DuskViolence
DuskViolence (the premiere V-Sea-W extravaganza) was a massive success (with caveats).
Caveat 1: Cactus Joe allowed himself to be fitted by a strange metallic device from the Deathlands, which allowed him to absorb a terrific amount of pain in exchange for a ghostly near-detonation. Upon its removal, his many injuries have caught up to him.
Caveat 2: Shit done blowed up with Sean McMichaels and Ben Heart. You guys can pick one or the other, but not both.
Caveat 3: We have instituted a “run-props-by-Arkin” policy.
Caveat 4: Rock “the John” Dwayneson has won the V-Sea-W Heavyweight Title, which has put off his theatrical ambitions … For now.
Caveat 5: Christopher Canaan has used Arcade’s Iruvian Sheik character and some unfortunate undercard moments to start an Akarosi vs. Iruvian mentality among the crowd. This, and other incidents, have set up a storyline with Christopher Canaan facing off against the Iruvian Sheik, Eduardo Warrior, and …
Caveat 6: … The Shmeek, who has been bound by Ghost Contract (definitely real, don’t look it up) to serve the Iruvian Sheik. Red Hot Dan Houston has been cast aside as the Shmeek’s manager (but is still with the company).
Caveat 7: Baszo Baz, having provided Cactus Joe with the relic as a means of sowing chaos on V-Sea-W’s biggest night, considers you all even after your choice to back the Iruvians. Whether you all consider yourselves even with him is, of course, your decision.
Caveat 8: the She-Wolf of Severos showed up, knocked out the Pallbearer with a boxing glove arrow, exited via fight with Ventrue, and may never show up in V-Sea-W ever again.
Caveat 9: The Shmeek bit the head off of someone’s ceramic dog. But that’s probably fine.
The Independent’s Review
Maeve Deltzer, noted fighting pit journalist, sits in her cramped Coalridge apartment and scribbles furiously at a winding piece of parchment. She pauses only to do intermittent shots of Spark. Her room is a mess of parchment and boxes containing said parchments.
DuskViolence is in the books and was mostly well received. The undercard matches were uneven and came with some strange choices. The midcard and main event delivered, however.
1. Ben Heart and Sean McMichaels ended in a Disqualification.
The start of the match had Heart’s usual technical prowess on full display before McMichaels countered with a sloppy boot to the face. So there was none of the story expected from the weeks of buildup between the two. Brawl back and forth escalated when McMichaels pulled a knife on Heart, but was stopped when the referee charged the ring and incapacitated both fighters. Heart was knocked cold, and McMichaels stormed out of the ring furiously. A source near McMichaels says he will never work with Heart again and may be finished with V-Sea-W. More on this as more information becomes clear. 1/2 star.
In the chaos, new heel The Iruvian Sheik made his debut. Sheik harangued the crowd and wrestlers about the low quality of competition in Duskvol. This set up a show-long angle that didn’t touch the main event. Which would be for the best.
2. Ventrue beats the Pallbearer by interference from debuting She-Wolf of Severos.
The bloom is off the rose with the Pallbearer’s new Akarosi Asskicker gimmick. Initial back-and-forth showcased Ventrue’s sympathetic qualities, his supernatural strength no match for the Pallbearer’s gritty style. A brief takeover segment from Ventrue came to a surprise end when a projectile knocked out the Pallbearer. She-Wolf of Severos announced herself with a werewolf gimmick, and Ventrue brawled off with her. She-Wolf has presence, but her surprise debut threw off a proficient match. Two stars.
3. Christopher Canaan beats Eduardo Warrior for a Number One Contenders match.
This one had everything you’d expect from two cruiserweights at the top of their game. High-flying acrobatics were on display as the two worked to outmaneuver one another. Warrior attempted several cheating spots but Canaan outmaneuvered him with the officials at every turn, forcing the heel to focus on his own prodigious moveset. A top-rope cutter led to the South-Render, netting a decisive win for Canaan. After the match, Canaan rallied the crowd against the Iruvian Sheik, who came out and harangued the victor. This allowed Warrior to rally and chair-shot Canaan, aligning him with the Sheik. An incredible overdelivery and beginning of a good midcard feud. Four stars.
4. Cactus Joe beats the Shmeek (with Red Hot Dan Houston) in a Harpooners Match sponsored by House Strangford for a Number One Contenders match.
The expected unstoppable force vs. immovable object story was complicated by the added stipulation, which was added fifteen minutes before the match which might be a sign that V-Sea-W management doesn’t trust the Shmeek to pull his weight in a prominent midcard match. Start of the match saw the Shmeek at his usual hot start, with Joe showcasing sympathetic psychology and moments of babyface fire on the comeback. Once the weights were added into play the Shmeek’s raw power was checked by Joe’s crafty use of the weights. Cactus Joe took the hits and outlasted the Shmeek’s berserker rage, leading to the submission victory. After the match, the Iruvian Sheik emerged again, and had a ghost contract that bound the Shmeek to serve him. Major creative shifts suggesting lack of faith in prominent rookie the Shmeek, but a good match. Three and a half stars.
Later reports indicate that Cactus Joe was severely injured after the match. It appears that Joe was using an arcane device to boost his performance and it backfired. His contract is still good but he’ll be gone a while.
5. Rock “the John” Dwayneson beats Boss Bigman to capture the Void Sea Wrestling Heavyweight Championship.
No changes on the night to this one, which is just as well. Big brawl into the crowd to start out, before Bigman dragged the John back into the ring to start the match proper. Strike battle back and forth with no man giving an inch. Referee distraction allowed Bigman to taze the John, who kicked out of the pin attempt at 2.9. The John fired back with a flurry of blows, going to the well with a bridging Severosi to take control but the Boss would not stay down. Counter-holds gave the competition an air of legitimacy until Bigman managed to taze the John once more. Referee caught the foreign object and prepared to DQ Bigman until the John begged the referee to make the match a No-DQ match. This was done and the fans clamored for tables. No sooner said than done. Bigman tried to tie the John up in the ropes to taze further but the John reversed and speared him through the barricade. John broke the Boss’ taser, leveling the playing field. Bigmans fury proved ineffectual as the fighter began to get winded quickly. This left an opening, and the John managed an incredible vertical Sea-Slam through a stack of tables. A final Electroplasmic Elbow got the John the one two three. This win marks a long overdue coronation for Rock Dwayneson, and may put the rumors of his pending departure to rest at last for now. Four and a half stars.