Kingdom Come V: Titus vs. Chris K.O. (c) - Eurasian Championship (I Quit Match)

[Harthan]

This rivalry is as old as they come - the villain against the hero. Chris K.O, a man who proclaimed himself to be the "savior" of the people, the "White Knight" of WZCW, has walked to the ring with delusions of grandeur and attempting to convert the fans to his idealisms. However, the true hero of the people, a future Hall-of-Famer in Titus has grown tired of the fake symbol of hope, willing to do anything to shut him up and take him down. However, on the previous occasion, Chris was the victor and has grown stronger, capturing the Eurasian Championship in the process. Now, he ups the stakes and wants to devour Titus in an "I Quit" match so he can watch the hero submit to him, making him the one and the only savour of WZCW. But the heart of Titus should never be doubted as there is a reason the phrase "I heard legends of that man" was invented and knowing him, he'll be bringing the same "A" game that he brought to the dance at Kingdom Come II.

Deadline is Thursday July 25, 2013 @ 11:59 P.M. (Central). No Extensions​

 

[Lee]

Backstage. In the background is a Kingdom Come V poster. In the foreground is Becky Serra and Titus Avison.

Becky: I'm standing here with WZCW legend Titus who at Kingdom Come V will be fighting Chris K.O. Just to add onto that it's an I Quit match and it's for the Eurasian championship. Hectic, right?

Titus: There was a time I shied away from the title of legend. It’s that reason I went to Keystone City in Kansas, it’s that reason I hid myself under a mask. The word legend carries a huge weight on it. Sometimes we deserve the title, most of the time we do not.

Becky: Of all the places in the world, why there?

Titus almost looks offended by the comment but he quickly relaxes. He knows Becky meant no harm with her question.

Titus: Why Keystone City? As one of the biggest blue collar cities in the south it made the most sense. It has a population full of hard working men and women. When they aren’t working they spend time with their families.

I remember the first time I visited, I went for a stroll and I saw this little kid. He was standing on the porch struggling to reach the doorbell. I jogged over and pressed it. You know what happened?

Becky: Do tell me.

A chuckle from Titus fills the air.

Titus: He ran off! It was a classic ding dong ditch. Here’s a four time Oscar winner who has just pressed the bell for a child and the child has ran off. I freeze so I have to think fast, I know I’ll pretend I’m lost and need directions. A man answers the door, old fella in his late 60s and asks me how I could help him. I ask for directions to the town hall. Most people would point to where it is and close the door. Not the people of Keystone. The man said he’d drive me there and took me in his car to the town hall. Did he know I was Titus Avison? Or was he oblivious? Either way he treated me as a normal human. The way it should be.

Becky: Yeah, I know the feeling. Though one feeling I don't know is being called a hero. Keystone loves you.

Titus: That's another title I avoided as well. For me I was just a man doing my civic duties. Why do the whole Red Mask thing? It was a spur of the moment decision that I guess was a combination of two lives. Not long after the man dropped me off I decided to walk to my hotel. There I saw a man pull a gun out. I ran towards him with the same adrenaline I had when I took on Mohammed Hasheem or when starring in the movie Dead Rock. I kick the gun out the guys hand and he runs off. I turn to the girl who he was trying to mug and she says ‘Thanks Red Hood’. I had a hoodie on at the time and it covered most of my face. I couldn’t take the mantle of Red Hood due to D.C. copyright issues. I remember the look in her eyes to this day.

Becky: So you opted for Truth, Justice and the good old American way?

Titus: I guess it was like that scene in Spider-man where he designs the costumes. The rush and thrill of saving the day and no one knowing who I am. Yet there was always a pull, something niggling in the back of my head. WZCW.

Becky: So why opt for a return? Why give up protecting the city?

Titus: For my entire life everything I touched was gold. I'm the oldest son of a hard working family so I pushed myself. It was acting I succeeded in. Not just moderate success; I was declared the greatest actor of the year. Let that sink in. Yet WZCW was something I failed it.

Becky: I'd hardly say that was a failure. Just think of Everest, Hasheem and others.

Titus sighs.

Titus: I would disagree there. I was getting there but things happened. I wanted to come back and I wanted an opportunity to show what I could do. That's why I went with Red Mask because people would remember me as a rather successful actor yet the crowd were split.

Becky: I can remember that.

Titus: There was a thought that because I'd done acting I had no place in a ring. The thoughts came from both LA and the die-hard wrestling fans. To show what I was capable of Red Mask made the most sense because I was hidden. They liked me for my style, my morals and my victories.

Becky: It was time to unveil who you were and let the world know what Titus was could do?

Titus: It was with Red Mask that the hero status was cemented. The journey to wrestling legend happened when I unmasked. Do I need to mention my two world title victories? Or my Elite X win? What about Lethal Lottery? Carmen Bratchny? Vengeance? Steamboat Ricky? Everest? The electricity of the crowd? You know the stories.

Becky: I don't know of any regarding the Eurasian belt. What does it mean to you?

Titus answers without a second thought.

Titus: To me the Eurasian championship means prestige. I'm not going to belittle our Mayhem champion by saying that because the Mayhem champ may have it harder than anyone else but since the start I've really admired the Eurasian championship. Do you want to hear a story I've not shared before?

Becky: Sure.

Titus: Before the Eurasian belt was unveiled there was a lot of research gone into whether or not another belt would work in WZCW. Where would it stand in the scheme of things? Would the fans like it? Would the roster like it? I remember sitting in a room with Vance Bateman and I distinctly said three things. Firstly to keep that and Elite X separate to start off with, it builds the prestige. Secondly it's up to the belt winners to show how proud they are of it. Lastly I saw the difference between Elite X and Eurasian. Elite X would be your more reactionary quick thinking champions but Eurasian would take that extra intensity and a different style. I'd say we've seen that.

Becky: Yeah but you didn't answer my question. I'll say it more bluntly. Why do you see the Eurasian as prestigious?

Titus: How can it not be prestigious? We've had Ty and Big Dave hold the belt and they have had stakes in the company. Add in Showtime and Drake who are main eventing Kingdom Come. Before you mention that they were also world champions I could mention the Rush and Black Dragon feud and the intensity that had. The world title had people like Joseph Rios and Disasterpiece abuse the titles. Does anyone remember Disasterpiece? Exactly. No legacy there.

Yet the eleven people who have held the Eurasian title are fondly remembered. So why is it prestigious? I’ve not held the championship and that shows just how hard it is to achieve. I want to be the best and at times I’ve shown that. The Eurasian championship would show my ability to stand side by side amongst some of the greatest in the company. When you’ve done as much as I have in life dreams are hard to come by and when you get one, grab hold until you achieve it. It’s just natural.

Becky: If that's the case then why has the belt been out of your grasp? It's not even like you've attempted to get it.

A shake of the head can show Titus' frustration that this has alluded him.

Titus: I guess the problem was the way the belts used to be viewed. Back in the day you'd have a top tier of people fighting for the World title. Then you'd have your Elite X, Eurasian, Mayhem and then your tag. Now the lines are blurred, for example Triple X could easily go into a world title match and win it's that exciting. So for a while I was at this horrible point where I was 'too big' for the Eurasian title yet not in the running for the world title. I'm so glad management has changed their opinion on this because I'd love an opportunity to win this belt, it's what kept me going through being injured. That and one particular image.

Becky: I'm sure you did get the opportunity once. In fact you lost your career in a match with Big Dave over the belt.

Another chuckle from Titus fills the room.

Titus: Ha, I knew you'd mention that. In fact I'm glad you did. The thing with that match is that it was never about the Eurasian belt. You could go into the added pressure of my career being on the line or all that was going on with me emotionally but at the end of the day Big Dave defeated me. I recall giving everything in that match but it wasn't good enough. You ask a fan and they'll tell you they remember that match, but they forget the belt aspect. How can you forget the belt? The Eurasian belt will be around for many years after me and that's why I'm making the point about it now. I want to win this match for obvious reasons but I want to turn up to Meltdown or Ascension or Aftershock with the belt on my shoulder to know that feeling. The feeling that Big Dave, Ty, Showtime and Callahan have all felt. The feeling of being the Eurasian champion.

Becky: Even more so than being at Kingdom Come?

Titus: What can I say about Kingdom Come? It was in London where the place almost exploded with me winning the title. That feeling there beats any Oscars or plaudits they throw at me, winning at Kingdom Come is something else. The best thing is the buzz around the town for the weekend before, for the shows after and when you step out through that curtain. I can't even attempt to describe it Becky.

Becky: Can you describe your opponent?

Titus: I hate him.

Becky is taken aback by the comment.

Becky: Sorry? Did you really just say that?

He almost grits his teeth as he says it again.

Titus: I hate him. Everything he was, everything he is and everything he ever will be. Ricky had a playful nature, Dave and I settle things pretty quickly and Everest was so similar to me it was hard to hate. The white knight on the other hand? Please.

Becky: Surely there was a point when this clicked. Was it Kingdom Come IV?

Titus: You can always tell in a group how things will fare. There is always someone in control yet there is always someone in that group who thinks they can do a better job. That's what happened last year. The Apostles of Chaos against team WZCW. My hatred for him was at the end of that match. A man who for months and months had tried to destroy this company decided to do the right thing except it wasn't.

He did it for a girl and his own ego. If he wanted to save WZCW he would have turned straight off and joined us before Gordito even made it to the ring. Instead he waits to the end 'Oh I want to leave AOC because I want the girl but I need to make any attempt at the end so I can claim the moral high ground'. I just re-watched that match recently and his faux attempt to help Celeste up made me feel sick to my bones.

Becky: So you infamously called him out?

Titus: Exactly. Sometimes you can't keep silent any more, I needed to stand up and show the hypocrisy. Didn't take long before it reared its ugly head.

Becky: When you faced he won.

Becky almost looks as though she regrets mentioning that.

Titus: He did. The history books will say that at All or Nothing Titus lost to Chris K.O. by pin fall. Yet you know what I remember above everything? I remember the realisation that I was injured; I remember being helped to the back. I remember Saxton making sure I was fine; I remember the next night being brutally attacked causing the injury to be prolonged. I remember pushing through in the gym; I remember telling the doctor just how tough I was. I remember walking down carpets, being on chat shows and being adored. Yet still one image stuck in my head.

K.O.'s a predictable sort in that his ego is second to none. He would never admit it but you just know it. That's why he went for an I quit match to show he's the better man. Yet still one image stuck in my head.

I asked Showtime what advice he'd give me for the match and you know what he said? Lose your voice. I guess that makes sense, if I lose my voice how can I say those words “I quit”. I pondered it for half a second yet that image popped back in my mind.

Becky: What image is that?

Titus: As I said the history books will remember me losing at All or Nothing. The image ingrained on my mind is his hands tapping on the mat. Screaming out in agony. That's what's kept me going. At Kingdom Come I will remind the people of why they call me a legend. I will make him say those two words and I will walk out with the Eurasian belt. Simply put Chris; your era just ended, buddy.

Titus walks off as we fade to black.

 

[Kermit]

The Great I Am​

The scene begins with a shot of Sam Masters walking down a sidewalk. He is dressed in a full black suit attire with a blue tie hanging from his neck. He makes a sharp turn off the sidewalk and finds himself walking up an entryway path to what appears to be a large church. Sam looks forward and sees a handful of people shuffling through the front doors to gain entrance. Sam walks up to a set of steps in front of the door and stops. He looks at the small flight and then at the large closed oak door of the church. His vision is so tunneled that he doesn’t even notice a priest is standing next to the door in order to greet people. Sam accidentally makes eye contact for a brief second, but he knows that it is too late. By looking directly into the priest’s eyes, even for a second, he has initiated conversation.

Priest: Can I help you son?

Sam politely smiles.

Sam: No, thank you.

He climbs the steps and approaches the door. The priest opens it up for him with a warm smile.

Priest: Best get in there, the service is about to start.

Sam hesitates as he stands in the doorway. He takes a deep breathe as the priest draws some curiosity. Sam reaches for the door that the priest is holding open and closes it.

Priest: Is everything alright?

Sam: No.

Sam closes his eyes and shakes his head.

Sam: When I was younger my Mom and I were in a terrible car crash. It put her in critical condition in the hospital. I remember coming to church one Sunday and praying to God that she would not die, but she did. I swore after that I would never walk into a church again. But now, my wife is in their with our child, Ty.

Sam wipes away a stray tear on his cheek.

Sam: She asked if I wanted to dedicate him. She didn’t enforce it or anything, but I said yes. I have no idea why I said yes. Security? The great “what if”? I don’t know. I don’t know if I can go through with this.

The priest walks up to Sam and pats him on the shoulder. Sam looks at him as the priest smiles.

Priest: You may walk away and find the answers you are looking for, but right now your wife and child are in there. In there are the answers you need to seek. It is very possible that you walk out with nothing, but how will you know if you do not seek first?

The priest smiles.

Priest: Now, you better hurry up. The service is about to start.

Sam takes a long look at the priest before looking at the closed door in front of him. Sam lets out a breath of air and then pulls on the handle. The screen turns into a blinding white.

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|​

The white evaporates and we hear the lonely echo of steps as we get a first point-of-view angle of someone walking into an empty sanctuary. Stray hymnal books and pamphlets litter the terracotta stones that make up the foundation. There are several empty wooden pews lined up in rows as they face a stage. We recognize the stage. He recognizes the stage. The camera reveals Chris K.O. staring blankly into the open sanctuary where he once watched Reverend Eckhart deliver a message about him. A message that foretold his coming and his role as "Savior". Chris slowly begins to step down the middle aisle as he allows his fingertips to brush the corners of each pew as he passes. He looks down each one and systematically remembers each face he saw that day he was here months ago. Finally, he reaches the front row and looks down it. He remembers a woman sitting on that specific row. The woman that might have been his mother. Chris slowly walks down the row and looks down at the spot where she was sitting. He wipes off the dust on her seat and sits down. He scans the room, as if double checking to make sure it is empty. After that, he slowly begins to lower his head. He raises his hands and presses his palms against his eyes as he lowers his head into a solemn stupor.

Is this hell?

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps cause Chris to jerk his head up and look at the entryway of the sanctuary. He is stunned to see Ian Crawford walking down the aisle in his normal business attire. He has both hands tucked in his pockets, but he pulls one out to push up his glasses in classic fashion. He walks straight down the middle aisle and stops. Chris continues staring at him from the pew off to the side.

Ian: What happened?

Chris feels that Ian already knows the situation, but he answers anyway.

Chris: Eckhart. He told me that he was taking me back here, to the temple. However, he said that he needed the funds to set up everything. I was busy and stressed so I just gave him the information and let him take care of it. On the plane over he gave me all the information I needed to find the place. I didn’t think anything of it, but once we got off the plane I lost him. I couldn’t contact him and then I realized; he ditched me.

Chris stops looking at Ian and looks straight ahead as he remains sitting on the pew.

Chris: I decided to follow the directions he gave me back to the temple. Sure enough, it was here. However, everyone was gone. That includes Ethan, and the woman that I thought was my mother.

Ian: Ethan Felt. He’s a glorified con and cult leader. His scheme is large scale. He convinces young mothers that their sons have some kind of special calling and that they have to leave them to allow that calling to be fulfilled. He uses brainwashing to do all of this. The con comes whenever those sons get older. He uses the biological mothers as bait to lure in any rich prospects. Then, he takes the money he scams and uproots to another location. This isn't the first time that he has done it, but possibly the biggest heist he has ever pulled off.

Chris: How do you know all this?

Ian: I’m sorry Chris, but after we ended our partnership I continued to keep tabs on your accounts. I could not afford to see you going down the path of Ty, mad with power. Money can buy a lot of things.

Chris just shakes his head in disgust.

Chris: You know you are some pie-

Ian: If it was not for me you would not have a single cent to your name.

Chris is silenced as Ian gets stern.

Ian: Ethan was able to drain your accounts nearly dry, but I had them frozen before he could take the lot.

Chris doesn’t want to know the answer, but he asks anyway.

Chris: How much did they get away with?

Ian hesitates, but then answers.

Ian: 98%

Chris shoves his face back into his hands.

Ian: I’ve already closed your previous accounts and have transferred your remaining cash to a more secure one.

Chris doesn’t respond, and Ian just stares at him, unsure what to make about his silent status. Finally, Ian walks over to the stage and sits at a spot where he is only a few feet away from Chris.

Chris: You know.

Chris pulls his face out of his hands and leans back in the pew as he stares off to the side.

Chris: All I ever wanted to be was a wrestler.

Chris pauses for a moment to think about that statement.

Chris: I-... I never wanted to be a legend killer, an apostle, a knight, or even a savior...

Chris looks at Ian.

Chris: All I ever wanted to be was a wrestler, and best damn one for what it is worth. But now, everything became murky, so unclear. I don't know where I lost Sam Masters or where Chris K.O. began.

Chris smirks.

Chris: I remember sitting outside of Kingdom Come III with my back pressed against the stadium. I couldn’t afford a ticket back then so I just listened.

Chris points at his ear and closes his eyes.

Chris: I just closed my eyes and listened... When Ty made Showtime tap out in the main-event the entire crowd exploded. I knew right then and there that I wanted that. I wanted that moment. I wanted that noise...

Chris’ smirk slowly fades.

Chris: But I never would have imagined what it would cost me to get this far. I threw morals in the wind and lost so much to gain what I have right now. All the time that I lost...

Chris looks away from Ian again as he stares at the empty pews in the sanctuary.

Chris: And all the people. It really makes you wonder if it is worth it.

Ian: Yes, but you still did some good. You banished Ty from WZCW and hindered him from ever making a permanent return. You crippled a tyrant. Surely you understand that weighs heavily on the scale of morality?

Chris jerks his head back to look at Ian.

Chris: Whatever advantage I gained on the scale I dis-proportioned by not vanquishing evil, but consuming it. I absorbed everything that Ty was and became the very monster I never intended to be. Now look where I am, the idol of evil against the greatest force of good in this company. All the while holding the title that Ty held first, the WZCW EurAsian Champion.

Chris leans forward in the pew as he holds his hands together in a clinched fashion. He looks up over Ian’s shoulder and stares at a cross hanging on the wall.

Chris: I can’t save Titus and I can’t save the WZCW. Hell, I can’t even save myself.

Ian: There is still time to right the wrongs you have performed. Not all is lost Chris.

Chris looks intently at Ian.

Chris: Listen to yourself. “Not all is lost”, yet you do not call me by my real name. Sam Masters is lost. Chris K.O., the dragon of my soul, has consumed whatever innocence I had left. The boy who wanted to be a wrestler has been silenced and the dream has been tainted.

Ian: So then what? You go into Kingdom Come V with a chip on your shoulder and continue down your current path? What does that accomplish? If you are so internally conflicted with your actions, why do you continue to do them?

Chris: A path of righteousness is not for me Ian. I tried that once, do you remember? Do you remember Project Clean? Do you remember the White Knight?

Ian doesn’t speak as he knows he is partly responsible for the self-destructive change Chris K.O. had to endure.

Chris: I remember.

Chris leans back in the pew and puts one of his arms up on the top of it.

Chris: I remember being booed at every house show and spat on while on my way to the ring. I remember the same group of wrestlers that feared the oppression of Ty Burna resenting me for destroying him. I remember hearing their words in the back. I remember the slander.

Chris pauses for a moment.

Chris: And I remember Titus. First, I remember Titus before I ever got a contract with this company. I remember him sitting down next to me in a locker room and giving me pointers on what to do and what not to do. All of which eventually led me to a WZCW contract. But then, I remember him spewing my name out of his mouth before Supershow II. I remember him telling the world that I was not a real hero, but a fake.

Chris leans forward and uses his hands as he talks to Ian.

Chris: You see back then, when I was a nobody, there was no problem with him helping me out, but now that I have become a threat he gets worried. You see, I’ve disrupted the gravity around Titus. I’ve changed things. That’s what provoked the dog to bite. That’s what provoked everyone to turn on me. I became a threat to their spot on the card. I became a bigger entity. So, I had to teach the dog a lesson at All or Nothing, but here we are again. The old dog just won’t die, but who could blame him?

Chris: We’ve all sacrificed so much to get to the spots where we are at, so why would anyone want to quit?

Chris stands up from the pew and looks down at Ian.

Chris: I have been through so much so far and I haven't quit yet, so I won’t quit now.

Chris begins to walk away, but Ian calls after him.

Ian: Chris, you are just confused. You are not being rational.

Chris quickly turns back around and shouts at Ian.

Chris: I’m not being rational?! No, for the first time I am being rational, Ian! I’m finally blocking out the thousand different fucking opinions of me that people have been pushing on me since I started in the WZCW! I’ve sacrificed so much time for this federation only to get shit on time and time again. Well, I’m tired of taking their shit! I’m tired of adapting who I am to fit everything the crowd wants. It’s time to take what I rightfully deserve... It’s time to seize my moment.

At Kingdom Come, Titus will try to amend his first lost in a match the crowd thinks belongs to him. They are all wrong. It is my match, and it is my moment. I am finally cashing in all the sweat and hours I’ve poured into this ungrateful company. At Kingdom Come V I walk in as the WZCW EurAsian Champion and I walk out as WZCW EurAsian Champion. Everything I have done up until now finally pays off. Fuck Titus and fuck WZCW; I’m only out for me.

Ian can’t believe what he just heard as Chris slowly backs down the middle aisle.

Chris: I will take the stage not under any moniker or gimmick. I will be a man stripped of everything, and a man hungry for the meal he has earned. And what I have earned is the right to debunk one of the greatest “heroes” in professional wrestling. Finally, the legend of Titus will be exposed for the lie it is...

Chris pauses for a moment and looks down at the terracotta floor.

Chris: …and they will have only me to thank for it.

Chris looks back up at Ian as he backs his way out of the sanctuary. Steps echo down the hallway as the screen goes black.