Post by Admin on Nov 14, 2023 13:51:13 GMT -5
LIVE FROM THE SILVER STATE BALLROOM at the historic ELDORADO CASINO in RENO, NV NOVEMBER 15, 2023 |
INT. ELDORADO CASINO -- BACKSTAGE
The camera opens backstage. Happy humming can be heard. Suddenly, the face of Trixie Decker appears, upside down, from the top of the screen.
TRIXIE DECKER
Hello, Uprising! Did you miss me?!
Suddenly, Trixie falls to the ground, then pops up again. Around her waist is the Uprising Total Anarchy Championship Belt.
TRIXIE DECKER
Do you like my new jewelry? I think it’s very slimming. And if you lean in real close, you can still smell all of Amy Santino’s broken dreams on it.
(Trixie sniffs and smiles)
Mmmmm… Cinnamony sadness.
Trixie straightens up as she starts walking towards the camera, which pans backwards in time.
TRIXIE DECKER
But tonight’s not about the past. It’s about the future. Well… sorta. It’s about Erik Holland. I don’t want to give anyone, especially Erik, any hope he has a future honestly. That seems mean, and life’s already mean enough to him, right?
Trixie offers a sweet smile as she shakes her head.
TRIXIE DECKER
How ya doin’, Erik? You been preparing for me? I hope so. Of course, there’s only so much preparation you can do with that back, am I right? Two major back injuries… that’s not good. And not to mention all the others. That has to be on your mind, right? Just hanging off you like a sandbag… keeping your balloon from rising high enough. Must be so frustrating. And, I mean, come on, if you haven’t been big time by now, it’s only gonna get more and more likely it’ll elude you.
Trixie clucks her tongue sadly.
TRIXIE DECKER
And now you’ve got a match with me, a person who started off in death matches, in a Total Anarchy Rules match. Someone who’s in better shape, with a LOT less injuries, and is in their prime, despite only having a year age difference. That has to be frustrating. Demoralizing.
Trixie leans closer to the camera.
TRIXIE DECKER
So perfectly Erik.
Trixie straightens up again, clearing her throat.
TRIXIE DECKER
Don’t get me wrong, Erik. I’m not saying you’re incapable of wins. You wouldn’t be in Uprising if you were completely incapable. After all, you’re not Serenity. You don’t have a boyfriend to help you double team someone and then hand you a belt. I think you could win...
Trixie grins evilly.
TRIXIE DECKER
I just don’t think you will. Because you get in your own head and you know, in your heart, what people say about you is likely right. After all, you don’t believe in yourself. Why should the fans? Why should I? And especially when we’re going into a match that’s my bread and butter.
Trixie shakes her head sadly but offers a comforting look.
TRIXIE DECKER
But don’t worry, Erik. I want what’s best for you. I’ve already set up the GoFundMe for your obviously impending third back injury. After all, those never really heal, do they? And I’m sure we can find a place that wants a ‘seasoned coulda-been’ on commentary, pretending he once amounted to something and therefore has a place judging others. That is...
The evil grin returns.
TRIXIE DECKER
… I leave you with a working jaw. But, hey, it’s not a title match, so when you lose, it’s not like you blew another big opportunity, right? Right? And, Jezebel, the Kingdom’s Cutie Jester will be ringside, so you’ll get a heavenly vision to look at as you drift off to sleep. And you’ll get to be under me for three whole seconds.
Trixie licks her teeth and holds back a cackle.
TRIXIE DECKER:
You look like a three-second man. See you soon, Erik.
Trixie skips towards gorilla position, humming the Hearse Song, as the camera fades into the opening video package and a highlight reel of the last three years.
CUT TO:
VIGNETTE "THE PERFECT FREAKIN' SUIT"
VIGNETTE "THE PERFECT FREAKIN' SUIT"
Chad Gilchrist (feat. Marisol Vilaro and guest-starring Vic Schuysar and Layla Montana)
The lower-third of the screen reads "UPRISING Web Exclusive, earlier this week on X"
We fade in to the interior of a town car, watching through a phone camera that is thankfully turned horizontally instead of vertically.
Chad Gilchrist is shown on our screens whether we want to see him or not, and he's currently dressed in a stylish, if obnoxiously bright, tracksuit just plastered with VilaroFit branding all over it.
CHAD GILCHRIST: "GREAT morning, UPRISING Faithful, it's none other than your Man Of The Century himself, Cash Money Chad. I am joined here on this sunny November morn by none other than the Contessa Of Core Strength herself, the creator and CEO of VilaroFit, Marisol Vilaro."
Camera pan over to Chad's left to a grinning and waving Marisol Vilaro, also wearing a stylish and bright tracksuit adorned with VilaroFit branding.
MARISOL VILARO: "¡Hola, UPRISING amigos y amigas! Your FAVORITE fitness firecracker is here with her Cash Money Cliente about to dress him in the most POWERFUL suit he's ever worn in his life that doesn't have the VilaroFit name on it. Are you EXCITED, Chad?? Are you PUMPED??? ¿¿ESTA LISTO??"
CG: "SUPER pumped, Marisol!" He points to the driver's seat of the town car and the camera turns to it. "Our wheelman for today is my pro-wrestling ride-or-die, my wrestie-bestie in all the land, none other than Victorious Vic! Vic, say hello while still looking at the road."
VIC SCHUYSAR: "The paycheck Chad and Marisol got UPRISING to pay me for driving and appearing in this segment was FATTER than yo' momma! WHOO!"
CG: "Thanks Vic, super insightful." (to camera) "Vic is ALSO dripped out in VilaroFit today, because today is indeed a POWERFUL day for all of us." He looks at the camera and points to it. "And last but not least, on the viewfinder, making sure to get our good sides, which is easy because ALL our sides are good, is my Forever Person, my loveliest lady, Miss Layla Montana."
The camera turns around to show a close-up of Layla's face.
LAYLA MONTANA: (semi-deadpan while waving with her fingers on her free hand) "I promise not to record any secret strategy meetings this time, as long there aren't any that are happening while this camera is recording." She turns the camera back towards Chad and Marisol. "RIGHT?"
Chad nods eagerly with a big dumb toothy grin while Marisol nods with a smirk.
CG: "MEANWHILE, we are just moments away from Modas d'Armando, and the power suit that Armando himself is going to tailor for me for my BIG announcement on REVOLUTION is gonna be SO powerful, it'll light up the Vegas Strip all by itself, baby!" (A beat.) "Are we close, Vic?"
VS: "We've been parked in front of the storefront for at least 10 minutes, pal o' mine."
CG: "FANTASTICO! That means we won't have far to travel. Game faces, everybody! Mari, will you let everybody at home know HOW GOOD a tailor Armando is?"
MV: "He personally dressed me in both my morning outfit AND my afternoon outfit for my most recent trademark arbitrations; the only thing that WASN'T ugly in that conference room that day was ME."
CG: "SHINING endorsement!" A big huge grin and another eager nod, TOTALLY not like Joel McHale, I swear. "Let's go!"
As our really really ridiculously good-looking quartet exit the town car, the view cuts to the outside of the car, angled upward and looking toward it, as they all exit the car with the framerate suddenly going slow-motion and "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones suddenly begins playing over it, playing underneath the rest of the segment at a low enough volume.
A trio of vivid and branded tracksuits, along with Layla (in just a pink-and-white tracksuit because she has actual common sense) holding a steady-stick and pointing the camera of the phone (which is also branded in a VilaroFit-branded phone case) towards them, begin striding with purpose towards Modas d'Armando, and the ground-up viewpoint turns to follow them until they enter the front door.
Cut to inside, back to regular framerate through the phone camera view again, slowly panning and turning side-to-side and up-and-down as our intrepid fitness friends explore the space.
VS: "This clothery is WAY nicer-looking than the one our buddy Donnie takes us to for our press-conference suits; how come we've never been HERE?"
MV: "That's because your buddy Donnie doesn't have the scope of vision necessary to cultivate a clothier like Armando in his contacts."
VS: "I dunno...Donnie definitely has a few 'visionaries' in his contacts -- you know, the kind who make liberal use of their hands when they talk, if you smell what the Vic is cookin'."
CG: "Vic, you promised no Dwayne-ing today."
VS: "I made no such promises, and you know it--ooh, an instant espresso machine! I wonder if there's french vanilla and hazelnut..."
Vic saunters over to the espresso machine, grinning and wiggling his fingers in anticipation like Homer Simpson with an impending donut, as Mari turns to Chad.
MV: (an eyebrow raised quizzically) "Your friend Vic is certainly eccentric and exuberant, Charles."
CG: (shrugging) "He's very smart, but shiny things get his attention easily. Good for WINNING us the RenPro tag belts a few times, not so much for KEEPING them." (A beat.) "SO, how about that Armando?"
RICH TENOR MALE VOICE FROM OFF-SCREEN: (jovially) "SI! How ABOUT that Armando?"
Layla's camera turns to camera-right to reveal the walking-in of another really really ridiculously good-looking man, this one a dark-haired bearded man appearing to be middle-aged and vaguely resembling TV chef Nick Stellino...and wearing another of those garishly bright VilaroFit-branded tracksuits, eliciting a sudden startled "GAH!" from Layla behind the camera. The bearded man has his arms outstretched with a giant smile on his face.
MALE: (voice vaguely sounding like Bruno from Dancing With The Stars despite looking 30 years younger than him) "Marisol, ciao bella! This tracksuit your company sent feels like a dream when I run, and a fantasy when I am simply lounging around! It is almost as exquisite and buttery as one of my own creations!"
MV: (chuckling...brightly...? whaaaaa?) "Ohhhh Armando, your wit is like a roaring fireplace in the middle of winter!" (Armando and Mari have a good chuckle at that) "Armando, may I introduce you to my recently-joined client, Chad Gilchrist: your latest block of marble to artfully and painstakingly chisel into the next David...but with only a few days to do it."
ARMANDO: "Mari, my beauty, you know I will get the job done, but you also know it takes AT LEAST two weeks for the 4th layer of colors to set properly and for the 3rd layer of stitching to tighten up like freshly wound heated plastic wrap!"
VS: (from over at the espresso machine) "Armando sure has a way with words too!"
ARMANDO: (pointing towards Vic) "Who's he?"
CG: "Oh, that's my tag partner Vic, he won't be needing a suit today...but he might in the next few months, maybe...?"
VS: "He's attempting to very slyly refer to his wedding date, Armando."
ARMANDO: "Ah, bellissimo, you two have set a date?"
LAYLA: (raising hand from behind the camera) "Bride-to-be here, Chad's marrying ME, not Vic...though sometimes their bro-mance approaches the 'are you SURE?' territory."
VS: "It's like every other day where people are asking us 'REALLY? Are you SURE you're not a couple?' and honestly...it's still kinda flattering, even though it got old quick."
MV: (slightly exasperated) "Charles, please get your girlfriend and friend-boy under control. We may have Armando booked for the whole day, but time goes VERY fast when you're trying to add perfection to perfection and try and multiply THAT by MORE perfection."
Chad clears his throat and Vic straightens up while the camera also steadies.
ARMANDO: (stroking his beard) "Hmm...I can certainly see why La Bellissima chose you to represent her brand -- even the clearing of your throat demands satisfaction." (A beat.) "COME, let us browse fabric swatches and discover what rings the morning bells of your soul for your grande annunciado. I have prepared a table of textile charcuterie for you to touch freely."
He leads our group towards a giant fabric area as we quick-fade to Chad looking over the samples on a table, picking up a couple every so often; the samples are each one of 3 shades of grey, so as not to influence one way or the other through color bias.
CG: "Hmm, I do like the feel of this one...but it feels 'romantic big announcement' powerful and not 'UPRISING big announcement' powerful." (A beat.) "...Save that one for later." (Another, longer beat later.) "YESSSS, THIS feels right...for the PANTS. But not the JACKET. Armando, you're the master -- based on just what you see, what do you recommend?"
ARMANDO: "I can recommend all day long, but in the end it must be what feels true to YOU, Carlos. This is why they are all grey, to allow you to abandon preconceived notions and let the tactile sensation be your guide. You must remember that at its deepest root, even the most synthetic fabric sprang forth from the Earth, and you must reconnect with the mother that birthed us all. You mus--"
His pontificating is interrupted by a loud espresso sip from Vic a few feet behind them.
VS: (after an audible swallow of his sip, and an 'ahhhhh') "Touch isn't the only sense you can use, you know."
ARMANDO: (incredulously) "What, you suggest he do...what, LISTEN to the mater--YES. OF COURSE, HOW COULD I FORGET!" (A beat, excitement.) "CARLOS, the next swatch you take, close your eyes and put it to your ear after feeling it...then I want you to take a deep inhale offfffff...why not, of your own manly musk. What better gauge of your own power than of your own scent, am I right? Then you breathe in the fabric and tell me what you sense."
Chad raises an eyebrow at him, a bit skeptical.
CG: "You just made that up just now."
ARMANDO: "Perhaps, but it makes sense anyway. We are here to customize YOUR power suit, and we cannot limit ANY of the power at your disposal to determine what compliments you best. So BREATHE, Carlos; BREATHE the fabric of your life...announcement."
After a moment, Chad shrugs and picks up the next swatch, immediately liking what he feels, before closing his eyes and holding it to his ear, hoping to hear...something? His mouth makes that "HMM" shape as he then takes a sniff of his armpit, before breathing in the fabric. One word gently escapes his mouth as he exhales...
CG: "VVVVvvvvvvessssst."
ARMANDO: "SI! Say yes to the vest! It WORKS! Now let's find your your dream jacket! Close your eyes, hold out your arm like you are moving the planchette of the V-Ja Board--"
CG: "I-I'm sorry, the what?"
ARMANDO: "The V-Ja Board, the one you talk to the dead with!"
CG: "OHHHHH, the Ouija Board."
ARMANDO: "Are we doing a bit right now? I will be very cross if we are doing a bit. I do not appreciate being dragged into a comedy bit without being asked first."
Chad clears his throat before breathing in and closing his eyes, hovering his hand over the fabric swatches while slowly exhaling.
As he finishes his exhale, his hand slows and comes to a stop over a swatch.
He slowly, purposefully, lowers his hand and gently grasps it, rubbing it between his thumb and index finger as he makes an "I'm impressed" expression, then rubbing it on the back of his hands, making the expression again.
He brings the swatch to his ear, and does cloth rubbing near it, basically some DIY ASMR, and he nods approvingly, then lightly sniffs the swatch, before sniffing his pit like before, then sniffing the swatch again.
A big ol' Chad Gilchrist Grin forms as he looks at Marisol, then Vic, then at Layla and the camera, then finally at Armando.
CG: "Oh yeah. This is the one. It's magic time, Armando."
ARMANDO: "FANTASTICO! NOW...let's talk COLOURS."
CG: "Oh, don't you worry about THAT -- I ALREADY have the PERFECT color scheme in mind; just lead me to your Pantone book."
We fade to black.
CUT TO:
EXT ELDORADO PARKING LOT — EARLIER TODAY
A black SUV pulls into view, doors facing the camera, and slows to a stop. Security staff opens the rear door, as a red power-suit-wearing Marisol Vilaro emerges with a huge self-assured smile, eliciting huge boos from the live crowd watching the video as the staff helps her out. After her is a sunglasses-wearing Chad Gilchrist, all the parts of his new suit covered by a large white faux-fur coat that even Johnny Nitro or Will Ospreay would consider ostentatious, as he exits the vehicle with his big ol' car-salesman smile. He takes a big inhale of the fresher-than-a-car-at-least parking lot air and lets out a big ol' Ric Flair style "WHOO!"
MARISOL VILARO
Time for you to handle your business, and for me to handle mine. Knock 'em dead, champ.
CHAD GILCHRIST
This crowd won't know what hit 'em, and I know you'll be watching on whatever monitor you can find.
They fist-bump as the staff hands them their rolling briefcases from the trunk, and they stride into the arena, Chad mugging at the camera a few times, before they go so close the screen goes black underneath the roaring boos of the live crowd.
CUT TO:
INT. SILVER STATE BALLROOM — THE RING.
OPENING CONTEST
ZELDA FISCHER vs AZURINE VEBBINS
The match has barely begun before Marisol Vilaro is making herself known at ringside even though she's curiously absent. Instead her new "wrestling mentor" Nessa Wall is on hand and she immediately climbs onto the apron after the bell rings. Azurine takes the bait, heading over to get her down along with the referee, allowing Fischer to blindside the redhead with a forearm to the back of her head. Zelda takes two handfuls of hair and starts slamming her face- first into the nearest corner immediately, drawing boos from the crowd before she snaps off a German suplex and immediately goes for a bridge to get the cover.
ONE!
SHOULDER UP!
But Azurine still has far too much left in the tank for that, and gets her shoulder off the canvas. Fischer quickly gets her to her feet, connecting with a short arm clothesline before whipping her chest first into the nearest corner. Vebbins bounces backwards before Fischer hits the near side ropes to deliver a discus forearm that drops her to a seat on the canvas. The redhead gets back to her feet in the corner next, only to catching a handspring corner hip attack, which gets the approval of Nessa. Fischer takes a moment to bask in the adulation of her manager's mentor, which allows Vebbins to get back to her feet. And when the blonde turns around to face her, she's met with a yakuza kick that sends her staggering backwards. A running forearm from Azzy gets the crowd on their feet as she drives Zelda back into the corner, mounted it, and rains ten elbows to the top of her head. She adds an eleventh for kicks and brings Zelda out of the corner with a bulldog followed by a cover.
ONE!
TW-NO!
Vebbins hoists her onto the corner and comes off with her signature Duperplex before floating across to make another cover. But there isn’t a count as Nessa is complaining to the referee, accusing Vebbins of using the tights. The redhead gets to her feet with a scowl and takes off towards Nessa, catching her with a baseball slide to the chest that sends her into the barricade. Fischer's back to her feet by this point, looking for another blindside attack but runs into a spinning backfist for her troubles. Azurine pulls her into a Northern Lights suplex into a bridge for the pin!
ONE!
TW-NO!
But Fischer gets her shoulder up again, and Azurine heads to the ropes once more. She measures Zelda as she rises to her feet, and goes for her springboard double axe handle, but Fischer has it scouted and steps out of the way. When Azzy lands on her feet, Fischer pulls her into a double knee facebreaker. And as the redhead staggers backwards, Zelda catches her with her Blitzkrieg finisher before going for the cover.
ONE
TWO
THREE!
WINNER (VIA PINFALL): ZELDA FISCHER
Nessa congratulates her new bestie's client, raising her hand after snatching it away from referee Big J Soames when he tries to do it himself. No shortage of boos come from the Reno crowd before Zelda kicks proverbial dust behind her onto Azurine as she leaves the ring.
CUT TO:
INT. ELDORADO CASINO, VIP LOUNGE, EARLIER THIS WEEK
PLAYTIME 00:00
We find Yelena Gorgo and Marisol Vilaro in casual attire, both with horrified expressions on their faces.
MARISOL VILARO
You said we were playing Monopoly…
Turning to Gorgo, the Woman Who Laughs is wearing a form-fitting tuxedo, complete with a tiny half-tilted top hat pinned to her head. She is holding a little stick with a fake mustache under her nose.
GORGO
No need to be jitterbugged, my good lady! We have the advantage, for unlike our opponents, we are obscenely wealthy!
MARISOL VILARO
If you say so…
The camera pulls back slowly to reveal what looks to be a Monopoly board with several additional rings worth of properties and spaces, several subsidiary boards, a dozen different decks of cards, and a Mousetrap-esque tangle of plastic pieces that snap into place in various places on the various boards that look to have been pilfered from several other board games and combined into some Frankenstein-by-way-of-Rube-Goldberg contraption.
KALINDA KRIEGSDOTTIR
They said that you can't take it with you when you go. Well, noted occultist Milburn Pennybags found a way.
GORGO
Ah! I see we are playing by the Cornelius Vanderbilt edition!
Kalinda is seated across the (rather large) table from the pair, a soft, fluffy-looking pastel purple t-shirt with "I FUCKING HATE PASTELS, PINK, AND GLITTER" written on it in a cutesy font in pink glitter, a look on her face like the cat that ate the canary.
KALINDA KRIEGSDOTTIR
Making his fortune through dark pacts with the underworld and a profane ritual to make the world's population think of him as their rich uncle, Milburn Pennybags shot to the top of the Forbes Richest List through countless estates of his manyfold nieces and nephews that passed away.
The sounds of a hellish wind begin to blow, though it's just PyreBird making properly atmospheric mouth noises as she helps to set up the intricate contraption, which for some reason has a small basketball hoop and a little device to launch plastic basketballs into it.
KALINDA KRIEGSDOTTIR
Upon his passing, he managed to drag several percent of the world's wealth down to the fiery depths of Hell with him. And now you must play his twisted, diabolical game, made even more hellish due to his gifts from his dark, infernal benefactors to seize back that wealth.
The lights flicker and thunder rumbles. A hotel employee scolds Seiki and shoos him away from the light switches, while another one takes a wobbly metal sheet from Katsudo that's supposed to be used to hold portions of the hotel's complimentary breakfast.
A demonic, red-skinned, devil-horned, pitchfork wielding Mr. Monopoly made of foam and felt rises up from the table's edge, the game's property cards and vast material wealth in the form of brightly colored currency spread out before him. Senor Hush shortly follows the puppet adorning his right hand upwards. He places a tiny golden monocle over the puppet's left eye, and then places a larger golden monocle over his own mesh-covered left eye and dons a matching devil horn-bedecked top hat.
MARISOL VILARO
I’ve never played Monopoly.
GORGO
Fear not, my maiden. It’s as Andrew Carnegie said. There is little success where there is little laughter!
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