Late evening. 160 years ago, this city hadn't been here. The western half of the country hadn't been here. But then people moved west looking for gold, breaking the silence which had reigned here for thousands of years. Most of them never found it.
Its funny how little changes.
The Space Needle cast its lengthening shadow across the traffic far below, slowly ebbing its way through the streets far below. At the top of the tower on the observation deck stood Garth Black, looking over the city. Although he was the only person at the top, the relative tranquillity was spoiled by the sounds of a city making its way home. Engines revved. Horns tooted. A distant siren increased in volume.
Black: I always try and get a higher vantage point wherever we travel. Try and rise above it all. Get a look at the bigger picture. Well, here I stand on the eve of one of the biggest nights of my career, and the chaos surrounding the company has, like the city beneath me started to become very noisy indeed.
Once again a champion has left this company, and once again, anarchy reigns. But I'm above it all. Every single obstacle that could be thrown before me has been, and I am still two matches away from getting a shot that serial losers seem to walk into. And as per usual, the company is doing absolutely everything in its power to ensure that I don't get a fair crack at it.
He looks over the edge of the observation deck, and sees the roads below. There are four roads all heading the same direction, three have smooth flowing traffic, one has a series of parked cars, pot holes and other obstacles making the flow of cars considerably less rapid.
Black: You see, this tournament has been set up to hinder my progress since day 1. I had a former world champion to prepare for in round one. But then this was replaced by another former world champion at the 11th hour. Then I had to fight a former tag team champion, and now I must fight yet another former champion. Kagura has had to face former champions too, but the difference is that she faced them when they were clearly off the boil. She didn't have to raise a fist against S.H.I.T. and Flex just as well may not have been there.
But at least she had the opportunity for competition, look at the other two left in the tournament. Veejay had to fight two rookies in Logan and Mancini, while Tastic had to face another two in Vee A.D.Z. and Abel Hunnicutt, in the main event. Remember, Hunnicutt is a guy I beat. Twice. And yet he has fought more main events than I have. By now, you should already know why.
So yeah, the fix is in, I've had by far the most difficult path, but every curve ball they throw at me, I knock right out of the park. Every roadblock, I plough through it. The WZCW top dogs have clearly not realised that throwing snowballs at an avalanche will only make it worse. The Black Revolution is rolling through this company and every chump they put before me is a sacrificial lamb. Of course, this time I'm going to have to face a few sacred cows which means that they will do everything, or anything in order to stop my momentum. But it won't work. I will break through it.
As he says this he looks back to the traffic below, a car comes from the road containing pot holes and parked cars and, having passed these obstacles, is now able to accelerate to a speed far greater than the cars in the clearer roads. Black pulls out an ornate book from his satchel, he looks at it for a second, and then begins to talk, quietly at first.
Black: But I mustn't get ahead of myself. I can't be planning for the final when Kagura remains in my path. Kagura is obviously riding a wave of momentum herself, having finally found her voice. Well someone's voice anyway. It's clear that the powers that be have decided that the mere mortals of this company cannot stop me, so they've sent in the cavalry. Albeit a slightly creepy, mystical cavalry.
Kagura Joheki, at least I think it's Joheki - she changes her name more often than most of the bottom feeders in this company change their underwear - is a formidable opponent, and one that I'm not taking lightly. But at the same time she seems to take all of her power from a book. A book not unlike this one.
With that, Black holds the book up for a short second before tossing it off the observation deck. As it falls, a series of pages detach and break free, slowly floating their way down to the ground behind the main body of the book.
Black: No book phases me, Kagura. You see, ever since I came to this place, ever since I came back to myself I've fought the fighters and the flighters. I've fought the winners and the whingers. I've fought the pious and the pie eaters. I've fought 'em all, and beat them all too and so I'm not afraid of you. You see, the oldest and strongest form of magic, is Black magic. And I know a thing or two about that.
Black looks up at the Needle atop the tower.
Black: You see, I've fought demons in my head so daunting that there is nothing you can do to me I haven't already done to myself. And I conquered them. When I write my book, my story, my memoirs, you're going to be a footnote.
So you can take that tome back to the library and pay the fine, because the beating I'm going to give you is long overdue. What you seem to think is some sort of mythical dynasty, is just a little spell. You're going to need that voice you've stolen, you're going to need it to scream 'I quit'. And listen, the only book you're going to need is the yellow pages so you can call a doctor.
Black is quite agitated, so he begins to walk around the observation deck purposefully. As he walks, a pigeon land next to him. He moves towards it to shoo it away, but no quicker than he does so, another two land beside him.
Black: Of course, Kagura is only the first hurdle, then come one of two. Veejay and Tastic. Between them they have had a total of zero formidable opponents in the Gold Rush tournament, they're going to be coming in to their match fresher, and are likely to leave it that way too. I don't need to tell you how convenient that is. Which will I face?
Well, on the one hand is the guy whose greatest career achievement is not winning this tournament in the past. In a semi-final containing previous winners of everything this company has to offer, one guy really doesn't fit. Veejay, the Bollywood star is fading away, soon to be eclipsed by the cold reality. I don't belong at this stage in the tournament because they don't want me to be here. You don't belong at this stage because you haven't done anything to deserve it. I beat a former world champion, you beat a guy who's had two matches. And I'm sorry, but I just don't want to face you in the final. Beating you would be an anti-climax for the Black revolution.
But it doesn't matter, because your opponent in the Gold Rush is the Golden Boy of this company. Tastic has had literally everything set up for him to win this tournament. Literally everything laid out so that he can be crowned king, and go on to face his buddy. Again. Or Constantine. Again.
By now, Black has reached the other side of the Space Needle observation deck, and rather than looking out over a congested city, he looks at the Puget Sound. It is much more serene on this side of the building, and sail boats gently cruise across the waves, making their way towards the shoreline.
Black: But the winds of change are blowing through this company, and I can feel the breeze against my face. Like me, Tastic took his time to reach the top. I mean, I've been here longer, but when he struck out against the machine and made it to the top, I was almost proud of his achievements. Almost. He showed us under-appreciated talents could smash through the glass ceiling. The blast proof doors that stopped us explosive guys from reaching the upper echelons of this company were finally opened.
Except he locked it behind him. Tighter than it ever had been before. Tastic is a man that has influence with the top brass and now he wants to flaunt that, so he finds himself with the easiest path to a tournament final in the history of professional wrestling.
I don't blame him, I mean, what has he got to lose exactly? If he wins, he gets a title shot at the next major show. If he loses, he'll get one at the next one. The Tastic wheel keeps turning, all that changes is the hamster bearing the effort. Well I'm done being a rodent, it's time to break out of the cage and there's nothing I want to do more than beat this guy in the main event of this show.
We all know that won't happen, can't happen, they'll throw a spanner in the works somehow. But it should happen. These winds will only keep blowing for so long before we miss our opportunity to raise the sails and set a course for history. Before even more people keep walking out of our company. I tell you, the next time we have a Hall of Fame ceremony, Vacant better be put in, because he has won more championships here than anyone else.
It's time for us to seize this opportunity for unity. I said in September that I'd quit after I win the title, but I was angry. I don’t want to embarrass professional wrestling any more than the powers that be seem to do on a regular basis. I don't care for the people running this company, but this company has provided for me when I needed it, and now it needs me to give it some credibility. The small band of revolutionaries, need to get ready to shout the house down over the top of the brainwashed.
You see, as long as the top echelons fawn over the likes of Matt Tastic, highly questionable characters like Kagura get to run around causing anarchy beneath them. Meanwhile people like Veejay get lost in the mix and often disappear as quickly as they appear. I don't want that to happen anymore. I want to work for a company I can be proud of, not one that's going to pick favourites. Stormrage, Constantine, it doesn't matter, it's the same old thing, but if I can overcome all they inevitably throw in front of me, then I will finally be able to open that blast door forever. I'm going to be restless until I do that.
Black moves towards the edge of the observation deck, he kicks a lose stone over the edge and it falls to the ground far below.
Black: The alternative doesn't really bear thinking about.
By now, the sun was starting to lower in the sky and the shadows were even longer than before. The bustle from below had dwindled to a quiet buzz. Black looked at all the life around him. The juxtaposition of the water, the hills in the distance and the city. A symbiotic triad, slowly bedding down for the evening. The calm atmosphere had conquered the chaos. Seattle wouldn't be sleepless tonight.