Richard Blonoff
Make America Rassle Again
Deadline is Wednesday, July 6th, 11:59PM. Extensions available upon request.
Unscripted: Mikey Stormrage(c) vs. Matt Tastic vs. Garth Black - World Title
- Thread starter Richard Blonoff
- Start date
- Status
Deadline extended by 24 hours.
Garth Black is wrapping tape around his fists and generally preparing himself for the ring. He starts speaking to nobody in particular.
Black: Every day is a journey.
You will never make it in this business if you don't seize your opportunities. It's not so much as carpe diem, but carpe the instant of a second that will allow you to take it all home. The final pinfall. Holding on to the top rope at Lethal Lottery. Uncoupling the title from the top rung of a ladder. Not submitting. It can be anything at any time, a moment of time so fine that it can slip through ones fingers without ever really leaving a trace. A kind of ethereal presence that disappears from existence as quickly as it appeared.
My opportunity is tonight.
It's been a long time coming. For years this opportunity has eluded me and yet, now the time is here, there's very little left to say. Professional wrestling is a progressive story a series of events intertwined and reaching a crescendo when it matters most. And so here I stand on the precipice. One golden opportunity before me, hanging temptingly above a chasm of failure, awaiting my grasping of it, but equally happy to see me fall.
Some people say I don't deserve it. It's ludicrous that I'm here. But my whole progression has been a series of lessons that have opened up to me the possibility of being a success here.
Black begins to lace up his boots and arrange his knee pads. There’s a clear purpose to his actions, though the thoughtful trepidation is clear. Black does not want to blow this opportunity.
Black: You know sometimes actions speak louder than words. Yes, I've been aggressive, but when you've been kept out of the loop for so long, how could you possibly ever let that opportunity be taken away from you. Matt Tastic won at Gold Rush because the higher ups favour him. When most people lose the title, they go to the back of the line. Tastic gets cuts every time. He beat me on a technicality when the lights went off. But they were going to deny me the opportunity to right that wrong. Why? Because they know that I am a threat to the status quo.
Guys like Stormrage and Tastic are malleable. They brown nose the mamagement, sure, but not so much that the audience switch off to them. Their main attribute, positive attribute, is that they don't rock the boat. They don't tell you anything about the inner workings of this company. How many times did Mikey fall on his fat face before lumbering his way to the title? 5? 10? 100? I don't know, but I know this. I've been here for longer than both of them and this is my first ever Championship match.
Some may say that’s because I haven’t earned it, but have they? Tastic, perhaps, although his sense of entitlement is ridiculous. Mikey is a specialist in failure. Defeats chalked up again and again. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, and that is the reason Mikey is the champion. A fluky win against another flunky of the management.
I don’t get handouts and favours, but I do have a championship opportunity now.
I've got it through sheer persistence. Sheer anger at the state of play. It's almost irrelevant talking about the match participants because I've beaten them when they were teaming up. I expect much of the same this week, but at least now one of them has to win, and even these idiots have enough integrity to try to beat each other. If they can't beat me when they're co-operating, how are they going to beat me when they aren't?
No, they aren't the problem. The cell isn't a problem either. I've won in every unusual environment I've ever competed. I beat Tastic when we could use weapons. The Cell can't contain my rage, Tastic can't beat me without the electronics and Stormrage can't beat me full stop. He never has and never will. There is no doubt in my mind that there is only one opponent that can stop me in this match.
Black is prepared now and stands up. He starts to tap his temple rhythmically and slowly.
Black: The only opponent that matters is in here. My own worst enemy. The only person that has ever stopped the Garth Black juggernaut as it powers to success.
His voice begins to crack a little as he starts to talk about himself.
The only person that has ever defeated me in the end is myself. Matches come and go, but in the big finale of every story I've ever told in this company, I have won. Hunnicutt. Phoenix. Whoever, it doesn't matter who it was I've been the biggest victor when things get personal. And yet. There's still something that's held me back. I have cut short my own ambitions because I have a fear that I won’t achieve as I wish to. But you know what. I always come back and I always keep fighting.
I hear the whispers. I hear the murmurs. Black always walks out on this company. And it's true, I've left before. I've walked out but I've never walked out on a partner or an opponent. I don't leave with unfinished business. My business at the moment is to take that title off the champion. To take it out of the hands of the corrupt company. To give back to the people who earn their place on merit. If I'm champion. No. When I'm champion, I will only let those who have earned it compete. That is my business. And business is good.
Black begins to walk out of the locker room. He continues to speak. He walks past the lockers of the tag team champions, with the belts hanging above them.
I said that wrestling is a journey. I started as a tag team wrestler, and it ended the way all tag teams do - in betrayal and sadness. But what did I learn from that experience? I learned to trust nobody. I learned that even the closest of friends can become an enemy when the chips are down and the cards are dealt. You see, to get this far, whether you're Matt Tastic, Mikey Stormrage or someone who has earned their place on merit, all wrestlers must have a killer instinct. You don't even know it's there. It lays there, dormant, until the spectre of opportunity, the instant of potential gratification shows itself.
And then BANG.
Like a light the instinct kicks in and enemies can become friends. Friends can become enemies. Whatever the course of action required to make the opportunity become a reality. Phoenix showed me that the hard way. He showed me the power of it, but he couldn't slay me. I feel that Live Mas won't be ready and won't see it coming. Luckily for me, I didn't have a third party seeking to capitalise on the inevitable betrayal. Mikey or Matt, whichever it will be, won't be so lucky.
Black keeps walking, out of the locker room and down the corridor. He sees a group of enhancement talent waiting outside the refreshment stand. A few of the wrestlers look worse for wear as they have obviously overdone on the catering.
Black: But then I left, and so began the darkest period of my life. A period of overindulgence that led me to the point of no return. The pain that I had endured as a wrestler was excruciating, so I turned to substances that could remove that pain. But they also removed my control. I was a broken man with very few motivations. All I wanted to do was numb the pain, but I numbed my senses, I numbed my emotions. I lost everything, friends, livelihood and I deserved to.
It was a long road back to the federation, but I had to overcome the demons that had encompassed my life. I was buried, encompassed by the hatred and bile that fuelled me. But I started to dig my way out. It is hard to dig upwards. With each shovel, the hatred fell back into onto me. But eventually the light broke through and I could see all that was good. I came back. I came back and I had learned that there was nothing I couldn't overcome. It does not matter how much Banks or Serra or Bateman or whoever try to heap on me, because it won't be as much as I once heaped on myself and it won't be as much as I have previously uncovered.
So in this match, I have no doubt that the referee will be an enemy. The time keeper will be an enemy. Tastic will be an enemy. Stormrage will be an enemy. The entire locker room and support staff will be an enemy. The cell is everyone’s enemy. But it doesn’t matter. Because no matter what is piled on top of me, I will dig my way out.
Referee is counting slowly? I’ll keep them down for 5. Time keeper won’t ring the bell? I’ll ring it with Mikey’s head. Interference from the back? I’m already going to be ganged up on, what’s another couple of saps going to do?
Black continues to walk around the backstage area. He sees a queue of children hunting autographs, but any WZCW stars who come by ignore the queue and make their way by.
Black: So I came back. I thought I had a good chance of making a name for myself, but literally nothing of note happened. The guard had changed, but once again I had been overlooked. Once again I had been ignored. Those that had their feet under the table left them there, and if anything the injury did me a favour. No, it’s not easy to be on the sidelines, but it allowed me to plan my course of action.
I watched my mentor Daddy Mack come back in from the cold and win a singles championship, something I had never had the chance to do. Though I love him, you cannot deny that he was always something of a one dimensional character. That being said, his presence allowed me to study a master, so that by the time I was able to return, I could follow his lead. I learned another lesson. The lesson of patience and now it was time to come back.
And so it went, I came back, and at first absolutely nothing happened.
By now, Black is walking with a real purpose backstage, his words also gathering pace as he marches down the corridor.
Black: Nothing. The same old situation, but that’s when it hit me. I needed to make sure that I could be the next big thing and there is no way that I could do that by accepting the scraps that fell off the table. I had to go rogue, I had to start telling the truth. And I did. And the wins started to come in.
At first I was negative about my chances, I thought that the powers that be would always find a reason for me to lose, but luckily the more abrasive I was, the more success I found.
They saw me beat Hunnicutt. It was a great achievement, but I really wanted Holmes. Still, I understand the politics of this company and why that couldn’t ever happen. But it gave me collateral. They tried to palm me off with some lower title matches, but I’ve only ever been about one prize. The prize. The WZCW Championship.
When I first started to speak the truth, I said I was going to immediately drop this title, but as corny as it sounds that’s not what I wish to happen here. I want to make a difference. I want to hold the title for long enough so that I can see the look on every single stupid face that said I couldn’t do it. Stormrage and Tastic are just the start. Take me lightly and you will pay. Winning this title will be a vindication of everything I believe in. I am the best wrestler in the world and I should therefore hold the world championship. It’s pretty simple.
I’m no corporate shill. I want to see the look on Vance Bateman’s stupid ugly face every day when he has to see that I am his champion.
But this anger does not consume me. As I said, Mack taught me that patience is a virtue. I don’t need to go in all guns blazing into this match. It is about being methodical.
Black slows down as he reaches a curtain. He is clearly in the Gorilla position. In the background, faintly audible, his music can be heard. The production crew hold him where he is before his cue to enter the sound stage. Black gains an almost bouncy quality to his gait as he waits. Droplets of perspiration roll down his face as he prepares himself for the greatest challenge of his carer.
Black: So here we are, the end of the line. I have walked through this curtain a thousand times, maybe even more than that, but it’s never been this important. It’s been an incredibly long journey and I’m so tired it’s unbelievable.
Tired of failure.
Tired of being ignored.
Just tired.
But this is my chance; this is my opportunity. I’ve got to go through this curtain and put all the lessons I’ve learned down and win.
I’ve been down, I’ve been out but all of it, every last piece of bullshit that has befell upon me, will be worth it if I can become the champ. Yeah, there have been a lot of grievances aired, yeah, I’ve not made it easy for myself, but now that’s all incidental.
Now it’s about action. It’s about doing the very thing that I’ve been building up to. Years of lessons learned. Years of being held back. All of it can be made worthwhile by entering that hell of a cell and taking over. I know I can do it. This is my time.
Every day is a journey, but today I finally reach the destination.
And with that the production crew open the curtain and a flood of light and crowd noise from the arena flood the backstage area.
The next time we see him, he’ll be apoplectic or finally contented. There is no middle ground. Black walks out into the arena
Black: See you on the other side.
Black: Every day is a journey.
You will never make it in this business if you don't seize your opportunities. It's not so much as carpe diem, but carpe the instant of a second that will allow you to take it all home. The final pinfall. Holding on to the top rope at Lethal Lottery. Uncoupling the title from the top rung of a ladder. Not submitting. It can be anything at any time, a moment of time so fine that it can slip through ones fingers without ever really leaving a trace. A kind of ethereal presence that disappears from existence as quickly as it appeared.
My opportunity is tonight.
It's been a long time coming. For years this opportunity has eluded me and yet, now the time is here, there's very little left to say. Professional wrestling is a progressive story a series of events intertwined and reaching a crescendo when it matters most. And so here I stand on the precipice. One golden opportunity before me, hanging temptingly above a chasm of failure, awaiting my grasping of it, but equally happy to see me fall.
Some people say I don't deserve it. It's ludicrous that I'm here. But my whole progression has been a series of lessons that have opened up to me the possibility of being a success here.
Black begins to lace up his boots and arrange his knee pads. There’s a clear purpose to his actions, though the thoughtful trepidation is clear. Black does not want to blow this opportunity.
Black: You know sometimes actions speak louder than words. Yes, I've been aggressive, but when you've been kept out of the loop for so long, how could you possibly ever let that opportunity be taken away from you. Matt Tastic won at Gold Rush because the higher ups favour him. When most people lose the title, they go to the back of the line. Tastic gets cuts every time. He beat me on a technicality when the lights went off. But they were going to deny me the opportunity to right that wrong. Why? Because they know that I am a threat to the status quo.
Guys like Stormrage and Tastic are malleable. They brown nose the mamagement, sure, but not so much that the audience switch off to them. Their main attribute, positive attribute, is that they don't rock the boat. They don't tell you anything about the inner workings of this company. How many times did Mikey fall on his fat face before lumbering his way to the title? 5? 10? 100? I don't know, but I know this. I've been here for longer than both of them and this is my first ever Championship match.
Some may say that’s because I haven’t earned it, but have they? Tastic, perhaps, although his sense of entitlement is ridiculous. Mikey is a specialist in failure. Defeats chalked up again and again. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, and that is the reason Mikey is the champion. A fluky win against another flunky of the management.
I don’t get handouts and favours, but I do have a championship opportunity now.
I've got it through sheer persistence. Sheer anger at the state of play. It's almost irrelevant talking about the match participants because I've beaten them when they were teaming up. I expect much of the same this week, but at least now one of them has to win, and even these idiots have enough integrity to try to beat each other. If they can't beat me when they're co-operating, how are they going to beat me when they aren't?
No, they aren't the problem. The cell isn't a problem either. I've won in every unusual environment I've ever competed. I beat Tastic when we could use weapons. The Cell can't contain my rage, Tastic can't beat me without the electronics and Stormrage can't beat me full stop. He never has and never will. There is no doubt in my mind that there is only one opponent that can stop me in this match.
Black is prepared now and stands up. He starts to tap his temple rhythmically and slowly.
Black: The only opponent that matters is in here. My own worst enemy. The only person that has ever stopped the Garth Black juggernaut as it powers to success.
His voice begins to crack a little as he starts to talk about himself.
The only person that has ever defeated me in the end is myself. Matches come and go, but in the big finale of every story I've ever told in this company, I have won. Hunnicutt. Phoenix. Whoever, it doesn't matter who it was I've been the biggest victor when things get personal. And yet. There's still something that's held me back. I have cut short my own ambitions because I have a fear that I won’t achieve as I wish to. But you know what. I always come back and I always keep fighting.
I hear the whispers. I hear the murmurs. Black always walks out on this company. And it's true, I've left before. I've walked out but I've never walked out on a partner or an opponent. I don't leave with unfinished business. My business at the moment is to take that title off the champion. To take it out of the hands of the corrupt company. To give back to the people who earn their place on merit. If I'm champion. No. When I'm champion, I will only let those who have earned it compete. That is my business. And business is good.
Black begins to walk out of the locker room. He continues to speak. He walks past the lockers of the tag team champions, with the belts hanging above them.
I said that wrestling is a journey. I started as a tag team wrestler, and it ended the way all tag teams do - in betrayal and sadness. But what did I learn from that experience? I learned to trust nobody. I learned that even the closest of friends can become an enemy when the chips are down and the cards are dealt. You see, to get this far, whether you're Matt Tastic, Mikey Stormrage or someone who has earned their place on merit, all wrestlers must have a killer instinct. You don't even know it's there. It lays there, dormant, until the spectre of opportunity, the instant of potential gratification shows itself.
And then BANG.
Like a light the instinct kicks in and enemies can become friends. Friends can become enemies. Whatever the course of action required to make the opportunity become a reality. Phoenix showed me that the hard way. He showed me the power of it, but he couldn't slay me. I feel that Live Mas won't be ready and won't see it coming. Luckily for me, I didn't have a third party seeking to capitalise on the inevitable betrayal. Mikey or Matt, whichever it will be, won't be so lucky.
Black keeps walking, out of the locker room and down the corridor. He sees a group of enhancement talent waiting outside the refreshment stand. A few of the wrestlers look worse for wear as they have obviously overdone on the catering.
Black: But then I left, and so began the darkest period of my life. A period of overindulgence that led me to the point of no return. The pain that I had endured as a wrestler was excruciating, so I turned to substances that could remove that pain. But they also removed my control. I was a broken man with very few motivations. All I wanted to do was numb the pain, but I numbed my senses, I numbed my emotions. I lost everything, friends, livelihood and I deserved to.
It was a long road back to the federation, but I had to overcome the demons that had encompassed my life. I was buried, encompassed by the hatred and bile that fuelled me. But I started to dig my way out. It is hard to dig upwards. With each shovel, the hatred fell back into onto me. But eventually the light broke through and I could see all that was good. I came back. I came back and I had learned that there was nothing I couldn't overcome. It does not matter how much Banks or Serra or Bateman or whoever try to heap on me, because it won't be as much as I once heaped on myself and it won't be as much as I have previously uncovered.
So in this match, I have no doubt that the referee will be an enemy. The time keeper will be an enemy. Tastic will be an enemy. Stormrage will be an enemy. The entire locker room and support staff will be an enemy. The cell is everyone’s enemy. But it doesn’t matter. Because no matter what is piled on top of me, I will dig my way out.
Referee is counting slowly? I’ll keep them down for 5. Time keeper won’t ring the bell? I’ll ring it with Mikey’s head. Interference from the back? I’m already going to be ganged up on, what’s another couple of saps going to do?
Black continues to walk around the backstage area. He sees a queue of children hunting autographs, but any WZCW stars who come by ignore the queue and make their way by.
Black: So I came back. I thought I had a good chance of making a name for myself, but literally nothing of note happened. The guard had changed, but once again I had been overlooked. Once again I had been ignored. Those that had their feet under the table left them there, and if anything the injury did me a favour. No, it’s not easy to be on the sidelines, but it allowed me to plan my course of action.
I watched my mentor Daddy Mack come back in from the cold and win a singles championship, something I had never had the chance to do. Though I love him, you cannot deny that he was always something of a one dimensional character. That being said, his presence allowed me to study a master, so that by the time I was able to return, I could follow his lead. I learned another lesson. The lesson of patience and now it was time to come back.
And so it went, I came back, and at first absolutely nothing happened.
By now, Black is walking with a real purpose backstage, his words also gathering pace as he marches down the corridor.
Black: Nothing. The same old situation, but that’s when it hit me. I needed to make sure that I could be the next big thing and there is no way that I could do that by accepting the scraps that fell off the table. I had to go rogue, I had to start telling the truth. And I did. And the wins started to come in.
At first I was negative about my chances, I thought that the powers that be would always find a reason for me to lose, but luckily the more abrasive I was, the more success I found.
They saw me beat Hunnicutt. It was a great achievement, but I really wanted Holmes. Still, I understand the politics of this company and why that couldn’t ever happen. But it gave me collateral. They tried to palm me off with some lower title matches, but I’ve only ever been about one prize. The prize. The WZCW Championship.
When I first started to speak the truth, I said I was going to immediately drop this title, but as corny as it sounds that’s not what I wish to happen here. I want to make a difference. I want to hold the title for long enough so that I can see the look on every single stupid face that said I couldn’t do it. Stormrage and Tastic are just the start. Take me lightly and you will pay. Winning this title will be a vindication of everything I believe in. I am the best wrestler in the world and I should therefore hold the world championship. It’s pretty simple.
I’m no corporate shill. I want to see the look on Vance Bateman’s stupid ugly face every day when he has to see that I am his champion.
But this anger does not consume me. As I said, Mack taught me that patience is a virtue. I don’t need to go in all guns blazing into this match. It is about being methodical.
Black slows down as he reaches a curtain. He is clearly in the Gorilla position. In the background, faintly audible, his music can be heard. The production crew hold him where he is before his cue to enter the sound stage. Black gains an almost bouncy quality to his gait as he waits. Droplets of perspiration roll down his face as he prepares himself for the greatest challenge of his carer.
Black: So here we are, the end of the line. I have walked through this curtain a thousand times, maybe even more than that, but it’s never been this important. It’s been an incredibly long journey and I’m so tired it’s unbelievable.
Tired of failure.
Tired of being ignored.
Just tired.
But this is my chance; this is my opportunity. I’ve got to go through this curtain and put all the lessons I’ve learned down and win.
I’ve been down, I’ve been out but all of it, every last piece of bullshit that has befell upon me, will be worth it if I can become the champ. Yeah, there have been a lot of grievances aired, yeah, I’ve not made it easy for myself, but now that’s all incidental.
Now it’s about action. It’s about doing the very thing that I’ve been building up to. Years of lessons learned. Years of being held back. All of it can be made worthwhile by entering that hell of a cell and taking over. I know I can do it. This is my time.
Every day is a journey, but today I finally reach the destination.
And with that the production crew open the curtain and a flood of light and crowd noise from the arena flood the backstage area.
The next time we see him, he’ll be apoplectic or finally contented. There is no middle ground. Black walks out into the arena
Black: See you on the other side.
Richard Blonoff
Make America Rassle Again
"Come on Leon, I made sure that the WZCW brass gave me an entire day with you to cover everything we needed."
"Is that why you slept until three this afternoon?"
"It's like I always say, never get less than fourteen hours of sleep. Hang on, there is a Pidgey over there, I've got to catch it."
As Leon and I made our way into the United Center, we could already see the ring set up for tomorrow night's big event. Me, Mikey Stormrage, would be defending his WZCW World Heavyweight Championship against his best friend, Matt Tastic, and the world's biggest pillow princess, Garth Black. Now I can't say for sure that Black is a pillow princess, but as much as he bitches and moans when he gets a live mic, I could only assume that he was.
We then looked up to see the devilish structure hanging overhead. I would be defending my title inside that structure, Hell in a Cell.
"So how are things Leon?"
Small talk had never been my strong suit, and to be completely honest, I wasn't one hundred percent paying attention to what Leon was saying, something about a hemorrhoid, but I was just trying to make small talk as we made our way to ringside to be polite. I had put Leon through a lot during our interviews over the years, and what I had in mind today wasn't going to be much different.
"I hear that man. Just keep your head up."
By the time we got to ringside, the Cell was lowering and I could see Leon was turning the gears in his head trying to figure out what was going on.
"I've got a little surprise for you Leon. Not many people get to step inside this beast."
I put my hands on the door and shook it. I began to open it and let Leon walk toward it, but stopped suddenly.
"But even fewer, get to go up there."
I looked up and pointed to the top of the Cell before closing the door.
"Race you to the top."
Leon looked uncomfortable as I began to climb the cell.
"You expect me to climb up there?"
"Well unless you can fly, then yeah. I told you this was going to be a memorable day."
I got to the top and looked around. The last time I was up here, it didn't end well for me.
I shook my head and realized Leon was having difficulty climbing the Cell wall, so I lent him a hand and helped pull him the rest of the way up.
"So what could we possibly be doing up here?"
"Facing fear Leon. Truth be told, I'm afraid of tomorrow night."
"You once wrestled a bear and saved my life, what are you possibly scared of?"
I walked to the edge of the Cell and took a seat.
"I used to dream every night, but now I never dream at all. I hope it's because I'm living everything I want."
I motioned for Leon to take a seat next to me.
"I used to dream of being an astronaut, or a police officer, or firefighter, or some great respected profession each night. I remember being a kid waking up in bed between my parents, playing with this Land Before Time toy from Pizza Hut. Playing with that toy, I could have never imagined I'd be a famous professional wrestler. I've come a long way from extension cords in the window, borrowing neighbors power to plug in the Nintendo."
"I take it you didn't grow up well off?"
I shook my head.
"Every winter we had to sleep in extra clothes. Some nights we would have to turn the stove on and leave it open just to try to heat the house. I always wanted to get away from that, and I did, but to reach the heights I have, no pun intended, well, it's been a ride. Who would have guessed that when I walked into this company five years ago, I would be the star I am today?"
I shifted my weight, making careful not to shift too far from the edge.
"I've got girls asking for my number, I get into parties, I can do almost anything I want, but I wonder if it is all worth it."
"I'd kill to be in your shoes Mikey. You are the World Champ in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world."
"I've also got to fight my best friend to keep that title. Do you know what that is like?"
I stood up and began to pace around the top of the Cell.
"It seems like every time I come in contact with this title, something bad happens."
I unbuttoned my outer shirt to reveal my title belt.
"I almost feel like this thing is cursed."
I took the belt off and placed it on the chain link below my feet.
"At Gold Rush in twenty fifteen, I challenged for this belt for the first time and I lost my dad in the days leading up to the fight. Then Ty Burna threw me off the top of this cell and put me on the shelf for months. Then at Gold Rush this year I challenged for it again, and in the lead up I lost my mom. Constantine managed to bust me up pretty good that night, and I lost a couple of teeth in the process, but I walked out as king that night. Now I'm defending and I've not only lost my best friend, but I've gained an enemy I never wanted in Garth Black. This goddamn strap isn't worth it sometimes."
I grabbed the belt and tossed it to Leon, who struggled to catch it.
"Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to be World Champion?"
I took a seat back next to Leon.
"No, I'm just saying that Matt and Garth better be ready to risk it all to take it from me. I've lost too much to this damn thing to let it slip through my grasp so easily."
I draped the title over Leon's shoulder and couldn't help but giggle a little as Leon may be the only person who the title looked more out of place on than me.
"You think you can beat those two? I mean it is going to be a tough task for you to successfully defend the title."
"I know I can beat them. Matt may be the best wrestler this company has ever seen, but I've beaten Matt before, on the biggest stage we have, Kingdom Come. He is going to spill some crap about fighting for his country, but the truth is, Matt Tastic was nothing before I came along. People love to remember him winning Lethal Lottery in his home country, but they also love to forget that it was me who held him up so he didn't fall. Before I befriended him, Matt Tastic was toiling in purgatory, trying to rid the world of goofy characters. Now look at what he has become. He became best friends with the biggest joke in our business. So I ask Matt, how are you going to reinvent yourself this week? What life changes will you make and what lesson will you learn on the way to beating me?"
I tightened the grip on my title.
"That isn't to say I don't have love for Matt, I do. He is my brother, but brothers often spill each others blood and I'm going to do just that if it means I keep my title."
I took my title off Leon's shoulder, and placed it back on mine.
"What about Garth? He is on a roll lately."
"You don't think I know that? I see the signs everywhere I go. 'I support Garth Black.' I see the hashtags, the Twitter movements, the social media outcry about how this company holds him down, about how he deserves to be champion. What has he done to deserve this?"
I took the belt and held it high.
"What has Garth Black done to say he deserves a shot at glory? Just because he has been here a long time, he automatically gets to lay claim to something I literally gave up my own family for? Fuck that. This company holds Garth Black down? Garth Black holds himself down. If he had half as much talent as he and his so called fans think, he wouldn't constantly be on the outside looking in like a dog left out in the rain while the rest of the family is by a nice cozy fire. You don't get anywhere in this world by pissing and moaning about being mistreated. You get places by fighting. You throw everything you have against the establishment."
I stood, clutching my title, my voice getting louder.
"Look at me, I wasn't supposed to succeed. My whole life I've been held down. Too fat, too slow, too stupid. Look at me now, I'm champion of the entire world, and I'll be damned if Garth or Matt take that from me."
I stood, my arms spread wide, my head pointed toward the heavens. I screamed.
"I'm right here guys, atop my throne. If you want this title, take your best shot, but you best come correct when you come at the king."
"Is that why you slept until three this afternoon?"
"It's like I always say, never get less than fourteen hours of sleep. Hang on, there is a Pidgey over there, I've got to catch it."
As Leon and I made our way into the United Center, we could already see the ring set up for tomorrow night's big event. Me, Mikey Stormrage, would be defending his WZCW World Heavyweight Championship against his best friend, Matt Tastic, and the world's biggest pillow princess, Garth Black. Now I can't say for sure that Black is a pillow princess, but as much as he bitches and moans when he gets a live mic, I could only assume that he was.
We then looked up to see the devilish structure hanging overhead. I would be defending my title inside that structure, Hell in a Cell.
"So how are things Leon?"
Small talk had never been my strong suit, and to be completely honest, I wasn't one hundred percent paying attention to what Leon was saying, something about a hemorrhoid, but I was just trying to make small talk as we made our way to ringside to be polite. I had put Leon through a lot during our interviews over the years, and what I had in mind today wasn't going to be much different.
"I hear that man. Just keep your head up."
By the time we got to ringside, the Cell was lowering and I could see Leon was turning the gears in his head trying to figure out what was going on.
"I've got a little surprise for you Leon. Not many people get to step inside this beast."
I put my hands on the door and shook it. I began to open it and let Leon walk toward it, but stopped suddenly.
"But even fewer, get to go up there."
I looked up and pointed to the top of the Cell before closing the door.
"Race you to the top."
Leon looked uncomfortable as I began to climb the cell.
"You expect me to climb up there?"
"Well unless you can fly, then yeah. I told you this was going to be a memorable day."
I got to the top and looked around. The last time I was up here, it didn't end well for me.
I shook my head and realized Leon was having difficulty climbing the Cell wall, so I lent him a hand and helped pull him the rest of the way up.
"So what could we possibly be doing up here?"
"Facing fear Leon. Truth be told, I'm afraid of tomorrow night."
"You once wrestled a bear and saved my life, what are you possibly scared of?"
I walked to the edge of the Cell and took a seat.
"I used to dream every night, but now I never dream at all. I hope it's because I'm living everything I want."
I motioned for Leon to take a seat next to me.
"I used to dream of being an astronaut, or a police officer, or firefighter, or some great respected profession each night. I remember being a kid waking up in bed between my parents, playing with this Land Before Time toy from Pizza Hut. Playing with that toy, I could have never imagined I'd be a famous professional wrestler. I've come a long way from extension cords in the window, borrowing neighbors power to plug in the Nintendo."
"I take it you didn't grow up well off?"
I shook my head.
"Every winter we had to sleep in extra clothes. Some nights we would have to turn the stove on and leave it open just to try to heat the house. I always wanted to get away from that, and I did, but to reach the heights I have, no pun intended, well, it's been a ride. Who would have guessed that when I walked into this company five years ago, I would be the star I am today?"
I shifted my weight, making careful not to shift too far from the edge.
"I've got girls asking for my number, I get into parties, I can do almost anything I want, but I wonder if it is all worth it."
"I'd kill to be in your shoes Mikey. You are the World Champ in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world."
"I've also got to fight my best friend to keep that title. Do you know what that is like?"
I stood up and began to pace around the top of the Cell.
"It seems like every time I come in contact with this title, something bad happens."
I unbuttoned my outer shirt to reveal my title belt.
"I almost feel like this thing is cursed."
I took the belt off and placed it on the chain link below my feet.
"At Gold Rush in twenty fifteen, I challenged for this belt for the first time and I lost my dad in the days leading up to the fight. Then Ty Burna threw me off the top of this cell and put me on the shelf for months. Then at Gold Rush this year I challenged for it again, and in the lead up I lost my mom. Constantine managed to bust me up pretty good that night, and I lost a couple of teeth in the process, but I walked out as king that night. Now I'm defending and I've not only lost my best friend, but I've gained an enemy I never wanted in Garth Black. This goddamn strap isn't worth it sometimes."
I grabbed the belt and tossed it to Leon, who struggled to catch it.
"Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to be World Champion?"
I took a seat back next to Leon.
"No, I'm just saying that Matt and Garth better be ready to risk it all to take it from me. I've lost too much to this damn thing to let it slip through my grasp so easily."
I draped the title over Leon's shoulder and couldn't help but giggle a little as Leon may be the only person who the title looked more out of place on than me.
"You think you can beat those two? I mean it is going to be a tough task for you to successfully defend the title."
"I know I can beat them. Matt may be the best wrestler this company has ever seen, but I've beaten Matt before, on the biggest stage we have, Kingdom Come. He is going to spill some crap about fighting for his country, but the truth is, Matt Tastic was nothing before I came along. People love to remember him winning Lethal Lottery in his home country, but they also love to forget that it was me who held him up so he didn't fall. Before I befriended him, Matt Tastic was toiling in purgatory, trying to rid the world of goofy characters. Now look at what he has become. He became best friends with the biggest joke in our business. So I ask Matt, how are you going to reinvent yourself this week? What life changes will you make and what lesson will you learn on the way to beating me?"
I tightened the grip on my title.
"That isn't to say I don't have love for Matt, I do. He is my brother, but brothers often spill each others blood and I'm going to do just that if it means I keep my title."
I took my title off Leon's shoulder, and placed it back on mine.
"What about Garth? He is on a roll lately."
"You don't think I know that? I see the signs everywhere I go. 'I support Garth Black.' I see the hashtags, the Twitter movements, the social media outcry about how this company holds him down, about how he deserves to be champion. What has he done to deserve this?"
I took the belt and held it high.
"What has Garth Black done to say he deserves a shot at glory? Just because he has been here a long time, he automatically gets to lay claim to something I literally gave up my own family for? Fuck that. This company holds Garth Black down? Garth Black holds himself down. If he had half as much talent as he and his so called fans think, he wouldn't constantly be on the outside looking in like a dog left out in the rain while the rest of the family is by a nice cozy fire. You don't get anywhere in this world by pissing and moaning about being mistreated. You get places by fighting. You throw everything you have against the establishment."
I stood, clutching my title, my voice getting louder.
"Look at me, I wasn't supposed to succeed. My whole life I've been held down. Too fat, too slow, too stupid. Look at me now, I'm champion of the entire world, and I'll be damned if Garth or Matt take that from me."
I stood, my arms spread wide, my head pointed toward the heavens. I screamed.
"I'm right here guys, atop my throne. If you want this title, take your best shot, but you best come correct when you come at the king."
Vol. 1 - Chapter 6:
The Pain Of Being On The Top, The Struggle Up The Mountain
Life is a funny thing. You're brought to this world with no direction. No instructions. You simply have to learn from your mistakes as you go through it. Having to adapt to not fall for the same error again. Over time, we change. Age makes us older. Wiser. As the fire of youth burns less and less, the mountain of knowledge grows and grows. There is a limit to all of it. At some point, deterioration sets in. But we never know when. When the springtime of our youth ends and the sands of time turn. Going from our growth into adulthood towards our inevitable death. One could say that's a pretty macabre way of looking at life but it's nor wrong or terrible. The wheel of fate turns for all and we all take our dutiful steps towards our destinies. I do like to think our objectives as human beings is to leave this world a better place than what it was when we were born. That's probably why I'm in the predicament I'm in right now.
- Matt Tastic
From his own mind
From his own mind
The date is unknown but one thing is for sure. Before Meltdown 131 and Ascension 108, Matt Tastic found himself above the highway on a bridge. A mere mile from the house of his grandparents, he's confronted by the mysterious female agent of the 8th Security. The confrontation becomes heated as Matt tries to get by her. Matt has learned the economical monopoly the group seems to want to work. Siphoning off the economic crisis of the island of Puerto Rico. Almost like an insane James Bond plot.
Matt: You seem to always be standing in my way for some reason. I'd think for someone with such a grand scale plan, you'd have other things to do than harrass one ignorant pro wrestler.
Female: The thing is Matt, when I learned you were snooping around, I decided to personally harrass you. You're of pretty minimal consequence. But with all the resources we have, I thought I'd get a personal kick out of it.
Matt: What? You're a disgruntled fan or something? Are you mad I beat Garth Black? Sorry. But . He's a bitch. It's all he does. Bitch.
Female: I've stopped following your lousy misadventures in that glorified Circus, Matt. I .. Garth Black is there? Wow. Things have changed.
Matt finds it peculiar. This woman claims she doesn't follow Matt's in-ring career. Yet not only does she know him in detail, she knows who Garth Black is. Matt looks on perplexed, not knowing what to make of the ordeal.
Female: I don't waste my life watching you dance on TV, but I hear about your misadventures with that fat guy, Mikey Stormrage. Your best friend. I'm kinda curious, but now that he's World Champion, do you plan to beat him up like you did What was that other guy's name you used to call best friend? Oh. Right! Gordito. Are you gonna throw a jealous fit at Mikey too?
Matt: If you don't watch me, how do you know all that? That's too detailed. I'm supposed to believe you somehow know details from 5 years ago about me from hearsay?
Female: Times change, Matt. I know you used to use a mask. You used to be an angry little man. Now you're some of adventurer. You look at your best friend, he used to always be the sidekick to a better man. Now it seems he's standing on his own two feet. You look at Garth Black who as far as I know has done nothing but linger in relative obscurity. Now I hear he's made you his bitch. And you know what, Matt? Good. You've forgotten where you've come from. You've ignored the truth of your surroundings. Maybe if you didn't you could've been a part of all this. Maybe we'd still see eye to eye.
Matt stands reflecting on the words of the mysterious lady. He's taken aback as it itches in the back of his mind. Who is this person? Is it someone from his past? Then it dawns on him. A name he hasn't uttered in years. He thought she left for better things. Those better things were apparently taking advantage of an economic crisis.
Matt: Alisha.
When Matt Tastic first debuted in WZCW, he did it with his then-girlfriend. A brunette who used to be so supportive of Matt. They broke up a few years later. Matt has evolved over the years. And it seems so has Alisha. The long beautiful brunette hair that infatuated him has become short, black hair. Almost a reflection of her corruption.
Alisha: That's right, Matt. You figured it out. We broke up years ago. Your careless behavior left you injured. I couldn't keep following you. It feels like you left me behind. Going on to be so successful while I had to wallow away.
Matt: So you think it's perfectly acceptable to screw people over? Feeling bad and lonely justifies you?
Alisha: We came from the streets. I was not gonna go back to that.
Matt: No. You could've called me or anyone else for help. You were weak and made a stupid decision. Now you're bitter about it. Just like Garth Black. Constantly trying to blame his problems on other people to justify himself. And as for Mikey, I made the mistake of stabbing a friend in the back once. I owned up to it and unlike you, I accepted my mistake.
Alisha pulls out a sword of all things in front of Matt and assumes a fighting stance. She seems decided for a fight. But Matt doesn't flinch at all.
Matt: Granpa, another person you could've asked for help, has for months told me to come here. I can see why now. He knew you were behind this and knew you'd probably endanger the family to get to me. How low. Now I see you pull a sword on me. I suppose that's better than a gun. But don't expect a fight from me. Expect the end. The second that thing touches me you lose your last bit of hope. You'll live the rest of your life with nothing but regret and misery because you didn't bother owning up to your mistakes. Drop that, Alisha. You know it's wrong.
Alisha stands with the sword in hand. They tremble, as she clearly struggles with her decision. Tears drop from her eyes. No one but the two of them stand on the bridge. Would Alisha cross the bridge and cut her last tie?
Alisha: ...goddamn you
Alisha dropped her sword. Matt goes to take a step but stops. He notices Alisha doesn't want him to come close.
Alisha: Leave. Now.
Matt senses the tension Alisha is going through and decides to just take her advice. He's broken by his decision. But he can't afford to wait with the people after him getting close. Alisha made her choice. It made her bitter. But she still had a chance to turn things around. One could say Garth Black was a similar case. Driven down a path of bitterness for his choices. He now has a chance to turn things around though. It all depends on whatever he decides to do. The match at Unscripted is now a Triple Threat inside the dreaded Hell In A Cell. For the World Heavyweight Championship, with Mikey Stormrage of course involved. The World Champion, who's not new to this scene. Last year both he and Matt were in Hell In A Cell.
==================
Hell In A Cell is here. It's the night of Unscripted and Matt has just arrived in the building. It seems he's in a huff as he heads towards his locker room. Cameras follow to document his arrival and none other than Stacey Madison appears for an interview.
Stacey: Matt Tastic, tonight is the big night. Do you have any big plan to come out on top of your second Hell In A Cell? Its the second time for both you and Mikey Stormrage in this match.
Matt stops, seemingly angry at the question. He takes his bag off his shoulder before tossing it a LONG distance across the hallway they're in. Stacey seems startled as Matt takes heavy breaths to lower the tension.
Matt: Hell In A Cell. You know something, Stacey. The past few weeks I've learned something. It's a dark, dark world out there. There's so many bad things happening. And so many people suffering. It's not a fair world. Some of us have a better shake than others. Hell In A Cell seems to be a meeting of the upper, middle and lower class. Each one of us fighting to stand tall. You know what I've learned Stacey? What class I am?
Stacey: Lower? I mean, just look at the way you're dressed.
Matt: No, Stacey. I'm actually the high class. I'm the royal guard basically. The privileged one I'd dare say. I was lucky to have a friend like Mikey and because of him I was twice able to ascend to the top of the hierarchy here. Mikey would be the middle class. He's struggled several times but even in the darker days, he had who to lean on. He's suffered the loss of his mother. That's not easy. And for a long time he had to sit back and be called as my sidekick. I cannot blame him a single bit for wanting to win and prove he's every bit as good as me or even better. He can be so much more that what he used to be. He knows it. I know it. We all know it. And tonight is the night he can prove that.
Stacey: That's fine and good. But what of Garth Black? Do you really consider him lower class?
Matt: Stacey, this is a man who at one point was in rehab. He wants badly to escape all that. He's tried so many times and has fallen short by a large margin. He's struggled day in and day out. More than either Mikey or me. He's clawed his way to this point whether we like how he did it or not. He doesn't care about fan support. He doesn't care what people think like me and Mikey. He simply wants the success that's eluded him for so long. Can you really blame him? I was there a long time ago. I'm not there now.
Stacey: You consider yourself the high class. Which is arrogant if you ask me. But you're not the World Champion. Don't you think it's an outrageous claim?
Matt: I'm the most successful wrestling in WZCW currently active, Stacey. You tell me. I may not be the Champion. But it's how people see me. Which puts me in such an awkward position. Almost like in a bubble. I need to win because if I don't people will think I was just a fluke or that my time has passed. Not to mention, one can never stop improving. But at the same time, other people will see my success and either look at me with scorn like Garth does, or suffer for it like Mikey did. I'd stand down, but how fair is it to hand them their prize out of pity? I'm going into that cage for the same reason they are. To prove I'm the best. If they want to prove they're better than me, they'll have to earn it. When they do, they'll be able to say they beat the best to become the best. If they don''t then I guess their time hasn't come yet. I'll always keep the door open, Stacey. I know the climb hurts. I'll always remember that. But I'm not gonna give up my spot out of pity.
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