AF 26: The Beard vs. Mason Westhoff - Gold Rush Tournament

[Kermit]

We decided at WZ Weekend that Beard was the manliest man in KC, but will he be the #1 contender come Redemption? He'll have a long road ahead of him and it will start with the ruthless Westhoff, who displayed his strength by ending the career of Derek Jacobs in the War Games Match via a spear into a glass pod.

Deadline is Tuesday (August 20, 2013) at 11:59 P.M. (Central Time). Extensions are allowed via request.​

 

[Theo Mays]

A limo pulls up to a scene of screaming WZCW fans who are in attendance for WZCW’s Manliest Man, The Beard. The limo comes to a full stop and we see The Beard sitting inside, breathing heavily as if he were hyperventilating. The limo driver rolls the divider down and signals for Beard to exit the limo. Beard holds up his finger as he reaches into his back for his journal.

Dear Journal,

“If you can make one heap of all your winnings, and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss. And lose, and start again at your beginnings, and never breathe a word about your loss.”

-Rudyard Kipling

Those words are words that it is time to live by. Being the Manliest Man means nothing if I don’t do the moniker right. And now I take this win and risk it all for one chance, one huge chance. A chance to win the World Heavyweight Championship. A tournament featuring the biggest and best names that this company has to offer and it all starts at Aftershock 26 in the first round of the Gold Rush tournament. And my first opponent? The first man to succumb to my manliness? Brother Mason Westhoff. A man in which I have defeated, but the past means nothing as he is stronger and fiercer than ever. And he has revenge on his mind after suffering a pinfall at Kingdom Come. A win and I move an inch closer to becoming a legacy in the world of wrestling. A loss? A loss makes me look like a choke artist. A loss does not make me the manliest man in professional wrestling, it makes me a failure.

Beard closes his journal before placing it back in his bag and flinging it over his shoulder. A wrinkled dress shirt atop his manly chest and a pair of dark blue jeans, Beard kicks the door open and appears from the limo and lets out a battle cry as the crowd eats it up. Beard high fives the frenzy of fans that have appeared at this promotional appearance. Beard kisses some babies and hugs some oversized chicks as he reaches the doors to the store. Beard gives a wave as he opens up the door as the crowd shouts out their praise.

Beard we love you!

I want you to have my babies!!!

Let me smell your beard!

Sign our boobs!

Beard chuckles at the crowd’s phrases as he blows them a kiss and disappears into the store where he is greeted by the owner.

Good day Mr. Beard. Welcome to the site of our very first Narnes and Boble. It is a pleasure to have you here this evening to promote WZCW.

The pleasure is all mine sir. Let me get situated before we get started, if that’s alright.

Please take your time Mr. Beard. Showtime is 45 minutes from now.

Beard and the owner shake hands as Beard is escorted into the empty employee’s lounge for some down time before the signing.

Dear Journal,

“If you can dream — and not make dreams your master; if you can think — and not make thoughts your aim. If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same.”

-Rudyard Kipling

Another great saying from my good friend Rudyard. Dreams are a strong force, we all have them and we all hope for them to come true. But dreams can not control one’s life. I’ve plenty of dreams, but they are just that, dreams. I don’t allow for them to dictate my life or where my life takes me. All great men and women have thoughts of success and thoughts of failure, but just like dreams you can’t allow that to dictate where your life takes you and what you make of it. Triumph and Disaster are life’s greatest siblings. You can’t take one without the other and they must be treated as equals.

We speed through signings, pictures, handshakes, hugs, greetings, and all the such as a hectic day passes as Beard is exhausted as the last fan reaches his table. The fan sports a pretty epic beard and mustache combo as he introduces himself to Beard.

Names Hewitt, Ezekiel Hewitt. You can call me Zeke.

It is a pleasure to meet you Zeke. True dedication standing in the back of the line, we had quiet the crowd tonight. What can I sign for you.

That’s the thing I have nothing for you to sign. All I request is to speak to you for five minutes outside.

Beard ponders the idea as Zeke looks, expecting failure. Beard shrugs his shoulders and has a look of “what the hell, he has a sweet beard” and heads outside.

What’s on your mind Zeke?

You are of course.

Alright man that weirded me out, I’m heading-

Please don’t, it’s not like that.

Beard stops and turns to listen to Zeke, who continues his rant.

You claim that people “Fear the Beard” and you now lay claim to the Manliest Man in WZCW, but can those be true when they don’t respect the man himself? Can people truly fear something they don’t respect, something they don’t take seriously? I mean look at yourself, you are a big man. A true force, yet the locker room and the fans see you as this man they can’t take seriously. You aren’t feared, you aren’t big and bad, you’re just you. Nothing more than a man with a beard and a likeable personality. That’s how you got with Emily, that’s how you got this following, but you’re more than that Beard. You aren’t going to beat Mason Westhoff with personality; you aren’t going to be world champion because you have personality. You can be that force, you can be the most feared, and you can be the manliest man. You need me, you need the revolution.

Beard slowly walks toward Zeke as he has Zeke backed into the cold brick wall of the store. Beard slams his hand against the wall as Zeke slides down in his place, fear in his eye.

You listen here Mr. Hewitt. I’m going to you a free pass, something I don’t do very often. You speak ill of me all you want, but I am who I say I am. I am a man to be feared, I can see that in your eyes. I am the manliest man in wrestling, I proved that during Kingdom Come weekend. I threw a bear out of the ring for goodness sake. I am the Beard, I am the revolution, and I am a future World champion. I don’t need your guidance; all I need is the support, the support of all those Beardos that showed up here today. I thrive off them, I thrive off every cheer they send my way, I thrive on the fact that they want to see me each and every week. I don’t care about what they think of me in the back. I’ve always been told that those that are feared the most are the ones you think the least of. If they think lowly of me, they fear me. So Ezekiel I recommend you get back into your car and drive away before you regret this whole trip.

Beard straightens the shirt of Ezekiel Hewitt and brushes him off before showing him the way to his card. Hewitt is hesitant as he slowly creeps around Beard’s arm and heads to his car, not before turning around to deliver one last message.

This won’t be the last you see of me Mr. Beard. You will see the light, you will see my way, you will see and you will fear the revolution.

Hewitt slams his car door and drives off as Beard paces angrily. Beard finds a bench as his limo pulls up. Beard reaches into his bag and again grabs his journal for one last entry.

Dear Journal,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And which is more; you'll be a Man, my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

I take the claim of being the Manliest Man, but does one win really prove that? Probably not, but the moniker will forever stick. Mr. Hewitt may have made some valid points, but I always get by on proving the naysayers wrong. He is now the biggest naysayer. I don’t need his guidance and after Aftershock 26, I will prove him wrong. One win does not make me a man, but winning the world championship makes me a man. The wins will build, the fear will follow. Each win moves me one step closer to accomplish the fear I seek. No matter who gets in my way, whether it is Mason Westhoff or a simple fan such as Ezekiel Hewitt, they will fear the beard.

 

[Thriller Ant]

All Brother Mason Westhoff wanted to do was sleep.

It felt like it had been weeks since he stepped foot inside the Elimination Chamber to end the war with Strikeforce and Derek Jacobs once and for all when, in reality, it had only been about 6 hours. His brain was still unable to process the War Games match as a whole. Instead, the same few moments kept running through his head.

Taking that first step into the Chamber and trying to comprehend the brutality that was about to occur.

Succumbing to pride when DC had James Howard defeated.

Charging at Derek Jacobs with the sole intention of destroying the man he’d help create.

Walking out of the Chamber after being pinned.

Realizing no matter what happened in the rest of the match, he was finished with Strikeforce.

The last one, the knowledge that he was done with Strikeforce, is the one that hit Brother Westhoff the hardest. For months, he had stood alongside The Grand Mystique and various others with the intention of destroying Strikeforce and those who helped them. Now, Strikeforce is done, Derek Jacobs suffered a second major injury at Brother Westhoff’s hands, and Brother Westhoff is a man without direction.

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Ideas come and go, and you all and The Almighty know I’ve got a lot of them, but true inspiration is hard to come by.

It is now the Saturday after Kingdom Come. We see Brother Westhoff on a makeshift stage in front of the field where Bridge to Salvation Church once stood in Texarkana, Arkansas. The sound system isn’t the best, but the hundreds in the crowd stand quietly, as to not miss a word the man behind the podium says.

Believe me when I tell you, there hasn’t been a day since that terrible fire that I haven’t thought of this location, this city, and all of you. I know your faith in The Almighty is strong, but it hurt knowing that Bridge to Salvation Church, a place that was like a home to all of us, was gone. The question was not if we would rebuild, but rather when and how.

Brother Westhoff briefly pauses to take a sip of water from a bottle he has behind the podium before continuing.

If, right around the time of the fire, you had told me it would take this long to begin rebuilding, I would either call you liar or assume you doubted me. The Almighty pulled me elsewhere, however, to eradicate the heathens known as Strikeforce and our former brother, Derek Jacobs. The night we vanquished them once and for all, I laid in my hotel room unable to sleep when The Almighty blessed me with the inspiration for why we are here today.

Bridge to Salvation is gone and isn’t coming back. That is a tough reality for me, and I’m sure it is for many, if not all of you. We are early in the process, but the mayor and city council have been excellent in working with me to get started with the formalities before we begin building. Hopefully I will see you all next Sunday when, weather permitting, I will host a service at this very location. I apologize for my absence brothers and sisters, but I promise you that I am back to Texarkana to serve you and The Almighty once again.

Brother Westhoff steps away from the podium as the audience begins to applaud. After a moment of acknowledging the crowd, he makes a beeline for someone in the audience. As he draws closer, it becomes clear that it is WZCW’s Becky Serra.

I should’ve known one of you would find me eventually.

At least we found you. There’s still no sign of Mikey Stormrage. A lot of people are starting to get worried.

Can we just get what you are here for over with? In case you weren’t paying attention, I am here for a reason.

Becky looks directly into the camera.

We’re rolling, right?

She seemingly receives a positive response from the camera operator, and begins the interview.

Becky Serra here with Sacrificial Altar member, Mason Westhoff. How are you feeling after the War Games match at Kingdom Come?

I am still sore, but the grace of The Almighty allowed for not only a victory, but no serious injury.

Now you go from a bloody feud to a tournament for title contention. Ironically, your opponent is The Beard, who you lost to the last time you were in a tournament setting. Does that affect your preparation for this match at all?

A lot has changed since that match. The Gent has left WZCW and I no longer have to hold the hand of Derek Jacobs. I competed in the match that stole the show at Kingdom Come while The Beard was in an eating contest and threw around an irrelevant luchador. Most of my efforts in WZCW thus far have been a part of a quest to eradicate sinners. Now you will see what I can do when my motivation is bringing glory to The Almighty’s name.

Brother Mason Westhoff walks away from Becky as the scene fades to black.