For most of 2001 OCW prospered. Thanks in large part to SiLVeRFReaK. You see, the Freaky One returned at the start of the year using the leverage he had from the OCW Title fuckery to work Dean into hiring his friend, Cheasy M as commissioner. This ensured someone with Freak’s values would have enough say to keep the company straight.
That year the company saw growth. New faces were pushed into prominent positions. The roster began to flourish. OCW was no longer some rogue promotion that intimidated most...it had, instead, evolved into the ideal promotion for all legitimate pro wrestlers.
But, despite all the good times, the curse lingered. While dormant, it continued to breathe and manifest negativity. Negativity that would turn the company upside down in the fall of 2001.
A man by the name of Josh Allen saw what OCW was becoming and eagerly jumped aboard in early 2001. Before long he would rattle off win after win, claiming the OCW LightWeight Championship. Fans around the world were purchasing his merchandise, chanting his name. The youngster seemed in position to become the next face of the company.
There was one problem. He was a public critic of the ‘old guard’. On several occasions he remarked about the shady way in which Dean made decisions and how OCW would falter without Cheasy M.
Comments that should have bounced right off Dean. I mean, Dean was making money off Allen, right? Well, chalk it up to ego. Chalk it up to the curse. Dean took Allen’s shots personally. Each one more personal than the last. And, despite the harmony, despite the success, Dean decided to publicly put Allen in his place.
September 2001
We are taken backstage on that fateful night. Derek Mobley is dressed for competition. Warrick leans against a wall, beer in hand. To remain loose, Mobley begins a routine of squats.
“Okay, you go out there and teach him to get in line. Remind him who runs this place,” Dean barks at Mobley. His eyes turn to Warrick, “And you...fuck’s sake. If you’re gonna drink all day go do it at a fuckin bar.”
Warrick rolls his eyes and exits. Derek finishes his squats and bounces around, rotating his neck, “Gotcha. After this I’ll be ready to join the roster?”
“Kid, after this you can face anyone you want on the roster.”
Dean and Derek exchange smiles. Then a hug. Mobley’s music hits and he heads outside to a huge ovation.
See, during the year, Mobley had established himself as one of the biggest stars in ICWF. A babyface the fans loved because he never, ever let them down.
“Allen’s up next,” a producer announces. Dean snorts and exits, refusing to stand in the same space as his LightWeight Champion.
And so the match went on. The fans were torn. They loved both competitors. It was an tremendous battle...until the end. Dean interfered, turning the tide in the match. Interference Mobley did not see take place. Mobley dragged Allen back into the ring, hit his finisher and went for the pin...but Scruff refused to count. Confused, Mobley questioned the referee’s motives.
This set the stage for Dean to send down OCW’s most notorious jobber, Scoot Time to cover Allen. Scruff hit the three count and Mobley was awarded the victory.
The fans booed. They threw trash into the ring. Mobley was stuck right in the middle of it. The upcoming hero, Josh Allen had been embarrassed due to the hubris of the boss.
The negativity spread backstage.
“The fuck was that?” Warrick yells at Dean.
“Business. Someday you’ll figure it out,” Dean responds.
Derek emerges, “Great job, kid you…”
Derek marches right past Dean, exiting with Warrick.
“Eh, he’ll get over it,” Dean murmurs.
Smith appears, “Dean.”
“Ahem.”
“MR Dean...we’ve got a situation. Most of the locker room is threatening to walk out. SiLVeRFReaK is leading the charge. They’ve had enough of the ‘old way’ they say.”
Dean folds his arms, “Pfft. They won’t leave. They never do.”
Smith isn’t so sure about that. “Oh and 2nd Smile has gone missing.”
“Who?”
“One of the, like, 50 rookies you signed over the summer.”
“Okay well if you find his body you know what to do.”
“Yessir, the basement.”
“And while you’re down there, lock Scoot Time up,” Dean pauses, hearing the boos. “I think the ‘likable job’ gimmick has probably run its course with him after tonight.”
“I’ll do what I must.”
Smith exits. Dean, in a hushed, anxious tone, keeps telling himself his roster won’t walk out. A massive shadow consumes him. He turns around and stares up at the cold eyes of one of those rookies he signed over the summer.
“Bifford.”
Bifford stares down at Dean. “You didn’t just hear what we were talking about, did you?” No reply from Bifford. “Okay, good. That’s good, sucka.”
He takes a few steps back from the massive human, “What did you think about what just happened out there?”
Bifford gives a slight shrug. It’s clear he couldn’t care less. Dean smiles. “That’s good. Real good. Tell ya what, Biff...can I call you Biff, sucka? Tell ya what. You keep that kind of attitude and you’re gonna do good here. Real good.”
Carefully, Dean gives Bifford a pat on his massive shoulder before sidestepping the mammoth sized man and heading back to his office.
Despite Dean’s confidence, the roster would in fact walk out. There was a major fracture in OCW that day. SiLVeRFReaK and Allen led their supporters to a new fed opened up by Arryk Rage. A fed built in the hopes of ending OCW.
Dean called Lurrr, Syren, and the rest of his crew back in to keep OCW going. In the end, OCW would win out and Allen would return, along with Freak but only with the promise that Cheasy M would have more say in the company should he return.
Good faith was lost that day. Faith among the new crop of talent that would never be restored and ultimately result in the creation of ‘Omega’ Championship Wrestling a few years later.
We cut away.
---
We are back in front of the haunted house. Cocco Ricci hangs his head, “The lives and careers of most meant nothing to Dean. One sacrifice here. Another sacrifice there. All in the name of avoiding the inevitable fact that OCW was corrupt. It was cursed.”
Ricci looks up. His face pale as before. His skin almost translucent, “Like every virus, this curse could only be curtailed for so long before the symptoms returned, wiping out all the progress made.”
“How long can a host prosper while dealing with such a curse? Well, not for much longer, as you’ll soon see. The end of OCW’s golden era was fast approaching and it would all come to a screeching halt very, very soon.”
In the background we see LCP step out of the mansion and stretch his arms and legs yawning. Behind him is the ghost of Scoot Time.
“I’m Cocco Ricci and we’ll be back soon as the truth of what lies within that house continues to be revealed.”
Cocco glitches. We cut away.
Monday Night Massacre
America, probably