Monday Night Metal Ultra-Card: Live from Yokohama

Cameras swarm the crowd once more before returning to a darkened arena. Stillness akin to the eye of a Category 5 Hurricane: Serenity too ominous to be real yet also terrifying. It grips everyone in Yokohama that night until a gong resonates throughout the entire venue.



The arena goes black within that pregnant silence. When the graveled voice of veteran voice actor Hitoshi Ozawa declares from the heavens : “Ōsama banzai!”



“Der Konig der Dunkleheit” plays out Masuda Jubei in his all-black and gold trimmed trunks and gear. He gets a long, sustained boo from the crowd as two unfamiliar voices blast through the airwaves in Japanese (subtitled brightly in white beneath).



Okita: Welcome to the main event. And the first showcase of “The Master” Masuda Jubei in over eight months.



Mori-san: Yes, and a great match it shall be with Masuda-sama in the ring.



Okita: As he takes on a man with accolades his own.



Mori-san: But nothing to the calber of Masuda-sama.



Jessica Kaine: This match is an “I Quit” Match! The only way to win is to force your opponent to submit by any means… First, on his way to the ring from Yokohama, Japan… weighing 215 pounds… “The Master” Masuda Jubei!



Mori-san: It sounds as though you foresee troubles for Masuda-sama.



Okita: No, Mori-san! But I know he’s wanted to test this champion since his return last winter in America.



Mori-san: I expect to see “ring rust” at first. But he will overcome once he gets blood moving and his training takes over.



Okita: Absolutely! Mori-san, what do we see in the skills of Damon Warrens?



Mori-san: I see a fighter. An undisciplined brute in an agile body. A great trophy for The Master.



The lights go out as the opening notes of "Judas" by Fozzy plays. Very dim lighting hits the entrance revealing Damon Warrens sitting on his throne of thorns on stage. Beside the throne crouches Jaime Cortez with Damon's signature barbed wire baseball bat in hand. Atop his head sits a matching thorny black crown; his mouth covered by his signature frowning half mask. Red face paint streaks leave his pure white eyes like tears of blood. The Nitemare stands up and opens up his merlot red trench coat revealing the Alpha Pro Wrestling World Championship around his waist. The Devil Himself walks stoically to the ring with Jaime walking in front of him loudly singing the praises of the Nitemare to the crowd.



"From San Diego California, by way of Toronto Canada, weighing in at 225 pounds, ... he is THE DEVIL HIMSELF DAMON WARRENS!"



Damon walks to the right side of the ring. Before he can slide onto the apron Jaime sets down the baseball bat and crouches in front of The Devil Himself. Damon pauses before stepping onto his boyfriend's back in order to climb to the ring apron. He turns to face the crowd before slowly entering through the ropes. Damon stands in the center of the ring and holds his arms out in a crucifix like pose. He tilts his head back and basks in the red light before reaching for his crown which he removes before giving it to Jaime for safe keeping. The Nitemare removes his jacket and mask and crouches in the corner his blank white eyes staring unnervingly in anticipation of the match.



Okita: So much power! He’s not baking down from The Master!



Mori-san: A fools errand. He will learn soon enough, Okita-san.



The bell sounds and Jubei is put on the defensive seconds later from heavy elbows that trap him in the corner. Referee Takeo Date has to pull him off before the raging Warrens gets DQ’ed. Jubei pries from his guard to see the APW Champ pounce and hit a monkey flip that the old timer does not take as cleanly as a consummate talent might. He gets up only to eat a knee strike. He then inverts Jubei’s head into a dragon sleeper and executes a falling elbow over his knee.



Okita: Oh! Oh! Nite Terror!



Mori-san: Impressive… for now.



Okita: He has microphone! Sure, this is not it!



Damon pulls the mic to Jubei’s painfully contorted face. Before he can ask the match’s grand question, a line of spit splashes into his face. Masuda then sweeps the knee and locks on a rolling knee bar. His demented grin locks into place as pain settles in for the APW Champion.



Mori-san: Textbook. Fantastic counter by Masuda-sama.



Okita: There’s no way Warrens can hold on that long, right Mori-san?



Mori-san: Never.



Warrens, knowing there’s no ropes to save him, pulls towards the apron in the hopes of using that to escape his elder’s grasp. Masuda hangs on for the entire ride until his opponent drops off onto the padded floor at ringside. Fans chant for Warrens as The Master makes his round down the nearest stairs. This lapse gives Warrens time to throws his weight to shoulder block Masuda off the ring steps and into the barricade. He then gets atop the stairs and spears both of them through the barricade.



Mori-san: How dare he? Such aimless destruction!



Okita: Oh! Warrens is sacrificing his soul for this match!



Mori-san: Match? He only wants to harm Masuda-sama. Because he is a wild mutt—not a champion!



Okita: Warrens dragging Masuda-sama—where’s he taking them?



Warrens props Masuda against the apron and uses the bottom rope to garrote him. Jubei comes alive with fearsome eyes and teeth. He then lands an unprotected chop to the chest of Damon Warrens that sucks the air out of the young APW Champion.



Okita: Oh! His chops are the most brutal is wrestling!



Mori-san: Yes.



Okita: One more! Masuda-sama is taking it to Damon Warrens now!



Mori-san: Only a matter of time before he sees the error in his ways… he must submit.



Warrens has a hard time shaking off those chest chops, which Jubei used to target the heart and lungs. They sap his strength long enough for Masuda to get his own wind back after that brutal assault. Shots of ringside show Remi and Mike Clearwater sitting beside themselves by the scorekeeper’s table. Jessica Kaine is watching but also intently chatting with Remi and Mike about something unrelated. This infuriates Jubei—enough so that he whips Warrens straight at them like a torpedo.



Okita: He’s going after warrens now, and taking it further out of bounds.



Mori-san: Nowhere is safe from The Master.



Jubei comes close when a splash from Remi’s Diet Soda splashes in Masuda’s face. Warrens rises with a series of elbows and knees. Jubei cannot see through his blindness, defending about half of these measured strikes. Warrens then whips him hard enough to take out the steel steps. Then flip onto their side, making a perfect weapon for The Nitemare’s sanguine needs.



Okita: What’s he doing?



Mori-san: This dog knows nothing of respect!



Okita: Oh! This could be bad for Masuda-sama!



Mori-san: Hmph.



Damon goes to the side and makes a drop toehold that leaves The Master draped over the staircase. He then bends down to Jubei and asks again: “Do you submit, old man?”



Mori-san: How dare he! This absolute mockery of our game!



Okita: Masuda is not relenting… but what is Warrens trying to accomplish here?



Mori-san: No! He cant!



Refusing to relent his corner, Jubei is at the mercy of the unfiltered rage behind the man befitting of his devilish moniker. Damon gets enough room to sprint and get full clearance. He goes forward with the stair’s position for elevation. Midair seemingly for seconds, his initialized boot comes down with a curb stomp to the defenseless head of the General Manager.



Okita: Oh no! What a powerful stomp!



Mori-san: That’s not power! He is nothing more than an American thug!



Okita: Masuda-sama can overcome this, right?



Mori-san: Yes.



Okita: Damon Warrens wants to keep fighting!



Mori-san: As all mutts do. They don’t know how to quit! Even when it’s good for them!



Damon takes a moment to devise something worse. That when a weakened Masuda stands in a position begging to be cut down once more. He climbs onto the barricade and leaps off for a diving corkscrew stunner. Jubei finds his footing and pulls the move into a reverse suplex clutch. He doesn’t he give a moment to taunt as he throws a desperation Masuda Driver on the same weaponized staircase. Warrens now lays with his back on the stairs with his upper half dangling over the side.



Mori-san: As you see… Masuda-sama will now end this farce.



Okita: Dragon sleeper!



Mori-san: Submit your mongrel!



Okita: There’s no way Warrens can outlast this losing position!



Jubei asks many times without serving the heart of their valiant APW Champion. He then whips Warrens to where his backed up against the announce table. Mori and Okita sit dutifully in place as Masuda uses their table as a makeshift corner. The referee has since joined them outside to inspect the action even close now. A fourth consecutive chop blushes Warrens’ pecks like a ripe strawberry.



Okita: Why hasn’t he given up yet?



Mori-san: Because he’s insolate and obstinate.

Okita: If you say so, Mori-san. But I don’t know if we’ve seen the ceiling for Damon’s tolerance.



Mori-san: Pain catches us all. He will crack!



Masuda’s patience wears thin, to where he starts shouting for Warrens to give up with using his thumbs to try and gouge the eyes of APW’s top champion. At which point, to the detriment of human life, Date must intervene with the Master. After shouting at his hand-picked official for the competition, GM Jubei lines up another of his Masuda Drivers. He takes a moment to do a throat slashing taunt this time before the reverse suplex lift over his shoulder—except Warren slips over the top to prep his own blend of pain: Mercy Killing. Fans erupt at its now infamous reverse DDT set up.



Okita: Masuda-sama might be in trouble here!



Mori-san: Hold yourself, Okita-san!



Okita: But look!



Mori-san: Yes, I can see them.



Instead of going into the Mercy Killing… this time Warrens does his own throat slash, and in the moment of fury and great vengeance on his mind, throws Masuda over his shoulder and hits the Masuda Driver on the GM. The move explodes the announce table. Mori and Okita look at each other—doing so at least ten or more feet from the initial impact zone—realizing their mics are dead. At which point the true voices of MNM come through once more.



St. Remi: We’re back bro!



Clearwater: Due to technical difficulties, we return to you in place of our special colleagues for tonight.



St. Remi: And to catch you up to speed: Warrens just nailed Masuda with his own move!



Clearwater: The Masuda Driver—and dare we say it looked somewhat more advanced and agile from his younger, powerful physique.



St. Remi: Hey! Don’t knock Masuda. Besides, don’t do it because he can still hear us.



Clearwater: Duly noted… as it seems Warrens is the first to rise from the debris. And he has a microphone pressed into Jubei’s face.



Okita and Mori storm off to the back as Warrens asks that fable question more time. Masuda, winded and in severe pain, cannot make a full answer. It sounds like “no” but also unintelligible grunts. This forces Damon to lock on his most painful submission.



Clearwater: Devil’s Snare!



St. Remi: This might be more than even The Master can handle!



Clearwater: And those in their history will note that Masuda has lost more matches by submission than any other means.



St. Remi: Really?



Warrens wrenches a near defenseless Masuda until a hand ceremoniously taps him in defeat. Warrens, however, drags the GM back over to that staircase. Referees and other officials try to get involved, but they also want to rescue their boss from Warren’s clutches. Jessica Kaine reserves her voice as the situation escalates.



Clearwater: He has to stop. The match is over!



St. Remi: Bro… this is about winning anymore. How many weeks did Jubei and Adam Dante torment this successful young man? They let so many attacks happen. You have to side with the Co-Champion on this one—and I’m Jubei guy, bro. Always have been—you know that. But look. This is about honor and payback. No one can stop him.



Clearwater: You might be right.



Warrens shouts for everyone to get back. He then flips the GM over and gets a double underhook piledriver that drops Masuda directly on the back of those stairs. He falls over motionless. Damon is there, seething. Shots pan around the ring at stunned spectators. They also look at the shock plastered over the faces of Remi, Mike Clearwater and Jessica Kaine. One shot looks at Jubei with EMTs rushing to his aid with a neck brace. Warrens—even with his beloved Jaime at a safe distance—just keeps staring daggers into his handiwork as the Monday Night Metal logo goes across the screen for final time. There’s silence from all except the remorseless breath of a man pushed past his brink.