God's Own Prototypes

Mick Crellin and Stevie Howard welcome us to the Empire Of Blood's home venue, and the first title defence of GEW's new era - featuring, appropriately enough given the setting, GEW Chaos Champion Sah'ta Thor being challenged by longtime rival Scott Simmonds! A lot of the wrestlers are in Halloween costumes tonight. I ain't describing them all. Use your imaginations idk.

1. The Jokers Wild (BlakJak & Spades) vs Shooter Load (Phil Hunter & Shaun Irvine)
An intense opener which changes pace and strategy multiple times, as each team gets runs in charge. There's cheating aplenty on both sides, which the ref almost catches at several points. The Jokers seem close to victory time and time again, but Shaun and Phil are somehow always just in time to break up pins on the other, and ultimately they're able to hold the three-time GEW Tag Team Champions to a time limit draw! and Carly Mitchell doesn't even do that thing where she says there's ten minutes remaining that totally gives away the finish
Draw!

Backstage, Takeo Shima is warming up for his match when he's halted by an arm around his shoulders. It's Alex Chambers. The youngster visibly tenses, closes his eyes and breathes out a heavy sigh.

"Relax," Alex tells him. "I just wanted to tell you I'm proud of you."

"You already told me," Takeo responds, clearly skeptical of Alex's actual motive.

The older man nods. "I know, but I mean it." He finally removes his arm from around Shima's shoulders and tucks them into the pocket of his hoodie. "The way you went out there last time without even thinking about it to help your friend? It was awesome. You didn't even think twice about swinging that-"

Takeo cuts him off. "I had to."

Alex nods. "Right. You had to, because he was really, REALLY gonna hurt her." A small smirk graces his lips. "Remember what he was gonna do to her when you go out there tonight. He could have ended her career. Give him a taste of his own medicine. I've seen what you can do with a weapon now and so has he. He was scared, Takeo. YOU put that fear into him."

"There are no weapons tonight..."

Alex grins. "There can be."

Shima looks confused and then shakes his head. "I'll get disqualif-"

He's cut off before he can finish the word.

"You're fighting for honour, Takeo-San. That's big in your culture, right?"

Takeo eyes him warily and nods slowly.

"Think about it," Chambers says as he starts to back away, not taking his eyes off of his young 'protégé.' "What's more important... your honour or a W on a record?" He raises his eyebrows as he leaves the question hanging in Shima's head, turns around and heads off down the hallway.

2. Cassie Crowe vs Joey Classic vs Kai O'Hara vs Tony Harrison
Cassie Crowe was meant to be part of this match, but she's nowhere to be found! The three men wait in the ring for a while to no avail, and varying degrees of complaints (Kai: not much; Joey: a LOT) until finally Tony gets sick of this and levels Kai with a big boot. Joey takes this as a go sign and brings a double sledgehammer fist up into the underside of Tony's knee as he's lowering his leg! Going ahead as a three-way, the match mostly sees Kai's hybrid of modern, fast-paced technical wrestling and MMA versus Joey's old school rasslin' brawlin' son-of-a-gun-by-gum shootin' style, punctuated by Tony coming in periodically to hoss them both around before inevitably getting dumped to ringside. Joey is almost as confused by Kai's juji-gatame as he is hurt by it; he returns the favour later on with The Ol' Joey Special, a dozen-rotation giant swing which leaves Kai disoriented not just by the move itself but by the fact nothing quite like that has ever happened to him before. Despite all this it's actually Tony who gets pinned (quelle surprise) when Joey gets him with a running clothesline, a bell clap, and then his almightly knife-edge chop (no, really) known as La Bomba!. Kai, having been previously thrown to the outside by Tony, tries to break it up but falls just short by a few inches.
Winner via pinfall: Joey Classic

3. Myles Taylor vs Takeo Shima
Myles come out swinging, but Takeo's sick of his bullying and swings right back! It's a short match but a physical one, which spills outside before long. Myles trips Takeo into the guardrail then throws him into the steps, but as he's rolling Takeo back into the ring, Shima fights back; a little later Takeo finds himself in prime position to blast Myles with a chair after ripping it from Taylor's own hands and kicking him to his hands and knees. The ref warns Takeo about using it, but Takeo is clearly turning over Alex's words from earlier in his head... he's obviously hesitant though. Too hesitant, as Myles recovers in time to ankle pick him down! The chair lands on Takeo's chest and Myles is there to crush the steel into the youngster's ribs with with an elbow drop. Ignoring the ref's warning not to do that again, Myles rolls Takeo back in and though Takeo tries his best to keep fighting, he's badly winded and a Reckless Rhetoric is enough to end things.
Winner via pinfall: Myles Taylor

Backstage, Scott Simmonds is going through a little workout routine, preparing for his main event tonight, when Kameron Chase appears. They stare at each other for a moment before Scott asks what he wants, he's kinda busy right now, big match to focus on and all. Kam says he was just getting some water ahead of his own match, but since he's here... he understands why Scott had to fight Ryan, but doesn't he think he went too hard on the kid? Scott shrugs and just says no. Kam, starting to get heated now, says Ryan needs to learn lessons he can actually learn from, not get fucking hospitalised. Scott scoffs and says if Kam wants to defend his son's honour or something, then after he wins the Chaos title he'll let him have first crack at it.

4. 420 B.C. (Ligaya Fontaine & Serenity) vs MC Inc (Casey Black & Lance Murphy)
This is mostly a pretty dominant performance by the Global Tag Team Champions, whose rapport is as strong as ever ahead of their title defence next show against The Natural Ones. As ever, Ligaya's technical intuition and creativity help her surprise the champs a few times, but Lance is nonetheless able to block a Tentacle Monster and twist her up into an Ultimate Zing for the rather comfortable win.
Winners via pinfall: MC Inc

5. Alex Chambers, Blaine Knox, Kameron Chase, Lyra Keston & Ryan McGrath vs Asher Webb, Coby Webb, Mark Chapman, Revvy King & Snow Queen VN
Mark and Kameron seem to be in agreement that this match isn't really about wins and losses but about them being able to give some first-hand critique to their students on a big stage. As such, they keeping calling out advice to not only their own respective teams, but each other's, which doesn't sit well with everyone. Blaine, the debutant, insists on starting for Team Kam and he's showing off a bit, trying to prove that he's just as good and as worthy of attention as the people who've been here these last few months. His opponents are making it relatively easy; Asher and Coby are being their usual unfocused, rowdy selves, and are clearly too noisy right now for Mark, who's only just finished touring with Critical Acclaim. On top of that Revvy's fangirling a bit to be teaming with Mark, having got into CA in a big way on that tour, so she's not fully focused on the match either - and when she is, she's getting drawn into some petty oneupmanship with Lyra. The tag team partners are putting extra mustard on their shots against each other, and seemingly trying to outdo one another with their slams and throws. Alex and Snow are having conflicts of their own; she demands to know what he's playing at with Takeo, with Alex gruffly telling her to mind her own business. And as for Ryan? He's being Ryan. He doesn't want to listen to anyone and nobody else wants to deal with him that much. The veteran cousins are doing their best to keep everything civil and keep the focus on learning, but holy shit, are their students collectively making it tough. The kids (some of whom are in their 30s, but, yknow) are all letting out some frustrations and this match gets fast and intense, with a lot of big moves back and forth, people zipping in and out with rapid blind tags, and some super stiff brawling. The finish comes as Snow and Lyra are running the ropes past each other, trading glancing blows, each looking for the big one to end it. Alex surreptitiously swings a kick into Snow's spine as she bounces off the cables near him, making her stumble right into the path of a Stay Down! Lyra hits the Polar Vortex, and Revvy comes in to break it up but Alex intercepts her. Lyra blows her tag team partner a kiss with a cheeky little wink as the three is counted.
Winners via pinfall: Alex Chambers, Blaine Knox, Kameron Chase, Lyra Keston & Ryan McGrath

After the match the Wildfire students are all starting to argue with each other, with Kam and Mark trying in vain to restore peace. But all of them are interrupted when the video screen flares to life! They all instantly recognise the location it shows. They should - it's the Wildfire Academy ring. And standing in it is none other than Serena Raine. Serena says hi to Mark specifically, telling him she figured that with all of the staff busy at the show, she could fill in and go over tonight's training session. The camera pans to reveal one of the school's rookies, Roscoe Lake, standing across the ring from her apprensively. Serena's all smiles as she beckons for him to lock up. He does so... she instantly grapples him down into a brutal shoulder bar and starts pounding on his face! There's a shriek from offscreen and Mark's daughter Trinity - Roscoe's girlfriend - tries to climb into the ring. The camera falls to the ground and Cassie Crowe rushes into frame, grabbing Trin and holding her back as Serena pulls a box cutter from her pocket and starts digging at Roscoe. Trin screams as blood begins to pour down her lover's face, but she can't break Cassie's grasp. A couple of other trainees, alerted by the noise, enter; as soon as they see what's happening they run at the ring, but Serena dispatches them easily before going back to work on Roscoe. She snarls at the camera, calling out Mark, telling him this is his fault and asking if she has his attention yet.

Mark is going crazy. They all are in fact (all except Ryan who seems to be not that bothered?) and Mark, Kam, and their students all pile out of the ring and rush backstage.

With the fans still reeling from what they just saw, the last thing they need is Augusta D'Antagoné, but that's what they get. She tells them all to shut up and stop worrying about that kid who got beaten up because right now it's time for another grand display of might from RADBOT! She's upgraded his combat routines, and he's better than ever! As Ivan Grant emerges accompanied by his sister Isabella Thorn, Augusta tells RADBOT to destroy... not all humans, but these humans in particular.

6. Ivan Grant vs RADBOT
Unfortunately, Ivan immediately levels RADBOT with a clothesline. For the first minute or two it's all the son of Sah'ta Thor and Baby Dogg here in the Empire homeground, and the fans are loving it. Eventually RADBOT gets back into it and a bit of slugfest develops... as does an argument between Augusta and Isabella, as the former keeps trying to interfere, and Isabella keeps moving towards her threateningly... finally she has enough and takes the scientist down at ringside! While that's going on, Ivan catches RADBOT with a big swinging powerslam, deadlifts him back up, and hits a second slam to get the victory!
Winner via pinfall: Ivan Grant

7. The Natural Ones (Anson Orlandelli & Russ Lehman) vs Napoleon Collins III & Zeke Colton Spence
The Wildfire grads are emboldened by their big atomicos win last time and dictate the tempo early, with them managing to cut off Anson after a few minutes. At one against two he's soon losing breath and outpaced, which is clearly pissing him off. But that's motivation too and eventually he finds a satellite shiranui to escape and bring in Russ, who changes the dimensions of the match hard. Zeke and Napoleon mount a massive comeback but that's cut off when he goes for a dive and Anson headscissorses Napoleon sideways off the post so he lands crotch first across the top rope; the ref gets in Anson's face with a warning, and while Anson's protesting with his arms up, he sneakily throws a back heel into Collins' head. Zeke blindsides him with a flying kick, but the damage is done and not long after that they catch Napoleon with You Have Zero Continues. Zeke tries to break it up but Russ clotheslines him over the top rope.
Winners via pinfall: The Natural Ones

As he and Russ are heading back up the entranceway, Anson declares that they're coming for MC Inc and their tag team title.

8. Oliver Creed vs Phreak
This is a highly cautious match to start out, as both competitors are patient enough to spend time feeling one another out with grapples and counter-grapples, getting a sense of their relative strengths and weaknesses. There are some technically impressive pins on both sides, but nothing really strong enough to create a real threat. It's Phreak who changes gears first, suddenly floating over Oliver and lifting him into a spike DDT that forces the Shepherd of the Flock to powder... only for his opponent to fly out almost right away with a corkscrew suicida! On the outside, Creed holds his own for some time, but as the experienced deathmatcher, Phreak seizes control eventually. He tosses Creed back under the ropes and climbs up, looking for Falling From Heaven - but Oliver moves! He starts to trap Phreak in Purgatory Lost, but before he can get it in fully, Phreak manages to squirm his way to the ropes and hook a leg onto the bottom one. Oliver smacks him in the head before breaking, earning a warning from the ref; Phreak takes advantage with a surprise punch to the face. A striking contest ensues, which is pretty even, so they both resort to cheap shots. More grappling, this time far from feeling each other out as they pound one another with huge slams, drivers and breakers for a series of near falls. Lucifer Effect from Oliver gets a two point nine; with a wince Phreak has to roll onto his front to push himself up... which is a mistake as Creed comes in with a huge Crucible stomp to take the hard-fought win!
Winner via pinfall: Oliver Creed

9. Evangelista, Matt Kail, Matty Graves & Nikki Song vs Isabella Thorn, Troy Gafgen, Velvet Grey & Zanatos
Once again, Troy and Zanatos find themselves teaming together, and once again they don't like it. Though Velvet and Isabella are trying to keep the peace between them, all tags between the two heavyweights are still hard smacks. On the other side of the ring, with Serena Raine absent from the arena, Matty has been drafted in to replace her. He didn't have his ring gear with him so he's just wearing a pair of courderoys. Troy, Zanatos and Velvet are all trying to punish The Asylum's Matt and Leanne, which is the one thing the two big lads can agree on. Nikki and Matty are getting defensive on their friends' behalf, and in turn Isabella's getting defensive on behalf of her aunt and her father's friends, leading to a heated affair all around. On top of that, Troy and Isabella are both especially determined to show their technical skills against the Phoenix Champion - though of course it's Velvet who's got dibs, and any time she and Evangelista are in the ring together, they find themselves exchanging rapid fire holds and pin attempts. On one of these, Evangelista gets Velvet in a cradle slightly too near the Empire's corner and Troy's able to boot her through the ropes to break it up. Matty rushes in to defend his flatmate and things quickly break down with everyone going after everyone - including a brief shoving match between Troy and Zanatos. But as the referee manages to separate the pack and restore some order, Grey catches Evangelista with a Shooting Star out of nowhere and pins her! As she stands, she motions around her waist with her hands, staring down at her upcoming opponent.
Winners via pinfall: Isabella Thorn, Troy Gafgen, Velvet Grey & Zanatos

The ringside area gets decked out with coffins, pumpkins, a fake skeleton, a broomstick, and a scythe (hopefully fake, I guess?) as Crell and Stevie hype up the main event - a trick-or-treat deathmatch for the Chaos Championship between two former GEW World Champions!

10. GEW Chaos Championship: Sah'ta Thor [c] vs Scott Simmonds
The old rivals come forehead to forehead in the middle of the ring. Scott, being a fair bit taller, starts pushing down, trying to force Thor back... so Thor rips him up with a belly-to-belly suplex and plants him for a one count right away! The fans here in Thor's own venue cheer his fire. It's on after that, and they start slugging each other with big strikes and heaving each other about with bigger throws. Obviously it goes outside soon enough, and the broomstick is the first weapon employed, as Scott bashes it over Thor's head and then his back when the Demon King doubles over. He starts dragging Thor by the hair towards one of the coffins, but Thor's able to reverse it and hiptosses Scott up onto it instead - and through, after a double foot stomp off the apron puts him right through the wood! As Scott slithers out, with splinters stuck in his skin, marbles come spilling after him. That would be the trick, then. He's so shaken that he ends up spilling the marbles across ringside, and inevitably, both men get suplexed into them within the next minute or two. The next coffin that gets used also contains a trick, as Thor is thrown via German suplex into a load of Lego. But we learn what the treat part of the match means when Scott yanks the lid off a third coffin and heaves it into Thor's head... revealing that it's full of gummi worms and chocolate eyeballs! Scott tosses a few out into the crowd before grabbing a pumpkin and smashing it across Thor's back. Inverted falcon arrow into the coffin of Lego, and he gets a close two count. Thor gets a near fall of his own a couple of minutes later when he sits Scott on a chair, pelts him in the head and chest with pumpkins, and then flattens him with a running knee. Before long the scythe gets involved and oh, would you look at that, turns out it is real as Thor slices Scott's forehead open with it, and soon the Georgian's dripping with blood.

Thor joins the crimson mask party after a few minutes, when Scott lands a half-and-half suplex into all the Lego and marbles, opening up the Dark Messiah's hairline. Scott looks in another coffin... and grins as he shoves the lid away to reveal a pile of primed mousetraps! Thor rushes him, but Scott manages to counter with a back body drop and send Thor into them! There's an almighty clatter as they trigger, snapping onto Thor's flesh. Scott reaches down for him... and Thor slams another mousetrap onto his nose! Scott yelps in surprise and backs away, allowing Thor to come out with the Sah'ta Combo into a two point nine, before finally grimacing and pulling the remaining mousetraps from his skin. Emerald flowsion onto the scythe gets another two point nine as well as a vicious graze down his back, visible through rips in his shirt. Thor, in frustration at Scott's resilience, heaves him through another coffin, upending it and spilling its contents all over. Thor moves in... and Scott rises palming gummi bears into his bloody mouth! Hey, it's an energy boost, right. He flings a handful of them at Thor, which - yanno - isn't exactly dangerous, but Thor still raises his arm on reflex to shield his eyes, which allows Scott to pounce out into a carrying spinebuster into the edge of an upturned coffin! Their combined weight smashes it, and Thor is left with bloody, splintery welts all over his back. Scott pins him right there, but this is only a two point nine as well! More brawling finally leads them back into the ring, where Scott gets the upper hand and hits his fireman's carry into a stunner! One! Two! NO! Somehow Thor rolls a shoulder! The fans cheer but Scott just slams his fists on the canvas in frustration. He starts shoving weapons into the ring and building your common or garden deathmatch structure out of chairs and bits of coffin and that. But he underestimated Thor's willpower and the champion is soon back on his feet. Swaying, glassy, but back on his feet! He spins Scott around, bashes him with a chair, bites his forehead then spits the blood into his eyes, scoops him up... PARASITE EVE into the chair! He rolls on top of the challenger - ONE! TWO! THREE! NO!! Scott jerks a shoulder sideways at the last possible second!

Thor is stunned, his mouth hanging agape. The fans can't believe it either, but they're cheering insanely as it means the violence will continue at least a little longer. Thor drags Scott back up; Scott is swaying, his limbs made of rubber, and offers no real resistance as Thor suplexes him through the coffin lid platform. But as Thor goes for another pin, Scott grabs him by the hair and returns the bite from before! Along with the spitting blood in the eyes thing! Scott's still half dead but it allows him to slither to ringside and escape further punishment for now. Thor slowly steps out onto the apron, ready to dive down at Scott, but as he starts to move Scott chucks a pumpkin into his ankle, tripping him. Scott grabs the final coffin and rams Thor with it, sending him back into the ring, then slides the wooden deathbox in too. He drags himself up the corner with that broom in hand, and leaps off with it between his thighs like a witch... leg drop to Thor, cracking the broom literally in half across him! Scott bucks around clutching at his tendons, but pushes through it and positions Thor for the Lights Out Driver into the last coffin. Thor sandbags it as hard as he can... Scott with back rakes... but Thor still manages to back body drop him to the canvas, then fall onto him with the Almighty's Promise combo. Or, at least, most of it. He falls limp during the choking portion and is left on his hands and knees, panting and blinking, with blood and sweat drizzling off his nose, beard and hair. But here in his home arena, the fans are behind him all the way, and he hears their cheers. Slowly, in agony, he drags Scott up and sits him on the top turnbuckle. He batters Scott in the skull with a chair then clambers up after him. It Bites A Forehead one more time, then he drags Scott over his shoulders - AVALANCHE SERAPHIM'S SHADOW! They both crash through the coffin, and funsize chocolate bars spill across the canvas as it damn near explodes under them. Thor grabs a leg and flops backwards across Scott... ONE! TWO! THREE!
Winner via pinfall and still GEW Chaos Champion: Sah'ta Thor

Thor slowly rolls off Scott and out to the apron, where he just sits for a moment, still panting heavily. He's presented with his belt and he hugs it closely with his eyes closed before hopping down and limping to the back, stopping for just a moment to nod in acknowledgement at the fans' cheers.