The heart punch he’d received earlier was bad enough; this blow with the assistance of the steel weapon was probably going to bring Keith’s hopes to an end and crush the dreams of the crowd.

And all Khristian Keller could do about this turn of events was laugh a sick, evil, godless row about it.

NINE.
TEN.

ELEVEN.

TWELVE.

THIRTEEN.

Keith heard it. Heard it distinctly flare up from the back of his head.

The beep of a hospital monitor far, far away from the arena.

And he was up at fourteGLASGOW KISS.

Keller was in killer mode now, Zimmerman staggered back down the hallway from the force of the blow to his already damaged face that was now pouring blood out of his eyebrow, forehead, and smashed nose. Standing on his unsteady feet, Keith threw a left hand that was quickly blocked by Keller before he decided to put his own depraved spin on a Zimmerman standby.

PUNT.

YOU.

GROIN.

The crowd’s sympathetic groans did nothing to disguise the fact that Keller’s good leg had caught Keith smack-dab in the groin. Before Keith could even fall all the way over, Keller looked behind him and once he’d confirmed the view, sent Zimmerman flying on a biel.

Down a staircase.

The crowd didn’t have time to gasp over it.

THWACK.

THWACK.

Zimmerman’s body bounced off of another set of steps and fell further this time. His head lay slumped and he lay almost in a fetal position when he finally came to a stop.

The crowd came to a quick, decisive uniform judgment.

KELLER SUCKS!

KELLER SUCKS!

KELLER SUCKS!

KELLER SUCKS!

Keller looked up from where he was while Leon counted to fifteen and ended Keith’s dreams. Placing the chant, Keller let a grin creep into his face.

Then he gave the camera the finger with both hands.

And let’s wrap this tragedy up.

Eleven.

Twelve.

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

FIFTEE--no.

NO.

Zimmerman staggered up, and fell back down on his hands and knees. Keller looked on, and the shock on his face was unvarnished. He went from Zimmerman’s soon-to-be corpse to Hurst.

“He’s down!”

“He beat the count! Doesn’t matter if he’s back down!”

Keller let out a yell, and then the feed turned shaky. Keller grunted and swore at the top of his lungs that this was just a taste and that he was going to land Keith in a hospital bed next to his whore. The angle switched, looking from a landing above and behind the action, where Keller had assaulted the ever-loving shit out of the poor guy who’d been the primary filmer of the backstage action. The crowd’s KELLER SUCKS! chant got even louder if such a thing was possible, and Keller slapped the taste out of the cameraman’s mouth and threatened the same to Hurst. Keller picked the camera out of his arm crook and held it up to the light. Hell, he was only a second away. This would do.

This would do just fucking fine.

Keller took the stairs two at a clip to get down to where Zimmerman was. Up it came.

RUAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!

Hurst couldn’t believe it.

Cardinal couldn’t believe it.

And the crowd, down to their last flicker of hope, were suddenly recharged.

Keith didn’t know exactly where he was, but fighting fire with fire was kinda how he got this far. Before Keller could connect, Zimmerman’s body had come up and he’d DRILLED K2’s shit with a vicious Roaring Elbow to and through the camera upside Keller’s temple.

Just another case of the DAMN ZIMMINATOR coming through for its creator when he needed it the most.

Zimmerman was down on his ass, but he scooted backwards and away with his eyes bobbling so as to give Leon room enough to make the count. Between the glass and the...whatever they make cameras out of, Keller had to feel like he was less of a man and more of a pincushion at this point. Hurst’s count rolled on as Keith used some cyclone fencing to pull himself up and survey the scene.

It was looking pretty damn sweet for the man out of Berkeley. Keller hadn’t even stirred yet.

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

That’s the stuff. Keith kept his focus on Keller’s twitching body. It may’ve been lights out but this blood feud wasn’t going to end without some sacrifice on both ends.

Then again, fifteen.

SIXTEEN.

SEVENTEEN.

EIGHT--and out of the wreckage, to his own unsteady legs in this hallway was the holder of the [black] Scorpion title.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The crowd could boo all they liked for as long as they cared to, Khristian Fucking Keller had beaten the count. Zimmerman’s eyes flared briefly, and settled. If it was back on the attack Keller wanted, that was what he was going to get.

HURST FLYING THROUGH THE AIR?!

In his cowardice and desperation, Keller had thrown the zebra at an oncoming Zimmerman, who actually caught Hurst before shoving him to the side andCLOTHESLINE FROM FUCK MOUNTAIN.

Zimmerman went down in sections off of ACW’s most notorious lariat. All Keller needed was to throw Keith off for a moment. Just like that, he’d deployed his biggest and baddest weapon. With a cold glare, he staggered past the fallen Zimmerman and slowly recovering Hurst over towards the catering table, where he picked up the breakfast of wrestling champions.

Jack Daniels.

Having himself a hearty chug, Keller looked on as Zimmerman was still unmoving. He was pretty sure he’d just ended things but given the nature of the beast he was combatting...best to put some insurance runs on the board.

Scared? No, Keller convinced himself. He looked at the table to Zimmerman, and then every single tooth of his gleamed fiendish smile.

Zimmerman, by the throat.

Zimmerman, in the air.
Zimmerman CHOKESLAMMED THROUGH THE GODDAMN TABLE.

And that would put a bow on things. Keller replied to Hurst’s glare with a deeper one of his own.

“End it. Or I’ll see to it you and him share an ambulance.”

And this is how the Zimmerman Era in ACW ended.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

Twelve.

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

Fiftee...

….fiftee..

…

Shards of wood across the floor, starting to become stained with blood.

The Montreal Forum literally shaking.

Fingers trembled.

Orifices bled.

A lesser man would’ve dropped his Jack Daniels.

And a lesser man -- say, somebody not named Keith Scott Zimmerman -- wouldn’t’ve beaten the count.

Groaning in out and out disbelief, Keller grabbed by the back of the head before marching forward a few steps and using Keith as a missile to check a door’s stability.

Unfortunately for Keith, it didn’t have any.

At least this time Keith stayed on the same floor when he fell through, the night taking an even darker turn as the underground parking lot at the Forum would be where Keller continued his assault. And his drinking binge.

“I don’t know where the tits you’re getting it from, little man,” grumbled K2 before taking another pull of quality whiskey. “But way to stay in it, freak. In fact..”

If you didn’t know any better you’d think that was Khristain’s friendly smile.

“...here’s to you!”

SMASH!

More broken glass, this time over the head of Keith Scott Zimmerman, who quietly went down for the last time on this evening. Keller leered over Keith’s body, shaking his head over the fact that Keith had ever, ever been dumb enough to stand in his path.

“Finally.” muttered KII. Slowly, he raised a fist in the air. This was his ultimate moment of crowning glory. Underneath him, Zimmerman laid almost spread-eagle. Blood had quit dribbling down his face, he was so out of it. His left arm lay useless at his side as Hurst’s count went back into double digits.
Unbeknownst to the zebra and unfortunately for the King, it was the right arm of Keith that was about to help change the course of ACW history.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

One of the most blood-curdling screams in the history of mankind suddenly flew out of the mouth of a very, very surprised Khristian Keller. His eyes rolled to the back of the head, and he suddenly felt very lightheaded.

Let this be a note to certain Barons out there.

The Retcon Punch is bad-ass.

But it’s not as bad-ass as

Keller’s eyes were dinner plates of confusion, pain, horror, and disorientation. And his symphony of horrified yelps only increased when he took his arm away from his groin and BLOOD SHOT OUT OF IT.

Zimmerman sat up, slightly, slowly coming to his feet at Hurst’s count of 14. Keller put a hand out onto Keith to steady himself, wailing and cursing over what Keith had done.

K2 looked up at Keith.

Keith looked down at Keller.

He smiled.

Then he punched him in the throat.

The crowd roared as Keller went down in a heap, Keith’s arm now picking up another shard of glass off of the floor.

STAB.
STAB.
STAB.

Keller howled in absolute tortured agony as the glass tore more of his flesh wide open from between his eyes and over his eyebrows. He was losing consciousness rapidly, and only after this succession of blows did he start to manage to get his weary arms up.

It left his right leg wide open, however.

STAB.
STAB.
STAB.
STAB.
STAB.
STAB.

Like a serial killer focused in on his victim, a wild-eyed Keith drove the glass into the already injured leg, and Hurst literally tackled Keith off of Keller and knocked the glass from his hands that were now running slick from his own blood. Cutting himself just to get back at Keller. To repay him for all that he’d done.

Keller, holding on to his groin with one arm and dragging his now dead leg along the parking lot floor, tried the best he could to get away from Zimmerman.

The same Zimmerman who picked him up.

THUMP.

And the same Zimmerman who sent him face-first into the wall. The crowd’s cheering had abated.

THUMP.

A low hush, maybe a murmur had set in.

A slick red spot formed on the wall as Keller slid down it in a heap.

Disoriented, Keller began desperately clawing his fingernails into the surface, trying to get leverage to stand.

The wall was holding him up, holding his hand up.

Keith spun him around.

Glared at him.

The crowd groaned as Keith’s foot shot up and kicked Khristian in the balls.

Blood spurted.

And then Mr. Keller was up in the air.

THE BEST BRAINBUSTER IN THE BUSINESS, onto concrete.

Keith’s wordless stare to nowhere from his seat would give children nightmares for days to come. He made no effort to get up. His eyes began to scan the area, even as blood continued to dribble down his face and almost covered his features. He grabbed Keller by the leg. Hurst’s lips were moving.

Keith pulled Khristian all the way to his feet, and then left him be.

Oh, wait, no.

OH, NO.

An alarm went out.

Keith smiled a little bit.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

HOLY FUCKING SHIT

Oh, sure. At the very least.

It’s not every day a man gets BACKDROP FUCKING DRIVERED into the trunk of a car.

Keller lay down face-first against the vehicle, unmoving. Keith was murmuring to himself, smiling as if he’d just gotten a very private joke.

“nothing,” he murmured to his subconscious.

“seems to kill me.”

“no matter how hard i try.”

His head suddenly whipped around, where Leon Hurst’s count was...a little sprightly, to say the least.

SEVENTEEN.

EIGHTEEN.

NUH--

Keith pulled Keller up.

Read that again.

I’m not kidding.

The mass of humanity went up to the hood of the car, Keith apparently dragging a spent and destroyed Keller to the top of it in a vantage point, taking careful measure to prop Keller’s body up next to his. Keith laughed, and gestured out across the parking lot disfigured with blood and glass. His almost-bald head rested against Keller’s almost like a lover’s.

Not since In Acropolis had Leon Hurst seen the smile currently on Keith’s face and back then he was fortunate enough to not have to witness it up close. So. Fucking. Creepy.

Their blood comingled against Keith’s skull as he cinched a front chancery on Keller’s head, looked him in the eyes, and said one thing to him:

“every GOOD artist....paints what he is.”

And then they flew off of the hood of the car, Keller’s body almost forming a lower case I as Keith had him hooked, positioned, dead to rights.

CRUNCH.

Hurst’s eyes flew open in shock, one more time.

Cardinal cringed and dropped his headset.

Zimmerman, in a position completely seated almost Indian-style, closed his eyes at what he’d wrought and smiled.

And Keller didn’t do a thing except lie on his stomach and twitch.

Keith had flown off of the car and driven Keller’s neck into the ground with a snapmare driver.

But if that’s too many words for you...

...we can just call it the killjoy.

Zimmerman sat alongside Keller, rubbing his shoulders as Hurst made the count.

At around 14, he pulled himself up to a standing position.

Like Keller was going anywhere that wasn’t a gurney to the ambulance to the hospital.

TWENTY.

Everlast rang out in the arena, and everybody’s reaction was...different. Some cheered knowing what Keller had done. Some booed since Keith had piled on. And some waited for a reaction to come to them. But Keith didn’t care.

He was free.

Hand extended, he took the [black] Scorpion championship from Leon Hurst and staggered off down the garage towards his own car. After a few steps, he stopped, and placed the belt around his neck like a collar.

Or a vice.

Or a noose.

It’s hard to tell.

The EMTs encircled Khristian Keller’s fallen body as Hurst stayed on a knee next to it, but Keith had left that all behind. And only those with the volume turned up could hear him say to nobody, everybody, this moment, and forever:

“we aren’t free.

I am.”

Orphaned.

LEGENDS had returned from it's last scheduled break to see the broken and battered body of Khristain Keller... walking through the ring curtains.

WTF much?

What kind of noise was he greeted with you may ask?

Applause.

Fucking APPLAUSE.

It was rumoured that this would have been the King Shits last match in ACW due to some contractual circumstances... was this to be his finale speech?

Could he even fucking talk?

He was broken.

A complete shell of a man and it was hard to say if he knew what exactly he was doing as he slobbered and stuttered his way down the rampway with EMTs watching his every move from five or so yards away from him. Covered in blood and various bits of car hood, he made his way into the ring and rolled into it.

Keith Scott Zimmerman had vacated the premises, but Khristain Keller remained.

Why?

The crowd in the smaller building looked around, about ready to watch the evening’s main event on the HuntTron. And indeed, the HuntTron promptly whirred to life, to reveal…static.

Confusion set in.

This was ACW.

Lord knew worse had befallen her than a faulty connection to the other arena. When the lights in the All-Star Arena went to black, though, the crowd figured out right quick that this was no accident.

A single spotlight appeared at the top of the entryway, illuminating a lone figure standing there under the bright light. Necks all over the All-Star Arena craned to see just who or what had chosen now, after the main event of this half of Legends V, to make his appearance.

Long, white locks cascaded down to his shoulders, with streaks of crimson. Those close to the entryway could see that he was straitjacketed, the pristine white of the jacket stained with what could only be blood. His head hung forward, obscuring his identity…an identity that was now being speculated on by everyone in the arena.

Whispers took over amongst the fans for a moment. There was no way this could be, could it?

In the ring, the King Shit of Fuck Mountain looked down the aisle as if he’d seen a ghost... or maybe two since his mind had just been jacked by KSZ. The fans might not have been quite sure of what was going on yet, but he knew. He’d seen this scene up close and personal when he had perpetrated it, all the way back in 2009.

The lights returned to the All-Star Arena, and the man in the aisle threw his head back, to reveal to Montreal and the world the truth that Khristain Keller already knew.

There was no music. No fanfare. No pyro.

None of that mattered, though.

SEYMOUR ALMASY had returned to All-Star Championship Wrestling.

One of the company’s techs moved over to the Final Fantasy, unlocking him from the straitjacket. Seymour made no move to take it off, simply moving forward with his arms freed, eyes locked on Khristain Keller, a smile curving the former two-time ACW World Champion’s mouth.

The roar of the crowd in the small building only increased as Seymour marched forward, stopping only at ringside to scoop up a steel folding chair. In the ring, Keller could only watch, too exhausted and too brokento do anything at all but try and be ready if he was to defend himself.

Keller had came here to give his final words in ACW, but not now... now he had the man he tried to kill in front of him.

He had thought Almasy gone forever. Two years and he hadn’t come back. Two whole years; practically an eternity in the wrestling business. More than long enough for one to think their atrocity long forgotten and gotten away with. He’d paid for the crime once, at the hands of Christopher Declan Sheffield.

ACW, though, allowed for double jeopardy.

The winner of 2005’s End Game circled the ring, chair in hand, before finally hopping up to the ring apron. He stepped through the ropes quickly, eyes locked on Keller to head off any attack. Keller looked for a way out, any way out, but all he found was a wild-eyed Seymour Almasy with a steel chair in hand.

With no other real choice, Keller cocked his right leg back to kick the Final Fantasy in the stomach. If he connected, the Tranquilizer would be seconds away, and that would be more than enough to quiet the rubes in attendance.

*CRACK!*

The problem was that Seymour had already started swinging the chair, and Keller was caught before his boot could drive home.

Steel met skull, and as usually happens, steel won. Khristain Keller went down, hard, and the All-Star Arena roared with approval.

With Keller splattered in the ring, the straitjacketed Final Fantasy gestured to ringside for a microphone. It didn’t take him long to get one.

What he said wasn’t very heroic, but it was the sort of thing you could imagine someone saying to a man who tried to end his livelihood.

“Get the fuck out of my ring right now, you cunt.”

CHEEEEEEEERR~!

Keller looked up, eyes wide in astonishment. Not even because he’d just been cracked in the skull with a chair by a guy he’d thought long gone, but because Seymour “Hero to Millions” Almasy had just called him a cunt.

“I’m not giving you another chance. Get out, right now. I’ll deal with you on my terms. If you DON’T leave, I swear to God I will end your career.” Almasy jerked a thumb towards the entryway. Khristain Keller was many things, but stupid was not among them. He scrambled free of the ring, eyes still locked on Almasy. Seymour was a man of his word, and it was only once Keller was halfway up the aisle to the back that he picked his steel chair back up, unfolded it, and plopped it down dead center of the ring.

“WEL-COME BACK!”
“WEL-COME BACK!”
“WEL-COME BACK!”

For the first time in two years, Seymour Almasy surveyed the All-Star Arena. His fans. His people. Hell, he’d been part of the group that brought ACW back to begin with. In the front row, he could even see his Party, his four slightly lunatic fangirls, cheering their little hearts out.

“I’ve got to admit,” he began, voice quiet, “it damn sure feels good to be back.”

He looked In the front row, to his once-Party. The four young women had long stopped cosplaying, but they still sat front row each and every week. Now, the clock had been turned back to 2009, with the four of them engaging in all manner of cheering.

“It seems like now’s as good a time as any for a hero,” he said, looking out at the All-Star Arena. “The champion of this company is an insane caped lunatic in charge of his own cabal. ACW is run by a maniacal businessman hellbent on using this place as his personal playground.”

The mood in the building is somber, but now, the faithful have something to cheer.

“And so, it is with great pleasure and pride that I have come here, to Legends V, back where ACW all started again to tell you all…”

Perhaps the first sign that something is wrong is that Seymour takes in a deep breath. He looks out into the crowd, at his Party.

It’s not Shane Douglas telling the NWA to kiss his ass, but for the virtuous Final Fantasy, it’s the rough equivalent.

“…you’re going to have to find someone else.”

Wait, what?

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

“As much as I hate to say this,” Seymour growled, pain dripping from every syllable, “I owe that sack of shit walking up the aisle with his tail between his legs a thank you. For the few of you who may not know, I was ACW World Champion in 2009 when that fucker bound me in a straitjacket and beat me to within an inch of my life. That’s why I’m wearing this bloodstained straitjacket tonight: because Khristain Keller decided to try and end me.”

That bit most people knew, of course. The crowd reacted with a mixture of boos, cheers, and just general “What the Hell is going on here?”

“A funny thing happened, though. I got out of the hospital a few days later. I sent out some feelers to ACW, to discuss my rehabilitation, and when I would be coming back…and funnily enough? No one got back to me. Not one person in the ACW office bothered to contact me. For all intents and purposes…I didn’t exist anymore. Khristain Keller hadn’t killed Seymour Almasy. No, ACW killed Seymour Almasy.”

The accusation hung heavy in the air, above the heads of fans who honestly hadn’t had very much to cheer over the past few months. Was what he was saying true? Did ACW really deny him a return? Was he making this up?

“So I sat back. I watched Christopher Sheffield tirelessly search to find the man who put me out of ACW. Sheffield, Alias, whatever the Hell you call yourself nowadays? From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. I thank you because you are the ONLY person on this roster who cared. No, the rest of ACW was content to move along. Max Danger won the ACW World Championship for the second time that very night, and the show continued on. I don’t object to that. I’ve done this long enough to know that great athletes came before me, and great athletes will come after I’m gone.”

The booing increased in ferocity, though it’s notable that the Party still cheered him, as did pockets of the arena.

“The fact is, though, that I’m a two-time ACW World Champion. I’ve gone sixty minutes with Max Danger. I’ve defended my title against anyone and everyone who wanted an opportunity at it. If you want to make a list of the best matches of ACW, I’m all over it. This isn’t me being an arrogant dipshit, I’d like to think. It’s the truth.”

Even those booing nodded at that. Love Seymour Almasy as they had, or hate him, as they were beginning to, denying Almasy’s record was a fool’s errand.

“My point is…this wouldn’t have happened to Sheffield. It wouldn’t have happened to Khristain Keller, or “Superstar” Vince Jacobs, or even Keith Scott Zimmerman if he ever gets a second reign. No, I’m the only two-time World Champion that this company felt the need to erase. You know what, though? It motivated me. It fuelled me. And so, I went through rehab. I fought myself back into fighting shape. I made one more call to this company. I heard nothing back. So I showed up in another wrestling company earlier this year. I had success. Even so, I knew that I had unfinished business. And I knew that no matter how many titles I won, no matter how many up and coming wrestlers I trained…I could never leave professional wrestling until I dealt with ACW.”

That single statement made one thing abundantly clear. This had all been in the works. Planned. Plotted. Designed.

“I didn’t come here to beat up Khristain Keller, though Yevon knows it’s a nice side bonus. No, I came here to take back EVERYTHING that he took from me. My ACW World Championship went to Max Danger that night. Now, it’s in the hands of Z. By the end of the night, my one time best friend might have it. The man who sought out justice on my behalf might have it. Or Z might still have it. No matter which of you has it, consider yourself on borrowed time.”

More cheers than boos ring out at that statement. Even if Seymour’s turning out to be a bit of a whiny dick, he’s still better than Z.

The next bit might go a tiny bit of the way towards changing that, though.

“Seymour Almasy as you know him is dead and buried. If changing one’s identity is good enough for Alias, then it’s good enough for me. Meet Orphan, ladies and gentlemen. I am your Orphan, the hero that you rejected and forgot. A young man who grew up in the welcoming arms of ACW, only to be given up when it suited your interests. Your child – GoldenHAWK may be the literal son of this company, but I was its spiritual child. And then, when the going got tough, when I was at my lowest…I was disowned. Disowned by SilverHAWK. Disowned by ACW management. Disowned by most of you.”

The booing that ensued wasn’t the usual sort that a (possibly liquored up) wrestling crowd tended to dish out. It wasn’t as much angry as it was hurt. Confused.

In short, both performer and audience more or less felt exactly the same way towards the other.

“You people didn’t want the hero you claimed to crave. Very well. So be it. Instead, I will be the villain that you never expected. I will drink in your hatred like I once drank up your support. I will ascend to the place that I held before Khristain Keller decided to take it upon himself to terminate my career. I will become ACW World Champion for a third time. I will cement my name amongst the greatest ever to call this wretched place home. I will make myself UNERASEABLE! Because, when the story of ACW is written, they will speak of SilverHAWK. They will speak of Alias. They will speak of Vince Jacobs.”

The words, even spoken with conviction, just seemed wrong falling out of the mouth of Seymour Almasy. For those present, it was yet another Legends moment: an uncomfortable, stilted moment that they would likely not soon forget.

“And now, if I must die or kill in this ring to ensure it, they will speak of Orphan.”

Dropped microphone. Static.

The rechristened Orphan rolled free of the ring, walking right past his Party. They were among the very few in the arena cheering ACW’s newest villain. For the first time since he had begun speaking, a very small smile lit his face.

“You all understand,” he told them, quietly enough for only them to hear. “I’ll see you all in a bit.”

As he walked up the aisle, his face was projected on the Tron for everyone to see. There was no cackling, no joy at all on Orphan’s face. He claimed that he had been pushed to this extreme, had his hand forced by ACW and its faithful.

The expression on his face was one of equal parts regret, remorse, and conviction. To look into his eyes was to see a man at the end of his rope, a man who believed that his actions were his best option.

And Seymour Almasy, former hero to millions, believed himself a man Orphaned.

Match Five, Best of Five Series – Cage Match
Tyson XL vs. The Amazing Gabriel

   

It was now time.

A feud that had been personal.

A feud that had evolved over the course of almost a year.

And now, a feud that would mean a secured world title shot for the winner.

The Night Life had run roughshod over the ACW Tag Team division and in fact, earlier in the night, had retained their gold against the Brotherhood of Awesome and all that was left was for their fearless leader, The Amazing Gabriel, to attempt to secure and win the title shot that Tyson XL had won at Dios De La Muertos. But Tyson XL had been loved and respected not just by his peers, but by the ACW fans as well. He’d earned their respect the moment he broke free from TAG’s grip. But now, this was match five. For all the marbles, for the title shot, and all that good stuff.

The arena lights faded to a deep red hue and white lights at the entrance began to flash rapidly, coming to life. The fans were then greeted with a little ditty called “Piece by Piece” by Strata. And the fans came up and out of their seats, cheering the man that came out!

The Canadians were out in full force, roaring with approval for the now free man that was Tyson XL. 323 pounds of brute force had wowed the crowd with both his incredible athleticism, but the only thing that impressed them more than that would be his character. No longer able to stand by and be a party to the madness and evil force of the Night Life, he was now a man alone amidst a sea of chaos that was ACW. Tyson XL greeted each and every one of the fans as he approached the ring, but didn’t take his eyes off the prize. He needed to keep his title shot and get The Amazing Gabriel off his back once and for all if it meant getting able to use the title shot.

He took once glance around the cage, surveying what was going to be his surroundings. He smiled at the reaction he was getting form the fans. He was home.

“Self vs. Self” by Pendulum feat. In Flames hit the speakers and a series of blinding white flashes appeared all throughout the arena. The SlyTron flickered to life and showed only static as the man coming out greeted Tyson XL with a prideful smirk. Showing a little more emotion than he did on the last Courage, The Amazing One ran a hand through his moustache, stroking it like he planned to tie Tyson XL across train tracks.

He and Elyse Frost walked down to the ring and shared a passionate kiss with one another. The mother of Tyson XL’s daughter winked at him while the Amazing Gabriel continued to climb the cage cautiously. To Tyson’s credit he was showing great restraint in not rearranging TAG’s facial features. TAG, on the other hand, was showing no restraint whatsoever. He looked around the inside the cage and nearly hyperventilated. He was supposed to have won the series. But it wasn’t to be.

Now, he was locked inside a cage with the very monster that he’d humiliated, verbally abused, and emotionally wrecked.

The bell rang as the two men began to circle one another, waiting to make that all important first move.

“It’s over now, Gabriel.” Tyson hissed.

“Oh, you’d like to think so, fat ass. Lucky for me…. There’s more than one way to escape a cage!”

The Amazing Gabriel had every intention of locking up with him, but suddenly turned around and started to climb the ropes quickly as he tried to get out before Tyson XL could do anything. Tyson calmly walked over and started to climb himself, grabbing the top rope and grabbing The Amazing Gabriel by the head. Soon, both men were standing on the top rope.

The Ringleader quickly grabbed Tyson by the head and slammed his face into the steel mesh so he could try and mount a real quick escape. Elyse cheered him on from the floor while he fought back and struggled to get the hell out of dodge, getting one leg out of the cage and almost making it out to the floor. But by the time he finally got out, Tyson had recovered and grabbed him by his tights, pulling him back down onto the top rope.

“THIS ENDS TONIGHT!” Tyson yelled as he bashed TAG’s face into the cage to the delight of the crowd.

He continued to throw down several more times until one big back elbow sent The Amazing Gabriel flying back down to the mat and back into the ring. Tyson XL hopped back into the ring as The Amazing Gabriel crawled away, trying to give himself some distance from the bigger man. Heavy T wasn’t going to give him any restraint as he picked up TAG by the head and whipped him into the corner before unloading on him with several hard jabs to the face.

He laid in with a few more body shots and continued to whomp the Night Life leader. He whipped him all the way across the ring and waited for TAG to come back, but the Ringleader caught him with a hard kick to the face that stunned him for a moment.

“Got you, you fat fuck!”

The Amazing Gabriel grabbed Tyson XL and in a fantastic show of strength, grabbed him by the body and managed to hit him with one of the greatest wrestling maneuvers known to man…

…A BODY SLAM.

The dirty SOB called The Amazing Gabriel dumped Tyson XL on the mat and flexed his muscles for the booing crowd, then raised his hands in the air. He was a great athlete. Took care of himself, had great conditioning. There was no reason that he couldn’t win this match.

Except for a punch to the mouth from Tyson XL, who was already back on his feet and waiting. TAG went flying back into the corner while the fans continued to cheer on the big man. And a running clothesline knocked TAG right over.

The Ringleader was back to the corner again and Tyson XL continued to wail on him with several hard body shots to the head and chest, keeping him from being able to get anymore in the way of offense. TAG shot back with a couple chops, but Tyson wasn’t budging and continued to fight back with a hard volley of body shots to the head and chest. He continued to throw down and throw down and throw down and beat down and just about any kind of down you could picture until TAG was a beaten and battered mess in the corner.

TAG was sprawled out across the bottom turnbuckle now while Tyson XL grabbed him by the head and picked him up before whipping him to the opposite corner of the ring. Tyson ran fulls peed and rammed a big back elbow to the jaw, then waited as TAG continued to stumble around…

CCS ENZIGURI~!

Three-hundred and twenty-pounds of Tyson XL moved the leg up and cracked TAG upside the head with a mighty big enziguri kick that sent him staggering back down to the ground. He turned around and pushed TAG to the ground, going for a cover.

1…

2…

Close, but no cigar as The Amazing Gabriel threw a shoulder up. Tyson shook his head and gave a parting glance out to Elyse, who gave Tyson the bird from ringside. Tyson XL shrugged and chopped TAG in the chest, continuing to turn his chest red with some violent shots. He threw more body blows, then finally a headbutt capped his assault.

TAG was a scrambled mess, but Tyson XL didn’t care. He grabbed Gabriel by the back of his head and ran him across the ring, smacking him hard against the cage.

Tyson XL continued to fight while the Amazing Gabriel came back into his grip, staggering and hurt. He grabbed him by the back of the head again and tossed him right head first into the cage. Then as The Amazing Gabriel staggered back out, he did it a third time across one corner. Then as The Amazing Gabriel continued to fight, grabbed him and SMASHED him into the cage a fourth time before he crumbled into the ring as a mess.

The fans cheered with every blow being thrown while the Amazing Gabriel backed off. On his knees, he continued to beg and plead for his life. His head was throbbing and he couldn’t take any more of this punishment.

“Too late…”

Tyson XL tossed a big running boot right to his face and knocked him back into the corner. He tried to grab onto him, but The Amazing Gabriel caught him by the side of the head and dropped him with a flatliner right into the second turnbuckle.

Buying himself a little bit of time, TAG went away from Tyson XL and started to climb up the ropes again in a bid to free himself and keep from taking any more damage. But he wasn’t going to get far. Tyson XL grabbed him by the leg and pulled him off the turnbuckle again, but this time, he was ready to fight back and caught him in the head with a high kick to the face.

Tyson XL was finally in the corner now and TAG wasted no time in going to work, throwing a hard series of shoot kicks into his chest to keep him from being able to get anywhere. The shots continued to keep on coming and he continued to wail on his former bodyguard with a couple of hard knees to the head.

He blew a kiss to Elyse while Tyson remained stunned. But all Tyson did was fight back and continued to destroy TAG with a couple more jabs to the head to stun the Night Life leader. But again, The Amazing One tried to climb the ropes to get away from Tyson XL and get the hell out of dodge once and for all. Tyson wasn’t about to let him go anywhere, though, and climbed to the top turnbuckle.

He rammed him again into the steel cage and sent him crashing back down to the ground, landing in a rather painful position, spread-eagle on the top rope.

The Amazing Gabriel was now singing soprano, but Tyson XL wasn’t about to call it even. He shook the ropes and continued to… er, worsen the damage and continued to shake violently. After he was done with that, Tyson Xl ran across the ring and coming back with a HELL of a flying big boot that knocked TAG backwards into the cage and down to the ring apron.

Tyson XL ran to the corner grabbed The Amazing One, pulling him back into the ring before hooking his leg again.

1…

2…

But TAG showed some restraint and still managed to kick out of the big-time move. TAG was nearly out of it completely in the opposite corner now while Tyson XL smiled with more sinister intentions on his mind. Elyse ran over to his side of the cage to cheer on her new beau, but he was in la-la land while Tyson XL continued to scrape his boot across TAG’s face.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Four times.

Five times!

After the series of boot scrapes, Tyson XL ran across the ring, looking for another big move…

No!

He had to stop immediately when The Amazing Gabriel pulled the referee in front of him, keeping Tyson XL from doing whatever big move he had planned. Tyson XL pushed the referee out of the way, but didn’t see TAG pulling off the top turnbuckle padding. Heavy T turned around…. BOOM!

Thrown face first into the exposed turnbuckle, the big man went teetering back a step. Tyson XL was on wobbly legs, which allowed for TAG to grab him by the head and stun him with a single knee facebreaker.

Tyson XL was wobbly on his knees, but The Amazing Gabriel continued his assault by throwing a couple more kicks to the head before turning him around and grabbing him by the back… dropping him with a CRUSH~!

The double knee backbreaker caught Tyson XL in the back and stunned him while The Amazing Gabriel wobbled backwards and tried to regain his composure. After having his ass virtually handed to him in the last several minutes of the match, he needed a good escape route and quickly. He threw some hard elbows and kicks to the head of his former bodyguard and continued to stun him.

He set up Tyson XL in a standing camel clutch position and let him have it with several cross arm punches to the face, trying to continue to wear down the big man. And just to be a big dick, he continued to twist him around and locked in a fishhook just for fun. The referee was powerless to do anything but watch as Tyson had his face twisted around into painful shapes not meant to be in.

A hard roundhouse kick caught Tyson XL right in the head, finally knocking him over. The Amazing Gabriel hurriedly went for a cover.

1…

2…

No way, wasn’t gonna happen.

Tyson XL pushed The Amazing Gabriel away from him to try and get some separation, but The Night Life leader closed that gap and continued to pound on him with several more kicks to the head. Tyson XL was stunned against the ropes with nowhere to go as The Amazing Gabriel continued to kick him in the head.

He brought him to the middle of the ring to try and do some more damage, but Tyson XL broke free from his grip and let The Amazing Gabriel have it with several hard jabs to the face to stun him. He went to start throwing kicks of his own, throwing kicks to the legs to weaken Gabriel, but TAG fought back and kicked him in the head again…

HAAKEN~!

The superkick was powerful enough to knock Tyson XL off his feet and send him crashing to the mat. Winded from his earlier onslaught, The Amazing Gabriel crawled over and hooked the far leg.

1…

2…

Tyson XL kicked out again and kept him from getting the all important win, but The Amazing Gabriel still had several tricks up his sleeve.

He locked in a cravate headlock and continued to throw some knees upwards into the face of Tyson XL, continuing to drill him before turning him around by the neck and dropping him hard into the mat again with a neckbreaker. He turned him around and locked him in a grounded version of a headlock, twisting around on the neck and head again, going for a submission.

“TYSON!

TYSON!

TYSON!

TYSON!

TYSON!

TYSON!”

The fans were continuing to get on the side of Tyson XL as he struggled to fight his way out. But The Amazing Gabriel had a knee planted firmly in the back of the neck while twisting the neck around. But Tyson grabbed him by the head and threw some hard elbows to the stomach and fight his way back.

The former Black scorpion and tag team champion fought his way back up and continued to throw some more jabs and hard body shots to the face in order to keep him grounded. He brawled his way back up until he was finally free.

Tyson XL had the fans in his back pocket as he continued to throw some punches and chops to the chest to get his advantage back.

TAG doubled Tyson over with a hard kick to the knee to stun him away. He ran off to the ropes, but Tyson XL grabbed him by the head and twisted him by the head to lock him in a modified choke hold, trying his best to rob the life out of TAG. TAG squirmed and fought and threw a couple of hard elbows back into the head. TAG got free and shoved Tyson XL back into the ropes and when the big man came back…

BREWSKI BOOT~!

The jump spinning roundhouse kick caught Tyson XL right in the top of his head and knocked him right to the ground. The Amazing Gabriel fist pumped to the chagrin of the crowd, then crawled over and went for a rather lazy cover.

1…

2…

But Tyson XL kicked out again and pushed Tyson XL right off him, keeping him from losing his title shot. The Amazing Gabriel shook his head and had an angry scowl across his face now. He tried to keep his composure by throwing some more knees into the head of Tyson before grabbing him and smearing his face across the steel mesh.

“YOU LIKE THAT?! YOU LIKE THAT?!”

TAG pressed a boot down into the back of Tyson’s head and pressed it down into the cage, keeping him trapped there while Elyse Frost talked some trash from the ringside area. She was enjoying the punishment being laid down by the Amazing Gabriel and enjoyed watching her former boyfriend suffer. It seemed Elyse and TAG enjoyed the same sadism.

TAG finally had enough of this and started to climb to the ropes again, this time making sure to get out in as quick a time as possible while a woozy Tyson XL was still trying to fight his way back to his feet. The crowd cheered for the big man as he finally got back up and started to climb to the turnbuckle right behind TAG. He noticed this and tried kicking away from Tyson XL with all he had, but Tyson wasn’t going to quit.

“NO, NO, NO, GET AWAY FROM ME!” TAG protested.

Tyson XL finally grabbed him by the legs and had him set up in an electric chair position. He hoisted TAG around the ring for a few moments before lifting him up and dropping him face first across the top turnbuckle.

Both men had collapsed in the ring and both men were down now as the fans continued to hang onto every inch of the match, watching with interest.

After several moments, it was Tyson who was up to his feet first and tried to pick up a groggy TAG, but the Night Life leader stopped that and stunned him with a leaping enziguri to the back of the head. once he was finally staggered enough, he ran to the ropes and tried for another big move…

But a snap powerslam from Tyson XL caught TAG in the middle of the ring and he tried for another cover.

1…

2…

But no, TAG still kicked out, which shocked Tyson XL and the crowd. Elyse cheered on her man as he threw the shoulder up, but Tyson XL was going to make him pay for kicking out. He jabbed him in the head several more times and continued to beat down on him.

YAY!

BOO!

YAY!

BOO!

YAY!

BOO!

Blows continued to be exchanged by both Tyson and The Amazing Gabriel. Tyson’s punches versus Gabriel’s kicks, but eventually, Tyson began to show more ability to take punishment and quickly took over the blows with a succession of blows to the top of the head. While the fans continued to scream “YAY!” with each parting shot, Tyson XL grabbed TAG and hit him with an inverted atomic drop to stun him in the middle of the ring.

Tyson ran off the ropes and came back, catching him with a BIG boot to the jaw, knocking him right on his back. With him down on the ground, Tyson XL bounced off the ropes and came back with a big time splash across the chest. Three hundred twenty three pounds on the chest of TAG and he had nowhere to go as Tyson covered again.

1…

2…

But nope, again, TAG still kicked out of the big move, shocking the crowd. Tyson climbed to the nearest second rope and waited there while a groggy Gabriel tried getting his bearings back to him. Tyson XL climbed back to his feet, but turned around and walked right into of all things, a flying leg lariat that brought him back down to the ground. Tyson XL smiled and raised his fist before hooking another leg.

1…

2…

And to his surprise, The Amazing Gabriel still kicked out and the crowd was livid. Tyson XL shook his head, now in disbelief as he waited for The Amazing Gabriel to get back up. He did so and tried to go for some type of Olympic slam, but the Amazing One slipped out the back and landed on his feet, throwing a couple of hard chops into the chest. Tyson buried a knee into the chest and pushed him back into the turnbuckles.

TAG fought and tried to escape with a couple of hard forearm shots, but Tyson XL returned fire with a few headbutts and stunned him long enough to send Tyson back a few steps. TAG climbed to the top rope and flew off with a cross body…

But he got caught in mid move. But TAG slipped out of the back and dropkicked him in the knees. While he was low, he tried slipping out the door and crawled towards it. The ACW official on the outside opened the doors for him, but Tyson XL grabbed him by the leg and pulled him back to his feet, trying for another big move.

TAG caught him in the jaw with a quick jawbreaker, then stood up as he was there. He ran off the ropes and came back for a big move, but was caught and drilled into the mat with a spinning side slam. TAG spun around in a full rotation before hitting the mat and Tyson didn’t waste any time in going for another cover.

1…

2…

No way!

Again, The Amazing Gabriel was showing some incredible tenacity all his own and wasn’t about to give it up anytime soon. Tyson grabbed him by the head, but a quick thumb to the eye from Tyson XL stunned him long enough for The Amazing Gabriel to climb to the top turnbuckle again and attempt escape.

Tyson XL tried to climb up with him and keep him from getting away once and for all…

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

But a low kick from The Amazing Gabriel caught Tyson in between his legs and he pushed him down to the ground. While Tyson XL laid there and the fans continued to jeer the Night Life’s leader, he looked back up and then back down at Tyson, seeing him prone.

He’d embarrassed him for far too long. There was no way that he was going to get out of this.

The Amazing Gabriel looked out to Elyse and blew a kiss.

“THIS VICTORY WILL BE FOR YOU, MY DARLING!”

He flew off the top rope with THE AMAZING GABRIELBOW~!

With a smug grin, he dropped the Randy Savage-style elbow across the chest of Tyson XL and smiled to the crowd. With a double point to the heavens, he smiled before going in for another deep cover.

1…

2…

But no! No freaking way!

Tyson XL kicked out of the big flying elbow from The Amazing Gabriel and shook his head in frustration. He had a chance to get the hell out of the ring, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to take a victory like that. He wanted to prove that he was better than Tyson XL and was going to do it once and for all.

He picked up Tyson XL as the big man got to his feet and tried for some kind of a fireman’s carry, but Tyson was too big and elbowed his way out of whatever he was going for. Tyson caught him with a hard running kick to the chest and set him up in the middle of the ring.

XL BO—

But no, he was able to escape defeat once more and slipped out behind The Amazing Gabriel before grabbing Tyson by the head and driving him back down to the ground with a leaping reverse bulldog that he called NOTHING SHORT OF AMAZING! The Amazing Gabriel finally crawled over and hooked both legs this time, trying to win the title shot and put this best of five series to rest.

1…

2…

Try as he might, Tyson XL was down and out again. The Amazing Gabriel slapped both fists into the mat and yelled to the heavens, screaming various obscenities out loud. It was probably a good thing this was a pay per view.

The Amazing Gabriel waited for Tyson XL to get back to his feet and waited patiently as he climbed the top rope, looking to put the exclamation point on this once and for all. He waited and waited as he did another double point to the heavens…

AMAZING STAR PRE--

But Tyson XL rolled out of the way… and The Amazing Gabriel landed on his feet, thankfully. But Tyson XL was waiting with intent…

RUNNING.

TWISTING.

SPEAR!

He barreled right through The Amazing Gabriel with one of the most violent spears ever seen in ACW’s tenured history. Tyson XL was back on his feet and yelled out to the crowd, who were cheering on with anticipation. He picked up The Amazing Gabriel and hoisted him up over his shoulders.

XL BOMB~!

The ring-shaking powerbomb drilled The Amazing Gabriel almost the entire way through the mat. Tyson XL made a slow crawl over to him and hooked both legs, pulling back once and for all.

1…

2…

3!

At last. It was over.

And as the referee raised Tyson XL’s hand for the whole world to see, the fans exploded with a tremendous ovation. The ring announcer told the world what they were happy to see.

“Your winner of the match and retaining his world title shot… the winner of the best of five series… Tyson XL!!!!!!!”

The burly warrior from San Diego California had just achieved the biggest victory of his career and beat his chest, yelling to the crowd. He had just defeated The Amazing Gabriel once and for all and raised his fist for all the masses to see.

He calmly climbed out of the ring and without even looking back, made his way up the ramp. Elyse Frost climbed into the ring to check on her beau as he was still being awoken by the referee, having suffered a very bitter defeat.

Tyson XL gave one last parting glance to the crowd and celebrated with them. Tonight, he had closed the door on the Amazing Gabriel, the Night Life, and everything that had gotten him to this point.

And now, it was time to look ahead.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

ACW World Heavyweight Championship
Z © vs. Sheffield vs. Andy Sharp

       

It had been a long evening. A long and exciting evening full of twists, turns, excitement around every corner just as every Legends show presented before it.

But now, here we were…

It was time for YOUR main event.

A main event that had been months in the making.

Z had been champion since January of this year and had schemed, cut throats, stabbed backs, betrayed people, used people up and spit them out. Countless promising stars of the company had came and went because of being intertwined within the grand machinations of the ACW Champion on his way to the top. And since then, he had run roughshod leading an unholy alliance out of the Cabal and the Huntsman. Jeremy Hunt was in power. He had a safety bubble. And what’s worse…

He had an ally in this match.

Andy Sharp had come back to ACW before January and had promised hell upon the ACW roster. And over time, he brought just that. Winning the first-ever Legends Scramble match over four other game competitors, Andy Sharp earned the right to face Z in the main event of Legends with the intent of laying down for Z. Andy’s loyalty had never been called into question at all, but now wasn’t going to be letting go anytime soon.

Sheffield, the third and most important part of this whole puzzle, won the right to challenge for the ACW World Heavyweight Title by defeating Z in a non-title match with both Andy Sharp as referee and the odds virtually stacked against him, thanks to a little help from Good Ol’ Ironsides himself, Henry Irwonsen. Thanks to him cashing the reward for defeating Jesse Ramey last year with the King’s Choice, a decree was made that when Z lost the ACW title, Jeremy Hunt would be fired. It would be up to Z and Andy Sharp at all costs to keep that Championship around the waist of Z once and for all.

Could Sheffield, ACW’s long-time hero and savior be its savior one more time?

Would Z and Jeremy Hunt keep their dark hold over ACW?

And what part would the renegade Andy Sharp play in all of this?

The ACW fanbase were firmly locked into the ring and its proceedings. What broke the concentration, however, was the strum of a familiar guitar and the beat of drums. Though the song hadn't belonged to anyone on the roster, a good section of the Western Canadian crowd knew it all too well.

"I pulled into Nazareth, I was feelin' about half past dead;

I just need some place where I can lay my head.

"Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"

He just grinned and shook my hand, and "No!", was all he said."

It was The Weight by the Band. And who did it bring out?

The Original Pulp Hero.

The only three-time ACW World Heavyweight Champion in history.

The only active ACW Hall of Famer.

The man called Sheffield!

Sheffield was almost taken aback by the massive reception from the crowd, but put that out of his mind quickly as he approached the ring and climbed up the steps. He looked out to the ACW Arena where this all had started almost three years ago. The former three-time champion surveyed the ring and all that was there as he stepped between the ropes and pumped his fists in the air.

The lights faded out to a darker hue with the occasional green spotlight shining throughout the arena.

“Perfect Strangers” by Dream Theater.

And out from the back came participant number two in the ring as he made his way out from the back. There was no Kati, as she was wrapped up in the earlier match between WILSON and Omega vs. Kesavan and Jack Harris. He wasn’t worried about that. He was focused on the task at hand. The sunglasses betrayed no emotion as he walked to the ring with a stone-cold gaze, even amidst the TREMENDOUS hometown ovation he was going. Though he was no saint, they still paid respect to everything that he’d done for ACW even though the three initials he now despised.

Walking up the steps, he didn’t’ take his gaze off Sheffield as he leaped over the ropes, then once again to the second turnbuckle to stare down his hometown people. The incredibly mixed reception from the crowd didn’t flutter him one iota. He was focused on keeping the ACW World Heavyweight Title around Z’s waist.

“And speak of the devil himself…” Sheffield muttered under his breath as he locked eyes with Sharp before turning his attention to the entrance.

"I. Am. Your. New. GOD."

This was the third piece of the Legends main event puzzle. The third man. ACW's leading villian to have the spotlights, or as it was colloquially known, the Fuschia Strobe Apocalypse.

With "Do The Evolution" from Pearl Jam cranked up to 11 (hell, maybe 12. This IS a pay-per-view) the strobes died off and a man stood at the center of the rampway, his filthy lucre dangling proudly from his right arm. And he wasn’t alone.

Being accompanied to the ring by Jeremy Hunt himself, the two men made their way to the ring in stoic fashion. Jeremy Hunt had way too much to lose with a loss here tonight and wasn’t going to let his career. His infamous reign as the leader of ACW go up in a big pile of smoke. He was here to stay.

As was the champion himself.

With a sick smile underneath that familiar fuschia mask, Z entered the ring and raised the title for all to see before handing it over to the referee in the middle, referee Paige Allen. And with that, it was going to come down to this as ring announcer Tommy Vale read the proceedings.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your following contest is the main event of LEGENDS V! THIS IS A TRIPLE THREAT MATCH TO BE SCHEDULED FOR ONE FALL!!!!”

The crowd popped HUGE!

“First, introducing the referee in charge. Please welcome your official… Paige Allen!”

Paige got quite a reception herself. Z glared at her the entire time, not forgetting their very sordid history. Paige took notice of his stares, but kept focused on the task at hand.

“With this match there are no countouts, no disqualifications and the only way to win will by pinfall or submission! First, introducing the challengers…”

The camera cut to Sheffield, who was busy shadowboxing and getting himself mentally prepared for whatever was to come. Surely the deck was going to be stacked against him and he needed to have eyes not just in the back of his head, but all around.

“From Bartlett, Tennessee… weighing in at 242 pounds… He is the only active ACW Hall of Famer and the only three-time ACW World Heavyweight Champion in history… THIS… IS…. SHEFFFFFFFFFFFIIIIIIIIEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDD!”

And next, was over to Andy Sharp, who whipped off his sunglasses and leather duster, throwing both off to the side.

“Next, from MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA…” Even Tommy Vale had to stop at the tremendous reception from the crowd. “He weighs in at 252 pounds! He is a former two-time ACW World Heavyweight Champion… ANNNNNNNNDDDDDDYYYYYYYY SHHHHHHHARRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPP!”

Andy nodded to the crowd before turning his attention to Z. Z himself smiled as the referee continued to hold up HIS ACW World Heavyweight Championship.

“AND THE CHAMPION… BEING ACCOMPANIED TO THE RING BY ACW OWNER, JEREMY HUNT… WEIGHING IN AT 240 POUNDS… HE IS THE REIGNING AND DEFENDING ACW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION… ZZZZZZZZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

With the introductions out of the way, the three men circled around one another as Paige Allen called for the bell.

DING DING DING!

Andy Sharp and Z joined forced and looked to advance on Sheffield while the former three-time champion looked to try and defend himself from whatever the most devilish pair in ACW were going to do…

CRACK!

“RUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

That would be the sound of the entire ACW Arena standing on their feet and giving a massive ovation to Andy Sharp. The replay caught it one more time.

Sharp started off the match with one FUCK of a Superkick right to the jaw of Z, sending the Caped Crusader flying right out of the ring. Paige Allen was shocked, as was the look across the face of Sheffield who hadn’t believed what he’d just seen.

“NO! WHA THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, SHARP?!?!” Hunt screeched from the ringside area.

But the smile across the face of Andy Sharp told the fans exactly what he needed to know. He was in this to win it for himself. And a win by Andy Sharp would, per the rules of Z’s title reign, also spell the end of Jeremy Hunt’s title reign. Something he’d wanted in the first place.

Sheffield hadn’t forgotten that the man standing across from him had made his life a living hell the last couple of moments, though, and decided that it was now time to come to blows again. The two men were being roared on by the masses to do some fucking damage and they did just that as they continued to throw fists. Ti was Sheffield and his expert Muay Thai striking that Andy was trying to defend himself against.

Sharp threw up a hard knee, but Sheffield blocked it and fired back a few hard Forearm Shivers of his own. After the blows, he whipped Sharp across the ropes, but quickly Mr. All-Star was able to recover long enough to drop Sheffield with a hard Swinging Neckbreaker in the middle of the ring!

Sharp became outright vicious now in the face of Sheffield by throwing down a pair of stomps before picking up the Pulp Hero. He threw a HARD pair of Knife Edge Chops directly into the chest and backed him into a corner where he unloaded on him with several more.

WHOO!

WHOO!

WHOO!

WHOO!

WHOO!

WHOO!

Andy Sharp was being fired up by his crowd as he continued to be newly fueled by his hometown crowd. He whipped Sheffied across the ring and tried to follow him in for another attack, but the Pulp Hero thought quickly and got off a pair of double knees right to the chest of Mr. All-Star. Once he was finished, Sheffield ran across the ring to try and mount another offensive, but Sharp recovered long enough to duck down from the blow. Off the rebound again, Andy Sharp grabbed Sheffield and connected with a Hip Toss into a hard Neckbreaker! He followed up with the cover.

ONE!

TWO…NO!

Barely a two-count as the Pulp Hero was already back to his knees, fighting back against Andy Sharp. He buried a series of hard fists into his chest, then let him have it with a low spinning kick before running off the ropes and CRACKING Andy Sharp across the face with a hell of a Running Knee Lift! The Pulp Hero went for his first cover now over Mr. All-Star.

ONE!

TWO!

NO!

Sharp kicked out in the nick of time and saved himself from certain defeat. He tried to mount another quick offensive against the Pulp Hero, but now it was Sheffield’s turn to beat Andy to the punch as he whipped him chest-first into the opposite turnbuckle. Sharp came bouncing out just as Sheffield ran the ropes and came back with one hell of a Bulldog in the center of the ring.

Hunt was on the outside, still trying to revive an only half-conscious Z while inside the ring, Sheffield continued to fight back against Mr. All-Star by laying into him with a series of hard kicks before whipping him across the ring. When he came back, a knee to the chest set up a hell of a high and tight Exploder Suplex from Sheffield, who wasted no time in segueing right into another pinning attempt.

ONE!

TWO!

THRE… NO!

Mr. All-Star had thrived performing on the grand stage of it all and wasn’t about to give it all up now. The Andy of old appeared to have been coming out tonight. Call it nostalgia or the hometown crowd. Call it part of a master plan, but for the first time since he came back to ACW, his face was showing actual emotion.

Sheffield tackled Andy Sharp back into the opposite corner again and laid into him with a couple more hard knees to the chest, but a third one Andy blocked and pulled Sheffield into the corner now, laying into him with several more Knife Edge Chops! (WHOO! WHOO! WHOO!) After the three shots, he tried to whip Sheffield across the ring again, but Sheffield put on the brakes and violently shot Sharp into the corner chest first. When Andy came stumbling back, Sheffield whipped him back to the other side and sent him crashing hard into the turnbuckle again.

With Sharp collapsed and suspended on the top turnbuckle, the wily Sheffield ran forward and threw a hard kick right to his exposed ribs! The shot echoed throughout the arena loudly, so Sheffield did it a second time. Louder that the first, even!

A third shot knocked Andy Sharp into the air again and Sheffield was there perfectly to catch him on his shoulders. He looked to deliver some sort of Death Valley Driver-like maneuver, but Sharp was quick to the punch and spun out in mid-move, DRIVING Sheffield hard onto the back of his knee with a hell of a reverse DDT Backbreaker! He held onto the move, though, and twisted him around into a stiff Neckbreaker, dropping him across the canvas. He quickly flipped around and hooked the far leg of the Pulp Hero.

ONE!

TWO!

THR… NO!

Sheffield hadn’t earned his reputation by getting beaten easily and wasn’t about to have any of that noise. Sharp picked him up again and wore him down quickly with a hard Shinbreaker, then tripped up the Pulp Hero, looking for some kind of a possible Figure-Four, but Sheffield saved himself with his free foot and shoved Andy backwards a few steps. As he tried to get back into the game, Sharp came back and ran right at Sheffield, catching him underneath the jaw with a low kick!

Once he was down, Sheffield went to resume the hold again, but this time, Z came back into the fray with a HARD Running Knee Strike to the face!

“YOU TRAITEROUS PIECE OF SHIT!” Z shrieked at the downed Sharp, who hadn’t seen the blow coming just like his superkick from earlier.

But before Z could get in another lick off offense on the grounded Sharp, Sheffield came up right from behind and tried to roll up Z with a School boy!

ONE!

TWO!

THR… NO!

The move failed, but Sheffield shoved Z back away from him a few steps and saw the downed Andy Sharp on the ground. He didn’t feel bad at all about taking advantage of his dirty work and decided to go for the cover again this time on Andy Sharp.

ONE!

TWO!

THR… KICK OUT!

Sheffield pulled Sharp back to his feet and let him have it with a hard Snap Suplex that brought him right back down to the center of the ring. Z ran right at Sheffield again to try and get back at Sheffield, catching him right behind the same leg Andy worked over with a hard kick of his own. Z blasted him with two more rights and tossed him into the center of the ring, but Sheffield put on the brakes and doubled Z over, throwing a hard knee into his chest before taking him down in the middle of the ring with a Russian Legsweep.

After disposing of Z, Sheffield barely had any time to react when Sharp came back into the fray and caught him right in the leg with a hard kick, then followed it up with a pair of European Uppercuts to the jaw.

Mr. All-Star pushed Sheffield into the ropes again and sent him flying. He went for the Big Boot, but Sheffield slid underneath his legs and popped up behind his hated rival. When Sharp turned around, he was CRACKED hard in the rib cage with a stiff kick from the Pulp Hero that doubled him over.

He saw Z getting up out of the corner of his eye so he let the Cabal leader have it with a hard Forearm Shot right to the jaw that sent him flying away.

Back to Sharp and another kick to the head.

Then back to Z and a hard punch to the face, then an uppercut.

And now, back to Sharp with a kick… BLOCKED!

And a hard straight right from Andy Sharp caught him in the jaw and sent Sheffield flying backwards into the grip of Z, who locked his arms around his waist and pulled him back into a German Suplex with a bridge!

ONE!

TWO!

But Andy Sharp came out of nowhere and broke up that fall with one of his own, jack-knifing the legs of Sheffield and going for his own cover

ONE!

TWO!

THR… NO!

Before Mr. All-Star could follow up, Z stopped him with a big uppercut and tossed him right over the ropes and onto the floor below!

He turned his attention back to Sheffield and picked him up again, going for a second German Suplex with a bridge!

ONE!

TWO… NO!

Another quick kickout from Sheffield angered the Caped Crusader. Jeremy Hunt cheered on the ACW World Heavyweight Champion as he continued to let him have it with a succession of kicks to the chest. After clubbing Sheffield in the back several more times, he went for a Belly To Back Suplex, but Sheffield had enough of his bearings about him to flip right over and land on his feet behind Z. A quick Dropkick from the Pulp Hero shot Z into the ropes and he ran right over, leapfrogging and dropping Z neck-first across the second rope!

When he landed on the outside, though, Sheffield had no time to react when out of nowhere, he was FLOORED with a stiff Clothesline from Andy Sharp!

Rolling him back into the ring, Sharp followed him inside and stood on the apron before slingshotting himself over the ropes and landing a big Leg Drop across the throat of the Pulp Hero. He then went for another cover in the style of a lateral press.

ONE!

TWO!

THR.. KICK OUT!

The Pulp Hero threw a defiant shoulder up off the canvas again, which only made Andy Sharp angry now. He threw a few stomps into the chest and head of Sheffield before trying to pick him up again. Sheffield tried fighting back with a hard right hand, but Sharp shot back with another European uppercut that stunned the former three-time champion for the moment.

Sharp went looking for Z, but all he got was a hard kick from Z then he got thrown hard into the second turnbuckle where Sharp collapsed. Z climbed out to the apron and grabbed onto Andy by the head, locking him in a Front Facelock before attempting a BIG Suplex that would be sending Andy flying to the outside. Mr. All-Star fought back and tried to elbow his way out of the hold, so when he lifted Z up, Z countered…

SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB TO THE OUTSIDE!

Andy Sharp was down and out on the floor and had nowhere to go as he crash-landed at a sickening angle on the floor below. Jeremy Hunt laughed and hollered from his corner, rallying behind Z after pulling off that fantastic maneuver…

SUICIDE DIVE FROM SHEFFIELD!

And with the dive, Sheffield came rocketing between the ropes like a giant missile, crashing right on top of Z leaving all three men down and out on the floor by ringside!

Sheffield was back on his feet first and high-fived a few members in the front row before pumping his fist to the crowd. He hadn’t taken a chance like that in some time at his older age, but the risk was well worth the reward as he picked up Z and rammed him hard into the ring apron. After throwing a couple hard rights back into the chest of Z, he rolled him back into the ring and continued to fight back.

He picked up Z, but quickly Z got in an eye poke and jabbed a thumb right into Sheffield’s good eye. After the blow, he whipped the Pulp Hero into the ropes and tried for a Back Elbow, but Sheffield ducked the move and kept on running. When he bounced back, Z tried for a Discus Clothesline, but Sheffield ducked it a second time and off the ropes, came back with a Flying Back Elbow Smash right to the jaw of Z.

Andy Sharp tried coming back into the ring again, but Sheffield caught him with a running kick to HIS jaw, possibly as a receipt for earlier.

“Sorry, Sharpie. Change of heart or not, I’m winnin’.” Sheffield laughed.

He ran to the ropes again and tried to go for another attack, but Z grabbed him and DROPPED him across his back with a Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker. Sheffield held his back in pain as he crawled, but staggered right into the grip of Mr. All-Star who dropped him with a SECOND Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker of his own!

ONE!

TWO!

SAVED BY Z!

Sharp failed to see Z come out of nowhere as he drove a hard forearm right into the back of Mr. All-Star’s head. Picking him up, he let him have it with a hard Chop to the chest of Sharp and followed up with another chop, this one aimed right at his throat. Z grabbed the stunned Sharp and lifted up his former(?) Cabalite lieutenant in a Fireman’s Carry.

ELBOW!

ELBOW!

ELBOW!

But Andy slipped out the back door and landed behind Z before grabbing him by the back of the head and DRIVING him down with a ¾ Headlock into a nasty Russian Legsweep! Andy then rolled Z over and went for another cover.

ONE!

TWO!

THR… NO!

Z got the shoulder up, but it was now Sharp’s turn to drop some punishment on the ACW World Heavyweight Champion by leaping in the air and dropping a hard boot right into his chest. Sharp did a couple more, then dropped a series of hard elbow drops before running the ropes and delivering a big and fast Leg drop right across his throat.

He grabbed Z by the arm and led him back to his feet before he rammed him face-first into the nearby turnbuckle. He did it several more times and the fans even counted along until five! While Z was down and out, slumped over in the corner, he saw Sheffield trying to get back into the ring so he ran over to meet him. He grabbed Sheffield by his arm and tried to run him into the turnbuckle, but Sheffield put the brakes on and gave Sharp a taste of his own medicine, dropping him throat first across the top ring cable!

Sheffield, against his better wisdom, climbed the top turnbuckle with the legions of Canadian fans cheering him on. Before Sharp could barely recover…

HART-STYLE MISSILE DROPKICK!

It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective and it knocked Sharp’s ass down long enough for Sheffield to go in for a cover.

ONE!

TWO!

THR… NO!

Andy Sharp kicked out of the Dropkick! Sheffield grumble and groaned under his breath, but didn’t have much time to talk trash as Z recovered and caught him with a hard jawbreaker. After the move, he whipped Sheffield into the corner and caught him underneath the jaw with a Back Elbow before following it up with a leaping Enzuigiri back to the chest!

After he was disposed of, he delivered a hard running punt kick to the chest of Sharp then went for a cover on him.

ONE!

TWO!

THR… NO!

All three men were down in the middle of the ring as Z shook his head in disbelief at the situation. He planned for everything. He had numerous contingencies. Back-up plans. Fallbacks. But he hadn’t forseen Andy Sharp actually betraying him like this. Not now. Not when this mattered. But he couldn’t think about that now. He had a title to retain so that way he and Jeremy Hunt could stay in ultimate power.

Z looked around and chose Sheffield as the object of his ire as he grabbed the former three-time champion and rushed him into the nearest corner.

He set him up on the top rope and climbed up there with him before dropping a volley of hard forearm shots to the face to try and wear down the Pulp Hero. Sheffield fought back with a headbutt, but Z returned fire with a nasty chop to the throat. He locked him in the Front Facelock and kept him there while Sharp came out of nowhere and threw a hard shot to Z’s back. He got in a powerbomb position…

TOWER OF DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!

The powerbomb sent Z and Sheffield crashing down into the canvas and once again, the fans came to life and exploded (not literally.. quite a mess, you see) and Andy was the only person left with a smile on his face. After taking in a tremendous reception from the crowd, Andy crawled over to the prone form of Sheffield and hooked the far leg first.

ONE!

TWO!

THRE… KICK OUT!

The closest fall of the match so far, but Sheffield had enough in the tank to keep on going. Sharp shook his head, then crawled over to Z and hooked the far leg.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE… NO!

Then back to Sheffield again with a La Majistral pin.

ONE!

TWO!

THR… KICK OUT!

The man called Mr. All-Star was beside himself as he slammed a fist into the canvas, not happy with the outcome… or lack thereof. The two-time former champion looked around between a downed Z and a downed Sheffield and decided that he was going to pick off Sheffield first.

He picked up Sheffield and whipped the Pulp Hero into the corner hard. Slapping his boot to let the fans know what was coming next, he ran towards the corner to try for his Running Boot in the corner, but Sheffield moved!

Sharp stopped himself, though, and recovered, but walked right into a STIFF Leaping Knee to the face that knocked him loopy. Sheffield rolled up and around behind Sharp, locking in both arms before twisting him around and going for a Bridging TIGER Suplex!

ONE!

TWO!

AND SAVED BY Z!

And The Caped Crusader was there to pick up the pieces as he rammed Sheffield in the head with a running boot to the face, then ran at Sharp… NO! SHARP WITH A ROLL-UP!

ONE!

TWO!

NO!

Sharp pushed Z to the ropes, who came flying back and cracked him in the face with a John Morrison-style Running Knee Smash to the face! Z smiled beneath his mask and went for another cover.

ONE!

TWO!

THR…. SAVED BY SHEFFIELD!

Sheffield got there right before the three-count, but Z got right back up and grabbed Sheffield by his trunks, whipping him hard into the turnbuckle off in the corner. And now, it was back to a woozy Mr. All-Star. The Canadian fans continued to boo Z, but cheered on Andy Sharp when he reversed a whip and sent Z flying into the corner. Andy Sharp went rushing forward and RAMMED him with a Spear in the corner, ramming his shoulder right into the Caped Crusader’s rib cage!

He saw Sheffield in the opposite corner, trying his best to try and shake out the cobwebs, but he was easy pickings for Andy Sharp, who waited patiently as the fans cheered him. He ran across the ring and tried for a second Spear…

NOTHING BUT TURNBUCKLE!

Sharp crashed hard into the turnbuckle post and collapsed right to the floor, nursing what may have been a now injured shoulder. Sheffield turned around and saw Andy Sharp down and out on the ground, then listened to the crowd reaction as he tried to climb the ropes, quite possibly for another dive to the floor.

OOOF!

But a hard haymaker from Z caught Sheffield right in his gut. Z grabbed him underneath and had Sheffield up in an Electric Chair before he DROPPED Sheffield head-first into the turnbuckle!

With Sheffield slumped over in the corner, Z rolled him up with a modified Schoolboy and kept him pinned down to the mat while Jeremy Hunt bit his fingernails.

ONE!

TWO!

THR… NO!

Z punched the mat in frustration before he grabbed him by the head and went for an Irish whip sending Sheffield across the ring. When he ran forward, Sheffield got a STIFF Uppercut to the jaw, nearly KNOCKING Z the hell out. Sheffield raised a hand to the crowd and started to climb to the top rope while Jeremy Hunt nearly came unglued from ringside. He climbed the turnbuckle and looked out to the crowd…

GLASGOW KISS!

The Diving Headbutt caught Z right in the chest and Sheffield wasted no time trying to set yet another record and become the first-ever FOUR-TIME ACW Champion in history!

ONE!

TWO!

THRE…

NO!

The fans were coming unglued as Z kicked out yet again, saving the championship for himself. Sheffield was in disbelief yet again, but couldn’t give into his frustrations now. Not when ACW needed him the most.

He saw Andy Sharp getting back up out of the corner of his eye, so Sheffield ran right him and caught him in the jaw with a Baseball Slide Dropkick that knocked Sharp back against the barricade!

And now it was time for Z to turn around and get some as Sheffield waited for the masked man to get back to his feet. He grabbed onto Sheffield and stunned him with a punch to the chest. Z tried for another kick, but Sheffield blocked it…

WELCOME TO ACW, MOTHERFUCKER!

The STIFF Clothesline nearly took Z’s head off and Sheffield fell right on top of him, hooking a far leg.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE…. KICK OUT!

To the shock of many, including the ring announcers who were calling every last bit of this rapid fire action, Z still kicked out and got the shoulder up off the mat, trying his best to save his championship. Jeremy Hunt was sweating bullets now as he watched Sheffield take the fight to his cohort with some hard and stiff kicks to the chest.

Pinning him to the corner, he grabbed onto Z and whipped him in the corner before setting him up top for a Superplex, trying for another big Superplex as revenge from earlier on in the match. Sheffield threw some hard forearm shots, but Jeremy Hunt had seen enough and tried to come to the aid of Sheffield. Sheffield wanted to swing, but Hunt cackled.

“IF YOU TOUCH ME, I’LL FIRE YOUR ASS ON THE SPOT, SHEFFIELD!”

Sheffield ignored him then and tried for another superplex, but this time, Sharp was back into the ring and pulled Sheffield off the turnbuckle by both legs. He twisted him around and tried going for The ALL-STAR BREAK!

Before he could get the full Liontamer on completely, Z came flying off the top turnbuckle with a flying Knee strike to the head of Sharp, knocking him completely loopy. He turned him around and with Sheffield down, he went for another cover on Andy Sharp.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE… SHARP KICKED OUT!

Z yelled at Paige Allen, not believing that Sharp had kicked out yet again.

“HOW DARE YOU?! I’LL RUIN YOUR LIFE AGAIN, ALLEN!”

Not wanting to show any more frustration in the face of everything that had happened tonight, he went right back on the attack, this time throwing Sharp into the corner. Sharp reversed the whip and buried his foot right into Sheffield’s stomach, kicking him in the chest before powering up Z and THROWING him hard into the corner with a high and tight Bucklebomb!

Z crumbled to the mat and rolled out to the floor in a daze, leaving nobody but Andy Sharp and Sheffield. Bitter rivals throwing down yet again.

Sharp waited patiently for Sheffield to try and get back to his feet as he kicked his boot, possibly looking for his Shining Example finishing kick. He waited and waited while Sheffield got back to his knees…

SHINING EXAM—NO!

Sheffield moved out of the way. Sharp turned around and got caught with a hard spinning backfist from the Pulp Hero and was knocked loopy.

“NO, NO, NO!”

Hunt came back into the ring with a chair in hand and ran right for Sheffield. And from the other side, Sharp was charging in with his Yakuza Kick..

Sheffield ducked.

Jeremy Hunt did not!

“RUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Andrew Justin Sharp may have just become a hero to the masses as the running kick knocked Jeremy Hunt right the fuck out and knocked him clear from the ring.

Andy then turned around where Sheffield was waiting to kick him in the chest.

BIG FAT KI—NO!

Mr. All-Star countered the move and pulled up Sheffield over his shoulders, looking for the Blunt Force Trauma. But Sheffield kicked out of that and waited…

NO!

BIG FAT KILL!

HE DID IT!

Z WITH A BELT SHOT!

Before Sheffield could even try and go for a cover on Andy Sharp after going for the Big Fat Kill, Z re-entered the fray and CRACKED Sheffield in the side of the head with the title belt. With Andy Sharp disposed of, Z rolled Sheffield over and hooked both legs, pulling back as far as he possibly could.

ONE!

Paige Allen couldn’t believe this.

TWO!

But she had to call it right down the middle.

THREE!

And if the sound of tens of thousands of fans’ broken hearts could be heard, it definitely would’ve been heard tonight. Out of the blue. Out of nowhere. Out in the clutch.

“HERE IS YOUR WINNER OF THE MATCH…”

Out of time for Sheffield and Andy Sharp.

“AND STIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL ACW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION… ZZZZZZZZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

He looked over at an unconscious Jeremy Hunt and walked over, looking to revive him, but decided against it. He didn’t matter. Amidst all the tripe of heroics, the happy ending happening at Legends and the good times had by all.

“Hh!”

Hogwash.

Z proved them all wrong and had just retained his ACW World Heavyweight Championship against insurmountable odds. He had a plan in the end, found the opening and had survived two of the best talents that ACW had ever seen in its history.

He flashed the title to all sides of the arena, proud of his big victory.

“THERE ISN’T A PERSON IN ACW THAT I CANNOT BEAT! I DEFEATED ALL YOUR HEROES! ALL YOUR WOULD-BE SAVIORS! ALL YOUR PRETENDERS! KEITH SCOTT ZIMMERMAN! ANDY SHARP! EVEN THE ALMIGHTY SHEFFIELD HAS FALLEN BEFORE ME!”

“That right, fuck-o?”

Z turned his head over to the ringside area.

SilverHAWK.

And the crowd came unglued!

The former owner and General Manager of ACW came out from behind the curtain, microphone in hand. He took notice of the tremendous reception that he had with him.

“So you’ve beaten all of them, huh? You can beat ANYBODY? I hear right?”

“YEAH!” Z yelled to SilverHAWK, still holding up the ACW World Heavyweight Championship defiantly.

SilverHAWK looked a little bit hot underneath the lights, but wasn’t about to let this get underway.

“Well… you haven’t beaten EVERYBODY… still got one more challenger.”

Z’s eyes darted around the arena, looking around. Sheffield and Andy Sharp were being tended to. Jeremy Hunt was being helped by another official.

“THERE’S NOBODY LEFT!”

“You have one more opponent… and he kept his title shot earlier tonight… you’re facing this man…”

“Piece by Piece” by Strata.

Z had forgotten all about that match earlier tonight. The cage match to settle a score between The Night Life’s leader, Amazing Gabriel… and the man coming out. A man that had spent this last year on his own personal road to redemption. He was out here…

NOW.

Still wearing the wounds of war from earlier this evening in a brutal cage match against The Amazing Gabriel, Tyson XL had emerged victorious, winning his best of five series against The Amazing Gabriel and keeping his world title shot that he was now going to cash in tonight. Z was beside himself, nearly ripping off his mask in frustration. But he wasn’t going to take this lying down. He was going to beat Tyson XL just like he did to Andy Sharp and Sheffield moments ago.

“THIS ISN’T FAIR! THIS ISN’T RIGHT!” Z screamed. “I JUST HAD A MATCH!”

“So did I, you fuschia fuck…” Tyson XL rolled his eyes before running right at the ring.

And the fans went CRAZY.

Because they were being given one more match.

WINNER: Z... BUT WAIT!

ACW World Heavyweight Championship
Z © vs. Tyson XL

   

Tyson XL wasted to time in running Z, tackling the masked menace right into the corner before WAILING on him with a series of big right hands, pummeling the shit out of him. He buried some hard body shots into the masked man’s chest before whipping him across the ring and SHOOTING him across the ring.

Z collided hard with the turnbuckle and before he could get anywhere, he got RAMMED by 323 pounds of fury, courtesy of a Running Back Elbow to the face!

Tyson XL had the crowd behind him one thousand percent as he whipped Z across the ropes… But Z hung onto the ropes and rolled underneath the ropes, getting outside the ring and trying to get the fuck away from Tyson XL at all costs.

The former Tag Team and Black Scorpion Champion rolled out of the ring and gave chase to Z as he tried to create some distance before rolling back into the ring. As Tyson XL entered, he tried to drop an elbow, but Tyson saw it coming and ducked out at the last second, leaving Z hitting nothing but canvas. Tyson grabbed him by the arm and pulled Z out of the ring before introducing him HARD to the announce table, face first.

After pounding away on him a few more times, he bumrushed Z and rammed him hard back-first into the apron twice before tossing him back inside.

While Z was trying his best to recover from the onslaught of the big man, he started to fight his way back up and noticed Tyson XL climbing back into the ring. Thinking quickly, he stopped him in his tracks with a hard boot to the chest. With Tyson stunned on the ring apron, he grabbed him and RAMMED him hard into the turnbuckle, sending him crashing down to the floor!

Z pointed at Paige Allen, and then to Tyson XL, who had to still be hurting from his earlier match himself.

“DO YOUR JOB! COUNT HIM OUT!”

And having to do her job, she did just that. There wasn’t a seated person remaining, watching the goings-on in these final moments of Legends V as Z counted along with Paige Allen!

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

FIVE!

Tyson XL was finally coming around, despite his shoulder giving him some troubles. The Amazing Gabriel’s battle with him had turned out to be far more competitive than he’d thought and he came away with a few wounds.

SIX!

The fans were hanging on every second of the match.

SEVEN!

Tyson was getting back up.

EIGHT!

And he was back on the apron.

NINE!

Tyson XL had made it right before the count of ten!

And everybody but Z was having a good old time. Z himself was ready to blow a gasket, but stayed on the attack and tried to pick up Tyson by the head. Tyson pushed him away and off the rebound, CLOCKED him with a hard Clothesline using his good arm. Z stumbled back up to his feet and Tyson clocked him two more times in the head and whipped Z hard across the ring. Z bounced back and went low, hitting a nasty Dropkick right to the left knee of Tyson to bring the big man down. While Tyson tried to fight back, Z grabbed him by the head as he was doubled over…

SICK SNAP DDT!

Z laughed to himself as he pushed Tyson XL over and hooked the far leg.

ONE!

TWO!

THR… NO!

“NO! COUNT FASTER! THIS IS A SCREWJOB!” Z snarled, blatantly he’d blackmailed Paige Allen for months and had very much used this same tactic to cash in on an unwilling KSZ to win the ACW World Heavyweight Championship that he currently held and coveted.

Z continued to viciously assault the downed Tyson XL, throwing fist after fist at him until he could take no more. Despite the protests and threats of a disqualification from Paige Allen, Z continued to beat down Tyson XL, perhaps TRYING to get himself disqualified. At the last second before he could reach five, Tyson blocked a fist and came back strong with a sick headbutt that caught Z right in the nose.

With a trickle of blood flowing underneath his mask, he tried to recover and walked right into a HARD Spinebuster!

The ring nearly shook from the impact, but not nearly as much as the arena did when the impact from the spinebuster had hit. Z was down and out and Tyson XL didn’t wait another second to pick him up off the mat. He looked out to the crowd and smiled. This was going to be it.

XL BOMB!

And with the Powerbomb, that was it!

Tyson XL hooked the far leg and kept Z pinned down.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

…

“RRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The crowd was in disbelief.

But he did it.

Tyson XL had done it.

He fell backwards into the ropes, stumbling around with pure excitement! And as he was being handed the ACW World Heavyweight Championship. Tyson XL looked at his reflection in the title belt and smiled as he fell to his knees, tears of joy falling from his eyes. He did it. He’d actually done it.

“HERE IS YOUR WINNER… AND THE NEW ACW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION…. TTYYYYYYYYYYSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNN XXXXXXXXXLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL”

The ACW Arena had erupted. This wasn’t the hero that they had been calling for earlier in the night while Z was fighting against Andy Sharp and Sheffield. But in the final moments…

In those final seconds…

Tyson XL was the hero they needed. And the hero they wanted.

Jeremy Hunt had finally come around after having his block knocked off from Andy Sharp earlier. And when he saw Z knocked out on the ground and Tyson XL had the ACW World Heavyweight Championship… he suddenly became ill.

He had done it. He’d overcome being enslaved to one madman in The Amazing Gabriel and rose above his former mentor, finally defeating him once and for all. And by the end of the night, he’d defeated another, simultaneously fulfilling a dream and vanquishing Jeremy Hunt and Z out of power.

Now and forever.

Tyson XL held the title high overhead as Jeremy Hunt started to take that walk of shame. The ACW Arena had gone CRAZY with delight and were now watching what was happening. Hunt and Z were talking a walk.

Tyson XL was the NEW ACW World Heavyweight Champion!

WINNER: AND NEW ACW World Heavyweight Champion - TYSON XL

Free.

The scene was one of utter and total joy.

From every single staff member backstage to all the fans in both arenas. Everyone was on their feet and cheering. Everyone was pumping their fist to the music that smashed in the background. Everyone pointed and laughed as two men walked out of the arena with their heads hung in shame.

Z was no more.

Jeremy Hunt was no more.

And ACW was free from the shackles in which a large European television company had accidently put onto it and it was free from a dominating champion who never truley had anyone but himself in his best interests.

*crack*

*zap*

*STAAATTTTICCC*

Suddenly the picture cut to someone running down a corridor of the ACW Arena as a wall of noise could be heard in the background. The large screens in both arenas were now showing the same picture as everyone looked up to see what was going on.

Various people shouting as the camera moved through the inner workings of the arena, people in front opening doors and pushing people to the side as they frantically tried to get to wherever the commotion was.

"HE'S DOWN HERE!"

"MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

Footsteps and heavy breathing was the sound track of the final segment of ACWs biggest pay per view of the year it would seem, until the camera stopped.

"Oh my God..."

The picture was fuzzy at first, but when it settled, the soundtrack was silence.

Twenty metres down the hall, sitting with his back against a concrete wall was GoldenHAWK with the Spirit of ACW Title draped over his shoulder, but he also held something else in his arms.

His father; SilverHAWK.

Soundtrack - Whimpering.

As GoldenHAWK rocked back and forward against the his spine thudded against the harsh concrete. The cameras crept closer for a better look, but on the opposite site a team member got too close.

"GO AWAY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" GoldenHAWK shrieked.

He held his father tight in his arms as his tears dripped down onto HAWKs head but the ultimate question remained... was he?

...

Was he gone?

We now had a picture clear enough to see all we needed to see, his lifeless eyes peering into the sky where his soul had no doubt travelled.

Staff members fell to their knees and began to sob right in front of him.

Fans in the arena began to scream in histerics.

All-Stars who had wrestled before in Arena began to appear through the double doors that faced the camera, Sheffield and Sharp appearing with a few others, hardly able to believe what was in front of them.

ACW was free; but none of that mattered anymore.

The Architect who build it's base was now gone and all was lost as the picture slowly faded to black.

A new dawn in ACW had just been overshadowed.

SilverHAWK was dead.

Legends V - Fin.