Post by Swarm on Aug 22, 2022 4:19:51 GMT -5
August 22nd, 2022
Dierdre Barlow
Raw Footage of Trace Demon's Attack on Poppy Yates Released
On August 1st during the live broadcast of WFWF Loaded, superstar Trace Demon assaulted WFWF.COM Correspondent Poppy Yates. The incident occurred during an in-ring interview being conducted by Ms. Yates with Trace Demon when the wrestler filled his mouth with a flammable fluid, ignited a flame, and expelled the fluid from his mouth resulting in a burst of flame that engulfed Poppy Yates' face. Sources close to Ms. Yates as well as within the WFWF have been quiet as to the specifics of her condition but it is believed to be stable. In the aftermath of this assault, Trace Demon was restrained by private security at the event and handed over to the NYPD. Sources have indicated that he was booked for the evening and held for a time, however, with no charges being pressed, was released from NYPD custody.
The WFWF was quick to respond both internally and publicly; Suspending Trace Demon without pay for 30 days and fining him an additional $5,000 as well as releasing a public statement on the incident within the first 24 hours. Still, for this newly revived WFWF, such an upsetting incident to happen not only at one of their events, but in the center of the ring during a live broadcast, can only be perceived to be a continuation in the pattern of poor management decisions resulting in embarassing and, in this instance, harmful outcomes.
When Abadi Global Enterprises announced its purchase of the WFWF and appointment of AGE Owner Khalil Abadi's 31 year old son, Bobby Abadi, as WFWF President, fans and insiders alike speculated on just what the new future of the WFWF would be. To some, having a WFWF President who grew up a lifelong fan was a surefire way to see the WFWF treated with the respect it deserves. These hopes seemed to be well-placed when Abadi announced an initial roster featuring an impressive collection of modern stars such as Mesh, Johnny Mason, Penny Shannon, Scarlett Quinn, and WFWF World Heavyweight Champion Josh Dean, as well as Hall of Fame legends the likes of Reverend Shadow, DGX, EBR, and the returning Alex Sean.
But not all has gone well for this new incarnation of the WFWF. Multiple no-shows from large name talent, disappointing attendance gates, and a number of puzzling strategic decisions have left many pessimistic on the company's future. Events have been thrown into visible chaos with formats being literally thrown into the garbage by the announce both when scheduled, and advertised, competitors have no-showed their appearances as well as when unscheduled, unadvertised individuals disrupted the live broadcast. While this has afforded the WFWF's broadcasts on the Outdoor Adventure Network on Pluto TV a "can't-miss" quality, it was also this same loss of control that paved the way for Poppy Yates to be completely unprotected during an interview segment with Trace Demon.
This segment had been scheduled for earlier in the evening, however, Trace Demon's lateness resulted in the segment being pushed back further and further into the broadcast until the superstar arrived just prior to the telecast's final scheduled segment. This prevented the WFWF from preparing a robust, security response though considering prior incidents of non-competitors being assaulted, it remains to be seen whether they actually would have taken those steps in the first place. There is little doubt much more could have been done to prevent this incident from occuring. Additionally, many are very critical of what was believed to be a deeply deficient reprimand to Trace Demon himself. The 30 days in which Trace Demon was suspended ultimately resulted in him missing one single show and thus missing out on one payday and the $5,000 fine. If that number wasn't immediately apparent to mean very little to Trace Demon, his purchase of commercial time during the following event's live broadcast most certainly should have. He hasn't even been removed from the company's upcoming pay-per-view event and its traditional WFWF Rumble match. It's hard not to believe that the WFWF has chosen the marketability of having such a name superstar on the Scars and Stripes card over any moral concerns.
The WFWF was painfully slow to end the broadcast of WFWF Loaded during the incident. Fans around the world were subjected to the sight of Poppy Yates recieving a burst of fire directly to her face as well as be strangled between Trace Demon's knee and one of the steel cables that serve as ring ropes. There was no doubt at the time that, for both the WFWF as well as the public good's interests, the broadcast should have been cut off the second Trace Demon began his assault on Ms. Yates. But with the superstar's suspension already nearing its conclusion and the WFWF's failure to meaningfully respond being so clear, I believe perhaps it is now in the best interests of the public good to release the uncut, raw footage of the incident as well as several minutes afterward that did not air on the broadcast.
The WFWF was quick to respond both internally and publicly; Suspending Trace Demon without pay for 30 days and fining him an additional $5,000 as well as releasing a public statement on the incident within the first 24 hours. Still, for this newly revived WFWF, such an upsetting incident to happen not only at one of their events, but in the center of the ring during a live broadcast, can only be perceived to be a continuation in the pattern of poor management decisions resulting in embarassing and, in this instance, harmful outcomes.
When Abadi Global Enterprises announced its purchase of the WFWF and appointment of AGE Owner Khalil Abadi's 31 year old son, Bobby Abadi, as WFWF President, fans and insiders alike speculated on just what the new future of the WFWF would be. To some, having a WFWF President who grew up a lifelong fan was a surefire way to see the WFWF treated with the respect it deserves. These hopes seemed to be well-placed when Abadi announced an initial roster featuring an impressive collection of modern stars such as Mesh, Johnny Mason, Penny Shannon, Scarlett Quinn, and WFWF World Heavyweight Champion Josh Dean, as well as Hall of Fame legends the likes of Reverend Shadow, DGX, EBR, and the returning Alex Sean.
But not all has gone well for this new incarnation of the WFWF. Multiple no-shows from large name talent, disappointing attendance gates, and a number of puzzling strategic decisions have left many pessimistic on the company's future. Events have been thrown into visible chaos with formats being literally thrown into the garbage by the announce both when scheduled, and advertised, competitors have no-showed their appearances as well as when unscheduled, unadvertised individuals disrupted the live broadcast. While this has afforded the WFWF's broadcasts on the Outdoor Adventure Network on Pluto TV a "can't-miss" quality, it was also this same loss of control that paved the way for Poppy Yates to be completely unprotected during an interview segment with Trace Demon.
This segment had been scheduled for earlier in the evening, however, Trace Demon's lateness resulted in the segment being pushed back further and further into the broadcast until the superstar arrived just prior to the telecast's final scheduled segment. This prevented the WFWF from preparing a robust, security response though considering prior incidents of non-competitors being assaulted, it remains to be seen whether they actually would have taken those steps in the first place. There is little doubt much more could have been done to prevent this incident from occuring. Additionally, many are very critical of what was believed to be a deeply deficient reprimand to Trace Demon himself. The 30 days in which Trace Demon was suspended ultimately resulted in him missing one single show and thus missing out on one payday and the $5,000 fine. If that number wasn't immediately apparent to mean very little to Trace Demon, his purchase of commercial time during the following event's live broadcast most certainly should have. He hasn't even been removed from the company's upcoming pay-per-view event and its traditional WFWF Rumble match. It's hard not to believe that the WFWF has chosen the marketability of having such a name superstar on the Scars and Stripes card over any moral concerns.
The WFWF was painfully slow to end the broadcast of WFWF Loaded during the incident. Fans around the world were subjected to the sight of Poppy Yates recieving a burst of fire directly to her face as well as be strangled between Trace Demon's knee and one of the steel cables that serve as ring ropes. There was no doubt at the time that, for both the WFWF as well as the public good's interests, the broadcast should have been cut off the second Trace Demon began his assault on Ms. Yates. But with the superstar's suspension already nearing its conclusion and the WFWF's failure to meaningfully respond being so clear, I believe perhaps it is now in the best interests of the public good to release the uncut, raw footage of the incident as well as several minutes afterward that did not air on the broadcast.
The video begins just as Trace Demon takes an intimidating step forward prompting Poppy Yates to, defensively, step backward. The video quality is slightly grainy and featuring a timestamp down to the second in the bottom center of the screen; All of this indicating the video was recorded from the satellite feed to the truck. Trace smiles disarmingly and picks up his water bottle from where he placed it at the foot of the chair. Demon lifts the microphone to his lips however, with only the in-camera audio available, we cannot clearly make out his full statement. Upon completing his statement, he opens and takes a swig from the bottle, takes a sudden step forward so he’s right in front of Poppy before flicking something under his jacket sleeve. A flame suddenly flickers out from beneath it, Trace spitting the liquid into the flame which suddenly ignites, seeming to erupt in a ball of heat and flame. The fireball engulfs Poppy’s face and she screams, dropping to the ground in a heap of pain and seared flesh.
The arena is in stunned silence, which just makes Poppy’s screams even louder. This makes Demon stating "You are the message" audible; With only Yates' agonizing screams in the background. Trace Demon, microphone still in hand, grabs Poppy by the hair, dragging her to the hard camera side and throwing her so that she is draped over the middle rope. He digs his knee into her back, pushing his weight down on her and pulling back on her hair so that she is facing towards the camera. Her hands cover the worst of her face but the redness of her skin beneath her hands is clearly visible. He growls out "Scream for me Pops" then holds the microphone to her face which, though only coming through via the in-camera audio, her shrill, painful screams fill the audio landscape on account of them echoing around the arena. Trace, still smiling, drops down to his knees so that his face is lined up with Poppy’s. He looks directly into the camera and clearly states "Say hello to mommy, Ellie."
Finally the vast swath of security wipe the stunned looks off of their face and remember their damn jobs. Six security guards rush into the ring. Trace sees them coming and releases Poppy, just in time for the at-ring medical crew to surround her and check on her. Trace drops to his knees, holding his hands behind his back, laughing the whole time as two of the security guards grab him by an arm each. The other fifteen to twenty security guards split half and half, the first at the bottom of the stage, the rest around the ring. They’re there because of the faces exiting out from backstage and running down the ramp including most of the enhancement talent, Alex Sean, and others, all clearly wanting to get a piece of Trace Demon for what he has just done to Poppy Yates. We see Kurt Burton trying to shove his way through from ringside, being blocked by the guards.
The WFWF roster storming the ring almost collides with the wall of security guards, but there’s no getting through them, they hold them back as the rest of the security team drag Trace out of the ring. He doesn’t struggle, doesn’t fight, he just laughs, over and over, like he’s having the time of his life. Behind him the medical crew continue to check on Poppy, covering her face though none of the camera crew dare point their equipment in her direction. The security guards around the ring break formation to go and help the ones on the stage, pushing back on the WFWF roster like riot police. A group of them form a circle around Trace, protecting him from the wrath of the roster who bays for his blood. They manage to push through them, guiding Trace up the ramp as he continues to laugh at the chaos he has created. A camera man manages to get close enough to the side of the stage to get a close up on Trace’s manic face, and he notices, looking straight into it. He audibly speaks "This is on you Shuggy! See you soon Ellie. And then he’s back to laughing the whole way as he’s led up the stage, having carried out one of the most heinous acts in WFWF history without a hint of regret or empathy, just an overwhelming and sickening sense of satisfaction. Soon, the timestamp reaches its conclusion and the video abrubtly cuts to black.
The arena is in stunned silence, which just makes Poppy’s screams even louder. This makes Demon stating "You are the message" audible; With only Yates' agonizing screams in the background. Trace Demon, microphone still in hand, grabs Poppy by the hair, dragging her to the hard camera side and throwing her so that she is draped over the middle rope. He digs his knee into her back, pushing his weight down on her and pulling back on her hair so that she is facing towards the camera. Her hands cover the worst of her face but the redness of her skin beneath her hands is clearly visible. He growls out "Scream for me Pops" then holds the microphone to her face which, though only coming through via the in-camera audio, her shrill, painful screams fill the audio landscape on account of them echoing around the arena. Trace, still smiling, drops down to his knees so that his face is lined up with Poppy’s. He looks directly into the camera and clearly states "Say hello to mommy, Ellie."
Finally the vast swath of security wipe the stunned looks off of their face and remember their damn jobs. Six security guards rush into the ring. Trace sees them coming and releases Poppy, just in time for the at-ring medical crew to surround her and check on her. Trace drops to his knees, holding his hands behind his back, laughing the whole time as two of the security guards grab him by an arm each. The other fifteen to twenty security guards split half and half, the first at the bottom of the stage, the rest around the ring. They’re there because of the faces exiting out from backstage and running down the ramp including most of the enhancement talent, Alex Sean, and others, all clearly wanting to get a piece of Trace Demon for what he has just done to Poppy Yates. We see Kurt Burton trying to shove his way through from ringside, being blocked by the guards.
The WFWF roster storming the ring almost collides with the wall of security guards, but there’s no getting through them, they hold them back as the rest of the security team drag Trace out of the ring. He doesn’t struggle, doesn’t fight, he just laughs, over and over, like he’s having the time of his life. Behind him the medical crew continue to check on Poppy, covering her face though none of the camera crew dare point their equipment in her direction. The security guards around the ring break formation to go and help the ones on the stage, pushing back on the WFWF roster like riot police. A group of them form a circle around Trace, protecting him from the wrath of the roster who bays for his blood. They manage to push through them, guiding Trace up the ramp as he continues to laugh at the chaos he has created. A camera man manages to get close enough to the side of the stage to get a close up on Trace’s manic face, and he notices, looking straight into it. He audibly speaks "This is on you Shuggy! See you soon Ellie. And then he’s back to laughing the whole way as he’s led up the stage, having carried out one of the most heinous acts in WFWF history without a hint of regret or empathy, just an overwhelming and sickening sense of satisfaction. Soon, the timestamp reaches its conclusion and the video abrubtly cuts to black.
