Survivor I - Gathering the GUTS to Get the Glory

06.26.26 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When we last saw Kenny Freeman, he was seated at Blue Grass Bingo ready to turn his luck around ahead of UltraViolence weekend. Now, hours later and with the first night of the supercard in the rearview mirror… he is still seated inside the hall, a stack of losing scratch-offs beside him on one side as he stares at his bingo card. On the other side is Randall Schwartz, staring over his shoulder as an older gentleman calls out the next number.

“G-47!”

Kenny grabs his dauber with a smirk, marking down the spot on his card. We see that he’s just two spots away from a bingo, bringing a sense of joy to the junior member of the Red Army. Randall pats him firmly on the back… perhaps a little too firmly, as Kenny drops his dauber to the floor from the impact.

“Oh, come on dude,” Kenny mutters, reaching down to pick it back up when he finally becomes self-aware of how much time the pair have spent at the hall. “Man, we’ve been here a while. You sure Ivan isn’t worried about us being gone, bud?”

Randall replies with a shrug as a bright blue light flashes, distracting everyone including the bingo players for just a second before Aeon Khronos appears, seated on the other side of The Entertainer who scoots away to make room for the third wheel in this situation.

“Dude,” remarks Randall, rubbing his eyes from nearly being blinded by the light Weeknd style before pointing to the entrance. “The door was RIGHT there.”

“Not my style,” Khronos replies, a wry smile on his face. “Now, gentlemen… what are we up to?”

The conversation is interrupted by the caller revealing the next number.

“N-64!”

Kenny lets out a chuckle at the coincidence, quickly followed by a sigh upon realizing that’s not one of his spots.

“Trying to win some extra cash,” he states, pointing to the scratch-offs next to him. “While I’m at it, see if I can turn my luck around. I won my match in New York City, so I’m starting to feel pretty good about my chances.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” says Aeon with a nod. “Because while you’ve been hanging around here, I went and hung around backstage at UltraViolence. Lots of chatter about the return of Survivor… and I have some good news for you.”

“Good gravy,” remarks Randall, his eyes widened with a mix of surprise and glee. “They’re bringing back Tag Team Survivor. We’ve finally got a second chance to make a first impression!”

“Uh, no,” replies Khronos with a raised eyebrow. “This one is for a shot at the Universal Title… and Kenny is in.”

“Holy shit,” Kenny shouts, dropping his bingo card and dauber to the floor. “You mean to tell lme I’ve finally got a crack at the Universal Title!?”

“Well, you have to win Survivor first, but…”

“That’s fine,” Kenny says with a smirk. “I just have to outlast, outwist, and outplay the competition. At least, I think that’s the order we do this in.”

Before he can say anything more, the door bursts open as the imposing Jon Malakai enters the hall. The whole complexion of the situation changes as he looks around with a glare, a snarl forming as soon as he notices Kenny and his crew.

“Ah, hell,” Kenny mutters. “Looks like the first thing I gotta do is outrun this hoss.”

Jon lets out a guttural roar as he charges toward Kenny… who catches the big man with a drop toe hold, sending Malakai face first into one of the chairs! This gives the trio a chance to hightail it out of the building, the door closing behind them… only to open back up as Randall comes running back in. He is walking on very thin ice as he searches the pockets of Jon’s pants, finding a small wad of cash.

“Hot diggity dog, I’ve got me five bucks,” he says to himself, pocketing the cash before rushing out of the room once more. Malakai comes to quickly, realizing that his target has escaped his fury once again. He lets out said fury on some of the chairs, firmly scaring off the patrons of the hall as he storms out of the building. He looks to his left and his right, realizing the trio have managed to get out of line of sight before opting to pick a direction to make his own exit from the scene before the local authorities arrive.

Inside the vessel of Aeon Khronos, the Master of Time Itself sits with his Masters, the three watching their would-be attacker wandering the streets of Philadelphia. Malaki heads to the end of a block and turns the corner, allowing the trio to speak to each other in peace.

“What a close call,” Randall says, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “I dunno how he even found us.”

“Probably following me wherever I’m supposed to be competing,” replies Kenny with a sigh. “This is some bullshit, if you ask me. I’m not famous or rich enough to have a stalker.”

He turns his attention to Khronos, looking to focus on literally anything else at the moment as Randall quickly pulls his phone out to begin a text message.

“Alright, man. What do you know about the Survivor situation?”

“Well, I know there are three teams this time around,” Aeon replies. “Each of them with several names that you might find quite the challenge to come up against, both on your own team and on the opposing squads.”

“Just lay it out for me now, dawg,” Kenny says flatly. “Don’t keep me in suspense, I’ve had a very long day and I don’t need it dragged out any further.”

Aeon leans over, whispering some more of the particulars so as to not get Randall overly excited as the Entertainer looks up from his phone… but the news seems to just bum Kenny out at first, as he lets out a heavy sigh.

“Oh dear gawd,” Kenny finally adds, nearly exasperated. “They’ve got me on a team with Cancer Jiles of all people!?”

“Wait, does that make you a Red Bandit now too?” asks a very, very confused Randall, which garners a glare from both Aeon and Kenny that suggests he should forget he even asked. Kenny notices the text message on Randall’s phone, pointing to it.

“Who’s that from?”

“Oh, it’s from Ivan,” replies The Entertainer. “He wished you the best of luck in Survivor, and promised that the Red Army will have a chat before the competition gets firmly underway.”

“A pep talk?” asks Kenny, prompting a nod from his friend… and a light sigh from Freeman.

“And why are you so eager to help me out, anyway?” he asks Khronos. “Is a Kenny Freeman win at Survivor gonna help bring balance to the Multiverse, once and for all?”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Aeon shakes his head in response.

“That’s not what this is about at all,” he states. “This is about doing right by you for once. I brought you and Randall into my mess right as you were looking to win the first Survivor, if there’s any way I can be of assistance so you can WIN this one and finally achieve that dream you’ve been hanging onto for nearly four years… I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, Aeon,” Kenny replies with a smile. “That means a lot to me, all things considered.”

“Uh, Kenny,” states Randall. “Did Aeon tell you what the first challenge for Survivor is?”

Kenny shakes his head, with Khronos shrugging his shoulders as clearly the knowledge is new to him as well.

“It’s the Aggro Crag,” The Entertainer says, pulling up a picture of the challenge’s inspiration from the 1990s on his phone. “We’re talking snow, avalanches, flying nuclear crystals, the whole nine yards… well, twenty-eight to thirty feet depending on which Crag this one is based on, but you get the gist of it.”

“Oh my gawd,” Kenny remarks. “Is this challenge presented by Reebok or British Knight? I got special feet, the brand of what shoes I could win makes all the difference.”

This gets a look of confusion from both Randall and Aeon, garnering yet another sigh from Freeman in the process.

“Ugh, never mind,” Kenny adds. “This should still be a walk in the park for me though, right?”

Aeon just stares at him, unwilling to answer the question. This prompts Kenny to ask again, though this time he knows better than to actually get a response.

“Right?”

There we have it, Freebirds. The return of PRIME Survivor, and a full circle moment for your boy Kenny Freeman. The challenge that introduced the Masters of the Multiverse to this company has now afforded the Red Army’s junior member an opportunity to prove himself among all the big names in the ranks.

In a competition full of current and former champions, including men who have held the top title in PRIME itself, all vying for not only a shot at the Universal Title but a guaranteed spot in the main event of Colossus. Lotta weight to all that, and it’s a good thing I’ve been working out my shoulders a bit more leading up to our first challenge.

A member of the Red Army in every proverbial corner. I’m staring across the field from my Starshy Praporshchik in Ivan Stanislav and from the man calling himself the Red Bandit in Tony Gamble. And that’s before I really get into the situation with everyone ELSE in this competition.

A current Five Star Champion in Rob Williams, a relative rookie in Coltrane Andrerson, and some of the finest to step into the ring in the likes of Henry Keyes, The Anglo Luchador, Blaze Claymore aka Nathan Lake, and Kerry Kuroyama.

Hell, you’ve even got Cancer Jiles, Scott Hunter and Steve Lemieux in the mix. That’s a veritable who’s who of PRIME’s top talent… and then you’ve got Kenny Freeman. Ah hell, I know exactly what I am in all this… the underdoggiest of underdogs.

These are all killers, buzzsaws like I was stepping into a horror film. If this was a normal wrestling tournament I’d be fearing for my damn life. But this is Survivor, and that means a lot of moving parts… which may play into my hand in these early stages of the competition.

I still have the occasional nightmare about how Tag Team Survivor went. Facing a giant-ass boulder my first week, and being eliminated Week 2. That’s a bit of history I am looking NOT to repeat as we gear up for one hell of an endurance challenge in the Aggro by-gawd Crag.

That is one awesome rock, and you’d better believe I will do everything I can to conquer it… not only for the sake of Team Troy, but for the chance to not be one of the first competitors eliminated from the field.

As someone who grew up wishing he’d gotten to visit Universal Studios Orlando for a shot at fame, maybe a fancy pair of sneakers, and with any luck a trip to space camp, you’d better believe I’m locked the hell in on a chance to get one step closer to punching my ticket to the main event of Colossus.

Because that right there IS space camp for me… the chance to prove once and for all that I can hang with the biggest names in this business, get to the biggest show of the year, and try to win the biggest prize in the industry to cap off 2026.

Kenny Freeman has GUTS, and by gum I’m gonna prove it to everyone when we head to the PPG Paints Arena for ReVival 90 in what could well be the first step in my ascension to the cream of the crop in this company.

The question I have for the rest of the competition is… do ya have it?

07.07.26 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“How’s that for a confessional?”

Kenny turns to face away from the camera after ending his session, looking for feedback and advice from Randall. For his part, The Entertainer shrugs his shoulders before replying.

“Well, it was pretty solid,” he says, his voice wavering with uncertainty. “You had a lot of ground to cover and I respect that you did it, but man, it’s missing a bit of… I dunno, pizzazz?”

Kenny takes a moment to process what his friend has said, furrowing his brow upon realizing it’s not very helpful at all.

“Buddy, I’ll show YOU some pizzazz.”

“You’re gonna what, now?” Randall asks, making Freeman immediately regret making that remark as he shakes his head with a sigh.

“What are YOU doing here?”

The inquiry distracts the Masters from their little spat as they turn their attention to the source… and stare direckedly into the cool, sunglassed visage of one Cancer Jiles. Off in the distance we see Kerry Kuroyama, who takes one look at the confrontation and shakes his head before walking away, not quite willing or interested in getting involved. The question gets Kenny somewhat flustered as he tries to answer to the man he’s suffered defeat to.

“Well now, I’m on the team Jiles! I know it’s a shock to see lil ol’ Kenny Freeman is in Survivor amongst the likes of the Coolympian, but I have as much right as you to be h--”

“I know that, I wasn’t talking about you,” Jiles replies, pointing at The Entertainer with a smirk. “I was talking about your pal Landon, here.”

“How dare you,” Randall replies. “First of all, that’s not my name. Second…”

Kenny raises a hand, partly to cut his friend off and partly to reassure him.

“Entertainer, I got this.”

Kenny points at the former Universal Champion, a rare moment of bravery as he responds to his teammate’s question.

“Randall is my friend, my compadre… and with the Red Army split across all three teams, he’s got literally nowhere else to be during the duration of this competition. He’s been given strict orders to stay with me, as the Red Army base is undergoing renovations.”

“Not my problem,” Jiles says, shrugging his shoulders. “I can’t have Vickie, Ian, Bobby, Tony, Hessian, Coral, or even Doozer here… and rules are rules.”

That last bit comes with a sly smile, which only further ruffles the feathers of Freeman before Randall pulls a familiar slip of paper out from his pocket.

“Well, do any of them have this?” he asks, flaunting the pass in front of the Cool One. “Do any of them actually have a manager’s license to their name?”

Jiles takes one look at the paper, shifting his focus to Randall… as he yanks the pass out of The Entertainer’s hand. In one fell swoop, he rips the paper to pieces, allowing the remains to flitter on their way to the floor.

“What license?” he asks, motioning to someone on PRIME security for assistance. “Hey, we got a straggler over here that needs to be escorted away.”

“You son of a--” Randall’s response is cut off as the security guard pulls him by his arm toward the front door. “I know what your game is, you fiend! I’ll remember this the next time you need a favor! Don’t come knocking on MY door if you need help getting past these challenges!”

With that, the guard and Randall disappear from view as Jiles turns his attention back to Kenny, the smile never leaving his face. Kenny keeps his mouth shut, recalling some very general advice not to get too antagonistic with the rest of his team as the self-proclaimed Hardest Working Man in All of PRIME rests an assuring hand on Freeman’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got this all under control. I’VE got this all under control.”

Outside the team’s lodgings, Randall is brought toward the entrance gate. Panicked, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the money he took a couple weeks prior, putting it in front of the guard’s face with a frazzled look on his face.

“Aw, come on man,” he says, pointing to the money in his hand as if the guard doesn’t notice. “I’ve got five bucks for ya to let me stay the night at least, I need time to actually get a hotel room before ReVival.”

The guard says nothing, shaking his head as he points to the gate. Dejected, Randall pockets the cash and makes his way through the gate… when he suddenly remembers something he’s left behind.

“Hey wait, can I at least grab my stuff from--”

But the guard has already returned to the building, leaving The Entertainer’s question unanswered. He lets out a sigh before turning around… where he finds himself staring at the chest of Jon Malakai. Randall looks up at the behemoth, gulping some air as Malakai stares right back down at him.

“We need to talk,” Jon says, his gravelly voice further intimidating the much smaller Schwartz. “I’m not here to hurt you… you’re not even the man I want. I just want some information on Kenny Freeman.”

“I, I couldn’t…” Randall’s voice trails off as he looks back to the house, scared to reveal anything about his friend, least of all to a man that is actively pursuing him. Then, he notices something through the window, a view that sours his mood instantly.

The sight of Kenny actually talking to Cancer Jiles. Perhaps worse, the hand of Jiles upon Kenny’s shoulder raising a strange amount of jealousy from his Masters comrade. No doubt, the two are discussing plans to tackle the first challenge of Survivor… but somewhere in his mind, Randall gets a fearful thought. A dreadful thought, even.

He’s plotting to replace you. It’s all over for you, Randall.

Randall shakes the thought away, but the lingering anger at Kenny being buddy-buddy with Jiles gets the better of The Entertainer as he turns back to Malakai as he responds to the man’s question with a surprisingly flat, almost stoic tone of voice.

“What is it you wanna know?”