Matt Covey is resting silently in the home of his friend and partner, TJ Hicks. At the moment, he is no longer the IN champion, nor is he the EWC TV champion. For now he is merely an injured man who is resting comfortably in a deep sleep, trying to regain a decent bill of health in time to compete against his rival Crusher at Harsh Winter. Sweat lines the top of his brow as his closed eyes twitch, every inhale of breath bringing the pain from Fury back into his body. The painkillers aren’t working… A soft and pale hand gently brushes past his cheek, the touch soothing and caressing his face. Matt’s eyes suddenly fly open as he reaches for the hand. And he finds Kaly kneeling by his side, dampening a moist cloth, which she places upon his head.
Kaly: Take it easy, tough guy.
Bad Ass: Kaly? How long have I been out?
Kaly: I found you collapsed on the living room floor when I woke up. Apparently trying to hide your pain had gotten to you.
Bad Ass: Pain? I feel fi…argh!!!
Matt flails back on the living room sofa, his ribs sending sharp bursts of pain through his upper torso. Kaly puts one hand on him, forcefully holding him down until he becomes stable again.
“Damn…” he thinks to himself as he struggles against her hand, “She’s gotten a helluva lot stronger…” His struggling eventually slows and he smiles weakly at Kalkayla. She just smiles back and rolls her eyes at him.
Kaly: You’re lying is almost as bad as my damned husband’s disappearing. I figured you would’ve gone with him.
Bad Ass: Nope. He just jetted out of here and told me to tell you he loved you and all that sentimental crap.
Kaly: (smacking Matt on the head) Well, did he seem frightened or pissed or something?
Bad Ass: Kind of a mixture of the two. He kept yelling out the name Cage over the phone.
Kaly: Who’s Cage?
Bad Ass: Someone from our past… TJ knows him better than I do. I think it’s best that we forget about that now…
Kaly: Why?
Bad Ass: Cause somebody’s peeking in from outside.
Kaly gets up and walks over to the door where she opens it, blocking the view of who’s behind the door. But she seems displeased with whoever the man or men are and seems to be arguing with them. Matt can barely make out most of the conversation.
Kaly: You guys can be complete jerks sometimes, you know that?
???: …….stupid freak………hunter……..
Kaly: You wouldn’t know anything about him, and you obviously know nothing about me!
???: …….kill him……..bastard………whatever…..
Kaly: Get the hell out of here before I have you removed!
Matt suddenly goes into a relapse of pain and passes out again. When he awakens, the “guests” have obviously gone. The door is closed and Kaly is once again kneeling by his side. He struggles to sit up, Kaly trying to keep him down. But being the stubborn bastard that he is, he wins the struggle and grabs his aching head.
Bad Ass: How long was I out this time?
Kaly: A few hours. You know, if you don’t rest, you won’t get any better any time soon.
Bad Ass: I’ll be fine. You worry too much.
Kaly: You’re my guest, and my friend. I’m not going to watch you suffer needlessly.
Bad Ass: Good. Then be waiting for me after Harsh Winter. I may need you then.
Matt and Kaly laugh as Kaly brushes the hair from Matt’s eyes. She then stops laughing and gets to her feet, giggling.
Kaly: I almost forgot. You have a visitor.
EWC reporter and commentator, Ryan Cole steps into the room. Holding a Mountain Dew, he sits on a vinyl chair across from the couch that Matt is occupying. Kalkayla leaves the two alone to talk, but turns back to Cole and responds sharply…
Kaly: If you drink that, you’d better replace it soon. TJ has a thing against people drinking his stuff and not replacing it.
She then turns and disappears off to her room as Matt glances oddly at Ryan. Why had he come? Obviously he couldn’t be as stupid as Ace King. Could he?
Ryan Cole: Hey there Mr. Covey.
Bad Ass: …Ryan…
Ryan Cole: I just want you to know that unlike my cohort, Mr. Ace King, my presence here is not to intrude upon you in any way. If you feel that my asking you questions becomes uncomfortable, I can go.
Matt stops and thinks for a moment, and then smiles weakly. Ryan had “asked” him for a little “Q&A” session. Unlike King, who just usually forced his way into your business. The gesture was taken with plenty of thought and so Matt decided to allow him to shoot away.
Ryan Cole: Okay Mr. Covey…
Bad Ass: Just call me Matt.
Ryan Cole: Okay, Matt. Tell me; after the horrific ordeals that were placed upon you at last week’s Fury and Rage, including a severe laceration of your body with ragged steel barbed wire; how are you feeling?
Bad Ass: Not too good, Ryan. Those bastards deliberately went to the ring looking to rip me apart, and they got the job done. No one has physically hurt me like that before. No one… They ripped what skin they could. Tore away what muscle they found. And ravaged my body with every single thorn that lined the endless rows of barbed wire that ate through my skin at Rage. And the salt didn’t help matters…
Ryan Cole: Watching this from ringside, I couldn’t help but somehow overwhelmed by the odds placed against you. And yet you stood face to face with all of it, going so far as to win the TV title while defending your IN title. You took all the odds and kept on fighting. Why?
Bad Ass: I never claimed to be a genius. I just don’t back down from nothing. You could directly point a gun in my face and tell me not to flinch, and I guarantee I approach the weapon, smiling… I must be fucking crazy.
Ryan Cole: That’s the way it looks. Harsh Winter is merely a day away; and everyone wants to know, will you be fit to wrestle? Will you be one hundred percent?
Bad Ass: To tell the truth Ryan, I’ve never been at a hundred percent. Not recently anyways. After Crusher tossed me off the top of the 7th Heaven and I took the plunge for the second time… That messed me up some. I’ll never be a hundred percent. But it doesn’t mean I’ll turn and run, either.
Ryan Cole: Speaking of Crusher… It has been stated by said person, that the two of you do not like one another, yet your aligning even if temporarily, is based on respect. Can you go into detail with this statement?
Bad Ass: It’s simple. Crusher and I don’t like one another, that’s true enough. And we are facing one another at Harsh Winter. But that is something that lies between the two of us, rivals whose sole purpose is to be the top dog, the bigger bad ass. Outside of our own conflict, we have David Dubose who is trying to annihilate the both of us along with several others. So we’re on the same page as far as Dubose is concerned. But between us, I’m a Bad Ass running with “The Whole Damn Show” and he’s Crusher, rival to the Bad Ass and complete killing machine extraordinaire.
Ryan Cole: Any thoughts on your matches with Crusher at Harsh Winter?
Bad Ass: This has been something that’s been rising since God knows when. We knew it was going down one day, and here it finally comes. Crusher is going to be somewhat on top of his game, and I’m no different. I’ve spent the last few months getting back into form, taking the IN and TV titles along the way. So you’ve basically got two men at their best competing in the best of three matches. One severely injured… But I don’t look at that as a handicap, in fact I see it as the exact opposite. Crusher can’t possibly hurt me anymore than Syck and Twiztid did, so the pain game isn’t an issue anymore. If he wants to beat me, he’ll have to knock me out cold.
Ryan Cole: Will you still be feeling all of this physical pain come Harsh Winter?
Bad Ass: Pain is an illusion, Ryan.
Ryan Cole: Even the pain you were feeling just moments ago?
Bad Ass: Forget about it.
Ryan Cole: Okay… Obviously you and Crusher have carried the most heated rivalry in the EWC, even surpassing that of EOI and Derrick Matthews. Going so far as to overlook The Boss and Allen Smith. So far in fact, that the two of you began fighting outside the arena on several occasions. How did all of that effect things?
Bad Ass: It was the greatest series mind games in the history of wrestling. After he viciously attacked me the very first time in the mall several months ago, I knew he was out for keeps. And from that day forward, I would ambush him, he would stalk and beat me, I would hunt him down and attack him, and it went on and on till the point we were both constantly began looking over our shoulders for the other.
Ryan Cole: Why did it suddenly stop?
Bad Ass: I think it’s because we both realized that we weren’t getting anywhere any faster than before. If we had killed each other before hand, we’d never make it to Harsh Winter to settle things once and for all.
Ryan Cole: And do you have any predictions for Harsh Winter now?
Bad Ass: I can’t see myself winning all three matches. Somewhere along the way Crusher is going to out think me, or out maneuver me. And when he does, I’ll have to find a way to one-up him. If not…
Ryan Cole: Do you think you’ll win in the end?
Bad Ass: I’m not saying that. Crusher is a brilliant strategist and an excellent hard knock fighter. I’ll have my hands full, but yes, I will be going for the win, just as he will be. In the end, one of us will be disappointed, and the other the toughest dog in the yard. But the respect is always there.
Ryan Cole: Rumor has it that Dubose has plans for Harsh Winter; you’re thoughts?
Bad Ass: Of course he does. He wouldn’t be David “Peaches-fucking” Dubose if he wasn’t. My guess is he’ll try to fuck me over while fighting Crusher. Who knows? Maybe he’ll try and eliminate Crusher and myself at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone… My best bet is to watch my own damned back while keeping my eyes on the prize. And when this over, I can fully concentrate on ripping Dubose’ fucking arms off his deadbeat carcass!
Ryan Cole: Okay… There has been a lot of speculation going around about you taking a step down in title gaining. Being the IN champion and most recent champion, you should be after the world title, but instead you went looking one step lower after the TV title…why?
Bad Ass: Normally I’d tell you that I’m not your average wrestler, Ryan. But there is a plan to all of this. The fed has taken sides. You’ve got Dubose and his “new blood” cronies. And then you’ve got what’s left of the veteran stars of this fed, striving to fight back the oppression of Dubose. Hicks has the world title for our side, so why would I want to take it? I told Dubose I was going to take everything away from him, and so I am. I took the IN title from him, and now I’ve taken the TV title. But the fun doesn’t stop there, oh no…far from it…
Ryan Cole: You have something planned?
Bad Ass: You bet I do. After I give it my all with Crusher, I’m expected to defend the TV title against Jericho. The little punk bitch who sucker punched my ass and signed his fucking death warrant. I’ll give him his damned title shot, and once I’ve stomped him, kicked him, beaten him, and pushed him aside; I’m going one step lower again…
Ryan Cole: Surely you must be talking about Mr. Josh Gattis and the hardcore title?
Bad Ass: Correct. And just like Lopez, I’ll strike a deal with the devil and put up gold for gold with the EWC hardcore champion. And after the greedy bastard accepts for the home team, I’ll proceed to beat the living shit out of his cronie ass and be the first EWC superstar to hold three singles titles at once! I’ll be setting a new record in the EWC history books, and stealing from Dubose at the same time!
Ryan Cole: Well… It seems as though you certainly have a lot planned out for the next while to keep you busy enough…
Bad Ass: I see all of this as small bump on my path to a head-on collision with Dubose himself. It’s just a matter of time.
Ryan Cole: And how does your brother affect things?
Bad Ass: He’s just in the way. He’s nothing to me… I’m the Bad Ass. He’s just a retarded kid brother who don’t know how to stay out of my shit! Do I appear any angrier to you?
Ryan Cole: Yeah. And you seem to be feeling much better too.
Bad Ass: Yeah… Almost good enough to make a certain house show…
The EWC Sunday House Show Extraordinaire is packed with fans who’ve come to see a night of action just before the major EWC pay-per-view. Several matches had been signed over the week, and a main event was yet to be announced. Over the night the fans were treated to spectacular matches. Ed Covey beat Kevin Riesen in a hardcore match, D’Spayre and Distress defeated former WCW tag team Public Enemy in a tag tables match, and GWD blew past Japan great Masahiro Chono. Special Ring Announcer Ryan Cole was left to announce the main event…
Ryan Cole: Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to bring to you fans here tonight, an action packed main event like no house show has ever seen! Tonight, the tag team of the “Jigga Man” Al Covey and Da Playa will do battle with the EWC’s own “Bad Ass” Matt Covey and Crusher!!!
The fans leap to their feet with cheers as “You Know You Ghetto” begins to play. The fans then turn to boos as the New Generation tag team walk to the ring. Al Covey flips a few fans off and makes sexual comments towards their mothers as Da Playa walks on, acting as though he’s going to smack one of the fans before climbing in the ring. The Jigga Man joins him, and then they are treated to the sound of “Run Like Hell” as the ramp explodes with red pyro and fire. The Bad Ass then walks out onto the ramp and stops, staring eye to eye with his brother as Crusher walks out from behind him. The two then continue down to the ramp where Matt throws Cole his leather jacket. Cole immediately rushes to the commentator’s table as Matt enters the ring, Crusher right behind him. Al Covey and Da Playa quickly leap through the ropes and to the arena floor as Crusher rushes at them. Crusher then turns and discusses with Mat over who should be in first. Crusher is chosen and so Matt takes his stand on the outside apron in his corner. Jigga Man and Da Playa do a “Paper, Rock, Scissors” with Da Playa losing and getting in first. The bell sounds…
Ryan Cole: This was the surprise folks! A spectacular main event for this house show as we head into Harsh Winter! And in less than 24 hours, Covey and Crusher will not be partners, but rivals!
Da Playa and Crusher run a circle around the ring before locking up. Crusher immediately takes the advantage and shoves Da Playa backwards. Da Playa gets back to his feet and runs at Crusher who hip tosses him to the mat. Da Playa gets back up in a fit and receives another. And then another. Finally, he grabs his back as Crusher pulls him to his feet, driving a hard right to his head. Da Playa falls to his knees where Crusher runs off the ropes with a dropkick to Da Playa’s face. Da Playa falls over and grabs his face while Crusher grabs him by the back of the head, lifting him up again. Crusher then turns Da Playa over with a classic body slam, which has Da Playa reeling. Crusher stands back for a moment and then tags the Bad Ass who comes running in with a stomp on Da Playa who rolls closer to his corner. Da Playa suddenly gets to his knees and reaches for a tag, but the Jigga Man turns his back and begins to look away into the crowd, reluctant to face his brother. Da Playa slaps Jigga Man on the back anyway…
Ryan Cole: And that is a tag folks! Whether the Jigga Man likes it or not…
Bad Ass walks up and kicks Da Playa through the ropes and to the floor, before grabbing the Jigga Man by the back of his hair and pulling him into the ring. The Jigga Man lands on his back as his brother starts stomping him in the chest. Matt then falls forward on his brother and starts hammering away at his younger sibling’s face with hard right punches. He then lifts Al to his feet and hits him with a clothesline. Da Playa tries to shout something, but the Bad Ass turns and kicks him in the face, knocking him to the floor. Matt then turns and is speared into the corner by Jigga Man. Bad Ass is winded as Al begins slapping away at his chest with sharp chops.
Crowd: WHOOOO!!!
The Jigga Man then rips away Matt’s “Pain is an Illusion” shirt, revealing the scarred chest. Al just grins maniacally as he continues hammering away at his brother’s wounded ribs, driving hard forearm shots to Matt’s ribs and abdomen. The Jigga Man then Irish whips the Bad Ass to the opposite corner and runs in for a spear again, but the Bad Ass moves and catches the Jigga Man with a clothesline. Matt then tags in Crusher. Al slowly gets to his knees and waves his hands before himself, signifying that he has had enough. Crusher looks down at him and then begins walking towards him. The Jigga Man keeps backing away until Crusher finally points to Al’s left side. Al looks and receives a pay back slap from his brother! The Jigga Man starts to get to his feet in a rage but Crusher axe handles him in the back and suplexes him into the center of the ring. Getting to his feet, Crusher turns just as Da Playa comes of the tip turnbuckle with a missile dropkick in his face. Bad Ass starts to come in, but the referee stops him and begins trying to keep him out. With the ref’s head turned, the Jigga Man and Da Playa lift Crusher into the air with a double suplex. Crusher lands hard as the two men each grab a leg. They begin stomping Crusher in the groin with one boot each before pulling his legs apart with the wishbone. Jigga Man then claps his hands together with a tagging sound and exits the ring. Da Playa quickly climbs to the top and lands a highflying moonsault for a pin.
Ryan Cole: Keep in mind folks, that there was no tag made! Da Playa isn’t legal, but the ref doesn’t know that.
The referee finally turns around and makes a count. 1…2…but Crusher manages to break free at the last second. Da Playa shakes with frustration and then tries again. 1…2…But Crusher clearly throws him off this time. Rolling over on his side, Crusher struggles to get up. Da Playa helps him up and grabs his head as the Jigga Man places a boot on the top rope, allowing Da Playa to slam Crusher’s face into it. Da Playa then hits a roll-up, but before the ref can count it, the Bad Ass is in and stomps Da Playa in his head. The referee then turns to Bad Ass and starts forcing him out again. Jigga Man quickly gets in and makes the tagging sound again. The two men begin stomping Crusher in the chest before Da Playa holds Crusher while Jigga Man hits him with a frog splash. Da Playa slides out and the ref turns to count. 1…2…But Crusher isn’t quitting just yet! Throwing the arm up, Crusher escapes defeat. The Jigga Man then hoists Crusher up and puts him back in the turnbuckle where he gives him two chest slaps.
Crowd: WHOOOO!!!
The Jigga Man then turns and runs over at the Bad Ass, nailing him with a forearm. As Matt tries to climb back in, the ref once more sees to it that he stays outside. Da Playa then rejoins the Jigga Man with yet, another tag sound but no official tag. The two lift Crusher to the top rope where they set him up for a double superplex. But once in the air, Crusher reverses with a double neckbreaker!!! All three men are suddenly lying about on the mat; Crusher reaching desperately for a tag. He reaches out slowly just as the Jigga Man and Da Playa start to stir… And he makes the tag!!! The Bad Ass runs in and catches his brother with a clothesline; he then bowls over Da Playa with a clothesline. Jigga Man rolls back up and receives a haymaker followed by another clothesline. Da Player gets to his feet…clothesline! Crusher makes it back to his feet and places a hand on Matt’s shoulder. The Bad Ass then turns in his adrenaline rush, and clotheslines Crusher!!!
Ryan Cole: Oh no! The Bad Ass just leveled his partner!
The Bad Ass stares down at Crusher for a moment and realizes what he’s done. The Jigga Man suddenly grabs the back of Matt’s pants as Da Playa bounces off the ropes, nailing the Bad Ass with a dropkick to the face. Matt falls back in a roll-up, Da Playa sliding to the outside and holding his legs as the referee counts. 1…2…3
Ryan Cole: Oh no! Jigga Man and Da Playa have stolen this victory!
The Jigga Man and Da Playa quickly flee the scene, holding their heads and raising their arms in victory. They exit the top of the ramp as Matt gets to his feet, pissed at the loss. He begins cursing to himself as Crusher gets to his feet. He then turns Matt around and shoves him, inquiring about the clothesline. Matt tries to brush it off, but Crusher shoves him again. The Bad Ass suddenly turns back to him and shoves back…
Ryan Cole: Oh boy… The shit has really hit the fan now!
Crusher reels back and slams a hard right into Matt’s face to which the Bad Ass responds with a fist of his own. The two begin trading punches rapidly as the referee tries to come in between them. The two men simultaneously nail him in the face, and then resort back to fighting each other! Crusher finally goes to throw a punch, to which Matt dodges, spinning Crusher around and grabbing him for the “Blow It Out Your Ass” diamond cutter. But Crusher shoves him off into the ropes, as he comes back, Crusher kicks him in the gut and nails the “Ground Zero” piledriver/ddt combo. Matt lies still as Crusher gets to his feet. He then kicks the downed “Bad Ass” and leaves the ring.
Ryan Cole: I can’t believe it! These two men are destroying each other and the PPV isn’t even twenty-four hours away! What the hell… The Bad Ass is getting back up!!!
Crusher stops half way up the ramp as the crowd’s cheers pick up. He then turns and finds the Bad Ass on his knees, flipping him the birds. Crusher grins and walks back down towards the ring. Before he can get in, he’s treated to a baseball slide kick to the face. Crusher grabs his jaw and wanders off around the ring, the Bad Ass sliding out and moving slowly. Crusher suddenly grabs a chair and keeps his back turned to the Bad Ass. Coming around the corner, in pursuit, Matt takes a run for Crusher. But Crusher turns and drives the steel straight across Matt’s face, knocking him unconscious. Crusher then heaves him onto Ryan Cole’s table…
Ryan Cole: Oh shit, I’m outta here.
Ryan Cole moves away as Crusher lifts the Bad Ass up into another “Ground Zero”, this time through the table. Crusher slowly gets back to his feet and grabs the steel chair. He then stares down at the unconscious man and merely throws the chair aside, walking up the ramp, the EMTs rushing to ringside. Crusher just looks away and disappears up the ramp. Matt is helped to his feet to which he shoves the EMTs away. He then stumbles forward and holds his hands high into the air, letting the birds fly again. He grabs a microphone from Cole and shouts aloud…
Bad Ass: You’ve gotta do better than that Johnny…
He then drops the microphone and stumbles forward again, as the EMTs rush to help him out of the arena.