═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
AWS CHAMPIONS CARNIVAL
THE SPHERE • LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
VACANT AWS UNDISPUTED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
TABLES • LADDERS • CHAIRS
FATAL FOUR-WAY TAG TEAM MATCH
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
The cameras return from commercial to a breathtaking panoramic shot of the packed Sphere. Thousands of fans are already standing as lights dance across the massive interior display wrapped around the arena. The camera slowly circles the ring where tables are stacked against the barricades, steel chairs rest beside the timekeeper's area, and several ladders stand waiting around ringside.
Suspended twenty feet above the ring...
The vacant AWS Undisputed Tag Team Championships slowly rotate beneath a single spotlight.
The crowd erupts.
Danny Greene III:
"There they are."
"The richest prize in tag team wrestling... and tonight, somebody finally takes them home."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"This isn't just another championship match."
"This is about defining an entire division."
"Four outstanding teams. Four completely different philosophies."
"Only one walks out champions."
Gidget Stephenson:
"And because apparently everyone in AWS enjoys making terrible life choices..."
"...they're doing it in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match!"
The audience cheers loudly.
Danny Greene III:
"No pinfalls."
"No submissions."
"No count-outs."
"No disqualifications."
"You climb the ladder."
"You unhook both championships."
"And you survive."
The camera cuts to the championship belts once more.
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"The danger isn't just the ladders."
"It's the furniture."
"Every table."
"Every chair."
"Every piece of steel around this ring is completely legal."
Danny Greene III:
"We've seen careers shortened in TLC matches."
"We've seen rivalries end."
"We've seen bodies broken."
Gidget Stephenson:
"...and somehow every wrestler still thinks they'll be the one walking out smiling."
The lights dim.
Song Teng walks confidently to the center of the ring dressed elegantly in black, microphone already raised.
She pauses.
Lets the anticipation build.
Song Teng:
"Ladies and gentlemen..."
"...prepare yourselves..."
"...the next battle is about to begin!"
Thunderous applause.
Song Teng:
"This contest is a FATAL FOUR-WAY TAG TEAM TABLES..."
"...LADDERS..."
"...AND CHAIRS MATCH!"
Another roar.
Song Teng:
"The winners of this contest will become the NEW..."
She points high above the ring.
"...AWS UNDISPUTED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!"
═══════════════════════════════════════
WORLD ELITE
═══════════════════════════════════════
"Legs" by ZZ Top blasts throughout the Sphere.
Golden lighting floods the entranceway as AJ Flare and Kofi Von Erich confidently step through the curtain.
Following closely behind are Lindsey Flare, Amanda MacLeod and Agent Carter.
The women tease a fan at ringside before laughing and walking away, leaving him embarrassed as AJ and Kofi soak in the boos.
Danny Greene III:
"They don't care whether the fans love them."
"They just assume everyone wishes they were them."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"They've backed up that confidence for years."
"World Elite know exactly how to win high-pressure matches."
Gidget Stephenson:
"They're insufferable."
"...really talented..."
"...but absolutely insufferable."
AJ climbs the nearest turnbuckle while Kofi casually spreads his arms, welcoming the hostile reaction.
Song Teng:
"Introducing first..."
"...accompanied by Lindsey Flare..."
"Amanda MacLeod..."
"...and Agent Carter..."
"...representing..."
"WORLD ELITE!"
"KOFI VON ERICH!"
"...and..."
"AJ FLARE!"
═══════════════════════════════════════
THE TONGAN TERROR SQUAD
═══════════════════════════════════════
The lights suddenly dim.
Deep drums echo throughout the arena.
"Guerrillas of Destiny" begins to play.
Apollo Latu and Malachi Latu emerge beside Sione Latu to a huge ovation.
No theatrics.
No posing.
Only purpose.
The brothers walk shoulder to shoulder toward the ring.
Danny Greene III:
"You want intimidating?"
"There they are."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"They're probably the strongest team in this entire match."
"If they get control..."
"...moving them becomes almost impossible."
Gidget Stephenson:
"They don't need fancy entrances."
"They ARE the entrance."
Song Teng:
"And their opponents..."
"...accompanied by Sione Latu..."
"From Orlando, Florida..."
"With a combined weight of four hundred and ninety-four pounds..."
"APOLLO LATU!"
"MALACHI LATU!"
"THE TONGAN..."
"...TERROR..."
"...SQUAD!"
═══════════════════════════════════════
BAYOU BLAZE
═══════════════════════════════════════
The opening beat of "Inferno" hits.
Nothing happens.
The crowd begins clapping.
Twenty seconds later...
BOOM!
Columns of flame erupt across the stage.
Orange.
Gold.
Black.
Antoine and Gabriel LeClair dance confidently through the smoke before making their way down the ramp, slapping hands with every fan they can reach.
At ringside they flash the signature LC hand sign before sliding into the ring together.
Danny Greene III:
"Fast."
"Fearless."
"And impossible to keep grounded."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"They've got youth."
"They've got chemistry."
"They've got absolutely no fear."
Gidget Stephenson:
"I don't think they know the meaning of self-preservation."
Song Teng:
"From New Orleans, Louisiana..."
"With a combined weight of four hundred and five pounds..."
"ANTOINE LECLAIR!"
"GABRIEL LECLAIR!"
"BAYOU BLAZE!"
═══════════════════════════════════════
WEST TEXAS HANGMEN
═══════════════════════════════════════
A truck engine rumbles through the arena.
The massive screen fills with dusty highways...
Weathered barns...
Barbed wire fences...
Abandoned Texas wrestling buildings.
"Hell Yeah" by Rev Theory begins.
Buck Rawlins walks onto the stage first.
Cowboy hat pulled low.
Hands relaxed at his sides.
Expression unreadable.
Beside him, Wade Mercer stalks forward like a man looking for a fight.
He points at fans.
Laughs at signs.
Mocks anyone close enough to hear him.
Buck never acknowledges the audience.
He simply keeps walking.
Danny Greene III:
"They don't care about championships."
"They care about making statements."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"The Hangmen believe modern wrestling has lost its identity."
"So they punish anyone they believe represents it."
Gidget Stephenson:
"They're basically two angry men yelling at the future."
Buck steps into the ring.
Removes his cowboy hat.
Folds it carefully.
Places it in the corner.
Then turns toward the other three teams.
Song Teng:
"And finally..."
"From Amarillo, Texas..."
"BUCK RAWLINS!"
"WADE MERCER!"
"THE..."
"WEST TEXAS..."
"HANGMEN!"
All four teams stand in opposite corners.
The referee slowly turns, making eye contact with every competitor before pointing toward the championships suspended overhead.
Danny Greene III:
"This is what they've all sacrificed for."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"No alliances."
"No friends."
"No second chances."
"Just eight competitors chasing the same prize."
The referee raises one hand.
*DING! DING!*
Nobody waits.
Apollo Latu charges directly into Kofi Von Erich with a thunderous clothesline.
AJ Flare blindsides Malachi from behind.
Across the ring Buck Rawlins drills Gabriel LeClair with a stiff forearm while Wade Mercer runs straight through Antoine with a shoulder tackle that nearly flips him inside out.
Within seconds all eight competitors are fighting.
Danny Greene III:
"And here we go!"
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"There goes any strategy!"
The ring erupts into complete chaos.
Apollo and Malachi muscle World Elite into opposite corners, unloading heavy right hands before whipping both men toward the center—
DOUBLE BACK BODY DROP!
AJ and Kofi crash hard onto the canvas.
The crowd cheers.
Outside the ring Buck immediately changes the complexion of the match.
Rather than continue throwing punches...
He reaches beneath the apron.
A steel chair.
The audience buzzes.
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"Already?"
Buck tosses the chair to Wade.
Gabriel springs off the ropes—
CRACK!
The chair catches him flush across the ribs.
He crumples to the mat.
Wade doesn't admire his work.
He swings again.
CRACK!
Across Gabriel's back.
Danny Greene III:
"The Hangmen wasted absolutely no time introducing steel."
Antoine dives toward Wade—
SUPERKICK!
The chair flies free.
Antoine ducks another swing before connecting with a spinning enzuigiri that finally sends Wade staggering into the ropes.
Gabriel forces himself back upright.
The brothers exchange a look.
They hit opposite ropes.
DOUBLE DROPKICK!
Wade tumbles over the top rope to the floor.
Buck charges—
Antoine ducks—
Gabriel leapfrogs—
DOUBLE SUPERKICK!
Buck falls through the ropes beside his partner.
The Sphere explodes.
Danny Greene III:
"Bayou Blaze are flying!"
Antoine wastes no time.
He sprints toward the ropes.
Gabriel follows.
Without hesitation...
Both brothers launch themselves over opposite sides of the ring.
STEREO TOPE CON HILOS!
They wipe out the Hangmen on the floor as the crowd leaps to its feet.
"HOLY SHIT!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
Inside the ring, Apollo Latu hoists AJ Flare onto his shoulders.
Malachi charges.
DOUBLE CHOKESLAM!
AJ bounces violently off the canvas.
Kofi rushes in with a steel chair.
Apollo catches the chair before it lands.
The brothers grin.
Malachi kicks Kofi square in the stomach.
Apollo rips the chair away...
...and bends it across his knee.
The crowd roars in appreciation.
Gidget Stephenson:
"I think Kofi just lost custody of his own chair!"
Apollo points toward a ladder at ringside.
Malachi nods.
For the first time in the match...
Someone looks toward the championships.
The race has officially begun.
Malachi slides the first ladder into the ring.
Apollo immediately follows, standing it upright beneath the hanging championships.
Danny Greene III:
"The Tongan Terror Squad are wasting absolutely no time!"
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"That's smart. In a TLC Match you don't have to beat everyone—you just have to create enough space."
Apollo begins climbing.
One rung.
Two.
Three.
Before he can reach halfway...
AJ Flare springboards onto the ropes.
MISSILE DROPKICK!
The ladder explodes backward.
Apollo crashes awkwardly across the ropes before tumbling to the canvas with the ladder landing on top of him.
The crowd groans.
Kofi doesn't hesitate.
He folds the ladder closed...
then drives it downward across Apollo's back.
CLANG!
Again.
CLANG!
Again.
CLANG!
Danny Greene III:
"World Elite have completely changed the momentum!"
AJ grabs the ladder.
Instead of climbing...
he wedges it horizontally between the middle rope and the turnbuckles.
Apollo slowly gets to his knees.
Kofi grabs him.
Irish whip.
Apollo is launched chest-first into the steel ladder.
The impact rattles the entire ring.
Apollo drops immediately to all fours.
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"Everything hurts more when steel doesn't move."
Outside the ring, Buck Rawlins calmly begins unfolding a table.
Wade Mercer drags Gabriel LeClair toward him by the ankle.
Buck doesn't rush.
He carefully positions the table.
Checks that the legs are locked.
Then simply nods.
Danny Greene III:
"They're methodical."
"They don't just hurt people..."
"They make sure everyone watches."
Wade lifts Gabriel into a powerbomb position.
Antoine sees it.
He sprints.
Slides beneath the bottom rope.
Runs across the apron.
SPRINGBOARD CROSSBODY!
He wipes Wade out before the powerbomb can happen.
The crowd erupts.
Buck immediately boots Antoine in the jaw.
No wasted motion.
No emotion.
Just violence.
Buck grabs Antoine by the hair.
Throws him onto the table.
Climbs onto the apron.
Danny Greene III:
"Oh no..."
Buck steps onto the second rope.
Driving elbow...
NO!
Gabriel shoves the table away at the last possible second.
Buck crashes shoulder-first onto the apron before spilling to the floor.
The audience explodes.
"HOLY SHIT!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
Back inside...
Malachi has recovered.
AJ never sees him coming.
DOUBLE BOOT!
AJ flips inside out.
Kofi charges.
Apollo catches him.
Malachi joins him.
DOUBLE SUPLEX!
Kofi lands hard.
Apollo pounds his chest.
The crowd responds.
Danny Greene III:
"The Tongans are back!"
Malachi sets the ladder once again.
Apollo climbs.
Halfway.
Three quarters.
His fingers stretch toward the championships...
CRACK!
A steel chair slams into Apollo's spine.
Buck Rawlins.
The ladder shakes.
Apollo hangs on.
Buck swings again.
CRACK!
Apollo finally falls backward—
Straight into Wade's waiting arms.
WORLD'S STRONGEST SLAM!
Apollo bounces violently.
Buck turns.
Malachi swings wildly.
Buck ducks.
WADE—
RUNNING BIG BOOT!
Malachi collapses beside his brother.
The Hangmen stand tall.
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"They don't care who builds momentum."
"They're determined to steal it."
Buck gestures toward World Elite.
"Finish 'em."
Wade smiles.
AJ slowly crawls toward the ropes.
Wade grabs him.
POWERBOMB—
NO!
AJ counters into a hurricanrana.
Wade stumbles directly into Kofi.
Kofi spins.
SUPERKICK TO WADE.
AJ springboards.
PHENOMENAL FOREARM!
Buck tries to intervene—
Kofi explodes with a leaping clothesline.
All three Hangmen opponents hit the mat.
Danny Greene III:
"World Elite have weathered the storm!"
AJ unfolds the tallest ladder yet.
He begins climbing.
Kofi stands guard beneath him.
Gabriel dives in.
Kofi intercepts him with a spinebuster.
Antoine charges.
Kofi catches him.
BELLY-TO-BELLY OVERHEAD!
Antoine sails into the corner.
AJ reaches the very top.
His fingertips brush championship gold—
Apollo grabs one side of the ladder.
Malachi grabs the other.
Together...
They tip it sideways.
AJ crashes completely over the top rope...
through the table Buck had set up earlier.
BOOOOOOOM!
The Sphere erupts.
Danny Greene III:
"AJ JUST WENT THROUGH THE TABLE!"
Pieces of wood scatter across the floor.
Kofi stares in disbelief.
Gabriel suddenly springs from nowhere.
SUPERKICK!
Kofi staggers.
Antoine leaps onto the ropes.
FIREBALL!
The breathtaking 630 Senton crashes directly onto Kofi.
The crowd rises as one.
Gidget Stephenson:
"How in the world did Antoine still have enough left to do THAT?!"
Bayou Blaze exchange one exhausted glance.
Gabriel points upward.
Antoine nods.
The brothers begin climbing opposite sides of the ladder together.
The crowd senses history.
Danny Greene III:
"This could be it!"
Halfway up...
Buck Rawlins reaches inside the ring.
Grabs the bottom rung.
Wade joins him.
Together...
They yank.
The ladder slides several feet across the ring.
Antoine and Gabriel desperately cling to the sides.
Buck shouts.
"NOW!"
Wade drives his shoulder into the ladder.
It topples.
The brothers crash onto the top rope before spilling to the floor together.
The audience gasps.
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"I don't know how much more punishment Bayou Blaze can take."
Buck looks around the ring.
Apollo is crawling.
Malachi is clutching his ribs.
AJ is still buried in broken table pieces.
Kofi barely reaches the apron.
Gabriel hasn't moved.
Antoine is using the barricade just to stand.
Buck slowly smiles.
For the first time all match.
He turns toward Wade.
No words.
Just a nod.
Wade understands immediately.
The two men begin dismantling whatever resistance remains.
Apollo struggles upright—
Branding Iron.
Buck's lariat nearly decapitates him as Wade's boot catches him from the opposite direction.
Apollo crumbles.
Malachi swings wildly.
Buck ducks.
Wade plants him with a thunderous spinebuster onto an unfolded steel chair.
AJ stumbles into the ring holding his lower back.
West Texas Justice.
Buck powerbombs him.
As AJ falls...
Wade's running clothesline drives into the back of his head.
The audience collectively winces.
Kofi tries one final desperate charge.
The Hanging Tree.
Buck's running lariat.
Wade's massive boot.
Kofi folds in half before collapsing motionless.
Silence.
Not because the crowd has gone quiet.
Because they're stunned.
Bodies are everywhere.
Broken tables.
Bent chairs.
Ladders lying twisted across the canvas.
Only two men remain standing.
Buck Rawlins.
Wade Mercer.
Danny Greene III:
"...My God."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"I think they've done it."
"They've beaten everyone."
Buck slowly looks upward.
The championships sway gently above them.
He points.
Not at the titles.
At Wade.
One command.
One opportunity.
One climb.
Wade nods.
Then begins making his way toward the ladder as twenty thousand fans rise to their feet, sensing the end is only moments away...
The Sphere rises to its feet.
Broken tables litter the ringside floor.
Steel chairs lie twisted and bent.
A ladder stands alone beneath the championships.
Bodies are scattered everywhere.
Buck Rawlins slowly nods toward the ladder.
Wade Mercer takes a deep breath before beginning the climb.
Danny Greene III:
"This is exactly what the Hangmen wanted."
"They isolated every team."
"They broke every team."
"And now Wade Mercer is climbing toward the AWS Undisputed Tag Team Championships."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"They've fought the perfect match."
"They slowed the pace."
"They dictated the violence."
"They've earned this opportunity."
One rung.
Two.
Three.
Buck circles beneath the ladder, keeping one eye on every fallen competitor.
Apollo Latu claws at the apron, unable to pull himself inside.
Malachi Latu leans against the barricade, barely able to stand.
AJ Flare is still tangled in shattered table pieces.
Kofi Von Erich rolls onto one knee, clutching his jaw.
Outside the ring...
Gabriel LeClair's fingers twitch.
Antoine LeClair drags himself toward the apron one painful inch at a time.
Neither brother is standing.
Neither brother has quit.
Wade reaches the halfway point.
The crowd grows louder.
Danny Greene III:
"They're getting closer!"
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"Nobody is moving fast enough!"
Suddenly...
A calm voice cuts through the noise.
"Still blaming everyone else?"
Buck freezes.
The crowd begins murmuring.
Danny Greene III:
"...Wait."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"Who's that?"
The camera pans toward ringside.
Standing beyond the barricade entrance...
Astra Mortis.
Dressed in black.
Hands resting calmly at her sides.
She never steps onto the apron.
Never enters the ring.
Never touches a ladder.
Never approaches Buck.
She simply watches.
Buck slowly turns.
Recognition immediately crosses his face.
Wade continues climbing.
Danny Greene III:
"The Hangmen know exactly who that is."
Astra's expression never changes.
"You had everyone beaten."
"You were seconds away."
"And yet..."
"...you're still angry."
Buck takes a slow step toward the ropes.
"You picked the wrong night."
Astra doesn't react.
"No."
"I picked the night that proved exactly who you are."
Wade climbs another rung.
Danny Greene III:
"Wade's almost there!"
Buck barely glances upward.
Astra continues.
"You don't hate modern wrestling."
"You hate that the world learned how to move on."
Buck shakes his head.
"You don't know a damn thing."
"I know enough."
"You've spent twenty years trying to punish strangers for choices they never made."
"You call yourselves judges."
"But you've never once judged yourselves."
The crowd applauds.
Buck's jaw tightens.
"You should've stayed out of this."
"I am out of it."
Astra slowly raises both empty hands.
"I haven't touched anyone."
"I never will."
"You've done all of this to yourselves."
Buck takes another step toward the ropes.
For just a moment...
He forgets the ladder.
He forgets the championships.
He forgets Wade.
Danny Greene III:
"BUCK!"
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"Turn around!"
Astra quietly says one final sentence.
"The past only wins if you keep carrying it."
Buck finally snaps out of it.
He spins toward the ring.
"Wade!"
"Finish it!"
The crowd erupts.
Wade reaches for the championships—
At that exact moment...
Gabriel LeClair slides into the ring beneath the bottom rope.
Barely able to stand.
Barely able to breathe.
But still fighting.
Buck lunges.
Gabriel dives between Buck's legs.
His shoulder slams into the ladder.
The ladder shifts just enough.
Wade desperately clings to the top.
Danny Greene III:
"The ladder moved!"
Buck reaches for it—
Too late.
Antoine LeClair explodes onto the apron.
Springboard.
MISSILE DROPKICK!
The ladder rocks violently.
Wade loses his balance.
He hangs on for one desperate second...
...before crashing all the way to the canvas.
The Sphere explodes.
"HOLY SHIT!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
Gabriel grabs the ladder before it can fall.
Antoine is already climbing.
One side.
Gabriel takes the other.
The brothers race upward together.
Buck scrambles to his feet.
He reaches—
He misses.
Danny Greene III:
"BAYOU BLAZE ARE CLIMBING!"
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"They never stopped fighting!"
Kofi tries to crawl toward the ladder.
Apollo reaches from ringside but can't get there in time.
Malachi pounds the mat in frustration.
AJ can only watch.
The LeClair brothers reach the top together.
They exchange one exhausted glance.
Then...
Antoine unhooks one championship.
Gabriel unhooks the other.
CLANG!
CLANG!
DING! DING! DING!
The Sphere erupts.
Confetti cannons fire.
Flames burst from the stage.
Song Teng steps into the center of the ring.
Song Teng:
"Here are your winners..."
"...AND THE NEW..."
"...AWS UNDISPUTED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS..."
"ANTOINE LECLAIR!"
"GABRIEL LECLAIR!"
"BAYOU BLAZE!"
The brothers collapse into each other, clutching the championships against their chests as twenty thousand fans roar their approval.
Apollo and Malachi enter the ring, battered but smiling, offering respectful nods to the new champions.
World Elite sit against opposite barricades, furious that the opportunity slipped away.
Buck slowly rises.
His eyes lock onto Astra.
She is exactly where she has been the entire time.
Outside the ring.
Hands at her sides.
She never entered the match.
Never touched Buck.
Never touched Wade.
Never touched the ladder.
She simply met Buck's gaze.
For a long moment, neither says a word.
Buck understands.
The Hangmen had the match won.
No one took it from them.
Their own obsession cost them everything.
Astra gives a small, disappointed shake of her head before quietly turning and disappearing into the crowd.
The camera returns to the ring.
Antoine climbs one turnbuckle.
Gabriel climbs the opposite.
Both raise the AWS Undisputed Tag Team Championships high above their heads.
The Sphere responds with a standing ovation.
Danny Greene III:
"What heart."
"What resilience."
"They refused to stay down."
Mia Russo-Cutler:
"The Hangmen's anger created the opening..."
"...but Bayou Blaze still had to seize it."
"They earned every second of this victory."
Gidget Stephenson:
"They never stopped believing."
"And tonight..."
"...belief became championship gold."
The final image lingers on Bayou Blaze standing tall beneath the lights of the Sphere, the newly won championships held high as pyro rains down around them.
