Talk a Little Sense

The Night After ReVival 54 - Missouri Valley Wrestling House Show- Muncie, Indiana The air inside the Muncie House Show arena crackled with an electric current of anticipation. The Midwest Championship belt raised up in the air by referee Davey Keels glittered under the harsh spotlights.

Sitting at the broadcast table during the television taping for MVW’s internet-only show ‘Six-O-Five’ were MVW’s venerable broadcast team of Thunderbolt Smith and ‘Long Haul’ Rick Hall.

“All right folks,” Thunderbolt said, watching two wrestlers warming up inside the ring.  “It’s Adam Ellis versus Kyle Davenport for Davenport’s Midwest Title.”

Adam Ellis stood in the ring, his 6'4" frame a tower of righteous fury, muscles tensed like coiled springs beneath his wrestling gear… the embodiment of heartland strength, eyes narrowed with focus, his broad shoulders set against the impending storm.

His opponent, Kyle Davenport, bounced on his heels in the opposite corner.

But before referee Davey Keels could start the match, the “State Song of the USSR” came on over the PA System and the video screen turned bright red with the yellow letters “USSR” appearing.

“Uh, oh,” Thunderbolt muttered as the Soviet Bloc made their entrance, a phalanx of Cold War nostalgia and brute force. "The Soviet Bloc is here and I'm sure this is a continuation of what happened last night at PRIME's ReVival 54."

Limping but unbowed, Agent Zarya led the charge, flanked by Svetlana Kovaleski, whose sharp gaze cut through the crowd like a scythe. Nikita Kalashnik's imposing silhouette sent a shiver through the onlookers, while Agent Valya's enigmatic smile promised intrigue and danger. And then there was ‘The Soviet Hammer’ Boris Antonov, his bulk a shadow of dread looming over the scene.

Thunderbolt’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute, Ivan Stanislav’s here, too?”

Indeed, special guest, Ivan Stanislav- PRIME Wrestling's Russian Bear himself- commanded the audience's rapt attention.

Rick Hall interjected, “Thunderbolt, Friday night at PRIME’s ReVival 54… Adam Ellis found himself on the receiving end of a brutal beatdown courtesy of PRIME'S Red Army and the Soviet Bloc.  However, Adam's wife Ginny Van Lear ran down the ramp and shot Agent Zarya with a Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot BB air rifle.

“An audacious move,” Thunderbolt added. “And it cost Ginny an indefinite suspension from PRIME.”

Ellis' jaw clenched at the memory, the sting of Agent Zarya’s (Dawn McGill’s) betrayal still fresh, his wife's suspension a wound upon his heart. Yet, here and now, the Soviet Bloc surrounded the ring.  The crowd roared. Tension gripped the arena and Adam Ellis stood ready… fighting for honor, family, and the undying spirit of competition.

“NO!”

The spotlight veered away from the ring, cutting through the dimly lit arena to illuminate the stage.

“IT’S RAY McAVAY!” Thunderbolt cried out.

Missouri Valley Wrestling’s majority owner Ray McAvay appeared on stage.  The Missouri Valley Wrestling faithful rose to their feet, their cheers soon a thunderous ovation that shook the very foundation of the building.

In the ring, Adam Ellis stood tall, fists balled at his sides like granite pillars…  a tempestuous readiness to unleash havoc. Kyle Davenport, his gaze darting between the encroaching Soviet Bloc and the fuming Ellis, shuffled uneasily, a deer in the headlights in the eye of a hurricane... clearly out of his depth in this brewing maelstrom.

McAvay raised a microphone to his lips, his voice reverberating through the arena with unwavering conviction. “I know all about what happened last night at ReVival 54.  But this is MY house…”

MVW Security poured out from the back past him and down the ramp.

“…and I don’t put up with that here.  Everyone knows I hate shenanigans of any sort during a title match.  So I’m telling the Soviet Bloc right now this isn’t happening!”

The crowd roared as McAvay paced back and forth on the stage. He pointed an accusatory finger at the Soviet Bloc, who bristled with indignation.

"Dawn- er… Zarya.  You and your comrades have the rest of the night off.  Security, escort them out of my building, right now!"

The crowd erupted as Security moved in, their bodies creating an impenetrable wall as they began to shepherd the Soviet Bloc towards the ropes.

“And Ivan,” Ray continued. “Well, you’re a guest.  When we go to PRIME, we’re welcomed and we're treated well.  Here at MVW, we do the same.  So we’re going to have you hang out backstage with me and a few of our security folks.  We’ll be more than happy to show you around.”

Agent Zarya, still nursing the injury from Ginny's BB gunshot the night before, limped with exaggerated pain, while the stoic faces of Svetlana Kovaleski, Nikita Kalashnik, Agent Valya, and Boris Antonov betrayed no emotion as they were corralled out of the ring.

As the security detail escorted Ivan up the ramp, Stanislav turned back, locking eyes with Ellis. Ellis’s cold gaze held a promise, a silent vow that this was far from over.

***

MVW ring announcer Heather Cooper was impossible to miss.  Standing in the center of the ring, Cooper donned a shimmering burgundy bodysuit that clung to her curves like a second skin, accented with glittering rhinestones that sparkled under the arena lights. Her brunette locks cascaded over her shoulders as she lifted the microphone with a confident smile playing on her lips.

“Your winner and NEW Midwest Champion… ADAM ELLIS!”

After taking… no, literally grabbing... the belt from referee Davey Keels, Adam Ellis rolled out of the ring and stormed to the back. The Midwest belt was his, claimed in a match that lasted just over two minutes and left Kyle Davenport sprawled on the mat, defeated.

Backstage, the fluorescent lights cast long shadows that flickered against the walls as Adam stomped through the corridors. Crew members and other wrestlers parted like the Red Sea, fully aware of what happened the night before at PRIME’s ReVival 54 and wary of the storm roiling within him.

"Adam! Hey, Adam!" The familiar voice cut through the cacophony of the bustling backstage area. Bryan Dawkins stood in front of Ellis’s dressing room. Dawkins's laid-back disposition was at odds with the electric tension radiating off the new Midwest Division champion.

"Bruh!" Bryan called again.

Adam begrudgingly halted, shoulders heaving with each deep breath.

“What are you doing here?” Adam demanded to know.

Dawkins tried to reason with him.  "Listen, man, I know you're upset and you have every right to be… but you gotta reconsider sitting out ReVival 55."

Adam's jaw clenched tighter, the veins in his neck standing out like cords. "Not now, Bryan," he grunted, the Midwestern accent coloring his terse response with an edge of raw irritation.

"Come on, dude, we need you there. Whatever went down last night—" Bryan began, but Adam yanked his dressing room door open, and without another word or glance backward stepped inside. With a force born of frustration, he slammed the door behind him, the sound reverberating down the hallway.

“Ahhh, to be young and stupid once again.”

Dawkins turned around to see Ray McAvay walking towards him.

“Sorry, Bryan.  Adam’s a little hot-headed and he's standing up for his wife,” McAvay explained, “...but don't worry.  He'll do the right thing in the end and be at ReVival 55.  I just need to go inside and talk a little… sense… into him.”

And with that, Ray opened the door to Adam’s dressing room and walked in.