AS43 - Alexander Stark vs. Alexander Steele (Lethal Lottery Qualifier)

[Ty Burna]

In what seems to be an attempt to confuse the holy daylights out of the Ascension competitors and the fans, Alexander Steele will take on a man with a very similar name in Alexander Stark. Steele has recently made his return to WZCW and is looking to finally find his place with a spot in the Lottery. However, with Hiraku Susumu not wrestling for WZCW anymore, Stark is trying to stand on his own two legs and that same spot would be a great way to get grounded. Will Alex S. defeat Alex S. or will Alex S. get the better of Alex S.?

Deadline is Tuesday, January 24th at 11:59 PM Central Time.​

 

[Ty Burna]

Alexander Steele has been granted a 24 hour extension.

 

[Ty Burna]

Alexander Stark has been granted a 24 hour extension.

 

[falconsault]

Monday, 16 January 2012
Aftershock Locker room

Alexander Steele rests on the bench inside of the locker room, holding a damp towel over his face. He’s letting the heat and dampness relax him and his headache, seemingly still feeling some effects of the concussion he suffered at the hands of Everest at All or Nothing.
This crap always happens, starts with one loss and then moves on into two or three before I can catch a break again.

He groans and sits up straight as he pulls the towel from his face. His eyes squint at the lighting in the locker room, having to readjust. He tosses the towel into his gym bag before pulling off his boots.

I hate to see what my match is going to be next week. Here’s hoping that I’ll finally be completely over that damned concussion.

He places his boots into the bag and pulls out a pair of track pants. Standing up, he pulls them on and then pulls on a pair of shoes. Alex sighs lightly as he picks up his jacket and pulls it on, zipping it all the way up.

And maybe I’ll be able to get a full night sleep. I do too much at home.

Steele smiles lightly thinking about being at home with his girlfriend and daughter. He walks out of the locker room and takes notice of the match schedule for the next week. He spots his name and nods before heading for the exit, as the scene fades to black.

Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Boston, Massachusetts
The Steele Residence

Alex sits on the couch, stretched out with his feet propped up on the coffee table. He’s watching television, an episode of Regular Show that was DVR’d for him. He seems peaceful when Mazi walks up and sits next to him. She twists so that she can put her legs up onto his lap.

You do realize that you’re not supposed to have your feet on the coffee table right?

She teases him as she casually the episode with him. Alex turns his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

I’m serious, we said no feet on the coffee table a long time ago.

She continues to tease him until Alex begins to pulls his feet down. Mazi then looks at him and laughs lightly letting him finally know that she was only teasing.

How’re you holding up honey? Is your head still hurting you?

Her first question is really a veiled question about his run in with Jason last week. She’s concerned for Alex as he’s not said a word about it since it happened.

I’m doing alright; my head is finally starting to feel normal again. Everest really did a number on me. I really underestimated that guy.

Well he does have a few years of experience on you. You really should have known better than to underestimate Everest.

Alex smirks at Mazi as he shakes his head. She hit the nail on the head but he’s refusing to verbalize that she’s right.

I know, I got overconfident, I was certain that I was going to walk out of that match as the victor. My thinking was that only Ty Burna would be a problem. I was however the only one to pull out all the stop to try and win.

And that’s ultimately why you lost, karma. You underestimated and even made fun of Everest. You got what you deserved actually.

Steele can’t help but laugh at Mazi’s statement. He knows that she is completely serious about what she’s saying but it just comes off as being snarky.

On top of that, you got thrown into another match against him and once more you lost. Everest didn’t take you out this time but your body was used to take him out of the match.

I know, that sucked royally; I hated that that happened. Showtime is a great competitor; he was destined to win that fatal four way match. Still, I do wish it could’ve come down to me and Everest.

This time its Mazi’s turn to raise an eyebrow. Part of her can’t believe that Alex still wants to take on Everest at this point in his career. She understands that he wants to test his abilities but believes that he should maybe wait a few more months.

I know what you’re thinking, why am I still after having a match with Everest? That’s because he’s the pinnacle of talent in WZCW. Sure, he might not be the champion right now, but Everest has been at this longer than just about everyone else that are currently in WZCW. He’s that measuring stick for anyone going after the heavyweight title.

No, I know exactly why you want a match with him. I just wonder if that’s what your current problem is. I mean you’re becoming consumed with having a match with him. You act like you need that match but what happens if you get tasked to be his partner?

Alex smiles at her and begins to pat her legs that are resting on his lap.

Baby that would be an honor; I don’t have to beat Everest; I just want a shot at a one-on-one match is all. If management wanted us to team for a match then I’d have no problem working with him. In fact our particular wrestling styles are very similar and would probably work very well together.

Mazi grins at his answer, figuring that he’d be humble about it now. She guesses that he’s probably in his right mind at the moment and possibly not being effected by the shouting match with his father.

Well, who’s up next then?

Alexander Stark, someone I don’t actually know much about. I know he’s a former tag team champion. I know that his partner has left WZCW and he’s now out to make a name for himself. I also know that his first outing by himself was a lost against Scott Hammond. I am however, not about to underestimate this guy. He’s bound to have a fire to win this match against me and get into the Lethal Lottery match.

Mazi nods lightly as she listens to her man speak about his upcoming match. Soon he lifts her legs off of his lap and moves to take up. Alex stretches and then leans down and kisses Mazi.

Got to go baby, I have a class to teach.

He smiles at her and heads for the door as the scene fades to black.

Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Boston, Massachusetts
The Refinery

Alex stands in the center of the ring with a student on his shoulders. He’s holding the student in an Samoan drop stance when they both fall to the mat. Steele stands up and then helps the student to his feet and smiles.

Good job. That is how you will perform death valley drivers for the time being. Take your time in executing the move; make sure that you’re protecting your partner. A little later we’ll run through the move at full speed. After I’m happy with your progress, we’ll move on to joint locks.

The students clap their understanding and all head into the ring to begin working at half speed on the DVD move. Alex smiles as he exits the ring and walks toward his office. He stops at the window and leans against the edge.

I love this, teaching, if I ever become too injured to wrestle I’ll continue to teach others how to. I went to Boston University to become a History teacher, but was too consumed by wrestling to finish my classes. Maybe I’ll go back to school once I can’t wrestle any longer. Of course by that time, any one I taught would easily recognize me as a wrestler. Oh well, it’s not about anything other than helping the youth.[/COLOR

Alex crosses his arms over his chest as he looks past the camera, watching the students in the ring, making sure that no one is getting hurt.

Jon in there is a kid off the streets, he has a family, but they don’t take much notice of him. He used to spend his time stealing from convenience stores, until I caught him a few months ago. This school is the only thing keeping him out of juvie and he’s got a lot of potential talent in him. One of these days he’ll probably be in a WZCW ring and probably ruling the roost. I’m doing a good thing here, I took a closed wrestling school that belonged to my father and reopened it. I’m not as selective as Jason was about students, I am as tough on them, but I don’t care if someone has the talent for it, I just want them all to have the desire to learn.

Soon I’m going to open the door for females, I’m going to enlist the assistance of Mazi once she’s up to it and a few other female wrestlers I’ve met since I started wrestling to teach the ladies. Right now, I just don’t feel comfortable with being in a teaching role for women, plus I don’t trust some of my students around them.

He laughs lightly, indicating that he’s joking about not trusting some of his students. Alex sighs lightly, still grinning as he watches the students in the ring.

Alright, that’s enough of half speed, go full speed until I tell you to stop.

Steele yells out to the young men in the ring giving each other death valley drivers. He turns his attention to the camera now but keeps the ring in his peripheral vision.

I’ve been in two matches in the last two weeks that I’ve lost. My opponent this week is under the same pressure. This week one of us gets to break their losing streak and on top of that the winner gets a spot in the Lethal Lottery match. I made a claim two weeks ago that I would be in that match and I intend to make good on that claim. Alexander Stark steps into the ring with me at a time when I’m completely happy. I’m calm and I’m focused. I know that Mazi thinks that I’m not because I keep talking about a match with Everest to her and then I know that she heard me and Jason yelling at one another.

She thinks that I’m not focused at all and I don’t blame her. I wasn’t focused last week, knowing that my father wants me to fail and has no faith in me was a factor. However, I’m over it now, I’m moving on with my life. I can no longer stand around waiting for Jason’s approval because I’m never going to get it. I just know that I cannot end up like he was, I have to be a better father than he was and I will be a better wrestler than he is. I start my quest to being a better wrestler than he is next week against Mr. Stark.

He unfolds his arms and cracks his knuckles for a moment as he averts his attention to the ring. He watches for a moment in silence and then looks back at the camera.

At the forty-third Ascension I’ll be making a case in the ring to move on to the Lethal Lottery match against Alexander Stark. Now, Mr. Stark, I know that you’re going to come out the gate swinging. I know this because you have a lot to prove. You want to prove that you’re not just a tag team wrestler, that you can handle being a singles wrestler. I honestly have faith that you’ll be fairly successful in your singles career. However, I’m not willing to let you have this win. I’m not going to go down without a fight, and you’re not walking out of that match if you manage to become the victor. If I go down Mr. Stark, you’ll be going down with me. I’ll be prepared for our match and I hope that you will be too. Two former tag team champions stepping into the ring with one another and only one of us will be able to move past it to the Lethal Lottery match. Like I said earlier I fully intend on it being me. I don’t have to prove that I can be successful as a singles wrestler like you do; I just have to prove that I’m capable of being the best wrestler WZCW has to offer. You get to contend with my fire and determination to win this match and I’m afraid that you’re going to be overcome. Come prepared to fight Alexander Stark, that’s all the advice I can really give you.

Alex smiles and steps away from his office window and heads toward the practice ring.

Alright, that’s enough everyone. Gather round, it’s time to learn some joint locks. Come one, hurry it up.

He says to the students who are still in the ring. They scramble out of the ring and take positions surrounding Alex on a wrestling mat as if they’d been through this many times before. The scene fades to black as Alex picks a student to help him demonstrate the lock.

 

[Remix]

"Are we ready to go?" Becky Serra asks. Evidently not expecting to be working outside, the silly girl had chosen to wear clothes that would protect her good looks, rather than protect her from the English winter. "I want to get this over so I can get out of this cold." She hears the sound of affirmative murmurs. "Great. Start rolling." Suppressing her jaw's urge to quiver she waits for the red bulb on the camera in front of her to light up. A few moments later she addresses it. "I'm here, outside Brasenose College in Oxford with former..."

"Ms Serra, the population possessing functioning eyes can see who you are with." Alexander Stark rudely interrupts her. Unlike Serra, he showed no signs of the cold but it was clear something was affecting him. Instead of the perfectly dressed man she had first met at an oversized chessboard he had the look of a man who had spent too long at the office. His hair messy, rather than fashionably styled. The suit he wore, unkempt. His eyes were different too. Where once intelligence shone there was something new there dulling the glow. "Keep your mouth shut. There is nothing of value you can add."

"But why..."

"Just hold the microphone and look pretty. That's all you're good for."

"Fine." Serra clenches her jaw and fights the urge not to hit the man to her right.

"Finally. Now, where was I?" Stark says nothing for a few moments. "You are all idiots. I don't care who you are or where you are from, but if you're watching this it is safe to assume you are. You might believe yourself to be intelligent, but you are wrong." Stark inhales and smiles to the camera. "So pay attention and thank me later, it's time for you all to learn something. Today's lesson: Biology."

Stark gestures behind himself before continuing. "Everything you can see is a figment of your imagination. Of course, this isn't because this world might be just a dream; it's because of the biology of the eye. Now, I'm not going to go into too much detail. You are idiots; I need to go at a pace you can keep up with." Stark places his hands by his sides and stands straight on to the camera. "The eye is, for all intents and purposes, a small gel filled ball. At the back of this ball is the retina, which contains cells known as rods and cones. These cells contain a chemical called Rhodopsin that changes shape when exposed to light. This change alters the properties of the cell, sending a message to the visual cortex of the brain which processes this information and produces what you can see. With me so far?" He looks to Becky. "Serra!"

"Yes?"

"Marvellous. Now..."

"What the..."

"Quiet. Someone intelligent is talking." She rolls her eyes, which he ignores. "Where was I? Oh yes. Now, the process is considerably more complicated than this, but "dumbing things down" is necessary, given who I'm talking to. All of the senses work like this, sending impulses to the brain, which resolves the information into something we can perceive..."

"Are you actually going to talk about wrestling or about your opponent?" Serra interrupts. "Or did you invite me here so you'd have an audience while you talk about rods and cones?"

"Alexander Steele is human, is he not?" A few moments pass in which there is no sound from either party.

"Oh, I'm allowed to speak now?" She rolls her eyes. "Then yes. WZCW only employs humans... And S.H.I.T."

"Enrol in some courses in sarcasm Ms Serra. Perhaps one day you will be able to recognise it. Well then, combine his evident humanity with the fact that he's spent more time in the gym than a classroom and he's an idiot. In which case he's been one of the people I've been talking to since the lesson started. But I digress. Pain, however is more complex. There are no pain receptors in the body, nor is it a stronger impulse than anything else. No, pain is simply what happens when lots of impulses are sent to the brain at once. The more impulses that are sent, the bigger the feeling. Makes sense, right? As with everything I have taught you today, this is greatly simplified. But that will be all for now. I will begin adding more information to our basic model at another time. Class is dismissed." He looks at Serra for a moment. "Except for Alexander Steele. Your lesson hasn't even begun yet. At Ascension 43, I'm going to vivisect you. I have the anatomical knowledge of a surgeon and I'm going to exploit every weak spot in the human body. Every tendon will be twisted, every ligament will be stretched, every joint flexed to breaking point. The outcome of this match isn't important to me Steele, I don't give a damn if I'm in the Lethal Lottery or not. I just want to hear you scream. And when I tire of your suffering, the match will end. You may win the match Steele, but you will leave in the condition I want you to, and no better." Stark walks away from the scene, leaving the WZCW employees to tidy up after themselves.