Engage 2: Round Two! Fight! | Sunday, July 3rd, 2016

[Jeremy King]

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – PRESS OFFICE – SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016 – SHOW TIME.

The cameras begin rolling, revealing PATRICK BECKER and JEREMY KING, both suited and booted, looking suave. The men are standing on the small stage at the front of the press office, accompanied by Aqua Drop C.E.O, MARTIN GASPARD, and his executive assistant, ISAAC GOLDSTEIN.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Welcome to Engage! We’re live from
The Fresh Studios in Hollywood,
California and currently looking in
on an exclusive press conference.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
(Sarcastic tone)
Yes, people. Thanks for tuning in to
watch some fantastic wrestling. Here’s
a press conference featuring corporate
big wigs to really whet your whistle!

Press from the local area are seated in front of them, eagerly waiting the announcement. Becker holds an Engage branded microphone and addresses the media.

PATRICK
Ladies and Gentlemen, I appreciate
you coming down here tonight to cover
this exclusive announcement.

The sound of his voice captures everyone’s attention, causing the chatter among the crowd to stop. All eyes on Becker.

PATRICK
As you know, Engage Wrestling is very
proud to have a running agreement with
Aqua Drop, a company we strongly endorse
for their endeavours towards promoting a
healthier lifestyle. Given the unfortunate
circumstances that transpired last week,
the decision was made to find a new face
for the Aqua Drop campaign; a face that
can represent both companies with
professionalism and honour. As of this
morning, we have found that individual.

Bright flashes and camera snapping sound effects echo through the room, as the press get their story.

PATRICK
So it’s my great privilege to introduce
that person to you now. Please welcome
the new face of Aqua Drop… Miss Georgia
Mack.

The flashes and snapping sounds only grow in number and frequency as GEORGIA MACK steps into the press office on cue, looking delighted with herself. The suits on stage offer a proud and hearty round of applause, as the Engage Combatant steps up onto the podium – all smiles – and hugs both Jeremy King and Patrick Becker, while accepting more formal handshakes from Gaspard and Goldstein.

PATRICK
We’ll let Georgia field some questions
in just a moment, but first I’d like to
take this opportunity to thank Martin
Gaspard for his continued support in this
business relationship and also wish Miss
Mack all the success in the world as the
face of the Aqua Drop brand.

Mack smiles as Patrick steps back from the podium on stage and gives her the floor, as well as the microphone. Jeremy King flanks the British fighter and points out to the crowd, accepting one question at a time from the press.

JEREMY
(Pointing)
Go ahead, the blonde in the blue blouse.

HEIDI SMITH (O.S)
Georgia; Heidi Smith, The L.A Independent.
You’re debuting tonight in your first match
on American soil, let alone for the company.
Are you surprised at this selection,
considering you’re such a newcomer? Also,
could you just talk us through the journey
to getting this deal done? How did it come
to pass?

GEORGIA
(Looking into crowd)
Honestly? No, I’m not surprised at all.
Why would I be? I don’t think anything
should be given to people based on an
“I’ve been here longer than you have”
system, do you? The reality is that
Mr. Becker knows me and has known me for
many years, since I was a little girl.
He’s close with my family and he’s seen
me grow to the woman I am today. If he
feels that I am the best person for the
job then that’s flattering and I’m certainly
not going to tell him he’s wrong. I had
to audition like everybody else, so whether
or not I’ve been here long enough to merit
the deal is irrelevant to me – especially
given the fact that we’re only about to
launch the second show in the company’s
history. All that matters to me is that
I was considered, given a chance and made
the most of it during the audition.

JEREMY
(Pointing)
Uh, sure, Derek, go ahead.

DEREK BAKER
Hi Georgia – Derek Baker here from Engage
Wrestling dot com. How much did you know
about the Aqua Drop brand before coming
to terms on this agreement, given that it
doesn’t yet have distribution rights in
the UK?

GEORGIA
(Looking into crowd)
I hadn’t heard of the beverage or the
company prior to arriving here, but as
soon as they sat me down and talked about
their vision for the brand and what their
goals were within society, I felt compelled
to be part of it. Again, just following on
from that first question – I don’t think a
prior knowledge based on a region should
predicate who’s right for what. That, to
me, would be a stupid way to run a company.
You pick the right fit, that’s it.

JEREMY
(Pointing)
Okay, we’ll take one from Owen. Go ahead.

OWEN WELLS
Hi Georgia, Owen Wells from The L.A Times.
Have you spoken to former Aqua Drop
representative, Trixie, about this deal?
Do you have anything you’d like to say
to her?

GEORGIA
(Looking into crowd)
No. I have no reason to speak to her about
the deal. As far as saying anything to her
now goes? Just that I hope she gets the help
she needs for her problems and cleans up her act.

JEREMY
(Pointing)
Alright, we’ve got time for one more
question. Yes, Claudia. Ask away.

CLAUDIA THORNTON
Georgia, Claudia Thornton from The
Hollywood Journal.

Mack scans the room, looking lost.

CLAUDIA THORNTON
(Waving)
Right here.

Georgia spots her and laughs a little.

CLAUDIA THORNTON
(Laughing slightly)
As I understand it, there was a shortlist
for this role that included some big names.
Why do you feel that you were selected?
And what – in your opinion – makes you the
right girl for the role?

GEORGIA
(Looking at Claudia)
I’m a professional, I’m a clean living kind
of girl and I share the same views as the
Aqua Drop company on healthy lifestyle
choices. That’s why I feel I was selected
and that’s also why I believe I’m the right
person for the role.

JEREMY
Okay, that’s all for the moment. Thanks for
coming down here tonight, folks. Georgia,
thanks for taking time out to be here too.
Good luck in your fight tonight.

Miss Mack hugs King and Becker again, while the cameras snap as many shots as they possibly can.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Georgia Mack?! Seriously? This just proves
that it’s not what you know, it’s who you
know.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Congratulations to Georgia Mack on becoming
the new face of Aqua Drop! It’ll be very
interesting to see how Trixie responds to
this news.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Why should she care? She’s one match away
from competing for the Engage World Championship.
No point in her crying over spilled milk.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
(Chuckling)
Or spilled water! Right?

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
No, that doesn’t work. Move on.

CUT TO:

INT. THE FRESH STUDIO – SETH DANIELS VERSUS VAN QUINN – CONTINUOUS.

The bell rings twice to signify the start of the match. Both competitors come out of the corners and show no hesitation to lock up in traditional wrestling manner. A struggle ensues, as both Seth Daniels and Varsity Van are powerful, but Daniels’ power weens as he begins to backpedal into the ropes. Coach Smith cheers his boy on but Dr. Benson looks unimpressed with the show of strength by Vance. Daniels’ back hits the ropes and the referee wants to get involved, but Seth merely repositions himself to move towards the turnbuckle.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Nice early start by Quinn here,
letting Seth know all about his
power.

Dr. Benson witnesses the situation unfold and doesn’t like it, allowing himself to interject by waving his arms around like an idiot at the referee, who begins to pay him attention. Vance shoves Seth into the corner with force, but the counter is a swift kick in between the legs by Your Drug Of Choice; The entire venue winces as Daniels kicks a field goal on Varsity Van, right in the nether regions. Oh!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Well it didn’t take long for Benson
to manipulate things here, did it?
That low blow from Seth may be the
difference maker.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
You do what needs to be done, Kyle.
This isn’t an honesty contest.

Seth Daniels grins while simply assessing the outcome of the shot, expecting to see cartoon wide eyes from Vance. But while Vance clutches his crotch after impact, something seems different. Seth waits for Varsity Van to hit his knees, but it never happens. Van Quinn reaches down into his tights and pulls out a standard sport cup for athletic activity. The crowd erupts into cheers and the referee whips back around to see the cause, eyeing the foreign object in Quinn’s hand but not concerned. Daniels looks annoyed, but rather impressed.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Ah! That’s some smart strategy from
the playbook of Vance Quinn, folks!
He’s come prepared.

Daniels breaks the crowd reaction with a stiff right hand, knocking Van Quinn almost out of his boots and wobbling back across the ring from the shot. Dr. Benson and Coach Smith pace the outside of the ring as the action truly begins to unfold. Daniels has Van Quinn in the corner and a barrage of fists find their way impacting Vance from all angles. The referee tries to pry the action away from turning into a bar fight, but Daniels doesn’t give a damn – his ending strike is a stiff, straight kick to the stomach of Vance, who doubles over from the sheer impact.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
There’s an example of the lethal
striking Seth Daniels is capable
of. Quinn is in a world of hurt
right now.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Daniels is certainly playing to
his strengths here, which is half
the battle.

After backing away as the referee commands, Daniels returns and begins an Irish whip, but Vance reverses and sends Seth flying into the opposite turnbuckle. Your Drug Of Choice doesn’t stick, though, and merely bounces off from the strength of Van Quinn, hobbling into the middle of the ring and falling victim to a devastating European uppercut! The shot rocks Daniels, but he remains on his feet, swinging back a wild right hand that cuts the air, landing nowhere and turning him around to allow Vance to grapple up his opponent and send him crashing into the mat with a German suplex. Daniels bounces off the mat and rolls to the ropes, getting up rather quickly but using the ropes as an aid.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
This is solid from Quinn. He needs
to capitalize on the advantage now.

Vance makes it up before Daniels, but just by a hair. Seth looks for time to recover, but feels the grasp of Van Quinn behind him, reaching out wildly to interrupt another German suplex attempt – he fails. Daniels crashes against the mat once more, thrown backwards like a ragdoll by Van Quinn who now looks like a behemoth on a wrecking spree. Quinn doesn’t even look for the pin attempt, rather continuing the punishment.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
It’s interesting that he’s not covering
Daniels. That’s a rookie mistake, in my
view. You’re wasting an opportunity to
tire your opponent out.

Several moments later, the match has spilled outside the ring and both competitors are sweating profusely, worn down and gasping for air at this point. The referee counts down as both Varsity Van and Daniels get to their feet slowly after a train wreck of a collision. Dr. Benson looks concerned, but remains close. Coach Smith is not too far, either. Seth gets to his feet and rolls into the ring, but rolls back out, effectively breaking the count and restarting it altogether. He looks to even it up, eyeing all the toys on the outside with brutality in mind. Seeing the cue from Daniels, Dr. Benson climbs up onto the apron and distracts the referee, disrupting the count and creating a chaotic scene as Daniels fetches the steel.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Come on, ref – not again!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
He’s playing the game, Newman! It’s only
a problem if he gets caught.

The distinctive folding sound of a steel chair wakes Van Quinn up, who is about halfway up, but Coach Smith starts to intervene by shouting at Daniels to put it down. But Your Drug Of Choice just ignores the coach, waiting for Quinn to rise up and get to his feet. Once Vance does, he is utterly blasted by a chair shot that echoes into the locker room. Crack!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Good Lord! That impact was sickening!
How has the referee not heard it?! The
guys walking down Hollywood Boulevard
heard it!

Van Quinn hits the mats with a thud. Coach Smith decides to intervene, stepping over the slain Vance to interrupt any further wrongdoing by Daniels. Dr. Benson keeps the referee occupied still.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Benson is screaming in his ear! What
do you expect?!

Seth Daniels eyes Coach Smith like a psychopath on the verge of a killing rampage, steel chair still in hand that hosts a fresh dent from Van Quinn’s skull. Coach Smith points a finger and issues a warning for Daniels to keep it clean, but the abrasive fighter just tosses the chair down and decks the shit out of Coach Smith! The old man flops and hits the mat in an overselling nature. The referee breaks away from Dr. Benson, who seemingly has played it perfect and allowed Daniels to roll Vance into the ring and for the winning pin fall!

One! Two!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Just a two! Holy… How did he kick out
of the chair shot?! Incredible guts
from Quinn!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Guts? It’s pig-headed stupidity, is what
it is. Live to fight another day, kid.

Van Quinn astonishes the entire venue with the kick out, sending the building into a wild ruckus of cheers and applause. Daniels looks even more shocked, as the chair shot heard on the east coast was surely enough to win this contest. The frustrated Daniels refuses to accept the two count, re-hooking the leg for another pin attempt out of frustration.

One! Two!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Another kick out! Varsity just won’t
lay down here!

Vance gets the shoulder up. The crowd continues to cheer for Van Quinn, who now begins the recovering process, rolling over and attempting to gather himself. Coach Smith is still on his ass on the outside, coming to rather slowly from the right hand from Daniels.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Seth Daniels is going to kill this
young man. He should have stayed down!

Daniels grabs Vance by the hair and sends him into the ropes with an Irish whip, but Van Quinn reverses. Seth goes flying and bounces off, allowing Van Quinn to drop down and Daniels to hop over with ease, hitting the opposite set of ropes and ricocheting back. This time, Vance hops into the air and allows Daniels to travel under, continuing the process of Daniels hitting the ropes and bouncing back. But instead of planting his feet or executing anything else, Vance takes off towards the perpendicular set of ropes, hitting them with amazing speed and grace for a big man. Daniels doesn’t even see the incoming collision; Van Quinn utterly destroys the side of Daniels’ head with the Blindside! Daniels flips in the air in an odd degree, turning wildly and hitting the mat with a thud.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Blindside! Blindside! This one could
be over!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Seth Daniels cannot lose this fight!
It would be an embarrassing stain on
his permanent record – losing to a
rookie!

Van Quinn falls over and away from his foe due to the impact, weary from the long match but still having some gas in the tank. The crowd cheers franticly as Daniels lays completely still, eyes shut and obviously knocked into oblivion. Vance crawls over slowly. He isn’t there yet, but the crowd continues to cheer the sporting star on.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
There’s the cover! It’s over!
It’s over!

Van Quinn makes it to the fallen Daniels and drops an arm on him for the cover. One! Two!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Kick out! Yes! Seth kicked out!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
How in the hell did he kick out of
that?! He was done!

The crowd reacts as Daniels gets the shoulder up just in time. Van Quinn is astonished and his response is to do it again, gathering himself and his opponent after a moment of staring up at the lights. Daniels hits the ropes and so does Vance, coming in from the side for another Blindside smash, but this time Your Drug Of Choice simply ducks the incoming shot and hits the brakes, stopping just behind Van Quinn, who turns to see the sole of Daniels’ footing smash into is chin for the Light’s Out super kick!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Seth Daniels with the super kick!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Ball game for Varsity Van Quinn!
Thanks for playing, kid!

Vance slowly falls into the mat like a stone giant in a fairy tale. Coach Smith finally recovers and leans on the apron, watching the outcome with dismay.

One! Two! Three!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
It’s over. Seth Daniels scores the
win and narrowly avoids an upset here
against a man who demonstrated a ton
of guts tonight.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
It wasn’t enough though, was it? Seth
Daniels was never going to lose this
one. He’s too good.

ALEXIS STONE
Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner via
pin fall… SETH DANIELS!

Seth rolls out of the ring and joins up with Dr. Theodore Benson on the ramp, who certainly had a hand in tonight’s victory. A solid performance, nevertheless.

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – BACKSTAGE AREA – CONTINUOUS.

The cameras head backstage and catch up with KEEGAN RYAN, who is dressed to compete, ahead of his fatal 4-way cage match in just a few moments time.

KYLE NEMAN (O.S)
Well folks, there’s Keegan Ryan – a
man on a mission to redeem himself
following last week’s defeat to Caite
Blackbird. He’ll go head to head with
three other fighters in just a few minutes,
inside a steel cage!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
That’s the best place for an animal
like this – a cage. It’s too bad he’ll
be released after the match.

The fighter swings his arms from side to side, rolls his neck and shadow boxes while walking towards the guerrilla pit, getting himself in the zone.

BEAU
Well, well, well – lookie here. If it
ain’t the New Mexico Madman.

Ryan pauses and his eyes narrow, before turning his focus to the left of the frame. The camera turns and reveals BEAU ADDISON, Engage Wrestling newcomer, dressed in casual attire (blue denim jeans, t-shirt and converse sneakers).

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Now there’s a man to get behind and show
some appreciation to! That’s a real American!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Beau Addison is one of the latest signings
to the company and for those who may have
missed it, he’s been incredibly controversial
on social media about a range of political
issues. He’s certainly not winning friends.

Addison has a shit-eating grin plastered across his face as he approaches Keegan.

BEAU
How’s it hangin’, Kerwin? I saw that there
smack y’all were talkin’ online an’ figured I’d
come say hello and see if we’ve got us a
problem?

Ryan marches towards Addison and, without a second thought, throws a head-butt at him directly on the bridge of the nose, sending the big American staggering back in pain.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Look out!

Keegan swings rights and lefts to Addison, connecting with his skull, his jaw, his neck, his chest, his kidneys – it’s a frantic, rabid assault; frenzied in nature. Beau – despite being the larger of the two – can’t recover from the head-butt, so opts to cover himself as best he can.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
This is ridiculous! Somebody stop
that animal!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Look at him! He’s enraged right now!

Ryan grabs the water cooler and hauls it over, toppling it down onto Addison’s crouched body, crushing him with the full force of the cooler, as well as soaking him when the bottle dislodges and drenches the area.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Good grief, that’s certainly one way to
welcome a newcomer to the party.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
He should be fined and prosecuted for this!
It’s nothing less than assault!

Before Ryan can do anymore damage, security have intervened, forming a human wall between him and Beau. Ryan, knowing that his match is only moments away, leaves the matter alone.

KEEGAN
(Shouting to Beau)
Nah, no problem – not anymore. Welcome to
my America, bitch.

With that, the fighter turns back towards the black curtain, leaving a soaking wet Beau Addison floored and angered by the exchange.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
This is an outrage. What a ridiculous
reaction to being called Kerwin.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
I’d be pretty steamed if someone called
me Kerwin.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
People call you much worse names
than Kerwin.

EXT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – STUDIO LOT – CONTINUOUS.

The cameras are rolling, albeit briefly, on the private studio lot outside the building, where several trailers sit stationary. They’re the individual dressing rooms of all the fighters.

CUT TO:

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – WALTER HOBBS’ TRAILER – CONTINUOUS.

Inside the trailer of WALTER HOBBS sits the man himself, looking forlorn at the vanity mirror, while his wife LANA and his manager MICKEY CONWAY stand behind him, looking concerned for his mood.

He sulks a little.

WALTER
I mean, sure, I’m happy for Georgia
and everything, but I… Ugh, I don’t
know. I guess I just really, really
wanted that part.

Hobbs reaches over to a half full bottle of AQUA DROP on his dresser and grabs it, before displaying it to Lana and Mickey like a salesman, although his sullen face contradicts the pitch.

WALTER
Who wouldn’t want to be the face of a
nutritious drink that’s both zero calories
AND delicious?

Lana and Conway share a quick glance at one another before returning their respective focus on Hobbs. He shakes his heads and slouches.

WALTER
This was a blow, guys – a real negative.
And right now I need TWO positives. One to
counteract the negative… and another… well,
just so I have another positive.

MICKEY
(Stern)
Walt, you gotta get your head in the game
here! You’re minutes away from a steel cage
match with three beasts and you’re crying over
spilled milk?! Snap out of it!

WALTER
(Looking pleased)
You might even say spilled water.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
See?! Told you that’s funny.

MICKEY
No, that doesn’t work.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
What he said.

Hobbs looks a little embarrassed.

MICKEY
Look, the point is, you’re focusing on
the wrong thing here! You’ve got a chance
to go out there, show the world what Walter
Hobbs is made of and walk out with an opportunity
at championship gold!

Walter doesn’t seem overly responsive and Lana looks irritated. She decides to take matters into her own hands by approaching him with faux sweetness.

LANA
(leaning forward, revealing her cleavage)
Walt, honey. I hate to see you like this
– especially when it’s so unnecessary!
You’re on the brink of becoming a number
one contender, and –

She spots Walter hypnotised by her cleavage and grabs his face, guiding him to make eye contact.

LANA
Baby, focus! You really want two positives?

WALTER
(Nodding)
More than I’ve ever wanted anything.

LANA
(Hushing him, stroking his chin)
Alright, well go out there and show the
World just how nasty my Walt really is
and when it’s over, I’ll have two positives
ready and waiting for you.

She squeezes her boobs together with her arms, looking at him seductively. His eyes light up.

LANA
If you want these, you can do this.

WALTER
(Whispered enthusiastically)
I can do this.

Conway watches on, wholly unimpressed by Lana’s cheap tactics. Hobbs bursts out of his seat and points at himself; the intensity on his face growing.

WALTER
(Louder)
I can do this!

Lana smirks as Walter marches towards the trailer door, turning back to the pair with a burning fire in the pit of his stomach.

WALTER
(Screaming)
I can do this!

His enthusiasm gets the better of him as he pushes the trailer door open too forcefully – resulting in it swinging open while he’s still gripping the handle. He stumbles outside, landing with a clumsy thud.

MICKEY
Jesus!

The pair rush to the door frame, as Walter stands up, raising his hands.

WALTER
I’m okay! I’m okay! I can still do this!

LANA
Go get ‘em, Tiger!

WALTER
(Screaming)
I AM THE WAR MASTER!

Hobbs marches off towards the studio, as Lana and Conway watch him leave.

MICKEY
(To himself)
He’s going to die in there.

Lana grins and exits the trailer, following her husband towards the studio.

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – BACKSTAGE – CONTINUOUS.

GEORGIA MACK stands over by a loading bay with a small circle of backstage technicians, engaging in small talk. It looks positive, with a few “congratulations” being overheard.

WALTER HOBBS barges through the scene, fired up and full of intensity. He points at Georgia as he storms past.

WALTER
(Screaming, aggressive and intense)
Congratulations, Georgia!
I’m so happy for you!

It startles Georgia, who just watches him head for the entrance, with LANA and MICKEY CONWAY trailing behind. They all pass TRIXIE, who stands alone, staring at Georgia Mack in the distance.

The gorgeous blonde’s eyes narrow and she starts motioning to approach, but an old hand reaches out and grabs her by the arm, stopping her in her tracks.

ERNIE
There she is! My little
Tinkerbelle!

TRIXIE
(Startled, surprised)
Ernie! Wow, you scared me
a little there!

ERNIE
(Chuckling)
Nonsense! You have to be prepared
for attacks from all angles!

Georgia leaves the loading bay, as Trixie watches her make an exit. She looks a little frustrated, but Parker doesn’t detect this.

ERNIE (Cont’d)
Might I say, you look ravishing!
Wow!

He leans back, tilting his head a little, admiring Trixie’s skimpy, super revealing ring attire. The ‘Bad Kitty’ smiles.

TRIXIE
Thanks, Ern. You always know
what to say.

ERNIE
No, no – thank you. You’ve reinvigorated
my lust for this business and made
an old fool very happy this week,
especially your performance in our
training sessions.

TRIXIE
They were so helpful, Ernie; honestly.
Don’t get me wrong, at first I was a
little confused by some of your methods,
especially the whole ‘find the sausage
while blindfolded’ thing.

ERNIE
(Defensively)
That was for awareness.

TRIXIE
Yeah, you said. But hearing how happy
you sounded when I found that little
thing – wow. It was so inspiring to
think that I had made a legend like
you proud.

The blonde throws her arms around him and gives him an appreciative hug. Parker’s face looks stunned.

ERNIE
(Mouthing silently to himself)
Little?

Trixie pulls away and smiles.

TRIXIE
Before you, I was confident I could
beat her. Thanks to you, I know I’m
going to beat her.

ERNIE
(Grinning)
You ARE the next World Champion, darling.
We just have to run through the game plan
one more time.

‘Pretty Boy’ hooks her arm, linking his with it. He heads away from the camera.

ERNIE
In private, of course. This is
confidential.

TRIXIE
(Intrigued)
Oh, exciting!

The pair head for the trailer area, away from the cameras.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
If I’d have known Trixie was such
a dumbass, I’d have sold myself as
a trainer! Parker sounds like he’s
had the best week of his life.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
She sounds confident, which is exactly
what you need to be ahead of a fight as
big as tonight’s semi-final clash with
a fighter whose got a decade of experience
like Lara Chambers.

INT. THE FRESH STUDIO – WALTER HOBBS VERSUS VOIDSTAR VERSUS KEEGAN RYAN VERSUS CHRISTIAN VALENTINE – CONTINUOUS.

The steel cage is daunting and cold, unforgiving metal forged in intertwined sections that make up the wretched fencing that houses all four competitors: Christian Valentine, Voidstar, Keegan Ryan, and Walter Hobbs.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Folks, if you’re watching with
your children right now, it may
be time to put them to bed because
this one is going to be ugly.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
I’ve been salivating at the thought
of this one all week. We may just
witness the execution of Walter Hobbs
in this fight. Record it, people.
Record it in case we’re on the verge
of historical television.

Voidstar is crouched in his corner, his eyes glaring through his mysterious mask onto his opponents like an animal in the brushes of the wild about to pounce, but meticulous. Christian Valentine remains big and tall, looming in his corner with his wet locks dripping onto his sun tanned skin. His muscles are bulky and tense, allowing the curves in his body to show through the lights in the venue. Keegan Ryan paces like a maniac in a padded cell, back and forth, his hair shielding his eyes as they bounce from opponent to opponent, his mind either deciphering who he attacks first and exactly what he is going to do once that decision is made. Walter Hobbs looks terrified, pale with fear and attempting to dry off sweaty, nervous palms. Lana Hobbs looks like she’s about to witness a horrific outcome in the steel cage, her face on the edge of concern and interest.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Here we go. You have been warned.

The bell sounds and everyone remains still. Mickey Conway covers his eyes and doesn’t even want to watch from outside the ring. Voidstar rises from his crouched position and locks eyes with Walter Hobbs for a brief second, who sees the menacing star of the masked villain but refuses to make full eye contact, with a smile still plastered on his face, oddly. But from out of nowhere, Keegan Ryan’s insane drive to compete just goes full tilt and he bum rushes the big man, Christian Valentine, colliding against him in the turnbuckle and firing off punches in every angle, fists smashing against the rock hard body of The Knockout King who shields himself from the psychotic barrage of the New Mexico Madman.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Keegan Ryan starting things off
with an intense assault on Christian
Valentine right now. Wild and unrelenting!

Voidstar stares at Walter Hobbs, who still pretends that The Void isn’t actually looking directly at him, but he certainly is.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
I can’t watch. Walter looks like
a puppy in a lion’s den.

Valentine drops in the turnbuckle and continues to shield himself as Keegan goes fucking ballistic, throwing wild kicks and punches at the big man in an attempt to take out what seems to be the biggest threat in this match. But The Knockout King powers out and turns the tide, grabbing onto Ryan and throwing his crazy ass in the corner to fire off his own punches, which Keegan takes like a hero, not even shielding from the strikes.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Wow, check Ryan out. Please,
sir, may I have another!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Walter’s about to die! Look at
Voidstar.

Voidstar lunges forward at Walter Hobbs, who sees it coming and darts off to the side at the commands of Conway, trying to be elusive like a majestic animal, but he trips in his attempt to flee and The Void hits the brakes before any damage can be inflicted upon himself. He looms over Hobbs as the New Jersey native crawls towards the corner with fright in his eyes. Upon reaching his destination, Walt pulls himself up but he’s too late – he is in the clutches of Voidstar. The masked villain begins to pounce.

On the other side of the ring, Christian Valentine is brutalizing Ryan, who remains slouched in the turnbuckle corner.

Voidstar grabs onto Hobbs’ wrist and executes an Irish whip. Valentine does the same exact thing to Ryan, at the same time. But both Walter Hobbs and Keegan Ryan reverse the Irish whips, sending their foes colliding into one another; Christian Valentine follows through, throwing out his right arm and catching the incoming Voidstar from the Irish whip from Walter Hobbs, rocking him with a clothesline and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Look out! A clothesline with
authority from big Christian
Valentine, who was carried by
the momentum of the whip from
Keegan Ryan!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Voidstar was practically beheaded there.

Valentine comes face to face with Hobbs, who smiles like a retard. But from behind comes Keegan Ryan, flying across the ring and jumping onto the back of the big man, Valentine. Ryan drives Christian into the corner and the back and forth continues with them. Walter Hobbs manages to dart out of the way just in time, lining up the downed Voidstar with what appears to be a very sluggish dive; The Cry of the Whore Master drops right onto The Void from out of nowhere!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Oh my! Walter’s diving head-butt
finisher from out of nowhere!
Surely not?!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
He looks like he’s done just as
much damage to himself.

Hobbs clutches his head and is in agony from the diving head-butt, rolling to the side and collecting himself in the corner. Voidstar recovers much quicker than anyone could expect, shaking off the deadliest move in Walter’s arsenal and sending him into a rage. Hobbs mushes forward, slow and sluggish, but Voidstar simply steps out of the corner and heaves Hobbs up and into the air, back down and onto the canvas with the Dark Descent spinning spine buster. Thud!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
And that’s all Walter Hobbs
wrote in this one.

Valentine has Keegan Ryan by his hair and simply tosses him like a child into the side of the unforgiving steel cage, the carnage in full effect as the crowd complies: Oh! The New Mexico Madman bounces off and falls over, rolling onto his back in agony as he clutches his face. The Knockout King follows it up hauling Ryan up and over in a straightjacket suplex, slamming the resilient Ryan against the mat with tremendous force.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
This is when advantages like size
and build come into play. Christian
Valentine is dominating right now.

At this point, Hobbs is covered up and Voidstar has him mounted, laying in strikes as the New Jersey native seems more scared of the mask that the evildoer wears than the fists rocking the side of his head. From the side comes Valentine, who delivers a running big boot to the mounted Voidstar with an impact that echoes throughout the venue. Smack!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Damn, that was a huge big boot!
Who’d have thought Christian Valentine
would be the hero of the hour for
Walter Hobbs?

Hobbs crawls away and to the side, looking to his manager and wife for tactical advice on how to proceed. Mickey just looks frustrated. Lana pretends like she can’t hear anything.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Look at him – it’s tough to watch,
folks. He’s desperate for advice and
help but there’s nothing doing from
his corner.

Valentine has Voidstar up and sends him into the ropes with an Irish whip. The Void bounces off and ducks an incoming discus clothesline, hitting the brakes behind The Knockout King and jumping into the air to deliver a dropkick to the returning Valentine. The big man doesn’t fall but stumbles back. The masked villain pops back up and goes for it all, attempting to hoist the large, bulky Christian Valentine up and onto his shoulders for an amazing display of strength. Flash photography goes wild as somehow, Voidstar manages to pick up Valentine on his shoulders, but it’s stopped short by a diving Keegan Ryan, who jars the back of Voidstar’s knee and allows Valentine to drop right off his shoulders.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
You have to have eyes in the back
of your head in this fight! These
guys are firing from all angles
because the stakes are high!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Voidstar looks hurt.

The Void struggles and clutches his kneecap, allowing Keegan Ryan to get back to his feet from his desperation attempt and drop The Void into the mat with The End Of It All butterfly DDT! Voidstar’s skull bounces off the mat and his body goes still, but Ryan doesn’t want the cover. He gets to his feet and goes for the door, the referee opening it up as he approaches. Ryan has it won and he steps through the ropes, attempting his exit but two hands reach out and grab onto his boot. It’s Walter Hobbs.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Keegan Ryan is inches away from
victory here! Walter Hobbs is the
only thing stopping it.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
What is he doing?! It’s like he
wants to die.

Ryan tugs forward but Walter holds on for dear life, not letting go and a determined look in his face. The New Mexico Madman looks down and screams for Hobbs to let go, but he doesn’t. Ryan tugs again, but Hobbs holds on; Walter isn’t letting Keegan escape. But before Keegan can turn around and deal with Hobbs, he spots an incoming and recovered Christian Valentine, rushing forward. Keegan shoves his boot into Hobbs’ snout and breaks his grip, but slips through the ropes and comes full force with the incoming Knockout King. Valentine heaves Ryan up and into the air, dropping him over with a spinning spine buster, shaking the ring from the impact and leaving Keegan’s eyes wide like his back was just shattered altogether. Oh!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Spine buster! There goes Keegan
Ryan’s opportunity to end things,
at least for the time being.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Look at Walter! Look at him!

Walter Hobbs attempts to crawl through the door after recovering from the boot to the face by Ryan, but Valentine has him scouted, grabbing onto his leg and dragging his carcass back into the ring. A few good stomps on the fallen body of Hobbs ensure he is staying inside, and then Valentine himself looks to escape through the door. Voidstar has made it to his feet at this moment and pounces, colliding with the back of Valentine’s head and disrupting the escape. The masked villain follows it up with more strikes, this time with The Knockout King in the turnbuckle nearest to the cage door. An Irish whip sends Valentine into the opposite corner, his back crashing against the pads and the ring shaking from the sheer amount of weight being tossed against the corner. Voidstar gets a running start but Hobbs reaches out and grabs onto Void’s boot, tripping him in the process as he lays on the mat in a daze.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Oh God. Hobbs just poked a
bear here.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
In all my years in this business,
I’ve never struggled to watch
something more than this.

Voidstar face plants against the canvas from the trip, but before Hobbs can capitalize, Keegan Ryan is back to his feet and grabs onto Walter’s awkward haircut, picking him up and tossing him into rough steel cage siding. Hobbs bounces off and looks completely dazed. A kick to the gut doubles Walter over and Ryan takes advantage. Gumby (Walter Hobbs) gets tucked in and lifted up and into the air, driven down with force that creates a buzz throughout the arena; Keegan Ryan drops Hobbs with the Going Down jackknife that shakes the entire ring. The New Mexico Madman falls backwards after the move, sweaty and tired from the bout.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
He’s dead. I’m certain of it.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
He’s not dead but he might wish
he was by the end of this thing.
It’s a mess in there.

Valentine is moving around at this point, measuring the wreckage and deciding that more should be dealt. He eyes all three competitors and instantly goes for the destroyed Hobbs, hauling him up and in the same motion that Keegan had done before. But this time, Hobbs finds himself in the air, arms spread out and somewhat in a free position above the big man, Christian Valentine. Walter looks to the side in his debilitated state, only to see Mickey Conway wave his arms around an attempt to get Valentine to drop Walter safely. But he doesn’t. Walter Hobbs gets all of the uNearthed sit-out crucifix powerbomb. The crowd can barely watch as poor Walt gets decimated.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Okay, NOW he’s dead.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
That looked bad. I can’t even lie.

The crowd is on their seats as Voidstar makes it up and Keegan Ryan slouches in the corner. Valentine wipes the sweat from his brow and looks down on the unmoving Hobbs, who is either dead or completely knocked out. Voidstar elects to climb the cage, ascending to the top but Valentine makes the move to stop him. Grabbing onto Void’s boot, Valentine tugs at it with force. Voidstar kicks back unsuccessfully, his attempt failing to thwart Valentine. But The Void gets yanked from the cage wall and falls beautifully onto The Knockout King’s shoulders, swinging around and delivering a hurricanrana that sends the big man tumbling into the mat and near Keegan Ryan.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Wow! What an incredible counter
from Voidstar! He just turned
Valentine inside out with that
one.

Valentine recovers quickly from the lucha move and gets to his feet, but an incoming Keegan Ryan lands a solid boot to his gut and drops him face first into the canvas with a devastating End Of It All butterfly DDT! The crowd pops upon impact and Valentine is destroyed by the move, rolling over onto his back and unmoving.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Cover him! This is your chance!

Walter Hobbs is moving and the crowd cannot believe it. The New Jersey native makes it to his feet and Keegan Ryan watches in astonishment.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
He won’t stay down. Look at Ryan’s
face! Even the Madman can’t believe
the craziness on display.

But the ride isn’t over for poor Walt. Keegan Ryan hauls Walter Hobbs onto his shoulder and moves him around the ring with a deadly look in his eye. In the same timing, Voidstar crawls towards the downed Valentine to make a pin attempt.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Cover!

One! Two!

Keegan Ryan lurches forward and launches Walter Hobbs directly into the steel cage door, the steel locks snapping in half from the impact and the big idiot driving through all of it and onto the outside!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Oh my God! Walt just got hurled through the door of the cage!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
He’s escaped! That’s an escape!

Three! Voidstar secures the pin on Christian Valentine and the crowd erupts as both instances of Hobbs hitting the outside and the pin occur at the same time.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Wait a minute though, Voidstar
just got the three count on Valentine.
Did… Did they happen at the same time?

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Hobbs’ feet hit the floor first!

There is a moment of confusion as Mickey Conway rushes his client and thinks he has done it. He has won the cage match. The outside referee declares Walter the winner!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
The referee outside is saying Hobbs
has won it. There’s the replay right
now, watch this.

But after a brief moment, the cheers die down and a replay shows the pin attempt was successful before Hobbs had hit the ground, giving the victory to Voidstar!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Voidstar got the pin first!
It’s a victory for Voidstar!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
He was a fraction of a second
away from being embarrassed by
Walter Hobbs! They all were!

The masked villain slouches in the corner of the ring a moment before stepping into the center and getting his hand raised in victory!

ALEXIS STONE
Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner
via pin fall… VOIDSTAR!

Mickey Conway looks devastated by the outcome, as Walter Hobbs was only milliseconds away from a shocking victory here tonight.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Dramatic scenes here at the end
of the fight, but Voidstar will
advance to face Dick Devereaux
next week for the Fusion X
Championship.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Isn’t that poetic? The man he beat
to win the title is now the number
one contender.

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – MEDICAL ROOM – CONTINUOUS.

Switching gears from the madness at ringside, the cameras head backstage and focus in on DR. ALFRED HALLADAY, who sits behind his desk, looking stern. He narrows his eyes and stares down the barrel of the lens.

DR. HALLADAY
Ladies and Gentlemen, last week during
a match with Trixie, Becky Konrad suffered
damage to her neck as a result of a move
against the ropes. She was briefly examined
by EMTs’ in the ring, before being rushed
to a local medical facility for more extensive
testing.

As he talks, we’re treated to still-frame images of the fight last week between Trixie and Becky Konrad. They fade from image to image, revealing the moment that she damaged her neck.

KYLE NEMAN (O.S)
This was last week’s match that was a
pretty flawless victory for Trixie. Of
course, the result was pretty serious for
Konrad’s neck.

The cameras return to the Doctor.

DR. HALLADAY
Scans have determined that Becky Konrad
suffered two ruptured discs that separate
the cervical vertebrae, as well as torn
ligaments within the neck. She has therefore
been side-lined from competitive action, with
a view to a 9-month rehabilitation process.

The audience don’t really react much to the news, although obviously nobody likes hearing of long term injuries.

DR. HALLADAY
On behalf of Engage Wrestling, I’d like to
wish Miss Konrad a safe and speedy recovery.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Well folks, it looks like Becky Konrad is
gone for the foreseeable future. Here’s hoping
she gets better soon.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Indeed.

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – BACKSTAGE – CONTINUOUS.

All eyes are on ATHENA OLSEN-QUINN, stunning Norwegian red head (Eva Marie), late 20’s, figure to die for. The bombshell wanders down the hallway, looking at the name plates on the various doors she passes.

Eventually, she spots BOBBY FLOYD, one of the old Dons, standing by a vending machine, eyeing up a candy bar. She approaches.

ATHENA
Excuse me, sir?

Floyd turns around, a creepy smile growing on his face the second he sees her.

BOBBY
Well hello there.

ATHENA
(Smiling, albeit slightly uncomfortably)
I’m wondering if you could
help me? I’m looking for Tommy
Quinn. I’m told he’s here?

BOBBY
(Scratching his chin)
Tommy? Tommy? I’m not sure
I know who…

He clicks his fingers, the penny dropping.

BOBBY (Cont’d)
Wait, Tommy? Bald guy?
Older?

ATHENA
(Smiling)
Yes, that’s him!

BOBBY
Sorry! You threw me there with
the Tommy thing. I know him as
cowboy.

ATHENA
(Cocks eyebrow)
Cowboy? You know him?

BOBBY
(Cheerfully)
Sure! The lucky old dog is
banging my client.

The red head looks shocked for a moment, but snaps out of it.

ATHENA
Excuse me? No, you must be
thinking of someone else.

BOBBY
(Shaking his head)
Nah, I’m pretty sure it’s the
same guy. Quite tall, bald, late
50’s, intense stare, five o’clock
shadow thing going on? He’s definitely
called Tommy.

Athena holds the back of her head and gives it a quick scratch – an anxious twitch, almost.

ATHENA
I mean, yes – that sounds like
him, but I…

She pauses, lost in a thousand thoughts.

ATHENA (Cont’d)
Who is your client?

BOBBY
Lara Chambers.

Athena stares at the old man, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. She composes herself defiantly.

ATHENA
Yeah, we have the same guy then –
but you must be mistaken. He’s down
here visiting her. She’s just a friend.

Floyd chuckles.

BOBBY
Trust me, after what I walked in
on the other night? They’re definitely
more than just friends. She even
missed training because of it.
Whatever, I’m over it now.

Silence. Athena looks like she could vomit. She stares into the distance, horrified by what she’s hearing. Floyd reads her body language and his smile slowly fades.

BOBBY
You okay, lady?

ATHENA
(Snapping out of it)
Where is he?

‘The Bruiser’ looks like his jovial spirit has gone.

BOBBY
Beats me. Probably in Lara’s
trailer.

ATHENA
(Blunt)
Which is where?!

BOBBY
(Defensively)
Just out that way by the loading
dock. Hey, what’s this all about?

Athena storms towards the loading dock, clearly intent on finding Tommy.

BOBBY (Cont’d)
(Calling out)
Who are you anyway?

ATHENA
(Shouting back)
His wife!

The old Don looks like his eyes are going to pop out of his skull.

BOBBY
(To himself)
Aw, shit.

He jogs – as fast as an old fat man can – in her direction, trying (but failing) to catch up with her.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Oh my. What on earth do you
even say to that?

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
I wanna know what Floyd walked
in on the other day?

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
This is the last thing the British
fighter needs ahead of her big fight.
Let’s hope it comes to nothing.

INT. THE FRESH STUDIO – DICK DEVEREAUX VERSUS GEORGIA MACK – CONTINUOUS.

The bell has already sounded and Dick mocks Georgia Mack with a smile on his face. The petite female doesn’t mind it and simply begins to circle her opponent, who follows suit accordingly. The Bad Seed looks a little unimpressed at the smaller Mack, who doesn’t seem to be phased. Devereaux wants to lock up but finds a better way to express himself; the current Fusion X Champion drops to both knees in the ring and holds his arms up in an attempt to raise his dukes. The crowd eats it up, but Georgia Mack doesn’t look impressed. Dick is serious.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Oh wow, talk about disrespect.
The Champion is goading Mack here.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Mind games! Welcome to Engage,
Georgia.

Mack sprints forward and dives onto the body of Devereaux, colliding with the Fusion X Champion forcefully and sending him into the mat. It easily transitions into a pin attempt, but the referee is slow to realize what just happened.

One! Two!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Well that was a near cover!
That’ll teach Devereaux to be
less disrespectful in future.

Dick kicks out and the sly attempt at taking advantage of his gracious offer to lock up sends him into a fit of rage. Mack is already up, though, and on the turnbuckle – she’s quick. The caught off guard Dick turns around and catches the diving Georgia Mack, who attempts another cross body dive but is unsuccessful this time. Devereaux hauls her over his shoulder and begins to prance around the ring, before eventually going for a traditional power slam. Mack shimmies out of the maneuver, though, and drops behind the unsuspecting Dick, who looks around a bit confused at this point. Mack follows it up by ricocheting off the ropes and dropping a dropkick into the knee of the pivoting Fusion X Champion, who yelps at the shot and drops to one knee.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Speed and agility versus power here!
We always knew that was going to be
the case but Georgia, so far, is holding
her own.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
So far being the key words there, Newman.
Speed and agility weans after some time,
but that knock out power never falters.

Mack is on a roll and gets back up, hitting the ropes one more time and connecting with another dropkick, but this one seems to get more of Dick’s knee than the one before, doubling the big man over. Petite Mack is already back up at this point and before Dick can lift his head to witness it, he is falling back into the mat from a sunset flip, pin attempt following.

One! Two!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Another near fall for Mack!
She’s obviously got a game
plan and it’s to chop the big
champ down to size from the knees.

Dick kicks out and looks utterly pissed off. The pain in his knee lingers but he fights through it, getting to his feet just as Mack does, but mainly out of pure rage. Mack is already hitting the ropes once more, but this time Dick catches her with a lariat that sends Georgia flipping into a corkscrew landing. Oh! The crowd is stunned at the impact of the shot. Mack doesn’t move and The Bad Seed grins an evil grin that the camera angle catches as his sinister, bloodthirsty eyes roam the arena from the sheer amusement of the wreckage he just dished out.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
And that’s the end of that!
What did I tell you? Speed
and agility requires momentum.
Power requires a single moment.
That was the moment.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Georgia Mack could be in big trouble
here. That was an ugly landing.

Instead of going for the pin, Dick hobbles to his feet and clutches his knee and leans against the ropes, soaking up the glory of ramming Mack with his forearm.

Mack is recovering, shocked from the impact but somewhat coming to. The Bad Seed lets her get up, all cocky and arrogant with a smile on his face. Georgia brushes her long, flowy hair from her face as she looks over at the stupid look on Dick’s face. It kind of infuriates her, but she remains calm.

Devereaux hobbles forward and drops to one knee this time, giving Mack the impression that he wants to try it again. Mack walks forward slowly and lets him have it; a smack is heard throughout the entire venue, the palm of Georgia’s hand making such an impact on Dick’s face that it instantly turns red. His smile instantly dissipates and is replaced by shock and confusion, much like a cartoon character. Georgia Mack follows up with a boot towards the head of The Bad Seed, but he catches the foot of Mack and shakes his head at her, mouthing off some random verbiage that isn’t accompanied by audio. Georgia tilts her body and slams her free foot into the side of Dick’s head, connecting with an enziguri. Oh!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
She’s nowhere near finished yet!

Dick gets destroyed by the kick. He flops on the mat and rolls outside of the ring to collect himself but Mack is already in motion. Upon turning around after getting to his feet, the diving body of Georgia Mack soars through the air and lands onto The Bad Seed. The collision is epic and both competitors crash backwards onto the aisle. The crowd erupts from the suicide dive.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Devereaux has to get his head in
this game here, otherwise he’s not
far away from a huge upset.

Several moments later, Georgia Mack and Dick Devereaux are both back in the ring and Mack is on the mat, with Dick in the turnbuckle corner feeling up his knee once more. Georgia Mack is recovering but Dick is determined to not underestimate the petite female from now on. He walks over and hauls her up like a small child acting out at a department store. But she goes for a ride with a sidewalk slam that causes the venue to wince. The Bad Seed leans into it, too, allowing his large body and weight to crash onto the tiny Mack – she gasps for air upon impact.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
That was nasty! The Champion
squashed Georgia like a bug
there, driving the wind from
out of her little frame.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
It won’t take much more than
that to end this.

Dick begrudgingly doesn’t go for the pin attempt. Instead, he opts to get back to his feet and deliver a few stomps for good measure, causing the referee to intervene and give Mack some space to recover; this fight is quickly turning into some sort of a beating by Dick. Georgia recovers slowly and crawls to the corner, grabbing onto the turnbuckle pads and having them aid her bruised body. Dick shoves the idiot referee out of his way and bum rushes Mack, but she dives out of the way instead, allowing The Bad Seed to slam into the pads chest first. His impact his tremendous.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Georgia Mack with the duck and
dive, but she’s gotta do something
with it!

Instead of moving away, Mack dashes back at the turnbuckle that Dick injured himself on, springing herself off the second set of ropes and bouncing back at the Fusion X Champion to deliver a springboard dropkick. The Bad Seed drops back and rolls across the mat from the shot, taken back from the resurgence in offense from the little Mack. He braces the turnbuckle corner across the ring, laying in it like a wounded soldier in a devastating war. Georgia gets to her feet and continues the assault, running at the corner and performing a low dropkick into the corner, her feet crashing into the unsuspecting Devereaux. He spills from the corner and lays on the mat near it.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Once again Georgia is back in
control here! She’s putting on
a terrific display!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Dick needs to stop underestimating
her! If he just treats her the way
he treated Voidstar last week, this
one would be finished in seconds.

Mack is quick to capitalize, ascending the turnbuckle and looking to execute the split-legged corkscrew moonsault. It’s a beautiful and elegant move, but the Fusion X Champion scouts it and rolls out of the way, allowing Mack to slam against the mat with force and effectively turning the tide of the match in a very dire way.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Oh no, crash and burn! This could
be a costly mistake.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
And now it’s over. The Champion has
her where he wants her.

The Bad Seed hauls up Mack by her hair, yanking it and forcefully moving her at his own will. The referee intervenes at this point, wanting a legal and clean fight. Dick seems annoyed, brushing off the referee’s attempt, but the stripes are persistent. Dick releases Mack and she stumbles into the turnbuckle corner, giving the reigning Fusion X Champion enough time to tell the referee how much of a bitch he is. Georgia takes this opportunity and turns it into gold, climbing the turnbuckle backwards and balancing herself amongst the viewpoint of everyone in the venue. Dick is done arguing, but turns around to see a miracle of aerial ability in the air, the Mack Attack coming into contact with The Bad Seed’s shoulders. Dick is pulled forward and slams against the mat from the Phoenix Dragonrana, Mack hooking just one leg, barely holding on.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Oh my God!

One! Two! Three!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
It’s over! It’s over! Georgia Mack
just beat the champion! Listen to
this audience!

The crowd in the studio are on their feet, mesmerized by the stunning finisher by Georgia Mack! Dick Devereaux looks dazed and stunned at the defeat, as ‘Gonna Get Mine’ by Halestorm drowns out the audience.

ALEXIS STONE
Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner via
pin fall… GEORGIA MACK!

CUT TO:

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – RINGSIDE – CONTINUOUS.

Georgia Mack celebrates her victory on the ramp, overwhelmed to have defeated a champion on her debut. Before she can go any further, however; ‘Gonna Get Mine’ by Halestorm is shut off abruptly, replaced by a notification alert sound.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Wait a minute.

On the LED screen above the entrance, a video feed plays.

--TITLE

“THE UGLY TRUTH VLOG #1”

--END TITLE

Mack stares at the screen with both intrigue and confusion, as an ominous shadow appears on a brick wall. The shadow moves a little, as you’d expect, while a voice – cloaked with a vocal tone machine – addresses everyone in the studio.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
What the hell? What’s this?

SHADOW (VIA SCREEN)
Congratulations on your victory,
Georgia. You’re having quite the
successful night, aren’t you? Then
again, can anyone really be surprised?
After all, people who know the boss
as intimately as you do tend to get
perks and benefits, don’t they?

Georgia screws her face up, annoyed and confused by the outlandish suggestions from the mysterious figure.

SHADOW (VIA SCREEN)
Having done some digging, it appears
that Georgia knows Patrick Becker as
more than just an old family friend.
In fact, recent footage has emerged
of the couple sharing a very intimate
moment together outside the studios
less than 48 hours ago.

The video feed is replaced with a still shot, security cam style, of PATRICK BECKER and GEORGIA MACK. The pair are sharing a kiss together, that much is clear.

SHADOW (VIA SCREEN)
Watch out, Trixie. She’s taken your
sponsorship deal away from you and
if you become World Champion, her
connections with the higher ups’ will
likely result in her taking the belt
away from you too. And that’s the ugly
truth.

The notification alert sound echoes through the studio again, as the video feed cuts. Georgia Mack looks livid and storms up the ramp, shaking her head furiously.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Well that explains everything.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
It explains nothing, Clint. It’s a
vicious gossip blog. The question is,
who the hell is behind it and why are
they targeting Georgia Mack?

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Did you not see the photograph? She’s
Becker’s piece on the side. The proof
is right there.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Come on, that means nothing. It lacks
any context.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Who cares? Shit sticks.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Well, she certainly didn’t look happy
watching it and I can’t say I blame her.
That was just twisted and malicious.

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – LARA CHAMBERS’ TRAILER – CONTINUOUS.

LARA CHAMBERS and TOMMY QUINN sit and watch the monitor on the dresser, a little surprised by what they’ve just witnessed with ‘The Ugly Truth’ and Georgia Mack.

LARA
Wow, sucks to be her right
now, huh?

TOMMY
(Cynical)
Yeah well I’ve been there before
and it sucks. Don’t believe everything
you read.

Chambers stands to her feet and does some stretching, swinging her arms from side to side. She’s wearing a stunning purple wrestling costume, complimenting her dynamite figure.

LARA
I don’t care. If there’s any truth
to it, she’ll face me for my World
Championship and no amount of screwing
or corruption will take it away from me.

TOMMY
Speaking of which, where’s Floyd?
It’s go time.

Chambers shrugs.

LARA
Who knows? He’ll have to meet us down
there. We gotta move.

TOMMY
I can’t be at ringside – no permit.
I figured I’d just hang back here and
watch it on the monitor.

LARA
No way! I want you to be the first
person congratulating me when I get
backstage. Watch it from the pit.

Quinn shrugs and stands up, following Chambers out of the trailer.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – TRAILER SECTION – CONTINUOUS.

The pair head through the trailer section outside, making their way to the entrance of the studio. They’re out of the frame as ATHENA OLSEN QUINN emerges from the other side of the trailer area, looking for Lara’s personal dressing room. Bobby Floyd is nowhere to be found, presumably having given up the chase.

Athena spots the trailer and marches towards it, barging in with aggression.

CUT TO:

INT. LARA CHAMBERS’ TRAILER – CONTINUOUS.

The gorgeous red-head studies the trailer, quickly realising that nobody is home. She spots TOMMY QUINN’S PHONE on the dresser and her heart sinks.

She approaches, grabs it and heads straight for the text messages, looking for any source of evidence she can find.

Then she spots it.

LARA (Text)
Hey honey if you are still around,
we should meet. Lot of catching up
to do. xox Lara

She trembles, overcome with emotion. The suggestive text message, the fact her husband’s phone is in Lara’s trailer, the eye witness account from Bobby Floyd – it all adds up in Athena’s head and she breaks down, sobbing uncontrollably.

CUT TO:

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – BACKSTAGE AREA – CONTINUOUS.

LARA CHAMBERS and TOMMY QUINN arrive at the guerilla pit, moments away from the Brit’s semi-final encounter against Trixie.

BOBBY
(Shouting, exhausted)
Lara, baby!

The pair turn and see a red-faced, out of breath BOBBY FLOYD charging towards them in a pitiful jog, desperate to tell them the news.

LARA
(Unimpressed)
There you are! Jesus, Bobby, talk
about cutting it fine. We’ve gotta go.

BOBBY
(Heavy breaths)
Yeah, sorry, but we’ve got a problem.
I just –

LARA
(Cutting him off)
--No, no problems. It’ll have to wait,
hon. It’s game time.

‘The Bruiser’ shakes his head.

BOBBY
No, this can’t wait, I gotta –

‘Pussy’ by Rammstein roars through the sound system, drowning him out. Chambers points to the heavens.

LARA
(Shouting over the music)
That’s our cue. Let’s do this!

She hugs Tommy and grabs Bobby by the wrist, heading straight for the curtain.

CUT TO:

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – BACKSTAGE AREA – CONTINUOUS.

TRIXIE and ERNIE PARKER march towards the guerilla pit, as ‘Pussy’ by Rammstein plays loudly in the background. The pair are stopped by VAN QUINN.

VAN
Trix!

The blonde stops and smiles. Ernie looks unimpressed.

TRIXIE
Oh, hey handsome!

She gives him a hug. Parker narrows his eyes at the young athlete.

VAN
(Smiling)
Listen, I just wanted to wish you
luck out there. I know you’ll do great.

TRIXIE
Aww, that’s so sweet, Vance.
Thank you.

She rubs his arm. ‘Pretty Boy’ interjects.

ERNIE
(Stern)
She doesn’t need luck. She’s got me.
C’mon, darling. We have to go.

He pulls gently at her, much to her surprise.

TRIXIE
(To Van)
Gotta run! Bye!

Quinn smiles at her, but as she leaves, he narrows his eyes at Ernie Parker, irked by the rudeness of the old man.

VOIDSTAR (O.S)
(Aggressively)
Hey!

Van turns to see the masked number one contender for the FUSION X CHAMPIONSHIP. He’s marching towards him, but looking at Trixie and Ernie Parker, neither of which acknowledge him from the distance.

VAN
(Blocking him)
Back up, asshole!

Pause. The two men stare daggers at each other, and then all hell breaks loose. A roar from Voidstar, followed by a forearm to Quinn’s skull ignites the flames of a brawl.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Oh Jesus!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
This’ll be vicious!

Van throws punches and the men exchange blows, either one really gaining an advantage. It’s every bit the street fight you’d expect it to be between both men. Grapples, punches, knees and throws. Eventually, security intervene and prize the fighters off each other.

VOIDSTAR
(Struggling)
You’re not so tough in person!

VAN
(Struggling)
I’ll make you my bitch, dude!
Bring it!

CRACK!

Voidstar drops to a heap on the concrete floor, as DICK DEVEREAUX stands over him with a lead pipe, having just clobbered him with it from behind.

DICK
(Screaming)
You think I forgot? Huh?!

He motions to swing a second time, but the security swarm him, dragging the champion away from the scene.

DICK (O.S)
Next week you’re a dead man!
Understand?!

Quinn is dragged in the opposite direction by the other security officers, leaving two alone with the fallen Voidstar, checking on his condition.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
This is chaos! You have to have
eyes in the back of your head
around here.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
An eye for an eye! Devereaux is only
paying Voidstar back for last week.
Expect mayhem in their title fight
next week.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
I don’t doubt it. Right now though
let’s get back to this fight. We’re
about to determine a finalist!

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – RING – TRIXIE VERSUS LARA CHAMBERS – CONTINUOUS.

Referee James Cortez calls for the bell to start this fight and both fierce females leave their respective corners, approaching each other in the centre of the squared circle. They tag hands in a nice show of respect, before Chambers goes in for the kill, attempting a sudden collar-and-elbow tie up. Trixie’s superior size and strength advantage prevails and the blonde writhes free of the lock, before darting over to the ropes when Chambers pursues her. Cortez steps between the women, instructing Lara to give Trixie the space she’s earned from the rope hold.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Well, she did tell us earlier this
week that her goal is to duck, dodge
and frustrate Lara Chambers – and that’s
exactly what she’s doing here in the
early going.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Not quite the start she had last week,
is it? Maybe Chambers is right; maybe
lightning doesn’t strike twice.

Ernie Parker and Bobby Floyd stand ringside, both men dispensing advice to their respective clients. The blonde babe from Las Vegas begins circling Lara and encourages her to try another tie up. Chambers lunges in but Trixie ducks underneath the Brit’s arm and moves away again, toying with her. She raises her arms aloft and taunts to the audience, who give her a mixed reception – mostly jeers. Chambers looks frustrated and – not one to be outdone – goes in for the kill again, this time grabbing Trixie’s long blonde locks from behind and ramming her pretty face into the top turn-buckle pad, over and over and over again.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Ouch! Lara’s using Trixie’s face
like a hammer right now.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
This is the sort of aggression Trixie
was looking to stay away from. She’s failed
that mission in, oh, let’s see… 57 seconds.
Good job, rookie.

FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! Lara pauses and the audience make an “OHHHHHHHH!” sound in anticipation for… TEN! Trixie bounces back, away from the corner, clutching at her mouth from the pain of it all. Chambers runs at her with quickness and leaps forth into the air, hooking Trixie’s head with aggression – Tornado DDT! It spins the blonde inside out and puts her flat on her back; a place she simply does not want to be against a submission-heavy wrestler. As expected, Lara throws herself to the canvas and applies a Fujiwara Arm bar to Trixie, looking as if she’s keen to tear her left arm from its socket. The blonde squeals for Ernie Parker at ringside, but he’s powerless to act.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
This could be ball game already!
Trixie isn’t built for submission
holds. Either she taps or she loses
that arm!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Listen to her scream out for Ernie
Parker! She’s desperate for any help
she can get. Although she’s so close
to that bottom rope.

Using her strength, Trixie manages to struggle to the ropes and grab the bottom one, prompting James Cortez to intervene. Lara, however, won’t break the hold. One! Two! Three! Four! Chambers releases at five, reluctantly. Trixie rolls out of the ring and clutches at her left arm, looking to buy some time. Parker rushes over to her, making sure she’s not significantly hurt.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
That was impressive ring presence
from someone as new to this as Trixie
is. The ropes have kept her hopes of a
World Championship alive.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
The ropes also kept her arm on her body.
All things considered, I’d say that takes
precedence.

Chambers eyes up the position of her prey on the outside and decides to take a leap of faith – literally. The British babe springs off the ropes and darts across the ring towards Trixie, only to dive through the middle rope and attempt to take her down. It’s a bold move for someone not proficient in aerial assaults; a move that doesn’t pay off, as Parker pulls Trixie to safety, forcing Lara to crash and burn.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Lara fails to connect with the suicide
dive! That was an ugly landing, folks.
This could be a game changer right here.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
What on earth was that idiot thinking?!
She’s not an aerialist! Stick to what
you know, woman!

Trixie begins picking away at the fallen body of the much more experienced Chambers, stomping on her ferociously, first with the right boot, then jumping on her with both. It’s a feral assault and one she’s trying to make good use of. Inside the ring, referee Cortez is shouting at Trixie to bring the fight back between the ropes, but the blonde is in no rush. The official launches a count out attempt.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
You have to assume this is part of
the strategy for Trixie right now;
just wear the opponent down and pick
the bones.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
And people think she’s just a big pair
of tits! There’s brains in there somewhere.

ONE! Trixie mounts the fallen Chambers and rains down a series of forearm smashes and bitch slaps to her, using her speed advantage to overwhelm and frustrate Lara. TWO! Trixie stands to her feet and flaunts her curvaceous figure to the audience – specifically the males in the front row – once more, looking to rile them up. THREE! The blonde turns her focus back to Lara and drops a knee down atop the British fighter’s skull, evoking a gasp from the crowd. FOUR! Trixie stands up and repeats this, aiming for Lara’s gut this time, driving the wind out of the 10-year veteran. FIVE! Parker instructs Trixie and the blonde hauls Chambers up by her hair, only to Irish whip her into the steel stairs! CRASH! SIX! Chambers winces in agony, clutching at her left shoulder following the brutal collision. SEVEN! Trixie runs at Lara and delivers a wicked front dropkick, thrusting ‘The Lady of Chambers’ into the stairs again. EIGHT!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
She needs to be careful of the
referee’s count here.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
She’s getting back into the ring.
Look at that – she’ll take any kind
of win. That’s smart on Trixie’s part.
Who cares how the ball gets over the
line? Just so long as it does!

Trixie rolls back into the ring and continues show boating, quite content to win this with a count out, outsmarting her foe. Bobby Floyd shouts at Lara to get up, but she’s too slow to act. NINE! ‘The Bruiser’ hauls her up himself and, with great difficulty, manages to roll her back into the ring a split second before Cortez counts to ten, keeping Chambers in this match.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
‘The bruiser’ to the rescue! He’s kept
his girl in this fight!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
What an idiot! He’s just fed her to a
hungry wolf.

Trixie looks quite happy that her opponent has just been flung in to the ring in a bad condition. She throws herself at the fallen fighter and goes for a cover.

ONE! TWO! Kick-out!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
No! Kick out at two and Lara is still
in this thing.

The audience cheer the shoulder being raised and Trixie looks a little irritated, but maintains her focus. She approaches James Cortez and runs her finger up and down his chest, quizzing him over what she believes was a slow count. The distraction allows Ernie Parker to jog around the ring towards Lara and throw some punches at the babe, much to the dismay of the crowd.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Now that’s how you utilise a Don at ringside!
Genius from Team Trixie right here.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Despicable is what it is. Wait a sec! Look out!

Bobby Floyd steps in, marching towards his fellow Don with anger, before pushing him away forcefully and warning him to back off. Cortez sees the commotion and leans over the ropes, shouting at the old men to stop the fighting before he tosses them out. The Dons squabble with the ref as Lara returns to her feet, only for Trixie to aim her ‘Couldn’t Help Myself’ low blow! Chambers, however, catches Trixie’s boot and throws her leg down, before delivering a kick to the gut. The blonde doubles over and Lara executes a powerbomb into a facebuster hybrid!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Counter by Lara! The low blow attempt
comes to nothing! There’s a little
justice for you.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Listen to yourself – justice? Any means
necessary! This is a fight, not a girl
scout’s meeting.

The audience are behind the Brit, who goes for a pin attempt. The referee returns to the fight and makes the count. ONE! TWO! Shoulder up from Trixie.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Trixie has some gas left in the tank
here with a kick out at two.

Lara nods and stands to her feet, as Trixie rolls onto her stomach and then gets on all fours. Chambers backs up into the ropes before charging forward to perform her lethal ‘Slaughtered Lamb’ curb stomp! Miss! Trixie tucks her head and recoils, forcing Lara to stomp the canvas instead. The ‘Bad Kitty’, Trixie, nips up and lunges at the Brit, but Chambers scouts it and throws a forearm at her foe to subdue her, before following it up with her ‘Dry Hole’ jaw breaker. Another cover. ONE! TWO! Cortez stops the count, as Trixie uses her ring awareness to get her foot on the bottom rope.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Ha! I love it! I love that Trixie –
a rookie – is silencing all you goddamn
smarks out there who think she’s too
stupid to use the ring to her advantage.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
I don’t doubt her intelligence, Clint.
She’s shown it a few times here so far.

Lara laughs at the tactics, but refuses to be drawn into frustration. Instead, she gets to her feet and pulls Trixie up with her, before launching her across the ring with an Irish whip. Trixie bounces off the ropes and, on the rebound, Lara runs at her and leaps up, hooking her legs around the Blonde babe’s neck and spinning around her body, locking in the Black Widow Octopus Stretch!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Animal Planet! Lara’s locked in the
Animal Planet! Trixie’s gotta tap here,
surely?!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Oh c’mon! Find a way out! She’s been the
better fighter here.

The crowd are on their feet in the studio, knowing how deadly Chambers is with her submission holds and how subpar Trixie is at defending against them. The blonde squeals and once again shouts for Ernie Parker’s help, but there’s nothing he can do. Chambers torques on the left arm of the blonde, looking to finish the job she started with the Fujiwara earlier on. Trixie is all wrapped up and has nowhere to go. Everyone watching knows that she has to options:

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
She’s gotta tap or lose the arm!
It’s that simple at this point.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
This is a travesty! Robbed of a
victory in one sudden move.

Incredibly, a third is presented to her when she stumbles back; her weight forcing Lara off balance and onto the mat. It’s the strangest looking pin you’ve ever seen – a sort of Mexican surfboard hybrid with Trixie in the clutches of Chambers, whose shoulders are down. ONE! TWO! Lara releases the hold with a kick-out, sparing Trixie!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pin
attempt quite like that before.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
And yet it came from the rookie.
Underestimate this girl at your peril!

The audience are a little stunned at the ingenuity of Trixie’s counter, but nobody is more stunned than Lara herself. Chambers hauls Trixie up to a vertical base, but the blonde manages to drive a knee into Lara’s gut, only to spin her around and deliver her sickening split-legged hangman’s neck breaker!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Yes! The Sexy Neckbreaker! It’s over!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Trixie just exploded outta nowhere here!
This could be it!

Chambers is out of it and the audience are shocked at the ‘Sexy Neckbreaker’ from out of nowhere. Trixie rolls over her fallen foe and makes the cover, calling referee James Cortez into action. ONE! TWO! THREE!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Trixie did it!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Ha! Yes! The rookie beat the veteran!
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it,
internet!

Ernie Parker jumps up and down in ecstasy as he bears witness to his client advancing to the final for the World Championship. Trixie rolls out of the ring as ‘Take it Off’ by The Donnas plays.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Just check out the delight on Trixie’s
face! I don’t think she can believe that
she’s done it.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Of course she can! There was never any
doubt from her. Chambers was the one
banging on about her experience. Look
where it got her tonight.

Lara Chambers is okay, as evident by the fact that she sits up. Bobby Floyd has entered the ring and rubs her back, while referee James Cortez asks if she’s alright.

ALEXIS STONE
Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner
via pin fall… TRIXIE!

Trixie and Ernie Parker share an embrace on the ramp, having just achieved a shocking victory over a decade long veteran.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Well, folks – we now have our first
finalist. Trixie will compete for the
Engage World Championship next week in
a match against either Lex Collins or
Caite Blackbird. You heard me right.
TRIXIE is in the final! Unbelievable.

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – LEX COLLINS’ TRAILER – CONTINUOUS.

LEX COLLINS and TONY CASTILLO sit inside the private trailer-come-dressing-room, watching the little monitor that streams the action from ringside.

TONY
So that’s it, champ. Now you know
who you’re facing for the strap
next week.

LEX
(Calmly)
If tonight goes as planned, sure.

Beat.

TONY
(Confident, stern)
Watch that talk, kiddo. There’s no
“if” in this scenario – only when.
When you beat Caite Blackbird out
there, you’ll be a victory over Trixie
away from winning that World Championship.
That’s just the way it is.

Collins nods, although it’s patently obvious that he’s trying to get into the zone, and doesn’t do well with the pre-game talk.

TONY (Cont’d)
We’ll have to stay sharp with that
wisenheimer Parker floating around
at ringside too. I’m not taking any
chances that he might stick his nose
in for her and affect the outcome.
He’s a real piece of work, that Ern
– even in his twilight years. I guess
some people don’t change.

Collins remains silent, rotating his neck in a stretching ritual, limbering up his arms ahead of the fight.

TONY
(Eyeing Lex)
You alright, kid?

Lex closes his eyes in frustration a little, before standing up and addressing the issue.

LEX
(restrained)
I’m fine, man. Listen, I ain’t sayin’
I don’t ‘preciate the support because,
damn, it means the world t’me. I just…

Castillo listens intently, staring at his client. Collins sighs.

LEX
I’unno, man. It’s just the way I’m
wired, I guess. Things gotta have
some order and routine; gotta have
stability. I just ain’t the chatty
type before a big game, y’know?

Castillo stands up to meet Lex eye-to-eye, waving his hands dismissively.

TONY
Say no more, kiddo. Just get out
there and show ‘em what you got.

Castillo pats his client on the back and heads for the door, with Lex watching him; an appreciative expression on his face.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Collins is in action next, folks.
He’ll face Caite Blackbird with the
winner meeting Trixie for the World
Championship next week.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Knowing their opponent in the final
is Trixie has to be a game changer
for these two. The world wrongly assumed
Lara Chambers – the decade of experience
– would be a finalist. Now these two
are competing knowing they only have
to beat a rookie with no world title
experience to become champ. The path
to the title, in my opinion, just became
a lot easier.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
I’m sure Becky Konrad and Lara Chambers
thought the same thing, Clint. That didn’t
end well for either of them.

CUT TO:

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – BACKSTAGE AREA – CONTINUOUS.

LARA CHAMBERS and BOBBY FLOYD emerge from the black curtain, looking dejected after defeat. TOMMY QUINN is waiting for them.

The second he spots them, Quinn grabs Chambers and gives her a supportive hug. The pair embrace.

TOMMY
Never mind, sweetheart. You gave
it everything you had.

Lara doesn’t respond, opting instead to linger the hug. Bobby Floyd chimes in.

BOBBY
(Concerned)
Look, about earlier. I know now isn’t
exactly the best time to bring it up,
but I ran into your wi-

ATHENA (O.S)
(Emotional)
-You!

Tommy and Lara break their hug, as Athena marches towards them. The gorgeous red-head slaps Tommy square across the face.

ATHENA
(Hysterical)
How could you do this to me?! With
this… this whore!

She points at Lara, who’s dumbfounded by the outburst. Before the fighter can say anything, Athena fires a blistering bitch slap to her, turning Chambers’ cheek red.

ATHENA
(To Tommy)
I never want to look at you again!

She slips the wedding ring off her finger and throws it at him, distraught over the betrayal she believes she’s been the victim of. Lara looks like she wants to tear the poor woman apart, but Athena flees the scene before she gets the chance.

TOMMY
(Shocked and confused)
Athena! Wait!

Quinn gives chase to his emotional wife, leaving Lara and Bobby alone. Chambers stares wildly at the Quinns’ heading further and further away.

BOBBY
That’s what I wanted to tell you.
She found out you guys are screwing
around. I tried to stop her but she –

LARA
(Interrupting)
-What?! Screwi… what are you talking
about? Tommy and I are just friends!
Where the fuck did she get that idea?!

Silence – an awkward one.

BOBBY
I mean… Well…

LARA
(Furious)
Did you tell her?!

BOBBY
(Defensively)
No! Well, I mean… yes! But I
can explain!

Chambers looks exasperated by this revelation.

BOBBY (Cont’d)
She walked up to me asking if I
knew Tommy and where he was.
I told her I knew him because
he’s banging my client.

LARA
(Enraged)
What the fuck, Bobby?! Why would
you say that?! It’s bullshit!

BOBBY
(Defensively)
I didn’t know who she was! Besides,
the other night when I came over,
you two were… y’know.

LARA
No we weren’t! He was looking after
me because I was sick! Jesus fucking
Christ, Bobby – what have you done?!

BOBBY
I’m sorry! It won’t happen again, baby.

LARA
(Barking back)
Yeah, you got that fucking right,
because you’re fired.

‘The Bruiser’ looks stunned. Lara storms off in the direction Tommy and Athena went, looking to catch up to them. Floyd looks frustrated and sullen.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Wow, talk about intense. Poor Tommy
Quinn is the victim of a big misunderstanding,
by the looks of it.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
I don’t buy it. There’s no smoke
without fire.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Well either way, Bobby Floyd looks
like he’s out of a job now. It’s not
been a good night in the Lara Chambers
camp.

CUT TO:

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – JEREMY KING’S OFFICE – CONTINUOUS.

The cameras head away from the intensity in the hallway to the quiet spot of the Fresh Studio – Jeremy King’s office.

JEREMY KING sits behind his desk, staring carefully at a sheet of paper, featuring all the names of the Engage roster. He’s scoring some out, one by one, with a black sharpie.

JEREMY
(To himself)
Devereaux’s out because of the
title fight next week. Voidstar
is out for the same reason.

He scores both their names out.

JEREMY
(To himself)
It doesn’t feel right putting him
in… or him… or her for that matter,
given that they’ve only just arrived.

Score once for Beau Addison. Score twice for Isaac Tarver. Score three times for Dani Montero. The available names are dwindling.

JEREMY
(To himself)
These two haven’t won a fight yet.
I don’t think they’re ready.

He scores out the names of Keegan Ryan and Christian Valentine.

JEREMY
(To himself)
She’s in the final next week,
so she’s out.

He scores out Trixie’s name.

JEREMY
(To himself)
Alright, looking good.

Suddenly, the office door bursts open and DR. THEODORE BENSON barges in. The abrasive interruption startles the Engage Vice President of Operations.

JEREMY
(Scowling)
Jesus! What the hell are
you doing?!

DR. BENSON
(Dry tone)
Entering your office, obviously.
What does it look like I’m doing,
sir?

JEREMY
It looks like you’re trying to
annoy me.

Theodore – the manager of SETH DANIELS – scoffs and chuckles a little, before closing the door and standing across from King on the other side of the desk. He places his hands down on the surface and leans over him.

DR. BENSON
(Calmly)
And yet the irony is that I’m here
because you’ve annoyed my client,
which – in turn – has annoyed me.
It’s funny how that works, isn’t it?

Jeremy scowls.

JEREMY
Seth? What’s his problem now?

DR. BENSON
(Blunt tone)
The problem is the ignorance being
shown to him by management here –
that’s the problem.

JEREMY
(Confused)
Ignorance? What are you talking about?

DR. BENSON
Can we cut the innocent façade, King?
You know fine well what I’m talking
about. I’m talking about the fact that
Seth isn’t competing for the World
Championship. He wasn’t even a consideration
for the tournament! If I didn’t know
any better, I’d say you’re trying to
hold him back.

King smiles and reclines in his seat a little, looking confident. Benson is unimpressed.

DR. BENSON
Take the stupid grin off your face.
This isn’t funny.

JEREMY
Oh but it is.

Pause. Benson looks intrigued.

JEREMY (Cont’d)
You do realise the only reason Seth
wasn’t featured in the tournament was
because he never got his papers in before
the first event was announced, don’t you?

Theodore looks a little taken aback; the sting removed from his tail.

JEREMY (Cont’d)
And you do realise that nobody is out
to get Seth Daniels. He just missed
the boat on the opportunity.

Silence. Benson grows bullish again.

DR. BENSON
Well… make it right!

King waves the piece of paper with the names of the fighters around in front of his visitor.

JEREMY
That’s exactly what I intend to do.
We’re going to have a 4-person ‘Power
League’ to determine the number one
contender for the Engage World Championship.
Four qualify, then face everyone in
the league over the next three weeks.
The fighter who finishes top of the
league will face the World Champion
on August 7th. Before you barged in
here unannounced, I was drawing up 8
names for next week’s qualifying fights.
The four winners advance to the ‘Power League’.

Theodore scratches the back of his neck, hoping he’s not done his client’s chances of being featured any damage.

DR. BENSON
I trust Seth is on the list?

King shows the piece of paper to Benson, pointing out SETH DANIELS on the sheet, his name intact; no line through it.

JEREMY
He’ll be there.

DR. BENSON
And do you know who he’ll be facing
in this qualifier?

Kind turns to the television monitor in his office, which shows LEX COLLINS and CAITE BLACKBIRD heading to the ring individually for tonight’s main event. He grins.

JEREMY
As a matter of fact, I do. One of
those two.

He points at the screen. Benson glances for a moment and looks pleased – but not overly so.

DR. BENSON
Excellent. Well, I’m glad this matter
was resolved so swiftly.

JEREMY
Whatever you say. Just don’t barge
into my office like that again or
you’ll be watching Engage from the
comfort of your own home every week.

Theodore – a proud man – bites his tongue and exits, leaving Jeremy King alone to draw up the matches for the POWER LEAGUE Qualifiers next week.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
That’s a huge announcement, folks!
The Power League sounds like it’ll
be intense.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
How many weeks in a row are people
going to get opportunities to win
titles? It’s non-stop!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
We’re only two weeks in, for God’s
sake. You have to give things time
to settle in. Opportunity is bound
to knock for everyone in the first
few weeks.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
I just don’t agree with all these
chances people are getting.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
What you think is irrelevant though.
Either way, a huge chance awaits one
of these two fighters. Our main event
is right now!

INT. THE FRESH STUDIO – CAITE BLACKBIRD VERSUS LEX COLLINS – CONTINUOUS.

The action is already well past the beginning, with Caite Blackbird mounting a downed Lex Collins on the mat. Punches come in succession like pistons in an engine moving rapidly, shots landing and others being blocked by the covered up Collins. The stripes get involved at this point; the referee starts to break it up by inserting his body in between both fighters. This draws a huge round of boos, but Caite complies by falling back and getting back up to her feet. Collins recovers slowly as the referee insists that The Raven keep at bay. But as soon as Collins gets to his feet, Caite is back at it, backing “Fearless” Lex into the corner and following up with another barrage of hits, this time a combination of rights and lefts with some knees thrown in for good measure.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
You can take the girl out of
Belfast, but you can’t take
Belfast out of the girl.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
She’s got a lot to prove here.
Sure, she’s been doing this for
a long time, but her name isn’t
as big as Lex Collins’ is. She’s
not the favorite tonight.

Lex is holding his own in the corner during the assault until a knee rocks him in the chin. His eyes slam shut and he clutches his mouth, bending over and allowing The Raven to transition the assault into a quick jumping DDT from the corner. Collins goes skull first into the mat and bounces off with a strong thud, shaking the ring from the impact. Blackbird is quick and agile to cover her foe.

One!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Not even close.

Collins kicks out with ease, but his head is throbbing. The two make it to their feet at about the same point, but this time Collins returns the favor, snapping off a few right hands that make Caite stumble into the ropes and bounce off lightly. Blackbird throws a stern kick, but Lex catches the leg of the fierce female fighter. Instead of transitioning the opportunity into a slam, Collins lurches forward and drives his arm upward in a cutting motion, his bicep smashing into Caite’s jaw and seemingly stunning her with a European uppercut.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Uppercut! Good grief he almost
took her head off her shoulders!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
A few more of them and Collins will
book his place in next week’s final.
You don’t get up from too many of those.

Blackbird stumbles back and hits the ropes once more, this time bouncing off with more vigor than before. Lex catches her with a double leg takedown, mounting her as the two struggle for leverage at this point. The tussle continues and is wild, but Collins manages to transition his position into an arm bar, wrenching back on the extremity of Blackbird. The Raven yelps and franticly searches for the ropes. Luckily they are close.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
The ropes are there to spare
Blackbird from any serious problems.
You have to believe that, given
Caite’s poor submission game, that’s
the way to beat her.

The referee waves off the submission. Collins is quick to recover and so is Blackbird, but doubled over. Lex Collins hits the ropes and comes off smoothly, dropping The Raven into the mat with a tremendous swinging neck-breaker. Collins is quick to go for the cover, hooking the leg and holding it tight. One! Two!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
I thought that was all for a split
second. She left it late to get the
shoulder up.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
If Collins can stay in the driving
seat, he’ll end this soon.

Several moments later, Blackbird and Collins are up on the turnbuckle together, but with The Raven on the offensive. She hooks the arm of Lex over her head and looks for something big, something devastating. But when Caite tries to haul Collins up and over, nothing happens; the fighters jerk in the grapple position at the highest point in the ring and a small rabbit punch finds its way into the stomach of Blackbird, initiating a struggle. Caite releases the impending superplex and falls backwards, spilling onto the mat, but is quick to recover and come back for more. But Lex has is scouted, diving forward and swinging around with Blackbird’s head locked in tight to deliver a swinging DDT. Thud!

Caite’s dome bounces off the mat and Collins hooks the leg for the cover. One! Two!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Two and a half! Collins really
turning the screw now.

Lex looks perplexed by the resilience of Blackbird. He slows the match down by reaching over and locking in a tight headlock, wrenching it in and effectively grounding The Raven. But the crowd gets behind Blackbird and eventually she makes it to her feet. A stiff elbow drives into the gut of Lex, allowing Blackbird to free herself and sprint towards the ropes, bouncing off and raising her boot to have it collide against the upper torso of Collins. The impact is wild and the crowd eat it up, but Collins is still in it. He recovers as fast as he can, but Blackbird is already on her feet and ready to deliver some strikes.

On his knees, Collins looks up as The Raven measures the first shot; a straight kick to the side of the head reels Lex back, staggering him as his back bends. Another kick finds its way against the chest of Collins. And another. And another. The crowd get behind the strikes as Blackbird steps back and measures the final kick, stepping forward and driving her shin across the head of Collins, who astonishingly stays put on his knees, but certainly devastated.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Those kicks will do some lasting
damage, far beyond just this fight.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Lex just ate every one of them, but
has the damage been done here?!

The Raven eyes her opponent with the thirst for victory. Her path is simple and clear; she takes off towards the ropes and lines up her deadliest attack, The Blackbird Strike. But Lex rises from the dead and lunges forward. His clothesline soars through the air and connects with Blackbird, obliterating her upon impact and creating an instant buzz throughout the venue. Oh!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
My word what a counter! Caite’s
inside out over it!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
He has to do something with it
though. He’s exhausted.

Both fighters are out of it and heaving for air. The Raven collects herself and falls against the ropes, holding on for dear life. “Fearless” Lex Collins is up and ready, rubbing some sweat from his brow and pushing forward. He latches onto Blackbird’s wrist and sends her into an Irish whip. The stout female hits the ropes and comes back, but Collins prematurely bends forward in anticipation – big mistake. The Raven hits the brakes and sends a forceful kick into the snout of Collins, who is caught off guard by the shot. A bit of blood spews against the mat from the impact as he clutches his face from the strike. Upon raising his head, the same foot from Caite finds its way into his sternum, doubling him over and dropping him onto his knees.

Blackbird hits the ropes and smashes into the downed Collins with The Blackbird Strike! His body falls over and Blackbird shoves him onto his back for the pin!

One! Two! Three!

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
It’s over! What a match! Caite
Blackbird has beaten Lex Collins
and booked her place in the World
Championship match!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
This has to go down as another upset!
The two favorites for the finals are
OUT! Things just got even more interesting!

ALEXIS STONE
Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner via
pin fall… CAITE BLACKBIRD!

CUT TO:

INT. THE FRESH STUDIOS – RINGSIDE – CONTINUOUS.

‘Mrs. Blackbird’ by Dr. Philth is instantly replaced with ‘Take it Off’ by The Donnas, as TRIXIE emerges from backstage onto the ramp.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Well it looks like Caite
has company.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
One of these women are going
to make history next week by
becoming the first ever Engage
World Champion.

Caite Blackbird just stares at her opponent for the World Championship from the ring, ready for anything that may ensue. GEORGE BANKS steps through the ropes and stands shoulder to shoulder with his client, dispensing some words of advice to the Irish fighter.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Trixie’s heading for the ring.
Are we about to get a sneak
preview of next week?

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
That would be foolish on Trixie’s
part, I’ll say that much.

Trixie has sauntered down the ramp and entered the ring, extending her arm to Blackbird, looking for a sporting handshake. The crowd give mixed signals about it, with more keen to see Caite reject it than accept it.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
She calls herself ‘Bad Kitty’
and right now, her paw is out
for the Blackbird.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
You make that sound sinister.
She’s just looking to show her
opponent some respect. What’s
so wrong about that?

After several seconds of deliberation, including a shared glance with George Banks, Caite motions to shake Trixie’s hand. It’s at that point, Trixie pulls it away swiftly, before firing a blistering bitch slap across the pretty face of Caite Blackbird.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Ouch! That was either really
brave or really stupid!

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Blackbird looks like she could
kill!

The Northern Irish brawler is furious and launches herself at Trixie, but it’s too late. The cagey blonde has already dived through the ropes to safety, looking pleased with herself.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Trixie running like a scolded
dog here – and who can blame her?
She’s just pissed off someone
who’s shown themselves to be a
lethal fighter.

George Banks holds his client back, preventing her from being drawn into cowardly antics with Trixie. The blonde blows her a kiss on the ramp, backing up it swiftly.

CLINT KNOX (O.S)
Maybe you’re right, Kyle. Maybe this
is a case of the cat versus the bird.
Tonight, Bad Kitty has ruffled some
feathers.

KYLE NEWMAN (O.S)
Folks, these two are going to kill
each other next week for that World
Championship! You’d be a fool to miss it!

The scene fades with Blackbird telling The ‘Bad Kitty’ that she’s a dead woman.

END.