Gold Rush: Titus Avison (c) versus Wren [Eurasian Championship]

[Da Prophet]

Very few have defeated Titus Avison during his epic title reign. While Titus has been breaking records for the longest reign and most successful defences he has been unmatched by any athlete. Wren shocked the world when she scored a pinfall victory over the Eurasian Champion right before Apocalypse. That loss has haunted Titus ever since with people questioning if Wren could finally be the one to claim the title. Only a few weeks ago, left without an opponent, Titus made the challenge which Wren gladly accepted only to find out she had been tricked by the veteran. This would be no normal match where one pinfall is all that was needed. Titus has weaselled his way into having an insurance policy in case Wren gets lucky like she did before. In this match one victory is not enough, you must defeat your opponent twice to claim the Eurasian Championship! This match will be a 2/3 Falls Match! Can Wren do twice in one night what nobody has been able to do for nearly 600 days or will Titus Avison avenge one of the few stains on his incredible reign?

RP Deadline Monday 24th July 23:59 (Central).

Extensions available upon request.

 

[Lee]

Deadline is now Tuesday 25th July 23:59 (Central). No further extensions.

 

[CyberPunk]

I sat on my chair, glued to the TV, watching through some of Titus’ old matches. The guy was a technical master, no doubt about it. His pure wrestling technique and ring awareness were second to none. My mind went back to all the things Titus has accomplished through his career. 2 time WZCW Heavyweight Champion, Elite X Champion, Lethal Lottery winner, the longest reigning EurAsian Champion, Hall of Famer, 5 times Oscar winner, a legend inside and outside the ring. And here I was, the diminutive, silent, 3 times JSS champion that nobody here in the US even knows about. Was I way in over my head? Or am I the one to take down, arguably, the biggest star WZCW ever produced?

I was watching his technique, looking for chinks in his armor. His movement, smooth and sublime. His timing, perfect. His positioning, no issues there. His balance, nothing to report. Everything about him screamed the legend he is known to be. And yet, I could sense something wrong about him. Something that bothered him. I sensed it during our match as well. Fear? Desperation?

The TV switched itself off. Or rather Allison, who was standing right behind me, switched it off.

“Still trying to figure Titus out?”

I didn’t answer.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t be worried though. You’ve beaten him once. There’s no reason for you to believe you can’t beat him again.”

Yes, there was no reason for me to be afraid of a loss. I’ve never been afraid of losing. I have lost too much in my life to ever be afraid of it. But what fear does Titus have?

“Anyway, I have a good news. I have booked us on a TV talk show.”

“What?” is all my brain could spurt out. In my entire life, I’ve never done TV interviews. Apart from the obvious reason, I never felt comfortable in front of a camera. Put me in a ring and point all the cameras on me, no sweat. But put me in an interview and all hell breaks loose for me.

“Don’t be so nervous. I’ll do the talking. You just have to sit beside me.”

But why a TV interview? Why do I need one? I had so many questions, and they showed on my face.

“Because your story needs to get out. Titus needs to know what you’re made of. This interview is our chance to send a message across.”

A TV interview it was then. There were many things on my mind. An interview wasn’t one of them. But I had nothing to lose, so why not?




***



I was nervous. I’d never done TV interviews in my life, never had to. Yes, I knew Allison would do the talking, but it still made me queasy. I could see her point though. Titus needed to hear us. Titus needed to know what I am, and what I stand for.

Outside the studio, people had already gathered. As Allison and I proceeded towards the studio, I could see people pouring in. I didn’t understand. As I passed them, they started waving at me, shouting and screaming my name.

“Quite a fanbase you have here.” I still didn’t get it. “This is a live studio interview.” Wow! So if the TV interview part wasn’t bad enough, it’s a live interview with a live audience with all eyes solely on me? “Don’t you worry. It’s not that difficult. You just have to sit there and be calm. No anxiety. We’ve been over all the talking points.”

No anxiety. I had none regarding my match. I did have for the interview. Any way, it was important, and it had to be done.

The live audience was already chanting my name. Not that I’m not used to it, but it still felt surreal. I was out of my natural habitat. We were ready to go as I could see the main filming area with the live audience being lit. And I had seen the host somewhere.

“Hello and welcome to the new segment here on ‘The Tonight Show’: sit down with Veejay!” Yes, I recognized him. Former WZCW star, a Bollywood turned Hollywood actor. No wonder he looked familiar.

“Here, we talk with your favorite celebrities, get to know a little bit more about them. And tonight our guest is from a place to which I have a personal connection. She’s said to be the most exciting prospect in the WZCW and is the number 1 contender for the EurAsian championship. Please welcome, Wren! And her manager and long time friend, Gale!”

Allison and I came out waving to all the fans in the audience. They were pretty vocal about their support for me. It was overwhelming for me.

“Thank you for having us.” I still didn’t know why Allison became Gale for public appearances, but knowing her, she must have had her reasons. It wasn’t the time to ponder it.

“So, as I understand, Wren cannot or doesn’t speak, and I won’t ask why, so, Gale, you would be interpreting for her.”

“Yes, that is true. Although I must say that even in her silence, she is pretty vocal. I should also tell you this, I’m a big fan of your work, she isn’t.” Nah, I wasn’t, but let her have her time.

“Aww, you hurt my feelings! So, Wren, we know so little about you. Our audience here would want to know more.”

The most common questions are the most difficult ones to answer. I looked at Allison.

“I’m not an expert at sign language, but I’m going to interpret my best. I am less of a person, and more of an idea. Yes, you see me wrestle, which I am pretty good at, but as a person, I’m us. I don’t reveal my identity because in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. The idea behind the veil was the same. I could be you, me or anybody else, and that’s what matters. I have suffered a lot in my life, I have seen a lot of people suffer as well, and that’s why I believe that ‘what I am’ and ‘who I is’ is not really important. What’s important is what I represents when I’m inside that ring.”

The audience applauds filling me with warmth. I couldn’t have put it any better. Her interpretation was just fine.

“Very beautiful albeit very vague answer. But we have seen your leaked pictures in the papers. Why haven’t you confirmed or denied whether those pictures are yours or not?”

“Because they really don’t matter. You can chose to believe that it’s, or you can chose to believe it’s someone else.”

“Way to dodge the question. Well, you can remove all doubts now. We are live on TV.”

Allison looks at me and lets a little chuckle escape.

“No, I’m good.”

“*Sigh*Anyway, moving on. Having wrestled in Japan, how do you find WZCW?”

“It’s different, in fact very different. JSS was more straightforward. I mean people’s intentions were clear. Whether you were an enemy or an ally, your allegiances were known, something which is very difficult to gauge here. Don’t get me wrong, we had everything. Ladders, cages, no disqualification etc. But the competition itself was more straightforward compared to WZCW. It’s a great challenge to overcome here. You never know what’s going to hit you.”

“True. I can attest. WZCW presents challenges like never before. Speaking of challenges, Wren, your next challenge is the legendary hall of famer, Titus. He has had the longest EurAsian championship reign of over 600 days and some of the best that WZCW has to offer haven’t been able to beat him. Yet he chose you as the number one contender for his title. How does that make you feel?”

There were boos at the mention of Titus’ name from the audience. I compose myself.

“For starters, it’s a great honor. Regardless of what people think about Titus now, or how he treats people around him, I have a lot of respect for him. There’s no doubt he is an absolute legend. That’s what breaks my heart.”

“Why? What’s the sad part here?”

“I have looked up to Titus ever since I started wrestling. The man who gave us classics against the likes of Everest, and was so beloved by all of us, wrestlers and fans alike, turned his back on everything he stood for. He was the epitome of a role model. How could he fall so low? It’s a question I ask myself everyday. But it’s the same question that drives me now.”

“Yeah, but there’s no denying the fact that despite the change, Titus is a beast inside the ring. It’s not everyday you witness a reign like this. And he is correct. People still pay to see him. It’s not his responsibility to hold himself up to some standards fans made for him. I see no wrong there.”

“You do have a point. But when you live your life a certain way, present yourself a certain way, and then you change everything about yourself, you don’t remain the same person. The Titus we knew is long gone. The Titus that meant something, stood for something. I don’t even recognize this Titus. Sometimes I question if someone switched him out.”

The audience boos some more with a couple of chants of ‘Not my Champion.’

“May be. Having said that, it still doesn’t take anything away from what Titus has been able to accomplish, especially during this reign of his. On the other hand, you’ve had a pretty rough start to your career in WZCW. How is your knee coming along?”

“Thankfully it’s all healed up and I’m ready to go. Yes, it’s been a tough start, but that was expected. It doesn’t dampen my spirits or morale going into this all important match.”

I could see Allison become more and more irritated as Veejay seemed to be taking Titus’ side.

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that. However, having faced Titus myself, I can tell you firsthand that he always has a trick or two up his sleeves. What plans do you have for him?”

“He does. However, in a match like this, those tricks may all come to naught. I have a few tricks of my own that I plan to use in the match.”

“Well, it remains to be seen how all of this pans out. On a stacked card like this, this is a match a lot of people would be looking forward to, but I have to say, Titus goes in hands on favorite.”

There were still some more boos.

“On this note, we’d like to thank Wren and Gale for their valuable…”

As I got up, Allison didn’t seem to move. She was stewing for some reason. When I signaled, she told me to sit down.

“Nah Veejay, this is not how this interview ends because I have something to say.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“For all the praises you’ve sang for Titus, you forget that he’s running scared. He is afraid of losing to Wren. That’s the only reason he chose the match stipulation. And you know what, I’m glad he chose the stipulation he did because this time he’ll have no excuse when he loses to Wren. You call her the underdog? You call Titus the favorite? This match exists because it’s killing Titus that he lost to her.”

I tried calming her down, but she wasn’t having none of it. The cameras kept rolling despite Veejay’s reservation.

“You know Veejay? It’s something I’ve realized in WZCW. It’s always the same. The cheaters and liars and thugs sit at the top of the mountain while hardworking people like Wren are pushed around. Not anymore.”

“I didn’t mean to insult Wren at any point. I just made an objective observation?”

“An objective observation? An objective observation would be you acknowledging the fact that Wren beat Titus, which puts her on equal footing, if not ahead, of Titus in this match. You would’ve acknowledged that Wren’s style caught Titus off-guard. You would’ve acknowledged the fact that the ‘rough start’ you were referring to was Wren fighting through a knee injury and still giving people like Flex Mussels a run for their money. You would’ve acknowledged the fact that people don’t pay money to see Titus wrestle, they pay money to see Titus lose.”

The audience was cheering Allison on. The studio was buzzing with applause and adulation.

“Wren is too polite and respectful to say anything bad about Titus, but I’m not. Titus is everything wrong with WZCW. People who should’ve been long gone are still holding on to their thrones by any means necessary, but at this Gold Rush, it’ll change. It’s not for nothing that people, in this studio and millions watching at home, hold placards and tweet with #notmychampion. The ‘legend’ that is Titus is holding onto straws, hoping that his sun doesn’t set, but his time is up. Wren has never been afraid of losing and that’s why she leaves it all in the ring. Ask Titus if he has the guts to be able to handle being defeated twice in the same night.”

Veejay looked perplexed, flabbergasted. He didn’t know what to say. He no longer had control of the show.

“For all the things Titus boasts about, ask him why people turned on him. Ask him why he no longer has the same faith in himself. His ego has grown too big for himself, but I can see through it. I see the shell of a man who knows he doesn’t have it anymore.”

She walks straight up to the camera.

“I know you’re watching everything closely, Titus. You clutch on to your title ever so tightly, feeling it’s slipping away. You’re glued to your Television anxiously, trying to figure out what you’re up against. So here’s something for you. This Gold Rush, you’ll have no way out. The title you’ve taken hostage will be liberated. Yes, Titus. We heard the legends, we watched the legends, now we’ll see the legend fall.”



***



Here I am, moments away from the biggest match of my life. Titus vs Wren, the EurAsian championship 2 out of 3 falls match. Horigoshi had earlier told me that she was going to be here. I am looking forward to it. It’ll be something special for me if I can do it in front of her. I close my eyes. The river of tumult has been overtaken by the ocean of calm. They say I may lose, but I have no fear, come what may. My mind is free, and I’m at peace. All that remains is to go out there and fight. A battle is out there to be won.

 

[Lee]

A buzzing noise is all you can hear. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. You turn over and see an alarm, that's what it is. It's 7am and the green digits shine through the darkness. You switch the alarm off and turn to your table and switch the light on. You grab something off the table, it's a letter-headed plain piece of paper “Four Seasons Hotel, St. Louis”.

Why are you in St. Louis? Why is your brain so foggy? A morning coffee won't help as you hate coffee. You head to the bathroom and splash some water in your face, your body is strangely hurting but it is the morning. You look in the mirror and see your big blue eyes staring back. The face that won five Oscars, you are Titus Avison and this is YOUR adventure.

You head back into the main room. It's exquisitely decorated but for $1000 a night what else do you expect? Your clothes are hanging up and on the table in the middle of the room are your two favourite possessions in the world; your EurAsian title and your diary.

You pick up the diary, on the front it has “Titus Avison” written in gold. You skip through the pages, rather than dates it has numbers. The last page is 1,000. You skip through and stop at 608. You have two things written down: Gym. Interview.

Although breakfast sounds good. Which do you choose:

Gym

or

Breakfast

 

[Lee]

You have selected the gym

You walk to into the gym bag in hand. You head straight for the weight machine. A man approaches you, he's clearly the personal trainer of the gym, he looks at you rather concerned.

Titus: Hey man, how's it going?

PT: Erm you back so soon?

Titus: What do you mean, so soon?

PT: You've been here already today.

Titus: It's 7:30am. There's no way I've been here already today.

PT: We're open 24/7 you were here at 3:30 until 5 then went back to your hotel.

Titus: Lies. How much did Wren pay you to say that? Rack me up.

The PT looks at Titus.

Titus: 300lbs dammit.

PT: You'll injure yourself dude.

Titus: I think I know better than you! I'm a Hall of Famer dammit.

The PT relents and racks up the weights. You then proceeds to lift the weights.

Titus: AAAAAAH.

The EurAsian champion falls to the floor and holds his back. A medical person runs straight over.

Doc: Sorry, with this injury you'll be out for at least a year. You'll need to stop wrestling for that time and relinquish all titles.

You have been injured and had to give up your title. The EurAvison era ends on day 608. So does your adventure.


Return home

 

[Lee]

You have selected breakfast

You walk downstairs to breakfast. You nod at the employee who is letting people in, you don't need to confirm your name or room. You're one of the biggest stars in the world and everyone here knows that.

You sit down and a team of waiters rush round you, you don't need to order. They know what you have. You sigh a reassuring sigh. They're trained to not bother the celebrities but that's not the concern, it'll be the family of three from Wisconsin who'll be approaching you soon. The kid will not care about you as a wrestler, the mother loves your movies and the Dad? He hasn't realised that Steamboat Ricky left WZCW five years ago.

As if by magic a family of three approach your table.

Dad: Sorry to bother you, me and my son are big fans of your wrestling. The wife loves your movies.

You laugh as you have scored 1 out of 3 so far.

Titus: So, buddy, who's your favourite wrestler?

Kid: Matt Tastic!

The Dad punches the kid in the arm and he quickly changes what he says.

Kid: I mean, it's you.

Titus: Hey nothing wrong with liking Matt Tastic. He is a Hall of Famer after all. Granted I beat him in our last match, but you can't have it all.

So where are you guys from? Wisconsin?

Dad: No man, we're from Keystone City.

Like that you know where this conversation would go. For Keystone City in Kansas have a hero and his name is Red Mask.

Dad: Would you be able to pose for a picture with my boy wearing this?

He pulls out a Red Mask from his pocket and hands it to you.

You have an option. Do you put the mask on and pose with the kid or do you refuse putting the mask on?


Red Mask on

or

Red Mask off

 

[Lee]

You have selected Red Mask On

Titus: Sure thing.

The man hands the mask to you and you put it on. You realise it's not an official Red Mask mask as you can't see a thing through it. You almost retch at the smell. Your last run as Red Mask was four years ago. It's at least that old.

You stand up and still can't make anything out visually. You hear the father say cheese. You take a step forward BAM you fall flat on the floor. You take the mask off to reveal you have tripped over a chair. Your ankle is clearly swollen. The Dad lets him know that he's a doctor.

Doc: Sorry, with this injury you'll be out for at least a year. You'll need to stop wrestling for that time and relinquish all titles.

You have been injured and had to give up your title. The EurAvison era ends on day 608. So does your adventure.


Go back

 

[Lee]

You have selected Red Mask off

Titus: No.

You hand the mask back to the disappointed looking father but then indicate that you'll pose for a picture with the kid. The flash makes you blink but the child is happy.

Titus: The thing is this is something from mas past. A lot has changed in that time. Some may say I'm more of a d...

You stop realising the kid is there.

Titus: I'm more of a nasty person. That is not true, I just removed the mask.

Is someone walks around in a mask and it is removed what does it gain to put it back on? If everyone knew Bruce Wayne was Batman why would he put it back on? That's what I ask Wren. We now know what she looks like so why cover her face? Does she think that will intimidate me?

Once the mask has been removed, embrace your true self.

You stop talking and look at the family. They get the hint and shuffle off. You sign to the father to come back to you.

Titus: One thing. Never, ever, interrupt me when I'm having breakfast again. Got it?

The Dad nods and gives the same facial reaction his son did when he was told off earlier. He walks off. You bite into your breakfast and check your phone. You have two missed calls, both have messaged asking for an interview. Who do you accept?


Leon Kensworth

or

Johnny Klamor

 

[Lee]

You have selected Leon Kensworth

Leon Kensworth stands in the distance. You see him check with the cameraman to make sure he looks fine.

Titus: You're fine Leon.

He turns to face you and smiles, you keep a neutral expression on your face.

Titus: Let's do this.

The cameraman signals for a go.

Leon: I'm with EurAsian champion Titus Avison before he's ready to face Wren. You picked Wren, why?

Titus: Did you even bother doing any research? I said it in the ring and we talked about it last week when we were chatting on Ascension. She scored a win over me, it was a fluke. I want to correct that and she needs to get lucky twice. I should have gone for Klamor.

You storm off making Leon look confused but you trip on the cameraman’s wire. You go flying knocking your foot off an anvil. It looks dislocated. Out of nowhere the doctor appears.

Doc: Sorry, with this injury you'll be out for at least a year. You'll need to stop wrestling for that time and relinquish all titles.

You have been injured and had to give up your title. The EurAvison era ends on day 608. So does your adventure.


Go back

 

[Lee]

You have selected Johnny Klamor

Johnny Klamor is sat on a comfy seat, he has an empty one sat to the side but opposite. You approach him, he shakes your hand and you sit down.

Johnny: Has it really been ten years that we've been doing this?

Titus: Indeed it is, seems like the shortest and longest thing of my life at the same time.

Johnny: You've obviously never been married.

There it was, Klamor's trademark joke. It meant the camera was about to start rolling and he'd go in full professional mode. He makes you want to drop your guard, but after ten years you know better.

Johnny: We've heard the legends. Is this legend about to end?

POW you know Klamor's good at the kill but the first question? Come on!

Titus: By definition legends never end but I get your point. No, the legend will not end. You all know my history and this will last for more than my lifetime. I've three areas of the world where I've made the biggest impact, Titus Avison will not be forgotten.

Klamor looks at you in a way that a journalist looks at a politician who has just avoided the question.

Johnny: I'm not talking about your distinguished wrestling career, I'm talking about the longest reign of any belt in WZCW.

You look at your belt which is propped over your shoulder.

Titus: This? Now I've beaten the record by the current Mr. Blades what's next for me? A lot of people expect me to lose this because there's no goal but let me tell you, there is. The EurAvison era is something that will go on for at least 1,000 days! Not my champion? I am!

Johnny: The general consensus is that you're scared.

Titus: What do you think?

You think you knock it out the park, Klamor rarely gives a personal opinion trying to stay neutral.

Johnny: Yes.

Oh it's Smoak with the catch! Ouch. You're outta here. Klamor continues as you shuffle very uncomfortably.

Johnny: You've lost to her before and this was during the “No man could beat Titus” shtick you had going on. It rose the women up, Batti, Callie, Eve, Kagura and Wren. They all showed you what for. You've tried to make amends and have defeated women in that time but it still comes down to this. Wren defeated you.

Titus: Well I've said...

Johnny: Oh yes, a fluke. Of course it's a fluke. You and I both know there's no such things as flukes. Was it a fluke when Carmen Bratchny got stuck in the ropes allowing you to eliminate him and then go on to start the legend? Was it a fluke that Kingdom Come II was in your adopted home? Was it a fluke that Johnny Scumm paraded down the ring in a thong when you won that belt? No! Wren defeating you is not a fluke, if you believe that she'll beat you 2-0!

Klamor was right, he always was. It hits home to you that you've thought her victory was a fluke when simply she outperformed you. Failing to prepare for Gold Rush will end the reign at 615 days and it will propel her into a new light. What would that mean for the EurAsian belt? Would it change hands all the time like the Elite Openweight does or will Wren go on and get a 616 day reign?

Neither is an option to you. You gather your thoughts and pull yourself back in.

Titus: I'm not scared. If I lose I'll have had a legacy that no one has ever had. The fact that that's the worst option in this scenario does me well. At Gold Rush I will show Wren what I'm capable of. She'll rue underestimating me like so many have and I will extend the EurAvison era. The girls in the crowd chanting for their hero will look on despair as she is pinned, twice.

I'll hold that belt in the air and head to the back. Every single person back there hating me inside and out. I'll laugh. I am WZCW and for ten years I've shown that. Why would Gold Rush be any different?

Johnny: So how will you do that?

Wouldn't he like to know? You think back to your 2 out of 3 falls match where you were Red Mask for one round, Titus for another. You realise how different those are to Titus Avison. The Titus of old would go for her on the physical.

You know she has the agility over you but your height and weight advantage should nullify that. Despite the jokes you do move pretty quickly for an 'old man' but how do you slow her down. Should you go and ask Xander to use his intellect to show the speed and all sorts of equations?

Nah you're Titus Avison. You go for the one thing an opponent will not prepare against, the mind. Who is she? Where is she from? Why doesn't she speak? Why does she hide her face? Does anyone really care?

Johnny thinks that your biggest fear is losing the belt, he's right. So what's her biggest fear? It's losing her mask. Letting the world see who she is. Her face has been shown in the paper so why keep her face hidden? Is Wren in the ring with a mask a different person without one? That's her weakness. Her kryptonite. Focus. On. Her. Mask. You unmask her and her mind goes. Her mind goes and the physical, well it becomes easy.

You know what to do.

Titus: Oh I have a trick or two up my sleeve.

At that your adventure is only beginning. You now look to extend your reign and make people write further legends about you. May the odds be forever in your favour.