Latest Roleplays
Saturday October 30th, 2021- Tyson Events Center / Sioux City, Iowa
Missouri Valley Wrestling announcers Thunderbolt Smith and ‘Long Haul’ Rick Hall on the call late in the Bill Dickinson-Adam Ellis match.
Thunderbolt Smith: Adam Ellis flipped out of Bill Dickinson’s Southern Fried Powerbomb but Dickinson low bridged the youngster and he and ‘Big Don’ Dickinson have Ellis trapped in the corner.
Bill is busy yelling at referee Davey Keels and distracting him while ‘Big Don’ Dickinson wraps the tag rope around Ellis’s neck and chokes him with it.
Rick Hall: Thunderbolt, Bill Dickinson has dominated from the opening bell. Adam Ellis has offered very little offense in this match.
Bill Dickinson ends the discussion with the referee. Ellis falls to a seated position in the corner after Big Don relents on the choke and retreats to the floor.
Thunderbolt Smith: Dickinson’s done arguing with Davey Keels and he looks to end this thing.
Dickinson pulls Ellis up. Head between the legs. Bill sets. Lifts. He takes a running four step start and with great downward force slams Ellis as hard as he can to the mat.
Thunderbolt Smith: SOUTHERN FRIED POWERBOMB BY DICKINSON!
Rick Hall: That should do it, Thunderbolt.
Davey Keels slides in for the count.
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
Keels calls for the bell.
Thunderbolt Smith: And that’s going to do it. Bill Dickinson with a decisive victory over Adam Ellis tonight.
Rick Hall: All Bill Dickinson in this match. Ellis looked lost out there tonight.
After Keels raises his arm in victory, Dickinson ambles over to where Ellis is sitting and in what appears to be a rare moment of magnanimousness extends a hand to him.
Thunderbolt Smith: Is Bill Dickinson actually offering to help Adam Ellis up?
Ellis hesitates.
Rick Hall: I think Adam’s asking himself the same question.
Adam eventually accepts. Dickinson pulls him up to his feet.
Rick Hall: So Bill Dickinson can be a good winner and not-
Dickinson suddenly rears his foot back and hits Ellis with a field-goal kick between the legs!
Rick Hall: …and maybe he can’t.
Ellis’s leg goes wobbly. Head goes between Dickinson’s legs again and he sets up… SOUTHERN FRIED POWERBOMB!
Rick Hall: Oh man. Bill Dickinson with a second Southern Fried Powerbomb and that’s taken most of the fight out of Adam Ellis
Now Big Don back in and he and Bill start stomping away at Ellis on the mat.
Keels tries to intervene. Bill just swats him away.
Thunderbolt Smith: Davey tries to get in between Ellis and Dickinson but Dickinson just shoved him to the mat.
Big Don pulls Ellis to his feet again and Bill sets him up for a third Southern Fried Powerbomb.
Rick Hall: Here was go again.
Thunderbolt Smith: Can anyone
Motorhead’s “Hellraiser” blares over the sound system and the crowd roars when someone charges out from the back.
Thunderbolt Smith: IT’S SCOTT STEVENS!
The Men’s Heartland champion races down the ramp and rolls into the ring. Big Don moves to meet him.
Thunderbolt Smith: ‘Big Don’ intercepts. Boot to the gut by Stevens… TOXIC STING!
Big Don whiplashes back after getting hit by Stevens’s finisher. Bill Dickinson runs over with his right hand cocked.
Thunderbolt Smith: Right hand by Bill Dickinson… blocked. Boot to the gut… TOXIC STING!
Bill also gets a little hangtime after the Toxic Sting and lands a few feet away.
The last shot we see are The Dickinson boys laid out in the ring and Stevens helping Adam Ellis up to his feet.
Cut back to Fred ‘Thunderbolt’ Smith and ‘Long Haul’ Rick Hall sitting behind the desk of their weekly wrestling program- The Wrestling Guys. The Wrestling Guys set is very simple in nature. Two folding chairs set off to the left of a large desk that fits two chairs and two people behind it.
Thunderbolt Smith: That was Scott Stevens a couple months ago helping out our upcoming guest on tonight’s show- someone we are all familiar with from his time at Missouri Valley Wrestling, High Octane Wrestling’s Adam Ellis.
The cameraman swoops into position for a two shot so a picture of Adam Ellis can be superimposed onto the television screen for the viewers.
Thunderbolt Smith: Adam is with us on the phone now. Adam? How are you tonight?
Adam Ellis (over the phone): I’m good Thunderbolt. I am nice and warm inside my hotel room and out of the elements.
Thunderbolt Smith: Where are you tonight?
Adam Ellis: I’m in Cleveland for Sunday’s show.
Rick Hall: Aaah. Big storm coming through.
We hear a chuckle from Ellis through the phone.
Adam Ellis: Big storm coming through.
Thunderbolt Smith: So, Scott Stevens did you a solid in Sioux City back in October.
Adam Ellis: Yeah he did me a huge solid there. I knew going into the match that John Sektor was more than a little concerned about what might happen when I faced Bill Dickinson that night.
Thunderbolt Smith: Yes. A feeling that would prove to be correct later on when Dickinson came out in that show in a bad mood and told backstage interviewer Kellie Burkowski he’d hate to be in your shoes right now.
Rick Hall: Bill Dickinson also told Kellie he was also going to give Adam Ellis a wrestling lesson he’d never forget.
Adam Ellis: Which he did. So what happened was John Sektor did make a call to Scott Stevens before that show.
Rick Hall: Sektor and Stevens are very familiar with each other. They were faction mates at one point in HOW and won the HOW Tag Team title back in December 2014. That’s why Sektor reached out to Stevens and Stevens came out after the second Southern Fried Powerbomb to make the save.
Adam Ellis: Right.
Thunderbolt Smith: Now, you find yourself on the opposite side going up against Stevens and his new tag team partner The Black Mamba.
Adam Ellis: Yeah.
Rick Hall: How surreal was it to see Scott Stevens working at Missouri Valley Wrestling after losing to Michael Lee Best and being forced to ‘retire’ from HOW?
Adam Ellis: It was interesting. But going into this match on Sunday with Scott Stevens and The Black Mamba, I have nothing but good things to say about Scott. When Scott came to Missouri Valley Wrestling, he made the best of it by pretty much dominating the Men’s Heartland division since he came on board back in September. He’s been nothing but cool and helpful towards me whenever I’ve talked to him.
Thunderbolt Smith: Now, after what Darin Zion did to Scott Stevens last Saturday night in St. Louis… for those of you who don’t know, Zion ran in at the St. Louis Supershow and took out Stevens to cost him the Men’s Heartland title, and after losing a close match with Conor Fuse for the HOW World Title on Sunday, I’m sure Scott may not be the best of moods going into your match.
Adam Ellis: I’m sure he isn’t Thunderbolt. I would be pissed off too if Darin Zion… or anyone else for that matter… intervened in one of my matches and cost me a win. Scott’s got every right to be upset about what Darin did. And I’m sure he’s not happy about his wife losing the Women’s Title last week either.
Rick Hall: Scott’s wife Lisa Barbosa-Stevens also lost to Shizuko Yamazaki that night. And we all know about the debacle that took place in the tag match involving Bo Stevens.
Adam Ellis: Yeah, it wasn’t the best weekend for the Stevens in the ring, that’s for sure.
Rick Hall: But of course, none of that matters on Sunday.
Adam Ellis: No it won’t, Thunderbolt. Once the bell rings at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio this Sunday night, what Scott did for me last October… all of that stuff goes out the window when John and I are one side and Stevens and Mamba are on the other. John Sektor and Adam Ellis are on a mission, Thunderbolt. A mission to win the tag team title. Step one took place last week when we face the team from Pro Wrestling: Assault.
Rick Hall: I know John’s still working his way back from knee surgery which meant you ended up spending a lot of time with Ivy English and GenoSyde in the ring last week. What did you make of them?
Adam Ellis: GenoSyde was an absolute beast, Rick. An absolute beast. He nearly crushed me in the corner at one point and it took a couple minutes to get my breath back. English showed why he’s the champion at Pro Wrestling: Assault when he hit me with a picture perfect Fisherman’s suplex.
Thunderbolt Smith: Yes, that was an impressive move. But again, even with John’s knee not being one hundred percent, you took their shots and ended up with the win and three points in the Maurako Cup.
Adam Ellis: Yes we did.
Thunderbolt Smith: So, John’s knee is getting better even though he seemed to be a step slower than usual Sunday.
Adam Ellis: John avoided English’s moonsault and he hit the C-Sektion on him to give us the victory. So now we move on and get ready for Scott Stevens and The Black Mamba in Cleveland next.
Thunderbolt Smith: Step two takes place this weekend in Cleveland when you and John take on Scott Stevens and the Black Mamba in your second Maurako Cup match.
Adam Ellis: That’s right Thunderbolt. Stevens and Mamba will be formidable opponents but every match is a lesson. Every time I step into the ring it’s a chance to learn. A chance to grow. Most importantly, it’s a chance to gain experience. The time spent in the ring with English and GenoSyde was a very valuable experience. Now it’s on to two very experienced HOW wrestlers in Scott Stevens and The Black Mamba. It won’t be easy but we’ll do the same thing we did last Sunday and work together as a team to defeat them..
Thunderbolt Smith: A win Sunday night against Stevens and Mamba will put you and John in the driver’s seat in your group.
Adam Ellis: Yeah. But I’ll tell you something John’s told me over and over. If you take care of your business inside the ring, the business outside the ring takes care of itself. Our focus should be and only should be on Scott Stevens and Black Mamba because John and I know that defeating Stevens and Mamba isn’t going to be easy. As I said earlier, Scott Stevens is going to be coming at us as hard as he can looking for a win and so will Black Mamba. Let me be clear, guys. Scott Stevens has my full respect and so does the Black Mamba. When the bell sounds, we’re going to have to wrestle our best to defeat them on Sunday night.
Thunderbolt Smith: I haven’t had a chance to ask Bill Dickinson this yet so I’ll ask you- what’s the biggest difference between wrestling at MVW versus HOW?
Adam Ellis: Um… by far it’s working in front of a bigger crowd. Much bigger crowd. And obviously from top to bottom there’s better talent here. I mean, Scott Stevens went down and won the MVW Men’s Heartland title in about ten days. Darin Zion has defeated MVW Champion John O’Reilly in a non-title match. There’s just that much of a difference in talent from top to bottom between MVW and HOW. But. Just being around John Sektor the amount of time I have the past few months, I can tell the difference between how he carries himself compared to a John O’Reilly or a J.J. Bittinger. That’s not a slight on O’Reilly or J.J., it’s just the truth. HOW and MVW are night and day and again, all I’m trying to do is to learn as much as I can and fast as I can so I can compete on this level.
Thunderbolt Smith: All right, last question and we’ll let you go. I heard you recently had a chance to take a couple days off and go back home to spend a few days at your old stomping grounds.
Adam Ellis: Um… surreal doesn’t quite explain it all but, yeah, it was surreal. I hadn’t been home in a couple years but it was great… so great to catch up with some of my friends from high school… find out what they’ve been doing for the past couple year… telling them what I’ve been up to. It was great.
Thunderbolt Smith: Did any of your friends ask you for your autograph?
We hear Ellis laugh over the phone.
Adam Ellis: Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen. It was like falling back into how we all got along when we were in high school. As I said, it was great to catch up with them.
Thunderbolt Smith: Okay. Adam Ellis. Thank you for taking a few minutes for us tonight.
Adam Ellis: Thank you Thunderbolt. Good talking to you and Rick again and we’ll see you soon.
Thunderbolt Smith: Thanks Adam.
Rick Hall: Thanks Adam.
* * *
My first solo interview as an official member of HOW. I can check that off the list. Of course, it helps when you’re familiar with the folks who are interviewing you. Thunderbolt Smith and Rick Hall are ingrained as essential elements of MVW’s television presentation and they know their stuff. As you may have noticed last weekend, John stepped in a couple times when Blaire was interviewing us backstage. He’s the seasoned veteran here so I will always defer to him. John’s trying to keep me from getting overwhelmed and trying to keep me focused on one thing- wrestling.
But yeah, Thunderbolt and Hall were well aware of the medical issues around John Sektor’s knee hence why I flat out had to change the subject when the topic invariably came to what’s going on with John’s knee.
The knee is what it is. I suspect I’ll have to wrestle the majority of the match again this Sunday like I had to do last week. That’s fine. More experience to be gained. More lessons to be learned.
There was one question Thunderbolt asked that almost tripped me up. It was at the end when Thunderbolt asked me about going home a couple weeks ago. Don’t get me wrong, going back home for a couple days was a good idea. Catching up with friends. Seeing people I haven’t seen in a couple years. Going to my old haunts. It was a very good way to step back from the hustle and bustle of the wrestling world and relax and be myself for a couple days.
Everyone went so well… I just didn’t expect Kelly to show up.
The last I’d heard, Kelly went away to school at Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas- about fifty miles or so west of Kansas City- and that was all I wanted to know. The least I knew the better. The break up did not go as smooth as I’d hoped… and yeah, I probably had unreasonable expectations that it would go smoothly. It really came down to this. At twenty-one years old and at the beginning of what I hope will be a long and successful career, I just felt it wouldn’t be fair to her because I knew… KNEW… that to make this work I had to focus like hell on the prize and not get sidetracked.
It broke my heart to do it. I know it broke her heart too. Before the break up, Kelly openly had told me she wanted to get married. Staring out into the void at the beginning of my adult life, the HOW opportunity falling into my lap, and unsure of the direction I wanted to go, no matter how much I wanted to say yes and marry her now I just couldn’t make that commitment. The bottom line? I was not remotely ready to do that.
Now hypothetically, if this situation took place three to five years down the line after I’ve established myself in the wrestling industry and making decent money, then hell yes I’d marry her in a heartbeat. But now? Asking her to wait and really putting her to the side while I focused on wrestling? No. Not fair to her.
The classic ‘two people in different phases in life’ relationship conundrum.
What do I do? I do what I have to do. Wrestling is my life right now. Becoming the best wrestler that I can be. That’s my goal. Learning my craft. Perfecting my moves. Becoming more assured in the ring. That’s my focus. That is who I am.
Everything else in my life simply has to wait. At twenty-one years old, I have all the time in the world ahead of me before I settle down. I have the rest of my life. Right now, I have an opportunity that many people would give their left nut for- an HOW contract and wrestling with a Hall of Famer.
After talking to her that night, I know Kelly still doesn’t understand. No matter how I try to explain to her… and I’ve tried every way possible to show her why… I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s nothing else I can do for now. Maybe some day she’ll understand. Maybe some day something will click in me and change my mind.
All I know is this… Stevens and Mamba versus Sektor and Ellis on Sunday night. Yeah, I’ll be the least experienced one in this match. Yeah, Sektor’s ongoing knee issues mean I’ll probably have to carry the majority of the load in this match. But you can bet on this. Sektor and I will map out our strategy and we will execute it. Bad knee or not, John Sektor is the reigning LSD champion and he is still one of the best tag team wrestlers in the industry. Scott Stevens knows that’s true because Stevens won a HOW Tag Team title with John Sektor.
Now, it’s my turn.
One step at a time.