CONVICTION XXIII RESULTS

Episode XXIII July 5th, 2020 Toronto, Ontario

Reo Ojima & Zeke Davis def. Silvio Aprile & Tony Satriale Ojima made Satriale submit to Chinese Water Torture. Ben Macbeth def. Annie Lapalm Macbeth pinned Lapalm after Serious Moonlight.

Pyro, ballyhoo – a general feeling of EXCITEMENT was in the air as the twenty third offering of OATH’s weekly program Conviction kicked off. After all the pomp and circumstance died down we found ourselves landing at ringside with our sterling broadcast team. MEARS: Salutations wrestling fans and welcome to OATH Pro Wrestling Conviction! My name is Matthew Mears and I am here alongside my wonderful broadcast colleague “Bad Mood” Ben Petrie! PETRIE: Do you actually think I am wonderful? MEARS: Of course! You are one of the best in the business my friend. PETRIE: That’s actually true. A little understated but true! MEARS: Tonight folks we have reached our last stop before OATH presents Rapture next Sunday on iPPV! The card has taken shape and I am told that tonight we will see a few more matches announced. PETRIE: The card for Rapture is already stacked and you’re telling me that Oscar R. Barlow is going to add MORE matches. Jesus. MEARS: That is the world that has come down from the top of the mountain. Speaking of the top, tonight we will see the contract signing for the World Championship match at Rapture between challenger Reo Ojima and champion Erik Holland! PETRIE: That should be a calm and uneventful affair. Contract signings typically don’t end in conflict. MEARS: I know that you are being facetious but security will be present at the contract signing so that if anything does get out of hand the main event of Rapture will not be in jeopardy. PETRIE: Yeah I’m sure that’s going to work. MEARS: But let us get to the stellar lineup tonight without any further hesitation! It’s time for some wrestling, let us begin!

SINGLES MATCH Astaroth vs. Qiyanna Marshal

The first match of the night saw the masked man Astaroth take on Qiyanna “Blackhawk” Marshal. Both recently failed in their attempts to dethrone OATH Tabula Rasa Champion FM Young. There was an intensity in Marshal’s eyes that we saw last week. She was much more impressive in her bid for the TR Title than Astaroth was so the masked luchador had to be on his game tonight. PETRIE: Qiyanna Marshal still seems pretty pissed about losing in a great match against FM Young last week. Marshal wants to get back into the TR Title hunt and a win tonight may just do that. MEARS: She needs to string some victories together before she can challenge for that title again but I for one cannot wait to see her face off against FM Young again. PETRIE: Yeah that match would probably bang. The match began with some cat and mouse while Marshal tried to get ahold of Astaroth but the spooky luchadore did everything he could do to evade her grasp. Astaroth tried to shoot in on Marshal and she managed to catch him right in the gosh darn jaw with a knee. Astaroth was sent stumbling backward, his brains scrambled. Marshal shot Astaroth off the ropes and when he came back he slipped through her legs with a slide. Astaroth then applied a waist lock but Marshal countered it, got behind him and took him over with a German suplex that saw Astaroth land high on his neck. PETRIE: Alright Marshal calm the fuck down. We know you want to win but don’t kill this poor guy. Blackhawk measured Astaroth and let him get to his feet. Marshal then charged in at him and nearly cut the luchador in half with a spear. Astaroth fell to the outside but Marshal was hot on his tail. Marshal darted across the ring and came back to catch Astaroth with a baseball slide. Marshal’s feet caught Astaroth right on the chin and sent him hard into the barricade. MEARS: Qiyanna has been all over Astaroth in this contest. He can’t seem to get ANY offense going at all. PETRIE: Considering that this guy seems more at home on the Kickoff Show, is anyone surprised? MEARS: Not really. There was no time to waste for Marshal and she sent Astaroth back into the ring. Marshal slipped in under the bottom rope and Astaroth went for a leaping elbow to her back but Marshal moved. Marshal was quick up to her feet and she hit Astaroth with a kick to the midsection and then put him on the mat with a reverse neckbreaker. Marshal covered for a two count. PETRIE: She NEARLY had it. No cigar though. Astaroth staggered up to his feet but homie was on dream street. He tried for a lock up but was greeted with one hell of a superkick. Astaroth found himself out on his feet, staring up on the lights when Marshal grabbed him and dropped him with Black Fire (Double Underhook DDT). Marshal covered and got the three count. Winner: Qiyanna Marshal

Oh the storied interview area. Obnoxious OATH Interviewer Vince Valerie stood with his trusty microphone, standing before the LCD screen that had the Conviction signature playing on a loop. Valerie flashed his creepy white smile. VALERIE: Bonjour wrestling fans! I am Vince Valerie and I have the pleasure now of welcoming my guest, EMBLEM member, “The Tomorrow Man” Ben Macbeth! Adorned in an elegant black suit, Ben Macbeth sauntered into frame and chose not to even look at Valerie. Maybe he found Valerie as unsettling (in a marionette kind of way) as the rest of us do. VALERIE: Mr. Macbeth, last week you faced OATH World Champion Erik Holland, a man who you challenged the week previous. You were unsuccessful in that contest, but you did show some TREMENDOUS heart. My question to you Mr. Macbeth is…where do you go from now? Macbeth slowly turned his attention to Valerie and took hold of the microphone. Macbeth then turned to the camera, a look of vulnerability in his eyes. MACBETH: Last week I put forth my dignity, my hopes, and my dreams. Although I tried everything that I could muster…I was unsuccessful. Erik Holland was the better competitor last week. I made a substantial wager by challenging him and a victory did not materialize. The Tomorrow Man paused. The weight of his words clearly took a toll on him. He sighed and continued. MACBETH: Where do I go from here? The short answer is that I do not know. I can’t conjure a path aside from simply moving forward. I need to keep fighting and I need to persevere. EMBLEM was formed to be the representation of what the pinnacle of professional wrestling is. We are not that. We are not even close. Clapping could be heard from off camera. Not an ovation, but a slow clap. Baz Jacobi walked into frame with his manager Shortcut at his side. JACOBI: Too bad, so sad. Must suck to…well…suck eh Benny? I wouldn’t know anything about that because I am… Jacobi paused and Shortcut filled in the blank. SHORTCUT: Undefeated. A 100% record joe. Ain’t no one beat you in this company! You’re cleaner than an operating room joe! JACOBI: That’s right. If you want Benny, I can show you a thing or two. I can give you some tips. Bring those dickheads Afternoon Delight too. I know some tag tips too. I’m a man for all seasons! MACBETH: Undefeated for one match. Bully for you Baz. I predict that tonight, your win/loss percentage is going to fall considerably after your Tabula Rasa Championship match this evening. Jacobi looks shocked for only a moment before he and Shortcut both burst out in laughter. JACOBI: You can’t even defend yourself! Because you’re a loser Benny. Sure you got a win on the Kickoff Show tonight but who the fuck cares! Doesn’t mean shit. MACBETH: Is your only victory not a Kickoff Show victory? JACOBI: Yeah but I ain’t ever going back to the preshow busta. I’m Mr. Upward Momentum and I ain’t coming down. I’m gonna smack around FM Radio tonight, snatch her title, then me and Shortcut gonna party in the STREETS! MACBETH: How about this Baz. Say by some miraculous twist of fate you don’t defeat the legitimately undefeated FM Young tonight, then you and I square off at Rapture. You can show me everything you are capable of in a real match. Jacobi was perplexed, feeling that Macbeth wasn’t in his league. Shortcut gestured for a private conversation with Jacobi. The two turned their backs on Macbeth and conferred, looking back at The Tomorrow Man every few seconds with suspicious glares. After an excruciatingly long time, they came to a decision. SHORTCUT: Alright joe. Say that by some BULLSHIT, Ol’ Bazzy doesn’t win against PM News tonight, he’ll face ya at Rapture. But be prepared to be watching the iPPV from the locker room busta because Baz is leaving tonight with some hardware. Light work baby. JACOBI: No problemo at all. Watch my match tonight, and take some notes son. This is how you make the most of a career in OATH. Now be gone! Jacobi gestured for Macbeth to walk away. Macbeth did not budge. Both Jacobi and Shortcut stood with their arms crossed, tapping their feet. Finally Jacobi threw his hands up and walked away, with Shortcut trailing behind.

SINGLES MATCH Leah Aguero vs. Josie Wales

The next contest saw OATH stalwart Leah Aguero take on fellow longtime OATH roster member “The Outlaw” Josie Wales. Aguero was accompanied to the ring by Inevitable partner Stephanie Matsuda. Matsuda walked to the ring a couple paces behind Aguero, but she was there. Could a rift be forming (represented here by the distance between them)? Perhaps we will see! MEARS: It’s been a tough few weeks for The Inevitable. We know they have a meeting scheduled with Oscar R. Barlow later this evening but Leah’s focus needs to be on this match. PETRIE: What do you think he wants? MEARS: I have no idea. Wales came to the ring and had eyes on Matsuda. “The Outlaw” was clearly pissed off about Matsuda being at ringside but Wales also came to the ring riding a small winning streak. Wales had been chirping about getting a Tabula Rasa Title shot as of late so a third win in a row could probably grant her that. Maybe not. I’m not the booker. Aguero was kneeling in the corner, speaking to Matsuda. A nice last minute pep talk it seemed. That turned out to be more harmful than helpful because Wales unleashed as soon as the bell rang. Wales darted across the ring and hit Aguero with a knee to the back of the head and then dragged her away from the ropes and covered. Aguero kicked out at one. PETRIE: The Outlaw has been running shit recently. That loss to James Edwards a few weeks ago lit a fire under her ass!

MEARS: It truly did. She has yet to win a championship in OATH after being with the company for some time. Perhaps the loss to Edwards is what she needed to recommit herself to achieving glory. The confidence was permeating from Wales as she kept Aguero subdued with a series of stomps. When Aguero started to get up, Wales put a knee on Aguero’s chest and started slapping the piss out of her! How rude! Matsuda screamed from ringside at the referee and the referee broke it up. Not because she told him to, because he’s a professional. PETRIE: Matsuda needs to let the ref do his job! He’s an expert in his field. MEARS: I wasn’t aware that you had such esteem for our officials. PETRIE: I don’t. I just don’t like The Inevitable…right now. It was time to take this fight vertical as Wales stood Aguero up but Wales was met with a slap from Aguero! Wales was turned sideways from that belt and she caught Matsuda’s eyeline. Matsuda was pointing and laughing at Wales, which clearly got the latter riled up! MEARS: Perhaps not a great way to help her partner. Wales is known to have quite the temper and it usually helps her. Aguero went for an Irish whip but Wales reversed it and sent Aguero into the ropes. Aguero came back and used her momentum to shoot Wales into the ropes! Do-si-dos! Wales caught the top rope to stop her momentum so Aguero darted at her. Wales dropped her head and lifted Aguero over the top rope with insane elevation! Aguero came crashing down right on top of Matsuda! The Inevitable were in a heap on the outside and Wales looked mighty pleased with that result. PETRIE: That’s what you get! Don’t fuck around Matsuda. MEARS: A lucky break for Josie. PETRIE: Nothing lucky about it! That shit was surgical. Wasting no time, “The Outlaw” slipped out of the ring and grabbed Aguero. Wales moved Aguero away from Matsuda but this little reprieve afforded Aguero the time to hit Wales with a shot to the gut. Wales responded with a toe kick to Aguero’s midsection and then Wales proceeded to lift Aguero up and drop her HARD on the apron with a back suplex. MEARS: Good Lord! That could have turned the tide in this contest. PETRIE: Could have? It definitely has. Aguero’s spine is likely in pieces! MEARS: A spine technically is… PETRIE: Yeah okay Doctor. Being the incredibly kind person that she is, Wales rolled Aguero back into the ring but wouldn’t you know it, Matsuda was back up. Matsuda and Wales started trash talking while the referee checked on Aguero, who was jacked up after that apron bump. Matsuda went to hit Wales but halted as Aguero screamed at her. Matsuda shot a glare at her partner, which earned a cheeky smile from Wales. MEARS: Josie is loving this. Stephanie is not a happy camper. PETRIE: And Aguero is less so! “The Outlaw” was back in the ring and Aguero rushed her looking for a shoulder block but Wales sent Aguero head first into the middle turnbuckle. Aguero tried to recover and charge at Wales but she got caught with bicycle kick to the mush. Aguero crumbled like an overdue hydro notice and Wales pounced into a cover for a two count. MEARS: A near fall for The Outlaw! Leah needs to get back in this match! We found both competitors in the corner at this point with Wales in control. Wales climbed up to the second rope and started feeded Aguero some punches to the face. Wales looked pleased with hitting Aguero as many times as she could. Aguero on the other hand was done with that shit after about a dozen shots. Aguero reached under Wales, took a step forward and planted “The Outlaw” with a sitout powerbomb. Aguero covered but only got a two count. PETRIE: Well shit. The tide has turned! MEARS: Aguero must capitalize. Her back is clearly in pain and she may not be able to endure much more damage.

Feeling a victory within her grasp, Aguero rushed the ropes and went for a springboard moonsault but Wales rolled away to safety! Aguero, being agile as some form of mythical cat, landed on her feet! Wales kipped up and Aguero went for a straight right cross but Wales grabbed her wrist, spun her around and planted her with the Rio Lobo Driver (Quackendriver 3). Wales covered and picked up the dubya.

Winner: Josie Wales

Following the final bell, Aguero rolled out of the ring but a disappointed Matsuda was already heading up the ramp. Aguero got up to a knee on the outside and turned toward the ramp just in time to see her partner disappear behind the curtain. Relationships are peaks and valleys, guess where The Inevitable finds themselves?

In the ring Wales had her hand raised but she was not done yet. Gotta soak up that t.v. time. Wales called for a microphone and one was lobbed into the ring. A little unprofessional but we’re on a tight schedule here.

WALES: That’s three. Three victories in a row since I failed to win the Intrepid Championship. I have pulled myself back up from the bottom but I know I’ve got a long way to go. The next peak that I need to climb is winning a championship in OATH.

What title could she have meant? Definitely not the title that she had been eyeing for the past three weeks. Or was it? Wales paused for dramatic effect, leaving the viewers to speculate!

WALES: Whomever wins the Tabula Rasa Championship match tonight, I want to face you a Rapture. I have earned my opportunity and no one is more deserving than me. I’ve beaten BOTH members of The Inevitable now and they are top ranked singles wrestlers.

She had a point there. She had been on a roll and this victory tonight gave her some stroke.

WALES: I am not asking for this match. I am telling you that it is going to happen and at the end of Rapture I am going to be the OATH Tabula Rasa Champion.

Wales spiked the microphone into the mat which was a little rude but whatever. She was angry, she was motivated, and she was ready to go to Rapture and get her some respect. Nice.

The shot cut backstage where Qiyanna Marshal was picking up some water from catering, revelling in the aftermath of her victory. As she walked back down the hallway toward the locker room, she picked up a conversation. Qiyanna turned and saw Erik Holland talking to his girlfriend, Lyric. Walking up to him, she gently tapped him on the shoulder. MARSHAL: Mister Holland? I hope I am not interrupting anything. The World Champion turned to address Qiyanna, Lyric stepping over to his right side. HOLLAND: Never. How can I help? MARSHAL: I just wanted to let you know that it can be hard to find allies among a locker room that has you counted as their enemy. I am not one such person however, should you need some help, any time, let me know. Qiyanna let out a smile and started to walk away. Holland and Lyric watched her leave. Lyric, with a very pleased smile on her face, reached up (and up) to wrap her arms around Holland’s trunk. LYRIC: I think right now we shouldn’t be picky about who our allies are… She said, looking up to him, planting a kiss on his painted cheek. The champ’s eyes were focused down the hallway though, his diseased mind was turning over the events that just happened. HOLLAND: I like the way you think. I have an idea. A caustic laugh from Holland as he and Lyric headed off arm in arm in the other direction. Back to ringside we went.

OATH TABULA RASA CHAMPIONSHIP 2 OUT OF 3 FALLS MATCH Baz Jacobi vs. FM Young ©

The next match saw the televised debut of Baz Jacobi accompanied to the ring with his strange little manager Shortcut. Jacobi had talked a lot of shit to Tabula Rasa Champion FM Young before he was even signed with the company so a lot of fans were really interested in seeing this contest. As soon as the bell rang Jacobi brushed Young off and left the ring, for whatever reason. Jacobi started heading up the ramp. Young, not one to want to win because of count out, decided to pursue him. Young stomped up the mat, trailed by Shortcut. MEARS: He’s leaving? PETRIE: I guess so. MEARS: Is he scared? PETRIE: Or he heard about a free beer promo in the lounge. Who knows? Just as the champion reached the challenger up the ramp, Shortcut dropped to all fours. Jacobi spun around and shoved Young. Young fell back over Shortcut and smacked into the ramp. Jacobi then stepped off Shortcut’s back and landed on Young with an elbow drop. Jacobi started wailing on Young with strikes to the face. PETRIE: Haha what ruse! Young didn’t see that coming. MEARS: Who would? This isn’t grade school. This is OATH. PETRIE: C’mon. Some people in the roster act like children. The referee was half way through the twenty count when Jacobi led Young back to the ring. Young fought back with some shots to the midsection but a succession of sharp elbows quelled that recovery attempt. Jacobi then got Young back in the ring and slid in under the bottom rope with great haste. The two had just barely beaten the twenty count and Jacobi looked to complete his little ruse by gaining the first pinfall. Jacobi got Young up but the champion had a “fuck that” attitude and introduced Jacobi to her much feared Man-Machine Interface (Discus Clothesline). Young went to drop into a cover but Jacobi rolled onto his stomach. MEARS: Welcome to television Mr. Jacobi. This is not a Kickoff Show level contest. You are in it now. PETRIE: I thought this guy was an idiot but that bit at the beginning showed me that he may have the tricks to take Young down. MEARS: Wrestling is about competition. Not grifting victories. Young took Jacobi’s back and tried for a rear naked choke but Jacobi got up on all fours and crawled backward through her legs. Young spun around and belted Jacobi in the face with a forearm smash that knocked the newcomer loopy. Young hit him with a second, and a third. The champion was clearly pissed off about the early events in the match. MEARS: FM Young does not suffer these kind of games. She wants the TR Title to mean something and wants real competition. She is going to show Jacobi that he may not belong on this level just yet. Shortcut tried to cheer his charge on, pounding on the apron. Young kicked the bottom rope and Shortcut backed off, acting as if he was baffled by her anger. Young then set Jacobi up for the Superchick (The Shiranui) but Jacobi countered it and Young found herself over his shoulder! Jacobi ran forward and javelined Young with the Dirt Nap Dive (Lawn Dart into Middle Turnbuckle). Jacobi covered and got a two count. PETRIE: Looks like he can play on this level. That was cool as shit. MEARS: He nearly secured the all important first fall. My detective skills tell me that the small cut that developed on Young’s forehead at this point was due to that last spot. Jacobi noticed it and a malicious grin appeared on his face. Jacobi mounted Young and using some punches he opened that cut up even further. Young was able to stop the onslaught by bucking Jacobi off, where he caught himself on the bottom rope. MEARS: The champion has been busted open! That could hinder her chances in this match if that blood gets in her eyes. Jacobi, with impressive agility, leaped up to the top rope. Young stood, not knowing where he was for a millisecond and that gave Jacobi the prompt to leap from the top rope with a cross body. Unfortunately for Jacobi, Young’s reflexes were on point and she brought him out of the air with one hell of a Stand Alone Complex (Elevated Gutbuster). Jacobi looked like he was gonna throw up his own organs while Young grabbed the corner ropes and hit him with Negasonic Warhead (Starship Pain) into a pin for a three count and the first fall. First Fall: FM Young During the momentary rest between falls, Shortcut jumped up onto the apron and started hurling insults at Young. The champion was still incensed by the manager’s consistent involvement and went to approach him. This gave Jacobi the opportunity to get up and dart across the ring. Jacobi blasted Young in the back of the head with a forearm smash. PETRIE: This little bastard is awesome! He knows exactly what he has to do out there to assist his client. MEARS: He should not be getting involved. PETRIE: I’m sure he was just telling Young that she had to win two falls. MEARS: She named the stipulation. She knows. Jacobi hit Young with some heavy body blows in the corner, enough that Young dropped her hands to try to cover up. This let Jacobi successfully blast Young with the Sonic Reducer (Leaping Ear Clap). Young grabbed at her ears and Jacobi hit her with a boot to the gut and planted her with a DDT for a near fall. PETRIE: He’s gonna do it! He’s gonna make this thing 1-1 and then it’s anybody’s game. MEARS: Jacobi has shown us some skill here tonight but lest we forget that FM Young has yet to taste defeat here in OATH. Young was bleeding more and more with every passing second. Jacobi mounted her yet again and tried for some glancing elbows to open that slice up some more. Young fought him off, then got back to her feet but Jacobi was back on her. Young evaded a straight right hand and tried for a desperation Heart of the Phoenix (Lumbar Check) but Jacobi flipped over, landed behind her and hit See Some Evil (Whale Hunt)! Jacobi covered and secured the second fall! Second Fall: Baz Jacobi It was at this point that Jacobi slipped out of the ring and collected the Tabula Rasa Title, thinking that he had won the match. Jacobi started up the ramp with the title, celebrating. Guess no one told him that it was two out of three falls but what is probably more likely that he thought he would actually get away with just leaving with the title. MEARS: Where is he going now? PETRIE: He thinks he’s won! No you idiot! You’re gonna get counted out! MEARS: Maybe he is somewhat…stupid. The referee started to count Jacobi out as Shortcut charged up the ramp to get his client to go back. Shortcut met Jacobi on the ramp and told him it wasn’t over. Jacobi saw the referee counting and Jacobi reacted like his mother just told him that it was time for Church. Jacobi obnoxiously paced back to the ring, with Shortcut telling him to hurry up. MEARS: He’s like a scolded child! What is wrong with this man? As Jacobi and Shortcut got back to the ring, Young came through the ropes with a suicide dive, taking them both down! Young got Shortcut up and sent him flying up the ramp with an impressive beale. Shortcut landed with a thud and appeared to be effectively removed from any further interference. At least for the time being. PETRIE: Hey he isn’t a contracted competitor! MEARS: I think that FM has had enough. This nonsense has no place in a championship match. Young got Jacobi back in the ring and her anger overtook her. Young started beating Jacobi pillar to pose. Bouncing his face off of a nearby turnbuckle, we see now that Young’s face is covered in like 50% blood. Young let out a roar and then lifted Jacobi up and tried to drive him through the Earth with a snap powerbomb. It didn’t work but it did fuck him up quite a bit and Young got a two count from her pinfall attempt. PETRIE: Young is on another level now. She is pissed right off. MEARS: I can not blame her. This has been a circus! Young was tired of this bullshit. Not one to suffer fools, this match was a slog for the proud champion. “The Tiger” got the rocked Jacobi up and this time she was able to plant him with Heart of the Phoenix (Lumbar Check). Young covered and the referee got to a two count before the infernal pest Shortcut pulled the referee out of the ring and the referee landed hard on the mat with a thud. Young lost focus at this point and decided that murdering Shortcut was more important than winning in that moment. Young slipped out of the ring and gave chase to Shortcut. MEARS: FM is an intelligent competitor but everyone has a limit. This Shortcut character has driven her to the brink and it may cause her the championship. PETRIE: I feel like that was the idea. Pretty smart. MEARS: Dishonorable. PETRIE: I don’t think Baz and his minion give a shit. Shortcut was running for his life which gave Jacobi some time to recover. Jacobi ascended to the top rope and as Young came around the corner of the ring Jacobi came down on top of her with a moonsault. Jacobi, breathing heavy, got Young up and started to bounce her face off of the announce table. After a half dozen smashes, Jacobi hit her with Twin Peaks (Double Roaring Elbows). MEARS: Get this back in the ring! This is absurd! PETRIE: He’s gonna do it. He came in with a plan and it is working. MEARS: Having your manager consistently interfere is not a brilliant plan. There is nothing groundbreaking about complete disregard for honor and sportsmanship. Jacobi got Young back in the ring and the champion was in trouble. Jacobi felt the championship within his grasp and he tried for Dying Light (Fisherman Suplex w/ Bridge). Before Jacobi could take Young over, she blocked it and countered it into The Superchick (Shiranui)! At this point a new referee was charging down the ramp. Shortcut tried to intercept but the ref sidestepped him and slid into the ring. The bloodied Young got Jacobi up and hit the Human Error Processor (Assault Driver). Young covered and got the three count to win the fall and the match. Winner: Still OATH Tabula Rasa Champion, FM Young The referee recovered the title and gave it to the champion as Shortcut pulled Jacobi out of the ring. Young then snatched a microphone. The shot closed in on her bloody face. YOUNG: Josie. See you next week at Rapture. I accept.

Commotion backstage! The shot jostled back and forth as the camera man ran through the bowels of the arena and finally came upon the source of all the shouting and hullabaloo. There was a group of officials and agents standing around a downed person. MEARS: What is going on here? We have been made aware of a situation that has developed backstage but we aren’t sure of what is happening. The camera got in close to see that the downed party was Damaged Goods member Eli Hix. Hix’s head was resting in a pool of blood and he was clearly unconscious. Poor fella. Laying on Hix’s prone body was The Hell Realm’s new t-shirt (available at merchandise stands and online). Hix’s tag team partner Terra Mason arrived on the scene with another man and she looked completely distraught. MASON: Eli! Eli! Oh son of a bitch. Is he gonna be alright? OFFICIAL: We don’t know yet, please just back away. MASON: Those pieces of shit. I’m gonna kill them. Right after I kill their monster. The man that arrived with Mason was her friend Caleb Abendroth. ABENDROTH: You think you can do it on your own? Wasn’t this meant to be a handicap match? MASON: I don’t care. Someone is paying for this. Tonight. Mason then stomped out of frame toward the gorilla position.

SINGLES MATCH Terra Mason vs. Monstruo

The next contest was scheduled to be a handicap match with Damaged Goods facing The Hell Realm’s Monstruo but as we just saw, Terra Mason’s partner Eli Hix was brutally attacked by The Hell Realm. That was likely a response to the beat down that Damaged Goods laid on THR last week. MEARS: It is my belief that Terra Mason is a very talented competitor but Monstruo is not of this Earth. I do not know that she can survive him. PETRIE: Oh yeah she’s dead. She’s gonna be joining Eli Hix in the ICU. Terra Mason stood in the ring and then Monstruo made his entrance, flanked by OATH Tag Team Champions Adrestia Nyx and Ryan Terror. The Hell Realm came to the ring and Monstruo entered. MEARS: I cannot begin to imagine the fear that Terra Mason is feeling. PETRIE: Fuck me I’m scared and I’m not in there! MEARS: As am I. The bell rang and Mason tore across the ring and charged at Monstruo but he grabbed her by the throat. Monstruo lifted Mason off her feet and then flung her across the ring. Mason landed hard but was right back up. Mason charged at Monstruo again but he hit her with a body avalanche. MEARS: If it was not my job to watch this match, I would not. I am very concerned for Terra’s well being. PETRIE: I don’t particularly like her but fuck me no one deserves to face this monster on their own. Monstruo lifted Mason off the mat and then launched her into the corner clear across the reign with a beale. Terror and Nyx walked around ringside, watching with immense delight. Monstruo got Mason up but Mason started hitting him with desperation kicks. This halted the hulking monster’s momentum but only briefly. MEARS: She is doing what she can but I fear that it’s not enough. Mason seemed like she was making some progress until Monstruo grabbed her by the back of the head and turned her inside out with a lariat. Nyx was shown laughing like the sick individual that she is on the outside. MEARS: THR orchestrated this. They do not want opponents at Rapture! PETRIE: They just want to keep those straps. I mean I get it but these three are the most ruthless people in all of OATH! Monstruo lumbered toward Mason and lifted her up to her feet with one jerking motion. Monstruo lifted Mason up with a military press and then dumped her over the top rope. Mason landed in a heap on the outside. MEARS: Good Lord this is rough. Clearly not giving a shit about the rules, both Nyx and Terror pounced on Mason and started hitting her with vicious stomps. The referee clearly saw this and called for the disqualification. Winner: Terra Mason (via DQ) Nyx rolled Mason into the ring after the bell and Mason found herself at Monstruo’s feet. The champions entered the ring and all three members of The Hell Realm stood over Mason. MEARS: Oscar R. Barlow cannot let this happen! Get security out here. PETRIE: They’re all getting ready for the contract signing… Before any further violence could occur, Caleb Abendroth ran to the ring from the back and he was armed with a steel chair. Nyx and Terror opt to bail out of the ring. Sure they had the numbers game but they aren’t looking to get a chair shot to the dome. Monstruo on the other hand stood firm. MEARS: I do not think this is a good idea kid. PETRIE: It’s this or Mason gets eaten! Abendroth slipped into the ring and cracked Monstruo in the head. Didn’t do much. Abendroth did it again. Nothing. Abendroth then hit Monstruo in the midsection and swung the chair like a bat, hitting the giant in the side of the head. Monstruo was dropped. Nyx and Terror recalled Monstruo and the monster exited the ring, angry as fuck. MEARS: What a close call. All three members of The Hell Realm regrouped at the bottom of the ramp and Abendroth had a microphone. ABENDROTH: I guess it’s good that I was here tonight to sign a contract. Terra, you need a partner at Rapture. I’m happy to be that partner. Mason gave a nod and then turned to glare at The Hell Realm before we cut.

We switch from the mayhem at ringside and find ourselves in the beautifully decorated office of OATH President Oscar R. Barlow. In a scene that we’ve come to know as Barlow’s signature pose, he has his hands behind his back and is turned away from his desk. He is looking out a window into the parking lot which is fun because wrestling offices in arenas NEVER have windows. He must be quite a big deal! The shot pulled out to show both Leah Aguero and Stephanie Matsuda sitting in two chairs on the other side of Barlow’s desk. The tag team cousins sit impatiently after the events that transpired earlier in the evening. BARLOW: War Queens…I have been quite the supporter of you both since OATH started a year ago. You both impressed me and my family greatly in the beginning. Then when you teamed up together and became the first OATH Tag Team Champions, we were even more impressed. Barlow turned around in his best attempt at being dramatic. BARLOW: However, as of late you both have had trouble finding your footing. You two seem to be out of sync and I believe I know why. Aguero went to speak up but Barlow cut her off. BARLOW: You two do not lack confidence in the least but there is something brewing between you. I have seen this before. I do not want to see it explode and I do not believe that either of you want to see that. Matsuda went to speak up but she too was cut off. BARLOW: I have a solution. Currently, neither of you is scheduled for a match at Rapture next week. That just will not do. So I think that it would benefit you both to clear the air with each other in a match. Between the two of you. This time neither member of The Inevitable said anything. They turned their attention to one another and their expressions said everything. They were game. BARLOW: I will take your silence to mean that you agree to it. Tremendous. It is official. Best of luck to you both! I look forward to you clearing the air! You may leave. Both Aguero and Matsuda and go to leave but they can’t decide who gets to first and the scene ends with a staredown, both of them wearing knowing smirks.

The lights in the arena suddenly went out and then returned a dim red as chanting could be faintly heard in the arena. The screen lit up black and white, grainy and glitchy for a bit before a butterfly appeared, fluttering its wings flying around for a bit before landing on a few dying weeds. Two tiny hands reached out for it and it quickly flew away as the tiny hands dropped down in defeat.

UNKNOWN VOICE: All the pretty things go away and only the ugly ones remain. Sometimes they get forgotten and left to wither, but sometimes, you just need the right thing to bring them back.

A large tattooed hand reached out and crushed the butterfly, then tossed its crumpled remains to the ground.

UNKNOWN VOICE: And sometimes that’s destroying everything in sight.

The screen went black as the lights in the arena went out again. In the darkness, a white mask fell down onto the screen, then the image quickly cut out, the lights came back on and the screen was showing the camera feed in front of the announcers.

TAG TEAM MATCH Midnight Special vs. James Edwards & Finn Whelan

The next match had an interesting slant to it. EMBLEM representatives Midnight Special, Harvey Carbine and Josh Cherry came to the ring to take on OATH Intrepid Champion “The Burning Heart” James Edwards and his opponent at Rapture “The Virulence” Finn Whelan. Edwards and Whelan had a brief discussion about who would start the match. Edwards, caring more about getting a victory, gave Whelan the nod. MEARS: This is some interesting booking on the part of Oscar R. Barlow. PETRIE: They aren’t a tag team! Midnight Special have a shit record but they are still a team. Edwards and Whelan have no chance! The bell rang. Cherry and Whelan met in the center of the ring. Cherry talked some trash to Whelan about Whelan and Edwards not being a proper tag team. Cherry said they had no chance what-so-ever so Whelan slapped the taste out of his mouth. This was a big slap too, it dropped Cherry to a knee. MEARS: Good Lord. Whelan has no time for Cherry’s trash talk. Whelan sauntered over to his corner and lazily tagged in Edwards. Edwards flashed Whelan a look and Whelan just shrugged, taking his place on the apron. Edwards entered the ring and the Intrepid Champion was all business. Edwards rushed Cherry and dropped him with a clothesline. MEARS: The Intrepid Champion is not averse to getting into this contest. Unlike his partner. PETRIE: Whelan seems to want to save his fight for Rapture. Probably a smart move. MEARS: He should be focussed on the task at hand. PETRIE: He wants to take the Intrepid Title next week. Gotta save his strength. Cherry rallied back, the side of his face sporting a full red hand print. Cherry caught Edwards with an uppercut but Edwards responded right back with an uppercut of his own. Cherry knew at that moment that he wasn’t going to win a striking contest with Edwards so he put Edwards on the mat with a double leg takedown. MEARS: Cherry switching his style up! Edwards was on his back and Cherry kept him there with some stomps to the midsection. Cherry then went to tag in Carbine but Edwards grabbed Cherry’s wrist and pulled him backward into a high angle German suplex! Cherry got right back up out of strict instinct and Edwards cracked him with High Heat (Discuss Roundhouse) for a near fall. MEARS: Cherry is close to his corner, he needs to make a tag. PETRIE: Edwards needs to get over there and stop him. See he doesn’t GET tag wrestling. MEARS: I would not go that far. After the near fall Cherry rolled toward his corner and was able to tag in Carbine. Edwards advanced and grabbed Cherry just a second too late. Cherry then hugged Edwards legs and as Edwards bent over to break Cherry’s hold, Carbine entered the ring and blasted Edwards in the side of the head with a knee trembler.  “The Burning Heart” was knocked loopy by that move and Carbine used that to his advantage. Carbine got Edwards up with a military press slam, showing his old man Dad strength. Carbine held Edwards high in the air for about fifteen seconds before he let go and Edwards came down hard on his face and stomach. MEARS: The strength of Harvey Carbine is something to marvel at. PETRIE: Yeah but smell isn’t everything. MEARS: How many times are you going to say that? PETRIE: At every opportunity. Whelan stood in his corner looking bored as hell. You know how I know that? He couldn’t stop yawning. What a competitor! Carbine turned and hit Edwards with a soccer kick to the stomach and then walked over and tagged in Cherry. MEARS: Edwards is in trouble and Finn Whelan doesn’t seem to care at all. PETRIE: He’s letting Edwards get softened up for next week. Sound strategy. MEARS: Unsportsmanlike! Midnight Special were both in the ring now and Whelan could not care any less for his partner. Carbine and Cherry got Edwards up and then in a flash Cherry came off the ropes and Midnight Special hit their version of the Hart Attack! Cherry covered and got a near fall. Whelan didn’t even flinch or make any move to stop the fall. MEARS: I do not foresee Edwards lasting much longer in this match. Edwards was trying to rally but Midnight Special had done some damage. In an odd move, Cherry let Edwards get to his feet and once that happened Cherry went for his patented Cherry’s Jubilee (Jump Stalling Sidekick) but it was evaded by Edwards. Cherry landed on his feet and then found himself at the mercy of Edwards’ dreaded Half Cut (Snap Half-nelson Suplex). Edwards covered but Carbine was in the ring to break up the fall at two. MEARS: We were promised a handicap match tonight, I just didn’t think that this was it. PETRIE: Haha not bad Mears. MEARS: I have my moments. Taking a chance, Edwards made his way to his corner and went to tag in Whelan. Unfortunately for “The Burning Heart”, Whelan just dropped off the apron. Whelan wouldn’t even meet Edwards’ eye line, he just turned away and started sauntering around ringside. Cherry came up from behind Edwards and rolled him up for a near fall. MEARS: Whelan is officially not in this match. He does not care at all. PETRIE: I like it! Whelan was the first World Champion, he knows how to win a title. The match starts long before the first bell. A week before in this case! It appeared that Carbine was not pleased with Whelan’s lack of respect for the tag team craft so he dropped off the apron and went after Whelan. Whelan knew at this point that he had no choice but to engage so he and Carbine came to blows. MEARS: No choice now Finn. PETRIE: What is Carbine doing? Edwards is easy pickings! This is why they can’t win the Tag Team Titles! Edwards got to his feet and Cherry tried for Baba Yaga Bullet (Running Flying Reverse Elbow to the Face). The Intrepid Champion sidestepped that attempt and then desperately grabbed for Cherry and was able to hit him with RRE (Reverse Release Exploder Suplex). Carbine and Whelan were still brawling on the outside as Edwards hit Night Comes to the Cumberlands (Hidden Blade) on Cherry and then covered for the victory. Winners: James Edwards & Finn Whelan The referee passed the Intrepid Title to Edwards. Whelan dropped Carbine with Revelation 6:4 (The Bitter End) on the outside and then said “fuck this” to everything and left through the crowd. Edwards just watched as his partner washed his hands of the situation.

The lights in the arena dimmed and then started flashing green and pink as “Heat Seeker” by DREAMERS ft. grandson began to play in the arena and the screen lit up with the face of Minoru Tanahashi, with a simple whitestraw style fedora. He pulled the camera back to show off a white shirt, khaki vest and shorts look, but then spun toward the window and showed off his view of the Imperial palace. He turned away from the window, sat down on the luxurious white couch on his room and smiled.

TANAHASHI: Hello once again OATH faithful. As you can see I am still in Japan competing in this tournament. No doubt by the time you’re watching this video I’m at four, five, maybe even six wins and well on my way to the finals.

He smiled, took off his hat and tossed it on the coffee table.

TANAHASHI: But don’t worry, I won’t let all of this unbridled success go to my head. I will continue to be the same amazingly athletic, intelligent, handsome in a classic sense as well as a rugged sense while also somehow being sophisticated. It’s a rare talent folks, I know that, and will continue to act accordingly, giving you amazing match after amazing match, all while having the greatest nights you could ever imagine, writing the amazing Minoru’s Match Musings column, and really bringing Japanese wrestling to a global audience. So don’t you dare worry about success changing your mother’s favorite wrestler. You just continue watching Conviction, watch Rapture, and of course watch me win this tournament.

He winked, stood up, slipped on a pair of brown loafers, threw on his sunglasses and headed out, but then stopped and turned to grab his hat before everything faded out.

The ring was now set up for the contract signing for the OATH World Championship match at Rapture between challenger Reo Ojima and champion Erik Holland. The mat was covered with an official looking red canvas and in the center there was a desk with two large leather conference chairs sitting on either side, facing each other. Two microphones sat opposing each other, mounted on small stands. OATH President Oscar R. Barlow stood at the end of the table, facing the hard camera with a microphone in hand. Around the ring were about ten security guards of varying sizes and shapes. BARLOW: Wrestling fans! Welcome to the contract signing for our Rapture main event. As promised I have a large deployment of OATH security surrounding the ring to ensure that this contract signing does not get out of hand! Another sweeping shot of all the security guards, most of their faces masked by black baseball caps. BARLOW: First I would like to introduce the challenger, from Tokyo, Japan, “The Stone Gargoyle” Reo Ojima! “The Real Man” cued up over the p.a. speakers and Reo Ojima walked out from behind the curtain. Ojima was flanked by his new running buddy, Zeke “The Freak” Davis. The duo reached the ring and both of them entered. Ojima walked to the opposite side of the table and made sure to bump into Barlow en route. Davis waked to an adjacent corner behind the now seated Ojima and sat on the top turnbuckle. BARLOW: And now OATH World Champion, from Silent Hill, “The Haunted” Erik Holland! The Invasion of the Body Snatchers trailer began to play and then “Haunted” kicked up. Erik Holland walked out onto the stage with the World Championship on his shoulder and Lyric on his arm. The two walked to the ring and Lyric stood amongst security while Holland entered the ring. The World Champion stared a hole through Davis and then turned his attention to Ojima. Davis gave Lyric a wave and he couldn’t have smiled any wider. Holland laid the title on the table. Barlow then produced a black leather folder and put on the desk with an expensive looking pen on top. BARLOW: Gentlemen. Thank you both for coming. We could simply sign the contract but first I would like to afford both of you the opportunity to speak to each other about this contest. Holland picked up his microphone first, as the near 300 pounder had seated himself across the table that the contract was placed on, with the OATH World Championship now propped up as a display between the two competitors.

Holland thought for a moment, then showed Ojima a middle finger for nothing else but a cheap pop as he placed the mic back down and picked up the contract, signing it. Holland made a big show of taking his time to sign, and was purely to raise the ire of the impatient veteran. Finally Holland retrieved the microphone, staring a hole through Ojima with his dark-painted eyes, dreadlocks brushed out of his face. 

HOLLAND: You’ve told me you want respect, Ojima. You’ve told this entire roster ever since you got here that all you want is respect. I remember, ha…i remember guys like you in training. Guys like you in treatment, guys…like you everywhere. They just like being in charge. Like bossing guys around, tellin’ em what to do, and if they don’t hop to it fast enough you like to smack ‘em around a bit, right? Am i right?”

Holland didn’t give Ojima an opportunity to retort just yet.

HOLLAND: But the funny thing? Hahaha…the real funny thing is these guys don’t deserve respect. Cause they haven’t earned it. They just think because they’re the biggest, or they know how to beat somebody up, EVENTUALLY…everybody’s just gonna’ fall in line. Gonna’ get enough lackeys together where you can really start throwing your weight around, right? Well, I hate to break it to you, Reo, but that is not how it works here in OATH.

Holland sat up in the office style chair now. 

HOLLAND: And you know what? You know…I think it’s entirely appropriate what you did, smearing my blood on this World title. I’m glad you did that. I know, Reo, that you think you were doing something slick with my blood, but you’ve actually indirectly illustrated a very important point for me. That my blood is SYNONYMOUS with the OATH World Championship.

He leaned forward as he says this next bit.

HOLLAND: I don’t think you really grasp, Reo, what kind of BLOOD I’ve had to spill to put that title around my waist, and I don’t just mean my own! I have bled buckets. I have broke rings. I have shattered glass. I have shattered BODIES. I’ve taken on THIS ENTIRE GODDAMN ROSTER and now I sit enthroned on it’s burned out husk. So all these games with BLOOD are appropriate, Reo, because BLOOD is what I have sacrificed to WIN that championship and it’s what I will sacrifice to KEEP it. And speaking of Where Eagles Dare, haha…My memory’s not so good because I get hit in the head a lot, but I think when I took on that entire roster, that included you, Reo, and even though I know I didn’t eliminate you, the way you went out almost seems prophetic. A victim of your own arrogance. You got COMFORTABLE. Then you lost.

The black-painted lips cracked apart into that unsettling smile, as the dreadlocked hair fell in front of Holland’s painted face again.

HOLLAND: You’ve been feeling comfortable, Reo. Feeling like you have this one in the bag. And given what you’ve been able to get over on me–choking out Locke Helms, busting me open–I don’t blame you for feeling comfortable. But that comfort is gonna let me put you to sleep. A sleep from which you are NEVER waking up. Challenging me for the World Championship is, quite literally, another monster entirely. You talk about respect. At the end of Rapture you WILL…respect me.

Holland slammed the microphone back down on the table. Ojima’s expression hadn’t changed the entire time as he was leaned back in the chair. Calmly taking the pen, Ojima signed his name on the contract but didn’t shove it back to Holland. Instead, he calmly picks up the microphone and starts to address Holland in a low tone in his broken English. 

OJIMA: I’m an old man, Erik. Every minute I grow a little bit older and after listening to your little pep talk to yourself I aged 10 years. So thanks for that.

Ojima took a short pause as he looked Holland up and down with his eyes. 

OJIMA: You want to know why I can bark orders and demand everyone to give me some respect? Huh? Because I’ve been in this goddamn business for over 30 years! That’s why! 30 years of taking bumps in this ring. 30 years of staring at my opponents on the opposite side of the ring. 30 years of traveling the road and perfecting my skills. I’ve taken shits in locker rooms longer than you’ve been wrestling, kid. The same goes for the rest of the locker room. I’m surrounded by kids who don’t know what they’re doing and inexperienced….so sorry if I get a little cranky at times. But can you blame me, kid, for being a little bit ticked off every time I step in that locker room? I see kids who think it’s more important to dress up like a fictional character in a B Rated movie than know the simple basics of wrestling. I’ve seen and done it all and if you dumbasses would listen maybe you’d learn a thing or two. But you don’t. And that’s why most of you fucks won’t be around in the next five years. Because you don’t listen. 

Ojima pointed to his ears as the tone in his voice went up a little and he started to lean towards the table. 

OJIMA: So listen to me, kid, because I ain’t saying it again. OATH has been a laughing stock for a good while now because of the dumbasses that have been holding onto the title that you now hold. Kids that don’t know what they’re doing. OATH needs an adult to take over and out of the entire roster, I’m the only adult here and it shows right now. This is a contract signing, Erik. You’re supposed to dress up for the occasion but you come out here dressed like a dumbass with your smelly hair and makeup you stole from your mom’s purse. You have a shitty memory because you wrestle like a dumbass by taking chair shots to the head all the time. And your little manager is a dumbass as well because she has to protect her tweets. So that makes you a dumbass as well for associating with her.

Standing up, Ojima tapped on the OATH World Title and ended his speech by looking directly at Holland and addressed him once again in a low tone. Davis hopped down off of the turnbuckle and slowly walked toward the other side of the ring, which Lyric stood just outside. Holland’s attention remained on Ojima.

OJIMA: So dumbass, I’m going to take the title off of you and for the first time in this company’s history it will have a champion it can respect… and not be held by a dumbass…you dumbass.

Ojima flicked the pen on the table and placed his hands in his pockets. Holland stood up now, gesturing at Barlow like “We done?”. Barlow gave a nod and collected the black folder, looking pleased that nothing bad had happened. Barlow then left the ring and made his way up the ramp. At that point, Davis turned away from Lyric and clubbed Holland from behind, driving him into a corner! The crowd began to boo as security was having to at once keep Lyric from entering the ring and keep Lyric from scratching their eyes out. Davis had the World Champion in the corner as Ojima joins the assault with chops, forearms and stomps. One security guard entered the ring and once in position, they thrrew off her security cap and jacket to reveal Qiyanna Marshal! She disguised herself as one of the security guards! Davis goes to attack Marshal as she walked over to stop the onslaught and got rocked with a sitout jawbreaker!  MEARS: Qiyanna Marshal is here to help the champion! PETRIE: This is none of her business! Also posing as a security guard is a felony! MEARS: No it is not.

Davis then got speared to the mat by Marshall and they started trading blows. Holland finally started fighting back against Ojima, with a flurry of chops, forearms and punches of his own! Marshal let Davis up to his feet and nailed him with a superkick, sending him careening over the top as Holland ducks a clothesline from Ojima and backdropped him over the ropes where Ojima landed almost side-by-side with Davis! MEARS: Holland and Marshal have cleared the ring! PETRIE: By means of treachery! Ojima climbed back up onto the apron and got tattooed with Plan 9 from Outer Space sending him spilling to the floor, knocking over security guards like so many blue jacketed bowling pins. This let Lyric finally get into the ring and get to Holland as “Haunted” reprised over the p.a. Holland was in an absolute rage as he sent the two chairs flying every which way around the ring. MEARS: The World Champion is livid! PETRIE: Think of how much angrier he’d be if he didn’t concoct this RUSE!

As security cleared, Holand even picks up the desk the contract was on and hurls it onto the arena floor right in front of the retreating Davis and Ojima, spit flecking from his mouth as he loosed a stream of absolutely not-PG language at his assailants. PETRIE: Swear jar is gonna fill the fuck up tonight. Marshal meanwhile was on the second buckle challenging Davis to get back in the ring now that the sides were even. Lyric brought Holland the OATH World title, and Holland seized the strap with his teeth letting the belt dangle from his mouth, spreading his arms wide, eyes bulging as he threatened Ojima, presenting an intimidating sight. Conviction went off the air with this shot of the threatening champion.

Results: • Reo Ojima & Zeke Davis def. Silvio Aprile & Tony Satriale • Ben Macbeth def. Annie Lapalm • Qiyanna Marshal def. Astaroth • Josie Wales def. Leah Aguero • FM Young def. Baz Jacobi (2-1) to retain the Tabula Rasa Title • Terra Mason def. Monstruo by DQ • James Edwards & Finn Whelan def. Midnight Special