Multivania IV, Day 1: Flashbang

Semi-ironically taking place on a Saturday, the Friday Night Flashbang half of Multivania IV started off the show with special guest C-Minus commentating alongside show regulars Hey Mr. Rabbit and Eric Genericson. The Arena was outfitted with special Lowe's Panel Wood Flooring ("Lowe's... but why?"), and all proceeds from the show would be donated to real-life Navajo Nation COVID-19 Relief funds.

## The Opening Match: 8-Man Elimination Showcase

The night began as Flashbang usually does: the traditional 8-Man Elimination Showcase match! This time, the cast featured 6 all-new wrestlers making their debut! Wrestlers AquaLung, Buck Bumble, Getsu Hiro, Kitty Cat Gundam, Cool J Kyo, and surprise entrant Kathjina, faced off against Elimination Showcase veterans Donkey Kang and Seth Jackson. The opening chaos quickly split the group into pairs, as Kathjina immediately went after APS Jackson, tossing him out of the ring. KCG broke away to fight Bumble, Kyo tackled Aqua, and Kang attacked Getsu Hiro. Bumble and Aqua handily countered their attackers, and Kang continued to pressure Hiro only to eat a sunset-flip powerbomb to the outside. AquaLung escaped the fray early, and Kyo found himself on the other side of the ring, drawn into the feud between Jackson and Kathjina. After taking a hard beating from both wrestlers, Cool J Kyo was eliminated by Kathjina. Kang was able to hold Hiro in a pin for several seconds before the Ref finally caught up with them and counted Getsu Hiro eliminated by Donkey Kang. It wasn't long before Buck Bumble was eliminated by Seth Jackson, and Kitty Cat Gundam was eliminated by AquaLung. Through pure chaotic energy, nearly every wrestler seemed to focus on Donkey Kang, before Donkey Kang was finally eliminated by Kathjina.

Kathjina and AquaLung formed an ersatz tag team, taking turns pummeling Seth Jackson. AquaLung broke away early to rest inside the ring, while Seth Jackson was eliminated by Kathjina on the floor. Her rival finally down, Kathjina turned her attention back on AquaLung in the final two. Both wrestlers had been pushed to their limits, and threw everything they had left at each other. There seemed to be a mutual respect growing between the two rookie fighters, as each had an opportunity to politely allow their opponent to stand before using a strong move. In the end, clever tactics paid off, as Kathjina was eliminated by AquaLung to close out the match.

## Match 2: Hardcore Tornado Tag Team Challenge

In a grudge match that had been building up for *weeks* prior, Scott E. Stephens and Jack Andrews challenged The Bad CG Ghost and Brandon Boss to prove their "peak human physicality" was more than a match for their opponents' "silly tricks and gimmicks". A savage battle ensued. Submission hold after submission hold, reversal after reversal. Technical wrestling on full display, surprisingly from both teams. Finally, Brandon Boss caught Jack Andrews in his Boss-Ton Crab hold, with Stevens and CG down in the other corner, forcing Andrews to finally tap out. After the match, over social media, Stevens swore vengeance upon Boss, vowing to make him tap.

## Match 3: All Corps vs Red Star Roman

Long has the evil aspects of Communism threatened the American way of life. It is only natural that the All-American All Corps would have a bitter rivalry with Red Star Roman. This rivalry goes all the way back to Roman's debut, when he teamed with Aurelian Starhand to defeatThe Special Forces. All Corps brought his full offense to bear, but was frequently manhandled by Roman's greater size and strength. The All-American was able to target Roman's limbs systematically, even borrowing Gingerboi's triangle choke hold, but Roman powered out of everything thrown at him. It took All Corps throwing all of his finishing moves, ending in a Cruise Missile Spear, to finally put Red Star Roman down for the count.

## Match 4: Electro Reality vs The Cartel

Electroman and VR Junkie vs Victor Vicious and Huch Kale. Victor Vicious was mostly uninterested in Electro Reality until they decided to make themselves a nuisance to him. They embarrassed him several times during the lead-up to Multivania. Both members of The Cartel quickly brought out weapons, Huch going for a ladder, and Vicious going for a baseball bat, but little came of that. In the climax of the match, VR Junkie was able to recover from a savage beating outside the ring in the nick of time to break up a pin attempt on Electroman. This began a brief comeback, cut short by an infuriated Victor Vicious, who used Junkie's own finishing move against him into the 3-count while Electroman was busy battling Kale.

## Match 5: Jagger Blackthorn vs The Cleaver

Thanks to the extremely high-risk wagering of The Chocolate Zombie, Graven, Jagger Blackthorn was allowed to challenge The Cleaver for the release of his missing apprentice, Artemis, who disappeared after a match with The Cleaver some weeks prior. Seeking to intimidate the Omnislayer, The Cleaver altered his lantern to resemble Jagger's own head for his new entrance. Cleaver continued his offense with more than a few Choke Slams from Hell, which have put away many other wrestlers, but Jagger survived. Jagger battled back, miraculously, finally landing his Wavebuster to bust open the demon, and a Godslayer Strike to finally put down The Cleaver for the first time since its debut. Despite assurances Artemis has been "released" and "the seal has been broken", the Slayer's Apprentice was not immediately returned.

## Match 6: DOOM vs The Rebel Star

Madjack, Night Reaper Zherakis, and a surprise ally vs Aurelian Starhand, and The Inquisition: Jindrak Behrens and Bison Blackwell. During DOOM's entrance, Reaper introduced some sort of gas canister to his pyrotechnics, transforming himself into his Night Reaper Form, but also transforming Madjack into a new, terrifying Pumpkin King form. DOOM then revealed their surprise ally: Henry Colt from FATE! Power vs Power, in a battle of cosmic proportion, and the lone cowboy showing he can keep pace with gods and monsters alike.

It was clear from the beginning the inquisitors and Starhand were a well-oiled machine. They made smart tags and taking team-up opportunities. DOOM and Colt were more clever and unpredictable in their tactics. Devastating damage dealt with every blow, Behrens and Blackwell showcased their speed and strength respectively. Madjack demonstrated his terrifying "true powers". Henry Colt going toe to toe and blow for blow with all of them. But it was Zherakis, landing a Fever Dream on Starhand with support from his team, that finally ended the match.

## Match 7: Tag Team Turmoil

A four-way Tag Team Elimination match saw Fabulous, Hell's Kitchen, Triple A, and what was supposed to be Lasume 01 and The Curator. Before the match began, it was discovered that The Curator had been attacked backstage by an unknown assailant, and would be unable to participate in the match. Instead, Lasume's partner would be the surprise return of Zach da Weaver, who had been out of action since he was taken down by Malice some months ago, before his move to Warzone.

As is often the case in 8-man matches, the action quickly became pure chaos. Wasting little time, Lasume 01 landed a surprise Reboot on Sugarfoot Iron, for an early elimination. Shortly after, perhaps fueled by his partner's elimination, Joseph Cowman managed to catch Samuel Manatee in a Figure 4 Leglock, and force him to tap out. Almost immediately after that, Zach da Weaver took advantage of an injured El Pollo for a 3-count. The chaos saw Suicide Gemini putting down Demolition Foxx, eliminating Triple A from the match, and leading into the final four. In a bout of surprising synchronicity, both Gemini and Weaver landed their finishers on Lasume and Cowman respectively at exactly the same time, though Weaver decided to save his teammate rather than secure a pin. Cowman made Weaver regret that decision, locking Lasume in another Figure 4 while Gemini cleverly kept Weaver away, eventually making Lasume tap out. The team-up would be short-lived, however, as Cowman immediately dropped Gemini with a Superkick and pinned him, for his third elimination of the night and eliminating Hell's Kitchen. This gave Weaver some time to recover and ambush Cowman with a Price Check, pinning him and securing the win for his team.

## Match 8: Apex vs Wai Li

Fresh from his betrayal of Apex to "#FreeSheepy" from their control, Wai Li challenged Apex to a match at Multivania. Nero Napier gladly accepted, sending Zephyr Tale and Blight Howlis, who were eager to pay him back for his treachery and extend Blight's undefeated streak. What they did not expect was the return of Sheepy, free from Apex control and returned to his original form, to tag team with The Dragonborn. Working together in harmony, Sheepy and Wai Li were able to land Hug It Out and Glacial Cascade on Zephyr Tale at the same time, with Wai Li able to redirect and block Blight Howlis from interfering while Sheepy took the win.

## Match 9: The Sandman's Decision

Ever since the previous Multivania, The Sandman has harbored strong resentment and anger over losing The Creation to The Empire. This caused a great deal of strife for him, and perhaps more for his Time Bandit partner, Creation's adoptive brother Funderbolt, who took to drinking and disappeared shortly after. The wanderer Dragoon had approached Sandman with offers of peace and counsel, which Sandman vehemently rejected every time. Dragoon was persistent and stubbornly refused to give up, to the point he revealed that he had attacked Funderbolt, and hired Jack the Questionable to attack him backstage during Breakdown III. This all forced Sandman to choose: either accept Dragoon's help and fight one-on-one, or "get his sh\*t together" and battle Dragoon and Jackie Q in a tag match.

Dragoon and Jack entered as normal, eagerly awaiting Sandman's reply. The answer was delivered loud and clear, as the Time Bandits music rang out, and Sandman stood proud with is brother-in-arms, Funderbolt. Through some surprising teamwork from the merc team, the invigorated, inspired, and enraged Time Bandits made short work of Dragoon and Jackie Q. They dropped Dragoon with their signature move, Out of Time, and Sandman took the pin, though Jack's seemingly passive acceptance of the attack and pin attempt suggests that may have been the plan all along.

## Match 10: Kevin Blackwell vs Daluna 13 and Sher-Khan

Kevin Blackwell's motto is "One vs All", and he has an unholy grudge against all luchadores. He went on a half-crusade, half-rampage against any luchador he could find. He embraced both his motto and hatred by accepting a handicap match challenge by Sher-Khan and Daluna 13. Blackwell vowed that whoever stood with him at the end of the match would have their lucha mask ripped from their heads - the worst possible injury to a luchador, tantamount to removing their very soul. Blackwell also threatened the Referees, ordering them to not stop the match for any reason other than a pin or submission.

Sher-Khan and Daluna were able to keep Blackwell on the back foot and play the numbers game against him. That is, until he lifted both of them for a Double Gladiator's March and dropping both out of the ring before picking up Khan again for yet another Gladiator's March. Suddenly, leaping out of the audience came "Bulldog" Grant Martin, who was put in the hospital by The Creation months ago. Heeding Blackwell's own stipulation/threat, the Ref did not stop the match. Martin set up for Daluna and Khan to hit Blackwell with the Walk the Dog, Daluna Eclipse, and Tiger Splash in rapid succession, with Sher-Khan finally taking the win.

## Match 11: Hey Mr. Rabbit vs The Brass?

Furious at constantly being overridden by his superiors, Hey Mr. Rabbit let slip an offhand challenge to wrestle The Brass themselves at Multivania. Curiously, The Brass accepted, booking a 3-on-3 Elimination match, and ordering Rabbit to find partners. Rabbit claimed he had found a team, but kept them a secret until the match itself, unveiling himself alongside The Crew in full regalia "for one night only". The Brass sent out hired guest fighters from across several multiverses: The Marauder, Spawn, and Mr. X. The battle was fierce and bloody, as one would expect from powers of this magnitude. Beaten to near-exhaustion, Engy was able to formulate a plan. Rabbit and Arcolf would keep the three monsters busy, and Engy trapped Marauder in an Ankle Lock. Marauder was able to endure, but then Engy caught Spawn with another Ankle Lock hold, and forced him to tap out.

## Match 12: Tag Team Title Match: The Empire vs The Bone Warriorz

The Empire of Terror's Grim Reaper and Dark Lord Popo would defend their Flashbang World Tag Team Title belts against relative newcomers to Flashbang, the Bone Warriorz. Spike and Burden spent their entire time on Flashbang earning their #1 Contender status. Throughout the entire match, both team showed their tactical prowess, blocking each other from making tags. It wasn't until Spike isolated Popo in his team's corner, and landing their signature team-up move, the Boning Hammer, was Burden able to pin Popo and "reclaim" their Title belts.

## Match 13: The Empire vs The Republic: Once and 4 All

Once again, the leader of The Republic, Sir Unklydunk, put everything on the line, wagering his entire estate and The Republic against all of The Empire's holdings. Four representatives from each faction in a tag-team elimination match, no disqualifications unless any member was not tagged-in. This time, there would be no count-out draw, no continued stalemate. One faction will stand, and the other must fall.

Defending the honor of The Republic was Sir Unklydunk himself, as well as longtime stalwart, Sir McCheese, as well as two surprise returning Warzone allies: Sir Malervik and The Blue Dandy. Dandy in particular, giving up a title opportunity the next day, to be here for his friends. Representing The Empire was Erlking Wes (who previously claimed he was "not medically cleared to wrestle"), alongside Simon the Psycho, Lord V, and the shocking resurrection(?) of The Beast Hireold.

Beginning the fight pitted Simon the Psycho against "Iron" Sir Malervik. The two traded mighty blows, and though Malervik withstood the Psycho's assault far better than most, he was eventually overwhelmed and eliminated. Next in came the leader of The Republic, Sir Unklydunk, eager to avenge his team's early loss. Unklydunk was able to keep Simon on the back foot for quite some time, isolated and far away from the ring and any backup, but a pair of near-consecutive Mad Howl slams let Simon claim yet another Republic casualty. Spurred on by his team's early losses, Sir McCheese entered the fray, changing tactics a bit and forcing Simon back into the ring. After some outstanding teamwork by The Republic, and a number of smart tags from The Empire, Sir McCheese was finally able to eliminate Simon the Psycho and tip the odds slightly back in their favor. Thanks to some devastating offensive teamwork, and some surprising assistance from Hireold, Blue Dandy was able to force Erlking Wes to tap out to his Anchor Lock, evening out the score.

Meanwhile, Simon the Psycho decided to attack Sir Unklydunk backstage in the locker room, getting slammed into a steel chair on the floor for his trouble. Back in the ring, and exhausted from their 4v2 uphill battle, Blue Dandy and Sir McCheese battled the mostly-fresh Lord V. Blue Dandy fell to Lord V, after eating a Void Slam on the outside, leaving Sir McCheese alone against The Empire's monsters. V then tagged in Hireold, who had not wrestled at all so far in the match. Shortly after, Erlking Wes assaulted Sir Malervik back stage in the hallway, but was kneed in the face by the iron knight. Somehow, spurred on by the sacrifice of his companions, or perhaps out of sheer desperation, Sir McCheese briefly disposed of Lord V on the outside and quickly eliminated Hireold before its teammate could interfere.

Inspired by the cheers of the crowd and commentary alike, McCheese simply refused to stay down. For nearly the full length of the match up until that point, he tanked Void Slam after Void Slam, multiple Void Splashes, and Tombstone Piledrivers in addition to the beating he'd received earlier in the match. McCheese finally landed his Sword in the Stone finisher, and began a spectacular comeback assault against Lord V... but it was all for naught. One final Void Slam into the Lowe's Wood Floor finally knocked the Cheesy One unconscious, letting the Voidling pin him; ending the match, and the war against The Republic.

## Match 14: Graven vs Dark Lord Prinny: Buried Alive

...but that was not the end of the night for The Empire. Their leader, Dark Lord Prinny, was harassed and harangued by the Chocolate Zombie, Graven, into accepting a match of similar finality: a Buried Alive match. In a separate arena, in likely a different-era facility, a pile of dirt next to an excavator marked the "final" resting place of one of these two undead fighters. Prinny entered, somehow accompanied by Erlking Wes, who carried an urn, mockingly imitating Dr. Caliban's entrance with his Creation, as an extra-personal insult to Graven and FATE.

The Zombie battled the Lich Lord, and of course Wes interfered. Graven put up an incredible offense to offset his pseudo-handicap. He clapped the Empire's heads together, pulled out chairs and weapons, even driving Erlking through the announcer's table all the way from the ring turnbuckle at one point. Prinny ran up the ramp, trying to lure Graven towards the grave hole, but Graven found the excavator's gasoline can and knocked Prinny into the grave with it, followed by his own Seek and Destroy move. Graven dropped a wheelbarrow of dirt onto the Lich Lord, but he knew it was not enough. Erlking Wes, comically fled the ring into the backstage, pursued by Graven. Taking advantage of the distraction, Prinny climbed out of the grave, only to be met by a bolt of lightning. The Creation, Christopher Caliban himself, alive and restored, emerged from the grave dirt behind him to the shock of everyone in the arena, especially Prinny. Creation, furious at the indignity of being trapped as a brain in a jar while his body was used against his will, threw himself at Prinny with aplomb. To call what followed a "match" would be generous; though Prinny is powerful, he was absolutely manhandled by the raging Creation. It wasn't long before Creation landed a similar Seek and Destroy slam, while Graven returned driving a backhoe full of dirt to finally bury Prinny "alive".

## Finale: World Championship Title Match: Gingerboi vs Nero Napier

Since the introduction of Flashbang, only one man has ever held the Flashbang World Championship. That man is Gingerboi. Nigh unstoppable when his title is on the line, the Mad Lad of London Gingerboi defended with a fervor. Nero Napier, the cult-like leader of APEX, climbed through the Number 1 Contender tournament, and endured many additional challenges from Gingerboi himself to get this far. Some say he only achieved what he did by cheating, by relying on his brothers - or minions, depending on your perspective - in Apex to aid him in crucial moments, as well as his own snake-like venom, rather than actual wrestling skill. Regardless, these two men clashed for the big title. Strange events of the evening were foreshadowed by an early-on attempt at hijacking the feed signal from none other than Warzone's own robots of MEME.

Gingerboi never lost a title match, Nero Napier had never been pinned or submitted. They both showed their prowess: dead even, blow for blow, move for move. Neither was able to gain the upper hand early, but both had prepared for a war of attrition; they both knew it was going to be a slugfest. A quick Titan Eboa, a sudden Mad Lad Roundhouse... neither could put the other down, almost as if they were taking turns beating each other up. The Mad Lad changed his tactics, focusing on the right knee of Napier, and it was working. The lizardman was starting to slow down. Napier fired back, countering Gingerboi's rope turn with a flying body splash, sending the Ref hurtling out of the ring and onto the hard wood floor. Then... things got "weird".

Nero followed up with a low blow into a shootcutter, flooring Gingy and giving himself a moment to recover. Suddenly, in came Blight Howlis, with Zephyr Tale dressed as a referee, ready to fast-count the woozy Napier if only he could cover Gingerboi. Wai Li appeared out of nowhere, pulling Zephyr out of the ring and knocking him out, but getting bodied by Blight in return. Meanwhile, in the ring, Gingerboi repaid Napier's low blow with a low blow of his own, dropping the lizardman hard. Gingy took a moment to tramp down Blight, giving himself time alone with the near-unconscious Nero. Reading and catching Nero's surprise top rope leap, Gingerboi locked the Scorpion's Tail, signature hold of his friend Jack Abbot, on Napier, forcing him to tap... but the Ref was still down, outside the ring. Out of the crowd, a mysterious Minotaur appeared, holding the title belt, clocking Gingerboi in the back of the head and knocking him out cold. The new beast leapt the barricade and vanished into the crowd before anyone could react. All nearly dead from exhaustion, Nero struggled to cover Gingerboi as Blight helped the Referee back into the ring, taking the 3-count and the World Championship Title.

## More to come...

Day 1 of Multivania concludes here, but Multivania IV is far from over! Join us for Day 2, and step into the Warzone!