Live from Boardwalk Hall | Atlantic City, NJ | Crowd Size: 10,605
SEGMENT ONE
As Dynamite comes onto the air, we see Doc Brown backstage, surrounded by a makeshift “lab” in a main backstage hallway. Wrestlers are walking past and giving him weird looks, as he observes bubbling beakers and rattling tubes. The whole thing is smoking, as the good doctor hunches over a notebook. He flips through the papers, scratching out formulas, and then rewriting them twice as big.
A beaker pops in front of him, shooting a puff of pink smoke into his face.
Doc Brown: [to himself] Great Scott! That’s either a breakthrough, or early onset combustion!
He dumps another neon chemical into a flask. It sizzles like bacon. Brown nods confidently, jotting something else in his notebook. One of the random wrestlers walking by happens to be Flex Fuller, who stops in his tracks when he sees his old manager.
Flex Fuller: Doc?
Doc spins around too fast, and his goggles fly off his head and bounce onto the floor.
Doc Brown: Flex Fuller! By the curvature of space time itself, what are you doing here? Did you get fired too?
Flex Fuller: I could ask you the same. I was shocked to see you show up at Sympathy for the Devil… please, don’t tell me you’ve aligned yourself with those geriatric stoners in High Minded!
Doc waves his hand in the air like he’s trying to swat away the idea.
Doc Brown: High Minded? Oh, no, no, no! After Matt Riddle stole my identity to win the costume contest, he asked me if I could invent a cloud of smoke that followed them everywhere… some kind of sentient haze… Impossible! This isn’t a head shop, it’s SCIENCE!
Flex Fuller: [relieved] Oh, thank god. So, if you’re not here for them… what’s the deal? You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’? You wanna get the old team back together? Doc Brown managing Flex Fuller… you could be the brains behind the Flex Squad!
Doc’s posture softens for a moment, nostalgic.
Doc Brown: Those were memorable days… yes… invigorating days… days filled with quantum enhancement trials—
Flex Fuller: Doc, those were steroids.
Doc Brown: Nonsense! It was SCIENTIFICALLY INSPIRED MUSCLE ACCELERATION VIA TEMPORAL… — I’ll explain later! [he pauses a moment] But no, Flex. I can’t go back to the past.
He points a dramatic finger to the heavens.
Doc Brown: I only go… back to the FUTURE!
Flex stares at him, bewildered.
Flex Fuller: Doc, that didn’t answer anything. Are you staying? Leaving? What future? What are you talking about?
Doc is already pacing back and forth, grabbing beakers and holding them up to the light.
Doc Brown: I’m talking about progress, Flex! I didn’t come to AEW to rehash our old routine. I came here for something far more dangerous… far more ambitious… far more SCIENTIFIC!
Fuller looks at him in confusion.
Doc Brown: Soon, I intend to unleash my greatest creation of all! Not a comedy act, not a Luchadore hunter, but a true World Champion! A professional wrestler… built in the lab!
Flex Fuller: Doc! You can’t just build a wrestler. That’s not how this works!
Doc Brown: Of course I can! With enough voltage, discipline, and questionable ethical flexibility, anything is possible! But I need time. Precision. Silence! [shooing him] So go on—OUT! Out, out, out! This requires all of my scientific power.
Fuller looks around, realizing that Brown is trying to kick him out of a main hallway backstage. The camera follows Flex as we can hear Doc mumbling to himself off screen.
Doc Brown: [off screen] Great Scott… it’s working… IT’S WORKING!
Fuller continues down the hallway, where he bumps into Renee Young who is standing in front of the AEW backdrop with the newly named Director of Operations, Shocker. He almost walks right in the shot as the interview begins, before quickly fumbling behind the backdrop.
Renee Young: I’m standing by with AEW’s newly named Director of Operations, Shocker. And Shocker, you promised to open the show with a major announcement. Everyone wants to know… what is it?
Shocker nods confidently.
Shocker: Renee, during AEW’s brief break, I’ve worked diligently to make sure that even with our corporate leadership… scattered, let’s say… the ship keeps sailing smoothly. AEW doesn’t stop. It doesn’t stall. Not on my watch.
Suddenly, the lights flicker twice, as a buzzing noise is heard overhead.
Renee glances upwards, and then down the hallway.
Renee Young: Speaking of not stopping, have you seen whatever that is that Doc Brown’s set up in the corridor? What’s your take on… all of that?
Shocker closes his eyes for a beat, a pained expression on his face.
Shocker: Doc Brown is, and has always been, completely out of his mind. But, he’s signed a contract, so we’re going to let him work.
The lights flicker again, longer this time. There’s a faint zap noise that echoes from down the hallway.
Shocker pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head.
Shocker: Next week, I’m moving him into his own office. With a generator. A big one. Because whatever he’s got going on down there is frying the power grid.
He straightens up, trying to regain his composure.
Shocker: But, I didn’t come to talk about Brown.
Renee lifts the mic to Shocker, listening intently.
Shocker: As you all know, we’re barreling toward Elite Warfare, and every moment between now and then is precious. That’s why I’m announcing that AEW will NOT take off the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas, as previously announced. Instead, next week, and again during the week of Christmas, we’re presenting two special holiday events, Season’s Beatings and Violent Night! The latter of which will consist entirely of specialty matches… holiday cheer the AEW way!
Shocker: As for next week at Season’s Beatings, I am announcing an Elite Warfare Invitational 10-Man Battle Royal! The winner enters Elite Warfare at number 60. And the last person eliminated? They start the match at number one.
Renee’s eyes widen.
Shocker: Also next week at Season’s Beatings, Becky Lynch will go one on one with Jade Cargill. The winner earns a shot at Timeless Toni Storm and the Knockouts Championship at Elite Warfare.
Renee looks straight into the camera.
Renee Young: You heard it here, folks! Season’s Beatings just became must see television! Shocker, thank you again for your time.
Shocker: My pleasure, Renee. And, we’re just getting started!
As Shocker starts to walk away, there’s a loud boom from down the hallway, this time accompanied by a distant “GREAT SCOTT!” Shocker sighs loudly as the scene fades to black and the opening video package plays.
As the opening video package concludes and the pyro explodes, the camera sweeps past a sold out capacity crowd as Kevin Kelly and Arn Anderson enthusiastically welcome us back to Dynamite. Anderson says the entire world of wrestling has been abuzz since the shocking conclusion of Sympathy for the Devil, and tonight we’ll get our first taste of the fallout of the epic mid-season finale.
Before they can run down tonight’s show, however, Hysteria by Muse hits and a bitter, defiant Sean Olson makes his way down the aisle, as a visibly shaken Paul Heyman follows a few steps behind. Notably absent from their entrance is the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, which now belongs to the Aerial Assassin Will Ospreay. During the introduction, Kelly says Ospreay will e in the house next week, marking his first appearance as champion. Olson slides into the ring with a microphone.
Sean Olson: CUT THE DAMN MUSIC! I SAID CUT IT NOW!!!
The arena goes dead silent as Olson stands in the ring like a man who is seconds away from detonation. His shoulders are tight and his eyes are wild. Paul Heyman stands behind him, his hands folded, watching his client.
Sean Olson: Twenty years! Twenty years of the same blood soaked nightmare, the same pathethic face staring back at me. My half brother… my shadow… my burden.
The crowd pops at the reference to Brandon Lee, which only serves to make Olson more indignant.
Sean Olson: Brandon and I have broken one another’s bones. We’ve spilled blood, and buried pieces of each other in every filthy building that’s ever set up a wrestling ring. This entire industry has scars of our war. And last summer, I thought it was finally over.
Olson paces, his breathing sharp. His fingers dig into the microphone as if he wishes to snap it in half.
Sean Olson: At Aftershock 2… Last Man Standing… that match was supposed to end this once and for all. I didn’t just defeat my brother, I put him down like a wounded animal. And then, I said to the world, loud enough for God himself to hear, that the Kinslayer had ended The Forgotten! That chapter was finally closed.
Olson freezes mid-pace, turning slowly to the hard cam. He stares straight into the lens, malice radiating from his body.
Sean Olsen: I earned my freedom that night. I earned the right to live a life without having to drag that dead weight behind me… and look what happened after I put him down. My career exploded! I became the AEW World Heavyweight Champion! For the first time in my life, I was able to breathe without him suffocating all the air out of the room!
Heyman nods approvingly, as if he’s hearing a preacher deliver a sermon.
Sean Olson: But a parasite never stops feeding, does it? Brandon Lee refused to stay buried. At Sympathy for the Devil, I was seconds away from putting down this company’s golden boy, seconds away from etching my name in the history books as the greatest world champion the industry has ever seen! The moment was mine for the taking…
He points a finger directly at the camera.
Sean Olson: And that’s when he showed up. Crawling from the hole that I left him in, his broken body and broken career clinging desperately to my spotlight! Brandon Lee was meant to be a footnote in history!
Olson storms to the ropes, leaning over the top, staring at the entryway like he hopes it catches fire.
Sean Olson: Brandon! I KNOW you’re here. Come out and face me! For the first time in your life, be a man and atone for what you’ve done!
He waits, his eyes fixed on the entryway, before darting up to the rafters. But nothing happens, and the crowd boos him loudly as he smirks.
Sean Olson: This is exactly who Brandon Lee really is… he’s the same scared little boy who begged me not to leave his room at night because he heard monsters in the closet. And now? Now he’s too afraid to stand in the ring with the monster he CREATED.
He turns back to the center of the ring, his posture straightening.
Sean Olson: You want to restart this war, Brandon? Fine. But understand this… you’ve put me into a position where the only way forward is over your dead body! You didn’t just reawaken the past, you’ve unleashed the Kinslayer! And I swear on our blood, our history, on every scar we’ve ever given one another, my revenge will be biblical!
Heyman puts a comforting hand on Olson’s shoulder as he drops the mic. It lands in the ring with a thud.
“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 in boos, as Logan Paul steps out onto the stage, the AEW Television Championship around his waist. He wears the smirk of a man who specifically came to make someone’s night worse. Heyman’s eyes widen in irritation.
Logan Paul: Well, well, well… We haven’t been formally introduced, have we?
He starts walking down the ramp with the swagger of a man convinced that the earth rotates for him and him alone.
Logan Paul: But don’t worry, I’ve been listening. And honestly, I get it. In fact, I think I understand you more than most… It’s tough to climb all the way to the top of the mountain, only to have the AEW World Heavyweight Championship ripped from your hands right when you reach the peak! Trust me, Sean, I’ve been there.
As Logan talks, he continues to work his way down the ring, getting closer and closer to Olson.
Logan Paul: And guess who did it to me? That’s right! It was Brandon. Freakin’. Lee! So, in a weird way, you and I? We’re kind of like brothers!
The crowd erupts in louder boos, as Olson’s nostrils flare.
Logan Paul: That is, brothers in shared trauma… brothers in being screwed over by a man who truly should’ve been forgotten!
Logan climbs the steps, wiping his boots theatrically before entering the ring, keeping his eyes on Olson the whole time. Heyman positions himself slightly forward, creating a barrier between the two.
Logan Paul: Let me give you some brotherly advice…
Logan steps closer, now standing nearly nose to nose with Olson and Heyman. Olson’s fists have begun to curl.
Logan Paul: Take a beat… regroup… and move on with your career! The same way that I did!
The crowd boos louder at the arrogance. Logan taps the Television title plate with his palm.
Logan Paul: Because look at me now! I’m the greatest Television Champion this business has ever seen! I’m the man who single handedly restored prestige to a belt that used to belong to chumps like LA Knight, Cody Rhodes, and hell, even MJF! And none of them were able to make this belt mean what I’ve made it mean!
Logan spreads his arms confidently, the belt on full display.
Logan Paul: I started the Open Challenge to show that this is the workhorse championship. The one that belongs around the waist of the best wrestler on the planet! Nobody can touch me, and nobody can carry this company like I do!
Logan takes a step back, as if he’s deep in thought.
Logan Paul: Normally the Open Challenge means we wait for someone to show up… but tonight? Nah. Tonight’s special. Tonight, it works differently. [He points at Olson, jabbing his finger into his chest.] I’m challenging YOU. Right here, right now. You and me, Olson. Two former world champs. Two men who got robbed by the same loser. Let’s see who’s really built for the top.
Paul Heyman: Logan… Logan… Let’s…
Logan raises his hand in Heyman’s face to shut him up.
Logan Paul: What do you say, Kinslayer?
A slow, sinister smile washes across Olson’s face, more of a snarl than anything resembling joy.
Sean Olson: Ring the damn bell!
Match # 1 | AEW Television Championship
Logan Paul (C) vs. ‘The Kinslayer’ Sean Olson
Kevin Kelly: Here we go! The AEW Television Championship is on the line after one of the most volatile challenges I’ve ever seen!
Arn Anderson: I’m not sure this was a smart move from Logan Paul. Olson’s not in the right headspace. He’s mad, he’s wounded, and that makes him more dangerous than ever!
The bell rings and Olson explodes out of the corner, catching Paul with a shotgun dropkick that sends him tumbling through the ropes and onto the floor.
Kevin Kelly: Sean Olson is wasting no time!
Arn Anderson: Olson’s been waiting to hit somebody for weeks! He’s pint up, and I think Logan’s going to regret poking this bear.
Logan returns to the ring, and is met with a right hand to the face. He and Olson exchange rapid fire counters, arm drags, roll ups, and tight cradles, trying to best on another. Logan takes charge with a stiff elbow to the jaw, dropping Olson to his knee.
Paul charges, and Olson jumps up, catching him with a high knee to the face. He charges at him with a clothesline, but Paul sidesteps it and tosses him into the ropes. Olson gets tied up between the middle and second rope, as junior official Lance Storm tries to free him.
With Olson trapped, Logan goes to the apron and charges at him with a running boot. The force of which, along with Storm’s efforts, frees Olson from the ropes. Logan ignores Storm’s calls for separation, connecting with a snap neckbreaker on the edge of the apron.
Kevin Kelly: Logan Paul’s going to get himself disqualified if he’s not careful!
Arn Anderson: I’m not too sure Paul really cares. He says this is about elevating the championship, but we know what kind of man Logan truly is. He’s an opportunist, and he’s using Olson’s frustration to try and pick up some momentum for himself!
Logan rolls Olson back inside, and starts hammering him with body shots. He scoops him up and connects with a running powerslam, planting him in the center of the ring. The crowd boos viciously, which just makes Logan smirk as he lifts Olson up again for another powerslam.
This time, as Logan carries Olson around the ring to spin him into position, Olson slides out of it and connects with a superkick! He starts to unload with hard right hands, before finally planting Paul with a spinebuster that rattles the ring.
He covers…
1…
2…
Paul kicks out!
Olson lifts him to his feet by his hair, but Logan shoves him off and sends him into the ropes. On the rebound, Paul catches Olson with a back body drop, sending him flipping high into the air before crashing to the mat.
Olson rolls to the apron, dazed as he tries to regroup. Logan charges and hits a springboard clothesline, which knocks Olson off the apron.
Kevin Kelly: Logan Paul’s a narcissist, through and through, but you can’t deny that he’s an unreal athlete!
Arn Anderson: Sean Olson’s talked a lot about how nobody’s ever had the type of career revival that he’s had, but what about Logan Paul? Has anyone had the success he’s achieved in the first two years of his career?
As Paul steps out to the apron, Olson climbs back up and the two are wobbling dangerously as they tease a Spanish Fly from the apron. Olson launches them both off the apron with the Spanish Fly, but somehow, they both land on their feet on the floor! Logan follows it up with a standing Spanish Fly that plants Olson on the floor!
Both men are down, as Storm begins the 10 count. Heyman huddles above Olson, shouting at him to get up. Paul manages to roll back into the ring at the seven count.
Arn Anderson: How embarrassing would it be for Sean Olson to lose this match by countout?
Kevin Kelly: He probably shouldn’t have taken this match at all, because he’s so angry about what happened at Sympathy for the Devil that there’s no way he can even think straight!
As Storm shouts, “Nine!” Olson bursts to his feet and makes it back into the ring just before the countout.
Paul charges at him, but Olson catches him with a DDT, spiking his head on the mat. He goes to the top rope and connects with a shooting star press, looking to end Paul’s title reign!
1…
2…
Paul gets the shoulder up!
Heyman’s eyes widen in disbelief, as he pounds the apron, barking orders for Olson to end this.
Olson sends Paul into the ropes and goes for a clothesline. Paul ducks it, hits the ropes again, and catches him with a cross body block! He follows it up with a standing moonsault into the cover!
1…
2…
Olson kicks out!
With frustration mounting in both men, Paul charges at Olson in the corner. Olson sidesteps it, and Paul goes shoulder first into the steel post! Olson climbs to the top rope, dragging Paul with him! He connects with a top rope neckbreaker that sends them both crashing to the mat.
Kevin Kelly: This is the closest Sean Olson has looked to focused all night.
Olson kips up, dragging the champ back to his feet. He sends him into the corner, and then launches at him with a handspring back elbow. It connects, and Olson follows it up with a running bulldog that plants Logan face first across the canvass!
Olson drags him by the hair back to the corner, as Heyman continues shouting encouragement. Paul catches him off guard with a sidewalk slam, and goes to the middle rope. He goes for a moonsault, but Olson catches him mid air! Logan reverses it once more into a DDT!
1…
2…
Olson kicks out!
Arn Anderson: That reversal was nasty, Kevin! Nothing pretty about it, but it was effective!
Logan lifts Olson up, dead weight, for a gut wrench. Commentary remarks on Paul’s impressive strength, which is often overlooked because of his aerial athleticism. He sends Olson flying across the ring with the move, before ascending the ropes.
He launches himself with a moonsault, but Olson gets the knees up!
Kevin Kelly: Logan Paul may have broken a rib on that landing!
Arn Anderson: What a start to the mid season premiere of Dynamite!
Back to their feet, Olson launches another superkick. This time, Logan catches his boot, and uses it to hit a t-bone suplex! He goes to the apron and leaps to the top rope, hitting a spring board frog splash! He covers Olson once more!
1…
2…
2.999!
Arn Anderson: I thought he had him, Kevin!
Kevin Kelly: Say what you will about Olson, but the man’s always been resilient. There’s a fight in him that doesn’t exist in everyone, and that’s partly why he’s had the success he’s had in his career.
Paul is growing increasingly frustrated that he’s been unsuccessful in putting the challenger down. He lifts him up, calling for the Paulverizer! Olson slips out of it, and connects with a running meteora that sends Paul flying into the corner.
He slams Paul’s head into the turnbuckle repeatedly and violently, calling for the Olson Plunge! He lifts Paul onto the ropes with him, and plants Logan face first with his finisher!
Kevin Kelly: He hit it! He hit it! We’re going to have a new champion, Arn!
Heads in the crowd begin to turn in response to a commotion off screen.
Arn Anderson: Wait a second, Kevin. What’s going on in the crowd?
Suddenly, a crow dives from the rafters towards the ring, shrieking violently as it bombs towards Olson’s face!
Olson staggers, wildly swatting and spinning as the bird claws at him. Pieces of Olson’s hair are ripped out by the crow’s talons, as the audience gasps in horror.
Kevin Kelly: What the hell is happening right now? Sean Olson can’t see, he can’t defend himself! He’s swinging at the air!
The referee ducks in the corner as Olson continues flailing, blinded and furious. There’s a bald spot on Olson’s head from the hair ripped out by the crow’s attack. With a screeching caw, the crow finally lets up, flying back towards the rafters!
As Olson turns, he’s planted with the Paulverizer! His head bounces violently off the mat as Logan covers!
1…
2…
3!!!
Winner: Logan Paul
Match Time: 15:03
Kevin Kelly: I… I don’t even know what we just witnessed. A crow just dived out of the rafters like a heat-seeking missile!
Arn Anderson: One has to assume that this wasn’t a random attack… That was a message from Brandon Lee. I’ve got chills, Kevin! That wasn’t nature, it was psychological warfare from the Forgotten! Lee just reached out from the shadows to cost his brother another championship!
Kevin Kelly: If Olson thought his brother was in his head before, you’ve got to believe that he’s officially set up camp there now!
SEGMENT TWO
The camera catches MJF as he barrels around the corner of a loading dock bay, his shoulders tight, his scarf half-crooked, muttering under his breath as he spots MVP speaking quietly with a production assistant. MJF marches straight towards MVP.
MJF: Good, you’re here. We’re done playing hide and seek.
MVP dismisses the assistant and turns, his hands raised halfway in a calm gesture.
MVP: Max, I’ve been trying to—
MJF cuts him off, jabbing a finger into his chest.
MJF: No! No more stalling! I’ve given you a month to calm down your guy! That’s four weeks for you to talk some sense into that shaved-gorilla terminator you call a meal ticket! And in return? Lashley’s been stalking the halls for me like he’s hunting big game! He’s been getting barred from arenas, trying to find me so he can cave my head in!
MVP: You did cost him the world championship when you cracked him in the head with the belt…
MJF: Accidentally! And where’s my appreciation for every other time I saved that title for him? Let’s not pretend he was running a dominant reign without a little help from yours truly! How about All Out, huh? Cody had him dead to rights until I stepped in!
MVP clenches his jaw, trying to maintain his composure.
MVP: I’m not sayin’ you didn’t do your part.
MJF: Then why am I the one being hunted? We had a deal! If I helped Lashley keep the belt, the Syndicate would help me get it back when the time came! Guess what? The time’s here! And instead of backing me up, I’m ducking around crates and barricades because your guy can’t control his temper!
MVP exhales slowly, taking a measured step closer.
MVP: You’re not wrong about the deal. And you’re not wrong about the work you put in. But Lashley’s not exactly built for ‘accidents.’ He gets hit, his blood runs hot. Cooling him off takes time…
MJF: Well, I’m not waiting forever. Either you handle it, or I start handling it myself.
MVP eyes him for a long moment, and then nods once.
MVP: Alright, alright. I’ll get him in the room and make sure he listens. Next week, I’ll broker a sit down between you two face to face. You’ll talk it out at Season’s Beatings, and settle this before it blows up worse than it already has.
MJF adjusts his scarf, still breathing heavily but letting some tension drain.
MJF: Good. Because I’m done running… and I’m not going to let him, or you, pretend this deal didn’t exist.
They hold the stare for a beat before MVP turns away, already pulling out his phone, while MJF storms off down the hallway.
Backstage, AEW correspondent Renee Young is again standing by, this time with Jade Cargill. Jade stands tall with her posture sharp and her eyes fixed ahead.
Renee Young: Ladies and gentlemen, I’m standing by with Jade Cargill. Jade, as we heard earlier tonight from the Director of Operations, you’ll have another opportunity to get at the AEW Knockouts Champion Timeless Toni Storm if you can defeat Becky Lynch next week at Season’s Beatings. What’s on your mind heading into next week’s big match?
Jade tilts her chin up, her expression unmoved.
Jade Cargill: I’ve been waiting since All Out for the chance to get my hands on Becky Lynch. Next week, the wait is finally over. And after I beat Becky, I’m not slowing down. I’m not breathing deep, and I’m not resting until I get that Knockouts Championship around my waist. I think the world has forgotten who I am… I am that bitch! I am the longest reigning ULW Women’s Champion of all time… the only belt in that company that means anything anymore… and yeah, I’m proud of that run, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t always have my eye on the Knockouts Championship. Ever since it showed up back in EWA, I wanted it. The division has always set the standard.
Jade takes a step closer towards the camera.
Jade Cargill: Now that all the buzz about me from this past summer has settled down, everyone wants to gush about Toni Storm’s so-called ‘run of a lifetime.’ That’s cute. My reign in ULW lasted longer than her run has so far… and after I kick Becky’s ass next week, I’m walking into Elite Warfare and I’m ending Toni’s reign for good!
A sharp gasp is heard off screen.
Timeless Toni Storm: [exaggerated, off screen] Cuuuuuuuuut!
Timeless Toni Storm steps into the frame, dressed in a vintage black Hollywood director’s suit, complete with an angled beret and a scarf that’s draped dramatically. She snaps her fingers and a stagehand hustles into the shot with a director’s chair, the word “STORM” stenciled on the back in gold lettering. He plants it directly between Jade and Renee, and she takes a seat like she owns the place.
Timeless Toni Storm: No, no, no, darling, absolutely not. You’re doing it all wrong. You don’t turn this way — see, look, the light isn’t even catching your cheekbones. You want to be a star? Hit your angle. Like this.
She reaches out to adjust Jade’s shoulders. Jade immediately slaps her hand away.
Jade Cargill: Don’t touch me. I’m not playing along with whatever Hollywood breakdown you’re having. I don’t care about your delusions.
Toni places a hand over her heart in theatrical offense.
Timeless Toni Storm: Delusions? Sweetheart, I’ve stared down The Man herself. If you can’t even hit your marks during a simple backstage interview, how do you possibly expect to survive Becky Lynch next week? She’ll eat you alive — she and that husband of hers seem hellbent on tearing the foundation of this industry apart!
She locks her eyes directly on Jade’s, giving her a crooked smile.
Timeless Toni Storm: But do try your best. I’ll be watching closely. I sincerely hope you win, because I want you at Elite Warfare. I want to finish what I started at All Out. I was moments from putting you away before Becky stuck her nose in where it didn’t belong.
Jade Cargill: I’m not here to be an actor in your little film, Toni. I’m here to take your title.
Toni stands up, as the stagehand rushes back in and grabs her chair.
Timeless Toni Storm: Then I’ll see you on my set at Elite Warfare, darling!
As she walks away, she snaps her fingers and yells, “Aaaaand… scene!” The stagehand kills the nearby light, leaving Jade and Renee alone backstage in a darkened shot. Jade looks more determined than ever as the scene fades to black.
Match # 2 | Exhibition Match
Scott Hall vs. Flex Fuller
Scott Hall is introduced first, as he steps through the curtain to a big pop. He flicks his tooth pick toward the hard camera and struts to the ring. Moments later, Fuller is introduced, dripping with baby oil and bravado. He poses at every turn, barking at the fans to feast their eyes on “peak performance.”
As the bell rings, the two men circle. Hall smirks, unfazed by Fuller’s exaggerated posing. They lock up, and Hall surprisingly shoves Fuller halfway across the ring!
Kevin Kelly: An interesting match up here tonight as two powerhouses lock up. It was at Sympathy for the Devil that Flex Fuller and the Flex Squad made their surprising AEW debut to help Jesse Hash defeat Matt Riddle, and in the process they may have ignited a war with High Minded!
Arn Anderson: Fuller is strong, but in way that’s… not exactly natural.
Kevin Kelly: Yeah, in a way that’s more pharmaceutical, if you catch my drift!
Fuller slaps his chest and charges back. They tie up again, but this time Fuller uses his low center of gravity to bulldoze Hall into the corner. He grinds his forearm across Hall’s jaw. The ref steps in to break them up, as Fuller throws his hands up innocently. As soon as the ref turns away, Fuller drives a knee into Hall’s gut.
Hall doubles over, and Fuller charges at him with a clothesline. Hall ducks it, and responds with rapid fire right hands. Each punch rocks Fuller backwards. Hall lifts him up and sends him flying across the ring with the fallaway slam!
Fuller rolls out of the ring stunned, as he catches a breather.
Arn Anderson: When Scott Hall gets rolling, it’s going to take more than some gym boy posing to stop him.
Back in the ring, Fuller tries to catch Hall with a spear, but Hall moves and Fuller goes shoulder first into the turnbuckle. Hall follows it up with a short arm clothesline, and then another. The crowd pops as he signals for the Razor’s Edge.
He hoists Fuller up, but Fuller slips out. Fuller begins to club Hall from behind, one thundering blow after another. Each shot seems a little more desperate than the last.
Hall stumbles, and Fuller lifts him up for a delayed vertical suplex. He holds Hall upside down so long that she shouts for the cameras to make sure they’re catching all of this.
Kevin Kelly: Fuller’s strength is outrageous, look at that control!
Arn Anderson: Impressive or not, you waste this kind of time against a veteran like Scott Hall and you’re flirting with disaster!
Fuller drops Hall hard to the mat, and immediately drags him back up. He goes for a pumphandle slam, but Hall slips behind him and drives Fuller into the mat with a big back suplex.
Hall crawls towards the ropes, pulling himself up. Fuller charges at him, but Hall catches him with a big boot.
Hall calls for the Razor’s Edge once more as the crowd rises. He gets Fuller up for it, but suddenly, Jesse Hash appears on the apron!
Hall drops Fuller and swings at Hash, who hops down immediately.
Kevin Kelly: There it is, there’s the interference that we all knew was coming!
With Hall’s attention turned to Hash, Fuller blasts him from behind with a shoulder block to his spine.
Fuller grabs Hall by the waist, hauling him up off the mat with startling ease. He hoists Hall onto his shoulders, adjusting until Hall’s back is stretched across Fuller’s broad shoulders.
Arn Anderson: I hear he calls that the Fully Flexed…
Kevin Kelly: That’s a torture rack!
Fuller yanks down on Hall’s legs and neck, wrenching and bouncing him. Hall refuses to tap, but after about 40 seconds his limbs start to go limp. The ref raises his arm and it drops. It drops a second time, and then a third as the ref calls for the bell!
Winner: Flex Fuller
Match Time: 9:05
Fuller dumps Hall unceremoniously and pounds his chest as the Flex Squad storms the ring. Hash enters first, stomping Hall. Brian Cage follows with clubbing forearms. Lex Luger squeezes the ropes like he’s about to snap them in half before dropping knee after knee into Hall’s ribs. Midget Hogan jumps on Hall’s back, hammering away with gnarly little fists. Hobbs stands guard at the ropes, daring officials to step up. All the while, the bell sounds continuously.
Kevin Kelly: This is an ambush! Hall can’t defend himself!
Arn Anderson: That bel means nothing to these guys!
Suddenly, the arena erupts as Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, and Matt Riddle storm down the aisle!
They hit the ring and the Flex Squad scatters instantl. Hobbs shoves Midget Hogan out of harm’s way, Cage drags Fuller to the floor, and Hash retreats, barking orders as they regroup at the bottom of the ramp.
Riddle leans over the ropes and yells, “Come on back, bro! Let’s roll again!”
SEGMENT THREE
We return from commercial break with a shot of a windowless room. There’s no clear indiction where the scene is taking place, possibly a basement, a warehouse, or even a forgotten back office.
There’s a small overhead light that sways ever so slightly, casting slow and uneasy shadows. In the center of the room, Splidder sits on a metal crate, his hood pulled over his head, his mouth just barely visible. Mr. Brodie Lee stands across from him with his arms folded. His posture is rigid, his eyes unblinking.
For a moment, they don’t speak. There’s a heavy silence between them, before finally Splidder speaks up.
Splidder: Well, now that it’s all out in the open, we can finally move forward. We know what the path is…
Brodie narrows his eyes, his voice dropping into something low and grave.
Mr. Brodie Lee: Before we talk about paths, I need to know something, and I need the truth. Your loyalties… do I need to worry about them? Do your loyalties lie with me and the Guilty Remnant, or with your brothers?
The question hangs heavy for a long beat, before Splidder straightens, his jaw tightening.
Mr. Brodie Lee: You know what we’re trying to do. What we’ve sworn to do. If the Remnant truly wants to stay true to its purpose and cleanse this industry of the Mouse family and their enablers, you can’t split yourself in two. Not anymore.
Splidder exhales, and leans forward.
Splidder: The Mouse family is the most dangerous family in wrestling. That was true before, but now? Benny’s daughters running around with whatever that power is — whatever they’ve become? They’re stronger than ever. Abby’s unpredictable, and Megan? I don’t even know what to make of all that’s happened with her just yet. Mickey’s shadow is still crawling across every aspect of the business. My loyalties are with you, and with the Remnant. Through and through.
Splidder looks up at Lee, casting a judgmental gaze at his leader.
Splidder: Ridding the world of them is the only way for you to atone for the part you’ve played in all of this…
Brodie flinches, Splidder’s words hit him hard.
Mr. Brodie Lee: I wasn’t myself last year. I wasn’t whole. Something was wrong. I felt it then, and I’ve felt it ever since. Little pieces snapping back into place, one at a time. But what happened to Lenny that night… that’s on me, whether I meant for it to happen or not.
His voice grows colder.
Mr. Brodie Lee: And that’s why the Guilty Remnant’s mission is more critical than ever. We’re all guilty of enabling them to some degree, some of us more than others. If there’s any truth to this prophecy, any at all… they can’t be allowed to continue. If there’s a chance to end this by cutting the head off the serpent, we’ve got to try. The twins can be undone with one blow… to Megan.
Splidder’s head jerks up.
Splidder: Are you… are you really advocating for what I think you’re advocating for?
Brodie steps closer, his shadow stretching long across the floor.
Mr. Brodie Lee: It’s the trolley problem, Splidder. Except this time it isn’t a thought experiment. It’s real. If taking out Megan brings Abby down, then Mickey falls with her. And if Mickey falls, the grip he’s had on this business finally breaks. We get an industry with dignity again. With order. With class.
Splidder: What about Benny? And Danhausen? Sure, they’ve retreated now because they’re wounded, but they won’t stay away forever.
A small grin stretches over Lee’s face.
Mr. Brodie Lee: Men like Benny don’t retreat for long. They come back, because they think the world belongs to them. And that’s the advantage we haven’t had before. His guard is down, his attention fractured. When he resurfaces, he’ll be vulnerable. And when that moment comes, removing him from the equation won’t take force… it’ll take timing.
Match #3 | AEW Tag Team Championships
The Harlem Turtles (C) vs. The Young Bucks
Kevin Kelly: The Young Bucks earned this title shot a month ago in a hellacious Ladder War. However, Benny Mouse blocked them from cashing in on their opportunity. Now that Benny’s out of the picture, Shocker’s finally making sure they get the chance they’re due.
Arn Anderson: The Harlem Turtles are undoubtedly the greatest tag team of all time, but you’ve got to wonder how they’re going to hold up without Benny’s protection.
As the bell rings, Matt Jackson started things off with Stevie R, immediately targeting his ribs with martial arts kicks. Stevie fights back with blistering chops, backing Matt into the corner. Matt slips out with a headlock, transitioning to a hammerlock. Stevie reverses it and hits a hip toss, followed by an arm drag and an armbar.
Matt wrestles free and tags Nick Jackson in. Stevie R takes the opportunity to also tag in his partner. Booker D and Nick Jackson hit the mat, chain wrestling clean and fast. Nick pops up with a slick arm drag into an armbar of his own, but Booker pushes to his feet and shoves him into the ropes. On the rebound, he hits him with a shoulder tackle. Nick kips up instantly, ducks a clothesline, and then catches Booker with a hurricanrana.
Kevin Kelly: The Young Bucks are hitting fast, they want to avoid a power game with the Turtles.
Booker cuts Nick off by whipping him face first into Stevie R’s raised knee, his brace catching him across the jaw. There’s a quick tag and Stevie comes in, hitting a sharp dropkick that sends Nick into the corner. Nick tries to rebound, but Stevie hangs onto the ropes to stop the momentum.
He targets Nick with a gutbuster, and then drives him into the corner. He tags Booker in once again, who lights Nick up with body shots. He catapults him ribs-first into the bottom rope.
Matt tries to intervene, but Stevie yanks him to the floor and clocks him with a right hand. Booker hoists Nick and drives him ribs-first into the top turnbuckle. Nick falls, gasping for air.
Arn Anderson: The Turtles may be on their own tonight, but they’re locked in, Kevin. They’re focused. They’ve found a target and they’re tearing it apart!
The Turtles hit a double team vertical suplex into a rib breaker. Stevie covers…
1…
2..
Nick kicks out!
Booker is tagged back in, and he mounts Nick in the corner, lifting him for the superplex. Nick fights out of it, headbutts Booker, and shoves him to the canvas. He flies off the top rope into a corkscrew cross body, as both men are down!
Nick crawls as Booker tags Stevie back in. Nick dives and tags Matt, just as Stevie reeneters.
Matt Jackson storms Stevie with a flying lariat, and then superkicks Booker off the apron. He follows it up with a bulldog/clothesline combo on both Turtles when Booker tries to reenter.
He whips Stevie into Booker, and Nick joins him in the ring. They deliver stereo superkicks, and Nick sends Booker to the outside. He hits a somersault dive over the top rope and wipes Booker out!
Back inside, Matt leaps for a high crossbody on Stevie, but Stevie catches him! He drops him with a World’s Strongest Slam as Stevie makes the tag to Booker.
The Turtles whip Matt into the ropes and catch him with the 3-T!
1…
2…
Nick makes the save!
In the corner and on the ropes, Booker looks for a suplex, but Matt blocks it. Stevie climbs behind him and lifts him for the Tower of Doom, but Nick slides under him, transitioning into a powerbomb while Matt flips Booker off the top!
All four men are down as we get the “This is awesome!” chant.
Nick is now legal, and he climbs onto the ropes and connects with the 450 splash! He covers Booker, but this time Stevie pulls the ref out of the ring at two!
Arn Anderson: Stevie R knows they’re in trouble. That was desperation!
Nick tosses Booker to the outside and springboards at him over the top rope. However, Booker catches him air and drops him onto the barricade with a spinebuster!
Matt tries to hit a DDT onto the floor, but Stevie catches him with a lariat. He rolls him back inside as Booker tags Stevie back in. He goes to the top, calling for a Harlem Hangover onto Nick.
Nick moves away at the last second, and Stevie crashes hard! He tags Matt back in. Matt hits a superkick to Stevie’s knee brace, dropping him to one leg! Nick superkicks him square in the jaw! Booker charges in, but Nick catches him with a superkick as well!
Matt signals, and they hit the BTE Trigger onto Stevie! Then another one! A THIRD BTE TRIGGER!
Matt covers…
1…
2…
3!
Winners and NEW AEW Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks
Match Time: 22:44
As senior official Michael McMahon hands the Bucks the belts, they clutch them to their chests before holding them high. Kenny Omega joins them in the ring, and he pulls Bucks into a massive three-way embrace.
Stevie and Booker recover at ringside, stunned, frustrated, clutching their ribs and jaw. The Bucks stand tall, belts raised, Omega pointing to them as the new standard.
The show cuts to the Director of Operations’ office, as Shocker is seated at his desk, papers scattered, a headset discarded, and a half-empty cup of coffee behind him. His phone is on speaker, as we seem to cut in mid-conversation.
Big Boss Man: [over the phone] Gotta hand it to ya, boss… a hell of a job tonight! Your first show in the big chair full time, and everything ran smoothly! That’s a win in my book!
Shocker leans back in his chair, a tired grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.
Shocker: Thanks, Boss Man! Just trying to keep this place standing.
Big Boss Man: Get some rest, boss. Back at it again next week!
He hangs up, letting out a long exhale as if he’s been holding his breath all night. He stands up to grab his jacket and suddenly freezes.
A silhouette stands in the doorway. The camera pans to reveal Splinter, watching from the office entrance. Shocker jolts.
Shocker: Where the hell have you been? I’ve called you a dozen times since Sympathy for the Devil!
Splinter doesn’t answer. Instead, he steps forward silently, closing the door behind him.
Splinter: You need to focus.
He circles the desk slowly, deliberately, like he’s checking to see if the shadows are listening. He pulls out a thumb drive and places it on Shocker’s desk. He taps the desk once, to get Shocker’s attention. Shocker hesitates a moment before plugging it into his laptop.
Splinter: Click on it.
Shocker opens the filed, labeled SFTD_CELL_CAM_LOCKED.
Shocker: Okay, what am I looking at?
Splinter leans forward, pointing at the screen.
Footage from the Hell in a Cell match fills the screen, from raw camera angles that weren’t shown on the Sympathy for the Devil broadcast.
Zayn kicks him in the gut and sends Danhausen sprawling with the Blue Thunder Bomb!
Kevin Kelly: Blue Thunder Bomb! He’s got him!
Arn Anderson: Hook the leg, kid! Hook it!
Splinter: Remember when Benny and Danhausen told production not to show any shots of Benny during the match?
Shocker nods slowly.
Shocker: Yeah, I figured Benny was worried about slipping into an episode on live TV…
Splinter gestures to the laptop.
With Danhausen down on his back, the feed shows a cutaway shot of Benny Mouse. The second Danhausen’s head hits the mat, he unravels. His eyes are glossy, lost. He drifts into a full blown dementia episode.
Shocker sighs.
Shocker: Exactly what we all expected, right?
Splinter’s eyes never leave the monitor. He reaches and fast forwards the video.
The camera cuts to Sami Zayn, who’s seated wide-eyed in the corner, as Megan Mouse stands over Danhausen’s body, still lifeless from the Sister Abigail.
She creepily turns her head, first to Sami, and then to the cell door…
Standing in the doorway is UNCLE HOWDY!
Howdy lifts Danhausen to his feet and positions him… SISTER ABIGAIL!
The camera cuts to Benny once again, but this time, Benny is sitting upright. His hands are steady, his eyes sharp. His posture is perfect. There’s no confusion, no haze. He looks exactly as he did a decade ago… present, almost regal.
Shocker sits forward, stunned.
Shocker: I… I don’t understand… When Danhausen goes down, Benny goes out… that’s the pattern. Everything we’ve seen suggests his lucidity is directly tied to Danhausen.
Splinter nods enthusiastically, as if Shocker’s finally putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
Splinter: Exactly! But Danhausen was down… completely out of it… and Benny didn’t slip.
Splinter pauses the video, the frame fixed on Benny Mouse looking directly into the camera, his expression cold, calculating, and disturbingly aware.
Shocker shakes his head, as if he’s confused by the whole ordeal. Splinter sighs.
Splinter: Just when we think we’ve figured out the pattern, we find out we weren’t even asking the right questions…
With Shocker and Splinter still huddled in front of the laptop, unsure of what to make of the footage, the scene suddenly cuts to black.
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 