Cain: Welcome to Havoc! At Friction, we all watched open-mouthed as Mr. Deng retired almost every TCW belt and announced the creation of a brand new Heavyweight Championship.

Banter: It was crazy!

Tex: It was indeed, and now we are in the midst of a tournament to crown that first TCW Heavyweight Champion, with some surprising results so far. Tonight, Freya will take on Izumi and Darkness will take on Loop to determine the finalists – we could be in for a shock final at the pay-per-view.

Cain: Anything could happen in this kind of environment, and this could be a night that changes the face of TCW forever.



DeSean's music starts to play and he steps out on stage, blue lights strobing overhead, when suddenly a figure leaps out from behind the curtain and starts attacking him!

Cain: What's going on?

Banter: Is that Spike?

Tex: I think it is – looks like he decided to get the jump on DeSean!

Spike and DeSean are brawling on the stage as the music fades. Spike starts to gain the upper hand, laying in hard overhand shots to the back, but DeSean grabs his legs and trips him to the floor. Spike tries to fight back, getting a grip on the back of DeSean's head, but DeSean responds with hard strikes to the face and chest and Spike rolls away, guarding himself from further reprisal.

Cain: DeSean seems to have gotten the better of Spike already...

Spike rolls up to his feet, but DeSean floors him with a running forearm. He looks around for a second, then darts back through the curtain.

Banter: What's he doing, running away?

Tex: I doubt that very much.

Spike stumbles upright and heads after DeSean, but then reels back from the curtain, clutching at his face. DeSean follows out, Singapore cane in hand. The crowd are cheering as he lays into Spike, attacking him again and again until Spike is bleeding from an ugly wound on his forehead.

Tex: Oh my goodness! He busted Spike open like an overripe melon!

Banter: That it is a horrible, horrible metaphor.

DeSean fights Spike to the edge of the stage and then, with one tremendous blow that splinters his weapon into pieces, he sends Spike flying off, falling to the concrete below and landing with a dull thud!

Cain: Oh my!

DeSean lifts the Singapore cane in triumph as he surveys his handiwork. He pounds his chest as the crowd cheer for him.

Tex: DeSean seems to have the fans firmly on his side right now – they've no love for Spike, and perhaps DeSean's permanently seen him off.

DeSean beckons for a microphone, and one of the stage crew obliges.

"This is what you get!" he bellows, breathing hard from his furious assault on Spike. "This is what you get! At Friction, I was shown up. A lot of people were saying that DeSean Blackwell is the kind of guy who chokes – that he can't get the job done. I couldn't beat Darkness, I couldn't beat Freya and, worst of all, I couldn't even beat some rookie. Well that all changes tonight. TCW is at a crossroads, and so am I. Now is the era for new opportunities, for new people to step up and take their destinies in their hands!"

There is a loud cheer from the fans. DeSean points down at Spike's bloodied, prone form on the concrete below.

"Tonight, we're gonna start something new, and my time is coming. Spike, you're the first – you ain't gonna be the last. You're looking at a changed man. At a man who's not gonna stand for this anymore. Darkness, Freya, Izumi, Dante, Loop...and anyone else listening...I'm coming for you! Say goodbye to the man you knew, and say hello to the man who's the living, breathing future of TCW!"

DeSean throws up his arms and gets another huge pop as his music starts up again.

Cain: Fighting words from The Technician. Can he make good on that vow as TCW experiences this latest huge upheaval?

Banter: Haven't we heard this kind of thing before?

Tex: Maybe so, but DeSean is a man who means business – you just saw what he did to Spike. And, who knows, maybe this latest losing streak is what DeSean needs to motivate him to fulfil his potential. This is a new beginning for all of us after all.

An explosion sounds above the entrance ramp, sending golden pyro raining down.

Sammy Eubanks: The following contest is a tournament semi-final scheduled for one fall! Introducing first...from Oxford, United Kingdom...weighing in at 143 lbs...FREEEEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

Freya walks out, determined expression on her face, and heads right down to the ring.

Tex: Freya, now bereft of her Bleeder Championship, has one thing on her mind.

Cain: Which, ironically, may bring her into conflict with her closest ally.

Banter: DeSean? Oh wait, that's not right...



The arena goes dark as the opening parts of Miseria Cantare play. A single spotlight shines onto the entry way, fading on and off. The music kicks into it's main drum beat just before the lyrics begin. Izumi appears on the stage to a crowd pop in the slowly strobing spotlight as a brief pyro explodes, showering her visage in sparks.

Sammy: And from Tokyo, Japan...weighing in at 144 lbs...IZUUUUUUUMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cain: Here is another young woman who recently lost some gold, and I'm sure Izumi is more determined even that Freya to advance in this tournament.

Tex: She was allowed to advance despite losing her match at Friction because Deng said he wanted to promote competition – she fought an incredible losing effort against Darkness, tapping out to the Darkshooter after surviving no less than two of them earlier in the match.

Cain: It was an impressive showing, no doubt.

Izumi walks slowly to the ring, the spotlight following her, still casting its powerful strobing glow upon her. She stops at the ring apron, and as the music reaches its peak, she leaps into the ring, the lights coming on full at last. She circles the ring and shouts stuff to the crowd, pumping them and herself up, before finally climbing into the ring.

Tex: This could be a very interesting match. We haven't seen these two lock up before, but they appear to be very evenly matched.

Cain: Certainly on paper, but Freya has an almost unblemished record in the ring, and Izumi will have to pull out something very big to score a win here and earn herself a shot at the World's Heavyweight Championship.

Freya squares up to Izumi and says a few words to her in a hushed tone. Izumi narrows her eyes and throws a punch, only for Freya to block it. She responds with a right hands that sends Izumi reeling immediately, and then launches herself at her with furious punches and kicks. Izumi is driven back to the corner and Freya backs off, then charges in, looking for a big kick, but Izumi ducks out of the way. Freya turns and gets brought down by a swift neckbreaker. Izumi goes for a cover...

One...not enough!

Izumi rolls Freya to her feet, but Freya punches her in the gut and then rakes her eyes. She runs the ropes and comes back with a leg lariat. Izumi goes down and Freya bounces off the ropes again, going for a flipping senton, but Izumi moves and Freya lands hard on the canvas. Izumi drops a knee and pins again...

On...and Freya kicks right out.

Banter: She can't get enough of these pins, can she?

Tex: Izumi is looking for perhaps the biggest win of her career here – can you blame her for taking every opportunity to put Freya away that she can?

Izumi mounts Freya and lays in some forearms, but Freya gets her foot underneath and flips her over onto her back. She jumps to her feet and stomps Izumi down, before lifting her up into a snap suplex. Izumi clutches her back in pain as Freya sits her up and snaps on a reverse chinlock.

Izumi is able to elbow her way free and switches into a side headlock. She takes Freya down and cinches in the hold, but Freya scissors her head and Izumi lets go, before kipping up to escape. Freya brings her over with an armdrag, but Izumi is right up and armdrags Freya in response. Both women jump to their feet at the same moment, but there's no time for a stand-off as Izumi dropkicks Freya down. She heads right for the corner and, as Freya stands up, flies off with a crossbody.

Cain: High-flying action in this match. Both of these women are extremely fast and agile.

They go down, but Freya rolls through with the momentum and then up to her feet, still holding Izumi. She drops her down into a ribbreaker and then hooks the leg...

One...


Tw...no!

Freya pounds Izumi down with right hands, drawing a warning from the referee and then goes to the corner. She climbs up to the second rope and looks for a tornado DDT as Izumi stands, but Izumi plants her feet, halting Freya's rotation, then flexes backwards into a northern lights suplex...

One...


Two...shoulder up!

Cain: An impressive counter by Izumi there. She's no slouch in the ring by any stretch of the imagination.

Banter: Well she didn't win at Friction, did she?

Tex: Against Darkness? No, but there's hardly any shame in that. Izumi is as impressive a competitor as I've ever seen – you only have to look at the fact that she held belts in two different promotions recently – but there's a roadblock in TCW, and it's name is the New Hellfire Club.

Banter: I think the technical term is 'glass ceiling'.

Cain: And it could be shattered tonight...

Izumi hits off the ropes and sends Freya rolling out under the bottom rope with a baseball slide. Freya picks herself up, but Izumi is ready and slingshots over, using her body as a weapon!

Both women are down, but Izumi is the first to recover. She stomps Freya and climbs onto the apron. She comes off with a clothesline, but Freya ducks out of the way and Izumi tumbles to the floor. She rolls over and up to her feet, only for Freya to fly at her with a spinning elbow. Freya rolls into the ring to break the count. She rolls back out and picks up Izumi with a handful of her hair and shoves her into the ring. She pauses on the apron as she climbs into the ring and then springboards off, landing a big splash on Izumi! She maintains the cover...

One...


Two...


Th...no!

Tex: She almost had it there...

Freya pounds the mat in frustration and picks Izumi up. She lifts her into a suplex, but Izumi slides free and grabs a sleeper from behind. She pushes Freya down to the mat, tightening her grip to cut off the blood supply to Freya's brain.

The referee lifts Freya's arm. It falls once...

Twice...

Thr...no!

Freya keeps her arm in the air and rises up into a standing position again. Izumi jumps up onto Freya's back to increase her leverage, but it unbalances both of them and Freya pitches forward, sending Izumi flying face-first into the turnbuckle. Izumi staggers backwards as Freya shakes her head clear. She reels against the ropes and takes a stumbling step back into the ring, and that's all the opportunity Freya needs to strike with the Lungblower!

Cain: That's gonna be all!

But Izumi rolls through and over as they both fall, hopping to her feet before Freya's knees can be driven into her spine. Freya, stunned, flies upright, but Izumi jumps at her with an enziguri!

Tex: Izumiguri! What a counter!

Banter: She could win this now!

Cain: She certainly could. This match has been back and forth from the beginning.

Freya is down as Izumi catches her breath too. She gets to her feet and ducks down, waiting to strike. Freya is up slowly as Izumi waggles her fingers, signalling for the Shinfuzen. Once Freya is standing, Izumi charges in, but Freya grabs her arm and slams her forearm into her face. She spins Izumi around and jumps up, finally landing the Lungblower!

Cain: Lungblower! She hit it!

Freya covers...

One...


Two...


Three!!!

The crowd cheers as Freya clambers to her feet and has her arm raised in victory.

Tex: Freya secures an important victory on her road to the TCW Heavyweight Championship! She will contend for the new belt at the pay-per-view!

Banter: Oh man, Izumi looks pissed...

Izumi is arguing with the referee. Freya shoves the official out of the way and gets in her face. She jabs her in the chest with a finger, and Izumi immediately pulls her down into a fujiwara armbar!

Cain: Oh no! Izumi just attacked Freya after the match!

Izumi wrenches back on the hold as Freya instinctively grabs the rope. The referee moves in and tries to drag Izumi off, but she won't relinquish the hold. Freya is writhing in pain, shaking the rope desperately. Izumi pulls back with a yell and other referees flood the ring. Finally, she's dragged away, thrashing furiously as Freya rolls out of the ring, holding her shoulder.

Tex: Izumi seems to have lost it...she's not at all happy about losing this match.

Freya beats a retreat, rolling her shoulder with a wince, and Izumi makes a lunge for her over the ropes before referees drag her away again.

Banter: Man...

Cain: Perhaps Izumi has finally been pushed too far. She may find she has a lot in common with her old rival DeSean.

Tex: Like DeSean, she allowed her frustration to boil over, but the fans don't seem to approve of this change in attitude so much.

Izumi yells obscenities at Freya as she walks up the ramp. For her part, the former Bleeder Champion looks a little shaken by the sudden outburst.

Tex: Folks, welcome back from the break. We have a match scheduled, but we've just heard that there's been some kind of altercation backstage...

The cameras go to the back. There is a monetary flash of blonde hair and pale skin, and then the view cuts to the surprising sight of Darkness on his hands and knees, bleeding from a deep gash on his forehead.

Banter: What the heck?

Cain: It looks like Darkness has been attacked! Who was that?

Darkness slumps down to the concrete floor, leaving a dark pool beneath his head. The camera pans up to the wall, where the word "LOOP" is scrawled in the former World Champion's blood...

Tex: I think you just got your answer. Loop is Darkness's opponent tonight, but it looks like he's taken a leaf out of DeSean's book too...



Loop walks out to a lukewarm reaction. He carries himself with an odd gait, and looks distinctly pale.

Banter: What, he does that and then comes out like it's a normal match?

Cain: It does seem a little blatant...

Loop looks momentarily confused about the negative reaction he receives from some fans, but then seems to resign himself to it. He rolls into the ring, visibly wincing at the lights flashing around him.

Tex: Well Darkness looked to be in no condition to fight...

The referee looks at Loop, who stares back at him blankly. He shakes his head and waits a moment, before beginning to count...

One!

Two!

Loop looks confused again.

Three!

Cain: The official is going through the formality of counting out Darkness I suppose. This is not the kind of structure Deng envisioned when he began this tournament, I'm assuming.

Tex: Some competitors seem to be willing to do almost anything to advance.

Four!

Five!

Six!

Banter: Ah well.

Seven!



Cain: Whoa!

The referee stops his count as all eyes go to the stage. After a long moment, Darkness staggers out, sans pyro. He is already sporting a crimson mask as he walks groggily down to the ring, wiping his eyes clear.

Tex: We've seen Darkness continue to fight under worse circumstances, but I don't know how he can expect to prevail here. He needs medical attention.

Banter: Well, I guess he's just not going to stand for some idiot attacking him before his match.

Cain: Not Darkness, no.

Darkness climbs into the ring slowly. Loop recoils from him as Darkness flicks his hair back and wipes the blood out of his eyes. The bell rings and Loop gingerly approaches his opponent. They lock up, and Darkness makes a desperate swing that Loop dodges easily. Darkness staggers and Loop knees him in the gut and then brings him down with a DDT.

Tex: Big move right at the start of this match – in Darkness's state, that may be enough.

Darkness rolls over on the mat, leaving a bloody smear. Loop sits up and cringes, wiping at the blood on his chest. For a second he stares at his fingertips as if transfixed, but then shakes his head and goes after Darkness. He rolls him over and hooks the leg...

One...


Tw...kickout!

Loop pounds on Darkness. He rolls him up to his feet and looks for a suplex, but Darkness flips out and lands on his feet behind Loop. He barely keeps his balance as Loop spins 'round with a clothesline. Somehow, Darkness ducks and grabs Loops arm, then grabs the other and pulls him down into a backslide...

One...


Two...


Thr...not enough!

Cain: Darkness is fighting back!

Banter: Yeah, but look at him – he's about to pass out!

Tex: Darkness looks to be on the edge of consciousness after that backstage assault. This match shouldn't be happening, in my opinion.

Darkness rolls towards the ropes, holding his face. Loop is up fast and drops an axehandle, then lifts Darkness up and lands a clumsy scoop slam. He goes to the corner and climbs up, then comes off with an elbow drop. He goes for a cover...

One...


Two...


Thre...kickout!

Loop stomps Darkness and then runs the ropes, dropping a leg. He lifts Darkness up into a dragon sleeper. Darkness goes limp almost immediately. Already, the ring is covered in bloodstains. The referee moves in, checking on Darkness.

Cain: Surely this hold will cause Darkness to pass out. He's lost so much blood already.

Darkness's arm drops once...

Twice...

Three times...but Loop abruptly releases, letting Darkness fall down to the canvas in a limp, bloody heap.

Banter: What's his problem?

Tex: I don't think Loop likes what's going on, which doesn't make much sense to me since he did this to him...

Loop shakes his head, holding out his hands. He goes to leave the ring.

Banter: What a moron. He was about to beat Darkness! Darkness.

Darkness is up on his knees, and he stares out from his bloody mask, eyes boring into Loop. Loop blanches visibly at the sight of the battered warrior and pauses in the ropes. He walks slowly towards Darkness, standing over him.

Tex: What is going on between these two men?

The two men stare at each other and then, from nowhere, Darkness launches himself at Loop, taking him down with a spear. He flails at him with both hands – prosthetic and otherwise – and Loop can only lift his arms to defend himself from the frenzied attack. They roll into the ropes, Darkness still fighting, and the referee is forced to intervene, dragging Loop clear.

Cain: Darkness is a house on fire! He's taking the fight back to Loop, despite his grievous injuries!

Banter: Never say die, I guess.

Tex: Darkness doesn't know how to quit – we know that from bitter experience.

There's madness in Loop's single eye now, as he looks out from a crimson mask of his own. The blood doesn't belong to him though. As Darkness stands, he flies at him, clawing with hooked fingers, digging his fingernails into his opponent's face, roaring like a beast.

Cain: And now Loop with an animalistic assault!

Banter: Just what the hell's going on here?!

Darkness and Loop both tumble from the ring, still clawing at each other. Loop takes advantage, pushing Darkness away. He jumps up to his feet and hurls himself at him again, slamming into him with something halfway between a crossbody and a clothesline. Darkness goes down, but adrenaline forces him up to his feet. He charges with a sloppy superkick, but Loop is able to duck it and, as Darkness stumbles around, he catches him with a right hand across the jaw.

Tex: Hard shot!

Darkness trips over, falling back across the ring steps. Loop stands, breathing hard. He too is soaked with blood. He seems taller than before, revitalised by the violence, baptised in Darkness's blood. He holds out his arms and lets out a primal roar. Slight though he is, the sound seems to send a shudder through the arena.

Banter: I don't like this guy any more...

Tex: I don't fully understand what's happening in this match. Loop seems to be going through some kind of hellish transformation. This rookie has gone from a punk kid to some kind of monster. He may be on the verge of an upset of a lifetime.

Darkness grabs the ring apron and pulls himself to his feet. He leans against the edge of the ring, shoulders shaking with exertion. Loop takes his opportunity, jumping up onto the ring steps and then coming off with a leg than slams into the back of Darkness's head.

Cain: Oh! What a move!

Tex: Truly brutal. Look at the blood in the ring, on the concrete, on these two men's bodies. This is a sick, vile scene.

Loop rolls Darkness into the ring and climbs in afterwards. He hooks his leg...

One...


Two...


Thre...shoulder up!

Banter: What?!

Tex: I don't believe that Darkness kicked out of that!

Cain: Nothing Darkness could do would surprise me anymore.

Loop can't believe it. He lifts Darkness up, hooking him up for a suplex, but Darkness drags him down into a small package!

One...


Two...


Thr...

Loop shifts his balance, rolling Darkness onto his shoulders...

Cain: Reversal! Reversal!

One...


Two...


Three!!!

The bell rings and the two men roll apart, immediately collapsing to the mat. They both lie motionless, surrounded by bloody smears, eyes closed, breathing shallow breaths.

Cain: I don't believe it! This horrific display has ended...

Banter: So gross...

Tex: An astonishing result, an astonishing match – although it was less about the in-ring action, as it was a bizarre exhibition of intensity and brutality. Scary stuff from both men.

Cain: And now we have our final set up...

Darkness and Loop haven't moved. EMTs are already heading for the ring to tend to the two men.

Tex: Havoc ends on a very strange note as we head for the pay-per-view and the crowning of the first ever TCW Heavyweight Champion. Don't miss it, folks, because if tonight's show is anything to go by, it should be an incredible night.

The scene fades as medics tend to the two blood-soaked men in the ring.