. Hikaru Shida Winner: Nyla Rose (c)

I think this is a relatively easy match to predict. Yes, I know she’s been #1 contender for a bajillion weeks, but I just don’t think it’s Shida time for the belt yet. I think Nyla is going to hold onto it, further her tyrant, and eventually be dethroned by Britt. I love an underdog story, but this one just doesn’t make sense. 

♡TNT Championship Title Match Cody Rhodes vs. Lance Archer Winner: Cody Rhodes

This one was honestly the most difficult to guess. There are pros and cons for each man winning the belt. Cody can’t go for the main belts, so I think if they gave him the mid-card belt with TNT, it would kinda make sense. Plus, it would make even more sense for a big name like Cody to be the inaugural champion of an entirely new belt. I think it comes down to the championship and the title will be around for a while, as will the legacy of Cody Rhodes, but there is always a possibility that Lance Archer could disappear into oblivion. Cody is the safe choice. But, if they wanted to be ballsy, they could invest in a new star. My choice here is very iffy.

♡AEW World Championship  Jon Moxley (c) vs. Brodie Lee Winner: Jon Moxley (c)

I may make some people unhappy with my prediction here, but I think Jon’s taking it. I don’t think Lee is going to be the one to dethrone Mox. I think this match was made to build Lee’s career & show his talents, because the man is insanely talented but has really only had squash matches lately. Mox is such a great champion and I think he needs the belt a little longer to really show what he can do. Besides, I want to see PAC go after it. The promos in a PAC v. Mox match would just be earth shattering. 

♡Stadium Stampede The Elite vs. The Inner Circle Winner: The Elite

Y’all, I am so damn excited for this match. You already know this is going to be a 5-star match just with the pure talent on the field. I literally get shivers thinking about the insane shit we’re going to see. I think this is going to lead to a win for The Elite, but something is going to happen here that is going to lead into the blood match we were supposed to get between all of them. I think it should be The Young Bucks to dethrone Omega/Page and I’d love to see Matt work with Omega more. They’re both such... weirdos. I love it. I think the Inner Circle will put up a good fight for sure, but the Elite will come away with it. And can I just say I literally squealed when the Bucks and Page came back last week. Shit. I’m so ready. 

So there you go! My predictions for the 2020 Double or Nothing. Let’s see if I’m right, shall we?