DEFIANCE Uncut 147

DDK:
Welcome to UNCUT! We have a killer show lined up and we’re going to start it off with THIS guy…

♫ “King DeDeDe Remix Theme” from Kirby’s Dream Land ♫

The Mexican Faithful explode out of their seats as Conor Fuse pops out from behind the FIST logo to an enormous reaction. The Ultimate Gamer is sporting his OG lime green tights, bandana and shooting sleeve across his left arm as he makes his way down the ramp.

DDK:
Conor has been caught in a very confusing feud with Arthur Pleasant at the moment.

Lance:
ConFUSing, I’ll say. Pleasant hasn’t said a damn thing! I’d really like to hear what he has against Conor. I’m starting to wonder…

DDK:
I’m sure we’ll get answers eventually. As for now, we don’t even know who Conor is facing tonight!

Darren Quimbey:
This match is for ONE FALL! Introducing first… from Toronto, Ontario, Canada… weighing in at two-hundred pounds… he is THE POWER-UP KING… he is… CONOR FUUUUUSSSSSSEEEEE!!

Fuse arrives at the bottom of the rampway. He leaps onto the apron and then leaps over the top rope, landing perfectly in the center of the ring. The Faithful give a cheer, to which he bows in response. Conor makes his way over to a corner of the ring and waits on his opponent.

AH! HA! HA!

The crowd explodes again as a cult favorite in Mexico, Count Novick’s theme begins on the PA!

Darren Quimbey:
And his opponent… from Bran, Transylvania… weighing two-hundred-ONE pound… COUNT NOVICK!!!

DDK:
Novick has ONE pound on Conor Fuse.

Lance:
He’s the heavyweight!

Count Novick appears amidst smoke and mirrors and a lack of garlic. He marches onto the stage and slowly makes his way down the ramp, laughing at the man in the ring.

DDK:
This is NOT the first time these two have wrestled each other, Lance. July 13, 2022. MAXIMUM DEFIANCE in an impromptu match. Of course in the main event of that pay-per-view, Conor was the special enforcer for the FIST bout between then current champion, The Deacon and Malak Garland, the challenger.

Lance:
You also mean Malark Garland, the leader of The Comments Section and Conor Fuse, the newest member OF The Comments Section, against his will.

DDK:
Well Fuse is still a part of The Comments Section, although I’m told none of them want anything to do with Fuse while he’s battling Arthur Pleasant.

Lance:
I wouldn’t, either.

Novick makes his way to the end of the ramp and rolls into the ring. He begins to take off his cape as his theme song comes to a close and the crowd continues to chant for both parties.

DDK:
Our referee is Mark Shields, so who the hell knows what’s going to happen here. He’s an awful ref.

DING DING

Mark calls for the bell early but luckily Conor is a swell guy and waits for Novick’s cape to be placed to the side.

CONOR! CONOR! CONOR!
AH! HA! HA!
CONOR! CONOR! CONOR!
AH! HA! HA!

The crowd is on their feet as both men run at each other. Fuse moves his head at the last second from a flying punch by Novick and bicycle kicks the vampire in the side of the head before falling to the mat. Fuse kips to his feet and races towards the ropes. He fires up the crowd by shaking them, spins around and walks right into a flying punch by Novick!

DDK:
Conor got too cute!

Lance:
You can feel the energy off this crowd. In some ways, I can’t blame him. But Conor’s been around. He has to know better!

Novick hurls Conor into a corner and comes in with a massive splash. The Count whips Fuse into a corner across the way but this time Conor doesn’t meet the buckle. Instead, he jumps STRAIGHT onto the top rope and flies off with a moonsault that lands across Novick’s right shoulder!

Conor hops up and this time he doesn’t fire up the crowd. Instead, he whips Novick into the ropes and comes across with a spinning chop kick to the vampire. While Novick wobbles in the center of the ring, Fuse launches a hard superkick under the BRAZEN’s jaw. It stuns The Count, but he doesn’t go down.

Eventually, Novick lowers his head, narrows his eyes and looks right at Fuse.

Count Novick:
AH! HA! HA!

Conor raises an eyebrow and delivers a second superkick. It doesn’t knock Novick down, either.

The same thing happens. The vampire is staggered for a moment, then he lowers his head, narrows his eyes…

Count Novick:
AH! HA! HA!

And laughs.

Fuse whips Novick into a corner and then comes racing in with a flying overhead chop. Novick steers himself out of the buckle but Conor continues the chops… many of them, whipping Novick all around the ring. Fuse walks back and hits the ropes. He races into Novick with a flying cross body-

That’s caught!

Novick lands a standing moonsault fall away slam!

Into a pin!

ONE!

TWO!

KICKOUT!

The crowd cheers as Novick quickly gets to his feet and finds the second buckle to perch himself on. He measures Fuse and once Conor is on his feet, Novick jumps. He wraps his legs around Conor, looking for a hurricanrana but Conor counters it into a styles clash!

Fuse rolls Novick onto his back and hooks a leg.

ONE!

TWO!

KICKOUT!

Conor hops up and fires his arms around. He waits on Novick to rise and then comes bursting in with a spinning heel kick, straight under Novick’s jaw. Fuse kips up once more, still firing his arms around. The Faithful cheer along, as Fuse rams double windmill axe hammer smashes into Novick’s chest three times over. This moves the vampire into a corner and Conor follows with a rolling thunder smash!

The Ultimate Gamer races out of the buckle with Novick’s head underneath him. He’s looking for a bulldog but at the very last second, The Count ejects himself from the hold and Conor lands on the mat with nothing!

WHAM!

Novick with a superkick of his own. He doesn’t hesitate, he reaches out for Conor and reels him into a running release suplex, followed by a diving elbow to the side of the head and finally, Novick finds the second buckle, landing a flying back elbow to Fuse once the former Tag Team Champion was on his knees.

DDK:
We have a pin!

ONE!

TWO!

KICKOUT!

The crowd cheers once again as Conor shows he has lifebar left. Novick looks down at his opponent… he isn’t laughing anymore. It looks like The Count might even BITE Fuse’s neck but at the very last second, before the onlookers could even find out if this was going to happen, The Power-Up King hits an out-of-nowhere double knee facebreaker!

Conor leaps to his feet but falls back down. It takes Fuse a second try to remain stable and upright. Conor hammers Novick in the side of the head with a couple left forearms, then pulls Novick onto his feet and finds a hurricanrana into a pin-

That’s suddenly reversed by Novick!

ONE!

TWO!

CONOR ROLLS FREE!

Fuse sprints into the ropes and lands a missile dropkick to Novick’s face! Fuse peels the vampire off the mat and props him onto his feet. Conor hits the ropes again-

HEAD STOMP.

Novick is down and out! The crowd counts along!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

DING DING DING

Darren Quimbey:
The winner of this match… CONOR FUSE!!!

DDK:
There you have it! A solid victory for Conor but a good fight by Novick. Albeit, a fast affair and flew by!

Lance:
Novick was close. That hurricanrana into a pin almost did Conor in.

DDK:
And a match Mark Shields reffed that didn’t have a lot of problems, if any.

Fuse celebrates with the crowd as Count Novick rubs the side of his head. The Mexican Faithful celebrate with one of their favorites and UNCUT goes elsewhere.

Torreón.

Pre broadcast.

Nevertheless, Coliseo Centario is packed to the gills.

Mexico turned out tonight. There’s no disputing that.

And really, it shouldn’t come as any surprise, given how long they’ve wanted DEFIANCE Wrestling to make a rare venture South of Border.

Our faithful commentary team of “Downtown” Darren Keebler and Lance Warner are settling into their seats and rearranging their notes in preparation for a long night of action.

DDK:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! It was a wild night down here in Torreón yesterday on the first night of DEFtv 192, and undoubtedly tonight will be much less with the line-up we’ve got!

Lance:
We’ve still got a few minutes to get to the action while our ring crew goes to work setting the stage, but until then, I’m told we have someone in the back requesting time for a special announcement.

DDK:
Special announcement? Let’s see what’s 

♫ “Moving in Stereo” by the Cars ♫

The lights come down.

Light fills the entry-way.

A silhouette steps out onto the stage.

The ladies of Torreón EXPLOTA!

RRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

DDK:
What? Who is this…?’

Even Keebs and Lance are caught off guard by the sudden thunderous reaction to the music.

It could be suggested that DEFsec (Straws bless ‘em) have had it easy working out of the WrestlePlex for so many years. Which isn’t to say the NOLA Faithful aren’t a traditionally raucous and rowdy crowd in their own right.

But nothing could have prepared them for this.

Every single security official suddenly finds themselves besieged by a wall of screaming women charging en masse toward the barricade. 

The scene is borderline riotous. 

Keebler and Warner exchange confused glances and look to the figure that has stepped into the spotlight.

Lance:
Who is that?

DDK:
I’m not sure, Lance, but they certainly seem to be popular here with this Torreón crowd.

Picture it:

Slow jig up, from bottom to top. Super cool and dramatic.

Converse, white as pure snow.

Acid-washed jeans.

Very pronounced V-lines peeking over the waistline.

A lean, tanned exposed chest, peeking from beyond an open denim vest.

Face reveal: Poorly bleached hair. Shades. Peachfuzz beard. Impish smirk.

The women in the audience shriek. It’s mass hysteria in pure form.

DDK:
Hang on, is that who I think it is…?

No, Darren, it’s not Ryan Gosling.

But it’s a fair mistake to make, given the utterly hunky Adonis that just came onto the stage.

A mic is raised, and the ladies’ love of Mexico speaks for all to hear.

Chris Chickentenders:
Buenos aries, butt-munches.

RRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

The barricade bends and buckles under the weight of hundreds of screaming Mexican women, clawing at the air to reach the young press conference and DEF Radio sensation.

…well, to be fair, “sensation” is a bit of a generous term. 

DDK:
What is CHRIS CHICKENTENDERS doing down here in Torreón?! 

Lance:
And what’s with this reaction? When did this goober suddenly get so popular? And, um… suave?

DDK:
I… guess puberty caught up with him, with a vengeance?

Chris raises the mic again, beginning a soliloquy the likes of which only a posterior-obsessed, eighteen-year-old kid with the last name Chicketenders can give.

Chris Chickentenders:
So, like, um, hey, what’s up? Most of you remember that I had a certifiably BADASS Mexican adventure earlier this year, where. When I came here, I was but a boy. Soft and supple. Like a really thick butt. But of course, thanks to your clean and affordable brothels, I can say that when I returned home, I went back… a MAN! Huehuehuehuehue…

While Chickentenders’ characteristically nasal and perverse laughter would cause any American audience to groan in unsettled revulsion, the young ladies of Mexico seem wildly enamored by it.

Chris Chickentenders:
So like, due to popular demand, or whatever, you’re all gettin’ a second helping of the extra crispy, ultra spicy Chickentenders. Or, as you better know me here al sur de la frontera... the WHITE ROOSTER.

A chant breaks out from within the crowd.

”GAL-LO BLAN-CO!!”
CLAP-CLAP-CLAPCLAPCLAP!
”GAL-LO BLAN-CO!!”
CLAP-CLAP-CLAPCLAPCLAP!
”GAL-LO BLAN-CO!!”
CLAP-CLAP-CLAPCLAPCLAP!
”GAL-LO BLAN-CO!!”
CLAP-CLAP-CLAPCLAPCLAP!

Chicketenders stands at the end of the stage, looking stately and regal amid an incomprehensibly massive reaction.

DDK:
I am… speechless right now, Lance.

Lance:
Get a nerd laid, and he’ll think he’s king of the world.

Chickentenders smirks and readjusts his shades.

Chris Chickentenders:
Estoy honrado, ladies. Sorry to keep you all waiting. Took me a while to convince my mom to drive me all the way down here. Thanks again, Mom. You’re a saint, and I appreciate everything you do for me.

DDK:
Did Chris Chickentenders just say something respectable about his mother?! Look out the window, Lance… are the pigs flying yet?

Lance:
This can’t be the Chris Chickentenders we know. Clearly, this is some sort of imposter.

Chris pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolds it before looking point blank into the camera.

Chris Chickentenders:
Anyway, like, let’s get to the real reason you all came out here tonight…

DDK:
You mean… other than the best wrestling action on the planet?

Chris Chickentenders:
This is my gift to you, the amazing people of this magical land known as Mexico…

Chickentenders digs his fingers into his pants…

The senoritas in attendance shriek in ecstasy. The surge of bodies turns DEFsec into pancakes worthy of a Vae Victis celebration.

Favoured Saints will be dealing with many insurance claims from its staff in the wake of this disaster in crowd control. 

Then, almost anticlimactically, he fishes out a single piece of paper.

Chris Chickentenders:
The White Rooster’s Official List of Top Bonin’ Positions! Huehuehuehuehuehuehuehue…

DDK:
Oh no… God no…

Lance:
Somebody spare us from this madness!

Despite the pleas from the commentary team, the crowd is still heavily behind anything and everything the overnight heartthrob has to say. Chickentenders clears his throat as he unfolds his list and begins reading from the top.

Chris Chickentenders:
Nnnnnnnnnnuummberrrrrrr one… 

Then, without warning…

POOF!

A cloud of purple smoke suddenly explodes to Chickentenders’ right. A magician appears.

Carlo Amaretto:
Did somebody say… MAGIC?!

POOF!

Another cloud of smoke. Another magician, identical to the first.

Gomez Amaretto:
I know I DEFINITELY heard AMAZING!!

♫ “Abracadabra” by Steve Miller Band ♫

The room shifts in tone as gracefully as a baby grand piano . 

Chris stands dumbstruck as the tandem of twin magicians, the Amazing Amarettos, begin sashaying and strutting every which way across the stage to the music.

Carlo Amaretto:
AVANTI, impoverished little people of Mexico! 

Gomez Amaretto:
The AMAZING AMARETTOS are here to bring you MAGIA ESPECTACULAR-R-R-R!!

Lance:
Oh man… I know I asked for someone to save us, but this was the furthest thing I had from mind!

The Amarettos are working their magic, literally and metaphorically.

Carlo is materializing white doves from his sleeve. Some live, some… not. 

Gomez reaches into his hat and retrieves a bouquet of dandelions spray-painted red to give them the effect of looking like roses.

Every feat is punctuated by the two of them throwing their heads back and crowing their famous line:

Carlo & Gomez Amaretto:
AAAMAAAAAAZIIIIIIIIIIING HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

The crowd has quickly gone from hot to frigid. Sensing his chances of getting laid a second time growing slim, Chris Chickentenders elects to put an end to this bullshit..

Chris Chickentenders:
Hold up there, you pair of dandy douchebags you!

Carlo and Gomez freeze in their tracks. Chickentenders accusingly levels his finger in their direction.

Chris Chickentenders:
I don’t know, like, who you are, or where you even came from, but this is the White Rooster’s time. So if you don’t mind, uhhh, go away, or something.

Shades come down. Another wink to the camera.

Chris Chicktenders:
Cause this cock ain’t yet begun to crow…

RRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

Torreón gives its love to Chickentenders. The Amarettos, visibly jealous of this reaction, are absolutely nonplussed.

Carlo Amaretto:
You skeevy, sophomoric sexpot! You dare offend us by claiming to not recognize the world famous magicians, the AMAZING AMARETTOS?!

Gomez Amaretto:
We headlined in VEGAS, you tactless, twig-sized twerp! Not to mention, the undisputed GREATEST Tag Team Champions known to grace the squared-circular stage of Classique Wrestling!

The unimpressed Chickentenders merely scoffs at these claims of grandeur.

Chris Chickentenders:
Uhh, I know magic is for dorks. And kids. Like my cousin Craig. I don’t hang with him any more, because I’m all about gettin’ the booty these days, huehuehuehue. But you guys want to see some real magic? Check this…

Chris spots a young woman in the front row. 

Makes the eye contact, even through the shades.

Gives her The Nod.

Chris Chickentenders:
Hola, chica… que bueno?

FWOOMP!

That’s the sound of a bra hitting the White Rooster in the face after being thrown from the crowd.

He pulls it down and stuffs it into the seat of his pants for later.

Chris Chickentenders:
See that? I just made that chick’s clothes disappear, huehuehuehuehuehuehue…

The Amarettos are flummoxed, but quickly recompose themselves after a brief sidebar. 

Carlo Amaretto:
You have the gift of MAGIC, you say? VERY WELL!

Gomez Amaretto:
You will make the PERFECT VOLUNTEER for the AMAZING ENDEAVOR we have planned for this feeble little Mexican people!

Should be noted that whenever either Amaretto says “Mexico”, it’s with a rather outdated “sh” pronunciation.

CLAP! CLAP!

Carlo & Gomez Amaretto:
SUZIE!!

Out comes their not-so-lovely assistant, shoulders slouched, cigarette hanging from her lips. Just another day in paradise.

Under the impatient twin glares of the brothers, she eventually trudges up to the young Chickentenders, reaches into her obscenely low-hanging cleavage, and produces a sweaty deck of cards.

She spreads the cards out into a fan. Faces down.

Carlo Amaretto:
Now, if you’d please… pick a card, young Chris Tendercock! ANY card! But choose wisely! 

Gomez Amaretto:
INDEED! For this isn’t any pedestrian parlor card trick!

Carlo Amaretto:
And these are no ordinary cards! 

Gomez Amaretto:
You’re looking at the DECADENT DECK of DIONYSIAN DOCTRINE!

Carlo Amaretto:
Your FATE! Your FORTUNE! 

Gomez Amaretto:
Your PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

Carlo Amaretto:
EVERYTHING and ANYTHING in your short, perverted little life may be determined in how you choose!

Gomez Amaretto:
Emphasis on SHORT…

Chickentenders looks down at the array of cards with clear disinterest. 

Chris Chickentenders:
So, like, I had another trick in mind. How about this…

Chris points to Carlo.

Chris Chickentenders:
You... can eat my butt…

Offended, Carlo balks.

Chris points to Gomez.

Chris Chickentenders:
You... can eat my butt…

Infuriated, Gomez fumes.

Chris points to Suzie.

Chris Chickentenders:
And YOU... actually, you look like you’ve eaten enough butt in your life. But call me after the show anyway, mami, because you look good and desperate.

Indifferent, Suzie shrugs.

Gomez takes a step forward, but his brother quickly stops from doing anything impulsive when. Carlo whispers something into his twin’s ear before turning to Chickentenders with a wide and wicked grin.

Carlo Amaretto:
HA-HAA!! Very clever of you, young Chris Tendercock! 

On a dime, Gomez picks up on the grift.

Gomez Amaretto:
Yes! Of course! You have PASSED the TEST! 

Carlo brusquely shoves Suzie aside and glares in the direction of the curtain. The unspoken message to beat it. Ashing her cigarette, the beleaguered not-so-lovely assistant stacks up the cards and promptly makes her exit, looking thankful that her part in this shit show is finally over. 

Now it’s just Chickentenders and Amarettos on stage.

Carlo Amaretto:
Only a TRUE magician would know that the BEST choice… is NO CHOICE at all!

Gomez Amaretto:
Yes, it is beyond a SHADOW OF A DOUBT that powerful magic and sorcery flows through your thin, muggle veins!

Chickentenders’ eyebrow perks.

Chris Chickentenders:
Whoa, wait… so I’m like, a sorcerer? Dude, that’s kinda BADASS now that I think about it. Can I, like, shoot fireballs and shit out of my hands someday?

Carlo Amaretto:
PSHAW!! With enough practice, you’ll be shooting every manner of things out of every conceivable part of your body!

Chris Chickentenders:
Cool.

Gomez Amaretto:
You’d undoubtedly make a fine apprentice… even if you still happen to be a bit wet behind the ears!

Carlo Amaretto:
Ah, but Gomez!

Gomez Amaretto:
Carlo?

Carlo Amaretto:
I do not believe it to be WETNESS that you perceive with your brilliant, all-seeing mind!

Gomez Amaretto:
Then what is it YOU see, dear brother?

Carlo Amaretto:
I see something…

Carlo reaches behind Chris’ left ear…

…and reveals a QUARTER!

DDK:
Oh wow!

Carlo Amaretto:
…AAAAMAAAAAAZZZIIIIIINNNG HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Despite the amateur nature of the trick, the young Chickentenders is completely awestruck. He paws behind his ear, as though trying to reproduce more on his own.

Chris Chickentenders:
WHUT?? Wait, how’d you do that, man? This is a total mystery to me! Like, I’m gonna have to open a case file for private investigation! When I get done investigating all these privates, I mean, huehuehuehuehue--but, no, wait, seriously, HOW’D YOU DO THAT?

The Amarettos exchange evil smirks.

Gomez Amaretto:
That? That was nothing! But THIS…?

Gomez reaches behind Chris’ right ear…

…and reveals a WHOLE DAMB ROLL of quarters!

Lance:
Oh my!

Gomez Amaretto:
…is AAAAMAAAAAAZZZIIIIIINNNG HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Again, Chickentenders is floored. 

Chris Chickentenders:
DUDE! MAN! BRO! THAT WAS SO BADASS!! Wow, is that, like, a whole roll of quarters? There must be, like, a hundred whole dollars in that! That’d make me like a millionaire down here!

Carlo and Gomez grin from ear to ear like a pair of devilish bastards. Gomez flips the quarter roll in his hand.

Carlo Amaretto:
It is just as we told you, soft, little Tendercock… with MAGIC, anything and EVERYTHING is possible!

Chris Chickentenders:
Cool! Dude! I’m totally down to be a private investigator with the powers of sorcery and chick magnetism! So, like, uhh… since that came from my ear and all, you think I can have that?

Carlo and Gomez look to one another. Wink.

Gomez Amaretto:
Thought ya’d never ask…

BAM!

The Killer Kadabra gives it to him by way of wrapping it into his fist and knocking young Chickentenders to the floor with a heavy right hook.

DDK:
OH MY!!

Chickentenders crumbles to the stage in a heap, out like a light. 

Torreón erupts into an apocalyptic hellfire of heat.

BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Volleys of garbage from the crowd rain down upon the stage. Carlo and Gomez proudly flourish their capes and outstretch their arms into mirroring triumphant poses.

Carlo Amaretto:
How is THAT for a bit of sleight of hand!

Gomez Amaretto:
Or maybe that’s just a case of being SOFT of HEAD!

Carlo Amaretto:
Either way…!

Gomez Amaretto:
…it was most certainly…!

The camera dollies in close as their twin grins overtake the frame, and they wait…

…and wait…

DDK:
…ugh…

 

Carlo & Gomez Amaretto:
AAAMAAAAAAZIIIIIIIIIIING HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

POOF!!

And with that, the Amazing Amarettos disappear within two plumes of purple smoke.

BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

The crowd is livid after watching the assailants make their swift escape. The grief-stricken admirers at the barricade turn their woe into savagery upon the frail helpings of DEFsec who, really, did not ask, nor deserve, any of this.

DDK:
Well, ladies and gentlemen, we’ll have DEF Medical check out the young Mr. Chickentenders. Hopefully, he’s not too shaken up…

Lance:
Mexico seems like a place for a lot of firsts for that kid. First time gettin’ busy… and first time gettin’ socked in the face.

DDK:
I had hoped we had seen the last of those dastardly Amaretto brothers after the last Uncut, but it seems they’ll be popping out of nowhere anywhere and anytime they please!

Lance:
Oof… that is an unsettling realization, Keebs.

DDK:
Definitely not… “amazing”.

Members of the medical team peel Chickentenders off the stage floor and walk him off the stage. He exits to an ovation equivalent to a war hero.

DDK:
And now comes for some very interesting --

Lance:
And very anticipated, remarks from --

♫  "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins ♫ 

The Torreon crowd roars as the lights go out dramatically and the spotlight bursts under the DEFiatron. Standing in the middle are Your Uncut Gems, who just won their big main event against The Estate of Tabitha Kinsiey. JJ Dixon, Raiden and “The StarChild” JP Reeves stand in the background applauding the crowd. And standing in the front next to each other are Teri Melton and Aurora Kaye.

Teri takes a deep breath and holds her hand out for Aurora to stand front and center -- Teri is not one to ever share the stage with anyone. But Aurora nods in respect to Teri and takes the step forward The Gangster In A Gucci Dress melts back with her Gems.

Then, with the miracle of post-production, an effect comes on that turns the crowd black-and-whire and freezes the audience in place while Aurora speaks.

Aurora Kaye:
I think I’ve proven that life is hard. And the past few months, since I came here in DEFIANCE, has been the hardest few months of a life that has already been a struggle. I had such high hopes for my daughter, Caitlyn. I hoped that maybe, just maybe, I could navigate a better relationship with my mother, Tabitha. But instead...

Aurora wells up with tears.

Aurora Kaye:
Instead, I saw my mom become even more vicious than ever... and I saw my daughter become a monster. I would literally do anything for my daughter. I mean, just a few weeks ago, I literally got on my knees in the middle of the wrestling ring and humiliated myself to get in her good graces. I willingly smiled as they treated me like a servant, just so I could be with Caitlyn. But then... then a few weeks ago, when they attacked Teri, I grew angrier and angrier. And then, my daughter said the worst thing a person could say to a parent who lost a child.

There’s a quick, silent flashback to Caitlyn taunting the emotionally battered Teri Melton at DEF 131, about the loss of her son.

Aurora Kaye:
That’s when enough was enough. I had to stand up to the two of them. And that’s when Caitlyn decided to...

Aurora can’t say it. There’s a silent flashback to Caitlyn wrapping a chair around Aurora’s skull.

Aurora Kaye:
Somehow, I escaped a major injury. The doctors have no idea how I only suffered a concussion. But I did. And after I was discharged, I accepted something. Despite what Caitlyn did to me and said about me... I’ll never give up loving my daughter. I’ll never give up hoping she remembers who she truly is, instead of this menace her grandmother created. And to get her back means I have to help destroy The Estate of Tabitha Kinsey for good. 

There’s a silent flashback to DEF 132 with Aurora rising and sliding off her green lucha libre mask and hopping the railing. 

Aurora Kaye:
All of us here have some really complicated relationships. JJ -- even though we know what happened at the wedding, you know how much I care about you. I truly did welcome you into my heart and my family, and that will never change. And Teri... you and I, it has always been complicated --

There’s now a live video of the earlier produced DEF On Demand special “The Cure: Why Aurora Hates Teri” with an early 20s goth (and super hot) Teri Melton befriending a drunk and vulnerable teenage Aurora at a Cure concert. This is then followed by Teri dressed in a preppy country club fashion as she ingratiates herself to Tabitha Kinsey in becoming her protege, with Aurora giving Teri a look that combines heartbreak and the rage of feeling used. Then there’s footage from DEF 186 “When Gems Fracture” with Teri giving Aurora the coldest of shoulders after JJ broke ranks from The Gems.

Aurora Kaye:
But we both know we have to put that all behind us. Because we both have the same mission. And that’s why I was more than happy to wait for the perfect moment to show how to negate The GemBreaker. If it means they are ruined... then I will gladly give up the family secret.

There’s a silent flashback DEF 132 where, under Aurora’s instruction, JJ managed to reverse the previously unbreakable hold.

The camera then goes live, with Teri stepping forward and about to give Aurora a dramatic hug. But then the spotlight turns on at a luxury box at the top of the arena. Sitting down, scowling, are Cristiano Caballero, Brayden “Dubya” Leverington and Caitlyn Kinsey. Front-and-center is Tabitha Kinsey, with an evil smile.

The crowd erupts in boos before the same freeze effect happens.

Tabitha Kinsey:
Let’s not have that hug quite yet, dearies. Because there’s another family secret to discuss, Aurora. It’s one that you thought you could keep hidden all of these years. But what, you don’t think that your mother -- the most successful wrestler of her time, and one of the wealthiest and most powerful women currently alive -- would not wag her finger and find out?

Aurora has a very panicked look on her face.

Tabitha Kinsey:
Because, Aurora, I’ve known all along what you’ve tried to hide from the world.

Aurora has tears in her eyes and is saying “Please, No!”

Tabitha Kinsey:
I know who Caitlyn’s father is. 

Caitlyn rises up and reveals she’s wearing a bedazzled jumpsuit that reads “Daddy’s Girl” on the back.

Aurora Kaye:
Please, Mom. Don’t. I... I’ll do anything. I’ll beg you again. Please. I’ll quit. I’ll literally crawl to you.

Tabitha cackles.

Tabitha Kinsey:
No, it’s all too late for that, Aurora. You betrayed me. And, worst of all, you betrayed your daughter. So, why don’t we see... who exactly it is behind Door Number One!

Aurora stares down and weeps.

Then, from the back, a 6’9” behemoth wearing a mask and Reservoir Dogs-style suit, runs out and chairs JJ Dixon in the back, and then lariats Raiden out of his boots. He then grabs JP Reeves by the throat and chokeslams him right onto the steel.

Aurora is now trembling. Teri has a ghastly look on her face.

Teri Melton:
NO! NO!

The mask comes off and it reveals ZOLTAN -- founding member of Your Uncut Gems.

There’s a silent flashback to he and Teri’s first appearance all the way back at Uncut 124, with a manic and deranged look in her eyes before exhaling cooly from her cigarette holder, following by Zoltan, Teri and JJ with a triumphant group hug after his breakout with over MV1 at DEFIANCE Road 2023.

And then this follows by another flashback of Zoltan and Teri at their wedding day, and Zoltan and Teri beaming with pride holding their newborn baby Jude in their arms. 

The camera goes back to a live feed with the shocked crowd a mixture of stunned and booing.

Zoltan first glares at Aurora. Then he turns to Teri Melton - the one-time love of his life - and points in her face and laughs before he storms off.

Aurora Kaye:
Please, Teri... I... I am so sorry. I am so...

Teri’s eyes return to the manic and deranged look as she steps forward into Aurora’s face.

DDK:
We saw Teri last week at DEF 132 have that dark look.

Lance:
She’s losing it right in front of us. 

Right before Teri does something dreadful, JJ quickly gets up from the chairshot and holds her from behind and pulls her away, telling her to calm down. But there is so much rage in Teri’s face as The Gems pull her away.

Then Aurora falls to her knees, her hands over her face, as she cries.

The camera now shows The Estate. Cristiano and Dubya both have giants smirks on their faces enjoying the scene. Tabitha stares at the emotional wreckage on the sage with the coldest of smiles on her face. Caitlyn points at her broken mother, laughing wilding, before kissing her grandmother on the cheek.

DDK:
This brutal war for the ages -- one that could not possibly be more vicious, with most bloodshed -- may have taken its most brutal hand yet, with this wicked, cruel mindgame!

Lance:
Tabitha Kinsey may have just played her ultimate poker hand in her mission to destroy the life of Teri Melton -- and she is more than willing to sacrifice her own daughter Aurora Kaye to make this happen!

M A N T R A

♫ "MANTRA" by Bring Me The Horizon ♫

The word darkens the arena bulbs and golden lights flicker to the pulsating intro from Bring Me The Horizon, now with gold and white lasers firing from the stage! As the scream kicks in the guitar riffs, Nathaniel Eye comes walking out into the Coliseo Centenario with his metal-plated book, 251 Pages of Pure Perseverance raised high above his head. Following him out is “DEC4L” Declan Alexander, wearing matching “third eye” sunglasses and white with gold ring gear. The exciting pair share a fist bump before Tom Morrow interrupts Darren Quimbey. 

DDK:
We’re back on Uncut with more action tonight and M4NTRA is in the house. How is Tom Morrow reacting to his own clients wanting to face each other?

Lance:
Not very well from what we saw on DEF TV!

Tom Morrow looks up. 

Tom Morrow:
For the haters who think that Better Future Talent Agency is going to blow up before their very eyes … BFTA is fine! 

Jeers from the DEFIANCE Wrestling Faithful suggest otherwise. Declan Alexander remains neutral to the reaction, but Nathan Eye puts his hands over Morrow’s ears for a moment so they can die down. 

Tom Morrow:
I have managed many clients for just over twenty years and it’s not uncommon for competitors in similar camps to fight one another! That’s how Better Future Talent Agency stays on top! Iron sharpens iron! You don’t get better by fighting lame duck opponents week after week … 

Inside the ring are Jeff Belltron and Dick Flanagan of the BRAZEN team Safety Patrol. 

Tom Morrow:
… but occasionally, you need a tune-up! And Safety Patrol, tonight you two posers are getting tuned! up!

Nathan Eye holds out his book. 

Nathan Eye:
Tom Morrow is correct! Things are all good in the Better Future Talent Agency! Our match at Acts of DEFIANCE is here to see who is the better team out of the Lucky Sevens and M4NTRA … and honestly, M4NTRA are the future of this division! Mason and Max are Main Event Monsters! They have terrorized this ring for four years now and they have been a part of DEFIANCE Wrestling’s most brutal and bloody battles … but … Declan and I, we are the future! And it is time for Better Future to become even more enlightened! Buy my book, 251 Pages of Pure Perseverance! Eyes on the Prize and you can beat any team you want … starting with Safety Patrol!

Nathan Eye and Declan Alexander remove their “third eye” glasses and give those and Eye’s metal-plated book to Tom Morrow. Declan Alexander wants to start for his team and 

Lance:
So many interesting threads in this issue with M4NTRA and the Lucky Sevens. Declan Alexander himself isn’t a full-time member of BFTA, but this pairing with Nathan Eye has shown a lot of promise. The Lucky Sevens have been on a downward spiral with big matches since dropping the Unified Tag Titles at DEFCON. 

DDK:
The Lucky Sevens could have been the number one contenders for the Unified Tag Titles, but the interference by M4NTRA backfired. We don’t know if that was on purpose or not.

Jeff Belltron and Declan Alexander are ready to fight as the bell rings. 

DING DING

Belltron wants to grapple, but the problem is that Declan does not and he starts right off with a perfect drop kick! The blow knocks Belltron right off his feet and the PogChamp follows up with his hands in the air. Declan picks up Belltron and hits him with some knife edged chops that knock him back into M4NTRA’s corner. He follows that up with a perfect back breaker! 

DDK:
Eye and Alexander are not interested at all in grappling tonight it looks like! 

Declan makes a tag to Nathan Eye. Nathan climbs in and both men whip him across the ring. Belltron comes back this time into stereo dropkicks from both Eye and Alexander! Belltron goes down a second time while Nathan and Declan both show off their athleticism with stereo nip-ups back to their feet!

Lance:
Great move! 

Nathan Eye taps Declan on the shoulder and they both point to the “third eye” on their foreheads before Nathan grabs Declan and uses a back suplex position to flip Declan over on top of the fallen Belltron with a big aided standing moonsault!

DDK:
That move is called the Trust Fall Exercise! It’s amazing how relatively quickly Nathan Eye and Declan Alexander have gelled into a good team! 

Lance:
They got a little rocky after the loss to Titanes Familia at Maximum DEFIANCE but seem to have come together. Nathan sees something in this team with him and Declan and like every other team, they want gold! 

Nathan picks up Belltron instead of going for a cover, suggesting that M4NTRA are not sweating this match. Dick Flanagan is in his corner watching his partner get taken to task with more punches by Nathan Eye in the corner. He jabs him a few times and then pulls him out of the corner. He picks up Jeff Belltron and then whips him back into his corner. Declan runs at the corner and then hits a big corkscrew corner splash onto Belltron. The tag is made to Declan who comes into the ring as The Golden State Guru holds on to Belltron’s arm. He whips him right at Declan into a nasty Red Line kick!

DDK:
That twisting corner splash into the Red Line enziguri kick! More great combo moves by the duo! Declan decides he’s going to make the first cover of the match! 

One …
Two … 

But Dick Flanagan makes the save with a double ax handle to the back! 

Lance:
I think M4NTRA might have had the win there had it not been for Flanagan!

DDK:
Jeff Belltron got attacked at the start and really hasn’t had a chance to recover. 

Declan Alexander grabs the side of Belltron and hits him with a side back breaker. After letting Belltron fall to the mat, he gives the tag to Nathan Eye. Eye enters the ring and then Natty Eyce grabs him by the arm and then takes him to the corner to hit a corkscrew back elbow off the ropes. Belltron is down and Nathan smiles. 

Nathan Eye:
Eyes on the Prize and you can elbow anyone you want! 

DDK:
I have to say Nathan Eye looks very confident for somebody about to walk into the lion’s den next week against Mason Eye! 

Lance:
That’s true. Nathan Eye is a great athlete. There’s gold in the future of M4NTRA for sure but the Lucky Sevens have a long established streak of being the most dangerous tag team in DEFIANCE Wrestling history. 

Nathan Eye goes for a chinlock and shakes Belltron who can barely fight back at this point. Nathan continues to grin and get ready but suddenly, Belltron springs to life and hits some elbows to Nathan’s stomach. He elbows him back one more time and then uses a jawbreaker to stop him and make him break his grip! 

Lance:
That’s what I mean! Nathan Eye can’t let himself get wrapped up in his own hype. 

DDK:
Tag to Dick Flanagan! 

Flanagan goes up top and then jumps off with a big double ax handle off the top that knocks Nathan Eye down! Declan Alexander also tries to get into the ring but he gets a running double ax handle to the chest and he gets knocked off the ring apron. When he turns back, Nathan Eye is just starting to rise when Dick Flanagan grabs the neck and then hits a double handed bulldog! 

DDK:
Safety Patrol finally got some offensive going! We might be on the verge of an upset if this keeps up?

Dick Flanagan grabs Nathan Eye by the hair and then he gets ready for a move off the ropes. He charges … but Nathan Eye side steps to the ropes and then knocks him out of his boots with the Side-Eye! 

DDK:
Spoke too soon! Nathan Eye with the Side Eye shoulder tackle! 

When Jeff Belltron is trying to get back into the ring, he gets cut off by Declan Alexander with the GGEZ! The head-tuck rolling drop kick takes Belltron out of the ring and that leaves M4NTRA all alone with Dick Flanagan. Morrow tells Declan to go back to the corner to wrap the match up. 

Lance:
I think M4NTRA are done playing with the opposition tonight. 

Nathan picks up Flanagan across his shoulders and then makes the tag to Declan. He jumps over the ropes to land in the ring then waits as Eye picks up Flanagan from a fireman carry to a press toss … right into the Play of the Game from Declan as he lands! 

DDK:
And that is the M4NTRA Code! You gotta call this one over! 

Declan makes the cover with Nathan Eye posing just above him! 

One …
Two … 

THREE!!!

DING DING DING

Nathan extends his hand to Declan Alexander and pulls him up to his feet so both men can celebrate the win in the ring with Tom Morrow!

Darren Quimbey:
Your winners … MAAAAANNNNTTTTRRRAAAA!!!

DDK:
That was a very quick and decisive win by M4NTRA here tonight, but Nathan Eye won’t be able to do the same thing to Mason Luck next week on DEF TV. I’m interested to see how that match will go. 

Lance:
Me, too. Tom Morrow has seconded multiple clients for years, but does he truly have a favorite? Is it The Lucky Sevens who have brought BFTA its most prominent gold? Or are we looking at the future of Better Future Talent Agency with M4NTRA?

Nathan and Declan put on their matching third eye sunglasses and then leave the ring with Tom Morrow. 

Earlier today.

Lance Warner hasn’t always been the wannabe “Voice of DEFIANCE” he currently tries to be. Oh no, once upon a midnight dreary Lance was the man on the scene, roving reporter who pounded the pavement back in New Orleans at the WrestlePlex. Go ahead and take a look back through the archives, Lance Warner got the scoops or the scoops didn’t get got!

With that in mind, he’s been something close to irritated over the past several weeks at the re-emergence of the original Voice of the Defiant and Lance’s own former mentor, Angus Skaaland. Angus had been like a father to Lance back in those early days. Well, maybe more like a cool uncle. He took a fresh-faced former journalism major from the frathouse to in front of a camera, interviewing the stars of his childhood and the future legends who all made their way through DEFIANCE eventually.

So for the life of him, Lance can’t figure out why Angus has been giving him the cold shoulder since his return a few weeks ago at Uncut 146. The former DEFbaws had snubbed him at the office, avoided him at the live events, and left him on read for weeks now. Ever intrepid, the erstwhile traveling mic-stand has decided that this week he was going to track down his former mentor and give him a good what’s for!

Or, more likely, he’ll corner Angus and try to guilt him into an exclusive interview or at least some clue as to why he’s made his way back to the Land of Defiants. To that end, Lance has been in and out of meetings all morning long and well into the afternoon with every member of the production staff that he could track down. The absolute nano-second that any of them lay eyes on Angus they are to report immediately to Warner and do their best to keep eyes on him in the interim. 

Imagine the look on Lance’s face as he unwittingly stumbles into a curtained-off promo shoot starring none other than Christie Zane and Angus Skaaland. A producer shoots Lance stfudaggers with glaring eyes as cameras are rolling for this pre-tape. 

This pre-tape that nobody had bothered to tell Lance about.

The generally jovial word slinger bites his lip and looks on, catching Christy mid-sentence.

Christie Zane:
-been back for a couple of weeks now and it seems like there may be more questions now than there were when you first showed back up! 

Angus Skaaland:
And so?

Christie Zane:
Spill it! What’re you doing back here in DEFIANCE? The Faithful have a right to know

If Angus could roll his eyes any further back they’d fall out of his ears.

Angus Skaaland:
Yeah. About the Faithful…

Skaaland sucks at his teeth, stalling. 

Deflecting.

Angus Skaaland:
I’ll tell you what, kid. You meet me out in the middle of that ring in two weeks in Philly, and I’ll do you one better than tell you what I’m doing here. I’ll friggin’ show ya.

Skaaland smirks. Christy Zane looks impressed. 

“Boom! We got it,” the producer says.

By now Lance is fit to burst.

Lance Warner:
What in the whole holy heck?

A weird moment passes before Skaaland’s phone rings from his pocket.

Angus Skaaland:
Look at me, I’m the motherfreakin’ God of Comedic Timing.

Answering the phone, Angus strides right past Lance and through the door that he’d only just entered. Lance fires off a befuddled look over his shoulder at Angus as he walks away down the hallway and back to Christie Zane, his cohort in broadcast media and digital journalism.

Lance Warner:
Et tu, Christy?

Awkwardly, Christy shrugs.

Cut back to the present, to the commentation station. “Downtown” Darren Keebler eyeballs his broadcast partner for a moment before speaking.

DDK:
"What the whole holy heck?" 

Lance Warner:
What?

DDK:
Seriously?

Lance Warner:
Whaddaya want from me, Keebler?

For just a moment Darren Keebler’s brain breaks. After a quick hard reset, Keebler shakes it off and regains every modicum of professionalism. Sort of.

DDK:
It’s fine. We’re fine. Everything is fine. Can we cut away? To anything? Anywhere? 

Yes, we can, Darren. Yes, we can.

Cut.

There’s a sign outside of the luxury box that reads “The Estate of Tabitha Kinsey” with “Members Only” written underneath. Standing in front of the door are Jamie Sawyers and the newly returned Zoltan.

Jamie Sawyers:
Zoltan, thanks for your time. But we all really want to know what... what we all just saw.

Zoltan stares at Jamie, snatches the mic, and growls. He starts to speak in his gravelly, German-accented English.

Zoltan:
Aurora Kaye -- how dare you! You knew that I, Zoltan, suffered the loss of a child. For the most selfish of reasons, you kept my daughter away from me. There is a hole in my heart you could have helped me, Zoltan, heal. But instead, you deprive me of what I could have had!

Zoltan snarls further.

Zoltan:
Thankfully, Tabitha and Caitlyn contacted me to let me know. In the short time we have known each other, I have become smitten with the daughter you kept from me. She is a beautiful girl with a zest for life that I, Zoltan, appreciates. And Tabitha has opened up her arms to me, to let me into the family, and has already allowed me to live in her villa in my native Austria, the largest property in the Alps. They are a beautiful family I will cherish for eternity!

Zoltan again growls at Jamie and returns to the camera.

Zoltan:
Now as for you, Teri Melton... the so-called love of my life! Why would I forsake you in this manner? Cast this drama upon you? It’s simple, my love. We were distant for so many years. Then you returned to your feet on a mission to claim all of what was once yours! It was the goal of Zoltan to rule DEFIANCE with you and we were soon there. You, me and JJ Dixon -- we as Your Uncut Gems took this place my storm! But then let us show the tape I want you to show from Uncut 132. You remember this, Teri. This is when me and The Special Attraction JJ Dixon teamed up against a team making their Uncut debut, the team of NDR, JP Reeves and Raiden.

The footage shows the tag match of JJ Dixon and Zoltan against JP Reeves and Raidenthe q. At the start of the match, Raiden and Reeves whip Zoltan twice into the steel barricade on the floor, with his head and neck snapping over the ring railing both times.

Zoltan:
The whiplash from what they did to me aggravated my neck injuries, which as you know Teri Melton my love, has been bad for years. I needed surgery because of what they did to me in that match, surgery which kept me away from you and DEFIANCE. And while I lay in pain and work to get my neck healed and my body fixed? What do I see my dear? I SEE YOU BRING THEM INTO THE GEMS! You replaced me - betrayed me - by bringing in the ones who injured your dearest love into the family you and I started together.

Zoltan again sneers.

Zoltan:
Well now, Teri Melton, love of my life Teri Melton, I now have found a better family with my daughter and her mother and my friends the real men The Comapny Men and it is with them we will put an end to your treachery. 

Zoltan walks into The Estate’s private suite and slams the door shut.

DDK:
Welcome back to the in-ring action tonight here on UNCUT and coming up next, we’ve got Titanes Familia member Dan Leo James in action against BRAZEN star Hurtlocker Holt!

Lance:
Things have been in such disarray for Titanes Familia, Darrren. Memaw Titan injured. Uriel Cortez suspended for sixty days! Now it’s just Cortez’s wife, Titaness, and James who will be taking on Morrow’s hitmen, The Devil’s Circus, at Acts of DEFIANCE!

DDK:
That match will no doubt be physical… and we’ve just learned that Dan Leo James will be taking on Big Kahuna Ali’i in a preview match next week on DEFtv! Can James earn some momentum tonight before taking on The Best-Dressed Beast next week? We’ll find out… right now! 

The camera goes to Darren Quimbey in the ring for the in-ring introductions. 

Darren Quimbey:
The following is a singles match set for one fall! Introducing first… 

♫ “Ready For The War” by Brick & Ben Varney ♫

Darren Quimbey:
From The Bronx, New York. Weighing in at 254 pounds… HURT. LOCKER. HOLT!

Insider the ring, the six foot, five inch tower of muscle paces back and forth. Making his pecs dance with a permanent grimace on his face, Holt leans across the top rope towards the entrance pushing them down. Calling for his opponent it doesn’t take long before the arena lights shift the music cuts away. 

♫ “My Name Is Thunder” by The Bloody Beetroots feat. JET ♫

POWERFUL guitar riffs fill the arena! In one spotlight… Titaness! And in the main spotlight this evening…  The Young Titan himself! The Faithful roar their approval as golden lights flood the arena! 

Darren Quimbey:
…Accompanied to the ring by Titaness, from Salt Lake City, Utah weighing in at 263 pounds… representing Titanes Familia… DAN! LEO! JAMES!

Titaness is wearing a sleeveless blue and gold Titanes Familia shirt, black leather pants and high heels with Dan Leo James in his blue and gold singlet! He shouts to the masses and then heads to the ring! 

DDK:
Dan Leo James has really been showing something lately in singles action. Just a couple weeks ago, he answered Henry Keyes’ open challenge for the Southern Heritage title and muscled the champion around a lot before Keyes eventually put him away. 

Lance:
The Young Titan is growing up before our very eyes, that’s for sure! 

The 6’7” Titan gets into the ring with Titaness clapping for him. He points to the Mother of Muscles and then to the entrance ramp, holding up his good chokeslamming hand (his words) as referee Carla Ferrari calls for the bell. 

DING DING

And as Dan Leo James turns around, he’s immediately greeted with a cheap shot across the top of his head by Hurtlocker Holt! The Torreon Faithful are already jeering Holt as he knocks Dan back into the corner! 

Lance:
Hurtlocker Holt looking for the upset tonight! He stands six-five and two-hundred fifty-four pounds. This is a big man who can give James a fight! 

DDK:
Holt is a Former Marine. Very tough man in BRAZEN!

Titaness watches as Hurtlocker Holt takes it to the adopted son of Titanes Familia with a trifecta of shoulder thrusts meant to wear down James in the corner. He gets even more feisty in the corner and then clubs him with a big clothesline to the chest. James is worn down and now Hurtlocker Holt takes the title to scream back at the jeering crowd. 

Hurtlocker Holt:
My night! It’s my night! You heard me!

The former Marine turns around, only to get goozled by both hands from Dan Leo James! He spins him around and puts Hurtlocker Holt in the corner. James winds back…

THWACK!

…and delivers a HARSH chop across the chest! Holt tries to limp away while holding onto his sore chest, but James bullies him into another corner… 

THWACK!

DDK:
Ooh! The Familia that chops together, stays together! All members of Titanes Familia love using those chops in the corner! 

Lance:
Hurt started out hot, but The Young Titan just snuffed that out! 

James grabs Holt and then whips him across the ring. When he comes back, Dan hits a leap frog! And when Holt comes back, James KICKS his face off with a big boot upon the return! The Faithful eat it up as Dan looks out to the crowd and then points over to where Holt is trying to pick himself up. 

DDK:
The Young Titan setting up for something here, but not sure what?

Dan runs at Hurtlocker Holt and then hits… A HURRICANRANA?! He does and he takes over Hurtlocker Holt with a sloppy, but highly effective hurricanrana! Titaness jumps up at ringside and The Faithful go crazy as James gets back to a knee and grins for the crowd! 

Dan Leo James:
That’s for Big Little Uncle Mil! 

Lance:
Shoutout there to Mil Vueltas! Still a member of Titanes Familia in name while he’s on his singles career! 

The Faithful watch as he grabs Holt over his shoulders! Holt tries to fight out as Dan looks out to the crowd, who join in for one of his signature throws… 

Dan Leo JamesL (and the crowd)
YEET!

And then THROWS Holt over the shoulder with a delayed back body drop! 

DDK:
Dan Leo James getting more popular especially after hitting that move on Henry Keyes… OOH! Running senton by James! Cover!

ONE!

TWO!

NO!

Holt gets the shoulder up, but James is having the time of his life right now competing in Mexico! 

Lance:
He’s trying to end this one now! 

Dan grabs the throat of Holt and tries to hit the Titan’s Orbit on the former Marine, but when he lifts him up, Holt hits an eye poke! James flinches and drops Hurtlocker Holt, giving the former Marine the chance to grab James and THROW him shoulder first into the corner!

DDK:
Ooh! Counter move right there by James! I question its legality, but Holt did it! 

Lance:
And that throw into the corner! That could make it more difficult for James to hit Titan’s Orbit!

When James tries getting out of the corner, Holt turns him around. He underhooks an arm, but when DLJ tries to fight out Holt underhooks the other one before ramming a series of headbutts into the chest of James!

DDK:
Holt with the headbutts… OH! 

After the headbutts, he wears down James long enough to pick him up and then DRIVE him down with a big pumphandle drop in the middle of the ring! He gets up and drives a big elbow drop, but just once isn’t enough. Holt up one more, then drops one more! Then up a third time to drop a third elbow drop! He pins with all his weight on Dan’s shoulders!

ONE!

TWO!

NO!

The Young Titan kicks out to the delight of the Torreon Faithful!

Lance:
What a kickout by Danny! He sits up and now Holt shocked he’s kicked out of his offense! 

Holt retreats to the corner and then slaps a boot to tell the crowd he’s gonna kick his head off. He waits as Dan gets back to his feet and tries to go for a running big boot… but Dan beats him first with a HUGE running lariat that nearly takes the head off of Holt!

DDK:
Ooh! James with that lariat! Can he make the comeback?

James waves his lariating hand in pain while on the mat as Hurtlocker Holt is seeing stars and trying to figure out which way is up. Carla checks on both men, but it isn’t long before Dan is up to his feet first. He grabs Holt as he gets back up and throws him into the corner before hitting a big body avalanche! Dan yells out and then charges across the ring before coming back to the corner to hit a second body avalanche! He pulls Holt out of the corner and charges off the ropes once… twice… then BULLDOZES him with a huge running shoulder block!

DDK:
Dash and Bash by Dan Leo James! Look at Holt go FLYING from the impact!

Lance:
It is scary how fast James can move for how big he is! 

Holt really doesn’t know where he is, but James is quick to remind the former Marine with a hand wrapped around his throat. He gives a thumbs up with the other hand and then pulls up Holt into running chokeslam out of the corner… 

DDK:
TITAN’S ORBIT! HE NAILS TITAN’S ORBIT! THAT’S IT! 

But that’s not all! James doesn’t just go for the cover, but hooks the arm of the fallen Holt and then rolls him up into another move taught to him by Mil Vueltas… A LA MAJISTRAL PIN FROM THE BIG MAN!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

DING DING DING

♫ “My Name Is Thunder” by The Bloody Beetroots feat. JET ♫

Darren Quimbey:
Here is your winner of the match… DAN LEO JAMES!

The Young Titan stands up victoriously and then gets his arm raised by Carla Ferrari! 

DDK:
A couple shout-outs to his “Big Little Uncle” Mil Vueltas with the mid-match hurricanrana and that La Majistral, but Dan is victorious tonight! 

Lance:
Dan does look ready for next week, but Big Kahuna Ali’i is a former two-time BRAZEN Tag Team Champion and a very dangerous man. Can Dan get the win before Acts of DEFIANCE for Titanes Familia?

Titaness joins Dan in the ring and she raises the hand of Titanes Familia’s Young Titan before the show moves on! 

Siobhan Cassidy:
The time is now.

Open scene to a wrestling ring sitting squarely in the middle of a low ceiling warehouse. The roof is so low that it’s not conducive to train on any high flying moves but that’s okay because the woman who slides into the ring has no intention to take to the air.

Jocelyne Ingrid Blythe: [Voice Only]
I’ve watched you work.

Cassidy stands in the ring, wearing athletic gear, boxing gloves, a grappling headpiece and a black mouthguard. She pounds her fists together, sending dust and sweat dissipating into the air. A trainer jumps into the ring holding a flat mat. Cassidy circles like a shark.

Jocelyne Ingrid Blythe: [Voice Only]
I’ve watched you become the very thing everyone feared. You have all the knowledge. All the knowhow, all the skill. Now it’s time to strike.

Cassidy lunges forward and smacks the front of the mat with a hard right jab. The trainer stumbles backwards due to the force of the shot. Cassidy measures for her next lethal shot.

Jocelyne Ingrid Blythe: [Voice Only]
Make no mistake about it. We’re both ready for this moment. She isn’t. Bitch won’t know what hit her.

Siobhan shuffles in close, clenches the trainer, retreats and delivers a thunderous left uppercut to the sparring cushion. Cassidy lets out a blood curdling scream as the footage cuts to her sitting on the trainers table, getting her wrists taped up. Her stare is ominous. Extremely focused. She neglects to blink. Her soul is there but her intentions are callous.

Jocelyne Ingrid Blythe: [Voice Only]
Put Teresa down for the count.

Once finished, Cassidy mashes her hands together. She proceeds to do a rigorous tire toss and long ropes routine, the likes that would put Rocky Balboa to shame. Again, once completed, she lets out a guttural cry. Intensity is not lost on her.

Jocelyne Ingrid Blythe: [Voice Only]
Put that hollow hoe out to pasture.

Siobhan stares into the lens of the camera.

Jocelyne Ingrid Blythe: [Voice Only]
Be the most fierce Cassidy in existence.

Cut feed.

DDK:
Okay, coming up next --

There’s a bit of a ruckus with DEFSec attempting to hold someone back. It’s Aurora Kaye, still crying, who comes out with a microphone in hand. The crowd buzzes at the unexpected development.

Aurora Kaye:
I... I need Teri out here. Please. Teri Melton. I... I have something I want to say.

The camera catches The Estate of Tabitha Kinsey in their box looking on suddenly, with Caitlyn nudging her grandmother that Aurora is back in public. Dubya and Cristiano each split a bag of popcorn in anticipation of the show.

Aurora Kaye:
Teri, I just have to explain --

Teri Melton walks out avoiding DEFSec, with her eyes wide open darting around the audience, much like her earliest DEF appearances. But she scans Aurora and gives a “talk, then” gesture.

Aurora Kaye:
Teri, please, I need to explain what happened. I need to explain myself.

The post-production effect does the same thing as earlier, where the only people live are Aurora and Teri, the crowd frozen and in black-and-white.

Aurora takes a deep breath.

Aurora Kaye:
I... I was wrestling a tryout match somewhere. It... it was a little bit after you lost your baby. And Zoltan was on the show.

The video flashes to a picture of a broken Teri in bed, devastated, with Zoltan standing in the background with a distant gaze.

Aurora Kaye:
I asked how he was doing. And, well, he broke down. We talked some more. In the middle of everything, I started blabbing away about Wayne’s World of all things, and he laughed. Zoltan said it was the first time he had actually laughed in years. After the show, we ended up talking some more...

Aurora gulps.

Aurora Kaye:
I felt so bad for him. He was just so lonely. So lost. But... but I also thought about you. I thought about how awful you were to me when I was a kid. How you used me. How cruel you were to me. And, well... I... I made a move on him.

She has tears rolling down her face.

Aurora Kaye:
Immediately, when it was over, I felt the worst guilt of my life. I couldn’t believe what I did. I never was a person like that. I never wanted to be a person like that. But, here I was... in the company of a vulnerable man because I wanted to hurt you. I immediately regretted it. He did, too. Because, Teri, Zoltan was still so completely in love with you. We agreed we’d never talk about it again. I don’t think I’ve even seen him more than three times from then until tonight.

Madness still fills Teri’s eyes. The Estate looks on with collective smirks on their faces.

Aurora Kaye:
But then a few months later...

There’s an old photo of a young, pregnant Aurora with Tabitha Kinsey behind her trying her best, and failing, to not look enraged that her single daughter is with child.

Aurora Kaye:
I didn’t tell anyone who the father was. I kept a secret not because of Zoltan... but...

Aurora gulps again, still staring down at the floor.

Aurora Kaye:
But because of you. I knew how much pain you were in. I knew how much you were suffering. I knew you were broken. And I thought... I knew... that if you found out Zoltan was Caitlyn’s father... that it might... it might... kill you. 

Teri’s eyes grow even crazier, with her lips quivering.

Aurora Kaye:
So I kept it a secret. And as the years went on, the secret just became a part of who I was. Of who Caitlyn was. It didn’t matter, because we had each other... and... now, we don’t.

The Estate continue to look on, anticipating fireworks with Teri and Aurora.

Aurora Kaye:
Teri, I swear... this is all the truth. I’ve lived with this guilt every day of my life. I... I’m so sorry you found out this way. Please, I’m so sorry. Please accept my apology. I’m asking... please, if you can find it in your heart, to forgive me. 

Teri takes a deep breath. And another deep breath. She snatches the microphone from Aurora.

Teri Melton:
Aurora... I... I’ve been struggling so hard... so hard to not go where I’ve been. I’m struggling so hard right now to keep it all together. And...

The Estate are on the edge of their seats as Teri’s eyes are furious.

And then Teri herself starts to cry.

Teri Melton:
I can’t forgive you... because...

Teri now takes a giant gulp herself.

Teri Melton:
You had every reason to hate me. That night we met, I saw a vulnerable young girl I wanted to protect. And I swear, I wanted to be that person. But I had already decided what I wanted, and what I wanted was to learn from your mother. That evening of serendipity...

Young Hot Goth Teri’s eyes perk as she sits in her car pulling into The Kinsey Estate.

Teri Melton:
Led to me rejecting you. It led to me hurting you. It led to me making you feel even more alone in this world. You, more than anything else, all you wanted -- all you needed -- was a friend. And I denied that from you not just so I could be your mom’s protege... 

Young Hot Goth Teri stares at teen Aurora about to say something --

Teri Melton:
But because I knew what I did was wrong. And, more than anything else... I needed a friend, too. 

There’s old footage of a young, lonely Teri trying to force herself to smile as she holds Tabitha’s bag while Tabitha hogs the spotlight.

Teri Melton:
Aurora... you kept all of that a secret to protect me even after everything I did to you. You stood up for me in Minneapolis when they were about to destroy me. And you... you paid dearly for it.

Teri takes a deep breath.

Teri Melton:
You don’t need to ask me for forgiveness, Aurora. Because I owe everything to you. And... and I need you to forgive me for how horrible I’ve been to you. Especially because...

Teri now opens sobs.

Teri Melton:
You need a friend more than ever. And if I’m going to make it through this... I need you to be my friend, too. So please... please find it in your heart to forgive me. 

Aurora is also crying and just nods up and down.

The two women then embrace. After all these years.

The Gems then walk out and join in on the group hug. The camera shows The Estate in their suite, with Caitlyn getting up and throwing down something hard to the floor. Tabitha looks on, her face showing nothing but disgust at what she sees.

The crowd goes from frozen in time back to live.

DDK:
And, from the looks of things, Tabitha Kinsey’s ultimate poker hand -- her manipulative, Machiavellian scheme to try and break Teri Melton for good by using a long-kept family secret... has failed! It has finally, after decades, brought Teri Melton and Aurora Kaye together, united in the face of The Estate!

The Gems, along with Aurora, all stand side-by-side and flash The DiamondHands up at The Estate, bloody murder in all of their eyes. The Estate all stand in their box, the same look in their eyes, and flash the upside down DiamondHands.

Lance:
I get the sense that this brutal, wretched war is about to become an Apocalypse!

¡Vamos, Gems!
¡Vamos, Gems!
¡Vamos, Gems!

With the Crescent City Kid and “Wingman” Titus Campbell already in the ring, the cameras focus on Darren Quimbey.

Darren Quimbey:
This match is a tag team match! Introducing… the Crescent City Kid and Titus Campbell!

The Faithful give a cheer as their theme music comes to a close.

Darren Quimbey:
And their opponents…

Tyler Fuse’s theme song plays as out walks the OG Player and beside him, a maskless Victor Vacio to a chorus of heavy boos.

Darren Quimbey:
The team of Tyler Fuse and Victor Vacio!

Continual boos reign down as Fuse and Vacio march down the rampway.

DDK:
What a strange team this is. Then again, they were both a part of The Kabal.

Lance:
At first thought, I do agree with you, Keebs. It’s a weird pairing but it’s not so strange when you think about it. Tyler cornered Vacio last week on DEFtv and I think he made a compelling argument for these two teaming with each other, at least in the short term. Tyler and Victor have an ongoing rivalry with the Harmen’s…

DDK:
I was told Tyler specifically requested a match tonight and this is what he got.

Lance:
It also makes sense the “hometown” countryman, Vacio, is booed by this crowd, considering he has lost his mask and doesn’t care about it.

DDK:
A disappointing way to view things, I completely agree with The Faithful.

Lance:
Also bookending this show with both Fuse brothers. What a different reaction each of them receive.

DDK:
They are very different people.

Tyler walks up the steel steps as Vacio rolls into the ring. Referee Hector Navarro is ready to organize the events when Tyler suddenly slips through the ropes and attacks the Crescent City Kid with a chop block to his right knee!

Navarro throws his arms in the air and begins screaming at Tyler to wait but Fuse doesn’t care whatsoever. He throws CCK on the back of his head with a German suplex!

Titus Campbell is hot. The usually fun-loving member of Gulf Coast roars forward but Victor Vacio is there to perform a leg trip and right into a leaping DDT by Tyler Fuse.

Both Vacio and Fuse work Campbell into a corner… but the big man bursts forward and pushes the two off! He looks over at Navarro and demands the bell is rung.

DING DING

Campbell charges forward but Tyler leaps in the air and connects with a dropkick to the side of Campbell’s head. Vacio follows with a roaring back elbow smash and then Tyler connects with a chop block but this time, he throws his entire body into the right leg of Campbell, not just a shoulder like he did against the Crescent City Kid.

Titus falls on the mat and screams in pain, reaching out for his knee. Vacio, meanwhile, delivers an elbow drop to the side of Campbell’s temple.

DDK:
I think Titus is significantly hurt…

Fuse drags Campbell to the center of the ring. He takes the Wingman’s right leg, holds it in the air and then drives his left elbow into the knee.

Campbell shouts out again. Titus tries swatting Tyler away when Fuse does the same move for a second time.

Vacio has since gone to his corner and Crescent City Kid has limped back to his.

Fuse begins to relentlessly stomp away on the knee as Titus cries out.

DDK:
Hector may have to stop the match here before we’ve really got started…

It takes a lot of effort but Tyler pulls Campbell upright and looks for a pendulum backbreaker. Showing his sheer pound-for-pound strength, the crowd is stunned Tyler actually lifts Campbell and hits the backbreaker across his own leg. Then he goes right back to hammering down on Campbell’s right knee.

Fuse looks like a man possessed. He’s seething at the mouth while Titus tries and tries to break away. Finally, The Wingman kicks Tyler with his left leg and makes a dive towards the ropes.

TAG!

The crowd cheers as Crescent City Kid comes sprinting in-

WHAM!

Only to be speared out of his boots by Tyler Fuse.

Fuse mounts The Kid and hammers down shot after shot while The Faithful jeer.

DDK:
These two are no strangers to each other. Back in 2019, the Fuse Bros. and Gulf Coast -minus Titus Campbell of course- were at war and it spilled over into DEFCON.

Fuse lifts CCK up and drops him with a wicked brainbuster suplex!

Lance:
You have to believe the pre-match attack by Tyler on the Crescent City Kid threw this entire match off.

Tyler goes for a cover.

ONE.

TWO.

SHOULDER UP.

Fuse drags The Kid off the mat and looks for a second high angle brainbuster suplex when CCK escapes! He races into the ropes but suddenly his leg gives away on him, the same leg Tyler chop blocked before the bout was official!

Fuse shoots forward and delivers a wicked knee strike into the mask of Crescent City. He drags CCK to the center of the ring and connects with a second brainbuster suplex!

And then another one!

And then another!

Fuse pulls The Kid up for a FIFTH brainbuster… and holds CCK in the air…

DDK:
You can see Titus Campbell wants to do something but he can’t get up from the corner. I think his knee has completely given out!

Lance:
Much like Crescent City’s did. For a moment there, Titus tried to stand up but couldn’t do it!

WHAM!

The fifth brainbuster is hit.

Tyler stands, dusts off his hands and walks over to Victor Vacio.

Fuse makes the tag.

The crowd BOOS heavily as Victor Vacio enters. The former masked BRAZEN Champion looks down at his fallen opponent with cold, dead eyes.

He methodically pulls The Kid upright.

Vacio delivers a HARD forearm to the side of his mask. This is followed by many, many more.

Titus Campbell grabs the top rope, in the hopes he can pull himself up and enter the ring. Campbell stands but once he places his good foot through the middle and bottom rope, he realizes he isn’t able to do it. Campbell starts shaking his head at referee Hector Navarro, but Navarro has bigger issues on his hands… like making sure the Crescent City Kid is conscious.

Vacio is whipping The Kid around with forearm after forearm. Finally, Victor leaves CCK in a heap in the center of the ring. Victor tags Tyler back in.

The usually stoic Tyler Fuse enters, casually lifting CCK to his feet and then connecting with a devastating exploder suplex, where The Kid lands straight on his head!

Tyler smirks. The crowd boos. He tags Vacio in again.

This time an emotionless Victor seemingly takes in the boos, as he drags Crescent City Kid to the center of the ring…

But not before Tyler enters, runs all the way to the other side and missile dropkicks Titus Campbell off the apron.

WHACK!

Campbell lands on his own two feet but then his right knee buckles and he falls against the guardrail, screaming in pain!

Inside the ring, Victor Vacio drops down and pins Crescent City.

ONE.

TWO.

THREE.

DING DING DING

More jees. The crowd hates what they see. Tyler walks over to Victor and pats him on the chest.

Tyler Fuse:
It’s that easy.

Darren Quimbey is trying to announce the winners but the crowd really hates this so-called homecoming for the man who didn’t care about losing his mask.

Navarro raises Tyler and Victor’s hands. Then, for good measure, Fuse takes Crescent City Kid and EJECTS him out of the ring as hard as he can possibly throw him.

DDK:
I think the Harmen’s might be in trouble.

Fuse looks deadpan into the hard camera, as the UNCUT signature appears on the bottom of the TV screen.

THIS.

IS.

DEFIANCE.