A singular bang rang out in the hotel room, courtesy of one Joshua Solomon, alias Maverick.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Seriously? I have to wonder to myself what the hell management is smoking these days. I mean, you may be prone to some... certain decisions at times-

HEY!

Well, it's true. Anyway, back to what I was saying. While you may be prone to certain decisions, you are nowhere near the level of Scully has shown, and CERTAINLY not enough to be billed in as Team . And also, isn't your official stable name 'The Black Hand?'

Exactly. And while it may pain me to team up with an... individual such as Pest...

He forced you to team up?

...Maybe.

Hah. Coward.

You know something has to be wrong with yourself when you're getting called a coward by your own father. Either that, or that father may just be turning out to be a suckish parent.

O-o-o-o-ohhh. Scathing.

Yeah, glad you agree. Anyway, back to Pest forcing me to team up. While it's clear he's not this 'God of Emptiness' drivel he keeps sprouting, it's no secret he can pull off some... disturbing things.

Upon that, I can agree with you. I'm still somewhat scarred from watching the incident with Erica's parents. But really, I think it's time we take a look at another huge factor here- Brick Squad.

Pffft, please. What ABOUT Brick Squad? They're just two potheads who are in way over their heads.

Please, Josh. You know you shouldn't underestimate them. They are PHENOMENAL athletes, you and I both know that when going over their tapes. You cannot, nay, you WILL NOT underestimate them. I truly believe you and Scully are in serious jeopardy here of losing your tag- team championships if you fail to really bring your a- game.

Alright, alright, I'm listening. I won't underestimate them, I'll smash their heads in, show some good chemistry with Scully, etc.

Good, good. Because you see, you're going to continue training with me.

WHAT?! But I still beat you! In a pitifully quick match, at that!

Naive as ever, Joshua. While it may be true you forced me to tap out, that is only because that I will concede that you are indeed a submission expert, your moves tried and true. However, shall we note that your timing and instincts were EXTREMELY off at the beginning of the match, not to mention for the most part, you let me Curb Stomp the ref, and you pretty much sat there while I was hammering away at you with a steel chair. A goddamned steel chair, Josh. Does that spell a champion?

I have to admit, that sounds more like a chumpion than a champion.

So, will you accept my help?

...

Come on, don't tell me your pride is hurting THIS much?

...Fine. I'll accept your offer.

Oh, thank goo-

BUT. On one condition.

Name it.

Before I face off against you again, I need to improve myself, both physically AND mentally. As such, I think a good ol' fashioned training session or two is in order before I go up against you. While I may not think much of those two, there is going to be no doubt in my mind that there is going to be some tough challenges up ahead for myself and Scully.

...

Come on. Don't tell me my condition is hurting your pride THIS much?

...Fine. I accept your condition.

Glad we can come to an agreement.

Indeed.

---

---

---

"'Sup, you homos. So, I gotta fight Team Pothead- and yes, I came up with a new name for you two, just because of Flynn the Pussy's apparent fear of swear words. This team name, you either take it or leave it, and if you leave it, back to the nickname of Team Flying Fuck."

"Anyway, like I was saying. I gotta fight Team Pothead, despite mine and Scully's obvious distaste for this match. And hark, did my ears deceive me? When I first got the briefing when I joined, I thought I heard that champions got a large say in who they faced! Is that policy now being betrayed by me now?"

"And no, before I get jumped on by you two about how I tried to be a pussy and squirm myself out of this, shall I give you this scenario?"

"In the wonderful, and very gross world of the... er, XFW- does that sound like a good name?"

Didn't that guy Karl with a K use that instead of XWF?

Hmmm... Oh yeah!

"Yeah, I'm rolling with XFW. Anyway, two people who have worked hard and strived to carve their name into the upper echelon of the locker room have finally won the Tag Team Championships. Their names are- uhhh... Saverick and Mully!"

You did not just make those names up.

Hush up and listen. Things are getting good.

"So, anyway, they know that from the moment they've won the championships, they knew targets were about to be painted on their backs. Peter- I mean... Geter Pilmour and... uh... Nastermind have spare Tag Team title shots, not to mention Linne Vane has a spare title shot for any titles of his choosing, along with plenty of other deserving people who have been consistently winning matches may be announcing their intentions soon. But, Saverick and Mully knew that through thick and thin, they could get through this."

"BUT WAIT! All of a sudden, not even five minutes, barely enough time to celebrate in- ring their recent victory, Team Pothead, a rising rookie group makes their way to the back. They have never won a match that has ever been worth mentioning."

"And so, Saverick and FOOT, an acronym for one of the names of Team Pothead, made a deal. All FOOT had to do was gather a victory against someone who tried."

"But little Saverick forgot to check the cards up FOOT's upcoming matches, and saw that FOOT was going to go up against Team Porn Star, along with Xhunderbolt T. So FOOT won the matches. But Saverick attempted to back out of the deal, and for good reasoning- they weren't deserving. FOOT and Warson Caters, another member of the team, had never won against anything worth mentioning. And with one little snap of their fingers, they went ahead of others who were planning about going after the Tag Team Titles, like Geter Pilmour, Nastermind, Linne Vane, and others. Saverick wanted to give the more deserving people a chance while Team Pothead actually began making a name for themselves, but the 'Champion getting a say in who they face' policy had been scraped. They were forced to face the rookies with the titles on the line."

"Cute story, am I right? Incredibly accurate, probably because it's the thing that's happening right now. And because of me wishing to give other, much more deserving people a chance, me and Scully are now being branded pussies. For those 9 you who may just be watching this promotional video, I guarantee you, the Black Hand is not just a bunch of pussies. We just only wish to fight against people that are WORTHY. You two are not worthy. I mean, tell me, who exactly have either of you two beaten that deserves some for of recognition, some sort of... pat on the back."

"I mean, shit, Nova Sin? What relevant thing has she done, besides just stand around and look pretty? Or how about, Thunderbolt X? Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I mean the John Cena rip- off. I mean, that bumbling buffoon has literally done nothing in his entire career. He was doomed to fail from the moment he was born. Next! Luna Hightower? See Nova Sin. Brian Douglas? Wait, who the fuck is Brian Douglas? And then... wait, is that Literally it? Hah! Oh my God, you two are so fucked. When this match is over I want the two of you to apologize for wasting my time."