The fans were stirring all about the arena, finding their seats or heading to the concession stands before the fourth Monday Massacre went underway. It was the night after BBW's first ever Hardcore Harvest, and the fans were sure that a good show would follow up the massive event. As the hour reached 7pm Eastern time, the opening riff to Hell or Highwater's "Crash and Burn" resonated around the arena, the song that had become known as Monday Massacre's theme tune. The fans let out a joyous cheer for at the realization that the show was beginning. Like always, they expected a word from the esteemed General Manager
Life is a long, long road I know,
Take it one day at a time!
But days are wasted,
I cant replace 'em.
If I'm not mistaken,
I don't have time for this!
The nights are getting longer and longer,
I swear that I used to be stronger.
But I wont forget that I can't regret where I've been,
So until then I'll say...
Right before the chorus struck, a tall, muscular figure ran out on stage. The moment he pushed through the curtain, the fans screamed his name to greet him. Wearing his black jeans, a black "Dream Theater" muscle shirt, and his signature aviators to hide his eyes, it was none other than the General Manager himself, Matt Shanahan. A wide grin etched his features as he gazed across the large crowd filling the arena. He had high hopes for tonight's show just like all of the fans, and he prayed they wouldn't be disappointed tonight. With his grin in check, Matt quickly began his trek down to the ring, slapping a few high fives along the way.
Crash and burn, my friend!
I'll see you at the bottom of the
Deep, dark blue descend!
This is the end!
Begin again!
The God of Punks' movements were quick, considering there was a bounce of energy in every step he took. He jogged up the steel steps and stepped over the top rope with ease, entering the squared circle. His combat boots carried him across the BBW logo painted into the canvas and towards another turnbuckle, where he found a microphone laying down on the mat. The music faded into the distance as he picked up the vocal receiver and moved towards the center of the ring; his eyes scanned around the arena for sparing seconds, taking in the sight of the roaring crowd. "What's up, Philadelphia!" The God of Punks tested his hometown crowd, getting a near deafening response. His smile couldn't have been any stronger, "That's what I like to hear! I know we got some upset fans back in our usual place of business, but I couldn't resist the chance to show off the Bad Blood roster to the city where it all began, for me, on our way back home. Are you guys ready for an epic night?!" The fans' response was just the same as the previous one, giving Matt time to glance around at the fans once more.
"I'm glad to hear it, but I gotta be real with you guys tonight. This goddamn moment in time right now... it's something I only dreamed of. You see, if you had told me back around June that I would be the Manager of a new, ********' successful federation, I would've told you to get the ******** outta the gene pool. Why? Because I've tried it, over and over again. Gaia Professional Impact Wrestling, Philadelphia Hardcore Wrestling, hell, there's been projects in the works that I -never- got around to planning the first card for. I've tried it before, and I always failed. Not only that, but this industry has seen so many promotions rise and crash into the ground, that it's almost impossible to get one running successfully for more than a show or two. But you know what?... Bad Blood Wrestling just had it's -first- Pay-Per-View event, which was a massive ********' success if I may say so myself! And to this moment, the amount of contracts I have waiting for my signature to officially sign them to this company is double the amount of active employees on my roster during the first show! People want to be in this company just as badly as I -want- them to be here, and it's a livin' dream for me!"
Matt took a moment to pause, mainly to compose himself and not have an excitement overload, "... speaking of people who want to be here, it brings me to another reason that I came out here... there's a man that proved at Hardcore Harvest that he wants to be here, perhaps more than anyone else. Say, do we have any People of Salem in the audience tonight?" The God of Punks quizzed, getting a sizable pop from the audience, "... and how do you guys feel about your favorite son?" The response was noticeably louder than before, pulling a chuckle from Shanahan's lips, "You know, that ******** -stole- the World Championship last night, in a tournament he didn't even belong in. He wasn't even officially signed on to the goddamn roster. But somehow, he found his way to the ring, and took an opportunity that -no one- saw coming. He took the grandest award in the company! His first night, and the ********' kid wins the the belt!... you can be sure my new security team will make sure s**t like that doesn't happen again," Matt finished, though remnants of a smirk crossed his lips.
"But you know, I respect him for it. I respect him because he showed what Bad Blood Wrestling is all about. It's not about how much money you get paid to be here, it's not about how big your resume is, it's not about how much merchandise you sell; no, it's about taking opportunities, whether they're handed to you or left in the open. He risked his goddamn neck, and look what it got him. He's our goddamn World Champion. But... is he the only champion we have now?" The General Manager quizzed the audience, only waiting a brief moment before continuing, "Of course not, because in his first defense in nearly six, count 'em, six years... Shadow retained the OECW Seasons Championship, proving that to this day, he can handle the elements better than any!"
Matt's signature smirk spread across his face after a brief moment of silence, his perpetual-bloodshot eyes scanning over the crowd, “What about the other belt, right? The Crimson City?” Matt teased the audience with news of the final belt, though many had already seen the results of the high octane Pay-Per-View, “There's a ******** in the back that has had more success than anyone in this company, as of last night. He proved his worth by taking a hardcore legend head-on, and somehow managing to walk out of it with the victory. That's right, Andrew Styles is in the books at our first ever Crismon City Championship. The kid's earned it!... but if he so much as touches -my- assistant again, I'll bash that damn belt into his skull then have his history erased from the books,” the threat left Shanahan's lips as his eyes turned to stare towards the backstage area, his smirk fading immediately. He clearly wasn't a fan of Andrew's celebration the other night.
“Speaking of which... where is Mindy? Why is my lovely, stuttering assistant not here with me right now?” Matt moved on to his next topic, quizzing the crowd once more, “That's a surprise for us all tonight, actually. For you see, despite how cutesy and shy she may be, she's got a fierce love for this company in a whole different way. So tonight, we're launching a brand new segment to the Monday Massacre line-up! Mindy's Corner!... title pending,” The God of Punks followed his statement with a chuckle, taking a moment to step back and face the other side of the arena, “And her guest tonight? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. You guys wanna know what else is in store for tonight?” Matt lowered the microphone as the sea of fans let out a hellacious roar in his direction, demanding that Shanahan stop with the teasing and give them what they wanted.
“Alright, alright! Sheesh, I forget how impatient Philly can be... tonight, we don't have any special match types for you. I know this is the -home- of hardcore wrestling, but the guys in the back can only take so much, and I like to think that Hardcore Harvest took a lot out of them. But, you're gonna see some debuts tonight, I won't spoil that for ya; it's been a continuing trend each card, hasn't it? The main even though... it's a first in our company's history. You see, while I knew I was depriving my hometown crowd of the -extreme- brutality that they relish... I'm gonna try to make up for it by giving you all a first sight of what our new champions are capable of. So tonight, you will see the clash of two rising stars, two ********' titans in this company. It's Champion against Champion! Your World Champion Salem Croft versus the Crimson City Champion Andrew Styles!... ********, that's a mouthful,” Matt muttered at the end, taking a moment to allow the fans to roar for the main event of the evening. Shanahan turned on heel to the other side of the arena and began to pace across the ring, “It's gonna be the biggest main event we've seen yet! And it's just the begin-”
[Anyone is free to interrupt here.]
Life is a long, long road I know,
Take it one day at a time!
But days are wasted,
I cant replace 'em.
If I'm not mistaken,
I don't have time for this!
The nights are getting longer and longer,
I swear that I used to be stronger.
But I wont forget that I can't regret where I've been,
So until then I'll say...
Right before the chorus struck, a tall, muscular figure ran out on stage. The moment he pushed through the curtain, the fans screamed his name to greet him. Wearing his black jeans, a black "Dream Theater" muscle shirt, and his signature aviators to hide his eyes, it was none other than the General Manager himself, Matt Shanahan. A wide grin etched his features as he gazed across the large crowd filling the arena. He had high hopes for tonight's show just like all of the fans, and he prayed they wouldn't be disappointed tonight. With his grin in check, Matt quickly began his trek down to the ring, slapping a few high fives along the way.
Crash and burn, my friend!
I'll see you at the bottom of the
Deep, dark blue descend!
This is the end!
Begin again!
The God of Punks' movements were quick, considering there was a bounce of energy in every step he took. He jogged up the steel steps and stepped over the top rope with ease, entering the squared circle. His combat boots carried him across the BBW logo painted into the canvas and towards another turnbuckle, where he found a microphone laying down on the mat. The music faded into the distance as he picked up the vocal receiver and moved towards the center of the ring; his eyes scanned around the arena for sparing seconds, taking in the sight of the roaring crowd. "What's up, Philadelphia!" The God of Punks tested his hometown crowd, getting a near deafening response. His smile couldn't have been any stronger, "That's what I like to hear! I know we got some upset fans back in our usual place of business, but I couldn't resist the chance to show off the Bad Blood roster to the city where it all began, for me, on our way back home. Are you guys ready for an epic night?!" The fans' response was just the same as the previous one, giving Matt time to glance around at the fans once more.
"I'm glad to hear it, but I gotta be real with you guys tonight. This goddamn moment in time right now... it's something I only dreamed of. You see, if you had told me back around June that I would be the Manager of a new, ********' successful federation, I would've told you to get the ******** outta the gene pool. Why? Because I've tried it, over and over again. Gaia Professional Impact Wrestling, Philadelphia Hardcore Wrestling, hell, there's been projects in the works that I -never- got around to planning the first card for. I've tried it before, and I always failed. Not only that, but this industry has seen so many promotions rise and crash into the ground, that it's almost impossible to get one running successfully for more than a show or two. But you know what?... Bad Blood Wrestling just had it's -first- Pay-Per-View event, which was a massive ********' success if I may say so myself! And to this moment, the amount of contracts I have waiting for my signature to officially sign them to this company is double the amount of active employees on my roster during the first show! People want to be in this company just as badly as I -want- them to be here, and it's a livin' dream for me!"
Matt took a moment to pause, mainly to compose himself and not have an excitement overload, "... speaking of people who want to be here, it brings me to another reason that I came out here... there's a man that proved at Hardcore Harvest that he wants to be here, perhaps more than anyone else. Say, do we have any People of Salem in the audience tonight?" The God of Punks quizzed, getting a sizable pop from the audience, "... and how do you guys feel about your favorite son?" The response was noticeably louder than before, pulling a chuckle from Shanahan's lips, "You know, that ******** -stole- the World Championship last night, in a tournament he didn't even belong in. He wasn't even officially signed on to the goddamn roster. But somehow, he found his way to the ring, and took an opportunity that -no one- saw coming. He took the grandest award in the company! His first night, and the ********' kid wins the the belt!... you can be sure my new security team will make sure s**t like that doesn't happen again," Matt finished, though remnants of a smirk crossed his lips.
"But you know, I respect him for it. I respect him because he showed what Bad Blood Wrestling is all about. It's not about how much money you get paid to be here, it's not about how big your resume is, it's not about how much merchandise you sell; no, it's about taking opportunities, whether they're handed to you or left in the open. He risked his goddamn neck, and look what it got him. He's our goddamn World Champion. But... is he the only champion we have now?" The General Manager quizzed the audience, only waiting a brief moment before continuing, "Of course not, because in his first defense in nearly six, count 'em, six years... Shadow retained the OECW Seasons Championship, proving that to this day, he can handle the elements better than any!"
Matt's signature smirk spread across his face after a brief moment of silence, his perpetual-bloodshot eyes scanning over the crowd, “What about the other belt, right? The Crimson City?” Matt teased the audience with news of the final belt, though many had already seen the results of the high octane Pay-Per-View, “There's a ******** in the back that has had more success than anyone in this company, as of last night. He proved his worth by taking a hardcore legend head-on, and somehow managing to walk out of it with the victory. That's right, Andrew Styles is in the books at our first ever Crismon City Championship. The kid's earned it!... but if he so much as touches -my- assistant again, I'll bash that damn belt into his skull then have his history erased from the books,” the threat left Shanahan's lips as his eyes turned to stare towards the backstage area, his smirk fading immediately. He clearly wasn't a fan of Andrew's celebration the other night.
“Speaking of which... where is Mindy? Why is my lovely, stuttering assistant not here with me right now?” Matt moved on to his next topic, quizzing the crowd once more, “That's a surprise for us all tonight, actually. For you see, despite how cutesy and shy she may be, she's got a fierce love for this company in a whole different way. So tonight, we're launching a brand new segment to the Monday Massacre line-up! Mindy's Corner!... title pending,” The God of Punks followed his statement with a chuckle, taking a moment to step back and face the other side of the arena, “And her guest tonight? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. You guys wanna know what else is in store for tonight?” Matt lowered the microphone as the sea of fans let out a hellacious roar in his direction, demanding that Shanahan stop with the teasing and give them what they wanted.
“Alright, alright! Sheesh, I forget how impatient Philly can be... tonight, we don't have any special match types for you. I know this is the -home- of hardcore wrestling, but the guys in the back can only take so much, and I like to think that Hardcore Harvest took a lot out of them. But, you're gonna see some debuts tonight, I won't spoil that for ya; it's been a continuing trend each card, hasn't it? The main even though... it's a first in our company's history. You see, while I knew I was depriving my hometown crowd of the -extreme- brutality that they relish... I'm gonna try to make up for it by giving you all a first sight of what our new champions are capable of. So tonight, you will see the clash of two rising stars, two ********' titans in this company. It's Champion against Champion! Your World Champion Salem Croft versus the Crimson City Champion Andrew Styles!... ********, that's a mouthful,” Matt muttered at the end, taking a moment to allow the fans to roar for the main event of the evening. Shanahan turned on heel to the other side of the arena and began to pace across the ring, “It's gonna be the biggest main event we've seen yet! And it's just the begin-”
[Anyone is free to interrupt here.]
