#he in my mind has a steel chair like he's a wrestler and he uses that to beat on whatever is making me paranoid

[bunnyb34r]

Speaking of Mouthwashing, why did my brain, when I woke up in the middle of the night, decide to think ab the up close shot of Curly's fucking face 😭

My brain was like "hey remember how we hate gore, specifically eyes and mouth gore, and we saw that gameplay of the guy WITH both eyes and mouth gore? We should think ab that rn when it's pitch fucking black in here and scary."

Anyway I said outloud "absolutely not" and mentally pictured Bosha hitting him with a 2 x 4 until he went away 😭 my brain is so stupid

[himbos-hotline]

¸¸♬·¯·♪·¯·♫¸¸ 𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮’𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝓼𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓼? 𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓫𝓵𝓾𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽?¸¸♫·¯·♪¸♩·¯·♬¸¸

Thank you to @twilight-ravenwatch for the awesome form

taglist: @ithunderstorm @itsnoosetome @malewifemoxley @kass-the-kitten @melancholycowboy @josiewrites @basil-the-pretty-cowboy @ss-trashboat @ambroseasylum @wrestlezaynia @banannabethchase @bellicosebunny @mrsmatt @racerchix21 and @anairbri and @mistress-omega-majesty and @jacedoe

[tagging people so they ask me questions about him]

Name:

Jayden Gray Orton

Nickname:

Jay [most common name], Jay-Jay, Jaybird, Jayhausen, Jaybud, Scamp, Gremlin, Jayden, Darlin', Angel, Buttercup, Sweetheart,

Born:

Novemeber 29th, 1993

Pronouns:

He/She/They/Ze [no real prefrence]

From:

Chicago Illinois

Hair Color:

Ginger

Eye Color:

Green/Blue

Height:

5 foot tall

Weight:

132 lbs

Small Bio:

Adopted by Willow and James Orton when he was two, she grows up a pretty normal girl in the normal household of girls do girl things and boys do boys things. She does ballroom dancing as a child and grows up with a passion for musical theatre and acting as well as medicine. He grows up wanting to be an actor until an unfortunate accident renders her hard of hearing/deaf [she uses the terms interchangably] which means that he now has hearing aids. He forgoes the desire to act to become a doctor instead, facianted by how people can just mend and heal like nothing bad happened.

At age thirteen her parents send her off to Blackpool, to an old friend William Regal who is going to teach Jay the art of wrestling as a way for her to get his extra energy out [plottwist its medicated/undiagnosed hyperactive ADHD] but Regal takes thsi little 13 year old from Chicago under his wings and trains him all the art of wrestling, Jay realises that she has a passon for death matches and hardcore wrestling, and shes damn fucking good at it.

Up on the main roster, Jay struggles because theyre not allowed to do anything apart from a few high flying moveis and years go by where Jay just isnt happy in her position, made worse by coles call up. So this is when Jericho starts slowly manpulating and selling Jay on the idea of joining the JAS and AEW and so she shows up with the rest of the JAS. They start treating Jay at first like a princess a gloruos little angel who can do their dirtywork until she starts to loose matches and the JAS start getting annoyed and agrivated and start bullying them - cue wrestlers weekly standing up for this little new kid who keeps being picked on. Jay ends up doing a diving headbutt during a amtch with Kris Stratlander and cracks their head on both a steel chair and a ring anvas- he's concussed instatnyl nad really doesnt remember how she got backstage [the best friends and kris helped him there and wheeler looked after them and took her back to the JAS lockerroom]

Jay has their therapy rabbit Hemlock [yes, like the poision] there and shes chatting away to the rabit when he starts to completely like zone our and dissocate. This is where he meets kenny someone who treats them and calms him down and whene Jay first registers that theres someone else in the room she panics instantly cuz the JAS trained her to not show emotions especially those who are like sad or guilty emotions. Jay states that she doesnt know who kenny is, because theybve only really kinda seen him around and not spoken to him and Kenny sticks his hand out and goes "Kenny omega, now you know me!" and when jay introsduces themselve as "Jayden Orton" Kenny smiles and "nice to meet ya jay"

and everything kinda just snaps int place. Jay! Nobody had ever called them Jay before, like the bird and everything nice and kind. And thats a boys name, Jay wouldnt mind being a boy. Jay

she likes it.

so yeah Kenny provides an entire gender crisis. Jay snaps out of dissocation and switches for a panic attack which kenny helps and explains that "oh my partner has these sometimes, he really doesnt like to be alone sometimes.are you going to be okay?- Oh! you two should meet youd really like him! he's really kind, and cute."

Kenny in intensily queer around Jay and considering that shes never really been exposed to outwardly queer people and openly gender-queer people her mind goes all scrambled in a good way.

Some other things happen,. jay leaves the JAS, spends a lot of time lurking in dark corrdiors meeting more firneds. She keeps finding kenny and acddientally meets hanger when kenny is like inches away from getting him on his knees. The two of them make instant friends. The go dancing and to bars and Jay assumes that because she likes the name Jay, he cant be a girl- so he has to be a boy.

Adam cole worms his way back into Jays life as a foe and then someone that their boyrioends are fucking and then cole realises that shes trans femme and Jay realises that hes not a trans man but infact genderqueer. Jay and coles trans journeys are linked and ill go more uinto that if anyone else really wants to hear about it.

In the end Jay starts dating wheeler, kenny and both adams. wheeler is only dating jay. Kenny and the adams are all dating one another. The polycule is all disgustingly in love and adore each other.

Regal scoops up his now grandchild [as well as granddaughter/grandson- regardless os how jay feels regal will always be their grandpa] as the newest member of the BCC where she can finally have a family thats forged in blood and ocmbat as well as kindness and love. Mox gives them his ADHD meds sometimes.

Favorite Wrestlers Growing Up:

Sabu, Mick Foley, Bob Orton Senior, Shawn Micheals

First Wrestling Crush:

Debuts/Years In Wrestling:

15th December 2006: He has his first match in a house show in a backyard wrestling comapny [13 years old]

28 November 2008: Offical Debut in All Star Wrestling [A day before her 15th birthday]

9th December 2010: Her offical CZW debut [17 years old]

2012- 2013: Travels back to Chicago to go to medical school [A year of medical school at Pritzker School of Medicine] and doesn't return to wretling after a mental breakdown

7 December 2014: Returns to wrestling in 4 Front Wrestling [21 years old]

18 June 2018: Debute in NXT UK [25 years old]

28 August 2018: Offical debute with NXT [25 years old] Reconnects with Adam Cole [25 years old]

20 March 2019: The start of her and Coles mixed tag team, they gel very quickly since being friends before- they start fucking around literally, theres feelings involved [26 years old]

1 July 2019: The end of her and Cole's mix tax team partnership (off-screen) [26 years old]

29 November 2019: Called up to the main roster and debuts on raw [27 years old- just turned]

10 Feburary 2022: Offically walks out of WWE and quits over a multitude of issues- Just quits in the middle of the ring MJF style [28 years old]

9 March 2022: Offical debuts as part of the JAS, it quickly turns sour as shes the only girl there and they target her for "not being strong enough" [28 years old]

20 July 2022 : Offically gets kicked out of the JAS by being attacked, saved by the BCC becoming an un-offical member [28 years old]

2 August 2022: Becomes a BCC member offically [28 years old]

29 March 2023: Slowly starting to pull away from the BCC after they start attacking her boyfriends, still offically a member of the Blackpool Combat Club [29 years old]

Wrestling Style:

Hardcore/Deathmatch/high-flyer

Who is Like Family to Her?:

Jon Moxley, Matt and Nick Jackson [brothers] Excalibur [father figure] Dax Harwood/Cash Wheeler [uncles] Renee Paquette/RJ City [Aunts] Tony Schiavone [grandpa] William Regal [legal guardian/Grandpa] Taz [uncle] Hook [cousin] Kota Ibushi [Self assigned step father- called her son in Japaneese]

Who has she known the longest?

Adam Cole

Who would she like to meet in the business?

So many death match wrestlers

Hobbies:

archery, music [plays the eletric guitar], axe/knife throwing, smoking, gymnastics, singing, scrapbooking, collecting pull tabs

If she couldn’t wrestle anymore, she would:

Hed get into a dangerous job something that would more then likely get him hurt, or work with kids.

Languages known:

Fluent in French, Knows very little Japaneese

Secrets of Hers:

He secretly feels guilty that he got called to the main roster in WWE and Cole didn't reall. Shes always seen her as the better wrestler.

Phobias:

Dentiophobia: Phobia of the dentists Eremophobia: Fear of abadoment Atelophobia: Phobia of letting people down

Number of Tattoos:

A lot over 20 a few important ones: - A crown on the back of her left knee for Cole - A bird and stingway to represent the bucks on their right shoulder blade/back - A cactus on his neck for Hangman - 'Tomorrow belongs to me' on her right ribs - An off/switch behind her right ear - a snake on her wrist for Regal - An omega sign/golden star on his right fingers [middle and index] for kenny and kota - a 'mom' tattoo for claudio [got as a joke] on her left shoulder - barbed wire around his left ankle for mox [it was her first tattoo when she was 16] - a little heart on her wrist just over her pulsepoint for wheeler - a collection of doodles across his right knee and across around that area just because

Number of Piercings:

Erl piercing, Ears peircing, nipples peircing, double lip rings

Any History of Broken Bones:

a broken nose during an bump gone wrong, a broken arm in third grade, a dislocated ankle when he was 18         

Any Injuries from Wrestling:

A broken nose, concussion, knocked crooked teeth, facial injurys leaving behind scars [All of these in a bump that went wrong that traumatised Cole- Jay doesn't remember it] splitting her head open during AEW, broken arm, glass embedded in arms, dislocated ankle

Wrestlers She Has Dated/Been in a Relationship with at Some point in her career:

Rhea Ripley [During her time in NXT UK to just before dating adam cole]

Adam Cole [during their mix-tag team]

Wheeler Yuta [during her time out the JAS-present]

Wheeler Yuta, Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Adam Cole [Current ship]

[queenofthefallenangels]

To be a ref or not to be?

I don't own this gif

Seth Rollins x Reader x Baron Corbin.

Summary: Baron tries to get Seth's ex to be his guest referee. Does she want to be a fair ref or does she want to sabotage the match and get her revenge on Seth?

A/N: so, this one has a bit of a choose your own adventure to it. I couldn't decide on the ending, so I am doing both. You get to choose the ending you want. If you want to be tagged in one or both just ask. The links will be at the bottom once they are posted.

A/N 2: I am going on Vacation this weekend the ending should be posted once I come back.

----

"Come on, (Y/N), you should be itching to get back at Seth after what he put you through." Baron said pulling me back towards him. I had been trying to leave his locker room and almost had escaped. His legs were longer though. "This could be the ultimate revenge after he left you for Becky. I heard he even cheated on you with her. Don't you want to get him back for all the pain he has put you through. That he's putting you through." He said close to my ear.

I sighed. Sure, that sounded great. Screwing Seth over like he had done to me, but I knew it wasn't right. I wasn't scared like everyone else of Seth's chair. He could hit her a million times and it still wouldn't even come close to how the pain felt when he broke my heart into pieces.

"Look, they're tons of other wrestlers here that have a bone to pick with Seth. There are also tons who would just love to be apart of a pay per view. Go bug them. I don't want any part of this match."

"No one else wants it. They are all scared of Seth and his chair."

I sighed thinking for a moment, "What's the catch?"

"No catch." He put an arm around me. "I get my title and you get your revenge. What's so wrong about that?"

"There has to be a catch. What do I have to do? Call the match in your favor?"

"But of course. Slow count. Anything fit so I win."

I took another long thought. "No," I said pulling out of his hold. "Revenge is great. It would probably make me feel better too, but only for a moment." I sighed. "I can't call a match unfairly. It goes against everything I stand for."

Baron shook his head, "So, you would rather watch Seth and Becky run around as the power couple? Be the perfect happy couple? C'mon, I know it kills you inside to watch them together."

I couldn't lie. It did. Seth was never that open about us. He also tried to hide us from the public eye. He said it was just for privacy, but apparently that was a lie. Seth seemed more than happy to plaster him and Becky everywhere. Almost as if he was rubbing it in my face.

"I know you have that anger inside you. Use it, (Y/N). Use it and I can promise you, I could make us the most powerful couples in WWE history."

"How are you going to get me Becky's title? I spend most of my life in catering. There is no way you can get me a title match with her." I said crossing my arms over my chest.

"You underestimate my abilities. Make sure I win and I will make you get a title opportunity even a win."

"How?" I asked.  

"Just trust me, with me, I can take you places Seth couldn't dream of." He pulled me close to him looking down at me. He looked me straight in the eyes, "Just think about it." He told me before walking off.

I nodded sighing as I walked down the hall. Only to bump into Seth, he was sitting at the other side of a corner. He was holding that steel chair, twirling it in his fingers. I raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you going to do Seth? Hit me with the chair. Go ahead. I talked to Baron hit me like everyone else."

Seth shook his head, "I am not going to hit you. I know you wouldn't do that."

"Do what?" I asked.

"Be his guest referee. I know you still got feelings for me. I also know you like to fight fair."

"You think you got me all figured out, don't you?"

"I just know you always do the right thing." He said touching my shoulder. "I actually wouldn't mind it if you were because I know I would get a fair fight. You don't have revenge in you." He said patting my shoulder.

"Maybe I would now. You don't know what I am capable of. I could call the most unfair match you will ever see."

"You say that, but I know it's not true. Come on? (Y/N). You really think you could do that."

I watched him walk away with the chair. "Just watch me."

I walked over to Baron's door knocking. "I'll do it." 

Ending 1: Revenge 

[wrestling0neshots]

Secret Admirer p2 - Kane

"Y/n, it's nice to finally get you ring side. Can you tell us what happened last week?" JR asks, leaning further against the announcers table as the show comes back from break. 

"Thanks JR, last week was strange, I'm not entirely sure myself, I mean, how would you react if you suddenly find out your secret admirer hasn't even been sending you messages and it was in fact someone doing it for them. Not to mention you have to face them or risk having their brother seriously injured for setting you up" you reply, leaning back into the chair. 

"It is strange, I can't imagine how I would feel" Michael pitches in "I'm not sure I remember to be honest, I was too busy trying to understand what was going on"

You flinch at the familiar sound of the bell toll that signals the deadmans entrance, but remain calm. "Kane, a secret admirer? I'm not convinced he has those emotions" Michael Cole mutters. You discreetly roll your eyes, "there's something there. Kane, he is a little menacing, but if last week was any demonstration he won't hurt me" "That's right, it was a shock when he just walked away. Who'd have thought? The monster, tamed by Y/n" you chuckle at Jim, shaking your head a little.

"I'm not sure I'd call it tamed" you state, watching Undertaker like a hawk, whatever could he be doing? "I certainly would, I mean, he just stopped! Something I never thought I'd see Kane do" Jim exclaims. "Me either, but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see" you add, just as Undertaker begins to speak. 

"Last week everyone witnessed something. Something that shocked us all. Kane, controlled by a woman. Even the most skilled wrestler cannot tame my brother. He's a force, brutal, what some people would call a monster. But last week that monster was finally taken control of. I'd like my brother to come down here, and I want him to admit to Y/n, and the world, that he's more than just a monster.

"What is he doing?" you mutter to yourself. "I think he's calling you and Kane to the ring" Michael adds dully.

"Yes, I understood that bit" you mumble, Jim's amused look almost making you laugh. "Excuse me for a second" you say to the announcers, taking off the headset. Maybe the time away from Michael Cole will do you some good. "What are you doing?" you exclaim, having entered the ring. "You are in no state to be calling out your brother. You know damn well he'll come and attack you"

"That's what I have you for" Undertaker replies plainly, taking a hold of your arm before raising the mic to his lips once more. "Come on Kane!" he taunts. "Okay, this is enough. You're crazy" you pull out of his grip, the lights going black as you do. When they raise again seconds later you find yourself leaning on the turnbuckle, Kane storming towards the ring catching your eye. You stand properly, Kane approaching the ring with surprising speed despite his size.

You take an involuntary step back as Kane’s gloved hand grabs the top rope, allowing him to hoist himself up. Within seconds you find yourself between the two brothers, the only thing keeping Kane from ripping Undertaker apart. They stare over you, into each others eyes, the tension in the air thick, almost suffocating.

You don't move, despite your fear. Anything could happen. You know what both of these men are capable of doing, and you don't want to become a victim in the midst of things.

"Kane, we don't see eye to eye, we do have our differences, our reasons to fight, but this is not one of them" Undertaker states "This is for you, not me. I'm not doing this for leverage, I'm doing this because I've done some horrible things to you in the past, and I want to do this to finally do something right" You can feel the anger still radiating off of Kane, but nothing happens, he just continues to stare.

"He won't Undertaker. Kane doesn't feel anything for this woman" You sigh at Paul's voice. As if the situation wasn't enough already, now he's gone ahead and got involved. "This is nothing to do with you Paul. You don't dictate Kane's feelings. I've seen this for myself, everyone saw it last week. Hell everyone can see it now. If it wasn't for 'this woman' Kane would have gone right though me already"

You snatch the mic from Undertaker's hand, stepping to the side just enough to see Paul, but enough you're still between the two brothers. You realise he's closer to the ring than you thought, in the process of walking around to the steel stairs to get in the ring. "Why don't you stay out of it Bearer? You're not a part of this conversation"

Paul says nothing more, so you avert your attention back to the two brothers, particularly Kane.

"I don't know how this came about, but this ends today. I want to know what's going on and I want to know it from you, Kane. This only really concerns the two of us" Kane now looks at you, and you at him. The angry energy you could feel earlier is less prominent, the environment becoming more comfortable by the minute. You sidestep, walking to the opposite side of the ring to Paul, with the intention of keeping your eye on all three of them.

You hear Undertaker's chuckle, turning to face them as fast as you can, but Kane already has his brothers throat in his grip, the two once again watching each other carefully.

"Kane" his eyes are on you in an instant, but his grip doesn't waver. "he's injured, leave him be" Kane doesn't move, but his eyes stay fixed on you. You step back toward them, nervous thoughts swimming in your mind. "Please" Kane's arm falls to his side, Undertaker taking a step back with a smug grin on his face. 

Kane turns to face you and everything else seems to disappear. "I need to know" your voice is soft, not wanting to seem anxious, but it's hard. Kane's chest rises slowly with the deep breath he takes in, holding it for longer than natural . He says nothing. Neither do you.

Slowly he closes his eyes, nodding his head twice, and only twice. Paul's screeches are distant, and pull neither of you from the moment, Kane reaching out. He holds his hand in the air between the two of you, almost as if asking for a high five. 

Slowly you bring yours to meet his, any nerves you had disappearing the instant your hand makes contact with his.  You keep your eyes on his mismatched ones as Kane pulls his hand away. A small smile breaks through as Kane gestures for you to follow him out of the ring.

As you do so Undertaker catches your eye, a pleased smile rested on his usually stern features. He's worked hard to get to this moment, and you get the impression he's pleased with the payoff. You walk alongside Kane up the ramp, your ringside commentary and Paul forgotten about as Kane and you take your first steps together. 

[staytiny-angel]

Whole - 2/?

Rating: E

Pairing: Finn Balor/Seth Rollins

Summary: The person we know as Seth Rollins is actually a demon who currently shares a body with a 30 something emo warlock/professional wrestler named Tyler Black.

Authors Note: Okay, timeline wise the bulk of this chapter takes place the morning of Super Showdown...everything up until then is canon including Mox being in AEW

'Demonspeak'

Taglist: @the-beastslayers-queen @scream-qween @swifteforeverandalways @sethsevolution @finnsauroraborealis @deepdisireslonging @winged-time-criminal @moxley-unhinged

Then

'Are you quite certain this is what you desire, little one? To be soulbound to one such as I? It will change everything you are, everything you ever will be and you will never be solely Tyler Black ever again.'

"Yes, I have to be stronger, I am destined to be more then this" a 20 year old Tyler Black said confidently despite the tremor in the hand holding the glowing, bespelled tarot card.

'Then speak the binding words and crush your fate'

"I am thou, thou art I……." Tyler started to chant, sealing his future

Now

Tyler had been young when he'd sacrificed himself to Seth, and it wasn't an easy life having the spirit of a demon that had once been worshipped as a God inside of you, It'lp been a miracle he'd even survived the binding ritual, let alone been powerful enough to forcefully of I put Seth to sleep for 4 years.

Tyler was a very powerful warlock but even he shouldn't have been able to do the things he'd done, he thought to himself as he stretched his arms above his head, getting used to the feeling of his soul being fully bound to Seth's again.

'We are bigger then we were before' Seth says from inside him

"I had to make up for not having your strength to rely on" Tyler replies easily, staring in the mirror as he practiced switching back and forth between his human and fully demon forms and smirking each time the color leeched from his form and he glitched in and out of existence ever so slightly.

"I think I like our new look, we look much more intimidating" Seth said finally

"You'd better…It took a lot of hard work when I was hurt and after to get like this." Tyler replied, happy to not feel the crushing emptiness of being alone in his body anymore. It was something only Finn and Dean had ever understood. Once you became a host…and knew what it was like to truly never be alone, the loss of that wasn't an easy thing to manage.

'I….tried to heal us..why didn't you let me help?' Seth whispers inside their mind.

"I thought getting hurt was my punishment for the things we did" Tyler whispers back

"Oh little one…It was I that took things too far. I….wanted them back and yes I was fully prepared to end that man's life to do so, once Cena did as we demanded…I thought they cared about us as much as you did…and we were both fooled." Seth confesses.

"Roman used to say that you, and Moxie and Balor weren't capable of love…or regret." Tyler says

"Roman was raised with beliefs that directly contradict our very existence. I'm not surprised."

"I'm surprised he never tried to exorcise any of you... especially you and Moxie" Seth replied

"Mox is so well entrenched into Dean's soul that the separation would certainly kill him and most likely destroy Moxley as well, not only is Dean himself human, they've been soulbound since he was a very small child" Seth explained in more detail then he ever had before.

"And the rest of us?"

"Separating the two of us and Finn from the King without express consent would be practically impossible…not only did you both sacrifice yourselves willingly…you are botho powerful supernatural beings even without myself and the King augmenting those abilities with our own."

"There are still only 4 S class demons fully manifested in this dimension. Myself, The King, Moxley and Kane" Seth reminded him "and as much as I am loathe to admit it both King Balor and Kane are much more powerful then we are. Kane especially because he doesn'thave a human soul to contend with.

Just then, they heard he beeping sound signalling the door unlocking and they turned to see Finn walking in.

"Hey babe" the Irishman said walking up to him and tilting his head to the side said "Ah, I see you used your birthday gift."

Tyler smirked and let Seth take over "Thanks, Irish…Tyler probably would have never gotten to a place where he was willing to let me out again if it weren't for you and the King."

Tyler and Seth had always had a more contentious relationship then Finn and Balor, or even Dean and Mox.

Finn nodded "I'm glad I could help."

"Even though your a sneaky snake and didn't tell me that's what all the spell work we were doing was for" Tyler says with a smile.

"A surprise is a surprise." His lover replies kissing him

"Where is His Majesty?" Seth asked

"Still Sleeping to prepare for tonight." Finn says "He's ready for tonight but the middle east is not his favorite place...too much old energy"

"So what happens now?" Finn asked

"It's OUR turn to have fun" Tyler and Seth replied together

Later that night

"Seth Rollins has gone on a rampage with a steel chair to open up Super Showdown having laid waste to the Beast in the Bank after defeating Baron Corbin, thwarting his cash in for at least this night." Michael Cole screamed

"What did he do?" Roman growled, walking up to Balor

'He's whole, Slayer' The King replied, 'Our Mate is whole once more'

[lentaska]

Parenthood - Part One

Note: First person POV, OFC. Sami is an overprotective parent. Had the idea in my mind for days and I have to write it down. I’m gonna keep this story short so I can go back to focus on the Fulton fanfic.

English is my second language, I apologize for any grammar/wording mistake.

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from wrestling, I do not claim any ownership over them.

@monstersmaid @thecristsandcallihancult

Part One

“They put nails in my sport shoes.”

The little girl pouted, eyes watering.

I was shocked to hear how mean children could be nowadays, but the more shocking thing was what came after.

The black-haired man who passed by the kitchen rushed back, yelled in rage, “what the fuck did those bastards do?!”

“Sami Callihan, we talked about this, no dirty word in this household.”

“Oh sorry... Anyways, what did those... boys do? Putting nails in your shoes?! Was that true?”

The little girl, Hanna, nodded.

“I’m gonna kill those fu... boys, I mean boys.”

Headache kicked in, I massaged my temple, “let’s talk to the teacher tomorrow...”

But the hot-tempered wrestler already dialed the number and was summoning his crew, “Jake, some boys in school bullied Hanna, I’m gonna teach them a lesson. Yeh bring Fulton too.”

It took me few seconds to come back to myself. “Don’t call them!” I shouted, hoping Jake Crist could hear me over the phone and talk some sense to Sami. “I can deal with it in better way...”

“No Jake, don’t listen to her. NO ONE can bully Hanna. We are going to pick her up tomorrow and find those fuckers out.”

I immediately covered Hanna’s ears, “Sami please, watch for your language...” At this point, to ask him not to go to school with his friends like a group of gangster was no longer an option. All I could do was to remind him of his dirty word issue.

The only reason I preferred the incident to not be disclosed to Sami was I knew how he would act. I was not afraid to confront those bullies and their parents, I would be glad to do so, but the Callihan Death Machine had more straightforward way to solve the issue.

Due to my work, I recently relocated to this neighbourhood and transferred Hanna to the new school. Although it’s pity to see that she had to say goodbye to her friends, I was actually relieved that she could have new start without Sami and his crew picking her up on the way back from match.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved his friends. Unlike the character they acted in rings, they were friendly and easy-going in life, and they took care Hanna whenever they could. On the other hand, they could be overprotective. Hanna had been bullied before in the previous school, few girls pulled her hair and called her “weirdo”. Not only Sami, but also his “Callihan cult” went mad. The next thing I knew was Sami showed up to pick Hanna from school, with The Crist brothers and Fulton alongside. Which, of course, created some turmoil.

“Is uncle David coming tomorrow too?” Hanna asked, hand pulling Sami’s sleeve.

“Of course sweetie, your favourite uncle David is coming with his good friend, Mr Chair...”

“Sami,” I had to cut him off before Hanna started to think “Mr Chair” was a real person, “calling it ‘mister’ does not make bringing steel chair to school legit. You need to calm yourself down first.”

Sami’s eyes widened. He looked at me as if I just murdered someone, “She was BULLIED.”

“We cannot bully the bullies back.”

“So we are just gonna invite them for lunch and have nice lil’ chat?”

I sighed and turned to Hanna, “sweetie, mommy is going to have a serious conversation with Sami, do you want to watch TV?”

Hanna happily accepted my offer and headed to the living room.

“Am I right to say that you still haven’t told her?” Sami reproved, arms crossed in front of chest. “You cannot hide it forever.”

“Shut up.” I snapped at him unkindly.

“I know you’re mad at me, but you have no right to keep her away from the truth. She will resent you if she finds out by herself.”

He was right, but I didn’t know how to tell Hanna. I had the fear that she would push me away. She was only seven, what if she was unable to accept it? Imagining how she would react, my fingers anxiously tapped the kitchen counter.

“I know what you are worried about. Listen, I’m learning to be a parent ‘cause I wanna be part of her life.”

“All you learned is to scare her classmates with your friends...” I mumbled.

“Hey it’s part of the learning process.”

“Being overprotective can cause issue. When the day that she has to stand up for herself comes, would you let it go?”

Sami took long time to consider my question and eventually nodded as if he compromised, “I will because I have to. I can’t protect her forever, neither can you, she has to face all the goods and evils, see what a real world is. But not now.”

“I think you can be a good parent.”

“Only if I can be as brave as you. I was angry at what you did at very first because I was freaked out.” he hugged me to give me comfort and support. “I am sorry.”

To be honest, I never blamed him, I would probably have done the same.

Buried my face in his neck, I felt safe. “I’m going to tell her.” I looked up at him, “Would you be there with me?”

He pressed a kiss on my forehead, “of course. I promise.”

[beingallelite]

The feuds developed over the first three shows in company history laid the foundation for Saturday's event before the weekly TNT show begins Oct. 2.

None, however, have gotten as deeply personal as Cody Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears. The feud began with no obvious backstory as to why Spears plastered Cody on the head with a chair at Fyter Fest. It's blossomed because of the intricate storytelling AEW fans hoped to see. President Tony Khan promised more gripping entertainment than what wrestling fans have been used to in recent years, and the buildup for Cody and Spears' feud has been a highlight.

Below is a breakdown of the rivalry until now. Watch their match and the rest of the All Out event Saturday on B/R Live.

Background

Although the friendship between Rhodes and Spears wasn't highly publicized before the chair shot, AEW set the larger stage for their feud through the YouTube series, Road to All Out. AEW established Rhodes and Spears' history of camaraderie during their time at Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's former developmental territory. There, the two were a tag team and won the promotion's tag titles twice.

In 2006, Spears taught a young Rhodes, only a handful of professional matches into his wrestling career, about the business.

"It started in OVW. It started with me," Spears said in an interview with AEW's Jim Ross during a Road to All Out episode. "He came in, and I taught him to wrestle. Those were his words, and he's made it public knowledge. ... He's a leech. He latched on, bled me dry and moved on in his ascent to the AEW hierarchy.

"Bottom line is he's forgotten who he was. He was in my inner circle. He forgot that I was there for the 50th wedding anniversary of his parents. He forgot that I sat at his table for Thanksgiving dinner. We were like brothers."

Harboring a deep resentment is a time-tested way to kick-start a wrestling angle, and this one planted the seeds for Spears to turn on Rhodes the moment the latter said "great hand."

"Great Hand"

In an episode of Road to All Out before June's Fyter Fest, Rhodes described Spears as a "great hand" to Nik Sobic, AEW's vice president of business operations, about The Perfect 10 signing for their company.

"He could potentially be a player-coach," Rhodes said. "He's great for the young guys and is a great hand, so I'm happy with it."

That's a compliment—usually. A hand is someone skilled in the ring and good to work with. Superstars can be hands and so can midcarders. It also can be a condescending dig at a guy who can work but is not going to be a star. For the purposes of this feud, Spears is selling it as a dig that he's never going to be a top star in the company. He's merely a good wrestler used to put over better guys.

Rhodes sees Spears as someone whom younger wrestlers at AEW can go to for advice and that he can help guide, similarly to what Spears did for Rhodes at OVW. As shown by his actions at Fyter Fest just weeks later, Spears was not pleased with this description.

The Chair Shot Heard Around the World

Rhodes had just finished a thrilling match against Darby Allin that reached its 20-minute time limit and ended in a draw. The crowd was hot already, and Spears jogged down the ramp with a chair in hand.

The crowd grew louder as The Perfect 10 raised the chair over his head and waited for Rhodes to turn around. When he finally did, Spears walloped his victim with a vicious, unprotected shot reminiscent of the Attitude Era.

A puddle of blood could be seen gushing out of Rhodes' head as he laid on the canvas with Spears standing over him. Brandi Rhodes, Cody's wife and the chief brand officer of AEW, rushed to the ring as she and referee Aubrey Edwards begged Spears to not take any further action. With an emptiness in his eyes, Spears left through the crowd.

The moment went viral—but probably not for the reason AEW wanted. Fans debated the recklessness of allowing someone to take a chair shot to the head. WWE banned them in 2006. Khan and the Young Bucks said after Fyter Fest that the blood was not intentional. The gimmicked chair used as a precaution mistakenly injured Rhodes.

Regardless, even more eyes were on the impending Rhodes-Spears feud now. The bludgeoning of Rhodes added to the perceived disdain Spears has for him, and that was the point. The chair shot confirmed how personal this feud was going to get.

Reaction

Fans were left to wonder why Spears did that since the friendship between them wasn't highlighted until after the chair shot. The explanation came in his interview with Ross.

"Cody crossed the line," Spears said. "You don't call someone a good hand. It's the curse of this industry to be called a good hand. He should know better. Clearly he forgot, and that's why I wrapped a steel chair around his face. Sometimes people just need to be reminded."

The angle: Spears felt disrespected by Rhodes and believes his time at AEW will transcend that of just someone there to help others. He wants to be a face of the company and doesn't care who he has to confront to get that message across.

Reaction from within Rhodes' circle came in hot and heavy as his close friend, MJF, called Spears a "piece of s--t" in the buildup to their match at Fight for the Fallen two weeks later. Brandi Rhodes followed it up with a three-minute episode of Road to All Out solely dedicated to her thoughts on what happened and a warning to Spears on what's going to happen to him at All Out.

"He was your friend, and yet you took an unforgiving steel chair and ended all of that to make a name for yourself. ... That blood that I saw coming out of the back of his head may as well have been a mirror into your future. ... Ten staples to the back of my beloved's head was your 15 minutes. I really hope you enjoyed them."

This feud feels personal, and bringing in the opinion of others close to Rhodes to chime in emphasized that. However, Spears also didn't mind bringing in people to back him up.

Tully Blanchard

Toward the conclusion of Spears' interview with Ross, he told AEW's lead commentator he had an ace up his sleeve. In walked Tully Blanchard, a WWE Hall of Fame member best known for being one of the Four Horsemen alongside Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson and Ric Flair.

Why bring in Blanchard? As Spears put it, his history of competing against Rhodes' father, Dusty, will give him psychological insight into what he can expect from Cody. After all, Blanchard and Dusty did wrestle together 184 times.

"I got a phone call from a great athlete who was feeling underappreciated," Blanchard said in an interview on Road to All Out. "He asked me how to get his career to the top. I said if you take down one of the Rhodes, that'll get you to the top in anyone's book. I probably knew Dusty as well as anyone across the ring. I know what makes the Rhodes family tick. Shawn has asked me to give him that knowledge."

Bringing in a name of Blanchard's ilk adds prestige and even more background as to why Spears assaulted Rhodes. Blanchard telling his protege that the quickest way to gain some respect around AEW is to go after the man he felt underappreciated by in the first place is compelling, in-depth storytelling.

Blanchard set the scene at All Out even further with one key stipulation.

The Stipulation and What We Can Expect From All Out

The contract signing on Road to All Out was brief, with Rhodes entering the room where Spears and Blanchard, along with a group of AEW officials, awaited the arrival of The American Nightmare. Rhodes walked in, signed the contract and left without saying more than a couple of words.

Before that, though, Blanchard and Spears added a clause in the contract stating that only one person would be allowed in the corner of each competitor during the match. It was obvious who would accompany Spears, but who accompanies Rhodes has yet to be announced.

Could it be Brandi or MJF? Could we see someone from Blanchard's past who can match wits with the Horseman? There are plenty of options, most whom already have their own stake in the feud. The surprise addition will add another layer to this bout.

This is the promotion's first real test in building a storyline that stretched for months, and so far it's worked. AEW's four events before its weekly show begins have given the promotion the opportunity to get its feet wet creatively. This feud has yet to feel far-fetched or disingenuous.

The match itself is what fans will really remember. If both wrestlers—and everyone else involved in the match—can deliver a satisfying finish, it would be a strong bridge to the start of AEW's weekly television.

[loretranscripts]

Lore Episode 4: Dinner at the Afterglow (Transcript) - 20th April 2015

tw: cults, ghosts

Disclaimer: This transcript is entirely non-profit and fan-made. All credit for this content goes to Aaron Mahnke, creator of Lore podcast. It is by a fan, for fans, and meant to make the content of the podcast more accessible to all. Also, there may be mistakes, despite rigorous re-reading on my part. Feel free to point them out, but please be nice!

The San Juan Islands are a cluster of small, wooded islands off the coast of Washington state, just across the water from Vancouver Island. The western most of those small plots of land is San Juan Island itself, which has a population of less than 7000 residents, and has the welcoming feel of a small, quiet town. Seriously, this place is quiet. The most exciting thing most people can think about of their home there is that one of the residents is Lisa Moretti, a retired female WWF wrestler. But on the northern tip of the island, just beyond Roche Harbour and the resort there, is a road that leads into the woods. What is hidden in those trees, away from the prying eyes of tourists and residents alike, is something so unusual, something so out of the ordinary and bizarre, that it practically begs for a visit. Travelling down the long dirt road that runs into the heart of the forest, like a withered artery, will bring you to an iron archway mounted on stone pillars. The words “Afterglow Vista” are woven into the metalwork. Beyond that, deeper into the woods, is a series of stone stairs that lead up a small hill, and it’s the thing on top of that hill that immediately catches the eye of every visitor, without question. It’s an open-air rotunda, a ring of tall, stone pillars, standing on a flat, circular limestone base. They’re connected at the top by thick, Maltese archways, but nothing covers the rotunda itself – its interior is completely exposed and visible. What’s inside? A large, round, stone table, surrounded by six limestone chairs. Odd, but not creepy, until you realise the purpose this monument serves. It’s a tomb. Resting inside each of the chairs is the cremated remains of a human being. I’m Aaron Mahnke, and this is Lore.

In the late 19th century, San Juan Island became known for its lime deposits. Then, as now, lime was an essential ingredient in important products such as steel, fertilizer and cement, and the lime industry of San Juan Island provided much of the community’s jobs and revenue. In 1886, a man named John S. McMillin purchased controlling interest in the major lime deposits there, and eventually developed the industry there to be the largest supplier of lime on the West Coast. In the process, he built the 20-room Hotel de Haro at Roche Harbour, and then, a company town that surrounded it. In addition to the lime factory itself, he also built the barrel-works, warehouse, docks, ships, offices, a church, a general store and even barns. He even built houses for the workers, with the single men living in large bunkhouses, and the families being given small cottages that had been build into neat rows. All the structures belonged to McMillin, but his army of employees, over 800 of them at the peak of the business, gave them life. McMillin had a vision, for everyone living in one, big community. The town was self-sufficient with its own water, power, and telephone systems, and he paid his workers in company scrip, company currency that was only good there, in town, at the local company store. Of course, workers could still draw their salary in US currency whenever they wished, but the scrip was used in the store all the way up to 1956. That wasn’t all McMillin built though; he was far from done.

John S. McMillin was an unusual man. He was born in 1855, and attended Depauw University in Indiana, back when it was still called Asbury College. There he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity, and helped guide that young organisation to form a grand council, an executive committee at the national level. As a result, he was elected the very first Sigma Chi grand consul. In addition to his fraternity connections, McMillin was a Freemason, reaching the rank of 32nd degree out of the possible 33. He was prominent in business and politics, and even counted Teddy Roosevelt as a friend, who frequently visited and stayed at the hotel. McMillin had four children, and nearly the entire family considered themselves devout Methodists. Only one child, they say, left the family faith, and in doing so he might very well have locked himself out of the McMillin story forever. You see, all those worlds of interest, as different from each other as they all were, co-existed inside the mind of John McMillin. So when the time came to plan an eternal resting place for he and his family, each element had influence on those designs. The result – you might have guessed – was the eerie stone edifice located deep in the forest.

The structure really is a thing to behold. Once you’ve listened to me talk about it, you’ll want to visit some websites to see the true beauty of what McMillin built. When it was first constructed, the forest around it was far less thickly wooded than it is today, and visitors could see Afterglow Beach off to the north-west, perhaps giving the structure its name. It was designed to be a Tholos, a circular Mycenaean temple. It was crafted from local limestone and cement, but what’s really fascinating is the large number of secret messages and hidden meanings that were built into the structure, some relating to the Knight’s Templar, and others reflecting McMillin’s values as a Methodist. For example, approaching the mausoleum requires travelling up three separate sets of stairs, each set having its own meaning. There are three steps in the first flight of stairs, and they’re said to represent the three ages of man; the second set contained five steps, representing the five senses; and the third set contains seven steps, which stand for the seven liberal arts and sciences. Around the table are seven pillars that hold up the arches. Oddly though, one of the seven pillars is broken, the western-most one, but it was done intentionally. Only a small portion can be seen on the base, and protruding from the archway above, and this break was said to be a reminder that death never lets us finish our work. There’s room around the table for seven chairs, but the spot that should hold the seventh, the closest to the broken pillar, in fact, is missing. Some say that it was never there to begin with, and that it’s meant to represent the son who walked away from McMillin’s Methodist faith. Depending on who you are, if eternity is a gathering at a table, not finding a seat with your family would be a ruthless punishment indeed. These are all fantastic architectural details, but what’s missing from every photo of the mausoleum is the long list of reported sightings, all of which started some time in the mid 1950s.  

The mausoleum was built with no dome on top, although that had originally been the plan, but it was expensive, amounting to about 40% of the total budget, and so it was scrapped near the end to save cash. Even still, visitors on rainy days have frequently reported that they feel no rain on them while inside the ring of the stone pillars. Some people have spoken of cold spots near the table, while others have heard voices, even when no one else is around. Those daring enough to actually sit on one of the chairs, keeping in mind that they are tiny little tombs containing the remains of the McMillin family, said that they felt very uneasy doing so, and more than one person has reported the sensation of hands pushing them off. A frequent account is the sight of strange lights at night, including blue lights that seem to hover above the chairs. Some visitors have also reported seeing the members of the McMillin family themselves on nights of the full moon, seated around the table while and laughing and talking.

The mausoleum isn’t the only place with unusual activity though. Originally, John McMillin built the family home right beside the Hotel de Haro, and his long-term secretary, Ada Beane, had a cottage on the other side of the hotel. Later, the Roche Hotel was built around the old hotel, and the other buildings were combined into the structure. Beane’s cottage, for example, became the current dining room and hotel gift shop. That dining room/restaurant has been the focus of quite a bit of unusual activity. The resort’s restaurant manager reported that, on more than one occasion, he has closed up shop, turned off the lights, and headed for the door, only to look back over his shoulder, and seen that a candle on one of the tables has reignited. When he walked back in and blew it out, all of the kitchen hood fans turned on at once. Other appliances have been known to turn on as well. Employees over the years have reported stoves, blenders and toasters turning themselves on and off. The storeroom door has been known to open and close by itself. Furniture in the back room has even been found rearranged in the morning with no explanation. The gift shop, located in another part of that old cottage, has also been home to some unusual activity. One former employee once watched as several glass shelves cracked and shattered, one by one, all without anyone touching them. In the hotel itself, there are rumours of ghosts. The second floor is reported to be haunted by what has been described as a middle-aged woman wearing a long dress. Employees have told the owners that they frequently hear the sound of rustling clothing in rooms where no one else should be. Is it the ghost woman’s dress they hear?

It’s funny how the people who live around us have a way of making an impression on us. We feel them when they’re here, like the gravitational pull of another planet, but sometimes we even feel them when they’re gone. They leave memories behind when they go, treasured gifts, belongings, or perhaps a worn spot on a favourite piece of furniture. Ghosts are a concept almost as old as time. The people we love are here for a while, and then they’re gone, and humans have always struggled to understand what happens to them after death. Maybe ghost stories are a way for us to grapple with our own loneliness and loss. Perhaps they’re our way of bolstering ourselves against our own impending death. We must go somewhere, right? Are we ready? Will we be forgotten? John McMillin believed with all his heart that his life needed to be remembered, and that his body, and those of his family, deserved a resting place equal  to their position in life. The Afterglow Vista stands as proof of one man’s faith in something beyond the veil.

And that light over the limestone seats that sometimes people report to have seen since the 50s? Well, it turns out there just might be an explanation, depending on what you’re willing to believe, of course. Remember how the building that houses the hotel’s gift shop and dining room used to be the home of Ada Beane, McMillin’s long-time secretary? Well, along with being a key figure in the day to day business of the company, she also helped as a governess to the McMillin children, and she was practically part of the family. So when Miss Beane died, prior to McMillin, it was obviously an emotional loss. Rumours persist to this day that her death was suicide, but official records list nothing more than natural causes. Regardless, the family lost someone dear when she passed away. After her death, her body was cremated and placed in a mason jar, and that jar somehow made it onto the mantle in the office of Paul McMillin, John’s youngest son. It wasn’t until the mid-1950s that the resort manager learnt from Paul, still alive and working for the company, that she was there, and that’s when they moved her. Where did they take her remains? Why, to join the others, of course. Her ashes were added the copper urn in one of the seats around the stone table in the mausoleum, putting her back where she belonged: among friends as dear to her as family. But Miss Beane might not have been too pleased about that decision. Perhaps, after looking over the family and estate for all those years, being moved to the cold, dark tomb didn’t settle well with her. It was only after the move that people began to see lights and hear voices. At the same time, the pranks and the unusual activities started up inside the hotel. Coincidence, or the actions of an upset woman who would rather spend her eternity away from the tourists and cold rain of the Afterglow Vista? Can you blame her?

Lore is a biweekly podcast and was produced by me, Aaron Mahnke. You can find a transcript of the show, as well as links to the source material at lorepodcast.com. The music in this episode was written by Kai Engel – be sure to check him out on soundcloud. If you enjoy scary stories, I happen to write them. You can find a full list of my supernatural thrillers, available in paperback and ebook format, at aaronmahnke.com/novels. And lastly, help the show grow by visiting ITunes today to leave a rating and review, and tell your friends. The show is on Twitter and Facebook, twitter.com/lorepodcast and facebook.com/lorepodcast. Thanks for listening.

[deepdisireslonging]

Family Found Part 21: Your Catastrophe

It’s the first week as an official co-manager of Raw with Baron Corbin. That would be fine… if he wasn’t rewriting everything the Reader had planned for the show.

Warnings/Promises: wrestling violence, Baron being a jerk

Word Count: 1864

Note: Again, super rushed, sorry. This week has been hard, but I’m hoping to get back into the swing of things over the next couple of days. And I am super excited for what I’ve got in store for TLC. If WWE doesn’t put it out there first. Which is seriously my biggest fear right now since what I’ve been writing (and planned months ago; i.e. Drew’s test of loyalties last week) has been so close to what has been actually happening on the show. Keep your fingers crossed that I can keep giving you guys unique content. Happy reading! Any and all feedback super appreciated!

Part 1: Welcome to the Team

Part 20: Handling It

Monday Night Raw – October 1, 2018 – Seattle, WA

No Way Jose’s peppy music started the night. He danced out with his conga line in tow, ready for his chance at participating in the TLC Intercontinental Championship fatal-four-way. He made his way around the ring and then danced in the center of it. Just as he finished, there was a record scratch followed by a bit of silence. Jose grinned as the stage lit up with Dolph Ziggler’s pink and star-studded entrance. Dolph came out, flanked by Drew McIntyre. They gave each other a fist bump before the Scottish Psychopath left, rushing to leave before the conga line could catch up with him.

The match was fast paced. Dolph’s speed and Jose’s sense of rhythm made for some interesting combinations of attacks and reversals. The longer it went on, the more Dolph became agitated. So much so, that he eventually went for a steel chair.

He swung it wildly while the referee stayed between him and Jose. The ref bounced off the canvas as Dolph shoved him to one side. As the chair descended onto Jose’s shoulders and back, the bell rang for the disqualification. He continued the assault until Jose stopped moving, whether from true injury or the illusion of one to end the fight. Dolph dropped the chair in one corner and froze. With a growl, he realized what he had just thrown away.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Baron Corbin walked out onto the stage. “Considering the circumstances, this match is still not finished.” Jose’s head wearily popped up. “It is going to start with a no disqualification stipulation. Ref, if you would.” He waited for the signal and the bell, then smiled.

Jose wobbled to his feet. Dolph picked the chair up again and swung. The first one was easily avoided, the second one not so much as Jose was too slow in seeing the chair approaching his stomach. He bent forward, then arched to stretch out the pain. Dolph used the stretch to use a Zig-Zag, winning the match.

***

Baron walked backstage and nearly ran into you. “What was that?” you demanded. “There was no call for that. Dolph cheated and that should have been it.”

He moved to push by you, but you stood in the way. He sighed. “You need to leave your personal vendetta against Dolph out of this. It’s up to us to make fair decisions and to reopen opportunities when they’ve been cut short.”

“Fair? It what you did had been fair, all of the matches would be no DQ.”

“That’s a great idea.” He heavily dropped his hand onto your shoulder, ignoring how you immediately pushed it away. “I’m glad you thought of it. I’ll make sure those rules are in place for Seth Rollin’s match against Jinder Mahal next week.” He turned with a short laugh.

“What? No, Corbin!” You had to fight not to stomp your foot like a child. No matter how much his retreating form irritated you.

***

There was another round planned for a spot in the women’s number one contender’s match at TLC. Natalya had left it up to you to make sure the right people made it to the match. It wasn’t hard considering Ruby Riott had already been planned to fight Nia Jax. What seemed to always be out of your reach was the Riott Squad’s ability to slip past security and make it to ringside.

Nia wasn’t worried. She wanted her title back and she was going to get it, no matter how many women she had to cut through. In no time at all, she had the upper hand and Ruby had retreated to a corner to whisper with her friends. Nia grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back into the center of the ring. Out of sight, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan circled the ring. The ref was too busy making sure Nia let go of Ruby’s hair to notice as they crept onto the apron.

With a series of kicks, Ruby was able to get away and cry foul enough to hoard the ref’s attention. The Squad attacked. Once Nia was incapacitated enough, Ruby’s injured magically healed and she as able to surge back into the fray. A three-count later, Ruby Riott was officially another member of the TLC fatal-four-way. Only two more matches to go.

***

Backstage, You followed the sound of their cackling and blocked their path before they could flip the clipboard of a techie. “That was low, even for you.” You ignored Baron’s heavy footsteps coming to a stop behind you. “And I didn’t think you would want an outcome like this. You’re a great wrestler Ruby, but we can’t see your full potential if you keep letting your Squad intervene.”

Ruby shared a look with her girls and smiled with a shrug. “What’s done is done. Unless tonight is going to be a night of do-overs. Even then, I’d still win.” She cocked her head. “And my potential is just fine, for those who know where to look. It’s a simple preservation of energy. Squad or no squad, tonight proves I could have beaten Nia for the title.”

Baron sniggered, “I have to agree.”

“Shut up,” you hissed, glancing over your shoulder.

He mocked motioned that he was hurt. “That’s no way to talk to your co-manager.”

“If my co-manager keeps acting like this,” you said, gritting your teeth, “he’s going to mysteriously go missing.” The Riott Squad gasped and huddled together as if watching a drama, minus the popcorn.

“Are you threat-“

“Ruby,” you said, turning your back on Baron, “I am going to let you stay in the fatal-four-way. Not because I think you earned it, but because I know that your actions are going to come full circle, with or without my interceding. Congratulations on your win tonight.”

The Riott Squad left in a chorus of giggles, obviously not perturbed by what you said.

***

Later that night, Dean and Roman had a tag match against the Ascension. All four of them were focused on their opposing forces. Roman was constantly cheering Dean on, and Dean was bouncing around the ring in a moody way. While his moves were just a powerful as normal, they were sloppy. Like he had something else on his mind. Roman didn’t seem to care, if he noticed at all. Dean was back and they had a match, and he was going to watch his back.

Viktor was suited to fight Dean. His lithe form made sure the movements were quick and surprising. Konnor was more suited to fight Roman. While they were not the same height, nor did they have the same strength, Konnor kept Roman on his toes. Both teams were made of battle brothers, willing to do anything for each other. Apparently, for the Ascension, that meant involving outside help. The sudden appearance of Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh at ringside told the Universe that the Ascension was not going to be another squash match for the two Shield brothers.

Seth ran down to the ring, preventing Jinder from getting involved and catching Dean as Viktor threw him out of the ring. They had untangled themselves just in time to see the Ascension double-team Roman and win the pin.

The Shield took over the ring, but the damage had been done.

***

During the commercial break, Baron had made a match for the Superstar Show-Down. The battle lines drawn during the match were going to stand, including what you considered to be a strange an unnecessary alliance between Jinder and the Ascension.

This time, you were the one following Baron. And you weren’t going to mince words. “A good GM would make it a rematch just between Dean, Roman, and the Ascension. And leaving Jinder out of it.”

Baron didn’t look up from his notes. “Well, that shows how much of a terrible GM you’re going to be. That’s not how things are done around here. Especially now that I’m going to be making the majority of the matches.” He handed you the stack of papers and tapped them as if you were a secretary being given another task. Then he was gone. Again. And you were angry. Again.

You almost punched the person who tapped your shoulder. At the last second, you realized it was Mojo Rawley. “Mr. Rawley,” you puffed, relaxing yourself, “what can I do for you?”

He shuffled on his feet a little before answering. “I want a rematch with Finn Balor. It doesn’t have to be for the Universal tonight, but if I win I want to be declared the number one contender, and then get to face him in Australia.”

“I don’t know, Mojo-“

“I’ve already challenged him and he accepts as long as you clear the match.”

Compared with the rest of the night, this was probably going to be the only thing that went to plan. “Okay. You’ve got your match. Head towards Gorilla and I’ll tell Finn. Have fun.”

***

Mojo got his rematch. Well, most of it.

Kevin Owens had decided that he was not finished with Finn either. He too appeared at ringside and attempted to distract the Universal Champion. But his plan did not go as well as others had that night. Instead of giving Mojo and opening to win his contender spot, Mojo was too busy yelling at Kevin to go away. He turned around when Kevin shifted his gaze to behind him and rushed head-first into a harsh slingblade that wiped him out. Kevin watched with his hands on his head as Finn climbed to the top of the turnbuckles, then crashed down with a coup de grace.

It was a win. But not one that Finn considered wholly honorable. He helped Mojo to his feet and whispered, “you’ll get yar real re-match. Jus’ let me deal with ‘im first, yeah?” They shared a look, then slowly turned their attention to Kevin.

He nervously looked between them. To save face he began muttering about mind games. “You’re not going to always see me coming, Balor. I can promise you that.”

Finn grinned. “If ya say so. But I’ll see ya in Australia.”

Kevin made a hasty retreat while you set the match backstage.

***

He found you texting in the office and plopped down on the only chair in the room. “I think tonight went well.”

You grumbled, “I can’t say that I agree.” When Baron shrugged his shoulders, you let a tiny wave of anger rule you. “There was interference in every single match!”

“Not the first one-“

“You interfered in that one.”

“Oh, come on.” He stood. “You’re not still mad about-“

“Yes. Yes, I am.” You stepped away from him. “You know, the show would run a whole lot smoother if you would just stay out of my way.”

“You didn’t even want this job!”

“And yet here I am, cleaning up your catastrophe.” You were half a second away from finding a chair to stand on so you could glare at him properly when your phone rang.

Baron grinned as he saw who it was from. “Have fun explaining your catastrophe to Stephanie.” He continued to chuckle as you left the room.

  Part 22: A Turn of Events

Series Masterlist 

Masterlist 

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[zekedms]

My D&D monk hit level 3 at my last session.

Hrothgar Stonefoot, 6'7" human, built entirely around the concept of being a fantasy pro wrestler (grapple feat, acrobatics and athletics proficiency, high strength stat) had to pick a monastic tradition. The obvious one for this is, of course, Open Hand. The boosts to flurry of blows right away are a natural fit for the concept to really let him manhandle people by shoving them around freely. Wholeness of Body? Pure Hulkamania state, he just amps up and regains 3x Monk Level HP at will during a fight. That's HP 18 just as a starter. Tranquility? He just stands there in the middle of the fight looking so calm and badass that anyone who tries to swing at him just sort of changes their mind. It's a great pro wrestler set, but there's another direction to go with it. Instead of playing face, I found a way he can play heel - or at least Hardore Champion.

Xanathar's Guide added a new school - "The Way of Kensei." Kensei allows a character to specialize in one melee and one ranged weapon class (aka, declare it a Kensei weapon), only restricted by being labelled neither as a special or heavy weapon. Powergamers don't like this class because they think it doesn't do enough damage and there aren't enough ways to use it, but that's because they LACK IMAGINATION.

Hrothgar didn't specialize in clubs, swords, bows, shuriken, axes, hammers, daggers, throwing knives, monk weapons, or anything else that was designed to kill people. Instead, I convinced the GM to allow something entirely different.

Hrothgar's melee and ranged specialty? Improvised. He's now proficient in any non-weapon object that's neither heavy nor unwieldy due to special properties. Hrothgar has a proficiency in hitting people with folding tables.

At level 3, Hrothgar can snap off a table leg, punch someone, and then use the table leg to defend himself with a +2 bonus to his AC if used as a melee weapon. Thrown weapons? Extra 1d4 damage as a bonus action. Vase off the nightstand? Extra 1d4. Dinner plate? 1d4. A boot laying on the ground? 1d4.

At level 6, Hrothgar gains deft strike, which grants a bonus equal to the martial arts die for 1 ki point. That's good, but what's even better is "Magic Kensei Weapons." Attacks with a kensei weapon count as magic when used against a creature that has resistance or even immunity to non-magical damage.

Hrothgar can see a ghost, pick up a steel chair, and knock it into another plane of existence WITH BONUS DAMAGE.

My poor GM has no idea what he's in for.

[inthesummerswelter]

recipe for disaster: chapter three

Chapter Three: Cinnamon

 A shrieking kettle disrupts the quiet atmosphere of the kitchen, and Penn’s grandmother looks sharply over at her from where she’s placing sliced peaches in a tart mold.

“Penelope, take the kettle off, for God’s sake!”

For all of her eighty-plus years, Miriam Bunting glides around with an indomitable presence unmatched by any other person that Penn’s met. A chin-length bob that mirrors Penn’s own, only shot through with steel, enhances an angular jawline. The only change in her face over the years has been the expansion of the thin lines shadowing her mouth and clear eyes.

Penn, after moving the kettle to a cold burner, watches her gran begin folding up the extra pastry on the edges of the pan, making delicate pleats with the dough. She takes over after Gran’s finished, grabbing the dish  and bending down to slide it into the preheated oven.

A peek through the doorway confirms that Ashton’s still preoccupied with untangling and hanging up the dog leads, but a slight swishing noise behind her a few minutes later means that, with feet securely tucked into house slippers and shoes resting by the door, he’s finished the task.

“Anything I can do to help, Ms. Bunting?”

He’s the picture of politeness as he leads forward against the doorjamb, hands curling around the molding, and Gran just sniffs a bit, fluttering a tea-towel at him as she is wont to do. “You can go and sit back down, or, better yet, bring these out to the table.”

Thrusting a tray of scones artfully arranged around the remaining slices of apple bundt cake from their trip to Lord’s at him, Gran shoos him back out into the small living room she’s cultivated and then grabs Penn’s elbow.

Tugging her down to her level – which is only a difference of, like, eight fucking centimetres – with a grip that could rival a professional arm-wrestler’s, Penn is astounded when Gran starts rattling off the beginnings to a three-year old argument that they’ve been having, ever since she first brought Ashton over. By this point, she really shouldn’t be surprised, but she is anyway.

“Penelope, if you don’t get your head on straight and do something, I am never going to have grandchildren. God knows that Marshall doesn’t have the sense to figure the mechanics of sex out, so all my chips are placed on you.”

Marshall, Penn’s cousin on her mother’s side, is known for not necessarily being the sharpest knife in the block.

This is practically hissed into her ear, and Penn turns her head, checking on Ashton’s progress – which appears to have reached the level of playing with the dogs with his feet while he flips through old photo albums – and whispers back furiously, “If I’ve said this once, I have said it a thousand times, Gran. Ashton and I are friends. Just friends, and have been ever since you met him. Ever since I met him, really. Not friends in any way that’ll get me to start working on putting in a nursery in my flat. Christ, what would Pop say about you hounding me like this?”

At that, Miriam releases her hold on Penn’s arm and straightens up. Penn had started with the normal rebuttal, but ended in territory that hasn’t been touched in years, Gran takes two shuffling, hunched steps over to a small shelf above the sink.

It’s a simple affair, made out of a light teak plank, and it only holds three objects. The first is a short stand, like one would put a wedding ring on prior to washing one’s hands. Penn has never seen her gran use it for that purpose, however. It’s little more than a whittled peg, and a plain silver band has rested on it ever since Penn was fourteen.

The second is a bonsai, a tiny pine tree with a small expanse of moss at the base, its branches entwined with a guiding strand of copper wire and two sets of initials engraved in the bark. The pot it sits in is painted in a bright orange pattern, easily one of the most colourful objects in her grandmother’s vintage, mint-green kitchen.

The last is a frame. Silver and filigree, with a black-and-white couple in the center. This is the object that she chooses to pick up, tracing a face with the side of her thumb.

“Ichiro would have told me to stop pushing you.” She turns to Penn, frame still in hand, and she can see the bouquet Gran’s holding in the photo, the long white train of her gown, and her grandfather’s smiling face. “He would say that you’ll get there when you get there. There’s no use trying to force Penelope into any situation that she’s not ready to face yet. Too stubborn.”

Her gran’s words resonate in her mind, but echo with a lightly-accented male tone that colours the space behind her eyes with sunspots from afternoons long since passed under the shade of a cream folding chair.

There’s a sort of sickly ache taking over her body, an intense longing that only creeps up her limbs once or twice a year, and she has to hold a hand to her mouth to try and keep it all inside.

It doesn’t work, not one bit, and Penn reaches over and takes her gran’s free hand, clutching it as she forces her tears back into the locked box she keeps beside her heart. The slight ding of the egg-timer helps a bit, brings them back to the day at hand, but the kitchen becomes a few degrees cooler, a few notches quieter.

A deep breath gets shared between them, the wave of nostalgia that crashed onto the shore already receding with the tide, and Penn takes the tart out of the oven.

It’s the last time that Gran mentions Ashton as a vehicle by which to procure grandchildren that day  which works out just fine for Penn, and everything blossoms into a wonderful afternoon. Her shift tonight is a later one, thank God, so Penn has time to savor the company before she has to rush off to work.

She relishes this, actually, sitting at the circular table with her grandmother and Ashton, the pups kipping around their ankles. She smiles around the rim of her tea-cup as Gran fusses over him, sliding another slice of the tart onto his plate as she simultaneously dabs at the crumbs sitting on the corner of his mouth and asks him how his coursework’s been going.

The empty chair beside Gran is easily filled in her imagination, and then there’s Pop there with them, spectacles sliding down the small bridge of his nose as he and Penn would share a furtive grin behind their hands at how hennish Gran’s getting.

But she’s staring longingly at dust motes that twinkle in the beam of sun they’ve been trapped in, so long that her hands have begun to tremble, and she has to set her cup down as the nausea washes over her again.

Five years. She almost can’t believe it.

Clove nudges her ankle with the tip of his cold nose, gazing up at her with half-lidded eyes, and she rubs the ball of her foot over his forehead a few times, absent-mindedly.

“Penelope, wouldn’t you agree that Ashton would look so much more handsome with a shorter haircut?” Gran asks, a hand already poised and reaching out towards the subject of her question.

“Gran, he’s just gotten one, can’t you tell? He already looks handsome enough,” she sighs.

(She doesn’t catch the way the tips of his ears pink up a bit at this, but Miriam, the sly old girl, certainly does.)

They visit until the shadows lengthen in the doorway, and teatime reaches the stage where it could rightly be called suppertime. That’s their cue to leave, as Penn still needs to get prepped for work and Ashton’s got a tutoring session with an underclassman.

“Luke’s such a sweet kid, but he’ll go absolutely insane with anxiety if I’m later than ten minutes,” he tries explaining to Gran, as she’s settling in pieces of the tart in a take-away box for him, and Penn just leans on the counter, head resting in her hand. They always make it a point to begin the departure process a good half-hour before it’s absolutely necessary that they leave, and even then they have to hurry Gran along.

“He’ll be perfectly fine, I’m sure. Bring him some of this tart, and tell him that I said to make sure he’s getting plenty of rest.” This advice gets passed along with a firm hand and a shake of the finger in Ashton’s general direction, despite the fact that Gran’s only met Luke one time, when Ashton invited him to tea with them.

Gran took to him like a duck to water, making sure that she sat by him at the table and kept his plate full. The boy in question, bless his soul, took all rather well, Penn thought, given what Ashton had told her about his lack of comfort in social situations. Gran has that way of easing the tension out of people.

Pushing herself off the counter, Penn reaches forward and quickly settles the lid on the box, brushing Gran’s hands aside. “Really though, we’ve got to be going, Gran. Love you.”

She gives the other woman a hug as arthritic hands gently cup the sides of her head and lips place a tender kiss on her forehead.

“I love you, Penelope.”

And Penn has to hug her a bit tighter then, because she’s got a sudden sensation of a dozen hourglasses slipping through her fingers and crashing to the floor all at once and she’s not willing to give up those grains of time. Not yet, not ever.

Ashton gets a kiss too, but on the cheek, because Gran would need a step-stool to reach all the way to his forehead, and they really haven’t got the time for that.

Shoes are changed, the pups are leashed, and soon the autumn breezes whisk through Penn’s hair again, leaves snapping along beside her as they ride the currents. One flies in Ashton’s face, and Penn almost loses her grip on Cardy’s leash as she laughs when she sees the way his face scrunches up as he sputters.

They separate at the top of the stairs, each heading a different direction down the peeling-paint hallway, and Ashton, after handing Clove over to her, asks for perhaps the thousandth time, as is tradition, “We’re on for breakfast tomorrow, right?”

“Always. I’m running a bit low on eggs, but I should be able to make do.”

He’s grinning now, and, mumbling something about how since she’s got her hands full – she really does because she’s holding the two dogs, considering that Clove and Cardy are squirmy in general, and she doesn’t really want them to be tracking mud up and down the wood floors – leans forward.

A soft kiss is pressed to her forehead, and all she can think is how that’s definitely nothing like Gran’s kiss, not in the pressure of lips or how long he lingers, just a breath away from her skin afterwards and, God, this isn’t part of the tradition at all. Especially not in the way she can feel his eyelashes skitter softly over her skin as they flick open when he draws back.

There’s an awkward moment following, with a lot of clearing of throats and shifting of feet, but then Penn almost drops a dog and Ashton opens her door for her before darting down the hall to his own flat.

   Later, when she’s in the middle of julienning a batch of veggies for a bed to rest a pair of grilled lamb chops on, she’ll think about it, replay the moment over and over in her head until she can practically feel his fringe brushing against her forehead again, and then she’ll cut her finger and begin bleeding profusely.

“Fuck.”

Vaguely Penn thinks she hears some sort of quip come from her right side – Louis, no doubt, trying to be funny – but she’s rather preoccupied with staunching the flow of blood that’s fountaining quite impressively from the wound.

“Jesus, here, Penn, take this.” It’s Liam, offering her a tea-towel, plaster, and rubber glove, bless his soul. He’s looking a bit pale, and Penn almost feels bad for him. It’s not so bad that she’ll need stitches, but nonetheless, there’s a lot of red.

The pain’s dulled by the time she manages to wrap the plaster around her finger, and then she’s back to work, concentrating harder on her knife-cuts, because she doesn’t have too many fingers to spare.

Louis’ mouth is still moving – something about an infantile rookie mistake that no self-respecting chef would ever make – and Penn rolls her eyes. God help her. Tempted to slap him with a leek, she gives herself a few measured breaths and controls herself, and the rest of dinner service passes in a flash, all the unimportant kitchen chatter a white-noise background while she neatens up plates and passes them out the window to the bevy of waitstaff.

Delacroix, when they’re finishing up the last few dessert plates of hazelnut gelato profiteroles, sidles up beside her and flips a towel over his shoulder as he bends to arrange the pastries just so.

“Penn, I need you to stay after closing for a few minutes. I want to talk to you about something.” His tone blasé, he doesn’t even glance at her as he speaks.

This could mean one of two things.

Either he’s going to question her about the recent quail egg shortage that’s been going on – personally, she suspects that Niall’s culinary experiments have something to do with it – or it’ll be a talk about her position in the restaurant.

Being the owner and chief executive chef of one restaurant is hard enough. Pierre Delacroix juggles three on a daily basis, traveling to any one of his establishments on any given day, depending if it’s the first test-drive of a new dish or if there’s an especially important party reservation to impress. And, granted, he’s getting a bit old for that.

It’s been well-publicized among the restaurant staff that Delacroix wants to devote all of his attention towards one of his businesses, with visiting the other satellite restaurants every few weeks or so, instead of having to travel every day.

See, the one that Penn works at, Farrago, is the second restaurant that Delacroix opened up. In a nicer part of SoHo London, it draws a decent crowd overall, enough that there needs to be a certain amount of finesse in managing its day-to-day activity.

Basiatio, the other satellite business, is located on the fringes of the city, a good distance away from the bustle of the metropolis. To be fair, it’s more of a small, high-class bistro that many celebrities favor when they’re not looking for much media attention.

And, at the top of the whole production, is Cantáte, the flagship restaurant. Currently, it’s the largest enterprise and run by one of Delacroix’s most trusted chefs, a bloke by the name of S. Cowell.

(Penn’s heard some stories comparing him to a certain Gordon Ramsay, but gossip can only hold so much water, right?)

There have also been rumors about her boss travelling to Paris recently, perhaps scoping out the markets in a new country, but that’s basically speculation.

The big thing here is the opportunity for position advancement. If Penn could get herself promoted to head executive chef at either Farrago or Basiatio and properly manage it by herself for a few years, it would serve as a springboard to further launch her culinary career, possibly going so far as helping her to convince investors to back her in her own restaurant business.

Others under Delacroix have gone on to accomplish great things – win James Beard awards, for God’s sake – in the same sort of manner.

Which is why she’s sitting in his office on tenterhooks, fingers curling, white-knuckled and pressing crescent patterns into her palms. He’s got his hands steepled, elbows resting on the dark wooden surface of his desk, and Penn can’t read his expression for the life of her.

“Penn,” he starts, his French accent lightly spotting the word. “I have seen great progress in you, ever since you stepped through the door for the first time for an interview. Very impressed with your work, considering you are, as you say, self-taught.”

Straightening his back, he leans in his chair, tilting so it reclines.

Goddamn, she’s so nervous.

“Because of that, I think to myself, why not? You have been very loyal to me for all these years. How long has it been now since I hired you?”

“Five years,” she blurts out, fingers darting up to twist nervously around the ends of her hair. “Five years next month.”

Delacroix nods slowly. “As you may have heard, I am looking to give a select few some opportunities. Chances at higher positions. And I think that you deserve to be placed in the running.”

Oh, God, she can’t breathe.

“Of course, you would have competition for the spot, yes. I must be sure that I choose the best chef for the job, you understand.”

“Oh, completely, sir, absolutely.” She’s on cloud nine. Fuck that, she’s on cloud two hundred and thirty-three right now.

“It’s settled then, Penn. I don’t know when I’ll decide, perhaps in a few months, but you’re a contender now. Any slip-ups will count against you, of course.” He rummages in the small liquor cabinet behind his desk. “Could I convince you to indulge in a celebratory glass of wine with an old man?”

It’s late, though, too late, and Penn has to make her excuses – Clove and Cardy are probably fit to burst right now – and Delacroix smiles at her wistfully. “Ah, even so. You have all of my confidence, Penn. You must just trust yourself.”

He toasts her, burgundy liquid sparkling in crystal, as she backs out of the room, closing the door behind her. Penn lets her breath out in a whoosh of air, a wide smile stretching across her face.

This, this is all she’s ever dreamed of, for as long as she can remember, and it’s finally coming true, fucking finally –

“Bunting! I see you’ve gotten the talk.”

The smile falls from her face faster than she would have thought humanly possible. Of course, it’s Louis.

(She can see Niall lurking in the back corner, though, sifting through whisks in an attempt to look occupied. Most likely making sure nothing violent occurs, bless him.)

“What’s it to you, Tomlinson?” she snarks back.

“A lot, actually,” he replies, looking rather smug and not missing a beat. “Considering that I’ve just been informed of the chance for advancement in the restaurant. Maybe even running my own, I’ve heard. So, we’re competition, then.”

You’ve got to be fucking kidding her.

The shock of it all is so sudden that her knees almost buckle beneath her, her eyes going wide, and she’s off-kilter and reeling.

Feeling her face heat up under his smarmy gaze, Penn suddenly feels like she’s the butt of a thousand jokes right now, and it takes all the self-control she has not to wrap her fingers around his scrawny chicken-neck and strangle him.

Goddamnit.

[himbos-hotline]

Hi, I'm new here Who's Jay?

Hello new friend! thank you for leaping into my ask blog!

Okay so, Jayden Aphrodite Orton or as theyre known now Jay [SUPER OCCASIONALLY Jayden] Gray Orton. Was born on the 29th of November 1993, making her 29 now. However I kinda stick with him beign twenty eight. He is one of many wrestling OCS I have. Adopted by Willow and James Orton when he was two, she grows up a pretty normal girl in the normal household of girls do girl things and boys do boys things. She does ballroom dancing as a child and grows up with a passion for musical theatre and acting as well as medicine. He grows up wanting to be an actor until an unfortunate accident renders her hard of hearing/deaf [she uses the terms interchangably] which means that he now has hearing aids. He forgoes the desire to act to become a doctor instead, facianted by how people can just mend and heal like nothing bad happened.

At age thirteen her parents send her off to Blackpool, to an old friend William Regal who is going to teach Jay the art of wrestling as a way for her to get his extra energy out [plottwist its medicated/undiagnosed hyperactive ADHD] but Regal takes thsi little 13 year old from Chicago under his wings and trains him all the art of wrestling, Jay realises that she has a passon for death matches and hardcore wrestling, and shes damn fucking good at it. Jay goes to join NXT and meets Adam Cole. They become quick friends and mixed tag partners, which quickly breaks down into them becoming fuck-buddies with a lot of emotions attached until cole breaks up the tag team and chooses to go after and win the NXT title, making them enimies.

Up on the main roster, Jay struggles because theyre not allowed to do anything apart from a few high flying moveis and years go by where Jay just isnt happy in her position, made worse by coles call up. So this is when Jericho starts slowly manpulating and selling Jay on the idea of joining the JAS and AEW and so she shows up with the rest of the JAS. They start treating Jay at first like a princess a gloruos little angel who can do their dirtywork until she starts to loose matches and the JAS start getting annoyed and agrivated and start bullying them - cue wrestlers weekly standing up for this little new kid who keeps being picked on. Jay ends up doing a diving headbutt during a amtch with Kris Stratlander and cracks their head on both a steel chair and a ring anvas- he's concussed instatnyl nad really doesnt remember how she got backstage [the best friends and kris helped him there and wheeler looked after them and took her back to the JAS lockerroom]

Jay has their therapy rabbit Hemlock [yes, like the poision] there and shes chatting away to the rabit when he starts to completely like zone our and dissocate. This is where he meets kenny someone who treats them and calms him down and whene Jay first registers that theres someone else in the room she panics instantly cuz the JAS trained her to not show emotions especially those who are like sad or guilty emotions. Jay states that she doesnt know who kenny is, because theybve only really kinda seen him around and not spoken to him and Kenny sticks his hand out and goes "Kenny omega, now you know me!" and when jay introsduces themselve as "Jayden Orton" Kenny smiles and "nice to meet ya jay"

and everything kinda just snaps int place. Jay! Nobody had ever called them Jay before, like the bird and everything nice and kind. And thats a boys name, Jay wouldnt mind being a boy. Jay

she likes it.

so yeah Kenny provides an entire gender crisis. Jay snaps out of dissocation and switches for a panic attack which kenny helps and explains that "oh my partner has these sometimes, he really doesnt like to be alone sometimes.are you going to be okay?- Oh! you two should meet youd really like him! he's really kind, and cute."

Kenny in intensily queer around Jay and considering that shes never really been exposed to outwardly queer people and openly gender-queer people her mind goes all scrambled in a good way.

Some other things happen,. jay leaves the JAS, spends a lot of time lurking in dark corrdiors meeting more firneds. She keeps finding kenny and acddientally meets hanger when kenny is like inches away from getting him on his knees. The two of them make instant friends. The go dancing and to bars and Jay assumes that because she likes the name Jay, he cant be a girl- so he has to be a boy.

Adam cole worms his way back into Jays life as a foe and then someone that their boyrioends are fucking and then cole realises that shes trans femme and Jay realises that hes not a trans man but i nfact genderqueer. Jay and coles trans journeys are linked and ill go more uinto that if anyone else really wants to hear about it.

In the end Jay starts dating wheeler, kenny and both adams. wheeler is only dating jay. Kenny and the adams are all dating one another. The polycule is all disgustingly in love and adore each other.

Regal scoops up his now grandchild [as well as granddaughter/grandson- regardless os how jay feels regal will always be their grandpa] as the newest member of the BCC where she can finally have a family thats forged in blood and ocmbat as well as kindness and love. Mox gives them his ADHD meds sometimes.

Jay uses she/he/they/zey pronouns with no real prefrence and has a kinda punk/gothic vibe. He looks like a total bitch but really would and is a little murder machine with a heart of gold. They adore the bucks as brothers and is made an honourary young buck when she falls asleep on nick one day during an interveiw. They like to skateboard and play eletric guitar. He has a house in ohio which he shares with their black cat steve and obviously hemlock. They adore the rain and have so many scars and shit from stupid stunts and stuff they do. Has a blood kink and will explode with their see cowboy tits.

heres hwo he looks, he does also have hearing aids and hetrochormia [even though theres so little picrews that has hetrochromia]

[beowulfs-booty-call]

Beowulf for the character list!

Ohhhh gosh Jordi! How are ya pal!!! (I still have to finish the other ask you gave me! I’m making it super long and detailed just for you!)

AND GOD YES, THE FAVE BABE OKAY HERE GOES

Favorite thing about them:

Beowulf’s motif and his huge ass muscles because they’re goals. Also, the wolf pelt, definitely. Oh! Oh! And his happy-go-lucky attitude because my ass be having it too omfg.

His bravery is another thing, tbh, because he just straight up tells everyone on tv that his match was rigged because he knows he’s not really a hero. He’s the people’s hero. That was the reason in the first place why he got famous! To go in front of people and explain the situation knowing full well you might get back? That takes guts.

Least favorite thing about them:

The “Wrestler Bro” attitude sometimes. It’s fine, but the dudes at Lab Zero gave him a split “Does he think wrestling is real or…?” and “He says things you don’t expect in whispers.” in fights and it’s a wasted Easter egg Imo. The game makes him act and behave as though he’s rather dim-witted, which, cool because he’s a simple guy, but they also shoehorned Annie in to save his butt time to time and I dislike the sort of relationship they gave them both. 

It’s also been said behind the scenes Beowulf did take part of the nationalistic effort in the war. Now, granted, if that was the case? Why didn’t they expand upon this? If he was a soldier, I feel he should obviously be referenced too, if not, as it already seems Parasoul knew he was merely a political pawn, I feel Beowulf’s love of the Canopy Kingdom really should have been broadened on because it’s bad writing Imo that they left out these things in favor of highlighting Annie in his story mode.

Personally in my essay I wrote, I really am big on the Annie inclusion, but I feel that it took away from Beowulf’s true personality and potential. Why add in Beowulf being saved by Annie, if he was meant to destroy Grendel anyway via suplex? I feel if such was the case, have Annie take on Double in the first place after she swallows Beowulf into Gehenna and he takes on Marie Ala Squigly and Filia.

That said, the dimwittedness is rather bland to me. It’s obvious Beowulf’s intellect shouldn’t be the brunt of the joke, and the fanbase was even worse with his treatment, outright ignoring him or treating him as the butt-monkey of the cast because Annie or Minette wasn’t voted in and it really does tick me off. We could have really shown how Beowulf was obviously using the wrestler persona to grieve for Grendel. We really could have had Beowulf figuring out just how big the Medici Mafia is and him going after those who wronged him after beating Marie. 

We really lost out. And that’s my biggest pet peeve.

Favorite line:

I am two hundred, eighty seven pounds of FOLDED STEEL, AND SEX APPEAL.

brOTP:

Beowulf and Adam

Beowulf and Big Band (After their fighting in the story mode and I imagine him coming back to right wrongs)

Beowulf and Annie (I feel like she should have been much more better friends with him. And of course I feel like she’d be so goddamn dirty with him in making censored jokes because he GETS it but he... He can’t man. The kid’s got him. And he can't curse because how would that look!!! You can't call out a kid who referenced how your ex was “all up on your blood sausage.”!

OTP:

Beowulf and Me aofhiefsjfa[

I’m actually okay with Beowulf and Ms. Victoria actually! I think they’d be so cute together, if anything because I use to think of me and my ex like that, hilariously enough. I.E: Beo is the sort of guy who would waste like 50$ on you at a carnival because he wants to get you the huge ass prize, but then on his last dollar, you take the shot, win it, and you give it to him and his eyes literally are just hearts.

nOTP:

Beowulf and Eliza (Realistically, she’s only gonna use him for his blood to get stronger. I feel like if anything, there’s nothing left of Eliza. So, at this point, you’re dealing with a real monster.)

Beowulf and any underage cast member - I mean C’mon. Really.

Beowulf and Annie - See above

random headcanon(s)

- Beowulf actually is really literate, and writes poetry time to time. However, no one would pay to see him go “To be or not to be… SUPLEXED”

- He likes to wear suede and you can find him walking and going about in his scarf and puffy jacket drinking hot tea and lattes because just loves winter months

- The Hurting actually is a sentient being and was given to Beowulf via his old sleazy manager Unferth (In the original tale, Unferth gives Beowulf the Hrunting, but beowulf is so strong, he breaks it.) yet it stays strong to this day. When Beowulf is alone, or when he’s really in a pinch, the Hurting opens up its maws and has long sharp fangs and monstrous tongue used to grapple opponents. Only Beowulf speaking to it can calm it down and turn back to an original chair. No one realizes a thing.

- Grendel’s arm hears EVERYTHING beowulf says, as Grendel is still alive through the arm. However, all it hears is Beowulf screaming his quotes so instead of coherent sentences its: “ALL’S CHAIR. RUNNING WILD. AWOO. I AM TWO HUNDRED–”

- Beowulf actually is a secret musical / Opera critic and is a big benefactor of the arts. He also shouts insults and screams very helpful messages to the actors. 

- When out of a job, Beowulf once took up a librarian job working in Filia’s school. Cue Ms. Victoria having to attend to students and him riding on the Janitor mobile and D. Violet secretly having a crush on him. He also bench pressed many a book case. I would know. I was one of the book cases. The kids later were the first ones to see him back in action with Ms. Victoria after he got back in the game, and they gave him a crude letter to him about being a hero and boy oh boy do I love Beowulf being kids’ hero like he was to me.

Unpopular opinion:

As the only male dude besides Big Band I feel he was purposefully thrown under the bus and really, there’s not enough porn or love for him. Much less, everyone seems to have like 2 intro animations, Beo has 1. I call favoritism but, anyway:

I think he doesn’t need a paring to shine as a hero. I think he needs to be shown more so people can realize just how awesome he really is, not with Annie saving his butt all the time so he can tout about wrestling being real.

Had he not shown up, we only would know about him via Peacock’s story mode with Andy Anvil saying he came out of retirement.

Give him love! He’s earned it!

And also like, I think he is as smart, if not, smarter than the rest of the cast, he just hides it under a veneer of being a pro wrestler. No one pays for WWE style entertainment in new meridian, they want real emotion, and that’s what Beowulf’s so used to. Because of that, he whispers and talks about things, but when you really think about them, they all have some meaning behind them, like when he calls Eliza the Crimson Scourge. I hate the idea that people think he’s a dumb dude because he’s not. Y’all just sleeping on a good character.

Song(s) i associate with them:

Space Jam’s Let’s Get Ready to Rumble

Dudley’s remix: Dudley Blew My Mind

Alex and Ken’s theme from Street Fighter 3: Third Strike

Major Lazer and Ariana Grande - All My Love

Because he liked 80′s songs and because I love funk music:

Bite the Apple - Rainbow Team

The Limit: She’s so Divine (In this case, he: “When I got here in July…”)

Let’s Get Physical: Olivia Newton AKA SIDE TO SIDE BEFORE IT WAS EVER SIDE TO SIDE

Reminder: I gotta draw him in that outfit afjnlsfgs

Also!!!

Side to Side + Let’s Get Physical MIX:

Dua Lipa: New Rules 80′S MIX (Totally something he’d listen to for the gym)

favorite picture of them

Wow it’s super nsfw but I’ll crop it for the benefit of all.

Here’s my fave sprites too

Look at him, majestic creature, no?

BICEP GRAB

Ass a palooza

And finally…

( I don’t recall the source rn for this pic, but I’ll be sure to update it asap when I get a chance!)

[hotpinkstaples]

On Suzuki-gun and Zack Sabre Jr.’s Place in the Stable

Alright real talk, I'm not liking one bit of Zack Sabre Jr.'s kayfabe story in New Japan. Lemme be clear- Suzuki-gun has been in existence in New Japan longer than Zack has been with the goddamn company. The faction has showed up across different promotions, and is run by a freelancer who will wrestle everyone and everything, including but not limited to- men, women, rookies, kaijuu, and what have you. Minoru Suzuki is arguably the top draw of the faction as he is... Minoru fucking Suzuki. Everyone else in the faction is either a loyal brother or son or fan, and we are all.... Suzuki-gun. The faction is arguably the only faction in New Japan that is truly heel, and it works because Misu is top dog and his brothers and sons are, essentially, his family. Where he goes, they go, and whenever he needs them... they're there. They're ready to throw down at literally a moment's notice, and nothing gets a crowd more heated than when Taichi's fucking with a babyface in order to help out Misu.

Now, I get Sabre Jr. is new to the promotion. Not only that, he didn't exactly have anyone to teach him the ropes that quickly before the G1, so to put him in a steady faction like Suzuki-gun was essentially the best way to get him assimilated into the promotion and get used to its style and kayfabe storytelling. It made perfect sense for Desperado to corner for him throughout the entirety of the 27th G1. He's the baby of the family, essentially their shogun's newest child, Desperado had to look after him because thiw family's ride or die. It was perfect storytelling throughout the whole summer. Desperado had Zack's back every match, and Zack did what he could during their tag bouts, but most of the caretaking was largely performed by El Desperado.

Now this is where it gets fucked up, and why Gedo better get it the fuck together before I sue his ass for misrepresentation. A whole portion of this year's Destruction tour was getting Suzuki-gun back into the larger storyline in New Japan, since they swapped them out for LIJ after Misu won the NEVER title, and to showcase enough of the LIJ bonds in time for Naito's victory at the G1 Climax. A lot of people, including myself, have had doubts about where Suzuki-gun's headed because Misu's not 40 anymore. He's not 35, he's not even 45. He's legit aboutta turn fifty, he's lost a lot of weight over the years, and we can see that he's getting worn down. We can see it in how he plans out his matches, how he performs with outside weaponry and interference, and how he takes and executes strikes and grapples in his matches. He's strong and healthy, but he's still a victim to time like we all are. He can't keep going forever, and eventually, the shogun's gonna have to move into a more administrative post and position a new heavyweight representative in the faction.

And unfortunately, it seems like Zack's gonna be the one groomed for the position.

First things first, I have nothing against Zack Sabre Jr. He's a great wrestler, very interesting to watch, but for the life of me, I don't understand what the fuck he's doing in Suzuki-gun. Part of the narrative of Suzuki-gun is that these men follow Misu because they're lacking something within themselves and find peace, find familiarity and comfort in being Misu's brother or son. Desperado's recent interview was one of the sweetest promos he's produced in his tenure in the faction, because it just comes off so... honest. Suzuki-gun is for life. Shelton Benjamin, despite being in WWE, is still Suzuki-gun. Takayama will never wrestle again but he is, for life, Suzuki-gun. That's how the faction is set up in the kayfabe. They're the family that ride or die into the sunset. There's no hesitation here.

What happened in Hiroshima a few days ago had me heated for several reasons. One- booking Suzuki-gun includes booking all of Suzuki-gun. Because Suzuki-gun is a steady stable. Their members are brought into the fold personally, you don't apply for a bloody position. Having Michi come out to just slap the mat in the corner does nothing because that's how you book the other stables. Facing a member of Suzuki-gun means facing all of Suzuki-gun. So I did not, for my life, understand why in Fukushima you had the Killer Elite Squad and Uncle Iizuka roll out after hours to push Misu to victory... but in Hiroshima, you booked Michi to do nothing while Kushida broke Desperado's arm and Back to the Future'd him into submission.

And yet, in that same night in Hiroshima, almost the entirety of the faction came out to help Zack.

I am pissed. Y'all could say whatever you want about the faction being a joke because it's just “Misu and the jobbers,” but Michi literally has his own promotion and just put on a supercard show to celebrate his own damn anniversary as a wrestler, Taichi's good because he's tight with both Misu and Michi, Kanemaru is a junior heavyweight legend outside of New Japan, Shelton Benjamin is another legend, KES are a credible threat in the tag division, Takayama is the Emperor, Desperado is an underdog, and Zack is basically the darling of technical wrestling. No one in the faction is an actual jobber, and to presume as such is straight disrespect and I hope y'all have nightmares about Misu chasing you around in a haunted forest with Taichi's microphone cane if you think this kind of disrespect is warranted.

But I digress- Suzuki-gun is an army of men (and women, because Miho and Ayumi Nakamura are very much Suzuki-gun) who live and breathe the creed. They can throw down when appropriate, and back off when they have to. Gedo booked two amazing Suzuki-gun storms during Misu/Elgin and Sabre Jr./Tanahashi.... and yet Gedo refused to book it into Desperado/Kushida. Taichi and Kanemaru, even tho they lost to Funky Future, at least had each other to depend on, but they booked Michi, and independent legend in his own right, to just valet in the corner while Desperado got bodied.

Bruh. Bruh!!!

ALL I'M GONNA SAY IS THIS- Suzuki-gun aint no fuckin joke, and if Gedo don't get his shit the fuck together, I have no problems pretending Sabre Jr. doesn't exist in the faction. Sabre Jr has yet to appropriately storm someone outta no where on behalf of the faction. Maybe Hiroshima wasn't the best time because he was main eventing against one of the best wrestlers of our generation, but I got my eyes on him. Gedo booked almost the whole faction and its leader to come out and support Zack. They just had Michi escort Desperado out after he pretty much got his ass handed to him.

If Zack Sabre Jr. don't storm Kushida, or whoever the fuck Desperado aboutta feud with soon, then he out. He's cancelled- deleted! If he doesn't participate in the next round of group beatdowns, he's not invited to the cookouts anymore! Gedo can't act like we don't see what he's doing with New Japan, with all the international white talent dropping into the ranks while native wrestlers are watching this shit like “hm.” You can't fuck with the head booker, but the head booker better remember that it’s Kazuchika Okada who's the reigning Ace, not Kenneth Omega. He better remember that Kushida already bodied William Ospreay enough times to never have to agree to a match with him ever again, and yet, our boy might have to wrestle him yet again. We see you, Gedo. We know why you're doing it, but don't think, for a second, that viewers and wrestlers alike aint takin notes.

Tl;dr: Zack Sabre Jr is officially on the shitlist. I don't give a fuck if he graduated to official membership in the squad because he got the black-and-white Suzuki-gun gear, you not Suzuki-gun if you aint reppin yer boys in a group beatdown. You not Suzuki-gun if you not comin outta nowhere and smacking a mothafucka with a clipboard and choking him out with a steel chair just to buy your fellow Suzuki-gun mate some time. Zack been coddled enough. It's time to square up, or drop the Suzuki-gun name, cuz what we not aboutta do, is give this boy some merch to rep while he don't do shit for its members who are clearly struggling in the booking department.

Either book Zack the way Suzuki-gun has always been booked, or put him somewhere else. We not here to play games. If there’s a successor in mind for Misu’s position, then Gedo better find someone who’s actually gonna rep the whole band and push it over the moon. Just cuz they’re not invading NOAH anymore doesn’t mean they’re irrelevant. @ Gedo and Zack, we see y’all and we aint boo boo the fool.

[junker-town]

Chair shots to the head in wrestling are an unnecessary risk with permanent consequences

Tyson Whiting

AEW’s mission is to support its wrestlers. Allowing unprotected chair shots flies in the face of that.

Everyone knew something had gone wrong the moment Cody Rhodes crumpled to the mat. Even more so when they saw the blood.

The 34-year-old All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star was exhausted, having just battled underdog Darby Allin to a time-limit draw during AEW’s Fyter Fest when fellow wrestler Shawn Spears suddenly climbed in the ring, metal chair in hand.

Rhodes had less than a second to react as Spears swung for the fences. The steel made a sickening thud against his skull, busting open the back of his head and knocking him to the mat. Though he managed to walk away without a concussion, the injury left him with 12 staples in his head and served as a sobering reminder of why chair shots, planned or not, are an unnecessary risk in a sport where head injuries are all too common.

AEW has been disrupting professional wrestling since its inception by mixing old-school concepts with new-school sensibilities, but Rhodes’ injury and the questions surrounding it went beyond anything the company had planned for. Owner Tony Khan acted quickly following the Fyter Fest chair shot to address safety concerns, addressing it internally before speaking to the press. “You could build the safest airplane in the world, and if there’s pilot error, there’s pilot error,” Khan said in a press conference. “That was not good.”

Khan didn’t expand on whether the promotion would continue allowing chair shots or other dangerous maneuvers, but a source with firsthand knowledge of the situation tells SB Nation that AEW will not use unprotected chair shots moving forward.

“I understand there were discussions about trying to do it safely without causing brain trauma, but I think the lesson from this is that there’s always a chance for human error,” says Chris Nowinski, a former WWE wrestler and co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. “You have to look at the risk-reward for a chair shot to the head.”

Nowinski retired from wrestling in 2003 with post-concussion syndrome, which eventually led him to develop the foundation with neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Cantu. Nowinski advises athletes on the risks of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and holds seminars for current WWE superstars on the importance of being safe in the ring.

“My life is now focused on protecting brains and trying to fix ones that have already been damaged,” Nowinski says.

He can’t point to a specific moment that ended his wrestling career but remembers when he decided enough was enough after a series of undiagnosed concussions took a significant toll on his body and mind. One night, while still asleep, Nowinski stood on his bed and jumped off, crashing through a nightstand. He later learned it was a sign of REM behavior disorder, which typically comes with traumatic brain injury.

“That’s what it took to scare me straight and actually be honest about how I felt,” he says. “All this work with Concussion Legacy Foundation started because I wish I’d had known that I should have rested my concussion each time I got one. And I’d probably still be working.”

Rooted in the rise of Texas death match wrestling in the 1950s, chair shots were popular in matches that also utilized tables, barbed wire and trash cans as weapons. Matches typically took place in high school gymnasiums or makeshift arenas, venues that made it believable for a wrestler to take a chair from a fan and using it as a weapon.

Wrestlers continued to use chairs in the ring for decades, almost exclusively as foreign objects or to batter an opponent by striking them across the flat of the back. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that chair shots changed with the rise of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and WWE’s “Attitude Era,” which sought to pull the sport from its spandex-clad cast of cartoon characters and make it more visceral. This increased the risk, danger and violence of the product in a battle of one-upmanship to win over an audience with unquenchable blood lust. The chair shot was swept up in this movement, re-imagined as blows to the head — often unprotected.

This was the status quo until 2007 when WWE superstar Chris Benoit murdered his family before killing himself in their Atlanta home. People searched for explanations in the wake of the tragedy, as Benoit’s close friends insisted the heinous crime seemed out of character. A postmortem study showed that the 40-year-old had the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient. To this day, Benoit’s father claims his actions were the result of brain injuries his son sustained while wrestling. One of the most-used clips of Benoit adopted by the 24-hour news cycle as his story unfolded was of him being hit in the head with a chair.

This was around the same time the sporting world was learning about CTE. Studied since the 1920s, it wasn’t until 2005 when Dr. Bennet Omalu published his landmark study, “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in a National Football League Player,” that people started paying closer attention to the damaging long-term effects of head injuries in sports. In the wake of Benoit’s death, WWE mandated that its talent would never take an unprotected chair shot again, meaning wrestlers on the receiving end would have to cushion the blow with their hands. This was expanded in 2010 to exclude all chair shots to the head, period, at a time when the NFL was under scrutiny over concussion protocol. It was part of a company-wide shift to “talent wellness” — a paradigm shift for the sport, but one that was widely embraced by fans.

But the mixed social media reaction following the Fyter Fest chair shot suggests not all fans want wrestling to evolve. Many seemed to relish a return to the hardcore violence which has been absent from mainstream wrestling for years while others insisted the past should be left in the past.

“It’s simple. If you want to see that kind of violence, then watch boxing or MMA,” Nowinski says. “If you want to see some of the best performers on the planet live for decades then you should support them performing safely. You should respect them enough to let them perform safely.”

Part of the negative reaction towards AEW allowing chair shots stems from how it contrasts with the company’s implied mission. One of the biggest differentiators between AEW and WWE is how wrestlers are treated. For decades, WWE owner Vince McMahon has had his wrestlers operate as independent contractors. The problem with that is being responsible for their own healthcare has incentivized performers to hide injuries or ignore warning signs for fear of having their contract terminated. Former WWE superstar CM Punk explained in 2014 how he felt he would be “punished” by the company if he took time off to recover from a concussion.

AEW, on the other hand, said from the start that wrestlers would be full-time employees with benefits. It was an unheard-of approach in an industry that too often leaves talent in the cold when their spotlight dims. That’s what made the Fyter Fest chair shot feel so out of place. It’s impossible to reconcile the concept that performers should have secure futures while putting them at higher risk for permanent brain damage through the demands of the job.

Chair shots aren’t the only source of concussions in wrestling — far from it — but they are the most easily altered move in the industry that can be phased out with relative ease. With AEW pushing the envelope on violence, there’s pressure for WWE to raise the stakes in response. However, the company maintains its position outlawing “deliberate and direct shots to the head.” On top of that, WWE began mandatory ImPACT concussion testing in 2008, subjecting performers to yearly baseline testing of brain function, memory, processing speed and reaction time. Referees are trained to identify injuries that occur during a match (including concussions) and are given the power to stop a match to ensure no further injury occurs.

The issue of unprotected chair shots and the risk of CTE in wrestling isn’t just a WWE or AEW problem — it’s an industry problem. Away from the grand storylines and athletic feats lies a grassroots concern as wrestlers young and old across America are risking their lives to be noticed or remain famous. When a crowd is invested in a performer, they can build the kind of cult following needed to get booked in larger shows, and eventually, if they’re lucky enough, into a major promotion. The issue is that many young wrestlers see a need to risk their bodies and their futures by taking risks to get noticed.

Nowinski’s advice for young wrestlers turning to dangerous maneuvers for attention is to keep in mind that the fans who like violent wrestling aren’t the majority.

“If your goal is to make it to WWE ... show them you can wrestle the way they expect you to wrestle in WWE,” he says. “The reality is that if you take too many risks there’s a good chance you’ll flame out before you get where you’re trying to go.”

The world of professional wrestling is a fractured series of minor promotions and independent booking scenes feeding into the WWE monolith. As AEW attempts to compete for the same audience, there is an imperative for both organizations to band together and denounce chair shots to the head and other risky maneuvers that can directly be traced to future cases of CTE.

The same night Cody Rhodes took the unprotected chair shot, Jon Moxley and Joey Janela wrestled an unsanctioned hardcore match using barbed wire, thumbtacks, tables and ladders. By the end, both performers were a bloody mess — and yet it was still safer than being hit in the head with a chair. There’s room for violence in wrestling. There’s room to tell a story. There is no longer room for performers to shorten their lives for the sake of applause.

[xpwewarchive]

XPWEW Friday Night Pyro (2-14-2020)

Friday Night Pyro February 14th, 2020 Boise, Idaho CenturyLink Arena

Vice intro

Show opens with All Man looking directly into the camera “Ladies & Gentleman Mr. Burt Bacharach as he performs “What the world needs now” inside the Alvista titled “ALLVISTA” tonight which is an upscale Italian restaurant. All Man and All Woman applaud the performance (you can tell All Woman is keeping a bit reserved mature in her body language, upholding that this date is in fact PLATONIC) All Man pulls out the chair for All Woman as she sits immediately a waiter appears to reveal a huge steak and salad dinner for the two. (You then see dialogue begin) All Man: This place looks nice huh? Alll Woman: Um wow yeah but a bit expensive yeah? How much are you paying for this? All Man: Listen I’m the xpwew world heavyweight champion I’m sure it’s all on the house. looks at waiter Isn’g that right? Waiter: I have absolutely no idea who you are

The live crowd is seen and they go wild and we are introduced to the commentary table Kaitlyn Khoas & Nick Simmonds and the camera quickly pans to the far right to see a “Weekend At Bernie’s* esq Troy Clausen sitting in a wheelchair with goofy silly wacky eyeball glasses on LOL

Lotus enters (big pop)

Quick hype package last week of her verbally dismantling Shane McCoy’s failed rap career and support of terrible people IE: Chris Johnson

Shane McCoy enters (boo)

M1: Shane McCoy vs Lotus

[Ends in draw technicality when McCoy uses the tag rope to choke Lotus and although she doesn’t quit referee Kevin Madrox decides to call the match for “foul play” interesting call. Shane McCoy hits referee Kevin Madrox with “The Odyssey”

and Romeo Roselli storms down to the ring and tries to push McCoy and say for that unnecessary response to our official I’m fining you 10 grand. McCoy fired up! McCoy: Are you serious moron? I run this damn promotion you idiot! You can’t do a thing to me Romeo: Maybe I cant but maybe I can book myself to fight you? Because I said when I took this job over a year ago that I had no plans on leaving the ring and I McCoy: attacks Roselli mid sentence and they get to brawling until Lotus breaks up the scuffle and applies the helm sharpshooter on McCoy and Romeo even says “Let em’ go, Let em’ Go” McCoy dashes out side the ring: McCoy: Roselli you need to know you role, and understand what you’ve done. I’m fair okay I’m not spiteful and if you ever wanna step back in the ring, Feel free to step down from you position but KNOW. THIS. Expect the most.

The Set enters and Myron Reed takes the lead on the promo as they lay down a 6 man tag challenge against Plagueground and Dragon Kid

M2: Jordan Oliver, Myron Reed & Kotto Brazil defeat Joe Gacy, Brodie Croyle & Dragon Kid (mid match Leonard McGraw brawls with Dragon Kid into they crowd and they have a unique brawl from the stairs, to the back where it ends with McGraw putting Dragon Kid over the concession stand and then McGraw drinks tap beer straight from the spicket. McGraw spits it in Kid’s face as he lies prone. Ms. Ryu says something angry in Japanese at Dragon Kid but it’s not translated and we have no idea what she said

Flirting With Disaster PPV how to purchase promo

We come back from the break to recap what happened with Kid and McGraw and Kaitlyn Khaos informs the audience what was said by Ms. Ryu and it’s said that McGraw has challenged Kid at the upcoming Flirting With Disaster PPV to a match where if McGraw wins Dragon Kid must remove his mask

Pre recorded promo: Rosemary and Slayer cut eerie promo as they do a tour of theirs home which looks like an abandoned apartment complex and Slayer’s international title shrine is pretty dope (it is the most prestigious belt now) [This pre tape was done to freshen up who Rosemary and Slayer are to the new VICE viewers]

M3: Audrey Carbine defeats Lola Starr via submission

99 days until LOCKDOWN 7

M4: Champagne Clausen defeats Eugene as he quote “trims the fat” After the match Freight Train makes the challenge 1 on 1 in a stretcher Match and Champagne I’ve never been happier to accept

Freight Train shows a video of what him and Troy Clausen have been up to and a straight rip of My Name Is Earl is that Train has been putting Troy in these wheelchair basketball leagues and having “bonding time”

Winner will be the No. 1 contender for the I-N Title M5: GG defeats Based Fabian [ After the match GG says Larva is what it is, a collection of like minded people but my sights are on that gold and Your gonna have to kill me, to stop me from getting it Rosemary comes out to have a promo war with GG and she’s being really creepy and Rosemary does a magic trick and a twin Rosemary appears and GG looks confused and they both storm into him, lights fade to black and it’s slayer in the ring mauling GG with a steel chair wrecking him knees with the gold but then GG’s irl girlfriend Amy Lee also member of Larva hits a crazy Somoan drop on Slayer and Slayer absorbs the punishment and runs up the ramp and just in a few minutes GG and Slayer just got real personal

Doxy enters in very “sexy” attire in anticipation for the “Bra & Panties Match” she challenged xpwew women’s champion Kiera Hogan to last week?

Kiera Hogan appears at the ramp

Do you really think I was gonna lower my standards and compete in such an embarrassing match, Boise doesn’t deserve to see they. Unlike you I hold myself to a standard Doxy, you can strip for these mouth breathers but I’m not because I’m a women’s wrestler a champion not a thot. Why don’t you put your big girl panties on and grow some self esteem because I’m not gonna put my title on the line on free cable tv. Nah you gotta order the PPV to see me compete

Doxy reacts accordingly standing in the ring

All Woman gets on one knee and proposes in front of everyone at the restaurant

All Woman grabs All Man’s hand as he’s having a great time, She says ALL of this, ALL of it was great but I feel like I have to tell you that ........ I really like you ..But this is ALL happening really fast and I wasn’t expecting this, The flowers, the everything but I um All Man: Whattaya say? All Woman: inhales I don’t know. I don’t know I’m sorry I’m sorry (All Woman grabs her coat and walks out of the restaurant in a rush)

Scott Steiner walks in with 2 big bottles of Champagne spraying it and the waiter gives him the neck “no not right now” signal Steiner: What the Fuck???

M6: Golden Bryce defeats Alveno La Flare Bryce cuts a promo “All Man. You’ve had your 15 minutes and on the 23rd I’m taking that title back so cherish the minutes. Crowd kinda groans