HPW Friday Night
[ April 21st, 2006 ]
A video package refreshes horrific memories of two weeks ago, when several of HPW's most unscrupulous conspired to leave Daunte stranded in a deadly predicament. With Illusion and Synyster distracting officials outside, Exter led Morlo away from his title match for Jimmy Duxen to attack the champion unimpeded. Having paid big money for this moment, Duxen eagerly handcuffed Daunte to the ropes and proceeded to torture the tribal warrior with a police issue tazer. By the time officials learned of the barbaric assault, the damage had been more than sufficiently done.
The usual opening music video follows, filled with fast-paced images of athletic aggression accompanied by a pounding, adrenaline pumping score. We go into the arena, where fans are cheering and our commentators are standing ringside.
Chad Fairfax: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to HPW Friday Night, where Headline Pro Wrestling remains in a state of shock over the actions of Jimmy Duxen that took place in this ring just two weeks ago. Daunte was hospitalized with severe burns and internal injuries, but against doctors' orders he has demanded a grudge match tonight with the man who did this to him. We'll be talking to the champ later on about his condition, but also tonight, after being played like a finely tuned fiddle, HPW management has promised to unveil a solution to the blatant disregard for authority shown by the likes of Duxen, Illusion, Synyster and Exter two weeks ago. Details have been kept under wraps, but we'll... we'll... Doug Solomon, what are you eating?"
Doug Solomon: "Nothing."
Fairfax: "What is that in your hand?"
Solomon: "Whaddya mean? I got nothing. Get on with the..."
Fairfax: "Bring your hands out from behind your back, you've got a damn... How long have you had that? Easter was a week ago, for cryin' out loud - we were pre-empted by the network for a family movie - and you're still cramming your face with chocolate eggs!"
Solomon: "They were on special, okay? You buy them a day late, you get a great deal!"
Fairfax: "You've been eating a great deal, by the looks of things. Fans, we've got tonight's first match on its way - and Doug, you might wanna wipe your mouth there... Look at that."
I Predict A Riot by the Kaiser Chiefs plays into the arena, followed by the entrance of The Lawman. Wearing knee-length denim shorts and a black T-shirt reading "The Glasgow Kiss" across the chest, the Scotsman makes his way to the ring. The commentators reflect on his streetfight with Elliot 'E-Time' Thomas two weeks ago, which spanned the whole building in a wild brawl, but the rivalry did not end on a high note for The Lawman.
Boys Will Be Boys by the Ordinary Boys brings out his opponent tonight, the burly British bruiser from Bristol, Will Hardman. The English behemoth walks confidently to the squared circle as we're reminded that this is a rematch of sorts, given that The Lawman accepted Hardman's open challenge two weeks ago but lost by forfeit when his streetfight commitments began earlier than expected. Hardman basked in his "victory" that night, but now they lock up in a proper match at last.
The bout gets underway when the participants meet in the middle of the ring and begin brawling. The Lawman hits faster and more ferociously, but his larger opponent hits harder with more authority. Nonetheless they go back and forth during the early stages, with neither man able to acquire an advantage until they begin to wear each other down.
Outsized by the Englishman, the Scotsman finds that he has to employ a rare tactic and rely on his quickness, choosing his moments without staying too close to the big man. He successfully nails a diving elbow from the top rope, but Hardman kicks out of the subsequent pin attempt. In the closing moments, the Bristol bruiser whips The Lawman into the ropes, but a clothesline is ducked and the Glaswegian rebounds from the opposite side with a Thesz press. Hardman catches him with a crushing spinebuster though, and follows up with his Down We Go burning hammer to keep The Lawman down for a three-count.
Fairfax: "It spells the end for anyone on the wrong end of that debilitating move, and Will Hardman has chalked up another win here on HPW Friday Night."
Solomon: "He's unstoppable, Chad, no doubt about it."
Fairfax: "Well one man who refuses to lay down joins us now, and he is the reigning HPW Champion, Daunte."
Backstage we see the tribal warrior standing with visible burns on his arms and torso, wearing the title belt around his waist. Although saying that it's good to see him here tonight, Fairfax asks if he really thinks it's wise to compete so soon after what happened the last time we saw him in the ring. Daunte corrects him, saying that he isn't here to "compete," he's here to kick a man's ass. He says he's been no stranger to hospital beds since coming to HPW, but he has never been abused and violated like he was when Jimmy Duxen cuffed him to the ropes and singed his flesh with that tazer. He says he lay there, pieces of his skin peeling off on the sheets, just thinking about what he'd do to Duxen the minute he laid eyes on him. So when doctors told him he wouldn't be able to wrestle for another few weeks, he told them where to stick their advice. He got straight on the phone to HPW, and told them that since their negligence allowed this to happen, he demanded a match with that piece of s**t tonight. Doug Solomon asks if he's thought this through - whether he's in fact inviting Duxen to finish the job he started, to which Daunte replies that he hopes Duxen sees it that way, if that's what it takes to make him show up. The champion adds that tonight, he's put the title on the line for one reason only: to give that son of a b*tch whatever incentive he needs to face him man-to-man, eye-to-eye, and settle this like men, not cowards.
Daunte walks off camera, as we return to the commentators in the arena.
Solomon: "He's walking into a death trap, Chad."
Fairfax: "I certainly hope he knows what he's doing. Usually if doctors tell you not to wrestle, there's a good reason."
Solomon: "And you know that Jimmy Duxen's smart enough to exploi..."
Fairfax: "I hate to interrupt you, Doug, but apparently our camera's on the scene for some kind of disturbance back there - I think we're going to..."
In the backstage area near Daunte's interview spot, we see the masked monster known as Morlo, alongside his cane-carrying "handler" Exter, being verbally abused and mocked by The Don. The suit-wearing, portly mobster, scheduled to face Morlo in a match tonight, approaches the beast and taunts him, while Exter tells his creature to remain calm and save it for the ring. The goading becomes too much however, and Morlo smacks the wiseguy in the face with a right hand. The Don hits back, but Morlo's hand latches onto the mobster's forehead with his outlawed nerve hold, the Claw. The Don shouts and struggles to break the psychopath's grip, but rapidly descends into paralysis as Morlo retains the pressure on the nerve. Exter shouts at him to release the hold, but it is the arrival of The Don's "family" that distracts him from his tunnel vision. The gang surrounds him and begins beating on the monster as we cut to a commercial break.
When HPW Friday Night returns, Morlo is standing over a pile of bodies, belonging to The Don's mobsters. Exter steps closer from the background, and begins furiously berating Morlo for the assault, blaming him for ruining their match tonight. Morlo backs off from the intense look in the old man's eyes, apparently intimidated by Exter, who continues deriding him angrily. Exter rears back his cane, and Morlo flinches but cannot avoid the incoming swing to the chest. Exter reminds him once more of his "failure," and strikes him again with the cane, this time to the side of the neck, followed by a blast to the skull. Morlo cowers in fear as Exter orders him to leave, and the masked creature stumbles up the hallway with his abuser close behind.
Fairfax: "Why in the world does Morlo take that abuse from Exter? Why is he so afraid of the old man?"
Solomon: "That was disturbing to watch. I mean, we've seen it happen before on video, but right here in the building, it's just... I dunno, it makes me uncomfortable."
Fairfax: "Well it doesn't look like we're getting our match tonight between Morlo and The Don, but we've got more action on the way right now with two men who really haven't seen eye to eye in recent weeks."
Solomon: "When Illusion returned to HPW with Synyster, E-Time took it upon himself to crash the party and try and send them back to whence they came. But it didn't quite work out that way, and he got himself in a world of trouble. Two weeks ago during his streetfight with The Lawman, E-Time's actions came back to haunt him when Illusion took some free shots of his own."
Fairfax: "And now tonight, they go one-on-one to settle their differences."
Solomon: "Think they'll be settled?"
Fairfax: "Let's not put a jinx on it yet..."
The Devil's Rejects by Rob Zombie plays across the speaker system, and a white spotlight follows Illusion and Synyster down the aisle through darkness. Accompanied by his cloaked ally, the long, black-haired Illusion wears red knee-length shorts bearing the word "Fearless" down each side, and black boots and pads. His hands are taped, with a red 'X' on each one, and the words "Most Fearless" are tattooed across his stomach. The Toronto native enters the ring with 'Syn,' where he climbs to the middle rope in one corner and raises his hands in an 'X' symbol above his head, drawing boos from the HPW crowd.
Passive by A Perfect Circle brings E-Time into view, and the New Yorker heads to the squared circle wearing blue tights adorned with white stars, flanked by his stylist, Frankie. The stylist removes E-Time's black jacket and takes his shades as they stand in the ring across from Illusion and Syn, and the seconds step outside to let the match begin.
The contest starts off slow and technical, as each man tries to measure his opponent and test different opproaches with caution. They trade basic holds, before a series of arm drags turns the affair into a bout of one-upmanship. Quick, fluent exchanges see both men repeatedly hit the mat and get straight back up for another maneuver, rapidly pulling out every textbook move in their repertoires so as not to be outdone. Eventually a thumb to the eye from Illusion puts on E-Time's brakes, and the Canadian seizes a more leveraged advantage.
Frankie shouts encouragement to the New Yorker as Illusion gradually dismantles him. E-Time makes a comeback with a flying forearm smash and a DDT, but his opponent dodges an attempted 5 Star Review in the corner, side-stepping the spear and ramming E-Time's shoulder through the buckles into the ring post for good measure. Illusion follows up by holding the American's arm behind his back in a hammerlock position, gripping his head in a front facelock and sweeping the leg to deliver a move he calls the Devil's Lock DDT. He makes a cover, but E-Time kicks out at two.
Towards the end of the match, Illusion scores another near-fall with his O-Zone neckbreaker, but a butterfly backbreaker he calls Welcome To Toronto is countered with a backdrop by E-Time, who capitalizes on the opening with a second wind. Knocking the Canadian down again and again with dropkicks and clotheslines, E-Time finally hits the 5 Star Review, driving hard into Illusion's ribs. With the crowd cheering him on, he steps out onto the apron and scales the turnbuckles for his Up In Lights shooting star press, but he is distracted by Synyster climbing onto the apron. The referee orders the hooded Syn back down to the arena floor, but the momentary lapse proves long enough for Illusion to recover and pull E-Time from the top rope with his Blink Effect diamond cutter, smashing his opponent's face into the canvas. Illusion makes a cover, and the referee delivers a three-count that puts Frankie's head in his hands.
Fairfax: "A great match has been tarnished by an underhanded conclusion, thanks once again to the collusion of men who think they're above the rules. This really needs to be addressed, Doug, and I hope the solution that HPW management has promised will be up to the task."
Solomon: "E-Time took his eye off the ball, Chad, and you never do that if you want to win. He can have all the streetfights that he wants, but no one bends the rules like Illusion."
Fairfax: "Well fans, we are taking our last commercial break of the evening, so join us when we return for Daunte versus Duxen, with the title on the line!"
After the break, Straight To Video by MSI begins to play, as we await the arrival of tonight's main event challenger. A few moments pass as the music pours from the speakers, and eventually the form of Jimmy Duxen is seen being hurled through the curtain into the aisleway. He tumbles onto the ground and the crowd cheers as Daunte steps into view, staying on the offense after apparently starting the fight early. Duxen tries to crawl away but is kicked and stomped by the tribal warrior, as the referee arrives to try and apply order. Daunte grabs Jimmy Duxen by the head and rams him into the steel barricade at the side of the aisle, before pulling him towards ringside. He tries to knock Duxen into the apron's edge, but the challenger blocks it and bounces the champion's face off the surface instead, buying himself a moment to catch his bearings. He grabs Daunte, but the tattooed tribesman punches him in the ribs and rolls him into the ring, before climbing in after him to officially start this HPW Title bout.
Daunte is a man possessed, tearing into Jimmy Duxen with unbridled aggression in his bloodthirsty quest for revenge. Wrestling moves and holds are forsaken in favor of single-minded battery, leaving Jimmy dazed and overwhelmed. His saving grace, however, are the injuries decorating his opponent's body - scorch marks created by Duxen himself two weeks ago. By targeting these with well-placed punches, elbows and kicks, Duxen is able to turn around the battle, exposing just how premature Daunte's return really is. The champion is rendered defenseless against even the most elementary attacks to his tender burns, soon allowing Duxen to broaden his offense once Daunte's momentum has been demolished.
From that turning point, Jimmy Duxen dominates his opponent, battering his disadvantaged victim with more brutal and damaging assaults as the match wears on. Daunte is helpless to fight back as his wounded body is pounded by the opportunistic off-duty police officer, who now seems to be taking as much delight out of this one-sided match as he did when torturing the tribal warrior with a tazer two weeks ago. Eventually, having had enough fun, Jimmy hits the Duxen Cutter v2.0, a tornado diamond cutter named after a move used by the father he forced into retirement through two-faced chicanery.
As the challenger finally makes a cover, the focus of everyone in the building is stolen by the sound of Awake by Godsmack blaring across the speakers. Jimmy's eyes widen, and his jaw drops as he turns to face the entranceway, through which curtain steps the familiar 63-year-old frame of his father, Old Man Duxen. The crowd comes unglued as the gray-haired former HPW Champion stands with a microphone, looking down the aisle at the shocked expression of his treacherous son.
The man formerly known as the world's oldest rookie introduces himself as Commissioner Duxen. He reveals that after the intolerable actions of several HPW wrestlers two weeks ago, including "that disgrace to the Duxen name you see in the ring," HPW management called him up and asked if he could do them a favor. Since he's retired now, he figured, why not? So he agreed to fulfill the duties of a commissioner for Headline Pro Wrestling, enforcing the rules and keeping punks like Jimmy Duxen, Jr, in line!
Now annoyed by the interruption, Jimmy stands in the ring, pointing at his fallen opponent and slapping down on his palm three times to indicate that he was about to pin the champion. Commissioner Duxen reminds us all that Daunte has not been medically cleared to compete, and is therefore not eligible to defend the title. Jimmy smiles, now pointing to himself and raising his other hand in self-proclaimed victory, but his father sets him straight, adding that he won't let Jimmy win the title this way either. The younger Duxen is furious, but the fans don't seem to share his view, cheering as he rants and fumes. The commissioner announces that due to Daunte's condition, there is no option but to vacate the HPW Championship so that it can be defended on a regular basis. That title, he says, meant a lot to him when he was champion, and he'll be glad to see a true warrior like Daunte regain it when he's fit and healthy. But for now, as soon as a method has been devised, it will be put up for grabs to whomever on the HPW roster is willing to earn it.
The commissioner smiles, and parts with a message for his son, saying that he thinks he's going to enjoy his new job. Jimmy looks up from leaning on the ropes in depression, glaring at his meddling father as the new sheriff in town takes his leave.
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Topic: HPW Friday Night (Read 407 times)