CONVICTION III

Episode III August 26th, 2019 Toronto, Ontario

— Inside The Sanctum

Following the impressive and expensive Conviction intro video, Matt Mears and Ben Petrie welcomed us to Episode III from Toronto, Ontario. Petrie acknowledged that this week OATH are guests in the home of Elysium Pro Wrestling, The Sanctum. Mears said that many of the OATH roster members are very familiar with this building but Petrie countered by saying that no matter how much history The Sanctum has seen, it’s never seen something like OATH. Mears wondered aloud if any of the ghosts of Elysium would have an effect on the event. Petrie called him a moron.

— Cassidy Colt vs. Casey Holliday The first match in Toronto saw Casey Holliday gets a positive reaction during her entrance. Newcomer Cassidy Colt, who was already in the ring, didn’t seem to be happy with that. 

Holliday brought the fight in the early going, using her speed to pepper Colt with some strikes. Holliday surprised the kid from the streets with a springboard tornado DDT that made Toronto get loud. Holliday looked to follow that up but Colt cracked her with the Broken Jaw (Stiff Jab followed by a Hard European Uppercut) which stopped her dead in her tracks.

Colt treated Holliday to some big stomps, his way of saying “Stay down”. Holliday did not oblige. Holliday caught Colt’s boot and gave him a close up view of the mat with a forward side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Colt was getting very frustrated at this point, evident by the scowl on his face. Colt fought back with a flurry of forearms that sent Holliday reeling back into a corner. Colt followed that up with a running forearm that sent Holliday staggering. Colt then came off of the top rope with Snap the Spine (Corner Flipping Lungblower) and covered for a two count of his own.

The audience was trying to will Holliday on at this point, a young woman in the front row in particular. Colt took note of this and decided that the best response was not to keep wrestling but to spit in the young woman’s face. This enraged Holliday and following an impressive dropsault, Holliday caught Colt with the Stock Plunge (Corkscrew Neckbreaker) and got a pinfall victory.

Winner: Casey Holliday Holliday took enough time to have her hand raised and then exited the ring. She acknowledged the young woman who was spit on before disappearing behind the curtain. Colt on the other hand, did not go quietly. Colt exited the ring and got in the young woman’s face. It seemed that her boyfriend was sitting beside her. Colt and the boyfriend exchanged words for a minute before security intervened. Colt flipped off the couple before the scene cut.

— Straight & Narrow

Casey Holliday walked through the curtain into the production area. She was handed a towel by a trainer and as she made her way back to the locker room she was stopped by a figure. “The White Saviour” Salvador Blanco stood in front of her. Blanco wasted no time congratulating Holliday (in Spanish). Holliday looked bewildered at first until a stagehand sidled up and offered to translate. The stagehand said that Blanco was congratulating her on her victory. Blanco said that the fans rally behind true, honest warriors. Blanco told her to continue on the path of honor and try not to be sucked in by the allure of being wicked. He finished by letter her know that he sees a bright future for her in OATH.

— Catriona MacKenzie vs. Miguel Villalobos

As soon as this match started Villalobos charged MacKenzie and hit her with a spear. Villalobos mounted and hit her with a series of strikes that the referee deemed to be too vicious and applied a five count. Villalobos let up but then transitioned into some stomps. The referee was forced to apply a second five count to which Villalobos responded with a signature snarl.

Los Lobo Loco attempted to get MacKenzie up for Santa Muerte (Cradle Piledriver) but MacKenzie fought out of it and floored him with a bicycle superkick, which actually popped the audience in Toronto. Villalobos took refuge in a corner but MacKenzie rushed him and hit him with handspring stinger splash. 

The audience in The Sanctum was on MacKenzie’s side as she tried to get Villalobos up for Beam Me Up Scottie (Fireman’s carry drop into knee lift) but he fought out and planted her with Ay Dios Mio (Chokebomb) for a two count. When MacKenzie kicked out, Villalobos lost his mind again. Villalobos mounted the Scot and laid into her with more shots that caused the referee to apply yet another five count.

At this point the lights flickered and Villalobos’ attention was split. He began looking around, expecting someone to come out and attack him. This momentary distraction was all that MacKenzie needed, she pounced and rolled Villalobos up for the surprise three count.

Winner: Catriona MacKenzie

— Stand Your Ground After the match had ended, Villalobos was beside himself. MacKenzie left the ring, knowing that her fight was over for the evening. Villalobos grabbed a microphone. He stood in the middle of the ring pacing up and down. Before he said a word, the flickered yet again but then went out completely. A spotlight shone on Villalobos. The video screen lit up with images of Villalobos and the man formerly known as Ryan Gates. The footage was the pair dominating in competition, inside The Sanctum.

“This is where it all started for us.” A familiar voice said over the speakers. “This is where we started our reign of destruction over the tag team division of Elysium.” The voice said as the sound of footsteps could be heard. After a few moments, a spotlight fell on a point at the top of the stage. There within the light stood TERROR. He had on his signature leather jacket and was carrying a barbed wire wrapped baseball bat. He paced back and forth on the stage as the spotlight followed him. 

“After all we went through, you had success away from the team. I became a mere afterthought and the balance started to waiver. After some time, the scales began to tip. Which brought me to OATH and to you, Miguel. I made a vow that I WOULD be the man who keeps the balance in check. And as your ego has gotten out of control, the next man to fall will be you.” TERROR said as he turned and stared a hole into his former partner. 

“Tuve más éxito porque siempre fui el mejor de nosotros. USTED nos cuesta nuestros Títulos de etiquetas. USTED fue la razón de todas y cada una de las pérdidas que tuvimos. ¿No me crees? ¿Quién pasó a ser el campeón mundial de Elysium? Es el rey?” Miguel stops around the ring letting the question hang in the air.

[I had more success because I was always the better one of us. YOU cost us our Tag Titles. YOU were the reason for any and all loses we had. Don’t believe me? Who went on to be the World Champion of Elysium?  It’s King?]

“”¡YO SI! Lo hice mientras te tambaleabas y te desvanecías. ¡Todo lo que eres es por mi culpa! ¿Toda esta nueva actitud tuya? ¡Eso es por mi culpa! No podías soportar que yo fuera el foco de nuestro equipo. Que yo era a quien nuestros oponentes temían. ¿Crees que tienes lo necesario para derrotar al Rey Lobo? Eres más que bienvenido a intentarlo. Puto!”

[“I DID!  I did that while you floundered and faded away. Everything you are is because of me! This whole new attitude of yours? That’s because of me! You couldn’t stand that I was the focus of our team. That I was the one who our opponents feared.  You think you have what it takes to take down the Wolf King? You are more than welcome to try. Bitch!]

Villalobos spiked the mic down onto the mat and motioned for TERROR to come down and face him. TERROR just chuckled.

“You were always the last man standing Miguel and that is not right. That is an injustice that needs to be fixed. And it will be. Next week in Brooklyn we will stand across the ring from one another and we will find out who is better. We will find out who truly deserves to be the last man standing.”

The lights flickered again and then the arena went dark. When the house lights came back on TERROR was gone and Villalobos was left alone to seethe in the ring.

— Salvador Blanco vs. Veronica Taylor

The next match saw Salvador Blanco look to get back to his winning ways against the self-proclaimed “First Lady of OATH” Veronica Taylor. Following the opening bell, Taylor held up a finger to halt Blanco from initiating contact. Taylor said something inaudible to the referee and the referee’s response was a perplexed look. The referee slowly shook his head and Taylor looked pissed right off. The referee gestured for Taylor to wrestle and she stared daggers right through him.

Blanco approached and Taylor sucker slapped him. She then tried a collar and elbow tie up but Blanco swatted her hands away and then smashed her with a spinning back elbow. Blanco then grabbed her hand and jumped up to the top rope before diving off with a super arm drag. 

Taylor recovered across the ring and when Blanco charged in on her she hit him with another slap. Taylor went for an implant DDT but Blanco reversed it with a Northern Lights suplex with a bridge for a near fall. 

The end of the contest came when Taylor played possum, letting Blanco get close. Taylor then grabbed Blanco’s mask and attempted to tear it. Her attack was relentless enough that it stretched out Blanco’s mask enough to make impede his vision. Taylor took him down with a drop toe hold and then hit the Beauty Improvement Pass (Curb Stomp) for the pinfall and the victory.

Winner: Veronica Taylor

While Blanco is recovering, Taylor took his back and attempted to rip his mask off. Taylor hammered on the luchador’s neck with one arm while ripping at his mask with the other. She nearly had it off when Casey Holliday came running down the ramp!

Holliday slid into the ring but Taylor saw her coming. Taylor stopped her attack and powdered out of the ring, wanting no part of Holliday at this time. Holliday stood guard of Blanco as Taylor backed up the ramp, smirking.

— Pre-Statement In the backstage area OATH Interviewer May O’Neil was joined by Nina Stokes. Stokes said that when she sat down to watch the Intrepid Title match last week, “the creep” Levi Silvera chose to sit next to her backstage and watch the match. Stokes said that she moved as far away from him as she could but the entire experience was uncomfortable. Stokes said that Silvera may have tried to spook her but tonight would be the night that Stokes showed her true intentions in OATH. Stokes promised that by the end of the show, everyone would be talking about her.

Nina Stokes says that Levi Silvera is a creep and that she doesn’t know why he chose to sit beside her during the main event last week but he’ll get his opportunity to get up close and personal with her tonight.

— Intrepid Title Number One Contender’s Match Levi Silvera vs. Nina Stokes

This one was ultra competitive. Not to build it up too much but both of these competitors brought their ‘A’ game because both clearly really want a shot at the Intrepid Title. Silvera brought the early offense with some hard hitting strikes that had Stokes on her heels in the early going. Silvera was able to put Stokes down with a brainbuster that caused Stokes to powder to the outside to try and reevaluate her game plan. Silvera made the choice to follow her to the outside but Stokes hopped up onto the apron and treated Silvera to a running kick to the face. Stokes then kept Silvera down on the outside and slid back into the ring, trying to get a count out victory. That didn’t work. Silvera got up and was back into the ring quickly. Stokes tried to rush him with a kitchen sink but Silvera got behind her and hit the Hellish Rebuke (Sliding German Suplex) for a two count. Silvera then climbed to the top rope and went for the White Falcon (Diving Frog Splash / Diving Cross Body) but Stokes moved out of the way. Stokes then attacked Silvera with a flurry of offense that included the Wristlock Face Kicks and then the Divine Night (Rolling Elbow Smash) for a two count of her own. Silvera fought back up and was able to catch Stokes off guard with No Shadow Kick (Shining Enzugiri) and then as he was setting up Outer Heaven (Modified Tiger Driver 98), Stokes slipped out and hit him with Amidst the Shadow of Sorrows III (Boma Ye Knee Strike) out of nowhere. Stokes covered and got the three cout.

Winner: Nina Stokes Stokes got her hand raised but did not stay in the ring to celebrate, she exited the ring and quickly made her way to the back.

— Welcome Party

The team of Midnight Special, Josh Cherry and Henry Carbine were shown backstage in the parking lot, hosting their own welcoming party. They had a table of food, a giant bucket filled with ice and beers, and a banner that said “Welcome Home!”. No one else was there.

Cherry was sat in a lawn chair, wearing sunglasses (at night) and a cardboard party hat. He looked very disappointed. Cherry asked Carbine to consult the guestlist, wanting to know who hadn’t shown up yet. Carbine was his usual surly self and just presented the list to the camera. The only names on the guestlist were “The Inevitable” and “Maximum Dynamite”. Cherry clearly felt slighted, he tossed off his party hat and said, “If they won’t come to us, we’ll go to them”. — Erik Holland vs. Carlos Cruz

The next match was a match in name only. Before the bell rang, Cruz tried to jump Holland but the Number One Contender for the OATH World Championship was ready. Holland caught Cruz with Planet Terror (Black Hole Slam) and then quickly got the Celestial Warriors member up for the Toxic Avenger (Death Valley Driver). Holland covered and stared into the camera, as if to say that he has bigger fish to fry as the referee counted the pinfall.

Winner: Erik Holland

— Disarmed Backstage OATH Interviewer May O’Neil stood with Intrepid Champion, “The Titaness” Samantha Hamilton. O’Neil congratulated Hamilton on her first Intrepid Title defense at the last episode of Conviction. Hamilton said that being the Intrepid Champion means everything to her and that her main goal right now is to make the Intrepid Title mean something. Hamilton said that the Intrepid Title stands for pure wrestling in OATH and by holding it she needs to be the example of pure wrestling in OATH.

O’Neil then asked Hamilton about her next challenger, Nina Stokes. Hamilton said that the last time she faced Stokes was in a triple threat match but their next encounter would be one-on-one. Hamilton said that Stokes impressed her tonight but Stoke would need to bring a lot more to their title match. Seemingly on cue, Stokes came out of nowhere with a steel chair and smashed Hamilton in the back. O’Neil fled the scene as Stokes beat Hamilton down with the chair. Stokes then put Hamilton’s arm through the chair and stomped on it, Pilmanizing Hamilton’s arm.

The Intrepid Title was left beside Hamilton, as the championed rolled on the ground holding her arm. Stokes looked at the camera and said, “I told you” before walking out of frame. 

— The Celestial Warriors vs. Jake Archer & The Inevitable

The main event featured OATH’s firsts ever trios match. The Celestial Warriors made a grand entrance, with Agustin Gates leading them to the ring. Toronto let them know exactly what the city thought of the trio right away with a shower of “fuck you” boos.

Archer got a big response from the audience, the man has been a mainstay in this building and Archer seemed somewhat taken aback from the warm reception. The Inevitable hit the ring and also got a big pop, as they have been a solid team thus far in OATH.

You could call this match a car crash because right as the bell sounded, all six competitors went to war. Members of both teams paired off and brawled while the lone referee tried to gain control. Archer, Leah, and Matsuda hit a trio of superkicks on their opponents which sent The Celestial Warriors to the outside.

Order was established as Archer and Gates started the match. The two tried to out trick each other for the next few minutes, with Archer proving himself as the superior thief when he poked Gates in the eye and then hit him with The Touch! (Sweet Chin Music set up into a Spinning Backfist). As Archer went to pin, both members of Maximum Dynamite entered the ring and pounced on him. This brought both members of The Inevitable into the ring. Leah nailed Dynamite with a big boot that sent him to the outside. Matsuda hit Maximum with a Yahtzee! (Superkick) that sent him to the outside with his partner. Archer, Leah, and Matsuda then turned their attention to Gates. The three advanced on him and Gates begged off. But things changed when Midnight Special made their way to ringside. Matt Mears wondered what their business was out here and Ben Petrie asked him if he had been watching the show at all. Midnight Special arrived ringside and started clapping for The Inevitable, which perplexed the latter. Gates hit both Leah and Matsuda with a double dropkick that sent them to the outside, where Maximum Dynamite was waiting. The two teams brawled on the outside as Midnight Special looked on.

In the ring Archer looked as if he was considering exiting the ring to help his partners. This mere moment of indecision combined with the referee being distracted by the chaos outside the ring allowed Gates the opportunity to hit Archer with a low blow. Gates then charged and nailed Archer with The Majestic Knee (Busaiku Knee) and covered. Midnight Special prompted the referee to pay attention to what was happening in the ring and the referee counted the pinfall.

Winners: The Celestial Warriors After the bell, attention turned to the three tag teams on the outside. There was a brief moment of tension between Midnight Special and Maximum Dynamite before Midnight Special gestured for Maximum Dynamite to step aside. Max D obliged and Midnight Special proceeded to attack The Inevitable. The Celestial Warriors left ringside, celebrating their victory. On the outside, Midnight Special hit Leah with their Ultimate X-Plex (Carbine hits an X-Plex and Cherry catches them with a Back Stabber on the way down.) Midnight Special then turned their attention to Matsuda and hit her with the Kill Screen (Slingblade [Cherry] / Backside Spear [Carbine]). Archer was down in the ring and The Inevitable were left obliterated on the outside. Midnight Special stood tall with Cherry saying, “You should have come to our party.” before we went to commercial. — Split

The final segment of Conviction featured a split screen interview between Number One Contender Erik Holland and OATH World Champion Finn Whelan. Holland was afforded the first opportunity to speak. Holland was calm and composed, he explained that he has been a World Champion before and that he needs to be a World Champion again. Holland continued by saying that although he did not come out on top in the Event Horizon Series, he has gone undefeated since then and has proved that he is the most ruthless competitor on the OATH roster. Holland said that The Sanctum has seen him do some terrible things to reach his goals so it is only fitting that this is where he warns Whelan of his intentions.

Whelan was not shook, the champion said that Holland doesn’t scare him, that no one does. Whelan said that as The OATHKeeper, his name is synonymous with the World Title and with OATH itself. Whelan said that it doesn’t matter who he has to face or what they plan to do because he will always overcome. Whelan said that next week in Brooklyn, he would exercise the would-be-demon that is Holland.

Before Holland could retort, the screen was infiltrated by static and then a phrase appeared over the split screen. “THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS A PAID ANNOUNCEMENT FROM DECLAN BLACK”. Black interrupted, his image dominating the screen, “In advance, I should tell you all that I am profoundly sorry for making you watch a title match between a man who had to hold my tights and use the ropes to beat me, and a man who is the rapist of anything worth respecting about pro wrestling. OATH wants to keep me off your screens in order to push sub-par talent like Devin Brando, whom I not only beat, but sent home like the little bitch he is.”

Black continued, saying that he would be in Brooklyn next week to find out which man he would defeat for the World Championship down the road. Black then bid the audience adieu, and his image vanished. Holland scoffed and said that he doesn’t care about what Black or Whelan has to say because he is a man of action. Holland proclaimed that he is the Most Dangerous and nothing would stop him from ripping the title away from Whelan.

OATH Pro Wrestling 2019

Results: • Casey Holliday def. Cassidy Colt • Catriona MacKenzie def. Miguel Villalobos • Veronica Taylor def. Salvador Blanco • Nina Stokes def. Levi Silvera • Erik Holland def. Carlos Cruz • The Celestial Warriors def. Jake Archer & The Inevitable