Live from Barclays Center | Brooklyn, NY | Crowd Size: 19,567
SEGMENT ONE
The camera frame wobbles, as static hisses. It slowly calms, revealing Benny Mouse and Danhausen, standing under a flickering floodlight with the Harlem Turtles, Stevie R. and Booker D.
Benny steps forward towards the Turtles, his small-stature commanding their attention.
Benny Mouse: [voice heavy, deliberate] The hour draws near. The fire waits at the edge of the world, and I must know… when the trial begins, will you stand with me as the loyal few? Or will doubt poison you, leaving you trembling when the walls collapse? There will be no room for hesitation.
Stevie R shifts, his arms crossed, his posture restless.
Stevie R: But what about what you said to Molly? I saw you tell her maybe it was time the truth came out. Which is it, have you changed your mind?
Benny lowers his head, perhaps in disappointment, before looking up slowly.
Benny Mouse: There are two roads, Stevie. One narrow and unyielding, paved with loyalty. The other road is cracked, crooked, and rotting with doubt. Choose carefully, as I’ve seen further than you can dream. I’ve seen the ending. And when the world falls silent, only those who follow without question will crawl from the rubble in tact. Do as your asked, and you will live forever.
Benny disappears into the arena, leaving the Turtles to shift uneasily in the silence.
Danhausen steps forward, and the floodlight catches his face strangely, the shadows bending around him.
Danhausen: He has seen it… two visions. Two futures. In one, the Turtles rise from the pit, shells gleaming with gold. A final march of champions. In the other, your bones… your names… your legacies… crumble into dust, shoveled into the graveyard of the forgotten. Buried alongside the others who thought they could resist the tide.
Booker D looks petrified, as Stevie never takes his eyes off Danhuasen.
Danhausen: The fire does not bargain, it only consumes. He has seen your triumph, but he’s also seen your funerals. The choice is yours, but the flame comes either way.
Danhausen smiles, his grin spreading too wide. His smile flickers with static as the camera feed distorts, an uncomfortably loud static hiss followed by a quick cut to a black screen.
As the opening video concludes and the pyro explodes, Arn Anderson and Kevin Kelly welcome us back to Dynamite, our final stop on the road to Aftershock 2, live on PPV this Sunday! They run down tonight’s card, with our huge main event as LA Knight defends his AEW Television Championship against Swerve Strickland, as well as the grudge match months in the making as Julia Hart and Liv Morgan finally meet one on one!
But first, Kevin says, it’s Bobby Lashley’s turn with the Dealer’s Choice stipulation, with the champion hand-selecting Randy Orton’s opponent just six days from their AEW World Heavyweight Championship clash!
Match #1 | Dealer’s Choice
Randy Orton vs. ???
As Randy Orton makes his way to the ring to a thunderous ovation, Anderson and Kelly speculate as to who his opponent will be. Orton steps inside the ring as his music cuts.
Suddenly, the arena lights go dark, and the tron flickers to life.
The camera opens on a lavish hotel suite. Gold curtains frame the skyline, a table is stacked with bottles of champagne, and the Hurt Syndicate is gathered like kings in their court.
MVP lounges with a glass in hand, as Shelton Benjamin smirks in the background. At the center, dressed in a sharp suit, the AEW World Heavyweight Championship over his shoulder, is Bobby Lashley.
Lashley lowers his sunglasses, a predator’s grin spanning across his face.
Bobby Lashley: Randy! My apologies that we couldn’t be there in person tonight. The Hurt Syndicate parties as hard as we play, and believe me, business has been good!
MVP and Shelton raise their glasses towards the camera, laughing as Lashley continues.
Bobby Lashley: For two weeks, I’ve been thinking about who your opponent should be, just six days before you step into that ring with me. I thought about keeping it in house, having Shelton Benjamin warm you up for me. I also thought about someone like Armageddon—an eight-hundred-pound monster who could break you in half and leave nothing but scraps for me to pick at. But where’s the fun in that? That’s not what I want.
Lashley pauses, sipping his champagne before setting the glass aside. His tone sharpens.
Bobby Lashley: I want to be the one who hurts you, Randy. Because that’s what we do! We hurt people.
The crowd in the arena stirs, as Orton glares at the screen as Lashley continues.
Bobby Lashley: See, I’ve been thinking… hurting you isn’t just about what I can do with these hands. No… I needed a more… cerebral approach. You’ve been chasing something, Randy. Chasing a time when you were on top of the world. A time when everything revolved around you. So, if you want to live in your past so badly, I think I’ve found the perfect way to drag your ass down memory lane.
MVP and Shelton exchange knowing grins as Lashley lowers his voice, his words dripping with venom.
Bobby Lashley: This isn’t just going to hurt your body… it’s going to break something in your soul. Because tonight, your opponent is someone who knows you better than anyone. Someone who followed you, learned from you… and dare I say, surpassed you!
Bobby Lashley: Your Dealer’s Choice opponent… your former protégé. A man who once called you his leader, his brother… the man drippin’ with Legacy… CODY RHODES!
Cody comes out to a massive reaction, the AEW & WWE Dual Dominion Championship wrapped around his waist.
Kevin Kelly: Listen to this ovation, Arn! These people know what they’re about to witness! Two men who know each other better than almost anyone in this business, but who’ve never gone one-on-one like this before.
Arn Anderson: That’s the truth. I watched these two come up together in Legacy, side by side with Ted DiBiase Jr. They learned the game together. Randy was the leader, Cody was the student — but Cody always had that chip on his shoulder. And tonight, you’re going to see if the student’s surpassed the teacher.
The bell sounds and they tie up with intensity. Orton knocks Cody flat with a shoulder tackle to a big reaction, drawing “Let’s go Randy!” chants. Cody fires back, catching Orton with an up-punch from the mat and planting him with a bulldog. He climbs to the top rope, but Orton cuts him off.
Orton follows him to the top rope, hitting a big superplex that sends both men crashing to the mat. Orton clutches his back, grimacing in pain. Cody gets to his feet and throws a forearm to Randy’s back, before connecting with the Disaster Kick!
1…
2…
Orton kicks out!
Arn Anderson: Cody’s got that old-school mentality in the ring. He’s the son of the American Dream. He knows that when a target presents itself, you have to go for it. That’s deliberate strategy on the part of Rhodes!
Cody hits the ropes and Orton stops him with a boot. He follows it up with a backbreaker. He goes for the whip and the snap powerslam, but Cody telegraphs it. He clubs Orton’s back once more, before taking him to the corner, slamming him spine-first into the turnbuckle over and over again.
Cody fires off a missile dropkick. He goes for the Cross Rhodes, but Orton powers out. He catches Cody in a chinlock. Cody fights free, and this time the snap powerslam connects! Orton drags him to the ropes, lining up for the draping DDT.
Cody cuts him off with another forearm to the back. He jumps to the top rope and connects with the avalanche Cody Cutter. He covers.
1…
2…
Orton again kicks out!
Kevin Kelly: We’re witnessing a chess match between two men who know each other impossibly well.
Arn Anderson: Randy Orton saw that cutter coming, but Cody made it work. Yet, Randy still survived!
Orton recovers, pulls Cody to the apron, and plants him with the draping DDT. The crowd explodes for him. He coils, looking for the RKO… Cody blocks, spins him, and drills Cross Rhodes!
Randy falls through the ropes, back to the inside. Cody lifts him, looking for another Cross Rhodes for good measure. However, Orton responds with an RKO out of nowhere!
He covers Cody…
1…
2…
2.999!
Cody gets the shoulder up!
They fight back to their feet, trading punches. Orton catches Cody with a back body drop, before lining up in the corner, as if he’s going for the Punt Kick! He hesitates, however, perhaps due to their history together. Orton fires up, like he’s hearing the voices, before finally going for it!
Cody dodges at the last second! He grabs Ortons leg and hits the Alabama Slam! The crowd erupts as Cody lifts him back up. Orton responds with rights, followed by some haymakers from Cody.
Cody bounces off the ropes for another Cody Cutter, but Orton catches him with another RKO!
1…
2…
2.9999!
Cody kicks out again!
Frustrated, Orton bails to the outside, looking for a steel chair. Senior Official Michael McMahon follows him, ripping the chair away and admonishing Orton.
Arn Anderson: That’s the venamous snake in Randy Orton… The Viper… He can’t let Cody take everything out of him just six days before he has to wrestle Bobby Lashley!
While McMahon puts the chair away, Orton pulls at the turnbuckle pad, exposing the steel. He tries to whip Cody into it, but Cody sends him flying into the exposed pad!
He looks for another Cross Rhodes, but instead sees Matt Cardona emerging from the crowd, picking up the Dual Dominion Championship from the timekeeper’s area.
Kevin Kelly: What the hell is Matt Cardona doing here?!
Cardona slips in, and swings the massive championship belt at Cody! Cody ducks, and the belt crashes against Orton’s skull! McMahon reemerges from putting away the chair, never witnessing the interference.
Cody wastes no time, hitting a Cross Rhodes and hooking the leg!
1…
2…
3!!!
Cardona retreats, as the bell sounds and McMahon raises Cody’s hand!
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Match Time: 20:01
The camera lingers on Orton, as the number one contender pulls himself up and Rhodes exits the ring. Anderson notes that even through nefarious ways, a win over the number one contender could be enough to put Rhodes into title contention!
Randy tries to shake off his frustration, but suddenly the crowd erupts in boos.
Max Caster and Anthony Bowens, The Acclaimed, attack Orton from behind! The Acclaimed pounce, leveling Orton with a blindside assault. They haul him up and drop him with their signature double-team finisher, leaving him sprawled out on the mat.
Kelly shouts over the chaos, reminding everyone that MVP was spotted sneaking out of The Acclaimed’s locker room just weeks ago. Anderson puts it together, reasoning that the pieces now fit—that Caster and Bowens have thrown their lot in with Bobby Lashley’s Hurt Syndicate.
The scene ends with Orton leveled, The Acclaimed standing tall, and Arn Anderson sending us to commercial break.
SEGMENT TWO
In a weathered barn lit only by lanterns swinging on nails, dust swirls in the light. The wooden walls are scarred with age. Behind Hangman Adam Page, the Young Bucks lean on a hay-bale, with their arms folded. They’re silent, just watching. The air is heavy and still, like a storm’s about to break.
Hangman Adam Page: Will Ospreay, your time is almost up. My suspension is over, and at Aftershock 2, I’m walking back through those ropes. I’m not crawling, not begging… and I’m not searching for who I am anymore. I know damn well who I am, and it sure as hell ain’t the man that you all keep trying to make me out to be.
The Bucks smile and nod in agreement, their images blurring as the camera’s focus pushes in more tightly on Hangman in the center.
Hangman Adam Page: People like you, Ospreay… The Omegas, the Danielsons, the Styles… you all tried to twist me into something else. Tried to drag me back into a skin I’ve already shed. But these men behind me? The Young Bucks? They’ve seen me at my worst and never tried to change me. They know who I am. They’ve stood with me, not above me, not in front of me — with me.
Hangman Adam Page: Will Ospreay’s built his whole name on smoke and mirrors. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ is just clever branding. Marketing for a boy desperate to be seen as a man. You jump, you flip and you fly… but when your feet hit the ground, what are you really, Will? Nothing but a diluted ego, trying desperately to get your sad sack story over so you can shine.
Hangman chuckles to himself.
Hangman Adam Page: I suppose everyone’s the hero in their own story, right? You’ve convinced yourself that you deserve to stand beside me, like we’re equals in all this. Well, Will, you don’t. You never did. You’re just another “It Boy” the company’s behind for the moment, and I see through it all just as well as the pundits and the fans.
The camera continues to push in on Hangman’s face, his eyes narrowing and his voice dripping with hate.
Hangman Adam Page: You wanted Anarchy in the Arena? That’s what you’re going to get. But Sunday night, when the bell rings and me and the Bucks stand tall over the wreckage, you’ll regret the day you ever asked for this match. Come Sunday, I’m not just fighting to end you, Will. I’m fighting to take back the only thing that’s ever mattered to me… the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. Lashley may have taken it from me just as I grabbed it, but you’re the one who laid the tracks for him to steal it. And for that, I’ll burn your whole story down, tear out every page, and leave nothing but ashes where Will Ospreay thought he belonged. When that bell rings, there’ll be no assassin, no hero. Just a man who picked a fight with the Hangman, and paid for it with everything he had.
Hangman drops his gaze, the lantern light catching the edge of his stare. The Bucks exchange a glance, but neither speaks. The barn falls silent, except for the creak of the wood as the scene fades.
Jane Mouse: Introducing, the AEW Knockouts Champion… Timeless Toni Storm!”
A lone spotlight shines on top of the stage. Timeless Toni Storm stands still, a striking silhouette against the blackened backdrop. She’s dressed in a crimson leather coat, a top hat tilted just so. One hand rests on her hip as she lifts her microphone.
The crowd breaks into chants of “Toni! Toni! Toni!” She waits, the camera catching a glimpse of the Knockouts Championship, placed on the stage in front of her. She waits for them to simmer, before lifting the microphone.
Timeless Toni Storm: Becky Lynch… I am disappointed in you.
She tilts her head, her lips curling into a half smile.
Timeless Toni Storm: Thirty-five days ago, you walked through those doors with fire in your eyes. The Man had arrived, and every headline screamed that you were coming for the biggest prize in our sport. Two weeks ago, you stood across from me, nose to nose, and promised to kick my ass and take my title.
Toni shakes her head.
Timeless Toni Storm: I have to ask, Becky… is that all I am to you? Is that all this is? Another trophy for your shelf? Another toy for your collection? Another trinket for you to parade through the pubs of Dublin? Because, my dear, and I want to say this as politely as possible… I AM NOT SOME OTHER MOTHERFUCKER!
The crowd roars at Storm’s bluntness. She closes her eyes, exhaling like she’s saving a sip of champagne, before snapping them open, her gaze laser focused.
Timeless Toni Storm: I am Timeless Toni Storm, I am the AEW Knockouts Champion, and if you make one false move six days from now, I WILL EAT YOU ALIVE!
Timeless Toni Storm: At Aftershock 2, I demand your best. Because that is what you are! One day, this reign will end, and when it does, there will no one more deserving than you. I’ve known it since the first time I laid eyes on you in PWI. You helped build a women’s revolution! You helped to legitimize this dance we all love so much. You kicked down doors and changed the industry, becoming everything we were told we couldn’t be!
She looks down briefly, before looking right into the camera.
Timeless Toni Storm: But me? I’m the last woman to wrestle at the Wadonga Center before they shut it down for a cockroach infestation! I was never meant to be who I’ve become. I am a manic… neurotic… erotic… sexually questionable, consistently sweaty, bottom heavy transatlantic whore!
The crowd pops, but Storm ignores it, looking down to the AEW Knockouts Championship.
Timeless Toni Storm: When this belt rests against my bosom, I make magic happen! So, unless you plan on pulling a rabbit from your snatch, I doubt you can say the same!
She tosses off the robe, and hurls her hat to the floor. She stares at the camera with an unsettling intensity.
Timeless Toni Storm: So, at Aftershock 2, in front of the entire world, and that little girl watching at home… you will look me in the eyes and realize, I’m going to have to beat you, or you’re going to have to KILL ME!
She drops the microphone as the crowd pops, her eyes wild as she throws her arms up in celebration. The spotlight slowly dims, and the scene fades.
The camera pans across High Minded’s locker room, the scene in black and white. Slow jazz music plays under the scene, interrupted with random saxophone wails.
Rain streaks the windows, and the camera moves in on a cluttered “detectives office,” a flickering sign reads, “High Minded Investigations, LLC.”
Midget Hogan: [narrating, in an over-the-top film noir voice] It was a dark night, the kind of night that smelled like cheap bourbon, stale nachos, and the unmistakable odor of a Hot Topic clearance rack. The dame came in hot. Too hot. Maybe even microwaved.
Lady Love kicks open the door, dressed like a femme fatale but still holding a half empty Starbucks cup.
Lady Love: [voice booming] Detective Midgey! My boy… Young Crock… someone blindsided him two weeks ago, and I want answers! And I want them fast!
Midget Hogan: [lighting a cigar that’s actually a Slim Jim] Fast costs extra, doll. And besides… in this town, everyone’s got a motive. Everyone’s guilty until proven innocent, sexy.
Cue a dramatic camera zoom on Matt Riddle, who’s asleep at the desk, surrounded by Cool Ranch Doritos crumbs. A half-smoked joint dangles from his lips.
Midget Hogan: The first suspect… the burnout. Always in the wrong place at the wrong vibe.
Matt Riddle: [waking up] Bro, I didn’t attack anyone! I’ve got the security footage to prove it!
Lady Love: [annoyed] He didn’t do it, Midgey. Talking to him is useless, like a Roomba in a gravel driveway!
Scott Hall leans against the file cabinet, sipping from a flask.
Scott Hall: Hey yo, maybe the boy just tripped? He’s gangly and uncoordinated, like his father.
Kevin Nash adjusts his hair, looking offended.
Kevin Nash: Tripped? Please, we heard the attack. But, we were all here, together. We should be out there, not pointin’ the fingers at each other!
Macho Man Randy Savage: [looking confused] Maybe we all did it? Or maybe it was destiny! Ooooh yeah!
Midget Hogan: [narrating] The Macho Man was unraveling faster than a pair of Walmart sweatpants in a laundromat spin cycle. But something didn’t add up…
Suddenly, Hulk Hogan bursts into the office, his signature red and yellow popping in the otherwise black and white setting.
Hulk Hogan: LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHIN’, BROTHER! Back in ‘87 when I bodyslammed Andre the Giant in front of ninety-three thousand screaming Hulkamaniacs at the Silverdome, THAT was a mystery, dude! Nobody thought I could do it, brother!
Everyone turns to Hogan, looking completely frustrated.
Kevin Nash: Dammit, Terry. We’re doin’ something here!
Midget Hogan slams his hand on the desk.
Midget Hogan: Enough! We’re all suspects until we find the truth. And until then, nobody leaves this room!
Midget Hogan: [narrating] The mystery wasn’t over, brother. Not by a long shot. The dame wanted justice… the suspects wanted answers… and I wanted a smaller hat. But in this business, you don’t always get what you want. Sometimes… you just get Hulk Hogan talking about 1987.
The camera pulls out, smoke swirling in the light, everyone looking exasperated as it’s clear that they’ll continue with this film-noir style investigation long after the cameras leave.
Match #2 | Exhibition Match
Liv Morgan vs. Julia Hart
Liv Morgan is out first to a great ovation from the crowd, as Anderson notes that this is the first time we have seen Morgan since Exodus, when Julia Hart’s distraction led to her losing the Knockouts Championship after an incredible reign.
Julia Hart makes her entrance next, stoic and cold, her long coat dragging behind her as the arena lights darken.
Kevin Kelly: It was that woman, Arn, Julia Hart, whose presence cost Liv Morgan the Knockouts Championship. Hart, under the instruction of Alistair Black, targeted Morgan due to her proximity to Sami Zayn and the Mouse Family.
Arn Anderson: Since Julia’s arrival back in April, she’s tried to break Liv Morgan’s spirt. And sometimes, in this sport, that’s the most dangerous thing you can do to a competitor. Black has instructed Julia Hart to end this feud tonight, but Morgan’s not going to go down without a fight.
As the bell sounds, Morgan goes straight for Julia, unleashing stiff rights as commentary notes that this anger has been building in Morgan for over four months. She whips Julia into the turnbuckle and follows it up with a running knee strike to the jaw!
Liv stays on the attack, nailing a step up enziguri followed by a running bulldog. She climbs the ropes for a crossbody, but Julia telegraphs it and sidesteps, and Liv crashes into the mat.
Hart launches into a brutal series of stomps and kicks, before sending Liv into the corner. Julia connects with a running splash, followed by a snap suplex.
Hart doesn’t let off Morgan, stomping her down some more and dragging her to the ropes. She launches with a springboard forearm, before pulling Liv’s hair and slamming her head into the mat repeatedly. Knockouts Official Kenzie admonishes her, threatening to DQ her if she doesn’t let go of the hair. The crowd boos Julia’s vicious assault, but Hart just smiles.
Kevin Kelly: Julia Hart is merciless tonight. She’s trying to inflict maximum damage, just as she was instructed to do!
Hart sends Morgan to the outside, following her out. She slams Morgan into the ring post, before going for a bodyslam. Morgan slips out, pushes Hart into the post, and follows it up with a spear as Hart turns to face her. She rushes to the apron, where she launches the double knee meteora, receiving a big pop from the crowd as she continues to rally.
She rolls Hart back inside, and follows it up with a missile dropkick from the top! She covers Hart.
1…
2…
Hart kicks out. Liv goes to the second rope, looking for a bulldog. Julia counters it into a tilt-a-whirl slam, before lifting Morgan up for an inverted suplex!
Julia plants her with a double arm DDT, and goes for the cover.
1…
2…
Morgan kicks out.
Hart stays on her, connecting with a standing moonsault before again grabbing Morgan by her hair, slamming her head violently and repeatedly into the mat!
Morgan gets to her feet and tries to fight her off, but Julia connects with an impressive crucifix driver into a cover!
1…
2…
Morgan gets her shoulder up.
As Julia gets back to her feet, Morgan kips up and charges her. She slams Hart into the corner with a spinning hip attack, before following it up with a quick snapmare. She hits another step up enziguri, this time the impact rattles Hart’s skull!
She stalks her, waiting for her opportunity, before launching into the obLivion!
However, Hart telegraphs it and sends her shoulder first into the ring post! Julia drags Liv into position, before going upstairs for her signature moonsault!
As she launches herself, Morgan gets her knees up, knocking the wind out of Hart as she lands!
Morgan, back to her feet, hops to the first rope, spins, and then to the second rope as she connects with a hellacious dropkick!
She rushes her again, looking for the hurricanrana, but Hart telegraphs it and reverses it into a sit out powerbomb!
The ref goes to check on Morgan, but Hart pulls her off of her! She waits for Morgan to rise, as Anderson notes how dangerously close Hart was to a disqualification.
As Morgan turns, Julia blinds her with the mist! Julia screams, tackling Morgan with a spear before unleashing closed handed lefts and rights, again to the admonishment of Kenzie who tries to pull her off.
Hart snaps on Kenzie, laying her out with a kick to the head as the bell sounds for the DQ! She grabs Morgan by the hair and pulls her to the outside.
She slams Morgan’s face into the steel steps repeatedly, until blood gushes from Morgan’s forehead. She pulls out a steel chair, and bashes her repeatedly with targeted shots to her back!
Kevin Kelly: This is disgusting! Julia Hart has completely snapped! She wants to put Liv Morgan out for good!
Arn Anderson: You have to believe that somewhere, Alistair Black is watching on, nodding his head in approval at this vicious assault!
With Morgan completely out of it, Julia drags her over to the commentary desk. She drapes her over the announce table, undeterred by the ringing bell and the boos from the crowd.
She gets back in the ring, climbing to the top rope, again looking for the moonsault!
This time, before she can launch herself, unfamiliar music hits, and Ruby Riott rushes to the ring! The crowd pops as Riott slides in, but that pop turns to boos as Julia Hart slides out of the ring just as quickly, a sick smile on her face.
Riott goes to the commentary desk, helping Morgan off of it, calling for medical help. Julia backs up the ramp, that twisted smile growing bigger.
Kevin Kelly: Ruby Riott has seen enough! She’s come to the rescue of the woman she broke into wrestling with, as two thirds of the former Riott Squad are together once again!
Arn Anderson: If I’m Liv Morgan, I can’t tell you how grateful I’d be for the timely arrival of Ruby Riott! Julia Hart was looking to end Liv’s career, and she’s got Ruby to thank that it didn’t get that far!
The segment closes with EMTs joining Ruby as they help Liv onto the stretcher. Hart’s music hits as she watches the scene unfold from the stage, mouthing that this isn’t over.
Winner by DQ: Liv Morgan
Match Time: 12:09
SEGMENT THREE
The exterior of the house is weathered, the paint peeling, the windows cloudy with dust. The grass is overgrown, looking more like a wild field than a front yard. The camera pushes in, to the front door, and it creaks like it hasn’t been touched in years.
Inside the front room, the moon cuts in through the warped blinds, painting layers of dust in silver. Sean Olsen appears through the threshold, his boots causing the floor to rattle. He looks over the space, his eyes moving like he’s measuring the weight of every memory that lives inside these walls.
Sean Olson: [low, sharp] It’s funny… how two people can grow up in the same place, at the same time, and see it so differently.
Olson runs his hand along the banister. Flakes of paint stick to the tips of his gloves.
Sean Olson: Brandon remembers this house as where our parents pushed us, made us compete, where the spark of all this started. Me? I remember it as the place where they only had enough love for one son… and it wasn’t me.
Olson stops, taking in a view of the living room. He fixes his eyes on a dent in the wall, smirking bitterly.
Sean Olson: He spoke about my father, Tom, like he stepped up. Like he brought stability to this family. I knew better. I knew it was his mother, Elaine Lee, giving up. Trading whatever future she had for a man who drank too much and brought out the worst in his kid.
Sean Olson: I guess in that sense, it’s fitting that he calls himself The Forgotten. Because he clearly has amnesia. He’s forgotten the truth of our childhood. Forgotten that neither one of us ever stood a chance at being brothers. That all we’ve ever known… our entire lives… has been ripping each other apart. No matter where we go, or what we try to do, it always comes back to each other, and to bloodshed.
Olson pulls a silver lighter from his pocket, flicking it open but not sparking it yet.
Sean Olson: This Sunday, the cycle ends. I didn’t come back to this home to relive the rare moments that we got along. I came back here to burn every lie this place ever told us to the ground.
He steps into the hallway, glancing at the family photos — some frames empty, others still holding faces that feel more like ghosts.
Sean Olson: Brandon said he’s glad our parents aren’t around to see what he plans to do to me. But I’m sad they’re not here, sad they’ll miss it. They won’t see what they raised… the victim in Brandon Lee, and the monster in me who has no choice but to put him down.
Olson stops in the middle of the living room, staring into the dark as if he’s already picturing Brandon’s beaten, lifeless eyes. The lighter clicks again — this time igniting. The flame dances, reflected in his stare.
Sean Olson: Sunday at Aftershock, we finish this once and for all. Our parents made sure there was no such thing as a brotherhood for us… just a race neither of us could quit. And here we finally are, at the finish line. Sunday at Aftershock, it’s Last Man Standing… and Brandon, you won’t be getting up. When I’m done with you, the world finally moves on from Brandon Lee.
He tosses the lighter onto a couch cushion. Flames bloom, climbing fast, swallowing the dust and the years in seconds. Olson stands in the doorway, watching the fire spread, the old wood popping in protest.
He turns, walking away without looking back, the glow of the burning house chasing his shadow down the street.
Match #3 | AEW Television Championship
LA Knight (C) vs. Swerve Strickland
Arn Anderson: Ladies and gentleman, what a night we’ve witnessed thus far, and to top it all off, we’ve got a huge main event!
Kevin Kelly: Swerve Strickland’s path back to the AEW Television Championship will have to run through LA Knight, arguably one of the best Television Champions in AEW history.
Arn Anderson: The number one draft pick for BWM Inc. in the 2025 World of Wrestling Draft, the Megastar has made his presence felt in All Elite Wrestling.
Kevin Kelly: These two have been on a collision course since the season premiere, and it finally comes to a head!
Both men are out to huge ovations, with the audience split almost directly down the middle. As the bell sounds, LA Knight wastes no time, looking to overpower the quicker Swerve Strickland immediately.
However, Swerve dodges a clothesline attempt, scooping Knight up in a torture-rack post before jumping to his knees, connecting with the argentine backbreaker!
LA Knight groans in pain, as Swerve looks for an early short arm submission. However, Knight manages to spin out of it, twisting Swerve’s arm before wrenching it hard over his knees with a double knee armbreaker.
Kevin Kelly: LA Knight isn’t going to let Swerve Strickland dictate the pace.
Arn Anderson: And that’s a smart strategy from the champion. Swerve’s most dangerous when he’s moving. Make him wait, frustrate him.
Both men reset, as LA Knight charges again. Strickland greets him with a crisp arm drag, followed by another. As Knight tries to get off the mat, Swerve connects with a basement dropkick!
Swerve scoops Knight up, unloading with a barrage of martial arts strikes. Knight cuts him off with a heavy right, sending him into the corner. Knight regains control with heavy shoulder thrusts, before lifting Swerve to the top.
Knight follows upstairs, looking for the superplex. Swerve fires off some right hands, knocking Knight off the ropes. Knight lands on his feet, only to eat a diving cross body from Swerve!
Swerve sends Knight into the ropes, and on the rebound, he again targets Knight’s back with the pendulum backbreaker!
He covers Knight, but Knight kicks out at 1.
Swerve drags him up and looks for a back suplex, but Knight reverses, lands on his feet, and locks in a sleeper into a slam onto the mat! Knight slows the pace down, connecting with a powerslam and talking a little trash before covering for a near fall.
Swerve answers with some martial arts kicks, and sends Knight back into the corner. He charges with a flying spinning European uppercut, but Knight dodges and Swerve slams into the buckles! He follows it up with a swinging neckbreaker, going for the cover once more!
1…
2…
Swerve stays alive!
Knight lifts Swerve up, sending him into the ropes. On the rebound, he catches him with a hellacious flapjack, getting some tremendously impressive high on the lift. Swerve crashes face first into the mat as the crowd rallies in support of Knight.
Knight stays on him, lifting him for the sidewalk slam. However, Swerve responds by wrapping his legs around Knight’s neck, sending him toppling over with a hurricanrana.
Kevin Kelly: That reversal wasn’t pretty for Swerve Strickland, but it’s enough to give him a chance to catch his breath. LA Knight has been out maneuvering him for the better part of this match, and Strickland is going to need to regroup!
Strickland sends Knight over the ropes, but he lands on the apron. Knight leaps over the ropes looking for a shoulder block, but Swerve telegraphs it into a double arm DDT!
Both men are down as the crowd rallies them on. Swerve gets to his feet first, going to the corner. He climbs to the top and launches himself off, connecting with a picture perfect 450 splash!
He lifts LA Knight up, and sends him flying into the corner head first with a dangerous looking buckle bomb! Knight stumbles from the impact, as Swerve connects with the House Call out of nowhere!
However, the impact of the kick to the head sends the champion toppling through the ropes and crashing to the mat outside.
Arn Anderson: Swerve connected with the House Call, but you can’t beat the champion when he’s outside of the ring!
Frustrated, Swerve follows Knight to the outside. The ref tries to get control of things, but Swerve is determined. He sends Knight flying into the barricade, and Knight hits with such force that he flips into the front row!
The crowd gasps as Swerve grabs him by the head, pulling him onto the barricade for a huge barricade suplex! Knight again writhes in pain, clutching at his back.
Swerve drags him back to the apron and steps inside. He pulls Knight through the second rope, connecting with a hanging neckbreaker!
He covers the champion!
1…
2…
2.999!
The crowd explodes as Knight gets the shoulder up!
Frustrated, Swerve tries to lift Knight up by the hair. Knight crashes back to the mat. Swerve goes for it again, looking for the brainbuster. However, Knight counters with the inside cradle!
1…
2…
2.999!
This time, the crowd explodes for Swerve Strickland as he narrowly kicks out!
Both men slowly rise to their feet once more, and Strickland charges Knight in the corner with a helluva kick. However, Knight sidesteps it and counters with a massive jumping neckbreaker!
Knight lifts him, looking for the BFT! Swerve wrestles out of it, hitting the ropes. He rolls through, jumping and connecting with the flatliner!
The crowd is again on their feet, as both men lie on the mat, their chests heaving from being out of breath.
As they get back to their feet, Anderson notes a hint of desperation as LA Knight goes to the top rope! Swerve kips up, rushes the corner, jumps to the top rope, and meets him with an avalanche back suplex!
Swerve lifts him from behind, looking for the Big Pressure inverted piledriver. But Knight fires back with elbows, forcing Swerve to let go of his grip. Knight counters with the inverted death valley driver!
He covers him once more!
1…
2…
2.999!
Strickland kicks out! The fans break into a “fight forever!” chant as commentary agrees that both men are leaving it all in the ring for the chance to call themselves champion.
Knight sends Swerve into the corner. Swerve jumps to the second rope, spins, and connects with the diving European uppercut!
With Knight on the mat, Strickland ascends to the top rope once more, calling for the Swerve Stomp!
As he flies through the air, Knight rolls out of the way. Swerve telegraphs it, landing on his feet, rolling through, and turning sharply. He eats the BFT out of nowhere!
Kevin Kelly: Knight just planted him in the center of the ring!
He hooks the leg…
1…
2…
3!!!
Winner: LA Knight
Match Time: 16:55
Kevin Kelly: Knight survives an absolute barnburner of a main event here tonight on Dynamite!
Arn Anderson: Swerve was a step away all night long, but LA Knight found the counters when it mattered. That’s why he’s still champion.
Strickland rolls out of the ring, retreating, as Knight’s hand is raised in victory. He heads to the second rope, raising his title high.
Suddenly, his music stops.
“Eeeeeyyyy yoooo!!”
How can I be so good lookin’, and still humble?
How can I be so damn rich, and still humble?
How can I do all this shit, and I’m still humble? I’m still humble.
The crowd erupts into massive boos as Logan Paul’s music hits, and the former AEW World Heavyweight Champion appears on stage! He holds a bottle of prime, before taking off the cap.
He holds it up in a mock toast to Knight, as Knight climbs down from the turnbuckle, his eyes locked on Logan’s atop the stage. Logan gestures subtly toward Knight’s Television Championship, then gives a small shrug and a smirk, walking back up the ramp without entering the ring, leaving a charged tension in his wake.
Kevin Kelly: For the first time since Exodus Memorial Day weekend, the social media megastar has returned! And he’s clearly set his sights on the self-proclaimed megastar of professional wrestling!
Arn Anderson: Logan Paul just planted a psychological seed in the mind of LA Knight. He’s still got the belt, but now he’s got a target on his back, and this one’s bigger than any challenge he’s faced before!
In the aftermath of the main event, the arena lights darken momentarily as the opening chords of “Voices” by Disturbed rumble through the speakers.
The reaction is mixed for the Acting Director of Operations, a rarity from a New York crowd usually in total support. Slowly, Master Splinter emerges from the tunnel, his posture heavy with the weight of responsibility.
He pauses at the top of the ramp, surveying the crowd, before making the long walk to the ring. The commentary team remains silent, letting Splinter’s introduction breathe.
Splinter walks past the ring announcer, and Jane Mouse hands him a microphone. He doesn’t speak right away. Instead, he lets a hush of anticipation settle in, his eyes moving across the sea of people in the audience, as if he’s searching for the right words.
Master Splinter: I’ve been running from something, and it brings me great shame to admit it. What should have been one of the finest moments of my career, my induction into the Hall of Fame, was instead a reminder that all of us our corruptible, even the eternal good guys like myself. When Splidder said there was something I needed to know, I didn’t have to know what he was going to say to know that it wasn’t going to be good news for me. I wasn’t ready to hear it.
He lowers his head for a moment, the crowd murmuring, waiting for more.
Master Splinter: I’m going to level with you all, because you fans deserve the truth. After Retribution 2024, I’ve had it tougher than I’ve ever had it in my personal life. You see, I walked into Total Anarchy: All Elite knowing full well there was a chance it’d be my last match. But after over 30 years of fighting off adversity, of proving that when the world counted me out, I could still stand tall… I thought… no, I believed that my career would not come to an end. Unfortunately, I was blinded by my own arrogance. Convinced that the label I’d worn for decades… the label of the “greatest of all time,” would allow me to go out on my own terms.
He grips the microphone tightly.
Master Splinter: Arrogance has a cost. Because of my arrogance, I wasn’t ready for retirement. Not physically, not emotionally, and most certainly not financially. I was reeling from a series of bad investments I made during the pandemic, digging myself out of holes I’d never fallen into before. I am sure many of you can relate. So, when the board came to me and offered me the position of Acting Director of Operations, the truth is, I didn’t have much of a choice. As humiliating as it is to admit this, I needed the money.
The crowd reacts with a mix of sympathy and unease. Splinter shakes his head slowly.
Master Splinter: And that’s where I was selfish. Because I know what happens any time somebody in this industry promises to reveal a big secret about the Mouse family. There’s always fallout. There’s always chaos. And selfishly, I didn’t want the smoke, not when I was so close to recovering from the financial bind I’d gotten myself into.
Splinter takes a slow breath, his voice rougher now, like each word is being forced out against months of resistance.
Master Splinter: It wasn’t until two weeks ago, when my youngest brother Shocker showed up, that I knew I couldn’t keep running from this. If it was big enough for him to get involved… then I knew it had to be important. Something that was going to rip through all of us whether I was ready or not.
The crowd buzzes for the mention of Shocker. Splinter stares at the mat, as they slowly start to quiet.
Master Splinter: Shocker saw through me immediately, in the ways that only a brother can see through you. He refused to tell me what Splidder was going to say, but said there was one man who could. And last Monday, when I sat across from the man who ended my career, Sami Zayn, I finally got answers. Answers to how big this really was, and how deep it went.
Master Splinter: Last May, part of Splidder’s secret came out in ULW, thanks to Hans Gustav. The world learned that Megan Mouse was not the only child of Benny and Molly Mouse. The industry shook as we learned that Megan had a twin sister, Abigail. The infamous shadow of the Wyatt Family.
The crowd lets out a collective gasp at the reminder. Splinter grips the microphone tighter, his voice breaking slightly.
Master Splinter: Sami told me what Splidder had told him… what we didn’t know about the night of the twins’ birth. We all witnessed on UWF television as Molly went into labor at her own wedding. We watched as her father dropped dead. But we never saw what happened in that hospital room.
Splinter takes a step back, gathering himself before continuing.
Master Splinter: When Abby arrived, she nearly killed Molly. She nearly killed Megan, too. Megan was born with the cord around her neck. She didn’t breathe, or even move, until Abby came into this world seconds after. And the moment Abby touched her sister, Megan seized violently. They thought she wouldn’t make it.
The crowd is hushed, uneasy, hanging on his every word.
Master Splinter: Molly knew right then, she’d never have room in her heart for them both. In her postpartum rage, or perhaps fear, she demanded that Benny get Abby out of there. To cast her off, and to pretend like she never happened. And that’s how the lie begin. How the Mouse family tried to bury one of their own…
Splinter steadies his grip on the microphone, his voice taking on a grim cadence, each word heavy with the weight of the past.
Master Splinter: In the version we all heard back in May, Hans Gustav stood in front of the world and said that Abigail was abandoned… left to be adopted by the Wyatt Family. But that wasn’t the whole truth. The truth is, from the moment Abby put her hands on Megan… Benny believed she had powers. He believed Megan’s first breath came from her sister. He was obsessed with it.
Master Splinter: You see, Mickey’s own hubris blinded him when it came to Dr. Evil. Evil swore a fealty to Mickey Mouse Sr., not to Mickey Jr… Over the years, Benny kept tabs on her. Mickey never realized how deep the friendship between Evil and Benny really went, because Evil was playing every side of the equation. That’s how he controlled people. That’s how he kept himself in the middle. And now? Evil is a prisoner—kept by Abby, and whoever she’s aligned with—while Megan rots away, her mind poisoned by the same sickness that claimed her father… before Danhausen ever laid a curse on her.
Splinter’s voice rises, cutting through the restless crowd.
Master Splinter: We were told Evil found the Rotunda family. That was a lie. The truth? Benny found them. And Benny took Megan… over and over again… to play with Abby and her brothers, behind Molly’s back. He told Abby they were cousins on her mother’s side. Lied to her. Lied to everyone. And those two girls… they practically grew up together. They played side by side until their teenage years, when Benny’s dementia started showing its first cracks, and the visits stopped. And when Mickey finally found Abigail, just before the girls turned sixteen? He told her Benny didn’t want her. That Benny was afraid of her. But that wasn’t the truth either. Benny was only ever complying with Molly’s demands. Deep down, Abby had to have known that to be true from the time they spent together.
Master Splinter: Through the years, Benny tried to foster what he believed were Abigail’s powers into Megan. That’s what Sami Zayn believes is the root of her psychiatric struggles. And it’s no secret. Megan has battled mental illness her entire life. That’s why her own father has her locked away. And the last time we saw her… she didn’t even know who she was anymore.
Splinter shakes his head, then looks into the camera, his voice breaking with intensity.
Master Splinter: I never thought I’d be out here… trying to help Sami Zayn get his wife back. But the decades of abuse must come to an end! Benny wanted his daughters—the one he claimed and the one he cast aside—to be the most powerful phenoms this business had ever seen. A secret weapon. A harbinger of the apocalypse. A force so destructive it could end the industry if it ever slipped from his control. He hoped that whatever darkness resided in the Rotunda family would take root in his daughters.
Suddenly, a ripple cuts through the crowd. Security moves quickly toward the hard-cam side. Five fans in the front row are being rushed out of their seats, thrashing, shouting, making a scene. The camera briefly catches their defiance before cutting back to Splinter, who notices the commotion but doesn’t stop speaking.
Splinter raises the mic, ready to reveal the final part of Benny Mouse’s buried secrets. But before he can speak, the camera suddenly cuts back to the section where security had been clearing fans moments before.
The audience gasps. Instead of the ejected fans, the front row is now occupied by Mr. Brodie Lee, Executioner, Alistair Black, Brody King, and Splidder! All are dressed the same in flowing white linen pants, crisp white shirts, sleeves buttoned to the wrist. The lights from above seem to make them glow eerily in contrast to the crowd around them.
One by one, they raise up white sheets of paper. Together, the papers spell out: “YOU ARE WASTING YOUR BREATH.”
The camera cuts back to Splinter in the ring. His face twists in disbelief, his hand trembling slightly as he lowers the microphone. The crowd erupts in confusion and dread. Then—darkness.
The arena plunges into black. A low hum of static crackles over the speakers. Slowly, cell phone lights dot the arena, glowing like fireflies. Then the giant screen above the stage flickers to life, overtaken by piercing static. The noise grates, almost unbearable, before snapping into rapid-fire flashes:
– A hospital room, Molly Mouse screaming in labor as doctors rush around her.
– The ULW broadcast from May 12, 2025, Bray Wyatt appearing following Hans Gustav’s reveal
– The cold, sterile halls of the mental hospital where Megan was last seen, lost and broken.
The screen flickers violently before the static returns. Then, silence. The static fades into a chilling close-up:
Megan Mouse-Zayn. Her face pale, her eyes wide with terror. Her mouth is sealed shut with duct tape, and written across it, in thick black letters, are the words: “RUN.”
The camera zooms tighter and tighter until the screen cuts out abruptly. The lights in the arena snap back on. The men in white are gone, their seats empty as though they were never there.
The camera finds Splinter in the ring, his face stricken with pure fear. He clutches the microphone but can’t bring himself to speak. His lips tremble, his eyes dart around the arena as if he’s suddenly very small in the middle of a much larger storm.
The Harlem Turtles storm the ring, their arrival greeted with a shocked roar from the crowd. Splinter raises his hands, shouting over the noise, trying desperately to appeal to them as family. He pleads, his words lost in the chaos. But the Turtles are unmoved. They swarm him, fists flying, boots stomping, their attack vicious and merciless.
The commentary team shouts over the mayhem as Splinter is left broken in the ring, gasping for air, curled under the unrelenting assault. The last shot of Dynamite is of Splinter’s body crumpled in the corner, the camera pulling back as the Harlem Turtles stand tall over him, the echo of the static still buzzing faintly in the background.
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 