[M-A-G]

Raw: October 1, 2040

We open with Lisa Benton addressing the audience from her office backstage. She understands the state of confusion that some of us may have had at the conclusion of last night's main event at Unforgiven but she promises that the state of the Unified World Title will be cleared up. Noah Carmichael, unfortunately, is not here but Salvatore Scabbia is and Lisa Benton expects him and Brooke to be out there later tonight so that the whole matter can be resolved. In the meantime, everyone watching should enjoy the show, especially the main event in which Wrakk will go one on one with the Intercontinental Champion, Seth Von Kamp.

It's time for another edition of the Hot Button with everyone's favorite host, The New Age Intellectual Savior to the Masses, The 2031 Fulton County First Place Conga Award Winner, The Luscious Lover and Undefeated Steel Cage Master and REAL 2040 King of the Ring, The Supreme Submission Machine, Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion-Elect, the Cruiserweight Champion Michael Hotbody! He wants to discuss the fact that despite what went down last night in his match, he's actually in a pretty good mood. For starters he's still the WWE Cruiserweight Champion despite all the low, underhanded tactics that have deployed by his various challengers. Second, he's proud to unveil a bit of merchandise that truly captures the essence of the tremendous roll that he's been on. Hotbody unzips his jacket and proceeds to remove it revealing a shirt that reads "EL DANDY FEARS HOTBODY". "As you can see this shirt is all about telling the truth. The harsh truth, just like I do every time I come out here. But it's time for the real reason to be happy and the reason I'm out here tonight. This is a very special edition of the Hot Button because I am going to interview the number one contender for my Cruiserweight Title right now! This has been something I've been looking forward to for a while and I'm excited. So without further ago, let's get down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Title.......NOBODY!!! HAHAH! That's right: NOBODY! Oh, please allow me to help you with your confusion. Yes, last night Ozzy Mandias's team was victorious when Jordan Demiras screwed Jimmy Farnes but as you will recall the stipulation laid out by Lisa Benton was that if OZZY MANDIAS was victorious, then Ozzy Mandias would get a shot at the title. Oh, you think I'm kidding? Let's roll the tape!"

We go to the big screen and it shows the moment from SmackDown! over a week ago where Lisa Benton stopped Ozzy from fighting with Hotbody. Indeed the clip shows the following bit of dialogue from Benton: "And to Michael's point, you kind of need to earn a shot at the Cruiserweight Title. So I'm going to make a bit of a compromise. At Unforgiven, Ozzy, you will lead a team composed of yourself, Eddy Clash, Jordan Demiras, and Martyn LaSalle against Michael Hotbody's team of Zed Jones and Galino & Farnes. And should you win, Ozzy, you will get your match against Michael Hotbody for the Cruiserweight Title!"

Back to Hotbody in the ring as he's giddy as a schoolgirl. "Well, there you have it. I didn't make the match so you can't blame me. Sad day for Ozzy as things just can't seem to go his way. On the bright side, El Dandy, if you're watching the door is wide open for you if you still think you're man enough! These shirts are going to sell like hotcakes and they'll be all over the place so there's no way you can ignore me forever!" During this spiel, Ozzy runs down and gets him some of Hotbody as he's evidently had enough of his nonsense. He DARES TO RIP THE SHIRT OFF!!! Hotbody goes to the eye to slow down the fury of Ozzy and takes the opportunity to bail.

First Match: Chris Collins vs. Raymond Delaney
Collins gets on the mic in a fury and addresses Alexander Piero. Collins was supposed to take care of Piero last night at Unforgiven but from what he understands Piero had to take care of some sort of emergency regarding Madison. That's just typical of a guy like Piero and proof of what Collins has been saying all along about him. Collins destroyed his own father to get the recognition and attention and reputation that he enjoys to this date. What's Piero going to do? He doesn't have that same killer instinct, that drive that's going to help him get one over the members of the cream of the crop. All Piero has is a "bye, golly!" attitude and a pair of puppy dog eyes for useless skirts like Madison! And if that's all he's going to bring to the table should he finally man up and face Collins, he's going to get torn apart. To the match itself, Collins indeed walks the walk and controls pretty well here. He gets a nice solid victory after hitting the Fall From Heaven. Afterwards Alexander Piero makes himself known by trying to get him some of Chris Collins! They brawl a bit outside of the ring and Collins, in desparation, shoves Piero over the announce table and he uses that to make his exit. ****1/2, 93% overall.

Second Match: WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Adam Hail and Simon Bennett vs. The Academy
Brooke is with the Academy and grabs the mic to address a few things. First and foremost, she tells Lisa Benton that there is only one method of recourse for her to follow and that is recognizing Salvatore Scabbia as the NEW Unified World Champion. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. She promises to be out here later with Scabbia for confirmation and to rub it in everyone's faces. Secondly, Brooke talks to the Academy and bares her soul to them. It took last night for her to finally come around to the epiphany that she may have been putting Randy and Justin on the backburner as far as priorities go. She should have been better than that and she understands any negative feelings the two of them may be harboring. It's just the prospect of finally managing a World Champion was such a huge opportunity that it became practically all-consuming. She doesn't think any less of The Academy. Hell, they've been her longest-running clients and they've been that way for a reason. She knows they can get the job done and they're going to prove it right now against these interlopers managed by a has-been that's trying to live vicariously through them. This could be the stepping stone leading to a magnificent picture of all of Brooke's clients wearing championship gold! Well, pretty words and all, and certainly The Academy are game and give the champions a good effort. However, fate has other plans for them. Ronnie Costello tries his hand at interfering but Justin Mitchell points behind him trying to warn Ronnie of Paul Andrews coming up behind him. It's enough chaos to allow Simon Bennett to lock in the Bennett Lock on Justin and that's enough for the submission. ****1/2, 90% overall.

Backstage, Nathan Quinn is with his team, The Perfections, and they want to address the Women's Tag Team Champions, the Lonely Girls. Indeed, Faith and Jenna are deserving of congratulations and all of that fun stuff but Leah and Bonnie here aren't about fun. They are about perfection. They are about finally putting Jenna and Faith in the lower recesses of our memories. They are about being the next WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. The Lonely Girls could only run for so long before their unfinished business caught up with them. And a word of warning to any other teams with any bright ideas to stand in the way of Leah and Bonnie: DON'T.

Third Match: Lonny Richards vs. Cameron Harper
Just a match to put Lonny over and to send a message regarding Nathan Quinn's managing capabilities. Lonny gets the submission win with the Dragon Sleeper. ****1/2, 92% overall.

More talk show time as we join Ziggy Styles as he's prepared to host Gettin' Ziggy With It. "What's this? TWO talk shows in one night? You people are all certainly lucky and that's why I'm expecting everyone in this arena, from the nosebleed section to the camera operators around ringside, to GET ZIGGY WITH IT! Now I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have something juicy to tackle. In fact, it's probably the juiciest bit of gossip going on in the locker room right now. If you would indulge me, please direct your attention to the big screen, and perhaps you can get a hint at what I'm talking about."

The screen shows still images from the closing moments of the Women's Tag Team Title match last night at Unforgiven. We see the accidental boot from Naomi that knocked down Eclypse, Faith hitting the Mirror's Edge on Eclypse, and finally the controversial moment where it looked like Naomi could have saved the match for her team but didn't make a move. We return to Ziggy in the ring as he continues. "Now, from the looks of things, it's been the hot rumor that there are some major problems in the camp of Eclypse and the Women's Champion, Naomi Bailey. Well, I'd like to give them the platform right here, right now, to clear the air and settle things. What exactly went down last night? Eclypse? Naomi? By all means, come on down and get Ziggy with all of us!"

A bit of time passes before the music of Naomi hits and both she and Eclypse come out looking disgusted. They join Ziggy in the ring and grab mics. Naomi goes first as she's all up in Ziggy's grill. "Boy, I don't know where you get off running that mouth and making demands and stirring the pot and all that jazz. You're barely a God damn blip on the radar so you need to watch yourself and whatever comes out of that piehole of yours. As far as last night goes, what can I say other than it speaks for itself?"

Eclypse speaks up in response to this and addresses Naomi. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means it's fairly obvious that I wasn't able to get back to the ring in time to save your ass again."

Eclypse is clearly taken back by that and fires back. "Save my ass? SAVE MY ASS? Quite frankly, it would've been the least you could've done for me after you got your wires crossed and kicked me in the face!"

"Hey, hey, I know I just said this to this little pile of nobody over here but I'll repeat it for you: watch your God damn mouth. Who do you think you're talking to? I am the Women's Champion! The Queen of Queens! I don't owe people explanations. I expect for anyone that's going to be beside me to be on my level and carry their weight. NO EXCEPTIONS! I would've thought that it'd be easy for a member of my own family but maybe I was wrong."

"No. I was wrong. This was all a big mistake. I knew I should've said no to you when this all started. I had one request and that was for you to not make me regret agreeing to team up with you. Well all I have is a big pile of regrets because I certainly don't have the tag team championship and I apparently don't have a partner." And with that Eclypse throws down her mic and takes her leave. Naomi is shocked at this and can only watch, jaw open, hands outstretched.

Fourth Match: Ryan Pattillo vs. Orlando Kincaid
Have to rebuild Pattillo somewhat. He had a bit of a rough night, as did his fellow Hunters, the Play Pals. He's not letting that, or my continued poor treatment of him, get him down as he works well with Kincaid here to deliver the goods. See what I mean about feeling bad for him. It's like he works harder just out of spite. Anyways, he manages to hit the Shutdown to score the pin. Afterwards, the Play Pals, well, I guess the former Play Pals, Gavin Jones and Michael Haywood saunter down and join Pattillo in the ring. Gavin takes a mic and addresses Pattillo. The unfortunate truth that everyone has to face is that last night at Unforgiven was the final time he and Michael can ever be partners. Michael and Gavin have been thinking it over long and hard and they've ultimately come to the conclusion that the two of them splitting would be the best lead-in to the Hunters just ending entirely. The three of them have been through so much, from the days when it was four of them with Jason Sorola, to WrestleMania 50 where everyone of them became a champion, to the roster split, and ultimately what went down last night. There's really no path forward as a group anymore and it's high time that the three of them just went their separate ways. Ryan Pattillo listens to all of this and takes it in with a solemn expression. He's almost in tears as he looks down, not wanting to look at Michael and Gavin in the eyes. Ultimately he takes the mic and addresses the two of them. It was a good ride, he supposes, but deep down he knew it eventually had to come to an end, one way or another. It's a shame Jason Sorola isn't here with them because it almost feels wrong to bring an end to this era without him. Ryan isn't as high on the idea as Gavin and Michael but there comes a time when the reality of a situation needs to be accepted. He'll miss this and he wishes everyone the best. Michael and Gavin thank him for the understanding and they thank the crowd and everyone at home watching for the amazing ride they've been on. The three men hug it out and take their leave waving to the crowd. *****, 94% overall.

In-Ring Super Special Talky Time, this time we've got Xavier Cross up to bat. What he just witnessed not that long ago between the former Hunters made him want to puke. No one cares about their little melodrama! They were stupid punks and quite frankly this is probably what they needed to give them a kick in the pants to start being adults. They can start being serious superstars, like Xavier Cross! Cross takes this business very seriously and he's a fountain of knowledge and maturity. Everyone should be looking up to him and following his example! But, no, what does Cross have to put up with? A bunch of smart-mouthed wet-behind-the-ears slouches who wouldn't know a legend if they got smacked upside the head by one. Well, Kyle Jacobs had his chance to sit under the learning tree as Cross's personal bitch but you know what? That's fine by Cross. He can continue to be a directionless moron for all Cross cares. He's used to it. In fact, Cross has it on good authority that there will be a crop of new talent appearing this Thursday on Superstars. Did any of them try to get a hold of Xavier Cross for guidance? Did they come to him and offer respect and gratitude? No! It's so typical but it doesn't matter. They can all either learn the business the easy way or the hard way by getting in Cross's face!

Cue Kyle Jacobs and he comes out to the ramp to address Cross. Cross tells Jacobs that there's no further business between the two of them. Jacobs can his win and go choke on it for all Cross cares. Jacobs claims that there's still a lot that the two of them need to take care of. He pulls out a document and identifies it as the contract that the two of them signed for their Unforgiven match, with the proper stipulation that Cross wanted added. Cross points out that it's of no consequence anymore. Jacobs counters that there are HUGE consequences because of the way the contract was written. See, it doesn't say should Xavier Cross win then Kyle becomes the personal servant of Cross. It states that the loser of the match must be the personal servant of the winner. And, well, seeing as how Jacobs won, it's quite plain to see that the two of them are far from being done with each other. Jacobs tells Cross not to worry as he's got a bunch of plans for tonight that don't really require assistance but he'll give Cross some time to look over the contract and see for himself. It'll be a good way to prepare for when he's really needed. With that Jacobs takes his leave as Cross is furious at this news.

Fifth Match: Wrakk vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Von Kamp
Seth looks a little worse for wear considering what he went through last night but he holds his own. Wrakk is relentless in his monstrous approach here. They end up outside and Wrakk looks to put Von Kamp through the announce table with a Demon Cross BUT THE LIGHTS GO OUT! What's going on? They eventually come back on AND HOLY SHIT IT'S HAVEN!!! He's standing right in front of a surprised Wrakk! Wrakk backs up into the ring in shock as Haven continues to stare him down. The ref counts Seth out but it's an afterthought at this point as Haven climbs into the ring and gets in Wrakk's face again. WE HAVE OURSELVES A BRAWL! Looks like Wrakk isn't done with Haven. *****, 95% overall.

FINAL SEGMENT: Brooke and Salvatore Scabbia make their way out to the ring in response to Lisa Benton's earlier decree. Scabbia is still holding the WWE Unified World Title belts. Brooke declares that as champion, Salvatore Scabbia is out here as a courtesy. Scabbia is proud of the fact that he is the man that broke the stranglehold that Noah Carmichael had on the title. All this year was just a series of everyone either wondering if Noah could hold onto the title or how soon could be get back to holding the title. Well, Scabbia is less than enthusiastic about the affairs of Noah Carmichael because this company doesn't revolve around Noah Carmichael. It revolves around the best and everyone is looking at the best, right here. 6'6", 290 lbs of pure championship manliness. Pure talent! Pure ruthlessness! And it's been that way for almost 3 years and now, finally, we can see the fruits of Scabbia's labors. He deserves to be in this spot and he dares anyone to tell him different!

Cue Lisa Benton who is apparently going to tell him different. She's got some of the goon squad with her as she enters the ring, all business, and addresses Scabbia and Brooke. She thanks the two of them for their response to her demands. She's going to get right to the chase and get the obvious out of the way. The WWE is NOT going to recognize the title change from last night! Scabbia and Brooke are OUTRAGED! Lisa continues by pointing out that championships can't changes hands in an unsanctioned match. Brooke points out that Carmichael agreed to the challenge that she and Scabbia laid out. Benton counters that it doesn't matter because he was in no position to offer such a stipulation. Scabbia is no more the champion than Brooke is and he is being ORDERED to surrender the belts RIGHT NOW. Brooke is furious and tells Lisa that there's no way that title is going back to Carmichael. Lisa says that Brooke brings up a good point. The fact of the matter is, Carmichael DID lose last night and from what she understands, his doctors aren't giving him a clean bill of health anytime soon so there's no guarantee that Carmichael would be able to fulfill his obligations as champion, and Lisa isn't looking forward to a repeat of the last month. So with that said, effective immediately, Lisa Benton is declaring the Unified World Title vacant, pending review as to how to proceed. Once again, Lisa asks Scabbia to hand over the belts. Scabbia is still rather angry and defiant BUT HERE COMES CARMICHAEL FROM BEHIND! He is here after all! He attacks Scabbia and we've got ourselves another brawl. Benton grabs the belts and tries to get the goon squad to stop the madness. We go off the air with more chaos!

Overall show rating: 89%