The studio lights come up on Dutch Harris and Scott Kamura, seated across from each other at the Straight Shootin' desk. Dutch leans back in his chair, a knowing grin on his face. Scott has his notes spread out in front of him, tapping a pen against the desk.
Dutch Harris: Welcome to Straight Shootin', I'm Dutch Harris, alongside my partner Scott Kamura, and folks, if you didn't watch Zenith 009 last night, what were you doing with your life? We had chaos, we had returns, we had a new World Champion crowned in the most insane Battle Royal I've ever seen.
Scott Kamura: Dutch, I've been doing this for twenty years, and I'm telling you right now—that was one of the best shows top to bottom I've ever seen in SHOOT Project. We're going to break it all down for you today. The good, the bad, the shocking, and what it all means moving forward.
Dutch Harris: Let's get into it.
Dutch Harris: Scott, let's start with the elephant in the room—Corey Lazarus is your new World Heavyweight Champion. Twenty competitors, and when it came down to the final three—him, Arthur Pleasant, and Chance Kelser—Laz found a way to survive.
Scott Kamura: And that's the key word, Dutch—survive. This wasn't pretty. Corey didn't dominate. He got beaten down, he got thrown around, but when it mattered most, he outlasted everyone. That's championship mentality right there.
Dutch Harris: But here's my question—is this the best version of Corey Lazarus we're going to get? Because earlier in the night, he jumped Arthur Pleasant, beat him down at ringside, licked the man's blood off his knuckles like some kind of psychopath. That's not the Hollywood Kid we know. That's someone who's been pushed to a dark place.
Scott Kamura: Dutch, when someone tries to take your eye, when they crucify your family, when they break your fiancée's arms—yeah, you go to a dark place. But you know what? That darkness made him dangerous. That darkness made him champion. The question now is, can he control it?
Dutch Harris: And don't forget, he promised Arthur Pleasant a match at Zenith 010—with or without the title. Well, now he's got the title. So what does Arthur do? Does he demand a title shot? Does he just want blood?
Scott Kamura: Arthur Pleasant doesn't care about championships, Dutch. He cares about chaos. He cares about breaking people. And Corey just put the biggest target in the world on his back.
Scott Kamura: Alright, Dutch, we need to talk about the opening of the show. Jamie Johnson returned, and this was not the Jamie we remember. No flash, no fun—this was clinical. This was calculated.
Dutch Harris: He called himself "The Benchmark" and talked about the locker room like it's a system full of errors that need to be corrected. Scott, I'm going to be honest—I didn't love it. Jamie was always the guy who brought energy, who brought excitement. Now he's out here talking like a robot about "organizing chaos" and "removing variables." What happened to the kid we knew?
Scott Kamura: Dutch, I'm going to push back on you here. What happened is he got tired of being in the middle of the pack. He got tired of being overlooked. So he stripped everything down to the fundamentals, and you know what? I respect it. This business rewards precision. It rewards consistency. If Jamie Johnson can back up what he's saying, this could be the best version of him we've ever seen.
Dutch Harris: But did you see how he looked at the World Championship belt? Like it was a math problem he needed to solve. That's not passion, Scott. That's obsession.
Scott Kamura: And obsession is what creates champions. Mark my words, Dutch—The Benchmark is going to be a problem for everyone in that Battle Royal and beyond.
Dutch Harris: Izzy Sia and Mike de los Huesos defeated The Punch Line to win the Pantheon Championships in the first-ever defense of those titles. Scott, these two are on fire right now.
Scott Kamura: And they should be. Izzy went from nobody two years ago to Premier Champion to now Pantheon Champion. Mike came back to SHOOT with something to prove, and he's proving it every single night. But here's what I loved most about their backstage promo—they issued an open challenge. They said "bring anyone, we don't care." That's champion mentality.
Dutch Harris: But it's also dangerous, Scott. Because now every tag team in the back is circling like sharks. You've got established teams, you've got new combinations forming—the Pantheon Championship just became the hottest title in the company.
Scott Kamura: And you know what? That's exactly what The Empire wants. They want the best. They want to prove they're not just good—they're elite. And with the way they're wrestling right now, I don't see anyone stopping them.
Dutch Harris: We'll see. The Moonshiners just called out DEPRAVITY and Sammy Rochester for Zenith 010. That could be interesting.
Dutch Harris: Alright Scott, time for Hot Take Corner. Here's mine: The DeMONSTRance is starting to show cracks. Hannah Kelser got pulled from the Battle Royal at the last second, and when Sebastian LaCroix told them, you could see the tension. Hannah was furious, and even though Chance played it cool, you could tell this wasn't part of the plan.
Scott Kamura: I disagree completely. That wasn't the group falling apart—that was them adapting. Chance told Sebastian it wasn't his fault and immediately pivoted to setting up the Pinnacle to the Pit match with Corey Lazarus. That's not dysfunction, Dutch. That's a chess move. The DeMONSTRance has always been about manipulation and long-term strategy.
Dutch Harris: But Scott, Arthur Pleasant lost the Battle Royal. He got eliminated by Corey Lazarus—the man he's been tormenting for months. And now two of his newest recruits, Chance and Hannah, are dealing with management pulling strings against them. How long before someone in that group decides they're tired of Arthur's leadership?
Scott Kamura: Dutch, you're underestimating the Kelsers. They didn't join the DeMONSTRance because they're followers—they joined because it serves their purpose. Chance made it to the final three. He's got a title match opportunity at Pinnacle to the Pit. Hannah's hungry. These two are dangerous, and if anything, they're making the DeMONSTRance stronger, not weaker.
Dutch Harris: We'll see, Scott. But mark my words—when Chance and Hannah decide they don't need Arthur anymore, things are going to get very interesting.
Scott Kamura: Alright Dutch, let's look ahead to Zenith 010. We know we're getting Corey Lazarus versus Arthur Pleasant—the match Corey promised. We know The Moonshiners are taking on DEPRAVITY and Sammy Rochester. What else do you want to see?
Dutch Harris: I want to see Jamie Johnson in action. He made his statement last night, but talk is cheap. I want to see if The Benchmark can actually back it up in the ring. Give him someone tough—give him Holden Nobody or Johnny Napalm. Let's see what he's really made of.
Scott Kamura: I want to see what Madison Seton does next. She retained the Premier Championship, but Ricky Tenet came so close. Does he get another shot? And what about the rest of the division—where's NC-17? Where's Aiden Vanity?
Dutch Harris: And Scott, we can't ignore the elephant in the room—Chance Kelser made it to the final three of the Battle Royal. He's getting a Pinnacle to the Pit match with Corey. If he wins that, he gets a World Title shot. This kid is dangerous.
Scott Kamura: Zenith 010 is going to be must-see television, Dutch. The roster is stacked, the storylines are heating up, and we've got a new World Champion who has a target on his back the size of Hollywood.
Dutch Harris: That's going to do it for us today, folks. Thanks for joining us on Straight Shootin'. Remember, we don't sugarcoat it, we don't hold back—we give it to you straight.
Scott Kamura: Zenith 009 delivered one of the best shows of the year, and Zenith 010 is shaping up to be even bigger. Make sure you tune in. For Dutch Harris, I'm Scott Kamura. We'll see you next time.
STRAIGHT SHOOTIN' • SHOOT PROJECT