MD 129 - Justin Cooper versus Xander LeBelle
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Da Prophet
Mid-Card Championship Winner
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Every so often you get the opportunity to do something that you thought was impossible. Some people go after it with full force while others will simply let it pass them by. So when I got the phone call that I had the chance to interview professional wrestling star and “hip-hop icon” Justin Cooper, I jumped at the chance. The man who has sold more singles than anyone in the history of Australian music. From the outside he was a fascinating character, I use the word character specifically for this situation. That’s what he is; Justin Cooper is a character. A character full of showmanship and over the top antics that will get you to hate him. Well, up until recently as he had slowly been transforming himself into somewhat of a hero. Not in the traditional sense, he still had that smartass attitude when he knew the press was watching but I could tell, sitting across from him, that not just the character but the man had changed.
We met up on the sandy shores of one of Sydney’s most popular beaches; Bondi. Thousands packed the white sandy paradise from all over the world. We arrived separately, our appointment was at ten o’clock but Justin didn’t show for another hour. I sat on the beach wondering what the point of all this was; am I even going to get a decent interview out of this guy? The thought of calling my boss had gone through my mind regularly throughout the hour I was waiting. Luckily I didn’t.
The arrival. He was arrogant. I knew this before we made introductions, I could tell just by the way he walked. Out in public with a smile from ear to ear as the WZCW Tag Team Championship lay over his shoulder. Yes, he did in fact bring his championship belt to the beach. After a few minutes of introductions we sat down at a table to the far north of Bondi. It was one of the few spots that wasn’t overflowing with tourists and local residents. It also happened to be the only place on the beach that allowed you to smoke. Justin pulled his pack of cigarettes out of his top pocket, he offered me one, I declined, and lit one up without hesitation. It’s always interested me when an athlete smokes considering all the damage it could cause. I asked, at first I got no reply. Then Justin pointed to a large scar on the top of his forehead, “it’s not going to hurt me anymore than what I already do now.”
Justin had a point. Most recently he had been involved in one of the bloodiest battles in the history of professional wrestling. A Chairs Match, yes it’s exactly what it sounds like, at the most recent WZCW pay per view, Gold Rush, against Ty Burna and El Caidos Dragon. A contest where he would come out victorious and become one half of the WZCW World Tag Team Champions alongside “Remarkable” Mark Keaton. The latter still feeling the effects of the match as he resides on the injured list for the company and was unable to be reached for comment at this time. I inquired about the health of his tag partner but Justin was quick to shift the topic elsewhere. “I can’t speak for Mark’s health. I do know we’re the reigning champions of the tag team division and that’s something I’ve been working my entire career to achieve. I do know that we walked into that match as partners and we walked out not just as champions but as brothers.” For as much of a character as he was I truly believe what he said to me here. “This profession is violent and people act like anyone can do this. No, you can’t just step into this world and hang with the best in the business. I’ve been doing this on and off for the past six years. I’ve seen guys come and go who were supposed to be the next big thing and now they’re nothing more than a thread on some internet forum titled ‘WZCW missed opportunities’ meanwhile I’m sitting here today as one half of the very best damn tag team in the world. Fact!”
He was good. I had done my research but here I was sitting across from Justin and he was openly cutting a promo off the top of his head. Brilliant I thought to myself. The scenes after his victory at Gold Rush had been well documented and made front page news here in Australia. The Oceania Hero the press had christened him. “I like it.” He laughed. “I mean, I’m no hero but it’s nice to be liked a little. I’ve spent my entire career being the bad guy and I loved it, don’t get me wrong I loved being booed out of the building by twenty thousand people but last Sunday was something I never experienced before.” It was a rare sight for those who frequent the professional wrestling sphere. A face turn had occurred, a situation where a bad guy switches sides and becomes a good guy. This was no ordinary change of heart however, “I didn’t do anything differently. I walked in alongside Mark and we both got booed as usual and then by the end of the match I could hear them cheering. I was wondering what the hell was going on, I thought El Caidos [Dragon] was coming back down the ramp. I looked over and saw nothing then I realised they were cheering for me.”
As we sat together discussing his past I noticed that he never took his hand off the championship. It sat a few inches away on the table but his hand was always holding the strap. “Ah, it took me six years to win this, you think I’m going to let go of it anytime soon?” It was clear that this man had worked hard for what he had and giving it up wasn’t on his mind. I wanted to dive deeper into his musical background but was met with a swift roadblock by Justin. “I’d rather not. With all due respect I’m not here to talk about music, I’m here to talk about what I’m doing now. I’ll be happy to come back one day and you can do the big musical article on me then but for now I’d rather stay in the moment.” While I wasn’t over the moon about this I did find it interesting. Why? “I’ve gotten caught up in parading around my past success before and it has cost me every single time. I’ve won two Mayhem Championships but lost them both rather quickly, the same can be said for my reign as Elite X Champion. If you stay living in the past you miss out on what’s happening right now.” He pulled his championship belt closer, “I’ve worked way too hard for this. Mark is at home right now and he’s unable to really celebrate like we should have. Do you what happens when you win a championship in this company?” I did not.
“You get to celebrate. Everyone gathers around and we all celebrate the success of our peers. Mark and I won the tag titles and we didn’t get that. We got no celebration from the other wrestlers. The biggest upset ever they called it but when the night was over, the biggest achievement of our lives, and we ended up in hospital. I’m still feeling the effects of that match, my body is hurt but I’m standing here today because Mark physically can’t. He’s hurt... really bad. I let that happen. I let him jump off the titantron. I was supposed to protect him. I’m the veteran and I should have known better.” The incident Justin was referencing saw Mark Keaton jump from the top of the titantron down onto El Caidos Dragon, taking both men out of the match and causing serious injury to both participants. It’s currently unknown whether either will ever be able to return to the ring. “It’s my fault.”
The man behind the character was exposed. He felt guilty for what had happened to his “brother” as he described him earlier. I thought the interview might be over at this point however Justin still had more to say. “I made a promise that I’d guide Mark through this company and I’ve done a decent job or at least I thought I had. He had his ups and downs but together we’ve done something nobody ever thought we would be able to. We won the titles. I’ve been asked multiple times when he’s coming back and the honest answer is that I do not know. He might be back by Unscripted, he might be back by Lethal Lottery or he might not comeback at all. At the end of the day, it’s all about Mark’s health and that’s what matters most here. I’ll fight by myself, I’ll stand and fight whoever the company throws at me because while I maybe standing alone, Mark alongside me in spirit.”
The tourists slowly began to make their way in our direction. As they slowly took over our hideaway, Justin suggested we get going. We began to walk up the beach, people recognized Justin but very few actually approached him. “They probably expect me to yell at them to go away or something like that.” He didn’t. Justin signed whatever was handed to him and took the time to say hello to each little kid that approached him. For a guy that doesn’t see himself as a hero, he’s sure acting like one.
Our time together was coming to an end. The beach was beginning to thin out as the lifeguards started to pack their equipment away. Justin and I stood at the top of the Far East hill, looking out over the water. Even after the hours I had spent with him I still expected that famous Justin Cooper to appear. The one who had bad mouthed everyone in the company. I thought I had the perfect lure to bring the self-proclaimed ‘Lineal Champion’ out one more time. Xander LeBelle, the man who would be making his debut against Justin on an upcoming edition of Meltdown. Surely the showman would come out in full force and send verbal daggers towards the upstart. “It should be fun.” Huh? “From what I understand it’s Le Gentleman Masque but without the mask. I’m all for guys reinventing themselves, I mean, just look at what I’ve been able to do by changing a little. We’ve had so many returns over the past week that it’s hard to keep up with who is still on the roster.”
“We’ve fought once before in a tag match when he was a champion and now the roles are reversed. It seems fitting that I’m his first match back. He’s not going to win of course but its good practice for when he does start winning.” So far it wasn’t the daggers I had expected but I held out hope. “As I said before, I’ve seen guys come and go from this company. It’s the champions that usually survive. That’s what I am right now. I’m a champion and on Meltdown I’m going to walk down to the ring with my championship hanging from my shoulder and whether the crowd boos or cheers me doesn’t matter, what does matter is that I’m going to send a message anyone on the roster that thinks that because I’m standing alone it makes me an easy target.” Justin smirked, the character had arrived. “Xander, welcome back but you’ve turned up against the wrong gun slinger this time. I’ve got the world doubting me and it means that I’m going to have to make an example out of you. I’m not going to let the critics cloud our victory at Gold Rush; instead I’m going to win at Meltdown and prove to the world that I deserve to be called a champion.”
The match this week would no doubt be a hard fought victory no matter who would emerge victorious. Our time together was done, the sun began to set but before I left Justin had one more soundbite for me to have. “Good or bad, it really doesn’t matter in the end. We all just go out there and fight for what we believe is in our best interest. I fought the greatest wrestler that ever lived, I bled, I was hurt but I was not broken. I watched as Ty Burna beat my body over and over again with chairs but I never gave up. I defeated him when nobody thought I could. You need to ask yourself this; what do you call the man who defeats the greatest to ever live?”
We met up on the sandy shores of one of Sydney’s most popular beaches; Bondi. Thousands packed the white sandy paradise from all over the world. We arrived separately, our appointment was at ten o’clock but Justin didn’t show for another hour. I sat on the beach wondering what the point of all this was; am I even going to get a decent interview out of this guy? The thought of calling my boss had gone through my mind regularly throughout the hour I was waiting. Luckily I didn’t.
The arrival. He was arrogant. I knew this before we made introductions, I could tell just by the way he walked. Out in public with a smile from ear to ear as the WZCW Tag Team Championship lay over his shoulder. Yes, he did in fact bring his championship belt to the beach. After a few minutes of introductions we sat down at a table to the far north of Bondi. It was one of the few spots that wasn’t overflowing with tourists and local residents. It also happened to be the only place on the beach that allowed you to smoke. Justin pulled his pack of cigarettes out of his top pocket, he offered me one, I declined, and lit one up without hesitation. It’s always interested me when an athlete smokes considering all the damage it could cause. I asked, at first I got no reply. Then Justin pointed to a large scar on the top of his forehead, “it’s not going to hurt me anymore than what I already do now.”
Justin had a point. Most recently he had been involved in one of the bloodiest battles in the history of professional wrestling. A Chairs Match, yes it’s exactly what it sounds like, at the most recent WZCW pay per view, Gold Rush, against Ty Burna and El Caidos Dragon. A contest where he would come out victorious and become one half of the WZCW World Tag Team Champions alongside “Remarkable” Mark Keaton. The latter still feeling the effects of the match as he resides on the injured list for the company and was unable to be reached for comment at this time. I inquired about the health of his tag partner but Justin was quick to shift the topic elsewhere. “I can’t speak for Mark’s health. I do know we’re the reigning champions of the tag team division and that’s something I’ve been working my entire career to achieve. I do know that we walked into that match as partners and we walked out not just as champions but as brothers.” For as much of a character as he was I truly believe what he said to me here. “This profession is violent and people act like anyone can do this. No, you can’t just step into this world and hang with the best in the business. I’ve been doing this on and off for the past six years. I’ve seen guys come and go who were supposed to be the next big thing and now they’re nothing more than a thread on some internet forum titled ‘WZCW missed opportunities’ meanwhile I’m sitting here today as one half of the very best damn tag team in the world. Fact!”
He was good. I had done my research but here I was sitting across from Justin and he was openly cutting a promo off the top of his head. Brilliant I thought to myself. The scenes after his victory at Gold Rush had been well documented and made front page news here in Australia. The Oceania Hero the press had christened him. “I like it.” He laughed. “I mean, I’m no hero but it’s nice to be liked a little. I’ve spent my entire career being the bad guy and I loved it, don’t get me wrong I loved being booed out of the building by twenty thousand people but last Sunday was something I never experienced before.” It was a rare sight for those who frequent the professional wrestling sphere. A face turn had occurred, a situation where a bad guy switches sides and becomes a good guy. This was no ordinary change of heart however, “I didn’t do anything differently. I walked in alongside Mark and we both got booed as usual and then by the end of the match I could hear them cheering. I was wondering what the hell was going on, I thought El Caidos [Dragon] was coming back down the ramp. I looked over and saw nothing then I realised they were cheering for me.”
As we sat together discussing his past I noticed that he never took his hand off the championship. It sat a few inches away on the table but his hand was always holding the strap. “Ah, it took me six years to win this, you think I’m going to let go of it anytime soon?” It was clear that this man had worked hard for what he had and giving it up wasn’t on his mind. I wanted to dive deeper into his musical background but was met with a swift roadblock by Justin. “I’d rather not. With all due respect I’m not here to talk about music, I’m here to talk about what I’m doing now. I’ll be happy to come back one day and you can do the big musical article on me then but for now I’d rather stay in the moment.” While I wasn’t over the moon about this I did find it interesting. Why? “I’ve gotten caught up in parading around my past success before and it has cost me every single time. I’ve won two Mayhem Championships but lost them both rather quickly, the same can be said for my reign as Elite X Champion. If you stay living in the past you miss out on what’s happening right now.” He pulled his championship belt closer, “I’ve worked way too hard for this. Mark is at home right now and he’s unable to really celebrate like we should have. Do you what happens when you win a championship in this company?” I did not.
“You get to celebrate. Everyone gathers around and we all celebrate the success of our peers. Mark and I won the tag titles and we didn’t get that. We got no celebration from the other wrestlers. The biggest upset ever they called it but when the night was over, the biggest achievement of our lives, and we ended up in hospital. I’m still feeling the effects of that match, my body is hurt but I’m standing here today because Mark physically can’t. He’s hurt... really bad. I let that happen. I let him jump off the titantron. I was supposed to protect him. I’m the veteran and I should have known better.” The incident Justin was referencing saw Mark Keaton jump from the top of the titantron down onto El Caidos Dragon, taking both men out of the match and causing serious injury to both participants. It’s currently unknown whether either will ever be able to return to the ring. “It’s my fault.”
The man behind the character was exposed. He felt guilty for what had happened to his “brother” as he described him earlier. I thought the interview might be over at this point however Justin still had more to say. “I made a promise that I’d guide Mark through this company and I’ve done a decent job or at least I thought I had. He had his ups and downs but together we’ve done something nobody ever thought we would be able to. We won the titles. I’ve been asked multiple times when he’s coming back and the honest answer is that I do not know. He might be back by Unscripted, he might be back by Lethal Lottery or he might not comeback at all. At the end of the day, it’s all about Mark’s health and that’s what matters most here. I’ll fight by myself, I’ll stand and fight whoever the company throws at me because while I maybe standing alone, Mark alongside me in spirit.”
The tourists slowly began to make their way in our direction. As they slowly took over our hideaway, Justin suggested we get going. We began to walk up the beach, people recognized Justin but very few actually approached him. “They probably expect me to yell at them to go away or something like that.” He didn’t. Justin signed whatever was handed to him and took the time to say hello to each little kid that approached him. For a guy that doesn’t see himself as a hero, he’s sure acting like one.
Our time together was coming to an end. The beach was beginning to thin out as the lifeguards started to pack their equipment away. Justin and I stood at the top of the Far East hill, looking out over the water. Even after the hours I had spent with him I still expected that famous Justin Cooper to appear. The one who had bad mouthed everyone in the company. I thought I had the perfect lure to bring the self-proclaimed ‘Lineal Champion’ out one more time. Xander LeBelle, the man who would be making his debut against Justin on an upcoming edition of Meltdown. Surely the showman would come out in full force and send verbal daggers towards the upstart. “It should be fun.” Huh? “From what I understand it’s Le Gentleman Masque but without the mask. I’m all for guys reinventing themselves, I mean, just look at what I’ve been able to do by changing a little. We’ve had so many returns over the past week that it’s hard to keep up with who is still on the roster.”
“We’ve fought once before in a tag match when he was a champion and now the roles are reversed. It seems fitting that I’m his first match back. He’s not going to win of course but its good practice for when he does start winning.” So far it wasn’t the daggers I had expected but I held out hope. “As I said before, I’ve seen guys come and go from this company. It’s the champions that usually survive. That’s what I am right now. I’m a champion and on Meltdown I’m going to walk down to the ring with my championship hanging from my shoulder and whether the crowd boos or cheers me doesn’t matter, what does matter is that I’m going to send a message anyone on the roster that thinks that because I’m standing alone it makes me an easy target.” Justin smirked, the character had arrived. “Xander, welcome back but you’ve turned up against the wrong gun slinger this time. I’ve got the world doubting me and it means that I’m going to have to make an example out of you. I’m not going to let the critics cloud our victory at Gold Rush; instead I’m going to win at Meltdown and prove to the world that I deserve to be called a champion.”
The match this week would no doubt be a hard fought victory no matter who would emerge victorious. Our time together was done, the sun began to set but before I left Justin had one more soundbite for me to have. “Good or bad, it really doesn’t matter in the end. We all just go out there and fight for what we believe is in our best interest. I fought the greatest wrestler that ever lived, I bled, I was hurt but I was not broken. I watched as Ty Burna beat my body over and over again with chairs but I never gave up. I defeated him when nobody thought I could. You need to ask yourself this; what do you call the man who defeats the greatest to ever live?”
"You know, Mister Adonis. I must thank you for all that you've done for me over these past months."
Cold, empty silence filled the air. Smoke covered the room in a thick haze, stemming from the golden haired not-so-gentle man. With his right hand on his cane, and his left hand holding a cigar, sandwiched between his middle and forefinger, he spilled some cigar ash onto the red-carpeted floor.
"I'm cannot say that I am a man who believes in words such as fate or destiny anymore. But perhaps there is some sliver of doubt towards that statement. After all, I knew from the moment I first heard your name that there was no other man that I would rather have be the catalyst for my return to WZCW." The cigar-smoking mogul stopped himself, before snickering. "...I should not have to tell you the story of Adonis, should I?"
The man behind the desk exhaled smoke of his own, dropping ash into the gold ashtray that matched the color of his suit. "Buddy, you know I only seek out prime talent," Mister Adonis replied with a wicked grin. "The top of the charts. The best of the best. The ones who can be astonishing, and you are just that."
He puffed on his cigar again and nodded appreciatively, the look not leaving his face.
"These are quality, kid. Where'd you get them?"
"They are but the legendary Cuban cigars. They had been confiscated by the police about a week ago in a smuggling, yet I had found these being held at one of the officer's houses." The one who dressed in the black suit and red tie said, before he took another puff of the Cigar. "Could you believe just how corrupt the Los Angeles police can be these days?"
After blowing smoke up into the air, he shook his head. Adonis looked on, his face sympathetic.
"Even before I had unmasked, I would not even shed a tear for men like them. Sure, I would have taken it from them no matter what the circumstances may have been, but they had gotten what they deserved."
"You got that right, kid," Adonis said. He laughed a silvery laugh that slid between his perfect teeth. "You and me, we're on the same wavelength here. A golden duo! A killer partnership. Andrew Adonis..."
"...And Xander LeBelle." The thief said with a smirk."You are everything an American should be, Mister Adonis. Smart, bold, successful. Why is it always the blondes who understand me?"
Xander let go of his cane to lean it against the chair as he rubbed the stubble on his chin, to ponder that fact.
"Anyway, have you renegotiated with WZCW management about the payout from this match yet?"
In response, Adonis reached under his desk with his free hand and withdrew a form covered in numbers and fine print. He laid it next to the ashtray and tapped the line at the bottom.
"Does that answer your question?" he asked. He sunglasses glinted as the ash on the end of his cigar glowed. "You know I wouldn't let them lowball you, kid. These bigwigs never know what they got, but that's where I come in, capisce?"
He chuckled to himself.
"Capisce," Xander replied. He held up the form to skim through the fine print.
"You have really outdone yourself this time, Andrew. Now, this is a payment that a former WZCW Tag Team Champion deserves." LeBelle said, as he counted the zeroes on the paper in his head. "Justin Cooper, was it? It has been so long since I had last heard that name, yet it is as if I had never left. James Howard, Mikey Stormrage, Titus, Matt Tastic, even one of my first ever opponents, Constantine. Nearly everyone...but the man I was looking for."
Xander sighed. Placing the form back down on Adonis' desk to sign later, he held his cane with a grip that could kill a man. As if they were two separate entities, however, his face remained the same, calm with a subtle grin.
"Never cry over what you cannot have, I suppose. Although that statement applies to so very few things in my life." Xander said, with longing in his voice. "Who do I get Instead, other than Justin Cooper? The man whose team lost to the team I beat three years ago in the finals of Battlebowl to have won the same championship he holds now."
Xander did a a weak pity clap for Cooper.
"Congratulations to him, I suppose, for finding a tag team partner who could make him a champion. He makes a far better partner that Bowen ever did." he said, with all the same enthusiasm one would have reading a book report. "...It is too bad for him that the man who could help him succeed will not be in his corner, however. Because I know the man who will help me succeed in WZCW, will be in my corner."
Xander laughed, Adonis joining in.
"You're right as rain, kid," Adonis said, mirth still in his voice. It slowly grew more serious as he continued. "Listen, I'm your manager. I'm your agent. It's my job to make sure people know exactly who they're dealing with when you're out there. There are a lot of assholes in the world, kid, but you stick with me and we can make them understand what they got with Xander LeBelle."
Adonis sighed a long-suffering sigh and removed his gold aviator sunglasses to reveal bright eyes.
"It's you and me against the world, buddy. We can succeed together. All you have to do is trust me."
Adonis laid his cigar on the ashtray and offered a hand. Xander shook it, firmly.
"The world's greatest minds, both in the same room. This is history is the making." Xander said, with livelihood. "Cooper will never know what hit him. He may have faced 'The Gent', quite some years ago, but as I recall, neither of us picked up the victory the only time we had a match. Where as Cooper since then had spent time waiting for the day he would make himself known again to WZCW, my sabbatical gave me all I ever needed to become the man I could be in WZCW. I had not wasted a second of my life since figuring out my problem. It was not that my career went down the drain the second I won the tag team championships. It was that my career went down the drain the second I wore this."
From out of the pocket inside of his Tuxedo, the demon reached in with his white gloves, and elegantly yanked out the torn up scarf he once called a face.
"He probably still thinks that he's facing this...thing. No. As always, he could not be any more far more removed from reality. He is so easy to figure out, that I am concerned that the only outcome that doesn't involve myself picking up the victory is when I use my boot to smash his head into the ground, and he gets right back up because his brain is so small, any attempts to hurt it would be a lost cause with his thick dome of a skull."
A short, sharp bark of laughter escaped from Adonis at his client's words. LeBelle continued.
"If he is really deserved of that gold around his waist, which is unlikely considering what shambles WZCW is in that even he has a fair chance to win a championship, he could try and best the smartest man to have stepped through WZCW's doors since Alexander Stark himself. But if he is going in expecting to fight Le Gentleman Masque, the consequences will be on him for what happens as a result of his ignorance."
"You're right, kid, you're stone cold correct," Adonis replied with glee. His sunglasses were back on and a disaffected smile played across his handsome face. "If we want to make sure people see the new you, we have to make an impression. Lucky for us, I got us some time before the match for a little stunt that'll really set the crowd ablaze."
The agent rummaged in his drawer for a document and slid it over to the man who was no longer a gentleman. LeBelle looked it over, and though his eyes were hidden by his glasses, his face twisted into a crooked leer.
"Marvelous," he said, nodding. "Together, Mister Adonis and Mister LeBelle will finally be the ones to teach WZCW some class."
Cold, empty silence filled the air. Smoke covered the room in a thick haze, stemming from the golden haired not-so-gentle man. With his right hand on his cane, and his left hand holding a cigar, sandwiched between his middle and forefinger, he spilled some cigar ash onto the red-carpeted floor.
"I'm cannot say that I am a man who believes in words such as fate or destiny anymore. But perhaps there is some sliver of doubt towards that statement. After all, I knew from the moment I first heard your name that there was no other man that I would rather have be the catalyst for my return to WZCW." The cigar-smoking mogul stopped himself, before snickering. "...I should not have to tell you the story of Adonis, should I?"
The man behind the desk exhaled smoke of his own, dropping ash into the gold ashtray that matched the color of his suit. "Buddy, you know I only seek out prime talent," Mister Adonis replied with a wicked grin. "The top of the charts. The best of the best. The ones who can be astonishing, and you are just that."
He puffed on his cigar again and nodded appreciatively, the look not leaving his face.
"These are quality, kid. Where'd you get them?"
"They are but the legendary Cuban cigars. They had been confiscated by the police about a week ago in a smuggling, yet I had found these being held at one of the officer's houses." The one who dressed in the black suit and red tie said, before he took another puff of the Cigar. "Could you believe just how corrupt the Los Angeles police can be these days?"
After blowing smoke up into the air, he shook his head. Adonis looked on, his face sympathetic.
"Even before I had unmasked, I would not even shed a tear for men like them. Sure, I would have taken it from them no matter what the circumstances may have been, but they had gotten what they deserved."
"You got that right, kid," Adonis said. He laughed a silvery laugh that slid between his perfect teeth. "You and me, we're on the same wavelength here. A golden duo! A killer partnership. Andrew Adonis..."
"...And Xander LeBelle." The thief said with a smirk."You are everything an American should be, Mister Adonis. Smart, bold, successful. Why is it always the blondes who understand me?"
Xander let go of his cane to lean it against the chair as he rubbed the stubble on his chin, to ponder that fact.
"Anyway, have you renegotiated with WZCW management about the payout from this match yet?"
In response, Adonis reached under his desk with his free hand and withdrew a form covered in numbers and fine print. He laid it next to the ashtray and tapped the line at the bottom.
"Does that answer your question?" he asked. He sunglasses glinted as the ash on the end of his cigar glowed. "You know I wouldn't let them lowball you, kid. These bigwigs never know what they got, but that's where I come in, capisce?"
He chuckled to himself.
"Capisce," Xander replied. He held up the form to skim through the fine print.
"You have really outdone yourself this time, Andrew. Now, this is a payment that a former WZCW Tag Team Champion deserves." LeBelle said, as he counted the zeroes on the paper in his head. "Justin Cooper, was it? It has been so long since I had last heard that name, yet it is as if I had never left. James Howard, Mikey Stormrage, Titus, Matt Tastic, even one of my first ever opponents, Constantine. Nearly everyone...but the man I was looking for."
Xander sighed. Placing the form back down on Adonis' desk to sign later, he held his cane with a grip that could kill a man. As if they were two separate entities, however, his face remained the same, calm with a subtle grin.
"Never cry over what you cannot have, I suppose. Although that statement applies to so very few things in my life." Xander said, with longing in his voice. "Who do I get Instead, other than Justin Cooper? The man whose team lost to the team I beat three years ago in the finals of Battlebowl to have won the same championship he holds now."
Xander did a a weak pity clap for Cooper.
"Congratulations to him, I suppose, for finding a tag team partner who could make him a champion. He makes a far better partner that Bowen ever did." he said, with all the same enthusiasm one would have reading a book report. "...It is too bad for him that the man who could help him succeed will not be in his corner, however. Because I know the man who will help me succeed in WZCW, will be in my corner."
Xander laughed, Adonis joining in.
"You're right as rain, kid," Adonis said, mirth still in his voice. It slowly grew more serious as he continued. "Listen, I'm your manager. I'm your agent. It's my job to make sure people know exactly who they're dealing with when you're out there. There are a lot of assholes in the world, kid, but you stick with me and we can make them understand what they got with Xander LeBelle."
Adonis sighed a long-suffering sigh and removed his gold aviator sunglasses to reveal bright eyes.
"It's you and me against the world, buddy. We can succeed together. All you have to do is trust me."
Adonis laid his cigar on the ashtray and offered a hand. Xander shook it, firmly.
"The world's greatest minds, both in the same room. This is history is the making." Xander said, with livelihood. "Cooper will never know what hit him. He may have faced 'The Gent', quite some years ago, but as I recall, neither of us picked up the victory the only time we had a match. Where as Cooper since then had spent time waiting for the day he would make himself known again to WZCW, my sabbatical gave me all I ever needed to become the man I could be in WZCW. I had not wasted a second of my life since figuring out my problem. It was not that my career went down the drain the second I won the tag team championships. It was that my career went down the drain the second I wore this."
From out of the pocket inside of his Tuxedo, the demon reached in with his white gloves, and elegantly yanked out the torn up scarf he once called a face.
"He probably still thinks that he's facing this...thing. No. As always, he could not be any more far more removed from reality. He is so easy to figure out, that I am concerned that the only outcome that doesn't involve myself picking up the victory is when I use my boot to smash his head into the ground, and he gets right back up because his brain is so small, any attempts to hurt it would be a lost cause with his thick dome of a skull."
A short, sharp bark of laughter escaped from Adonis at his client's words. LeBelle continued.
"If he is really deserved of that gold around his waist, which is unlikely considering what shambles WZCW is in that even he has a fair chance to win a championship, he could try and best the smartest man to have stepped through WZCW's doors since Alexander Stark himself. But if he is going in expecting to fight Le Gentleman Masque, the consequences will be on him for what happens as a result of his ignorance."
"You're right, kid, you're stone cold correct," Adonis replied with glee. His sunglasses were back on and a disaffected smile played across his handsome face. "If we want to make sure people see the new you, we have to make an impression. Lucky for us, I got us some time before the match for a little stunt that'll really set the crowd ablaze."
The agent rummaged in his drawer for a document and slid it over to the man who was no longer a gentleman. LeBelle looked it over, and though his eyes were hidden by his glasses, his face twisted into a crooked leer.
"Marvelous," he said, nodding. "Together, Mister Adonis and Mister LeBelle will finally be the ones to teach WZCW some class."
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