Oh Hiya Maude, Come On In

Crell and Stevie welcome the streaming viewers to the final stop before Extreme Extravaganza. They briefly remind everyone of some of the matches already confirmed for the big show, including the three title matches - Cassie Crowe versus Isabella Thorn, Troy Gafgen versus Matt Kail, and MC Inc versus Shooter Load - as well, as confirmed last time out, Mark Chapman vs Serena Raine II! They also hype up that many of those names will be in tonight's massive, sixteen person main event.

Serenity accompanies Phreak for the opening match.

1. Blaine Knox vs Phreak
It's the lankiest wrestler in GEW against the squattest, with Blaine trying to use his reach to keep Phreak at bay, while Phreak tries to get in close and grapple Knox down to the canvas. Whenever the Phreakish One does so, Blaine does all he can to escape, kicking wildly and making gratuitous use of rope breaks. A Tony Chestnut and a brainbuster for a near fall, but he gets frustrated when Phreak powers out. That may be why he overextends on a shining wizard attempt, allowing his veteran opponent to get under him and plant him with Phreakish Intents!
Winner via pinfall: Phreak

As Phreak and Serenity head to the back, Phreak suggests that that's why she ought to team with him, instead of with Ligaya Fontaine.

Blaine, meanwhile, stays in the ring and demands a mic. He's spitting nails as he declares that he's fucking done with facing the old bastards still hanging about from the old days, clogging up the roster. It's about to be Extreme Extravaganza, and he wants to face someone new to the roster, someone fresh, someone he can show the future of the business with. So any newcomers to GEW who want to carve out their own space, come out here and make it official.

His eyes bulge and he swallows nervously as Crows' Pray plays! The fans cheer wildly as Jimmy Page steps out! This is... not what Blaine was expecting. The former FGA World Champion takes his time to get to the ring, slapping hands, but keeping his eyes on Knox. To his credit, Blaine stands his ground as the King of the F'n World steps through the ropes, and they come nose to nose.

Blaine smirks and asks, "You want this?"

Jimmy chuckles. "I said I still have a lot of fight in me. You want to find out how much?"

Blaine says nothing... but he slowly extends a hand. Jimmy takes it and they shake, pressing their foreheads together and glaring into one another's eyes. As Jimmy backs off and starts to exit the ring again, it looks like Blaine is thinking about a sneak attack... but he flinches when Page turns back to him one last time and jerks his elbow in his direction! He's too far away to actually connect, but the message is clear.

Concussion.

The fans cheer again as Pray starts up once more, and with a grimace on his face, Blaine watches Jimmy walk away.

2. Alex Chambers, Heart Boy Hugo & Kismet vs Roscoe Lake, Snow Queen VN & Takeo Shima
Unsurprisingly given the breakdown in their friendship over recent months, Alex and Takeo want a piece of each other, and naturally the fans are at their loudest whenever those two are fighting! But they don't get a true, definitive encounter between them because everyone else in the match is rapidly tagging in and out. It's quite back and forth, with both sides getting strong runs. Alex isn't super interested in working alongside either Kismet or Hugo, but they're both eager to show off so they make sure they rotate in regularly. Roscoe on the other hand is getting along better with Snow and Takeo, even pulling off some slick triple teams.

But before a winner can be found, Ryan McGrath emerges onto the stage! He can only have one possible target: his arch-nemesis of late, Roscoe Lake. But before Ryan can jog down to the ring, someone rushes out from the back to get in his way - it's Cole! Cole tries to block his nephew and talk some sense into him, encouraging him to let this business with Roscoe go. Ryan doesn't want to hear it and he tries to get around his uncle, but Cole holds him back...

...at least until three guys in balaclavas melt in behind Cole. From their builds they're clearly the same three who assaulted Mark Chapman last time. The biggest one clubs Cole between the shoulderblades and they all start stomping on him as Ryan hangs back nervously, scooting around them and heading on down to the ring. Meanwhile Matty Graves runs out and flies into one of his friend's assailants with a superman punch, but the other two quickly subdue him and they beat him up too before throwing him off the stage! Then they turn their attention back to Cole, and the apparent ringleader of the trio unleashes the same barrage of machine gun chops to Cole's chest that he did to Mark, while the other two hold him in place. A huge cheer goes up as Kameron Chase runs out to save his brother, with a chair in his hands and a clutch of security guards at his back! He cracks one of the masked men over the head and they retreat with security hot on their heels.

While all this has been going on, the wrestlers in the match have been watching on with concern - except Alex, who's telling Ryan, who's skulking at ringside eyeing Roscoe, to fuck off. And, apparently, except Kismet, who blindsides Snow with a cheap shot, hoofs her in the crotch, and then calls the ref over before pulling her into an inside cradle to pin her!
Winners via pinfall: Alex Chambers, Heart Boy Hugo & Kismet

Ryan waits for Alex to leave the ring before sliding in and kicking Roscoe in the head while he's tending to Snow! Takeo knocks Ryan down in turn, and that brings Alex back in, who runs over both Shima and McGrath with a double clothesline! But Kameron, still wielding that chair, angrily yells at his students to knock it off. Alex glares at him and backrolls out of the ring, making the "I've got my eyes on you" gesture at Takeo before storming away. Ryan backs off with a sulky expression and Hugo tries to calm him down a bit, allowing Snow, Roscoe and Takeo to help each other backstage. Kameron helps Cole up, then hands him off to the security team to escort him to the back. He storms down to the ring, walking right past his son, and demands a microphone. There's a tense moment between father and son as they share eye contact before Ryan raises his hands in the air and says he had nothing to do with what just happened to his uncle. Kam doesn't look convinced this time and just shakes his head, telling Ryan to move out of his way. The youngster obliges and drops down to the mats at ringside.

"I've had enough of this. Every single show someone I care about is getting jumped for no reason by people too fucking cowardly to show their faces. A student, my cousin, now my brother... It seems your problem is obviously with me, so take it up with me."

A roar from the crowd.

"I'm not busy at Extreme Extravaganza so let's make a date. One of you, two of you, three of you, twenty of you, I don't care how many there are. How about you stop being cowards and actually face someone who's ready to fight, instead of attacking people from behind like a pack of dogs? I'll be there waiting."

Ryan is chewing his lip at ringside, looking a little bit worried about the challenge that his father just laid down. He tentatively climbs onto the apron and Kameron shoots him a glance. "Stay out of it." Ryan nods, but still gets into the ring and walks over to his dad. Kameron doesn't move as he takes the microphone from him.

"I just wanted to say... Happy Father's Day." He gives a smile that actually looks genuine as he hands the microphone back to Kameron and then wraps his arms around him in a hug. Kam returns the embrace and the crowd riles up, voicing their distrust of the younger McGrath - but before anything else can transpire Candy Castle by Glass Candy hits! Ryan scowls at the interruption, but Kam misses it as his attention turns to the stage, where Evangelista and Laurel Anne Hardy emerge! They pause to check on Matty before joining Kam and Ryan.

"Those cunts just attacked my brother, too," says Laurel, and there's a dark edge in her voice that hasn't been heard in a long time. "Tonight... tonight's main event is, ah, a long time coming. We, The Asylum, we shoulder a lot of the blame for the old GEW's end. We... I... have spent a lot of time in the years since then trying to atone. Trying to protect wrestling companies rather than destroy them. The wars we had. AbominationZ..."

A swell of noise goes up from those who remember The Asylum's gruesome feud with WARPED Wrestling's power stable. "...well, things got nasty. Let's just say this ain't the first time Matty's been assaulted. I ain't about to stand here and watch history repeat itself."

Evangelista takes Laurel's mic and adds, "Kam... we faced you in a handicap match at Extreme Extravaganza 2011. The final Extreme Extravaganza of the old GEW. What we did to you in that match... it was wrong. We still owe you for it. So please let us make it up to you by standing by your side this time. We won't let you face those bellends alone."

With that, both of the UK Dragons extend fists towards Kam...

He looks at their outstretched hands, a look of uncertainty on his face at first as he recalls their history. Noticing his father's trepidation, Ryan gets in his ear. Off the microphone but still audible, he tells him that he can't trust them; that it will turn into five against one. Kam in turn snaps that maybe it's Ryan that he can't trust as he extends his fist to meet the Dragons', to a cheer. He raises the mic again as Ryan takes steps backwards.

"We may be on opposing sides tonight, but I'll have your backs if you have mine when the time comes."

"We got your back, Kam," says Evangelista firmly, "I promise you can count on us."

"Let's show these wankers what they're getting themselves into if they want war with GEW," adds Laurel.

Kam nods his head. "Looking forward to it," he says before dropping the mic and then getting out of the ring. Ryan, meanwhile, stands in the corner looking irritated as he waits for his match. Laurel blows him an ironic kiss as the Dragons take their leave too.

Velvet Grey's accompanying her nephew for this one, and she and Ryan get into a brief argument before the bell.

3. Ivan Grant vs Ryan McGrath
Ryan's still upset from those interactions with his dad and the Dragons, and he takes it out on Ivan, using his superior speed and dexterity to pepper the big lad with strikes and dives. Velvet yells at Ivan to get his head back in it, and he does, swiping McGrath clean out of the air with a ham hock of a hand. He works over his fellow rookie for a time with powerful slams and throws - but when he lifts Ryan up for a powerbomb, Ryan hammers fists into his face, allowing him to hit a sitout jawbreaker counter! They go back and forth a bit more, but despite Velvet's encouragement and advice, Ryan is able to catch Ivan with a springboard double stomp straight into a standing moonsault stomp, and after pausing only to give Ivan a disrespectful slap across the jaw, he picks up the pin.
Winner via pinfall: Ryan McGrath

Fade to the video screen. Joey Classic is standing in front of the camera with his arms folded over his chest. He's got a tracksuit on with a towel tucked into the collar, and on the right breast "CLASSIC ACADEMY" can be seen in a bold white font. He's looking from his left to right; the camera, wanting to know what he's looking at, shifts over and we see three individuals standing in formation. One, a male with medium-length hair, donning a white headband with "CLASSIC" on the front and a huge smile. Another male, a hulking mass of muscle, stands there wearing a collegiate wrestling headgear and appears to have a giant creatine powder jar with a straw lodged into the top. The other person, a woman, short with blonde hair, bouncing up and down like a ball of energy in her tracksuit and a smile.

"Alright, rookies welcome to the big leagues. Well, it's not that big, seeing as they don't even validate parking in this dump of a fed. You win some, you lose some. I selected you three, because you got what it takes and you got respect for the business. Remember what I taught you-"

The toothy headband wearer raises his hand looking straight ahead.

"Wait for the check to clear before you put your boots on?"

Classic rolls his eyes.

"No."

The big guy raises his hand after breaking his lips off his man-sized sippy cup.

"If you're in a room with the boys and there's a rolled-up dollar bill you gotta do a line?"

Classic lowers his head with his arms still folded over his chest. He lets out a loud exhale.

"No."

The perky blonde one raises her hand.

"OH, OH PICK ME! PICK ME, PICK ME, PICK ME!"

"ALRIGHT ALREADY! ...Tiff, the floor is yours."

She steps forward.

"CLASSIC ACADEMY IS ABOUT TRADITION AND UPHOLDING A STANDARD, SIR!"

She salutes and Joey can't help but stare with his mouth open. He shrugs his shoulders with a content expression behind his mask.

"Well goddamn, alright, that's right-"

"ALSO IF YOU'RE IN A HOTEL ROOM WITH A RING RAT AND THERE'S NO BLOW ON THE TABLE IT'S A STING OPERATION AND THE FEDS-"

"Alright, alright, keep it down will ya?! The point is that Classic Academy is about setting a standard for other would-be workers. You lot are my pupils and together we're gonna take this dump of a fed and clean it up with some good ol'fashion wrestling!"

The large man with the sippy cup raises his hand.

"When do I get to fucking murder someone?"

Classic points at the guy enthusiastically.

"SOON! Now since these clowns booking this mess didn't give us a match, we're gonna do some roadwork boys and girls. We're gonna run laps around this building, so I hope you got your good Sketchers on because we're in for it! Well, you looking for a please?! GET OUT THERE!"

"YAAAAAAAY!!!"

The blonde one darts off-screen while the two other guys jog off. Classic folds his arms with a smirk, a squint, and a nod as the scene fades off.

4. The Bethel (ABEL & DEACON) vs Lyra Keston & Revvy King
Lyra's determined not to let ABEL and DEACON roll over her like they have everyone else so far. There's just one problem; Revvy's still jetlagged after flying back from the UK, where Critical Acclaim were performing at Download Festival. King is doing her best but it's clearly not enough for Keston's satisfaction - nor is it enough against a team like The Bethel. By the time Creed's One True Gospel plant Revvy with the High Cross and pin her, Lyra's thoroughly pissed off.
Winners via pinfall: The Bethel

Lyra gets into the ring and rather than helping her fallen teammate to her feet, she slaps at her head, screaming about how the loss was her fault. She grabs a fistful of Revvy's hair and drags her up to her feet before slapping her across the face, then reeling back and sending her straight back down to the mat with a vicious forearm. She climbs back out of the ring and reaches in to grab Revvy's ankle, then pulls her underneath the bottom rope. She hits the mats at ringside with a thud and Lyra stomps on her upper back, then orders the timekeeper to move and snaps up his chair. She slams it down hard across King's back repeatedly, all the while screaming that she's a useless partner who let her obsession with Mark ruin their chances.

Speaking of Mark, he's now sprinting down to the ring with Kai O'Hara on his heels, well ahead of the security team that follows them. As Lyra raises the chair high above her head again, Mark rips it from her grip from behind her and then wraps his arms around the irate woman, dragging her away from Revvy. "Enough!" he yells at her as she thrashes in his arms, trying fiercely to get back at Revvy who is now being checked on by Kai. The security guys are hanging back, sensing that the Wildfire trainers have it under control but still watching carefully. Mark hauls Lyra around the side of the ring, then lets her go and gives her a little shove in the back, telling her to get on her way. She spins around and looks as if she's going to go back at Revvy again but Mark blocks her path, and she isn't getting past him. She barks a warning at him, telling him that she'd move him if he wasn't "injured." He rolls his eyes, points to the ramp and tells her to go. With a scream through clenched teeth, she turns and stomps away, leaving Chapman to tend to Revvy with Kai.

Backstage, Serenity is pacing up and down. She's muttering to herself and slapping the wall angrily. She's approached by Nikki Song, and an equally short young woman wearing a Battlegrounds sweater.

"Everything good?" It's obviously not, and Nikki tilts her head in concern.

Serenity jumps a little at Nikki's voice, and turns to the other women. "Oh. Hey. Uh..." She contemplates lying for a moment, and just saying everything's fine, but she knows that won't fool anyone. "Not really. For the first time in my career I have Phreak and Ligaya with me in the same company, and they just fight all the time. Now Phreak's been trying to get me to ditch Ligaya to team with him, and..." She closes her eyes and shakes her head. "I want to team with him, but I'm not going to stop teaming with Ligaya... I just... is it too much to ask for my two best friends to get along?" She slumps her shoulders, looking abjectly defeated. "I dunno what to do, Nikki. I've tried so hard to get them to like each other. I'm fucking lost."

She sounds close to tears. The outpouring wasn't what she intended, but once it started it kept coming.

"First, hug." Nikki quickly wraps her arms around her friend and former pupil, and pulls away after a moment, "I think you need to give it time. And in the meantime, take your mind off of it," she pauses, thinks, and nods, "With a match. Just you, alone... versus... me. At Extreme Extravaganza." Nikki makes jazz fingers as she says the name, smiling.

Serenity starts to protest - she needs to figure out a solution. What will her friends do without her? But then, in a surprising moment, she stops herself and smiles back. It's the first time she's smiled onscreen in a while. "You know what? That actually sounds good. I guess I could use a break from it all. Are you sure though?"

Nikki nods, "Very sure. There's so much bullshit going around this place. Especially at EE, this would be a nice change of pace - and I'm proud of how far you've come. And we've never done this officially. I'm very, very sure." She hops a little, "I'm getting excited."

"That's true, we've never had a singles match before, have we? Well, if you're sure you want to wrestle me there, I'm down."

There's a stifled squeal suddenly, and Nikki chuckles, "Also - Jordan, this is Elle Santos, she's been working with me and Matt. And just officially signed."

Elle steps up, staring a little bit at Serenity, "Hi - I'm a big fan of you and Ligaya." The words are a little mumbled.

Serenity looks a little shocked at the thought of anyone being a fan of hers, but she shakes Elle's hand and says, "Thank you. That means a lot. I've seen you around the gym before. Looking forward to seeing you in action properly." It's Elle's turn to be shocked. Serenity turns her attention back to Song, though, and says, "Nikki... um... thank you."

Nikki beams. "Of course. What are friends for?"

They briefly hug again as the scene cuts back to ringside.

5. Chloé Becker vs RADBOT
Despite still being a fairly unfamiliar face to the GEW fans, Chloé is from nearby Youngstown, so she's getting a good reaction here. Between RADBOT's relative experience and power, and Augusta D'Antagoné running interference whenever she can get away with it, Chloé's fighting from underneath. But she shows her heart as she keeps on fighting, and manages to catch RADBOT with a roll-up! He powers out, but she blasts him with a Sawmill kick on the way up, then follows up with a moonsault to take it.
Winner via pinfall: Chloé Becker

6. BiteSize Bros (Asher & Coby) vs 420 B.C. (Ligaya Fontaine & Serenity) vs Napoleon Collins III & Zeke Colton Spence
It's a high speed, high flying spotfest, with tons of double teams and all three tandems tagging in and out almost constantly. Serenity is on fire tonight, her chat with Nikki apparently having massively boosted her confidence. But Zeke and Napoleon are yet again the real workhorses, making sure to keep at least one of them in the fray at all times - and Cleveland being Napoleon's hometown, he in particular gets massive pops for basically everything he does. They're almost rewarded for their efforts when NC3 catches Asher with an inverted mat slam at the end of a thrilling exchange between their two teams; although the young backyarder kicks out, Napoleon tags Zeke right away, who's ready for a big dive. But Ligaya springs up and yanks him off the top with an avalanche sling blade! She falls into her own corner and tags Serenity, who's tensed and ready to spring to the top - The High Life, right over Napoleon's head, to land on Zeke! She pins while Fontaine holds Collins back.
Winners via pinfall: 420 B.C.

The screen cuts to the back, where Blakjak and Spades are seen. The pair have very serious expressions, contrasting their usual behavior.

BlakJak speaks first. "Bethel! I don't know what nonsense that wacko preacher has been filling your heads with, but it's not gonna lead you to salvation or some shit.

"The very first thing he had you do was a misstep," Spades adds on, "Maybe you don't realize who the Jokers Wild are. Because when it comes to your big asses versus us, we aren't the one who should be scared."

"Ya see, Bethel, since we got here, we've been content with kickin' back. We're already goin' down as one of the baddest teams this place has ever seen. We wanted to see the place rebuild," Jak continues.

"Only thought it was right. Given our role in GEW's downfall. Respectful and all that," Spades adds, giving a solemn nod before letting his partner continue.

"But you boys made the dumb decision to screw with the JDub while we were doing so?" Jak looks truly shocked.

"You must have thumped them bibles a little too hard. Because that's more insane than following Oliver's goofy ass all over the place. Because we're already one of the best when we're just having a little bit of fun." Spades cracks a momentary smile, but snaps it back to a scowl.

"When we're serious though? When we got nothin' on our minds but putting some folks in the dirt? That's when you should be scared."

Spades holds a hand out, stopping Jak again, "But we're good guys. We're great, in fact. And since you didn't realize you should be scared... we'll help you figure it out."

Jak nods, looking pleased, "Yeahhh. Give you a lesson, first hand, from the source. Jokers Wild 101. Every crazy damned thing we can think of. Up close and personal."

"But that's where the kindness will end, Bethel. After we've educated your dumbasses, we need to make an example. So everyone knows that if you fuck with the Jokers Wild, you get put in the dirt," Spades finishes, and the pair walk off screen.

7. Kai O'Hara vs Myles Taylor
The bandage on Kai's right elbow is a target from the off and Myles zeroes in on it, taking any opportunity he can to yank it, wrench it, drag Kai with it, hit it and twist it. Kai is obviously struggling, and fighting someone as ruthless and tactically dangerous as Taylor is a difficult task for anyone, but he does his best. Being naturally right-handed, he hurts himself with a lot of his striking offence at first before switching up his game plan and trying to keep Myles at distance with kicks. It works for a short time, before Taylor takes him down with a dragon screw and locks him in an armbar. Kai scrambles to the ropes desperately but Myles doesn't look like he's letting go. The referee's count reaches 5 and he warns him to break the hold and after a long second or two, he does. He doesn't want to give Kai a win via DQ, after all. Kai rolls out of the ring for a breather, holding his injured arm, but Myles doesn't want to give him time to recover and he (somewhat uncharacteristically) flies through the ropes with a topé suicida! Kai moves out of the way, leaving Myles to pay for his risk by crashing headfirst into the barrier. From there, perhaps out of sheer desperation, Kai capitalises by throwing Myles into everything he can - the ringpost, the guardrail, the steps. He only stops when he realises the referee is counting them both out. He slides into the ring, hoping for the countout victory, only for Taylor to re-enter on 9. Kai is getting frustrated, but his options seem limited - the longer the match goes on, the more he's struggling with his arm. There's an exchange of roll-ups with each man coming dangerously close to ending it, but both manage to get their shoulders up just before the 3 each time. Myles starts to get frustrated now and he targets the arm again, stomping on Kai's elbow while he's grounded, then turns to play to the booing fans. Through pain and gritted teeth, Kai rolls Taylor up with a schoolboy... 1... 2... 3! Myles powers out but just a fraction too late it seems as the crowd erupts and Kai celebrates like he's just won a world championship... but the bell doesn't ring. The referee is holding two fingers up and saying that Taylor managed to kick out. Kai argues with him, swearing that it was a three count, but the referee is having none of it. Kai pleads with the official which gives Myles enough time to rise to his knees and pull Kai into a schoolboy of his own. He has a fistful of tights but the referee doesn't see it as he dives down to make the count... 1... 2... 3! Kai struggles out of it much like Myles had done moments earlier, but this time the referee calls for the bell.
Winner via pinfall: Myles Taylor

Taylor exits the ring quickly while Kai kneels in disbelief. He pounds the mat in frustration as the crowd chant "BULLSHIT!" but Myles doesn't care. He laughs his way up the ramp, waving to the distraught Kai before disappearing through the curtain.

Ahead of the next match, Ash's Kung Fu hits the speakers and Tony Harrison emerges to big cheers! He hasn't been seen since Shooter Load assaulted him! He soaks in the response for a moment, until All Your Bass Belongs To Us replaces his music and he's joined by The Natural Ones. Crell reminds everyone that although Tony is MC Inc's manager, he's also good friends with Anson and Russ.

8. The Natural Ones (Anson Orlandelli & Russ Lehman) vs Shooter Load (Phil Hunter & Shaun Irvine)
Tony stays out, encouraging the Game Knights, acting the cheerleader for them with every big attack. Tensions are running high here, and it's a brutal match with a lot of liberties taken on both sides. Once Shaun and Phil are feeling the effects of it, they're suddenly attacked by Casey Black and Lance Murphy! It's a setup! Shooter Load find themselves on the wrong end of a five-on-two whupping as Tony joins in as well!
Winners via disqualification: Shooter Load

Shaun and Phil are sent scurrying with their tails between their legs. The fans love to see them getting some comeuppance for their actions over the last several months!

Backstage, Kai O'Hara is standing with Brooke Davis and he doesn't look any happier than he did after his match had finished.

"Kai, a tough one to take for you tonight," Brooke says cautiously. "It looked like you'd finally picked up your first win here in GEW and, from the celebrations, it looked like you thought you had."

Kai looks directly at the camera as Brooke moves the microphone in front of his mouth. "Everybody in the arena saw that I had him beat. That was as much a three count as the one he got on me, and I didn't have to cheat to do it." He holds his right elbow with his left arm and flexes it. "This isn't over, Myles. I want a rematch. At Extreme Extravaganza, we go again and I promise you, you won't be walking away laughing at the end of it."

Back at ringside, Ivan seconds Aunt Velvet for her match, and before the bell she tells him to pay attention.

9. Nikki Song vs Velvet Grey
It's a rematch from last year's Extreme Extravaganza. Velvet beat Nikki then, and the Songbird clearly hasn't forgotten about it as she takes the aggressor role early on. Velvet weathers the storm for some big attacks of her own, but the fans are firmly behind Nikki here. Over the course of the match, Velvet dodges or counters the Lightning Wizard multiple times, but eventually Nikki hits it and picks up a huge near fall that couldn't have been closer. Sensing the end, Nikki leaps to the top for a moonsault... Velvet flings herself into the ropes to dislodge her, and Song crashes down crotch-first across the top turnbuckle! While she's wincing, Velvet staggers up and drags Nikki down across the top rope with a twisting neckbreaker. The ref warns Grey about her rough tactics, but she doesn't need any more anyway. A boot to the head and then a Tucked In are enough to claim victory.
Winner via pinfall: Velvet Grey

Ivan looks ambivalent about how that went down and he questions Vel about her dirty shots, but she just shrugs and tells her nephew you've gotta do what you gotta do if you want to win.

The screen cuts to somewhere in the back, dimly lit. Shane Tallin is sitting on an equipment case, hooded, staring forward.

"I'm not going to sit here and repeat myself. I've never hidden how I feel about what happened with The Asylum back in the day. The crusade to bring it all down. I felt bad, in short. I've apologized."

Shane straightens up, takes in a deep breath, "But, if I'm honest - we all know Noumenon wasn't me. And I'm getting a little tired of this whole narrative. After GEW first fell, I put my efforts into rehabilitating The Asylum. Every single one of them agreed with that journey. And we flipped the script, we protected places from people exactly like us. We operated that way for a while, both together and on our own. And I figured we'd done the work needed. That wasn't quite enough, and I suppose I can understand that at the time."

Shane tugs down the collar of his shirt, exposing a particularly nasty scar on his collarbone, "So when GEW started up, I agreed to meet Scott Simmonds one on one. At the time, I felt like if I shed a little bit of blood in this house, the point would sink in. That and Simmonds seemed particularly pissed off, give him the chance to take a pound of flesh. Which he did - and even though he did, we are still where we are tonight.

Asylum VS GEW. I still hear boos when I go out there. That doesn't bother me, I've never been shy about not doing this for fame. I'm bothered by what that means. That some people still blame me for what happened. But I've taken enough responsibility for Noumenon. At this point, I'm going to assume that you just don’t like me. Which is fine. You want a villain for this situation? I'll play ball.

I'm rolling into that ring with a team of nothing but some of the best wrestlers walking this planet today. I have nothing but faith that they can easily see this thing through to a win. None, at all. That leaves me free to do one thing, lay waste to anything in my way. Scott Simmonds, I owe you one, so you bet your ass I'm coming for you - wasted. Troy Gafgen, Envoy got to whoop your ass, so until I get you one on one someday, I'll settle for smashing your big ass in this match - wasted. MC Inc, I'm gonna turn Casey into a lawn dart, projectile him at Lance's skull; maybe the collision will work a miracle and give them a brain cell - wasted." Shane betrays himself a bit, and smirks but quickly recaptures composure to continue.

"Isabella Thorn, honestly, I don't think I need to worry about you, you'll have your hands full with Cassie anyway - probably wasted either way. Zanatos, I honestly don't really have any beef with you. But hell, why not two big boys, I'll just find a way to smash you too - wasted. Kameron, Kameron got absolutely handled by Raine in the last show. Maybe we show him where she got the mean streak from, leave him laying in another corner again - wasted."

Shane motions the camera a little bit closer, "Oliver, I’ve always had respect for you, so I'll leave you a little warning. You and your sheep are playing a very dangerous game with my brothers. I trust them to handle their business, so I'll keep my distance, but if you step one toe in the wrong direction, you're going to start a war you're not ready for, Preacher, I can promise you that. I'd stay out of my way tonight, or you'll get yourself a little preview. And just like the others, I'll waste you too."

Tallin's hands drum on the case for a brief moment, "With that said - this is a 'one last time' sort of deal. I won't be signing up for any matches with the Asylum name on the billing again. If you're not satisfied, win or lose, that's on you." He then stands from the case, "Let's go play the bad guy."

The commentators explain that the main event is meant to draw a line under The Asylum's role in the fall of GEW, and exorcise the lingering demons. MC Inc are out first to a huge ovation, but everyone else on the GEW seikigun enters separately, firstly Isabella Thorn wearing an homage to her father's ring gear; no doubt if Sah'ta Thor was still alive, he'd have been in this match. She keeps her distance from the others, seemingly more wound up than ever and spoiling for any excuse to fight. She's not the only one. Scott Simmonds is ready to kick off with Lance Murphy, and not much farther from kicking off with Kameron Chase, while Troy Gafgen and Zanatos keep it in check but eye one another a little warily, leaving Casey Black to get between everyone - Scott and Lance in particular - and attempt to keep them all calm. Oliver Creed just observes all of it from a distance, but he's paying particular attention to Zanatos.

The Asylum, by contrast, all enter together, even Cassie Crowe who's never formally been a member. Cerberus is with them too. He had to be. The nine figures stand in a line on the stage, and despite the massive differences in temperament, motivations and fan reception they've all developed in the last decade plus, they're a unified force right here and now.

10. The Asylum (BlakJak, Evangelista, Laurel Anne Hardy, Matt Kail, Serena Raine, Shane Tallin & Spades) & Cassie Crowe vs Casey Black, Isabella Thorn, Kameron Chase, Lance Murphy, Oliver Creed, Scott Simmonds, Troy Gafgen & Zanatos
The match opens with a typically classic exchange between MC Inc and The Jokers Wild, with Jak and Spades clearly hoping to stake their claim for another Global Tag Team Championship match. That gives way in time to an exchange between Troy and Evangelista, who are both eager to test themselves against one another again, and thence to Troy and the #1 contender to his Phoenix Championship, Matt, a little preview of Extreme Extravaganza. The slow, cautious respect that's grown between Troy and Zanatos also pays off as the two of them pull off some surprisingly slick double teams. But things were obviously not going to last here without mayhem, and we get that when Isabella blind tags herself in. She's itching to fight. Cassie comes in to meet her and we get another EE preview, this time for the Chaos Championship match. The two youngsters take the match in its first (but not last) violent gear shift as they fight around ringside. Scott and Serena both get involved in this, and that gradually brings everyone else in too, until there's a full scale brawl all over the outside. It takes the beleaguered referees a while to restore order from there.

Once they manage it, we have Scott and Shane for a bit, and as they grapple they find themselves both getting heated. It's one year since they clashed in a truly gory Shatterzone match, and clearly that hasn't been forgotten yet. Scott has an opportunity to tag out but winds up arguing with Lance; Kameron tries to get them both on the task at hand, but Scott yells at him too. Isabella then yells at all of them, and they all yell back. Casey tags himself in to end this, but before long he's against the Dragons, and... look. Everyone knows what happens when Casey's in the ring with Leanne and/or Laurel. Sure enough a flapjack/neckbreaker combo somehow results in Laurel accidentally headbutting Casey in the bollocks, and he hops to the corner to tag in Kam. Kameron's a little cagey as he wrestles both Hardy and Evangelista, still not fully sure if he can trust them ahead of their trios match at Extreme Extravaganza, but his exchanges with them are fully respectful and competitive. However, Kam's relatively cool head evaporates when he finds himself facing down Serena. He's got vengeance on his mind for her beatdown on him on the last show, and they get vicious with each other with fishhooks and eye rakes, with Raine - while laying in mudhole stomps - telling Chase to pass this along to Mark Chapman for her. He almost gets his revenge a minute or two later when he catches her with the Three Mile Island into a Force 10, but she gets a foot on the ropes when he pins her.

The last person to enter the match is Oliver, who's just been patiently watching all of this. But once he's finally tagged in, it's like a switch gets flipped in his head as he aggressively goes after Spades and BlakJak. They're more than ready to do likewise, and for the second time, the match goes to the outside. Oliver beseeches Zanatos to help him, and though Zanatos seems a little uncertain, he hops down and joins in to even the odds. Once more, this inevitably winds up in a huge brawl before too long, especially as once again Troy and Zanatos nail a great double team - this time a thunderous doomsday device to Spades on the floor. But with this breakdown, instead of order getting restored, the carnage only ramps up as Shooter Load hop the rails and attack MC Inc from behind! Lance and Casey had been fighting Laurel and Evangelista, and the UK Dragons actually try to help their old rivals out, but Phil and Shaun have come armed with chairs and manage to drive them back before throwing MC Inc into the bleachers and fighting through the fans. The imbalance between the squads doesn't last long as ABEL and DEACON appear, and join Oliver in beating down the Jokers!

The only people left in the ring right now are Scott and Shane, and they fight even more intensely than before, smashing each other with stiff strikes and spiking each other with brutal head drops. Before either can definitively defeat the other, Isabella darts into the ring and rushes between them, almost knocking Scott over. Despite being partners tonight he tells her off, and she flips him off before completing what she came in here for - to vault up the ropes and fly into Cassie with a senton. Shane finds himself suddenly tripped and dragged to the outside by Zanatos, but Scott isn't alone long as Laurel makes her way into the ring. They fight back and forth for a couple of minutes, and Laurel gets the best of it, an L.A.H.O.O.Q. dropping the wildman on his skull. But instead of capitalising, she pauses, looking around at the absolute pandemonium all around her, all around the venue, and she shakes her head. She looks ambivalent and pensive, but slowly kneels down and spreads her arms a little, apparently offering herself to Scott. Serena gestures a "what the hell are you doing?" towards her and springs over the top rope, to intercept Simmonds - except Roscoe Lake is there out of nowhere and grabs her ankle while she's mid-leap, and he yanks her back down so hard that her chin smashes against the apron! She turns to Roscoe with absolute murder in her eyes and blood seeping from her mouth. Roscoe sprints away, and Serena's hot on his heels. She chases him up the entranceway to the stage - where she's completely blindsided by a knee lift courtesy of Mark Chapman! Back in the ring, meanwhile, Scott flattens Laurel with a knee of his own, and then plants her with the Lights Out Driver to finally end this.
Winners via pinfall: Casey Black, Isabella Thorn, Kameron Chase, Lance Murphy, Oliver Creed, Scott Simmonds, Troy Gafgen & Zanatos

Or, at least, end the official match. The chaos all around the ring continues. Mark throws Serena into the scaffold that surrounds the entrance, with Roscoe cheering him on... until Ryan McGrath sprints out from the back and tackles Roscoe down! Security guards and referees flood the scene, trying - rather in vain - to bring order.

There's so much going on the cameras have trouble catching it all.

ABEL, DEACON and Creed are battling with The Jokers Wild at one side of the stands. Spades and BJ are doing their best to fight back against the Preacher and his giants, but it's going poorly for them.

On the other side of the arena, MC Inc and Shooter Load are engaged in a similar brawl, and similarly, Phil and Shaun have the upper hand and have managed to bloody up Casey and Lance, getting some payback for earlier in the night.

Matt and Troy are trading suplexes on the hard floor of the gymnasium. They wince and shudder with each impact, but keep making 'bring it on' gestures to each other, neither man willing to be the one to give in first.

Cassie and Izzy are smashing each other with chairs. Isabella, in a rage, carries Cassie into the ringpost with an upright spinebuster - but as Crowe falls, she finds a fire extinguisher under the apron and blasts Thorn in the face with it, and tackles her down while she's blinded. They roll over and over trading punches.

Ryan and Roscoe are brawling halfway up the entrance, with Ryan barking absolute venom at his nemesis, blaming him and Mark for everything that's ever gone wrong in his career.

Mark and Serena are grappling on the stage, jockeying for ways to dislocate one another's limbs, whilst both throwing knees and elbows in anywhere they can.

Kam, Laurel and Evangelista look like they don't know which fight to break up first... until they catch sight of three shadowy figures watching from the back of the room, and they make their way over there, giving chase as the masked attackers vanish through the room's entrance doors.

Zanatos eyes both Isabella and Oliver's respective fights, uncertain of which one to aid and seemingly paralysed.

And in the centre of it all, once again the only wrestlers left in the ring, Scott and Shane are standing nose to nose, jawing away, that line clearly not fully drawn yet, as the broadcast cuts out.