The death of Gavin Reed did not go unnoticed. I mean, it happened on television so I guess the previous sentence is stating the obvious. What I’m trying to say is this was one casual murder Dean wouldn’t completely slip away from.
At the mercy of financiers, Dean was served a suspension. While they couldn’t prove he was behind the casual murder of Gavin, they could all agree that Reed’s death was negligence. Negligence of the highest order...or something.
Dean packed his bags. As did Syren. As did Bifford. As did Lurrr. As did all of his machiavellian mascots that plagued OCW with more massacre than mayhem.
Treat Cassidy was brought in to oversee OCW while Dean served his suspension. And, under his watch, a new wave of talent emerged. Mack O’Connor. MJ Bell. Danny B. PerZag. A new era seemed destined to carry OCW to new heights.
Treat commissioned two new titles. The TransAtlantic Title. And, a brand new OCW Title to hand over to the winner of a fatal four way featuring the four regional champions. A move that made all the sense in the world.
At Genesis (because every fed has to name their new era PPV fuckin Genesis) MJ Bell would defeat three of OCW’s top rising stars and become the first OCW Champion of the modern era.
OCW was riding high.
September 2014
Silence for just a second.
“What’s up, sucka.”
“Dean…”
“That’s right.”
“You’re still suspended, right?”
“Got one week left. Then I’m back.”
“Well, we look forward to…”
“Shut up. I’ve been watching what you’ve done to my promotion. To my OCW. A TransAtlantic Title? Ana Archia as a champion? MJ Bell has the OCW Title. Where did you even find that title, anyway?”
“The old title is lost. We just decided…”
“Without consulting me, sucka. You’re gonna learn you don’t do that shit around here.”
“Listen, things have changed. People are happy. Why don’t we get off the air and talk things over like two mature…”
“Nah. I’ll be back in one week and I’m going to undo all this stupid shit you plugged into this place. You’re turning it into Boardwalk Lite. It’s fuckin disgusting.”
“Now, hold on…”
“Check the website, sucka.”
And, in that moment, Treat Cassidy along with the rest of the roster went to the home page of OCW and found an ominous ‘Dean Clock’ featuring a 7 day countdown. Time ticking. OCW on the precipice of being hurled back to its old ways.
“Dean, man, you don’t know what you’re doing. This is going to…”
“If anybody doesn’t like it, they can get the fuck out.”
The line goes dead.
“Hello? Dean??”
Panic set in. Within 24 hours over half the roster resigned. Treat Cassidy gave up his spot as GM. OCW was left out at sea without a captain for the remaining week. All the goodwill undone.
Dean would go on to defend his position saying it was merely an angle. That it was there to ‘blur’ lines and create some chaos to enhance the product. But, nobody bought it.
OCW and it’s owner were on the thinnest sheet of ice.
2014 ended with Mack O’Connor as OCW champion as Dean sought to lean more into the few remaining ‘new faces’ Treat had relied upon. A last ditch effort to keep the investors happy. To keep OCW within his control.
To his credit, 2015 looked to be the first real sign of change under Dean’s management. A main event scene of Mack O’Connor, Chad Vargas, Bob Grenier, and PerZag. Four fresh faces the fans were invested in.
Awe.Some had joined the ranks and taken over the tag team division. The most exciting rookies OCW had seen in years.
But real change, true growth takes time. It takes patience. Dean was never known to be a patient man.
A few months into 2015 Dean re-signed Lurrr. He re-signed Syren. And, he re-signed Bifford.
Lurrr mocked the main event talent.
Syren jizzed all over his contract and paraded it around for the fans to see.
Bifford harassed, bullied, and embarrassed Dangerous Dan, a real fan favorite.
By March, it was clear OCW was headed down the same path as always. And that’s when Dean received the call.
April 26th, 2015
Smith enters Dean’s office. “Dean!”
Dean’s face stares down at his desktop. His head turns up, his red tinted, sad eyes finding Smith.
“Oh, dang, sorry, I meant…”
“Dean is fine, sucka.”
Immediately Smith becomes bothered, “Are you...okay, sir?”
“I’ve lost it. I’ve lost OCW.”
“Say that again?”
“Jimmy. The investors. They’ve pulled it from me. Lack of institutional control. Too many lawsuits. Stagnation. And..." Dean's eyes meet Smith's.
"Casual Murder"
"Yep, Caaaasual Murder." Dean sighs and manages to produce a slight smile, enjoying riding the same wave length as Smith, if only for a brief second. The melancholy comes rushing back.
"They don’t believe this company can move forward with me in charge.”
Smith sighs, “I’m so sorry, sir.”
Dean nods.
The crowd outside Dean’s office goes wild as both men turn toward the TV mounted on the wall. Bob Grenier is celebrating in the ring to close out the show as OCW Champion.
“I’m happy for that dude,” Dean smiles, “he’s OCW through and through. He’ll make a great champion for whoever runs this place next.”
With that, Dean stands. Smith reaches out, “Are you sure we can’t do something. Rally the troops one last time? There’s got to be another loophole...another ace up your sleeve. This can’t be the end, Mr. Dean.”
“Everything ends, sucka,” he looks around the office, “truth be told, this should’ve happened a long time ago.” Dean reaches into his pocket and grabs his keys, handing them to Smith.
Smith takes the keys and looks up, his eyes a little glassy, “It’s been an honor, sir.”
A smile crosses Dean’s face as he heads for the door. He pauses, “There is one last thing, sucka.”
“Oh no.”
“The office in Little Rock. And…”
“The Basement.”
“That’s right, sucka. We can’t let what’s in there ever get out. You’ll need to keep it secret. You’ll need to take care of it.”
“How?”
“You’ll figure it out.”
And with that, Dean makes his final OCW exit.
The end had finally come for President Dean. OCW would shut its doors for the remainder of 2015 as ownership conducted a nationwide search for the next face to run the company. The man that would bring OCW into the new era. Elevate OCW from antiquity into modernity.
That man would be none other than Marcus Welsh.
---
We open back up at the haunted house. Lord Allton’s car sets outside, still running. The front door remains open. Jack Puffer casually scrolls on screen. He has a prop cigarette in his mouth, taking imaginary hits.
“You hate to see a legend overstay their welcome. But, that’s exactly what Dean did. The antics of Syren, Bifford, and Lurrr might have worked in the early 2000s but they had no place in modern wrestling. So, a man with a more advanced mind was sought to completely overhaul the company.”
Behind Puffer, Lord Allton emerges. A look of unease plagues his face.
“Ownership would conduct a massive search that would last over a year. And, in mid 2016 the announcement that an unknown to the world of pro wrestling, Marcus Welsh would take over control of OCW was made. OCW would return at the start of 2017.”
Allton takes one last gander at the home before turning and heading back to his car, stepping into the backseat and being driven away.
“And while ‘casual murder’ wouldn’t run rampant in Welsh’s OCW, there were plenty of other despicable acts perpetrated during his reign. But, we’ll get into those next time.”
With Allton gone, a figure emerges in the opened front doorway. It’s LC Pinkston. He looks like he just woke up, yawning and stretching. He scratches the back of his head and looks at the opened entryway.
“And what became of the old OCW office in Little Rock? Would Smith tell Welsh about the dreaded ‘basement’?”
Puffer smiles, leaving us on a cliffhanger as LCP stares at the opened entryway. He’s unsure how the door opened. He’s confident he shut it. We zoom in as he grabs the knob and says, “This place is fuckin weird.”
He pulls the door shut.
We cut to black.
Treat Cassidy Radio Show
“Welcome back to the Treat Cassidy Radio show! Let’s take some calls. Hey Caller, we’re talking the new OCW era...what’s on your mind?”
Hood Rich
Compton, California
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