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I hate to do this... October 31st 2018, 10:53 pmJaydayne PendragonTwo vultures and a baby chick walk into a barOctober 31st 2018, 7:14 amLeberSSW PromosOctober 27th 2018, 10:47 pmSteven CassidyWhat song are you listening to right now?October 23rd 2018, 12:43 pmKai StevensThe VulturesOctober 13th 2018, 6:11 pmSaul OmenThe Compliment GameOctober 10th 2018, 11:20 pmSaul Omen
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20180107
SSW Promos - Page 12 OaNPiWx

This is the SSW Promo Page! These are the promoing rules and must be abided by:

NO PROMOS FOR HOUSE SHOWS!
2 PROMO LIMIT FOR WEEKLY SHOWS!
3 PROMO LIMIT FOR PPVS!
4 PROMO LIMIT FOR MAJOR PPVS!
YOU CAN USE HOUSE SHOWS TO WRITE PERSONAL SEGMENTS, INTERVIEWS, OR WHATEVER TO HYPE YOUR FEUD! THIS IS NOT MANDATORY!
PROMOS WILL BE JUDGED BY A THREE-PERSON JURY SYSTEM BASED ON THE WRITER OF THE MATCH AND TWO BOARD MEMBERS!
DO NOT POST CHALLENGES ON THE PROMO PAGE!
DO NOT BREAK KAYFABE IN THE PROMO PAGE! THIS IS FAKE AND STORYLINE!

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Gronk
April 14th 2018, 12:03 amGronk
Message reputation : 100% (2 votes)
Surprise! It's past 12AM and Gronk has finally found the motivation to talk some sense into this weeabo Piero. You thought I was going to abide by some chinky company's rules?  HA. Don't you dare and comment on Gronk's choice to wait until the last minute. You think I give a damn about this weeb industry? Strong Style Wrestling needs to APPEASE MY schedule, not theirs. It's not my fault they conduct themselves in a wacko time zone. Damn commies. The Red Scare didn't work nor will this "deadline". While Piero was sucking on his chop sticks all week long, Gronk was respecting the American flag while eating American food, like pizza and tacos, preparing my body for the manifest dynasty to come. I'm not actually sure what that means but it sounds cool. I was talking to this one guy at the airport and he called me an "Imperialist junkie who has no care for human regard whatsoever." And I said to him, "Why thank you, about time one of you narrow-eyed weebs showed me respect."

Why can't Piero be like, uhhh, well I don't recall his name, but it just reminded me of the sound of your fork hitting the knife when cutting into a juicy, American-made steak. But yeah, why can't Piero be like him? Oh that's right, because he's a stupid commie who can't wait to get these boots shoved down his throat. I don't like to make idle threats, but Piero has already proven to be a tick to me. He's already trying to leech off of Gronk's social media following. Not my fault that "The Broad Street Bully" is more popular in Piero's home country. They want someone who doesn't remind them of their sick and hideous looking faces. They want a man, not a weeb. But Gronk's not exactly a man either, is he? Man, just talking in the third person sounds really cool, I should keep this going. Gronk is like a man tree, and well, this tree ain't moving. The only way this tree would move is if you dropped an atomic bomb, but then again Piero's kind is sort of triggered by such a statement.

All of Japan's women look at Gronk and they want him. I can't deny, some of them have the bodies of an hourglass, it's tempting. But I just have to say no unless they have a name I know my children can pronounce. Like why does Japanese culture have to be so difficult? What's so wrong with, "Hey, my name is Jessica. Would you and your tree trunk sized hands like to take me out to dinner?" NO. Instead, I'm met with "Kachiba Kongo fulufi fefifee, Houdini kungfu, my name is Kiki." The hell is a Kiki? Probably Piero's peasant, disfigured abomination-looking mum. Thing is, Piero's such a creepo he probably gets off on the idea. What a loser. He probably is thinking of a hentai script now. You're welcome for the idea, jackoff. Piero is literally the worse kind of person ever. He sucks. He knows he sucks. Gronk knows he sucks. That's all that matters.

Honestly, I should be seen as SSW's savior. I'm the 21st Century representation of Japan's reckoning. Like, I come to this barbarian country and try to help people live the right way. The Phantom Troupe is Gronk's prime opportunity to be the war machine to rectify Japan's ways. I have been decreed as Aria Jaxon's bodyguard, an esteemed honor no doubt. I take pride in helping her showcase America's superiority. I doubt Piero even knows what that means, HA! Anyway... yeah, I'm not sure why it's called the Phantom Troupe. Pretty sure it's Troop, but whatever. I'll just be the Phantom Troupe's... Troop. Top troop. Piero and anybody else from these fractions (wait, is it faction?) will just have to catch these hands. I'm not scared of any of them. Well, maybe other than Piero trying to do a reach around or whatever these people do in their hentai fantasies. I'll tell you this, he tries any of that gay weeb stuff on me, and he'll wish that the atomic fallout killed his entire kind all those years ago.

That's all I really have to say. Piero isn't worth the weight of words, really. He can't match Gronk physically, he can't match Gronk mentally, and he sure as hell isn't American. Too bad he isn't Syrian, would be a quick way to exterminate him. Oh well. Maybe next time. Gronk will just have to do it the hard way. What a loser, though.

GRONK IS GOING... ALLLLLLL THE WAY. Little weeabo creepo isn't going to stop this mad titan.
Jaydayne Pendragon
April 13th 2018, 11:57 pmJaydayne Pendragon
⚔️Sitting the traditional seiza style, the masked Jaydayne Pendragon in the dark shyly reaches out for the hilt of the sword before him. At the mere touch of the sword Pendragon turns his head to the side in shame and retracts his hand. Turning his head back forward and putting his hands on his lap, Pendragon stares down at the sword, as he works up regaining his composure and pride. ⚔️

The world’s greatest and most re-enacted fiction, some might even call it the first, is the fiction that the world they live in began in triumph and saintly decorum. This is so that they can call back to bygone eras to tell the people how great things were and how great they can be again. They write their sacred texts, they build their statues, and places names in their hall of fames, all to tell people of these great fictions.

The world they say began with gods.

Explorers ventured out with nothing in their heart driving them other than the pure sense of adventure as they came across new land with people who welcomed them, and they answered back with kindness.

Founders believed that all men were created equal.

But the world was barren, explorers committed genocides, and founders had slaves. Even the noble samurai image I wear today was once synonymous with the ruling class and force used on the masses. And how many on this world have the lineage of someone like Genghis Khan? They say his genes are the most wide spread of any figure in history. It is safe to say, that despite fiction, history is truly one of dark times.

⚔️Pendragon nods.⚔️

But the world get’s better, no matter how many cynics are assembled to say otherwise, the world is truly in a better place than it once was, and little by little it shall continue to improve. We live longer lives, rape and murder are on the decline, and people who would have once been warring tribes against one another can come together as one. Even the institutions that once lied to us about their ideals can become in truth what they claimed to be, and we can make sure to honour those things despite their history because we make them into the systems that always should have been. Why? Because the human condition longs for brighter days, within the barren wasteland where primal savagery and the wicked thrive trampling on the earth, there exists a blooming spirit of a flower that refuses to wilt and die. It wages its own little war against the forces that chain down man and makes us unjust, IT FIGHTS AND IT FIGHTS, until it soaks up enough of what little nourishment there is for a righteous heart and changes the world around it! That’s the story I wish to re-enact, it isn’t the fiction that people like to tell because people don’t like to put in the work into the future and grit their teeth in hard times, but it is the true one of history! I am Pendragon, leader of Shoot Nation, and I have failed this company time and time again, just like humanity has failed people for countless generations. Yet, if humanity refused to give up and has gotten this far into creating a much more beautiful world, I won’t quit either! Not when I owe it to the mentor of Shoot Nation who had his efforts wasted when he fought to save a man like me, not when an entire team walks behind me despite my failures, and not when I have my own dignity to keep! So let them mock me as they will. Tell the tales of the man who had two championship opportunities, and lost them all. While they’re looking down at a man who has no lower to go, I will raise my head to the horizon, reaching out….yes….

From hell, I reach out for The Heaven’s Arena Cup!

⚔️Pendragon valiantly grips at the sword and becomes bestowed with new energy as he swiftly removes his mask and with his half painted face stares into the camera.⚔️

Saul Omen, you shall be the first to fall by my swung blade in this tournament! You and I agree with how the world began in darkness, but everything else that came out of your mouth shows just how incompatible our ways of life are! You see imperfection, you see the plight that has always existed in this world, and you cling to these dark relics like humanity should crawl on this earth like toddlers still stuck in those old ways, while I stand upright continuing the direction of steps of forward thinking men now behind me. You wish to purge your demons by serving some god of death while embracing wickedness……if such things as gods and demons existed, a wicked god and a demon would be one in the same, save these stories for lesser men interested in the mad rantings of a lunatic who can’t has lost the instinct to run before he is cut down! Though I have felt shame in my defeat, I feel pride in the fact that I stand up after the shame and continue the war that must be fought day in and day out! THE RED STRIFE! For your kind do not know any other salvation, you must be destroyed for your thirst for poisoned nourishment to ever come to an end. I am a non-believer, but I respect people’s right to religion. I even help facilitate the action of getting closer to one’s god when I lead them to their church. But where does one pray to a god of death? Death’s door of course, and his most devoted followers ought to walk right through it. In every religion, those closest to god are the most blessed, so in that ring let me be your pastor and end your wicked life for good as you return to the darkness blacker than any night.


And perhaps, you shall see your god there, and tell him the Phantom Troupe shall soon too be at his temple.


⚔️Pendragon unsheathes the blade as the screen cuts in half and to black. ⚔️
Son of Ra
April 13th 2018, 6:30 pmSon of Ra
(The sun is almost at its peak for the day, we see the camera fly over the Nile river, overlooking a vast estate with a certain eccentric Egyptian standing on the dock, awaiting a special guest. We see the Oracle sitting in a lounge chair in a small sundress and adorned with golden bracelets and a golden head dress with the eye of Ra in the center. She looks over at her Pharoh and begins to speak.)

Aurora: My king, why don;t you relax, our guest will be here soon...you did tell him which estate was ours correct?

Atem: I gave the boat man concrete information my Oracle, and he said in haste that he would be here, by the mid day sun he would be here...AH, WONDAHFUL HERE HE COMES NOW!

(We see a boat man in an old wooden raft, with a cloth sail and a single rutter in the back, as he guides the boat over towards the dock we see Endeavor sitting Indian style underneath a large leaf to shield him from the sun. Endeavor gets up and is helped off the raft to the dock and is met by Atem, wearing a white silk shirt with golden designs, and a pair of white silk pants to match and a pair of sandals. )

Atem: BROTHER SETO...I KNEW YOU'D COME!!!

Endeavor: Yeah man, you invited me to your home like a week ago. And brother Seto? 

Atem: Ah yes my brother, you have always been forgetful...for many millenniums you have forgotten small things, but your name my dear brother? Are we getting FORGETFUL in our old age? Yaaassss?

Endeavor: I must be man, so you said you had something to discus? I flew all the way to Egypt bro...And why didn't I just get a driver?

Atem: Always drawn to the desert are we? No wonder father made that your home while I was allowed to rule here, in this VAST VILLA near the Nile! AHHHH YYYAAASSS my brother, the reason I had you to stop by. As you know we have a large contest ahead of us, this ARENA OF REEDS Tournament! And brother I have a very special gift for you, that I am sure you will recognize. SIR SOLOMUN...BRING ME THE ARTIFACT!!!

(Atem and Endeavor begin to walk towards a stone table with seats to match, with lovely silk and pillows to cover their hard exterior as Sir Solomun, a shorter grey haired gentleman in a leisure grey suit walks over with a staff and lays it upon the table gently. He looks to Atem and does a small bow, which Atem reciprocates as he walks away back to doing his chores. The Orcale, Aurora, brings herself off of her lounger and stands next to her Pharaoh as they admire the golden staff, with a ankh at the top inside of a saphire orb. Endeavor eyes it, as Atem insists he indulge and inspect the scepter, as Endeavor picks it up and examines it. Atem claps at the feat and then begins to speak.)

Atem: EXQUISITE MY BROTHER!!! YOU REMEMBER THE STAFF AS IF IT WERE 3,000 YEARS IN OUR PASTS!!! I am most glad you like it Seto, God of the desert and of all the calamity that it can cause when angered. I am glad you remember my brother-..

Endeavor: Uh...Atem, I remember a lot of things when I was younger...But I am having a hard time remembering 3.000 years into the past. 

Atem: It will come to you dear brother, do not worry. But yes this contest we are in, for the Ronin camp and for the Temple itself we must advance into the next round, for the battlefield of Kadesh awaits us all...AND I WILL MUMMIFY OUR COMPETITION FOR THINKING THEY WILL LAY ME TO REST!! Yaaasssss, I do feel as if you need to see our Oracle, yes she will explain all of the proper steps we need to take. While you have counsel with her, I will attend to a matter I need to.

(The Oracle of Atem, the lovely Aurora , takes Endeavor over to the lounger she has occupied and has sat him down in a seat as Sir Solomun brings over some mead for them to drink. She thanks him as he makes his leave passing by Atem, who stops him.)

Atem: Sir Solomun...you must do this favor for me post haste. I require you to prepare a travel package for me. Make sure that it has a large jacket with it...because unlike our old nemesis NAPOLEON BONHAPART...I WILL NOT LEAVE MY COAT BEFORE I CROSS INTO A LAND WHERE WINTER IS HERE ALWAYS!!!

Sir Solomun: Yes sir mister Amun, as you wish. 

(Sir Solomun gives Atem another quick bow and Atem again bows back, as Sir Solomun walks away Atem walks back over towards the dock..and looks out over the Nile. He looks towards the camera and begins to speak.)

KRILLIN IVASHCHENKO...YOU WILL BE MUMMIFIED!!!

I have studied you dear sir, I have studied what you are about. I know very well that YOU have something to say about this combat we are going to be in...But for some reason you stay silent as the night Egypt air. Flowing so softly, flowing in the shadows to await the sun to ressurect from its passage to fight the serpent that wants to eat us all. But you see my dear Krillin...THE SUN WILL NEVER RISE UPON YOU THE WAY YOU WANT! You shall stay in the shadows until the end of our little dance dear sir. And at the end of this we shall seperate...And you shall notice that in all the excitement of the music, the lights flashing around you, and the roar of  the  crowd around you that you are in the duat. I emplore you to make your family and your friends well informed dear sir, because you have no room left on our earthly plane, and we now have no reason to allow you access to the Field of Reeds...MYSELF, ALONG WITH BROTHER SETO SHALL ADVANCE INTO THIS TOURNAMENT AND WITH THE ADMIRATION, AND THE WISDOM OF MY ORACLE...I WILL MAKE SURE YOU ARE MUMMIFIED...MUMMIFIED...MUMMIFIED...MUMMIFIED...MUMMIFIED!!!!


OOOOOOHHHHHHH YYYYYAAAAAASSSSSSSSS!!!!!

(At that moment Atem looks behind him with his arms wide open still, seeing his Oracle and Endeavor standing before him as Sir Solomun is walking up with a large coat. Atem looks over at them all and turns back to the Camera and clicks his teeth once as the camera turns off. )
Endeavor
April 13th 2018, 2:42 pmEndeavor
Is it really so strange to you to embrace being weird, being different?  Is that not what makes the world such a vibrant and fascinating place?  Shouldn’t we be trying to celebrate our differences and seek to understand each other?


Alright, maybe that last one was a bridge too far, wasn’t it, Smiley?  Let’s not call each other ‘snowflakes’ and sing Kumbayah together.  This is wrestling and we’re all here to fight.  Bad blood is just one ingredient in the recipe.  You don’t like me because I’m different?  Fine.  I don’t particularly like you because you’re the same.  There’s nothing about you that stands out.  You’re strong?  Whatever, so is Gronk and Kilimanjaro and half of the other wrestlers here.  You’re rich?  You are your entire faction.  Once you step into the ring, it doesn’t matter how many commas are in your bank account.  I don’t take pride in being a reject.  I take pride in surpassing expectations.  Coming into SSW, I know not much was expected of me, because of my background.  I don’t look the part of a highly skilled wrestler.  I’m not as quick as I was.  I’m not as strong as a lot of the roster.  My style is pretty horribly 90s.  I was probably seen as someone that might make for good enhancement talent, make the other guys look good, but ultimately burnout and fall in the end.  I feed off of those low expectations and aim to push the bar higher and higher up.  I’m going to shatter those expectations and make people believe that redemption is possible, make people believe that change can happen.


Look, I get it that Ronin doesn’t have the same appeal that the other factions do.  We don’t have the mystique of the Phantom Troupe.  We don’t have the money of Tres Comas Club.  We don’t have the steeped tradition and honor of Shoot Nation.  It’s easy to look at Ronin and think that we are all thrown in one group because we don’t conform to one of the other groups’ look.  And you know what, maybe that was true.  Maybe that’s what the original intention was for Ronin.  Just a catch-all term for the unwanted.  Then Tarah Nova arrived.  She got thrown into Ronin and said, ‘Screw it; let’s take over.’  Sure, uniting the disparate elements of Ronin isn’t easy.  There’s some like Masakazu who stay on the periphery.  And that’s fine.  But me, Tarah, Atem, Piero, and anyone else who wants to stick a thumb in the eye of the status quo and show off what misfits can do when they work together … we’re gonna make people believe in Ronin.  We’re going to tear the roof off of the shows that we perform in and we’re going to compete at the highest level for the highest stakes.


Smiley, I will apologize for generalizing about you and implying that you were American.  To be frank, though, the Canadian wrestling scene is much the same as the American one, though, so my comments stay relevant.  There is a western emphasis on individualism.  And that’s fine!  That’s part of what makes western wrestling so great with its varied range of colorful characters.  However, we’re not in the West.  The culture here is very different.  And despite the number of gaijin here in SSW, we’re all playing by a slightly different rulebook where teamwork is more of a boon than it used to be.  And Tres Comas will continue to lag behind until they begin to understand that.


But in our current match up, teamwork takes a backseat.  Our match up is going to be one on one.  I’d be quite disappointed if either of our stablemates interfered on Saturday.  No, if I beat you, I want it to be man to man, no bullshit.  You said that I’m going to need to look you in the eyes and back up everything that I say.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I’m going to beat some respect into you, teach you that the underdog is a man to be wary of.  Sure, you’re going to toss me around, beat me down, and probably think that you have everything tied up nicely for your win.  But that’s when I dig down deep and turn the tide and further prove what everyone else knows: Tres Comas is all style but no substance.  Egotistical assholes who can’t get it done in the ring.  You want to prove me wrong?  Step between the ropes and show that you’re not just a strong pair of biceps with a Napoleonic complex.  Show me that you’ve got the heart and guts to claw and scratch a victory when things aren’t going your way.  Because I’m going to do whatever it takes to advance in this tournament.  I will push my body to its limits and beyond to achieve victory, no matter faint that hope seems.


You call yourself a monster, Smiley.  I laugh at that.  Seriously, it seems like half the people here refer to themselves as monsters.  You think just because you’re strong and mean that it means that you’re a monster?  Please.  Shut up.  I’ve played at being the monster in the past.  I think it’s a phase that we all go through.  Channelling the pain that we’ve endured in the world and inflicting it on others.  Trying to destroy happiness or light or good or whatever.  It’s played out.  I’ve actually been the real monster back in the day.  And I’m not talking about the trendy monsters that seem to enjoy hurting people in the ring -although I’ve been that one too.  No, I’m talking about the real monsters.  The ones that hurt the people they love, the ones that draw others into their downward spiral of self-destruction.  The ones that act on impulse and never think of the ripples of effect that it will have on themselves and those they are close to.  I have been that monster.  So when I come up against someone that calls themself a ‘monster’, I know that I’ve been far worse, which makes them much less scary.  The harm they can inflict upon me is nothing compared to what I’ve done to myself and the ones that I love.  Puts things in perspective.  So if you were hoping that I’d begin quaking in my boots with your little assertion, well, I’m going to have to disappoint you there.  I’m not going to struggle against the monster.  I’m going to slay the small, insignificant monster that you are.


I’ve traveled far to many miles, left so many faces behind, to fail here.  I’ve come here to SSW to find myself, reignite the spark of my spirit that was once a blazing fire.  I’ve come to prove that when I return home to my daughter, that she can look at me and see more than just the absentee father that I was, more than the check that her mother receives in the mail every month.  I want her to see that her dad might not have been a good father, but that he’s a changed man.  He’s no longer fighting just for selfish reasons, but because he has passion and drive to achieve his goals.  He’s a man that can rise above his broken past and ascend to the heavens above.  He’s a man that can step into the ring no matter the monster that his opponent is or thinks that he is, and he can do it without blinking.  He can survive the adversity and continue fighting for his passion, claw and scratch his way to the top.  It doesn’t matter if I’m facing the mighty mite, Racer Smiles or the towering meathead Gronk or the proud warrior, Masanori Kawada or even the Queen herself, Aria Jaxon.  I will take them down, one by one.  I will prove that my fire outmatches theirs, that my drive and cunning will outperform them.  I will face them all and not back down.  If I lose, I will pick myself up, dust off the bruises, and return without reservation, smarter and deadlier than before.  Tarah Nova is the leader of Ronin, to be sure.  But I will lead by example too.  I will be a symbol of hope.


This tournament to you is just a chance to better yourself, Smiley.  It’s just a notch to put in your belt.  But to me, it is my road to redemption.


And you’re just a step along the way.
Matias Navarro
April 13th 2018, 3:30 amMatias Navarro
$$$ The scene opens up to a nice restaurant. A restaurant owned by one of TCC’s investors. There is a SSW cameraman, filming Matias' manager, Tomás Aguilar aka Tres Comas Tomas, sitting at a table in the VIP area. He keeps looking at his watch, to check on the time. The cameraman notes that they are twenty minutes behind schedule. Asking where Matías is? Tomás tells him he’s on his way. Another thirty minutes go by and Matías finally shows up. He’s wearing a nice navy blue suit and shades that are worth thousands of dollars. He takes a seat next to Tomás as he slowly chews his gum. He leaves the shades on, because well, Matías is bit of a tool. The cameraman’s assistant tries to clip a microphone on Matías shirt, but swats it away because he doesn’t plan on speaking today. Tomás eyebrows raise, almost second guessing his decision to manage this guy. Tomás looks into the camera, while we can’t tell where Matías is looking, because of the eyewear. For all we know, he’s taking a nap. Yeah that sounds like something Matías would do. $$$


Tomás: To those fortunate enough to be tuning in right now … just know, you will remember this moment for the rest of your lives. You will remember where you were, what you were doing, and who you were with when you first saw Matías Navarro on Strong Style Wrestling programming. That’s right, your mind isn’t playing tricks on you. Your eyes don’t deceive you! You don’t have to pinch yourself! This isn’t a dream. This is real life! The man sitting next to me isn’t some Matías Navarro hologram. It isn’t some doppelgänger either. THIS IS THE REAL MATÍAS NAVARRO! THE MAESTRO IN THE FLESH! ZOOM IN! MORE! MORE! LOOK! LOOK AT MY ARMS! LOOK AT THOSE GOOSEBUMPS! Now zoom out a little! Now look at my eyes! They are smiling with pure happiness! And let me tell you, if there was a camera behind me, it would capture the hair on the back of my neck standing up! The excitement that comes from Matías signing with SSW … it can’t be contained, whether it be my own or the fans watching this. THE EXCITEMENT WILL ONLY SPREAD! LIKE – LIKE WILDFIRE I TELL YOU! But to some, you know, those in the wrong … they see Matías spreading more like a cancer. Not by going from organ to organ or bone to bone – but by having this dark cloud like presence hovering over those in the locker room and just becoming a black hole every time he shows his face on SSW television. I know the past of Matías. I know the reputation that is stapled to his name. The past Matías rubbed people the wrong way, through his selfish actions and his vituperative words. So as you can imagine, there will be millions of people tuning in to SSW, hoping … no BEGGING, to watch Matías get his face caved in week after week, so they can finally rinse the bad taste he left in their mouths. 

Matías: But it will only get more sour over time. 

Tomás: Yes, yes it will after all the accolades you will collect during your time in SSW. Very much agreed. So you see, when it comes to Matías, you all paint this picture of him being this bad guy. And I’m here to tell you that have been using the wrong brush this entire time! Because I don’t see it. I don’t see what makes Matías so vile. But perhaps that’s the beauty of art, we all interpret it in different ways. For instance, when I look back at all Matías has done and become … I see inspiration seeping through the canvas. His life is the classic story of from rags to riches. Contrary to popular belief, Matías was never born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I don’t get where they got that idea from. They see Matías and they just automatically think he’s your typical snobby millionaire who had it easy since day one. Nope. Not true. But it’s nice to see Matías have a sense of humor on this whole thing by naming one of his signature moves the “Silver Spooonsault.” Just his way of poking fun at those of you who can’t take five seconds out of your wide open and unfulfilling schedules to do some research. Making assumptions about Matías is a dangerous game. Yet, you all play it. This is a game you cannot win. Do you not understand? But I get it. You get all of your information about your favorite wrestlers on some bullshit rumor mill  website. These “journalists” think of the most click bait titles so they can get more hits. The more clicks, the more money they stuff in their pockets. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t knock their hustle. All I’m saying is stop acting like what they say is pure gospel. That its 100% accurate, because it’s not. Notice how they never reveal their sources. It’s not because it’s confidential, but because they don’t have any sources to begin with. They just launch shit at a wall and see what sticks. Matías’ performance declined because he became lazy? Because all he ever cared about was the money? BS! All of it! Did it ever occur to you that there were other factors? Perhaps he was dealing with nagging injuries? Maybe he was dealing with personal stuff outside of this slimy world of professional wrestling? No, that couldn’t possibly be it! It has to do with Matías giving up on the fans! 

Matías: NO! THEY GAVE UP ON ME!!!!

Tomás: It’s like that shitty meme going around on all of the social media platforms. If you can’t love me at my worst, then you don’t deserve me at my best. It’s from that one song, yes? See, you people had no problem rooting Matías on when he was winning. When he was winning championships everywhere he went. Becoming the main attraction that he is! But like most great sports athletes, he hit a bit of a rough patch. A slump, if you will. And when he was going through this, what did you do? You gave me a chorus of boos every time he walked out on that stage. You turned on him. YOU STABBED HIM IN THE BACK! And after a while, Matías healed from his injuries. He was ready to go! Ready to take this world by storm once more. But in the end, Matías made a business decision. He held back in his performances because you no longer deserved to see his absolute best. And you are all bitter because of that? YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELVES! But I digress, for that’s all in the past. Matías has turned over a new leaf. He’s now here in Strong Style Wrestling. A fresh start with a clean slate was all he ever needed and here it is. A toast, to new beginnings! You know what I love about SSW? It’s new. The concepts and values are refreshing. Being placed into groups, it’s interesting. It almost brings me back to my childhood school days. Being placed into groups to work on a project. And with each group, came a few different personalities. You had the leader/overachiever. You had those who did what they were told because they knew they had to pull their weight if they wanted to get the project done one time. And then there is the slacker. The boy or girl who just sits back and does nothing and in the end gets credit for something they never did. I’m guessing the popular belief is that Matías will be the latter. That he will be the slacker. But oh how wrong you would be. He’s ready to earn his keep. He knows that if he doesn’t perform, Tres Comas Club could send him packing and then he would have to face all these groups on his own. He wouldn’t survive. No one on this roster would be able to. You would be roadkill with all those vultures picking you apart. So long story short, Matías is a team player. Which means, Miltiades, if you’re listening to this, you don’t have to worry about Matías or his motives. He’s going to help you win. He doesn’t rank his individual success over Tres Comas Club’s, which I’m sure is refreshing to hear for the investors. 

Tomás: Tres Comas Club has some interesting characters. Virgo is the new supposed leader after taking BANG’s title. We have Chase and Racer butting heads after a “loss”. Every man is in for themselves, or at least that’s how it comes across as. This is no tight knit group like Shoot Nation or even the Phantom Troupe. If this lack of synergy continues, this club will be easy pickings for the others. That’s why Matías is extending an olive branch to other members in TCC. He’s not here to add even more drama. He’s here to mellow it out a bit. Matías will be the voice of reason. He’ll be the glue that will hold this club together, which at the moment is holding on by chewing gum and duct tape. Just give it some time. That’s all I have to say about that. Let’s switch gears, shall we? Let’s talk about why we are even here, talking in front of this camera. This week … MATÍAS HAS HIS DEBUT MATCH! In one corner, you have Shoot Nation! Jun Nobunaga and The Apparition! And in the other corner, you will have the winners, from Tres Comas Club! Matías Navarro and Miltiades! Three of the four making their debuts. This match is full of mystery … I like it! I like it a lot! Some may fear the unknown, while I open my arms and embrace it. But I’ll admit, it makes my job tougher. I’m here to first and foremost, promote this match. To sell the fans on this being must see, which is no easy task with all of those tournament matches. But I’ve been known to make chicken salad out of chicken shit in the past. But luckily for me, I don’t have to sell the fans on Matías. Just look at him. He screams star! He looks the part! And when he enters the ring this Saturday, he’ll show he isn’t just some run of the mill pretty boy. He’s ruthless! And he will do any and everything to ensure Tres Comas Club comes out victorious! As for our opponents, let’s just say it’s going to be a rough week for them. I almost feel sorry for them because I know they never asked for this matchup, but oh well, you play the cards you were dealt. And you were dealt a three seven off suit while you’re going up against pocket aces! Jun, I want to start with you. Yes, I will no longer beat around the bush. It’s time I talk about Matías’ opponents head on. First and foremost, I would just like to say thank you! Thank you for proving my point from earlier when I went on a little tangent about those who make assumptions. 

For example, you assumed that Matías would like nothing more than to walk out on this match and leave Miltiades to the wolves … actually no, comparing you and App to wolves isn’t accurate enough … you’re more like golden retriever puppies. But tell me, why would Matías leave a tag match? Since everyone keeps assuming that Matías is some self-centered prick, wouldn’t he love the concept of tag matches? When he needs a break, he just tags out! The pressure isn’t all on him. This match is tailor made for him! But no, that isn’t true. I already debunked those outlandish claims. Matías is a motherfucking warrior! No matter the match type and no matter the quality of opponent before him, he’ll give it his all, period. End of discussion. See? He has honor too! He’s one of the good guys! Buy his merch! Take a picture with him at 3 AM at the airport. He’ll love that. Matías is just so perfect and noble. He should be in Shoot Nation with the other special snowflakes. Barf! I don’t know about any of you listening to this, but I can’t stand Shoot Nation. I can’t stand this code of honor they think they live by. Acting because they don’t cheat the system or bend any rules, that they automatically become the fan favorites and that they are what we should all aspire to be. What a load of bullshit. If professional wrestling has taught me anything it’s that good guys finish last. Just ask your leader all about it when he was facing off against Aria and CM. Or hell, even TCC got a taste of our own medicine when Piero hit Chase with a low blow, gifting his Ronin buddies the tag titles. Evil wins. You should know this Jun. I mean you were a part of TCC in the beginning. At least you say so. I honestly don’t remember because SSW had to take a hiatus early on. Why? Because of many factors. One had to be Brian thinking the SSW roster wasn’t up to par so he had to search the world high and low for upgrades … kind of like you in TCC. You left the club? Cool. Trim the fat, I say. I mean after all, this club only got stronger by the addictions of Matías, Miltiades, Chase, and so on. We are better off, that much is true. I just find it odd how you went from Tres Comas Club to Shoot Nation in the span of two months or whether. You had a change of heart that quick? Again, I’m calling BS. I’m calling your bluff!  It was just a strategic move for merch sales and shit like that. Either that or you just don’t know who you are yet. You don’t know the true Jun! And if that’s the case, you chose the wrong group. The misfits go to Ronin.

What I don’t get is why should we value your opinion? You desperately try to besmirch everything that is Matías Navarro and what he chooses to stand for, saying shit like he doesn’t deserve to be here. That he should be blacklisted from professional wrestling because he has supposedly spat on this industry multiple times through some questionable actions. Nah, I disagree. I disagree because what you’re spewing isn’t facts. It’s nothing more than hogwash. You are no better than Matías … but you sure are worse. So do me a favor. Take that moral compass of yours and shove it up your ass. You’re fake. You have no identity. You will just float from one group to the next. At some point you will most likely turn on your Shoot Nation brethren and then what? Are we supposed to be shocked when it goes down? Put our hands on our face and scream like that kid from Home Alone? No. You turning would be no surprise. It’s already being anticipated … kind of like your demise this week. As for your partner, The Apparition. I’ll admit that your mask … it pisses Matías off. It gives him flashbacks to a few months ago, when a company in Mexico offered Matías a contract. 

The only catch was he would have to wear a mask. Why? Because they didn’t want the world to know that they hired the “shit stain of the lucha libre community”, as they put it, to be an active competitor on their roster. He obviously declined. Why? Because well, I think the world should know that there is a soon to be legend competing in that ring and not just some random. You can’t strip his identity away. His identity and face are worth millions. But here you are, wearing that mask and I’m sure Matías would like nothing more than to rip it off. Not because he’s curious to see the face underneath, but because he wants to see the blood trickling down your face. He wants to see the masterpiece he created with your vermilion blood. That’s all. Now, seeing as how many refer to you as The Forgotten one, it obviously gives the impression that you’ve been in this industry before. You aren’t some rookie or tyro. Just some veteran trying to relive his glory days. I saw that movie The Wrestler, too! It was depressing! But not as depressing as your attempt to add anything of significance to this match through your choice of words. A for effort I suppose. So just to be clear, you really think that you can pickup where you left off? Nah I don’t think so. When you taste that first punch to the mouth, you will quickly come to the realization that you can’t hang with the likes of Matías because you’ve missed a step. Just to be clear, I’m not banking on you missing a step and neither is the man sitting next to me. I think I can speak for Matías when I say he’s eager to see what you have to offer in the ring… yep, that’s it. Normally, someone would follow that up with some generic threat. Like, after the match you won’t be able to stand up on your own two feet and you’ll have to be stretchered out of the arena, but that’s not the case with us. To Matías, this is just another match. A warm up, if you will. To be frank, we are all about the bigger picture and this match? There is nothing big picture about it. We will win and people will forget about it a week later, which hey, is good news for you guys because with the fans having the attention span of a goldfish, they’ll quickly forget about your disappointing display out there. So with all of that said, I can't believe this, but you actually had the gall to say Tres Comas Club should fear you? YOU?!?!?!

Matías & Tomás: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! 

Tomás: Look at that! You even made Matías laugh! Such a rare thing to see! Thank you for that! And thank you for your time. I bid you farewell. 

$$$ And just like that, the camera faces to black with Matías still chuckling $$$
Damien Walker
April 13th 2018, 12:00 amDamien Walker
SSW Heaven’s Arena Cup: Round One-Promo 1
*The camera cuts on to Damien Walker sitting on a chair in front of the camera, running his hand through his hair and loudly letting out an exasperated sigh.*

Y’know, I’ve been rather quiet. Up until this exact moment, I hadn’t yet taken the opportunity to truly speak and explain my thoughts regarding Strong Style Wrestling, my status as a member of Ronin, and my opponent. To put it simply, I’ve come here to expand my horizons. To wrestle in a company where some of the absolute best in the whole entire world call home. To prove to myself, above all else, that I can win championships and become one of the best.  Look, wrestling in the good ol’ U.S. of A. is fun and all, but to NOT take an opportunity to wrestle in Japan?  Well. *he chuckled to himself*  

I’d be a fuckin’ moron, wouldn’t I?

*he got up out of the chair and began slowly pacing around the room*

Now let’s see here. I’ve already gotten one victory since my debut in SSW over Candice Blair in a match that lasted barely less than 8 minutes. Nothing to sneeze at right? Yet my opponent for this Saturday, doesn’t exactly agree with that sentiment. No, in fact, Mr. Chase Vedder doesn’t seem to think much of anything regarding me. Perhaps he’s so confident due to the fact that he’s by far considered to be the favorite to win our match? Which I’d totally understand...IF the guy didn’t have almost the exact same record as I do.

I mean, am I missing something here?

This guy runs his mouth about things like my facial hair, my hairline, my...nicknames…?

*he stopped pacing, walked towards the camera, moved the chair closer to it and sat down again*

Chase, I’m gonna do you a favor. A BIG favor. I’m going to give you a piece of advice that may serve you well. *he leaned his face into the camera* You really ought to take me a little more seriously, if you want any hope of not getting your sorry ass kicked from pillar to goddamn post this Saturday. See, the problem with someone like you is that you think that you’re practically “destined” to make money, to be a star, to be the guy everyone else wants to be. How truly ironic it is that you chose to call another member of 3CC “a self-centered, arrogant, entitled, little bitch.” When all of those things and more could so easily be applied to yourself, Chase.

How does it feel being completely lacking in something called “self-awareness”?

*he finally leaned back against the chair*

You claim to be the “The Man” and “The Alpha Male”, but then have the nerve to mock my admittedly many nicknames. Any other nicknames you’ve got that strongly imply that you’re severely compensating for something? I mean, Christ. At least TRY to be somewhat subtle about it. Regardless Chase, you’re in for quite the nasty surprise when we get into that ring. For when the bell rings, it’ll be followed by me giving you an ass-kicking that your parents probably should’ve given you years ago so that you wouldn’t end up being such a flagrant douchebag.  

I’m all too thrilled to be given the golden opportunity to knock your ego down a couple pegs this Saturday, and prove to everybody who didn’t think I’d make it past the first round that they ended up placing their bets on the wrong fucking guy.

*Damien walks towards the camera*

Peace. The Fuck. Out.

*The camera feed cuts out*
GREED貪欲
April 12th 2018, 10:01 pmGREED貪欲
Burden? You don’t know what a burden is, Masakazu. You would never understand what the very word means until you experience that I carry - that I have been carrying my entire life. I don’t know if I believe in predestiny, at least, not in the way that you do. You find yourself predestined for greatness on what merit? That you can lift a finger and make things happen outside the world of wrestling? Amusing. Very, very, amusing. You’re right in that there isn’t much we know about the man named Masakazu, but there is even less you know about me. Don’t let the little biography I gave to the interviewers for the SSW website as a bare-minimum formality let you shape your perception of me. I promise you that there is much, much more for the world to learn about who I am.

Choose a point and stick with it. There’s talk of destiny, then of a strong desire to prove to everyone who thinks they are better than you wrong, then you claim to have the same desire as me to claim everything you possibly can for yourself? Which one is it, Masakazu? Don’t let over-ambition be your downfall until you can prove that you are capable of living up to these expectations you’re putting out for yourself. Because as far as I can see Masakazu, you might just be one of the dime-a-dozen “next big things” that walk into this company and fade out faster than they can sign their contracts. Now of course, you could assume the same of me… But I’m sure you’ve picked up on the aura about me. It’s not for nothing, I’ll tell you that.

Unlike you, I don’t need an insurance policy. I don’t need a back-up plan, or someone else to have my back. I am my own insurance policy, because I always have and always will continue to achieve everything I have by myself, for myself, all to fulfill my destiny of being the preeminent personification of glory - and my greed is the driving factor that will take me there. That’s why GREED is a one man force, an intimidating one at that, and one that will not be undercut by a man who needs his hand held to the ring and back. I’m honestly taken aback by the pride you put into your declaration of the fact that you need the assistance and guidance of Watari. What kind of man can stand there with a straight face and say that they need the help of another to achieve their life’s goal? Your one life, Masakazu. Your one chance in existence to establish yourself in the legend and lore of mankind, and you opt to willingly put an asterisk next to your career?

Such weakness… I don’t know if it angers me or makes me pity you for being the fool that you are. When you split the effort you’re willing to put to make your convictions reality between two people, you’re only getting half the reward and… how in the world could you ever settle for half? So here, when you’re lecturing me about your destiny - I say, your destiny holds no merit. YOU hold no merit. You are a joke, painted such by your own words. Let me give you a little peek behind the curtain at the man that is GREED. There is no half for me. Getting help isn’t even an option, if I cannot claim what is mine for myself, by myself, then I am not the man I say I am, and I can admit that - unlike you, who can only stand there as a poser and dare pretend to be anywhere near my level. I’m not going to tell you to show me the respect that I deserve because I am going to force every last ounce of it out of you come Sunday, when you will realize that whatever you are can NOT be compared to who GREED is, do you understand me?

Clubs, factions, alliances, to hell with them. You can focus on where you think you belong as opposed to where you actually belong, debating that with your boyfriend, and I will continue to work and be the man you think you are. It really is poetic for me to make my debut against a man who is nothing more than the discount version of myself. Taking your ego away from you… I’ll consider that my first token of sacrifice to the devil on my back… And that is my burden, Masakazu - GREED.
DEATHMATCH DRUNKARD!
April 12th 2018, 5:58 pmDEATHMATCH DRUNKARD!
Not much is known about one of SSW's newest signees in Masakazu. The man himself is a very silent figure, though his cold and blank stare suggests that he might not be someone to be taken lightly. He is clearly in the right physical condition to be stepping inside of a professional wrestling ring, so there is no denying that. But how is one supposed to prepare for a mysterious figure such as himself? That might be his biggest advantage when it comes to his debut on the 14th. Masakazu himself doesn't seem too concerned as he stands in the background of the shot, hands wrist deep in the pockets of his tailored suit. The bulky, intimidating figure that seems to serve the man hand and foot, Watari is standing in the foreground and speaks up for the two.

"To be destined for great things is a burden for most men. Being destined to be the best at everything you do comes with much hardship, a lot of trial and tribulation. Not for Masakazu. Masakazu is the sole exception. Masakazu was born from the mere concept of being destined to become the best at whatever he tries his hand at. So much so that the man has become a great and revered name outside of the wrestling industry at the mere idea of lifting his finger. He has never needed to expend effort -- never had a reason to. But when he found out that there is a shadow cast upon him -- the shadow of his father's tenure in the wrestling industry that affiliates with his name -- effort is an expense worth paying. Being considered as someones second, much less their lesser, is a spit in the face for Masakazu, and if expending effort is a necessity to overthrow the men and women who believe themselves to be his betters. He will do so --" Watari clicks his fingers, a loud snap piercing the silence. "-- just like that. And my job cosigns that idea. I am many things to this great man. I am his insurance policy, I am his planner but, most importantly, I am his problem solver. If I see anything that could hinder his success, that even threatens the idea that his success could be in jeopardy, my job is to eradicate that problem. My job is to exterminate the pests that dare to crawl even on his designer boots." Masakazu's sole input is the occasional nodding in agreement of his insurance policy's statements, believing every single word that escapes from him to be true. "And, as far as we are concerned, Ronin should thank their lucky stars that they are affiliated with a man who is destined to rule this world. It is begrudging that we affiliate ourselves with the pack of rodents. But given the options that are available, they will suffice. Shoot Nation? A bunch of wannabe heroes that fail to see results because of a faulty code of ethics. The Phantom Troupe? An unimpressive collection of names that can hardly fend for themselves and settle for handouts. And Tres Comas Club? You'd imagine that's where Masakazu belongs. You'd imagine with his wealth, with his unrivalled potential, that the Tres Comas Club would be the faction Masakazu is best suited. But you'd think wrong." Masakazu once again nods his head a few times, closing his eyes as he does so. "In a world where the all-mighty dollar is king, you can't count on or rely on the men who worship it to be a reliable ally. People who worship the dollar only care about one thing and one thing alone; themselves. Masakazu is no different, that we can both attest, but Masakazu is smarter than the likes of the Tres Comas Club. His brilliance knows no bounds and he knows that the Tres Comas Club is more of a hindrance than an asset. So Ronin, once again, will suffice. They are not his equals, and Ms Tarah Nova, she is not his better or leader. They are the tools that will assist the great Masakazu to become even greater. Nothing more, nothing less. And as long as they do their job, Masakazu is a charitable man. Masakazu will happily repay the help with rewards of riches and gold. Because Masakazu isn't selfish. Masakazu is just destined for bigger, better things than to be an underling." Watari gives his client a look, to which Masakazu acknowledges with yet another nod of approval. It seems that is all he is willing to input on the situation, but it is a queue for Watari to continue. "I guess you could go as far as to say that facing the incarnation of Greed itself is considered destiny. Because Masakazu himself wants everything in this world that he desires and not even the greed of others will stand in his way to get it. Greed, however, isn't what drives this great man. No, what drives him is his pride. His pride as a man, the pride of a man who wants to one day be the most respected and powerful man in this nation, in the entire world. So it is written, so shall it be done. And the incarnation of Greed itself will bend the knee to the winds of his majesty. As no one stands in the way of the destined prince of this world." Watari turns to his client, taking off his sunglasses as he talks to his supposed-master. "Anything you wish to add, my lord?" Masakazu simply shakes his head, looking up at the lens of the camera after doing so. Watari bows his head to Masakazu and makes one last quip towards Masakazu's opponent. "He will not waste the effort of words with you today, Greed. Though he will make an exception to make and example out of you come tomorrow evening. You will be the first domino to fall, be grateful that you will serve that purpose. It is a luxury that is yours and yours alone."
Falke Halstenberg
April 12th 2018, 1:03 pmFalke Halstenberg
Heaven's Arena Cup Chapter 1


"You assume i am the same, i could not be any more different."


*The scene pulls in on Kerry training in what seems to be an old, worn gym. As he punches one of the heavy bags, dust flies off of it and Kerry's lips curl upward into a smile at the sight.* 


Kerry: This kind of opportunity is EXACTLY why i came out of retirement in the first place! I promised myself, night after night, day after day, i'd do my very best to improve myself, to become the pro wrestler i know that i can be.


*Kerry kicks the heavy bag, it shakes with the fury of his kick. He kicks it again, causing it to shake even more.* 


Kerry: So what if i lost a match to Chase Vedder? That doesn't matter to me, i can pick myself up, i can train harder and do better next time. *Kerry pauses* That brings me to what i meant to talk about, see, the Heaven's Arena cup is important to me, it's an opportunity to prove to myself that i can still go after these few months away from the squared circle. And it seems the one who is standing in my way is a certain Ms. Belle Kingsley. 




Kerry: There's one thing that you got right, Belle, the Phantom Troupe is here to dominate the wrestling world, and a man or woman are only as good as the company they keep, if that was the only variable here i'd be calling you a goner already. But you also have the same problem as ALL of the Shoot Nation, you're much too soft. I may be here to prove some things to myself, but that's not because i think it's the right thing to do. Frankly, right and wrong are much too shallow of concepts to follow. I'm here to prove things to myself because i know my own strength and my own potential. You can be as polite as you want, but i found out the hard way that being nice gets you nowhere in pro wrestling. 


Kerry: If you look at who the champions are heading into this event, it should be a testament to my point. The Phantom Troupe is of course on their way to dominating the world of SSW, and the world of anyone who doesn't agree with us, that happens to be you at the moment. 


Kerry: Belle, don't get your hopes up *Kerry chuckles* I am NOT a nice guy. I am NOT going to give you mercy just because I have the opportunity to. I personally think you Shoot Nation members are headed for a great big fall if any of them think similarly to you. 


Kerry: Sadly, Belle, my stable IS better than yours. But see, the fact that you said that it was "childish" to point that out is just the opinion of someone who is obviously inferior and doesn't want to take proper criticism or have it pointed out to them. 


*Kerry hits a few elbow strikes on the heavy bag*


Kerry: The reason why people expect me to blow passed you is simple, because they know who's better. They know that I will take down anyone in my way of proving my strength to myself. The Phantom Troupe knows it, Tres Comas knows it, Ronin knows it, and if Shoot Nation doesn't know it yet, let it be you're rude awakening when you find out. 


*Kerry smiles again*


Kerry: Remember Belle, all these other stables... they're just a bunch of odds and ends thrown together that only hope for a proper cohesion... but The Phantom Troupe... we aren't just a stable, we're a way of life. On Saturday i'll be preparing my celebration... because in my mind, there's only one outcome of this match. Belle Kingsley, prepare to be SILENCED!


*The feed fades to static as The Phantom Troupe logo appears*
Masanori Kawada
April 12th 2018, 9:13 amMasanori Kawada
SSW Promos - Page 12 BkgsQHu

"ALL-MIGHT" MASANORI KAWADA
Versus CM Nas; Heaven’s Arena Tournament first round.
Entry: 2 -- Word Count: 1,338


The Everlasting Hero has heard the proclamations made by his opponent in the first round of this tournament and, as our scene opens, his facial expression is proof that he hasn't found the statements made against him amusing. Actually, he looks annoyed -- as if he was annoyed that he waited so long for a response only to be given meaningless ridicule. In a way, this is accurate. Judging by his training getup, he has done this response video on the fly, even having the response being shot inside the SSW Training Dojo. Standing within the ring, the SSW logo dawning on a white banner on the wall, All-Might simply nods in acknowledgement that the camera operator has signalled that he is rolling before replying to the self-proclaimed Best Wrestler Alive.

"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Those are the words that open this candid, words that are followed with a slight pause to allow those words to sink in, to give them just that little bit of extra power before Kawada continues. "That is a phrase used in the west, or so I have been told. A phrase that I could see being associated with my opponent this week. CM Nas, in a past incarnation at least, was considered amongst the fans of the western wrestling scene a bit of a peoples hero. He was the person they cheered for, rallied behind to achieve his dreams, do things the right way, become the champion of the people. And from what I could gather from his comments, this was intentional. These intentions were at one point a pure, driven motive. Motivated by men who carried themselves a similar way, aspired to become the hero the people deserved in the wrestling industry." Kawada takes, from the sounds of it, a disappointing sigh, as if what comes next is something he somewhat regrets having to say. "But deep down, at his very core, a hero was not what Nasir Moore really was. What Nasir Moore was is what CM Nas is today. Arrogant, stubborn, cynical. It may have been hidden from the public eye, but that's who he really was. He has revealed his true face when he arrived here in SSW. That is who he is, and on the 14th, that is who will stand across the ring from me. A man who dares to not only call himself the best wrestler alive, but has the nerve to dare call himself a deity -- a god!" There was a lot of emphasis on the words deity and god, as if Kawada himself is appalled at the usage of such words. Nonetheless, he collects himself rather quickly and continues. "Unjustified. An absolute unjustified inflation of your own ego and nothing else. Anyone who entertains such an idea are just as foolish as the man who cooked it up. This complex is, dare I say, pathetic. It is common in the west to throw that namesake around, entitling ones self as a god because they feel they have the right to do such a thing. But they don't; no one does. Especially in this country, in this industry, no one has the right or the credentials to call themselves a god. An old, meaningless relic over your shoulder doesn't make you an exception. Even calling yourself a champion is an unjustified and unsanctioned claim. In all reality, you are a champion of no one. You don't defend that championship, nor do you even express an interest to, merely carrying it around for the sole purpose of a bragging right. And a weak bragging right if that. Defeating one person to claim the title and abandoning the very company who sanctions it a mere few weeks later, no, Nas you are by no extent of the imagination a champion. I believe an expression used in the western territories is 'paper champion'; a champion who holds an official title but lacks the caliber of a real champion. Until you start defending that championship like it means something, it means nothing. And until you let go of that relic and challenge for one of our sanctioned belts within this company and claim it, you are no champion. You are no deity, you are no god. You are a mortal man, and nothing more -- a mere phony leeching off the words." This was strangely cut-throat of Kawada, a sense of hostility in his voice. Though, understandably appalled by CM Nas's claims of status and comparing himself to sacred beings have peeved him off, Kawada almost seems angry that Nas even dared to do such a thing. It once again takes him a few seconds to collect himself in an attempt to keep his cool, but he does eventually continue. "I am well aware I don't have to concern myself with the Phantom Troupe, especially John Doe, during this tournament. Management has finally decided that enough was enough, that the Phantom Troupe are rewarding too many unworthy champions and assisting their members too heavily to deal with their own affairs alone. Because that means that my sights can be focused on one man and one man alone without having to constantly having to look over my shoulder in anticipation of one of those hooligans trying to once again make a mark against the Shoot Nation. Because no Phantom Troupe member, besides the recent defeat of Captain Strong Style against Saul Omen, have defeated a Shoot Nation member without assistance from the rest of the group. That includes the matches where both Khmaoch Sangat and Aria Jaxon got their championship belts. Every time there was no assistance from the rest of the faction, every encounter between the factions have seen a Shoot Nation victory. And yet we, the ones who actually prove our worth and fight with our own means, are supposedly the weak and inferior unit?" Kawada takes a deep, sharp breath from his nose as he clenches his fist. "No. No, we are not inferior. We are not weak. We are a proud and strong faction of men and women and we are going to prove that these setbacks are only temporary -- that the Phantom Troupes glory that they have lorded over us is only temporary with an easy fix. Win. Heavens. Arena. Belle Kingsley, Jaydayne Pendragon and myself, one by one we're going to eliminate the members of the Phantom Troupe until one of us, if not two of us, make it to the finals of this tournament and wins the whole thing to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Shoot Nation are not inferior. I have that much faith in my stablemates to believe that, if I somehow can't make it to the finals myself, they can do it. That is not a luxury the Phantom Troupe has; faith in one another. There is no honor amongst theives. That has been demonstrated numerous times with the cowardice of your leader. And with the three of us taking on three members of the Phantom Troupe in the very first round, we as a faction are going to make that point evidently clear." Kawada points a finger into the very lens of the camera, as if to his opponent himself. "And at my hands, CM Nas, you will be faced with the justice that your ego is long overdue. Not a divine justice, but a hard and absolute justice that will triumph over your delusions of grandeur, your blasphemous self-titles and, above all else, your arrogance as a whole. If you dare to call yourself god, I will smite you down. If you dare to call yourself the best wrestler alive, I will best you on the 14th to prove that isn't the case. And if you dare call the Shoot Nation inferior, a joke, I and the rest of my faction will prove that the Phantom Troupe are only on borrowed glory."

"CM NAS -- Meriken chikushō-me !"
BRACE YOURSELF!
Jun Nobunaga
April 12th 2018, 5:13 amJun Nobunaga
Tres Comas Club...yes once I had strong ties to such an organization. Back in its former days when it was run by the man called BANG! However...from what I saw during my small hiatus from Strong Style Wrestling to reinvent myself, Tres Comas Club has turned into something that is no better than Phantom Troupe. It possess all of the same evil quality, except trade a lust for gold with a lust for greenbacks. You can see it when you look into the eyes of the men who work for said organization today. And yes, many may attempt to call me a hypocrite as I too have a history within the group. The difference however IS...I have opened up my eyes and now realize what is truly important in this business. We cannot allow ourselves to lose our Culture and the very foundation of our Sport due to the selfish desires of some. That is where Shoot Nation comes in. For you see I was approached by Jaydayne Pendragon after our match. I was pulled aside and told how even though my heart was not in the right place at the time, my body fought with honor and courage throughout our battle. It changed my outlook on everything. Now Pendra-Senpai has earned my absolute respect and trust. The vision that men such as himself and Masanori Kawada possess for the future of SSW will propel us into a prosperous future should their bright visions become a reality. But we must fight for a greater tomorrow. Nothing will be done if we stand idly by and allow Menaces such as Phantom Troupe and Tres Comas Club to plunder Strong Style Wrestling for their selfish gain at the expense of all of us hard working wrestlers...and more than anything else at the expense of what the fans desire to see. Pendra-Senpai and Kawada-Sama opened my eyes to my roots as a wrestler. My early days in the industry. Grinding as a Young Lion and going on excursions to foreign lands to hone my skills. I realized if I wanted to better Puroresu and all of SSW I would have to go back to what I once was. Which explains the Jun Nobunaga that stands before you today. 

The New Jun will show the world exactly what he is made of when he bands together with The Apparition to take on Tres Comas Club’s Matias Navarro and Miltiades. Matias Navarro is a man who spits on everything that we stand for. A man who purposely throws away all that is right in this business purely to make a buck. That fact that such a man after the crimes he has committed in our industry is even allowed to step foot in Strong Style Wrestling disgusts me. He could become the “greatest thing to blow up in our sport” any day now if he just puts some effort into it. But that is the very issue that we face with the man. He does not care. He does not love the business. He does not love the fans. He does not love anything other than making a paycheck. Hell I am very confident he would have no problem leaving Miltiades high and dry against myself and The Apparition purely because he realizes he will still make an easy buck. Such a disgusting way to live your life. But Miltiades will continue on fighting regardless. And with the massive ego this young man possesses, it would not shock me if he still expected to steamroll through myself and my partner with ease. This guy is unbelievable with his attitude! However that is fine. Jun Nobunaga is the problem solver. I shall set these two straight one way or another. I more than realize my words alone will not reach men such as these. And to tell you the truth I am glad of that fact. It delights me because it means I get to beat some common sense into these two jokers myself and brutally punish them for their actions. Ooooo I just hope one of them tries any of their buffoonery with me. Heed my warning right now Matias and Miltiades...Jun is not the one to be trifled with. Do not play around with me and expect to not get busted open! Don’t play games around me and expect to not get bones fractured! Do not tarnish the great name of Puroresu within MY presence and expect to NOT be beaten within an inch of your miserable existences! Jun Nobunaga is NO NONSENSE!

Īe nansensu arimasen
CM Nas
April 12th 2018, 4:41 amCM Nas
Rick Walton: Ladies and Gentlemen...MY NAME IS RICK WALTON! And I am here as the representative...of the BEST! WRESTLER! ALIVE! C! M! NAS!

CM Nas: Thank you once more for that riveting introduction Rick, no one does it quite like you.

Rick Walton: Well the pleasure is all mine champ.

CM Nas: Pleasure. Funny you bring up that word Rick.

Rick Walton: Why is that Nas?

CM Nas: Because this week I have the pleasure of standing face to face with yet more Shoot Nation scum inside of the ring.

Rick Walton: It’s not just any other member though Nas, it’s one of the big ones. If not THE big one past Jaydayne.

CM Nas: Yes Jaydayne and I have unfinished business and I am justifiably anxious to see him soon and exact my revenge for the injustice that took place against me at Exodus...even if it is selfishly at the expense of some of my fellow Phantom Troupe members. We are all powerful, we will rise from any setback and prove emphatically why we are the most powerful entity in all of the World of Wrestling.

Rick Walton: CM Nas VS Jaydayne Pendragon one on one. Now that sounds like a big Free-Per-View match, would not want to waste such a huge showdown on a silly tournament like this would you Champ?

CM Nas: Rick you never change. All about the business. But see, I don’t care about that necessarily right now. Of course before I go any further we need to discuss how I’d potentially get my hands on Jaydayne in the first place. And that starts with this week Rick.

Rick Walton: Against Masanori Kawada.

CM Nas: “The Everlasting Hero”. “The Absolute Justice”. “All Might.”

Rick Walton: How cute, a man almost as old as me playing super hero still. Surprised he isn’t wearing his underwear outside of his tights.

CM Nas: Let me tell you this Kawada. Before I even break down your words to me I am going to break you down fundamentally as a human being. Because that is what Deities such as myself do to mere mortal men. For twenty eight years you have stood for “Justice” for the good people of Japan. Kids Idolized you then grew up and had children who’d go on to idolize you today. Aspire to be like you. Long to live a life even remotely as proud as yours. But let’s be honest with ourselves here ol’ buddy. That’s just a bunch of B.S. now ain’t it? You see that’s the funny thing about all of this Masanori. Had I come to Strong Style Wrestling the same man I was in the States, I would be fighting right alongside you defending the “Good Justice” of the people for the people. Because that is what I did. I spent my entire life idolizing men like yourself. Your american equivalents if you would. I grew up and sought to be the modern day representation of them. I did that...but it only brought grief, and stress, and turmoil my way. I blindly followed those men until their “Sword of Justice” was drawn on me as if I was the bad guy when I had done absolutely nothing wrong. In reality THEY were the wrong ones, but their pride would never allow them to admit to their faults. But believe me deep down inside I am still the very same man I once was. It is just that my outlook on life as a whole has changed. With experience has come a new sense of reality for me. I view the world objectively now, no longer are emotions the driving force behind why I do what I do. Instead of fighting as the little guy scratching and crawling for every little thing. Now I use my new found power and connections to administer my brand of Justice onto the world. The only Justice a god can deliver. DIVINE JUSTICE!

Rick Walton: But you see Nas, that’s where you’ve made your first mistake. I bet you believe Masanori Kawada is just like those other men. And now that you have revealed yourself to him he will strike you down before you get the chance to overpower him.

CM Nas: No Rick. He will do no such thing. Because it is not in Masanori Kawada’s nature to fight in such a way. Masanori Kawada IS a true “Hero”. Something America knows nothing of. The problem of course for Kawada is simple. He would not take such a cheap shot, ergo he’d HAVE to try and take on the Best Wrestler Alive head to head. And in a one versus one scenario, that ends the exact same way for all men involved. Laid out, looking up at the lights, wondering where it all went wrong.

Rick Walton: Masanori claims that you even still possessing and claiming namesake to that there EAW Answers World Championship is the very definition of criminal. You are a vile, evil man whose heart has been corrupted by his own greed and no longer can recognize what is truly right or wrong in this business. And how dare you claim to be a deity and align yourself with the very scum of the earth John Doe and this and that and what have you. Care to speak on it Champ?

CM Nas: Yes...the Champ would. Because at the end of the day whether anyone likes it or accepts it, THAT is exactly WHAT I AM! Champion. I carry this championship title belt with pride KNOWING for a fact I have made it more sought after and more coveted by doing what I have done with it than it EVER WAS PRIOR! I never turned my back on the people who helped me reach this point. As a matter a fact it is those very fans who supported me every step of the way that brought me here in the first place. Strong Style Wrestling possesses the greatest competitors on the planet, without a fact! If I am to prove I am the BEST! I can only compete against such. The dream lives on every day that I carry this here World Championship with me, because if I would have tossed this aside and given up on it after ALL OF THE YEARS I SPENT CHASING IT AND THE HEARTACHE I WENT THROUGH TIME AND TIME AGAIN JUST TO CLAIM IT!? Giving it up would have been an Injustice to myself and all of those who desired to see me hold it for a long LONG time! And me claiming to be god himself? Come on now Kawada. You cannot tell me I am so vile in an industry where every other guy calls himself a deity of some sort. The only difference between myself and all of those other guys is I have proof of my status. Just ask my many devout followers who believe in the gospel that I preach them and beg to hear more of it EVERY SINGLE TIME I open my mouth. 

Rick Walton: How about this one though Nas, I like this part.

CM Nas: Lay it on me Rick.

Rick Walton: John Doe and the rest of Phantom Troupe knowling CHOSE for Aria Jaxon to be their representative inaugural SSW Puroresu Heavyweight Champion over you BECAUSE they knew she’d be an overall better choice than you. 

CM Nas: That’s rich. I don’t want to turn this into a debate pitting Aria against me because that’s not what this is about. If anyone recalls, Aria became our champion because SHE was the one in position to do so. Had you reversed our roles, I’d be standing here with TWO world championship titles, not having to take part in this little tournament to begin with. But it’s fine. What true legends in this industry do is find a way to bounce back from any and all setbacks, and that is exactly what I shall do starting April 15th, at your expense Kawada. Because personally I think Jaydayne singled me out first and sought to eliminate me as an ending factor so quickly compared to Aria because, with all due respect to her, he feared me defeating him FAR more than he did her. And you are foolish to not show the same fear that I KNOW for a fact he did.

Rick Walton: Very well put, as per usual Champ.

CM Nas: Thank you once more Rick. The kind words are always very much appreciated. Masanori, I believe you also said something to the effect of “This is a war between Phantom Troupe and Shoot Nation.” If that’s what you want to call it, then you are losing HORRIBLY! It’s barely been a fight on your end. Not that I’m stupid enough to take someone of your experience and stubbornness lightly. But best believe what takes place this week will be Me effectively emptying a machine gun clip into the chest of one of the premier Generals of the Shoot Nation forces and not breaking a sweat. And there’s no need to concern yourself with John Doe. Alright pal. You’ve got enough Phantom Troupe to deal with in this contest alone with me. Keep your eyes on the prize old man...it’s the only way you’ll win anything significant in THIS decade. But victory won’t be coming to you this week Masanori Kawada. Neither will your phony “Justice”.

Rick Walton: Go on Nas and inform Mr. Kawada of what he shall receive at the hands of the Best Wrestler and Champion Alive in the World Today!

CM Nas: HAKAI!
Piero
April 11th 2018, 5:16 pmPiero
Stark and Piero emerge from the Bonsai Garden with eyes redder than the devil’s asshole. Piero as usual has both of the SSW Tag Team Championship belts over his shoulders. Walking back to the ramen spot in their cyclical hell of munchies, the two begin discussing strategy for Piero’s match against Gronk.

Stark: You know, in all my years as a wrestler, I really haven’t seen a match get quite as much hype as Gronk vs Piero has, but that’s probably because you’re exactly the kind of little lumpy piece of shit they want to see get thrown around and mutilated by Gronk.

Piero: I’m a champion now, as you can see by these belts over my shoulder. I think you need to show me some respect.

Stark: Technically I’m a SSW Freebird Tag Team Champion too since I’m in the faction.

Stark rips both belts from Piero and puts them over his shoulder.

Stark: This is a lot better.

Piero: But you’re never even going to wrestle for those belts! Are you even going to wrestle at all?

Stark: Probably not, but I’m signed to a hell of a lucrative contract and all I really gotta do is stand around backstage getting blackout drunk, so why would I? Now as for you, you better get off that high-horse of getting carried to championship glory by Tarah Nova and get your head on straight. There isn’t a person in your career you’ve faced like Gronk, hell, I haven’t faced anyone like him either and I’m glad I’m on the cusp of retirement because I definitely don’t want to.

Piero: Alright… so how do I beat Gronk?

Stark stops dead in his tracks and starts laughing uncontrollably.

Piero: Uh…?

Stark: Beat Gronk? Beat Gronk?! You think you’re going to beat Gronk you little Kirby looking motherfucker?

Piero: I don’t see why you need to be so mean --

Stark: Mean? Get used to mean. Mean is just a miniscule fraction of a word to describe Gronk. He has the primal instincts of a Neanderthal with the intelligence of a Midwestern American Trump supporter packed into the body of King Kong with one preeminent desire to rip the limbs off of any sad, sorry, son of a bitch to get in his way. Beat Gronk? You aren’t beating Gronk. More than likely, your career ends this Saturday. So you want to know what to do? You survive. By any means necessary, you survive. Look, if you make that caveman chase you around the ring for long enough, he’ll forget what he was even in there for and he’ll either tire himself out or get himself counted out. Gronk might be bigger, stronger, and faster, but there’s one key aspect in which you beat him out Piero, and that’s intelligence. You are kind of a dope, but at the same time, half a brain is still better than no-brain. That and, you need to get in shape if you’re going to outlast him at all… Alright dipshit. Time for some cardio. I think you’ve had enough ramen for a lifetime… Then again, this might be your last meal… I’m fucking hungry… Let’s just go. I’m sure you’ll be fine.

Piero: He’s going to murder me isn’t he…

Stark: Hmm… Yeah he probably will. Oh well! At least you were tag team champion right? You can take these belts back. And look, if your life is REALLY in danger I guess I could come out to help. But probably not.


Stark starts to walk off while Piero looks on in sheer fear, with the realization that he may only have days left to live.
Saul Omen
April 11th 2018, 3:06 amSaul Omen
The Song of Saul Omen: Chapter V

[The void of darkness moves across the darkened church of worship that has been created by the hands of man. Skulls draped around the pillars of stone, golden chalices filled with the tribute of blood placed upon the black obsidian altar, to where we are met with the man dressed in black. Saul Omen. After victory created from his hands against the symbol of innocence known as Captain Strong Style, he manifested another great honor to where he bestowed violence upon the famed hero known as Masanori Kawada and Jaydayne Pendragon of Shoot Nation. From his knees as he knelt in prayer, Saul Omen stood upon his feet to where he tightens his tie and hummed in animalistic delight before he turned towards the camera.]

Saul Omen: In the beginning, darkness roamed across the face of the deep emptiness of the vast expanse known as reality. Out of the void, light was born from the womb of shadows to create the spark of life. Many have believed that when the light was born that it instantaneously became good, but that’s not what I have found. This division of darkness and light, the night and the day, it has been a division that has been misrepresented and created. Heroes believe they are symbols of light, showered in its divine holiness to where they’ve become just in their selfish desires, but these heroes are not good. The light has been revealed to me… to not be good. The light is founded upon pride and vanity, the desire to be celebrated and revered at the expense of the darkness shown to be vile and wicked, but the truth is those showered in the light are adept in wickedness in their own corrupted souls. Heroes are not saints or without sin, they do not hold a chaste soul that they would hope to produce in your eyes, they are men that are met with temptation and desire and for these men… vanity is the weakness. I accept the vanity, I accept the wickedness, and I manifest it into the violence that will be inflicted upon them inside of the ring to purge the demons within my soul. All of the violence and the purging of these demons is accredited to the deity of Death thas been my guide… my muse… and this brings me to the events that have unfolded. Masanori Kawada… the great light of the world… he is the hero of Japan that dreams of a future that will be able to shine in the light. Jaydayne Pendragon… a hero that stood for the people in the SSW Puroresu Heavyweight Championship Match… he’s the celebrated warrior that stood against the cruel world that has forced upon him at Exodus. Two men that have share the same dream, the dream of peace and hope that all of the innocent souls of the world march behind them to achieve, but Exodus showed that their dream deserves to be shattered before the eyes of the world. This age of weakness has been created because of men like you that will rush to the aid of all the weak children of the world, children that will devote themselves towards futile dramatic rants with technology at their fingertips. Voices of crying adults that need knights to come rally behind their cause and Shoot Nation is just an example of these heroes that devote themselves to that cause. They rally behind the desires of the people, all hoping for the chance to be revered in their eyes, but what celebration do you have now? What glory does Shoot Nation have after the way the two greatest men of their faction were left at Exodus? There should be no pride in what you did. No honor in what happened to you. There should be humiliation in what you have been left with and sorrow towards the actions that you have made to bring yourself to this point. However, you don’t have that. I know it. Shoot Nation and their members still have hope within their hearts to where they believe that the villains of the world shall be brought to their knees and meet justice. There is no justice in this world… only death. Death is the only sentence that weighs on the human soul and your justice means nothing. Useless in the eyes of my God.

[Saul Omen is heard to make a sly chuckle at the statement that he made, looking back a large skull outfitted with rubies and gold, before he turned himself around to where his entire face can be seen.]

Saul Omen: Jaydayne Pendragon… how revered are you now since being left without the SSW Puroresu Heavyweight Championship? How honored is Shoot Nation to see the way that you were left in humiliation by the hands of Shoot Nation? What celebration did Shoot Nation have after the humiliation of not only the leader, but the man of justice in Masanori Kawada to join you? There is no celebration what you suffered, just disappointment. An understandable disappointment to watch the villains of the world, the devils that you have been lectured by your family to eradicate from the face of the Earth, rule this entire company with The Queen of Strong Style Wrestling reigning as your SSW Puroresu Heavyweight Champion! Death decided upon her to be the one to bear the crown of the top prize of this company and with that, I’m honored to share a stable with this queen among peasants that look wide-eyed at the world instead of seeing the reality for the world that we live in. In this world, you have men that want to simply watch the world burn with honorable and innocent souls left within the smoldering waste and when you walk into the arena of carnage that the wrestling ring will be during this tour, I shall leave you laying on that canvas just like The Phantom Troupe did at Exodus. For Death isn’t only the angel of death, but he’s also the angel of life and I have never felt MORE ALIVE than when I gift heroes like you the violence that desires to be wrought upon you. A desire in my heart that pounds quicker in the name of the opportunity, a fire that rages with my own as I stand across that ring from you, and a passion that rises with each strike that lands upon your flesh! Allowing your flesh to reach that breaking point to where you surrender, to where you announce and declare to the world that your heroic valor has been rendered worthless, and the only reprieve that you will have will come with the face of Death harboring you in the Stygian void it inhabits… it’s a euphoric sensation! A feeling that can’t be placed into the words of the mortal man and to attempt to describe the sensation that Death gifts upon you with these tributes would be a dishonor upon its name. For heroic valor brings forth pride and with Jaydayne Pendragon, you’ve been basked in pride like the fog that slithers across the Earth. No matter the disappointment, no matter the defeats, you choose to continue to fight the nonsensical war because of the hope that you’ve been instilled with. That’s why I intend to not only pursue you until this victory has been made with your body broken and left into the dilapidated husk that I fashioned with my own hands, but I will hunt every member of the faction of heroes that you honor and respect. Masanori Kawada, Belle Kingsley, The Apparition, Jun Nobunaga, and whoever enlists their name and soul under the banner of this heroic Shoot Nation shall be forced to be met with the Shinigami of The Phantom Troupe. Jaydayne Pendragon, on my path to allowing the dominance of The Phantom Troupe and the honor of my own god, your heroic soul shall be collected as a tribute. I shall feast upon it to where all of your imbued gifts and talent shall be transferred towards my god, the god that shall deliver me gifts that shall rival your own, and bring me closer towards the ultimate motive of my appearance in this company. All to leave you, Masanori Kawada, The Shoot Nation, and the hopeful audience that reveres you with the words that will never be forgotten with my presence felt here…

[Saul Omen walks towards the giant doors of the strange church straight from the occult as he peers them open, the darkened skies able to be visible from the outside, leaving Saul to leave his final words before making his exit.]

Saul Omen: Memento Mori.
Racer Smiles
April 10th 2018, 1:16 pmRacer Smiles
HEAVEN'S ARENA CUP



2/2

Does it warm your heart? Being around people who accept you and your convict past? You’re so used to being unwanted that you’re willing to confide in the weak to try and find strength. The Ronin at the end of the day are just a band of misfits that nobody else wanted. Each faction is built on its own ideas. Phantom Troupe is built on domination. Shoot Nation, honor. Tres Comas Club, wealth. The Ronin, rejection. Some of you are just a little strange, like Tarah Nova. Tarah’s respectable, just a little off, and while her boy is carrying around his relic with Phantom Troupe she’s embracing her role as queen of the rejects. You fit in well there don’t you? With the freaks and weirdos? I bet that doesn’t even offend you. Being called a freak and a weirdo. In fact you seem like the type to take pride in it. Being a reject isn’t something to be proud of.

Let’s talk about why I’m here. I’m here because the investors of Tres Comas Club chose me! They chose me because I’m a physical freak! You wanna try to educate me? Tell me what it takes to be a good wrestler? Endeavor, we won’t be wrestling. When you get in the ring with me it won’t even be a fight! It’s gonna be a struggle! You struggling to survive with a monster!

SSW has yet to see what I’m capable of when I don’t have to babysit the geeks of Tres Comas who haven’t caught up yet. According to you that mentality only works in the states! But I’m not from the states you maudit toton. Not every gaijin is from America, and I don’t think it’s wise of you to compare a French Canadian super human to American vidange when you’re going to have to look him in the eyes and backup everything you say. That being said I’d advise you to choose your future statements wisely.

At least we’re both focused on this round, we’re both on that page. Do I get points for that Endy? Are you shocked that the man who truthfully cites his strength with objective numbers and statistics isn’t so prideful to say that he’s guaranteed a victory against you? I don’t know what bullshit you Ronin are capable of unveiling from up your sleeves. I still have nightmares about Piero… his jaw unhinged like a snake, it was terrifying. Oof!

Despite your Ronin tricks, I can promise that you won’t leave that squared circle speaking my name in the same tone. Of course an ex-con like yourself would try to act big coming after the strongest man in the yard. Don’t act like you’re the first. Men before you have come after me thinking they can earn clout by picking a fight with me and it was always ends the same. The Chief puts them in their place.

I know what you think of me Endeavor. You think I’m some cocky rookie but the reality is I’ve spent my entire adult life being a monster. I’ve been doing this for a long time now. Just under different rules and different settings. I haven’t been in this business as long as my peers but I’ve been around more than long enough to adapt myself to the environment and continue doing what I do best in the squared circle. So if you were hoping that I had a wealth of inexperience for you to pounce on then I’m sorry to inform you that it won’t be the factor you think it will be.

But why am I telling you this? Why am I giving you information to help you prepare for what’s to come? Because I like to play with my prey. It would be a shame for your pride to get the best of you and I squeeze the life out of you before you get to develop any hope for me to crush. Welcome to my game. The Chief’s turn is up, now it’s your move. Tread wisely.
Tarah Nova
April 10th 2018, 11:54 amTarah Nova


Night of the Hunter---SSW Heaven's Arena Cup: Round One!
Promo Number One

“Blessed by a bitch from a bastard's seed. Pleasure to meet you, prepare to bleed. Rise, I'll rise, I'll rise. Skinned her alive, ripped her apart; scattered her ashes, buried her heart. Rise up above it, high up above it and see. Pray to your God, open your heart. Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark. Cover your eyes, the devil's inside. One night of the hunter. One day I will get revenge. One night to remember. One day it'll all just end, oh.”

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The scene opens up to a silent and lost in thought Tarah Nova who is in a pair of black jeans and a old dark green tank top as she sits on one of the benches in the Ronin locker room. It shows her unwrapping her wrists from her showhouse match against the large monster members of Phantom Troupe. As she finishes her left wrist, dropping the used trap on the ground; the locker room door opens up and a figure steps in. Without looking up at the person in front of her, Nova moves to her right wrist; beginning to unwrap it like she did before. The Ronin locker room was silence for a few moments till the person before her chuckled, “You know something, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you run away from a fight like that before. That was--- something else. Good job, baby.”

The pale woman rolled her eyes, not looking up at the voice as she finished her unwrapping her other wrist. Dropping the last of the wrist trap on the ground, Tarah begins to rub her right wrist to work out the sore spot. “And you're here to insult me because...?” The voice chuckled again.


“I’m not insulting you, Tare, just pointing it out.”

A small annoyed sound left her lips as Tarah stared down at the floor till she felt a hand gentle take ahold of her chin, making her look up at the person in front of her. CM Nas. He looked down at her for a moment before a small smile appeared on his lips, “Hey, it was a smart move to run from them. Gronk could’ve hurt you and Kilimanjaro...I mean Kill is basically the beginning of his name.” Tarah rolled her eyes at her boyfriend before removing his hand from her chin so she could stand up from the bench. Swiftly the Michigan Native walked past him to her bag that opened on the table, “I’m not scared of those two, babe. I’ve fought bigger in the states, remember..”


“Oh trust me, I know, but let me point out that I never said you were scared.” He countered, following her over to her bag. Nas leaned against the table, watching her as she packed her bag. “Tare, all I’m saying is it was a smart idea for you to run and save your strength for the next show when you face off against Kilimanjaro alone.”

Tarah glanced over at him once, “Yeah, saving my strength to bury a wannabe monster. Please, you're just happy I didn’t make fools out of your Phantom Troupers tonight...but like you said, that's for this match coming up.” After that, it was Nas’ turn to roll his eyes, smiling more at his girl. “Whatever you say, baby.”

With a her hair hiding the teasing smile on her lips, Tarah began to speak again, “And what about you against Masanori Kawada coming up? I mean you JUST got your ass handed by hi--”


“Hey hey, no. He didn’t even pin me.” The Jersey native started but was quickly cut off by her, “Still lost the match, babe.” A large smile grew on Tarah’s face as she zipped up her bag and turned her body to face her boyfriend fully, who was staring at her with a ‘Are you kidding me?’ kind of  look. “No, don’t do this to me, Tare--Saul Omen ate the pin only because Masanori Kawada got involved and--Actually, it doesn't matter!” He said quickly, ending the talk of his match against the two Shoot Nation scums before it could even begin. “Just know baby that this week I’m going to take Masanori Kawada out of his misery and advance to round two.”

“Yeah, I believe you will, love. I do but--” Tarah stepped closer to the Phantom Troupe member, a smirk dancing on her lips as the space between them grew smaller, “--when you beat him and I take out your useless teammate this week, like I know I will..It's going to be You vs Me the following week.” The Leader of Ronin slowly snaked her arms around his neck, looking up at him sweetly. “Now, the real question is: Are you ready to lose in the second round to little ol’ me?”


Nas looked down at the dark haired woman for a moment before putting his arms around her waist, “Oh, don’t you mean to ask if I am ready to win against you next week? Because yeah I am and that's what will happen.” Hearing that, Tarah chuckled, shaking her head at his words before sliding her hands down to his chest, “Oh Nassy, if you think I’m just going to lay down for you in the middle of that ring next week; you have another thing comin’, my love.”

“No, I know you won’t just lay down for me. You’ll fight me and make it a challenge.” He hummed before leaning down, just inches away from her face to whisper: “And you know how much I love that kind of challenge.” With that, he winked  at her which made Tarah lean back in his arms, laughing softly. “Nas, Please.”


“Please what?” He laughed too before pulling her closer again to kiss her cheek a few times, making her laugh more has he does. “Please, stop. We gotta get going and head to the hotel before we miss check in...again.”

“Ugh, fine...No fun.” He pouted at her.

Still giggling, Tarah reached up and patted his check gently, “Oh I know, I know but...Later?” The Jersey Native mumbled a quiet ‘fine’ before moving his arms from her to grab one of her bag off of the table. “I’ll take this to the car, okay? I’ll meet you out there.” Tarah smiled, nodding her head once at him, “Okay! Thank you, babe.”


“Mhm.” Before he goes to leave, The Michigan Native grabbed a hold her love’s shirt to stop him and quickly give him a peck to the lips. Once she moves back, Nas simply smiles down at her one last time before making his way out of the locker room with her bag in hand. With the Best in the World gone, the room fell quiet once more. Slowly, Tarah pulled out her phone and hit record as she starts to pace around the room:

“So my freaks...I ran today. I ran from a fight with two monsters and left my fellow misfit in the dust to take them on all by himself. Was it wrong to do so? Yes. Yes it was but I know, of course, that karma always finds her way to me and bites me in the ass. ‘How’, you might say? Simple, my fellow freaks, by placing me in a match against one half of those monsters, Kilimanjaro...but Karma forgot who she was dealing with and soon both her and Kilimanjaro himself will learn who the hell I am.” Tarah stopped pacing and smiled at her camera before continuing, “Its funny sometimes how much My love knows how I am and he was even shocked that I ran but he was right about the reason why...and god, I hate when he’s right but I must give him a point this time because yeah, I ran to save my strength for this match. See, I’m not stupid. Not one bit. I’m probably one of the smartest people on this roster and to throw me today in the ring with the man that I face this week before our match? The owner of SSW thinks he slick but I saw it coming. So I left. I left so I could save my strength for Kilimanjaro...But I am not scared of him. I simply wanted to give him my all and beat him with everything I probably have in me. It makes me laugh that he speaks of death and destruction by his own hands...but has never seen what I can go in a squared circle just like the very one we will be in soon. See, he isn’t the only one that was built on the word ‘survive’. Now the difference between our upbringing on the word, is the fact that he chose to live that way while I was forced to live by it. He wanted to destroy everything in his path while I was thrown out on the streets and had to fight for everything I had every single day of my life. Our meanings of fighting with everything we have---the Blood, The Sweat and The Tears; are different to us both but the only thing the same we hold is that we ruin people's lives the same way. Both of us were called Killers and Monsters one time or another in this lifetime and we both chose to embrace those words as well....but the thing is, I learned from it. Every person I've destroyed, every career that I ended; I learned something from it. I did not just kill them and walk away with nothing in hands like you probably did. I took them with me. I have never forgotten a face of a career that I ended. Lethal, Cleo, Cherish and so many others who met the same fate by my hands. So while you have a country of death under your belt; I have 20 careers ruined under mine and with those 20 careers, I will defeat you and advance to the next round of this tournament, Kil.” Tarah sat down on the bench she sat on earlier. Her small smiles now gone and a weak smirk in its place. With her free hand, The Leader of Ronin quickly moved some of her long dark hair out of her face as she speaks again. “Now before you say anything: No, this is not me being cocky. This isn’t me ‘jumping the gun’ before I even hear your words about me. Kil, this is me just simply laying down the facts because I am a woman of my word and my word is this: I, Tarah Jay Nova, will destroy you this week in our match against one another. Laugh now but my word is true. See, I am not afraid of a conqueror such like yourself. In fact I have defeated men like you before. So called Kings, Gods and Monsters who believed they were better than every single person they crossed paths with but that all changed once they got to me....Once they met me in that ring, I was the one that made them bow at my feet...So what does that mean for you this week? That means you will be no different than them and you will bow to the Leader of Ronin, Kil.. Like I said before, I am not afraid of you or what you can do to me...but you should be afraid of what I can do to you. You need to realize at this moment in time before you enter that ring against me that I AM the master of that ring. I am one of the BEST in this goddamn business TODAY. I am the leader of the freaks and I know every trick in the book to defeat a ‘monster’ man such like yourself, Kilimanjaro. And trust me when I say, I don't care that your on a powerful team suchlike Phantom Troupe because in my eyes; most of them on that team are just stuck up cowards that hide behind their teammates to get wins.”

Tarah’s smirk widens,  “Now after that comment of mine, I guess that's what you are to the team, just a barrier for them to hide behind, Kilimanjaro. All you are to them is a shield of human flesh but no matter...because at the end of the our the match you, big guy, will fall fast and hard. I promise you right now, I'm going to make you crash through that damn mate, Kil. See, I’ve walked over hundred of bodies to get where I am today, I’m not afraid to walk over a few more. So be ready, Kilimanjaro become a real Killer is on the loose and she aiming right. For. You...but till then...”

“...Nova Out.” Still holding the deadly smirk on her lips, The ShockCollar of Ronin winks at the camera of her phone before signing off. Finally the camera stops recording and goes black, ending the scene.  





 WORDS:  2080 | TAGGED: KILIMANJARO
© TARAH JAY NOVA


avatar
April 9th 2018, 6:54 pmGuest
I could beat around the bush and mince my words if I wanted to but I figure I should just come right out and say it:

Racer Smiles is a

self-centered,
arrogant,
entitled
little
BITCH.

I did my best to be courteous. Going into our post-match interview I was absolutely frustrated at what had just happened but I had the decency to keep my cool and look towards the future. I didn’t once utter his name the entire time, instead focusing on myself and how I’m going to move forward and take what’s rightfully mine in championship gold. His side is a completely different story though, clearly. The moment my microphone touched that table he thought he could just sound off and try and push the blame on me for our loss at Exodus. I wish I could say I was surprised but, let’s face it, it became blatantly obvious that my partner is more shallow than the kiddy pool at a birthday party and, naturally, he takes just as much responsibility as one of the toddlers in it. I could go on and on about how the big, strong Racer Smiles somehow couldn’t push his way past a guy who must be a fraction of the weight he’s used to lifting but I think the story tells itself. Racer took it upon himself to blame me, the guy that did the actual carrying in our match because he couldn’t defend me from an illegal attack from the illegal opponent but look at what happened the following week during our Heaven’s Arena tour!

Chase brings out a document with the match results from last week and their times, putting it up to the camera and revealing Chase’s singles match and Racer Smiles’ tag match with Kirill Ivaschenko.

Do you see what I see? Chase Vedder defeated Kerry Keller in twelve minutes and fifteen seconds. My first match as a singles competitor and I won just like I promised that I would. Unfortunately I made the mistake of promising the same in tag team competition, unaware that my partner was about as competent as the three stooges combined. You saw for yourself on this very piece of paper. It says right here that he and Ivaschenko lost in almost the exact same manner! Yet again he failed to save his partner from a two on one assault, this time because his back hurt, I guess? I wonder what his excuse is going to be but that’s enough of him for one day; I have something much, much more important to focus on for the next few weeks and that’s the Heaven’s Arena Cup.

In the very first round it seems as though I’ll be faced with the “challenge” of Damien Walker, although judging by the rundown I’ve been given on him by one of my Tres Comas Club subordinates, it seems as though this man has more nicknames than he does talent. He calls himself things like The Man Without Fear and The Punisher yet all I see is a guy with a bad haircut and an even worse goatee. I mean, really? A goatee in 2018? With poor decision making like that it’s no wonder you got dumped in that rat-infested, half assed faction called Ronin. I mean, what’s even the point in Ronin anyway? You guys are the last crumbs scraped from the bottom of the barrel and yet I’m apparently meant to feel some way about that. While it’s true that your faction doesn’t make you, you have to have made it in some form to actually find yourself in one that’s worth anything. That’s why I’m here in Tres Comas Club and you’re over there with the band of misfits, “Mr. Unpredictable”. Yikes, these nicknames just get worse and worse, don’t they? Well, Mr. Unpredictable, meet Mr. Unanimous Decision. At least, that’s what everyone else is going to be calling me while you’re staring up at the lights. I know that’s a tough concept for you to understand, though, Judging by the looks of you I’m not sure you’ve ever stepped foot in a building that wasn’t infested with cockroaches or reeked of piss. Those places don’t typically have electricity from my knowledge.

You see, electricity is what powers a lot of modern day technology like refrigerators and mobile phones and televisions, all things I’m sure you’ve at least read about in the past… but it does have another meaning too. Electricity is also something you get when you’re in a big arena, standing in front of thousands of people with all of them chanting your name, cheering you on to victory and it’s what you feel running through your veins as your fists go flying and your body charges into your opponent over and over again until you’ve taken them to their limit and pinned them for the one, two, three. That feeling… that feeling is addictive… for some. Not for me. In life there’s nothing more important than the two special colors: gold and green. That’s championships and dollar bills, baby, and so long as you’re having to step up to me you’re not going to be touching either of those things. In fact, I’d go out on a hunch and say that whatever peanuts you’re being paid to be here is probably still more than you’ve seen in the rest of your…

God, you’re twenty five years old? With a hairline like that?! Wow, life really hasn’t treated you well.

The more I talk about beating the worse I feel, honestly.

I know you’ve probably not amounted to much in however long it is you’ve been wrestling on trampolines and hitting people with trash cans so this is a very big deal for you. This must be like playing in the minor leagues to suddenly being called up to the greatest NFL team, the Colts, only to realise that you’re being used to fill up bench space. That’s a sad, sad tale if I do say so myself, even more so because you’ve still yet to realise that it’s about to become reality.

Need I remind you, I’m Tres Comas Club. We get paid more than anyone else on this entire roster and it’s for very good reason, at least in my case. I’m going to make sure you remember that when you’re lying in the back of your car bawling your eyes out over yet another wasted opportunity and I’m sat in a bathtub full of Benjamin Franklins celebrating another easy victory.

Until then, please at least try to put up a fight. I dare you.

As for everyone else in 3CC. Tres Comas Club may already have a new de facto leader but I can assure you that it only has on alpha male and that’s ME.
Endeavor
April 9th 2018, 12:07 pmEndeavor
(Scene opens on Endeavor shortly after the house show in Naka-kun.  He’s sitting in the locker room, sipping a bottle of water. He looks tired, his face paint is worn off in parts and smudged everywhere else.  But he looks happy. Atem comes up to him with a brilliant smile on his face.)


Endeavor: “Good work out there, Atem.  That was a lot of fun.”


Atem: “OH YAAAAASSSS! It was MARVELOUS!  We have shown that all of Ronin is capable of fighting for the Titles of Birds Who Are Free!”


Endeavor: “Yeah, you said it, man.  Can’t wait until we work together again.”


(Endeavor raises up his fist for a fist bump.  Atem’s brow furrows as he examines Endeavor’s hand in puzzlement.)


Atem: “What is the meaning of this gesticulation?”


Endeavor: “Uhhh, it’s a fist bump.  You tap fists lightly together.  It’s, um, a sign of camaraderie.”


Atem: “REALLY?  How CHARMING!  Let us partake of this social ritual!”


(Atem balls his own hand up into a fist and punches Endeavor’s fist, perhaps a little harder than necessary.)


Endeavor: “Ow.  A little lighter.  Try again. You’re not trying to hurt the person.”


(Atem obliges, tapping Endeavor’s fist with the proper amount of force.  He grabs Endeavor’s fist and begins laughing maniacally at it.)


Atem: “YAAAAASSS INDEEEEEEED!!  I feel that our COMRADESHIP has increased to a new level from this bumping of fists!  There is a connection between you and I, of this I am sure! When we work in tandem, there is naught that can stand against us!  All who dare shall be MUMMIFIED!”


(Endeavor is finally able to extract his hand, and arches an eyebrow at Atem.)


Endeavor: “Mummified?”


Atem: “MUMMIFIED!”


Endeavor: “Mummified?”


Atem: “MUMMIFIED!  MUMMIFIED!”


(Atem throws his head back laughing and walks off, continuing to shout ‘MUMMIFIED!’ Endeavor watches him go, shaking his head with a smile on his face.)


Endeavor: “Well, strange friends are better than no friends.”


(He wipes the rest of his face paint off with a towel and throws on a jacket as he walks to the back entrance and out into the evening air.  Checking the pockets of his jacket, he produces a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He lights the cigarettes and takes a drag, exhaling a plume of smoke.)


Endeavor: “It’s a horrible habit, but it’s one you tend to pick up when you’re in prison.  You always need some kind of vice to take your mind off of things. This was mine. I’m not proud of it, but I’ve had worse habits in my day.”


(He takes another drag and puffs out a smoke ring.)


Endeavor: “Damn, it felt good to be back in the ring.  It’s like discovering feeling in a limb that you thought had gone numb forever.  A little painful at first, a little slow and awkward in the beginning, but by the end of the night, I felt like I had never left.  And I know I just met Atem, but weird as he is, I just have a gut feeling that I can trust him. It felt natural to team with him. It certainly helped to shake off the ring rust.  I’m not at a hundred percent, but I feel like I’m close. Closer than I should be after almost eight years away from the ring.


“Not that I’m going to have much time to shake off my ring rust.  Just one house show under my belt and I’m already thrown into the Heaven’s Arena Cup tournament.  No time to ease into things at all. That’s alright, though. I like a challenge. And this tournament is filled with some of the heaviest hitters in SSW.  From the big nasty guys of the Phantom Troupe like Gronk and Saul Omen, to the seasoned veterans like Masanori Kawada and Tarah Nova, to the hungry rising stars like Jaydayne Pendragon and Chase Vedder; there’s nobody that you should sleep on, there’s nobody you should look through.  And looking at the brackets, I draw one of Tres Comas Club’s studs, Racer Smiles.


“No doubt he’s got a chip on his shoulder after losing the Freebird Tag titles to Tarah and Piero.  I heard him talking his trash before Exodus. He was a man that couldn’t conceive losing to a woman and a guy who looked like Piero.  He was so sure that his strength would carry the day, even though he regularly dismissed his own partner. And that’s where he made his biggest mistake.  He underestimated the value of teamwork, the value of mutual respect. Because, sure, he could out-power either Tarah or Piero, but all that strength meant nothing in the face of their guts and guile.  People might decry Ronin’s win as cowardly, but I see it another way. It’s easy to get into the ring when you have the size of someone like Gronk or the pound for pound strength of Racer Smiles or the history of success that CM Nas has.  That doesn’t take much courage. But when you’re a guy like Piero, who isn’t the most athletic and has taken beating after beating, it takes balls of steel to step between the ropes, especially against the caliber of opponent that there is here in SSW.  And he uses the only weapons that he has at his disposal: his guts and his smarts. Tres Comas got outsmarted. That’s why even though Piero is the underdog against Gronk, I wouldn’t count him out completely.


“So I wonder if Racer has learned that lesson: that there’s more to wrestling than just strength.  Or does he continue to focus on that one area of advantage? I used to be that way in my younger years.  When I first broke out in the indies, I was known for my speed which fueled my reckless high flying style.  I thought that if no one could touch me, there was no way that I’d lose. Speed kills, I used to say.  Heh, if only I weren’t so right about that in all that wrong ways.  But I was far too one dimensional. Speed is good and all, but if an opponent hobbled my leg, or if I missed a key high spot, I was in trouble and I had nothing to fall back on.  But I’ve learned. I’m by no means perfect. You won’t have me going around claiming to be the best wrestler alive or anything silly like that. But I’m much more rounded than I was.  Not as fast as I used to be, but still a far sight quicker than you. I’m a hard striker. And I know the importance of guts and picking my spots. I have no doubt Smiley will throw me around for long portions of the match.  But I’m used to pain, I’m used to adversity. He’ll make a mistake, he’ll leave an opening, and that’s when I’ll strike. These matches can turn on a dime, and momentum shifts on a whim. The best wrestlers, you’ll find, are skilled at reading these shifts and adapting accordingly.  And I’m here to prove that I’m worthy of that consideration.


“I’ve messed up a lot of my life.  Made mistakes, horrible ones. I’ve failed as a son, as a brother, as a professional, as a father.  I’ve absorbed a lot of failure in my life. But despite all of this, I’ve set my mind on the belief that it’s never too late to turn it around.  It’s never too late to try to make amends. That’s what this tournament is to me. A way to prove that I have changed, that I have started on the long and winding road of redemption.  I’m not expecting it to be easy. Hell, I don’t want it to be easy. I want the trials and tribulations that come from overcoming substantial obstacles because it makes victory all the sweeter.  I need to overcome the Gronks, the CM Nasses, the Jaydayne Pendragons. And that includes Smiley as well. He’s a step on my path of redemption. That all-important first step.


“So, Smiley, bring your A-game.  Much as I’m looking ahead, I’m not looking through you.  You’ve got my full attention for this week. I have to make an impact: for myself, for my family, and for Ronin.  See, you might put down your teammates, and think that you don’t need them to succeed, and were we in America, you might be right.  But we’re in a different culture in SSW. If you paid attention to the heavyweight title bout at Exodus, you would have seen that on display.  Aria, Nas, and Pendragon were neck and neck throughout the bought. What elevated Aria above the others were her Phantom Troupe cronies. Now, I don’t condone that type of action, and I would be disappointed if I had to lean so heavily upon Ronin to get me through this tournament.  But I’d be remiss if I didn’t notice how effective it was and think about how to counter that. I’ll be counting on my teammates to make sure that my contests are one-on-one and are ready to intercede if someone from the opposing team tries to get involved. Phantom Troupe might be banned from interference, but I don’t believe for a second that someone as malicious and cunning as John Doe is supposed to be doesn’t have an idea or three to get around that.  And likewise, when anyone from Ronin is fighting, don’t think that I’ll be too far away, watching and waiting for any foul play, baseball bat in hand. The difference, it seems, between Ronin and Tres Comas Club is camaraderie. I may not blindly agree with everything my stablemates do, but I will stand up and fight beside them or have their backs as they take care of their business. I appreciate how Tarah and the rest have taken me in, accepted me despite my flaws.  Corny as it may sound, that’s what strengthens us and will give us the boost that we need to ascend to the top of SSW, to pass Shoot Nation and Tres Comas Club and go toe-to-toe with Phantom Troupe.


“On Saturday, Ronin goes into Makuhari Messe and makes a loud proclamation to everyone in SSW: fans, authorities, and competitors.  We’re here to dig deep and take control of our own destinies and shape SSW into the hard-hitting, smash-mouth adrenaline high that it should be, one match at a time.  Racer Smiles is just gonna have to deal.”


(Endeavor stubs out his cigarette.)


“The Ronin Empire is taking over.”
The Apparition
April 9th 2018, 12:50 amThe Apparition
*In a small teahouse in the backlots of Chiba, everyone’s second favourite masked Shoot Nation member sat fidgeting over a cluttered desk. At that moment, he was spinning a pen on his finger, while finishing off his now tepid cup of tea. He stared devotedly at a portable laptop, replaying tape of a variety of spliced-up matches*
 
*Jotting down a final thought, and wiping his upper lip after putting down his beverage, The Apparition tapped down on his notebook aggressively to make a point*
 
This is where every wrestling match is won or lost. Before the bell has even rung. Back in my heyday, I was never the biggest or the strongest. Hell, sometimes I wasn’t even the smartest. But I understood more than anything that wrestling is a craft, and the only way you can truly hone your craft is through constant practice, analysis and observation.
 
And this is what makes me so dangerous. I am too polished to be a rookie, and have no tape on me to be analysed. I am an enigma, and for that reason alone Tres Comas Club should be very afraid.
 
The Tres Comas Club is perhaps the easiest of all of the groups which populate SSW to understand. Ronin are the noble individualists, Phantom Troupe are agents of chaos and self-interest, and us at Shoot Nation fight for the noble traditions of professional wrestling. For Tres Comas, it is all about the money and status.
 
And look, I do get it. Don’t think I don’t. The simple desire to get ahead in life is something which motivates the majority of people. The thing is, you don’t get ahead in this industry by being most people. In the end, we all get our paycheques signed and get revered by the masses. We ruin our bodies and get well compensated for it. There has never been much sense of coveting what we are already being given, yet there stands the Tres Comas Club, striving for just that little bit more.
 
Once again, though, don’t paint this as me underestimating the TCC. The fact is better performers end up getting more at the pay window, so cash is always a good incentive. It also leads people to become lazy once they have bitten off their big payday. Isn’t that right, Matias? Once one of wrestling’s brightest prospects, now an old relic like myself who needs to fight to become relevant once again.
 
Now, I have heard the rumours about the self-pronounced Maestro. The fans didn’t like him anymore, so he lost his will to fight. I usually don’t take rumours seriously, and likewise I will gloss over what people have to say about Navarro’s motives. I am a firm believer in knowing thy enemy, but honestly there is not much to know about this guy. He has the strength of a warrior, and the spirit of a titmouse. I know about living with demons which tell you that you aren’t good enough, but that was never the case with Navarro. He was always good enough, and knew it. While I still grit my teeth and clenched my fist week after week, he just wasn’t man enough to continue fighting. I can appreciate SSW bringing him back from the scrapheap, but until he has found a reason beyond his bank account to continue fighting, people like him don’t last in this industry. And in Tres Comas, he is not going to find that reason.
 
And then on the other hand, I face someone who does frighten me a bit. People with passionate beliefs of their own grandeur, whether or not they are delusions, always fight hard. Miltiades believes himself the descendant of many great Roman Emperors, and any noble worth his salt knows that when people with lower birthright try to stand up, the only way to handle them is to crush them under your boot heel. I’m sure Miltiades knows the same, which is why I am expecting a tough match from him. Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t have an important message to pass down to Miltiades.
 
The one thing nobility is good at doing is spreading their seed. Even empires which lasted a single generation are almost always led by a man who created many heirs and fathered many bastards. So when you start bragging about your noble birthright, oh mighty Augustus…Well, I suppose you have blood that Jun and I don’t, but as soon as we go back to the Western World, we will be surrounded by millions of people who hold the same royal blood that you do. Hell, it’s the same with the Conquistadors who are no doubt the ancestor of your weak-willed tag partner. Even if they were Spaniards, there will always be just a touch of Italian in there, and that is all you need to have the same blood you hold so dear. The only way your proclaimed heritage would truly be unique to you is if your ancestors stuck to a strict inbreeding regime, to monopolise the blood of Emperors to you and your family. Of course, then we would have to start calling you Mil-Roll-Tiades.
 
The fact is, none of us are particularly special because of the blood that runs through out veins. It the blood that pumps through our hearts which makes us what we are, and the hearts of Shoot Nation beat hardest of all. Last week, Jaydayne proved that he was the person to beat in SSW. He may not have the belt to prove it, but from where I stand, that is what makes our group so great. We all have so much left to prove, so we all have so much left to fight for. And that especially holds true for me.
 
This is my last chance to make something of my career, and to achieve that I will start with nothing. I have no name. I have no reputation. I have no accolades. All I have is my will and my strength to fight. So please. Tres Comas. Do your best to try and break me, because when a man has nothing that is the only way you can stop him.
Belle Kingsley
April 8th 2018, 12:56 pmBelle Kingsley
“Hello, My name is Belle--No, that doesn’t sound good! Too formal.”

The scene fades into a young woman with blonde curls falling down her back. She had returned from the curtains after a loss against Damien Walker during the SSW House Show. She is sweating as she is pacing back in fourth thinking to herself.  Her face is not revealed as she continues to mutter to herself about how she should introduce herself to the cameras.

“Sup, I’m Belle Kingsley.” Belle Kingsley, who made it obvious that it was her name as she tried to sound casual when she introduced herself this time, but she shook her head, hating how she sounded. She wasn’t sounding like herself as she continued pacing around.

“Maybe, I can do a traditional Japanese approach.” she suggested to herself as she took a deep breath before speaking in Japanese, “ Kon'nichiwa, watashinonamaeha berukinguzurī de, watashi wa kādifu, u~ēruzu shusshindesu.”

Belle shook her head as she thought that she may have butchered her introduction, “God, if people listen to me, they’re going to mistake me for being a white person speaking Japanese. With the number of foreigners we have around here, that is the last thing I want people to have the impression of me.”

“Belle.”

Belle dropped her water bottle to the floor as she nervously begins fumbling her words. She was not expecting the camera person to be standing there and for how long? Belle smiled casually as she rested her back against the wall, pretending that she was not just practicing how she would introduce herself in front everyone in Japan and those watching in the states, “Um, how long were you here?” she asked nervously.

“Up to when you were speaking Japanese,” the cameraman responded as Belle facepalmed in shame, “It’s fine. You didn’t fumble anything. Although, that’s not what I wanted to approach you for?”


“I’m guessing that you wanted to see what my mind’s at approaching the SSW Heaven’s Arena Cup since the first round matches are next week--I don’t know, but I was just assuming. Don’t want you to think that I’m way too smart to be asked questions or anything because I’m not that kind of person.” Belle explained as she got her water bottle from the floor and took a seat on one of the steel chairs next to the gorilla.

“Well, you’re part of Shoot Nation, so I assume you’re nicer than those at Phantom Troupe or Tres Comas Club.” the cameraman pointed out as Belle nodded her head and thought of his words.

“Well, I don’t wanna say that they’re mean or anything, but Shoot Nation, Tres Comas, Phantom Troupe and Ronin all want different things and they associate with those that want those things. What drove me to want to join Shoot Nation was because I loved that they believed in the right thing--the right thing for me at least and that wasn’t money, glitz, and glamour like Tres Comas, it’s not to dominate the wrestling world like Phantom Troupe and I seem to have more of a vision than Ronin. Don’t get me wrong dominating the wrestling world is nice and all, but I want to gain respect. Not only from my stablemates, but from the fans and people around the world. I want them to look at my abilities in the ring and be impressed that someone as young as me is able to hang with some of the baddest sons of bitches on the planet. With my defeat against Damien Walker, people were not expecting me to hang with him as long as I did in the ring. I fought till the very end, but I made a rookie mistake and it cost me in the end. I’m young, I’m going to make mistakes, but that’s why I’m part of Shoot Nation. That’s why my direction led me to Strong Style Wrestling and I plan to constantly improve and up my game anyway I can.” Belle explained in the most soft-spoken way possible. Her voice had determination and passion to do well in SSW.

“Well, you have a match against Kerry Keller in the first round of the Heaven’s Arena Cup. What are you going to use from this match to make sure you don’t fall victim to him and lose your chances at the Cup so soon?” the cameraman asked as Belle thought for a second.

“Well, with my match against Damien, he had the intensity and I had the determination. Apparently, that was not enough for me to win the match against him. With me, I just need to bring a whole lot more into the table. Shoot Nation is all about the shoot style of wrestling. This has been a style of wrestling that I have been familiar with the moment I realized what this style of wrestling was all about. This next match of mine will gain the attention out of people. I expect to bring something out that I have not been able to bring out as of yet. With the opportunity so huge, it only means that I bring the best of everything I have in my willpower to make sure I advance to the next round. With Kerry, being part of the Phantom Troupe doesn’t really make him the most liked guy in the locker room. Is this because of envy from the other ones? The ones who are not able to gather as much success as they have within the last couple months? Is it because if you’re like anything to me the way they walk around all cocky and confident just rubs me the wrong way? Call it envy, but I got nothing to be envious about. You could say that I’m not on the “winning team”, but every day that I’m not surrounded by those goons is a victory in my book. Aria Jaxon and Khmoach Sangkat are winners. Aria Jaxon was able to collect another title from The Phantom Troupe, Khmoach was able to retain his title at Exodus. With the company still being so young, there is plenty of chances for upcomers to make a name for themselves. A victory over Kerry takes me to round two where I am going to face bigger and tougher competition.”

“I came to SSW almost like I was invisible. There is no one there that knows who Belle Kingsley is. There is no one out there who is familiar with my work. I didn’t come from a huge company. I didn’t have titles given to me on a silver platter. I didn’t quit just because they thought they were too good and that one company would crumble without them. I don’t have as big of an ego as some of the talents here. Kerry Keller, who knows what to expect for him when I get his video. Either he can be the most knowledgeable person in the Phantom Troupe, but knowing who their leader is, I can say that I am going to be getting that typical “I’m better than you” and “We have two of the titles”. I mean, it’s going to be the typical thing here, right? “My stable is better than yours”. Like, is this going to get childish fast? I like to be optimistic and hope that it doesn’t, but with the people in this company, it might be hard to do so because they have a chip on their respected shoulder. People like CM Nas and Aria Jaxon drag around their previous company’s championships. It’s unbelievable how they haven’t been blacklisted by walking out of a company in the way they did. Tres Comas currently had a former champion who no-showed their match and Andre Virgo basically had a title given to him and that’s supposed to be a good thing? Ronin has a variety of talent, but it’s almost can be considered a clusterfuck with no sense of unity in them. I know, they’re going to say that it’s the only place where they don’t fit in with the objectives of the other three groups. But, Shoot Nation? Whenever faced with turmoil and things not going our way, we rise above it. We don’t stay down for long and that needs to be pointed out. People think we’re out of the running for anything fantastic, but it has fueled the fire within our stable and we will bounce back by winning the Heaven’s Arena Cup. Everyone can poke, tease and make fun of the claim, but Shoot Nation is getting the last laugh as I raise that cup above my head and bring pride into SSW.”

Belle sighs and continues.

“Kerry Keller should be someone I shouldn’t be concerned about. Yet, I cannot help, but be worried about how much of a bracket breaker he could turn out to be. People expect him to make it through me with almost an ease and that is something I cannot allow. This is nothing personal. As much as members of the Phantom Troupe like to stir the pot, I refuse to let them stir and bring out my worse. That is a measure I don’t want to even think about it coming out to the open. Kerry won’t get the best of me when it comes to my worst emotions. But, I will get the best of him out of this match. My determination to get better; my desire to succeed and my skills are what is going to advance me to the second round.”

“Thank you for your time, Belle.” the cameraman said as Belle smiled as the camera fades to black.
Racer Smiles
April 7th 2018, 7:11 pmRacer Smiles
HEAVEN'S ARENA CUP


½

You know, when I was a kid I was always the smallest and the weakest. At lunch when kids wanted to arm wrestle each other I’d always lose. For class pictures I always had to sit down in the front to be in view. I grew up being talked down to, laughed at, I was the last person anyone expected to be a champion in strength. It’s not just about strength though. It’s psychological. But what is “it”?

“It” is my reason to go out there and win. People think I’m just here to show off and prove to everyone how strong I am but that’s just a surface level belief. Any gym bro can pick things up and put them down but to be a champion powerlifter and lift weight that makes jaws drop you need to have something more than just an ego to feed. I had an idea to overcome. The idea that I wasn’t capable of being great. When I stepped into the weight room for the first time I got laughed at, but it didn’t stop me from racking plate after plate after plate on barbells until those people couldn’t laugh anymore.

The Freebird Tag Team championships. It’s no surprise that I don’t have them, because I have never been a team player. I play for myself. Because nobody has ever played for Racer Smiles except for Racer Smiles. When I was in high school I didn’t just lift weights. I was on the baseball team too. Every time I stepped up to the plate I’d hear the crowd cheer, but not for me. They were cheering for the pitcher. I’d hear his dad, his mom, his sister, his brother, his cousin, the girl who he took behind the school to suck her first dick. Every time it was the same. It was individual voices I could pick out, all cheering for me to fail. Nobody was cheering for me to win. I didn’t have a family around. I’m an only child, mom and dad had their own problems, and who wanted to be friends with the short kid who spent all his time in the weight room. I had nobody on my side, even my teammates doubted me, but I still knocked it out of the fucking park every time to show everyone not to doubt their Chief.

If I was in this for ego I would have stuck to powerlifting. Break Ed Coan’s records, maybe even go into strongman and tell Arnold what a little bitch he’s turned into. I was eating good, living large, and women threw themselves at me. So if I was as egotistical as the SSW press and locker room say I am then tell me why I would walk away from all of that to get hit with cheap shots from fat fucks while my partner gets pinned by a woman with bigger balls than him? Because maybe I’m not in this for the glory. Maybe I’m not here for the money or the pussy. Maybe I’m here to challenge myself. Endeavor has been doing this shit for 20 years, I haven’t even been doing this for a year. Endeavor is an “indie darling” and according to what I’ve heard that makes him popular with our demographic. So what I can expect to hear when I walk through the curtain in Chiba is a crowd of people who are going to be booing me and cheering for my opposition.

Congratulations Endeavor, you have their admiration. You can feel validated hearing them chant your name in the face of your adversary. I won’t have that same luxury, but I will feel validation. It’s nice to hear someone tell you how good you are, it’s kinda like popping a painful cyst. A cyst of self doubt that you can feel at all times no matter how hard you try to ignore it, and when you’re not ignoring it you’re picking and prodding at it hoping that it will just go away and then after awhile you get a pop. Suddenly all that pain and irritation fades away as your brain starts producing endorphins in relief. We all have that insecurity, whether anyone else is as… humble as me to admit it they walk through life wanting their self doubts eradicated. Some men in this business get that satisfying pop of validation from the cheers of the crowd but not me. My pop of validation is when my opposition is helplessly trapped in my grip, me squeezing the air out of their throat until their their blood vessels pop turning their eyes a dark red!

Not a pretty picture is it? Well you might be happy to know that most don’t have the pride to hold on that long. They know to cut their losses and tap out but in a way that’s just as satisfying. Knowing that I gave someone an ultimatum so powerful that they willfully submit to me, admitting their defeat and acknowledging me as their Chief. The shame they must feel knowing that they voluntarily let all of those people down. Passion and praise will turn to silence and disappointment.

I don’t care who you are. I don’t care how long you’ve been doing this, what you’ve accomplished, nobody can overpower me. You can run and duck but when I get my hands on you, your faith is in the hands of your new Chief.
Masanori Kawada
April 7th 2018, 6:12 pmMasanori Kawada
SSW Promos - Page 12 BkgsQHu

"ALL-MIGHT" MASANORI KAWADA
Versus CM Nas; Heaven’s Arena Tournament first round.
Entry: 1 -- Word Count: 1,696


The basic scenario of a press conference is where a wrestler calls upon a number of reporters to a public or private area and makes some sort of announcement. Typically, press conferences are only used for important matters in the Japanese Wrestling world. With the disappearance of All-Might during the hiatus that SSW took in order to recover from outside lawsuits, his reemergence was treated like a big deal at Exodus, though the events of what happened that night did not favor him. Still, the SSW fans were happy to see that Masanori Kawada hadn't abandoned the company like members of the Phantom Troupe faction had fabricated and spread around. So when Kawada called for a press conference to be gathered in the wake of the newly-announced Heaven's Arena tournament, there was quite a large gathering wanting the scoop on one of the most talked about rivalries in Japan today; the Shoot Nation against the Phantom Troupe. Flashing bulbs ignite the conference room wall in anticipation of the arrival of All-Might. Sure enough, wearing a snazzy yellow pin-stripe suit with a blue tie going down his white dress shirt, Masanori Kawada takes to the stand, waving to the masses and shaking hands with reporters who have gotten close enough to the podium. He is followed by the rest of the Shoot Nation members, seemingly in support of Kawada to make an announcement on their behalf. As the chatter of the crowd quietens down, Kawada raises the microphone to his mouth.

"It feels good to know that The Everlasting Hero hasn't been forgotten in his absence, even amongst the recent influx of things going on. He seems to still have his place within SSW. That's not an easy thing to do, to disappear and come back without the loss of standing. But, most people are sure to be understanding that the SSW hiatus was the lowest point of my year and in the aftermath, some soul searching - if you will - was needed. See, for the last couple of weeks.. since everyone knew that I would be back, there's been this lingering question kind of floating around about what happens next. Does All-Might work his way towards another opportunity at the Championship gold that this company possesses? Does he return to his long-term goal of becoming one of the legendary icons of this industry? The options appear endless but frankly, none of them feel right except; for one." He flicks his tongue across his bottom lip, letting the tension rise before he gave away the answer. Glancing around, he took in the faces of the audience and see quite a few very much focused on him. "As of now, All-Might's only interest is going back to the beginning and pick up where he left off. Not fighting for a championship necessarily, but fighting for what's right. Surely many remember the abusive, manipulative Phantom Troupe? The same group that helped usher in the only form of justice this company has had and for their reward, the momentum-halting of this company. Each and every single member of this group of scoundrels have been allowed to practically get away with murder - until now. All-Might no longer has something preventing him from hunting down those who need to face the justice that they deserve.. words that should resonate with my opponent on April 14th."

Pulling the microphone away from his mouth, he had paused altogether. With the answer that has been at the back of his mind for weeks now out there, Kawada can get focus on the man that's been put before him and will have his hands more than full. He paces slowly, only a couple of times before the silence becomes borderline too much. When that feeling hits him, he knew that's his cue to pick back up.

"CM Nas has quite the reputation, doesn't he? I mentioned the recent influx of talent, and of that influx.. Nas's name is the latest one attached. And in his own right, he has this sort of.. twisted outlook on justice. For men like him, things are pretty cut and dry when it comes to that outlook. It's an eye for an eye, what people do towards him is what he does back to them. In the way that people consider me a modern-age hero of the wrestling world, Nas has a more - outlawish take on being one in the same way. In the west, he was a captivating underdog who was always fingertips away from the ultimate glory that company provided. Once he had it, he received a hero's celebration, the calluses on his hands paying off. What has come to the east, to Strong Style Wrestling, is no one's hero." Kawada looks over the sea of people to see if there is any objection to that claim. There wasn't one. "Because there's an unspoken chip on his shoulder that he either refuses to drop or just doesn't know how. What he has brought to this company is a championship belt that is, as far as this nation is concerned, meaningless. An unauthorized champion bringing unsanctioned world championship gold to this company, to even suggest the idea that there is a second world heavyweight champion in our midst - let alone apart of the Phantom Troupe - is an injustice that can not be ignored. The fact that he has even gone to the lengths of calling himself a god is.. sacrilege. To think, this was someone people respected, someone people got behind and supported to give him the motivation to make that world champion dream of his come true. But it only revealed the true colors of a despicable and disrespectful man. My displeasure with the existence of the Phantom Troupe only grows stronger for each ego that feeds that beast. The fact that group has two of this companies championship prizes makes me sick to my very core, while we in the Shoot Nation have time and time again been deprived of said honors because of that very group. I was robbed of the Heritage Championship, and when it came back around in a non-championship match Khmaoch Sângkât was defeated by the K-Dynamite. He only holds the championship right now because John Doe refuses to have his underlings fight for themselves. At Exodus, he did the same thing against our leader, Jaydane Pendragon." Jaydane simply nods at the acknowledgement, agreeing with the sentiments being made on his behalf before Kawada continues. "Aria Jaxon, yet another talent who had made the jump from the west to be apart of this company only to show her true colors and spit on everything we stand for. The honor of the belt that rests on her waist is not only tainted, it's a paper-thin honor. And it's telling. Telling how, out of both members of the Phantom Troupe they could have hand selected to be our inaugural Puroresu Heavyweight Champion, and I assure you that with the heist they pulled it was very much their call, they picked Aria Jaxon over CM Nas. Perhaps because they are afraid he might defect with the title and brag about it elsewhere like he does with that other plate of gold he possesses. Or perhaps they have noticed the chip that weighs on his shoulder that would only weigh them down if they added more to the pile, knowing that Pendragon was mere inches away from taking what the Phantom Troupe wanted and Nas wasn't able to prevent that on his own. Whatever the reason might be, the point isn't that they cherry-picked and heavily assisted their fraudulent excuses for champions, the point is who they decided to screw over in the process." Kawada gestures to the Shoot Nation members that are standing behind him, the ones who were here before the hiatus and those who joined afterwards, all of them looking quite determined in their stature. "These men, and woman, have been the victim of this charade that the Phantom Troupe has our number. These are the people that hear the jeers from our more vocal fanbase and members of our roster that the Shoot Nation is a hardly-existant entity in this promotion, that we are a joke. No, we are the butt of nobodies joke. The Phantom Troupe has waged a war against the Shoot Nation soldiers that they possess too much cowardice to win. With the Heaven's Arena tournament, they have no choice but to fight these battles alone. And that is when the Phantom Troupe is at their weakest; divided - alone - with the odds even. They have required handicaps to get this far, and I can assure you that the Phantom Troupe will NOT be walking away with another honor by the time the Heaven's Arena tournament culminates. That will be an honor the Shoot Nation will have. And we are going to white-wash this idea that the Phantom Troupe is our superior. Because I believe in the men and women who stand beside me in this unit, something John Doe will never have for the men and women who are foolish enough to stand by his side. And if John Doe is listening I want him to listen good. You can only lurk in the shadows for so long before I sniff you out. You can only run and hide for so long before I eventually get my hands on you. And if I have to go through each and every single member of your group to do it, so be it. You are not exempt from justice, and it will be served to you on a silver platter. As it will be served to CM Nas on the 14th. As it will be served towards any member of the Phantom Troupe that encounters a Shoot Nation member in this tournament. As it will be served to your paper champions once we get our rightful shots at them. In the mean time, the goal is simple. Pick them off one by one."

So, on behalf of the Shoot Nation -- CM Nas... John Doe... Aria Jaxon and the rest of the Phantom Troupe!"
BRACE YOURSELVES!
The Apparition
April 4th 2018, 1:54 amThe Apparition
*The strong smell of cherry blossoms filled the air across the province of Saitama, as spring finally began to peak in the prefecture. Across sprawling industry and the hectic existence that was every day Japanese life, relics of the past still lingered*
 
*As a masked figure walked through a lone oasis of tradition, it was difficult to attach oneself to any sense of nostalgia with everything else going on in the background. Thick city air coated the area, despite the attempts of the surrounding flora to sift it out, and the regular rattling of a nearby bullet train cast away any disillusions of a complete throwback to the pre-Meiji Era*
 
*As the now robe-clad national foreigner said a prayer of respect to his ancestors, masked in the radiance of the sunset a new player stood with a look of mild bemusement, as she casually adjusted her designer glasses and shifted her Gucci shoes impatiently on the ground*
 
“Hello, sister,” the dull and droll Canadian accent rung out to echo ever so slightly around the centre of the shrine.
 
“Hello, brother” an eerily similar regional twang retorted.
 
“I never took you for the spiritual type. In fact, I seem to remember you being quite different when you were still at University”
 
*The Apparition stood up from his knees, and quickly adjusted his back and shoulders. Turning around, he did not flinch as he began to approach his more regal looking sister. A few nosey spectators did have some pause for thought, but didn’t make too much of it. If such an elegantly dressed business woman was approached by some masked figure in worn-out robes that would be cause for concern. It being done the other way just made both siblings odd*
 
“People change I guess?” the enigmatic figure said with a shrug, “Look. All I know is if our ancestors were in any way like Mum and Dad…Well, I’d rather keep in their good graces, and not risk anything with them”
 
“Hmm. True enough. But come now. Just our parents? You’re not going to include your terrifying sister in that mix? She used to be a professional wrestler, remember?”
 
“For like two months, if I remember. Granted, I should be more afraid of her awful personality and hair trigger. And is it any wonder she can’t get a husba…Ouch”
 
*Even though he braced for it, The Apparition was still taken aback by the stiff smack incurred on the back of her head. His equally mouthy sister almost fell over on a broken heel with all the effort she put behind it. Yes, she may have been a cleanskin, but the former and short-lived in-ring performer still packed a punch*
 
“You are right though”
 
“I mean, if you didn’t work so hard, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to find…”
 
“No you idiot. About the wrestling. You were the one who was made for it, not me. I still don’t know how you can wake up in the morning with all of the bruises and back pain. I was going through Deep Heat like sunscreen, and pain medication like tic tacs only a couple of weeks in”
 
“Eh. You get used to it eventually. Unfortunately. There is a lot of things you get used to. You never got the voices, did you?”
 
“The voices?”
 
“You got out at the right time. Yeah, the voices. Why do you reckon so many people in wrestling are jerks? The more knocks to the head you get, the looser your inhibitions come. The idea of punishing up your jerk of a co-worker no longer becomes a hidden desire. At some points, it becomes a necessity. Yeah, you have your psychopaths relishing the opportunity of violence, but this is primarily an industry for the desperate and those who have something to prove. You need to prove yourself, or else you are simply stuck in a hellish middle ground where you are unable to grow as not only a performer, but as a person. You need to get better. You need to become the best. It consumes you in the end. Especially if you are so obviously not the best. After years of chasing brass rings, and even collecting a few in the process, the difference between your professional self and personal self becomes a blurred line. You look at the abyss, and the abyss stares back at you. You fight monsters for so long, that you become one yourself. The worst parts of yourself begin speaking up, and suddenly your mind is haunted by the thought ‘Well why not?’”
 
“Well someone has been reading Nietzsche, haven’t they? So those times you went balmy…What was that?”
 
“Come on. We both know what that was. It’s our family curse. Father wouldn’t let us be anything else. Hell, if I didn’t have those brass rings I did manage to collect, I’d probably be out of the will by this point. You know, if I’m not already. It’s the same thing that you have been pushed into, only with less chair shots. Wrestling is still a business. If you can’t get to the top on your own merits…Well, you must know what I am talking about, don’t you?”
 
*The corporate sibling of SSW’s newest wrestler began to freeze up on the chilling parallels. Up until this time, she had avoided thinking of such things. Why she was what she was. Why her brother was why he was. Why she briefly followed in her brother’s footsteps, before quickly moving away back to her own path*
 
“So…Why? Why are you back? Those horrible things you did. We both know they aren’t you. Why are you risking it again? How do you know this won’t just happen again?”
 
“I mean, you know the answer. I don’t. For all I know I could break down next week and revert to my wicked nationalistic ways. But the thing is…I think I am onto something this time around. I actually have something I want to accomplish, and it has given me a purpose to actually be here”
 
“Yeah. And what is that. That you’re the best? That you should be respected?"
 
“That it wasn’t a fluke. That when I was at my best I was still me, that I can achieve what I need to through my own power, and to prove that I am as good as I think I am”
 
*The air went silent for a second, as it seemed like even the surrounding traffic and transportation fell to a stop. As both siblings stared at each other for a second, the younger woman let out an involuntary titter, and was doing all she could to contain a deep belly laugh. With her incredible will-power still managed to quickly settle herself down, but not before wiping a tear from her eye and refusing to stare into the eye holes of her older sibling’s mask*
 
“Yeah. That is basically why I was sent here for. I guess you pass. Which is good, because I would probably have needed to beat your arse to get you back to Ottawa anyway. Alright, well if you are serious, enjoy your journeys, oh noble warrior. Try not let the voices counsel you in the wrong direction”
 
“I’m too old and stubborn to give you the satisfaction”
 
*A gust of wind suddenly hit as the siblings embraced one final time. The cherry blossoms circled around them, before blowing away in the breeze*
 
*The camera fades to black*
Endeavor
April 3rd 2018, 10:19 pmEndeavor
CHARACTER INTRODUCTION:
'A PLACE WHERE I BELONG'


Endeavor sits in an airport terminal.  He's dressed comfortably in a t-shirt and jeans, his hair pulled back under a bandanna.  He scrolls through his phone for a moment until he finds his voicemail messages.  Selecting it, he puts the phone to his ear and a baritone voice comes through the small speaker.


"Hey, Travis!  I hear you're going on a big trip.  Just wanted to touch base with you and wish you luck.  I know things haven't always been the easiest for you recently, but I just wanted to make sure that you remember that your big brother will always be in your corner.  There have been times where I've wanted to strangle you, but in the end, I only want you to be happy.  I've always wanted to see you succeed.  I know since Dad left things have been hard on all of us.  I feel like I've failed you, Mom, and everyone because for a long time, I put myself above the family.  I should've been there more since Dad never was.  And I'm sorry I wasn't.  But I'm here now.  I may not be able to completely make up for the past, but I'm gonna do my best to make the future of our family better.  So, Travis, you go knock 'em dead out there.  Win all those titles.  I'll take care of Ma and everyone else here.  And if you're feeling down or alone or you just want to talk, just give your big brother Ash a call.  I don't care what time it is.  Love you.  Bye!"


Endeavor takes the phone from his ear and looks at for a moment, his face impassive.


"Yo, Ender!"


A man's shout breaks Endeavor from his thoughts and he looks towards the voice, a smile spreading across his face.  A man walks into view, tall and muscular with neatly trimmed dark hair and a dark goatee, both shot with grey and giving him a distinguished look.  As Endeavor stands, the man envelopes him in a crushing bearhug.


Endeavor: "Geez, Sean.  I wasn't sure you guys were going to make it.  My flight's almost ready to board."


A woman walks into view.  She has pale blonde hair and is dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt which do little to hide the pregnant bulge of her stomach.  Her face bears a slight resemblance to Endeavor's.


Woman: "Don't let him tell you that it was my fault.  I was ready on time.  It was this prima donna that took too long."


Sean: "Hush, Kyrie.  What does it matter?  We got here, didn't we?"


Endeavor extricates himself from Sean's hug and moves over to Kyrie, opening his arms to hug her.  Instead, she sidesteps him and pummels his arm with her fist, punctuating each word with a strike.


Kyrie: "Why.  Are.  You.  Leaving.  So.  Soon.  You.  Bastard."


Endeavor:  "Hey!  Ow!  Ow!  Watch it!  Your fist is a lot sharper than it used to be before you got that rock on your finger."


Kyrie stops a moment and checks the engagement ring on her finger, making sure it's alright, before hitting Endeavor again in the arm.


Kyrie: "Why do you have to leave so soon after getting out?  You're going to Japan?  That's ridiculous.  You're going to miss our wedding, and the birth of your nephew or niece, and Mom's going to miss you.  Why are you so selfish, Travis?"


Endeavor rubs his arms where his sister had assaulted him, wincing more from her words than from her strikes.


Endeavor:  "I know.  I'm sorry.  But it's just something that I have to do.  I need to get away from here, and get into a different head space.  Japan is about as far as you can go.  Plus, I dunno, there's something about this place that speaks to me.  These Ronin may be a little goofy and a little weird, but it just feels right."


Sean: "Also, that Tarah Nova is pretty hot."


Kyrie jabs an elbow into Sean's midsection.


Sean: "Ooof- but not as hot as you, love.  Eeesh.  You've got some nice curves, but I really gotta watch out for those edges and points."


Kyrie goes for another elbow, but Sean is prepared for it and dances out of her reach, putting his hand on Endeavor's shoulder and subtly guiding him in between himself and his fiance.


Sean: "But seriously, even though I'm going to miss the heck out of you, Ender, I totally support what you're doing.  You've hit rock bottom, man, but you're looking better and more focused than you have in a long time.  Being here is only going to remind you of your past mistakes.  Hell, if it wouldn't be the cause of my imminent demise, I might actually come out of retirement and join you.  But you gotta get out there, stand on your own, make something of yourself.  If Japan is where you think you gotta be, then it's where you gotta be.  Just know, you'll always have a place with us.  Especially if that place is by the diaper changing station."


Kyrie finally gives in and steps towards Endeavor, giving him a hug.


Kyrie: "Ugh.  Why does he have to be right?  Fine.  I'm going to miss you, little brother."


Endeavor: "I'm going to miss you too.  I'll call often, I promise."


Kyrie: "You better."


Suddenly, Endeavor stiffens and goes pale.


Endeavor: "Sam?"


Kyrie and Sean turn to look in the direction that Endeavor is looking in.  A tall, slight teenage girl comes into view.  She's dressed in skinny jeans and an oversized green hoodie.  Her hair is dyed a pale blue and her lip is pierced, but there is an uncanny resemblance between her and Endeavor.  With a squeak, Kyrie embraces her.


Sam: "Hi, Auntie.  Uncle Sean.  Dad."


Endeavor's posture becomes much more uncomfortable.  He scratches his arm nervously and cranes his neck, looking behind his daughter.


Endeavor: "Where's your mother?"


Sam: "I dunno.  Home, probably."


Kyrie: "How did you-"


Sam: "Uber."


Endeavor approaches his daughter as Sean and Kyrie take a few steps back, giving them some space.  Endeavor looks her up and down, bewildered expression on his face.


Endeavor: "You shouldn't be here.  Your mom doesn't want me to see you.  She's got good reasons for that too.  I never really was cut out for parenting ... or any relationships really."


Sam: "You think I give a shit what she wants?  You get out of prison, see me a couple times, and then think that you can skip the country without saying 'good-bye'?"


She holds his gaze, staring defiantly with tears in her eyes.  Endeavor embraces her, holding her tight as she sobs into his jacket.


Endeavor: "You're right, I'm sorry.  Good-bye, Sam.  But not forever.  I'll be back.  And hopefully when I come back, I'll be a better man.  You've grown to be a wonderful young woman, and much as you hate to admit it, that's your mother's doing.  She loves you.  And she's done better at raising you than I could ever dream of doing myself.  You be strong, like her.  Okay.  And I'll try to be strong like you."


Sam: "You better come back."


Endeavor: "Promise."


A voice comes over the PA, letting people know that a flight to Tokyo, Japan, is boarding.


Endeavor: "That's my flight, Princess."


Reluctantly, he pulls away from Sam and shoulder's his luggage.  Kyrie and Sean come back, giving him a parting hug.


Kyrie: "Good luck!"


Sean: "Knock 'em dead!"


Endeavor turns and walks away, waving.  Just before reaching the boarding station, he looks back, locking eyes with his daughter.  He gives her a wink and a lopsided grin.


Sam: "I'll be watching!"


Endeavor nods and boards the plane, beginning his journey.
Aria Jaxon
March 30th 2018, 11:02 pmAria Jaxon
II.

Ya know, I thought we were way past the days of public executions being viewed as some next-level form of entertainment, but like my great-grandma used to say, there’s nothing new under the sun. Rarely ever does shit disappear completely. Often, it just takes on new forms -- from the Coliseum battles back in Rome to guillotining members of the nobility in France, and now, in living color in 2018, Jaydayne Pendragon meets his end at the hands of The Phantom Troupe. What separates this from all the aforementioned shit is that with everything pertaining to days past, there was never any confusion as to what would happen. The people walking to their doom KNEW what they were in for. Whether they accepted it is probably another matter altogether, but there was never any question as to how things would end. But this? It’s been dressed up as something so much nicer. Depending on who you ask, Jaydayne Pendragon is about to walk into a marquee event, turn the odds on their heads, and reach SSW’s pinnacle on a grand stage. Tomorrow night is being called many things, but the dumbest among our ranks are dancing around the matter at hand, calling that main event match anything but what it truly is. So allow your Queen to clear up any confusion that may have clouded your feeble minds.

Those people watching in Saitama and around the world shouldn’t be keeping their eyes peeled for their hero’s coronation.

They’re all on hand to witness his execution.

From day one, The Phantom Troupe has never bullshitted about our intentions, and I’m saying this even in relation to the faction’s goals and aspirations before I ever joined its ranks. John Doe assembled this group with a simple enough list of intentions in mind -- to stand tall as the unquestioned rulers of Strong Style Wrestling, laying waste to every single person who dared oppose us en route to holding all the cards and calling all the shots. Phantom Troupe V1 was hard enough to get a handle on, but the way our lineup looks now? There isn’t another collection of athletes on this roster that measures up. Any combination of two would be more than well-equipped enough to take Pendragon’s head off his shoulders, but I think there’s a particular sort of misfortune that comes with having to deal with Nas and I in the same match. Jaydayne, you’ve got it in your mind that us chasing after the same thing will be our undoing once this match shifts into high gear, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. As I told you before, we’re both realistic enough to understand the fact that we’re working toward the common goal of making sure our faction lords over all else. That’s two bloodthirsty competitors seeing a way to their goals through ending you. Two possible ways you can meet a gruesome fate. Two giant reasons why Shoot Nation’s journey toward the summit starts and ends at Exodus.

I know all about being crippled, so don’t presume that I’m standing here talking to you as a woman who’s never known what it was like to compete with a handicap. Mine was just of the less conventional variety. When you think of setbacks, you think of the physical ones that keep your fiance’s brother or Stephen Hawking confined to a wheelchair. It was only recently that I overcame my own handicap, and ironically, it happens to be the same thing that’s gonna get you hurt this weekend. I’m diagnosing you with the same thing that used to get my heart broken all the fucking time. You got hero syndrome, Jaydayne. And in spite of all that I’ve managed to do and as far as I’ve managed to go, it was never fair how much heartache I had to endure just because of all the times I tried to do the right thing. If I was content with being that girl, well, I wouldn’t be standing here right now, and you might actually stand a snowball’s chance in hell of leaving Saitama with gold around your waist. I look at you and I see who I used to be. All those noble good intentions, the foolish optimism...I’ve grown to HATE that shit. And by proxy, maybe I hate you. Or maybe I don’t know you well enough yet to even feel that way. You think you know myself and Nas, though, because you’re talking like you’ve got all the answers when you say we showed up on SSW’s doorstep as bitter people. You got everything fucked up. We came into this company with a new lease on our professional lives, ready to finally live up to all of our God-given potential without having to worry about other people’s feelings. That’s more liberating than you’ll ever know. And before you get ready to burn us at the stake for flaunting our high profiles and critically-lauded careers, do you think your bosses weren’t THRILLED to have people like us on their payroll? International superstars who could bring more eyes onto their product? The almighty dollar seems to be alluding you -- you DID admit to being pretty damn broke -- but I can’t say I know what that’s like, not at this point in my life. This match will turn out to be everything that you hate. Someone like me, the antithesis of the values of you, your faction, and perhaps this promotion, will be sauntering away with the thing you want most in this world right now. You’ll fail everyone who’s placed their faith in you, and the woman who takes you out is gonna saunter away with a fat check for having done so.

If SSW is your home, then this is representative of Phantom Troupe kicking in the front door, foreclosing on the house, and taking everything you hold dear. And you should consider yourself lucky, because the band aid is getting ripped off for you fairly early into our conquests. You’re one of the warning shots. You’re the example to warn later victims of what they can expect if they catch themselves feeling brave enough to put up a fight. The fight you’re in for just happens to be you can’t win.
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