MD86: "Showtime" Cougar vs. Drake Callahan

[Viola Moonlight]

The main event from Apocalypse 2012 has been booked for a re-match to headline this week's edition of Meltdown, sans the World Heavyweight Championship. Both Cougar and Callahan have come off the heels of the Roulette Shows with a victory from their randomly-decided Triple Threat matches and will be looking to continue their momentum until the Lethal Lottery. We've seen what these two men have inflicted to each other and this won't be a walk-in-the-park for either man. A win for Callahan would be not only sweet revenge but could potentially sky-rocket Callahan up the contender charts but can Showtime dig deep just like he did at Apocalypse and take down this crazy conspiracy theorist?

Deadline is Tuesday March 26, 2013 at 11:59 PM (Central). Extensions as per request thread.​

 

[Harthan]

Spoiler

We cut backstage where Drake Callahan is furiously stomping through the area, a bewildered look on his face as he glares at the various stage hands and crew.

Drake: Why won't any of you believe me?!? The truth is right in front of you!

He grabs hold of a camera man and pushes him up against the wall, holding him by his collar.

Drake: El Califa is Ty Burna! Why can't any of you see it?!? I will make you all believe me! Even if I have to do it myself!

Drake releases him and stags his camera way. He holds it up to his face and looks into it.

Drake: I'm not crazy! I'm enlightened!

???: I believe you.

Drake turns his head to a darkened corner, a sadistic smile forming on his face. He proceeds to set he camera down on something. The camera only allows us to see Drake as he looks off-camera.

Drake: You?

He takes the moment in for a moment, but then he reaches out his hand off-camera and appears to shake the hand of whoever it is. Drake starts to laugh as he pulls away and walks out of the camera view. We just see the empty part of the hallway as we hear Drake's laugh in the background.

-----

Several Days Later...

I sat alone in my hotel room. It had been days since I'd had any contact with anyone else. I knew the next shows were in Denver, and I had nowhere better to be, so I flew out and booked a suite here for two weeks. Hermitted away here, having at last driven away the incessant attempts of the housekeeping to clean, I had created a sanctum where I could think in peace.

I had finally found someone who believed.

It would be impossible to reveal their identity to anyone, of course - our greatest weapon lay in the element of surprise. But we'd been in touch, and a plan was in place.

I had thought it would mean so much more, to have someone who believed in me. But it was like putting a band aid on a bullet wound. I couldn't stop thinking about everyone who didn't, everyone who still thought I was crazy, everyone who wouldn't listen to me. I couldn't get over them.

Most of all, I couldn't get over her.

Every time our eyes met, every time I talked to her about Ty, she claimed she believed me, but I saw it. The subtle shift of her eyes before she brought them back to me. The tiny bite of her lip. She had doubts, and that was as good as not believing me. She, of all people, had seen all the evidence as plain as I had.

It was a double betrayal. Not only did she have more reason to believe than anyone, but she also had all the incentive in the world to believe me. If I couldn't convince her, how would I ever convince the rest of them?

I sighed and leaned back on the couch. I had convinced Stoya to come back after a phone call after Ascension. She had gone out of the suite to get some food. It had been a while; she would be back soon, I imagined.

My phone buzzed and I looked at it. A text from the producer. I read it. Then I read it again. I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

I had never been so crushed to learn I was right about everything.

-----

Stoya walked into the suite carrying Chinese food with her to find me pacing back and forth rapidly. She raised an eyebrow and set the food down on teh counter; I barely noticed her. She put one hand on her hip and waited.

She could wait as long as she wanted to, as far as I was concerned. This was more important.

"Do you plan on eating?" she asked, both gently mocking and demanding. I stopped and turned to face her.

"In a minute," I replied, then resumed my pacing. She waited another several moments, before sighing heavily.

"Drake, what are you doing?"

I stopped again and turned sharply to face her.

"I'm thinking, damn it. Give me a minute."

I tried to resume pacing once more but she walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"This isn't thinking. This is restless pacing. You're nervous, or something - !"

I rounded on her in anger.

"Nervous? What the hell have I got to be nervous about, Stoya? A whole company full of persecutors, trying to convince me I'm insane? A business full of enemies and no friends, everyone waiting for a chance to stab me in the back? Who could be nervous in that environment?!"

I took a deep breath and she took a step back. I could tell she was a little shocked, but mostly alarmed.

"Drake, calm down - "

"Stop it. Stop saying that. Don't ever say that to me again. Calm down? CALM DOWN?! You be calm when you live my life. You be calm when you're the pariah of WZCW, a leper!"

She brushed her hair out of her eyes and stared me down. While concerned, there was steel in her eyes.

"You and I - and the entire world - know that isn't true. You're not alone anymore. Even if you won't tell me who it is, there's someone."

I laughed, long and hard, distantly remarking the deranged cackle as though it were someone else's.

"Someone? SOMEONE?! Another leper! A pariah as big as me! We're two rapid wolves with our backs against the walls, and the guns are closing in, Stoya. And then...and then...this."

I reached for my phone and gave it to her. The text was still up. She eyes me warily, and then read it. She quirked an eyebrow.

"Showtime?"

I almost screamed.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY IT SO CASUALLY?! SHOWTIME?! Showtime, him of all people, in a match against me? For God's sake, Stoya, don't you understand what this means?"

She stared at me for a moment and shook her head. I could see it again, the infuriating doubt in her eyes.

"Ty controls everything. I know this. He's behind every match, every single decision made by WZCW. And he's sending me a message. This is as plain as if he'd written it in Times Square, Stoya, he's telling me he's been a part of this since day one. That Showtime is in his pocket. That Showtime isn't just the guy who was better than me one night - Showtime is his right hand man!"

Stoya's eyes widened, but not at my revelation. The tone of my voice, or the content of my words, but not at the truth.

"Drake, I don't - "

"Shut up. Just let me finish. I though this conspiracy only began when Ty returned under the mask of Califa, but now I understand. This has been going on for much longer. This has been going on since the minute Showtime became champion. For God's sake, Stoya, think about it. Who beat Ty at Kingdom Come? KURTESY! And who's downfall began when his title reign ended at the hands of Showtime? KURTESY! The man is locked away in a monastery in the middle of nowhere, unable to even speak, and it's because of events set in motion the minute that Showtime won the title. And do you remember, do you remember, Stoya, just weeks before Kingdom Come, when Showtime and Ty were forced to team together? What did they do? Did they hate each other, as you'd expect? No! Ty gave them a cute name and played it off like a joke. He's the master manipulator, Stoya. He revealed his alliance in plain sight months ago, and no one could see it, because no one knows how much he's capable of but me!"

I took a deep, heaving breath. Stoya tried to interject, but I cut her off.

"The pieces are obvious. It's been going on for who knows how long. Showtime was obviously Ty's insurance policy the entire time. He's been doing Ty's dirty work for months. And that's why he's after me, now. Because I almost undid it all. I took the title from Showtime and tried to forge my own path, but that was unforgivable to Ty. And so he began this conspiracy, that started with taking my title, and now he's trying to remove me from this company entirely. And if he succeeds, he's going to ride back in unopposed and take this place over. He knows it, and with this, with this match, he's made damn sure I know it."

I took a step back, looking down at the ground. My shoulder slumped.

"And he's confident enough to tell me this plainly because he thinks I can't stop him. And maybe...god damn it, Stoya, maybe he's right. I already lost to him one on one. Showtime has beaten me at every turn since I lost the title. Maybe I just can't win this fight."

I continued staring at the ground for several moments before I felt her hand on my shoulder.

"Drake, you can win. Trust me. I believe in you."

I looked up at her face to see her smiling reassuringly. The way you smile at a child.

The way you smile at a fool.

I jerked away violently and smacked her hand away. She gasped a little - maybe in pain, maybe in shock.

"Don't. Don't you dare give me that. You can say it all you want, you can say it as many times as you want, but I see it in your eyes that you're lying. You're patronizing me at every turn, trying to convince me to go back to being your good corporate boy, and not questioning the conspiracy around me."

She threw up her hands.

"God damn it, Drake, how many times do we have to go through this? What reason do you have to doubt that I'm not on your side?"

I took a step closer, and was inches from her face.

"Because you work for a snake, and not for me. You're on the payroll to bring success to Max, and you think I'm wasting time with this. You want me back to winning titles, being on posters, being in advertisements, you want all that back, don't you? You haven't believed me for a second, Stoya, and you take every chance you can get to stop me from thinking about this."

"I do it because you're driving yourself insane - "

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME?!?!" I boomed. People floors down were probably able to hear it.

Stoya had gone white as a sheet. For once, she was unable to respond.

"It finally comes out, doesn't it? You think I'm crazy, don't you? The one person I thought was better."

She started shaking her head rapidly.

"Drake, no, that's not -"

"Get out. Just get out of my sight. You're fired, and so is Max. All of you. I'll do this on my own."

She stood there for a moment longer. To my surprise, she didn't handle it like I thought she would. I expected an angry turn and a stalk out of the room. Instead, her jaw worked and her eyes started to water.

"Drake...please..."

I regarded her coldly.

"Get. Out."

She shook her head again, and when she looked at me, her eyes were more than full of tears. Two twin streams came down from her eyes, staining her face.

"Please...Drake...what do I have to do to convince you I'm on your side?"

I stared at her for a long minute, thinking it over. Then it came to me.

"Kneel."

Her eyes widened; she didn't understand.

"I..."

"KNEEL!" I shouted. Shakily, hesitantly, she got to her knees.

She looked up at me, like a penitent looks up to God.

"Swear to me on your life that you are mine. That what I say, you believe without hesitation. That what I command, you do without thinking. Swear it, and I'll believe that you're on my side. Otherwise, get the hell out of here."

She closed her eyes, trying to clear away the tears, but they wouldn't stop coming. She opened them and looked at me again. I expected her to walk away. I could hardly believe I had gotten this proud woman to her knees. Did she really have so much invested in me?

"Swear it. Swear that you will be my sword against this conspiracy, without reservation."

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She tried again, and stunned me.

"I do."

It took me a minute to respond to that. I could hardly believe she'd done it. But this changed everything.

I felt a grin come across my face, ear to ear, almost maniacal. Almost. I put my hand on her shoulder, and helped her to her feet. She looked at me, searching for my response.

I cocked my head slightly to the side.

"Let's eat."

----

Several hours later...

"Are you ready?" I asked.

Stoya had her iPhone out, staring at the screen. She had recovered from her ordeal earlier. It had taken awhile, but through dinner and less intense conversation, she'd calmed down. Some part of me regretted what I had done, but I knew it was necessary. I had to know she was on my side.

Pointing her iPhone at me, she nodded.


"Anytime you want," she replied.

I nodded, took a breath, and began.

"People of the WZCW Universe, I have a message for you.

"By now, you are all aware of the details of the conspiracy against me. Ty Burna walks among us in the guise of El Califa Dragon, and controls all the strings of the puppets that are WZCW management. This is obvious. Most of you don't believe me, but it doesn't matter, because I'm gathering my allies. And I am ready to make a stand.

"But what has become more obvious to me than anything is that this conspiracy has gone on even longer than I could have imagined, and I'm not its first victim. I believe that as long as a year ago, Ty Burna saw the potential for his demise in WZCW, and began insuring his power would continue. And I believe it is abundantly obvious that another Apostle of Chaos existed, and exists among us still today."

I took a deep breath.

"His name is "Showtime" David Cougar, and he is Ty Burna's right hand man.

"When Ty failed to defeat Steven Kurtesy at Kingdom Come, Ty pulled the strings to get Showtime a match against Kurtesy. And Showtime defeated Kurtesy, leading to the path of events that ruined Kurtesy's life and drove him out of WZCW. Ty took his revenge on the man that bested him, and put the title in the hands of of his champion. Even though he was driven out of the public eye at Redemption, he left things ready for him to take back up again at his leisure."

I paused, and raised a finger, smirking.

"Almost. Almost ready. Because I beat Showtime, and became the world champion. I ruined it for him. And I came within a second of driving Showtime out of this company forever, and ridding us all of the Apostles of Chaos forever."

I clenched a fist and forced myself to release it.

"But I failed. I didn't beat Showtime. He took the title back, and Ty resumed his pull on the strings of WZCW, and returned underneath a mask. Ty's plan now is obvious - ruin me and drive me out of the company as he had done to Kurtesy, then return and rule over WZCW with Showtime as his first Apostle.

"I am the only thing that stands in the way of this occurring. I am the only thing that can stop Ty Burna. And even though all of you are against me, I will fight. I will not quit until my dying breath. Because I deserve to rule this company, not Ty Burna, and not Showtime."

I looked down at the ground for a moment before continuing.

"But first, I have a message for Showtime. Above all else, you disappoint me. When we fought before, I was able to muster some respect for you. I thought to myself, 'Even if I'm not the champion, at least a free man is.' But how wrong I was, Showtime. You're not free. You're a part of this conspiracy and have been since day one. You're as stinking and rotten as Ty Burna himself is.

"The last time we wrestled one on one, everything was different. I was on top of the world, not knowing how close I was to the fall. You were reeling from a loss and on the edge of being driven out of this company. But now that's me - reeling from my loss to Ty Burna, knowing how close I am to finally being defeated and driven out of here by Ty. But just like me, Showtime, you have no idea how close you are to the fall. You have no idea that you're about to be brought down. You think the shadows are your realm, Showtime? You think you run the darkness, Ty? You're about to find out how true that really is.

"Welcome to round two of the greatest fight of your life, Showtime. You and your master have made me what I am now. You backed a rapid dog into the corner, Showtime, and that is a colossal mistake.

"WZCW World Heavyweight Champion and personal favorite of Ty Burna. You have it all, don't you Showtime? Remember that pride comes before the fall. I'm not an educated man, Showtime, but I have someone here who has something you and Ty both should be interested in hearing."

I grinned as Stoya turned the camera around on herself. She, too, was smiling slyly as she recited:

"'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

 

[Ty Burna]

Showtime has been granted a 24 hour extension.

 

[Showtime]

2:10 AM​

Scene opens inside a empty five star hotel room. The lights are off and the room is very dim inside. Footsteps can be heard followed by the loud bang of someone walking into a door. A few grunts and moans can be heard outside as the individual rummages through his pocket, sifting through change to find something. At last the man finds the room key card and swipes it into the lock. The door clicks and then whips open. Showtime David Cougar stumbles into the hotel room, but balances himself out before he can fall. He is clearly intoxicated and has several red lipstick marks on his face. He smiles as he stares around the room and pulls out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. On the paper is a phone number and the name ‘Candy‘ complete with another lipstick imprint. Showtime crumples up the piece of paper and throws it towards the garbage can. He completely misses, but the paper bounces along the edge of the table nearby and falls off the side and into the garbage. Showtime raises his arms up in the air like he just won a match and then does a half spin and falls back on his bed. He sits himself up on his elbows, turns on the light, and reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a flask. He takes a sip back of some very strong rum and then closes the flask and lets it fall on the nightstand as he brings his hands up behind his head and leans back. quickly nodding off.

Minutes pass by like seconds as the room begins to turn dark. The light beside Showtime turns off and a strange dark figure stands beside the bed. The figure is of no significant shape, but has red piercing eyes that stare down at Showtime passed out on the bed. The camera zooms onto the alarm clock, showing the time.

2:36​

The clock blinks and the three numbers all turn into 6’s. The camera zooms in on the dark figures face and a white smile begins to form across the face.

Showtime sits straight up, awaking him from his dream. He looks around the room disorient like and then focuses down towards his pants. His phone had been ringing and he tiredly reaches into his pocket and pulls it out.

Cougar: Hello?

No one answers him. Showtime looks at the number and shrugs. He ends the call and puts the phone back in his pocket and lies back. No sooner had he done that his phone immediately starts ringing again. Showtime looks down at the number and sees that it is the same number from before.

364-896-4743

Hello? Allen if... if this is you, I am in no mood for yur games.... Allen? I’m hangin up... and...... what did you just say.

The caller on the other line hangs up. Showtime stares down at the phone and the same number calls back. Showtime immediately answers.

Who is this... hello.... Feel like talking again?

The caller hangs up again. Showtime scrolls through his directory and calls the number back.

Hmmm... this number does not exist.

Showtime pushes a few buttons on his phone and sets it to block any calls from that number. He places the phone down on the nightstand and leans back to rest again. He closes his eyes, but the silence of the room gets interrupted again by the phone. Showtime reaches over and answers the phone.

I don’t know what you’re doing or who the fu...

Showtime drops the phone and holds his ear, reacting as if there was a loud piercing sound being emitted through the phone. Showtime reaches with his other hand and ends the call. He breathes heavily and slowly calms himself down when the phone rings again. He picks it up and answers.

Talk...... No... I’m not interested.

Showtime hangs up the phone and rolls over to go back to the sleep. The phone rings again and Showtime sighs heavily. He lies down and tries to ignore it, but the caller continuously calls. Finally Showtime answers the phone and angrily responds.

Look... I’m in no mood to put up with your games here. Quit calling and leave me alone. What do you want from me? Why are you contacting me now?

Showtime breathes into the phone and listens. His eyes blink several time as he appears to be closely listening to the person on the other line. After a few seconds he removes the phone from his ear and turns it off. He places it back on the nightstand and closes his eyes. Minutes felt like an instant for Showtime as he is again awaken by the sound of his phone, the same phone he had just turned off that now appeared to be on; and this went on for hours. Showtime yelled into the phone, sometimes he’d listen or talk back. A lot of times he kept ignoring it, and trying to turn off the phone, but forgetting that it didn’t work before. Eventually the battery on his phone died and the caller could no longer call. Showtime breathed a huge sign of relief and dropped himself back on the bed and immediately crashed into a sleep.

Harrys: The following contest is scheduled for one fall!

Show drags Callahan to the corner and slowly but surely, gets himself and Callahan up to the top preparing for his finisher Final Act. Show is about to set up Callahan for the finish but Drake manages to rack the eyes of Show, causing Show to grab his eyes and leaving Show open for Callahan to hit the Hangover from the top. As they crash to the mat, the crowd is left in shock as the two men lay on the canvas with Show almost out of it as Callahan is very slow to recover. The crowd chants holy shit as the two slowly move.

Copeland: Oh my God! That was a huge impact from Callahan to Showtime. An avalanche brainbuster isn't something to take lightly: is Show okay?

Cohen: Wow... I didn't know Callahan had it in him to do something that ballsy.

Callahan manages to get to his feet and is breathing heavily. Whilst most of the crowd are still in awe of what happened, some boo Callahan's tactics he took to gain the advantage. He however does not care as he stares of Show, who is using Callahan to get himself to a vertical base. A small smile comes across the face of Callahan before Drake picks him up and nails another Hangover. Callahan sits up as Show is out, smile on his face and some laughing as well. Callahan turns to the ref who is checking on Show and pushes him aside, locking in the Last Call on Show. The ref has no choice but to immediately end the match to preserve the condition of Show.

The match ends as the bell rings with Callahan letting go of the hold and getting to his feet, taking a deep breath as his music plays. A wide grin on his face indicates that he is happy with the victory although the crowd isn't.

Showtime is again woken up from his sleep by a ringing phone, but it is not his cell phone this time as simply removing the batteries the first time would’ve save Showtime a lot of sleep. Instead it is the motel room phone that is ringing. Showtime reaches up and answers the phone.

I don’t know how you got my hotel room number but if you call here once more... hello? Oh hey it’s you... sorry... I’ve been dealing with a bit of a childish rib.

Showtime sits up on the bed and seems delighted to be talking to this person on the phone.

Yeah... what... oh my phone died last night.... Yea... what? No you didn’t wake me. It was one crazy party last night as usual for me. You know booze, the music... girls. No... I didn’t hook up with any, but believe me I could’ve. I just wasn’t in the mood. Hey what time is it over there?

Showtime looks over at the clock and it reads 6:32.

Holy shit... it’s passed 9 AM over there.... Yea like I said it was a wild party over here, completely lost track of time..... Yeah I’m really sorry about that. How is he... How is he doing?..... Mmm hmm.... that’s good to hear. Look I gotta get ready over here. Big show today and all that. I’ll give you call when I’m over on the east coast again. And tell him I’m sorry and I’ll make it up to him... Come on I will... I promise... you didn’t always think that way..... Remember when we used to go.... oh okay I’m sorry I’ll let you go. I’ll call you when I’m in the area. Okay... bye.

Showtime hangs up the phone and stares down at the floor. He reaches back for the phone and quickly dials a room number.

Allen... It’s Showtime.

----------

Scene reopens on the set of The Show. On stage already is Showtime David Cougar in the middle of his performance. The audience laughs and cheers as Showtime begins his new topic.

Showtime: Conspiracy theories are everywhere across this great continent now a days, and the mainstream media is to blame for this. You can’t open a magazine without seeing something about the truth to Barrack Obama’s birth certificate, or some far fetched story about a half man half cow. Even publications that claim to be the truth and give updates on anything from sports, leisure, celebrities, or science, have conspiracies littered within them. Don’t believe me... the reason we all don’t notice them is because they have become so ingrained into our normal daily lives that we have to sift through the stories to determine what we view as truth or not.

All conspiracies begin with ideas. Somebody had an idea that there was another shooter on the grassy knoll in Dallas texas that killed John F Kennedy. That idea grew into a full on conspiracy and incorporated several other possible theories, but nothing too concrete. Thousands and even millions of people may believe this to be the cause of JFK’s death, but that doesn’t mean it is true in the least bit. Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought. Napoleon Hill said that. Just because some people think it doesn't make it to be true. Because we are constantly being fed conspiracies after conspiracies throughout out lives, our minds have to sort out what is fact and what is fiction. We have to decide whether to believe it or not. Conspiracies can run as deep and intricate as the JFK assassination, to something as trivial as Taylor Swift and if she simply hooks up with guys to write songs about after breaking up with them. Taylor... if you’re listening, I think the next person you should hook up with should be Katy Perry or someone like that. Personally I think it would make a great song.

Drake Callahan falls somewhere in the middle, but closer to the crazy side most people try to avoid on the street when being in contact with. I mean... Drake Callahan thinks that El Califa Dragon, all 6 foot 180 lbs of him, is the Master of Darkness, the Harbinger of Chaos, Ty Burna? I’ve seen many different forms of Ty Burna throughout my career, none of them were of a small little Mexican in spandex tights, but that’s only the beginning to Drake’s problem. He’s worked himself up so much to believe that El Califa is Ty Burna, that he believes that it is unquestionably true. What’s more, this idea has been the final product of many others that Drake has held on to that is currently affecting his behaviour. When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state. Swami Vivekananda. Try saying that name five times fast. Drake has been consumed by the idea that everything around him is one great big conspiracy, that he has become trapped in a bubble, unable to move forward or evolve from it. Drake thinks somehow I am a pawn in Ty Burna’s game with him. He thinks that Ty and just about every single person out there is after him somehow and you know what that has lead him to? A life of fear, a life of anger. Drake is angry at everyone when he needs to look himself in a mirror now and see the only person he should be angry about is himself. Drake lives in a world of denial. All the losses and all that he has lost since October he has blamed on outside forces tampering with his life. That is the world Drake Callahan believes that he lives in and that is the world he continues to believe.

I for one, believe in the world that is current and around me. It has been 170 days that I have been World Heavyweight Champion. 170 days ago I beat Drake Callahan inside that ring at in one of the greatest title matches in history. With everything on the line I beat Drake and I proved that I was the better man that night. There was no Ty Burna counting 1... 2... 3. El Califa didn’t descend from the rafters and boot Callahan to the floor. I beat Drake Callahan, I did it my way on my own and when we meet on Meltdown 86 you better believe that it will be me who beats him again 1... 2... 3. Drake I live in a world where I like to believe that our match at Apocalypse and everything that lead up to it, helped make me into the better wrestler that I am now today. Ty Burna may have gave me my first World Title, but you made me into a great champion. 170 days into the longest title reign in my career and I’m not planning on stopping for no conspiracies, no long lost brothers, and no privileged elitists. This is my life, this in my time, and this is my show. At Meltdown Drake, you are going to get the best The Show has to offer, and you better believe that this isn't no conspiracy, just the cold hard facts.

The audience applauds loudly as Showtime continues.

Well, thank you all for letting me get that out. Coming up after the break our musical guests, The Sheepdogs, will perform their new hit. Feeling Good. I know I am and that’s one idea I plan on sticking in my head. Stay tuned you don’t want to miss what’s next.