AS49: Austin Reynolds vs. James Howard

[Ty Burna]

After losing their titles at Kingdom Come, RRR Express member Austin Reynolds will have the chance to take on one half of the new tag champs James Howard in singles competition to gain some retribution and possibly showcase that a rematch for the titles are in order. However, with both men bruised and battered from the TLC match, which man will have the advantage of being less injured and be able to expose their opponents weakness to take home the victory for their team?

Deadline is Tuesday, June 12th at 11:59 PM Central Time.​

 

[Ty Burna]

James Howard has been granted a 24 hour extension.

 

[a0161613]

We see Austin in a bar. It’s dingy, musty and quite dark except for a couple of lamps by the bar. Save for the bartender, there’s no-one else in the room. The face of the Ratings Winner is swollen and his ego is bruised. He shoves his glass along the counter to the bartender who voicelessly acknowledges the request and fills the glass to the brim with golden brown liquor. Austin downs it in one. He gestures for another refill. This time the bartender seems hesitant.

Bartender: “Hey, er....you had enough yet man?”

Austin doesn’t look up, he only reaches into his back pocket and drops a load of notes on the bar. The bartender collects them, counts the cash and refills the glass although not as generously this time and then huffs off. Austin notices this and sighs.

The door to the bar opens and fresh air pours into the room. It is dark outside but warm air fills the bar. A dark figure walks into the room. It’s clear that he has a slight limp as he approaches the bar.

Ty: “I’d expect that this would be a good place to meet the likes of Drake Callahan but not you Austin, old boy.”

Austin can barely muster to turn his neck and sneer at his old foe. Instead he just sips his drink and mumbles.

AR: “You aren’t drowning your sorrows either?”

Ty: “Hardly. I’m in control of the entire company. I’m....content with the situation.”

AR: “You just lost the biggest match of your entire career Ty.”

Ty: “As did you.”

Austin sighs again and waves his hand with lacklustre energy.

AR: “What is the point of all that control if you don’t have the key to it all?”

Ty: “So long as I control the darkness if this company, I can take the key any time I want.”

AR: “So Meltdown 75? Ascension 50?”

Austin’s cynicism is clear, with a raised eyebrow, he casts doubt over the intentions of the Master of Chaos.

Ty: “You doubt me?”

Ty brushes it off with typical arrogance. Any barbs from Austin clearly wash off him.

AR: “Hey, the Ty Burna I fought last year didn’t lose at Kingdom Come.”

Ty: “Neither did the Austin Reynolds I faced last year.”

AR: “Yeah well no thanks to you, I’m not exactly in the best condition.”

Austin rubs his neck as if to show that is the root of his problems.

Ty: “And you are wasting away in the tag division, letting your final days pass you by as your career winds down to nothing. I’m surprised at you Austin.”

Finally Austin turns to glare at Ty and the two rivals meet eye to eye at last. Austin even leans forward a little.

AR: “Ty I’m not in the mood for your cryptic shit and I don’t have the time for you if taunting me is all that you are here to do.”

Ty:“Austin, stop being such a coward and do what’s been bugging you for months after months.”

AR: “Oh I wonder what you are talking about. Really subtle.”

Ty: “Get the monkey off your back and think about yourself for now. Forget everyone else. You’ve become too soft. ”

The monkey gag - highly original and only marginally better than the organ grinder comments that had been aimed at Austin himself for so long.

AR: “So you’re saying that I need to get back a selfish streak?”

Ty: “Exactly.”

AR: “I have to ask why you of all people are giving me a pep talk.”

Austin finishes off his drink and avoids eye contact with Ty.

Ty: “Austin, you were a fine opponent. I know exactly how good you were, how great you can be. You have to remember that I am in control of the company and being on my side will have its’ benefits.”

Austin looks up, stares Ty down and shakes his head with disgust.

AR: “You really are a snake Ty. I now see how you brought the likes of Bowen and K.O. into the fold. It wasn’t just a financial payout for their services, you talked them up and sold them your plan didn’t you?”

Ty: “How do you think I got into this position? Good looks? Prove to me that you are the man that I fought last year and I’ll give you exactly what you have been desperate for."

Austin moves past Ty and goes behind the deserted bar. He grabs one of the bottles and pours himself another large drink.

AR: “You want me to drop Ricky? Let him be taken apart by your Apostles? You want me to just stand back and watch that? Or do you want to use me, I mean everyone else has turned you down. It’s not going to happen Ty.”

Ty grabs the bottle and takes a large swig.

Ty: “I wasn’t necessarily talking about Ricky. Look, say I give you the perfect platform for this. How about I book you against James Howard next week? I know you have confronted him about what happened on the show. The guy put you through a table then dropped you off the ladder and he seemed to get a perverse sense of pleasure out of it.”

AR: “That sounds familiar. You want to recruit Strikeforce instead?”

Ty: “No, this is a case of better the devil that you know.”

Ty slides the bottle across the bar to Austin. A co-operative gesture? Or a compromising one perhaps?

AR: “So what’s this great prize that you are going to put on the line?”

Ty: “A rematch with me.”

That certainly gets Austin’s attention though he tries his best to hide it.

Ty: “Austin, you have let yourself down and I don’t see anything better for you on the cards. This is the only way you are going to get this match with me anytime soon.”

AR: “So you want me to destroy one of the most promising young talents on the roster just to fulfil one of your minor whims?”

Ty: “My whims has created one of most dominant forces in wrestling history, it has got me control of the company and the ability to do whatever I want with all of the talent.”

Ty takes another long swig and gets up to leave.

Ty: “You’re going to face Howard and I want to see him wrecked. Remember how you had nothing left after Apocalypse. Anything less will be a disappointment Austin.”

AR: “What if I don’t Ty?”

Ty smiles in his inimitably evil style.

Ty: “Austin, you never hear back from the guy who reneges on a deal with the devil. Do this and what’s left of your career can be completed in peace.”

AR: “I’ll be honest Ty because lying to you takes too much time. Look, I want nothing to do with you. I don’t know if this is an ego trip and I’m not sure why you are even offering me another match. I’m going to get on what I think is right for me this week. You or anyone else is not going to stop me. Pair me up with James Howard or anyone you want. In fact, do what you want to me at Meltdown or Ascension, I don’t care anymore because you can’t do anything to me that you haven’t done before.”

Austin glares at Ty who leaves the bar showing no emotion as he does. Once the Harbinger of Chaos has left Austin on his own, The Ratings Winner takes his own glass and grips it so fiercely that it shatters in his hand. Austin looks at bleeding gash that crosses the palm of his hand but his gaze returns to the door that Ty Burna had just exited through. James Howard isn’t on his mind. For the moment, Ty Burna was dominating his thoughts yet again.

And Austin hated him for it.

 

[Shotaro]

========Dirtsheet.com EXCLUSIVE! ========

Backstage altercation after WZCW TLC Match!

Insider sources are saying that, following the TLC Tag Match at Kingdom Come, James Howard and Austin Reynolds had a heated altercation. The reason for the altercation is currently unknown; however several other big names were nearby, congratulating Howard on his impending fatherhood.

Our source said “Howard and Stormrage had just walked back through the curtain post-match and were being congratulated by Steven Kurtsey, Celeste Crimson, Triple X, Jonny Scumm and others when Reynolds burst through the curtain, looking furious. Howard and Reynolds disappeared to have a chat and you could hear raised voices. A couple of officials stepped in, probably to prevent the pair from coming to blows.”

It could well be that this is the reason the two are in singles competition next week. With new CEO Ty Burna at the helm, it could well be we see more backstage arguments spill over into the ring.

Howard is scheduled to appear on WZCW.com’s “The Shoot” with Leon Kensworth.

========Dirtsheet.com EXCLUSIVE! ========

I hated interviews; I had been burnt badly before, this should be different though. Leon Kensworth was set to interview me about something that happened a week ago. Backstage at Kingdom Come Austin and I had a rather heated disagreement about an incident in our match. It had broken through to the dirt sheets and, always ready to capitalise, WZCW.com was planning to get the story from me directly.

This was unlike a backstage promo. There was a set, first of all and not just a curtain set up to provide a consistent backdrop. In the middle were two chairs, with a small table in between set directly in front of a large screen that was currently emblazoned with the WZCW logo. I was told they planned to roll some VT or stills from the Kingdom Come match among other things during the interview.

Leon was already sat in the chair on the right, with three or four fixed cameras around him. He had greeted me in the lobby and we had briefly discussed the interview on the way to the set. He was, as usual, wearing a suit, complete with tie-pin and some subtle WZCW branded cufflinks; I was concerned that in my jeans and hoodie combination that I was under-dressed but it was too late to worry about that now. The producer pointed me to my seat and began to count down from five. Leon took a sip of water from one of the two glasses on the table and cleared his throat.

“Welcome everybody to another episode of The Shoot. WZCW’s only web exclusive interview show. Kingdom Come was just a week ago and already the path to Redemption is hotting up.” Kensworth talked for what felt like hours. He talked about the results from Kingdom Come in detail, skilfully describing the outcomes and surprises the event had in store without giving away enough that watching the show was unnecessary; after all the show was still available on Pay Per View and would soon be out on Blu-Ray and DVD. Eventually he came to the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.

“Not to forget the explosive TLC match for the Tag Team Titles, where rookie team Strikeforce triumphed over Runn Reynolds Runn and the Bearded Local Talent. I’m currently joined by one half of the new Tag Team Champions, James Howard. Welcome to the shoot.”

At this point I realised I still had the title over my shoulder. I folded it up and placed it on the table, making sure it was pointed toward a camera. “Thanks for having me Leon.”

He smiled and examined the title, “Congratulations on defeating the most successful team in the history of WZCW. Tell me, how does it feel now that initial celebrations have finished?”

“Well Leon, it feels fantastic.” I was beaming; I could feel myself smiling from ear to ear. “I am elated and I know that Mikey is too; we are both proud of our performance in that match, and even more so to be carrying these titles.”

He winked at me, as if to congratulate me on not flubbing the first proper question. “How is your partner anyway? I’m told he has been celebrating with, of all people, Ricky Runn.”

“He and Ricky are good friends, there’s a lot of mutual respect there, but once the bell rings, it can’t be anything but business. I know that they are facing off on Meltdown soon, I wouldn’t expect their match to be anything less than fierce; I know Mikey won’t just lie down for anyone.”

“Indeed, you are in action on Ascension this week and according to some reports there is a story behind your match with Austin Reynolds. Let’s take a look at this clip.”

Reynolds begins to climb first, Howard still oddly slow to make his way to the ladder...but as Reynolds nears the top, one hand on the belts, Howard, with a sudden burst of energy, dumps the ladder over on itself and sends Reynolds crashing through yet another set of tables on the outside of the ring! His neck takes a disturbing bend and the crowd gasps in collective shock, and the ref is over to check on Reynolds who is barely moving. Howard looks over with a combination of grimness and satisfaction, a slight smile betraying that perhaps he was only playing possum.

I was shocked when I saw the clip again, I hadn’t watched it before and at the time, the fall hadn’t seemed as bad as it was. It explained a lot about what happened backstage. Leon continued. “Nasty stuff there, have you seen this clip since the match?”

I sat, grimly; my hand to my mouth. I was shocked at how bad that fall was; a guy with a healthy neck would be lucky to escape that without injury. Even worse than that, I couldn’t remember doing it, nor could I remember the sadistic grin on my face afterwards. “No, I can’t say that I have.”

“Several rumour sites are reporting that yourself and Austin almost came to blows backstage following the match. Is there any truth in that rumour?”

I was still in shock at that fall. I hesitated before responding. “We didn’t nearly come to blows, but to say Austin was happy would be a lie.”

“What exactly did happen backstage then?”

I took a sip of water and composed myself. “After the match Stormrage and I were backstage talking to some of the guys, and girls, whilst they played the video package for Ty vs. Kurtesy. Austin came bursting through the curtains and he was clearly furious. He was getting in my face and practically screaming about the fall he had taken, but until now I didn’t think it was as bad as it was. Some of the people nearby were shocked, and it wasn’t fair to Steven who was warming up for his match. I suggested we discuss it in private and things got a little heated, we never came anywhere near to blows though.”

“Who were you speaking to?”

“Let’s see; Kurtesy, Celeste, Triple X, and Johnny Scumm, among others.”

“I can imagine that is the last thing that Steven needed, right before he had to defend his title against Ty Burna, a man who had just become his boss.”

“Exactly, he had more than enough to deal with. The guy only stopped to congratulate me and we got to talking. You could tell he was anxious, but then, given the circumstances, who wouldn’t be? I’ll tell you this much, I was terrified before my match. I can only imagine how he was feeling.”

“What about Celeste? Surely she wouldn’t be in a mood to celebrate?”

“Well, she was obviously devastated about her match; we weren’t really talking about wrestling.”

“Is this related to the news that broke on Twitter during Kingdom Come that you are going to be a father?”

“Yeah, she looked down about her match, but when we were talking about her kids, she perked up a little. I think she relished the ability to talk about something other than her match.”

“Congratulations, by the way. On the note of your impending fatherhood, does this mean we may be seeing a little less of you in the future? After all, balancing a family alongside the rigorous schedule in WZCW is no easy feat.”

I leant back in my chair. “I’ll take each day as it comes. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that family comes first but this is my career, there’s no rush like being in a ring. I wouldn’t be able to go back to a desk job now unless something was stopping me from wrestling.”

Leon sat forwards “like a career threatening injury?”

I sighed. Leon was afraid of physical confrontation, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t sharp. “I guess it does. Austin clearly thought I had tried to break his neck out there. It was difficult. I have a lot of respect for him and he had already left a lot of himself in that ring. I think if it weren’t for adrenaline he would’ve been joining the queue for medical treatment rather than getting angry at me.” I paused, as Leon was about to speak I continued. Leaning in as I did so, more animated than I had been during the rest of the interview. “I do want to say this though Leon. I did not set out to permanently injure Austin in that ring. He may think I did, but I didn’t. I don’t know for sure but I wouldn’t be surprised if he asked for this match. I feel guilty about what happened but as I said before, once that bell rings, it’s all business. I won’t lie down for Austin, and I don’t think he would expect me to either. At Kingdom Come, Strikeforce were the better team and come Ascension I intend to demonstrate to him exactly why we won.”

Leon turned to the camera before finishing the interview. “strong words there from James Howard. Thank you for coming in.”

I nodded off-camera at Leon, grabbed my title, and headed for the door, increasingly convinced that Austin had asked for this fight. I was determined he wouldn’t get the best of me, how could I call myself a champion if I couldn’t beat him twice in a row? More importantly, my reaction to that fall had me worried. I had managed to play it down, but what if I was becoming dangerous again? What if the blood-thirsty side of me was taking over? I kept thinking back to my previous matches, how little of them I could remember and it scared the hell out of me. I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that one of us had bitten off more than we can chew. That was a concern for later. I needed to focus, I needed to beat Austin Reynolds and prove to myself that I deserve these titles. I needed to win to show I could tangle with the big boys. For me, this match was about more than just pride; it was about my career.