As the lights come up in the arena, there is a brief pyro display, before Symphony of Destruction hits and Real Deal saunters to the ring, with a determined look on his face. He grabs the microphone from ring announcer Terry Bollea, and for the 3rd week running, addresses the crowd.
“You know something? I hate Germans. You know something else? I hate bikers too. Now, last week on Fuel, Flake decided he would interfere with the handicap match involving Reaper, Vayne, and myself. Here in the TWF, you learn early on that you don’t cross the boss. Flake, you made a mistake, and tonight you will pay for it! Now on another note… Ax. I can’t say I was too happy to see him, but I was pleasantly surprised by his actions following the match. Looks like the old man finally got some balls. (Laughs, and looks into the camera, seriously.) However, Ax, it looks like you need to make your mind up who’s side you’re on – there’s no middle ground here in the TWF.”
Deal is prevented from continuing as Zwitter hits, and Flake quickly makes his way to the ring, without pyro. He grabs another mike from Bollea, and walks up to Real Deal.
“Ich will eure Phantasie, und hier kommt die Flake!”
“What?”
“Ich will eure…”
“I heard what you said, oddball. What the hell do you want?”
“I…. I want to…. Kissy kissy… no! I… think you are naughty boy, ja? (Flake looks serious, Deal tries desperately to stop laughing.) “Handicap match, no fair, sie ist ein model und die sieht gut aus! I go… get ready for… our match… (Pretends to rub oil into his chest intensely, and does a few example stretches. Deal stops laughing and looks serious for the first time since Flake entered.)
“Wait a second – are you challenging me? Not a chance in hell! But I have an idea – you go prepare for a match, and I’ll sort out a… “special” opponent for you.”
Flake stares at Deal, and refuses to leave the ring. Deal shakes his head, and resumes his speech from before Flake interrupted.
“Now, before I was rudely interrupted, I was about to say that, at Brave New World this Sunday, the first spectacular TWF PPV, the TWF Title Tournament matches will all have special, random stipulations. All competitors will face each other at least once in a league-style tournament. Whichever two superstars gain the most victories, will face each other in the final. Also, the order of the matches will be random – so you guys had better make sure you’re fit and ready, because you could be out there match after match after match. And trust me, I know some of the stipulations, and it’s gonna be brutal.”
War plays, and Deal leaves the ring with his trademark gesture. Flake follows him intently, his face showing determination and resolve. Deal looks confused, as if faced with a dog that won’t go back to its owner. He tries in vain to “shoo” Flake away, but to no avail. The camera follows the pair all the way back to Deal’s office, where they both enter. Deal sits at the desk, and tidies it up a bit.
“I will not leave until…. you, er…. Tell who opponent is, ja?”
“I’m not telling you, just go away!”
Deal stands as Flake screams:
“No!!!!”
Immediately, Flake bends down in front of Deal, stretching. His head is in the vicinity of Deal’s crotch. Deal looks horrified, and just before he can move away, Greenburger runs in, colliding with Flake’s backside, who then falls into Deal, and head butt’s Deal (inadvertently) in his mid-section. Deal collapses on his desk, gasping for air. Greenburger picks himself up, and starts talking quickly, not realising that he is in fact stood on Flake, who desperately tries to get up.
“I saw Fall… Fallen Angel! He was really scary, and I needed the toilet before I came to tell you Mr Real Deal! He was tied to a chair, and he had.. a… bandanna round his mouth, like he was playing cowboys and Indians, hehehe…
Deal, angrily:
“You mean *breathes* he was gagged, you fool!”
“What’s gagged mean?”
Deal looks concerned.
“Never mind. Where did you see him?”
“Inna really warm room with pipes.”
“For Fu… right, he was in the boiler room then?”
Deal picks up the phone and dials the number on the card that the officers gave him two weeks previously. As Deal speaks on the phone, Vayne enters the already crowded office to see what the hell is going on. Flake manages to dislodge Greenburger and finally makes it to his feet, gasping.
Cut to Reaper, who is told by Craig Brooks that he’s heard a rumour that Fallen Angel is in a room, in this arena, bound and gagged! Reaper pushes Brooks out of the way, and jogs out of the door, looking angry, shouting Fallen Angel’s name.
Cut back to the office, where Deal, Vayne, Flake and Greenburger are all arguing over who should go and look for Fallen Angel. Reaper bursts through the newly repaired door (See Fuel 2), which is now falling off its hinges again. Greenburger faints immediately.
“What the hell are you doing in here?”
“Where the hell’s Fallen Angel, you son of a bitch?”
Reaper moves to attack Deal, but is held back by Flake.
“Nein, Herr Reaper!”
“I’ve got no idea, why don’t you go and LOOK?”
Reaper glares, and leaves looking furious. He punches the door on the way out, causing the final hinge to snap, and the door falls off. Deal, Flake and Vayne stand, dumbfounded, as the door slowly collapses. Deal’s phone rings.
“Get out, I’ve been waiting for this call all day.”
“I’ll be back to talk to you later, boss man.”
Deal nods, as Vayne and Flake (Looking confused, as if he had forgot what he was there for in the first place) leave. Deal answers the phone.
“Hey Joey, how’s it going?… You’re watching the show? Great… I don’t know what’s going on with Fallen Angel. I’ve called the police; it’s their responsibility now. Wha…. Who’s that with you?
Deal holds his phone away from his ear, and a woman can be heard breathing heavily.
“It can’t be….?!? I’ll ring you later, Joey. You’re clearly quite… busy.”
He hangs up, as cameras cut to the ring, and Cyclops hits. The crowd, unsure if they should cheer or boo, emit a mixture of sounds as Ax strides to the ring, wearing his trademark mask. But instead of the usual LOD shirt, he wears an official Reaper t-shirt, with “Respect?” Written in blood red on the back. He takes the mike.
The camera views Ax up close as he looks across the audience, seeming to wonder what his actions will cause. He seems speechless.
“You know I’ve been walking around, looking at the sites of this last week, and people have done the exact same thing that all of you are doing right now. You all want to know ‘Why did you do what you did Ax? Why did you smack your best friend Reaper in the back? Why stab him in the back Ax? Are you aligned with Phillips’s ass kisser, the Real Deal? What’s wrong Ax?’ People want to know why I did what I did, but no one will have the balls to ask me.
And why won’t you ask me? The same reason why Reaper hasn’t even called me to ask why. Because even though I have given the last 30 years of my life to this business, giving up my youth to this business, I gave up my body till it was broken and bruised, crushed and smashed…….. yeah I ain’t forgot about them either. Even 30 years down the line, you, the fans of this business which I have shaped, don’t respect me. That’s all this boils down to – a little word called respect!
Crowd start to chant ass hole.
Reaper, I know you’re sat backstage somewhere watchin’ this, and I want you to listen closely. For the last 3 years I have been dragging your ass in the TWF. In fact, lets go back to when I discovered you. I saw you as being different and I trained you, and you know why I trained you Reaper… the same reason as the great Master Fuji trained me – because I respected you! But, you see, where as I respected Master Fuji, you didn’t respect me.
I see signs out there saying ‘Why Ax, Why?’ Why? Because although I should have been at the top in the old era I respected, that my time was gone and that the fresh blood that you, Reaper had, was the way to go, so I pretty much refused to fight you. In fact, the only time to my knowledge we had a singles match was for my hardcore title – and I won! The win /loss records show that I was the best, but I stood back and watched, proud. I was never as proud as when you when you won the iron man match. I was feeling great and then Prior, Austin and Corporate DX attacked me, putting me on the shelf for months. Lying at home I saw it, Reaper; you didn’t respect me or the training I gave you. Where was you when I came out of surgery? Where was Crush or Smash? There were two people there, the only two people I will ever trust other than myself. My wife and………………….(long pause)………Mr Adam Phillips. And as he is out of the game these days it looks like there’s only one man who I can trust…myself. You all wanna know whether or not I am on Simon Prior’s side, whether I have turned. I am on one mans side – MY OWN. So you fans can like it or lump it. In the end respect is earned. So Simon Prior, you can put my name into that tournament, but do it soon because when I catch up with you might not be able to write, and then I might teach you my old party trick. And Reaper – it’s time I took you back to school. Our paths will cross but I will see you soon, I will beat you because I respect you, but you don’t respect me”.
Return to Hangar hits, and Reaper makes his way to the ring. As he gets in the ring, eight refs run in and hold the two men apart, both in separate corners.
“Well, that’s a nice story there. Sounds like somebody’s spent too much time at home crying in bed. Hell, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you needed a babysitter. I figured you’re a man, just outta hospital, figured you’d wanna be on your own, build up that aggression again, come back and kick some ass. But no. What’s wrong, Ax, needed someone to hold your hand? Maybe in 30 years you haven’t actually learnt what respect really means. I respected that you shouldn’t have needed me. I respected your privacy. But I guess it’s just easier to turn your back, have a go at the only guy that would have stood up for you. The truth is I did respect you, but now you ain’t nothing but a piece of shit to me. Payback’s a bitch, boy. Whether you respect me or not, I’m gonna make you bleed.”
Ax attempts to attack Reaper, but is stopped by the mass of ref’s. Both look furious.
Cut to Deals office, where Vayne is stretching and limbering up.
“How’s it going? Are you ready for tonight?”
“Damn right I am. Tonight, I will get the job done. Flake, Ax, and Reaper are absolutely nothing in comparison to the calibre of superstar that I am. Tonight I’m going to show the world what I’m really capable of.”
He finishes warming up and exits the office, as we cut to reveal Greenburger coming out of a room, grinning happily, and talking to Mr Saddo. Ax is on a rampage looking for Reaper, throwing anything that he finds, and smashing windows and doors. He comes across Greenburger… and totally destroys him, ramming his head through a window. Greenburger is busted wide open, and Ax laughs.
Deal enters the arena to his entrance theme, and gestures to the crowd before speaking into his mike.
“Seeing as I’m a benevolent guy, I’ve decided that Greenburger will have another chance at winning a TWF contract at Brave New World against a mystery opponent, who will be revealed at the start of the event. Now to the main event – Flake, it’s time, get your ass out here.”
Flake enters to Zwitter, with full pyro and lights. He looks eager, wondering who his opponent will be. He goes to attack Deal, thinking that he is his opponent.
“No no no, not me. You’re opponent, in this no-holds barred match-up with myself as guest referee, is… REAPER.”
Return to Hangar hits, who enters in a rage, running to the ring and immediately attacks Flake.
Match: Reaper VS Flake (No Holds Barred Match, Guest ref Real Deal)
Reaper dominates the early going, clearly wishing to end the match quickly, but also to cause as much damage as possible, an anger fuelled by the Ax situation. After several punishing slams to the concrete outside the ring, Reaper attempts to get a pin, but Flake defiantly kicks out just getting a shoulder up in time. Reaper gets angrier, and smashes Flake’s head several times into the ring post. Flake manages to fight back, placing Reaper in the Stein-lock, but Reaper manages to reverse the hold. As the hold is broken, Vayne runs to the ring, and immediately starts beating on Reaper. As Reaper is staggering in the middle of the ring, Vayne elegantly swoops to the top turnbuckle, and executes the DeepVayne. At the same time, Flake runs to the corner, leaps to the top rope, and flips backwards, hitting Reaper with the Flake Splash. He covers him, and Deal counts the 1,2,3. As Flake celebrates his victory, he turns to Reaper with concern. As he attempts to assist Reaper, Deal attacks him from behind, and swiftly executing the Deal-Breaker. Vayne and Deal celebrate in the middle of the ring, as From This Day by Machine Head plays.
The camera cuts to backstage, where we see Greenburger unconscious, leaning up against the wall, violently bleeding from the head. The camera pans up to reveal Ax looking at a still picture of Reaper lying unconscious on the floor (from after the DeepVayne). Ax laughs maniacally as we fade to black.