Post by Robert Daniels on May 10, 2018 10:42:17 GMT -5
Seattle Pro Wrestling Presents
SATURDAY - 05/26/2018
SMOOTHIE KING CENTER - NEW ORLEANS, LA
SATURDAY - 05/26/2018
SMOOTHIE KING CENTER - NEW ORLEANS, LA
CONFLICT IS LIVE FROM NEW ORLEANS INSIDE THE SMOOTHIE KING CENTER!
MCKAYLA LEWIS: Ladies and Gentlemen it's Saturday Night and we're Live from NEW ORLEANS for CONFLICT! We have a huge show for you tonight but first let’s checkout this special day video out together by the guys and gals in the production truck for A.J. Morales.
The lights in the Smoothie King Center go dark, and a video package starts to play on the big screen.
We open on “The Revolution” A.J. Morales, looking down and sitting alone on a folding chair in a locker room. It’s not clear if it’s one here or one in another arena, but it’s got a tense ambiance, only enhanced by the low, droning violins in the background.
A.J. MORALES (voiceover): Defeat.
Downtown San Jose glitches its way into view, then disappears as fast as it showed up, giving way to footage labeled “Mainstream 8: Lust,” edited to give it the look of playing on an old videotape. We see Morales leap high into the air off the top rope into an elbow drop, aiming straight for Bryan Blaze.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): Few things in combat sports are quite so inevitable.
Morales comes crashing down, but ends up eating empty canvas. The footage speeds up until Blaze is on top of him and the ref counts three. From there, we cut back to Morales in the locker room, still where he is, but we’re a little closer this time.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): Even the best in the world, no matter their discipline…
Another cityscape glitch takes over, this time of Scottsdale, Arizona, before footage labeled “Conflict: Sloth,” filtered the same way as the Mainstream clip, takes its place. This time, we see Scotty Latimer sling A.J. down facefirst onto the canvas before hooking the leg for the three-count.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): ...eventually fall sooner or later.
Cut back to A.J., the camera a little closer than before, as he pushes his long hair back out of his face.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): But even then, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.
Another glitch, another city, another match flashback. This one takes us to the Hollywood sign before switching us over to Mainstream X, where we see AJ Knight hanging onto the ropes for dear life as Morales leaps off the top rope...
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): And the closer you get to victory...
BOOM! Morales nails Knight with a meteora onto the apron, sending them both tumbling to the floor. But in a flash, we’re back in the ring, and Knight nails Morales with his Knightfall DDT before getting the three-count.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): ...the more difficult accepting your defeat becomes.
Back to the locker room again. The camera is mere inches away from A.J. by now.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): But defeat is one thing. Failure is another.
A.J. looks up, staring right down the lens...and that wry smile we all know starts to show up. We hear pounding drums, soon joined by swelling, dramatic orchestral flourishes, take over the soundtrack as we cut to an angle farther back and watch A.J. get up from the chair.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): And the way I look at it, as long as you keep rising from the ashes, and learning from your mistakes, it doesn’t matter how many times you’re defeated. If you never give up, you’re never truly a failure.
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We get a conveniently-timed closeup on the XWA Hardcore and BGDF Yin Yang Championships around A.J.’s waist.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): And when you already know what it’s like to succeed in the other places you’ve been…
Another wider angle, as we watch A.J. walk up to the door of the locker room and kick it open, releasing himself into the backstage halls.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): ...it’s hard not to keep chasing it in the places where you haven’t hit that level yet.
As we trail behind A.J. on his way to gorilla position, more clips from past Seattle Pro shows intercut with our view, but this time, they’re of a markedly different nature. We see Morales clotheslining KEG out of the ring in the former’s SPW debut at the Pinnacle Battle Royale, then punching Chris Crippler’s lights out with the Liberator, then flying through the air with a Lantern’s Flight moonsault and landing directly on top of Trixie, all playing as he continues to narrate for us.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): I’ve been knocked down plenty of times around here. I’ve lost my fair share of title shots. But every single time, I get back up, dust myself off, get back in the ring, and earn the next opportunity. The only difference this time is I gotta get through two matches to earn it instead of one.
A.J. steps through the curtain and enters gorilla position. He looks to his left and sees the Pride Championship Grand Prix bracket laid out before him: Morales vs. Bishop, Trixie vs. LaBell, the winners go to Seattle for the finals, and from there, one of them earns the next Pride title shot.
A.J. MORALES (V.O.): But hey, I’m the reason this tournament’s called a Grand Prix, so this thing’s practically got my name written all over it, right? All I gotta do is take the ball and run with it, no matter if I’ve got rich douchebags or mixed martial artists or superkick snipers trying to take it from me.
A.J. turns his head the other way and once again looks into the camera. But this time, he finally speaks directly to us instead of using voiceover.
A.J. MORALES: So everybody else in this tournament, as talented as y’all are, as challenging as I already know some of y’all are gonna be...y’all better brace yourselves. I’m claiming this Grand Prix in the name…
A.J. brings his right fist up to his lips and kisses it.
A.J. MORALES: ...of the Revolution.
A.J. punches the lens, and the camera falls to the crowd. Glitchy as our view is, we still see him stand over us for the last few seconds before it all goes to static, signalling the end of the video.
The opening sirens to “Indestructible” by Disturbed reverberates throughout the arena. The fans become unglued at the arrival of the former Seattle Pro Heavyweight Champion, Bryan Blaze.
CHARLES HUDSON: Looks like we are going to hear from the former Champion!
MCKAYLA LEWIS: That's right, Bryan Blaze is here! Blaze put on an incredible performance against Hammerstein at Mainstream 10. But, not even Blaze’s resiliency was enough to deny the American Monster.
Blaze forgoes the usual fanfare, opting instead to march straight down to ringside. He grabs a microphone from Graham Stevens and rolls into the ring. With a nod and a smirk, Blaze raises the microphone up to his lips.
BRYAN BLAZE: Thanks...thank you...thank you very much!
Before he can even form a sentence, the crowd breaks out into a chant of “BLAZE! BLAZE! BLAZE!” serenading the former 2-Time Heavyweight Champion.
BRYAN BLAZE: ...the amount of support I have received following my loss to Jacob Hammerstein at Mainstream Ten has been incredible. I appreciate all of you. Many of you have been asking me if I will receive a rematch…
The crowd erupts! They're hoping it's immediately!
BRYAN BLAZE: Well the truth is, I don’t know. Honestly, there is something even more important that deserves my attention right now...
BRYAN BLAZE: ...Blake Mitchell and Aria Price.
The crowd explodes in a chorus of boos for the pair or FORMER hometown heroes of Seattle Pro.
BRYAN BLAZE: Cowardly attacks on staples of the Seattle Pro roster. Demeaning and insulting everything that this company has grown to mean and grown to represent. They can try and justify it all they want but at the end of the day it's cowardly and pathetic. Seattle Pro deserves better. You fans deserve better!
The fans once again serenade the former Heavyweight Champion. This time he does not smile.
BRYAN BLAZE: I'm gonna make this real simple for the Emerald City Rejects. I will not stand for it. I will not allow you to rip down everything that ALL OF US have worked so diligently to build. I don't care if I stand alone or with those whom share this sentiment. Either way, I will preserve the integrity of SEATTLE PRO WRESTLING!
Blaze drops his microphone down by his side as his music begins playing again. Blaze waves to the fans and walks over to the corner closest to the stage and he lays the microphone under the bottom turnbuckle then exits the ring. Blaze makes his way up the aisle slapping hands with fans at ringside before posing on the stage.
MCKAYLA LEWIS: Now we know that not all former champions have a rematch clause in there contract. We do know that Jacob Hammerstein will defend against the debuting Mariano Fernandez in the Main Event of MAINSTREAM 11.
CHARLES HUDSON: Bryan Blaze has made it perfectly clear that he will stand along with AJ Knight and Derrick La’Bell. He has there backs moving forward and it seems everyone wants some revenge for the shocking actions of Blake Mitchell and now his girlfriend and longtime ally Aria Price.
MCKAYLA LEWIS: Folks we have a lot in store for you tonight! Later in the evening we’ll see the two Pride Grand Prix semi-finals Matches, the WTC World Television Championship will be defended by JT Saint along with AJ Knight defending the Pride Championship against Christina Idol but up first you’ll see Eli Buchanan return to the ring to face off against the rising star Dayna Grace!