Monday, 12 December 2011
Aftershock Locker Room
Alexander Steele sits in a steel chair tying the laces of a pair of shoes. He appears completely calm and unaffected by what happened earlier in the night, during his match. After he finishes tying his laces, he sits up slowly, displaying a wide grin on his face.
Alexander Steele is going to All or Nothing
He repeats the words of the announcers to himself, definitely not in a disbelieving manner, almost as if he had expected to win the match. He reaches over and places his boots into his gym bag when his cell phone begins to ring. With a raised eyebrow, he searches for his phone before finding it inside of one of his boots.
Hello?
He answers into the receiver, not having the time to check the ID to see who it was. A smile creeps onto his face as he hears the response and then puts the phone on speaker.
You did it! I mean, not like it wasnt expected, but you managed to beat them all.
Mazis voice is heard in the locker room through the phone now. Alex makes a small appreciative nod at the room being empty so that he can put her on speaker.
Of course I did it baby, Scumm and Skinner were the weakest members in the match. It was only natural that I overcome those two.
So on to All or Nothing for another multiple man match.
Alex nods lightly as he stuffs his ring gear into his bag. Before he answers her, an eyebrow raises as he notices that it sounds as though shes baiting him into saying something, though he isnt sure what it is.
Yeah, Im facing a list of my betters at All or Nothing. To be honest, I kind of wish you could be there with me.
There is silence on the phone, it causes Alex to lean over and tap his phone to make sure that they didnt get disconnected. He opens his mouth to make sure she was still there when Mazi replies finally.
Good, because Ashley, just bought us tickets to see the show, well be at ringside to cheer you on.
Alex smiles brightly as he hears this news, what a great step-mother he has, certainly makes up for what an ass his father is.
So will it be just the two of you, or is Jason going to be there as well?
Dont be disappointed honey, but Jasons in Japan touring, he likely doesnt even know that youre getting a shot at being in the Lethal Lottery; let alone know youre wrestling again.
He nods slightly before shrugging his shoulders. Alex knew it was a long shot to ask about his father being there but he gave it a chance anyways.
Thanks for the info babe. Listen, Ive got to get off of here so that I can finish packing up and leave. Ill be home in a couple days, I do have a class to teach after all.
And a pregnant girlfriend about to pop to see too; love you, bye!
Alex laughs lightly as he picks up his phone, repeats the closing back to her and hangs up his phone. He slips the phone into his pocket, but no longer looks as excited about his upcoming pay per view match.
Asshole
/COLOR]
He mutters to himself as he zips up his gym bag, lifts it up to his shoulder and stands. He walks out of the locker room as the scene fades to black.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Boston, Massachusetts
The Steele Residence
Its fairly early in the day and Alex sits alone on the couch of his home. He stares at the television, not really watching it, but noticing that on it is Mazis favorite show Adventure Time. Mazi soon joins him on the couch with a bowl of popcorn.
Hey honey, you got in pretty late last night, I didnt think youd be up.
Well, you know me, I cant sleep that late regardless of what time I go to bed.
She looks over at him and nods lightly, as if she had forgotten about that fact. Mazi then offers him some popcorn while she grabs up the remote and rewinds the episode.
Are you okay? You dont seem to be yourself?
He doesnt give her a verbal response but instead just nods at her question. Mazi takes notice of this; its not at all like him. She pauses the show before turning in her seat to face him.
Whats on your mind Alex?
My match at All or Nothing. Mostly the fact that youre going to be at ringside.
It dawns on Mazi that Alex must be worried about her and Ashley being in attendance for his match at All or Nothing.
Ty Burna is a crazy S.O.B. I dont want you or Ashley getting involved.
I know, I promise we wont get involved. I mean, Im pregnant and Ashley is a doctor. Shes not going to let me do anything too crazy.
She smiles at him, trying to ease his worries. As she looks at him, she can tell that her getting hurt isnt the only thing bothering him.
Youre put off by your father not being here arent you?
Alex looks over at her and shakes his head. Suddenly he stands up and walks away from her. He walks towards the front door and grabs a coat on his way out. The scene fades to black as the door closes shut.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Boston, Massachusetts
The Refinery
Alex walks into the gym and tosses his bag over to the ring. He seems angry and depressed at the same time, at a time he should be excited and focused.
Sometimes, I hate it that she knows me so well.
He says aloud to himself as he walks up to the practice ring. Once at the ring, he rolls in under the bottom rope and lifts himself up to lean against the ropes.
Yeah Im put off by Jason not being there. He didnt always used to be an asshole, when I first moved in with him after my mom died; he was the father I had always wanted. It wasnt until I turned down a tryout for the U.S. Olympic team so that I could follow in his footsteps that he changed. He became cold and distant, wanted little to do with me outside of beating my ass in what he called training. I would be grateful for his training but he actually had me abducted once so that he and an old friend could jump me in to the Bunkhouse Brawl style of match.
He presented me with my first title in this industry and when I say presented, I mean that he tossed the strap down at my feet and spat in my face. He worked against me to have me stripped of the title and he was more than happy to see me lose the title in a massive battle royale. Then he had the gall to replace me while wearing a mask and then ask me to come back and team with him. I really shouldnt be bothered by this, I expected him to be nowhere near WZCW. He doesnt think I have what it takes and hes not the only one. My opponents at All or Nothing dont think I have what it takes either.
Alex pauses and then pulls on the ropes lightly, leaning away from them as if to make sure that they were still configured properly before his class started.
Six people will enter All or Nothing with aspirations of being the final entrant into the Lethal Lottery. Something that would give a huge advantage in the Lethal Lottery match itself and as an extra stipulation, the person who takes the loss will be the number one entrant into the Lethal Lottery. The way I see it then, if you cant win, be pinned.
He speaks as he walks around the inside of the ring, pulling on the ropes and shaking the turnbuckles. Making sure that none of the training from last week changed the ring very significantly.
I face five other men at All or Nothing, a veritable pantheon of WrestleZone Superstars. Im truly the odd man out or maybe Brad Bomb is on the same scale with me. From looking at the WZCW title history, Brads the only one to not hold a strap here. Is it his time to shine? Winning this match could mean going on to win Lethal Lottery and possibly taking the Heavyweight title from whoever the champion may be. This could be his moment, win or lose, it could be his moment. Like the other four people in the match though, Im going to make sure that Brad doesnt even come close to winning, let alone taking the pin. Its nothing personal Brad, if I remember correctly you started teaming with Tucker when I was injured and walked away from WZCW. You stepped up then and Im sure youre going to step up now, but this isnt your time, not if I have anything to say about it.
Alex finishes his inspection of the ring and walks over to one of the corners and climbs up the turnbuckles to take a seat on the top.
Mr. Baller is a one-time tag champion and held the Mayhem title for a few seconds during a scramble match. I, personally, wouldnt count that Mayhem strap as a title reign, but I supposed you just take what you can get. Hes been on a roll as of late and it looks like he may be in good standing to take this match. That is if Ty Burna and Everest werent involved. I see that now, Mr. Baller has a decent chance at taking the loss. Even that puts him in a decent position to win the Lethal Lottery match. The thing is, hes nothing special, everything about him has always been mediocre and it seems as though he was thrown into this match for his good behavior. Someone like Ty Burna will only walk over Ballers chances of ever seeing the end of this match. If he ends up in the ring with me, hell see why I was able to win the tag title after such a short time with the company, hell also see why I was given the chance to be in this match.
He pauses suddenly as he hears the door of the gym open and some of his students walk inside. He smiles and nods toward them as they all say hello and head straight back to the locker room, knowing to stay out of his way at the moment.
Ive faced one of the men in this match before, only then he went by a different name and didnt seem so keen to do Christmas rhymes. Last time it was in a multiple competitor ladder match for the Mayhem championship. This time, Baez goes by a new name, Matt Tastic and we face one another again in a multiple competitor match, there is only no ladder involved. My odds of beating him in this match are the same as they were in that match. Ive had my fair share of multiple person matches, from battle royales to Bunkhouse Brawls, I can beat anyone on any given night, on the other side of that coin though, I can lose to anyone on any given night; anyone but Johnny Scumm that is. Matt Tastic is just another obstacle in this match that I plan on winning. Ive worked my ass off to make it back into a WZCW ring and Im not going to squander my first chance at making it to Kingdom Come to take on whoever the champion may be.
Alex jumps down from the turnbuckle and climbs out of the ring. He picks up his gym bag and heads for the office. His class was beginning to show up, most of them early enough to get some private ring time in before the class officially began.
Next I get to go up against a two time Heavyweight champion and a one-time Mayhem champion, Everest. The man is a legend in a WZCW ring; hes taken on the best and beaten most of them. But word around the water cooler is that hes suffering from old age. I would hate to think that Everest was slowing down and that would mean that my chances of facing him are dwindling. Hes one of the few top guys I wanted to face before they werent able to anymore. Im getting my chance in this match but its not what I envisioned. Being able to beat Everest out for this spot in the Lethal Lottery will mean more to me than beating my own father in an exhibition match. Ill know that all my hard work has paid off if I can manage against Everest. Everyone will probably be looking to Ty and Everest to take the match, but if you see me and either of those two in the ring together, youd better hold on to your damn seats.
He places his bag down on the desk, closes the door, and shuts the blinds so that he can focus on the camera that has been following him through the gym.
That just leaves the man that has won just about every title that WZCW has to offer. A man that deserves respect because hes earned it, sure hes probably earned most of his respect through underhanded means. He still deserves respect though, being the other legend in this match, hes another one of my WZCW dream matches. I can retire from WZCW happy in a few years if I was able to face and beat Ty Burna, Everest, and Titus and never win a title. At the pay per view, Ill get a chance to face Ty Burna, once again, its not how I envisioned my match with him, but I will take whatever I can get at the moment. Im not nearly as big of a name here in WZCW as Mr. Burna is, but after Ive spent as much time here as him, Ill be bigger. I have something to strive for, I have people I want to best in one-on-one combat, and no one will stand in my way. I want Ty Burna in the ring with me; I want to make him regret underestimating me, as Im sure someone of his stature is doing just that. Im positive that he has a plan to come out on top, Ill be that wrench in his plan every second he spends in the right with me.
Alex takes a deep breath and smiles at the camera, much of his excitement coming back for the match.
Thats it for me, this pay per view, is all or nothing for me. If Im going to win, Im going to do it with my own style. If Im going to lose, you better believe that Im going down fighting. Ill make sure that if I cant take that final entrant spot in the Lethal Lottery, Ill take that number one entrant spot. I refuse to be left out of the match that could put me in league with the best that WZCW has to offer. This is what Ive been training for since I was twelve, Ill use all the skills I have and hope for a bit of luck here because with all the talent involved, I know Im going to need it.
Alexander smiles slightly, looking like a weight has been taken off of his shoulders. He walks to the office door and out into the gym, to see the students working together in and out of the ring while they wait for class to start.
This gives me hope for the future of professional wrestling. One day, one of these young men will want be in WZCW, standing on top of the world and Ill be watching from the shadows, knowing that I was the man that trained him. Until that day, theyll just have to watch me in action.
He laughs softly as he crosses his arms and just watches the students practice what theyve learned so far as the scene fades to black.