We open with a black screen.





Three words flash in quick succession.


LOVE







OVER








LIES




The screen goes black again.




Until the image of a tweet appears.








Five seconds pass before a word flashes over the tweet:


‘Universal?’




The screen fades to black.


Until a short clip from Kido's promo begins to play.

Raion Kido Said: “A sad, sad song is all I’ve heard from you - a long, drawn-out session of patting your own back, gloating about coming at someone who was in no position to fight back,” the audio slows and grows louder on the emphasized dialogue.

Immediately as the video ends a clip from Warfare begins.

Wednesday Night Warfare Said:Charlie Nickles advances through the open doorway with the barbed-wire slugger in his grip. Raion turns around and takes a step forward before suddenly pausing when he sees The Nickleman. The Nickleman now takes one step forward as he readies his weapon.

"Good effort out there tonight, Kiddo.....but don't you remember what I said?"

A brief look of confusion washes over Raion's face before the barbed-wire bat connects with his head! The home-run hit collapses Raion against the exam table before he falls to the ground! Charlie chuckles to himself as he places the bat on his shoulder and walks right back out the doorway from whence he came.

There’s a quick cut to black before another word rolls across the screen.


Defenseless?



The screen goes black once more.

















Until a bold proclamation appears on the center of your screen.


RAION KIDO SAYS HE WILL GET HIS VENGEANCE AND KILL THE NICKLEMAN TOMORROW NIGHT…...












The Nickleman stares into the empty eyes of his stolen tome. The face on the book’s cover is without expression. Nickles tucks the book into a brown sack and pulls out a manila folder. He walks over to a wooden table tucked away into the corner of the room. The XWF TV championship belt is sitting on it’s leather strap atop the table. Charlie pulls out a chair and takes a seat as he sets the folder down next to the belt.

“This bad boy is one tough cookie to crack. Probably my toughest TV title match to date, and there’s been a lot of them! If there was one wrestler I wouldn’t want to fight twice for this belt, it’d be him.”

The camera zooms in past Charlie’s shoulder and shows the manila folder up close. We can see the tab of the folder has been sloppily labeled ‘Barney Green #44’ in black sharpie. Is that TK’s messy ass handwriting?

“But mostly because of what happened AFTER the match. Going against the Daddy of Violence in a 100 panes of pain steel cage x-tron match was bad enough, but when Them No Good Bastards came out on jetpacks afterwards…..that was hell.”

Charlie shakes his head from side to side as locks of brown hair fall over his face. He looks over to Goldi as he opens the folder.

“It’s still painful for me to talk about what happened after that. But everyone else seems to want to talk about it, all the time. Well, except Kido, of course. I’m not sure that boy knows who Demos is. I wish I could share his naivety.”

Charlie wipes hair away from his eyes as he looks back to the folder.

“I’m sure those bastards had a good laugh after that shocking Snow Job. For months leading up to the match BOB had my personal assistant poison me slowly before Bourbon BobbyBombed me into an electrical circuit…and I, I never remember crawling out from that wreckage….I don’t remember much of anything until my homie Marf rescued me before High Stakes…”

Charlie fought hard to hold back the tears as he recounted his trauma.

“And now…”

Nickles cracks a smile as he looks back towards his belt. He wiped away the inkling of a tear from his right eye.

“Now I’m doing the legwork to get the gang back together again!

All for you, baby. I’m burying hatchets and building bridges to bring you to life. REAL life, a full and complete life! One complete with breasts and everything.

I’m bringing BOB back from the dead- so they can bring YOU back!

Now it’s time to get to work...”

Charlie starts rifling through the various papers, charts, and newspaper clippings within the folder. As Charlie rummages through the information a strand of jet black hair falls out the folder. Charlie drops the papers before picking up the strand of hair.

“Oh…this must be from Sarah’s childhood dolly. Sar’s ‘Mommy’ is still in my brown sack, it’s a shame how easily that doll falls apart these days. I still remember how much research I had to do to find this gem on ebay. My god, I did more research on this doll than Raion has done on me… ”

Charlie places the strand in front of the belt.

“You remember that feud, doncha’, Goldi? You were there for it after all. Wow, was that really two years ago?

It feels like just yesterday I was 3-0 and slotted to main event Night 3 of Relentless for the uni. The biggest pay per view event of the year, the biggest championship belt in wrestling, and I was right there after only 3 bouts of action in the company.

I know Raion Kido thinks he’s off to a hotstart, but damn, if he were as hot as I was after three matches, or as hot as I am right now, then he would be the one fighting for the universal championship in April!

But nope, he’s slotted into the perennially losing role of challenger to the television champion. Which of course, if you ask me, is quite the honor! But I guess Raion doesn't agree. Shame really, it’s the biggest match of that young man’s career and all he can focus on is the fact that I knocked him down a peg in front of a sold out audience. He might get so emotional while rubbing my face in barbed-wire that he totally forgets about the time limit and never pins me! Now wouldn’t that be something?

It’s no surprise that Raion cares more about hurting ME than winning YOU. I mean, how proud can Raion even be to challenge me for your golden heart? According to him every challenger I’ve ever had for your love has been a joke. So, what would that make Raion?

Ruby, every fan’s favorite Super Dear-O and a two-time Anarchy champion, is said to be nothing but horseshit when Raion hops in front of the camera! I guess that boy will throw dirt on anyone if it helps him build a name. He’s certainly changed for the worse ever since he tasted my slugger. Kido went from trying to be everyone’s friend to trying to tear everyone down in his feeble attempts to get to me.

But if Raion thinks Ruby is such a terrible wrestler, imagine how terrible he feels standing in her shoes while earning the same title shots. But to go as far as LYING to your twitter fans about how far you’ve come in the XWF? Now that’s just low down and dirty! Raion’s gotten into nasty, nasty stuff ever since I bounced his face off the floor.”

Charlie shakes his head as he gestures with his hands to accentuate his disdain.

“Demeaning women’s achievements and lying to your fans to sell more merch’. Nasty, nasty stuff.”

Charlie continues to shake his head, but he slowly comes to a stop as he stares into the space he imagines Goldi’s eyes to be. He cocks his head to the side slowly, as if he were listening to something. A few seconds pass before Charlie shakes his head again.

“No Goldi, I don't think that’s it. I don’t think this Kiddo does that kind of research. I mean, he doesn’t even know that Cage Coleman was the X-treme champion just weeks before Fire & Ice, how would he know that I plan to name YOU as the universal championship belt after I beat Alias in April?”

Charlie cocked his head to the other side as he ‘listened’ to Goldi. This time, however, he broke into a thoughtful expression before slightly nodding at his belt.

“A language barrier? Hmmm. He might have trouble remembering which word goes with which belt, and that would also explain why he mistakenly believes that I claimed to be undefeated, when I really just informed him that I was undefeated for you.

That’s a big difference, but perhaps it’s one he just can’t understand. I’m not undefeated: I’ve been pinned, set on fire, choked out, knocked unconscious….but not a single one of those battles was for you, my sweet goldicheeks. -I- haven’t lost you to anyone but the ghosts of time, ain’t that right, Goldi?"

Charlie smiles as Goldi agrees with him.

"It seems everyone who speaks proper English knows that I fight harder for you than Russia does for Ukraine: but hey, I guess my record as your perfect fiance must have been lost in translation for lil’ Raion. Poor guy. I wonder how he makes those promos sound so good when he himself barely has a rudimentary grasp of our language? Shit, they must be doing a lot of fucking takes to get his soundbites!

This match might be real bad for him, huh, Goldi? This kid has no fucking idea what kind of match he’s walking into tomorrow night. This fucking guy thinks he’s standing across the ring from a moron who lies about being undefeated, this fucking guy thinks he’s going up against someone who has LOST a match in this division before. This fucking guy is scheduled to wrestle the XWF’s #1 workhorse from 2021 but he talks like he’s going up against a god damned part-timer.

This fucking guy is in for a rude awakening.

But shit, it’s not all his fault. The GMs have to take some of the blame, too! They couldn’t find this motherfucker a god damned translator to help him avoid making such basic mistakes in his promos? The GMs couldn’t text this guy and just let him know that I’ve beaten not just Jenny Myst while I was TV champion, but also the #44 ranked, #24 ranked, and #11 ranked wrestlers on the XWF all time top fifty? Fuck, they probably didn’t even tell this guy that I beat the #7 ranked, #13 ranked, #29 ranked, #33 ranked, and #38 ranked wrestlers on the list!"

Charlie is suddenly interrupted by the repeated beeping of a microwave.

"Ope….our teeny calzies are ready!"

Charlie hops up from the table and scurries over to the kitchen. He grabs a somewhat dirty plate out of the sink and opens the oven up. Inside the oven we can see about a dozen pizza rolls have been placed directly on the middle rack. He shakes his head from side to side, still clearly annoyed with Raion Kido’s misinformation campaign.

"Pfft no wonder Raion isn’t taking any time to research me or my reign, no wonder he’s spouting off nonsense about me everytime someone points a camera at his face. No one told this kid who the fuck I was! He probably really believes that shit he’s saying about me is true! Well I guess John Black tried to warn Raion bout’ me backstage, but hey, Raion’s still just a kid. He’s obsessed, he’s delusional, he’s reckless. The little guy is going to have to learn life’s lessons the hard way."

Charlie reaches in and grabs each pizza roll, placing them on the plate.

"Still, I feel like this jackass ought to know more about me. Millions of children all across the world watched me beat the dogpiss out of Terry Marshall and SpaceLord tonight! Fuck, I guess they didn’t get coverage of that match in Japan or something. I’m not sure if it takes big balls or a tiny brain to mock someone for skipping out on work when they were booked for three times as many matches as you are, but given how much Raion’s talked about it I’m guessing it’s the latter!"

Charlie stood up and stepped away from the oven, leaving the door to the hot oven open. Charlie walks back to the table before setting the pizza rolls down on top of Barney Green’s open folder. Charlie seats himself and pops a pizza roll into his mouth before grabbing another pizza roll and smearing it all over the golden plate of the championship belt.

“Tostino’s knows what the fuck they’re doing with these little baby calzones! Yummy yummy, eat up baby!”

Charlie smears the pizza roll onto the championship belt until the little baby calzone’s contents are splattered all over. With a satisfied smile Charlie leans back in his chair and pops another baby calzone into his own mouth.

"You know while I was dishin’ up these bitty calzies, I was thinking…that Raion really has turned into a low-life piece of shit ever since I bruised his cocksucker with that bat. I don’t think that little motherfucker has ever been hit that hard in his life, I really don’t. I mean think about it, he’s been wrestling for years, but now all of a sudden one swing from my bat and he’s turned into a blood-crazed psycho? Maybe Japanese wrestlers don’t attack their coworkers just for fun like I do, but surely Raion’s been attacked in the locker room before, I mean he wrestled for two years…but I think something about my attacks are different, Goldi. I think my bat might have the power to turn good men into bastards. I think that could really prove to be a huge asset to BOB, doncha’ think? "

Charlie leans back for a moment as if he is awaiting a response, but before a full second can even go by he’s already talking again. Typical men.

"Oh apparently, oh and you’re going to love this deep-dive tea Goldi, so apparently Raion’s old trainer gave him these itty bitty witty coins that are supposed to help him pass into the afterlife after he dies. What a sweet memento, right? A meaningful gift from one the role models in your life who helped make you who you are today.

Yeah yeah I know Japanese culture is weird Goldi, but that’s not the point! They like their underaged anime girls and their weird coins, but hey, we can’t become bigots about it! You taught me that, Goldi."

Charlie smiles and winks at Goldi.

"Oh baby you’re making me lose track of my story! Ahh I jus’ love talking to you. But here’s the thing: that sweet little gift his role model got him…..HE WANTS TO REGIFT THE SHIT TO ME! I know, right?! That’s fucking LOW!

Like look I totally get it, right? They’re useless fucking coins that you don’t want. The superheroes in his hentai don’t have those coins so Raion doesn’t want to have them either. But damn Goldi, this is fucking cold. You know sometimes Connie used to get me shitty gifts for my birthday, but I’d always swallow my tongue and just thanks! I never tried to give that shit away on national television!

I knew you’d find that funny as fuck, Goldi. But the real kicker? He wants to regift them to me, specifically….BECAUSE HE THINKS HE’S GOING TO KILL ME TOMORROW NIGHT!"

Charlie can’t control his outburst of laughter. He places his hands on his gut as he guffaws aloud.

"He wants to kill me? He doesn’t even know me! What kind of man does he think I am? I don’t get put out that easy, right, Goldi!"

Charlie nudges his championship belt with his elbow and gets some pizza roll juices on it. He doesn’t care though, he actually licks it off his elbow with a pleased smirk!

"Oh but I can’t tell a lie, Goldi. I’m not like Raion. Truth be told, I love this little lion’s energy. I love the venom of this sick fucking creature that I birthed from blood and bat. I love that he wants to kill me. That’s the whole point of savagery and warfare, ain’t it? But if Raion wants to go to savage war with me, well, that sick fucking creature will quickly find out that he is far, FAR outside his element.

When Raion is trapped inside that barbed-wire ring with me tomorrow night he will be forced to stand directly across from me, just as he was standing directly across from me last Warfare. At that precise moment it will become clear to all that Raion is STILL in no position to defend himself from The Nickleman, just exactly the same as last Warfare.

See Goldi, I have never been one to back down or second guess my actions. Everything I’ve done I’ve chosen to make happen, and we ALL have to live with the consequences. Careers are ended on my watch, families are torn apart by my hands, dreams are crushed and skulls meet the mat beneath my boot. The Nickleman charges forward, always, no matter the cost to himself or others. That is the way it has to be because that is the way I have chosen to make it. But The Nickleman doesn’t go to war. Certainly not with mere men, let alone little lions.

The Nickleman is the one who BRINGS the war! It is with him, ALWAYS! It flows in his blood and it pumps in his veins. You have not fought WAR if you have not fought THE NICKLEMAN! Every man bleeds and every man dies- but I plan on doing a whole lot more fucking bleeding before I die.

You want to know the fundamental difference between me and Raion, Goldi?

The taste of his own blood made Raion go mad. The taste of my own blood is the only thing that keeps me sane."