TNA: TKO Ep. #15

Welcome to TKO, the fictional, one hour a week, Knockout exclusive iMPACT spinoff.

ROSTER: Angelina Love, Brooke Tessmacher, Daffney, Jennifer Blade (Jennifer Blake), Madison Rayne, Mickie James, Sarita, Serafina (Christina Von Eerie), Tara, Trina Diaz (Divina Fly/Rosita), Velvet Sky, Winter

BROADCAST TEAM: Jeremy Borash & Don West

RING ANNOUNCER: SoCal Val

INTERVIEWER: Christy Hemme

DIRECTOR OF AUTHORITY: Traci Brooks

ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR OF AUTHORITY: Cookie

TKO abides by one rule: Absolutely nothing happens on the show that could not conceivably happen if it existed in real life.

Here's what happened last time: Setting the Stage, Ep. #1, Ep. #2, Ep. #3, Ep. #4, Ep. #5, Ep. #6, Ep. #7, Ep. #8, Ep. #9, Ep. #10, Ep. #11, Ep. #12, Ep. #13, Ep. #14
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COLD OPEN: Angelina Love is in the ring with a mic. Her hair is messier than last week, as is her makeup. She looks like she hasn't slept.

She says that a few weeks ago everything was going great for her. She was back on the winning trail where she belonged, she was a champion in this company for the 6th time and working on a 7th, she was on top of the world. Then she took a calculated risk with something that meant an awful lot to her, and put it on the line to help a friend out of a bad situation, but she was screwed out of it by someone else that she thought was her friend. Then, 3 weeks ago she had a chance to not only rectify a mistake and get back what she was screwed out of, but to get payback on the 2 bitches who did it. Everything was going perfectly until she was abandoned by her partner, a woman she considered to be her best friend in the world. And then, a week later, that same friend showed up again and stabbed her in the back. Ever since then, she hasn't been able to think about anything else. She's been racking her brain, trying to figure out why this happened.

"Well, I'm done thinking," she says. "Winter & Sarita offered up an explanation, but that's not good enough. I'm not going to be satisfied until I hear it from my supposed BFF, and after everything we've been through together, I deserve that much at least. Velvet, I don't know where you are right now, but I know you're listening. I'm through waiting for you to explain yourself. Either you bring your ass out here, look me in the eye and tell me why you did what you did, or I'm going to find you, wherever you are, and get the answers myself!"

Velvet Sky appears on the video screen. We see her lying on a tanning bed, looking very relaxed. "Hard to believe how much things can change so quickly, isn't it, Angelina?" she asks smugly. "Just a little while ago, things couldn't have been going better for you. Back on the road to the top of the card, talking about becoming a double champion, you had the world at your fingertips. And now look at you -- lost your tag team championship, betrayed by all your friends, shut out of the big title match and your makeup lady's apparently gone blind. I don't blame you for being upset. But we both know that's not why you're really angry. All these fans might think they know, but they're as ignorant as I used to be." Finally, she looks into the camera. "So let me clue you people in."

The feed switches to a video package chronicling the entire history of the Beautiful People. It's edited to highlight the numerous moments that Angelina was glorified while Velvet had to play second fiddle, including soundbites of the announcers talking about how Angelina has always been seen as the better of the 2 (I specifically recall Don West pointing this out more than once). It shows Angelina's numerous singles title wins, all the accolades she gained, and finishes with a snippet from her promo in Ep. #4 where she said that every time she hit a peak in her career, she'd always had someone backing her up.

The feed switches back to Velvet. "Always had someone backing you up, huh? That might have been the first honest thing you've ever said, Angelina. That "someone" was me. It was always me! And so I present to all you people the real Angelina Love. You might think she's a nice girl, a great competitor who accomplished so much because she's just that good at what she does, but the truth is she's nothing but a petty, conniving little parasite. And you were right about one thing, Angelina -- you have been a huge success -- most decorated Knockout in TNA history, blah, blah, blah... but you didn't do any of that alone. The only reason you accomplished as much as you did is because I was there with you every step of the way, propping you up. You rose higher than any other woman has in this company, but you stood on my shoulders to do it! And if you'd had it your way, it would have stayed like that until the day you retired.

"But then you saw me starting to break away from you. You saw that I was tired of being in your shadow and wanted to accomplish something for myself for once, and God knows you couldn't have that, could you? So you came up with this brilliant idea -- you and me becoming the tag team champions. You knew my back was against the wall and I couldn't afford to to turn this down, right? So you went ahead with your little plan because you thought it was the only way to keep me where you wanted me. Because you need me, Angelina. You need me to prop you up, you need me to be in your shadow because the truth is you're such a small, insecure speck of a human being that holding someone like me down is the only way for you to feel good about yourself. How dare you! Angelina Love, I am just as good as you are. I am as big a star as you ever were. You know it, I know it, and in 2 weeks, when I come back... the whole world is going to know it."

The video ends. Angelina just stands there, blanked-faced, as we silently go to a break.


COMMERCIALS


Back from the break, the announcers discuss what just happened. Neither of them can believe what Velvet said. West comments that they knew Velvet had a lot of problems that she'd been keeping to herself, but it looks like they ran a lot deeper than any of them thought.


BACKSTAGE: Angelina sits alone in a stairwell, her face a mess of conflicting emotions. Christy Hemme tries to get some comments from her, but she doesn't say a word.

We cut to Jennifer Blade getting warmed up. Mickie James enters the shot and says that she was really impressed with how Jennifer handled herself last week, and congratulates her on finally getting that win over Tara. Jennifer seems very down about the whole ordeal. She thanks Mickie, but admits she'd hoped things would have worked out differently. Mickie wishes her luck in her qualifying match tonight.

They air a short video hyping up the big title match next week as something that has never been done before.


iMPACT ZONE: Terryn Shane (Serena Deeb) is in the ring. JB says that her and Haley Vaughn (Leva Bates) are still being evaluated and the 2nd step of the process is showing what they can do in singles matches. West says Terryn may have drawn the short straw tonight, judging by who her opponent is.

Sarita makes her entrance. JB reminds us of how Haley really got under Winter's skin last week and Sarita may be looking to dish out some punishment for her partner.


QUALIFYING MATCH
SARITA vs. TERRYN SHANE

During the match, West points out that, while Winter & Sarita did say they wanted to earn their way into the title match like everyone else, he questions whether Traci Brooks is letting them breeze through this by giving them untested rookies as their opponents.

To Sarita's surprise, the match is highly competitive, with Terryn proving to be a very game competitor. There are multiple nearfalls with Terryn actually scoring several herself. Sarita starts getting frustrated that she can't seem to put Terryn away and West says she looks like she didn't expect this woman to put up such a good fight.

Finally, after nothing else she's tried has worked, Sarita manages to get a cheap pin with her feet on the ropes.

WINNER: Sarita in 8:37

Sarita is the third qualifier in the title match.

Sarita watches Terryn like a hawk as she backs up the ramp. JB wonders if Sarita might be feeling a little threatened by her.


BACKSTAGE: Christy is standing by with Madison Rayne and asks for Madison's thoughts about her match tonight with Tara. Madison says this was almost a year in the making. Last year at Sacrifice she ended Tara's career and the biggest mistake she ever made was bringing her back. A queen shares her throne with no one and Tara has never understood that, so tonight, she'll just have to beat it into her. Madison promises that, when she's done with Tara, she'll wish Madison had never brought her back. To stick the knife in a little bit deeper, Madison says if Tara somehow manages to beat her tonight, their business arrangement will be finished and Tara can resume her career on her own terms, but when Madison wins tonight, Tara is gone from TNA, forever this time.

We cut to Jennifer Blade and Brooke Tessmacher via spitscreen on their way to the ring. JB says the fourth qualifying match is coming up after the break.


COMMERCIALS


Sarita is with Winter and cuts a promo on her match. She says everything happened the way she knew it would. Now her and her partner are both in the title match next week and it's a done deal that one of them is walking out with the belt. She's asked if she was surprised that Terryn put up such a good fight. Sarita scoffs at this, saying that just because she actually broke a sweat, it doesn't mean the other girl put up a fight. She tries to make light of Terryn, but it's clear that Terryn surprised Sarita with how good she was. When she's finished, Winter steps in and takes a few jabs at Haley as well.


iMPACT ZONE: The women make their entrances.


QUALIFYING MATCH
JENNIFER BLADE vs. BROOKE TESSMACHER

Jennifer wastes no time taking it to Brooke. She looks angry and is being very aggressive, not letting up, which JB draws attention to. He says her rivalry with Tara seems to have brought about a change in her. West says that Jennifer has been very quiet and keeping to herself backstage since she finished her business with Tara last week, and he doesn't blame her, since that whole situation hardly went the way she wanted it to.

Brooke is giving it everything she's got. JB goes into how hard she's been training, but she just hasn't been able to make any headway in the ring yet.

Brooke puts up a fight, but Jennifer ultimately gets the win with a superkick.

WINNER: Jennifer Blade in 8:04

Jennifer is the fourth qualifier in the title match.

Just like after her match with Tara last week, Jennifer doesn't look particularly enthused about her victory. She doesn't bother celebrating and heads to the back almost immediately.

The camera lingers on Brooke, sitting on the ring apron, looking very defeated.


BACKSTAGE: Tara cuts a promo on her match with Madison tonight. "Sometimes in life, you're faced with really hard decisions and sometimes you're faced with really easy ones. Last week, Madison made a hard decision really easy. I honestly did appreciate her for bringing me back, so I did a lot for her and I probably would have done a lot more; all I wanted from her was a little respect. But she kept pushing me and pushing me and pushing me, and now all the respect in the world isn't going to stop what I'm going to do to her tonight. I don't even care if my job is on the line at this point. Madison brought this on herself and I'm going to enjoy every second of it. And then, I'm finally setting my sights on what's most important, and that's getting my title back. That's what I want, that's why I came here in the first place, and that's what's going to happen."

JB says the main event is coming up.


COMMERCIALS


Brooke trudges into the locker room. She passes Serafina & Trina Diaz, who tell her to keep at it, but she's not listening. She drops down onto a bench and just stares miserably at the floor, depressed and discouraged.

We cut to a Jennifer promo. She says that of course she's happy about qualifying for the title match next week, but she admits she hasn't felt right since what happened last week. Mickie James told her she did a great job, but despite what a huge compliment that was coming from someone like her, Jennifer doesn't feel like she did a great job. She just feels disgusted about how the whole thing with Tara played out, and angry, like she wants to put her fist through a wall. She doesn't think she'll ever be at ease about it, so she's just going to try to put it out of her mind and focus on something more important. She says if there's anything that's going to make her feel better, it's getting that Knockouts championship belt around her waste.

Traci Brooks walks in. She says she was listening just now and has to say something. Traci says she signed Jennifer to a deal personally because she knew Jennifer had a lot of potential and thought she could be a big part of this division. The fact that Jennifer is so torn up about the Tara situation is really upsetting to her. She always tries to look out for the well being of her roster and asks Jennifer to come to her office so they can talk about it. Jennifer goes with her.

The air a video package chronicling the entire Tara/Madison storyline.


iMPACT ZONE: The women make their entrances.


QUALIFYING MATCH
TARA vs. MADISON RAYNE

Tara goes after Madison immediately. JB says Tara's really going for it here, and looks like she's enjoying herself. West says the situation with Madison had been building for so long that he'd be shocked if she wasn't relishing this.

Tara keeps Madison on the defensive, but Madison manages to avoid taking serious damage for a good portion of the match by scouting many of Tara's moves. Finally, Tara wears her down enough to hit the widows peak.

WINNER: Tara in 9:19

Tara earns her freedom and is the fifth and final qualifier in the title match.

Tara is thrilled. She's so happy to finally be finished with Madison that she hugs the referee. JB says this was a long time coming and she's got to feel great right now.

Suddenly, Winter & Sarita hit the ring and attack Tara. Tara tries to fend them off, but gets overwhelmed. Then Jennifer runs down the ramp and joins the fight. Then Daffney jumps out of the crowd and gets involved herself. All 5 women are going at it now!

JB says they all want the Knockouts title and they're going to tear each other apart to get it next week.

Mickie James' music hits the loudspeaker. She walks out to the stage and yells at the women in the ring to look at her. She gets their attention and they stop brawling for a moment. Mickie says she's glad they're all so fired up about becoming Knockouts champion because she wouldn't have it any other way. "And I hate to spoil your little party, but it's not going to happen. I'm going to be cleared by next week, which means I'm going to be in that match too. I'm walking into that match the champion and I'm walking out of that match the champion. I'll go to war with every single one of you to keep this title! And if I have to do it with all 5 of you at the same time, I can do that too. So you'd better bring everything you've got next week, ladies, because I'm--"

Mickie is interrupted when the house lights suddenly dim. The same video we saw earlier plays, but with new footage spliced in -- familiar footage of men beating the hell out of each other, of the cage at ringside. It emphasizes this is something that has never been done before, and the video ends on 4 words...

...QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN.


COMMERCIALS


We come back to another Velvet Sky video. This time she's wearing a towel, lounging in a steam room.

"3 weeks ago, I had a moment of clarity," she says. "I didn't want to be a part of a team again, but I needed that ever-elusive big win to save my job. I thought about it and thought about it, and the more I thought, the more trapped I felt. And then finally it hit me like a bolt of lightning. I saw through all your lies, Angelina, all your BS, all my own frustrations, and I finally realized what I had to do.

"And you were right -- I needed a win and what I was doing wasn't working. But you were wrong when you said the best way for me to get that win was for us to be a team again. Because I finally saw another way, a way so much sweeter than anything you could ever dream of. You and me becoming tag team champions -- that was a gamble -- but this is a sure thing. Because, for me, there's a golden goose out there, bigger than any tag team title, bigger than any singles title. It's you, Angelina Love.

"And the best part is, it's going to be the easiest thing in the world, because I know you. I know you better than anyone else does; you said it yourself. And after being your little sidekick all these years, I know how you move, I know how you think, I sure as hell know how you wrestle. If there's any woman in the world I can beat in that ring, it's you, and we both know it.

"I already exposed you to the whole world for the truly ugly person you really are, and in 2 weeks, when I come back for the season finale of TKO, I'm going to get my new contract. I'm going to get it by beating the most decorated Knockout in TNA history.

"And after that, honey, there's going to be some changes around here. I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago. I'm going to cleanse the world...

...one beautiful person at a time."

The video ends and we fade to Angelina watching it on a monitor backstage. Her face is blank. She's too shocked to even react to everything Velvet has hit her with in the last hour. Finally...

"All right, Velvet," she murmurs. Her voice is quiet, but intense as anything. "You want to make this ugly... I'll show you ugly."


FADE OUT