Jim Black is seen in the backstage area near the parking lot getting ready for an interview when Ashley Moore suddenly rushes through the scene towards her car. Realizing this is no normal behavior Jim follows her and tries to ask her what's going on while she starts the motor.
Jim Black: Ashley, Ashley. Do you have a second for me?
Ashley Moore: Does it look like I do?
Jim Black: Why are you running away? Do you have trouble with someone?
Ashley Moore: This wasn’t normal. That sound… It has to be a prank, but there were no speakers … and nobody else heard it.
Jim Black: What are you talking about?
Ashley Moore: Just get out of the way.
Before he can say another word Ashley drives away almost hitting the camera man.
Solomon Caine is seen washing his face in the men's washroom backstage. He looks at himself in the mirror for a second and smirks.
He dries himself off with a paper towel and leaves the men's room. As he steps out the door, he hears a constant whirring sound followed by the sounds of metallic thumps hitting the floor.
Solomon turns to his left and is shocked to find a giant metallic lion looking at him, the robotic feline known only as BUB-209. It speaks with a low pitched voice that reverberates throughout the hallway.
BUB-209: Good evening, Mr. Caine. I am BUB-209, the Cesar family's robotic companion. I have been sent here to hand you your fine for your actions last week.
Solomon: I turned myself in to the authorities last week, why do I have to pay?
BUB-209: To quote the COO, "Rules are rules".
The robot's eyes and mouth light up with a bright yellow color. After a loud grinding sound, the robot shoots out a piece of paper from its mouth, bouncing off of Solomon's leg.
BUB-209: You have two weeks to comply. Thank you for your cooperation.
The robot slowly stomps his way past Solomon as he reaches down to look at the fine.
Solomon: This is outrageous!
The mechanical beast stops for a moment.
BUB-209: Bing bong.
SUE PLEX vs. LOTUS FLOJO(FI)
We are joined backstage by KC Barrett, still recovering from his triple-threat match. A towel draped across his shoulders and a bottle of water in his hands as he takes a few sips and sits quietly on the floor.
KC Barrett: About time you finally learned to bring the camera to me. You see this where the money is right here.
KC makes the gesture of a circle around his face
KC Barrett: Now I have some business I need to discuss so let's keep that camera front and center on yours truly.
KC Barrett: But not only did I have to compete in that waste of time 3-way dance. But I also have to keep eyes in the back because of some crazy individual in his feeling about his corazon belonging to a real man back in the day.
KC Barrett: Trying to attack me with a chair because he just can't seem to fill that void I left in her life.
KC takes a few sips of his water before tossing the bottle down the hallway. Pulling his knee pads down over his boots as he begins to stretch his legs out slowly.
KC Barrett: Such a shame you had to find out this way, but hey it's not my fault you were afraid or even too scared to ask her about me.
KC Barrett: It was right in front of your face since she gave you those pictures of my young lion days back home.
KC Barrett: Might be time you loosen those laces on the back of that ugly mask you wear so you can start seeing what's going on around here…
KC Barrett: Just like how you opened my eyes with the friends you have that protect you and make sure El Primero stays on that mountaintop.
KC Barrett: Dennis does a good job of protecting you though and I'm sure next week your new pet Anthony Martin will make a moment out of making sure not to let you down.
KC Barrett: So how about we settle things like this as I have absolutely zero faith you will stand against me face to face without your friends getting involved. Plus this way you can watch first hand what I have planned for your new friend….
KC Barrett: Summercide….. El Parca & Anthony Martin vs KC Barrett of a partner of my choosing.
KC Barrett: I say a partner of my choosing as the only friend I have here in OCW, the top (G)host is already busy with bigger and better things than working with you.
KC Barrett: But remember this…What i lack in friends I make up in spades with Family here…. When you are the heir to the throne all it takes is one phone call.
KC Barrett: Now get out of here I'm tired. I just got done fighting off 3 people, which put me at a disadvantage over one eye willy and the dirty face wonder. I would scream this is a conspiracy but i feel like that's done a lot around here.
KC Barrett: But suck my dick, i said what i said.
KC waves his hand at the camera for them to leave
KC Barrett: Plus you people annoy me.
Camera pans back to ringside.
We find ourselves back at the Reese Family Farm, specifically in a barn that houses a very special animal, the animal… Goatista.
We join Mark Reese as he works, listening to the radio.
Radio: And up next we have #FREELORDSHARK with their latest track “That Jet Ski Investment Wasn’t A Good Idea”
Reese: This might be good…
Radio: Featuring guest vocals from John Carter.
Reese calmly reaches over for the radio and turns it off; smiling at the goat.
Reese: I think that’s enough music for the day, don’t you agree Goatista?
The goat bleats, and Mark nods in agreement.
Reese: Yeah. You’re probably right, I’d bet John sounds like a bag of drownin’ cats when he sings. Ain’t this nice though? Bein’ sent home, full pay until they have a match for me…
Reese puts down a screwdriver and sighs.
Reese: I don’t get why they’re protecting Kass, but they won’t let me in the buildin’ unless I have a match… So I guess I gotta have a match… Thankfully your Big God-Bubba is a friend of mine.
A beeping comes from the front pocket of Mark Reeses gigantic flannel shirt.
Reese: Hol’ up there little buddy.
Mark digs in his pockets, taking out a cell phone. He clicks it on and chuckles.
Reese: Looks like my luck is in buddy. They’re giving me the main event next week against Aries… And where Aries goes… There’ll be Sheldon… And where Sheldon goes…
Goatista bleats excitedly.
Reese: Yup! Kass won’t be far behin’. Maybe we’ll even pay your Big Bubba a visit and have ourselves a good chin wag about Summercide… Be a shame if Kass and I had to share a ring right? Who knows how much Slammin’ would go on…
Reese picks up the screwdriver and goes back to work.
Reese: But for now… We gotta get this thresher firin’.
Goatista bleats as Reese sets up fixing the thresher and we return to the arena.
The blue show rolls on and a telltale accordion jingle heralds the entrance of the North American Champion, Paul Boulet, for his Clarke Effect interview. He appears on the ramp clad more formally than usual, dressed in a dark burgundy suit with vertical stripes.
Matching smoked burgundy sunglasses complete the look, setting off against the blue theme of Turmoil and the white leather of his championship belt. He’s still loudly chewing gum, though.
He walks down the ramp to boos, but doesn’t seem bothered. His face is impassive, before breaking out into a small smirk as he enters the ring and shakes hands with Stacy Clarke.
Clarke: Welcome to the Clarke Effect, Mr. Boulet.
Paul settles into a comfortable-looking chair.
PB: It’s good to be ‘ere, Stacy. Please, call me Paul.
Clarke: All right, Paul. I’m sure some of our audience are wondering how a hockey player from Canada ends up in OCW. Let’s start with growing up. What was your childhood like?
PB: Well, like it says in my entrance, I grew up in Marieville. Supposedly a city, but it’s like, ten tousand or something. More of a town that outgrew itself, eh?
PB: You know how it is in small towns, or maybe you don’t, but you listen to Mellencamp like everybody else. People grow up, they get into cars, sports, or meth. For me it was sports.
PB: Sadly the Nordiques got moved to foutu… excusez-moi. They got moved to Colorado before I was even around. But I’d still watch the old games on tape and wish I could be like them. I wanted to be the star player, score the goals, get the girls.
PB: But life isn’t a sports movie. I grew up, by high school it was clear I wasn’t the guy who takes the puck and makes a breakaway. Didn’t get any taller, worked out plenty, but never got fast enough on the ice. Just ended up being the guy who shoves the other guys into the glass.
Clarke: Seems like you came around to maybe being proud of the role, though, considering you have yourself announced as “The Goon.”
Paul’s lip twitches and he shrugs his shoulders.
PB: Proud? I don’t know. That’s just who I am. It’s what I do. I got so good at it it started bleeding through off the ice. That’s why I ended up in wrestling.
PB: Barfight, went bad, indefinite suspension. You’re in your early 20s, didn’t go to college, professional sports career just went kaput. What do you do when you flunk out of everything but hitting people in the mouth?
He counts on his fingers.
PB: Boxing, pro wrestling, MMA. I ended up in wrestling. I think because it has had such a history in Canada that sometimes gets ignored outside the country.
Clarke: So one of your motivations is to represent Canada?
PB: Quebec specifically, but yes. Alberta can go secede if they want, we were going to do it first. From our media, to our economy, to our politics, you Americans, the size of your population, you’re like a cancerous tumour encroaching upon us.
The crowd, naturally, disagree.
PB: Don’t boo me. I’m right. Canadian politicians sell our national industries off to the highest bidder. Who’s the highest bidder? American capitalists. We produce music, movies, everything.
PB: You people film half your goddamn TV shows in Vancouver and call it Seattle, or Los Angeles, or Colorado Springs, because it would simply be unglamorous if any of these things actually HAPPENED outside of the land of the free.
PB: And the worst thing? Your politics. Every idiotic crusade your old, feeble, lead-poisoned, corn-syrup guzzling, Corvette hat-wearing, $30 scam-pillow buying populace sets off on, we find ourselves living through on tape delay.
By this point the crowd is proper mad, and Boulet looks to be losing his composure as well.
PB: Non, non, je suis désolée, Ms. Clarke, but I am ‘ijacking my own interview here. This entitlement. This attitude. This, about all of you idiots in the cheap seats and the snobs in the expensive ones, eating your marked-up popcorn, is what angers me about Viktor Karmine.
Boulet stands up out of his chair, pointing at the hardcam.
PB: He calls me arrogant. He calls me a coward. He knows nothing about me, or where I come from. All he knows is what I do in the ring, and so he is bitter. He is bitter I dismantled his hero.
He spits his gum on the ringside mats.
PB: So what! Everyone’s heroes fall, Karmine. I was dismantled last week by Smith and Williams. Some help Anthony Martin was! What did I do? I got back up. I got up stronger. Madder. I got up and I bought this damn nice suit because I wanted to look the part of the title that I hold.
PB: If AISU is the man you say he is, he will get up again and again until this masked impostor business is finished and he's the one standing tall. If you are the man you say you are, you will have no excuses or insults when I defeat you once again. Time and place, management can pick. It doesn’t matter to me.
He punctuates this by showing off the title to the cameras, raising it with one arm. Then, he turns to Stacy Clarke.
PB: I think this interview is over.
The interviewer has no response as he turns away and climbs out of the ring, stalking back up the ramp. He runs a hand through his beard, clearly perturbed.
At the top of the ramp, he stops to pose one more time with the North American Championship, aggressively pointing at it before finally exiting from view.
As we come back from commercial, the Head of the Combat Center and former North American Champion, Aisu, makes his way to the ring seemingly wanting to address the ambush he suffered 2 weeks prior.
Aisu: I can't say that I am surprised. I have yet to make it up in my head but one thing is for sure.. Whoever you are. You are right.
Aisu: Worst part of it all, it's not the first time someone accused me of abandoning them.. First Parca, then you, mystery Combat Center alumni.
Aisu: All the superstars you see on your TV, I have seen them before they were even somebody, trained some of them, but they almost all come from that one place. A place that is so precious to me, I won't ever let it go.
Aisu: Some people rumbling about how I abandoned my career and some of them to pursue what is my first love, teaching youngsters how to be better each and every day, and the respect that comes with it.
Aisu: And once I was almost forced back into action, people hate me for not being here for the younger generation..
Aisu: Such is life, I am nowhere near a "God" like you said last week, or even the best example in life, I am a man, I have my flaws, but just like I try to teach others, I primarily teach myself how to be better each and every day. Some people gonna hate you no matter what you do.
Aisu: But the point I was trying to make is:
Aisu: I am sorry.
Aisu: Whoever you are, if you felt betrayed, if you looked up to me and felt like I didn't do my job, or be the man you expected me to be, I apologize dearly. No one should feel or be left alone.
Aisu: And it saddens me. I was mad at the way you tried to express yourself, attacking me from behind while I was still hurt from my grueling match..
Aisu: But I heard what you had to say, and the way you said it, and I felt it.. You are angry at me, and that is fine, because I'll make it up to you.
Aisu: So, masked man, I invite you to this ring right now, so I can make things right, and tell you personally, I am ready to forgive you, and if you can find it in your heart to forgive me. This isn't a trap, this is about respect and being the bigger man. So, if you please..
The tron flickers and the man appears with his black and pink Aisu mask, but for some reason, it seems weird. The video from last week starts playing again, making the japanese frenchman realize that he is the one getting trapped.
But as he turns around, he is hit once again by a steel pipe, the same weapon that was used to knock him out 2 weeks ago. Holding the weapon is the same mystery man.
Aisu is laid out, face against the canvas, unconscious. The man grabs him by the neck, seemingly wanting to take the mask off Aisu's face, he brings it up to his chin, but having second thoughts, brings it back down.
He looks around the crowd in a chorus of boos that intensifies. He steps through the ropes and up the ramp, hands on his hips, shaking his head in what seems to be disappointment, then stops, looks back in the ring, Aisu still unconscious.
And in a fury of rage, runs back to the ring, picks the helpless corpse up, hooks one arm, hooks the second. He lifts him up and hits a "Wing Clipper", Aisu's signature move, before twisting him on the ground, applying a mat version of his famous "Octopus Stretch" while security and various young superstars rush to the ring to stop the madness.
The masked man releases the hold before escaping through the crowd.
