AS53: Strikeforce vs. The New Church

[Viola Moonlight]

Last week during the huge 8 man tag match, we saw the debut of a new team known as the New Church and are looking to showcase their dominance upon WZCW. Their skills will be tested as they are set to take on the former champions Strikeforce in tag team action. The winner of this match will convince the powers that be that they are in line for a title shot while Strikeforce will be looking for a answer from Action Saboteur for their recent challenge to the champions.

Deadline: Wednesday, 5th of September (11:59pm Central Time)​

 

[Beastmode 24]

Chapter 2: Testify​

Derek Jacobs is seen standing outside of a prominent Chicago nightclub. The hood on his jacket is up and
it’s almost as if he’s ashamed to be here at all. After waiting outside for a couple of minutes; the man he is here to see, James Parker walks through the door.

Derek, Why the hell are you here? I thought I told you that as long as you were running around with that Benny Hinn wannabe you weren’t gonna here from me. What do you want?

It’s simple, James. I’m here to offer you salvation. You might not believe it, but The Almighty has shown me the way.

A huge grin breaks out on Derek’s face.

I’m a changed man, James! And I believe that you could be, too. All you have to do is accept my offer. Please James. We’ve been through a lot together, and you’re like a father to me. I don’t want you to fall to the wayside like so many people in this world. Please, come listen to Mason preach! The Almighty truly moves through him.

James has a look of concern on his face as he hears Derek talk. James has been Derek’s mentor for years now, but he completely despises what Westhoff stands for. After consideration, James shakes his head and answers Derek.

Derek, I would do anything in this world for you. You’re family, you know that. But there’s not a chance in hell that I’m gonna listen to that self righteous son of a bitch pour his kool-aid down all those innocent people’s throats. The answer’s no.

The words James speaks stings Derek, and he has a look of disappointment on his face as he speaks to James.

If that’s the way you want it, James; I’m not going to make you do anything. But know this; if you’re not by our side, you stand in our way.

With that, Derek turns and leaves James standing dumfounded in front of the club.

2 days later…

Derek is walking to the Bridge to salvation church, dressed in a pair of slacks and a button down shirt; and for the first time in his life it seems, a tie. He has asked Mason Westhoff for an opportunity to speak at today’s service, and Mason has obliged. As Derek enters the church, he sees Mason sitting in his seat at the front of the church. He smiles at Derek, and motions for him to take the seat to his right. As Derek sits, Mason begins to speak.

Dear brothers and sisters, it is a great day to be in The Almighty’s grace! Now, as you all know, The New Church made it’s debut on last week’s edition of Meltdown, and while we were unsuccessful in our first match, the blame for that loss can be placed squarely on the shoulders of that demon, James Howard and that gluttonous video game addict Mikey Stormrage.

The hundreds in attendance begin to vehemently voice their displeasure at this statement.

Now, now; brothers and sisters, even though this is a travesty, The Almighty has seen fit for us to get our divine retribution this week on Ascension, and unlike last week, we have nothing holding us back from utter dominance!

Westhoff’s words whip the crowd into frenzy and it takes some time for them to calm down. When they do, he begins to speak again.

Now I have a special treat for you this week. After our loss last week, Brother Derek has asked me if he could say a few words. Let us welcome our brother in The Almighty, and listen to what he has to say.

The crowd begins to applause as Mason hugs Derek before sitting down. Derek looks into the crowd and sighs before finally speaking. His stomach is full of butterflies, but he believes that this is the time to explain to some who still might doubt his motives of joining Mason.

Family. One of life’s greatest mysteries. From the time we are born and begin our journey on this earth until our departure from this life, one of the most important things to our development and existence is family. What I’m about to share with you is the story of a young boy who lost his biological family at a young age. You see, when this boy was 7 years old, his mother, father and older brother all died in a tragic car accident. After this, the young boy was bounced from foster home to foster home, in and out of trouble until he found what he thought was his calling: football.

Derek smiles as he seems to remember a distant pleasant memory.

And man, could that boy play football! He tore up the gridiron, leaving everything he had on the field. Some say he was motivated by the dream of playing in the NFL, but in reality his motivation was simpler than that. He just wanted to be accepted. After busting his body in high school in college, Draft day comes…and goes. He never got drafted, never even got looked at by a team. Once again without purpose, he turns to the underground world of fighting to pay his bills and finds his first love: money. This man would do almost anything for money, it was his addiction. It was almost as if he was addicted to heroin instead of money. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for one more dollar. Muggings, home invasions….worse. They say that the love of money is the root of all evil. If that’s true, this man had a one way ticket to hell.

A remorseful look forms on Derek’s face as he begins to remember some quite unpleasant memories now.

During this time, his family consisted of one other person, a man who found him at his lowest point when he was beating up old ladies for money. The man gave him a job with a famous wrestling company, and our hero found some small success, but he always wondered: was there more out there? That boy who lost his family, who had his dreams crushed and found a twisted purpose stands before you today. That young boy was me. And now, I stand before you to tell you, none of that stuff could fill the void filled by the loss of my family, until The Almighty shined his light in my life through His servant, Brother Mason.

Derek has a shy smile on his face as he continues to speak.

This…this church, this household, this is my family now. You all are my family now, and you’ve accepted me for who I am, not what I’ve done or how much I have, but for me, and for that I simply say, thank you.

The congregation begins applauding Derek as he takes his seat once more. There’s not a dry eye in the house, and even Brother Mason himself seems moved my Derek’s words. Brother Mason takes his place behind the pulpit once more.

Brother Derek, you are right. We are your family, and we will show you the love that The Almighty has showed us. You are His servant, and you will continue to do His will. Let us pray.

The congregation all kneels, except for Mason who turns his eyes towards heaven and raises his hands.

We pray unto The Almighty with thanksgiving in our hearts for this our new dear brother Derek. We ask you, Mighty One, to show him your light continuously and to use him for your will even as you have used me. We pray for strength this week as we go into the layer of the serpent once again to slay two of the worst the world has to offer. It is Your will that we cleanse the earth of the unrighteous, and we ask you to help us bring Final Judgment upon these two evil ones. We ask that The Almighty hear our prayer.

The congregation speaks these simple words at the end of the prayer…

If The Almighty wishes it, then so it shall be.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get married. Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get married.

I sang as the sand sifted beneath my feet. The cool ocean breeze blowing in felt good against my bare chest as it gently blew my unbuttoned shirt off my body. Being on national TV week in and week out without a shirt really got me over my fear of being in public without one. The sun was just starting to creep up over the horizon as I continued my morning stroll.

I hadn't had to deal with a losing streak until now. At least in the past when I lost I could blame myself or James. This time it was different however. James and I had given our all, we put up a hell of a fight, only for someone else to lose it for us. Jacobs and Westhoff showed their inexperience as a team, and it cost us in the end. I could go on for ages about how they didn't deserve to be in a match with the current and former tag champions and a former world champion and legend in Titus, but none of that was going to change what had happened.

I continued to walk along the shoreline, the water occasionally lapping at my feet. The sun was starting to shine into my eyes, yet my lenses had yet to transition to their sunglasses state. As I held up my hand to shield my eyes from the sun I could see a couple of young children running well ahead of their parents. I laughed to myself a little when I thought of what it would be like for James and Dinah in a few years.

As I made my way back to our hotel I couldn't help but ponder my own future. Rose wanted children one day, but deep down I didn't. I had no confidence in my skills as a father. I couldn't even raise children in The Sims.

I got back to my room and Rose was just starting to wake up. I let her go about her morning business as I opened my laptop and headed to WZCW.com. Avenging last weeks lost was motivation enough, but I had to do some research first. I knew the basics on Jacobs, big dude with a bad temper, would beat up his own mother if the price was right. Westhoff was the one I was iffy on though. He was supposed to be the head of some church, what drove him to the wrestling world I will never know.

You plan on cutting a wicked awesome promo on those church guys this week?

Rose threw her arms around my neck before giving my cheek a quick peck.

I smiled as I turned to face her.

Wicked awesome? I thought we broke that Bostonian talk a long time ago.

She chuckled and in her best stereotypical accent possible, much thicker than her normal one, she spoke.

Come on Mikey, its a lot harder than you think.

I cringe playfully.

I probably won't, James has already pissed off the higher ups enough. I don't want to say something that could get us in trouble.

Worried about being politically correct?

I nod my head. I stand up and walk to the kitchen area to get a drink.

Yeah, I enjoy being off color in the appropriate situations. National TV is a place I'd rather not say something that isn't very PC.

I suppose there is a lot that could get you in trouble when talking about a religious zealot and a mercenary.

Yeah, like I said I don't mind being PC, I just don't like when people try to shove their PC-ness down my throat.

Rose giggled to herself, I look at her puzzled.

What is so funny? PC-ness isn't something you can play with. If you mess around with PC-ness enough it can really blow up in your face.

She was full blown laughing at this point, I was still in the dark about what was funny. I checked my phone to see what time James wanted to meet for breakfast and go into town. To my knowledge the girls were still in the dark about our intentions. We would show them the light soon however, just as sure as The New Church would see the lights of the arena roof as they lay defeated in the middle of the ring.

 

[Shotaro]

The crack in the curtains allowed through just enough light to blanket my face. I don’t understand why hotel rooms insist on not having alarm clocks but Dinah had found a system that worked for her. I was that system, normally I would complain but circumstances prevail I guess.

The light that had blinded me shone directly onto her mid-riff, giving her baby bump a halo of light. Her hair was loose and flowing down the bed, we’d been together for seven years and I’d never seen her look so beautiful. I rested my hand on the bump and could feel two tiny bodies moving around, gently easing into a comfortable position. I stroked Dinah’s hair and kissed her on the forehead causing her to open her eyes.

“Morning honey” I said as she awoke.

Around half an hour later we arrived downstairs for breakfast. Mikey and Rose had already found us a table; we sat down to a glass of orange juice and discussed our plans for the day. After a few minutes of small talk Rose went up to get some food from the buffet and I followed her.

“What are you and Dinah doing today anyway?” she asked as she placed a couple of slices of bread in the toaster.

“I’m not sure, Mikey and I said about going into the city for a couple of hours.”

“Ooh” Rose exclaimed as her bread fell into the tray underneath “Can we come? I wanted to do some shopping.”

“It’s uh, it’s guy stuff, we’ll probably end up in a sports bar. I get to spend a few hours listening to Mikey ramble about basketball.”

“pfft, I’ll pass thanks, it’s bad enough hearing it when you two are lounging around at home. I don’t want to hear it on holiday.” She bit into a croissant as she headed back to the table.

When I got back to the table, Dinah was gleaming with joy. She was trying to mime the phrase ‘Mikey is going to buy a ring for Rose,’ her subtlety needed some work. After I glared at her whilst glancing periodically at Rose she realised how obvious she was being. There was an awkward moment where Rose glared at her and she smiled back, thankfully Mikey spoke up.

“So, do you think Saxton and Saboteur will accept our challenge?”

“I uh, I don’t know man. I hope so, I want those titles back. I don’t know why I suggested naming their team though. We need to think of something good.”

Rose leant in “how about you two wait a little while and see if they accept before wasting your brains on what to call them?”

“Good point.” I glanced over at my tag partner’s breakfast; it resembled a Kilimanjaro of bacon. “Really? That’s all you’re eating for breakfast?”

Bacon flew across the table as he responded. “You told me I needed to eat protein to cut in, that’s what I’m doing.”

“So, you’re trying to tell me that mountain of bacon is essentially a diet meal?”

“Yeph” came the enthusiastic response, a wide chewing smile across his face.

After breakfast the girls headed to the pool, Dinah wanted to sit under an umbrella and read and Rose had decided she was having a swim. Mikey and I began the short drive to the town centre.

“Did Dinah buy it?”

“Hook, line and sinker. She even complained to me that you hadn’t proposed yet and she’s giving birth in three months. I hope this gamble pays off man; you just got me to tell your girlfriend that I’m going to propose to mine. This better not backfire.”

“Think Rose’ll be pissed if it turns out it was all a ruse to cover for me buying a ring for Dinah?”

Mikey turned his head to the side and looked across, I had to resist instinct and keep my eyes on the road. “Yeah, she’ll go nuclear”

“We’ll be fine. Thunder buddies for life, remember?”

“We’d better be; it’ll be my ass sleeping in the car if this goes wrong. Did, uh, did you mean it when you said Strikeforce would be done if we don’t win our rematch?”

“Yeah, but we won’t lose. We can’t out crazy those two we’ve got to outsmart them.”

“I guess, looking forward to our match this week though. That preacher didn’t waste any time trying to get to us did he?”

“Well, he got to me well enough, but all he really did was call you fat. Surely that bounces off you by now.”

Mock laughter filled the car. “Very funny.”

“It wasn’t meant as an insult. Besides, the guy called me a frigging demon. He implied that I am a phenomenally powerful and immortal being.”

“I think he meant it as an insult.”

“I’m not religious, I believe in Angels and Demons as much as I believe in Harry Potter. But Westhoff does believe in Demons, I wouldn’t want to diminish his faith now, would I?” We pulled into a parking lot and got out of the car. “Not that it matters, I beat him and it gives him proof, he beats me and he runs around calling himself the Demon Slayer. I can’t let him call himself that, the joke would run thin too quickly.”

“What about Jacobs though? He’s come a long way, and he seems to be a believer too.”

“Please” I said, waving my hand through the air. “He’s a mercenary; if he manages to become a threat we’ll throw some money at him and ask him to go away. Test his faith a little.”

“What if he takes the money and stays?”

“Then he’s not only a bad Christian, he’s also a bad mercenary. What are you worried for anyway? We can take these guys. We’d better take these guys, we need a victory more than anything else right now.”

“That’s what bothers me, you’re being a bit arrogant considering we’re developing a losing streak.”

I stopped and turned, staring Mikey in the eyes. “A losing streak that will end when we show the New Church what faith really means. We’ve got to believe we can beat them Mikey or we’ve already lost.”

Mikey saw the fear in my eyes, he understood, I think. He looked at his feet and then in one movement straightened his back and walked onward. “Why are you scared Dinah will say no? After everything we’ve done this past month, why are you not sure she will say yes?”

It was my turn to count pavement slabs “let’s just get a ring Mikey.”

The next hour was awkward to say the least, Mikey didn’t want to bring up the girls and nor did I want him to. We wandered in silence, save for Mikey making a joke about Tibet being cheaper than a ring after passing a small protest. Eventually, a jeweller’s shop window caught my eye. There it was, the ring. A thin, but not fragile band of white gold with a red gemstone and two small diamonds either side, I knew immediately it was the ring. It met the criteria of costing a month’s pay, it cost more than a month’s pay, I could have put a deposit down on a small car with the price but it didn’t matter.

Buoyed by the ring we quickly hopped back into the car and drove to the beach, I’d already decided when it would happen, and at sunset Dinah and I went for a walk on the beach we stopped in the middle of nowhere, just away from the sounds of the city nearby and close enough to hear the waves lapping against the sand. I stopped Dinah and took her hand as I began to speak.

“Dinah, you mean the world to me. I don’t know what I would do without you. I love you more than life itself.” I got onto one knee and fumbled in my pocket for the ring, opening the box towards her as she put her hands over her mout;, tears forming in the corner of her eyes and the edges of a smile it had been far too long since I’d seen. “Dinah Kelly, will you marry me?”

The tears began to run down her face as my phone rang in my pocket. She took her time to gather her thoughts and gestured for me to answer it. She stared at me intently as my face began to slowly drop, until I found myself leaning backwards and sitting on the beach. I was staring into space when Dinah managed to wake me from my trance. Alex had had a heart attack.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Lesson of the Day:
The Almighty gives us not only a destination, but also the path to it.

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My guests at this time, Mason Westhoff and Derek Jacobs, The New Church.

The backstage interview area quickly becomes a bit crowded as the two large men, Westhoff and Jacobs, step into frame. Brother Westhoff adjusts his suit jacket and Brother Jacobs struggles to make sure his brand new dress shirt is tucked into his brand new jeans properly as Becky Serra begins to interview the two men.

Now, last week, the two of you debuted as a tag team in an 8-man match. You teamed with your opponents this week, Strikeforce, against the WZCW Tag Team Champions Saboteur and Action Saxton and the mentor/mentee pairing of Angel and Titus. Mason, this was your first career match. What was it like sharing a ring with that kind of talent?

The Almighty has blessed me with many gifts, Ms. Serra, and ability in the wrestling ring is one of them. Most rookies in this company do little more than fight over the Mayhem Title, something I cannot, in all good conscience, call wrestling, or curtain jerk. The decision makers around here clearly received guidance from The Almighty and saw that Brother Mason Westhoff was much too blessed to be subjected to that same treatment. This question would be utilized much better if directed at Angel, but to answer, Ms. Serra, it felt like another day at the office, because I was at the level I deserve to be at.

Fair enough. Despite your best efforts, your team did fall as…

Excuse me, Becky, but I can’t let you finish. I know where you are going with that statement. Yes, I was pinned by Titus last week. That is a fact. What is much less obvious, however, is how it happened.

We had complete control of the match. The Almighty was smiling down upon us as we did His work. But then the fat one tried to defy both logic and gravity and cost us the match. True, I did take the pin, but it was the fat one that lost the match.

This week you will face Strikeforce, and it would seem the winners would be in the driver’s seat for a shot at the Tag Team Champions. What are your thoughts about this match?

Brother Westhoff steps back and motions with his hands for Brother Jacobs to handle the question.

It’s pretty simple, as far as I’m concerned. Last week, Strikeforce had us and The Almighty on their side, and were unsuccessful. I haven’t felt as confident in the ring as I did last week alongside Brother Westhoff. The Almighty has a plan for everyone, and we believe the plan for us will lead us to the WZCW Tag Team Championship. We will truly begin down this path with a victory this week.

Finally, I must ask the question that has been on the lips and minds of many since The New Church formed. Derek was obviously here before, but what are the goals for The New Church in WZCW?

Ahh yes. I can handle this one, Brother Jacobs. For too long, WZCW has been a home to filth. The current World Champion was a drunk and is now a crazy conspiracy theorist. The longest reigning World Champion took guidance from a piece of paper and very well may have been Satan incarnate. The three “legends” of the company are a single mother, a pirate, and a man from the cesspool of Hollywood.

Brother Jacobs and I are the hands, feet and voices of The Almighty here on Earth. We show lost souls the path to salvation. I have allowed myself to accept that most of this locker room is either unwilling or unable to heed my message, but it is not too late for the millions that follow WZCW like it is their religion. The New Church is here to show the fans that they shouldn’t idolize a fat slob like Mikey Stormrage, a demonic fighter like James Howard, or goofball idiots like the tag champs.

There are men in WZCW who are not only physically gifted, but also are good, respectable men that worship The Almighty. There are men in WZCW not only strong enough to turn away from their own burdens but also compassionate enough to try to help others with theirs. There are real role models in WZCW. Brother Mason Westhoff and Brother Derek Jacobs are those men.

Brothers Westhoff and Jacobs walk off screen. The camera focuses on the face of Becky Serra as the scene fades to black.