MD43: Alex Steele vs. Hunter Kravinoff

[Phoenix]

After a classic tag encounter last week, the competitors of POT and Steele & Graham will face off in single matches this week and hopefully produce another classic. Will Steele and Graham's determination get them going places as the Tag Champions show that their individual skill is just as powerful as when in a team?

Deadline is Tuesday 27th July 23:59 EST

 

[Coco]

A closed door. An anonymous, wooden door, white paint withered and frayed, leading to a room off of a narrow hallway. Another door, this one open, is on the opposite wall, a few feet farther down the corridor; artificial light floods out from it. Noise can be heard coming from the room with the closed white door.

Leon Kensworth, adorned in his finest business casual, creeps closer to the closed door, his cameraman in toe. As soon as he is within arm’s reach of the door, his face contorts as though an abhorrent smell has penetrated his nostrils. The sound coming from the room is now extremely discernable.

Me and Alex were two singles wrestlers wrestling in a tag match at Ascension. And we took the tag team champions to the limit. You see the difference?

Not really…

We weren’t a team Leo. We were just two guys going up against the best TEAM in WZCW. And we still gave them all that they could handle. We still pushed them as far as any other established team has ever pushed them. Just think of what we are going to be able to do once we take the from just tag partners to that of tag TEAM partners. We have already proven that we work well together, now we just to get on the same page. Once me and Alex get on the same page and become a team, then I know we are going to be the next World Tag Team Champions.

Did you notice that Kravinoff? WORLD Tag Team Champions. I do respect the division.

A well defined clicking sound cuts the voices off. Another clicking sound follows. A plop possibly accentuated by the presence of water. Finally, another click.

Did you notice that Kravinoff? WORLD Tag Team Champions. I do respect the division.

The voice is cut off once again by a click and is followed by the sound of a flushing toilet. A faucet opens. Something interrupts it’s stream, stops, and then interrupts again. The faucet closes, a moment passes, and the door opens. Leon’s face grows more contorted as the smell from within follows Hunter Kravinoff into the hallway. Kravinoff, adorned in white briefs and a white v-necked t-shirt, smiles widely and slaps his stomach a couple times.

Sorry about that, Leon. I just had a Crashin Movement.

Kensworth looks into the bathroom and at Kravinoff.

That’s disgusting!

Kravinoff begins walking down the hall to the open door.

Come on, Kensworth. It should smell slightly less pungent in here.

Kensworth hastily follows Kravinoff into the next room, a tiny bedroom of sorts. Two twin beds sit at opposite ends of the room and a sleeping bag is in the middle of the floor. One corner of the room designated for hanging clothes. Kravinoff sits on one of the beds.

So, I’m guessing Sal let you in.

Yep.

Awkward silence. To break the tension, Hunter rubs the bed he’s sitting on.

Don’t be so shy. Take a seat, my boy. That ought to make it easier for the cameraman to get both of us in the shot.

Kensworth walks over and sits next to the man from Uganda. He seems a bit put off by Kravinoff’s joyous demeanor.

Was that my phone interview with Tucker Graham I heard you listening to in the washroom?

Kravinoff nods heartily.

Why were you listening to it in there?

I’ve been listening to it all day. Replaying the same moment over and over again.

The part where Tucker shows respect for the tag division?

Kravinoff chuckles softly while he shakes his head. He puts his hand on Leon’s shoulder before continuing.

No, my boy. The part where he shows his belief in my ability as a hunter.

Leon glances at the camera quickly before turning back to Kravinoff.

I think I missed that part. I heard him say he respects the division, but nothing past that regarding you.

Kravinoff throws his arms in the air as if emphasizing how obvious his assertion is.

Subext, Kensworth! It’s all in the subtext!

Did you hear him ranting and raving about the World Tag Team Championships last week? Nope. But this week, respect for those belts seems to be his favorite tune. What happened between then and now?

Kensworth looks down contemplatively.

Umm…

Exactly, Leon! I hooked his arms and drilled him head first into the mat with my DDT. I woke him up when I knocked him out. He didn’t go to parties this week because the reality about Hunter Kravinoff, the reality that he put himself in harm’s way against a man as dangerous as me, hit him like a tonne of bricks. He can’t do anything at the moment but be in awe of the knowledge that he got put down by a man who once gave an alligator an uppercut.

You what?!

Leon looks startled by Kravinoff’s latest claim.

That’s right, Leon. I gave an alligator an uppercut.

Good God!

Let me tell you, it takes one heck of a low base to get underneath those things.

Kravinoff and Leon have another one of their trademark awkward pauses. Leon quickly becomes flustered by it.

Would you mind putting on some pants?

Not at all.

Kravinoff walks over to the clothes hanging on the other side of the room, grabs a pair of beige khakis and slides into them. Leon looks around while Hunter’s doing this, before asking…

Who’s been sleeping on the floor?

As Kravinoff does up the pants, he answers.

Naomi, obviously.

Disgusted, Leon presses this issue.

You’re making a woman sleep on the floor?!

Well, I’m paying rent to Sal to stay above the shop and Toyota works downstairs to pay for his keep. She’s just my house guest. It’d be awfully presumptuous of her to request equal billing with me, Toyota, or Sal.

Leon looks puzzled.

There are only two beds in here.

I know.

An awkward pause ensues as Kravinoff makes his way back to the bed.

So where are you finding room for three men?

Sal shares his bed with me. It’s part of our arrangement.

Leon’s eyes grow wide.

I don’t know why I get that reaction when I tell people about us. On cold nights, having someone to cuddle with is an ideal asset for those interested in survival.

Leon attempts to move past the touchy subject of cuddling with Sal.

Does he follow your career?

Kravinoff’s smile grows.

Oh, yes. He’s quite the fan. He was even more excited about your interview with Tucker than I was. He thinks that when Tucker finds it in him to go out and party once again, he’ll be giving Hunter Kravinoff’s truth some positive word of mouth. And he’s very adamant about me getting my shot to show singles wrestlers that tag wrestlers are, above all, the best workers in the company.

Well, you’ve got that shot this week when you take on Alex Steele. Any thoughts on that match?

Plenty.

Yet another gargantuan silence falls between the two men.

Would you like to share any of your thoughts on the bout?

I thought you’d never ask.

Leon rolls his eyes.

I think this Steele kid is really made of some good stuff.

Like steel?

Kravinoff seems annoyed that he’s been interrupted by Kensworth.

…Get it?

Yes…

Kensworth shifts uncomfortable under Hunter’s deathly gaze.

May I continue?

Yes…

Kravinoff recomposes himself and continues.

Steele’s made of some good stuff. He’s the first man in WZCW to take what I have to dish out and come back for more a week later. It’s not a mentality I’m unfamiliar with. While adjusting to arctic weather for the first time, some time had to elapse for me to find my bearings. As a result, I took many an assault at the hands of polar bears. Those damn polar bears... But just like Steele’s brushing himself off and coming back for more, I did the same against the polar bears. I did it then for the same reason Steele does it now: belief in our respective hunt. And I have to say, as a true hunter, it pleases me deeply to see the prey coming to me.

More than that, I’m pleased he’s coming back individually. While I love the fighting alongside Toyota and feel that our connection grows deeper with each match we have together, I’m out to prove something to the singles wrestlers of WZCW. Every tag team wrestler is burdened with the task of incorporating the strengths and weaknesses of a partner into their game plan. Every tag team match involves preparing for two opponents. Tag wrestlers, thus, are charged with tasks twice as hard as those of the average singles wrestler. What that means is that the average tag wrestler, when unencumbered by the added pressure of the tag team scenario, has the potential to thrive as a singles wrestler. To be that great individually while being champions as a unit is what truly makes me and Toyota, pound for pound, the best in the world. We are World Champions. This week, Toyota and I will prove that to the singles wrestlers of WZCW.

Kravinoff takes a moment to collect his thoughts and seems to grow slightly hostile as he continues.

I only wish I had a chance to prove this against a more worth foe.

I thought you said Steele’s made of some good stuff?

I did. That drive to come back truly is something special. His prowess as a wrestler is top notch and his cult following from the indies is well earned. But, as I said last week, he’s not the well-travelled, natural born world-ender that I am.

He’s a man whose hunt is, above all, about proving his worth to his father. It’s futile to think that a man fueled by that, who spent his childhood with nothing more to deal with than daddy issues, is a match for me.

My childhood was stained in blood. My hunger for it came from the absence of my parents and the survival instincts I gained from it. No civilized person would willfully subject their children to the kind of reality. But that’s where my advantage over all living things comes from. I have all the cognitive superiority of a human being coupled with the survival skills and instincts of the kings of the jungle. A man driven to get past daddy issues is no match by a man fueled by…

Kravinoff pauses, before hitting himself repeatedly in the skull. Leon, not expecting this, looks horrified. When he starts bleeding, Kravinoff wipes some on his hand, and shows it to Leon.

…this. I’m fueled by a thirst for blood. I’m pure carnivore and I’m going to eat Steele alive if he gives me the chance. I have a lot to prove this week. And when my motivations are as deep seeded as they are, there’s no way a good wrestler can beat the greatest animal. I’m going to hit him so hard that the fans, the boys in the locker room, and Harrys will feel it. Meltdown is going to be a belief making night for a lot of people. I’m going to get the belief that I’ve been seeking since I entered your civilization. There’s nothing Alex Steele can do to stop me.

Kensworth stares at the blood, which is now dripping from Kravinoff’s hand onto the bed.

I’ve got to go.

Kensworth quickly scampers from the room as Kravinoff waves goodbye with his bloody hand.

See you next week, Leon.

 

[falconsault]

Monday, 20 July 2010
The Steele Residence
Boston, Massachusetts

“Yeah, look Tucker, you did nothing wrong in the match. You win and you lose, no one can win every match that they have. Listen man, I called because I like you and I wanted to encourage you to continue doing what you do best.”

Alex is on the phone as the scene comes into focus, he paces back and forth behind his couch as a video of Kraven the Hunter plays on his television.

“Above all, I called you because I wanted to throw out the possibility of becoming a tag team with you. You’ve got some great energy and I’ve got the technical skill that we would need to go pretty far. Maybe we can gain those tag titles, maybe we can’t, but I’ll tell you this much, it’ll be one hell of a ride along the way. What do you say?”

He pauses and listens to the other end, waiting for Tucker’s reply. Soon a smile stretches across his face and he nods lightly.

“Excellent Tucker, after this week, we’ll start training like a team, until then, you do the best you can against Toyota and win or lose you gain an advantage that Toyota doesn’t even see. I’ll explain it all to you later. Bye.”

Alex presses the ‘END’ button on the phone and then tosses it down onto the couch. He’s smiling as he crosses his arms across his chest. He knows that this will be a fun ride along the way and that is what it is ultimately about. The scene fades to black; as Alex walks around the couch to sit down and watches the drivel pour from Kravinoff’s mouth like shit from a bird’s ass.

Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Meltdown Recording Studio

“Reality is a funny thing, some people cling to reality, then there are others who cling to their created ‘reality’. What do you really do with those who create their own reality? You can’t argue with them because they fully believe in what they say, all you can truly do is go along with it and just let them ramble on and on.”

“Hunter Kravinoff is one of those individuals; he lives in his own little bubble of reality. He’s wrestled bears and polar bears and braved the harshest colds of the world; he’s a great world traveler that faces his prey head on and believes that no one is truly worthy of his supposed greatness.”

“I care about what he’s done in the past about as much as everyone else here in WZCW cares about what I did in the independents. I have a great amount of respect for his abilities in the ring and for what he was able to accomplish with Toyota in taking the tag team titles, but even he cannot truly believe that he earned the straps, Pride of Toyota had a measure of help from an outside source and that in and of itself taints their victory. Or to put into terms that Kraven can under, it’s like walking up on your prey after someone else has killed it.”

Alex speaks, looking directly into the camera, grinning the entire time. He truly doesn’t care what Hunter had to say before and doesn’t care what he may say later. Alexander stands in front of a red and black backdrop, having asked the crew to add a little more color to it.

“This week, Hunter stands alone in that ring and regardless of his claims of ‘worldly experience’ he stands alone in the ring with me. I may not be superior to him inside of his specially crafted reality but here in the real world he can and will fall at my hands. As far as his title goes, it doesn’t matter this week because he’s not a tag team wrestler, he’s a singles wrestler. Just how lost will he actually be without his partner there to make the save? Just how does he think that he can survive in true reality without someone to catch him from falling?”

“I am very adept in wrestling both styles of matches, tag and singles; what with my family having originally been tag team specialists but without any siblings I had to ensure that I was a capable singles competitor as well. Tucker Graham will be my tag team partner for the foreseeable future and this team of reckless youths will do whatever they have to, to bring the champions to their knees whether it be for the titles or not.”

“I promise Kraven, I’ll not let my so called daddy issues get in my way of choking the life from your leathery hide. Because trust me, my father is the furthest thing from my mind, he may not approve of my move here to WZCW, but even I’m beginning to see what he was talking about. You’ve beaten bears with your empty hands and I’ve beaten my fair share of world traveled warriors before you. Guess what outweighs the other? I’ll give you a hint, what I did was in the realm of reality, what you did was in the realm of your mind. Choke on that Hunter.”

Alex came into the studio today with a true purpose, to send a message to Hunter Kravinoff and had no time for procrastinating any further. He waved to the studio’s workers before walking out of the camera’s frame, leaving it to fade to black.