The Case of the Problem Prone Bodyslammers--Part Seven
by HA
Later, the spectators came to the park to watch the charity wrestling event. They paid a set amount in order to watch. A bus brought the kids from the Maple Street orphanage and they got front row seats. Security guards stationed themselves around the area being used for the event. Food vendors prepared their wares for the hungry crowds.
Shirley had a seat in the ringside area near Mr. Hammond and Bill Turner. She kept a close eye on the security chief.
Mr. Hammond, who was sitting between Shirley and Bill Turner, got up. "Time for me to start this thing off," he told them. He got close to Shirley and whispered in her ear. "Keep an eye on him, will you?"
Shirley nodded in response and Mr. Hammond made his way to the ring with a microphone.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Bill Turner asked the young sleuth as Mr. Hammond welcomed everyone to the park.
"I'm a special guest of Mr. Hammond," Shirley replied. She listened closely to Mr. Hammond and noticed that although he thanked Redington for having him and his wrestlers, told the crowd of the event's purpose, and asked for a round of applause for the Maple Street orphans, he never mentioned the Knight Foundation or Nathan Knight. *I guess Mr. Knight wanted to stay out of the spotlight,* she concluded to herself.
"Oh." Bill Turner returned his attention to the ring as Mr. Hammond finished up and announced the first match.
Shirley watched as the first combatants were introduced by Mr. Hammond. The first man who came out was booed by the crowd as he made his way to the ring. The second man was cheered as he entered the ring and faced off his opponent.
As the match began, Shirley turned to Mr. Hammond, who had returned to his seat after his announcing duties were over. "How does the audience know when to cheer and when to boo?" she asked him. "These wrestlers aren't exactly known worldwide."
"Actually, my promotion's been getting more exposure because some of our guys are getting offers from the major promotions," Mr. Hammond explained. "As a result, some wrestling fans are familiar with my faces and heels and know when to cheer or boo."
The match ended when the heel cheated with an illegal object and pinned the face. When the referee raised the victor's hand, the crowd responded with loud booing and insults.
"He cheated," Shirley said, pointing to the winner. "He hit his opponent on the head with a blunt object."
Mr. Hammond laughed. "He's a bad guy. What did you expect?"
"I'm amazed that the referee missed that," Shirley observed.
"Like Vince McMahon said, this is sports entertainment, not real sports," Mr. Hammond commented. "Our job is to entertain the folks, and the folks like to boo the bad guys and cheer on the good guys."
Upon hearing that, Shirley decided to just watch and not comment anymore. Pro wrestling was not within her domain, and she doubted she could understand it.
As the event proceeded, Shirley noticed the enthusiasm of the crowd. Whenever the face did something good, the crowd cheered. Whenever the heel did something good or treacherous, the crowd booed loudly. The orphans in the front were loud in their enthusiasm. They were so loud that their chaperones tried in vain to restrain them. Most of the time, the people in the crowd stayed in their seats. The exception was when they needed to use the bathroom. Food vendors roamed the crowd selling chips, ice cream, and soda. Shirley noticed that the orphans were the most frequent customers, especially for ice cream and soda. Fortunately for their chaperones, the food vendors gave the kids food and drink for free.
Shirley also kept a close eye on Bill Turner. He seemed calm, but Shirley knew that he was not going to make his move yet.
In one match, Major Glory managed to score a decisive victory over his opponent much to the delight of the fans. As he left the ring, he waved to Shirley, who responded with a nod.
"Breaker" Brody and Captain Courageous faced each other in the match before the main event. Everyone watched this battle between brute force and speed. Captain Courageous had recovered from the barbell incident and was apparently at his fighting best. The match was a seesaw affair, with both men having the advantage at various points. Finally, Captain Courageous took down "Breaker" Brody with a frog splash, a maneuver executed when a wrestler jumps from the turnbuckle and flattens his body over his opponent. The referee managed to count to three and Captain Courageous made the pin and hooked his opponent's leg. Having redeemed himself in the eyes of the fans, Captain Courageous raised his arms in victory after the pin. When both men left the ring, they both waved to Shirley.
Mr. Hammond left his seat to announce the main event. After climbing into the ring, he declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, for our main event, we have a tag team match with two of my meanest men versus two of your finest local athletes! First up, perhaps the nastiest individuals to exist in my promotion, the Masked Marauder and Marvin Marvelous!"
The two heel wrestlers made their way down to the ring dressed in their usual attire. The Masked Marauder was decked out in black from head to toe. Marvin Marvelous wore shiny satin trunks that said "Marvelous" in black letters on the back. Some of the crowd threw insults at them. Marvin Marvelous responded with a cocky grin and his own insult. The Masked Marauder simply snarled at everyone, which got mostly boos mixed with some cheers. Once they were in the ring, Marvin Marvelous flexed his muscles for the booing crowd and smiled. The Masked Marauder raised his arms in the air and roared, getting a mixed response. The younger orphans almost jumped out of their seats.
Shirley watched as two individuals made their way to the ring to take on the Masked Marauder and Marvin Marvelous. Both were wearing masks that covered the entire head, but not wrestling trunks or tights. They were wearing regular street clothes with kneepads and elbow pads. She saw that one was wearing a red mask while the other was wearing a blue mask. Despite the masks, Shirley knew who these challengers were.
"Their opponents hail from right here in Redington! They are...Crash and Dash!" Mr. Hammond shouted.
The crowd cheered their hometown heroes as they made their way to the ring. The two unknowns gave high-fives to fans who had their arms stretched out. "Crash and Dash?" Shirley wondered if Bo or Blake came up with their wrestling names. She knew that Bo was unwilling to wrestle under his own name and wanted to use an alias to hide his identity and to get into the spirit of things. The fans probably did not mind the strange names; the orphans were among the two unknowns' biggest supporters.
Bo, who was wearing the red mask, looked at Blake, the one in the blue mask. "You had to let the Masked Marauder pick our ring names, didn't you?"
"Well, Uncle Sean needed to call us something after we drew a blank," Blake responded, giving a little boy in the front a high-five and a pat on the head of a little girl. "Besides, the names are appropriate since that's what we do."
"Kick their butts!" a little girl shouted enthusiastically to Bo and Blake.
"Don't worry, we will," Blake told her with a grin.
Bo groaned as he looked at the Masked Marauder and Marvin Marvelous. "We're in for it now." Then he looked at Shirley and saw that she was smiling at them. *Probably fighting the urge to laugh at us,* he thought. *I wouldn't blame her; we look so stupid.*
Blake noticed Bo looking at Shirley. "You know, this is your big chance to impress her," he whispered.
"Why would I need to impress her?" Bo responded, knowing what Blake meant and hiding his feelings. "Isn't this your big chance to impress her?"
Blake shook his head with a smile and led the way into the ring. Bo took one last look at Shirley, then he sighed and followed Blake into the ring.
END OF PART SEVEN
by HA
Later, the spectators came to the park to watch the charity wrestling event. They paid a set amount in order to watch. A bus brought the kids from the Maple Street orphanage and they got front row seats. Security guards stationed themselves around the area being used for the event. Food vendors prepared their wares for the hungry crowds.
Shirley had a seat in the ringside area near Mr. Hammond and Bill Turner. She kept a close eye on the security chief.
Mr. Hammond, who was sitting between Shirley and Bill Turner, got up. "Time for me to start this thing off," he told them. He got close to Shirley and whispered in her ear. "Keep an eye on him, will you?"
Shirley nodded in response and Mr. Hammond made his way to the ring with a microphone.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Bill Turner asked the young sleuth as Mr. Hammond welcomed everyone to the park.
"I'm a special guest of Mr. Hammond," Shirley replied. She listened closely to Mr. Hammond and noticed that although he thanked Redington for having him and his wrestlers, told the crowd of the event's purpose, and asked for a round of applause for the Maple Street orphans, he never mentioned the Knight Foundation or Nathan Knight. *I guess Mr. Knight wanted to stay out of the spotlight,* she concluded to herself.
"Oh." Bill Turner returned his attention to the ring as Mr. Hammond finished up and announced the first match.
Shirley watched as the first combatants were introduced by Mr. Hammond. The first man who came out was booed by the crowd as he made his way to the ring. The second man was cheered as he entered the ring and faced off his opponent.
As the match began, Shirley turned to Mr. Hammond, who had returned to his seat after his announcing duties were over. "How does the audience know when to cheer and when to boo?" she asked him. "These wrestlers aren't exactly known worldwide."
"Actually, my promotion's been getting more exposure because some of our guys are getting offers from the major promotions," Mr. Hammond explained. "As a result, some wrestling fans are familiar with my faces and heels and know when to cheer or boo."
The match ended when the heel cheated with an illegal object and pinned the face. When the referee raised the victor's hand, the crowd responded with loud booing and insults.
"He cheated," Shirley said, pointing to the winner. "He hit his opponent on the head with a blunt object."
Mr. Hammond laughed. "He's a bad guy. What did you expect?"
"I'm amazed that the referee missed that," Shirley observed.
"Like Vince McMahon said, this is sports entertainment, not real sports," Mr. Hammond commented. "Our job is to entertain the folks, and the folks like to boo the bad guys and cheer on the good guys."
Upon hearing that, Shirley decided to just watch and not comment anymore. Pro wrestling was not within her domain, and she doubted she could understand it.
As the event proceeded, Shirley noticed the enthusiasm of the crowd. Whenever the face did something good, the crowd cheered. Whenever the heel did something good or treacherous, the crowd booed loudly. The orphans in the front were loud in their enthusiasm. They were so loud that their chaperones tried in vain to restrain them. Most of the time, the people in the crowd stayed in their seats. The exception was when they needed to use the bathroom. Food vendors roamed the crowd selling chips, ice cream, and soda. Shirley noticed that the orphans were the most frequent customers, especially for ice cream and soda. Fortunately for their chaperones, the food vendors gave the kids food and drink for free.
Shirley also kept a close eye on Bill Turner. He seemed calm, but Shirley knew that he was not going to make his move yet.
In one match, Major Glory managed to score a decisive victory over his opponent much to the delight of the fans. As he left the ring, he waved to Shirley, who responded with a nod.
"Breaker" Brody and Captain Courageous faced each other in the match before the main event. Everyone watched this battle between brute force and speed. Captain Courageous had recovered from the barbell incident and was apparently at his fighting best. The match was a seesaw affair, with both men having the advantage at various points. Finally, Captain Courageous took down "Breaker" Brody with a frog splash, a maneuver executed when a wrestler jumps from the turnbuckle and flattens his body over his opponent. The referee managed to count to three and Captain Courageous made the pin and hooked his opponent's leg. Having redeemed himself in the eyes of the fans, Captain Courageous raised his arms in victory after the pin. When both men left the ring, they both waved to Shirley.
Mr. Hammond left his seat to announce the main event. After climbing into the ring, he declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, for our main event, we have a tag team match with two of my meanest men versus two of your finest local athletes! First up, perhaps the nastiest individuals to exist in my promotion, the Masked Marauder and Marvin Marvelous!"
The two heel wrestlers made their way down to the ring dressed in their usual attire. The Masked Marauder was decked out in black from head to toe. Marvin Marvelous wore shiny satin trunks that said "Marvelous" in black letters on the back. Some of the crowd threw insults at them. Marvin Marvelous responded with a cocky grin and his own insult. The Masked Marauder simply snarled at everyone, which got mostly boos mixed with some cheers. Once they were in the ring, Marvin Marvelous flexed his muscles for the booing crowd and smiled. The Masked Marauder raised his arms in the air and roared, getting a mixed response. The younger orphans almost jumped out of their seats.
Shirley watched as two individuals made their way to the ring to take on the Masked Marauder and Marvin Marvelous. Both were wearing masks that covered the entire head, but not wrestling trunks or tights. They were wearing regular street clothes with kneepads and elbow pads. She saw that one was wearing a red mask while the other was wearing a blue mask. Despite the masks, Shirley knew who these challengers were.
"Their opponents hail from right here in Redington! They are...Crash and Dash!" Mr. Hammond shouted.
The crowd cheered their hometown heroes as they made their way to the ring. The two unknowns gave high-fives to fans who had their arms stretched out. "Crash and Dash?" Shirley wondered if Bo or Blake came up with their wrestling names. She knew that Bo was unwilling to wrestle under his own name and wanted to use an alias to hide his identity and to get into the spirit of things. The fans probably did not mind the strange names; the orphans were among the two unknowns' biggest supporters.
Bo, who was wearing the red mask, looked at Blake, the one in the blue mask. "You had to let the Masked Marauder pick our ring names, didn't you?"
"Well, Uncle Sean needed to call us something after we drew a blank," Blake responded, giving a little boy in the front a high-five and a pat on the head of a little girl. "Besides, the names are appropriate since that's what we do."
"Kick their butts!" a little girl shouted enthusiastically to Bo and Blake.
"Don't worry, we will," Blake told her with a grin.
Bo groaned as he looked at the Masked Marauder and Marvin Marvelous. "We're in for it now." Then he looked at Shirley and saw that she was smiling at them. *Probably fighting the urge to laugh at us,* he thought. *I wouldn't blame her; we look so stupid.*
Blake noticed Bo looking at Shirley. "You know, this is your big chance to impress her," he whispered.
"Why would I need to impress her?" Bo responded, knowing what Blake meant and hiding his feelings. "Isn't this your big chance to impress her?"
Blake shook his head with a smile and led the way into the ring. Bo took one last look at Shirley, then he sighed and followed Blake into the ring.
END OF PART SEVEN