IPW: Volume I

Our first visual for Volume I is the service entrance in the back of the Sanctuary. A sleek Benz pulls too a slow stop, the lights cutting through the bleak New York night die down. There's nothing much save for the low rumble of the generators fixated in the lot. It's only a matter of moments before we see the driver exiting the vehicle, in a rush he moves a few paces to open the door for his passengers. Chelsea Li and Nathan Callaghan step out of the vehicle.

NATHAN: "Don't worry about the key card not opening up your office."

The moneyman backing LPW operations is on his phone taking a call. Li's also face deep on her screen as well. The cameras capture them as they approach a clearly VIP entrance in the back of the Sanctuary.

NATHAN: "-No I mean I have your replacement. Your replacement."

He doesn't look too enthused.

NATHAN: "You promised me talent and delivered me a roster of six! SIX! And half of them were already in the company!"

His raving is enough to get Chelsea looking up too the hard camera with a smirk on her face. We see them both approaching back entrance doorway being guarded by a very large and well suited man.

NATHAN: "You're done before you've even gotten started O'Shea. The closest you're going to get to seeing this passion project of yours, is if you buy a front row seat. Hey... It's business, nothing personal."

That particular bar seemed to put a smile on Callaghan family patriarch's face. Without so much as a double-take, the guard stands aside allowing access to Nathan, Chelsea, and the cameras following in step with them. With a callous hang-up, Nathan makes an abrupt end too his business call.

CHELSEA: "That's such a shame, getting fired before you can even get started."

There's definitely no look of shame or remorse on Li's face.

NATHAN: "Couldn't deliver the goods."

Li and Nathan stop short of the looming void of a corridor. The sound of the Sanctuary's house DJ spinning tracks can be heard, along with the growing ruckus of the LPW fans here to scope out the possible future faces of NYC wrestling. They sound eager and ready, building up a slow rumble that feels like its shaking the old venue at its foundations.

CHELSEA: "Nate - luckily for you I'm a real people pleaser."

There's a strong lace of innuendo from her that Nathan chuckles off.

CHELSEA: "Now show me my office."

The two linger in brief pause, before Nathan strides out of the shot, with Chelsea more than happy to follow in his steps. The shot hands on a pathway that zooms into an excellent shot of gorilla, almost as if we're about to head out to the ring for our first match of the evening...

Gina Van Zyl is seen in the locker room she is sitting in a chair, talking on her phone.

GINA: "Of course I am excited, this is only my third match in the States, and I'm in the main event!"

She notices the camera, she smiles and holds up a finger.

GINA: "My opponent has made a fool of themselves, and tonight I'm going to make a fool of them in the ring."

She chuckles

GINA: "Just make sure everyone watches! I want to make all of you proud. Ok dad, give everyone my love. Ek is lief vir jou ook (I love you too) bye."

Gina smiles as she hangs up, she looks into the camera.

GINA: "Tonight is a big night for me, this is my first ever main event match. Are there butterflies? Of course, am I nervous? Yeah, I am. But that being said it does not mean I am not ready."

She bends down and finishes lacing up her boots.

GINA: "GTaylor Lewis I, you are a fool, you have proven it time and time again. You like to act like you are a genius but in fact you are far from it."

She looks into the camera again, a slight smirk on her face.

GINA: "You say you have a plan, a contingency plan and another contingency plan. Let me ask you this, does your plan include you getting beaten?"

She stands, the camera follows up her body before focusing on her face.

GINA: "GTaylor I know you don't want to admit it, but deep down you are a failure, you failed to complete College, you failed to prove you have a "Big Brain" you failed to antagonize me in my own language on social media."

She chuckles

GINA: "And tonight I will show the world what a failure you are, all your called plans will be for naught. In case you don't know what that means, it means your plans will be for nothing."

She walks toward the door, she looks over her shoulder and smiles.

GINA: "It's almost time GTaylor, it's almost time for me to prove how much of a fake you are. Get ready, Welkom by die vertoning (Welcome to the show)"

She walks through the door as the camera fades to black.

Honest Andrews catches up with Miki backstage. The young star is a mixed beg of emotions but she's smiling by the time she spots the camera is on her. Unlike at No Man's Land II, she doesn't freeze up, but she's quick to stand in what she judges to be the best place.

HONEST: "Miki, a quick word?"

Miki enthusiastically nods.

Honest: "First of all, congratulations on your win tonight. Your first ever match, the first ever win recorded in an IPW ring too, it's one you'll never forget."

MIKI: "You're right, Honest, and thank you so much for the congratulations. Tonight is a night I'm never going to forget but that's a double edged sword. I'll always recall my victory here, but I'll also be unable to separate it from the very shady and disappointing actions taken by Callie in the aftermath."

She shakes her head, her disappointment isn't hidden.

MIKI: "Go back two, maybe three weeks and Callie was acting like a friend to me. That's all it is though, Honest, it's an act. She soon turned that around and torched any respect we had between us. I know this is a selfish sport, but I see no reason to downtalk my opponents... especially if I've never even seen them fight. Obviously Callie is cut from a different cloth. Her mentality was to try and ridicule me, diminish me, knock my confidence. Well, let me tell you, that didn't work. She assumed she'd cut me down with ease and look what happened, she lost. Not because she has no skill, that'd be silly to claim, but because she thought she didn't need to give this 100%. Me, though, I knew I had to give this my fullest effort and I did. Look what happened, arm raised, my debut win. Perfect, really."

Miki moves to hold her cheek.

MIKI: "Right up until I go to shake her hand and not only does she refuse, she takes a cheap shot and sucker punches me. Real classy, Callie, nice work. You'd think it's bad enough to lose the match, but to show no grace or class either is plain bad. If I were her I'd be bitterly disappointed in my actions and I'd use the time between now and next show to reflect on them and be better. But somehow I doubt she will."

A quick shrug.

MIKI: "Not my problem though, my only aim here was to win and I did that."

HONEST: "You certainly did, and you showed a class along with it. Now that you scored that first win, what is your next milestone here in IPW?"

Thinking for a moment, Miki smiles.

MIKI: "Same as ever, really. Take it week by week, aim to win as much as possible and keep my name in the mind of both management and fans alike. To me, that's how you earn opportunities. Make it so you stand out and aren't forgotten. Winning the first match, that's a good start but it isn't the last step by any means. I have such a long road ahead and I'm going to take it piece by piece."

HONEST: "A good attitude to have, I think it'll set you right in the future. Good luck, Miki!"

MIKI: "Thank you so much."

Honest watches as Miki moves on by, before signing off to the camera...

We come right back to seeing the officials helping Gina too the back. The "Big Brain" was just wrapping up his celebration, it doesn't seem too long removed from that blinker of a main event. Before he could return even halfway up the ramp, we saw Chelsea Li and Nathan Callaghan make another appearance for the night. The both have microphones, and they stopped just short of descending down the ramp.

NATHAN: "Well isn't this just great?"

He looks livid behind an intimidating fake smile.

NATHAN: "So not only do we a whopping roster in the single digits... Not only do we have possibly the most generic booking I've had to sit through... But it seems like the bulk of the talent O'Shea did managed to sign don't even want to put on a show."

Commissioner Li interjected herself in right behind him.

CHELSEA: "After all, these good people did pay money to see a less fifteen minutes of action riiiiight?"

The fans are clearly not okay with this, but it seemed as if Li was hamming up the sarcasm and feigned pleasure with how this first show turned out.

CHELSEA: "Don't worry, this is an easy fix. I haven't just been rocking out in this new Bien Habillé piece and sitting pretty in the back. Commish-Li has been hard at work putting the pieces together to turn this night around on its heels... And I did it."

We don't quite know what that means yet, but almost on que Callaghan and Li's faces lit up with some genuine anticipation - like they were both privy to some secret we don't know yet.

CHELSEA: "So let's get started, this time on my standards..."

The camera pans back to GTaylor Lewish, who's resting his hands on his waist. We can still here Li's voice even with the cameras fixed on IPW
s resident "Big Brain" grappler.

CHELSEA: "I didn't come up with the dumbass idea to run qualifiers on a roster of six... Buuuuuutttttt, I do want to see a champion... OUR champion. And I want to see them TONIGHT!"

The fans went crazy at the prospect of getting more wrestling. We see GTaylor already lobbying for himself. No microphone, but it doesn't seem like Li or Callaghan are having issues hearing him. He asks the pertinent question, "What about me?".

CALLAGHAN: "You know she thought about that. We can't let our booked qualifiers go unrewarded... And, as conniving as this assembly is already proving itself to be... I can say this at least, I respect the hunger."

CHELSEA: "So we're going to see who's the hungriest. But first, about you "Brain Boy". You can't go empty handed after your amazing "effort" tonight. Soooooo, that means that you... And Miki have qualified..."

A deliberate dramatic pause.

CHELSEA: "... To be our first two entrants in our REAL Main Event tonight. An over the top battle royal! One winner, one Independence Champion!"

GTaylor looked initially thrilled, until he realized he'd have the absolute worst odds at claiming that belt tonight. After rolling over the wave of shock, he takes a few bold steps up the ramp. He argues back and forth vehemently with Li off mic. However, it's all set in stone now. Commissioner Li 'Buh-Bye's" GTaylor and points back to the ring. She then retreats to the back alongside Nathan, and it looked like our night wasn't over just yet.