Thursday Night Meltdown 9th February 2006

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

…Jake throws up a shoulder a millisecond before the ref slapped the mat for a third time. He resists as BK tries to pull him to his feet by raking the eyes of his former friend. The crowd boo Jake’s action but he simply flips them off, laughing as he does so, before getting some impressive air to hit BK in the face with a Standing Dropkick. He then hits a Spinning Leg Drop, making sure his leg makes contact with BK’s face. This causes BK to roll around clutching his face while the supremely confident Jake ascends the turnbuckle. He flips backwards going for The Final Chapter but BK rolls out of the way at the last second then follows up with the cover…

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…once again Jake kicks out at 2.5 after which he rolls out of the ring. He goes across to where the timekeeper is sat and orders him off his chair which he picks up and snaps together, making full use of the No DQ stipulation. Jake slides into the ring and raises the chair above his head with the intent of bringing it down on BK’s head but is stopped as BK pulls himself up and grabs the chair. The two tussle for the chair, sending the crowd into a frenzy of roaring, and Jake finally manages to wrest it from BK’s grasp… but he turns only to have the chair driven into his head by BK’s foot as he connects with the Shades of Michaels followed by the cover. The referee drops to the mat, and makes the count,

1

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…Jake gets a shoulder up a fraction of a second too late.

Philip: Your winner and New ACW LightHeavyweight Champion…BK LONDON!!

BK is ecstatic as he is handed the title by the ref. He holds it aloft as the crowd pop loudly and “Mic Check” by Julez Santana hits the speakers. Jake seems almost shellshocked, and kneels in the ring for several moments. BK notices him there, and goes over to help him up, but instead Jake rolls out of the ring and does not look back as he heads up the ramp with his head down. BK watches him go, and looks at the title in his hands; his expression is most peculiar, and his celebrations seem far more muted though the crowd cheers as loudly as ever…

Fade Out.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Segment: Welcome to the 21st century

The show is approaching its conclusion, and with the exception of those involved with the main event, everyone is thinking about making their way home. Alicia is among them, and certainly she’s keen to get away and see if she can help Latino to relax a little… but first, she has to deal with one of the main causes of his discomfort.

Richard Parker has been missing the entire show, having bolted from his carrying basket the second it was opened. Alicia has considered leaving the feline to fend for himself over the weekend, but after the incident with Daisy’s clothing, she’s not willing to risk having him found by any of Triple A’s minions. With no sign of her cat in the main areas of the building, Alicia has come to the place she had hoped to avoid…

She descends the stairs to the basement, keeping her ears open. At the top, there are silhouettes standing at the door.

AK: Keep your eyes peeled, lads, he might try and make a break for it if he’s in a bad mood. And if you hear me shouting-

Ron: -we’ll be right down there. Don’t worry Ali, we’ve got you covered.

Even with her backup on standby, Alicia feels nervous; although there was no sign that Torak had ever been in the basement on Monday, it’s a risk she can’t rule out. Becoming annoyed, she puts one hand on her hips.

AK: Richard Parker! I know you’re in here.

Silence.

AK: I WILL leave you, if you don’t come here this instant… let Croupe and Vandemar find you, see if I care-

?: Meow!

The noise is faint, but it’s unmistakably a cat. AK advances toward it, and then stops; she can see the outline of Richard Parker’s tail… and a hand advancing toward it.

AK: What the…

She steps around the corner without thinking, and…

AK: You!

Richard Parker miaows again and jumps down off of the box he was sitting on. He rubs up against Alicia’s leg as she looks at the rather forlorn figure before her.

It’s the kid she met a week previously; he’s wearing a different top, but it’s as outdated as his original one. If anything, he looks paler and weaker than before.

Kid: Oh, hello ma’am. I didn’t expect to see you again.

AK: That goes for both of us. I’m amazed that no one’s found you down here… aren’t you cold? And what are you doing for food?

Kid: Oh, I’m surviving.

Just barely, thinks AK. The kid looks as if it’s been a long time since his last decent meal.

Kid: Is this your cat? He’s very handsome. I used to have…

He tails off, and looks at the floor. Alicia isn’t sure where this conversation is going, but she has an urge to try and find out more. She fishes around in her pocket and finds a packet of Oreos that she was saving for the trip home.

AK: You look like you could use these… were you saying you have a pet too?

The kid seems cautious, but he is very hungry, and accepts the Oreos. Though he’s far too polite to wolf them down, he starts to eat with obvious enjoyment. AK sits on one of the boxes and listens.

Kid: I have… I had a dog, a Doberman. I called him Major.

AK: Why Major?

Kid: Because he “made ya” mad. Made ya, Major. Get it?

AK smiles, and nods.

Kid: I wish I could have brought him with me… but it wouldn’t have been fair. He’s better off with my folks.

He crunches his Oreo more slowly, looking lost. AK decides to take a chance.

AK: It sounds like you miss your dog… and your family, too.

A pause.

Kid: Yes ma’am, I do. But my parents… they wanted me to do something that I just couldn’t do. It’s not something a person from outside our town would understand.

AK opens her mouth to disagree, but decides that’s not a good idea at this point.

AK: What’s your home town like?

The kid thinks for a few seconds.

Kid: Well, it’s a pretty normal sort of place, but… there are things… missing.

AK: Missing?

The kid picks up what looks like a pocket TV that is placed close by.

Kid: A woman and a couple of men came down here the other day, and they left a whole box of these cool dohickies… I worked out that this is a miniature television set, we only have big ones where I come from. But that’s not what I really mean… I turned this on, thought there might be some “I love Lucy” or something to watch, and… I saw all these programs that I’ve never heard of.

He glances around conspiratorially.

Kid: One of them had all these… well I think they were women, but they weren’t like any women I’ve seen. Their bodies were red, and their arms and legs were brown. And they ran around on a beach a lot, really slowly.

AK is totally confused… until her brain decodes what the kid is trying to describe.

AK:…..Was this program called Baywatch, by any chance?

Kid: Yes! That was it… I watched it for about 10 minutes, but then I felt quite strange. I had to have a lie down, it was almost like the time I drank too much egg nog at the Winter festival.

AK: That’s a strange name for it… so you don’t celebrate Christmas?

Kid: What’s Christmas?

AK: It’s a religious celebration… you honestly never heard of it?

Kid: We don’t hear much about religion in our town. I mean, no one there believes in any of that stuff, so far as I can tell. My dad always says, “Religion is a crutch for the fearful,” or something like that.

AK is starting to get seriously weirded out by all this, but keeps her cool.

Kid: It was the same when I used that odd little radio, what’s with sticking those little black buds in your ears… I was searching for music, but all I got were these people shouting over a beat, I couldn’t understand them. I mean, we always suspected there was more than our folks were telling us, but this is mind blowing. If only I could go back and tell the others… I tried to get them to come, but they said it would be wrong, that their parents would be mad…

He becomes conscious of how much he’s said, and clams up. Richard Parker meows again, snapping AK out of her deep thoughts.

AK: I guess I ought to take my cat home and feed him, too…

She stands up. She has so many more questions she wants to ask; there is something that is very wrong about this situation, but now is not the time for her to pursue it further.

AK: Listen, I’m not going to try and tell you what to do, but you obviously have reasons for the decisions you’ve taken. If you’re going to stay here a little longer, perhaps I could try and bring you a few things to make you more comfortable.

Kid: Please, I don’t want to impose on you…

AK: It’s no problem. Besides, if I can help someone out, I will, and you look like you could use some help more than most.

Kid:…… I guess you could say that.

AK: All right then. Oh, and if you should see a very large man in black and green down here at all, for heaven’s sake stay out of his way. He’s extremely dangerous.

The kid swallows nervously, and simply nods. AK takes a last look at the Kid’s little hideaway, and then walks back toward the stairs the way she came.

Instinct tells her that she ought to stay out of whatever the Kid has got himself into… and yet she somehow feels that his predicament will have direct consequences for her, whatever she decides to do. And besides, she has a nasty feeling that the youngster is going to need all the help he can get…

Fade out.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Segment: Making things right (Credit: BK)

As the scene opens up the camera reveals the empty ACW corridor, normally filled with people walking back and forth busy as a bee, but not today the area is very much secluded. Suddenly sounds of melancholy are heard and they begin to get louder. Before you know it, former ACW Light-Heavyweight Champion Jake Cheng walks through the scene sobbing, after just losing his Light-Heavyweight Championship to his former partner BK London. He stops in the hallway and sits on one of the trunks filled with who knows what and continues to sob.

Jake: I had it all! I had it ALL! And then in one fatal sweep it was taken from me. WHY?!

Jake lowers his head into his hands and it could appear that he is crying but another person walks up right in front of him and at this time the camera only gets a shot at the tights, but the crowd already knows who it is. Jake picks up his head and looks up and the camera moves up also, confirming everyone's suspicions that it is the new Light-Heavyweight Champion BK London.

Jake(voice-breaking): What now?! Did you come here to rub it in my face? Get away from me!

London continues to stare at Jake who returns to his crying position and he lifts his Light-Heavyweight Championship off of his shoulder and places it in both of his hands. He takes a moment to stare at the belt and reflect about that very match. Jake rises up again and continues to yell at BK.

Jake: You still here! Get a-

But before he can get the last word out BK rests the ACW Light-Heavyweight Championship on Jake's shoulder. Jake is obviously shocked by this matter and BK London gives Jake a light tap on the side of his face before smiling.

BK: You know in the amount of years I have known you and the amount of matches I've had against you, I have never seen you fight this hard and I've never seen you so happy. I don't need this belt or deserve this belt Jake, you do, so take it.

Jake is still sort of dumbfounded and he looks back down at the belt and then looks up at BK London in appreciation and the two exchange a smile.

BK: I'll talk to you later.....champ.

BK turns and walks away from Jake knowing he has bigger business to deal with, and knowing his obsession with championships, this was a very hard decision to make, but he knows it came out right in the end. Jake rises up from the top of the trunk with the Light-Heavyweight Championship over his shoulder and pounds his chest in respect for his former partner.

Fade Out.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Match 8: ACW International Title Match
Santiago Rivera vs. Dan White

The crowd is still highly animated after what’s just occurred as the shot returns to the arena; Philip gives them a moment to notice him, and things quickly settle down so that he can announce the main event.

Philip: Our final match tonight is a singles match set for one fall, and it is for the ACW International Championship! Introducing first, the challenger… from Cardiff, Wales, he is a member of the Untouchables… the “Welsh Dragon” Dan White!

”Welsh National Anthem Remix” plays, and WD appears on the stage. He listens with apparent pleasure to the mixed cheers and boos, and then walks purposefully to the ring, almost as proud as if the belt were already his. He enters the ring and stands, calmly awaiting his opponent.

Philip: And his opponent, from New York City, he is a member of the Senatorial Stable, and defending ACW International Champion… Santiago Rivera!

”Nymphetamine” hits, and Santiago gets a slightly better welcome than WD, though it’s by no means entirely positive. Santiago keeps a hand to his belt all the way to the ring, and gives WD a pointed stare upon handing it to RAF, who is personally overseeing this potentially heated contest. WD watches the gold as it is passed out of the ring, fixing the image in his mind, and then locks eyes with Santiago as RAF cautions them both, and then calls for the bell.

Bell Rings.

There is only one item on Santiago’s agenda for the evening now; he’s hellbent on retaining his title, despite the precedent set in the previous match. WD comes under attack immediately, and his opponent isn’t pulling his punches; Santiago’s expression is pure focus as he belts WD with left and right hooks. WD, however, toughs it out; for him, the title is not only a means to personal glory, but to bring the Untouchables closer together… a goal which Santiago is well aware has very personal implications for him.

Adjusting his tactics slightly, Santiago sends WD into the corner, and follows him in for a shoulder tackle against the post; WD grits his teeth at the impact, and Santiago compounds the effect by dragging his foe back out of the corner and then repeating the sequence at the corner diagonally opposite. This serves to start eroding WD’s already fragile patience, and as Santiago tries to keep him constrained in the corner WD strikes back with a glancing blow across Santiago’s face and then uses the ropes to launch into a swift Tornado DDT. WD pins, but RAF has barely got down on his hands and knees before Santiago kicks out, and rakes WD across the eyes, giving himself an opportunity to get back up first. As WD is recovering to his feet, Santiago uses his spinning stomach kick to standing superkick combination; WD’s legs go to jelly, and he stumbles backward, ending up against the ropes. Moving in quickly, Santiago uses a powerful chop to make WD slip down further, and then presses his boot against WD’s neck for a 5 count before RAF breaks it up. Getting more and more angry, WD pulls himself back to his feet and runs forward toward Santiago, with his arm extended for a clothesline. Santiago catches this and flips things around so that now he’s the one in motion; he hits the ropes and goes for the 10 gallon boot, but WD sidesteps and uses an arm drag to counter and bring Santiago to the mat. Santiago nips back up, but WD refuses to let go of his arm and makes a beeline for the ropes, using them to get elevated for his Jumping armbreaker. This makes Santiago grimace in pain, and WD does his best to apply his Fujiwara Armbar – but Santiago uses his head and makes a grab for the ropes with his other arm before WD can restrain it. RAF calls for the break, and WD gives him an acid glare as Santiago backs off, creating some breathing space for himself.

The defending champion is under pressure, and he doesn’t have the unanimous support of the fans; as well as WD’s usual core of diehard supporters, the “floating fanbase” is also split, and so as he stands near the ropes, Santiago can hear calls and chants both for and against him. Flipping off the naysayers in the front, Santiago slides to the outside and goes straight for the timekeeper’s corner; he grabs a chair and it becomes immediately obvious to WD that Santiago could end the match in seconds via DQ to hold on to his belt. Knowing he can’t allow this to happen, WD jumps over the ropes to the outside – and shows his craftiness by getting right in Santiago’s face, challenging him to take him out.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

WD: Go on, do it, after all a retention’s a retention, right? Who needs credibility, eh Santi? ‘Cos you know you can’t beat me legitimately.

Santiago is clearly needled by this, and throws the chair aside, but with a smirk of his own.

Santi: You’ve got one hell of a nerve lecturing me about cheating, Dan. But if you want me to prove you should never have come back, I’ll oblige you. Come on!

The two men lunge forward, and lock together; WD gets the better traction, and shoves Santiago back up against the announce table – but Santiago demonstrates his physical versatility, jumping up on to the edge of the table without even looking and then taking off sideways again to deliver a vicious looking neckbreaker. RAF bellows “SIX!” at the pair, and Santi hauls himself up; he steps toward the ring, leaving WD on the ground, but then thinks better of it and roughly bundles his opponent back into the ring. Whether it’s smart or not, Santiago is now committed to retaining properly or not at all, and it’s certainly not going to be an easy task; WD is back on his feet rapidly, and Santiago is just a fraction too slow to block WD’s punch to the side of the head, and this gives WD the chance to pull off his Last Hurrah (Final Cut). He covers, and gets a full 2 count before Santiago’s arm is aloft, and WD wipes the sweat out of his eyes, his usual smirk now replaced with absolute concentration as he prepares to go all-out for the win…

The crowd responds with ever increasing cries as WD and Santiago trade their powerful blows; WD keeps working over Santiago’s arms and shoulders, both to increase susceptibility to his finishing techniques and to make it harder for Santiago to make best use of his own arsenal. Santiago, meanwhile, just keeps coming back at WD and as his foe attempts to wear him down further, Santiago abruptly manages to whip him toward the nearest turnbuckle. WD runs at it and hits a neat backflip before coming back toward Santiago; he leaps into his flying headbutt, but Santiago is able to counter this stylishly into his Mexican Destroyer. WD is temporarily stunned, and Santiago makes an incredibly fast pin, hooking the leg for a 1……2… - WD kicks free, but Santiago was oh-so-close to snatching the win and now his supporters become vocal, urging Santi to finish off his rival. Staying with the current theme, Santiago moves to apply the Mexican Lock (Full Nelson), but WD’s obviously done his homework and he escapes by falling to a sitting position, grabs Santiago around the legs and amazes the crowd by slowly standing up, lifting Santiago as he does so. Santiago tries to punch WD in the head, but WD endures and moves forward into position before letting Santiago drop so that his head strikes the turnbuckle. The crowd cries out, and Santiago collapses from the impact; WD rushes in and makes the cover, 1….2….th – Santiago kicks, making the crowd roar and WD swear angrily. Without any frivolous theatre, WD grasps a shaky Santiago and goes for the Stunt Bomb V1; it hits, and WD pins once more, this time getting the 1,2,-

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

-but Santiago somehow kicks again, and WD can’t believe it; he protests to RAF that the count was slow, but RAF refuses to listen to his objections, and WD has to react fast as Santiago drags himself back up. The gap between them evaporates, and they each land a couple of blows – and then WD slips in a very low abdomen kick that makes Santiago gasp. With the crowd off the hook, WD hooks up Santiago for the Shellshock A… but with the two men so close together, RAF’s vision is obscured just enough for Santiago to return the favor with a knee to WD’s groin. WD’s eyes bolt open, and with only a second or so to act Santiago plays his ace card; he frees his arms, applies precisely the same hold to WD, and then gives him a “taste of his own medicine” with a slightly ropey but exceptionally strong Shellshock A. The move suits Santiago’s powerful physique to a T, and he is able to hold WD down long enough for RAF to make the 3 count. The crowd cheers without restraint as Philip confirms the result.

Philip: Here is your winner… and STILL ACW International Champion, Santiago Rivera!

RAF brings Santiago’s belt back to him as he slowly stands up; Santiago is exhausted, but elated. There is a further pop as the cameras pick up RDK coming down to ringside – he’s clearly been on lookout duty on Santiago’s behalf, and he congratulates his “pupil” as Santiago climbs out of the ring and holds his belt up high.

WD is understandably very frustrated at the result; it was a closely fought match, but in the end this time Santiago just managed to get one step ahead. As Santiago moves toward the back, WD watches him closely; this won’t be the last time the pair will meet, and on the basis of this encounter, next time could be an entirely different affair…

Meltdown comes to its natural conclusion… but it represents just one more step in the greater journey which all its members must undertake.

For some, the path is clear and straight; for others, the way is tangled and treacherous… but all roads lead to Warfare, and eventually to Bloody Valentine…

Fade to Black.

End of Show.

[BK London]

Great Meltdown overall.

[Jack Jefferson]

Great show!

[hunter]

Quite an awesome show, due to all of the surprises.

[Jake]

Aliright, 4 titles reigns for the LW Title. Take that Dan.

Great Show y'all. Welcome back Stan

[Santiago Rivera]

Great show!

Phew.......still champ. Now Jake, Jonny, WE COMIN' FO' YOOOOOOOU!

[Torak]

Great show. I want Latino's cat in the ring next week!

[theonlyredsfan]

great show

[hitman]

Great show! WHY MUST TORAK TORTURE JUSTIN SO MUCH?!

[The Senator]

A great show overall that deserves a great edition of...[glow=red,2,300]The Senator's Moment of the Show![/glow]

Jake: How were you supposed to know that they weren’t going to kill you!!! One, the Capitalists are dumber than dumb and dumber themselves. Two, YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO KILL A PERSON ON TV! Remember that whole storyline we had with learning the FCC rules? That’s rules number two.

Stan: What’s rule number one?

Jake: You aren’t allowed to kill more than one person. Why they don’t combine the rules, I don’t know.

Stan: Oh...

A pause. In case you are new around here, or you just forgot, a pause means that Stan is thinking of something dumb to say.

Stan: Then how come Ridley didn’t get in trouble?

Jake: He did get in trouble. Remember that whole storyline with him and Rose going to Alabama to kill zombies?

Stan: Yeah, I do. Oh....

Jake=Most Improved ACW Star of the Year. Period. You can't deny it. Really. Every one of his segments were pure gold, and he could have had three Moments here, but I decided just to pick one. If you have the time, go back and re-read his segments, they're just that good.

Also, we had a hilarious rant from Latino about Richard Parker, the ongoing saga of "the Kid", Torak's awesomeness, Jehst's brave cockyness, WeDrag's on-form return, and Red got demolished repeatedly...a fun show overall:)