2004-2005
Okay so hang with me here. A LOT went down during the brief year plus when Dean reclaimed OCW and tried to bring it back to it’s place of prominence in pro wrestling.
It started off promising. Much of the younger talent that despised Dean agreed to return since Andy Murray was announced as co-owner. The dreaded ‘old guard’ was nowhere to be found. Dean also went out and recruited a dozen rookies to fill out the rest of the roster.
The return felt like a project built upon the will of those with the desire to see others succeed. And while, on the surface, that might have been true...underneath the curse lingered.
But, the promotion chugged along. Jin Royale became OCW Champion. Jack Sullivan returned as a major player. Annie Alvarez was stealing hearts. It was good times.
Until a coup behind the scenes took place and Dean managed to shove Andy Murray out of the owner’s box. A silent move nobody saw coming. Andy was out. Dean was back in full control.
Progress turned to chaos. Several rookie wrestlers would go missing. And by missing we mean dead. They would go dead.
“Who, sucka?” Dean, confused as hell, looks down at Smith for clarification.
“Oratonic. He was found dead backstage.”
“Probably hopped up on drugs. Never cared for him or the name, sucka. You know what to do.”
“Yes...sir...I mean, MR. Dean. The basement.”
One murder might be enough, right? Well, this is OCW we’re talking about and it ain’t called casual murder for nothing.
“Say that again, sucka?” Dean, holding a booking sheet that shows Lurrr as the future world champion, leans in, seeking answers from Smith.
“Spectre. The mysterious rookie. He was found mysteriously dead backstage.”
“Another one? Fuck. What kind of drugs are they dealing these days?”
“His throat was slashed open.”
“Cocaine is a hell of a drug. Alright, sucka. You know what to do.”
“Yes MR Dean...the basement.”
Two murders is all, though...right? We know it’s casual murder but surely shit wasn't THAT casual in OCW...RIGHT?
“MR Dean!”
“Yooo sucka, what’s happening? Want some of this new energy drink called the Deano Extreme-o?”
“No thanks. I’m here with bad news, unfortunately.”
Dean takes a sip of his drink and tries hard not to gag. His eyes never leave Smith.
“We have another death backstage.”
“Shit.”
“Twiztid-”
Dean’s eyes bulge, “Somebody finally killed Arryk Rage? YES!”
“Z.”
“Oh…” Dean’s disappointment is only subdued by his confusion, “the fuck is that again, sucka?”
“Another rookie.”
“Oratonic. Spectre. Twiztid Z. Who the fuck approved these stupid ass fuckin names, sucka?”
Dean and Smith exchange a look. The answer to Dean’s question is better left unsaid.
“To the basement?”
“TO THE BASEMENT!”
Smith sighs and walks off. The weight of all this taking its toll.
The murders caused anxiety in the locker room. Someone in the company was targeting and killing rookies. But who? As you might imagine, this put a terrible freeze on the hiring process. Without any fresh blood, sorry for the pun, President Dean knew he had to act.
He turned toward a man who had become one of his most trusted sources for information. The Big Bifford. Bifford’s rise to prominence came as a surprise to everyone. His flippancy and, at times, glee in the weird, almost self destructive machinations of Dean turned him into someone Dean could rely upon.
Very few people liked Bifford. But, when one of the few is the boss, you’re gonna be taken care of. So, when the three rookies were brutally murdered backstage, Dean went to a man he could trust. A man of strong character. He went to Bifford to help him solve the case.
Bifford recommended an unknown investigator. An investigator Bifford swore would be the one to solve the case. Bifford recommended Cocco Ricci.
And, so, Ricci began investigating the case.
All the tumult combined with some strange booking decisions led to OCW having to go on hiatus for a few months while Ricci located and eliminated the murderer from the OCW locker room.
“It’s just for a few months, sucka,” Dean announces to an audibly disappointed locker room. “Look, I know you guys wanna keep repping that OCW red and black and you will...just not until we get rid of this murderer.”
“We’re not upset about the hiatus,” a voice shouts out, “We’re still pissed you put the OCW Title on Top Dog!”
“Yea, what the fuck, Dean?” another voice blurts out.
“Look, his name is TOP DOG and...ya know what, suckas? I ain’t gotta explain myself to you...see you all in a few months!”
Dean storms off leaving a disgruntled locker room behind.
A few months turned into several. People began to wonder if Cocco Ricci knew what he was doing. Then, word started to break.
Cocco Ricci had found the murderer.
OCW’s reopening was announced and the murderer’s identity was to be revealed. Sinful Nature IV was set up to be the biggest event in OCW’s history. Every title on the line. Every major star from the past returning.
It would be the night that was meant to finally break the curse.
Hell, they even manged to sign PIC to the roster.
Sinful Nature IV aired to the largest audience in OCW history. A sold out stadium. Fans spent hundreds of dollars on tickets, eager to see which of the legendary OCW stars would claim the OCW Title. And, more importantly, who would be revealed as the murderer.
The fans were forced to wait until the end of the show for both. And, well, when they got what they’d been eager to receive they were less than impressed.
Dean covers his ears as the backstage vibrates from all the booing inside the arena.
“MR DEAN!!!”
“WHAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU, SUCKA!!”
Smith gets on his tip toes as Dean leans down.
“THESE FANS ARE FURIOUS OVER YOUR DECISION TO PUT THE OCW TITLE BACK ON SYREN!”
We get a shot of Syren standing tall in the ring with the OCW Title in his hands. Paul Paras exits, the man no longer has it in him to be angry. He's simply disappointed at this stage. Syren proceeds to pull his dick out and piss all over the mat. The boos only increase.
“BUT HE’S THE GREATEST STAR IN COMPANY HISTORY, SUCKA!”
“DEBATABLE!”
Dean doesn’t quite hear Smith’s retort.
“ANYWAY, THEY’RE ALSO FURIOUS OVER THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT COCCO RICCI WAS MURDERED. THEY FEEL IT WAS A BAIT AND SWITCH!”
“YEA? WELL IMAGINE HOW COCCO RICCI’S FAMILY FEELS!”
“I’D RATHER NOT!”
“ANYWAY GO GET HIS BODY!”
“TO THE BASEMENT?”
“TO THE MOTHER FUCKIN BASEMENT, SUCKA!”
That’s right. Cocco Ricci was murdered before he had a chance to reveal who the REAL murderer was. And, not only that, Scott Syren was, once again, pushed ahead of everyone else and given the OCW Title.
The OCW rebirth was on its last legs. Nobody wanted to work in a promotion with a roaming murderer or, worse, Scott Syren as champion. So the numbers began to dwindle.
Dean grew desperate.
SiLVeRFReaK did his best to get things back on track.
It all led to the final night in this version of OCW’s history.
Bifford promised an end to the murder investigation. With Cocco Ricci out of the way, Bifford took the lead and he’d found the man responsible.
The investigation began immediately after the very appropriate line from Smith, “SCOTT SYREN IS DESTROYING OCW!!!”
Bifford confronted The Toothfairy. The Toothfairy, you see, had been a pro wrestler signed under the OCW banner for nearly a year. He’d won a few titles. Nearly won the Last Man Standing tournament. A solid upper mid-carder whose career had started to flounder.
The Toothfairy was sent to the ring where he confessed to killing Oratonic, Spectre, and Twiztid Z. As evidence, he revealed possession of their teeth.
But what was his motivation? A match against OCW’s hero. The one man that did everything he could to keep the promotion on track. Toothfairy wanted a match against SiLVeRFReaK.
Enraged, SiLVeRFReaK appeared on the OCWTron and accepted the challenge. He signed the contract.
With the ink dry, The Toothfairy’s demeanor changed. His head became heavy and turned toward the ground. He revealed he wasn’t the real murderer and that he’d been set up. Set up by…
The lights went out.
When they returned The Toothfairy was laying, dead in the ring. Standing over the slain Toothfairy was the unmistakable visage of The Big Bifford. In his hand was the contract for a match against SiLVeRFReaK.
Massacre went off the air.
OCW fell into a long, long coma.
---
“You see,” we cut to a shot of Cocco Ricci pacing in front of the haunted house, “Bifford had set us all up. Me, Dean, and SiLVeRFReaK. He blackmailed the innocent Toothfairy before murdering him to get what he wanted.”
We get a shot of The Toothfairy’s sad, depressed body facing out an upstairs window.
“Dean put Bifford into power because Bifford was okay with Dean’s reckless decisions. In doing so, Dean not only allowed the curse to live, he fed it. He chose treachery over valiance. Every step of the way, when faced with the option to course correct, he refused. And, so, by the end of 2005 OCW lay dormant. A once proud promotion now most famous for being a stain on the proud sport of professional wrestling.”
The Toothfairy slowly raises his hand and drops a bunch of loose teeth from his grip, to the ground.
“OCW would sleep for nearly decade before returning to the spotlight. But, would things change? Would the years enlighten Dean and teach him the right way to do things instead of the wrong one? That’s a story for another time.”
Cocco Ricci’s image glitches. It statics more than ever before. Bit by bit it begins to blow away until his entire aura drifts back and into the haunted mansion.
We cut away.
Various Dates
Various locations, OBVIOUSLY