After the Elite Championship match from last week featuring Steven Holmes and Austin Reynolds, the champion demanded that he get something in return for defending his title against a champion. Although he did not get a shot at the tag team titles with Constantine, they will however get the chance to qualify for the Lottery. Only one team is going to make it to the Lottery but are the competitors prepared for wrestling two matches in the one night as they will most likely be defending their titles? And who will win the contest: the hi-flying styles of the RRR or the brutal ground and pound team of Constantine and Holmes?
Deadline is Tuesday, January 24th at 11:59 PM Central Time.
The scene begins with Ricky Runn inside a hospital in Keystone. He did not visit the hospital because he needed something treated, but because he was visiting a young sick boy that wanted to meet the Daredevil. Ricky was wearing his Jeans, and his teams T-Shirt. The boy, Alex, has been emailing Ricky about how his kidney diseases and how much of an inspiration he found The Daredevil. Alex told Ricky that he was getting his operation done the following weekend when Ascension was in town.
So Runn was more than happy to drop by the hospital and pay him a visit. The kid Alex was lying in the long hospital bed with a giant array of get well gifts all from WZCW Superstars Ricky managed to bug to send Alex a gift. Runns tag partner, Austin Reynolds gave an Elite X Title belt with his Autograph. Gordito bought a case of Root beer. He originally wanted to buy the kid a beer but he later learned he was 12. Saboteur and Action Saxton gave Alex a set of autographed swords and a card. The card had a picture of Saxton and Saboteur with giant party hats. Both of them wrote their own message and an autograph under it. Saboteurs read Get well soon kid! Unless youre an Apostle than I hope you~~~ The rest was scribbled out by white out as next to it was simply wrote by Saxton. Get well soon, SUCKA! The kid was smiling happily as he held onto the Elite X title as he spoke to Ricky.
Wow Mr.Runn, this title is really heavy! Do people even use these as actual belts?
Ricky shook his head and laughed and said smiling.
Course not little man, theyre mainly for show, lets everyone in the building know that a Tag-Champion is in the house.
Thats so cool! I hope one day I can become a world champion I bet that title must weigh a ton!
Ricky laughs and rubs the kids head and retorted.
You and me both brother, you and me both.
Alex smiles fades as he looks down at the title and says softly.
Thanks a lot Ricky; you are the first like, real wrestler to hang out with me. Usually kids like me dont hear back from a lot of Superstars.
Hey like I said, I enjoy visiting my fans. As long as I am in town and I get an email or a Twitter post, Im there.
Youre way too cool Ricky The autograph, the shirt, the gifts, and the swords! This is all too much, really.
When I said I want to wish someone well, I like to go all out.
I hope you and Austin win next week to get into Lethal Lottery.
Me too little dude, it would be a dream come true.
What if it came down to between you and Austin?
Ricky scratches the top of his head and says with a smile.
Then it will be between two of the greatest High-Flyers in WZCW. And we will let the best man win. Whether it is Austin or me, we stand proudly in each others corner at Kingdom Come.
Thats crazy; imagine if it was a draw between you two?
Before Ricky could speak, a corny clown bursts into the hospital room but is completely stumped at the sight of Ricky and the gifts. He looked back into the hallway and shouts.
Did you give me the wrong room number!?
You can hear a soft voice disagree and argue with the clown as a young woman enters the room and says a bit confused.
Umm, Im sorry, I think theyre must a mistake here. I dont believe you made an appointment with us to meet Alex.
Ricky stood up and smiled and said happily.
Thats because they didnt, I came on my own to visit a good friend of mine here.
Ricky smiles and winks to Alex as the woman sighs and continues.
Well sir, I like to thank you for your kindness to this young boy but you got to check with us when you do things like swords and gifts
Ricky couldnt help but laugh and says happily.
You cant honestly tell me you never wanted a katana for Christmas?
There was a long pause in the room. The lady sighed and tapped her heel and said a bit impatiently.
Can I speak to you outside sir?
Ricky rolls his eyes playfully and says to Alex.
Uh oh, looks like I am in trouble. Take care little dude.
Alex laughs happily as Ricky bumps fist with him before walking out of the hospital room with the lady. Ricky smiles brightly and asks.
So whats with the frown? Can no one just be a Good Samaritan without making it into a giant PR stunt?
Its not that, that is far from it sir.
Rick rubs his forehead and says in a calm tone.
Can you just call me Ricky? My father wanted me to call him sir and I hate the guy.
Fine, Ricky My name is Emilia Stillwagon. I am the head of the non-charity organization as the Dreamwagon.
Youre not very good at making names are yeah?
It was chosen by our community on a poll online.
The two then look away to the camera and then back to each other as Ricky says softly.
Look, can I ask why you are getting on your high horse? Judging by the kid, he seems pretty happy to see me. These are the kind of things kids never forget about.
Emilia Rolls her eyes and says with a skeptical look on her face.
I highly doubt you did this for his memories but more for your own ego.
Ricky gets stunned from her statement and shakes his head.
Im starting to think if I was anything other than a wrestler you would be perfectly fine with me.
Emilia rolls her eyes again and continues walking down but Ricky continues to speak.
Yeah that is exactly it isnt it? You dont like me because you think I am doing this for my ego? Why does everyone think wrestlers like Austin and I are egomaniacs?
Emilia stops walking and turns and begins to count as she announces.
Showtime, Steven Holmes, Joseph Rios, Blade, Constantine, and even Austin Reynolds, all these men have bigger egos than the sun itself. I dont know how many wishes I got from kids who wanted to see them but never had the time to see the kids."
Ricky shook his hands and his head as he refutes.
Woah, woah, woah. You are making a harsh judgment from the bad apples in WZCW. Nobody is perfect Emilia, you need to chill. And Austin, my tag partner
Ricky shrugs the title on his shoulder and continues.
Austin, I dont know if you have been watching the shows or not. But he has really changed, he is my best friend and we have been doing some real good work with the Breast Cancer Foundation. Am I a shining example of how my peers should act? Of course not, I have my fair share of mistakes in my life. I was selfish, I only thought about how I can feed my feel for excitement. I trashed an entire office; I threw my agent out of a plane with me. I ruined Austin and Is first chance at the titles because I wanted to prove something.
Ricky brushes his hair back and continues.
But by no means do I do the things I do to feed my ego. You think I am going to use Alex to try and impress anybody? I did this for Alex because I know deep down if we swapped places; he would have done the same thing for me. When I was little, I never had someone tell me I can do whatever I aimed for if I tried hard enough.
Now Austin and I, we are nothing like Constantine and Steven Holmes. Holmes and Constantine sadly could not care about kids like Alex, your foundation, or anyone in their way to success. Holmes has always been rich and wealthy. He never wanted to bother himself with common people like myself when I was younger. And Constantine is a freaking politician, Im sure he is trying to use Steven Holmes just as much as Steven Holmes is trying to use Constantine. The both of them are so busy trying to build their ivory towers so high they cant bother to see if they will step over others or themselves.
Rickys eyes glow innocently as he says in an honest tone.
Look, I want to prove that guys like Austin and I Wrestlers in general can be good people. Just give us an honest chance. Give me an honest chance. I dont want to sit here and beg for your approval to see kids like Alex but if I have to so be it.
Emilia looks up at the Daredevil and rubs her chin as she thinks. She grins and she takes this opportunity and turns her back to the Daredevil and says with a smirk.
The Dreamwagons annual fundraiser can sure use your help next week. Someone to get the word out and stay for some autographs and meet some of the kids
Ricky smiles and nods his head and then Emilia continues.
Then of course, after a long day like that. I need to be treated somewhere nice for Dinner.
Ricky then cocks his eyebrow and then says, now skeptical.
So thats it? A fund-raiser and dinner?
Thats it.
Ricky smiles and nods his head as he starts walking to the exit and shouts happily.
Sold, see you next week at the Fundraiser.
Ricky smiles and walks out of the hospital and heads out to his car to catch his flight back to Chicago. He still needed to catch up in training with Austin.
“Rick, I’ve stopped our training for one reason.”
Austin picks a Blu Ray case off his shelf and slots it into the Playstation 3 that is laid beside a large HD TV.
“Cool bro. What film is it? A Team? Avatar?” He picks up a bag of popcorn and shoves a handful in his mouth.
“Not exactly. This is an action film of a different kind.”
Ricky jumps over the back of the sofa and lands on it with a thud. Austin grabs the remote and makes himself comfortable on the same sofa and presses Play.
“This is why I will not tolerate anything less than a win this week against Holmes and Constantine. Let’s go back to the beginning.”
“It was Showtime’s fault right?”
Austin chuckles.
“Yeah basically. And the guy has managed to avoid me in a one on one fight ever since All or Nothing 2010. That’s an age ago now.”
“So what’s this?” Ricky points to the screen, which appears to show the title screen of this disc. It shows a solitary word on the screen.
PLAY
“You need to be aware of who you are getting in the ring with.”
“And this will show me and help us?”
“It should do. This is going to show John Constantine at his most devious, his most brutal. And most of all, this is John Constantine when The PowerTrip wasn’t a shell of his former self, he really was full of potential and was able to dominate any one member of the roster on his day. Constantine and Cougar could have been great together. That is why we should all be concerned about any union between Holmes and Constantine.”
“Now Austin, don’t make it sound lop-sided. You held your own.” Ricky takes the remote from Austin. “I’ve seen the matches, of course I know the feud between you and Showtime, you and Constantine. It’s famous. But I need you to tell me how we beat Holmes and Constantine now.”
“OK” Austin takes the remote back and then turns off the Playstation and the TV before turning to look Ricky dead in the eye. “John Constantine is every bit as smart, devious, violent as he thinks he is. He’s not as good as he thinks he is but that is a small setback. He normally makes up for it in other ways. He’s never adverse to a low blow or in the case of his alliance with Holmes, a sneaky double attack.”
“What we may have in our favour is Constantine and alliances do not work well. He is going to get jealous of Holmes because he is in exactly the same position as last year. He is taking the back seat to an Elite X champion. It may make him more dangerous, as he will want to prove something. Last year I had to sacrifice winning the Lethal Lottery, just to send a proper message.”
Austin pauses briefly, if only to consider his words and his concern.
“My concern is that I know I could take Holmes or Constantine in a one on one match but I can’t be sure -”
Ricky chucks his popcorn onto Austin’s chest in disgust.
“Don’t say it Austin. Don’t say you don’t think we can take them.”
“Why on earth not? These two are a superb combination. Better than Mind Over Matter, better than Stan-time. They’ll be the best team we’ve faced.”
“But we are the best team they will ever face. We’ve got those belts for a reason.” Ricky points to the cabinet that both World Tag Team belts are lying on.
“We are the best tag team in this company and I’ll die before anyone tells us otherwise.”
Ricky takes a second to calm himself down.
“I don’t understand why you are worried. We’ve lost before and always came back”
Austin looks a little sheepish. He speaks quietly but with a steely belief in his words.
“Ricky, I have to qualify for the Lethal Lottery. I’m absolutely desperate to main event Kingdom Come. I got a taste for it last year and Showtime took what should have been mine. But it’s more than the Lethal Lottery qualification that is at stake here. We’re champions now. We represent the cream of the crop in this company. This is a match that we should win, even if it is non-title.”
“I’ve had enough of losing and now we are champions, I don’t want to lose at all. I’m annoyed I didn’t take the Elite X title off Holmes at Meltdown last week. Looking back, seeing at that abomination of a championship that he has created especially for him, I’m disgusted. He doesn’t understand the division or what that championship represents. Just like when he was the tag champion. He thinks he is entitled to everything when he has achieved barely anything or had all the work done for him. I was so close to taking it away from him.”
Ricky nods as the youngster appreciates what the Elite X championship means to the Ratings Winner.
“I cannot believe it was so close. There were a couple of moments when I thought you had him. You being a double champ would have been awesome. Especially the Elite X title; that belt means so much.”
Austin smiles again and nods in agreement.
“I’m glad you have my back mate. But the great thing about that match was that I know we can beat Holmes. I’ve got him scouted now. He thinks he beat me but I know I can beat him. He actually thinks he won our match – he should be a damn comedian. Or better, let him join his buddy in politics. They are perfect for it because they’re a pair of snivelling cowards. “
Austin takes a handful of popcorn and throws the bag back to Ricky. He mulls over his choice of words as he chews the toffee-covered corn.
“If we show a weakness against these two, then we will be on the back foot when we face Hammond. Just like when Stark and Susumu lost to Beckford and Black Dragon, we just knew we could take them didn’t we?”
“Of course.” Ricky shrugs as if it’s the most natural conclusion.
“It was an intangible that gave us that little bit of confidence that we never had. Those belts are a huge dose of confidence but if we lose this week, then those belts are up for grabs. We end up second guessing ourselves and Scott Hammond feels like he has the edge when he faces us.”
“But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”
“Yes. The challenge is to get to our next defence in the same vein of form and confidence as when we won the belts. If we take it to them in the same way, they will lose just like Stark and Susumu.”
“We are going to have to take it to the extreme. That was the only way I could beat Constantine in the end and I think Holmes would only understand the same kind of action. They can’t keep up with us if we keep up a balls-out tempo.”
"Yeah, I guess, that's exactly what I was thinking"
“Austin.”
“Yes mate.”
“I’m psyched now. Can we watch the film now? I want to see you kick Constantine’s ass all over MSG.”
*WZCW and The Friends of Austin Reynolds are proud to announce the forthcoming release of Austin’s own DVD. Austin Reynolds, Ratings Spike will feature the most Ratings-Winningest matches in WZCW history, Austin will guide you through his career in great detail. Featuring numerous full matches, spectacular highlight reels and an in-depth documentary that follows his whole career, Austin Reynolds, Ratings Spike is going to be most crammed WZCW release in history!*
We stand alone in darkness for a few moments to open before it is broken by the dreary thoughts of a man...
I sit in the pit,
A place of Zen,
Fit not for boys, but solely for men.
I sit in the pit,
Lurking in its everlasting shadow,
A place only full-hardy men go.
Though the rhyming has not concluded, we begin to hear another man. His voice gets louder with each passing second before finally...
Constantine: HOLMES!
The eyes of Steven Holmes pop wide open. He shakes the cobwebs from his head and turns his attention to Constantine.
Holmes: Yes?
Constantine: Did you not hear me?
Holmes takes his eyes away from his ally and looks at the ground, pondering just what it was they were discussing. He is sat in a grand old chair in the main living room of his home. The curtains are drawn, but the rain of the night can be heard battering against the windows. It is a storm as the thunder and lightning that occasionally ignite show us. A fire is lit and grows tall, casting overly dramatic shadows. Holmes himself is painted above the fireplace in a majestic pose, his Elite Championship taking pride of place in his arms. After a few moments of pondering, Holmes concedes that he has lost focus.
Holmes: Im afraid I do not recall what you said Mr. Constantine.
Constantine looks at him, straight faced, but clearly un-amused. He is stood next to the fire, his shadow longer than even Holmes. His movements are accentuated by the gothic nature of these shadows. He holds a glass of what appears to be wine in his right hand.
Constantine: I asked you what you thought our best options were heading into our battle with Reynolds and Runn.
Holmes: Ah yes. Well, I think you certainly know Mr. Reynolds rather well. Were you and he not bitter rivals?
Constantine: Indeed we were. We fought tooth and nail over months. He was unimpressed by my sheer brilliance as I stormed to the top in quick fashion, dismissing him in the midst of what is believed by many to be the greatest Elite X Championship reign of all time.
Holmes shoots Constantine a look of interest at that statement, he himself now in possession of what was once known as the Elite X Championship. Constantine notices, and addresses this.
Constantine: I said what is believed by many. Its a fact that more people believe that he was the greatest holder of the championship. That doesnt mean it is correct, merely that he seen by the outside world as some sort of pinnacle of Elite X Champions.
Despite not opening his mouth, Holmes can be heard laughing. It is only when he seeks to follow up on Constantines point that he opens his mouth.
Holmes: A pinnacle I have already scaled and surpassed as you saw on Meltdown. I was successful in my first defence against this former rival of yours. He fought bravely, but he was vanquished. His pathetic attempt to dampen my glory on Ascension was nothing more than a humorous sub-plot that shall come to its conclusion this week with the 43rd edition of Ascension. It will be recognised as the evening when Constantine & Holmes put an end to the team of Runn Reynolds Runn.
Constantine: Here-here!
Constantine raises his glass to Holmes, his face with a smile for the first time this evening. As he takes a sip, a blast of lightning flashes across the window followed by the rumble of thunder. It startles neither man though and they resume their conversation.
Constantine: Reynolds doesnt seem to realise that he has been cast into the sands of time. He had his chance to be a real somebody when he finally left the Elite X Championship behind and went after the World Heavyweight Championship, but he failed and now lingers in the back of peoples minds with Ricky Runn. Rather pathetic.
Holmes: You seem to have carefully omitted the fact that he triumphed over you at Kingdom Come.
Constantine glances at Holmes, annoyed by his so-called-friends words. Holmes smiles like a jackal as Constantine shakes his head, a slight grin breaking out onto his face, noting that Holmes is only teasing him.
Holmes: You are indeed right my friend; he has been cast into the sands of time. When I mentioned that I was the next evolution of this industry, I failed to mention that I was not the only one who had evolved. You too have evolved. Together we form the next stage in WZCWs grand design. We shall own it all, and a victory over these paper champions will only increase our profiles.
Constantine: Well have Lethal Lottery spots for one.
Holmes: Ah, and well be first in line for those tag team belts too. I can see myself now with not one, but two pieces of gold draped over my shoulders. Glorious.
Holmess smile is only widened. He closes his eyes for a moment.
I sit in the pit,
Watching like a predator,
Observing a key founder.
I sit in the pit,
The hour approaching,
Its time to show what Ive been earning.
Again, this is interrupted by Constantine who speaks over it. Holmes opens his eyes in order to maintain focus.
Constantine: What about Gordito though? Surely he is an issue too.
Holmes: Hes only an issue because he is insubordinate. If he had simply stayed down like he was supposed to, he wouldnt be a problem for either of us. Hes an upstart. He always was, and I can only assume he always will be. Itd be silly to think hed know his place. He has even grander delusions of glory than Big Dave did.
Constantine: Im not sure youre taking this quite so seriously. Gorditos very tenacious. Hell not go down without a fight.
Holmes: Does there even need to be a fight?
Constantine: What?
Holmes: Ive already left him motionless in the ring once before. Id rather not sully my hands or my championship for that matter by facing off with a fool called The Dirty One again. He had his shot to take me down; I suffocated him to a point where he was forced to submit. I dont need to prove I am superior to him.
Constantine: But what about me? I lost to him. If he could defeat someone of my calibre, then surely it is entirely possible for him to take you down?
Holmes: Ridiculous. He was only able to best you because of extenuating circumstances.
Constantine: Such as?
Holmes: Sean Cruz and that violent tumble are two things I would suggest.
Constantine: I dont buy it. Gordito has challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship. Hes beaten a lot of top contenders. Hes a top dog. I think you are underestimating his prowess Holmes.
Holmes: Then let him come to me. Let him show me what he has to offer. Id rather not battle him again, but if he comes, I will not refute his challenge. Id rather focus on claiming my opportunity at the main event of Kingdom Come, but it seems you wish for me to be side-tracked by other issues.
There is a look of confusion on Constantines face.
Constantine: I want you to be side-tracked? You have been more distracted throughout this conversation than I have ever seen you. Normally you are baying for blood. Normally have that look in your eyes that tells me you are defiant to the end. I see not that, but a look of wanting.
Holmes: Ah, but that is because I have something quiet....cunning up my sleeve. You see, Ive been looking for a little bit of closure.
Constantine: Closure?
Holmes: Indeed. I finally achieved what was my first and foremost objective in WZCW when I arrived. I claimed the championship that bore my namesake. Now I have to flaunt it a little. That is part of the reason why I changed the championship and removed that ghastly X from its name. That is why I must rub it in a certain individuals face.
Constantine: And that would be?
Holmes lifts his arm up and points towards the top of the fireplace. Hidden in the shadows the entire time has been a large brown square. It is rather thin, but it is capable of holding something even thinner. Something like a record. Constantine opens it to see just that; a record. It is unmarked though and after quickly examining it, notices that it bears no name. He turns to Holmes with a sense of confusion. The Elite now moves his finger to point in the direction of a record player, located to the left of the fireplace. Constantine places it into the player and drops the needle. After a few moments it springs to life.
[YOUTUBE]lMLnDuzgkjo[/YOUTUBE]
Constantine glances at Holmes with a slight sense of worry and wonder, perhaps even concern while Holmes bears a toothy grin before closing his eyes once again as he listens to the music. We fade to black with the following:
I sit in the pit,
And confront the fox,
But it is I who stalks.
I sit in the pit,
Our time is at hand,
Its time to finish off the old man.
The closing chords of Black Betty play as Constantine watches Steven Holmes fall back under the same spell as when he first arrived. His eyes are expressionless again and his face is vacant. Constantine watches him for a moment and eventually settles on upon joining him in a seated position. Across from the seat Holmes rests in, another is situated. Holmes, through ignorance or otherwise doesn't even notice his ally crossing the floor in front of him. As Constantine sits, he pours himself another glass of wine and settles back into his chair. There is only silence for a moment as both men enjoy the silence, only broken by the intermittent cracking of the fire and crash of thunder from outside.
Constantine (Breaking the silence):I feel as though we are looking beyond Runn Reynolds Runn.
Holmes slightly shakes his head for a moment, clearing any subconscious thoughts from his mind before focussing on Constantine. His eyes shoot across the room to where Constantine was first situated and only now takes notice of his relocation.
Holmes: How so?
Constantine sips his wine and then places the glass down on a small table to his immediate left.
Constantine:Throughout my entire feud with Austin Reynolds, I constantly undermined his intelligence and underestimated his skill. This was to my own detriment of course as he did manage to do the impossible and cover me a few times.
Holmes: The Impossible?
Constantine stops for a moment, as the arrogance in The Elite's question takes him by surprise. Constantine knows that he cannot afford to make waves, so continues with his message.
Constantine: I will freely admit that I underestimated Reynolds during a time of great prosperity for me. Everything was fresh and exciting and no one dared stand in my way. You can, if you will, draw parallels between the situation I found myself in then and the one that we both find ourselves in at present.
Holmes nods his head in agreement with The Power Trip as he, in turn, takes a sip of his own wine before sitting forward in his chair.
Constantine:Since aligning ourselves to the one cause, no one has been able to touch us. We have gone through the likes of Big Dave, Sam Smith and the World Heavyweight Champion Titus. As much as people despise us, they cannot argue with results. We have the best record of anyone in this company for attaining success in such a short period of time and we need to ensure that we don't become complacent.
Holmes shudders at Constantine's words as the thought of losing his title due to an unfortunate mistake or an overlooked detail become an all-too-real possibility.
Holmes: Indeed. We have come so far in such a short period of time that we cannot allow ourselves to be tripped at this hurdle. A lesson which I suspect that you know more than ever, Mr. Constantine.
Constantine narrows his eyes and picks up his glass once more. He knows exactly what his ally is referencing but refuses to believe that he would have the fortitude to say it to his face. Instead of creating a scene prematurely, Constantine sips away at his wine, allowing Holmes the time to explain himself. He has earned that much.
Holmes: Our alliance, Mr. Constantine, is only worthwhile if we are not taking our eyes off of the prize, I'm sure you will agree? This is the mantra that has allowed us to topple Sam Smith and make serious moves in the world of WZCW. Since you have returned to the company, we have in our possession the Elite Championship and have bested a host of WZCW's best talents. W have shown to people that we are men who demand respect and will stop at nothing to achieve what we want, do you agree?
Constantine has relaxed now. The grip around his wine glass is not as tense and his demeanour matches that action as he nods in agreement with Holmes.
Holmes: My point, alas, is that you took your eye off of the prize at Ascension. Don't get me wrong, I know that you tried everything in your power to defeat Gordito but there was something on your mind, I know it. Whether you admit it to me or not, there is something that is keeping you from unlocking your full potential and until that is dealt with, then we will never reach all of our goals.
Constantine lets out a sigh and reluctantly agrees with Holmes. Shocked at just how perceptive his ally seems to be, Constantine sits forward in his chair. Cradling his wine glass in both hands, he adopts a more serene tone as he begins to speak.
Constantine:How very accurate of you, Holmes. A very astute assumption indeed.
Silence falls in the room again as Holmes and Constantine focus on each other. Neither man wants to say what they really feel to the other but it is Holmes that breaks the silence first.
Holmes:Well, let's hear it...
Constantine winces as Holmes canvasses his ally for the true reason to his defeat. With a grimace, Constantine shuffle back in his seat before talking again.
Constantine:Since All Or Nothing, I have watched you walk around the halls of WZCW as a true Champion in your own right. You have had your name forever etched into the history books as a legitimate title holder. This is not a slight at you, Holmes, but I resent that you have enjoyed this feeling and I am still waiting to feel that sweet feeling for myself. All Or Nothing was the closest I have come to attaining that feeling and I feel as though the chance will not come again soon. The past round of shows was an opportunity for me to take on any Champion in the company and come out successful. With options being forever narrowed down, it looked as though I could possibly be facing off against Titus for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Holmes allows a small grin to appear on his face once more. He doesn't say anything but beckons Constantine to continue with his eyes.
Constantine:As matches were given out, the possibility became a more and more prevalent possibility. I felt that familiar rush of excitement that we get when things are falling into place with us. Given that luck seems to have been on our side recently, I honestly thought, perhaps with naiveté, that I could be drawn against the World Heavyweight Champion and we could rule WZCW even earlier than we had first thought.
Holmes seems genuinely interested and excitedly hastens Constantine along.
Holmes: Yes, indeed.
Constantine allows a lump to be swallowed as he looks down at the floor before looking up.
Constantine:But as my match was revealed to me, I felt the same pain I felt when Austin Reynolds bested me at Kingdom Come. The same pain that gripped me when Showtime David Cougar betrayed me all those months ago. And more importantly, the same pain that put me on the shelf for months as Sam Smith enjoyed the only title reign of his career. Perhaps my mind wasn't in the right place, Holmes. But I assure you that it is now.
Holmes: Yes, I believe it is. I know that you look at my Elite Championship with a mixture of envy and pride. After all, it wasn't just The Elite Steven Holmes that took on Sam Smith at All Or Nothing. You put your heart and soul into that match too, John. Together, we were able to end one of the worst title reigns of all time and I know that it hurts you that you were not the one who captured the title. But we have to realise that our plan for WZCW is bigger than any of us. It is bigger than any of the individual needs or selfish longing of either of us.
Constantine accepts this and feels more at ease about his revelation as another flash of lightning lights up the room once again, illuminating the features of both men.
Holmes:Winning the Elite Championship was just the first step on a journey that we have decided to take, Mr. Constantine. It would have made no difference to me if you had won the Elite Championship at All Or Nothing because Championships are nothing compared to the plan we both have for WZCW, you know this. The next step on that path, is getting some retribution for one of the biggest travesties in the history of this great company and that is where Reynolds and Runn come in.
Constantine (renewed):Correct! My loss to Reynolds at Kingdom Come perfectly illustrates both points that we have been making, Holmes. It is crucial that we do not take our eyes off of the prize when we have come so close to attaining it. And secondly, we must make sure to cover all of the bases with him and his new lackey.
Holmes ponders The Power Trip's words for a second before making a realisation of his own.
Holmes: Hmm! Yes Runn is indeed the wildcard in this match, there is no doubt about it. He is someone who we both know very little about. With your knowledge of Austin Reynolds and our skill inside the ring, we should be the sure-fire favourites for a match of this kind. But with Runn involved, we have to be careful not to overlook him. Perhaps Austin Reynolds has been carrying the team, as everyone suggests. But Ricky Runn could prove to be quite a pest if not disposed of properly.
Constantine scratches at his beard for a second as he ponders how best to approach the situation.
Constantine:With a sound strategy and excellent execution, I think we will find ourselves as two of the favourites for the Lethal Lottery and first in line for the Tag Team Championships, as you have noted.
Holmes:And we cannot forget about the Lethal Lottery either.
Constantine:Indeed we can't. This is the type of predicament that Reynolds and Runn would love to exploit. Let us face the facts, Holmes, if we lose to RRR, then we are going to make things very difficult at the Lottery for ourselves. I am sure that Runn and Reynolds are thinking the same as us. We simply have to win this match to ensure that the next step of our plan is carried out in as efficient a way as possible. I cannot understate how much a win in this match will mean to us and the greater plan for WZCW.
Holmes: And better things will indeed come our way, John.
Constantine allows a smile to stretch across his face as Holmes does the same before raises their glasses to each other, pleased with their plans and themselves.
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