Proving Ground 7/31/2020

The scene opens to the Project Honor logo, center screen, which fades away to the chairman behind tonight’s festivities, Rock Johnson, in front of a dark background.



Johnson: Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to be the one bringing you to a show unlike anything you’ve ever seen. I’m honored to show everyone the efforts of my team of employees scouring the lands to try finding some of the best talents from God’s heavenly skies, all the way down to the depths of hell, to bring you the action packed product you’re going to see today. I’d like to start by doing everyone a huge favor and answering the question: What is Project: Honor?

Johnson strokes his chin.

Johnson: The best way to answer that question starts with a lil’ forewarning: I am not here to reinvent the wheel. I’m a man that’s had a lot of success finding people with a proclivity for kicking ass and taking names, but I always noticed something from every locker room from Okinawa to Oklahoma. I saw television networks guidelines, I saw advertiser’s opinions being heard, and I saw everyone opening their mouths but the people getting their mouths bashed in, and I started pondering to myself, I say: Johnson?

Johnson stares directly into the camera.

Johnson: What’d happen if the people who got to speak up and run the show about fighting were the ones who know fighting better than they know the back of their hands? What if your voice doesn’t get louder based on wealth, but gets amplified based on blood? Or sweat? Or tears? These thoughts led me to developing a certain personal project…

Ladies and gents, I didn’t come here to reinvent the wheel: I came to show you what happens when those wheels blaze trails of their own. From staff that’re self-made fighters because enough strangers decided to click their youtube channel and subscribe, to decade long ring warriors committed to helping this sport go places it’s never been, I’m bringing us back to the days where warriors were seen as heroes and legends. In these four corners, we’re building a coliseum, and propping up a modern day coliseum.

Only difference is, it’s being run by the gladiators.

Remember tonight’s Proving Grounds. Five, ten, twenty years from now, the people taking this stage, taking my personal investment, and taking hundreds of years of a sport and leading it into the future, are gonna have their names etched in more than gold, but also, in history. Welcome to where it all starts. Be honored.

Rock’s confident gaze fades to the background, until the blazing rifts of Pantera’s Mouth for War boom from the speakers at the absolutely packed Stockton arena, in Stockton California. Behind a table labeled with the PH logo, but in front of an absolutely rabid crowd of fans, the camera stops.



TREY BOOKER: ALLOW US TO REINTRODUCE OURSELVES, OUR NAME IS PROJECT: HONOR, coming LIVE from STOCKTON CALIFORNIA. My name is Trey Booker, and I’m joined by…

J.T. PRICE: The man, the myth, the legend, JT Price! Out of the fire, and into the flame, I’m absolutely ecstatic to be joining everyone tonight. It’s been too long since I’ve been in a ring, and I’m absolutely ecstatic to be one of the voices breaking down what’s happening at ringside. This ain’t as cozy as it is in a studio recording a podcast, but if I get another tooth knocked out and flung my way, I can make a necklace.

TREY BOOKER: You might leave this show dressed in jewelry like the great king tut, because I’ve had a chance to meet with all of the fighters backstage and that energy’s contagious. We’ve got horrors, we’ve got molotov cocktails, and we’ve got a roster full of fighters that’ll gladly spill blood to write their names in the history books. I cannot wait! Take it from someone whose seen dozens of fighters after years training ‘em - this place is about one spark away from going up in flames.

J.T. PRICE: And I cannot wait to see these fighters burn it down! Without further adieu, let’s get to the action!



The camera cuts to the ring where HOLLY PEREZ is standing by.

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and is part of our Trials of Time series.  Entering first, hailing from Celebration, Florida, coming in at 5’11’’ and 180 lbs, Lil Petey!

“Welcome to Chilis” by Yung Gravy hits to a raucous ovation as Lil Petey comes strutting out, followed closely by his entourage.

HOLLY PEREZ: And his opponent, currently residing in Haven and st-

The mic feed cuts out as the lights die in the arena. As soon as they flicker off, they come back to life, revealing Phoenix LeStrange already in the ring and standing behind a horrified Lil Petey.  Without turning around, Petey reaches over his shoulder and feels LeStrange’s twisted, smiling face. He slowly turns to face her with reluctance, only to fly backward on his ass as LeStrange jumps at him. The ref calls for the bell.

DING DING DING!

LeStrange circles Petey as he crawls backwards on the ground like a victim in a slasher film. It doesn’t take long until Petey finds himself backed into the corner. Phoenix rushes him, looking for a penalty kick on her trapped prey, but Petey rolls to the outside and right into the waiting arms of Barry Johnson as LeStrange’s boot eats the turnbuckle pad.

J.T. PRICE: An Officer and a Gentlethug over here reliving “The Bodyguard” at ringside as Lil Petey clings around his buddies neck for dear life.

TREY BOOKER: One dated reference at a time, friend.

Phoenix rolls outside to chase down the pair, but Jah’s there to stand in her way as Barry books it with Little Petey wrapped in his arms. Jah flirts with LeStrange, and LeStrange kicks him in the stomach and hits the Tease. Meanwhile on the other side of the ring, Barry rolled Lil Petey into the ring. Petey’s trying to rev up this crowd as he builds up momentum for a dive to the outside.  He charges the ropes, stops, and steps through onto the apron. LeStrange turns and eats a Lou Thesz Press off of the apron. Petey’s rains down blows on top of LeStrange.

TREY BOOKER: Lil Petey with the smart offense.

J.T. PRICE: It’s not doing anything for his time though, now is it?

The time of 2:45 shows on the tron.

Petey grabs LeStrange by the hair and whips her into the ring, but LeStrange swings her legs back around and hits a modified tiger kick under the bottom rope. She grabs Lil Petey by the ears and pulls him up onto the apron. She pulls him through the top and middle rope and plants him with a teeter tottering snap DDT. LeStrange then rolls through and powers them both up to their feet with superhuman strength and follows up with a brainbuster!

J.T. PRICE: Center of the ring! She’s going for the cover!

ONE!
TWO!

TREY BOOKER: Only two!

LeStrange immediately pops out of the cover and up to her feet and starts peppering the ribs of Petey with a few stiff kicks. LeStrange guides Petey up to his feet as she looks to follow through, but Lil Petey cuts her off with a stiff slap to the face. LeStrange retaliates by brushing him in the face multiple times as she pulls him to his feet.

J.T. PRICE: Good.This kid doesn’t deserve any respect.

TREY BOOKER: Yeah, but that might’ve woken him up.

The time of 4:22 shows on the trong.

Hard right to the abdomen of LeStrange by Lil Petey, and another. Lil Petey rabbit punching away at LeStrange’s sides. He pops up through the guard and lands a stiff headbutt between the eyes of Phoenix LeStrange.

J.T. PRICE: He rocked her with that thick, dumb, numb skull of his.

TREY BOOKER: LeStrange may have been knocked out on her feet. She’s loopy-

Without warning LeStrange flips backwards and hits the Pele! She kips up to her feet, a menacing smile on her face as she goes after the spaghetti legged Lil Petey. Petey falls into the ropes and comes back looking for a clothesline! LeStrange unnaturally contorts her body into a backbend to dodge the charging lariat.

TREY BOOKER: Oh my god!

J.T. PRICE: This is like something out of “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”!

TREY BOOKER: At least you’re within the 2000’s now with your movie references.  

Petey chest bumps into the ropes and catches a superkick to the back of the head on the rebound!  He’s down on one knee. LeStrange runs backwards into the ropes and comes back with a gross shining wizard!

TREY BOOKER: This girl, man. Something’s wrong with her.

J.T. PRICE: Lil Petey’s no longer vert!

LeStrange is having fun with him now as she skips to the corner and starts climbing up top.  Phoenix flies backward with a moonsault and eats Lil Petey’s knees. Petey rolls up to his feet and hits the ropes.

Lil Petey: EAT ME!

The atomic leg drop connects, but Petey’s not done. He falls back into the ropes and comes back with the fist drop. ‘Can’t See This’ connects.Petey stands over LeStrange. He kicks her shoulders into position as he plays to the audience. He slowly peels the pad from his elbow and swings his arms around theatrically as he goes to hit the ropes once more.

J.T. PRICE: He’s running down the clock with this buffoonery.

The time of 7:51 shows on the tron.

Petey comes back to center ring looking for Lil Petey’s Elbow, but LeStrange combat rolls backwards and out of the way just as the elbow crashes to the mat. LeStrange takes wrist control and stomps Petey’s elbow into the mat for good measure before yanking him up to his feet and right into the setup for Fang of the Wild!

J.T. PRICE: Put’em away!

LeStrange bends him back and snaps him back up, looking to finish him off but Lil Petey rolls through and plants her head on the canvas with a float over DDT to counter. Petey gives a thumbs up to his boys on the outside as he walks to the feet of LeStrange. He grabs both legs and nods, as if signaling for the end.

J.T. PRICE: END IT YOU GOOF! QUIT PLAYING TO THE CROWD! TIME’S A TICKIN’!

Lil Petey struggles to cross the ankles and lock in the Pregame. LeStrange still has some life in her!

J.T. PRICE: She's inhuman, Book. You cannot kill what’s already dead.

The time of 9:47 shows on the tron.

LeStrange struggles free and lays in some upkicks on Petey and then once again rolls back and onto her feet. Lil Petey charges her, and Lestrange feints a leapfrog, but instead locks her legs around the neck of Lil Petey as he goes under the leapfrog and snaps him down with Reborn!  Lil Petey is out in the center of the ring. LeStrange hovers over him, seething, as she laces his leg with the spinning toe hold and lays back into the Figure-Four Leglock! Lil Petey is snapped back to reality by the pain of the figure-four. He almost immediately twists to try and turn it over and reverse the pressure. Phoenix LeStrange plants her hands above her own shoulders to gain a stronger base for the hold and then bridges back into the grotesque Deviant of Night. Percy is stuck center ring with no way to counter. After a moment’s deliberation he finally taps.

DING DING DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Ladies and gentlemen, your winner at ten minutes and 39 seconds... PHOENIX LESTRANGE!

TREY BOOKER: Lil Petey taps to that innovative and excruciating to watch take on a classic submission.

J.T. PRICE: I’m sure I’ll be spouting this cliche for years to come, but she came back fighting like a Phoenix in LeStrange fashion.

LeStrange kneels over the body of Lil Petey as “Flesh” plays through the PA to a chorus of boos.  The cowering entourage manages to gather up enough courage to reach into the ring and pull the limp Lil Petey out to the floor as Phoenix LeStrange looks on with a sadistic sneer on her face.


The camera view shines down in a backstage locker room. One with a mirror and dresser set up as if it were made for a movie star. Sitting in front of the mirror in a chair, was none other than the Shining Star himself. Getting ready for his upcoming match against Caden Young, but not in the way most would expect.

As he sat, finishing applying eye shadow, he looked up at his reflection- which in turn, his reflection stared toward the camera. A smile appeared on his face as he lightly brushed a strand of his golden hair to the side of his face.

“You know, I’ve realized that everyone in this life has a pre-match ritual. Usually to build confidence or get rid of the nervousness they feel. It’s a way to hype themselves up, right? Well- this is my pre-match ritual.” MYOJIN explains, taking a makeup brush and lightly dipping it into a blush compact that complimented his skin tone. He begins to lightly pat his cheek with it, carefully watching himself in the mirror as he did so. Truth be told, this was something he really enjoyed doing.

He says as he continues to add makeup to his face. He then looks at both sides of his face in the mirror to make sure it’s evenly applied. “In a way, this is my war paint.”

“It’s no secret that I look this damn good naturally, but there’s just something about prettying myself up that feels… empowering. Confident. Ready to go… and soon enough, I’ll get to show the audience of Project: Honor just what they’ve been missing.” He opens a case of eye contacts, leaning down out of the mirror’s view to put them in. MYOJIN continues to speak.

“But- Of course, there’s a saying. Beauty without grace is like a hook without bait. I’m not just a nice sight for sore eyes, I’m not just beautiful without substance. Tonight? Tonight is where I make myself known, tonight the spotlight belongs to me.”

The Shining Star sits back up, his dark brown irises now replaced with piercing blue contacts with small pupils. They seem to even have a soft glow to them as seen in the reflection. He grins once more, albeit with a tint of mischievousness as he looks at himself- He’s satisfied with the result.

MYOJIN stands from his chair and heads toward the door from his locker room but turns to the camera one more time. “This is going to be fun.”

He gives a charismatic wink before blowing a kiss, then leaving the room and closing the door behind as the scene darkens.



HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is a Trials of Time qualifier set for one fall or time limit draw.  Introducing first, wrestling out of Seoul, the Fashion Capital of the World, South Korea... weighing in at 170 lbs... He is “GUCCI JESUS”, CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADEN YOOOOOOOOOOUNNNNNNGG!!!

Red, yellow, and blue lights dance across the stadium and meet towards the top of the stadium roof around the same time 2chainz's slapping ass BANGER begins to blast from the different speakers. The primary colors break, then are replaced with darkness around the same time smoke from the smoke machine begins to crowd the entrance. Like a beacon of hope white light begins to shine from the entrance, the Young Master's body slices through the smoke like a reaper's blade through a field of grass, launching himself off of a rising platform, spinning to face the crowd, just in time to land in a three-point stance. After landing, he syncs up with his song of choice with a mighty clap-clap-clap, before blasting white light covers him from behind, letting his silhouette project across the arena. After high-fiving with a few fans, he bolts down the ramp, dives into the ring with a slide, then masterfully flips himself to his feet. Both hands raise to the heavens, and he's ready for a battle!

TREY BOOKER: Oh, yes! We’re entering the part of the time trials where you don’t need to peel your eyes away from the screen for a second, because this match could be over before you finish blinking. The self-proclaimed human highlight reel, Caden Young, makes his debut by stepping away from his desk as every single fighter or staff member is giving 110% to make this show the one to watch.

J.T. PRICE: I love the sentiment - I really wanna see someone’s teeth get kicked in, so you keep that energy up. I’m gonna order popcorn.

HOLLY PEREZ: And his opponent, from Namba, Osaka, Japan….weighing in at 185 lbs… he is the Shining Star, MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOJIN!!!!!!

The lights dim down as the slow synth intro of Blinding Lights begins as a spotlight suddenly appears on a figure on the ramp, with his back turned and begins kneeling. Once the beat finally kicks in, MYOJIN explodes with energy- wearing a masquerade-style mask over his eyes, and turns around with a confident smile on his face, raising his arms to soak in the positive reaction from everyone around.

I been tryna call
I been on my own for long enough
Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe
I'm going through withdrawals
You don't even have to do too much
You can turn me on with just a touch, baby

With his blonde locks hanging over his face. He then whips his head back, flipping his hair out of his face before excitedly running down the ring before performing a cartwheel and a jump, landing on his feet near ringside!

I look around and Sin City's cold and empty (oh)
No one's around to judge me (oh)
I can't see clearly when you're gone

He climbs up to the apron, grabs a hold of the top rope, and slingshots himself into the ring. MYOJIN performs a somersault roll, landing on his side with a hand on his hip. The other, taking off his mask to reveal his piercing blue eye contacts. He tosses it aside nonchalantly before climbing up the top turnbuckle, tilting his head upward as if he’s looking toward the sky- while the lights mimic stars above.

I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights
No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch
I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night
Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust
Hey, hey, hey!

He backflips off, back onto his feet while taking off his flamboyant coat and moving to his corner. The lights go back to normal as he checks his wrist tape. His charismatic smile fading to a more focused expression as he paces back and forth, ready for action.

J.T. PRICE: And speaking of making this event special, MYOJIN’s debut makes this first show even more explosive. Don’t let the hair fool you, he’s just like every other MMA fighter that steps into the ring, the cage, or whatever, never intending on letting the match go to the judges scorecards. One mistake? That spine’s getting shattered, son.

TREY BOOKER: And if there were ever a master at getting that first round TKO, it’s him ; the glamour and beauty are just a subtle reminder that in the ring he’s a car crash you cannot help but watch every second.

DING! DING! DING!

Both fighters start circling around the ring and sizing the other up before Myojin raises a hand, then outstretches it to Caden. Caden looks to the crowd and barks out ‘IS THIS MAN SERIOUS’, before staring at Myojin for a few suspicious seconds. After the Shining Star smiles back at him, Caden swaggers forward and accepts the hand shake, which gets a nice round of applause at the show of sportsmanship.

TREY BOOKER: Despite all the tweets, memes, and insults sent back and forth, it’s good seeing that it’s all respect once they step in the ring.

The show of sportsmanship lasts as long as it takes for Caden to try stepping back, only for Myojin’s hands to be wrapping around his shoulder and trying to drag him to the ground! Already being bent backwards and dragged back at an awkward position, Caden stumbles towards the ring ropes, and gets a smile and wink from Myojin as he does so!

J.T. PRICE: Exactly this. Myo’s an MMA guy, they usually touch gloves during the introductions, can you guess why? Imagine not only losing the time trial, but setting your opponent up with a thirty second win!

Caden strokes his chin, climbs to his feet, and nods his head, before the two meet in the center of the ring and lockup in a grapple. Myojin quickly starts isolating one of Gucci Jesus’ legs for a single-leg takedown, but no amount of tossing or trying to drag Caden down can make the high-flier lose his balance, and he starts prying Myojin out of the takedown attempt with a tight headlock. Myojin keeps charging forward, only to shove Caden to the ring ropes, and irish whip him across the ring, and prepare a stiff forearm once Caden rebounds. Unfortunately for him, he gets nothing but air when he swings, due to Caden ducking underneath the strike, and rebounding with a low dropkick to the basement floor! Myo’s legs get kicked out, and he lands on his face! The Shining Star starts crawling to his feet, and the crowd stirs as Caden stands on one leg and raises the other while he starts sizing up for something BIG…

TREY BOOKER: Myo’s wrestling game is tight, but what’s that I see? GREEN LIGHT!

He takes to the skies, and leaps in a full 360 degree spin before…

J.T. PRICE: THAT’S A WRAP.

Patting Myojin on the head and ruffling his golden locks, because what’s good for the goose is great for the gander. Myojin rises with a smirk on his face, and an understanding nod.

J.T. PRICE(mumbling): Jesus freaking christ what is this kid doing-

TREY BOOKER: What my colleague means is, it’s… looking like the disdain was real. Despite the reputations standing in the ring, this one might not be pretty. Thirty seconds in, and the hate’s so palpable I don’t think these two are even thinking about the time as much as drilling the other into the mat!

Once again, the luchadore and technician charge one another and try using strength to grapple the other to the ground. Myojin starts reaching for Caden’s leg, and takes advantage of Caden lowering his gravity to catch Caden with a headlock of his own! Swiftly, Caden’s rolled shoulder over hip and whipped to the floor in a headlock takedown! Myojin’s sprawls across Dulce Daddy’s chest for a pin. He only keeps Caden down for a millisecond, before the Korean Jordan plants his feet, bridges, and squeaks out of the grapple. Sensing a strong advantage on the mat, Myojin grabs Caden’s arm as they both stand, and gets an arm drag to the ground! He stands, and gets redirected back to the mat with another! The third time Myojin’s resolve makes him crawl to a stand, Caden eyes the nearby ring corner and bolts for it - and goes full FLIPGOD, trying to moonsault onto his opponent like a bird of prey diving for a kill - and finds nothing but air and a passing glance of Myojin ducking underneath him to the ring corner and out of harms way. Caden just barely manages to land on his feet, and rushes Myojin to crush him against the turnbuckle. Myojin’s got a different idea, as he props his torso on the turnbuckle with his arms, so he’s free to wrap both legs around Caden’s head, then catch him in a picture perfect corner slingshot headscissors takedown! The only thing prettier than the stunt is Caden’s hands, catching him as he’s whipped to the ground, and helping him flip to his hands while Myojin’s back is turned after he tried to out-luchadore a luchadore! Both of Caden’s jumpman logo’s stamp Myojin’s back with a hesitation dropkick which sends the cage fighter between the ring ropes and falling to the outside! Gucci Jesus raises both hands and looks to the crowd… and bends over to PUMP UP HIS SWEET KICKS TO GET MAXIMUM FLIGHT CLEARANCE! New York Fashion Week Heaven loses an angel, as he projects himself over the second rope, and that angel crash lands across Myojin! TOPE SUICIDA!

TREY BOOKER: This is the exact opposite of what Myojin’s gotta have in mind here. On the mat, there’s no one touching him. What he’s got in strength and weight, he’s losing in that sheer agility here.

J.T. PRICE: Yes! And it’s time to pump up and air out! Albeit, I don’t think that’s helping much in a match where every second matters!

As the clock ticks, Caden’s blowing kisses and saluting to all the fans in Air Nation cheering him on, on his way to helping this Shining Star plummet to earth. He sets Myojin up against the ring apron, and a well-placed roundhouse kick to the breadbasket sends Myojin down again! Caden drags Myojin up by his shoulders and tries it again, but his leg’s caught! Myojin’s got him hooked with an arm! If looks could kill, there’d be a bodybag with Caden Young on the tag! The look only gets more intense while watching his opponent’s foot keeping him upright, and in an instant, his BOOTS GRINDING AND STOMPING ON THOSE CUSTOM J’S!!!!  Caden hobbles and tries yanking back to get free, and gets an unexpected assist from Myojin as the cage fighter spins around and plants a well-placed spinning back elbow to Caden’s face! Caden’s free, but he’s slumped over! The elbow strike lands with an audible THUNK!

J.T. PRICE: Somebody’s sense of humor could use some work.

TREY BOOKER: What he lacks in humor, he makes for in being succinct. Caden could be out cold! Just passing over the four minute mark, I don’t think there’s time for jokes!

The time of 4:05 shows on the clock.

As quickly as things got out of control, Myojin’s brought them back to his grasp. He takes a brief second to shift his hair out of his eyes, and another to break Caden’s moment of pinning both hands to his face and wincing, to toss him into the ring. Myojin’s absolutely smothering, as Caden can’t even get two feet underneath him before he’s wrapped around his midsection, and dropped on his spine with a german suplex! His body’s bounces back from the sharp impact, and Myojin expertly reels him into a single leg boston crab, with him leaning back as far as he can to put the pressure on Caden’s back! He keeps Caden howling in pain and reaching for the ropes for about thirty seconds of absolute agony, before Caden’s free leg starts twisting and kicking up to smash Myo’s face in and earn a little breathing room. After a lucky toss makes Myojin grunt, the desperate move works! Instead of being ripped in half by his own leg, Myojin grabs BOTH of his legs, crosses them, and hides Caden’s gorgeous moneymaker face, in his cross legged STF!

J.T. PRICE: All out of popcorn, and I’m in the mood for a pretzel all of a sudden. Can’t seem to find where that came from.

TREY BOOKER: I think I could probably guess…

The referee takes a knee to check in on Caden, who vehemently shakes his head. He tries reaching for the rope, but has a few feet away from freedom, so his hands start trying to pry away the hands over his face. Like a pitbull, Myojin’s got a freakin’ lockjaw, and no amount of tugging or shoving makes his grasp falter, it only makes him tug harder! Caden reaches out as he’s thinking about it… but instead of tapping, he tosses back a bare palm! Then a fist! Then another! Then more! Punches in droves! He can’t throw haymakers while his spine’s getting twisted to its limits, but he throws enough punches to make Myojin lose balance, and Caden dives to the ropes like his life depends on it!

J.T. PRICE: It’s nice watching the show’s staff getting into the ring, but you’ve gotta wonder if it’s like what Myojin said: for a guy like Caden, when it comes to moments like this, is it really worth it?

TREY BOOKER: Gonna put that health insurance to use pretty quickly, I suppose.

His desperation earns him a break, and Myojin points to his wrist as if he were wearing a watch, before deciding to steal that idea. He too rushes to the ropes - perpendicular to Caden - and flips onto his hands, so his ankles rebound off the ropes, and only propel his handspring moonsault to fly even faster, while one hundred eighty pounds of japanese beauty crashes across Caden’s spine and makes him howl! Divine Star Press lands perfectly! Soon after, he’s rolled onto his stomach and rolled up.

ONE!
TWO!

J.T. PRICE: Methodically, Myojin’s taking his opponent apart!

TREY BOOKER: That’s the dangerous part about guys like him. He’s rigid, he imposes control on his opponents and make them adapt to him. How far are you gonna get cosplaying as Batman snapped over Bane’s knee? Not very!

Caden throws an arm up, and Myojin grabs it! He starts trying to twist it behind Caden’s back like he’s setting up for something nasty, but a short-range headbutt makes him see double, and gives Dulce Daddy a chance to get back into things! Then Myojin wrapping both arms around his head, in a guillotine choke, takes it away! Within seconds, Caden’s strangled to his knees, and he starts to seem worse for wear but… to the clapping and yelling of the crowd, more punches in a blur of fists flying hammer Myojin’s midsection and make him release the hold! Both men stand in the center of the ring, arms draped over the other’s shoulders, as they’re both too winded to keep going but too competitive to give the other an advantage!

CROWD: BE THE HONORED *CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP*  BE THE HONORED *CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP*

J.T. PRICE: The crowd’s loving it! It doesn’t look too fun in the ring, but they don’t seem to have any complaints!

TREY BOOKER: I’ll speak for the crowd when I say that it’s one thing to imagine the amount of pain each guy’s going through - it’s another thing to just love watching guys beat the piss outta one another! I’m having a ball!

Almost feeding off that energy, Myojin tries wrapping around Caden for another german suplex, and gets force-fed Caden’s shoulder after he just drops onto his ass and jawbreaks Myojin hard enough to leave his chin rattling. He follows up with a sharp leg kick that sends Myojin to a knee, and a roundhouse kick that lands clean, but makes him limp a little as his back’s too beat up to kick freely. Despite this, once Myojin crawls forward and catches the next roundhouse kick, Caden and his pumped up kicks climb the ladder with a step up enziguri to Myojin’s chin! Myo’s left wobbling, but puts the little energy he’s got left towards sending a boot of his own! Both of Caden’s hands try catching it at his side, but the kick curves and ROCKS CADENS CHIN AND SENDS HIM SLUMPED BACK TO THE RING ROPES WITH A QUESTION MARK KICK SHOWING OFF TECHNICAL BRILLIANCE AND WONDERFUL PENMANSHIP! CADENS EYES ARE GLAZED OVER LIKE HE’S A SECOND FROM ENDING UP HORIZONTAL, BUT HIS BODY AINT! HIS BODY BOUNCES OFF THE ROPES AND PUTS EVERYTHING HE'S GOT INTO RISING UP LIKE A PHOENIX WITH HIS FASHION KILLER BICYCLE KNEE STRIKE! MYOJIN DROPS LIKE A HOT POTATO! CADEN FALLS ON MYOJIN! COVER!

J.T. PRICE: FASHION KILLER! MYOJIN MIGHT BE OUT OF SEASON!

TREY BOOKER: This one could be over, ASAP!

ONE
TWO
THRE- no, KICKOUT!

J.T. PRICE: Call it personal disdain, call it frustration, or just a will to land in a new federation on the right foot, but Myojin’s not done yet!

TREY BOOKER: I’ll say all of the above - but did you see that chin get checked? Or how his head snapped back? Caden’s probably gonna die, but Myojin’s got more to show!

The time of 8:59 shows on the clock.

Caden shakes his head! He looks to the referee, damn near pleading to hear that last word stated out loud to make it real, but he gets no such luck! He wipes beads of sweat from his forehead, looks down to Myojin’s damn-near lifeless corpse, and tugs his head with both hands before deciding the nail in the coffin. He takes a few steps back and starts sizing up Myo… and once again, he raises one foot in the air in a tight kung fu stance, and starts plotting the final string to seam this into a wok of beauty! It takes a few seconds, but Myojin slowly comes to his senses and starts turning to Caden… once again, Caden leaps with all the force he can summon and starts spinning in a 360…

J.T. PRICE: Is this the real thing?

TREY BOOKER: FLYING DRAGON TIME!

...but he only gets about a full 270° before both of Myojin’s arms wrap around his shoulder, clasp around his neck, and Myojin’s legs wrap around one of his to use his own momentum to drag the two to the ground, into a SICK MYOJIN SPECIAL!!!! HIS LEGS HOLD CADENS BODY FIRMLY, SO HIS ARMS CAN TRY RIPPING CADENS SPINE OUT OF PLACE IN THIS DEMENTED TWISTER SUBMISSION! CADEN TAPS! CADEN TAPS!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: And your winner, MYOJIN!

TREY BOOKER: Exactly. EXACTLY. MYOJIN SPECIAL DOES IT AGAIN. In the ring, in the cage, all it takes is one mistake, and Myojin WILL make you pay for it. Caden’s got a ton of heart and put on one hell of a show, but if all you’ve got is a spine to stand up to him, Myojin’s gonna rip it to pieces.

J.T. PRICE: With that, Myojin’s on his way to claiming the grand championship, and I don’t think there’s a single eye backstage that isn’t focuses on the Glamor God in his tremendous win.

Myojin breaks the hold, and only takes a brief second of catching his breath and moving his hair out of his eyes before letting the referee raise his hand. Myojin climbs the turnbuckle, lowers his head, and raises both hands above his head to thunderous applause from the crowd after that hard-hitting affair reaches its conclusion, and looks to the clock to see 11:27.


Shot opens up inside of a run down bar. It’s a busy night, pool tables occupied, the music is blasting. ‘Roadhouse Blues’ by The Doors booms through the jukebox as the lowest of the low enjoy their drinks. Over towards the bar, a young lady sits at the bar, as many of the swine watch her from a distance. It’s Kimberly Chase.

She notices the camera on her, smiling, because she loved the attention it brought her.

Kimberly: ‟You know...I like to believe that chaos makes the world go round. After all, my darlings, Colton knows all about chaos. It is a matter of time before he displays it for the world to see.”

She looks around unimpressed by the lack of respect shown. Their gazing up and down at her with lust made her sick.

Kimberly: ‟All these men right now look at me like a piece of meat desperately wanting my attention, because clearly their wives, or girlfriend aren't giving them enough at home, so when they see a beautiful, smart and talented girl such as myself they are like a pack of hound dogs vying for my attention, but there is only one man capable of handling me. Isn't that right, baby?”

The camera remains on Kimberly, holding a drink in her hand. She smiles, waiting for Colton Saint to speak up. The smile fades, as nothing is coming out. Instead, a body flies over the bar, slamming into the glass. A second man is thrown into the bar. He takes a swing, only to eat a headbutt from Colton. Seeing Kimberly, Colton walks over towards her, as she hands him the drink. Another man walks up to check on the fallen victim of the headbutt.

Eyeballing the drink, he raises the glass high, before finishing the drink off. Rather than setting the glass down, he turns towards the final man, breaking the glass over his head. He stands over the fallen, looking in front of him at the rest of the patrons. He sizes them up to see if anybody wants to have a go, however they seem to cower away from him. The cold glare in his eyes are fixated momentarily before he slowly turns his gaze towards Kimberly, smiling at the destruction that he has caused.

Kimberly: ‟Ladies and gentlemen if that isn't the definition of true love then I don't know what is.”

Following Kimberly’s emphatic statement, the bartender looks at her and Colton, demanding them to leave immediately. Colton slowly turns his head towards the aggressive bartender, giving him the cold stare. He approaches the bar, pointing at the Stella Artois on tap. The bartender, in fear, immediately prepares two mugs for the couple. Without a sense of remorse, Colton backhands the poor bartender, knocking him to the ground.

Kimberly looks behind her at Colton as he hands her a mug of Stella, grabbing one for himself afterwards. The two exchange smiles before clinking glasses, allowing Kimberly to continue.

Kimberly: ‟I would say that you are ready to compete tonight. You already cleared the bar of the thirsty pigs… can only imagine what you will do in that ring.”

She gets up, walks over and sees the man that Colton took down lying helplessly on the ground, then hovers over him and spills her drink on his face, then once it was empty, so throws her glass to the side and grabs her coat. The lovely couple lock eyes with devilish smiles on their faces.

Kimberly: ‟They said that all men were created equal...”

The smile slowly fades on Colton’s face, watching Kimberly.

Colton Saint: “They were wrong.”

Being the true gentleman that he is, Colton grabs Kimberly’s hand, allowing her to walk on a few of the fallen victims before walking towards the end of the shot. Colton raises the mug of beer, taking a gigantic swig before throwing the glass aside before exiting the shot with his beautiful devil.



The camera cuts to the ring where Holly Perez is standing by.

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: This match is scheduled for ONE FALL and is a TRIALS OF TIME MATCH! If either competitor records one of the two fastest times tonight, they will go on to Hell on Earth and fight for the GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP! Introducing first...


HOLLY PEREZ: Weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds… From London, England… He is “The Molotov”... DICCKKIIIEEEEEE WATTSSONNNNN!!!

TREY BOOKER: We’ve heard nothing but good things about this kid here. He’s a former World Champion and currently a Tag Team Champion at another promotion, so I’m sure he’s got that Grand Championship on his mind here.

J.T. PRICE: You best believe it, Book! His family trained him well and he’s grown to be one of the best around. I’m looking forward to seeing what he brings to Project: Honor, but I know for a fact we have a star in him.

Arena lights completely black out.

On the video screen, small flashes of yellow trickle in and out as “In The Still Of The Night” by The Five Satins can be heard from a distance. The camera pans in with the beautiful Kimberly Chase laying her head on a man’s shoulder, slow dancing with him. She rotates in the dance, allowing the camera to see Colton Saint holding onto her, with a content smile on his face. The two share a moment together.

As the shot pans out, Colton and Kimberly continue their slow dance. Surrounded by burning cars, and damaged bodies on the ground. They smile at one another, giving Colton the opportunity to reach down at one of the victims, snatching the necklace off of her. He looks at it, before putting it on around Kimberly’s neck. The two share a smile as the elation takes over for Kimberly, who motions her head towards him.

“I think we need to add to our collection.”

The sinister, devilish smile arrives on her face as Colton slowly nods, as the movie begins to fade out.

The thunderous percussion blasts through the speakers as “Unsettling Differences” by Blue Smock Nancy starts up. Time delayed white strobe lights flicker in and out every few seconds.

Kimberly walks ahead of Colton towards the end of the ramp. Her eyes narrow at the ringside fans, holding onto her necklace as if it were her own, walking closely to the fans before Colton steps in the way, keeping himself between the fans and her.

Kimberly smirks as they cower out of the way at his glance. He moves slowly alongside her before turning towards the hard camera. In a sudden burst of energy, Colton grabs the top rope, and climbs onto the ring apron, looking down at Kimberly before standing himself up. He lowers her arm to her, allowing her to grip onto him as he slowly pulls her up onto the apron. They stare longing into each other’s eyes, before slowly turning to a glare at the audience.The slow scowl on Kimberly’s face pierces through the camera, before turning her head towards Colton, tugging at his jaw to make him look at her. She looks down at the middle rope before leaning down against it, allowing Colton to get into the ring, before he holds it open for her. She follows him into the ring, paying more attention to each other, painting the audience as cheap background characters.

They walk towards the middle of the ring, with the slow movements of Colton breaking as he sprints towards the ropes, bouncing off before hitting the other side. He runs the ropes, as Kimberly watches him, rubbing the chain of her necklace with a smile on her face.

Going from the full sprint to the sudden stop, Colton keeps his eyes on Kimberly, who gives him direction on the contest. He scowls as his eyes rise to what lies ahead of him.

HOLLY PEREZ: And his opponent… Weighing in at two hundred and thirty-two pounds… From Rofflestomp Ranch… “The Last Breathing Outlaw”... COLTONNNNN SAINNNTTTTT!!!

TREY BOOKER: We don’t know too much about Colton, except that he’s a multiple time World Tag Team Champion! Now he and the lady friend really have their eyes locked on that Grand Championship.

J.T. PRICE: I would too if I had the opportunity at it! The question is; are we going to find out who Colton really is during this match? Will he and the lady friend try to pull something on Dickie?

Holly Perez exits the ring and the referee signals for the bell and the start of the match.

DING! DING! DING!

The clock starts counting.

They start off fast-paced with Dickie charging right at Colton with a dropkick to the knee! He thought he was going to do something else and is down on one knee now! Dickie stands tall while he’s on his knee and then thrusts his body forward with a european uppercut. Colton is down on the mat. Dickie isn’t letting up either as he mounts on top of Colton and unloads a fury of punches right down onto his face! He unmounts and then runs to the ropes. He lifts himself up to the top rope…

TREY BOOKER: SPRINGBOARD SENTON CONNECTS! Dickie goes for the cover!

ONE!

J.T. PRICE: He’s gonna have to do more than that if he wants to keep Colton down.

Dickie immediately lifts Colton up to a seated position and locks in a headlock with his knee driving into his back! Very nice move here. It’s weakening his opponent and has the chance to even put him down! Dickie pulls back on Colton’s head and drives his knee further into his back. Colton is in a lot of pain right now and he has to act now before this takes its toll on him. The crowd is starting to clap and chant his name! He’s slowly able to move Dickie’s knee out of his back and gain some momentum to get back to his feet. He’s slowly rising and he drives his elbow right into Dickie’s gut! Another one! And another one! Dickie releases the headlock and Colton runs towards the ropes! He rebounds and charges right at Dickie with a running elbow!

TREY BOOKER: Colton leans on the ropes to gain some stamina back. While doing so, he looks at the clock.

The time of 2:47 shows on the clock.

J.T. PRICE: Two minutes and forty-seven seconds in. Still plenty of time!

Colton reaches down to pick Dickie up and lifts him back to both feet. He whips him into the corner and then charges right behind him! BEFORE DICKIE REACHES THE CORNER COLTON GRABS A HOLD OF HIM FROM BEHIND AND PULLS HIM BACK FOR A WHEELBARROW SUPLEX!

TREY BOOKER: That had to have taken Dickie by surprise and he’s gotta be hurting! Colton goes for the cover now!

ONEE!!
TWOOO!!

J.T. PRICE: Dickie kicks out right at the two count!

Colton immediately gets to his feet and runs to the ropes. Dickie is still on the mat and Colton connects a running senton! He then lifts Dickie up once again and places him in a DDT position! DOUBLE PLANT DDT!

TREY BOOKER: HE JUST DROVE DICKIE’S FACE STRAIGHT INTO THE MAT! He goes for the cover once again!

ONEEE!!
TWOOOO!!

J.T. PRICE: Another kick out! If Colton keeps this up, he might be able to secure the victory and fastest time! He’s definitely wearing Dickie down right now!

Colton seems a little irritated as he lifts Dickie up once again. HE’S GOING FOR THE FINISH! FOR KIMBERLY, WITH LOVE! NO, DICKIE ROLLS THROUGH AND GOES FOR A CLOTHESLINE! COLTON DUCKS AND GRABS A HOLD OF DICKIE, SENDING HIM INTO THE CORNER ONCE AGAIN! DICKIE JUMPS UP TO THE TOP TURNBUCKLE AND WOW! DIVING MOONSAULT!He’s not going for the cover for some reason… BUT HE’S LOOKING TO LOCK IN THE GUILLOTINE CHOKE! AND HE’S… GOT IT!

TREY BOOKER: WAIT COLTON ROLLS OVER WHILE IT’S LOCKED IN AND HAS BOTH SHOULDERS OF DICKIE DOWN!

ONEE!!
TWOOO!!
THRR--

J.T. PRICE: The hold is released and both men lay on the mat! That was a close one. Smart reversal from Colton, but he’s still feeling the effects from it. Dickie gets back to his feet and looks at the clock.

The time of 6:28 shows on the clock.

After seeing the time, Dickie immediately grabs a hold of Colton and throws a couple punches at him, backing him up against the ropes. He grabs a hold of him and lifts him onto the top rope THEN CONNECTS A SLINGSHOT SUPLEX! What a move! He’s running for the top rope now. He points his elbow down at Colton and HE LIFTS OFF WITH A DIVING ELBOW DROP!

TREY BOOKER: IT CONNECTS! HE GOES FOR THE COVER!

ONEE!!
TWOOO!!!

J.T. PRICE: Neither of these men will stay down!

Dickie’s going for the guillotine choke again! He's got it locked in and Colton is in trouble. Colton pulls back and tightens the hold! Colton is crawling for the ropes right now. He stops right near the ropes! He's about to tap and Dickie might have this won off of a simple guillotine choke! He looks at the time while applying pressure on the hold!

The time of 7:52 shows on the clock.

Dickie uses one arm to drive his elbow down onto Colton’s shoulder blades, BUT THIS GIVES COLTON THE CHANCE TO MOVE AND REACH JUST AS HE DOES! HE’S GOT THE ROPES!

TREY BOOKER: He finally releases the hold and Colton is in a very bad position right now! Dickie reaches down, BUT COLTON ROLLS HIM UP!

ONEE!!
TWOOO!!
THR--

J.T. PRICE: Colton almost got the pin!

Colton rises to his feet and lifts Dickie up with him! DICKIE PUSHES COLTON OFF OF HIM THEN CHARGES WITH A CLOTHESLINE! COLTON COUNTERS BY GRABBING HIS ARM AND CONNECTING FOR KIMBERLY, WITH LOVE! CROSS RHODES DRIVES DICKIE DOWN ONTO THE MAT AND HE’S GOING FOR THE COVER! BUT HE CAN’T! DICKIE ROLLS OUT OF THE RING BEFORE HE CAN!

The time of 9:40 shows on the clock.

TREY BOOKER: We’re cutting it close to the other times now! Someone’s gotta do something quickly!

HE SLIDES OUT AND GRABS DICKIE, THROWING HIM BACK IN THE RING! HE GOES FOR THE COVER!

ONEE!!
TWOOOO!!!

Dickie reverses the pin into his own pin! The ref starts counting the pinfall for Dickie now!

ONE!!
TWOO!!
THREEE!!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: Here is your winner with a time of nine minutes and fifty-six seconds… DICCCKIIEEEE WATTSONNNN!!!

TREY BOOKER: Dickie Watson now has the fastest time so far! Unless the next couple matches beats this time, we may be seeing Dickie in the Championship match at Hell on Earth!

J.T. PRICE: Let’s not get too hasty here, we still got the rest of the show to go!

The harsh opening riffs and brutal drumming of "A New Level" by Pantera begins to play as the lights form to a shade of red and “The Terminator” makes his way from behind the curtain. A long black cloak follows Tommy as he makes his slow walk down to the ring, a black and red Oni Mask covering the face of the man known as an “Agent of Chaos”.

HOLLY PEREZ: The following contest is a Trials of Time qualifier set for one fall or time limit draw.  Introducing first, wrestling out of Limerick City, County Limerick, Ireland and residing in Detroit, Michigan... weighing in at 228 lbs... He is "The Terminator", TOMMYYYYYYYY OOOOOO CONNNNNNNORRRRRRR!!!!

As Tommy reaches ringside, he unstraps the neck piece from his cloak and feels it fall behind him to the floor, he then reaches for the mask and ever so gracefully slides it off of his face as the dark and twisted demeanor of The Terminator shows, he slides under the bottom rope and quickly hops back to his feet. Tommy brings himself to the corner and stands there, eerily looking out to the crowd as he awaits his opponent.

J.T. PRICE: What an entrance by the man of many names.  He’s got a tough road ahead of him with the current time set, but I believe either of these big men could end this one in a hurry.

TREY BOOKER: I tend to agree.  At six foot even you’re not going to find many guys that dwarf O’Connor, but his opponent happens to be one of the few.

"We Gonna Make it" by Jadakiss ft. Styles P. starts bumping through the PA as Terrance Howard calmly walks through the entrance, twisting the rings on his fingers in an attempt to menace as he takes his time getting to the ring.

HOLLY PEREZ: And his opponent, standing 6’3’’ and weighing 230 lbs.  He hails from Yonkers, New York; JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAON TERRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAANCE!!!!!!

Terrance rolls into the ring and immediately tries to get up in O’Connor’s face in the corner before the ref pulls them apart and warns Jason to go to his own corner.

TREY BOOKER: Terrance fronting from the offset, but from what I understand from scouting reports, Terrance tends to be a cheap fighter.

J.T. PRICE: Jason Terrance is a thug.  Nothing he does is flashy, nothing he does panders to these morons in the crowd, and some of what he does could be considered leaning on the side of dishonorable, but everything he does has an impact.  This man survived on the streets for years just trying to make ends meet.  Now he’s going to show us what he can do between the ropes.

DING! DING! DING!

Just as the bell sounds, O’Connor comes running in with a knee to the chin of Jason Terrance out of the gate! Wasting no time, he  runs the ropes and comes back with a bicycle knee, overwhelming Terrance with the flurry of offense off the bat. O’Connor takes advantage of his momentum and gains wrist control and follows up quickly with a short-arm lariat. Terrance barely budges. O’Connor holds on and quickly twists Terrance into a ripcord knee.  

TREY BOOKER: I’m not sure if Terrance tanking it or eating the offense at this point.  

Jason Terrance is on spaghetti legs as O’Connor goes to hit the ropes once more and EATS A BIG BOOT! O’Connor is planted on the mat.

J.T. PRICE: And just like that, one Jason Terrance boot does the job that a thousand subtle knee strikes from O’Connor couldn’t put Tommy down on the canvas.

Tommy tries to shake off the cobwebs as Jason shoots him the stink eye and starts circling him with just brutal stomps with the heel of his foot.Tommy’s on defense and trying to cover up as he fights through the rain down of stomps to get to his feet. O’Connor staggers around, unintentionally giving his back to Jason as he rises. BAM! a sucker punch left hook to the ear of Tommy O’Connor from over the shoulder. Tommy’s reeling on one knee as Jason Terrance circles around and pops him in the ribs with the point of his knee. O’Connors manages to stumble to his feet, but before he can shake off the offense, Terrance surprises him with a double leg takedown and sends him crashing back down on the mat back first. Jason falls on top of Tommy in the guard and just plants his massive hand around his windpipe.

TREY BOOKER: No honor in a choke! Ref starts the five count to DQ.

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!

J.T. PRICE: C’MON JASON, BREAK THE CHOKE!

The time of 3:33 shows on the clock.

Jason Terrance breaks the choke and immediately gets into the ref's face, mad dogging him into the corner in hopes of intimidating the smaller man. O’Connor takes advantage of the opening with a schoolboy roll up from behind!

ONE!

Barely a one count as Terrance rolls out of the cover. He’s to his feet before O’Connor and levels him back down onto his hands and knees with another sickening left hook to the ear!  O’Connor is down. Terrance measures up for the punt. He runs in hot with the punt attempt, but O’Connor twists up off of the mat and cracks Jason Terrance with a discus forearm! Jason Terrance is wobbling and stutter-stepping. O’Connor catches his second wind as he rushes Terrance once more. Dropkick sends Terrance into the ropes! O’Connor’s quickly to his feet and follows up with a powerful Paralyze that sends Terrance up and over to the outside.

J.T. PRICE: Jason Terrance lands on his feet on the outside. Is there anything that’ll put this man down?

TREY BOOKER: TOPE CON HILO FROM O’CONNOR!

O’Connor pushes Terrance back first into the barricade with the tope, but Jason’s still upright!  O’Connor, like a bat out of hell, rushes back into the ring and hits another tope that almost sends Jason over the barricade! It looks like someone set the Secret Weapon to kill as he goes back into the ring once more, runs the ring, and comes back and...stops…

TREY BOOKER: Where’d Jason Terrance go?

O’Connor seems confused, as does the ref. O’Connor tells the ref to start counting as he rolls out to the floor in search of Jason Terrance...

ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
FOUR!

O’Connor looks under the apron, but comes up short. He quickly rushes to check the timekeeper area, but comes up empty once more.

FIVE!
SIX!

The time of 6:38 shows on the clock.

Weighing the remaining and limited hiding place options around ringside, O’Connor finally makes his way toward the barricade. As he cautiously peers over the edge, something catches him and sends him flying backward into the ring apron, clutching his chin. A smirking Jason Terrance rises from behind the security wall, twisting the big rings on his fingers tellingly.

TREY BOOKER: Did he deck O’Connor with those?

J.T. PRICE: I don’t know, the ref can’t call it if they don’t see it, and you don’t know for sure either so quit making assumptions. That’s profiling!

SEVEN!
EIGHT!

Jason quickly hops the barricade, taunting the reeling O’Connor at ringside as he does so, before casually rolling into the ring.

NINE!

O’Connor, running on fumes after that ring shot, uses his last burst of energy to follow Jason in just as the ref starts raising his hand for a tenth time.

TREY BOOKER: And just like that, it’s as if someone set the reset button!

The time of 8:12 shows on the clock.

Both men are back on their feet and in one another’s faces in the center of the ring. O’Connor braces the back of Jason Terrance’s head and lays in with a stiff forearm smash! Jason Terrance eats it and snaps his head back around smiling and nodding as he cracks his knuckles and sizes up O’Connor. Jason hauls back and lays a stiff standing clothesline to the chest of O’Connor. O’Connor winces but takes it with a smile. He nods in approval and beckons Terrance to lay in another. Taken aback by O’Connor’s brash nature, Jason Terrance adjusting his rings as he winds back and measures up for that hard left.

J.T. PRICE: Wait! The ref sees the rings!

The ref catches Jason’s wrist just before he can fully cock it back. O’Connor takes the opening and turns to springboards off of the ropes. He’s looking for Genesis, but Jason pulls his hand free in time and swats the foot away. O’Connor comes down into a flush headbutt! Kiss of Death! O’Connor’s whole body folds backwards and crumples to the mat. Jason Terrance covers.

ONE!
TWO!

TREY BOOKER: He’s got the tights!

J.T. PRICE: Did the ref see?!

TREY BOOKER: It doesn’t matter if the ref saw it or not because apparently Jason Terrance doesn’t think the headbutt was enough! OH COME ON!

Jason Terrance lift’s O’Connor’s head out of the cover, and quickly locks in a grounded version of the Bars of Terror. The ref raises the already unconscious Tommy O’Connor’s hand three times and calls for the bell!

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: And your winner via submission at the time of ten minutes and one second… JASON TERRANCEEE!!!

TREY BOOKER: What a show of dominance here by Jason Terrance.

J.T. PRICE: I don’t think the submission was even all that necessary, but it doesn’t look like he’s letting go even after the bell.

The crowd audibly boos as Jason Terrance wrenches the hold in deeper as the ref struggles to pull him off of Tommy O’Connor.

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!

TREY BOOKER: DEDUCT TIME! DO SOMETHING! GET HIM OUT OF HERE!

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!

J.T. PRICE: Hey Book, I think the match is over...

The referee finally peels Jason Terrance off of O’Connor and lifts his hand in the air as "We Gonna Make it" by Jadakiss ft. Styles P starts to play to a chorus of boos. Terrance yanks his hand away and feints hitting the ref with his loaded right, before jovially clutching his chest in laughter and falling backwards onto the mat comically and rolling out of the ring.

TREY BOOKER: What a cheap victory.

J.T. PRICE: Yeah, but did it beat the clock?

TREY BOOKER: Is that all that matters to you!?!

J.T. PRICE: No, it’s all that matters. Period.



The camera cuts to the ring where Holly Perez is standing by.

DING! DING! DING!

HOLLY PEREZ: This match is scheduled for ONE FALL and is the FINAL MATCH OF THE TRIALS OF TIME! The two fastest times are nine minutes and fifty-six seconds and ten minutes and one second. If the winner of this match would be either of those times, they would go on to the Grand Championship match at Hell on Earth! Introducing first…

The opening electronic strings of "Warrior" fade into the arena, growing louder as it progresses. The lights start pulsing in time with the start of the drumbeat, and as the lyrics begin a figure appeared silhouetted against the backdrop.

♫ I got my head high, my chest out, my eyes open wide
I got no fear, got no doubt and, god, I feel alive ♫

The spotlight kicked on, shining down onto Kasey Winterborn. With a slight smirk on her face and determination in her eyes, she raises her hands in the air to the overwhelming cheers of the crowd.

♫ I'm not stopping for ya, I'm a fucking warrior
I'm a warrior
Wa-wa-warrior, wa-wa-warrior
Walking through fire like I'll never learn
Waiting forever and now it's my turn
Stronger than ever, I'm ready to burn
Na-na-na na-na-na, I'm a warrior ♫

After a moment of posing, she smiles and begins her descent down the ramp. Along the way she looks around at the crowd cheering for her, reaching out and slapping hands with a couple of fans at ringside. She slides into the ring under the bottom rope and kips up to her feet, where she runs and leaps up to the middle rope at the turnbuckle and glances out at the crowd, smiling as she raises a fist in the air.

HOLLY PEREZ: Weighing in at one hundred and twenty pounds… From Chicago, Illinois… “Little Miss Vex”... KASSEEEYYY WINNTERRRBORRNNNN!

The lights go for a light shade of pink as "Save That Shit" by Lil Peep begins to play for everyone to hear.

Fuck my life, can't say that girl
Don't tell me you can save that shit
All she want is payback for the way I always play that shit
You ain't getting nothing, now I'm saying
Don't tell me you is
Nothin' like them other motherfuckers

Ryan Young steps out from behind the curtain to a loud amount of boos, he gives off a smirk as he crouches down and scans through the many fans in attendance. He slowly gets back to a vertical position, adjusting his kneepads before making his slow walk down to ringside. Soaking in the crowd's negative reaction.

I can make you rich (I can make you rich)
I can make you this, baby, I can make you that
I can take you there, but baby, you won't make it back
Growing sick of this and I don't wanna make you sad
Do I make you scared? Baby, won't you take me back?

Young makes his way down the ramp and to ringside where he runs at the ring apron and slides along it on one knee, entering the ring and climbing up to the second rope where beats his chest with his hands before stretching his arms out and giving a smirk to the crowd who continue to rain the boos down for him.

HOLLY PEREZ: And her opponent… Weighing in at two hundred and twenty-seven pounds… From Anaheim, California… “The Juggernaut”... RYYYAANNNN YOUNNGGGGG!!!

TREY BOOKER: Well, there’s definitely a size difference. That’s for sure.

J.T. PRICE: Who says size matters?

The ref signals for the bell after Holly Perez chuckles at J.T. and exits the ring.

DING! DING! DING!

We kick things off with an immediate knife edge chop from Kasey Winterborn! As soon as that bell rang she CHARGED at Ryan! Ryan quickly responds with a knee strike to Kasey’s midsection! Ryan isn’t holding back as he gives one more stiff knee strike that sends Kasey down to one knee! She isn’t going down without a fight as she stands back on her own two feet and pushes Ryan back! Ryan fumbles back a bit but Kasey jumps over him like a wild animal!

TREY BOOKER: Oh god, this has turned into a brawl! I think Ryan was underestimating the feistiness of Kasey Winterborn.

Kasey runs to the ropes and SENDS HERSELF INTO A DROP KICK TO THE LEGS OF THE JUGGERNAUT! What a picture perfect low dropkick from Kasey Winterborn! Such grace! However, you can see her gasping for air as that small burst of energy took a bit of a toll on her. She gets back to her feet as she pulls Ryan back by the roots of his hair. BUT RYAN SHOVES HER TO THE SIDE AND GRASPS HER BY HER NECK! Ryan turns her around, SNAP SUPLEX? NO! Ryan has his arms wrapped around Kasey’s head but Kasey is trying to maneuver herself out of there by nailing jabs to the midsection of her opponent! It looks like Kasey is almost out BUT WITHIN A BLINK OF AN EYE, RYAN MANAGES TO GET A STRONG GRIP ON KASEY AND SNAP SUPLEX! KASEY’S BODY JUST GOT RAGDOLLED ACROSS THE RING!

J.T. PRICE: Maybe size does matter…

TREY BOOKER: YOU THINK?!

The time of 3:19 shows on the clock.

Ryan stops for a minute and embraces the booing crowd. He’s pointing to his muscular physique and is laughing in comparison to Kasey’s body. What a cocky son of a bitch! But hey, he is looking pretty hot. Uh – Anyway, Ryan stops taunting the crowd and grabs Kasey by her hair… Ryan now has a fist full of Kasey hair as he… oh god… with both fists, he grabs Kasey and FLINGS HER TO THE TURNBUCKLE! YOU CAN SEE KASEY’S RED STRANDS IN BETWEEN THE KNUCKLES OF RYAN!

J.T. PRICE: These two are extra aggressive tonight and am I the only one that notices a sexual tension?

TREY BOOKER: Maybe between you and Ryan, J.T.

As Kasey was thrown she landed face first into the mat. An egotistical Ryan casually walks towards Kasey and forcefully gets her to her feet. He makes her stand in the corner as he slowly walks over the opposite corner… RYAN REVS HIMSELF UP AS HE CHARGES TOWARDS KASEY! SHOULDER FIRST INTO KASEY’S MIDSECTION! – NO! KASEY MOVES AT THE LAST SECOND! RYAN PRICE’S SHOULDER JUST WENT STRAIGHT INTO THE RING POST AS KASEY SOMEHOW MANAGED TO GET HERSELF ON THE RING APRON! Ryan is currently meshed in between the ropes with his face and shoulder sticking out…

J.T. PRICE: This is a good spot for Kasey here if she can capitalize.

KASEY WITH THE TIGER FEINT KICK RIGHT TO THE BACK OF RYAN’S HEAD! HIS BODY SLIPS FROM THE ROPES DOWN TO THE FLOOR AS KASEY EMBRACES THE ROARING CROWD! She is looking to end this once and for all as she attempts to drag Ryan’s body back into the ring. Unfortunately, it seems as if she’s having no luck because Ryan’s body is limp! Kasey is unloading on Ryan demanding for him to wake up and crawl back into that ring! Kasey’s anger has slowly been working up and somehow manages to get Ryan back onto his two feet. BUT RYAN OUT OF NOWHERE, THE RETROWAVE KNEE! THE NOMISUGI KNEE OUT OF NOWHERE!

TREY BOOKER: I think Ryan was playing all along, making it seem like he was knocked up, but he was slowly planning out his next move! HE’S GOING FOR THE PIN!

ONEE!!
TWOOO!!!
THRE---

J.T. PRICE: Kasey has her foot on the bottom rope! The match continues!

Ryan becomes furious as he wanted to end the match now. He grabs a hold of Kasey and drags her to the middle of the ring and goes for another cover!

ONEE!!
TWOOOO!!

TREY BOOKER: Another kick out from Kasey!

The time of 6:35 shows on the clock.

Ryan is currently trying to reflect on his situation as he stands on his feet. He wipes the sweat off of his forehead and slides from underneath the bottom rope. A cocky grin emerges on his face as he kneels and begins to look for something underneath the ring.

J.T. PRICE: Oh god, don’t do this Ryan! You’ll get disqualified, that’s no way to win you a match! Wait - what the hell am I saying?! This man is CLEARLY trying to establish some sort of dominance so go at it!

Ryan pulls out a kendo stick! He is standing right before us as he is showing us up close and personal the detailing on that said kendo stick! He starts laughing, BUT HERE COMES KASEY WITH A SUICIDE DIVE! A SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT THAT SENDS BOTH OF THEM TO THE GROUND!

TREY BOOKER: WOW! Kasey is really proving that she not only has heart, but just pure talent.

ONE!

J.T. PRICE: The ref is starting the count for a count-out as we wait for someone to get back to their feet and into the ring!

TWO!

Kasey is beginning to show some signs of life as she wiggles her arm in an attempt to get herself up!

THREE!

She has managed to crawl her way to the ring apron and is slowly maneuvering her body underneath the bottom rope… Ryan is slowly realizing his surroundings and seems frazzled! He is quickly making his way towards the ring!

TREY BOOKER: Amazing match between these two!

J.T. PRICE: Right you are, Trey! Wow, I thought I’d never utter those words.

The time of 8:57 shows on the clock.

Both are now in their respective corner. You can tell that they are exhausted but they’re not going down without a fight. THEY BEGIN CHARGING TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER! AND… A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE! BOTH KASEY AND RYAN ARE LAID OUT BUT IT LOOKS LIKE RYAN DID MORE DAMAGE AS SHE FLIPS AFTER THE IMPACT!

ONE!

TREY BOOKER: Both are down and the ref has started yet another count!

Ryan is getting to his feet while Kasey is still down! He walks over to her and picks her up, then whips her into the ropes. She rebounds and he charges at her… CALIFORNIA DREAM! THE BICYCLE KNEE STRIKE! NO! KASEY DODGES AND IS ABLE TO LOCK HER LEGS ONTO HIS! She trips him to the mat and starts locking in a Sharpshooter… SHE’S GOT THE FACELOCK TO COMPLETE THE WICKED LITTLE MACHINE! Ryan has nowhere to go! He’s struggling to break the hold and… HE TAPS!

DING! DING! DING!

"Warrior" by Steve James feat. Lights starts playing over the speakers. Kasey stands up and has her hand raised by the ref.

HOLLY PEREZ: Here is your winner with a time of ten minutes and thirty-nine seconds… KASEEEYYY WINTTERRBOORNNN!!

The second she realizes the time wasn’t beaten, she immediately looks defeated.

TREY BOOKER: What a match, J.T. It’s unfortunate that Kasey wasn’t able to beat the time needed to get into the Grand Championship match, but she showed that she’s definitely coming for it soon.

J.T. PRICE: In my honest opinion, she deserves to be in that match after that showing. Not only was she able to defeat someone twice the size as her, she made him tap out. That’s nothing to scoff at.

TREY BOOKER: Looking at my sheet here, she actually had the EXACT same time as Phoenix LeStrange after she beat Lil Petey at the beginning of the night.


“Mouth of War” by Pantera blasts through the speakers and the crowd rises to their feet. General Manager Callum Walker steps out onto the stage with a mic in his hand and a smile on his face. He embraces the crowd for a moment before lifts the mic up to his mouth.

CALLUM WALKER: Well, well, well… What a fucking night we had tonight, wouldn’t you say?

The crowd begins to chant.

CROWD: BE THE HONORED! BE THE HONORED!

CALLUM WALKER: Hell yeah, that’s what I like to hear. We’ve seen some great victories, hell even some great losses. Every single competitor here tonight has nothing to be ashamed of. Your all was given and you can either learn from this and grow, or pout and just decline. That’s your choice.

Callum walks to the side of the stage and looks out at the crowd.

CALLUM WALKER: I know you all are aware of who the two fastest times were, but I figured I'd come out here myself and announce it. What’s an inaugural show without the General Manager sending everyone off with an announcement, eh?

Laughs are heard throughout the crowd.

CALLUM WALKER: That being said… With the second fastest time tonight and making his way to the Grand Championship Match at Hell on Earth...

"We Gonna Make it" by Jadakiss ft. Styles P blasts through the speakers and the fans immediately boo. Jason Terrance steps out onto the stage with a big smirk on his face.

CALLUM WALKER: JASON TERRANCE! He put on an impressive victory against Tommy O’Connor that ended with a time of ten minutes and one second. Congratulations on this opportunity, Jason. I recommend that you don’t fuck it up.

Jason forms a disgusted look at Callum.

CALLUM WALKER: And with the fastest time of the evening, he’s no stranger to inaugural Championship matches…

"Brand New Numb" by Motionless In White starts to play with the crowd immediately rising to a standing ovation. Dickie Watson walks out holding the PWS Tag Team Championship around his shoulder.

CALLUM WALKER: DICKIE WATSON! What an impressive debut with us. You bested Colton Saint and in all honesty, that didn’t look like an easy task.

Callum looks directly at the camera, pointing towards the back.

CALLUM WALKER: Colton, if you’re listening, do not be discouraged by tonight. You have something coming your way, should you be up to the task. We will discuss more later this evening.

Dickie and Jason both look confused.

CALLUM WALKER: Dickie and Jason, congratulations again and welcome to history. It doesn’t stop here, though…

CROWD: WHAT?!

CALLUM WALKER: What I witnessed tonight was one of the greatest showcases of talents I’ve seen in quite some time and this is JUST WEEK ONE! We’re just getting started here. That being said, I wanted to spice things up a bit considering it is the GRANDEST Championship of them all… Dickie and Jason, you won’t be the only people in that match…

Jason becomes furious while Dickie looks intrigued.

CALLUM WALKER: Next week, we will have a match to determine who the third and FINAL member of this match will be. That’s right… we’re going to have a TRIPLE THREAT MATCH for the Grand Championship at Hell on Earth! And the match that we’re going to have next week to determine that final member… will be…KASEY WINTERBORN vs. PHOENIX LESTRANGE!

The crowd rises to their feet, chanting.

CALLUM WALKER: I suggest you two prepare accordingly and watch closely since you’re no longer alone. As for the rest of you on the roster. You’re not done proving yourself yet. You think we’d call this Proving Ground if we didn’t have more for you? Each and every one of you will have a shot at the next best thing to the Grand Championship… THE X-FACTOR CHAMPIONSHIP! We will be holding a standard six-person tournament where the final two will face off at Hell on Earth to determine the first ever X-Factor Champion! Those six contenders will be:

COLTON SAINT!
ELIJAH COPELAND!
DANIEL HORROR!
MYOJIN!
CADEN YOUNG!
AND LIL PETEY!

Two of you will immediately start with a bye week from the Tournament and immediately advance to the next round. Those two will be… COLTON SAINT AND MYOJIN! That being said, Caden Young, Lil Petey, Elijah Copeland and Daniel Horror will all fight to make it to the next round where they face the two automatically advanced. Let the proving ground commence!

“Mouth for War” by Pantera starts to play again. Callum drops the mic and heads backstage. Dickie and Jason stand face to face staring each other down as the camera fades out completely.

The Project: Honor logo flashes on the screen.