The struggle continues. Industry vs. Rebellion, with, of course, The Invasion thrown in for good measure. We've been formally introduced to all five players in The Invasion camp and their leader, Matt McLean. Matt McLean, the bWo's newest and most highly touted executive ever to grace the bWo. With the big name, however, comes the big ego. Berg? He's the main man behind the whole fed. UR Ruthless? Antagonizing the Rebellion and helping Berg head up the Industry. Fission? Fission is the one who started this massive Civil War. Where does that leave the newest member of the bWo's front office, Matt McLean? It left him off the air and out of the way...for about two seconds. As soon as McLean signed his contract, he put the wheels in motion and it took just a week and a half for The Invasion to materialize. It just so happened that McLean's need for muscle coincided with the bWo taking over the NWWF and making it the official minor league of the bWo. McLean's power and the fact that Berg never thought to check up on him led to what is The Invasion...But exactly what is The Invasion? The Industry is the federation's most proven workers who rely on their acumen within the ring and their tenacity to prevail. The Rebellion seemingly relies on the supernatural. The necromancer, Faze, has risen members of the Rebellion from the dead (no wonder there's never open spots on the roster, even the dead don't want to leave...lol). And The Invasion? Well, each member of The Invasion will tell you that he's been through hell and highwater to get here, but have they really ever been tested like they will in the bWo?
The scene opens up to the set of latest offering from the bWo promotional department. We're at Video Studio 19 in Hollywood, California, the studio in which the bWo films all of its commercials that are not filmed on-location. There are cameras set up as bWo images flash on a screen in front of them. Behind the cameras, a whole crew is watching the set and a little man in a beret and a scarf is sitting in one of those director's chairs. Off to the side, there is a little soundbooth, where a voice-over guy sits reading his lines.
Voice Over Guy: "...That's BWO May Day coming to you on May 21st, so be sure to call your local cable or satellite provider and watch as the World Champion is decided."
Director: "Cut! That was perfect! Now let's do it again."
The man in the soundbooth gets out and the director stands up and walks over to meet him.
VO Guy: "But if it was perfect, why are we doing it again?"
Director: "We've got to get the images from all angles!"
VO Guy: "But we've already done it 16 times."
Director: "And we're going to do it again and again and again...and again and again and again!"
The Director goes back to his seat with great enthusiasm and the voice over guy returns to the sound booth much less enthused.
Director: "And...Action!"
There is a short scuffling sound coming over the mic, then a muffled yelp, and a thud before the voice over starts back up. This time, however, the voice sounds noticeably different.
New Voice Over: "All those interested in watching a class-ass whompin' of the BWO's resident jackass, Eclipse at the hands of The Invasion's Phobia, making his bWo debut, just tune in Tuesday May 16th to Takedown."
Director: "Cut, cut!!! What is this? What's going on here?"
The director hops out of his chair and rushes over to the sound booth and yanks open the door and is shocked to see his regular voice over guy unconscious, lying on the floor and Phobia sitting in a chair in front of the mic. Phobia just looks at him for a moment before speaking.
Phobia: "Excuse me...Artist at work here. Now if you don't mind..."
Director: "Artist at work? You have got to be kidding me. What the hell was that?"
Phobia: "Okay, I know it was a little raw, but I just woke up and I have a little tickle in my throat. If you just give me a glass of water and a couple of takes, I'm sure I can nail this."
Director: "Who are you? What are you doing in that sound booth? What did you do to my voice over guy?"
Phobia: "Whoa, hold on there...That's quite a few questions. Who are you, Zach Zeller?"
Director: "Zach who? Just who are you?"
Phobia: "I'm the star of the bWo's latest commercial."
Director: "But there are no actors in this commercial. It's made strictly from highlights."
Phobia: "I was thinking we could work with the writers and maybe change that up a little bit. We could get some great shots of me posing and, well, it's too bad you didn't get me knocking out the voice over guy on camera. We could have used that."
Director: "Okay, I still don't even know who you are or how you got by security."
Phobia: "Security? What security?"
The director turns his attention to two security guards, who are oblivious to what is going on, munching on the doughnuts and other snacks that are supposed to be for the cast and crew of the commercial. The director walks over to them.
Director: "How could the two of you just let this joker waltz right in and disrupt my set?"
Security Guard #1: "We're union."
Director: "Idiots! I'm surrounded by idiots!"
The director walks back over to Phobia, who has commandeered the make-up lady and commanded her to powder his face.
Director: "Okay, let me try to make sense of all of this. Who are you?"
Phobia: "I'm the bWo's newest and brightest star, Phobia. I was sent over here by President Brian Berg to liven up the commercial a bit."
Director: "Why that conniving, back-stabbing little...He said he was giving me total creative control over this production. I don't have to take this! I've directed Shakespeare in the park! Okay, so it was Fenway Park, but it was still Shakespeare. Okay, so it was Russ Myers's adaptation of Shakespeare, but that's beside the point. I'll just have to give him a call and settle this."
The director pulls out a flip-style cell phone out of his pocket and starts dialing. He storms off the set, trying to get through Berg's secretary to speak to the big man himself. Phobia sees his opportunity and jumps in front of the camera. He motions to the cameraman who's standing next to the camera talking to a few of the members of the production crew, who have decided to take advantage of this impromptu break.
Phobia: "Hey Jimbo, is this thing on?"
Cameraman: "It's been rolling this whole time."
The whole crew takes off towards the exit, presumeably to get that cigarette break that they've been dying for. Phobia stands in front of the camera and looks straight at it.
Phobia: "Okay, I gotta make this quick before Roman Polansky figures out I was selling him the Brooklyn Bridge. Eclipse, I saw your little 'vision' as you call it that you had today. That was just great. I just have one question. What the hell does all that have to do with me? Sure, that Polaroid guy thought he was big and bad, but he ended up on the wrong end of a dagger, but so what? That's just one instance. There have plenty of instances in which the guy talking crap has actually ended up coming out on top. Or better yet, who's to say that you weren't actually the guy that ended up drugged and dead in an alley outside of some seedy bar? I mean, when you think about it, what was Polar Bear there doing? He was speaking out against the establishment, claiming he was going to take it down. Isn't that exactly what you're doing with your little Rebellion? I think it just may be. And as for this Lunerion character...Ever think that maybe he's a lunatic? I know that's the first thought that popped into my head."
The camera suddenly falls and the lens is pointing straight at Phobia's feet. He picks the camera up and holds it with both hands, thus manually creating a closeup of his face.
Phobia: "Let's get one thing straight here, Eclipse. I'm not walking into this thing thinking that I'm going to come out unscathed. I don't think this is going to be an easy task whatsoever. If I wanted an easy task, I'd go to one of the rinky dink feds that I've dominated in the past and win the World Title all over again, but no. No, I'm here in the bWo for a reason. That reason is to prove to all the people that said I suck wrong and all the people that said I can dominate any fed I step into right. I know the bWo's the best and I know what makes it the best. The wrestlers are what make it the best. Erego, that must mean that you're a pretty damn good competitor, but it doesn't matter because I will come out on top and I will rise to the upper echelon of the fed. Then, then you can bow your dead ass down and kiss my feet, but for right now, you're going to have to settle for being dropped on your head when I level you with the Fear Factor, just as I did to Berg."
Phobia pushes the camera back, sending it crashing to the floor. Just then, the director comes back with two police officers, who seem intent on, at the very least, escorting Phobia to outside of the studio's walls and, at the very most, kicking the living crap out of him with their nightsticks.
Phobia: "That's my cue to exit, stage right."
Phobia runs off of the set with the police men in tow.
Fade to black
As each member of The Invasion faces his individual task, the bWo will come to find out whether the group is merely a sum of its components or more. The Invasion has plunged itself deep into the Civil War of the bWo. Can the members of the Industry and Rebellion put aside their differences long enough to destroy the newcomers? Do they want to?
