Flashpoint

[FGA Office]

[FGA Office]

A light flickers.

That inconsistent bulb conjures copious contrasting shadows to unleash upon the secluded FedExForum room. And although her face is partially sheathed, Nina Stokes is seated in a steel chair. Curiously enough, there’s another chair opposite of hers. However, it isn’t occupied by a person—

The Frontier Grappling Arts United States Championship sits there. Its faceplate mildly glimmers whenever the light happens to touch it.

A stern glare hovers over the championship belt for a moment or two. But Nina’s face soon softens. A look of deep concern washes over her, like a mother looking at a hurt child.

NINA STOKES: You’ve had a hard life, haven’t you?

She waits a few seconds, as if she is waiting for a reply.

NINA STOKES: Your first two owners were fine, I suppose. But, they couldn’t provide you with the stability that you needed at the time. You were passed around; tossed to and fro. That’s not conducive to growth.

Nina clicks her teeth with her tongue.

NINA STOKES: And your last two owners? They made life a living hell for you, didn’t they?

The woman takes the time to shake her head.

NINA STOKES: You were trotted about. You were paraded around. You were stolen. You were used as a prop. You were used as a weapon. No one cared about your personal sovereignty. Such a tragedy.

She shakes her head once again. A brief period of silence follows before she utters more words.

NINA STOKES: Your last two owners failed to be true to themselves. So how were they going to be true to you? Hmm?

Of course, there is no response. But Nina carries on.

NINA STOKES: But you don’t have to worry about that any longer.

There’s another shake of the head.

NINA STOKES: My name is Nina Stokes. I’m a fighter. I’m a protector. And as long as you are with me, you will be safe. So, there’s no need to worry.

Her eyes continue to rest on the championship belt.

NINA STOKES: Our time together won’t be eternal. There are some other goals that I need to accomplish. But during our time together, I will teach you how to be big and strong. I’ll teach you how to be classy. And when the fateful day comes in which you and I must go our separate ways, you’ll be able to stand proudly amongst your peers. I will make you better, because that’s what I do.

Silence clings to the air for a moment or two.

NINA STOKES: Now, let’s get to work.

The camera rests on the shot for a moment longer before everything fades away.

[FGA Office]

"Perfect Insanity" by Disturbed plays as a video package is shown of various FGA grapplers making their way through various entranceways. The video then switches to various FGA grapplers getting kicked, punched, slammed, suplexed and dropped onto the mat....

Come inside and be afraid
Of this impressive mess I've made
If you take a look now you will find

I have thrown away my vice
Done away with paradise
See what's going on inside my mind
Please let me out
Please let me out
Please let me...

After dramatic slow motion shots of various grapplers flipping off the top turnbuckle, the video switches to the Flashpoint logo as the chorus kicks in.

The video fades to an outside shot of FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. We then transition inside to a wide shot of the arena. The camera then pans around, capturing the excited crowd. An FGA chant breaks out throughout several sections of the crowd…

Nicholas King vs. Owen Owens

Owen Owens looks to start things off respectfully with a handshake. But Nicholas King has no interest in any show of sportsmanship and ends up slapping Owens’ hand away. He then cheap shots Owens with a kick to the gut, followed by multiple clubbing strikes to the back of the neck that drop Owens down to a knee. From there, King flattens Owens with a Switchblade Kick. With Owens in the prone position, King opts out of going for the cover and instead, drives down across Owens with repeated grounded knee strikes. He then yanks Owens up off the mat before rushing across the ring and flinging him through the ropes and to the apron. After Owens struggles to pull himself up using the ropes, King grabs onto the top rope with both hands. He then pulls the rope towards him before thrusting forward, sending Owens flying off the apron and crashing into the guardrail! The capacity crowd really lets King have it while he circles the ring with his arms out.

King continues to bask in his glory until he sees Owens starting to pick himself up off the floor. After heading out onto the apron, King runs along the apron, leaps off and knocking Owens down with a flying knee smash. He then yanks up Owens, slams him face-first onto the apron and then shoves him back into the ring. King rolls himself back inside before whipping Owens into the far ropes. When Owens returns, he gets thrown down with a Slingblade. The self-proclaimed “King of Australia” hits the ropes, returns and lands across King’s face with a knee drop to the face. He makes the cover, only to pull Owens up by the hair at the count of two! The ref questions King’s tactics. King responds by wagging his finger at the official. He then lifts Owens up across his shoulders before bringing him down with a fireman’s carry neckbreaker. King makes the cover, only to pull Owens up by the hair at the count of two again! The crowd is really starting to let King have it. He’s got the match won. Owens can easily be put out of his misery. But King wants to inflict more damage! While he slowly pulls Owens up by the hair, Owens catches him with a right hand to the midsection. The crowd starts to cheer when Owens catches him with another right hand to the midsection, followed by a left. Owens continues to fire off one-two combinations which leave King doubled over. Sensing his chance, Owens turns and hits the far ropes. When he returns, he goes to execute a sunset flip. The crowd is cheering for King to fall while King swings his arms wildly in an attempt to regain his balance. Once he does, he nails Owens with a leaping double foot stomp to the chest! He then yanks Owens back up by the hair, lifts him up across the shoulders and then brings him down with a doubled knee gutbuster! King then pulls a curled up Owens from off the mat by the back of the tights. The crowd boos when King blasts Owens with Hail to the King (wristlock transitioned into a short-arm bicycle high knee), causing Owens to collapse to the mat! King drops down and makes the cover to get the ONE, TWO, THREE!

Winner: Nicholas King (2:10)

[FGA Office]

As the show cuts away from ringside, Amanda Johnson is seen stood backstage at FedExForum, together with the duo of Neal Durden and Lowri Moss. The two Welsh grapplers are both currently dressed casually in jeans, with Neal sporting an Irish Whip Clothing branded Pendragon t-shirt, while Lowri has on a replica Wales rugby union jersey, after having earlier watched her country’s victory in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup. They also each have their half of the world tag team titles draped over their shoulders.

Amanda Johnson: Neal, Lowri, later on tonight you will be defending the FGA World Tag Team Championship against the team of Bristow & Barnes. Before we come on to that though, there’s another team that I would like to talk to you about first-- Silk & Cyanide.

Neal and Lowri nod simultaneously, appearing to have been expecting this.

Amanda Johnson: I’m guessing that you would’ve both been watching Vertigo last weekend, when Erin Mariani and Sara Mason were in two high stakes matches, against Izzy Anders and Fujiko Mine respectively. Prior to her match with Mariani, Izzy brought up how the two members of Silk & Cyanide had stolen your chances at trying to win the big one, and said that she was going to give you something to smile at; would it be fair to assume that you had a feeling of schadenfreude, watching how those two matches panned out?

With a shrug of her shoulders, Lowri responds to the reporter’s question.

Lowri Moss: I’m not sure that I would refer to it as “schadenfreude,” Amanda, but I certainly think we did both enjoy watching Izzy and Fujiko win their matches last Saturday - I particularly relished watching Izzy beat Erin Mariani, although I don’t suppose that’s going to come as a shock to anyone.

Neal smirks a bit as Lowri finishes up her thoughts. He looks at Amanda, before taking the word.

Neal Durden: Knowing they took away an opportunity for us, seeing their opportunities to get to that next level fizzled out was… a bit of karma, you know. Erin and Sara are known for their continued pushing of the envelope. They’re known for poking the bear time and time again… and they’re known for taking advantage of the number’s game…. So it was refreshing to see how those two matches panned out. Seeing Izzy and Fujiko beat them, not only showed them, they might not be as good on their own as they might think… but it also showed us what we might need to do to beat them.

With a slight smirk of her own on her face, Lowri makes a further remark.

Lowri Moss: I think we were actually both a bit pleasantly surprised that they didn't attempt to cheat their way to a world championship - we had kinda expected that Mariani would try to help Mason in her match against Fujiko, and if that had happened, I’m sure we would’ve both been left wishing that we could’ve been there to intervene.

Amanda Johnson: And with that in mind, as well as what happened a few weeks ago here on Flashpoint, when Silk & Cyanide - as Izzy put it - stole your chances at trying to win the big one, were you at all tempted to show up to Vertigo last Saturday, to potentially get some revenge?

Neal shrugs as he looks at Lowri, as if to let her know he would take this question first.

Neal Durden: I would be lying if I said we weren’t at all tempted, because we were. But, what message would we be sending then? That we are the same as them? That we’re going to stoop as low as they do? No, we’re better than them. We aren’t afraid of a challenge, we aren’t afraid of doing things face to face and launching ourselves into action.

He looks at the belts over his and Lowri’s shoulders as he continues.

Neal Durden: We’ve always said we’re fighting champions and we’re proud of holding these belts and carrying this division on our shoulders. Sure, Sara Mason and Erin Mariani might’ve taken a golden opportunity out of our hands… but they put another one right in our laps.

A small sigh escapes Lowri, who adds her own response.

Lowri Moss: Fujiko is more than capable on her own of taking care of business anyway - as she displayed, once again. If Neal and I had gone to Vertigo, Amanda, it would've been so that we could watch the first of the two Dynamic Duos semi-finals in person, not so that we could get involved in the main event; well done to Laurel and Carina on their win, by the way.

Amanda Johnson: Okay, well, you’re going to have a chance to settle matters with Mason and Mariani next month at Autumn Annihilation, when the four of you square off in a non-title, champions versus champions match. After the events of last week, and the weeks prior, what are your thoughts on now actually getting to face Silk & Cyanide in a sanctioned match?

Neal cracks his neck a bit, eager to tackle the question, as Lowri amicably obliges.

Neal Durden: Champions versus Champions, Amanda… let that sink in for a moment…

Neal lets some seconds pass before he continues.

Neal Durden: I hope now everyone gets the importance of this matchup. For as long as we’ve been here, Lowri and I have been saying over and over again that we’re the BEST tag team right now. I know a lot of the fans might have their favourites, that other promotions might have their tag team champions and they might want to claim that title from us… but we’re the team everyone tries to measure against. Sure, they might not verbalise it… but they’re watching US.

Neal looks down and towards Lowri before continuing his tangent.

Neal Durden: There was an online conversation not too long ago that ended up saying most tag teams nowadays don’t last very long together and usually that lowers them in the “tier ranking,” if you will. Seeing that conversation I came to the conclusion that Lowri and I are the anomaly. We’ve been together as a team almost since day one… we know what we’re doing inside that ring and there’s a reason we hold these belts.

Neal taps on the belt over his shoulder as he continues speaking.

Neal Durden: So, sanctioned or unsanctioned… any opportunity we have to prove that we’re without a shadow of a doubt the BEST tag team not only in FGA but also the entire wrestling world… we’re gonna take it. So, this match against Silk & Cyanide is just that… an opportunity to expel a demon we have; to show Mason and Mariani that Pendragon is the top tier tag team in FGA and an opportunity to show the winners of Dynamic Duos who they should decide to face IF they want a shot at being known as one of the best teams around.

Amanda looks in the direction of Lowri, who picks up where Neal left off.

Lowri Moss: If you want to be the best in the world at something, then first you need to be the best in your home turf— and as far as Neal and I are concerned, FGA is our home. Since the beginning of this year, when we originally got moved over here to the Flashpoint Zone, we have established ourselves as the best tag team on this brand. We immediately took on the Chaotics, who up to that point had looked near unbeatable, and we ended their record-setting title reign. In fact, while most other teams had struggled to defeat the Chaotics, we didn’t just do it once, we did it twice.

She holds up two fingers, to add emphasis to her statement.

Lowri Moss: We subsequently went on to defeat another highly acclaimed team, in the Super Mario Wrestling Bros, before Mason and Mariani then reared their heads. And don’t forget, Amanda, we’ve fought Silk & Cyanide before - this match at Autumn Annihilation isn’t just a month or two in the making, it’s almost a full year in the making. The last time we met in the ring, they took the US tag titles from us, and thanks to the draft lottery, we were denied the chance of a rematch and the opportunity to reassert ourselves as the best tag team on Vertigo. This is going to be an even better opportunity for us though, because now when we beat Silk & Cyanide, we’ll have proved ourselves to be not just the best team on a single brand, but the best team in the whole of FGA—

With a grin on her face, Lowri turns to look towards Neal.

Lowri Moss: If not the world.

Amanda Johnson: As I mentioned at the start, later tonight you’re going to be defending the FGA World Tag Team Championship against Bristow & Barnes, and while I guess every championship match is a “must-win” for the competitors involved, would it be fair to say that this match is even more of a must-win for you, ahead of your upcoming meeting with Silk & Cyanide?

Lowri smiles wryly, responding in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

Lowri Moss: Yeah, I mean, the current United States Tag Team Champions versus the former World Tag Team Champions doesn’t quite have the same ring to, does it?

Neal shakes his head, as his other half continues.

Lowri Moss: In all seriousness, Amanda, if Bristow & Barnes want a shot at our titles, then I think I speak for both me and Neal when I say bring ‘em on. We heard what they had to say to you during the last show, about how they are the best tag team in the world, but I think Nate and Tully are the only two people in the world who actually believe that. And as for them supposedly having been proving it in the ring for some months, I-I--

She feigns a stutter, before then giving a shrug.

Lowri Moss: I don’t know, I guess I must’ve missed that.

Neal looks at Lowri and shrugs before interjecting himself.

Neal Durden: Look, it’s nothing against Bristow & Barnes. I mean, they’re good in their own right; and I get it, after a draft we have a double target on our backs… not only because we hold the titles, but also because of how high we were picked up, meaning a lot of people in the FGA roster feels they have something to prove against us.

Neal extends his arms as if to welcome anything and continues.

Neal Durden: Here we are, prove us wrong. Prove to us you deserve these belts; prove to us with action that you are in fact what you say you are. Because we haven’t been just saying we’re the best, we have been proving it time and time again.

Lowri nods her head.

Lowri Moss: To be fair, Bristow & Barnes could make an argument for being the second best team on this brand right now, but tonight they’re going to be in the ring with the number one team on Flashpoint; the number one team in FGA; the FGA World Tag Team Champions. And that’s when reality is going to hit Nate and Tully, in the form of me and Neal, and they’re going to realise that they aren’t quite what they’ve claimed to be. Last year, we successfully defended the Legión del HELL Championship against them on an episode of Vertigo. Well tonight… different show, different titles— same result.

She turns to face Neal, placing an arm over his shoulder.

Lowri Moss: Come to think of it, I wonder whether we’re the only team to have defended three different sets of titles in a FGA ring— and successfully, at that.

Neal brings his right hand towards his chin and then shrugs.

Neal Durden: That’s the sort of tidbits you come up with, not me. What I do come up with is the notion that even with the possibility of Silk & Cyanide doing something tonight… because - let’s be honest - they’re not the kind of people that would let our interference on Vertigo slide… Bristow & Barnes, are going to find out, why we’re so confident in ourselves; why fans gravitate towards us; and why so many teams around the world want to face us.

Neal looks towards Lowri and Amanda; before fixating on the camera.

Neal Durden: And, perhaps, more importantly… you’re going to find out why, WE are the champions, my friends.

Lowri runs the back of her right hand across her forehead, pretending to wipe some sweat from her brow, and Neal then puts an arm around her, the two of them both bearing confident facial expressions as the show heads to a commercial break.

BREAK

[FGA Office]

Patrick Jones vs. Olé Anderson

The two veterans start things off with a lock up. The stronger Anderson is able to muscle Jones across the ring against the ropes. After the official instructs both men to make a clean break, they appear to do just that. That is, until Anderson tries to cheap shot Jones with a haymaker. But Jones knew it was coming. After ducking out of the way, Jones turns and lights up Anderson’s chest with multiple knife edge chops. He hopes for an irish whip. But it gets reversed, sending him into the far ropes. When Jones returns, he slides through Anderson’s legs before catching him with a dropkick when he turns around. A second dropkick returns Anderson to the mat. Jones throws out a third. But this time, Anderson side steps and swats him down. He goes to follow up with a jumping elbow drop. But he misses after Jones rolls out of the way.

Jones quickly targets the arm with an armbar. But the grizzled vet is able to use his free hand to grab him by the hair and move him against the ropes. After a hard knee to the midsection, Anderson takes Jones and whips him back into the far ropes. The crowd cheers when Jones returns with a crossbody block for a two count. Jones then places Anderson in a side headlock. He cranks away on the hold before setting up for a running bulldog. But his plans are thwarted when Anderson shoves him off into the ropes. When Jones returns, he looks to be on the receiving end of a back body drop. But he’s able to slip down from behind. He then sets up for a German Suplex when Anderson counters with a back elbow to the face, breaking the waist lock. Anderson then hits the ropes, only to return and get doubled over with a spinning back kick to the gut. After a knee lift knocks Anderson upright, Jones sends him down to the prone position with a step-up enzuigiri!

Anderson is then whipped into the far ropes. When he returns, he gets knocked off his feet with a running forearm strike. Jones rushes back across the ring before hitting a second running forearm. While Anderson struggles to get back to a vertical base, Jones hits the far ropes. As soon as he hits the far ropes, Jones flies across the ring before knocking him down with a leaping forearm smash. Anderson is once again sent for the ride. When he returns, he gets thrown down with a belly to belly suplex! Jones then heads to the apron before ultimately heading to the top turnbuckle. From there, Jones leaps off before dropping the flying elbow right across the sternum of Anderson! Jones then sets up shop in the corner while Anderson stirs on the canvas. Once Anderson makes his way back to his feet and turns around, Jones shuffles out of the corner and sends his head snapping back with the Zoned Out (superkick)! Anderson crumbles to the mat, allowing Jones to drop down in a lateral press for the ONE, TWO, THREE!

Winner: Patrick Jones (4:08)

[FGA Office]

The camera cuts to the backstage area, where Amanda Johnson is stood beside one of the four participants in the tournament to crown a new 15 Champion, in Laura Perelli--who looks particularly confident ahead of her match later in the evening, a little smirk curled on her lips.

Amanda Johnson: Ladies and gentlemen, my guest at this time takes on Cassius Reed later tonight in one of the two matches to determine contenders for a new FGA 15 Champion, please help me welcome, Laura Perelli.

Smirk and all, Laura leans her body forward into the faintest of bows.

Amanda Johnson: And Laura, it feels like it wasn’t so long ago I was saying you were 2 for 2 here in FGA, and since then, it’s only gotten better--submission wins over both Patrick Jones back at All Star Showdown and Jillian Clay on a recent Flashpoint, it got you not only entered into the battle royal last show, but into this tournament. How are you feeling about your career here so far?

Laura Perelli: Well, I’d be lying if I said I expected anything less. I didn’t come here on a whim, Amanda, and I didn’t come here to just be another wrestler on a roster. I came here to be the standout performer on whichever show I ended up on. I came here to be the best. So far?

Laura chuckles a little, spreading her arms wide before flicking her wrists in either direction into an exaggerated shrug.

Laura Perelli: I think it’s gone pretty well.

Amanda Johnson: A spotless record so far in one on one competition, it’s hard to argue with that. But tonight is a step up in competition, I think you’ll agree--not just the opponent, but also the stakes.

Laura Perelli: Cassius Reed, for a shot to become the next FGA 15 Champion. The, uh...what did he call himself, the Tournament King? Well, while the King has been resting on his laurels, I’ve been doing his job for him. While the King has been sitting pretty on his throne, I’ve been taking care of that tournament obligation for him. And now, now he’s decided to grace us all with his presence, now that there’s something he cares to try to win...

Laura Perelli: And...I’m supposed to be worried?

Laura’s smirk only gets more pronounced at the thought, as shakes her head, momentarily splaying her hair across her face.

Laura Perelli: Cassius Reed can hop on Twitter and make whatever corny joke that was a few days ago, he can pat himself on the back for what he did last year, or the year before that, he can do...whatever he wants to do. And that’s great and all--but this isn’t 2016 anymore, and just because he called dibs on the World from now until New Year’s Day really...doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. If anything, it actually makes it more fun--because I’m eliminating Cassius Reed from this tournament, one way or the other, and I always get a kick out of proving people like that wrong.

Laura Perelli: Four people have stepped up to me, thinking they were the ones that could put a stop to my little run here--and four people have been swept aside. I walked into that battle royal last show, and it took two of FGA’s best, ever, working together to eliminate me. Cassius Reed doesn’t have help tonight. Cassius Reed doesn’t have a second person, working to eliminate me--so Cassius Reed is going to fail, like the others have.

Laura smiles a little bit, brushing her hair back out of her face. She digs into the pocket of her jacket, producing a silver tiara, with blue, green, and red stones on it. She takes a second to make sure it’s just perfectly centered on her head, before glancing to Amanda.

Laura Perelli: Il re è morto.

Laura Perelli: Viva la principessa.

Laura winks and offers her little bow again, before turning on a heel and leaving Amanda slightly bewildered. The scene holds there for a moment longer, before cutting away.

[FGA Office]

15 CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATOR
Zack Gall vs. Ashley Sands

The two 15 Championship hopefuls start things off with a lock up before circle the ring. A collar-and-elbow follows. After jockeying for position, Gall gains the advantage with an arm wrench. With a hold of Sands’ wrist, Gall begins to manipulate the joint by bending and twisting it. Sands is seen wincing from pain in clear view of the official. But she waves him off after he inquires about her giving up. She then rolls forward, leans back, kips up and reverses into an arm wrench of her own. Gall then rolls forward, turns over onto his knees, flips over with a headstand, spins in place and transitions into a hammerlock from behind. The reversal gets an applause from manager Dante Difranco on the outside. However, Gall doesn’t stay in the dominant position for long as Sands spins out and reverses into a hammer lock of her own. Sands keeps the hold applied until Gall counters with a spinning drop toe hold, which drops Sands down into the prone position. Gall then tries to take control of her back and apply the Dragon Clutch. But before he can fully get the hold nice and tight, Sands slips out and slithers back towards the ropes.

Both title contenders begin to circle the ring once more before locking up. After Sands gains the advantage with a side headlock, Gall shoves her off into the ropes. Sands gets knocked down off the rebound with a standing shoulder block before Gall hits the ropes. When he returns, Sands kips up and leapfrogs over him. After Gall returns, Sands goes to throw him down with a hip toss. Gall ends up blocking the move and goes to counter with a lariat. But he ends up whiffing after Sands ducks the blow. Before Gall can turn around, Sands reaches back and pulls him down with a hangman’s neckbreaker for a two count.

Sands bring the action into the corner, where she hits Gall with multiple knife edge chops. Sands quickly finds out that it’s a bad idea to trade strikes with Gall after he tosses her into the corner and lights up her chest with multiple shoot kicks. After a headbutt drops Sands down to a seated position, Gall steps back just past the center of the ring. He then charges forward and goes for a double knee strike to the face, only to crash into the corner when Sands slips out of the way. Sands quickly follows up with a schoolboy for a two count. Gall returns to his feet, only to get returned to the mat with a dropkick for another nearfall. Gall is then whipped into the far corner. Sands charges across the ring and throws out the Wind Kick (running corner kick), but Gall reaches up and catches her foot in time. He then shoves Sands down to the mat. As Sands rolls back to her feet, Gall charges out of the corner and ultimately flattens her with a running lariat for a two count.

As the match continues, Gall sets up for an overhead belly to belly. But Sands is able to block with a bell clap to the ears. She then follows up by bringing Gall down with a reverse side russian leg sweep. While Gall is down in the prone position, Sands steps out to the apron before scaling the turnbuckles. Before she can get to the top, Gall pops back to his feet, darts across the ring and connects with a running dropkick, knocking Sands off the turnbuckles and sending her down to the floor! While Sands stirs on the floor, Gall staggers across the ring before collapsing into the far corner. After resting his back against the turnbuckles while catching his breath, Gall steps away from the corner. He then charges across the ring, hurls himself over the top turnbuckle (and by extension, the ring post) and knocks Sands down with a topé con hilo!!! He rolls Sands back inside to make the cover. ONE! TWO! Sands gets the shoulder up at two. Gall then plants Sands with a Snap DDT! He hangs onto Sands as he rolls over, pulls her back up and then throws her down with the Michinoku Driver II! The official slides into place for the cover. ONE! TWO! Sands kicks out at two. Gall pulls Sands back up, takes control of her back and slips on a cobra clutch. The crowd cheers while Gall fights for the submission. Sands’ free arm can be seen swinging wildly as she tries to fight to stay in the match. Gall repeatedly tries to trip her to get her down to the mat. But it’s to no avail. Sands is able to push through and muscle her way to the side of the ring and grab onto the top rope, forcing a rope break. After Gall make the clean break, he takes several steps back, then rushes forward for another running lariat. This time, Sands ducks and dumps him over the top rope and sends him to the floor. Sands then hits the far ropes, returns, leaps through the ropes and knocks Gall down with a suicide dive! She then rolls him back inside to make the cover. ONE! TWO! Gall gets the shoulder up at two.

Sands stays on offense with a flurry of right hands. After a hard irish whip sends Gall into the corner, Sands hits the far ropes, catches Gall off the rebound and drives him down with a one-handed bulldog for a two count. Sands then goes for an irish whip, only for Gall to reverse. When she returns, she sends Gall rolling out to the apron with a running hurricanrana. While Gall pull himself up using the ropes, Sands rushes across the ring. She tries to double Gall over with a shoulder tackle through the ropes. But Gall sidesteps, then blasts Sands with the Dead By Knee (V-Trigger) while her upper body is through the ropes. After Sands collapses to the mat, Gall rushes back in to make the cover. ONE! TWO! T-NO! Sands gets the shoulder up at two. So Gall drags Sands over towards the ropes and rests her against the middle ropes. He then hits the far ropes, comes back and blasts Sands across the back of the head with another Death By Knee! While a groggy Sands is only being held up by the ropes, Gall doesn’t go for the pin. Instead, he wants to put an exclamation point on things. So he takes off into the far ropes once more. Gall comes back and picks up speed before blasting Sands across the back of the head with a third Death By Knee!!! He makes the cover.

ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
THR-NO!

The crowd gasps, then cheers when Sands gets her shoulder up.

Instead of being dejected over Sands getting the shoulder up, Gall quickly turns her over into a Dragon Clutch! Difranco pounds on the apron while Gall pulls back on the hold. The capacity crowd is at a fever pitch. Half of them are pulling for Gall to get the submission while the other half are trying to rally behind Sands. The official continuously asks Sands if she wants to give up. Each and every time, she refuses. She doesn’t want to go home empty handed again. Somehow, someway, Sands uses her free arm to try and pull herself towards the side of the ring. Gall hangs on to the hold for all his might. He tries to get Sands to give up. But Sands is bound and determined to get to those ropes. She continues to scratch and claw her way towards the side of the ring. Sands reaches out… and grabs the bottom rope, resulting in an explosion of cheers from the crowd! Gall breaks the hold in time. But he stays on Sands, pulling her back to her feet from behind. After pulling Sands back to the center of the ring, he tries to place her in a Crossface Chickenwing. However, Sands slowly spins out of the hold and reverses by placing Gall in the Web (Octopus Stretch)! Sands tries to keep the hold on. But the time spent in the Dragon Clutch has worn her down, which causes her to lose her grip, allowing Gall to slip out of the hold. Gall then plants Sands with a jumping spike DDT! He makes the cover. ONE! TWO! TH-NO! Sands gets her shoulder up. Gall then brings her down with a Cradle Piledriver! He goes for another cover. ONE! TWO! THR-NO! Sands gets the shoulder up. Gall then sets up for an Exploder Suplex, only for Sands to counter with multiple elbows. Sands then hits the corner. She’s about to run up the turnbuckles and go for a moonsault off the top. But Gall is right there to catch her with a running lariat from behind! After Sands is whipped into the far corner, Gall rushes across the ring with attack. But he ends up eating a raised boot to the face! While Gall stumbles back, Sands climbs up to the middle ropes, flips off and brings him down with a Blockbuster! She goes for the cover. ONE! TWO! Gall gets the shoulder up.

As irish whip is reversed, sending Sands into the ropes. When she returns, Gall throws her down with an overhead belly to belly on his second attempt at the move. He then scales to the top and goes for a diving double foot stomp, only to miss when Sands rolls to safety. Gall lands on his feet before rolling forward. The minute he rolls back to his feet and turns around, Sands rushes forward and sends him flying into the corner with a shotgun dropkick! Gall slowly pulls himself in the corner, only to get caught with the Wind Kick! Sands then follows up with a Tornado DDT! She makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Gall gets the shoulder up again. With Gall still down, Sands steps out to the apron before climbing the turnbuckle. She heads to the top in hopes of hitting the Sunset (Swanton Bomb). But before she can get in position, Gall scrambles back to his feet, runs up to the top turnbuckle, grabs Sands and heaves her down to the mat with an avalanche overhead belly to belly!!! Gall scrawls over, pulls Sands back up and then throws out the Jaw Buster (ripcord rolling elbow). Gall whiffs on the blow after Sands ducks. She then quickly counters with Into Dust (Codebreaker)! While Gall is sprawled out across the mat, Sands delivers Wind Whisper (rolling senton)! A second Wind Whisper connects! After dragging Gall into position, Sands favors her back while she steps out onto the apron. After slowly scaling to the top turnbuckle, Sands flips off and crashes down across Gall with the Sunset! She turns over, makes the cover and gets the ONE, TWO, THREE!

Winner: Ashley Sullivan (12:21)

BREAK

[FGA Office]

The scene cuts to the backstage area where Amanda Johnson is seen standing by with a microphone.

Amanda Johnson:Ladies and gentlemen, at this time I am joined by the one and the only… Cordelia Stevenson.

The camera pans back now as Cordy steps into the scene. She gives Amanda an acknowledging nod and a smile, as the cheers of the crowd echo in the background.

Amanda Johnson:Cordelia, a big, big match tonight as you and Johnny Karma team up to take on Ashlyn De Luca and the International Heavyweight Champion Savannah Taylor in our main event. Now we all witnessed the fiery exchange between you and Savannah at the last show, and now? More than words will get to be exchanged. What is going through your mind now that you’re actually going to get the champ in the ring.

Cordelia’s eyes brighten as she rubs her hands in anticipation.

Cordelia Stevenson: Mandy, Mandy, Mandy, let me tell you… the time just can’t come soon enough. I swear the clock has been moving in slow…

Something out of view of the camera appears to have caught Cordelia’s attention as her voice trails off.

Cordelia Stevenson:… motion.

Cordelia’s eyes narrow a bit. Seeing that Cordelia is obviously distracted, Amanda follows her gaze. Our camera drifts away from Stevenson and Johnson-- settling on Ashlyn De Luca, to a rousing chorus of boos from the live Memphis crowd packed into the FedExForum.

Amanda Johnson: Uh. Ashlyn.

From Amanda’s tone, it’s unclear whether her words serve as a greeting or a confused address. Cordelia folds her arms across her chest, shifting her weight from one foot to another as she holds her tongue but gives an acknowledging nod to Ashlyn.

Amanda Johnson: Erm. Good to have you here, but right now we’re kind of in the middle of-

Ashlyn De Luca: Yeah, that’s why I’m here, actually. I wasn’t trying to cut you guys off or anything.

De Luca’s eyes eagerly travel back to Stevenson.

Ashlyn De Luca: I just feel like I’ve never had a chance to talk with Cordelia here. And I mean, I’m not doing anything at this particular moment. So why don’t we shake things up a little and let me take over from here?

Amanda blinks a few times, looking from Ashlyn to Cordelia before laughing a little.

Amanda Johnson: I don’t think tha--

Ashlyn De Luca: Great!

Swiftly, she takes the microphone from Amanda’s hand and inserts herself between the interviewer and the former World Champion. Johnson takes a deep breath, giving De Luca a bitter smile before giving Stevenson a polite nod and excusing herself-- though, now without a mic, her words are hardly picked up on camera. As Johnson exits the frame, De Luca’s gaze remains locked on Stevenson.

Ashlyn De Luca: ...hey!

Cordy continues to give Ashlyn the side-eye, unsure of the woman’s motives. However, not one to be rude unnecessarily, she returns the greeting.

Cordelia Stevenson: … hey. What’s going on, chica?

De Luca looks pleasantly surprised by the greeting, but her own gaze lingers on the side-eye directed back at her. Ashlyn laughs under her breath, innocently raising a hand, almost defensively.

Ashlyn De Luca: Okay, I get the look. I know what you’re thinking. We’re on totally opposite corners tonight, so my timing is off, but it seems like we never get a chance to talk, you know. In fact, it feels like for all I’ve watched, for all I’ve seen, it’s like I barely know you at all. Opponents or not, I wanna change that.

Cordy raises her eyebrows. De Luca changes her posture, trying to emulate that of one Amanda Johnson.

Ashlyn De Luca: And with what’s on the horizon, I mean-- this is a huge opportunity for you. With the way you left the company, being at the very top of not only your game, but theee game… only to have it brutally ripped away from you from Izzy and her cronies… it would totally be the best comeback story if after two and a half years, you rolled back in and took the International Heavyweight Title from one of the women that rallied alongside the person that stole your Undisputed Title. I mean— the first ever Undisputed Champ and you had it snatched away basically as quick as you got it. I feel for you, Cordy. I do.

Cordelia’s eyes narrowed to slits as she’s unable to determine if there is any sarcasm in Ashlyn’s tone. It’s obvious that Ashlyn’s words and the jarring recollection of those events leaves Cordy with a familiar bitter taste. Ashlyn inhales deeply, gripping the mic between both hands before she takes a subsequent step closer to Stevenson.

Ashlyn De Luca: And you know if Savannah had the chance, she would have went out there and robbed you of the title herself. Getting your hands on her tonight— I bet that would be cathartic. Would be for me. I could help you do it.

The words come out abruptly. Coldly. De Luca’s grin grows wider.

Ashlyn De Luca: She had no problem being an obstacle for you when you were a champion. Maybe it’s poetic, getting her alone in the ring, you and Karma— eliminating a third of the equation from your Autumn Annihilation match before we even get to Autumn Annihilation. I’d help. I’d walk right out on Savannah like the rest of Heroes Never Die did.

Ashlyn shrugs, offering Stevenson an innocent smile.

Ashlyn De Luca: And all I would ask is that when you inevitably win the International Heavyweight Title, you think of De Lucz when the time comes around for that first title defense. That’s all I’m saying.

Cordelia’s face is an unreadable mask as she stares Ashlyn dead in her eyes. The moment is incredibly tense as an extended silence lingers between the two. Finally Cordy lets out a sigh.

Cordelia Stevenson: You know what? You’re absolutely right, Ashlyn. Everything you said right there was the God's honest truth.

Cordelia shrugs her shoulders and takes a step forward, noting Ashlyn’s expression.

Cordelia Stevenson: Didn’t think I’d agree with you there? Did you?

She smirks.

Cordelia Stevenson: This is a major opportunity for me, and it means the absolute world to me for so many reasons. Working so hard, for years to make it to the top of this company… to be the first ever Undisputed champion, only for it to be unceremoniously taken away from me the way that it was…

She scoffs, her face twisting up with disgust.

Cordelia Stevenson: … well that is something that never sat right with me. And at Autumn Annihilation? I do have the chance to right that wrong, and believe me when I tell you this, chica, I’m going to make the absolute best of it.

She leans down a bit, placing herself almost eye level with Ashlyn. The very action draws a curious look from De Luca.

Cordelia Stevenson: So yes, you’re absolutely right, I am going to be the next International Heavyweight Champion, and truth be told? I’d love to consider giving you a shot to take it from me. Why? Because despite the shady things you do, you are without a doubt hands down one of thee most talented wrestlers in this business, and I can acknowledge that. And trust chica, I run from absolutely no one. But what that shot won’t be, is payback for you doing me a solid, because I don’t need your help in taking down Savannah. Nor do I need any help in taking down Johnny Karma. At Autumn Annihilation, I’m going to walk in there and I’m going to unleash absolute hell on them on… my…own.

Suddenly, the half-smile on Ashlyn’s face looks… sour. Cordy stands up to her full height now and gives a smile of her own.

Cordelia Stevenson: As for tonight? Well, if you walked out on Savannah? I wouldn’t blame you. I’d try to avoid this ass whooping at all costs too if I were you.

The crowd can be heard cheering Cordy’s words. Ashlyn laughs under her breath, but much like Johnson when she was departing, the laugh and the smile that accompany it are bitter at best.

Ashlyn De Luca: Oooka-

Cordelia Stevenson: Because once again, you’re right Ashlyn. Tonight, we’re on opposite sides of the ring, and although I appreciate your… thoughtful gesture, when that bell rings?

Her eyes find Ashlyn’s.

Cordelia Stevenson: It’s go time.

Once more, the former Undisputed Champion’s words inspire a pop from the Memphis crowd. Ashlyn exhales and gives a small nod.

Ashlyn De Luca: Yeah… yeah, I should’ve expected that.

Still holding the microphone, De Luca gently takes a step back.

Ashlyn De Luca: Well then. If nothing else… thanks for giving me the chance to understand you a little better.

After the last word, De Luca’s gaze lingers on Stevenson. Perhaps a bit too long.

Ashlyn De Luca: See you.

De Luca offers a pleasant smile, turning on her heel, making her way out of frame. Cordy stands there momentarily, watching Ashlyn walk off into the distance. Finally she shakes her head and mutters under her breath.

Cordelia Stevenson: Psh, definitely gotta keep an eye on that one. She ain’t gonna Logan Alexander me. I’ll be damned.

And with that said, Cordelia turns and heads the opposite way. Our scene fades to black.

[FGA Office]

15 CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATOR
Laura Perelli vs. Cassius Reed

The two 15 Championship hopefuls start things off in the center of the ring where The Funky Dragon extends his hand for a handshake. Perelli, going against her better judgement, goes to shake the hand. But she ends up getting played as Reed moonwalks while he runs his hands through his ‘fro. Perelli then charges forward to go after Reed, only for Reed to bring her to the mat with a pair of arm drags. Once Perelli is back to a vertical base, she gets caught in a side headlock. Reed then performs a standing switch and transitions into a hammerlock from behind. He then turns Perelli towards him before bringing her down with a snap suplex for a two count.

Reed moves the action into the corner, where he pops Perelli with repeated right jabs to the face. He then changes levels and starts to target the body with right jabs. From there, The Funky Dragon hits Perelli with 1-2 combos. As soon as Perelli starts to cover up low, Reed changes levels again and rocks her with a discus punch. With Perelli down in the seated position, Reed steps back to the center of the ring. He then charges forward and lunges at Perelli, causing her to flinch. Instead of crashing into his opponent, Reed lands on his hands before pushing himself back with a back handspring. Once Reed is back to a vertical base, he starts to chastise Perelli for flinching. This does nothing but frustrate Perelli even more. After pulling herself up in the corner, she charges over towards Reed before throwing out a forearm smash. The forearm misses after Reed ducks with a leg split. When Perelli turns around, Reed gets back to his feet and socks her with another punch to the face. After an irish whip sends Perelli into the ropes, Reed goes to throw her down with a back body drop. But Perelli’s able to slip down from behind. She then goes for a German Suplex when Reed runs forward, wraps his arms around the top rope and yanks back, sending Perelli off his back and to the floor. Once Perelli rolls back to her feet, she runs over to attack when Reed slingshots out to the apron and doubles her over with a shoulder thrust through the ropes. After Perelli is pulled out to the apron, Reed plants her on the apron with a Snap DDT! After she’s pulled back to her feet, Reed plants her with a springboard Tornado DDT off the apron! Perelli is then rolled back inside before Reed brings himself back in with a slingshot leg elbow drop for a two count. The Funky Dragon starts clapping in the ref’s face and motions for him to count faster.

Reed stays in the corner and hits Perelli with multiple body blows. After Perelli is pulled out of the corner, Reed brings her down with a neckbreaker. The Funky Dragon follows up with a trio of running leg drops before making the cover for another two count. Reed then goes for a belly to back suplex, only for Perelli to roll over his shoulder, land on her feet and counter by pulling him down from behind with a fujiwara armbar! Perelli immediately starts pulling back on the arm, which causes Reed to howl in pain. The official gets down and asks him if he wants to give up. But Reed refuses. He uses his free arm to try and pull himself towards the side of the ring. But he ends up slowing down when Perelli starts to manipulate the joint. Reed cries out in pain while Perelli starts to bend and twists the fingers on his left hand. The official continues to check in with Reed and asks him if he wants to give up. Despite the pain that he’s in, Reed hangs in there and ultimately pulls himself towards the ropes for a rope break. Perelli ends up flirting with the DQ by breaking the count just before the ref gets to five.

The submission hold has been released. But Perelli stays on Reed. She pulls Reed back to his feet before executing an arm wrench. Reed ends up being on the receiving end of a second arm wrench, then a third. The Funky Dragon then rolls forward, leans back, kips up and returns the favor with an arm wrench of his own. But Reed doesn’t stay in control for long as Perelli reverses and sends him flipping down to the canvas with a hard arm wrench. After Perelli grabs him by the ‘fro and pulls him up to a seated position, Perelli turns and hits the ropes. When she comes back, she throws out a Sliding D. But she whiffs when Reed rolls out of the way in time. After both grapplers return to their feet, Reed nails Perelli with a discus punch to the face. But Reed ends up doubling over and clutching his hand after instinctively using his left hand that Perelli previously worked over. The Funky Dragon then stands back up to hit the ropes. But Perelli’s able to reach forward, grab him by the back of the tights, yank him back into her clutches and goes for a German Suplex. Perelli lifts Reed up, only for Reed to reverse into a wheelbarrow victory roll for a two count. Both grapplers return to their feet once more. This time, Reed throws out a Pimp Slap with his right hand. But Perelli ducks before catching him with a forearm strike. Two more forearm strikes connect before Perelli hits the ropes. When she returns, Reed brings her down with a bridging northern lights suplex. ONE! TWO! Reed rolls over, pulls Perelli back up and hits a second bridging northern lights suplex. ONE! TWO! Reed rolls over, pulls Perelli back up and goes for a bridging third northern lights suplex. NO! Perelli counters with a Front Chancery! Perelli cinches in the hold before ultimately muscling Reed down to the mat. From there, Perelli follows up with a stomp to Reed’s keylocked arm! The Funky Dragon is see howling in pain as he clutches his left arm.

Perelli stays in control with a hammerlock belly to back suplex for a two count. Reed is then hit with a double knee armbreaker. Once Perelli drives his arm down across her knees, Reed bounces back to his feet and clutches his arm as he staggers across the ring. The Funky Dragon eventually collapses against the ropes. He then takes a few steps away from the ropes to return to action. But the moment he turns around, he gets thrown down to the mat with a running STO for another two count. Perelli then delivers an irish whip, follows Reed across the ring and connects with a running European Uppercut in the corner. Reed is then hit with a stinging knife edge chop before Perelli climbs up onto the middle ropes. She positions Reed for a Tornado Single Arm DDT when Reed rips his arm free of Perelli’s grip. He quickly follows up with a gamengiri, stunning Perelli. While Perelli is seated on the top turnbuckle, Reed climbs the ropes and up onto her shoulders before flipping back and bringing her down with an avalanche huracanrana! He goes for the cover. ONE! TWO! Perelli gets the shoulder up.

Reed goes for an irish whip. But it gets reversed as he’s sent into the corner. Perelli then charges forward before connecting with a high knee in the corner. But instead of catching Reed underneath the chin or right in the face with the high knee, she purposely nails him right in the shoulder with the knee! Reed is then pulled out of the corner before being thrown down with a belly to belly suplex. Perelli once again pulls him up to a seated position before hitting the far ropes. When she returns, she flattens Reed with a Sliding D! She goes for the cover. ONE! TWO! Reed gets the good shoulder up. Reed is once again pulled into a seated position. But instead of setting Reed up for a strike, Perelli maneuvers behind him and slaps on a Shoulder Claw. Reed cringes as Perelli clamps down on the shoulder. The official then gets down in front of him and asks him if he wants to give up. The Funky Dragon refuses. So Perelli apple is even more pressure to the hold. The referee continues to converse with Reed. After Reed turns down a second opportunity to quit, Perelli drives down a pointed elbow across Reed’s shoulder before reapplying the Shoulder Claw. The Funky Dragon sits writhing in pain while he’s trapped in the hold. The official continues to question him on whether he wants to give up. But he doesn’t! Reed slowly battles back to a vertical base before nailing Perelli with several elbows to the midsection. Once the hold is broken, Reed hits the far ropes, returns and executes a running huracanrana, sending Perelli rolling to the outside. After Perelli gets back to her feet, Reed runs across the ring, leaps over the top rope and brings her down with a slingshot huracanrana! After Perelli is rolled back inside, Reed hops back onto the apron, scales to the top turnbuckle, jumps off and knocks Perelli down with a diving Spanish Archer (Bionic Elbow)! He makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Perelli gets the shoulder up.

Perelli is then whipped into the far ropes. When she returns, she sees Reed setting up for a back body drop. So she stops and counters with a kick to the shoulder, which knocks Reed upright. While Reed clutches his hurt arm, Perelli turns and heads back into the ropes. When she returns, she gets doubled over with Johnny Cage (split-legged punch to the midsection). After Reed rolls back to his feet, he runs over and throws Perelli back down with SWEET CHRISTMAS (sunset flip powerbomb)! The ref slides into place for the count. ONE! TWO! T-NO! Perelli gets the shoulder up. The Funky Dragon brings Perelli back to her feet before he starts to deliver the Pimp Slap Symposium (quick right handed slap to the face, followed by a quick right jab - right jab - left hook boxing combo, followed by a Michael Jackson style spin into a left handed spinning backhand slap with authority). The crowd gasps when Reed whiffs on the slap after Perelli ducks. She then quickly brings Reed down to the mat with a bridging leg-hook belly to back suplex. ONE! TWO! TH-NO! Reed gets the shoulder up just in time.

Perelli sets Reed up for a Ushi Goroshi when Reed uses his hurt arm to block the move with elbows to the side of the head. After slipping down from behind, he shoves Perelli into the ropes. When she returns, she traps Reed with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors armbar. Reed howls in pain while Perelli repeatedly pulls back on the arm. The official once again asks Reed if he wants to give up. Reed refuses. But seconds later, he ends up dropping down to a knee! The ref asks Reed again if he wants to give up. The Funky Dragon continues to turn down the chance to quit. Perelli keeps the hold applied before muscling Reed down into the prone position. From there, Perelli slips on the armbar-centric version of the New Jersey Necktie (Rings fo Saturn)! Again, Perelli pulls back on the arm while Reed lays writhing in pain. After getting questioned by the official once more, Reed shakes his head ‘no’. Reed shakes his head ‘no’ again… and again… and again… before he ultimately relents and nods! The official then calls for the bell.

Winner: Laura Perelli (12:34)

BREAK

[FGA Office]

Rather than sit in his dressing room to feel the walls closing in on him, instead Johnny Karma has decided to take a relaxing walk with Cherry Baum so he can clear his head, or at least as relaxing as a walk can get when it’s not being occasionally punctuated by bursts of crowd noise from within the arena that’s a few feet away

Johnny Karma: ...so here’s the thing that I can’t help but ask myself, and it’s been going around my head for a while.

Mulling the words over in his head for a second or two, Karma then peeks at Cherry without her noticing, at which point he continues talking as if nothing happened

Johnny Karma: Who is it who decides that one person demanding opportunity after opportunity is “whiny” and acting like a crybaby, yet somebody else does the exact same thing and we’re supposed to agree wholeheartedly? If somebody has a valid point, they shouldn’t be looked at as some entitled crybaby for saying they’re owed what they’ve earned. Now if they haven’t earned anything yet act like the world owes them a favour, then we have a problem, but people seem to have trouble recognising the difference.

Letting out a resigned sigh, Cherry stops in her tracks and places her hands on her hips as she prepares to give Karma a stern talking-to for recycling a subject she’s heard many times before

Cherry Baum: Do we really have to do this for the hundredth time?

Johnny Karma: We’ll do it a hundred more times until you let me back in your Fortnite squad.

Letting out a sigh, Cherry looks both at the end of her tether while desperately attempting to appear understanding

Cherry Baum: J-K, I know you’re having fun playing the game, but I’m afraid I have to break the bad news to you: you are terrible at it. I mean, really bad. You’re like the reverse aimbot, finding a way to run in front of bullets that even the player who fired them is surprised they got a kill.

Karma’s head drops as Cherry lays it on the line for him

Cherry Baum: But don’t worry, I hear Apex Legends is more forgiving. They have squads of four, so you might have better luck if there’s 50% more people for rivals to shoot at.

For a moment Karma remains silent, trying not to let his crushing failure get to him, until he raises his head to respond...but then his expression changes to one of mild perplexment as he looks over Cherry’s shoulder, raising a hand is a gesture of “What gives?” before asking...

Johnny Karma: Can we help you?

The camera pans to our right, where Ashlyn De Luca approaches the pair. Visible for the second time of the evening, the crowd somehow manages to respond with just as much vitriol as before, showering De Luca with a wave of boos.

Ashlyn De Luca: Wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on your aspirations of… squad building or anything. Thought I heard some familiar voices and… lo and behold, right?

With a roll of her eyes, Cherry cuts right to the heart of the matter

Cherry Baum: Yes, that is very convenient.

Her snark dispensed with ruthless efficiency, Cherry looks over to Karma to see how he’s reading the situation, but for the time being he’s playing his cards close to his chest. De Luca takes a few steps forward— but stops as her movements earn a raised brow from Cherry. Ashlyn nods once; a silent understanding, before her gaze raises to Johnny Karma.

Ashlyn De Luca: Maybe it’s not, like, appropriate, reaching out to you like this before we go out there and compete against each other, but— there’s been this thing on my mind over these past few weeks, Johnny.

Johnny Karma: Is that so?

While his answer appears to be one of engaging in some form of conversation, Karma’s demeanour is more akin to someone waiting for Ashlyn to get her pitch over and done with instead of dragging it out

Ashlyn De Luca: With the end of the year coming up faster and faster, the weight of this promise you made to yourself— to everyone— I know that’s heavy. I can’t say I’ve been in the same position, but I just wanted to be clear that… whatever disagreements we had in the past, and despite whatever we have to do tonight, I don’t wanna see you hang it up. I know you don’t want to. You deserve to end your run on your own terms, in some huuuge spectacular fashion— and you deserve to be International Heavyweight Champion.

The crowd has a mixed reaction— some cheering for the words, but some booing or otherwise muted considering who’s saying them.

Ashlyn De Luca: And I just wanted to tell you that I hope you get there. Legit, I’m a sucker for stories like that, and there’d be nothing cooler than seeing you get at least one more run at the top.

Looking decidedly fed up, to the point where’s he’s almost drumming his fingers as he waits for Ashlyn to get to the point, Karma’s facial expression barely changes

Johnny Karma: Go on…

Cherry looks over to Karma as she wonders where his head’s at as Ashlyn shrugs, innocently, putting forward the smallest pout, as if offended by the insinuation.

Ashlyn De Luca: Nothing. I was just gonna say… it’s not fair-- at least to me-- that you have to go through Cordy, and be a part of her redemption story when you’ve got so much to lose yourself. I may have been pissed off after I got thrown out of that Battle Royal, but I saw the same ending you guys saw. Johnny clearly won. But the referee saw what he wanted to see. Some of those fans saw what they wanted to see because Cordy’s basically like this shiny new toy again. They wanted to believe in this awesome comeback story and they screwed you out of what you won.

De Luca exhales, looking between the two again.

Ashlyn De Luca: Can’t do anything about her tonight, though. She’s your partner. You have like… mutual respect or whatever.

Ashlyn smirks, taking a step closer to the pair.

Ashlyn De Luca: But Savannah and I? Nooo such burden. So I’ll let you guys in on a little team secret.

De Luca looks over both shoulders as if checking to see if the coast is clear before she leans back toward Karma and Cherry.

Ashlyn De Luca: She wanted me to help her jump you tonight, Johnny. She wanted you hurt before you even got to the title match. She laid it all out in front of me. I was like-- “dude, no, let’s just go out there and get that W.”

De Luca sighs, shaking her head, totally disappointed by the very true actions of her partner that definitely occurred.

Ashlyn De Luca: It was disgusting. Shook me to my core, almost. And I thought you deserved better than that, so... what I’m willing to do... is offer you a chance to eliminate a third of the equation before you even get to Autumn Annihilation. I’ll walk out on Savannah and her ego is gonna keep her planted right there in that ring. Then you and Cordy can give her everything she deserves. Do to her what she wanted done to you. Y’know?

Looking directly at Ashlyn, Karma waits a fraction of a second before he responds

Johnny Karma: I could do that...

Noting the look on Ashlyn’s face, which is poised somewhere between hopeful and conniving, Karma keeps her waiting for a second before he continues, while Cherry looks on wondering where this is going

Johnny Karma: ...after all it would make things a whole lot easier for me to get to where I said I had to be by the year’s end if one opponent standing between me and my goal was compromised in some way, and since you’re offering to help me out that would go a long way towards helping me achieve that aim...

Ashlyn De Luca: And all I would ask is that when you go to Charlotte and inevitably win the International Heavyweight Title, you keep this in mind. You keep… me… in mind.

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!”

Once again Karma pauses, quickly looking towards Cherry as a cocksure smirk crosses the corner of his mouth

Johnny Karma: ...alternatively, and this is me spitballing here, I could turn down your offer and not only make you wish you kept this idea of yours to yourself rather than waste my time, but while I’m doing that I could let your partner know what it feels like to have me defeat them while the one person who could spare their defeat is unable to do anything to prevent it. That person, in this scenario, being you.

This shifts the reaction of the audience to a positive one, earning a pop as Ashlyn’s face falls for just a moment. She folds her arms, rolling her eyes.

Ashlyn De Luca: Why does it have to be like that? Why can’t people just help people? Hm? I’m just here, trying to--

Cherry Baum: ...make your night an easier one?

Rather than directly comment, Karma merely gestures in Cherry’s direction to say “Yeah, that” before chipping in with a thought of his own

Johnny Karma: At the risk of sounding like the grizzled vet, I know a lot of people who think that one hand washes the other so all it takes is a few choice words and then all your problems get that much easier to manage, but only a shnook would be dumb enough to believe that they’re doing anything but removing the first of many layers of filth from the hands of someone whose hands are very, very dirty.

Karma looks at Ashlyn’s hands, then meets her gaze

Johnny Karma: Case in point.

Ashlyn scoffs under her breath a bit, nodding to Karma.

Ashlyn De Luca: Fine. Just thought I’d ask.

Ashlyn turns on her heel, but shoots one final look back toward the pair as she walks back off in the direction that she came.

Ashlyn De Luca: Good luck then.

And with that, De Luca continues down the corridor, disappearing out of frame as we pan back to Karma and Cherry.

Johnny Karma: On the plus side, at least she entertained the idea of me not being out the door at the end of the year, so there’s that…

Cherry responds with a roll of the eyes, not so much at what Karma said but more because of the several months of people queuing up to say they’d be the one to retire J-K

Johnny Karma: But enough about that, I’m thinking maybe it might be an idea to swing by Cordy’s dressing room and let her know what our opponents for this evening have been plotting…

Karma turns on his heels and begins to walk in the opposite direction to Ashlyn as Cherry follows, briefly checking over her shoulder to make sure neither Ashlyn nor Savannah are listening in, before disappearing into the depths of the FedExForum.

[FGA Office]

DYNAMIC DUOS TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT (Semifinals)
Big Coffin Hunters vs. The Hellcat Spangled Death Squad

As soon as Anastasia Hayden steps through the ropes, she gets rocked with a running high knee strike from Dexter Jacobs, knocking her through the ropes and to the floor! Lisa Seldon then rolls into the ring, but she’s quickly met with stomps from both Jacobs and Becca Raze. The crowd erupts with boos while the Big Coffin Hunters stomp the hell out of Seldon!

The Big Coffin Hunters yank Seldon up off the mat before shoving her into the corner. Raze rushes in for an attack when Seldon knocks her back with a back elbow. Raze shakes off the blow before rushing back in. This time, Seldon knocks her down with a boot to the face before she rolls to the outside. Seldon then goes to counter a rushing Jacobs with a boot to the face. But Jacobs slams on the brakes and catches Seldon’s foot. He then slowly drags Seldon out of the corner and towards the center of the ring. Seldon hops on one foot before throwing out an enzuigiri. No! Jacobs ducks the blow. He then reaches down, snatches up Seldon and nearly drops her right on the back of her neck with a deadlift release German Suplex! After Seldon slowly pushes herself up onto a knee, Jacobs rushes across the ring and nails her with a running big boot to the chest, knocking Seldon through the middle & bottom ropes before dropping to the floor!

On the outside, Raze picks up Hayden before ramming her back-first into the side of the ring. Raze pulls Seldon away from the ring… only to ram her back-first against the side of the ring again. She then hoists Hayden up and holds her in place. She looks to position Hayden for a fallaway slam. Instead, Raze runs forward and rams Hayden back-first against the ring post! She then lifts Hayden up even higher before throwing her down to the floor with a toss down spinebuster to the floor! The camera then switches to Jacobs as he doubles Seldon over with vicious knee strikes to the midsection against the announce table. He then reaches over and snatches up the black cable wire from one of the cameras before wrapping it around Seldon’s neck. The crowd erupts with boos while Jacobs tries to choke the life out of the Hellcat! Seldon frantically tries to pull the cable from around her neck. But it’s to no avail. The official then steps in and yells at Jacobs to break the hold by the count of five. Jacobs purposely looks dead at the official while he’s being counted down. The count ultimately reaches five. But Jacobs still won’t let go! The official begins to admonish Jacobs until Jacobs lets go and stalks him down ringside. The official scurries away from Jacobs before leaping over the guardrail. Jacobs spits down at the ground in the ref’s direction before marching back over to Seldon. Jacobs starts to pull Seldon up when she nails him with a punch to the midsection. Another punch stops Jacobs in his tracks. Then another. Unfortunately for Seldon, the comeback is short as Jacobs doubles her over with another vicious knee strike. Jacobs then pulls his arm back before violently swinging upwards. The crowd gasps when Seldon’s head snaps back after being on the receiving end of an uppercut! Seldon quickly drops down to a seated position before collapsing to the floor. Boos once again begin to fill up FedExForum as Jacobs slowly pulls Seldon up by the hair. He then goes to slam Seldon face-first onto the announce table when she blocks by putting her hands out. After three elbows to the midsection, the crowd erupted with cheers when Seldon starts biting Jacobs’ forehead! Seldon continues to gnaw on Jacob’s head until she takes his head and repeatedly slams him face-first onto the announce table!

On the opposite end of the ringside area, Raze takes Hayden and goes for an irish whip. Hayden spins and reverses, sending Raze down ringside before crashing into the guardrail! Hayden then charges down ringside before blasting Raze with a running European Uppercut, sending her flipping over the guardrail and to the floor. The crowd erupts with cheers when Hayden climbs over the guardrail and gets into the crowd! She then pulls Raze up before throwing her down with a snap suplex on the floor! Raze arches her back in pain after crashing onto the unforgiving concrete floor. But Hayden shows no remorse as she pulls Raze up to a seated position before nailing her with repeated seated back kicks! Raze is then pulled up off the floor before being whipped hard into the guardrail. After crashing into the guardrail, Raze slumps down to a seated position. Hayden then lines Raze up before charging forward and squashing her against the guardrail with Human Target Practice (sliding forearm)! Hayden gets back to her feet and marches through the crowd… only to turn around, charge forward and squash Raze again against the guardrail with Human Target Practice! After Raze is pulled back up, a hook kick from Hayden sends her flipping over the guardrail and back to ringside.

Across the way, Seldon runs along the apron before bringing Jacobs down with a diving hurricanrana! Seldon climbs back up onto the apron before scaling the turnbuckles. The crowd gets to their feet in anticipation of what comes next. Once Jacobs returns to his feet, the crowd erupts with cheers when Seldon flips off and knocks him down with a spaceman plancha! Raze is then seen rolled into the ring, followed by Hayden who makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Raze gets her shoulder up. Hayden then takes Raze, delivers an irish whip, follows her across the ring and sends her slumping down in the corner with a cornered yakuza kick! Hayden follows up with a cornered facewash combo! She then heads over and tags in Seldon, who gets in, picks up Raze and whips her into the far corner. Seldon runs across the ring and executes a Tiger Wall Flip. She then runs right back into the corner before throwing Raze down with a monkey flip. She then pulls Raze up to a seated position before she hits the ropes. When Seldon returns, she flattens Raze with a sliding dropkick! She makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Raze gets the shoulder up. Seldon then lifts Raze up across her shoulder before bringing her down with a Death Valley Driver! Instead of making the cover, Seldon pulls Raze over into the prone position before stepping out to the apron. After delivering a springboard leg drop across the back of the neck, Seldon heads back out to the apron, scales to the top turnbuckle, flips off and delivers a cannonball senton leg drop across the back of the neck! She then pushes Raze over before making the cover. ONE! TWO! T-NO! Jacobs yanks Seldon up off of Raze before throwing her down with a deadlift gutwrench suplex! The boos turn to cheers when Hayden leaps off for a diving crossbody. They then gasp when she gets caught in mid air! Jacobs then shifts Hayden across his shoulder. He sets up for a front powerslam when Hayden starts to kick her legs. Hayden then slips down from behind before hitting the ropes. When she returns, she goes for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors when Jacobs counters into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker! He then heaves Hayden across the ring with a deadlift release German Suplex! Jacobs then goes for yet another deadlift release German on Seldon. But Seldon’s able to rotate and land on her feet. She then stumbles back multiple steps before regaining her footing. Jacobs sees this, so he charges over and throws out a lariat… only to end up tumbling to the floor after Seldon low bridges the top rope!

Seldon turns her attention back to Raze, who is slowly getting back to her feet. She’s about to run over and attack when Jacobs yanks her down on the mat. He then drags Seldon out to the floor before grabbing her by the throat. He lifts Seldon up for a chokeslam when she blocks with a back elbow to the side of the head. Once Seldon’s dropped, she connects with a roundhouse kick. Another roundhouse kick stuns the Redneck Hulk. Seldon then climbs back up onto the apron and goes for a springboard dropkick to Raze. But Raze sidesteps and swats her down from executing a gator roll DDT! She makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Seldon gets the shoulder up.

The crowd erupts with boos when Jacobs has been tagged in. After Jacobs and Raze hit an assisted snake eyes, Raze gets tagged back in. The Big Coffin Hunters then send Seldon for the ride. When she returns, she gets thrown down with a double chokeslam! Raze makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Seldon gets the shoulder up.

Tag back out to Jacobs, who knocks Seldon down after Raze delivers an irish whip towards him with a big boot. The boos continue as the Big Coffin Hunter drop tandem elbows across Seldon until he makes the cover. ONE! TWO! T-NO! Seldon gets the shoulder up. Jacobs bring the action into the corner and unleashes a ballistic combination of rights and lefts to the body, doubling her over. After Jacobs pulls her up by the hair, she lunges forward and moves him out of the corner by biting his nose. She then turns and hits the ropes. When Seldon comes back, Jacobs turns her inside out with And Hell Followed with Him (discus lariat)! He then kicks Seldon over onto her back before dropping down for the cover. ONE! TWO! TH-NO! Seldon gets her shoulder up. Jacobs then pushes then shoulder back down and makes another cover. ONE! TWO! TH-NO! Seldon gets her shoulder up. After Seldon is whipped into the ropes, Jacobs throws her down with a snap powerslam! He hooks the leg. ONE! TWO! TH-NO! Seldon gets her shoulder up. Jacobs then yanks Seldon by the wrist, lifts her up and throws her down with Drag The Waters (Orange Crush)! Jacobs makes the cover.

ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
THRE-NO!

The crowd gasps, then cheers when Seldon gets her shoulder up.

Jacobs makes the tag out to Raze before picking Seldon back up. Seldon is then lifted off before the Big Coffin Hunters deliver Hand Em High (Jacobs delivers a high arching flapjack while Raze hist the ropes and comes off with a discus knee to the opponent’s head as they come down)! She makes the cover. ONE! TWO! THR-NO! Seldon gets the shoulder up. After Seldon gets put down with a snap DDT, Raze steps out to the apron before scaling to the top turnbuckle. She measures the distance before leaping off. Raze goes for a diving fist drop… and gets countered with a boot to the face! The crowd cheers as Raze crumbles to the mat. While Raze clutches her jaw, Seldon turns over and starts to pull herself towards the Hellcat Spangled Death Squad corner. Hayden can be seen slowly pulling herself back up onto the apron with the ropes. Once she’s back to a vertical base, she reaches her arm out. The capacity crowd continues to rally behind Seldon while she scratches and claws her way across the ring. She’s just about to make the tag when Raze reaches over and latches onto her ankle. The crowd boos as she drags Seldon away. Raze goes to follow up with a measure jumping knee. She misses! The crowd cheers when Seldon rolls out of the way. She then rolls forward, dives over towards the corner and tags Hayden back in!

Hayden climbs to the top turnbuckle, leaps off and knocks Raze down with a missile dropkick! Raze slowly turns over onto a knee, only to get planted face-first into the face with the Wolf Down (hurricanrana driver)! Hayden goes for the cover. ONE! TWO! T-NO! The crowd erupts with boos as Jacobs lifts Hayden up off of Raze. He lifts her up onto his shoulders for a deadlift powerbomb when Hayden counters with a flurry of right hands to the top of the head. After Hayden slips down and lands on her feet, she turns and hits the far ropes. When she returns, the crowd boo once more when Jacobs latches onto her throat with both hands. He sets Hayden up for a choke suplex when Hayden counters with three bell claps to the ears, doubling him over. The Hellcats then knock Jacobs down with Kicky Kicky Kick Kick (Hayden goes off on the opponent with a series of Kawada Kicks, the last one standing them upright. Seldon then finishes off the sequence with a spinning heel kick that knocks them flat)! Jacobs returns to to his feet. But the Hellcats are quick to return him to the mat with One Year More (Seldon hits a front legsweep, which knocks the opponent forward into a running single leg dropkick from Hayden)! Seldon quickly hops back out to the apron before getting tagged back in. Once Seldon’s in, the Hellcats deliver One Year More to Raze! Hayden then pulls up Raze before whipping her hard into the far corner. After Raze staggers back over towards the center of the ring, the Hellcat Spangled Death Squad bring her down with Ginger Snaps (Seldon strikes the opponent with a shotgun double knee strike and knocks them into Hayden, who hits them with a snap german Suplex)! Hayden then hops back out to the apron before getting tagged back in. After stepping back in, Hayden takes off into the far ropes. When she returns, the crowd cheers when the Hellcats deliver Gravest Consequences (Hayden runs at Seldon, who pushes her straight into the air , allowing her to land with the double stomp)! Seldon then pulls Raze up off the mat before lifting her up across her shoulders. From there, the crowd erupts with cheers when the Hellcats bring Raze down with Call The Doctor (with the opponent in a fireman’s carry, Seldon pushes the opponent backwards towards Hayden, who catches them and drops them with a high-angle German Suplex)! The ref slides into place for the count. ONE! TWO! THREE!

Winners: The Hellcat Spangled Death Squad (17:49)

BREAK

[FGA Office]

The scene opens up inside of the inner sanctum, the locker room of the reigning International Heavyweight champion Savannah Taylor. Dressed to compete in her usual black and pink ring gear, only with the colors reversed and it is mainly pink with black accents, her robe is tossed on the back of the chair she was sitting in and her championship is sitting on the arm. She has her phone up to her ear and is apparently in a deep conversation with the person on the other end of the line. She doesn’t hear the knock on her door, followed by said door swinging open.Finally, Savannah glances up and can only roll her eyes when her HUGELY unwanted guest waltzes in.

??: Partner!

Savannah quickly tells the person on the other end of the line that she will call them back as she hangs up. Setting her phone down on the table, she gives her tag team partner for the evening, Ashlyn DeLuca, a somewhat annoyed look. Ashlyn’s eyebrows arch as she walks past Savannah and takes a seat on one of the folding chairs in her room.

Ashlyn De Luca: What’s that look for?

De Luca is already dressed to compete; top half of her gear covered by a black hoodie which reads TEAM SAVASHLYN brightly across the front. She winks and points toward the front of the hoodie.

Ashlyn De Luca: You like this? I made two. Give you one for twenty-five bucks.

Savannah Taylor: While I admire you keeping the good folks at AC Moore in business with your artistic side, I have my own merchandise, thank you. So why don’t we cut to the chase? I’m on to you, Ashlyn.

Ashlyn De Luca: What are you talki-

Savannah rolls her eyes as she holds up a hand, cutting Ashlyn off.

Savannah Taylor: I wasn’t born yesterday. I’ve heard what you’ve been doing lately. Trying to strike deals with the people who just so happen to be our opponents? Punching a little above your weight class, aren’t you? Then again, nothing you do shocks me anymore.

De Luca looks at the champion with her mouth slightly agape, but the beginnings of an inexplicable smirk visible on her face. With her hands gripping the sides of the chair, Ash sighs, laughing under her breath for a moment, gaze falling downward. She takes in a long, deep breath and shrugs.

Ashlyn De Luca: Alright. Fine. I tried to negotiate a little bit with some people who may or may not be on our team--

Savannah Taylor: Bitch we ARE the whole team.

Ashlyn scoffs.

Ashlyn De Luca: Oh, right, because you’re the PERFECT tag team partner. Look, we don’t even like each other. So, like, don’t act like you have my back out there. You don’t care what happens to me. You don’t lose your title if Cordy and Johnny stomp me out in the middle of the ring. Your story doesn’t change. You--

Ashlyn’s eyes light up for a second before her eyes narrow.

Ashlyn De Luca: But if they win, your ego wouldn’t be able to take it.

Again, her lips curl into a smirk.

Ashlyn De Luca: Mmmm, that would kill you, wouldn’t it.

Ashlyn pushes herself up from the chair, slowly, smile growing wider.

Ashlyn De Luca: And if they won by beating you--

Savannah stands up fairly quickly and drops her hands to her sides, clenching her hands into fists.

Savannah Taylor: You want to talk tag team partners? Look at the last couple of times we’ve been forced to team up together. We’ve won. Or have you forgotten about that? Then again, anyone who thinks that Johnny Karma and Cordy Stevenson are walking out of Autumn Annihilation with MY championship can’t really be all too bright, now can they?

She rolls her head to the side as she relaxes her posture. Somewhat. She IS dealing with Ashlyn, afterall.

Savannah Taylor: Like it or not, we’re partners tonight. You don’t like me and I don’t like you. Frankly you make me wish for Dom Harter or James Edwards as a partner, but that is a whole different story. The point is….we have to actually work TOGETHER tonight, which I get is a foreign concept to you. But if you want to stand up with the elite and prove you belong here, then we are going to have to put our differences aside for ONE night. Can you do that?

For several moments, De Luca looks at Taylor in silence. Slowly, she shakes her head a little.

Ashlyn De Luca: That’s the thing. You know what-- I just dunno if I can.

De Luca shrugs, giving the champion an “oh well” type of face.

Ashlyn De Luca: I go out there, help you beat Karma, help you beat Cordy, and then what? I watch you guys fight for the title from the sidelines anyway? What’s in it for me? How do I fit into this? Where’s my championship match after all this?

Unable to even fake a smile anymore, De Luca’s cheeks, if only briefly, grow a deep shade of red. Her voice grows lower.

Ashlyn De Luca: What happens? I get-- get thrown into another mind-numbing Battle Royal, which is designed for people like me to be attacked-- to be wronged-- and then spend the next week at home, waiting for the cycle to repeat? No. No. Screw that.

A short scoff from De Luca, who peels the TEAM SAVASHLYN hoodie off, casting it aside to reveal a black tee beneath, pulled over her gear, simply reading TEAM ASHLYN. She gives Taylor a look of utter, gut-wrenched disgust.

Ashlyn De Luca: And screw you. Until you decide you wanna play ball, I guessss it’s Team Ashlyn out there...

Savannah Taylor: So what you are saying is, you want to go out there tonight and fight Johnny and Cordy all by yourself? Is that the jist of it? Well then, by all means. Knock yourself out…..literally.

She reaches down and grabs her International title and places it over her right shoulder.

Savannah Taylor: You want to bitch and moan about how poor widdle you is stuck watching on the sidelines while Karma, Cordy and myself are in the main event of Autumn Annihilation, yet you're doing absolutely nothing to change that. You really think you're ready to come close to challenging me for this?

Taylor taps the belt with her finger.

Savannah Taylor: Honey, you aren't even CLOSE to being ready. If anything, you might be ready for the United States championship...maybe. But go ahead and continue to throw a temper tantrum. Go on and keep playing the victim. Keep on blaming everyone but yourself for you not being discussed when it comes to the main event scene. Why not go talk to the General Manager? Hmmm? Ever think of that? But if you keep insisting on stepping to me, then what I did to Jimmy Page will look like amateur hour.

With the lively audience now buzzing, the temporary partners glare back into one another’s faces. Finally, Ashlyn’s lips stretch into the faintest of smiles. Her words come out clearly, albeit quietly.

Ashlyn De Luca: Got it.

She exhales softly, casting a quick side-glance toward the International Heavyweight Championship before she makes her way past Taylor without another word. The champion’s gaze follows De Luca until she exits the room and her footsteps audibly fade away. Savannah watches her leave as she slowly shakes her head, sitting back down in her chair, the belt still across her shoulder as the scene fades out.

[FGA Office]

Our cameras cut to Geoff Penzer at the commentary desk, sitting patiently before the camera while the rowdy fans in attendance eagerly attempt to get their faces on-screen in the background. As Penzer speaks, it’s evident that his headset has been temporarily altered to project his voice throughout the PA system.

Geoff Penzer: Thanks for joining us, ladies and gentlemen for another action-packed episode of Flashpoint, coming to you out of the jam-packed FedExForum in Memphis! Joining us now, via satellite, is the former FGA 15 Champion, Sadie San Francisco. Sadie?

For the viewers at home, we cut to a split screen where Sadie San Francisco appears via video chat, evidently seated in a dressing room at a location that is decidedly not FGA Flashpoint. The viewers live in the FedExForum respond with a loud chorus of cheers for the former champion, earning the smallest smile from Sadie.

Sadie San Francisco: Sup, Geoff.

Geoff Penzer: Well, that’s what we’re here to find out, Sadie. I wanna go ahead and cut right to the chase--

Sadie San Francisco: Ha, alright then.

Geoff Penzer: A couple of weeks ago on Flashpoint you took on someone that I think I can safely describe as a longtime rival in Kendall Kingham. You guys had, in my opinion, what started out as one hell of a match, but as time went on, from where I sat right here behind this desk, it was hard to ignore this change in your demeanor-- in the way you carried yourself for the rest of the match.

Sadie raises a brow.

Geoff Penzer: You were hellbent on getting a submission from Kingham in the center of the r… well… actually, it seems like you didn’t really care where the submission occurred. Let’s take a look.

Kingham sets up shop in the corner of the ring. Once San Francisco is in position, she rushes over and throws out a Knee Trembler, only for The Pope to slip out of the way, take control of her back and deliver a bridging German Suplex.

We cut forward to Sadie locking Kingham in Our Lady of Sorrows (STF)! San Francisco cinches in the hold while Kingham howls in the pain. The official once again asks Kingham if she wants to give up. Once again, Kingham refuses. So San Francisco starts to tug back on the hold in the hopes that the added pressure will force Kingham to submit. But Kingham continues to hang on. Somehow, someway, Kingham fights through the pain that she’s in! She then slowly reaches forward and tries to pull herself across the ring. Kingham reaches forward before slowly pulling herself across the ring again.

We cut to different shots and angles of Kingham slowly crawling, slowly fighting through the hold over the course of nearly a minute, refusing to quit each time the ref asks! Kingham pulls herself forward and latches onto the bottom rope! The ref goes to force a rope break when Kingham doesn't stop there. The former two-time 15 Champion starts to crawl between the middle and bottom ropes! The crowd gasps when both San Francisco and Kingham hit the floor moments later. But San Francisco still keeps the STF applied! San Francisco fights like hell for the submission. Both with both grapplers on the outside, the referee won’t be able to stop the match if Kingham taps or verbally submits. While San Francisco keeps Our Lady of Sorrows applied, the official has no choice but to start counting them out.

“...EIGHT!”

“NINE!”

“TEN!”

The bell sounds and a restless crowd seems unsure of how to react as we cut away from the scene, back to reality.

Sadie watches the footage with narrowed eyes. Back in real time, we see that the reaction in the arena has grown slightly more mixed, slightly more hushed after reliving the footage.

Geoff Penzer: Is it safe to say that you just got… carried away? We’re a little curious as to what happened there.

Sadie inhales deeply, looking away for a few seconds before she shakes her head a bit.

Sadie San Francisco: I don’t know what happened out there to tell you the truth. I just…

She raises her gaze back to the lens, looking out to Geoff.

Sadie San Francisco: I don’t have an answer for it. I was just so focused on beating Kendall, and then I was so focused on-- on getting that submission, and I guess… at one point I realized we were outside of the ring. I heard the ref counting, I think. I could hear people banging their hands on the barrier, telling me to get back in the ring… and all I could keep thinking was…

Sadie exhales, leaning forward a bit.

Sadie San Francisco: Make her tap.

The few seconds of silence that follow are filled with a chorus of cheers from the vocal sections of the audience that support Sadie.

Geoff Penzer: Well, clearly thinking that cost you a victory in the match. And now, as you know, you’ll be competing against Kendall in an--

Sadie San Francisco: An Ultimate Submission match.

There’s a silence that follows and the camera lingers on Sadie, who treats the situation as unremarkable at best.

Geoff Penzer: You seem pretty calm about it. And considering that your guaranteed United States title opportunity is on the line… I’d expect you to be more shaken up?

A small shake of the head from Sadie, who briefly looks confused by Penzer’s response.

Sadie San Francisco: It is what it is. But it just so happens that this-- it’s also what I want.

Geoff Penzer: Alright. Why is that what you want?

Sadie readjusts in the chair she’s seated in, looking out of frame for a moment as she considers. She folds her hands together, gaze narrowed in thought before she responds.

Sadie San Francisco: There’s always been this barrier between the FGA 15 Title and what comes next. After All Star Showdown, after going through that Ladder Match, I tricked myself into thinking that I’d come full circle and there was… no question that I deserved to take that next step in my career. I convinced myself that I deserved the United States Championship, or at least the chance to fight for it.

She shakes her head slightly.

Sadie San Francisco: Kendall reminded me that there’s no such thing-- to deserve something in this business. You always earn it. Always have to take it. Not sure why I forgot that…

A small sigh.

Sadie San Francisco: Someone always wants what you have. Kendall… wants what I have. And I need to protect my spot. So that’s why this-- the Ultimate Submission match-- is what I want. Something clear. Decisive. Final.

Again, pockets of the audience in support of the most recent FGA 15 Champion pop for the words. Geoff Penzer nods, going on.

Geoff Penzer: Fair enough. Do you have any thoughts, or any comments on the finals of the FGA 15 Championship tournament taking place at Autumn Annihilation? We already saw the two Eliminators early this evening, and--

Sadie San Francisco: No.

The coldness and abruptness of the statement draws a small chorus of boos from some in the audience.

Geoff Penzer: Okay th--

Sadie San Francisco: Actually, there is something.

Again, Sadie repositions herself in the chair, leaning just a bit closer to the camera.

Sadie San Francisco: I don’t want to look into the past. Right now, I know what my goal is… my eyes are set pretty firmly on the future… and I hope that whomever the next person to defend that 15 Title four times does what I plan to do-- cashes it in for a U.S. Title match-- that I’m the one they have to come for.

She smiles faintly.

Sadie San Francisco: I really hope that’s the reality whenever that time comes. But for now… reality is Kendall at Autumn Annihilation. Again, I’m putting my title opportunity on the line, because she’s standing in the way of all that. In the Ultimate Submission match, there are no excuses and even if we stay there all night in overtime, there has to be a winner. And then this can be over.

Geoff nods, offering a small, professional smile back.

Geoff Penzer: Thanks for speaking with me, Sadie. We’ll see you at Autumn Annihilation. Good luck.

Sadie offers the camera a small wave before reaching forward and ending the feed. We cut to Geoff Penzer who adjusts his headset and turns back to the camera.

Geoff Penzer: At Autumn Annihilation, Kendall Kingham takes on Sadie San Francisco in an Ultimate Submission match, with the stakes higher than ever. Sadie’s U.S. Title opportunity hangs in the balance, and as she said-- there has to be a winner. And in Charlotte, we could witness the brutal end of a rivalry.

[FGA Office]

FGA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
(c) Pendragon vs. Bristow & Barnes

Lowri Moss and Tully Barnes start things off for their respective teams by locking up in the center of the ring. Moss gains the early advantage with a side headlock. But she quickly loses said advantage when Barnes shoves her off into the ropes. When she returns, the crowd boos when Barnes knocks her down with a running shoulder block. After Barnes hits the ropes, Moss scrambles back to her feet and leap frogs over him. Once Barnes returns off the rebound, Moss throws him down with a trio of japanese arm drags before knocking him off his feet with a dropsault. Nate Bristow then rushes in to attack Moss. But he gets up getting taken down with a trio of japanese arm drags, too. Barnes then goes to attack Moss from behind with a belly to back suplex. But she rolls over his shoulder, lands on her feet and shoves him into the ropes. When Barnes comes back, Pendragon throws him down with a double japanese arm drag. They then rush over and connect with a double dropkick, knocking Bristow through the ropes and to the floor. Moss then hits another set of ropes. When she returns, Durden throws her over towards Barnes with an assisted dropkick, knocking Barnes through the ropes and to the floor. While Bristow & Barnes get up in different locations at ringside, Moss and Durden then turn and hit the far ropes on different sides of the ring. Durden bounces back, picks up speed and hurls himself over the top rope before flattening Bristow with a somersault plancha! Meanwhile, Moss runs across the ring, leaps through the ropes and knocks Barnes down with a suicide dive! She rolls Barnes back inside and makes the cover. But he kicks out at two.

Durden is then brought back in with a tag before he whips Barnes into the far corner. He then sizes Barnes up before rushing across the ring and blasting him with a running arched big boot. Durden then brings Barnes out of the corner and drops him down to one knee with a ripcord knee strike. He then hits the far ropes, returns and flattens Barnes with a Shining Wizard for a two count. Durden then goes for an Olympic Slam when Barnes slips down from behind with a Sleeper Hold transitioned into a russian leg sweep. The boos continue as Barnes follows up with repeated point elbow drops across the face for a two count. He then drags Durden over into the corner before tagging Bristow in. With Bristow in, Bristow & Barnes take Durden and whip him into the far ropes. When Durden returns, he gets thrown down with a double hip toss before being on the receiving end of a wish bone! The crowd eurpts with boos while Durden curls up and howls in pain. Bristow then yanks Durden off the mat, hoists him up with a double leg pickup and then rams him back-first into the corner. After Barnes gets tagged back in, Bristow & Barnes send him slumping down in the corner with dual mudhole stomps. From there, Barnes applies a foot choke while pulling down on the top rope. Barnes breaks the count at four...only to apply another choke again! This time, he lets go immediately after the official hits five. Barnes then innocently puts his hands up while he backs away from the official. But the ref isn’t going to let him get off easy. While the official is admonishing Barnes, Bristow reaches down, pulls up Durden in the corner and chokes him with the tag rope! Moss sees this, so she rushes into the ring to make the save. But Barnes slips out of the way, causing the official to stop Moss in her tracks. While Moss is arguing with the ref, Barnes rushes over and stomps away on Durden while he’s still being choked by Bristow with the tag rope! After Moss reluctantly heads back to the apron, the ref turns around. But at this point, Bristow is already back on the apron.

As the match continues, Bristow gets tagged in before sending Durden into a free corner. After Durden gets bashed with a corner running forearm smash, Bristow pulls him out of the corner by the wrist before turning him inside out with a short-arm clothesline! He makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Durden gets the shoulder up. Durden is then whipped into the ropes before Bristow throws him down with a snap scoop powerslam! He hooks the far leg. ONE! TWO! Durden gets the shoulder up. After Durden gets whipped hard into a free corner, he staggers back over towards Bristow, who throws him down with a spinning spinebuster. He then rolls across Durden before hooking the near leg for the cover. ONE! TWO! Durden gets the shoulder up. Bristow then applies an abdominal stretch. While the official checks on Durden, Bristow reaches back to Barnes. The crowd erupts with boos when Barnes pulls back on Bristow’s hand, giving Bristow extra leverage and increasing the pressure of the hold! Durden can be howling in pain while Moss complains to the official from the apron. The official looks up. But Barnes positions himself innocently on the apron. After the official kneels back down to converse with Durden, the crowd erupts with boos when Barnes reaches back in on and pulls on Bristow’s hand. This time, the official pops up and catches them cheating! He then rushes over and kicks Barnes off on Bristow’s hand. Bristow then starts to yell at the official until Durden throws him down with a falling hip toss!

Moss is seen on the apron slapping the top turnbuckle while she tries to get the crowd to rally behind her partner. The capacity crowd takes their cue from Moss and rallies behind Durden. Back in the ring, Durden and Bristow slowly return to a vertical base. Bristow throws three punches. But they each get blocked and countered by Durden! Durden then fires off a flurry of right hands before hitting the ropes. The crowd boos when Barnes reaches over and nails him with a knee to the back! Durden arches his back in pain… before quickly flipping back and hitting Barnes with a pelé kick! After Barnes crumbles to the floor, Durden gets to his feet and yells down at him over the ropes. When he turns around, he knocks back a charging Bristow with a back elbow. Durden then rushes over and nails Bristow with another punch before turning to hit the far ropes. Durden goes for a handspring back elbow. But Bristow counters with a backstabber! He makes the cover. ONE! TWO! TH-NO! Moss dives over and breaks up the pin!

Bristow then sits Durden down on the top turnbuckle. He heads to the middle ropes and goes for a superplex. But it gets blocked. He then tries to muscle up Durden for another superplex attempt. Again, it gets blocked. Durdne then nails Bristow with another flurry of right hands before shoving him down to the mat. As Bristow gets back to his feet, Durden stands up on the top turnbuckle. He then jumps up, turns and lands on the top turnbuckle while facing away from the ring. Durden quickly flips back and knocks Bristow down with a moonsault! Durden rolls across the ring and tags Moss back in! Moss then scales to the top turnbuckle, flips back and knocks Bristow back down with a moonsault of her own! She goes for the cover. ONE! TWO! T-NO! Barnes dives over and breaks up the pin! After Moss is whipped into the corner, Barnes rushes over to attack. The crowd cheers when Moss knocks him back with a European Uppercut. Bristow then rushes over, only to get knocked back with a European Uppercut. After hopping onto the apron through the ropes, Moss scales to the top turnbuckle, leaps off and knocks Bristow & Barnes down with a diving crossbody! After Bristow & Barnes turn over onto their knees, Moss marches over and blasts Bristow across the back of the head with a Switchblade Kick! She then nails Barnes with a Switchblade Kick! While Bristow & Barnes are groggy, Moss turns and hits the ropes. When she returns, the crowd boos when Bristow & Barnes rise up and flatten her with a double shoulder block. Bristow then picks up Moss and turns her upside down while Barnes heads to the apron. The boos continue while Bristow & Barnes go to set Moss up for Tolling the Bell (Spike Tombstone Piledriver)! Before Barnes can jump off, Durden climbs back up onto the apron and yanks Barnes down, crotching him on the top turnbuckle! Barnes howls out in pain before slowly leaning to the side and ultimately falling to the apron. Back inside, Moss begins kneeing Bristow in the face until she’s able to slip down. Moss then takes Bristow and whips him over towards Durden, who leaps off the top rope and knocks him down with a diving knee strike! Durden then holds up Bristow while Moss hits the ropes. When she returns, Pendragon bring him down with a step-up enzuigiri/reverse STO combination! Pendragon then walk across the ring as they play to the capacity crowd. When they turn and see Bristow up on his knee, Moss and Durden rush forward before clobbering him with the Dewin Ddraig gleiniog (Double Shining Wizard)! Moss makes the cover while Durden stays on lookout. ONE! TWO! THREE!

Winners and STILL FGA World Tag Team Champions: Pendragon (13:29)

BREAK

[FGA Office]

MAIN EVENT
Savannah Taylor & Ashlyn De Luca vs. Johnny Karma & Cordy Stevenson

The bell sounds as Cordy Stevenson and Johnny Karma shake hands before Stevenson exits out to the apron. Across the ring, Savannah Taylor and Ashlyn De Luca are seen staring each other down until De Luca walks past Taylor and purposely bumps against her shoulder. Taylor just smirks while shaking her head at another display of De Luca’s poor attitude. The capacity crowd is solidly behind the self-proclaimed Battle Royal God as loud “KARMA!” chants echo throughout the arena. Taylor and Karma then start things out with a lock up. Taylor gains the advantage with a side headlock before bringing him down to the mat with a headlock takeover. After Karma reverses into a grounded headscissors, Taylor escapes with a kip up. Karma scrambles back to his feet, only to get caught in another side headlock. This time, Karma escapes by countering with a belly to back suplex. He makes the cover. But Taylor quickly kicks out at one. Taylor is then sent for the ride. When she returns, she slides through Karma’s legs. As Karma turns around, Taylor throws out a yakuza kick. But Karma catches her foot, swings the leg away from him and then brings Taylor down with a russian leg sweep for a two count.

Karma then moves Taylor into the corner, where he lights up her chest with multiple knife edge chops. After the Las Vegas Siren is whipped into the far corner, Karma runs across the ring to attack. The crowd boos when Taylor counters with a back elbow to the face. She then switches positions in the corner before returning the favor with multiple chops of her own. The boos continue as Taylor goes to irish whip Karma. But the boos quickly return to cheers when Karma reverses the irish whip, follows Taylor across the ring and connects with an NYC Uppercut (running European Uppercut)! Taylor is then brought of the corner before being whipped into the far ropes. When she returns, Karma throws her down with a back body drop. Taylor returns to her feet, only to get returned to the mat with another NYC Uppercut. Karma goes for a third before Taylor ducks and hits the ropes. When she returns, she goes for a Lou Thesz Press. But Karma counters by dropkicking her out of the air. Karma then scoops up Taylor from the side before delivering a pendulum backbreaker. Instead of letting Taylor drop to the mat, Karma lifts her up off his feet, heads towards the side of the ring and tosses her through the ropes and to the floor. The Las Vegas Siren gets to her feet on the outside. But she doesn’t stay standing for long as Stevenson runs along the apron before knocking her back down with a running knee smash! Stevenson then holds up Taylor while Karma hits the far ropes. Karma picks up speed as he runs across the ring before flattening Taylor with This Is For The Front Row (baseball slide clothesline)! Taylor’s brought back in, where Karma makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Taylor kicks out.

After wrenching Taylor’s arm, Karma pulls her over towards his corner before tagging in Stevenson. The crowd explodes with cheers at Saint Sexy enters through the ropes. Before she can attack, Taylor rips her arm free from Karma before taking several steps back. The crowd erupts with boos as Taylor purposely creates distance between herself and the Hall of Famer while she tries to regroup. Taylor then slowly turns and sneers in the direction of De Luca, who is offering her some week and insincere applause. The Las Vegas Siren makes her way over towards De Luca and slaps her hand, tagging her in. The crowd erupts with boos at the entrance of De Luca into the match. She looks at Taylor and tells her to watch how it’s done. In a split second, De Luca turns and charges over towards Stevenson, only to get thrown down with an arm drag. A second arm drag returns De Luca to the mat before Stevenson transitions into an armbar. The official gets down and asks De Luca if she wants to give up. The crowd boos when De Luca lies to the ref about Stevenson pulling her hair. After battling back to a vertical base, De Luca uses her free arm to grab Stevenson by the hair and move her across the ring and against the ropes. From there, De Luca frees herself up with multiple knees to the midsection. Stevenson is then sent for the ride into the far ropes. When Stevenson returns, De Luca throws out a crescent kick. But Stevenson is there to catch her foot. De Luca tries to counter with an enzuigiri. But she whiffs on the kick when Stevenson ducks. Saint Sexy then takes off into the far ropes. When she returns, the crowd cheers when she brings De Luca down with a step-up Tijieras! De Luca returns to her feet. But she’s quickly brought back down with a handspring back elbow from Stevenson. Cordy then takes De Luca, delivers an irish whip and follows her across the ring. Instead of crashing into the corner, De Luca slingshots out onto the apron and catches Stevenson with a rope-assisted gamengiri. The boos continue as she follows up with a springboard single leg dropkick. She makes the cover, but only gets a two count.

Stevenson is then whipped into the corner. After crashing sternum-first into the top turnbuckle, she stumbles back over towards De Luca, who brings her down with two rolling russian leg sweeps. After De Luca rolls her up onto her knees, she takes off into the ropes, returns and flattens her with a Shining Wizard for another two count. De Luca pulls Stevenson back to her feet before turning her around. The crowd erupts with boos when De Luca mocks Stevenson by gyrating her hips before pulling her down with a hangman’s neckbreaker. She then turns over into a lateral press for the cover. ONE! TWO! Stevenson kicks out. After pulling Stevenson into a front facelock, De Luca heads over towards the ropes and tries for a springboard Tornado DDT. But Stevenson is able to hold De Luca in the air before pushing her off, sending De Luca down over the top rope and to the floor. While De Luca picks herself up on the outside, Stevenson turns and hits the far ropes. When she comes back, she springboards to the top turnbuckle, flips off and knocks De Luca down with a skytwister plancha! De Luca is the rolled back inside before Cordy rolls back in to make the cover. ONE! TWO! De Luca gets her shoulder up.

Stevenson makes the tag back out to Karma after slamming De Luca face-first into the top turnbuckle. Karma then gets in and lights up De Luca’s chest with knife edge chops before bringing her out of the corner. De Luca’s then sent for the ride into the far ropes. When she returns, Karma knocks her down with a running high knee. He then follows up with a jumping knee drop before executing a rolling neck snap. He makes the cover. ONE! TWO! De Luca gets her shoulder up. Karma then takes De Luca and brings her back down with the Bum Trip (shoulder neckbreaker). Stevenson is then tagged back in before bringing De Luca back to her feet. The fans in attendance catcall Stevenson while she gyrates her hips before pulling De Luca down with the Deadly Seduction (Rude Awakening)! She makes the cover. ONE! TWO! De Luca gets her shoulder up. De Luca is once again whipped back into the ropes. When De Luca returns, Cordy doubles her over with a boot to the midsection before bringing her down with a spinning fisherman suplex! Stevenson keeps the bridge held while the ref slides into place for the count. ONE! TWO! T-NO! The crowd boos when Taylor rushes over and kicks out Stevenson’s leg, breaking the bridge and the pin. After Taylor returns the apron, Stevenson gets back to her feet and calls out Taylor. The cheers continue while Stevenson waves on the Las Vegas Siren and points down in front of her. Taylor starts to play to the crowd. She thumbs over in the direction of Stevenson. Upon hearing the thunderous cheers, Taylor starts to slowly step into the ring. But it’s all a plot to distract Stevenson as De Luca drops her down to a knee with a crescent kick to the back of the head! The boos continue when De Luca hits the ropes, returns and knocks Stevenson down with a rolling axe kick!

The crowd erupts with boos when Taylor gladly accepts the tag from De Luca. The International Heavyweight Champion circles Stevenson before putting the boots to her. Cordy tries to fight through the kicks and gets up to a knee. Taylor then leans forward before slapping the taste out of Stevenson’s mouth.

“BOOOOOOOOOOOO”

Cordy responds by returning to her feet and rocking Taylor with a punch to the face! Taylor gets knocked back by another right hand! The Las Vegas Siren gets socked with another right hand that sends her stumbling back into the ropes! Stevenson pushes forward, Taylor and goes for an irish whip. Taylor quickly reverses, sending Stevenson into the far ropes. When Stevenson returns, Taylor throws out a clothesline when Stevenson ducks and counters with a Floatover DDT! Saint Sexy pulls Taylor up to her knees by the hair before planting her with a Kneeling Snap DDT! She makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Taylor gets the shoulder up. Stevenson then grabs Taylor, runs and tosses her through the ropes and onto the apron. While Taylor starts to pick herself up on the apron, Stevenson runs into the corner and goes for a Triangle DDT. But she misses when Taylor quickly hops back in through the ropes. Once Stevenson lands on the outside and climbs back up onto the apron, Taylor runs right at her. But instead of attacking, she baseball slides between Stevenson’s legs to the outside, grabs her by the ankle and yanks her down, causing her to smack her face against the edge of the apron! The crowd erupts with boos when Taylor rolls back inside before circling the ring with her arms held out. The Las Vegas Siren continues to circle the ring before darting into the corner and knocking Karma off with a running back elbow strike! Taylor then runs back across the ring and knocks Stevenson down with a baseball slide. The International Heavyweight Champion then slips out t the apron before waving Stevenson up. Once Cordy is back to her feet, Taylor brings her back down with an Asai Moonsault! Taylor adds insults to injury by sitting down on the middle rope and holding the top rope up for Cordy while waving at her to get back inside. The Las Vegas Siren then returns to the ring to bask in her glory while the crowd rains boos down upon her.

On the outside, Stevenson starts to stir. She then pulls herself up using the edge of the apron. Cordy then pulls herself up onto the apron using the ropes when De Luca yanks her back down, doubles her over with a boot to the midsection and knocks her down with a short-arm forearm smash! The boos continue as De Luca slams Stevenson face-first onto the apron before rolling her back inside. Taylor then brings Stevenson back towards the center of the ring before driving her down with Blonde Ambition (forward russian leg sweep)! She pushes Stevenson over and makes the cover. ONE! TWO! Stevenson gets the shoulder up. Stevenson is then sent into the far ropes. When Cordy returns, Taylor knocks her down with a yakuza kick before quickly following up with a standing moonsault! She hooks the leg. ONE! TWO! Stevenson gets the shoulder up. The Las Vegas Siren sets up for a running bulldog when Stevenson shoves her off into the ropes. When Taylor returns, Stevenson knocks her off her feet with The Foot Fetish (jumping spinning back kick)! While Taylor is sprawled out on the mat, Stevenson begins to crawl towards her corner while Taylor remains motionless on the mat. De Luca can be seen screaming at her partner to get up. She warns Taylor that Cordy is getting closer and closer to her team’s corner. But Taylor is in no position to stop her. The International Heavyweight Champion starts to stir while Stevenson continues to scratch and claw her way towards Karma. Fed up, De Luca springboards onto the top turnbuckle, rope walks along the top rope, leaps off and cuts off Stevenson with a guillotine leg drop across the back of the neck! The boos continue as De Luca takes Cordy by the ankle and drags her back towards the center of the ring.

De Luca rushes back out to the apron and waves Taylor over towards her corner. While Cordy is still down, Taylor turns over and begins to pull herself towards the corner. She then reaches over and tags De Luca back in. She rushes over, pulls Stevenson back to her feet and lifts her up for a brainbuster. On the way up, Cordy nails her with a knee to the head. Once Stevenson’s been lowered back down, she turns and drops De Luca with The Foot Fetish! De Luca clutches her mouth while Cordy gets up on all fours. Stevenson begins to crawl back over towards Karma when De Luca reaches over and grabs her by the ankle. De Luca tries to hold her back until Stevenson nails her with repeated kicks to the face. After Cordy kicks De Luca off of her. She gets back to her feet, dives over and tags Karma back in!

The crowd explodes with cheers when Karma gets in and knocks De Luca down with a pair of NYC Uppercuts! He then gabs De Luca, runs hops over the top rope and delivers Macho Karma (vaulting hangman across the top rope)! While De Luca stumbles back, Karma climbs up onto the apron, scales to the top turnbuckle, jumps off and knocks her down with a diving double axe handle! He makes the cover. ONE! TWO! T-NO! The crowd sighs when De Luca gets her shoulder up. De Luca is then shot into the far ropes. When she returns, Karma throws her down with a snap scoop powerslam! He hooks the leg. ONE! TWO! T-NO! De Luca gets the shoulder up again. Karma then whips De Luca into another set of ropes. The Karmic Lion catches her off the rebound, turns and throws her down with a spinebuster! While De Luca is sprawled out on the mat, Karma steps out onto the apron before climbing the turnbuckles. The cheers quickly turn to boos when Taylor runs over and wraps her arms around Karma’s leg. Karma begins to fend her off with multiple punches to the face. He then finally pushes Taylor off of him, sending the champion down to the floor! When Karma turns back to De Luca, it’s too late as she runs up the turnbuckles before bringing him down with an avalanche hurricanrana! The boos continue as De Luca heads out to the apron. She springboards to the top turnbuckle, ropewalks along the top rope and then goes for a Frog Splash. She misses! The crowd cheers when Karma rolls out of the way, causing De Luca to crash onto the mat! After De Luca slowly pulls herself back to her feet, the crowd buzzes with anticipation as Karma takes control of her back. Karma throws out Hard Times (wristlock into a short-arm Bionic Elbow)... and whiffs when De Luca ducks! She quickly floats over and counters into a guillotine! She then jumps up and wraps her legs around Karma’s waist! De Luca keeps the hold applied until Stevenson gets in the ring, heads towards the ropes, rebounds back and knocks her down with The Beautiful Nightmare (Disaster Kick)! Stevenson then checks on Karma while De Luca slowly rolls over towards the ropes. After De Luca pulls herself up using the ropes, the crowd cheers as Stevenson runs back over and goes for a leaping reverse bulldog. The crowd gasps when De Luca hangs onto the ropes, causing Cordy to slip off, fall and smack the back of her head against the mat! She then rolls away from De Luca as De Luca stalks her. While Cordy starts to pick herself back up, De Luca turns and hits the ropes. When she returns, she throws out a bicycle kick. The crowd gasps, then cheers when Stevenson catches her foot. De Luca reaches forward and takes wild swipes at Cordy. But Cordy keeps her head out of the way. She then shakes her head at De Luca before swinging the leg away from her and following up with the leaping reverse bulldog!

De Luca turns over onto a knee, only to end up flattened of the mat with The Friendzone (flying hip attack to a kneeling opponent)! While De Luca is sprawled out on the mat, Stevenson steps up onto the mat. The crowd remains at a fever pitch as Cordy begins to scale the turnbuckles. She remains perched up top for Get Familiar (The O-Face) when Taylor leaps onto the apron and shoves her off. The crowd erupts with boos when Stevenson flies off the top turnbuckle before crashing against the side of the ring! A sickening thud is heard on impact before Cordy falls to the floor.

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Taylor looks down and smirks at the downed Stevenson before turning her attention back to Karma. The Las Vegas Siren then scales to the top turnbuckle, leaps off and knocks Karma down with a dropkick to the back of the head! With Karma in the prone position, Taylor steps out to the apron before scaling the turnbuckles. She reaches the top, leaps off and crashes down across Karma’s back! After pushing him over onto his back, Taylor gets back to her feet before stepping out to the apron. The Las Vegas Siren heads to the top and leaps off for another Frog Splash… and gets countered when Karma gets his knees up. The crowd explodes with cheers when Taylor bounces off his knees before rolling across the ring! Taylor slowly starts to pull herself back up using the ropes. When she steps back and turns around, Karma knocks her off her feet with Check Your Chiclets (superkick)! De Luca spins Karma towards her. But she ends up on the receiving end of Sugar Ray Karma (three left jabs followed by a right hook)! De Luca returns to her feet, only to get returned to the mat with another right hook! Karma then whips her into the ropes. When De Luca comes back, Karma knocks her down with Check Your Chiclets! The capacity crowd’s going wild over Karma running wild. He then pulls De Luca back to her feet before taking control of her back. Before he can deliver Hard Times, De Luca grabs Karma’s arm with her free hand and runs forward towards the referee. The official quickly backs up until he hits the corner. Fearing getting squashed, the officials puts his hands up defensively. But instead of squashing the official, De Luca puts on the brakes at the last second. Seeing that the official has his arms raised over his face, De Luca takes advantage and nails Karma with a mule kick.

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The crowd erupts with boos over the low blow. Karma doubles over as he slowly stumbles back away from the corner. He then drops down to a knee. Cherry Baum can be seen shouting at Karma to see if he’s okay. But she backs away from the ring after De Luca runs over and kicks the bottom rope at her first. De Luca turns and sees Karma trying to slowly stand back up. So she runs over, leaps into the air and plants him with The Flyleaf (leaping sitout facebuster)! She pushes Karma over and makes the cover.

ONE!
.
.
TWO!
.
.
THREE!

Winners: Savannah Taylor and Ashlyn De Luca (26:51)

After the match, the official raises both Taylor and De Luca’s arms in victory. Taylor and De Luca then stare each other down until De Luca offers what appears to be a sincere attempt at a handshake. The Las Vegas Siren narrows her eyes at De Luca before slowly accepting the handshake. The crowd erupts with boos once more while De Luca smirks. Taylor then goes to walk away when De Luca yanks Taylor back over towards her. De Luca’s smirk disappears as her eyes shift down to the International Heavyweight Championship belt. Taylor rips her hand away from De Luca before pushing her away. De Luca’s smirk reappears before mouthing something indistinguishable to the champion. She then slips through the ropes before heading up the ramp. Back in the ring,Taylor attention shifts down towards Karma, who is still writhing in pain from the lower blow. Taylor arrogantly steps over Karma before heading towards the side of the ring. She climbs up to the middle rope before leaning over the top and hanging the International Heavyweight Championship down in front of Cordy, who is just now coming to. Flashpoint goes off the air with the Las Vegas Siren standing tall over her two contenders. Will this seen repeat itself in Charlotte? Find out at Autumn Annihilation, only on Pay Per View!