Act 2
Ladies and Gentlemen

February 21, 2016
Location: The Staples Center – Los Angeles, California
Time: 7 PM

Paul Heyman is right - the arena is packed; packed with a crowd of 21 thousand residents, mostly those native to California, having decided to come to this arena, instead of heading to Ohio for WWE's next big event, mainly out of mild curiosity, as word got around, not only verbally spreading around the blocks, and onto the dirtsheets of the online wrestling world, but also on various social media sites about Heyman taking an absence from WWE to set something up for 'the fans who expect the best in wrestling'.

In the center of the arena, under only a few visible lights, lies a wrestling ring, a fairly plain ring; black ropes, a dark gray ring mat (much akin to NXT), simple stainless steel stairs (try saying that three times fast), et cetera. Built almost exactly like how the WWE's rings are built, but without much of any designs on the turnbuckles or the ring aprons. Bland but serviceable, but it probably doesn't matter for the people in attendance, having been waiting for several minutes now for something to happen.

An entry ramp lines up to a stage, like usual in a wrestling show, up to a stage that doesn't look the best in terms of production values, but still looks good in a standard type of show; the stage consists of a large TitanTron-style screen, and a smaller ribbon-movie screen, and that's pretty much it; it looks like a WWE house-show kind of stage, and looks pretty small when you take into fact the 20+ thousands packed into this large arena.

One last item of significance: the commentary booth table. Yes, Heyman has indeed managed to enlist some announcing talents, three to be exact.

The first, sitting in the middle, is the most notable, perhaps the best commentator in the industry, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a... well, to a very interesting night, one that will leave many questions answered here in Los Angeles, California. I'm Good Ol' JR, Jim Ross, of WWE fame..."

Sitting to JR's right is also a very talented play-by-play commentator, who became famous thanks to Paul Heyman and Extreme Championship Wrestling, the exceptional Joey Styles.

"And I'm former ECW personality Joey Styles, glad to be back in the commentary booth, ready to call some action just like old times..."

The last of the three isn't as much of a big name, but has made a mark in several wrestling companies, both in the ring and on commentary, the One-Man Crime Spree, Tazz.

"And last but not least, straight outta Brooklyn, this is the Human Podcast Machine, Tazz, and I am pretty damn excited to see what's gonna go down tonight!"

Once all three commentators have gotten their introductions out of the way, Jim Ross speaks again. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you've been catching social media since last night, you'll know that Paul Heyman, another notable name of WWE and ECW fame, much like us, has arranged for something big, and is willing to bring it not just to the fans here in the Staples Center, sold out in just under a day, but to many thousands more watching for free, live on the Twitch livestreaming website a first of potentially many more special events hosted by the Extreme Advocate himself!"

"I've gotta say, this is some risky business that Heyman is setting up," Joey Styles acknowledges, "but whatever risk he wants to take, we won't stop him. That's how ECW got off the ground, after all."

Then we go back to Jim Ross... "Fans watching this live, we've gotta take it straight to the ring right now; the show is about to begin..."

Several more lights turn on around the arena, making it easier to see the ring in the middle, and the person standing in it, a former WWE ring announcer in Justin Roberts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, the promoter of this special live broadcast... PAUL! HEYMAAAAAN!"

("This Is Extreme" ~ Harry Slash/The Slashtones)

The initial sound of the Extreme Championship Wrestling theme sparks a great reaction from the audience, as the formally dressed businessman emerges from the back.

"A grand ovation for the man who helped start many a career in ECW, has done even more in the WWE, and will perhaps be making more history tonight." proclaims Joey.

"One hell of a guy with a huge mindset." Tazz adds. "He knows what's up in the wrestling biz, and is a tough guy to keep down."

With a microphone in hand, Paul begins to speak to the fans.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman..."

The crowd follows along with his introduction, a great majority of them having memorized it a while back in the past.

Heyman continues, "...and I'd like to thank everyone here for finding the time tonight to come to Los Angeles to see what's in store, from the man who made 'Extreme' popular in the wrestling business."

He stops again, just to take in the cheers of thousands in support of him. A noticeable 'EC-Dub' chant breaks out for a moment, as Paul looks across the arena and lets the support soak in, before bringing the mic back up.

"As Good Ol' JR just mentioned, tonight is going to be interesting. That's because tonight, what I have in store is much more than just an independent showing. With an arena of this size, expectations are higher than ever, so the people in the back and out here must deliver at all costs, and send the whole crowd home with smiles on their faces all around the world."

The audience continues to cheer Paul on. He takes another beat to let the crowd keep going, before heading back into his speech.

"Of course, it would require a lot of commitment, a lot of undertaking, for any 'Average Joe' to round up some star power, some talent, to give a show that people will be able to discuss for the next few days onwards... ...But when you have a mind like mine, you tend to know a guy, or two... or a handful who are able to make it here tonight."

Before the next part of his promo, Heyman looks towards the stage, then back to the crowd with a growing smile.

"In fact... they're all waiting back there, lying in wait, primed and ready go all out for everyone here in California, and everyone else watching in the comfort of their own home!"

The crowd gradually gets louder as they anticipate whoever comes next, as Paul walks back toward the stage structure, and heads back through the curtains for just one moment.

("This Is Extreme" ~ Harry Slash/The Slashtones)

The iconic ECW theme plays again, as Heyman begins to walk back down the stage, and down the ramp.

…

However, following just a couple feet behind him is the Beast Incarnate himself, Brock Lesnar, already looking dressed to compete, in his MMA shorts and gloves. The crowd is amazed, and get loud for the Suplex Master.

JR stammers on his own words as the sudden appearance of the Beast catches him off guard. "Oh my g—that—what?!"

Joey Styles is additionally surprised. "It's Brock Lesnar!"

Tazz is chortling in excitement. "Oh-ho man! Well, 'here comes the pain', fellas! Man, I missed sayin' that..."

It's only a few seconds after Lesnar makes his presence felt in the Staples Center that the other individuals in the back begin to pile out.

"Wait a minute..." Jim Ross points out, "There's more where that came from!"

The reaction of the onlookers gets all around the place. Most are absolutely ecstatic for the appearances of several of WWE's great stars of today and tomorrow, including Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor and Kevin Owens, although the same we wish could be said unanimously about Roman Reigns, and then it's stacked by the admiration by the people who take notice of Stone Cold, D-Bry and Nakamura. Some don't even know what to think when it comes to the more obscure faces, even the ECW alumnus in New Jack, who is probably not the most familiar to this crowd, less so than in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Overwhelmed by the cast of characters before him, Joey is trying to look for words. "This is—this..."

"Wow," says Tazz, very fascinated by the group that Heyman has brought in.

Joey finally speaks. "When Paul Heyman talked about knowing some guys, I didn't expect so much from him!"

"You probably should've seen something like this comin', Joey." Tazz retorts. "I mean, you worked with him before."

"Even then, this is an unreal cast." Ross details. "I think it speaks for itself how much potential this show has, if I think I know where this is going."

Curious about how this is possible, Tazz asks, "So yeah, what, is—is this a WWE-backed thing, or is Paul really that good at landing gigs with these guys?"

Jim responds, "I highly doubt this is a WWE production, even with some of its workers enlisting themselves in this."

Over the sound of the commentators talking endlessly about this, the pack of characters follow Heyman into the ring. They stand as one group, almost like an army, as Paul stands in front, preparing to continue addressing the situation.

"Let me make one thing clear: I do respect the McMahon family, to a degree. While WWE and ECW have had to work together at times to deal with WCW during the age of the Monday Night Wars, we were still competition, and, under ECW, I still had to pave my way through to higher pastures, until it... eventually fell down. And even in WWE, while I was still given opportunities to express my creative vision... there weren't enough opportunities I was given. That's how ECW was eventually reborn in 2005... and died once again five years later."

Another 'EC-Dub' chant can be heard. Just mentioning it can trigger the chant, it seems.

Paul continues. "Thankfully, a limit to how many chances you can get in a lifetime is non-existent, not when you know how to plan. You see, I've worked to attract these individuals behind me, enticing them with offers of redemption and opportunity. My plan is to help with the next evolution of wrestling, an evolution that started with companies like the lucha circuit of Lucha Underground entering the fray. I will follow what they've done... with a little pet project... called Ultimatum Wrestling Underground."

The crowd rise up in a cheer once this news is let out of the bag like a cat. One can hear a "U-Dub-U" chant already try to break through. With only a couple tens of people getting the chant down already, it's a good start to the initial fanbase. Paul continues with his speech...

"My first phase of this project is to decide which one of this colorful cast I have behind me will be the first to lead Ultimatum Wrestling Underground into its humble beginnings. That is why I am preparing a top prize for the winner of a tournament – a Tournament of Fate – to make the choice for me. An event spanning 2 days, featuring a 16-competitor tournament, consisting of just about everyone in this lineup that I've prepared, where one can be considered champion at the end of it. This is meant to bring out the best in what I have to offer here, and to further intensify the competition, I've set up one ground rule: for this tournament, I wanna have a throwback to the days of the Land of Extreme."

Heyman turns towards the competitors; this portion of what Heyman has to say is, for now, focused on them.

"I want to see blood. I wanna see you all at your most violent, so this Tournament of Fate, the entirety, every match will be under Extreme Rules."

As the crowd gets loud once again, Heyman takes a few steps closer to the competitors, getting in their face as he authenticates the 'Extreme Rules' stipulation.

"No disqualification – no count out – no holds barred – blood for blood – anything goes! In this building tonight, let's just say that in the Underground, we don't give a shit about the rules, because what's the point of rules when we can't truly have fun with what we're doing when they're intact?"

The wide audience can't help but keep rooting on, letting the Advocate do what he does best on the microphone with his golden tongue.

"...Well, I can't say he's wrong..." JR admits.

Heyman continues once again, "Alright, so what have we covered? – I know some people, evolution of wrestling, Lucha Underground, blood for blood, et cetera-et cetera... Alright, let's just get this going right away, because the Tournament starts right now!"

And there goes the crowd, popping hard again. They're excited, and it shows in spades.

With all that having been said, Heyman scans across the band of combatants for a few moments, in a period of deep thought and consideration, before picking out one specific individual, standing in the front of the pack.

"Mr. Daniel Bryan… please step forward."

The bearded Washington athlete proceeds as asked and steps away from the group. Nothing but a great round of cheers all around, even evolving into a big 'YES' chant, in a huge standing ovation for the WWE/Ring of Honor superstar.

"The crowd is ecstatic for this man, the man who lived one hell of a dream career." Jim Ross points out. "He's taking the next step in his career, tonight."

Heyman speaks to the Yes Movement leader... "Now, Daniel… people know you as a talented individual, one of the best in-ring performers to step into the ring, especially the WWE ring. Even before then, you've fought tooth-and-nail through Ring of Honor, through Japan, through many different sides of the world. At one point, earlier this month, it seemed like your career was at an end... and then it wasn't. Tonight, you're being given a second chance, much like I've been able to give myself another chance to run a show of my own. Tell me, do you have any thoughts, now that you're here?"

Heyman stretches an arm out to let Bryan respond through the microphone.

"Honestly? My... my mind is just going all over the place right now," Daniel begins his response. "This opportunity was just given to me so suddenly... and when I heard I could get this one more chance to , I... I just took the chance. Anything to give everyone here the best in entertainment, in in-ring prowess."

With Daniel finished giving his thoughts, Heyman returns the mic to himself. "Yes, indeed, you did take the chance; the devotion to being a competitor in the squared-circle is just flowing through your veins, more so than ever. That is why, tonight, in the first day of the Tournament of Fate, I'm giving you the first match of the night."

The crowd erupts in another Yes chant, already excited for the first match that's set to begin in just a moment.

"Nothing like starting off heavy with the Bearded Revolutionist!" Joey Styles notes.

Heyman continues, "And if I remember the brackets that we've set up before this show started, then your opponent has already been decided..."

Then he looks towards the other competitors besides Daniel Bryan, and he points out one of them in the far left, clad in red.

"...and your opponent is that man!" Paul proclaims aloud. "Shinsuke Nakamura!"

The King of Strong Style looks up with a engaged smile, as this Californian audience could not get any louder.

Shinsuke steps forwards, meeting eye-to-eye with Daniel Bryan, as the Yes chants keep going. The audience should be careful not to burn themselves out before the first match.

"What a development!" Jim Ross shouts. "What a great match set up to start us off!"

"That's one way to make the crowd go nuts!" Tazz mentions.

Paul Heyman stands in between Nakamura and Bryan, as he proceeds to make a couple more statements.

"And since both of you men are already suited up to battle, I guess we won't have to wait. Thankfully, I've got a referee lined up, a referee that the fans might be quick to recognize; let's bring him out!"

Heyman gestures towards the stage in demand of a referee...

...and out comes the senior official of WWE and TNA fame, Earl Hebner, ready to call tonight's matches as best as he can.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's take this moment to welcome senior official Earl Hebner," Jim Ross points out. "I've already met up with this man in the back before the night started, but I haven't expected anything from him, so quite frankly, I'm glad to see him."

"It's been a while since Earl and I, we've been in the same building. And to come back with this match comin' up to deal with, it's gonna be a rocket-busta for sure." Tazz speaks, enthused with the referee selected by Heyman.

As the great majority of the superstars in the ring pile out to ringside and trot up the ramp, to leave Bryan and Nakamura in the ring together, Earl Hebner enters the ring, prepared in his black-and-white striped official's shirt, as the two exceptional competitors take opposite corners.

The bell is rung, and the match begins.

...in the next chapter. Sorry, but it'll be a few days of writing (maybe one if I'm lucky) before one of the internet wrestling community's biggest wet-dream matches starts off.

Who do you have as the one to win between the Flying Goat and the Strong Style Superstar?
What other matches do you wanna see between the other 14 competitors in the tournament?
Who do you want to win the whole thing overall?

If you wanna answer these questions, you'll have to drop a review to give your thoughts, and maybe even check out the Strawpoll I've set up for this story! (strawpoll-dot-me/10788564/)

Until next time. YeaOh!