The showdown between Eddie Prince, Mason Brooks, and Hogan Hornet finally simmered down, leaving the crowd buzzing with anticipation for the next match.
But instead of the usual action, a flurry of IRW officials rushed down the ramp, carrying equipment that had everyone scratching their heads in confusion.
They draped a sleek black cloth with pink trim over the standard ring mat. Two stools were set up in the ring, spaced apart with a small stand nestled between them.
There was no referee in sight, and nothing hinted that another wrestling match was on the horizon.
Tony leaned in, his curiosity piqued. "What the heck is going on here?"
"Could be a new match type?" Justin suggested, equally baffled.
Luke eyed the stools skeptically. "But how do you even fight with stools?"
"Maybe you hit each other with them?"
Tony nodded, as if Justin had just cracked the code, while Luke simply stared at them, opting for silence instead.
Meanwhile, at the commentary table, Noah and Irvin brushed off the growing intrigue, seizing the moment to promote the Eden 1.
A cameraman zoomed in on the phone resting next to Noah, giving viewers a closer look at the odd, buttonless device that Vince Maston was gearing up to launch.
Irvin picked it up, turning it over in his hands. "I've been using this backstage, and I still can't wrap my head around how they got rid of almost all the buttons."
"It's called a touchscreen, Irvin," Noah replied, glancing over. "We've gone over this three times tonight."
"I know what it's called. I just don't get how it works."
"Me neither."
"Great."
Noah turned to the camera. "But hey, you don't need to know how it works to use it."
A few fans nearby chuckled at the exchange.
Before Irvin could dive deeper into his pitch, the sound of music suddenly filled the air, instantly grabbing the crowd's attention.
Maya Hart stepped through the curtain, the IRW Women's Championship proudly resting on her shoulder and a microphone already in her grasp.
As she made her entrance, the audience responded with a mix of cheers and boos, though the cheers had definitely grown louder over the last few months. Maya seemed to soak it all in, grinning as she made her way down the ramp, high-fiving fans before climbing into the ring.
Tony couldn't help but cheer, while Luke let out an exasperated groan.
"Your sister," Justin remarked, glancing over at him.
"I know."
"Women's Champion."
"I know."
"Very popular. And hot too."
"Justin."
"Okay, okay, I'll stop."
Maya settled onto one of the stools, crossing her legs and raising her microphone. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the very first episode of..." She paused for effect as the big screen behind her lit up with flashy text.
"...Hart Talk!"
Tony grimaced. "Hart Talk?"
Luke buried his face in his hands, while Justin erupted in laughter. "Oh man, that's awful."
"Please tell me Maya didn't come up with that," Luke sighed.
She hadn't.
Backstage, the reality was even worse—the name had been Vince's brainchild. When he first pitched Hart Talk, Maya had stared at him in disbelief, wondering if he was serious.
Vince had beamed with pride over his pun, and eventually, Maya went along with it because, as Vince kept insisting, people tend to remember silly names surprisingly well.
From the crowd's reaction, he might just have been onto something.
Maya beamed as the audience gradually quieted down. "I know you're all curious why I'm up here instead of out there throwing punches."
A wave of cheers erupted.
"Don't worry. Depending on how tonight unfolds, we might still get to that."
The crowd erupted even louder at that. Maya leaned in a bit closer. "But Hart Talk isn't really about me. Well, not entirely. Tonight, we've got someone special that some of you might remember." She put a little extra emphasis on the last word.
"Our very first guest... Nina Clarkson!"
As Nina's theme song—a catchy pop rock tune—blared through the speakers, there was a brief pause before the audience started to recognize her, leading to a wave of applause.
Nina stepped onto the stage. As one of the veterans of IRW's women's roster, the brown-skinned Balkan wrestler had a strong, commanding presence that had drawn comparisons to an Amazon long before Vince took over the company.
Luke blinked in disbelief. "Wait. Nina?"
"You forgot about her?" Tony chimed in.
Luke nodded slowly, a bit sheepishly. "I haven't seen her wrestle in months."
And that was the crux of the issue. Nina had once been a standout star in IRW, even holding the Women's Championship until Tracey Prince snatched it away from her.
After that, the division had changed rapidly with the rise of Evelyn Sharma, Maya's own surge into the spotlight, and Tracey's increasingly ruthless antics. New rivalries took center stage, and Nina had simply slipped into the background. She hadn't been let go or left the company—she had just become a footnote.
Nina climbed into the ring and took in the unusual setup before Maya gestured to the empty stool. "Welcome."
"Yeah, it has," Nina replied, settling into the seat with a slightly awkward laugh.
"How long has it been?"
"A few months."
Maya nodded with understanding. "A few months off TV? That's tough."
Nina's smile faltered just a bit.
At the commentary table, Noah picked up on the shift immediately. "Oh, Maya."
"What's up?" Irvin asked.
"I recognize that tone."
Maya continued, "So, how does it feel to be back?"
"Good," Nina nodded, a genuine spark in her eyes. "Really good, actually. I've missed this." She took in the arena, the applause of the audience washing over her. "I've missed the crowd. I've missed the ring. I've missed competing."
For the first time since stepping into the spotlight, Nina beamed a true smile.
Maya chimed in, nodding enthusiastically. "That's fantastic! Because if you had stayed away any longer, I think everyone would have completely forgotten about you."
A collective groan rippled through the crowd, and Nina's smile vanished in an instant.
Tony stifled a laugh while Justin whispered, "Ouch, that was harsh."
"She's doing it on purpose," Luke remarked, shaking his head in disbelief.
Maya feigned innocence, her expression wide-eyed. "What do you mean?"
Nina locked eyes with her for a moment, then forced another smile. "Nothing."
"Great!" Maya settled back on her stool, looking relaxed. "Now, some of our newer fans might not know this, or they might have forgotten, but you actually have quite the legacy in IRW."
"I've been around for a while," Nina replied.
"You were even Women's Champion at one point."
"I was," Nina confirmed with a nod.
Maya glanced down at her own belt, as if it just dawned on her that it was there. "Oh, right!"
Nina's jaw tightened at the reminder.
"You were champion before me, right?"
"Yes."
"But then Tracey Prince took it from you."
Nina fell silent for a moment. "Yes."
"And then I took it from Tracey."
The crowd began to sense the tension building.
Noah sighed, shaking his head. "Maya is really relishing this."
"That's why she's so good at it," Irvin added with a knowing smile.
Maya unclasped the Women's Championship and laid it across her lap. Nina's gaze flickered to the gleaming plate, and Maya noticed immediately.
"So, Nina... seeing the championship again after all this time," Maya said, her fingers gliding over the gold, "and having it so close to you, how does that make you feel?"
A heavy silence filled the air, the weight of humiliation palpable. For a moment, it seemed like Nina might just get up and leave. Instead, she swallowed her frustration.
"I feel motivated."
Maya raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Motivated?"
"Absolutely," Nina replied, leaning in with newfound confidence. "I've held that championship before. I know what it takes to get there. Sure, maybe people have forgotten about me, like you mentioned, but I'm still in the game. And I want that title back."
The crowd erupted in cheers. Maya nodded slowly, her expression hinting at a moment of respect—until she burst into laughter.
Nina's expression hardened as Maya stood up from her stool, casually tossing the championship belt over her shoulder and stepping away. Maya gestured between herself and Nina, emphasizing the distance between them.
Her grin widened. "Well... this is probably the closest you'll ever get to it."
The arena went wild. Tony's jaw dropped, and Justin physically recoiled in shock. "Jesus."
Luke rubbed his forehead, muttering, "She deserves whatever comes next."
Nina sat there for a moment, processing the insult while Maya continued to smirk down at her.
That was all it took.
Nina sprang off the stool and tackled Maya to the mat.
The crowd roared as Nina unleashed a flurry of punches. Maya covered her face and tried to roll away, but Nina yanked her back by her gear, sending stools flying and wreaking havoc on the talk-show set in mere minutes.
Maya managed to kick Nina off and scramble onto her knees, but Nina charged right back in. Maya caught her with a solid forearm, and Nina retaliated with one of her own, quickly turning the interview into a chaotic brawl.
Officials raced down the ramp, met with boos from fans who wanted the fight to keep going. Nina grabbed Maya by the hair while Maya tried to pull her toward the ropes. Two officials jumped into the ring to break them apart, nearly getting knocked over in the process.
Noah watched the chaos unfold before leaning toward his microphone. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, now you see why she's called that."
"The name?" Irvin asked, puzzled.
Noah gestured toward the ring, where four officials were currently struggling to hold Nina back. "Hart Talk. Because apparently, the talk is hard to swallow."
Irvin groaned as the nearby fans broke into laughter.
Backstage, Vince Maston watched the monitor with his arms crossed, a proud smile spreading across his face at Noah's joke.
Lance, standing beside him, turned slowly. "Don't."
"I didn't say anything," Vince said innocently.
"You came up with the name."
"And?"
Lance pointed at the screen, where a furious Nina was still shouting at Maya as officials held them apart. "This is your fault."
Maya had retrieved her belt, holding it high while screaming back at her challenger. The crowd was completely hooked.