UWC Eruption 2-4-23

UWC Saturday Night Eruption 1-21-23

Leonardo slaps Burnside across the back of his head with repeated slaps. Leonardo gets in his face and yells, “Not so big and tough now are ya!” Leonardo steps back as Burnside turns around. He grabs him and nails him with a European upper cut that stuns Burnside. He pulls him around by his wrist and kicks him in his side. Leonardo walks around with a skip in his step. He turns and Burnside takes him down with a big boot to the face.

Cliff Morris- Leonardo just got caught with a big boot!!

Burnside jerks Leonardo up. He lifts him up throwing him down with a guerrilla press slam. Burnside turns throwing his arms wildly, jerking the ropes. He turns jerking the dazed Leonardo up to his feet. He lifts him up into the Torture Rack. Burnside locks it in and forces the Torture Rack. The referee checks and calls for the bell.

The picture cuts across the arena and cuts to the ring.



Emily Lyle - The following contest is set for one fall with a forty five minute time limit and it is for the UWC Heritage Championship!

The lights in the arena go out and there's the sound of thunder cracking. "Weather Man" starts to play and a few seconds in lights come up focused on the aisleway. Jackson Burnside stands in the entryway behind a black umbrella with "The Weatherman" written across it in reflective silver lettering. As the lyrics to the song kick in he spins the umbrella, and eventualy spins it aorund himself in a twirl. Jackson faces the crowd, throws the umbrella over his shoulder one right hand and he makes a "finger gun" motion out to the crowd with his left.

Cliff Morris – Jackson Burnside is looking confident, and the crowd is firmly on his side. Let's hope he can become a two-time champion tonight, and take the title away from that miserable artiste Leonardo!

Logan Acker – If somebody can do it, it's the Weatherman. He's already won a world title before, and he made short work of Leonardo two weeks ago in their first match!

Emily Lyle: "Blowing in from the Windy City; standing six-five and weighing in tonight at three-hundred and sixteen pounds. 'The Weatherman', Jackson Buuuuurnsiiiiiide!"

As Emily announces him, Jackson walks on down to the ring with a pep in his step in very performative manner. He sings along with the lyrics to "Weather Man", he bumps fists with people in the crowd, points around with his free hand or the umbrella. Jackson reaches the ring and rolls under the bottom rope. He gets up one knee at a time and walks in a small circle. The song begins to to build up the chorus and Jackson climbs up to the nearest turnbuckle. He puts his head down and holds the umbrella with both hands.



Jackson throws his head back in sync with the song. His right arm raises the closed umbrella high into the air. He holds up on the top rope for awhile, and finally after jumping down he removes the long black leather coat and sunglasses. He hands them along with the umbrella to somebody at ringside. He takes a moment to bounce off the ropes and he runs them a few times. Finally he stops in the middle of the ring and continues to hype himself up while waiting.

Kiss by Prince starts playing as the crowd lets out a loud boo as Leonardo slowly makes his way onto the stage, flanked by the red-haired woman named Calliope who is tasked with holding the title for him. Posing on the stage, the fabulous figure makes his way down the ramp.

Cliff Morris – Leonardo has his first title defense since winning the Heritage Championship, defending against a man who beat him within near record time two weeks ago!

Logan Acker – It seemed that Weathermen have a natural advantage against artistes, but lets see if the same happens tonight!

Emily Lyle – The first challenger, making his way to the ring from Florence, Italy. Weighing in at two-hundred-fifteen pounds, Leonardo!

The crowd would boo loudly at the Artiste but he would simply ignore it as he gets into the ring and places Calliope on the turnbuckle in the opposite corner, he leans back as Calliope plays with his hair as they wait for the match to start.

With the referee having done the traditions, he calls for the bell to get this title match started. And almost surprisingly Leonardo steps forward calling out Burnside to lock up with him, despite the challenger being both significantly taller and more muscular than Leonardo can ever hope to be... Unsurprisingly, Burnside overpowers Leonardo and throws him effortly backwards back to the ropes. But the champion gets up, dusts himself off, and steps forward once more gesturing to lock up again.

Unsurprisingly, the same results are achieved when Burnside simply overpowers his foe and cranks back with a heavy crunching headlock that brings Leonardo to his knees almost immediately, the challenger holds him there for a few seconds until finally Leonardo wiggles free and crawls back to the rope to be counseled by his muse.

Logan Acker – I don't know what Leonardo is trying to achieve here going hold for hold with Jackson Burnside, he's barely a wrestler and is massively underpowered!

Cliff Morris – Who knows, maybe he hit his head this morning and he's actually trying to wrestle?

The referee comes over to tell Leonardo that he has to get back into the fight and can't just hang out in the ropes, and the champion reluctantly agrees as one final time he steps towards Burnside and gestures for a third and final lock up challenge. Burnside accepts with a smile, but that smile quickly vanishes when Leonardo fakes him out and slaps him in the face with all his strength before trying to shove him away in disrespect, making it a point about how low his opinion is of Jackson Burnside. The champion might've miscalculated again, though, as Burnside picks up Leonardo and throws him into the corner before hitting a huge corner splash that flattens the champion.

Staggering out of the corner, Burnside picks the champion onto his broad shoulders and gesturing towards the crowd he starts a tornado spin that the crowd gleefully counts along with, Burnside is dominating and Leonardo can barely hold back his lunch as he slips off the challenger's shoulders and has no idea where he is.

Burnside gestures for the torture rack, and just as he picks up Leonardo he drops him back down to the canvas as Leonardo's muse Calliope has jumped onto the apron calling out to the challenger and doing her best to keep him distracted in the hope it can help Leonardo not lose the match... But as the referee comes to lecture Calliope, Leonardo strikes with a hard low blow to the nether regions of the challenger and quickly trying to roll him up shouting at the referee to count!

Logan Acker – Not like this!

1..

2..

.. Kick out!

With all the power in his body Burnside kicks out of the schoolboy pin and the crowd lets out a collective gasp in reaction. Leonardo can't believe what's happening, but instead of shouting at the referee he instead yells something at Calliope who dutifully slides the Heritage Championship belt into the ring. Kicking a still prone Burnside, to force him to get back up, but the referee isn't going to let him just hit the challenger with the title belt and rips it out of Leonardo's hands.

But in the ensuing discussion, Leonardo fails to account for Jackson Burnside who has recovered and quickly and expertly picks up Leonardo and puts him in a back-cracking torture rack!

Cliff Morris – This is it, Leonardo must tap from this!

And it seems that Leonardo is seconds away from tapping when his fingers manages to find Jackson's eyes, and he takes all the liberty in raking them as aggressively as possible to get out of the torture rack. Not wanting to take any risks, Leonardo slides out of the ring and walks away with Calliope in tow. The referee has no other option than to count him out!

Emily Lyle – The winner of this match via count-out, Jackson Burnside!

The crowd can only boo because they know what the implications of such a finish are!

Emily Lyle – But STILL your UWC Heritage Champion, Leonardo!

Jackson Burnside looks frustrated as he leans across the rope and calls out to Leonardo to get back into the ring to finish this properly, like genuine wrestlers who don't need to get away in such a cheap way.

Cliff Morris – Everyone knows Jackson Burnside had that title won, and Leonardo manages to only get away through cheating and running away instead, continuing to tarnish the traditions and heritage of the heritage championship!

Leonardo doesn't care about the boos or his opponent's frustrations, though, as he slings the title belt onto his shoulder and has Calliope fetch a microphone for him. He doesn't even bother to wait for the crowd to stop booing him to start talking.

Leonardo - If you think I will have a 'wrestling' match for a boor like you, you're sorely mistaken Jackson Burnside! You may have held this title before, you may be a former world champion, but in the world of Leonardo you are nothing but a boring uninspiring wrestler who tries to throws back to the most diabolically boring era of wrestling that a genius such as me is trying to destroy. I am NOT a wrestler, I WONT wrestle you, ever!

The crowd boos, and Jackson Burnside seems to want to test those non-fighting words by stepping through the ropes, but Leonardo holds up his hand to stop him in his tracks because he's not yet finished.

Leonardo - I won't wrestle you, but in two weeks I have been told there's this special event, and I am a man that is made to be a special attraction. And you and me, we're going to have a competition that is on MY level, a level that your small unartistic brain will probably be unable to understand. Because we won't face each other in a boring wrestling match for boring wrestlers, you will face a true artiste like me in a match worthy of artistes! It will be an "Artist's Atelier Match"! See you in two weeks!

Dropping the microphone, he grabs Calliope's hand and walks away as Jackson Burnside accepts the challenge, but then looks at the referee wondering what the match will even be.

Cliff Morris – I don't think anybody other than Leonardo has a clue what an 'artist's atelier match' is, but we'll probably see what comes from his absurd mind in two weeks.

*Camera fades in as Abby Joseph is backstage with #1 Daron Smythe, who is stretching and preparing for his main event World Championship match...*

ABBY: Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is the night - #1 Daron Smythe, the UWC Television Champion, will get his one on one opportunity to take on the UWC World Champion, "The GOAT" Billy Danielson. Daron, heading into tonight's match, how are you feeling?

*Daron stops stretching, stands tall, takes in a deep breath, and addresses Abby Joseph and the camera*

DARON: For months Abby, I have been repeating one phrase over and over again about my destiny - my destiny to be the UWC World Champion. Some might even say I have spoken this opportunity into existence. When I signed that UWC contract back in June of 2022, I had no idea what to expect. I had been out of the ring damn near a decade, but I am no stranger to hard work. I am no stranger to the jungle that is a professional wrestling locker room. No stranger to the backstabbing, lies, and deceit that are a part of making that climb to the top of our profession. I came here with little fanfare, and why should I? In a promotion like this, many of these competitors have been champion several times over. The feuds and events have been the stuff of legend. I know when I stepped into this company that I was going to have to prove myself, but I knew this time would come.

ABBY: You have said your destiny leads you to this spot, how have the last seven months prepared you for this title shot?

DARON: Like I said, I knew I would have to work my way up the card - not a single person here knew anything about what I could do, despite any accomplishment I had outside of this company - I hadn't done it *here*, so to the UWC office and superstars, it didn't matter. Over time I have had the opportunity to face the best the UWC has to offer. I admit it, I took my lumps, but soon I was getting my hand raised, soon I was being inserted into high profile matches. It's funny, the first time I tangled with Billy, it was the very match where he earned the right to compete for the UWC World Championship - I thought destiny was calling then, but it turned into a prank phone call at the hands of one Nick Danger. Now that he is out of the way, I've course corrected towards the same destination, the same eventuality I've been talking about for weeks and months, Billy Danielson, one on one, for the UWC World Championship.

ABBY: What do you make of Billy's comments on the last episode of Eruption, seemingly mocking you being self-proclaimed #1, not even really mentioning you by name and mocking your victory in Universal Stampede?

*Daron chuckles to himself before gathering himself to respond*

DARON: You would do that, wouldn't you Billy? Attempt to brush me off as some sort of fluke, some sort of flash in the pan. Some sort of guy who doesn't even deserve to be here, right? It's been very easy for you and the entire UWC Roster to underestimate me. It's cute, really. Name after name, picking you over me, as though I didn't just outlast ALL of them to get a World Title shot. As though I haven't defeated the 2022 Most Improved Wrestler and the man who took that UWC Television Title away from you, Nick Danger. Like I haven't defeated the current Heritage Champion, Leonardo. As though I'm not the 2022 Newcomer of the Year as voted by my peers. I'm not just some guy who got lucky, Billy Goat. I'm the guy who is going to take the World title from you and end this storybook ending.

ABBY: Some people say you are overconfident heading into this match, what gives you such a strong belief that you can end Billy Danielson's World Title Reign?

DARON: I've simply embraced destiny and that things happen for a reason. Look, Billy, I realize that winning that World Title is a years and years long culmination of your career in the UWC. I understand you've faced off against the best of the best and come out on top. But what I have managed to do in just seven short months is fast track myself, mirroring your career in seconds compared to your hours. It's funny that we were in that same four way. It's funny that I won the Television Title on the same day you won the World Title and now, I'm about to be essentially the uncrowned UWC Triple Crown Champion, officially #2StrapsSmythe. But why do I feel this way? Why do I think I am #1?

I've had to do it my entire life, Billy. My very first lucid memory is me at three years old. My dad, in a fit of drunken rage, hurls a chair across the room at my mother. That chair comes mere inches from hitting me, probably ending my life right then and there. But in that moment, my mom, the victim of domestic violence for far too long, summoned the strength to stand up to that man and tell him to get the hell out.

That woman is the source of my strength. The realization that I can do anything I put my mind to. The reason I'm even here alive talking to you today, Abby. The reason I feel this destiny has brought me to this very moment. It may sound stupid to most but as a small child I remember gravitating towards professional wrestling - these real life superheroes competing right in front of my very eyes, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Sting. I can remember it very vividly, 1987, a four year old boy sitting ringside with his mother, watching the WWF at the Wheeling Civic Center, in total awe of the Ultimate Warrior. I told myself right then and right there that I was going to be a professional wrestler and dammit, I've done it.

The confluence of all of these events, the will to win, the ego to push myself to do whatever it takes to put myself in a position to better myself. It's put me in this very moment, this place in time where tonight, I'll fulfill the destiny I've talked about for so long, tonight...

MY DESTINY IS TO BE THE UWC WORLD CHAMPION, THE ONLY VARIABLE IS TIME.

Time's up.

*Daron snaps his fingers and the camera fades to black*