Having pulled off the hard-fought victory, Cort stumbles to his feet and motions for a mic.

Cort: You know… I was so ready to gloat when I came out here.

Cort: I was so ready to grab this microphone and tell The Steve “that’s what you get for messing with The Sarge!”

He pauses to breathe.

Cort: But maybe… maybe not.

Cort: Tell you what, Steve. That wasn’t half bad.

Cort feels his forehead, where a trickle of blood drips down from his face-first trip to stair city.

Cort: Not bad… at all.

The Camera pans to the announce team!

	A little humility out of Cort Marshall?
	OF COURSE HE IS A PATRIOT!

The X-Tron Flickers On!

The Camera pans to the announce team!

	DAM RIGHT
	YEEAAA

The camera opens backstage, with an interviewer waiting in the background. Staring at the camera, she speaks to the OCW universe.

Interviewer: Tonight is a momentous occasion, as we celebrate our 500th episode of Riot! The card tonight is incredible and we can’t wait to see what everyone has in store for the show. This could possibly be one of the most historic nights in OCW hist-

Interviewer: Hey, hey, turn the camera, look-

Both the interviewer and cameraman turn to look at the person walking in their direction.

Interviewer: I don’t think anyone expected you to make your debut here tonight! Have you been booked this soo-

Telos: Move.

The camera follows Telos as he makes his way to the ring…

Telos: I won’t keep you long, but I need to tell a story. I need to tell my story.

Telos: When I was just a boy, I stopped having what most of you would call “dreams”. I no longer saw memories…..

Telos: I saw horrors.

Telos: And they wouldn’t stop.

Telos: No matter what I did, they would not go away. I saw shadows, I saw destruction, I saw pain, and I’ll never forget that pain.

Telos: No, I’d wake up and feel that pain deep within my body, as if it had been there all along. For years, I’d try to explain to my mother, I’d say “Ma, please.

Telos: I can’t sleep at night, I’m afraid and this pain keeps me up all the time. Please find a way to help me.” And you know what my mother did?

Telos: She’d slip sleeping pills into my dinner. To shut me up. To ignore my suffering. So there’s little ol me, unable to wake up, not able to run away from the horrors…

Telos: With that story in mind, I say this: I fought those evils, and adapted to them. I stared into the abyss, and conversed with it, and it told me my purpose.

Telos: I am to become the destruction, I am to become that pain! And now that I have signed with OCW, I’m afraid the horrors have found a new home.

Telos: My name is Telos, and I am the herald of The End.

The arena goes dark, with a single spotlight in the ring as Telos glares into the camera, arms outstretched.The camera fades to black.

The Camera pans to the announce team!

	The End eh?
	We heard that before!

Like a man on a Mission Capo races to the back to continue the longest Speakeasy his OCW History (thus far) he nears a corner and out comes H20. Capo quickly jumps on the opportunity.

Capo: H20! What’s going on? Can we ask you a few questions?

Harvey, nonchalantly spreads his jacket open and places his hands on his hips to show off The OCW World Light Heavyweight Title.

H20: H2O always has time for a fellow New Countryman.

Capo: Its Riot 500, you are the Light Heavyweight Champ!! How important is a successful title defense tonight?

H20: Capo, one thing H2O needs to make clear is that EVERY title defense is as important as the next. The Good Light needs a host who can protect its legacy.

H20: In order to do that. The host needs to be ready to do battle with anyone who seeks to tarnish, destroy or even worse...diminish The Good Light. Harvey Ocean is the man to take on that responsibility and fly with it.

Capo: Your opponent some say is DUE A WIN. Knowing his history and tough character, how hard do you think this match will be this evening?….

H20: Oh this match won’t be easy. H2O never underestimate ANY contender. Unfortunately, you yourself Capo failed to mention his name. My opponent isn’t just any opponent. It’s Bobby Minio.

Capo: While being a formidable opponent, many equate Minio’s status here in OCW to Legendary…..Your take?

H20: He’s nothing more than a legendary #1 Contender that gives champions a good sparring match. He lives in a shadow of an OCW Hall of Famer who’s retired. So he’s like a police officer responding to a call with no dispatcher. An Alfred with no Batman…

H20: Umm...wait...H2O is contradicting. Let’s just stick to “He’s a formidable opponent.”

Capo: Some say, you are the most underrated member of OCW...Most know you as a hard worker inside and outside of the ring. What is keeping your drive going as we near Wrestlelution and Summercide?

H2O takes his shades off to look Capo in the eyes.

H2O: Harvey takes one match at a time. He doesn’t look ahead to anything. Not even Lution or Summercide. His focus now is tonight, Riot 500.

Capo: Spoken like a true Gold Belt Champ!!

H20: Someone called me the “Golden Boy”. The best thing that was golden in OCW was Tiberius Octavius Dupree. H2O beat him.

H20: So if they want to call someone who has beaten a Hall of Famer, unlike some our other champions, underrated then they don’t deserve to step foot inside that ring with H2O. Let alone even speak to him.

H20: Once upon a time you had to watch the drop kick. Then we had to witness Kneezus Christ! Now it’s time to watch greatness in Hard 2 Obtain Definition.

Capo: There appears to be a lot of lets saaayyy..”FLUFF” in OCW. What are your thoughts about luke warm, watered down inconsistent gimmicks?

H20: If anyone out there who wants in on this division just know that there’s no room for mediocrity. If H2O has to work hard you better work harder.

H20: Just like what you’re doing right now, Capo!

Capo: SALUD!!! SALUD!!

H2O winks at Capo and puts his shades back on.

H20: Now with all due respect, Capo it’s a very busy night. I have to go continue my legacy elsewhere. Sit back, relax and enjoy tonight’s show.

 

The Camera pans to the announce team!

	Whoa!
	Cool Beans!

The camera cuts backstage: Valkyrie is chillin in the locker room, listening to some music, when a member of the OCW staff approaches her

OCW Staff: Take those headphones off, Valk. I’m putting you in charge of the Riot 500 Backstage Axxess Tour. Your job tonight will be to show these kids our backstage area and let them meet our wrestlers.

Valkyrie: What? Why me? I don’t have time for babysitting, not tonight at least. I still have to recover from what happened last week. I’m not in the mood.

OCW Staff: You are the only family-friendly wrestler I could find. Besides, don’t think we forgot what happened last week when you put your hands on that referee. Consider this a way to pay back your debt with OCW. Now go, the kids are waiting.

Valkyrie leaves the locker room and greets the young fans: they all have their respective name tag, with “Riot 500 Backstage Axxess Tour” written on it

Kiddo #1: Who are you? I want to see H2O, I want to see a champion!

Valkyrie: H2O is very busy tonight, kid. He has a title match later on and we can’t disturb him, but we can still find something else to do. I could show you the dressing room, the promo room, our general manager office…

Kiddo #2: You are the one that tells the stories!

Kiddo #3: Yes! Why don’t you tell us a story?

She scratches her head

Valkyrie: Sure. I could tell you about the ancient Norse Gods… Odin and Freya…

As soon as she starts narrating the story about the Norse deities, Pastor Peter approaches

Pastor Peter : Ah, Sister Valkyrie! I see you have been put in charge of these young children

Valkyrie: Erm yeah…. Hey aren’t you that new guy that claims he’s here on a mission of some sort? Pastor Pete right?

Pastor Peter: Close enough… It’s Peter, Sister.

Valkyrie: Right, You know the story behind the Norse deities Odin and Freya, correct?

Pastor Peter: Deities? Odin and Freya?

Valkyrie: Yeah, you can help me narrate and tell these children about th….

Pastor Peter interrupts Valkyrie mid sentence

Pastor Peter: Sister Valkyrie, would you not prefer to narrate something more productive to these young minds? Like parables told by Jesus Christ or Bible scriptures perhaps?

Valkyrie: Listen, Pastor. I’m sure the Backstage Axxess tour does not include a Sunday Church sermon.

Pastor Peter: But Sister Valkyrie, these children would benefit from the telling of the power of God, not Norse “deities” Odin and Freya and I’m sure they would much rather hear such as well.

Valkyrie: *SIGHS* Fine since you know so much about what the children want, why don’t you tell them about “God”

Pastor Peter: Hallelujah! Oh, what music to my ears! I never thought you’d ask!

As Valkyrie shakes her head in doubt, Pastor Peter began to narrate the Parable of “The Lost Sheep” before he was interrupted

Kiddo #1 : BORING! Who is this guy? I don’t see no championship… Has he even had a match in the OCW yet? Where’s H2O? or Kass even? Where are the main eventers?

Kiddo #2 : Valkyrie, finish off your story! You left us on a cliff hanger!

Valkyrie smirked as she seen Pastor Peter in disbelief after he had heard the comments made about his preaching

Valkyrie : Yeah so…. Norse Gods it is then...

Pastor Peter : Shhhh, These children are clearly young and don’t realize what words come out of their little mouths... If they were mature, they’d totally love it.

Valkyrie : Yeah, Yeah…. Anyways continuing on where we left on kids...

Pastor Peter : So the kids like you, huh? Surprisingly the OCW Universe does too.

Valkyrie : If you say so

Pastor Peter : And I can use that to my advantage!

Valkyrie : What?!

Pastor Peter : Lets make a bet sister, You have an ongoing rivalry against ShowBlitz, correct? Well if you lose against them, you’ll have to go to my self owned church, Peter’s Ministry for a week and give a positive review of it to the OCW Universe.

Valkyrie: What? Listen, I’ve enough problems of my own, besides I still need to figure out who they paid to assault me in that parking lot at Riot 499.

Valkyrie: Actually, you know what? Your bet is on. I’m going to send Stixx and Riley to Valhalla sooner or later and then, when that happens, you will have to tell your followers all about Norse Gods in your next sermon. How’s that, Pastor?

She turns to the kids

Valkyrie: Who wants some OCW ice cream bars? I’m buying!

The kids cheer. As they walk away with her, the camera fades out

The Camera pans to the announce team!

	Well that was unexpected!
	I love ICE-CREAM, B!

 

 

DIMSMORE vs OUR HERO

 

The Camera pans to the announce team!

	WHAT!
	HE IS DEAD!

After that match, we cut extremely abruptly to a screen of darkness and loud sounds of shuffling.

Quiet muttering is heard from an English voice before the camera suddenly tilts upwards to reveal the face of Jack Rogue, who is stood outside in a car park at night, holding a camera to his face in front of a modest crowd of fans, mostly wearing OCW merch.

Rogue: Hello, Riot 500! I’m Jack Rogue, and here are some friends I made tonight!

The OCW rookie turns the camera around and stands behind it so it can focus on the fans, who wave and cheer madly at their big moment on TV.

After a few seconds, Jack moves back into his former position, standing in front of them.

Rogue: Well, getting myself onto this show wasn’t easy.

Rogue: Management really didn’t want to know about letting me get involved tonight, so I had to find a cameraman and ask him nicely to take the night off so I could nick this thing to film with.

Rogue: Obviously, I paid him, but I hope the big bosses find this interesting enough that they decide he made the right call and give him his normal cheque too.

Rogue: So, I lugged this bloody big piece of kit out here…

Once again, Rogue turns the camera but this time slightly to the left, where the iconic silhouette of Madison Square Garden is visible against the night sky.

Rogue: …to the MSG car park, to meet these guys and say what I need to on this show.

Rogue: Ladies and gentlemen, you have technically already seen me on OCW TV in the last few weeks but I’m here to announce that my career begins in earnest at Turmoil 200.

Rogue: That is the night that I stop being ignored and I stop being overlooked. See, you guys can’t really see from your homes or your seats in the crowd that OCW has an annoying little habit of trying to put all their rookies into a neat, generic little row of yes-boys and yes-girls.

Rogue: They really want to make everyone fall into line and pay their dues. And I recently figured that, when my wrestling career began ten years ago, I picked the ring name “Jack Rogue” for a reason.

Rogue: I have never been, and will never be, someone to bow to authority. I am the rogue, I am the rebel, and from now on I will be too good to ignore.

Rogue: Damn it, I’m nearly thirty years old - I’m done blending in, I’m done saying “yes, sir” and I am done paying dues.

Rogue: You guys have seen what I’ve dealt with since I debuted on Turmoil 193.

Rogue: I beat Jimmy Henry clean as a whistle that night, then he main evented 194 where I wasn’t booked - I found my way onto that card by beating Loki, but only after he filled my kit bag with piss.

Rogue: Even after two wins, the people in suits didn’t want me on 195 either, but they did make me drive over to Riot 498 where, I’ll happily admit, I got my ass handed to me by Jett Draven.

Rogue: And then on Turmoil 198, I got thrown into a four-way where Cozz stole a W before I could break the pin.

Rogue: I get that I haven’t been around forever, but why is someone like me, trying to be straight-laced, being respectful of the people in the stands and in the back, having to fight for scraps when it’s outright arseholes, like Justin Jehst, Diamond High and Kassidy Hayes that are thriving in the spotlight?

Rogue: And, guess what, I don’t have a match on Riot’s 500th show and I almost wasn’t on Turmoil’s 200th either.

Rogue: I jumped at an open challenge from Connor Rawson just to get a match under the brightest spotlight in that program’s history.

Rogue: But I’m not just here to feel sorry for myself or moan about injustice, no. See, those events made me think about why I’m here and this…

Once again, Jack gestures to the group of fans behind him, who cheer on cue, putting a smile on Jack’s face.

Rogue: …is why. There are guys who complain all the time about “signing autographs and kissing babies” - well, that’s what I love most about this business.

Rogue: The fans are why I do this and they’re why I’m in OCW. I love OCW because they - you - love it, in your thousands.

Rogue: These guys with me tonight couldn’t even get tickets for Riot 500, they’re here early for other shows - some for Turmoil 200, some even for Wrestlution 12.

Rogue: And they’ve come to NYC from everywhere from Arkansas to Australia. You guys, the fans, love this company more than the entitled, arrogant half of the locker room does.

Rogue: I was having a great time on the UK indy scene before I got here and I could go back anytime, but OCW gets me seen by more people than anywhere else and, more importantly, gives me the chance to enthral and inspire thousands of fans of all ages.

Rogue: That’s what I strive to do. This business is about being remembered - after the bell rings and your match ends, after the lights go out and the show ends, after you hang up your boots and your career ends.

Rogue: I don’t have forever but, make no mistake, I will be remembered.

Rogue: But history is written by the victors, and that’s why I have to win at Turmoil 200. For me, in my career position, it’s all or nothing.

Rogue: Connor Rawson is a good kid, he came into this business much like I did but later, and he got to OCW way faster than me. But Connor… you don’t need this win like I do.

Rogue: For frack’s sake, we’re two white, English, pro-audience, straight-laced wrestlers - we both know OCW can’t be arsed with caring about us both.

Rogue: If wrestlers are legends fuelled by the thoughts of the fans, only one of our legends will survive our match.

Rogue: Only one of us can go down in the record books as a winner on Turmoil 200.

Rogue: Bring all you’ve got, kid… because you’ll have to take an axe and slice me in two to beat me.

With that, Jack starts walking down the line of fans, giving parting high-fives and fist-bumps.

Rogue: I don’t need a finishing catchphrase, I’m out of here for Turmoils 199 and 200. I’m going to impress, I’m going to be remembered… and I’m going to win.

Rogue: Enjoy Riot 500, everyone, and don’t forget to tune in next Friday night!

Rogue turns his camera off and the broadcast goes to black briefly, before we head back to ringside.

The Camera pans to the announce team!

	Cheap pop!
	Very Cheecky!

We pan backstage to Ryu Matsumoto preparing for a match, as he applies tape to his wrists he looks at the Camera.

RYU: When I first came to RIOT, I fought to elevate a certain Title, for the first significant part of my career.

RYU: This was a title that had been held by greats, like Majin, Malu, Aries, Vega, Strider, the list goes on and on.

RYU: By the time I had first arrived that on Riot title had fallen into obscurity.

RYU: So me and my peers fought to elevate ourselves and that Title.

RYU: Guys like me, Matsuda, Paul Pugh, Bobby Minio, EVEN Jookie Markey would walk down to that squared circle and sacrifice blood, sweat and tears to fight for the honor of carrying that Title.

RYU: Last year at Lution Matsuda passed the torch, to someone that many of us thought embodied that passion, could make the sacrifices we made.

RYU: But that person ended up being someone who wanted to check a box, someone who only cared about a belt.

RYU: So tonight, on Riot 500, I’m walking out to that squared circle ready, to sweat, to bleed, to cry, but most importantly to fight.

RYU: I’m not out there to fight for a belt, though, there will be no belt. I’m going out there to fight for a Title.

RYU: The Last EX Division Champion. 

The Camera pans to the announce team!

	Ready to rock and roll!
	I can't wait!

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