ZEN: In The Court Of Karrg

[alpha2117]

Fun show

Apparently Halloween Knight cant spell.  Apparently none of them can spell!

Flash doesn't know he is on the North Island - How dumb is he?

[alpha2117]

ZEN: WAY OF THE WARRIOR

ZEN MASTER TITLE STEEL CAGE MATCH
KARRG THE INSIDIOUS (c) VS PUMPKIN JACK

See the bottom for my reason *

KALLIOPE WOODCHUCK VS CYANIDE

Love the Woodchuck!

NO DQ DOJO DEMOLITION TRIOS MATCH
HALLOWEEN KNIGHT, HALLOWARPED, & HEZ JENDELL
VS
THE MALOTHIAN, BUCKMINSTER SNARK, & TOADY

Time for the Armada to go into a death spiral. 

HARMONY TITLE MATCH
THE ALIEN FLEET (c) VS SKY'S THE LIMIT

I continue to hate these guys ... I hate them so much.  I think SLM will win but I refuse to BOLD them!!!!!

HANDICAP MATCH
THE PARTY PEOPLE VS ZERO

I smell shenanigans!!!

CONCEPTUAL TITLE MATCH
PINK SPIDER (c) VS DEATHWATCH BEETLE

The 0kg's of Gold stays where it isn't!

ATOMICOS MATCH
C-W-A, CELESTINA CHERISH, AUKLAND RAIDER, & SHAOLIN
VS
BOOSTER: BOY GENIUS, JESTER, ERASER, & BLACK FLASH

Time for C-W-A to heel it up and cost his team the win.

DEVILSHARK VS CASUAL VIOLENCE

I think the Rudos get a win early on 

 

* Pumpkin Jack wins ... except that is exactly what KAARG wanted MALOTHIAN tricked everyone by luring him into the match knowing that when he beat KAARG there is an epic twist- as he jumps into a new body and Pumpkin Jack becomes the new KAARG after his win!  Setting up a Halloween Knight v JACK the Insidious battle for not only the future of ZEN but his old friends very soul.

[KyTeran]

ZEN MASTER TITLE STEEL CAGE MATCH
KARRG THE INSIDIOUS (c) VS PUMPKIN JACK

KALLIOPE WOODCHUCK VS CYANIDE

NO DQ DOJO DEMOLITION TRIOS MATCH
HALLOWEEN KNIGHT, HALLOWARPED, & HEZ JENDELL
VS
THE MALOTHIAN, BUCKMINSTER SNARK, & TOADY

HARMONY TITLE MATCH
THE ALIEN FLEET (c) VS SKY'S THE LIMIT

HANDICAP MATCH
THE PARTY PEOPLE VS ZERO

CONCEPTUAL TITLE MATCH
PINK SPIDER (c) VS DEATHWATCH BEETLE

ATOMICOS MATCH
C-W-A, CELESTINA CHERISH, AUKLAND RAIDER, & SHAOLIN
VS
BOOSTER: BOY GENIUS, JESTER, ERASER, & BLACK FLASH

DEVILSHARK VS CASUAL VIOLENCE

[Teasenitryn]

 

ZEN MASTER TITLE STEEL CAGE MATCH
KARRG THE INSIDIOUS (c) VS PUMPKIN JACK

KALLIOPE WOODCHUCK VS CYANIDE

NO DQ DOJO DEMOLITION TRIOS MATCH
HALLOWEEN KNIGHT, HALLOWARPED, & HEZ JENDELL
VS
THE MALOTHIAN, BUCKMINSTER SNARK, & TOADY

HARMONY TITLE MATCH
THE ALIEN FLEET (c) VS SKY'S THE LIMIT

HANDICAP MATCH
THE PARTY PEOPLE VS ZERO

CONCEPTUAL TITLE MATCH
PINK SPIDER (c) VS DEATHWATCH BEETLE

ATOMICOS MATCH
C-W-A, CELESTINA CHERISH, AUKLAND RAIDER, & SHAOLIN
VS
BOOSTER: BOY GENIUS, JESTER, ERASER, & BLACK FLASH

DEVILSHARK VS CASUAL VIOLENCE

 

Really torn on the main. This is the biggest show so logically I would book Pumpkin to come out of this with the title and start building a new big threat from Kaarg's underlings but the way the story has played out, a Jack win halts the doomsday clock entirely, a Kaarg win puts Jack at three minutes to midnight and that is a more interesting story for me (assuming Malothian is telling the truth which cannot be taken for granted, but still, facts as I know them and all).

Edited September 4 by Teasenitryn

[Pteroid]

Apologies in advance, I appear to have caught some kind of flu or stomach virus so expect this next show to be out much later than expected.

[alpha2117]

1 hour ago, Pteroid said:

Apologies in advance, I appear to have caught some kind of flu or stomach virus so expect this next show to be out much later than expected.

Look after yourself mate.

[Pteroid]

ZEN PRESENTS: WAY OF THE WARRIOR 2022
LIVE ON WRESTLEWORLD OCEANIA FROM: THE RELIQUARY OF SCALE
ATTENDANCE: 1000 (SELL-OUT)

The cameras come online in the Reliquary of Scale where a capacity crowd cheer the beginning of the biggest ZEN show of the year, fans lift signs and press against the barricades as one camera in particular gets a shot all around the ring and up towards the con stage where a large canvas sheet has been set up with the ZEN Logo projected onto it. We cut to our broadcast team to begin the night!

"Welcome ZEN Faithful to Way of the Warrior 2022! We have a sold out crowd here tonight in Aukland, New Zealand and 5,507 viewers all across Oceania via our friends at WresteWorld! Ladies, Gentlemen, and the beautiful technicolor rainbow beyond we thank you for joining us tonight it's going to be a wond-"

"Hellllloooooo~?"

"-der-"

"Can you hear me, ZENizens?"

"-ful...show?"

"UP HERE!"

"What in the heck?"

The cameras look up to the aforementioned canvas as the fans boo loudly. Upon it is a very unwelcome sight:

"Ahhh, there you are, and here I am!"

Karrg the Insidious, stood before a series of large glass tubes attached to various apparatuses (apparati?), waves lazily at the camera with the ZEN Master title around his waist.

Karrg:
"Welcome, ZENizens, to the first day of the rest of your lives! Lives spent under the loving yolk of I, Karrg the Insidious, your benevolent conqueror! Ahhh but where are my manners, I haven't even introduced my guests! Here my friends, say hi to your adoring public!"

Karrg hits a button a nearby console and the foggy insides of the tubes dissipate a moment to reveal their contents:

Ten people are frozen in various poses inside, some are angry, some are terrified, none of them are moving. Karrg looks at them expectantly before giving the camera a smug grin.

Karrg:
".........oh goodness, guess they have stage fright, they're frozen solid! KYAAAAAAA-HAK-HAK-HAK!"

Sparky has found a microphone and addresses the tyrant.

Sparky:
"Karrg, what is all this, what have you done!?"

Karrg:
"I don't remember having to answer any of your questions, Mr.Play-By-Peasant! But perhaps it's best I introduce an eye witness to my masterstroke. Bring him over, boys!"

Man O'War and Laguna the Loyal yank over another struggling figure. The man between them looks around then at the camera, shaking his head.

Karrg:
"State your name, don't be shy."

"My...my name is meaningless but...I am a member of the ZEN Council. My designation is The Spy..."

Sparky:
"No..."

Karrg:
"Ohhhhh yes, you see last month my good foe Halloween Knight decided it was a good idea to interrogate my wonderful Malothian in the ZEN Temple Dojo, the exact same place the little boy's club who runs this pathetic arena meet for Canasta or Parcheesi or whatever it is they do between attempting to foil me. Rookie error from the so-called veteran if you ask me."

Spy:
"We offered our headquarters freely, it was our fault we underestimated your capabilities..."

Karrg:
"Ohhhh but I'm very capable as you now know. I have eleven of your in my grasp and the twelfth will be mine soon enough."

Spy:
"The Liar has eluded you so far, it will take more than brute force to take him in..."

Karrg:
"I think you've already realized how crafty I truly am, but for now let's get to our agreement."

Spy:
"I...I'm so sorry, ZEN Faithful, forgive me. I...as the only active member of the ZEN Council...have agreed to cede control of the company to the current ZEN Master, Karrg the Insidious."

Sparky:
"What!?"

Dustin:
"WHAT!?"

Karrg:
"HE SAID I'M THE BOSS NOW YOU AUDITORY DEFICIENT DOLTS! Thank you, Mr. Spy, I graciously accept your surrender. Now then...IN YA GO!"

Karrg grabs the Spy by the scruff of his neck and tosses him in an open cryo tube.

Spy:
"Wh-we had a deal!"

Karrg:
"Yes! And now you're gonna deal with this!"

Karrg slams a button and the tube fills with fog as the Spy beats upon it, the vile alien cackling maniacally as he freezes the council member.

Sparky:
"Y-you won't get away with this! This-this won't stand!"

Karrg:
"Will not stand!? IT IS ALREADY UPRIGHT! NOW SILENCE FOOL, YOUR NEW KING SPEAKS!"

Karrg smirks and addresses the camera directly.

Karrg:
"This is but the start of tonight's festivities. Tonight the luchadors of ZEN shall fight by my rules, and under my rules only the fittest will be allowed their freedom. All this to say that if you are not a member of my glorious Armada and you fall tonight in combat, you will have but one chance to offer up a sacrifice to me and prove your worth. If you fail then...well, the holding cells and whatever fate I deem fit for you await. Ta-ta for now, and enjoy my show."

The camera cuts back to the interior of the Reliquary where Sparky Sparks and Dustin Thane are sat at the commentary desk, looking at each other wide-eyed.

Dustin:
"Sparky...did Karrg just pull off a coup on our bosses?"

Sparky:
"I...he...yes, he did. In all my years here I never thought that someone would be so bold as to go after the ZEN Council themselves. Even Halloween Knight at his worst respected their rulings."

Dustin:
"The stakes have just gotten higher than any of us expected, Jack has gotta put a stop to this madness tonight or we may all be doomed!"

Sparky:
"Until then we've got nothing left to do but see where his twisted whims take us. First up tonight we have a tag team grudge match as DevilShark take on Casual Violence! These two tandems have been at each other's throats since Lone Shark came back to even the odds for Devilfish, Rekha being particularly vicious when she powerbombed Devilfish through a table months ago!"

Dustin:
"With this new stipulation hanging over everyone's heads you have to ask if we'll see the breaking point for one of these teams tonight."

Sparky:
"Nothing quite tests your unity like an evil alien overlord threatening you with jail time...or worse."

DEVILSHARK VS CASUAL VIOLENCE

Devilfish and Lone Shark entered this match looking apprehensive knowing what was on the line but Casual Violence seemed to relish the idea of forcing their opponents into a situation like Karrg outline and it showed in a rush of pure aggression at the bell! Working hard to keep Devilfish isolated, Rekha in particular took great pleasure in bashing him about with her vast array of power moves, in particular smashing the daredevil with a body splash after a release German Slimplex from Lerone that necessitated Lone Shark diving in with a double axehandle to break it up! With Lone Shark being forced back to his corner by Herbie H. Reedman, Rekha and Lerone moved to double team Devilfish further with an attempt at a vertical Slimplex while Rekha waited for a Slingshot Splash-but the Master of Mischief slipped free and dropkicked Slim to the mat for Rekha to obliviously splash onto!

Double-timing it to his corner, Devilfish tagged in Lone Shark who ran wild on Rekha with a flurry of blows before seizing her wrist and walking to a corner. A barely recovered Lerone attempted to intercept but found himself waylaid by Fish who grabbed his wrist in turn and marched him to a neighboring corner! With the fans belting out the Jaws theme, both men walked the ropes to the center with hands in a shark fin sign over their foreheads before high-fiving and launching off for a double springboard brain chop and a simultaneous pin for another nearfall!

Fish and Shark went to work on the rudos, hitting a double superkick on a rising Rekha to knock her back down before bringing Lerone Slim up and down with a double flapjack onto his partner as he rushed in to her aid, leaving both of them to roll out of either side of the ring as both members of DevilShark began running the ropes in a criss-cross fashion, building momentum before Devilfish leapt out onto Slim for a big suicide dive while Lone Shark dove-directly into a European uppercut by Rekha! As Fish kept up the pressure on Lerone, his partner was getting a beatdown on the other side of the ring as Rekha tossed Shark into the ropes from the outside and bashed him with a forearm smash to the jaw on the rebound that left him flopping onto the apron! Finally noticing the punishment Lone Shark was getting put through, Fish rolled into the ring as Rehka moved to capitalize on her victim and drug Lone Shark in as well.

Taking noticed of Devilfish, Rekha immediately moved to face off with man she was meant to defeat all along with the ZEN Original not backing down. Rekha rewarded this boldness with a jaw jacking right hook that sent Fish stumbling back into the ropes, returning with a forearm strike before getting smashed back with a forearm of Rekha's own only to bounce off the ropes again with another forearm strike and another before running to the ropes on purpose this time and dodging a lariat to springboard off the ropes and catch Rekha with a spinning headscissors with an amazing ten rotations (if the definitely reliable fan count was to go by) and send her flipping to the mat! Ushering Shark to stand, Devilfish climbed to the rope with his partner following suit, the two looking to the fans for support as they went to finish Rekha off-

BUT LERONE SLIM YANKED LONE SHARK OFF THE TOP ROPE AND THE TWO SPILLED TO THE OUTSIDE!

Distracted his partner taking a tumble, Devilfish nevertheless tried to nail Rekha with a high crossbody only to get caught into a backbreaker by the big woman! Hoisting him up from that position, Rekha proceeded to nail him with a vicious lariat that sent the ZEN Original flopping to his back! With Lerone successfully tossing Lone Shark over the ringside barricade, he looked on with a big smile as Rekha picked Fish up one more time and SMASHED him to the mat with her sitout powerbomb and secured victory for the former Harmony Champs.

WINNERS VIA PINFALL: CASUAL VIOLENCE

Sparky:
"Casual Violence win emphatically here tonight, though I don't believe Devilfish was the legal man at the end there."

Dustin:
"With all the bodies flying around that ring, Sparky, I don't think I could blame Herbie H. Reedman for not being able to keep up with that but-wait a minute he's back!"

Karrg is indeed back and projected on the canvas screen, he smirks as Casual Violence head to the back and Lone Shark slides into the ring to check on his partner.

Karrg:
"Well well well, it seems our denizens of the deep have fallen far and fast. I meant what I said at the beginning of all this, you know. It's time for one of you to make a sacrifice or...face the consequences. Oh boys!"

The subverted security guards from last month are back and looking...decidedly less normal than they did last go around. Four of them surround the ring and one produces a microphone to roll into the ring. Devilfish moves to take it but Lone Shark puts up a hand, going to grab the mic and address Karrg.

Lone Shark:
"Karrg...you gotta realize who you're dealing with here! This is DevilShark you're talking to! That's Devilfish! Three time ZEN Master! I'm Lone Shark! I'm a two time ZEN Master! I'm also a former APW Australian Champion! But most importantly, I-"

LONE SHARK SUPERKICKS DEVILFISH! THE FANS ARE SHOCKED!

Lone Shark:
"-am a reasonable man! Ten years ago I saw where the smart money was, and that was working for James J. McMinister! Now? Now I see a rising tide with your name on it and I am going to ride it with you! You lead! The Lone Shark follows! Simple as!"

Karrg:
"Hm, well the sycophancy wasn't expected, BUT IT IS APPRECIATED! SEIZE THE FISH, MEN!"

Lone Shark kicks Devilfish out of the ring and the brainwashed security team drag him off with Shark following close behind, looking hopeful to turn his fortunes around...

Sparky:
"That traitorous scumbag!"

Dustin:
"That may trump Man O'War turning on ZEN for the most despicable defection to the Armada we've seen!"

Sparky:
"If that sets the tone for the night I shudder to think what's in store. But fans up next we have Atomicos action as an unlikely quartet faces off against two more of the Armada and some temps as well."

Dustin:
"Huh, wonder if Jester and Eraser will have to 'sacrifice' something if they lose..."

Sparky:
"From your lips to god's ears, Dustin. Can Celestina Cherish and her unlikely mentor C-W-A coexist with the just as odd pairing of Aukland Raider and Shaolin? They'll have to if they want to beat The Mercs, Black Flash, and to a much much much much much lesser extent, Booster Boy."

Dustin:
"He is absolutely hiding most of this match, isn't he?"

Sparky:
"Almost certainly, let's get to the action!"

ATOMICOS MATCH



CELESTINA CHERISH, C-W-A, AUKLAND RAIDER, & SHAOLIN
VS
BOOSTER: BOY GENIUS, BLACK FLASH, JESTER, & ERASER

A battle of rather eclectic teams was set to be the palate cleanser after the rather harrowing start to the show with Celestina and C-W-A making an entrance in cheerleader getups complete with pom-poms to endear themselves to their former foe and current partner Raider. Shaolin smokebombed in with his own set of jet black poms to get in on the fun to C-W-A's annoyance and Celly's joy, Raider taking it all in stride and doing a touchdown pose in the midst of this nonsense. Their opponents meanwhile had a far more dysfunctional setup with the unwilling Armada recruits in Flash and Booster being shoved along by the Mercs towards the ring, cutting off their attempts at escape with pure unbridled intimidation.

Jester and Eraser seemed keen on starting with an ambush on the clownish duo but Raider bulled through them on his way towards getting his hands on Booster, who fled the ring and ran a full circuit around it with Raider in pursuit until Flash tried to waylay him with a football (or soccer if you're a godless yankee) kick as he passed and ended up banging his shin against the hard helmet on Raider's head! This distracted Raider enough for Booster to thrust a strange device into Jester's hands and repeat the slip under the ring plan from last time, only this time Raider (after sweeping Flash's legs to make him crash onto the apron) followed him! Both teams spread out along the ringside area, trying to figure out where either man would come out, only Booster's gadget gave the rudos an edge as it tracked Raider's movements thanks to the tracking device he'd planted on the footballer back at Way of the Poet! This meant when Booster flung himself out from under the ring the remaining three were ready got waylay and stomp a mudhole in Raider when he emerged.

Booster made to direct traffic but was immediately slapped upside the head by Jester and proceeded to take position on the apron with Eraser as Jester lifted Raider onto his shoulders so the two could slam soccer kicks to Raider's chest as Flash moved to run the ropes for what would probably be a devastating dive to the outisde-

If C-W-A didn't cut him off with a running big boot! With the coup de grace delayed, Shaolin had enough time to slip behind the two men on the apron and send them stumbling away with a neck chop apiece as Raider began slamming fists down into Jester's face to get the other largest member of his team to drop him! All the while the cameras caught sight of Celestina slipping away from the carnage, odd considering her usually scrappy attitude. With the rally from the tecnicos causing both teams to separate and regroup, Celestina approached Raider and began rummaging in his shoulder pads as Shaolin engaged in a duel of martial artistry with Eraser (read: they kicked each other a bunch) that Shaolin would ultimately win via Crane Kick that sent Eraser stumbling back into a tag from Jester who immediately battered Shaolin down with roughneck brawling before tossing him into a kick from Booster on the apron that softened him up for a stump piledriver that floored the ninja!

As Jester posed in the ring, Booster entered to applaud the de facto team captain...and ask for his device back. Jester rummaged in his pockets but came up empty, shrugging to Booster's growing consternation, his insistence on getting it back distracting them both from C-W-A getting a tag from Shaolin and rushing into the ring tackle Jester out of it to brawl it out with his old rival in rudo-ry as Booster leaned out of the ring to shout how Jester deserved it for loosening his technology. So focused on this was Booster that he didn't notice Celestina sneaking up on him to...plant something in his own pocket before diving out onto Eraser! This left Raider to step up behind Booster and grab him by his blonde hair but quickly the little jerk slipped free and went under the ring again only...

RAIDER RAISED THE DEVICE BOOSTER GAVE JESTER EARLIER!

As Dustin and Sparky postulated this was the endgame of Celestina's little pickpocketing spree, Raider followed what the device was telling him, putting up a finger to cut off Black Flash attempting to intervene like someone reading a text message before nodding and grabbing Flash by the shoulders to toss him over the top rope! At the same time, Booster had emerged from under the ring and was giddily tapping his head, confident he's outsmarted Raider again only to turn around and receive the mother of all assisted planchas from Flash via Raider. Into this chaos was tossed Jester, still the legal man for his team and left to fight four on one as the tecnicos converged on him. In short order he was smashed into the ropes by a Shaolin Crane Kick, bashed into a corner via a high impact shoulder tackle from Raider, flattened by a Clown Killer Deluxe via C-W-A, and finally all but decapitated by Celestina's Guillotine Legdrop from the top rope! The pin was all but academic at that point as Booster and Flash limped away from the ring and Eraser could only yank his partner out as the tecnicos (and C-W-A) celebrated, their tangential relation to the Armada saving them from a fate similar to Devilfish. In the ring Celestina got lifted onto Raider and C-W-A's shoulders as Shaolin waggled his pom poms in a traditional shinobi celebration -take our word for it.

WINNERS VIA PINFALL: CELESTINA CHERISH, C-W-A, AUKLAND RAIDER, & SHAOLIN

Dustin:
"An astounding win by the -mostly- tecnico team!"

Sparky:
"Celestina's come a long way under C-W-A's tutelage and I haven't seen C-W-A getting embraced by the crowd like this since his Harmony title reign with Vertigo."

Dustin:
"Plus Booster got beat up, so my mood's turning around already!"

Sparky:
"Fans we've got more action coming up for you tonight but I'm being told by our production team that F.E.A.R has been seen in the back with Hez Jendell! Let's see if we can listen in on what they're talking about."

The camera cuts to deeper in the Reliquary where indeed F.E.A.R is stood in deep conversation with Hez Jendell.

"-eren't to know, Sir Knight, you cannot hold yourself responsible."

"I can and I will, Ms. Jendell. I should've accounted for a potential psychic tracking scenario, it's a classic gambit."

"For who? Have you fought psychics before, Hally-poo~?"

Knight:
"I-don't call me that-I have deliriously studied the doings of the extra-normal since the 90's. Clearly the extraterrestrial extranormal was yet beyond me. In any case we've been backed into a corner by this maniac and I for one do not intend to have this be my last stand."

"That makes two of us, Master. Karrg might have taken the initiative but you've got me and Hez in the trios and Spider's beaten Beetle before. That just leaves-"

From the only part of the room they're in that's shadowed, Pumpkin Jack speaks up.

"Me to cut off the head of this snake and return my mind to where it should be."

Hez:
"The Seed of Karrg is a curse I would wish on no man, Lord of Gourds, to face Karrg in single combat while under its effects is an act of great bravery."

Jack:
"Nothin' brave about it, kid, either I take him down or I let him worm his way into my mind more than he already-"

Jack's head turns down, trembling in pain before snapping back.

Jack:
"-has."

Spider:
"Assuming the Malothian was telling the truth, Jack-a-boy."

Knight:
"Truth or not we don't have a choice, if we allow Karrg to go on unopposed then we lose all the trust given to us by the ZEN Faithful, if Jack faces him and loses then I shudder to think what Karrg being granted greater access to or even dominion over Jack's mind would mean for us."

Jack:
"Enough talking, we all have our missions tonight, let's see that they're completed."

Knight, Warped, and Hez nod in response, Spider gives a curtsy as Deathwatch Beetle's music hits in the distance.

Spider:
"Well well, guess that's my cue, see you all on the other side, hm~?"

His extravagant ring robe flowing behind him, Spider leaves the other four to make their own preparations.

CONCEPTUAL TITLE MATCH


PINK SPIDER (c) VS DEATHWATCH BEETLE

A rematch briefly delayed due to the machinations of Karrg, these two spent little time picking up where they left off with Spider deftly avoiding an early attempt by Beetle at waylaying him before the bell and proceeding to put the Armada's muscle through his paces with a bevvy of submission holds and pinning predicaments. At one point Spider even seemed poised to lock in the Web of Destruction and was only foiled by Beetle quickly grabbing the ropes and bailing to catch his breath on the outside. Getting the ZEN Faithful behind him, Spider swiftly went for a plancha onto the brute but found himself caught by his larger opponent and summarily smashed back first into a cornerpost! Spider's momentum halted, Beetle began using the ringside area to his advantage by bashing Spider against barricades, posts, and even the ring steps while flirting with a double count-out from Steven Yale.

Finally tossing Spider back into the ring, Beetle began to work over his rival's back to capitalize on the beatdown he delivered on the outside. Spinebusters, powerslams, and a torturous camel clutch all worked towards trying to break the champion's spirit (and vertebrae) but Spider refused to concede to the monstrous mutant and eventually that frustration led to him attempting his Death Valley Driver finisher! However, Spider had it scouted and hefted himself backwards as he was lifted onto Beetle's shoulders into a crucifix pin that nearly got him the win and drove Beetle over the edge into an unhinged rage. Wild strikes flew every which way, barely avoided by the champion as he attempted to find an opening in the blitz tactics of the mutant until he managed to counter an attempt at a lariat into a flying cross armbar!

Thrashing in the hold, Beetle reached repeatedly for the ropes with any limb that he could manage but Spider's positioning was top notch and not even his massive frame could avail him. Seeing no conventional means out of the hold, Beetle went to the only thing he had left: Pure Brute Force. Rolling his body into the hold, Beetle planted his feet on the mat and began to stand with Spider still holding onto his arm, switching swiftly to an incomplete triangle hold in the process; Beetle howled in pain as the fullness of Spider's body weight held onto his arm but he swiftly attempted a powerbomb-adjacent slam to the champion, smashing him to the mat. Still, Spider held on tenaciously and even attempted to kick at Beetle's face from his position on the mat, only for Beetle to again lift and slam him a second time, finally forcing a break between the two!

With Beetle nursing a sore arm and Spider a sore...body in general, the two could not capitalize on the break quickly, leaving them to glare at one another as they recovered on opposite sides of the ring. Still not one for strategy, Beetle roared out a challenge and shockingly received one in kind, Spider stomping the mat and giving a 'come on' gesture to the larger luchador. Taking the challenge eagerly, Beetle charged the champion and-found himself caught into a picture perfect Cobra Twist! Wrenching back on the hold, Spider added to the agony by ensuring the arm he'd trapped to cinch it in was the same one that had been worked over in the armbar earlier! Beetle thrashed and grunted, shaking his head repeatedly at Steven Yale's questions of submission until he decided desperate times called for desperate measures and he reached up with his free arm to...

RAKE AND SCRATCH AT SPIDER'S EYES, BLINDING THE CHAMPION!

But that wasn't all.

HIS FINGERS FOUND PURCHASE IN THE EYEHOLES OF SPIDER'S MASK AND RRRRRRIPPED INTO IT!

As Spider released the hold to claw at his eyes and the gash in his mask, Beetle ignored the warnings of Steven Yale and seized the blind referee's walking stick, going to smash it directly into the champion's face! Before Yale could even signal for the disqualification, Beetle was atop the champion, ripping and tearing at the mask before suddenly lifting it above his head as a grisly trophy. Yale leapt atop the fallen Spider to protect anyone from seeing his face as one of the ringside workers came in to cover him up with his own ring robe! The bell rang and the announcer declared Spider the victor, though this didn't seem like much of a victory at all...

WINNER VIA DISQUALIFICATION: PINK SPIDER
(DEFENSE #2)

Sparky:
"I can't believe what I just witnessed, Deathwatch Beetle has no shame!"

Dustin:
"Hold that thought, Sparky because I think this is about to get a whole lot worse!"

In-ring, Deathwatch Beetle threatens away Steven Yale and the aide away, going to wrap the robe around Spider like a makeshift leash and drag him bodily up towards the stage. Midway there the projector came to life and Karrg was once again glaring down at the Reliquary -specifically Beetle- with his fingers steepled.

Karrg:
"Beetle you...unique individual. I wanted the belt not the Spider."

Beetle, as if in answer, holds up Spider's mask.

Karrg:
"Yes yes it's very pretty but what am I going to do with it? I do not sashay the runway! Ugh, nevermind, bring this one to the medical holding cells, we'll figure out a means to claim what is ours later."

Beetle nods eagerly and drags Spider into the depths of the Reliquary and presumably a horrible fate.

Sparky:
"This is getting out of hand, I thought victory made you free from Karrg's clutches."

Dustin:
"Well if he owns the company now I suppose he also owns the infirmary. Kinda gets you coming and going like that, huh?"

Sparky:
"I just hope someone can break us away from this downward spiral into the darkest timeli-"

"PARTY PEOPLLLLLLLLLEEEEEE!"

Sparky:
"oh. right."

Dustin:
"YEAAAAAH!"

Dancing out with a boombox on his shoulder comes Urban Fox, followed along loyally by the casual stylings of Super Coolio. The duo do-oh their best to get the fans' morale back after what just happened to Spider but-

Somebody just haaaaas to be a party pooper.

ZERO slips in behind them mid-entrance and grabs Super Coolio by his lampshaded noggin, going to toss him over the barricade while Fox remains oblivious until ZERO seizes his boombox and slams it on the ground! Fox attempts to throw a fist but ZERO cuts him off with a European uppercut and a high kick to the head before tossing him into the ring! As Super Coolio attempts to right himself among the ZEN Faithful, ZERO grabs the Boombox and tosses it at Coolio and sends him reeling onto the floor. As Fox attempts to get his bearings, ZERO slips into the ring and Herbie H. Reedman reluctantly rings the bell.

HANDICAP MATCH

ZERO VS THE PARTY PEOPLE

Fox staggered to his feet, barely able to get his fists up before his jaw was rocked by another high kick from ZERO. As Fox stumbled into the ropes and bounced back he found himself slipped behind and smashed into the mat with a poison rana! With Fox laid out on the mat, ZERO only took a moment to make sure Coolio remained down and out on the outside before locking in a dragon sleeper with a (frankly unnecessary) body scissors. Fox tapped out quickly but ZERO refused to let go, flirting with a DQ but for the fact that Fox's arm fell limp before the count finished and ZERO released the man that had been less opponent than prey for the Faceless Sadist.

ZERO swiftly left the ring, ignoring the Karrg troopers heading down to ringside. Without either man especially conscious to even consider sacrificing the other, Fox and Coolio were apprehended and dragged away to Karrg's holding cells. Dustin, understandably, was more than a little distressed.

WINNER VIA SUBMISSION: ZERO

Dustin:
"Nooooooo!"

See, told you.

Sparky:
"Well if anyone was going to thrive in a ZEN ruled by Karrg, it'd be ZERO. That man is only happy with someone begging for his mercy."

Dustin:
"This injustice has to be stopped, Super Coolio's too cool to be in Karrg's evil space prison!"

Sparky:
"Keep your cool, Dustin, there's still hope. Up next, ZEN Faithful we have our second title match of the evening as Sky's The Limit challenges The Alien Fleet for the ZEN Harmony belts!"

Dustin:
"Sky's the Limit have had encounters with the champions all over this year ever since they were allies of convenience as Killer B and Crime Buster. Now with Killer B taking up Vertigo's mantle and Buster taking on a more scholarly pursuit we can only hope their momentum carries them to the top tonight."

Sparky:
"Still, Man O'War and Laguna have had an iron grip on those belts even if they've had to resort to every dirty trick in the book to keep them! Love them or -like everyone not named Man O'War and Laguna- hate them, they know their way around

HARMONY TITLE MATCH


THE ALIEN FLEET (c) VS SKY'S THE LIMIT w/MOLLY CUDDLE

After the terrors of the last two matches, the fans were in desperate need of a morale boost and the universally beloved and acclaimed duo of Sky's the Limit were keen to oblige. Taking to the ring with a righteous fury after what they've seen tonight, Stratos and Brain Buster had to be held back by Herbie H. Reedman as the champions made their own swaggering entrance. With no regard for the fact that four of his fellow earthlings just got dragged away to dubious fates, Man O'War pantomimed tears at the two infuriated heroes in the ring as Laguna let out a burbling belly laugh. With both teams in the ring, Herbie held up the belts and handed them off, telling both teams to go to their corners trying to stop an early exchange of blows after ZERO's ambush last go around; Sky's the Limit seemed to acquiesce as Brain Buster turned towards the corner...before suddenly kneeling down an joining his hands to give Stratos the boost necessary to vault over Reedman and waylay Man O'War with an exceedingly cathartic meteora!

Reedman called for the bell in a panic as Stratos rained several follow up punches down on the Traitor to ZEN until Laguna hauled him off and attempted to waylay him with an early Fish Hook only to get dodged and learn from Brain Buster that L is for Lariat! Reedman was having none of this and forced Buster to leave the ring as Stratos hit a picture perfect springboard dropkick to catch a rising Laguna in the chest and send him tumbling from the ring. With a semblance of order restored, Stratos kept his momentum going by keeping Manny on the backfoot by waylaying him with a series of Japanese Arm drags that left him scrambling to bring in Laguna but found the fishman still recovering on the outside, leaving him open to a roll up for a nearfall! Manny scrambled from the ring to regroup with Laguna as Stratos tagged in Buster, the two rudos tried to think up a strategy as Buster stomped the mat and got the fans clapping, could it be? The brainy bruiser was signalling for it and the fans were chanting:

"T FOR TOPE! T FOR TOPE! T FOR TOPE!"

Buster bounced off the ropes charged the ropes at full steam as Manny and Laguna separated in a panic...just as Buster slid under the ropes, grabbed both their heads and showed them that actually N stood for Noggin Knocker. Trick questions, am I right? With both Rudos stumbling their separate ways, Buster took a moment to glad hand the fans and answer a few flashcards brought in by the younger members of the ZEN Faithful. This, however, was a mistake as the ever devious Man O'War grabbed Molly Cuddle at ringside and held her up as a human shield to distract both Buster and Stratos giving Laguna a much needed opening to catch Buster with a chop block to take the larger of the two tecnicos down! Shoving Molly towards Stratos' protection, Manny immediately joined his partner in putting the boots to buster, Laguna breaking off to snatch a few of the aforementioned flashcards and rip them apart with his sharp teeth!

Tossing Buster back into the ring, Manny and Laguna played off of Herbie's frustrations at not being able to keep order to isolate and work over Booster in the corner. Kicks, chokes, and rakes were all brought to bear upon the exceptional edutainer, with only Molly Cuddle's guidance keeping Stratos from intruding into the ring to give them an even greater chance to do more damage.  Still, Buster wasn't one to give up without a fight and many were his attempts to escape the vicious clutches of the rudos, but even his best attempt at getting to his corner after a headbutt to Manny was cut off by Laguna grabbing him by the A on his mask and slamming him to the mat!

It would seem things were looking bleak for the challengers as Laguna successfully hit the Fish Hook on Buster but Man O'War would tag himself in and inform Laguna they needed to 'Be puttin' an end tae this vocabulubber!' and signaled for the Anchor Drop! Pulling Buster up from the mat, Laguna moved to lift him into Tombstone position as Manny scaled to the top rope, cackling and cutting his throat in the direction of Stratos and Molly-just as Buster managed to reverse the position of the tombstone! As Man O'War watched in horror, Buster rushed forward and slammed his teammate into the corner, leaving Laguna in a Tree of Woe and Manny falling crotch first onto the turnbuckle!

Momentum on his side, Buster rushed across the ring and tagged in Stratos, who hopped the ropes and -with an irish whip assist from Buster- charged across the ring into a top rope hurricanrana to Manny that sent the traitor slamming hard to the mat! Scrambling up in a state of disorientation, Manny stumbled directly into the arms of Brain Buster who lifted him up as Stratos rushed into position and the two hit the ABC 123! Laguna, unable to escape from the tree of woe, flailed helplessly as Stratos pinned the ZEN Traitor for the three count! Herbie H. Reedman called for the bell and we had new ZEN Harmony champions! Joined in the ring by Molly Cuddle, the new champs held the belts high over their heads as Manny and Laguna were forced to limp towards the back with not even a projection of Karrg to greet them.

WINNERS VIA PINFALL AND NEW ZEN HARMONY CHAMPIONS: SKY'S THE LIMIT!
(FIRST REIGN)

Dustin:
"THEY DID IT!"

Sparky:
"Sky's The Limit just unseated the Alien Fleet and Karrg's Armada is down to one title!"

Dustin:
"As aside if those kids who got their homework eaten by Laguna need evidence, WrestleWorld subscriptions start at 5 New Zealand Dollars."

Sparky:
"ZEN Faithful, we're coming down to the wire tonight! Three more matches await us before Way of the Warrior is done!"

Dustin:
"And the next one may very well be the most chaotic of the night as The Malothian leads his two brainwashed thralls into battle against Halloween Knight, Hez Jendell, and HalloWarped!"

Sparky:
"The Malothian has been an everpresent threat from the day he arrived with Karrg's return, but Knight and Warped are two of ZEN's most decorated luchadors! Throw in the never-say-die Jendell, the unpredictable Toady, and the raw talent of Buckminster Snark and we have a recipe for mayhem and that is the exact thing the Dojo Demolition match was made to encapsulate!"

Dustin:
"The last Dojo Demolition match saw the end of F.E.A.R when the original  lineup of Halloween Knight, Necromancer, Cyanide, and Massacre were defeated by the combined forces of Devilfish, X-War, and a young Pumpkin Jack in 2014. We may be minus a Dojo tonight but we're gonna see a whole lot of Demolition!"

Sparky:
"Enough talk, Dustin, let's get to the match!"

NO DQ DOJO DEMOLITION MATCH



HALLOWEEN KNIGHT, HALLOWARPED, & HEZ JENDELL
VS
THE MALOTHIAN, BUCKMINSTER SNARK, & TOADY

The tecnico trio made their entrance first, each of them gamely prepared to take on whatever it was the Alien Armada was keen to throw at them. Knight came to the ring armed with a steel chair, matched by HalloWarped, while Hez opted for her bare hands to begin with. Readying themselves and talking last minute strategy in the ring, the trio would suddenly find themselves faced with an enemy they could never have expected...

The lights would change to a dark purple hue and the Malothian stepped onto the stage, escorted by Buckminster Snark. The projector would spring to life and on the screen would be seen the mysterious genetic manipulation machine that Booster was working on (and the unwilling user of) last month. The machine would rumble and buzz with activity as a humanoid form inside would thrash and writhe until a microwave ding would signal its dark purpose completed and the door would slowly be opened by first one green hand then another...until a grotesque form would spring at the screen and abruptly cut the video off. Silence would reign for a few moments until suddenly out onto the stage would sprint:

A HORRIFYING MUTANT

What Sparky and Dustin could only theorize was a twisted new form for Toady to take scrambled erratically onto the stage, kept from attacking the ZEN Faithful only by Malothian's mind control. The tecnicos barely had time to process this (let alone note irony of Toady becoming a Fly) before the insane insectoid invader would spring into the ring and pounce Warped to the mat, soon joined by Malothian and Snark! Steven Yale would call for the bell and we were up and running with a positively madcap three on three brawl that saw bodies flying every which way and mayhem being the rule. Either through direction of the Malothian or simply a memory of their less than amicable split, Toady singled out his old tag partner Warped for most of his ire, making the tecnico's steel chair use less of an advantage and more of a necessity as he had to fend off the erratic offense of the newly minted mutant.

Meanwhile Snark's marching orders seemed to be to act as a combination of meatshield and interference runner to limit Hez Jendell's attempts to assault the Malothian as he resumed his battle of wits with Knight. This saw him taking blow after blow from the Alien Refugee but always rising to ensure she couldn't get off more than a few double team maneuvers on Malothian before slamming her away from his master. Still this was more than enough to put Malothian on the backstep as Knight showed he still had the rowdy rudo side he used to show back when he and the original F.E.A.R ran roughshod over ZEN, putting his own trusty steel chair to good use until finally all three tecnicos managed to force the rudos into a group on the outside and (with help from an agreeable fan) set up three steel chairs in the ring and got a running start into the opposite ropes!

Warped and Hez leapt from their chairs onto the top ropes and hit stereo crossbodies onto Toady and Snark.

Knight meanwhile...had a pleasant sit and casually motioned for Malothian to return to the ring.

Look at the downed foes and minions around him, Malothian had no other choice but to slide in and met a rising Knight in an exchange of blows that saw Knight batting away multiple attempts at the Claw with high kicks before discombobulating him with Mongolian Chop followed by a throat thrust that sent the alien stumbling away and falling into the middle ropes. Clapping his hands to get the fans into it, Knight set up for the 328 spinning double kick-but found himself with a face full of steel as the Malothian whipped a chair in his direction! His foe's momentum halted, Malothian trembled and thrust his hands to the sky to make Snark and Toady rise up even swifter than their tecnico counterparts and seize each by the head to smash their faces into the cornerposts before tossing them both into the ring! At their master's direction, Toady and Snark pulled a trashcan, its lid, and a pair of kendo sticks from beneath the ring to toss into it before joining him to continue the punishment of the tecnico trio.

Released from direct control by Malothian, Toady immediately ignored the weapons in order to charge in at a rising HalloWarped and attempt to choke him against the ropes as Snark armed himself with one of the sticks and went to slam it into Hez -who yanked over the trashcan lid to use as a shield while Knight ate a boot to the gut from Malothian and a DDT to the mat! Snark bashed at Hez's makeshift shield with a robotic precision and repetition as she struggled to find an opening, finally managing to kick out at Buck's leg to leave him unsteady and open for a lid shot to the dome! With Snark down for the moment, Hez turned her attention to Toady and bashed him in the back with her lid before tossing him to the outside and regrouping with Warped. Noticing Malothian pressing the other kendo stick to Knight's throat, the two quickly waylaid Karrg's right hand with a third trash can lid shot before bringing the whole thing down onto his body, trapping him inside and dragging him off of Knight.

What followed was a cathartic bit of punishment for the Mind-Sculptor as Warped and Hez went to town on the trash can with both kendo sticks before hitting a double superkick to a rising Snark and inviting Knight to get his own licks in as he managed to get to his feet. Eager to do just that, Knight booted Malothian onto his back before setting up the chair again and treating the fans to a step up senton off the chair! Dragging the thoroughly crushed Malothian out of the can, Knight pulled him up onto spaghetti legs and directed Warped to go for his Warp Factor 5 finisher! Nodding at his mentor, Warped leapt into the ropes-

AND GOT A FACE FULL OF GREEN MIST FROM TOADY!

Falling to the mat and clawing at his face, Warped was dragged from the ring and immediately set upon once again by the vile mutant that he once called his tag partner. Eyes wide and desperate to help her ally, Hez moved to leap out onto the fly-man only to find herself cut off by a trash can lid shot by a recovered Snark before being dumped from the ring as well. His coup de grace going up in smoke before his very eyes, Knight moved shove Malothian away and go for his steel chair but found himself caught in a drop toehold that sent him face first onto the seat! With all three members of the tecnico team indisposed, the Malothian shakily got to his feet and regained control of his thralls to slide into the ring and focus on Knight. Placing Knight in a kneeling surfboard hold, Malothian's influence clearly took hold of Snark's mouth again as the brainwashed rudo stood before Knight and began slapping him while ranting in his face of 'Karrg's glory' and 'The ascension to come'.

Knight spat in the former Rudo Romeo's face which clearly annoyed his master as he curbstomped the ZEN Founder into the mat. Standing sentry over Warped and Hez barely recovering against the barricade, Malothian directed Snark to kick Knight over and allow Toady to hit his top rope frog splash for a three count to end a positively vicious matchup.

WINNERS VIA PINFALL: THE MALOTHIAN, BUCKMINSTER SNARK, & TOADY

Post-match Malothian was far from done with Knight, having his two mind-controlled lackeys raise him from the mat and hold him between themselves as a squad of four subverted security officers began to march out from the back to collect the losers...

Knight:
"Wait...!"

Malothian cocked his head down at the ZEN founder, somehow exuding an imperious superiority despite his mask. Nodding to

Knight:
"Allow me...to speak..."

With a curt motion of his hand, Malothian directs one of the officers to bring a microphone and shunts it into Knight's face.

Knight:
"Your master's condition...is a sacrifice...is that right?"

Malothian nodded.

Knight:
"Then...allow me to name...my terms...come closer..."

Warped and Hez were beginning to stand on the outside, benefiting from Malothian's (and therefore all of his minions') attention being fixed on Knight. The alien leaned in closer, staring down the Godfather of Ghouls...

Who spat in his face.

Knight:
"IT WASN'T AS SATISFYING DOING IT TO A PROXY! RUN WARPED! RUN MS. JENDELL! LEAVE ME! KEEP FIGHTING! FOR EARTH! FOR ZEN!"

Malothian bashed Knight's face with the microphone in a rage, pointing at the two remaining tecnicos who had already vaulted the barricade and were making a run for the depths of the Reliquary.  The officers shamble after them without a hope of catching up as Malothian lifts his hand and prepares to deliver the Claw to the man he'd been matching wits with for years before...stopping inches from his face. Wagging his index finger, Malothian looks to Buckminster and holds the mic to his own lips, Snark once again acting as a mouthpiece for his master.

Snarklothian:
"Place faith in Jendell all you please, old man, many others have and many others have fallen. It is by Karrg's design I do not rend your very consciousness and mold your grey matter as I see fit. We will take you, we will break you, and we will make you watch as your company, your world, your everything burns around you. Ascension awaits our mighty leader, Sir Knight, you will witness his glory in full before you left to the ash."

The Malothian gestures and his two minions carry Knight away, Malothian takes a moment to look towards where Warped and Hez fled to before walking away...

The cameras cut to the backstage area of the Reliquary, where Warped and Hez round a corner and collapse against a wall, panting and spent.

Warped:
"We...lost...we failed..."

Hez:
"Now is not the time to dwell on this, Warrior of the Warped."

Warped:
"We had it in the bag, Hez! We were so close to taking that mind-stealing freak out once and for all! We-mmph!"

Hez presses her hand to Warped's mouth to muffle him as a squad of security guards shamble past. She looks him in the eyes and shakes her head, her hand slipping down to grasp him by the shoulder.

Hez:
"I know how it feels, I have been where you are so many more times than you can even begin to know. Even before I could lift my fists in anything other than childish anger. We lost the day, but we still live and we can still fight. We can regroup, we can make plans, and we can find new allies. You, who fought him to a standstill yet evade his clutches, and if we can the night without being captured by Karrg's forces, we can-"

"Stop blabbing already?"

Hez and Warped look further down the corridor and find two men are standing at the opposite end, both wielding kendo sticks.

Hez:
"You..."

"Well well well, if it isn't lil Miss Steal-My-Hair-Dye. What did I tell ya, 'Tex?"

"When the battle rages, it's the vultures that eat best."

Trevor:
"And what is a peacock but a vulture with style~?"

Warped:
"Trevor, don't do something you're going to regret..."

Trevor:
"Whaaaaat? You really thought just because we didn't have a match tonight we'd be off the clock? I don't know if you noticed but he and me haven't been having the best twenty-double dos. We got one shot at bringing that inferior pink-haired pipsqueak in and you better believe we're gonna take it, ain't that right, Tex?"

Vortex:
"..."

Trevor begins walking forward, twirling his weapon. Vortex is slower in his approach, more deliberate, looking at the floor.

Hez:
"Even now? Even now, you're working alongside these scavengers?"

Vortex:
"..."

Hez:
"This goes so far beyond cowardice, this is complicity. You're aiding him. You've been aiding him. Does all that's happened mean nothing? Has all you once told me you stood for been wiped away so easily?"

Vortex:
"..."

Hez:
"Answer me, is there anything left of the warrior I knew in there!?"

Trevor:
"Holy SMOKES the yapper on this gal. Here Tex-"

Trevor stretches out and steps aside.

Trevor:
"You get the honor of shutting her up."

Vortex:
"Gladly."

Vortex winds up, Warped and Hez move to shield each other from the strike that's to come-

TWHACK!

Thud.

Trevor Feather falls to the tiled floor like a sack of potatoes, drooling and groaning in a daze. Hez and Warped look up at Vortex who tosses his thoroughly shattered kendo stick to the floor and glares down at them. Hez opens her mouth to speak-

Vortex:
"Not a word, Hez. Not. One. Word. Just...follow me, before I think better of what I'm doing."

Vortex turns and waves the other two to follow him, striding cautiously away. Warped looks to Hez, who glares at the retreating form of Skullduggery's most enigmatic member...and nods to Warped. The two lean on one another for support as they follow after Vortex, deeper still into the Reliquary...

Sparky:
"Are-are we back? Well get wrecked, Trevor, you miserable little bottomfeeder. At least something could be salvaged from that rout..."

Dustin:
"Lose one ally, gain another, but I don't think I'd trust Vortex as far as I could throw him. And with arms like these you can guess how well that would go. Then again...he has gone out of his way to protect Hez before...actually now that I think on it did he challenge ZERO all those months ago as revenge for her?"

Sparky:
"Well all we have is speculation on that for now, however up next we have something far more straightforward. The culmination of months of Kalliope Woodchuck's trials and tribulations against the whole of Skullduggery with a match against the big boss of ZEN's rowdiest rudos himself, Cyanide!"

Dustin:
"This already had emotions running high going in but add in the fact that Karrg's sweeping up defeated luchadors and this showdown's stakes have skyrocketed!"

Sparky:
"Will Kalliope Woodchuck's last obstacle to taking on the Alien Armada and freeing Buckminster Snark be removed tonight, or will Kalli be on the receiving end of a much more sinister reunion? It's our semi-main event ZEN Faithful and it starts right now!"

KALLIOPE WOODCHUCK VS CYANIDE w/Guru Vishni

Little love has been lost between these luchadors and Kalliope was more than happy to start this long awaited meeting with her fists but Cyanide's capacity for canny consternation capitalized on her...quest (it starts with the same sound so it still counts as alliteration right). Point is Cyanide bailed to the outside and kept Guru Vishni between himself and Kalli like a great big coward. As Vishni attempted to preach a doctrine of Peace and Love, Kalli got a running start on the outside and took both men by surprise by sliding through their legs and coming up behind them to leap onto the barricade for an agile moonsault onto them both! With the crowd going crazy, Kalliope grabbed a disoriented Cyanide and tossed him into the ring, going to set up a springboard when Vishni lunged to grab her leg to keep her in place long enough for Cyanide to waylay her with a palm strike and force her into the ring!

Kalliope would soon get a vicious lesson in what made Cyanide deadly on the mat as the former ZEN Master made a point of vivisecting his opponent with a bevvy of submission holds. Particularly focusing on her upper back and neck with moves like the dragon sleeper and guillotine choke, Dustin made it clear Cyanide was going to make sure that the Skull Splitter did far more than just put Kalliope down for the three count but could be looking to put her on the shelf in general! Sparky then asked why Cyanide threw in an Indian Deathlock as well, to which Dustin answered it's because Cyanide also thinks hurting people is funny. This preoccupation with prolonging Kalliope's agony came back to bite the Leader of Skullduggery however when Kalliope managed to boot him out of a spinning toehold and catch him with a small package on the rebound for a nearfall.

Both competitors rose to their feet with Cyanide cutting off an attempt by Kalliope to rally with a swift kick to the calf that kept her from building momentum and gave him the opportunity to bash her face into a turnbuckle and choke her into the corner. When Steven Yale intervened to stop it, Guru Vishni immediately hopped up on the apron to continue the job with a tag rope that had been left there from the tag title match! Cyanide quickly moved in to smash a European uppercut in Kalliope's chin before bringing her cockily back into the center of the ring and shoving her head between his legs to set up a powerbomb but Kalliope kept enough of her wits to catch the roughneck rudo with a hurricanrana and send him tumbling to the mat!

Managing to beat him to a standing position, Kalliope nailed a superkick to the chin of Cyanide forced him to bounce off the ropes from the force, meeting him as he came back with a double knee facebreaker that sent him flopping onto his back. With the ZEN Original reeling, Kalliope dragged him up and pointed at a corner to signal a shiranui, prompting Guru Vishni to get on the apron to intercede only to find himself used as an unwilling launchpad as Kalliope switched the move to a springboard bulldog that sent the monk flying back to the mats on the outside! Building momentum off the bulldog, Kalliope ran to the ropes and used Cyanide's own body (now on his hands and knees) to launch herself into the ropes for a springboard moonsault onto his back for a nearfall!

Energized by the fans and feeling the end of her tribulations at hand, Kalliope moved to keep up the pressure with a swiftly delivered trio of sliding leg drops to the downed rudo before going to pull him back up-only to take shoulder to the stomach and a sudden T-Bone Suplex that would make Lerone Slim proud! Slamming a kick into Kalliope's side Cyanide hoisted the beloved tecnica up by the hair and hooked her, glaring at the audience and calling for the end:

"SKUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLL-SPLITTAH!"

Hooking Kalliope's tights, Cyanide lifted-and lost his grip as Kalliope slipped behind him! Cyanide whirled around in time to barely duck an attempt at a Woodchipper, replying with a sweeping kick Kalliope leapt over but found herself unable to find her balance in time to avoid a shove into a ropes! Kalliope dodged one lariat by Cyanide, then another, then a third before she hooked Cyanide's waist and swung around to force him into the ropes looking for a big O'Connor Roll but Cyanide held on for dear life until Guru Vishini grabbed his hands and held down with all his weight to force Kalliope to roll back into a kneel. With the swiftness of a cat, Vishni slipped a pair of brass knuckles from his robe into Cyanide's hand and slunk off the apron, leaving Cyanide to twist around at the approaching form of Kalliope and take a massive swing!

Kalliope barely managed to duck in time and Cyanide likewise barely manage to keep the sheer momentum of his strike from laying out Senior Official Steven Yale! Cyanide and Yale briefly held onto each other in the universal sign of 'That was a close one'...which allowed Yale to notice the distinctly metallic feeling on one of Cyanide's hands and angrily wrench the rudo's ace in the hole away. Furiously arguing with Yale, Cyanide swiftly turned around-

DIRECTLY INTO A WOODCHIPPER THAT SENT HIM INTO THE ROPES AND BOUNCING BACK INTO A SECOND THAT PLANTED HIM!

Kalliope dove onto Cyanide and Guru Vishni clutched his bald head in his hands as Steven Yale made the count!

1!

2!

3!!!

WINNER VIA PINFALL: KALLIOPE WOODCHUCK!

Sparky:
"KALLIOPE WINS! SHE'S DONE IT!"

Dustin:
"Every single member of Skullduggery has fallen to Kalliope Woodchuck, we haven't seen a single person take down every member of a faction like that since Pumpkin Jack defeated all of F.E.A.R!"

Sparky:
"With this finally handled, you can only think her mind is on-"

The sound of slow applause fills the air as the projector once again rattles to life and Karrg appears on it, glaring down imperiously as Kalliope cuts off her post-match celebration to return the stare. Karrg continues his applause for a few more moments before his face breaks out into a smirk.

Karrg:
"Congratulations, Kalliope, congratulations indeed. You might know this about me, but I'm a fan of yours. Dare I say...a Stan? Hm. No, no I don't. Nevertheless I've watched your battle uphill with bated breath these past few months and the way you've climbed the summit puts Sisyphus to shame."

Kalliope glares and swipes the mic from the ring announcer.

Kalliope:
"Your games are done, you monster! I've taken down all of these scumbags and now there's no one in the way to stop me from saving Bucky and sending all of you packing!"

Karrg:
"You speak true, little groundhog, but I think we can settle our little...disagreement in a much easier way. You want Buckminster Snark? Fine! You can have him! Mind made whole and all! I'm sure there's nowhere he'd rather be than in his lover's arms."

Kalliope glares, waiting for the obvious other end of this bargain.

Karrg:
"Oh you're expecting some great task to do? Well the joke is on you! I just need you to do nothing for the next...let's call it five minutes while the nice men take away the very very bad one."

Karrg snaps his fingers and as is becoming custom tonight, eight Karrg Troopers begin walking down to ringside. The duo of Cyanide and Guru Vishni look at the coming quartet and realize quite aptly that they are not equipped to deal with this group even if they had the rest of Skullduggery with them. Cyanide hoarsely shouts out:

"WE HAD A DEAL!"

Karrg:
"Yes, and I'm breaking it. It's a privelege I have because I make the rules around here now. Ohhhhh it was so fun to set you and your merry band idiots down that primrose path. Oh yes, go deal with Kalliope Woodchuck, she's so very very much a threat to my plans. You never questioned what I got out of it. You never once thought that maybe...it wasn't her I needed weakened, but you."

Cyanide and Vishni look at each other, panic clear in Vishni's face as the troopers come ever closer...

Karrg:
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA-HAK-HAK-HAK! WHAT WAS IT YOU SAID, CYANIDE?! THAT YOU'D BEAT ME WITH EXPERIENCE!? Hak-hak-hak...checkmate, little man...checkmate."

Four of the troopers enter the ring, Steven Yale looks away as Cyanide and the Guru cling to each other. And Kalliope...

Kalliope yanks away the brass knuckles Yale confiscated from Cyanide and clocks one of the troopers directly in the face with it! As his fellows try to process this sudden ambush, Kalliope whips out a Woodchipper on one then another, seizing the last by his helmet and tossing him bodly from the ring onto the remaining ones on the outside! Clutching the microphone, Kalliope lifts her gaze to fix Karrg with a death glare.

Kalliope:
"Oops, looks like I just flipped the board."

Karrg:
"WHAT!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

Kalliope:
"I'm not some doe-eyed debutante who's gonna take the easy way out just to get her man back! If you thing one about Bucky Snark you'd know that he'd never let me hear the end of it if I took a shortcut, even to save his life! Hey!"

Kalliope looks over her shoulder at the shocked pair of Cyanide and Vishni.

Kalliope:
"This is the best chance you're gonna get, so get to gettin' and never. NEVER. Get between me and Bucky again, understand?"

The rudos look at each other, then limp away into the crowd as swiftly as possible. Outside the ring, the five troopers begin to stir, shakily reaching their feet as Kalliope returns her attention to an infuriated Karrg.

Karrg:
"You fool! You FOOL! Who do you think you are!?"

Kalliope:
"Me? Simple."

Kalliope gets a running start, bouncing off the far set of ropes and coming back into a pitch perfect tope con hiro onto the troopers before rolling through into a purposeful stride towards the stage.

Kalliope:
"I'm Kalliope Woodchuck, and if it takes to my last day I'm going to bring your whole Armada down around your ears!"

The fans go crazy as Kalliope drops the mic and leaves a furious Karrg to cut the projector feed.

Dustin:
"Feels good to see Karrg not holding all the cards for once."

Sparky:
"One thing that tyrannical brute will never understand is that when the chips are down, Kalliope Woodchuck is one of the most good-hearted people in ZEN. With the war where it is right now we're going to need people like that."

Dustin:
"People like Kalliope and Pumpkin Jack who will hopefully give Karrg a reason to leave tonight even angrier."

Sparky:
"Our techs are currently hard at work assembling the cage for tonight's big matchup, Dustin why don't you do what you do best and give the fans a history lesson?"

Dustin:
"Well ZEN Faithful as many of our longtime fans will know Way of the Warrior has historically been Pumpkin Jack's event -barring missing Way of the Warrior 2016 due to a vicious post-match attack by Cyanide after the latter won the Master Title at Way of the Jester the month prior- Jack has not lost a single match at Way of the Warrior since his debut back in 2010."

Sparky:
"Granted none of them involved a steel cage like the one we're seeing assembled before our eyes."

Dustin:
"No, but he did win a casket match against Necromancer that one time."

Sparky:
"Well let's hope that bodes well for him putting a nail in the Armada's coffin tonight."

Dustin:
"If any one can do it, it's Jack."

Sparky:
"Aaaand I'm getting the thumbs up from the crew, it's time, ZEN Faithful. Time for quite possibly the most consequential matches in the history of ZEN. Pumpkin Jack vs Karrg The Insidious. The ZEN Master Title. And it's in a cage!"

ZEN MASTER TITLE STEEL CAGE MATCH


KARRG THE INSIDIOUS (c) VS PUMPKIN JACK

There were no shenanigans in the entrances, there were no signs that Karrg was rattled by losing the dominance he had in the Harmony and Conceptual title scenes. There is a champion, there is a challenger. There is monster, there is a hero.

There is a title, and there is a steel cage.

Steven Yale (with Herbie H. Reedman on standby outside in case of unfortunate occurrences) called for the bell and both men fell upon each other in a strike exchange that Karrg ultimately shoved Jack away from only to eat a big forearm on the rebound that sent him stumbling back against the cage. Jack remained on him, peppering the champion's legs and lower back with martial arts kicks that only a sudden headbutt from Karrg could stop. The energy of the brawl would not fade as Karrg rallied into a sudden Mafia Kick that floored the challenger and put him down for a two count! Mounting the Tricky Treat, Karrg would rain down blow after blow until Jack managed to block a punch and roll them to begin battering his rival in turn until Karrg's brute strength shoved the former Master off!

As both men scrambled up to their feet, Karrg would attempt a sudden second Mafia Kick but would find his leg seized and Jack twisting around to sweep the other before swiftly transitioning into a figure four leglock! Karrg roared in pain and flailed angrily to try and clobber Jack with the iron fists he'd ruled ZEN with for some seven months, but the canny veteran kept his foe at a distance and worked those legs with ruthless efficiency. Eventually Karrg dug his hands into the mat and dragged himself bodily towards the cage, grasping the ropes to pull himself up and confuse the pressure enough for Jack to release the hold! Clinging to the ropes for support, Karrg endured a pair of kicks from Jack on the mat to his thighs before swinging at him in a way that got the challenger to back off.

Keen to keep up the pressure on his larger opponent, Jack got greedy moving to charge in and found himself swiftly caught in a pseudo flapjack maneuver and his face rammed into the steel cage with force. Sliding down into the gap between ropes and cage, Jack quickly found himself victim to a vicious series of kicks and stomps that sandwiched him between boot leather and chainlink. Eager to keep up the brutal assault, Karrg would attempt to pick Jack up and use the wall as a glorified cheese grater which Jack's mask did little to protect him from until he managed to smash his elbow back into Karrg's jaw once, twice, three times to make the ZEN Master champion stumble back into the center of the ring before beginning to climb the cage. Upon reaching the level of the top rope, Jack carefully turned and clung to the chainlink, waiting for Karrg to turn around before stepping out onto the top rope and launching himself into a big huricanrana!

1!

2!

Karrg kicked out, scrambling towards a corner as he tried to regroup, turning just in time to meet a knee to the chin from Jack and an irish whip into the opposite corner for another knee! Whip! Knee! Whip! Knee! Whip! Kn-Jack dropped to his knees in the center of the ring to hold his head in agony, the affects of the Seed Karrg planted in his mind attack at the worst possible moment as Karrg pounced out of the corner for a vicious Mafia Kick and another attempt at a pin!

1!

2!

Thr-KICKOUT!

The fans roared as Karrg pounded the mat at his vile scheme not being enough to gain him the victory. He grasped Jack by the throat and leaned in close, hissing something to his foe that the cameras couldn't pick up before yanking Jack up into position for a Conquest Bomb to find the challenger holding onto his boots. Karrg tugged twice trying to power Jack up before driving an axehandle blow down onto the veteran and trying again, only as he lifted Jack up the Tricky Treat began throwing punches down onto the champion's head forcing him to think fast and attempt an alley-oop into one of the corners of the cage. Jack caught himself this time and as Karrg fell to one knee, began to climb up the cage to the growing excitement of the ZEN Faithful. Reaching the very top, Jack looked around and began beckoning Karrg to stand which the champion unknowingly answered by getting to his feet and slowly turning around...

IN TIME FOR A MASSIVE MOONSAULT PRESS FROM THE TOP OF THE CAGE!

Both men crashed to the mat, the force of Jack's moonsault almost propelling him away from the point of impact and towards a corner! Karrg was laid out flat and Jack was writhing from the damage the move did to himself as well as his opponent. The fans rose to their feet, chanting Jack's name as one to motivate him towards the body of the champion! Slowly -agonizingly so- Jack crawled his way towards Karrg, clawing his way to flop an arm over the chest of the champion...

1!

2!

T H R E E-

KICKOUT!

Jack rolled off, banging the mat in frustration, the precious seconds it took to reach Karrg's form had been enough for the alien to regain his senses and lift a single shoulder off the mat! Turning to the fans, Jack was very quickly told what he needed to do in the form of two simple words chanted in rhythm:

"OR-ANGE BOWL! OR-ANGE BOWL!"

Nodding along with their voices, Jack grabbed hold of Karrg and shoved him into a corner, going to lift him slowly onto the top rope. Sparky questioned the wisdom of this considering the sprint he'd been operating at up until the moonsault off the top but Jack probably wouldn't have listened even if he'd heard him. The fans wanted the Orange Bowl and they were gonna get the Orange Bowl...

"AAAAAAAAAGH!"

NO! Karrg had managed to recover enough to grab Jack before he could lock his legs for the Bowl and bit into his face through the mask! Clawing and punching and thrashing like a cornered animal, Karrg managed to force Jack to release him before coming down off the middle rope with a headbutt that forced Jack down to a knee. Shaking his head and looking to end it, Karrg sprinted like a freight train into the ropes and came back looking for the Mafia Ki-no! Jack dodged at the last second and shoved Karrg away, causing an almost collission with Steven Yale! As Jack began to get up Karrg leaned in, checking on the senior official...

Then grabbed him by the lapels and bieled him directly INTO Pumpkin Jack!

Both challenger and the ref were smashed together, collapsing into a heap as the fans descended into a roaring chrous of boos and Herbie H. Reedman looked on horrified on the outside. Herbie didn't have long to ruminate on what just happened as Karrg roared at him to get inside the cage and replace Yale. Herbie fumbled with the key to the cage, going to unlock it when Karrg BASHED it open with a massive kick, glaring at the junior official with wild eyes that brooked no objection. Herbie slid into the ring, moving to check on Steven Yale when Karrg all but punted the elder ref aside and went back at his opponent, grasping the thoroughly drained veteran by the mask and jabbing a finger in his face as dragged him towards a corner.

Once there with the fans looking on in horror, Karrg situated himself on the top rope and moved to pull Jack up to the second. Looking around, Karrg let out a ear-shattering

"KYAAAAAAAAA-HAK-HAK-HAK!"

AND SMASHED PUMPKIN JACK FROM THE TOP ROPE WITH A SIT-OUT SUPER CONQUEST BOMB!

Herbie H. Reedman, looking around and shaking his head, knelt to make the count.

1!

2!

3!

WINNER VIA PINFALL AND STILL ZEN MASTER CHAMPION:
KARRG THE INSIDIOUS
(DEFENSE #5)

Dustin:
"NO!"

Sparky:
"I can't believe this..."

Dustin:
"NO!"

Sparky:
"Karrg the Inisidious has prevailed in the steel cage against Pumpkin Jack here tonight and I-"

"SILEEEEEEEEEEEEENCE!"

Karrg's voice carries throughout the Reliquary even without a mic, still he rips one and the Master title from the ring announcer as the fans pelt him with boos.

Karrg:
"How does it feel, Zenizens!? How does it feel to know that hope is a lie!? That the virtuous have no chance against the POWER OF KARRG!? I have taken this man and I planted in him the seed of my glorious will! With this victory I not only hold onto my title, not only do I remain your lord, but I show you all what awaits the so-called heroes who attempt to defeat me!"

Karrg fixes the laid out Jack with an imperious glare as the Hero of ZEN remains on the mat.

Karrg:
"Ohhhh Jack, you've failed like I knew you would. But take heart for you've proven yourself capable of being something so much more than a pathetic 'hero'. For you see, when this body I use eventually crumbles away like the fragile meat puppet it is, I will force my consciousness into YOUR body and continue my reign!"

The fans' boos grow louder as Jack begins to stir.

Karrg:
"Ohhhh do you not believe me, Zenizens? Then believe this, Jack's mind is already mine to do with as I see fit, a hollow husk to follow my orders. BEHOLD! JACK! I COMMAND YOU KNEEL! BEFORE! KARRG!"

Jack's body shudders and jerks, slowly forcing himself up he stares in Karrg's eyes for a moment...

And kneels before him.

Karrg:
"Karrg the Insidious...hrmph. That is not a proper title for me. Nooooo noooo noooo...no, I believe tonight I shall take for myself a far more glorious title:

I AM KARRG! THE ETERNAL! KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-HAK-HAK-HAK!"

With Jack kneeling before him and Herbie H. Reedman taking the still limp Steven Yale to the back, Karrg holds the Master title high and drops the mic to the mat as the fans can only boo viciously at the sight before them.

Dustin:
"Sparky...Sparky what do we do?"

Sparky:
"We hold out hope, Dustin, even if Karrg says it's useless. There are still those out there willing to fight against this lunatic from beyond the stars..."

The camera cuts to various shots in the back. First to Kalliope Woodchuck, sat in the lockerroom scrolling through photos of herself with Bucky Snark on her phone.

"...the brave..."

Then to Sky's the Limit and Molly Cuddle admiring the newly won Harmony Belts, Buster and Stratos clinking them together like wine glasses.

"...the tenacious..."

Then to a...frankly wacky scene of Aukland Raider and C-W-A dumping a jug of some sort of sports drink over Celestina Cherish's head and embracing her.

"...the absolutely nutty..."

And finally to the depths of the Reliquary, where HalloWarped warily accepts a bottle of water from Vortex as he and Hez Jendell attempt to recover from their vicious battle with the Armada.

"...and those with the heart and soul to fight for this place with all that they have."

The camera cuts back to Sparky who sighs and stands from the announce desk.

Sparky:
"I've seen the end of F.E.A.R, I've seen the end of ZERO's reign of terror, and I've seen the downfall of Damian Dastardly. ZEN Faithful, stay with us, because I promise you, we will see Karrg 'The Eternal's name get proven wrong. Together. Thank you, I've been Sparky Sparks and for Dustin Thane, goodnight."

The camera cuts.

[Pteroid]

Well then, after much trials and tribulations I can say that is the end of Arc 1 of my ZEN diary. Arc 2 will commence shortly (and the thread will be renamed to reflect that) but in the meantime I am opening myself up to a sort of Ask My Anything for a couple of days while I look over my booking plans. Feel free to ask away.

(and do let me know if I accidentally put anyone what’s been cancelled in the ZEN Council pile, I’m not really good at keeping up with who’s a bastard)

[AboardTheArk]

What a show. I can only commend you for having a vision and not pulling the trigger on any of the strong challengers. IDK if I have any specific questions that aren't just rephrased praise, but I am excited to see what cool things are in store.

 

 

[Teasenitryn]

Oh man that got dark and i love it, you tied up a lot of threads there and started some I am looking forward to seeing play out, I can't wait to see what comes next.

[Big Roguey]

Said to you already but wanting it here too, I think that's your finest show that you've done across all of your diaries and such. Nailing a big finale for a season is one of the hardest aspects in writing but you've knocked it out of the park.

[alpha2117]

2 hours ago, Pteroid said:

Well then, after much trials and tribulations I can say that is the end of Arc 1 of my ZEN diary. Arc 2 will commence shortly (and the thread will be renamed to reflect that) but in the meantime I am opening myself up to a sort of Ask My Anything for a couple of days while I look over my booking plans. Feel free to ask away.

(and do let me know if I accidentally put anyone what’s been cancelled in the ZEN Council pile, I’m not really good at keeping up with who’s a bastard)

I am sort of mixed positive on the finale - on one hand I loved it, it was beautifully written and executed.  On the other it was almost a little too dark for ZEN. I have the feeling the light will triumph eventually, but it felt like a Blakes 7 ending where almost every series it appeared that everyone had bitten the dust.  It was the Empire Strikes Back of ZEN shows - great but also a downer.  An awesome show but one that left me feeling sort of depressed.

[Eugh]

Momentous show, the beginning completely flipped the switch. Very dark but even as a broadcast in Cornellverse done in a way that provides hope to the viewers, which is an exceptional touch. The Vortex turn was a nice moment. The manner of the Lone Shark turn was great as well, the turn was foreshadowed, but the moment and allegiance was a nice surprise.
 

Interested where Casual Violence fall in all this, given their disappearance following their match.

As for a question. Are there any non-ZEN wrestlers you are interested in bringing in? I know Black Flash came in, and some alumni have appeared, but are there any others who catch your eye as workers who you feel could be packaged up in some way?

 

[Pteroid]

1 hour ago, Eugh said:

Momentous show, the beginning completely flipped the switch. Very dark but even as a broadcast in Cornellverse done in a way that provides hope to the viewers, which is an exceptional touch. The Vortex turn was a nice moment. The manner of the Lone Shark turn was great as well, the turn was foreshadowed, but the moment and allegiance was a nice surprise.
 

Interested where Casual Violence fall in all this, given their disappearance following their match.

As for a question. Are there any non-ZEN wrestlers you are interested in bringing in? I know Black Flash came in, and some alumni have appeared, but are there any others who catch your eye as workers who you feel could be packaged up in some way?

 

Glad you enjoyed the show, I hope you caught my little wink and nod to your own dynasty in Karrg’s speech to Kalliope.

As for your question outside talents are an interesting challenge as we have the usual problem of the only people in Oceania with name value in New Zealand are RAW castoffs and they immediately attempt to big league you if you ask them to lose to homegrown talents thanks to the funky way overness is set up in the region. The WrestleWorld deal has certainly made strides towards overcoming that issue as I’ve already seen jumps in popularity for certain members of the roster but we’ve still a ways to go before you see HalloWarped headlining against Monday Next.

For the opposite end of the spectrum I’ve actually hired several not yet ready workers to hang out in the pre-show and of note I’ve secured a mutual excursion deal with WLW and EMLL. Of note Dee Lucketti and Jimmy-Jam Baxter have been sent overseas along with a…special project of a random gen from the WWA.

[alpha2117]

4 hours ago, Pteroid said:

Glad you enjoyed the show, I hope you caught my little wink and nod to your own dynasty in Karrg’s speech to Kalliope.

As for your question outside talents are an interesting challenge as we have the usual problem of the only people in Oceania with name value in New Zealand are RAW castoffs and they immediately attempt to big league you if you ask them to lose to homegrown talents thanks to the funky way overness is set up in the region. The WrestleWorld deal has certainly made strides towards overcoming that issue as I’ve already seen jumps in popularity for certain members of the roster but we’ve still a ways to go before you see HalloWarped headlining against Monday Next.

For the opposite end of the spectrum I’ve actually hired several not yet ready workers to hang out in the pre-show and of note I’ve secured a mutual excursion deal with WLW and EMLL. Of note Dee Lucketti and Jimmy-Jam Baxter have been sent overseas along with a…special project of a random gen from the WWA.

ZEN is definitely one of the companies where Wrestleworld makes a big difference.  As for the funky overness I can confirm it's very much a one way street - Australia gets maybe Shortland Street and Brokenwood Mysteries on pay tv and some Cricket and Rugby but precious little else from NZ but NZ gets lots of Australian shows and cultural stuff.  Traditionally NZ actors amd musicians end up in Australia if they want to make it bigger - it's simply a difference in population that makes it much harder for Kiwis.    

[kanegan]

What a finale!! It was unexpected and one of the best put season finales I have seen. With my own season finale coming up in my EMLL diary, I would be looking at this for some inspiration, hope you don't mind.

[alpha2117]

9 minutes ago, kanegan said:

What a finale!! It was unexpected and one of the best put season finales I have seen. With my own season finale coming up in my EMLL diary, I would be looking at this for some inspiration, hope you don't mind.

The thing is I expect everyone to "die" in your Season Finale - this is the sort of downbeat ending that fits your product.  I didn't expect this darkness in ZEN ... I am growing to love it more now but on first read it was so bleak.  Honestly maybe ZEN needs a bit of bleak.

[Pteroid]

13 minutes ago, kanegan said:

What a finale!! It was unexpected and one of the best put season finales I have seen. With my own season finale coming up in my EMLL diary, I would be looking at this for some inspiration, hope you don't mind.

Certainly!

[Teasenitryn]

11 minutes ago, alpha2117 said:

The thing is I expect everyone to "die" in your Season Finale - this is the sort of downbeat ending that fits your product.  I didn't expect this darkness in ZEN ... I am growing to love it more now but on first read it was so bleak.  Honestly maybe ZEN needs a bit of bleak.

I think this is a case where we need to trust the story. This was a very dark day, Zen is bloodied, Zen is scared, Zen lost. But you need moments like this for the heroes to build from. We have Kalliope determined to take down the Armada, not taking the promise of an easy way out, and she knows she can run through a faction, we have Hez and Warped with Vortex maybe in the wings, we have heroes who will shine more because of the darkness they are now in. While the end did not highlight Cyanide, it is also possible that in one key moment a favour will be returned in the name of righting the ship now to run for the captaincy later.

Yeah it was an Empire Strikes Back moment, Return of the Jedi doesn't succeed if the heroes don't lose in Empire Strikes Back.

[alpha2117]

19 minutes ago, Teasenitryn said:

I think this is a case where we need to trust the story. This was a very dark day, Zen is bloodied, Zen is scared, Zen lost. But you need moments like this for the heroes to build from. We have Kalliope determined to take down the Armada, not taking the promise of an easy way out, and she knows she can run through a faction, we have Hez and Warped with Vortex maybe in the wings, we have heroes who will shine more because of the darkness they are now in. While the end did not highlight Cyanide, it is also possible that in one key moment a favour will be returned in the name of righting the ship now to run for the captaincy later.

Yeah it was an Empire Strikes Back moment, Return of the Jedi doesn't succeed if the heroes don't lose in Empire Strikes Back.

To be honest I might be playing up my reaction to the bleakness a bit for narrative purposes.  Leaning into the shock of the ZEN faithful if you will 😉

I've gone all Kayfabe. 😆

I loved it - really did but it did surprise me that it went so dark.  I was hoping people would get that my reactions were sort of joking from my references.

[Teasenitryn]

Lol fair, and I get it, I go all kayfabe half the time in my comments on the wwf 97 diary lol

[Pteroid]

Alright everyone I've decided I'll leave the QnA going for another day and then on thusday I'll get in on the first Newswire of our second Arc.

[alpha2117]

13 minutes ago, Pteroid said:

Alright everyone I've decided I'll leave the QnA going for another day and then on thusday I'll get in on the first Newswire of our second Arc.

I am hanging for that 2nd arc - there better not be Ewoks though.

[Pteroid]

Just now, alpha2117 said:

I am hanging for that 2nd arc - there better not be Ewoks though.

Don't be silly I'm not a hack, I'm not just going to introduce some goofy comedy character at the 11th hour and have them play a pivotal role in the story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

heeheehoho

[alpha2117]

1 minute ago, Pteroid said:

Don't be silly I'm not a hack, I'm not just going to introduce some goofy comedy character at the 11th hour and have them play a pivotal role in the story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

heeheehoho

It's ZEN and I will totally be disappointed if you dont. 🤡

Seriously though that Finale was stellar and I hope you got the joking references to Blakes 7, Empire etc were meant to reflect the exact feeling people have when someone drops a dark bomb like you did.  I honestly didn't expect it and was delighted that you went there.  I remember watching Blakes 7's first series (and honestly every series) where they seemingly die and going WTF and then Empire and again WTF.  This Finale had the WTF factor.  I haven't done my nominations for diaries as I am hanging till the end of the month but it would take something stunningly amazing to be better than that Finale.  Kudos on what I will happily call a work of art.