AS 91: James Howard vs. Derek Jacobs

[Kermit]

The entire WZCW Universe was shocked when James Howard revealed himself as the masked man who cost Chris K.O. his chance at advancing in the Gold Rush tournament. Now, with Chris K.O. injured for the round, James finds himself fighting a familiar foe in the returning Derek Jacobs.


Deadline is Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Central Time). Extensions are available upon request.​

 

[Dave]

Match deadline has been extended 24 hours.

 

[Beastmode 24]

The scene opens up to reveal a dark room. The only light in the room is coming from a TV, whose screen is a solid blue. The only other furniture in the room is a chair, and in the chair sits Derek Jacobs.

Derek takes a sip of the beer in his hand before he speaks. His back is to the camera, facing the TV.

As most of you have seen on wzcw.com, Derek Jacobs makes his return to the ring at Ascension 91. Before I make my return though, I thought it would be nice for us to take a little trip down memory lane together. You see a lot of people believe my career up to this point in WZCW has been a failure, and you know what?

I agree one hundred percent with them.

Almost 3 years ago now, way back at Aftershock 8 I made my debut with the company for the first time in a triple threat match against Mr. Butty and Anderson P. Styles. I was young, angry, and overconfident and if I’m one hundred percent truthful with myself too trusting of one of my opponents. Let’s see what happens, shall we?

Derek presses play on the remote control held in his right hand. Footage from Aftershock 8 begins to play.

Spoiler

Butty instructs Derek once again, this time to get A.P. before he can recover. A motivated Derek turns and heads out, but Butty waistlocks Derek from behind and runs him towards the ropes, as the two bounce off, Mr. Butty rolls up Derek 1... 2... 3.!!!

Derek pauses the tape.

Not one of my finest moments, but also a sign of things to come. After floundering in the lower card for the better part of the year, I found myself losing the only two singles championship opportunities that I’ve received so far and after that I aligned myself with someone else I thought I could trust.

I was a part of one of the most dominating teams in the history of this company, but when it came down to it we just couldn’t get the job done. We terrorized the company, injuring people left and right, but eventually, I found out again that I put my trust in the wrong person.

Derek again hits play on the remote. Footage from Ascension 59 is shown.

Spoiler

The priest stands back and swings for the fences. Mikey moves, falling to his ass but avoiding the brutal shot entirely. Derek Jacobs is not so fortunate and he receives the full force of the chair shot across the top of his skull. Jacobs falls with the seat of the chair imprinted with his skull.

Again Derek pauses the tape.

Twice I put my faith in someone else, and twice it bit me in the ass. You would think that I would’ve learned something by now, but you’d be wrong.
Again I tried to put my faith in someone, this time to gain revenge on the ones who wronged me before. The source of my trust this time happened to be the unlikeliest source, a team that I had injured without remorse just a few months before.

This isn’t the last time you hear me speak of these men today.

I trained with this man, fought beside this man and put my trust in him because I had nowhere else to turn. This partnership would allow me to be a part of arguably the greatest match in WZCW history, WarGames at Kingdom Come V. Unluckily for me, when I needed my new “friends” the most, they weren’t there and I suffered for it.

We’re now shown footage of WarGames.

Spoiler

Copeland: Jacobs just got speared through the plexiglass! Good god! Someone needs to check to see if he is even still alive!


The camera shows Jacobs’ bloody face as he lies on the wreckage from the spear. Westhoff slowly stands up off of him. It appears that Westhoff’s arms got cut-up in the process of the spear. However, he has enough strength to reach down and drag Jacobs’ lifeless body over to the side of the ring. He then steps inside and pulls him in under the ropes, where the camera angle reveals that bits of glass are actually sticking in the cheek of Jacobs. Westhoff looks over at Howard, but Howard appears to still be wailing in pain from the colossal big boot he got earlier. Westhoff drops down and covers Jacobs. The referee is concerned for Jacobs’ well-being, but he makes the count anyway,

1…..2……3!

Harrys: Ladies and gentlemen, Derek Jacobs has been eliminated!

Again the tape is paused.

Honestly, I thought that would be the last time you people would’ve had the privilege to see me in the ring. Again, the blind faith and trust in a friend prevented that from being the case. This time, it was a man that I thought was dead.

My “best friend” James Parker needed me to help him repay some gambling debts, so he drug me back to WZCW for the most unsuccessful run in my entire career, in any company. The embarrassment that I felt when I left the last time makes me sick to my stomach today, and it just so happens that another one of my “friends” played a part in it this time.

Jacobs presses play, and we’re shown his unceremonious exit at Meltdown 110.

Spoiler

Garbage man: Excuse me, sir. Can you hand me that piece of trash next to you?

Matt grabs the bag the garbage man asked for, but Mikey turns and reacts as well without looking. He grabs the closest thing to him and takes it to the garbage man. Except that thing was a person. And that person was Derek Jacobs.

Jacobs: Hey-hey-hey! What the hell!

The garbage man lets Mikey pass as he throws Jacobs into the truck. Matt looks on in a mix of horror and confusion as Mikey comes back after his deed. The two continue walking as Matt tosses away the garbage bag.

Derek pauses the tape again.

And now, 5 months later, I’m trying this again.

One more time, possibly for the last time Derek Jacobs will try to make a career out of WZCW. This time though, I’m not putting my faith in anyone else to babysit me through my career. I’m not trusting anyone else to make decisions for me, and I damn sure ain’t listening to you people anymore.
I came back to WZCW for 3 reasons; to kick ass, make money and win championships, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.

And what better way to come back than a match with my old friend James Howard.

James, we have a lot of history together, you and me. On the same side of the ring and standing on opposite sides, you’ve been a part of some of the biggest moments of my career, like the time I broke your freaking neck. I know what type of fighter you are, and if you think that I’m going to be a bump in the road for you to get to Chris KO you’re very sadly mistaken.
When we get into the ring together at Ascension, you’re in for the fight of your life, and you can only pray that you come out the same condition that you went in.

I hope that you tell that pretty little wife of yours to tuck little Oliver into bed before the big scary man kicks daddy’s ass again, because unless you’ve forgotten what happened the last time we were in the same ring together with you as my target I have one last piece of tape to show you.

Derek presses play on the remote one last time.

Spoiler

The attackers are teaming up on Howard with shot after shot without anything he can do. Stormrage tries to help but from another point in the crowd, The Grand Mystique appears and holds him back! Westhoff taunts him from inside the ring. The dastardly duo continue the beatdown on Howard before lifting him up and whipping him across the ring; Westhoff hits a spear on Howard with great impact. GM is forcing Mikey to watch. Jacobs immediately grabs Howard by the throat and hits Payday, slamming him into the ground. Westhoff signals for Jacobs to end this, setting up a powerbomb. Westhoff goes to the top rope; the Final Judgement connects on Howard who lands very, very awkwardly on his neck, bouncing off the canvas. Howard is not moving from that shot. The New Church look over to see what they have done as the crowd boos heavily with their faces telling that they took care of Howard too well. The Grand Mystique launches Mikey into the ring steps just as Saboteur and Saxton re-emerge from the ramp, sprinting as fast as they can to help out Howard. the New Church trio flee the ring through the crowd whence they came as Saboteur, Saxton and later Stormrage enters the ring. Mikey looks over Howard and things aren't looking too well. Saboteur and Saxton look to help but Stormrage doesn't want their help as trainers and medical personnel look over the fallen Howard. One of them holds up an X sign and a stretcher comes down the ramp.

The tv cuts to static and Derek turns it off. He turns the chair around to face the camera for the first time. Ice blue eyes burn with intensity never before seen.

They say that when a man’s back is to a wall he becomes his most dangerous.

James, I have absolutely nothing left to lose. Everything’s already been stripped from me.

At Ascension 91, I’m not just going to beat you; I’m going to humiliate you. I’m not just going to humiliate you; I’m going to destroy you. I’m not just going to destroy you; I’m going to decimate you. I’m not just going to decimate you; I’m going to conquer you.

Because I can.

The camera fades to black.

 

[Shotaro]

We are looking down upon James Howard as he is sat on a steel chair, battered and broken and barely functional but he sits motionless. A bright light shines behind his back and casting a long silhouette. Beneath his booted feet a stained cream canvas is pulled tight and smeared with the dirt, blood and sweat that is the unmistakable mark of a wrestling ring. He wears his mask, an over-sized gas mask with blood red lenses, underneath his jet black hood. Reaching around inside the hood and grasping at his chin he removes the mask slowly, holding it by the respirator as he leans forward.

“It’s funny in a way, when you look back at my career. When you look back at what I’ve achieved I’ve always been the other guy. When people talk about the greatest tag team in WZCW history they don’t talk about Strikeforce, they talk about Action Saxton and Saboteur. They don’t talk about the team that made history, they talk about the team that lost the titles to us on the night I went down in pen and ink in the history book of wrestling.”

He places the mask at this feet and leans forward with his elbows on his knees as the camera swings down to his face, cloaked in shadow, pock-marked and dirty; the inevitable damage that comes when a man willingly encloses it in an air-tight space. He smiles broadly. His voice is slow, methodical, deliberate.

“The fans don’t get it. They have never fully understood what it is like to stand in that ring, to hear their apathy ringing through the air. They have never felt the disappointment of lifting a championship, of making history and still being the other man. Chris K.O. disrespected me and now he has learned, as all of them will learn in time.”

In a blinding flash he is on his feet. The light washes out the camera as it spins frantically. It slowly comes to a rest as the light shines on Howard’s profile. He leans in closer, his voice is not cool and calm anymore, his speech is faster, erratic. Every word is punctuated with a sharp, raspy intake of breath.

“Derek, you were there on the night of my greatest defeat. The night that almost broke me. The night when all of my hopes were dashed in front of an audience of millions. I want you to listen closely Derek, heed my words because I know that you will believe me when I say that if you turn up at Ascension what I’ve already done to Chris will seem like a pittance. I will make you beg for mercy and then, if you are lucky, I will only break your arm.”

Howard skitters towards the camera, his mask is back on and his eyes are barely visible through the tint. They are wide, maniacal. The screen flickers to an X-ray of a neck, with circles drawn over certain vertebrae.

“YOU BROKE MY NECK DEREK”

Howard’s voice booms, echoing throughout the room.

“Don’t you EVER think I would forget that; don’t you ever think that I cannot see you for the coward you are. You sided with The New Church when you thought they were strong, and when they saw your cowardice they cast you aside like the disposable razor you were. You served your purpose and then when you realised that I would be coming, you forced your way onto MY side.”

Howard is smiling, there is a sneering happiness in his voice as he continues.

“And little old pathetic, understanding, forgiving me just let you. As the real me boiled away beneath the surface I buried my pride, I buried my anger, I buried myself and I didn’t get my revenge. I didn’t get my pound of flesh Derek and at Ascension I’m going to take it from you and as you lie there, screaming in pain, begging for mercy I will lean in nice and close and say what I’ve needed to say to you since that day.”

Howard’s lips are millimetres away from the screen as he whispers in a raspy tone.

“Thank You.”

Howard reaches out and smashes the camera onto the floor, cracking the lens as it dies a digital death, Howard’s smirking visage appearing in each separate section of glass.