The HCW
logo flashes across the screen before giving way to a rapid montage of moments
from Reign of Champions. Championships changing hands. Bodies crashing to the
canvas. Celebrations. Disbelief. The final images give way to the familiar
electric-blue lightning of Voltage.
The
opening theme hits as the camera sweeps through the Columbia Coliseum. Fans are
on their feet, signs are raised throughout the crowd, and blue-and-gold lights
flash across the arena.
The camera
settles at the broadcast position with Sam Duffy and Rick Granger.
Sam
Duffy:
"Welcome, everyone, to HCW Voltage! I'm Sam Duffy alongside Rick Granger,
and twenty-four hours after Reign of Champions, the entire landscape of
Heritage Championship Wrestling has changed!"
Rick
Granger:
"Changed? It got turned upside down, Sam. Some people walked into Reign of
Champions thinking they were untouchable. Some of them walked out without their
championships. And some people who were already dangerous walked out with even
more power."
Sam
Duffy:
"We'll be dealing with the fallout from Reign of Champions throughout the
night, but this isn't a night for yesterday's competitors to come back out here
and do it all over again. We've got five fresh matches, including Nyx Evermore
against Chloe Parker in tonight's main event."
Rick
Granger:
"And considering what the Null Order accomplished last night, I'd say
Chloe picked a terrible night to be standing across the ring from Nyx."
Sam
Duffy:
"We'll also see Owen Zestwell return to action tonight after making his
return to HCW at Reign of Champions. Owen will face Sterling Silverman, Titan
Briggs will be in action against Azrael, and we've got plenty more coming your
way."
Rick
Granger:
"But apparently we're not starting with a match."
The crowd
reacts as Max McGillicutty's music begins to play.
Sam
Duffy:
"No, we're not, because the General Manager of HCW has asked for some time
to make what we've been told is a major announcement concerning the future of
the Convergent Championships."
Max
McGillicutty walks onto the stage with a microphone in hand. He acknowledges
the crowd before making his way down the aisle. Max enters the ring and waits
as his music fades.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Twenty-four hours ago, Reign of Champions lived up to its name."
The crowd
cheers.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Championships were defended. Championships changed hands. Careers changed
direction. But Reign of Champions is over, and starting tonight, HCW begins
moving toward our next major destination."
Max
pauses.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Convergence."
The name
gets another reaction from the crowd.
Max
McGillicutty:
"HCW and NPCW created the Convergent Championship for a reason. It’s
supposed to represent competition between two wrestling organizations, and if
you're going to hold this championship, you need to defend it."
Max
McGillicutty:
"So after discussions between HCW and NPCW, we're making a change. Going
forward, the Men's Convergent Championship must be defended once during every
two-week period."
The crowd
responds approvingly.
Sam
Duffy:
"That's significant. There won't be long stretches between defenses
anymore."
Rick
Granger:
"Which means whoever has that championship better stay ready."
Max
continues.
Max
McGillicutty:
"But that's only the beginning."
Max pauses
as the crowd settles.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Because when the Convergent Championship was created, there was something
missing."
Max
McGillicutty:
"HCW and NPCW have two of the strongest women's divisions in professional
wrestling. Yet when it came to the Convergent Championship, those women never
had the opportunity to compete for one of their own."
The crowd
begins reacting as they realize where Max is going.
Max
McGillicutty:
"That's about to change."
The
reaction grows louder.
Max
McGillicutty:
"HCW and NPCW have agreed to create the Women's Convergent Championship."
The
Columbia Coliseum erupts.
Sam
Duffy:
"How about that!"
Rick
Granger:
"Now we're talking."
Max
McGillicutty:
"Just like the Men's Convergent Championship, this championship won't
belong exclusively to HCW or NPCW. It will exist between both promotions, and
the women from both companies will have the opportunity to fight for the right
to hold it."
Max
McGillicutty:
"And we're not simply going to pick somebody and hand her a championship
match."
Max
McGillicutty:
"She's going to earn it."
Max allows
another cheer to build.
Max
McGillicutty:
"On November 21st and 22nd, HCW and NPCW will meet at Convergence. And
we're going to determine who represents Heritage Championship Wrestling for the
Women's Convergent Championship."
That draws
a louder reaction.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Beginning next week and continuing across Live Wire, Voltage and
Shockwave, HCW will hold four qualifying Battle Royals."
Max
McGillicutty:
"Twenty women in each one."
The crowd
buzzes.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Win the Battle Royal, and you've earned one of four qualifying positions.
If you don't win, your opportunity isn't necessarily over. As long as you're
eligible and another qualifying Battle Royal remains, you can enter
again."
Rick
Granger:
"Now I like that."
Sam
Duffy:
"You could fail once, twice, even three times and still have one final
opportunity to qualify."
Max
McGillicutty:
"And I'm adding something else."
Max raises
a finger.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Because sometimes getting all the way to the end of a twenty-woman Battle
Royal and being the last person eliminated deserves more than a pat on the
back."
Max
McGillicutty:
"The runner-up from each of those four Battle Royals will qualify for a
Wild Card match."
Another
murmur spreads through the Coliseum.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Four women. One match. One winner."
Max
McGillicutty:
"And the woman who wins that Wild Card will get something nobody else
gets."
Max
pauses.
Max
McGillicutty:
"She gets to choose."
Max
McGillicutty:
"She will select one of the four Battle Royal winners and challenge that
woman for her place in the Final Four."
Sam
Duffy:
"Wow."
Rick
Granger:
"Now that changes things."
Max
McGillicutty:
"Win your Battle Royal and you've earned your position—but you'd better
protect it. Because if the Wild Card winner chooses you and beats you, she
doesn't just join the Final Four."
Max
McGillicutty:
"She takes your exact spot."
The crowd
reacts loudly.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Once those four positions are finalized, number one will face number
four, and number two will face number three."
Max
McGillicutty:
"And there won't be a disqualification to save you. There won't be a clock
to save you. Both semifinal matches will be No Disqualification and No Time
Limit."
Max lets
that sink in.
Max
McGillicutty:
"The winners advance to the HCW Final."
"That
match will also be No Disqualification. No Time Limit. There will be a
winner."
"And
that winner will represent Heritage Championship Wrestling at Convergence for
the Women's Convergent Championship."
The crowd
cheers again, but Max isn't finished.
Max
McGillicutty:
"There's one more rule everyone needs to understand."
Max
McGillicutty:
"A woman who currently holds an HCW championship cannot enter one of the
qualifying Battle Royals."
Max
McGillicutty:
"But a lot can happen between September and November."
Max
McGillicutty:
"So let's say one of our qualifiers earns her place and then goes on to
win an HCW championship before Convergence."
Max nods.
Max
McGillicutty:
"She will leave the Convergent field—and the woman she defeated for that
HCW championship will take her exact position."
Rick
Granger:
"Oh, that's beautiful."
Sam
Duffy:
"I don't know if beautiful is the word I'd use."
Rick
Granger:
"Think about it, Sam. You could lose a championship and find out five
minutes later that you've just inherited somebody else's path to
Convergence."
Max
McGillicutty:
"Four Battle Royals. Four winners. Four runners-up with one more chance. A
Wild Card that can steal somebody's place. Then four women left standing."
Max
McGillicutty:
"And eventually, one."
Max looks
toward the hard camera.
Max
McGillicutty:
"One woman who gets to walk into Convergence carrying the name of Heritage
Championship Wrestling with her."
The crowd
cheers as Max lowers the microphone.
Max
McGillicutty:
"Good luck, ladies."
Max's
music hits again. He steps through the ropes and begins making his way up the
aisle.
Sam
Duffy:
"That is a massive road Max McGillicutty has just laid out. Four
twenty-woman Battle Royals across all three HCW programs, a Wild Card match,
the possibility of a qualifier having to defend her position, and then No
Disqualification, No Time Limit matches to determine who represents HCW at
Convergence."
Rick
Granger:
"And don't overlook the managers, Sam. They can't interfere in a Battle
Royal. Once their client gets through that stage? Different story."
Sam
Duffy:
"That's a discussion for another night. The road to Convergence is coming,
but we've got business to handle tonight. Reign of Champions is behind us, a
new chapter of HCW starts right now, and when we return, Dirty Dick Albano,
accompanied by Pierre Boulay, takes on Blake Hill!"
The camera
cuts to the crowd as Voltage prepares for its first match.
The
opening notes of Blake "Oak Tree" Hill's entrance music hit, drawing
a warm response from the Columbia Coliseum. Hill steps onto the stage and
raises one thick arm before heading toward the ring. There is nothing flashy
about his approach. The powerfully built Hill slaps a few hands along the
aisle, climbs onto the apron and steps through the ropes.
Sam
Duffy:
"Blake Hill gets the first match of the post-Reign of Champions era, and
this is a man who has shown that if you let him build momentum, stopping him
becomes a serious problem."
Rick
Granger:
"Which is why you don't let him build momentum. You're talking about a big
oak tree? Fine. Chop it down before it falls on you."
Hill
settles into his corner as his music fades.
The mood
in the arena changes when "Dirty" Dick Albano emerges from backstage.
Pierre Boulay follows closely behind him, impeccably dressed and looking
considerably more pleased with himself than the fans are to see either man.
Albano
sneers at the crowd as he makes his way toward ringside. Pierre says something
quietly to him before Albano climbs onto the apron and enters. Hill watches
from across the ring while Pierre takes his position at ringside.
Sam
Duffy:
"And whenever Pierre Boulay is standing out there, Blake Hill isn't
dealing with only one problem."
Rick
Granger:
"Pierre is a manager. Managing is his job."
Sam
Duffy:
"There's managing, and then there's what Pierre Boulay usually does."
Referee
"Honest" Abe checks both competitors and calls for the bell.
Albano
immediately tries to make the match uncomfortable. A knee dropped across Hill's
throat establishes his intentions, but Hill answers with one of his heavy
chops. That becomes the pattern of the opening minutes. Albano wants to grind,
gouge and frustrate; Hill wants to get his hands on him and make every clean
shot count.
Hill
begins winning that exchange.
Repeated
chops hammer Albano backward, and Hill's swinging neckbreaker catches him
cleanly. When Albano tries to slow things down, Hill keeps coming. The
"Oak Tree" uses his size to run through Albano with a standing
bodyblock before following with a leg drop.
Sam
Duffy:
"Blake Hill isn't giving Albano an opportunity to dictate this
match."
Rick
Granger:
"He'd better be careful. Dick doesn't need to overpower Hill. He needs to
make him angry enough to make a mistake."
Albano
gets exactly that kind of opening when the fight spills toward the ropes. He
sends Hill crashing outside and then drives him headfirst into the ring post.
"Honest"
Abe begins his count.
Hill
shakes away the effects and gets himself back inside at five.
Sam
Duffy:
"Albano tried to change the complexion of this match on the floor, but
Hill isn't staying down."
Back
inside, Hill quickly reasserts himself. Another bodyblock sends Albano
sprawling, and a leg drop follows. Albano's increasingly desperate response
says plenty about how the match is going. A thumb finds Hill's eye. Then
another. An eye gouge creates separation whenever Hill starts building
momentum.
Rick
Granger:
"That's experience, Sam. You can complain about the eyes all you want, but
Dick keeps finding a way to stop a much bigger man."
Sam
Duffy:
"By breaking the rules."
Rick
Granger:
"I didn't say it was sportsmanship."
Hill
refuses to be frustrated out of his game. Another swinging neckbreaker puts
Albano down, and when Hill drops the leg again, he hooks the leg.
"Honest"
Abe counts.
One.
Two.
Albano
gets a shoulder up.
Hill rises
immediately, but as the action drifts toward Pierre's side of the ring, Boulay
finally makes his presence felt. With Abe's attention elsewhere, Pierre catches
Hill with a kick to the ribs.
Sam
Duffy:
"There! That's exactly what I was talking about!"
Rick
Granger:
"I didn't see anything."
Sam
Duffy:
"Of course you didn't."
The
interference buys Albano some breathing room, but it doesn't turn the match
around. Hill keeps forcing Albano to absorb punishment. Albano manages one
particularly sharp counter when he reverses another attempted neckbreaker and
drills Hill with a closed right hand, but he can't sustain control.
The longer
the match goes, the more it becomes a test of whether Albano's shortcuts can
finally wear down the "Oak Tree."
Albano
rakes the eyes again. He buries his thumb into Hill's face from a side
headlock. When Hill tries another leg drop, Albano rolls away and immediately
traps him, grinding another thumb toward the eye before Hill can recover.
Sam
Duffy:
"Albano is doing everything possible to take away Hill's vision and break
his concentration."
Rick
Granger:
"And it's working. Hill was running him over earlier. Now Dick has him
fighting at Dick's pace."
Albano
follows with a rising knee that catches Hill hard. He clamps on a smothering
chinlock, forcing Hill to carry his weight while Pierre shouts encouragement
from the floor.
But Hill
keeps moving.
He works
his way free and blasts Albano with another ring-rope clothesline. Albano comes
back with yet another thumb to the eye, but Hill absorbs it and refuses to let
him escape.
Twenty
minutes into the fight, Albano tries to reset himself.
Hill
doesn't give him the chance.
The
"Oak Tree" surges forward.
Albano
turns—
WHAM!
Hill
drives his entire frame through Albano with a massive standing bodyblock.
Albano
hits the canvas.
Hill
covers.
One!
Two!
Three!
The bell
rings.
Sam
Duffy:
"Blake Hill got him! Twenty minutes of fighting through every shortcut
Albano and Pierre could throw at him, and the Oak Tree is still standing!"
Rick
Granger:
"I'll give Hill this much—Dick had plenty of opportunities to frustrate
him into making a mistake, and Hill never did."
Hill
pushes himself to his feet as "Honest" Abe raises his arm. The crowd
applauds the hard-earned victory while Albano rolls toward the ropes.
Winner:
Blake "Oak Tree" Hill via pinfall at 20:00 after a Standing
Bodyblock.
Pierre
Boulay quickly approaches the apron and begins talking to Albano. Dick stares
across the ring at Hill, his expression twisting as Hill continues celebrating.
For a
moment, it looks as though Albano is going back after him.
Pierre
climbs onto the apron and catches Dick's attention. He speaks urgently into
Albano's ear.
Albano
looks at Pierre.
Then back
at Hill.
Dick's jaw
tightens.
He spits
toward the canvas, shoves the ropes apart and steps through them.
Sam
Duffy:
"Maybe for once, Pierre Boulay is giving good advice."
Rick
Granger:
"There's nothing to gain by attacking him now. Dick lost. Get out of here,
figure out what went wrong and deal with it another day."
Albano
storms up the aisle without acknowledging anyone. Pierre hops down from the
apron and has to move quickly to catch up, following several steps behind his
furious client.
Hill
remains in the ring, watching them leave before raising an arm to the crowd
once more.
Sam
Duffy:
"Blake Hill opens Voltage with a victory, and judging by the look on Dirty
Dick Albano's face, I don't think he's going to enjoy the trip home."
Rick
Granger:
"Pierre might want to sit in a different car."
Voltage
cuts away as Hill celebrates.
Voltage
returns from commercial with another wide shot of the Columbia Coliseum. The
camera briefly catches Blake Hill making his way through the curtain after his
victory before returning to Sam Duffy and Rick Granger at ringside.
Sam
Duffy:
"Welcome back to Voltage. Blake Hill has just picked up a hard-earned
victory over Dirty Dick Albano, and Rick, twenty minutes against Albano is
difficult enough without Pierre Boulay getting involved from ringside."
Rick
Granger:
"And Blake survived it. Give the man his credit. Pierre found an opening,
Dick tried every trick he had, and Hill still put him down."
Sam
Duffy:
"Albano certainly didn't take the loss well."
Rick
Granger:
"Why should he? You don't have to smile and shake somebody's hand after
they beat you. Pierre got him out of there before Dick did something he'd
regret. That's probably the smartest thing Pierre has done all night."
Sam
Duffy:
"And we're only getting started. Still to come tonight, Owen Zestwell
competes in an HCW ring for the first time since returning at Reign of
Champions. He'll face Sterling Silverman."
Rick
Granger:
"I want to see what Owen actually has left. Showing up is one thing.
Wrestling after being gone is another."
Sam
Duffy:
"Titan Briggs of the Null Order will also be in action against Azrael, and
later tonight Nyx Evermore faces Chloe Parker in our main event."
Rick
Granger:
"After what the Null Order accomplished at Reign of Champions, everybody
in HCW should be paying attention whenever one of them walks through that
curtain."
Sam
Duffy:
"And coming up next, we've got tag-team action. Bruiser 'Cauliflower'
McPugg joins forces with the Rumbling Rebel, Leopold Dilg, to take on Doofus
Covfefe and Waldo Winchester."
Rick
Granger:
"I don't know whether that's a tag-team match or the beginning of a very
strange joke."
Sam
Duffy:
"Either way, it's next on Voltage."
The camera
pulls away from the commentary desk as Voltage prepares for its second match.
Doofus
Covfefe's music hits, drawing immediate boos from the Columbia Coliseum. Doofus
emerges with Waldo Winchester alongside him, confidently pointing toward
himself as Waldo waves to a crowd that wants nothing to do with either man.
Halfway
down the aisle, Doofus produces a microphone.
Doofus
Covfefe:
"Everybody knows this is the greatest tag team ever assembled. Very
important wrestling people have told me. They said, 'Sir, nobody has ever seen
a team like you and Waldo.' It's true."
Waldo
enthusiastically nods.
Doofus
Covfefe:
"McPugg and Leopold? Terrible team. Total disaster. McPugg has very
strange ears. Maybe the strangest ears in wrestling. And Leopold—"
Doofus
pauses and shakes his head.
Doofus
Covfefe:
"Leopold."
Sam
Duffy:
"What does that even mean?"
Rick
Granger:
"I think the meaning is obvious."
Doofus
Covfefe:
"We're going to win so much tonight they may have to stop the match
because we're winning too much."
Doofus
hands the microphone away and heads into the ring with Waldo.
Sam
Duffy:
"I understood every word individually. Together, I'm not so sure."
The music
changes and the crowd cheers as Leopold Dilg emerges, followed by Bruiser
"Cauliflower" McPugg. The unlikely partners head directly toward the
ring.
Doofus
points toward Bruiser's cauliflower ears and laughs.
Bruiser
stops.
He stares
at Doofus.
The smile
disappears from Doofus's face.
Rick
Granger:
"Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned the ears."
Sam
Duffy:
"That's the first sensible thing you've said since they came out."
Bruiser
marches toward the ring with Leopold following close behind. They climb inside
as Doofus and Waldo retreat to their corner.
Sam
Duffy:
"Bruiser McPugg and Leopold Dilg against Doofus Covfefe and Waldo
Winchester. Let's get this one underway."
The
referee checks both teams and signals for the bell.
The bell
sounds, and Bruiser McPugg wastes no time testing Doofus Covfefe's pre-match
claims. Bruiser catches him almost immediately and plants him with a power
bomb, sending Doofus scrambling to his corner and tagging Waldo Winchester into
the match.
Sam
Duffy:
"So much for winning too much."
Rick
Granger:
"It's the first minute, Sam. You can't judge greatness that quickly."
Waldo
fares little better against Bruiser's power, although his willingness to bend
the rules gives the heels their first opening. A low blow slows McPugg long
enough for Doofus and Waldo to begin using quick tags and questionable
teamwork. At one point, the two trap Bruiser together, with Waldo attacking low
while Doofus bellows "YOU'RE FIRED!" from beside him.
Sam
Duffy:
"Somebody might want to explain to Doofus that he doesn't actually employ
Bruiser."
Rick
Granger:
"Details."
The
advantage doesn't last. Bruiser fights through their double-team attempt and
spends much of the next several minutes absorbing whatever Doofus and Waldo can
manufacture before answering with sheer physical force. Leopold Dilg gets his
opportunities as well, using suplexes to keep both opponents off balance
whenever Bruiser makes the tag.
Despite
having little experience together, Bruiser and Leopold gradually begin looking
surprisingly comfortable as a team. Bruiser provides the raw force while
Leopold brings a steadier approach, and neither man seems interested in getting
dragged into the chaos Doofus and Waldo prefer.
Bruiser
nearly puts Waldo away around the ten-minute mark, but Winchester escapes.
Another cover shortly afterward turns into trouble when Doofus reverses it,
only for Bruiser to kick out immediately.
Sam
Duffy:
"Doofus and Waldo aren't controlling this match, but they keep finding
ways to survive."
Rick
Granger:
"That's what great teams do."
Sam
Duffy:
"They've spent most of this match getting thrown around."
Rick
Granger:
"And they're still here."
Leopold
takes over and keeps the pressure on Waldo. He and Bruiser even manage a brief
coordinated attack of their own, with Leopold's vertical suplex setting Waldo
up for a shot from McPugg. Waldo survives again, then reverses another pinning
situation before escaping to Doofus.
Doofus
immediately changes tactics and hurls Leopold over the top rope. Dilg lands
hard on the floor, but he's back inside at two and refuses to give Covfefe the
satisfaction of thinking he's accomplished something.
By the
time the match passes eighteen minutes, the pace begins to take its toll.
Bruiser and Doofus trade heavy offense, and Bruiser eventually catches Covfefe
with another power bomb.
McPugg
covers.
One!
Two!
Waldo
dives in and makes the save.
Sam
Duffy:
"That was it! Waldo Winchester just saved this match for his team."
Rick
Granger:
"You see? Tag-team instincts!"
Both teams
make changes, and Leopold immediately drops Waldo with another vertical suplex.
Waldo kicks out at two. Doofus tags in and suffers the same fate moments later,
barely escaping Leopold's next cover.
Bruiser
reaches out from the corner.
Leopold
makes the tag.
Doofus
immediately wants Waldo.
Rick
Granger:
"Strategic adjustment."
Sam
Duffy:
"Doofus wants absolutely nothing to do with Bruiser McPugg."
Waldo
enters and tries another low blow as Bruiser closes in. It lands—but this time
it doesn't stop McPugg.
Bruiser
grabs him.
He
launches Waldo backward with a backdrop suplex and folds him onto the canvas.
Bruiser
hooks the leg.
One!
Two!
Three!
The bell
rings as Leopold steps through the ropes to join his partner.
Sam
Duffy:
"Bruiser McPugg and Leopold Dilg get it done!"
Rick
Granger:
"I'll admit it. For two guys who aren't an established team, they worked
together pretty well."
Sam
Duffy:
"Twenty-three minutes, plenty of shortcuts from Doofus and Waldo, and in
the end Bruiser McPugg simply proved too much for Waldo Winchester."
Winners:
Bruiser "Cauliflower" McPugg & Leopold Dilg via pinfall at 23:00
after McPugg pinned Waldo Winchester with a Backdrop Suplex.
Leopold
raises an arm while Bruiser gets back to his feet. The two exchange a look and
then a satisfied nod. They may have entered tonight as an unlikely combination,
but the result speaks for itself.
Across the
ring, Doofus is already arguing that something has gone terribly wrong while
Waldo remains sprawled on the canvas.
Sam
Duffy:
"Doofus promised us the greatest tag team ever assembled."
Rick
Granger:
"He'll probably tell you they won."
Sam
Duffy:
"Somehow, I don't doubt that."
Bruiser
and Leopold leave together to a positive reaction from the crowd as Voltage
moves on.
Backstage
— Luciana Albano
Backstage,
Larry Morton stands with former World Ladies Champion Luciana Albano and Pierre
Boulay. Luciana's expression makes it clear that neither the championship loss
nor the prospect of discussing it has improved her mood.
Larry
Morton:
"Luciana, last night at Reign of Champions, Aurora Storm defeated you to
become the new World Ladies Champion. After having some time to process what
happened, where does that leave you tonight?"
Luciana
slowly turns her head toward Larry.
Luciana
Albano:
"Did you really just ask me where that leaves me?"
Larry
Morton:
"I did."
Luciana
Albano:
"It leaves me exactly where I was before Reign of Champions, Larry. At the
top of this division."
Larry
Morton:
"Except without the World Ladies Championship."
Pierre's
eyebrows rise.
Luciana
glares at Larry.
Luciana
Albano:
"Very observant."
Luciana
Albano:
"Aurora Storm had one good night. Congratulations to her. Everything went
exactly the way she needed it to go, and now she gets to walk around pretending
that one victory suddenly makes her better than Luciana Albano."
Luciana
scoffs.
Luciana
Albano:
"It doesn't."
Pierre
Boulay:
"Of course it doesn't."
Pierre
Boulay:
"Championships can change hands in one match, Larry. Class does not.
Talent does not. Superiority does not."
Larry
Morton:
"Whether you agree with it or not, Pierre, Aurora is the champion."
Pierre
Boulay:
"For the moment."
Luciana
smiles slightly.
Luciana
Albano:
"That's the part Aurora should be thinking about."
Luciana
Albano:
"She can take pictures with the championship. She can listen to everybody
tell her how wonderful she is. She can enjoy every second of her little
celebration."
Luciana
Albano:
"Because eventually, she's going to have to step back into a ring."
Larry
Morton:
"Are you asking Max McGillicutty for a rematch?"
Luciana
Albano:
"Why would Luciana Albano have to ask for anything?"
Pierre
smiles approvingly.
Luciana
Albano:
"I was the World Ladies Champion. Aurora beat me. If anybody thinks that
means I'm supposed to quietly move aside while the rest of this division lines
up in front of her, they're even more delusional than she is."
Luciana
steps closer to Larry.
Luciana
Albano:
"Aurora has something that belongs with me."
Luciana
Albano:
"She should enjoy holding it while she can."
Luciana
walks away. Pierre pauses beside Larry.
Pierre
Boulay:
"I believe that answers your question."
Pierre
follows Luciana out of frame.
Larry
Morton:
"I believe it does."
The camera
returns to ringside.
Voltage
returns to ringside with Sam Duffy and Rick Granger.
Sam
Duffy:
"Welcome back to Voltage. Strong words from Luciana Albano, who clearly
doesn't believe losing the World Ladies Championship has changed her position
in HCW's women's division."
Rick
Granger:
"Why should it? Aurora Storm beat her once. Luciana didn't suddenly forget
how to wrestle when the referee counted three."
Sam
Duffy:
"No, but there's a difference between believing you still belong near the
top and acting as though the championship still belongs to you."
Rick
Granger:
"Luciana's just reminding Aurora not to get comfortable."
Sam
Duffy:
"Well, we'll see where that situation goes. Right now, it's time for our
third match of the evening, and the Null Order is about to make its first
appearance tonight."
Azrael's
music hits, drawing cheers from the Columbia Coliseum.
Azrael
emerges onto the stage and pauses beneath the lights before beginning his walk
toward the ring. His attention remains fixed ahead as he makes his way down the
aisle.
Sam
Duffy:
"Azrael has a formidable assignment in front of him tonight. Titan Briggs
is one of the most physically imposing members of the HCW roster."
Rick
Granger:
"And Azrael knows he isn't just wrestling Titan Briggs. Whenever you see
the Null Order, you have to be aware of everything around you."
Azrael
enters the ring and moves to his corner as his music fades.
The arena
darkens.
The
reaction immediately turns hostile as the Null Order's music begins.
Titan
Briggs steps through the curtain, with Lazarus Blackstar emerging behind him.
Titan stops on the stage and stares toward the ring while Lazarus stands
several steps behind his Enforcer, quietly surveying the scene.
Sam
Duffy:
"What a weekend it has already been for the Null Order. At Reign of
Champions, Ambrose Chapel and Dorian Vire captured the World Tag Team
Championship."
Rick
Granger:
"And now Titan gets his opportunity to keep that momentum going. This is
what makes the Null Order dangerous, Sam. One part succeeds, and suddenly
everybody in that group starts walking a little taller."
Sam
Duffy:
"Lazarus Blackstar wasn't physically involved in that championship match
last night, but you can guarantee he took great satisfaction in watching
Ambrose and Dorian leave with those titles."
Titan
marches toward the ring without taking his eyes off Azrael. Lazarus follows at
a measured pace.
Azrael
doesn't retreat as Titan reaches ringside.
Rick
Granger:
"Look at the difference in size."
Sam
Duffy:
"Azrael knew exactly what he was signing up for. If Titan Briggs expects
him to be intimidated, I don't think he's going to get that satisfaction."
Titan
steps over the ropes and enters the ring. Lazarus takes his position on the
floor while Titan moves toward his corner.
Azrael and
Titan stare across the ring at one another.
Sam
Duffy:
"Azrael against Titan Briggs of the Null Order. Let's get to it."
The
referee checks both competitors and calls for the bell.
The bell
rings, and Titan Briggs and Azrael waste no time feeling one another out. Titan
immediately tries to impose his size and power, but Azrael refuses to be
overwhelmed. Titan's opening powerbomb is answered by a slingshot suplex,
establishing what quickly becomes the story of the match: every time Titan
appears ready to physically take over, Azrael finds a way to answer.
Titan
throws Azrael around with deadlift German suplexes, short-arm lariats and a
spinebuster, but Azrael continually fights back. A spear rocks the massive
Enforcer, and another later in the match puts Titan down again.
Sam
Duffy:
"Azrael isn't trying to avoid Titan's power. He's standing in there and
challenging him."
Rick
Granger:
"Which is either courageous or incredibly stupid. Give me another ten
minutes and I'll tell you which."
Those ten
minutes don't provide Rick with an easy answer. Titan continues landing the
heavier blows, but Azrael proves remarkably difficult to keep down. Titan
eventually plants him with another spinebuster and covers, only for Azrael to
kick out almost immediately.
Lazarus
Blackstar remains mostly restrained at ringside, watching his Enforcer work.
His presence is impossible to ignore, however, and on more than one occasion
Lazarus draws "Honest" Abe's attention while Titan regroups.
Sam
Duffy:
"Lazarus hasn't needed to do much physically, but he has a way of making
himself part of everything happening around that ring."
Rick
Granger:
"That's why he's standing there. Titan does the damage. Lazarus makes sure
the circumstances remain favorable."
Azrael
keeps refusing to go away. He catches Titan with another slingshot suplex and
tries a cover, but Titan powers out. Titan responds with an F10 and a back
suplex before drilling Azrael with another F10.
Still,
Azrael fights.
Titan
eventually chokeslams him, only for Azrael to recover quickly enough to send
the Enforcer tumbling to the floor. Titan barely acknowledges the setback and
climbs back inside at seven.
The match
reaches twenty-five minutes, and Azrael finds another opening. He catches Titan
with Vengeance and covers.
One!
Two!
Titan
kicks out.
Sam
Duffy:
"Azrael almost had him!"
Rick
Granger:
"And look at Lazarus. He's not panicking."
Titan
comes back violently. An Alabama Slam stops Azrael's momentum, followed shortly
afterward by another Splash Mountain Powerbomb. Azrael somehow answers with
Vengeance again, but the punishment is clearly beginning to accumulate.
Then
Lazarus decides that observation is no longer enough.
As
"Honest" Abe's attention is diverted, Lazarus slips something into
Titan's hand.
Sam
Duffy:
"Wait a minute! What did Lazarus just give him?"
Rick
Granger:
"I didn't see anything."
Sam
Duffy:
"You never do!"
Azrael
turns toward Titan.
Titan
strikes.
Azrael
crumples to the canvas.
Whatever
Lazarus supplied disappears before "Honest" Abe turns back toward the
action.
Titan
drops down and hooks the leg.
One!
Two!
Three!
The bell
rings.
Sam
Duffy:
"Come on! Twenty-eight minutes! Azrael fought that monster for
twenty-eight minutes, and this is how the Null Order gets the victory?"
Rick
Granger:
"The referee counted three, Sam."
Sam
Duffy:
"After Lazarus handed Titan something!"
Rick
Granger:
"Allegedly."
Winner:
Titan "The Enforcer" Briggs w/Lazarus Blackstar via pinfall at 28:00
following assistance from Lazarus Blackstar.
"Honest"
Abe raises Titan's arm while Lazarus watches from the floor. There is no
prolonged celebration. Titan steps through the ropes and joins Lazarus, and the
two members of the Null Order make their way toward the back.
Azrael
slowly sits up in the ring, holding his head as he realizes what happened. He
glares toward the aisle, but Titan and Lazarus are already disappearing through
the curtain.
Sam
Duffy:
"Azrael deserved better than that tonight."
Rick
Granger:
"He deserved whatever the result says he deserved. Titan Briggs won."
Sam
Duffy:
"And you don't care how."
Rick
Granger:
"I've never seen an asterisk on a win-loss record."
Azrael
eventually gets back to his feet. The crowd applauds his effort as he leaves
the ring and heads backstage, leaving ringside empty for the next portion of
Voltage.
Backstage,
Larry Morton stands beside Owen Zestwell. There is an obvious energy around
Owen's return. After months away from HCW recovering from injury—and pursuing
opportunities in Hollywood—he made his presence known again at Reign of
Champions. Tonight, he is about to step back into an HCW ring as a competitor.
Larry
Morton:
"Owen, last night at Reign of Champions, HCW fans saw you for the first
time in months. Tonight, you're officially back in action. How does it
feel?"
Owen
Zestwell:
"It feels like I've been away too long, Larry."
Larry
Morton:
"Last time we saw you competing regularly, you were dealing with the
injury that eventually took you out of action. A lot has changed in HCW since
then."
Owen
Zestwell:
"I've been watching."
Owen
smiles.
Owen
Zestwell:
"I might've been on a movie set, but I didn't fall off the planet."
Larry
Morton:
"Since you brought it up, I have to ask. How's the movie?"
Owen's
smile gets a little bigger.
Owen
Zestwell:
"Post-production is going great."
Larry
waits.
Owen
waits.
Larry
Morton:
"That's all you're giving me?"
Owen
Zestwell:
"That's all they're letting me give you."
Owen
laughs.
Owen
Zestwell:
"Hollywood was an experience. I got to do something I never thought I'd
get the chance to do. But somewhere between standing around waiting for
somebody to fix the lighting and doing the same scene fourteen times, I started
missing this place."
Larry
Morton:
"And you chose Reign of Champions to make sure everybody knew you were
back."
Owen's
expression becomes more serious.
Owen
Zestwell:
"I wasn't interested in quietly walking through the back door."
Owen
Zestwell:
"I left HCW because I had to. I came back because I was ready."
Larry
Morton:
"Tonight, that return becomes official against Sterling Silverman."
Owen
Zestwell:
"Sterling's good. I'm not going to pretend I've been wrestling every week
while I've been gone. There's a difference between being cleared, being in
shape and being match-ready."
Owen looks
toward the direction of the arena.
Owen
Zestwell:
"There's only one way to find out if I'm match-ready."
Larry
Morton:
"And that's?"
Owen
Zestwell:
"Ring the bell."
Owen gives
Larry a nod and heads toward the arena.
Larry
Morton:
"Owen Zestwell returns to competition next, here on Voltage."
The camera
cuts back to ringside.
Sam
Duffy:
"Owen Zestwell sounds ready, but he made an important point there. Being
medically cleared and being ready for an HCW match are two different
things."
Rick
Granger:
"And Sterling Silverman isn't here to be part of Owen's comeback story.
Everybody's excited Owen went to Hollywood. Wonderful. Congratulations.
Sterling's been here."
Sam
Duffy:
"Well, we're about to find out exactly where Owen Zestwell stands."
Sterling
Silverman's music begins to play.
Silverman
emerges onto the stage and takes a moment to soak in the booing before heading
toward the ring. He carries himself with the confidence of someone who has no
intention of being treated as a supporting player in somebody else's return.
Rick
Granger:
"This is what I'm talking about. All anybody wants to discuss is Owen
coming back. If I'm Sterling Silverman, that irritates me."
Sam
Duffy:
"Then he has an opportunity to do something about it."
Silverman
enters the ring and settles into his corner.
The crowd
rises as Owen Zestwell's music hits.
Owen steps
through the curtain to a strong welcome from the Columbia Coliseum. He pauses
briefly on the stage, taking in the reaction before starting down the aisle.
Sam
Duffy:
"It's been a long road back, but for the first time in months, Owen
Zestwell is walking toward an HCW ring to compete."
Rick
Granger:
"And now we find out whether we've got Owen Zestwell the wrestler back—or
Owen Zestwell the actor playing one."
Owen
reaches ringside, climbs onto the apron and steps through the ropes. He looks
across at Silverman before moving into his corner.
Sam
Duffy:
"Owen Zestwell against Sterling Silverman. Owen's return to competition
happens right now."
The
referee checks both men and signals for the bell.
The bell
rings, and Owen Zestwell's return immediately runs into resistance. Owen tries
to start quickly with a dropkick, but Sterling Silverman sees it coming,
counters and plants him with a swinging neckbreaker.
Rick
Granger:
"There's your ring rust."
Sam
Duffy:
"One counter doesn't make ring rust."
Rick
Granger:
"You asked whether Hollywood Owen could still wrestle. Sterling just gave
you the opening review."
Owen
quickly settles down. A bodyslam and Jersey Driver show that the explosiveness
is still there, but Silverman continues making him work for everything. The
Silicon Tycoon answers with his Tech Wreck Sidekick, Silicon Slam and Digital
Decimator, turning Owen's return into a much tougher test than a celebratory
homecoming.
Around the
nine-minute mark, Owen begins finding his rhythm. He traps Silverman in the
Orange Squeeze and keeps returning to the hold as Sterling desperately refuses
to submit. Owen finally releases it and follows with the Orange Juicer, but
Silverman survives.
Sam
Duffy:
"This is exactly what Owen needed tonight. Not an easy return—a
test."
Rick
Granger:
"Careful what you wish for. Sterling's passing a few tests of his
own."
Silverman
proves him right. He battles back with another neckbreaker and Silicon Slam,
then later catches Owen with a double-underhook suplex and the Stock Market
Crash piledriver. Owen absorbs the punishment and keeps coming.
The match
moves past twenty minutes. Owen sends Silverman to the floor, catches him with
the Slow Motion Kick after Sterling returns, and gets a close two-count.
Silverman
responds by sending Owen through the ropes.
"Honest"
Abe counts as Owen struggles on the floor.
Six.
Seven.
Eight—
Owen
slides back inside.
Rick
Granger:
"That's the danger. Months away, twenty-plus minutes into your first match
back, and now you're dragging yourself off the floor."
Sam
Duffy:
"But he made it back."
Silverman
moves in, hoping to capitalize.
Owen fires
first.
The
dropkick that Sterling countered in the opening minute connects cleanly this
time.
Silverman
goes down.
Owen
covers.
One!
Two!
Three!
The
Columbia Coliseum erupts as the bell rings.
Sam
Duffy:
"He did it! Owen Zestwell is back, and his first match back ends with a
victory!"
Rick
Granger:
"Twenty-three minutes against Sterling Silverman. I'll say it—Owen looked
better than I expected."
Winner:
Owen "Orange Fury" Zestwell via pinfall at 23:00 after a Dropkick.
Sterling
rolls from the ring, disappointed but leaving Owen to his moment.
"Honest" Abe raises Owen's arm as the crowd welcomes him back.
Owen
climbs onto the middle rope and raises both arms.
Then the
cheers suddenly turn to boos.
Jett
Sterling races into the ring behind him.
Sam
Duffy:
"JETT! LOOK OUT!"
Owen turns
around—too late.
Jett
blasts him from behind.
Owen
tumbles from the ropes and crashes to the canvas. Jett immediately pounces,
hammering away at him before Owen can recover.
Sam
Duffy:
"What is wrong with this guy?!"
Rick
Granger:
"I think we both know exactly what this is about."
Jett grabs
Owen by the head and screams down at him.
Jett
Sterling:
"YOU DID THIS!"
Another
shot.
Jett
Sterling:
"YOU COST ME MY TITLE!"
Owen tries
to push himself up, but after twenty-three minutes in the ring, he has little
chance to defend himself against the fresh former United States Champion.
Jett
Sterling:
"You couldn't stand it, could you?! You had to come back on my
night!"
Sam
Duffy:
"His night? Owen returned at Reign of Champions! Jett lost the United
States Championship because Mr. X beat him!"
Rick
Granger:
"That's not how Jett sees it."
Jett pulls
Owen upright.
Jett
Sterling:
"I BEAT YOU!"
He shoves
Owen backward.
Jett
Sterling:
"I sent you away!"
Jett
points furiously at himself.
Jett
Sterling:
"And the second you come crawling back from Hollywood, suddenly I'm not
champion anymore?!"
Sam
Duffy:
"Listen to this narcissist!"
Jett kicks
Owen back down and stands over him.
Jett
Sterling:
"You wanted attention?"
Jett
spreads his arms as the boos rain down.
Jett
Sterling:
"Congratulations. Now you've got mine."
Officials
rush down the aisle. Jett sees them coming and finally backs away, still
shouting at Owen as he slips through the ropes.
The
officials surround Owen while Jett walks backward up the aisle, pointing toward
himself and arguing with fans along the barricade.
Sam
Duffy:
"Owen Zestwell has been back for barely twenty-four hours, and Jett
Sterling has already decided that Owen is responsible for everything that's
gone wrong in his life."
Rick
Granger:
"I don't think this is really about last night, Sam. Jett beat Owen at
Critical Mass to win the United States Championship. In Jett's mind, that was
supposed to be the end of Owen Zestwell. Then Owen comes back at Reign of
Champions on the same night Jett loses the title."
Sam
Duffy:
"And somehow Jett has made all of that about himself."
Rick
Granger:
"Have you met Jett Sterling?"
Jett
disappears through the curtain while Owen sits up in the ring, staring
furiously toward the entrance.
Sam
Duffy:
"Owen Zestwell got his comeback victory tonight—but apparently he's also
got his first problem."
Voltage
cuts away.
Voltage
returns from commercial with Sam Duffy and Rick Granger at ringside.
Sam
Duffy:
"Welcome back to Voltage. During the break, Owen Zestwell was able to
leave the ring under his own power after that completely unprovoked attack by
Jett Sterling."
Rick
Granger:
"Unprovoked tonight. Jett would argue the provocation happened last
night."
Sam
Duffy:
"Jett Sterling lost the United States Championship to Mr. X. Owen didn't
wrestle the match. Owen didn't make the cover. But apparently, because Owen
returned at Reign of Champions, Jett has decided this is somehow his
fault."
Rick
Granger:
"You're trying to apply rational thought to Jett Sterling. That's where
you're going wrong."
Sam
Duffy:
"Whatever Jett believes, Owen Zestwell now knows exactly what he's walked
back into. But we're moving on because it's time for tonight's main
event."
The camera
briefly pans across the crowd.
Sam
Duffy:
"Earlier tonight, Max McGillicutty announced the creation of the Women's
Convergent Championship and the grueling qualification process that will
eventually determine HCW's representative at Convergence."
Rick
Granger:
"And neither of the women we're about to see can enter those Battle Royals
tonight because they haven't started yet. So don't confuse this match with that
qualification process."
Sam
Duffy:
"Absolutely. This is about tonight. Chloe Parker has an opportunity to
score a major victory against one of the fastest-rising threats in the women's
division."
Rick
Granger:
"And Nyx Evermore has an opportunity to show everybody that what happened
at Reign of Champions wasn't just a good night for Ambrose Chapel and Dorian
Vire. The Null Order is bigger than its new World Tag Team Champions."
Sam
Duffy:
"Nyx has changed dramatically since aligning herself with Lazarus
Blackstar. She's more aggressive, more calculating, and increasingly convinced
that the Null Order has shown her something the rest of HCW couldn't."
Rick
Granger:
"Maybe it has."
Sam
Duffy:
"Chloe Parker would certainly disagree, and tonight she gets the
opportunity to do something about it."
Sam turns
toward the entranceway.
Sam
Duffy:
"Chloe Parker. Nyx Evermore. Our main event is next."
The camera
turns toward the stage as the Columbia Coliseum anticipates the final match of
the night.
Chloe
Parker's music hits first, bringing the Columbia Coliseum to its feet. Chloe
emerges onto the stage, acknowledges the crowd and heads toward the ring with
her attention focused on the match ahead.
Sam
Duffy:
"Chloe Parker knows what an opportunity this is. A win over Nyx Evermore
in tonight's main event would make a statement in a women's division that
suddenly has even more opportunities opening up."
Rick
Granger:
"And she'd better worry about the opportunity standing directly in front
of her before she starts thinking about anything else."
Chloe
enters the ring and settles into her corner.
The lights
dim as the Null Order's music begins.
Nyx
Evermore steps onto the stage with Lazarus Blackstar behind her. Unlike Titan
Briggs earlier tonight, Nyx takes a moment to survey the arena before locking
her eyes on Chloe.
Sam
Duffy:
"Nyx Evermore has embraced the Null Order completely, and Lazarus
Blackstar is once again at ringside."
Rick
Granger:
"Nyx doesn't need Lazarus to fight her battles. But having him there
certainly doesn't hurt."
Nyx makes
her way down the aisle with Lazarus following several steps behind. She enters
the ring and moves into her corner while Lazarus takes his position on the
floor.
Tony
"Echo" Calibur steps to the center of the ring with microphone in
hand.
Tony
"Echo" Calibur:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is your MAIN EVENT of
the evening!"
The crowd
cheers.
Tony
"Echo" Calibur:
"Introducing first, in the corner to my right... CHLOE PARKER!"
Chloe
raises an arm as the crowd responds.
Tony
"Echo" Calibur:
"And her opponent, accompanied to the ring by Lazarus Blackstar...
representing the Null Order... NYX EVERMORE!"
Nyx stares
across the ring at Chloe while Lazarus watches silently from ringside.
Tony exits
the ring as the referee checks both competitors.
Sam
Duffy:
"Chloe Parker. Nyx Evermore. It's main-event time on Voltage."
The
referee calls for the bell.
The bell
rings, and Chloe Parker immediately shows that she isn't intimidated by either
Nyx Evermore or the presence of Lazarus Blackstar at ringside. Nyx opens
aggressively with a wheelbarrow bulldog, but Chloe fires right back with a
double-underhook suplex.
Lazarus
attempts to influence things early, drawing "Honest" Abe's attention
from ringside, but Chloe refuses to let the distraction take her out of the
match.
Sam
Duffy:
"Lazarus is already making his presence felt."
Rick
Granger:
"He distracted the referee, Sam. Chloe's still standing. Let's not call
for an investigation."
The
opening minutes develop into a competitive exchange. Nyx peppers Chloe with
Midnight elbow strikes, while Chloe answers with heavier offense, including a
piledriver and a superkick that rocks the Null Order member.
Neither
woman maintains control for long. Chloe's triple vertical suplexes are answered
by Nyx's Celestial Descent, and when Chloe catches her with a running cutter,
Nyx absorbs the punishment and fights her way back.
Sam
Duffy:
"Chloe came into this main event prepared to fight. Nyx hasn't been able
to intimidate her or overwhelm her."
Rick
Granger:
"But Nyx hasn't panicked either. That's something I've noticed since she
joined the Null Order. Everything feels more deliberate."
That
composure begins making the difference as the match passes ten minutes. Chloe
attempts another series of vertical suplexes, but Nyx shuts it down. Moments
later, the two trade offense again, with Nyx's wheelbarrow bulldog answered by
Chloe's DDT.
Chloe
appears to find her opening with the Demonic Driver, but Nyx refuses to stay
down.
Nyx rises
and catches Chloe with a dropkick.
Chloe
staggers.
Nyx sees
her opportunity.
She climbs
the ropes.
Sam
Duffy:
"Nyx is going up!"
Nyx
launches herself through the air with the Starlight Moonsault and crashes
across Chloe.
She lands
and hooks the leg.
One!
Two!
Three!
The bell
rings.
Sam
Duffy:
"Nyx Evermore wins it! Chloe Parker gave her everything she could handle,
but the Starlight Moonsault ends it."
Rick
Granger:
"And that's another victory for the Null Order twenty-four hours after
Reign of Champions. You can boo them all you want. This group is getting
results."
Winner:
Nyx Evermore w/Lazarus Blackstar via pinfall at 13:00 after the Starlight
Moonsault.
"Honest"
Abe raises Nyx's arm as Lazarus enters the ring. Chloe rolls toward the ropes,
clearly disappointed by the loss. She looks back at Nyx before dropping to the
floor and beginning the walk up the aisle.
The crowd
applauds Chloe as she disappears through the curtain.
Nyx
doesn't leave.
Neither
does Lazarus.
The boos
begin to grow as the two members of the Null Order remain in the center of the
ring. Nyx looks around the Columbia Coliseum, seemingly enjoying the hostility.
Sam
Duffy:
"Chloe Parker has headed backstage, but apparently Nyx Evermore and
Lazarus Blackstar aren't finished with us tonight."
Rick
Granger:
"Nyx just won the main event. Maybe she has something she'd like to
say."
Nyx slowly
extends her hand toward ringside.
Someone
passes her a microphone.
Lazarus
stands behind her as Nyx waits for the booing to subside.
It
doesn't.
Nyx raises
the microphone.
Nyx
Evermore:
"You can boo me."
The crowd
responds by doing exactly that.
Nyx
smiles.
Nyx
Evermore:
"But while all of you are making noise, the Null Order keeps
winning."
She
glances back at Lazarus.
Nyx
Evermore:
"Last night, Ambrose Chapel and Dorian Vire walked out of Reign of
Champions as World Tag Team Champions."
Nyx
Evermore:
"Tonight, Titan Briggs won."
Nyx looks
down briefly at the spot where Chloe had been pinned.
Nyx
Evermore:
"And now Chloe Parker is gone... and I'm still standing here."
More boos
rain down.
Nyx
Evermore:
"Earlier tonight, Max McGillicutty stood in this ring and talked about
opportunities. Battle Royals. Wild Cards. Final Fours. Everybody scrambling for
a chance to prove they deserve something."
Nyx shakes
her head.
Nyx
Evermore:
"I'm not interested in waiting for twenty women to throw each other over a
top rope before somebody notices me."
Sam
Duffy:
"Those Battle Royals aren't even for Aurora Storm's championship."
Rick
Granger:
"I don't think Nyx cares."
Nyx turns
toward the hard camera.
Nyx
Evermore:
"Because there's another woman who should be paying attention."
She
pauses.
Nyx
Evermore:
"Aurora Storm."
The crowd
reacts at the mention of the new World Ladies Champion.
Nyx
Evermore:
"Congratulations, Aurora. You finally did it."
Nyx
Evermore:
"You survived Luciana Albano. You won the World Ladies Championship. And
for the last twenty-four hours, everybody has been telling you that you've
reached the top."
Nyx's
expression hardens.
Nyx
Evermore:
"You haven't."
Nyx
Evermore:
"You've just put something around your waist that makes people like me
start looking in your direction."
Lazarus
remains motionless behind her.
Nyx
Evermore:
"So I'm not asking you to come out here tonight. I'm not asking Max
McGillicutty to give me anything."
Nyx
Evermore:
"I'm telling you what I want."
Nyx steps
closer to the camera side of the ring.
Nyx
Evermore:
"I want the World Ladies Championship."
The crowd
boos.
Nyx
Evermore:
"And Aurora..."
Nyx smiles
coldly.
Nyx
Evermore:
"I want my first championship match against you."
Sam
Duffy:
"There it is!"
Rick
Granger:
"She didn't waste any time."
Nyx lowers
the microphone and looks toward the entranceway.
Nothing
happens.
The crowd
begins buzzing, but Aurora Storm does not appear.
Nyx
Evermore:
"Don't worry. I said you didn't have to come out."
Nyx looks
back into the camera.
Nyx
Evermore:
"I know you're listening."
She drops
the microphone.
The Null
Order's music hits as Lazarus steps alongside her. The two stand together in
the center of the ring while the crowd showers them with boos.
Sam
Duffy:
"Nyx Evermore has just put the new World Ladies Champion on notice. Aurora
Storm hasn't even had twenty-four hours to settle into her reign, and Nyx has
already come looking for her."
Rick
Granger:
"And remember what Luciana Albano said earlier tonight. She doesn't
believe anybody else should be lining up in front of her."
Sam
Duffy:
"Luciana believes she belongs at the front of that line. Nyx Evermore
apparently couldn't care less."
Nyx and
Lazarus remain in the ring as the boos continue throughout the Columbia
Coliseum.
Nyx
Evermore and Lazarus Blackstar remain in the ring as the Null Order's music
plays. Nyx stares toward the camera while the crowd continues to boo.
The
broadcast cuts back to Sam Duffy and Rick Granger at ringside.
Sam
Duffy:
"What a way to end the first night after Reign of Champions. Nyx Evermore
has made her intentions perfectly clear. She wants Aurora Storm and the World
Ladies Championship."
Rick
Granger:
"And I guarantee somebody else was listening, Sam. Luciana Albano said
earlier tonight that she isn't stepping aside for anybody. Nyx just stepped
right in front of her."
Sam
Duffy:
"That's a situation that's going to get very interesting, very quickly. We
also saw Owen Zestwell make a successful return to competition tonight, only
for Jett Sterling to attack him afterward and blame Owen for losing the United
States Championship."
Rick
Granger:
"Jett wanted Owen's attention. I'd say he has it."
Sam
Duffy:
"Titan Briggs added another victory to an already successful weekend for
the Null Order, Bruiser McPugg and Leopold Dilg proved to be a surprisingly
effective combination, and Blake Hill opened the night with a hard-earned
victory over Dirty Dick Albano."
The camera
cuts back to Nyx and Lazarus standing together in the ring.
Sam
Duffy:
"And earlier tonight, Max McGillicutty announced the creation of the
Women's Convergent Championship and laid out the road that will eventually
determine who represents HCW at Convergence."
Rick
Granger:
"Reign of Champions ended last night. Twenty-four hours later, everybody's
already fighting over what comes next."
Sam
Duffy:
"And Wednesday night on Shockwave, the fallout continues. For Rick
Granger, I'm Sam Duffy. Thank you for joining us tonight on Voltage!"
The camera
begins to pull back, showing Nyx and Lazarus in the ring surrounded by the
hostile Columbia Coliseum crowd.
Rick
Granger:
"Good night, everybody."
The HCW
logo appears in the corner of the screen as the credits begin to roll.
Just
before the broadcast fades to black, the voice of Truth Wayne can be heard.
Truth
Wayne:
"One night after Reign of Champions, HCW already has a new championship
nobody owns, a former champion who thinks she still does, Nyx Evermore calling
out a champion who hasn't had time to unpack, and Jett Sterling blaming Owen
Zestwell because apparently losing to Mr. X was Owen's fault."
Brief
pause.
Truth
Wayne:
"Welcome to the fallout."
Fade to
black.
