Phoenix Rising: Grand Ascension VI Finals Night Results

Priya Mallaya def. Kaelara Sentarl
Winifred Wright and Telan Kintelas def. The Rising Storm
Hugo Dirksen def. Akira Ryusaki
Anari Lynn Heyward def. Sanya Markov
The Limbtakers def. The SFG
Rilantha De Nav def. Kojiro Burai
Listalva Anne Heyward def. Alexandria Kirison
The Lightning Cyclones def. Pure Gold
Silver Hawk def. Titania, this was NON-TITLE

Emma Travers def. Lexi Dawson
Laura Tate and Big Dom Stanton def. Vanessa Saunders and Helena Lundgren
Ryan Donovan def. Diosa Syringa
Allison Avery def. Ian Robinson
Tina Remington and Natasha Clover def. American Apex
Carmen Latour def. Sung Moon
Lance Marshall def. Nathan Haines
The Cuddley Sistaz def. Wild Arms to retain the Trios Championships
Riley Montgomery def. Todd Colton to become the NEW Heart of Texas Champion
Bonus: Jazmin Reyes (debuting) def. Brianna Tierney

"Another challenger stepped up, another one knocked down. Boy, I've been pretty scarce as of late, haven't I? Pretty quiet? Well, it's not 'cause I've got nothing to say. I've had plenty on my mind, Phoenix Rising, and I've just been waiting for the right time to say it."

"It's been a year, a full year, that I've had this belt, and let's list off the accomplishments. Candace Monroe, done. Layla Al-Amin, done. Veronika Armstrong from Evergreen, done. Black Dragon, done. Kileas Kintelas, done. Queen Anne herself... done! I'm the best high flyer, I'm the best technician, the best submission expert, the best knockdown drag-out fighter there is here. Kileas calls himself the 'Alpha?' What kinda Alpha has to spend the rest of the year sitting at home with a bad leg and a bad back 'cause he couldn't gut it out and handle one of my submission llaves? No, no, there's only one Alpha here in this company, and you're looking at him. There's one living legend here, and it's me. There's one person who has the right to be put next to Black Dragon as the most dominant champion of all time, and it's me. Hell, if you want me to be, there's only one real Villain here... And, well, do I have to repeat myself? None of that's changing, not now and not any time soon. If you haven't gotten used to seeing this gold on my shoulder, around my waist, then you really need to get with the program."

"What? You want me to be humble about my accolades? You want me to look at the people saying, 'He's one of the GOATs' and go, 'Aww shucks guys, I'm not that special, you should be talking about the real legends here?' To hell with that. What you're looking at right now," he says as he flashes his world title, "is the apex of Phoenix Rising, the pinnacle... the Tip-Top, to steal the name of everyone's favorite band of brothers in Evergreen for a second. No matter where I fight, I'm always fighting on an elite level. I am the game-changer for whatever team I'm on. The Dynawasps? If you threw anyone other than me in that team with Blake Dynamite, it wouldn't be a tag title caliber team. Sad to say it, but it's true. You could put me in a team with a choke artist like anyone in Pure Gold, and I'll make them look like a million dollar franchise player. And that's how it's been for six years straight, ever since I knocked some sense into the boss-man's son. No matter where I go, all eyes are on me."

"And that's... that's where we get to the crux of things, huh? Nah, this isn't about Blake, or Jessika, or anyone else who's been my sidekick over the years. No, it's about this company, and it's about you -- Firehawk Sentarl," he says with the faintest bit of a sneer in his voice. "Boy, it must suck that I took out your eternal rival, huh? Made it look so easy. Have you been making phone calls to see how he's doing? Sending his family flowers? Maybe a 'Get Well Soon' card? Mm. Well, you wanted the best back then, when you signed me on to come here, and you got the best. You got more than you ever asked for outta me. 3 years ago, in the middle of everything, I even went out there and acted like your personal White Knight in Texas, tried to put Lance Marshall on the shelf, just for you. Nah, no more of that. See, I've been patient, I've been the good boy for long enough. The eyes of the world are on this company because of me, boss man, not you. You'd do good for yourself to remember that I'm a great white shark in your koi pond. I can see the look in your eyes, that spark of thinking, 'Do I still got it? Can I have one last run with the belt?' Don't even try it. You may be my boss, but don't think for a second that you won't end up sitting around in your home in Washington for god knows how long with a busted up leg and bad back like the so-called 'Alpha Villain' if you try me."

"So... are we cool? Or, is this going to have to get ugly...?"

“So. Here we are. The shoe finally drops, and I’m sure people have been anticipating a statement in response to Mascara Avispa… our World Champion. Wanting to hear what the boss has to say. Especially given I was called out by name. So let’s start at the top, shall we?

By now you already know the plan. I’m entering the Grand Ascension again this year. How could I not, after reaching the semifinals last year? A disappointing result, looking back… sure, Veronika Armstrong is a hell of a warrior out there. But one year later, with everything looking the same, and I think on it, about how little I’ve been in the ring in 2023… with all the technical issues, the scrambling to figure out where things are headed next… well, to say this year’s been easy would be a blatant lie, and you all know it.

But the show goes on.

Avispa, you’re guaranteed one championship defense at the Ascension: the finals night, just like last year. Your first defense, as I recall… taking down the Cairo Cyclone and starting the road to where we are now. Your opponent for that match will be someone you know very, very well… just not as an opponent.

At the Grand Ascension, you, Mascara Avispa, will defend the Phoenix Rising World Championship against Blake Dynamite.

Now, after all, that shouldn’t be a problem for you, right? If you’re that much better than he is… that you’re the one who carried him to the accolades that the Dynawasps attained, then defending the World Championship should be simple. And if you do make that defense, then the road winds forward on through the end of the year.

If Silver Hawk successfully makes his next two defenses of the Pacific Northwest Championship, then he will have earned the right to face the World Champion after the Ascension wraps up. A wildcard, a chance to step up to the biggest stage of his career, if he can get through his next two challengers: Sanya Markov, and Priya Mallaya.

Otherwise… the Grand Ascension will crown your challenger for the main event of New Year’s Bash. The final obstacle standing in the way of you holding the championship for the entirety of 2023. The final hurdle!

And no matter what you think, no matter what warnings you give me, I will be fighting with every… single… shred of what I am to make sure that when the dust settles, I will be the one standing across the ring from you, seeking that World Championship.

Because I’m through playing nice. I’m through showing restraint. I’m through stepping aside to give everyone else their chance.

Six years I’ve run Phoenix Rising, now. Six years of standing on the outside looking in, building up stars, big names, acting as the gatekeeper to see who’s ready for the big time. Never quite reaching the big prize.

You’ve been the champ for over a full year, now. You’ve looked unstoppable. Even invincible at times. The closest anyone’s come to beating you was just this past Showdown, when Queen Anne pushed your limits and showed that while she wasn’t quite there yet… you’re mortal.

So let me remind you of this simple fact, Avispa.

No king rules forever.

So if you’re still champion while I go out to win the Grand Ascension final… because, mark my words, I don’t just intend to win, I will win…

You’re going to learn exactly what’s kept me in the game for so damn long.”

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR SAVIORS HAVE ARRIVED!” The loud, obnoxiously bombastic voice of Vincent Sheridan boomed out almost immediately, the brothers swaggering into view, with Vincent already wearing his trademark smirk. “Saviors from the boring, the dull, the painfully lame, all thanks to one man…”

“And what man might that be, exactly, I hear you asking…” Zack held a hand up to his ear, giving a short laugh that went a long way towards making him look that more punchable. “No, it’s not the bossman, no no no. You already know the answer, it’s-”

“THE living legend, THE World Champion, THE LEGENDARY HORNET, SOME CALL HIM THE HIVAL CHIEF-”

“Nobody calls him that.”

“THEY SHOULD”

“Shut up, Vin.” Zack ran a hand through his hair, looking like he was beginning to regret this, even if only a little bit. “Point is, it’s Mascara Avispa himself. Because what does one do when they want the best of the best? They call on the best… damn… tag team… walking the face of the earth. And bonus points: we get to walk away from that hole that is Evergreen, no more disrespect, no more getting thrown into garbage matchups, we get to be somewhere where we don’t just get to show off, we get to thrive, baby.”

“So, hey, lemme drop in with some words for the bossman since we brought him up… you’re not gonna do anything stupid like disrespect us, yeah? Especially not since we’re coming in on Avispa’s… big recommendation…”

“Basically, Firehawk, best for everyone involved if you and yours stay the hell out of our way. You wanna win the Grand Ascension, be my guest, but if you’re going up against Avispa, then it’s gonna be the job of Vin and I to make your life a living hell the rest of the year. Oh, and one more thing before we go-”

“BLAKE, YOU LI’L SHIT. Here’s what’s gonna happen, we all know it, we all see it coming: Avispa’s gonna kick your ass, little black sheep of the family, and after that’s done, you’re gonna have a little talk with your little bros.”

“And if you got a problem with that…” Zack leaned close to the camera. “Then you’re gonna get a nasty reminder that we’re… fuckin’… better than you.”

“Man I can’t wait to kick that old bastard’s head off, you think we’ll get the chance before the Ascension?”

“You keep talking shit like that and we’re not gonna make it to the damn Ascension, you idiot…” Zack rolled his eyes… and switched off the camera.

"Oh, so we have my next title shot lined now, huh? Me and Blake Dynamite, the Dynawasps EXPLODE. The match that people've wanted to see for a couple years now. Blake Dynamite might think he knows me - after all, we were the world-beaters, the Dynawasps, right? Nah. He only knows what I allowed him to know. At the end of the day, we might have shared the same locker room, the fans might have even thought of us as brothers from different mothers, but... well, I saw how what Blake Dynamite is really like, I've seen how he treated his real family, and I gotta say, that kinda changed things between the two of us to being just about business."

"And after all, that's what wrestling is, right? It's just a business, like any other. It's why I have bossman Firehawk Sentarl bent over a proverbial barrel, because I can always just say, 'Hey, nice contract, but I'm gonna hit da bricks, sit at home and ride out your non-complete clause' ... But I won't. I'm a real champion, after all, not like some of the former holders of this belt. But getting back to business: You wanna know why I gave the nod to the Zack Attack and the Human Highlight Reel himself, Vincent Sheridan? It's because they've been overlooked by this business. And for what? Because they have an attitude? Because they think they're better than the average tag team and can prove it? Because they are too young to be at the level they've been at? The idiot garbage wrestling peddlers at Evergreen kept handing them cans of dog food on a plate and calling it prime rib, and unlike that bunch of morons who've taken so many chairs to the head that they can't draw a clock on a piece of paper, I can see the potential in these two. They're primed and ready to skyrocket to the apex of tag team wrestling, just like yours truly is at the apex of singles wrestling, so why wouldn't I want to create an airtight alliance between the three of us? Give us time and we'll have more gold than the U.S. mint, whether it's here or anywhere else."

"And, well, there's also the psychological aspect of it, because I know how much it galls the big boy of the family that his little bros have been given the potential to change this business, the big shot that he never had while playing second banana to the World Champion... But that's just an added perk of it all. These two are gonna have plenty to say about the kind of big bro you are, Blake, and the fans, oh, they ain't gonna like it."

"And now, on to you... bossman. Boy, way to show your true colors, huh? About to hit the big five-oh, and all, and now you're deciding to go, 'Sitting backstage's not gonna work for me, brother! I'm through giving everyone else a chance!' Hah. All you wrestlers turned promoters are the same, aren't you. Sorry to be going into the inside baseball of how the wrestling world works, kiddoes, but that's how it's been world-wide for decades. The big men who built their houses and figure that they are entitled to their gold watch title run just 'cause they're about to start getting letters in the mail from AARP. I saw it as a young boy in Mexico, making the trek by Greyhound bus across the border every weekend. I saw it working for enough money to fill up my car's gas tank and grab an Extra Value Meal, before Phoenix Rising came knocking at my door, and now I see it here, too. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, or so they say."

"Y'know, a year or two ago, I figured you might be different for a while there, Firehawk. Hell, when Lance Marshall took your belt and disgraced it by slapping on some new name for it, I fought for your sake to bring it back home, even discarded my mask, discarded my honor, to fight as myself, the real me, for your sake. But no, in the end, you're just another bitter old man who can't help but stick his overgrown nose where it doesn't belong! Just like the rest of them! All the younger guys have to step aside for you now, huh? Is that how it is? Piss off. I hope your murderer's row of wrestlers in the Grand Ascension put you back in your place, old man. But if they don't, and you actually do earn your title shot against me - and believe me, it will be against me, not Blake Dynamite, not Silver Hawk - I'm gonna make sure you have no choice but to cash out your pension and call it a career... Just like I did to your old rival. You're tired of playing around, Firehawk? Well, so am I."