Phoenix Rising: Proving Ground #126 Results

Selena Cruz def. Rin Ryusaki
Arthur Wright def. Markos Andreas
Stardust Roulette def. Les Beautes Blondes
Jazmin Reyes def. Marina Olesk
Ziggy Rockefeller def. Riccardo De Luca
The Yoshida Twins def. The Bryant Sisters
Angel Leblanc def. Fresh Suzuki and Sunanda to become the NEW Inspire Champion
Pyrohawk Grey def. Gary Gear to retain the Ascendant Championship
The Excellent Blades def. White Hot to retain the Proving Ground Tag Team Championships

The first thing we see is a monitor, playing a promo given by Eri Sentarl two years ago: March, 2022, just weeks after her return from injury, when she challenged the rest of her family in subsequent weeks, testing herself before diving back into the full-time position she’s been in ever since.

"I want to make it clear, before we go into this thing: I absolutely asked for this. Two out of three. One fall just wouldn't be enough for me to figure out where I stand... and I'm sure dad agrees with that. This sort of thing used to be his specialty, years ago, though it's kind of fallen to the wayside in Phoenix Rising... but here's the deal. Here's why I wanted this.

I don't want to face 'my dad' in that ring. That's not the purpose here. With everyone else it was... with mom, with little brother Kel, with little sister Kae. Not that I wasn't pushing myself in those matches. Not that they weren't pushing me, testing me in their own ways. But the thing is, there's a reason I call myself the Little Phoenix, and it's because of my dad... because of Firehawk Sentarl.

I don't want to be given any sort of special treatment out in that ring when we go out there. I don't want to feel like I'm being handed something, like I'm being helped along. I'm not saying he'd do that... but I want the best you've got. I want The Phoenix, if that makes sense... the man that would go out there, winning World Championships, raising hell, being the hero to a generation... the man that, when I was growing up, I thought was the toughest, strongest person in the world. For all I knew, you really were. And I still believe you can be. That you still are.

I wanted this match as a pure test of my own abilities. Pushing myself to see just how far I can really go now that I'm back and active again. But... it's not just about me. Not this time.

I want the world to see what we haven't seen since Phoenix Rising's early days. I want to see you push yourself, just as much as I'm going to push myself. I want, just this once, to face that man... that World Champion, that unstoppable hero, the legendary phoenix.

Otherwise... how can I ever live up to this name?"



Firehawk switches off the monitor, then turns to the camera, World Championship over his shoulder, a contemplative look on his face. “Two years, since we last faced each other. Two out of three falls, we went at it on that show. I won the first. You came back to win the second. Then we went to war, where you ultimately won the third. The moment I knew that you were back, you were ready, that no injury was going to keep you from pushing yourself to new heights. You became one-half of the tag team champions alongside your new ally, Chichi. Changed up your look, pushed yourself harder than ever, stood as tall as I’d ever seen. But I think you and I both sensed something… lacking. You didn’t just want to be a tag champ, in the end. You pulled off the one goal you’d sought, the one thing you hadn’t done, but you ached for another chance at the World Championship that had been ripped away from you.”

The champion paces back and forth slightly, one hand ever gripping the belt hanging across his shoulder, before finally, pulling it free and setting it down on a nearby table. “Two years is a long time. Enough for even a veteran like me to change. You and I don’t carry a lot of resemblance to who we were during that 2/3 falls match. We’ve both evolved. Improved. Pushed ourselves to new heights, higher than I think either of us could’ve anticipated. And now you’ve earned your shot at the top again. A chance to reclaim what you lost. All you’ve gotta do is beat your own father to do it.”

A deep breath… arms folded, a pose that’s becoming more familiar with each passing week. “The last time we faced each other, I thought I’d given you what you asked for. What you needed. Looking back: I did no such thing. You got the Firehawk Sentarl that had begun to doubt, whose conviction had started to falter. A man who was starting to think that maybe the end was near, that it might finally be time to walk away. Sure, I could still keep pace and put on some of the best damn matches anyone’s ever seen… but the results weren’t there. I wasn’t satisfied anymore. How could I be? I’d begun to feel like the world was slowly passing me by.

“Somewhere along the way, I realized… I’m not ending this with a whimper. I’m not walking away quietly. I found the spark again. Entered the Grand Ascension. Won the World Championship. And now… now, Eri, I can give you exactly what you wanted two years ago. You’ve always been my daughter, my successor, the future I’ve always dreamed of seeing. And if this were any other match, I might still be showing restraint, taking it easy, because you’ve always been… just that. My daughter, my little girl.

“But this is the World Championship. And this is a prize that demands nothing less than the best, every single time. No matter who’s standing across the ring. No matter what personal relationship is involved. No matter who stands in the way… you fight, with everything you are, with everything you have, to the very end.

“If this is where my run comes to an end, then you will have damn well earned it, kid. Before the match, we’ll hype each other up, and prepare for the match of a lifetime. After the match, we’ll shake hands, we’ll hug, we’ll be right back to father and daughter as we’ve ever been.

“But from bell-to-bell, that’s all forgotten in the moment. You want what I have. I don’t intend on letting go of it without a fight. So until the dust settles… we both give it our all. Fight… to the bitter end.”

Firehawk scoops up the championship, and gives a firm nod. “I won’t ask you, or demand of you, anything. Anything I might say… you’d already do regardless. So on Monday night… may the best Sentarl win.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about this. Seeing dad talk about it, hearing my own words from two years ago… god, I can hear my own voice shaking, how worried I was just to make a good impression that night. I wasn’t even counting on winning. I figured… put in a good showing, maybe sneak away with one fall, call it good. I’d already been around a few years, sure, but my confidence at that point, after getting hurt, after losing it all… I was shaken up. Scared of pushing myself any harder.

“You said it yourself. Two years is a long time. Los Locos, Chichi in particular, helped get me back on my feet when I wasn’t sure of myself. And it’s not to say that they’re the only ones who did that… Listalva was there, the family was there, but when it came to standing in the ring, Chichi had me soaring higher than ever. And to think, it was sheer luck that brought us together.

“The point I’m trying to make… is that you’re right. Neither of us is the same as we were the last time we faced each other. And for nearly two weeks now I’ve been thinking about it. Fighting for the World Championship again. Who or what am I fighting for? As a Sentarl? As a member of Los Locos? For the relationship I’ve built with Listalva?

“And what it really boiled down to, when I thought about it… it’s not that I don’t count all of those relationships as important. Every single one is important to me, more than anything I could dream of. But fighting for that particular prize… the Phoenix Rising World Championship… it’s my own personal journey. Something I can’t pull anyone else into. I win it by myself, for myself. After that… we fill in the blanks, yeah?

“You’ve already taken down two former World Champions in Avispa and Lance Marshall. I’ll be the third one you take on. And it’s my goal to be the one that knocks you down… to become the first-ever two-time World Champion across these six-and-a-half years of Phoenix Rising. You said it yourself… we give it our all. Well, I’m gonna come right out and say it, then…

“I think I’ve got more to give out there, old man. I’ve beaten you once. And you might be running on some serious ‘final boss’ vibes lately… but I’m gonna be the conquering hero. I was born ready for this. So just you wait.”

“Let me be perfectly clear: I do not believe anyone deserves to hear from me. But I will not have it be said that I am not a generous champion, truly a philanthropist at heart. You gaze upon your new Inspire Champion, and finally… finally, this division finds itself some class. Finally, it finds some prestige, as your championship now rests with me. Owner of ESTRELLA, Inspire Champion, founding member of Les Beautes Blondes… ahh, it is good to have my life, is it not?

“There is precious little to be said about it all. Fresh Suzuki was a fine champion, yes… but needed to be taught her place, in the end. And ah, dear Sunanda… your muscle will do nothing to avail you against my flawless technique. You do not have the experience, you do not have the will to take what’s now mine.

“And those are my words to the rest of this division. The Inspire Championship now stands at the very pinnacle of Proving Ground prestige. And if you truly believe you’re capable of taking this championship from my hands… non, non, you are delusional, and soon you will learn it firsthand.

“We shall see who the first in line is. But you will fall, as will every challenger that dares to come and face me. Until that time… adieu.”