Redemption: "Showtime" Cougar (c) vs. Barbosa - World Heavyweight Title

[Kermit]

It has been an arduous journey for both men to get to this point in their careers. Barbosa has shown how brutal he can be on many occasions, leading to questions of why he has yet to become the World Heavyweight champion? Showtime, on the other hand, has been living and breathing the World title since Kingdom Come IV, defending and chasing the title for over a year.

Now, these two stories meet together in the main event of Redemption over the richest prize in the industry. Showtime has seen and done it all but never has he had to face the threat of an unstable man like Barbosa who can snap at any second. In the midst of realising who his opponent really is, Showtime has developed a more dangerous and violent side to himself, becoming a little more reckless than the usual cool demeanour of Showtime. He has seemingly transitioned himself to the unpredictable level of Barbosa but has his newly-adapted psyche been enough to keep Barbosa at bay?

Showtime will be in the fight of his life as Barbosa has his eyes focused on the prize, the World Championship, that he only got to hold for merely days when he was World Champion and he'll be looking to keep it on his shoulders for a very, very long time.

Deadline is Wednesday (October 2, 2013) at 11:59 P.M. Extensions available upon request.​

 

[Барбоса]

*This brewing argument is only interrupted by the sound of the door flinging open. Barbosa's head turns to see the intruder.*

Barbosa: What the hell are you doing here? Can't you see we in the middle of something?

*Barbosa gestures towards the CCTV camera and the discarded straightjacket.*

SHIT: Barbosa is supposed to join this one in a backstage tour for Mr. Magnolian and his male offspring.

Barbosa: That was all your fault! And how did you find us anyway?

SHIT: Scaled Humanoid Industrial Technology used its "Barbosa Locator" for intended purpose.

*SHIT gestures towards a πfone strapped to its arm.*

Barbosa: What? So you are keeping tabs on us with GPS now?

SHIT: It seemed appropriate given your consistent unpredictability.

*Barbosa displays incredulity as he stands up from his lotus position.*

Barbosa: Our unpredictability? Who was it that chopped Mr Mongolian or whatever his name was?

SHIT: Scaled Humanoid Industrial Technology.

Barbosa: And who was it that destroyed the Breakfast With… set?

SHIT: Scaled Humanoid Industrial Technology. But S.H.I.T. exists only to destroy!

Barbosa: We thought we had taught you that there is a certain time for destruction? National television is not one of them.

SHIT: SUPPOSITION: Barbosa's matches are on national television. And they often cause destruction.

*This stops Barbosa dead in his tracks.*

Barbosa: Hmmm… you have a point there tin man.

SHIT: Scaled Humanoid Industrial Technology is not made of tin. It is made of an ultra-durable…

Barbosa: Oh, shut up with the spiel. We have heard it all before.

SHIT: But fail to store it in your soft, squishy hard drive?

Barbosa: Oh, we remember it.

SHIT: Then why is Barbosa consistently incorrect?

*Barbosa shakes his head.*

Barbosa: You can be as stupid as us sometimes.

SHIT: Scaled Humanoid Industrial Technology is a powerful processing machine.

*Barbosa shakes his head again as he goes to walk passed SHIT out of the room.*

Barbosa: And yet you still have trouble with the simple idea of sarcasm.

SHIT: AFFIRMATIVE! Meatbags remain enigmatic. Difficult to calculate. Immune to logic.

Barbosa: Ha! Tell us about it…

SHIT: EXAMPLE: Barbosa seems strangely capable of finding abandoned buildings and setting up elaborate camera systems to capture their movements in said buildings.

And yet at times they have trouble opening a can of soup.

*Barbosa stops and jabs a finger at SHIT.*

Barbosa: Hey! That was one time!

Barbosa: And we did not mean actually tell us!

Now, come on. We have got to get the videos from all these cameras and cut it together before you make us dinner.

*Barbosa pushes out past the cardboard automaton, who then moves towards the corner of the room to grab one of the cameras but not before replying .*

SHIT: PRIME EXAMPLE!

_________________________________________________
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

*The static breaks up to show what appears to be a poorly lit, empty corridor through the lens of a poor quality CCTV camera. The picture lingers for a few seconds before flicking to another camera view.

The only difference between this grainy picture of another empty, squalid and dank, dark corridor and the first is the angle of the picture and slight piece of movement - a door slowly swinging closed.

The picture then cuts to another empty corridor but this time it is the picture itself that moves, panning across the corridor, clearly from a corner camera. And when the picture gets to the far end of its pan, we see that this corridor is occupied. The quality of the picture remains too poor to make out the features of the individual even as the camera turns to follow the fuzzy, ghostly figure as it walks down the corridor.

As the feed contines to skip to the next few cameras following the figure through various corridors, little or no idea is given about the identity of the individual as the picture quality remains grainy but it does seem clear that the person is heading somewhere in particular.

However, as the video feed skips to the next few cameras in order to keep tabs on this solitary figure, the picture gradually becomes clearer and more defined. We cannot yet see his face but it soon becomes clear that he is a he and that he is wearing a straightjacket.

The next shot shows the straightjacketed patient walking down a long corridor away from the camera but towards a specific door. Upon reaching the door, the figure stops and looks up to his left.

The video feed changes once more to a camera mounted above the door in question. The face of the figure is now clearly visible as he stares straight into the lens.

It is Barbosa.

He looks straight into the camera lens and smiles.*

Barbosa: Home sweet home.

*He then kicks the door open and walks in out of shot.*

_________________________________________________
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

*The static again clears. This time to reveal a dark padded room.

Barbosa sits curled up in the corner, still straightjacketed. He does not move. He does not speak. He does not look at the corner-mounted camera.

All that can be heard from the secreted speakers somewhere in the room are the long drawn out breaths of its sole occupant. At length though, a low croaky sound starts to emanate from that occupied corner, although it is a little more quick, out-of-tune, out-of-time, manic even, than past examples.*

Barbosa: "And who are you, the proud lord said,
that I must bow so low?
Only a cat of a…

Barbosa: No, no , no, we are not singing that song again.

Barbosa: But it worked last time against Ty Burna.

Barbosa: No singing that song.

Barbosa: Okay then…

*Barbosa's head starts bobbing up back and forward to the beat of a new song.*

Barbosa: "La la la
La la la la la
La la la
La la la la la

I just can't get you…"

Barbosa: NO SINGING FULL STOP!

Barbosa: Then what are we doing here in this awful room? And why are we wearing this awful thing?

*Barbosa shrugs in an attempt to highlight the straightjacket.*

Barbosa: It reminds us too much of that place.

Barbosa: What place?

Barbosa: We know… the place where… where we first woke up…

Barbosa: Bedlam?

*Barbosa recoils at the mention of that place's name like he has been physically struck.*

Barbosa: We don't like hearing that place's name!

Barbosa: But we were there not all that long ago. It was where we forged our alliance with the mandroid.

Barbosa: Poo?

Barbosa: Yeah, SHIT.

Barbosa: Hmmpf! We like it even less then!

Barbosa: Still attempting to destroy the winning machine we have helped to forge, eh?

Barbosa: We told us… it is not our friend!

Barbosa: So we might say part of us only exists to destroy SHIT?

*That unnatural but not uncommon look that somehow encapsulates both confusion and laughter spreads across Barbosa's face.*

Barbosa: But that still does not explain why were are here.

Barbosa: It is quite simple. We are here to foretell our rebirth as WZCW champion; to show Showtime Dave Cougar that even this close to the event, he still does not know who or what exactly he is going to face at Redemption - the angry force of nature, the cunning master manipulator or the moronic maniac.

Barbosa: Hey! We think we are cunning?

Barbosa: By reliving our earliest days, we hop to overwrite the memory of our previous WZCW title reign with a new beginning - the beginning of the Era of Barbosa, complete with the big shiny over our shoulder.

Barbosa: Yey! The Big Shiny!

*The composition of conflicting emotions leaves Barbosa's face and is replace by one of happiness at that thought of regaining the WZCW title. However, it does not last long as the emotion drains out of his frame.*

Barbosa: No.

Barbosa: What? "No" to what?

Barbosa: "No" to that reasoning of our presence here. At least not completely.

Barbosa: Then why?

Barbosa: The imagery of rebirth, renaissance, a new beginning and a new Barbosan era might work well and Showtime David Cougar may take something from this, but in reality…

*Having spent the last few minutes snapping his head back and forth in conversation with himself, Barbosa now looks up to the camera.*

Barbosa: We are here to send a message; a very important message.

*His head snaps to the side with a look of confusion.*

Barbosa: To Showtime?

Barbosa: To the entire WZCW Universe.

A message that says not only do we need to win back the WZCW title, WZCW needs Showtime Dave Cougar to lose it.

*Barbosa turns to look straight at the camera and all of the emotion in him seems mould together.*

Barbosa: For you see, all of you, - fans, management, officials, wrestlers - have all been fooled.

You have all been taken in by a con man for years.

And the man that perpetrated that fraud is Showtime Dave Cougar.

That might sound crazy given his credentials and accomplishments but despite being the only three time WZCW champion in company history, Showtime Dave Cougar is not mentioned in the same breath as WZCW legends like Everest, Titus or Ty Burna.

And why is that?

Because despite his success and longevity, people do not really know who Showtime Dave Cougar is. For despite his outward show of personality, he is a shallow puddle. Everything "Showtime Dave Cougar" is just skin deep.

He is a chameleon. He is a wearer of masks. He is a player of parts; parts he thinks he needs to play to get ahead.

One is the smiling, happy-go-lucky seeker of fan appreciation who had the nerve to stand in front of you all and pretend that he had considered retirement just to tug at your heartstrings and get you on his side.

Then there is the confident, cocky, joke-fed talk show host, who men want to be and women want to be with.

Another is the cold, calculating manipulator of those who are considered his 'allies.' Ask Stan Rodgers. Ask Constantine.

He even tried to capitalise on our popularity and fame by pretended to be crazy at one point…

Barbosa: And people worry about us being schizophrenic!

*Barbosa quickly falls back into his determined but withdrawn self again.*

Barbosa: For the last few months, Showtime has fallen back on the role of "the blue-eyed, baby-faced, all-conquering wrestler" because that is what people want to see. Perhaps more importantly, it is what management want to see.

In reality, he is playing the hero because it suits his current purpose.

But even now, that mask is slipping. However, this time it is different. It is not slipping because Showtime wants it to or needs it to.

It is slipping for the same reasons that the Empire, Constantine, Steven Holmes andCeleste Crimson all blindsided us in the last few months - fear.

But you all already knew that.

You already knew that because we already told you that Showtime Dave Cougar fears us.

And why would he not be scared? We are a monster who has their own personal droid destroyer as a companion!

But as we have already promised, we will not sneak up on Showtime, attack him from behind or wait for others to do our dirty work, much like he has done.

Instead, we will treat you like the villain you are and confront you face to face.

Because that is exactly what he is in this confrontation.

The villain.

Let that settle in for a moment.

Now, the cynic will say that we are hardly one to talk about putting forward a different face at every opportunity to intimidate, befriend or beguile and that is true. We are hardly the nicest of guys. We have backstabbed, betray and obliterated many an opponent or ally.

Depressive and cunning.

Angry and lecherous.

Manic and moronic.

We make no excuses nor do we try to hide that behaviour. It is why we did not hide our petty squabbles in this very room not a few minutes ago even though the simplest technology would have allowed us to. We did what we always do - present the true Barbosa, warts and all. A three-headed Hydra of unpredictability…

*Barbosa pauses for a second, looking away from the camera in an attempt to let that mythological visual sink in.*

Barbosa: But at least we are an honest Hydra.

That is the difference between our many faces and those of Showtime Dave Cougar.

Ours are real. His are make believe. A ploy. A stratagem.

With us, what you see is what you get. With him, what you see is only the latest in a long line of masks.

Now there are those in management who like those masks…

*Barbosa's countenance switches quickly again.*

Barbosa: We are talking to you Chuck and probably you too, Vance…

Barbosa: They do not want to see this unpredictable monster as the figurehead of the company.

They might even say that it would be a public relations disaster.

And who can blame them? Involvement in assaulting or intimidating interviewers, breakfast show hosts, priests etc. Controversy follows us.

But if this business and our run in it has taught us anything, it is that controversy is king.

As the lifeblood of the wrestling business, it drums up interest in the business as controversy - it fills column inches; it enlivens social media; it creates internet hits; it drives forum discussion and most importantly, it generates cash.

And as for who is best for the future of this company?

It may not be obvious at first when you look at the clean cut David Cougar and the battle-scarred warrior you see before you now but it all becomes clearer when you look at our records.

We both have had long term tag partners. One of use even managed to win the tag title, but where is Stan Rodgers on the Redemption card?

And where is Scaled Humanoid Industrial Technology?

Perhaps that hints at who would be better for the future of WZCW…

Showtime uses all his power, influence and clout to bury anyone who might be a long term threat to him - Drake Callahan, Steven Holmes, even his protégé Triple X: all relegated from prominence.

And then you have us - the triple-headed Hydra with the inner multi-logue. We make people famous. Raise them to the next level. Make potential champions out of rookies and help flagging legends relive their glory days. We might yet even do the same with Showtime…

Which of these two is better for business? A quasher of potential or a nuturuer of talent?

Which of these is better for your entertainment?

*At this moment, Barbosa stands up from his crouched position and moves closer to the camera, the mixture of emotions gone and replaced by an stern smirk.*

Barbosa: We are here to bring light to the dark.

Showtime is a lie, we are the truth.

Through that truth, WZCW will garner acceptance.

Through that acceptance, we gain power.

Through that power, we will gain victory at Redemption.

Through that victory, our chains are broken.

*At that, Barbosa stretches out his ams, breaking out of the restrictive straps of the straightjacket, leaving him in a redeemer like stance.*

Barbosa: The WZCW title shall set us all free.

*Barbosa lets this stare linger long and hard. It is only broken by Barbosa once agin snapping his head to the side, and slumping his shoulders.*

Barbosa: What the hell was that? Was that the Sith Code from Star Wars?

Barbosa: Yeah, so what?

*This brewing argument is only interrupted by the sound of the door flinging open. Barbosa's head turns to see the intruder.*

Barbosa: What the hell are you…

 

[Showtime]

Ladies and Gentleman, Mr. Eddie Vedder! With spanish subtitles for our hispanic audience.

[YOUTUBE]cx3wsZSA7I8[/YOUTUBE]​

I'm not dead, nor am I dying..... physically anyway.

Inside though... that can be called a different story.

Where have I been since winning the WZCW World Title at Kingdom Come V? Oh, I have been around on TV these past couple of months. Bouncing Mr. Baller's prosthetic head off the mat and showing guys like Vega that, as good as they are, they are still one teeny, tiny step behind me. Beyond that though, I haven’t done anything of note. Inside the ring I feel like I have been simply going through the motions. Outside of it I have been ducking appearances like Justin Cooper ducks matches. I have become nothing more than a shadow of my former self. Rumours have swelled regarding my future and I have uncharacteristically remained silent on the whole thing.

Have I lost my voice?

Has the fire inside me to compete been completely extinguished?

Only time will tell if that is true or not. Time... I’ve said it so many times over the past year that I must be believing it by now; that my time in WZCW is drawing to a close. A new contract sits on my coffee table at home, but I have not even been bothered to pick it up, much less read it.

Why have I avoided this inevitability?

Why have I done nothing about it?

I could simply sign it and spend the next two years doing what I enjoy doing, or I could tell them I’m not interested and end all the speculation.

Do I like the drama that surrounds the whole situation?

Do I feed off the emotions of others around me?

I think that last question is easy enough to answer. Throughout my whole career I have fed off what others have given me. Whether it has been a positive or a negative response, I take the energy that surrounds me and use it to make myself better. As a fan favourite I use the reactions to push myself against all odds, to become the star everybody wants me to be. I felt proud to fight for things I believed in, to compete for the admiration and respect of not just myself, but for my fans, my fellow wrestlers, and of course, my family. As the bad guy everybody hates well... I love to get under peoples skin when I’m that guy. Give me an inch and I’ll take a mile. My opponents used to say the meanest things about me. They compared me to snakes, said I would stab in the back the first person who helped me out, and use every trick in the book to win. Honestly, they weren’t wrong and I loved proving how right they were as I beat them inside the ring. The fans used to hate me, and I loved making them hate me a little more each night.

The two personas are not that far off from each other. When the crowds started cheering me on early last year, my opponents all tried to remind the fans the type of person I was inside the ring. "No man like him could ever change" they would say. "Once a bad guy, always a bad guy". And they would bring up these past occurrences and hold them up to the world and say “this is the man you cheer for now, boo him for he should never be forgiven for what he has done.” I didn’t make the fans cheer for me, they decided to on their own. They forgave me and moved on. Like I said, I feed off the energy they give out and if their response is a positive one, then I will feed off it in a positive light. Look around, have I really changed much in the past year? I’m still the cockiest, the most arrogant, self centered man in this company, and I’ll still do whatever it takes to win. I love the attention I receive and I love to put on a show inside that ring. The fans, they respect the athlete and the performer that I am, and my opponents hated that I started getting cheered for it. They tried to cover their jealousy by claiming themselves to be doing some sort of self righteous service. I know exactly who I am and don't shy away from that person.

So why have I been not acting like I normally would?

Have I become "board" with who I am and what I'm doing?

The fans deserve an answer and this Sunday I will give them one. At Redemption I have the daunting task of defending my newly won WZCW Title against a man who's as dangerous as they come in this company, Barbosa. Any time I step into the ring with Barbosa, I know full well that my career is on the line. At Lethal Lottery III I was tossed around like a piece of luggage by him. At Kingdom Come IV I nearly had my neck broken by his hands.

Do you know the outcome of each of those matches?

I won. Plain and simple. Up until last week I have bested Barbosa in any match I've been up against him. I have his number. and yes it is the number of the beast. There is no questioning Barbosa is deadly, some people call him the new “Ty Burna” in the ring, but he made a very grave mistake at Meltdown 92. He took away my moment to make a moment of his own. He stopped the words that were coming out of my mouth and slammed me to the mat. In his mind, with contract talks looming, he probably thought that I was just going to walk away and leave WZCW without stepping into the ring against him. Let it be known now Barbosa, that I never walk away from a scheduled match, which you did earn at Kingdom Come V.

Barbosa claims that I am not the man I say that I am, but no one hides himself more than he does. He can't bring himself to admit it, but Barbosa is jealous of the fact that since Kingdom Come IV, I have held the WZCW World Title three times while he has toiled away in the middle card. He was disqualified from our match for number one contender, and has since held a jealous resentment over the fact my career went up while he made friends with a cardboard robot. That is why he attacked me. That is why I have sat on the sidelines and licked my wounds. That is why I have remained so quiet, because he doesn’t care what I have to say. Half the time he’s off doing his own thing anyway, so I wanted to take the fight to him every single time instead. No talking, just fighting. No matter how many times he knocks me down, I will always get back up and fight. That is the message that I will send to Barbosa, that no matter how many times he hits me I will hit him right back!

Showtime takes a deep breath

At Redemption, everyone will finally hear what I have to say. Will everyone like it? That’s anyone’s guess. Two things that are for sure, one is that no matter what happens I will always be apart of WZCW. You fans watching at home can go to bed with that thought in your head. The second thing is that if Redemption is to be my last match then I will make it my very best match. I have been in every kind of match and fought every kind of opponent. Barbosa is challenging, but no more unbeatable than any other opponent I’ve faced. Barbosa thinks his edge between him and me is that I fear him.

I have looked Ty Burna in the eye and kicked his ass after. I fear no one inside that ring. Good luck at Redemption. You’ll need to find some after.
​

​