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SSWAdmin- Posts : 57
Join date : 2018-01-07 
20180107
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!
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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July 5th 2018, 10:57 pm
Ladies and gentlemen and others, today there will be no pomp and circumstance. No bells and whistles. No flash, just facts.
At Budokai Tenkaichi, I wasn’t good enough. I let down Belle Kingsley, I let down Shoot Nation, and I was not able to match up with the One True Pairing when it mattered the most.
I will not apologise, because at the end of the day I did try my best. My best may not have been good enough, but that is the beautiful thing about the future. I have the chance now to take a step back, re-evaluate where I stand, and try once again to reach the lofty standards that I place for myself. That is the true essence of strong style, and that is the mentality that I am bringing this coming week against Matias Navarro.
It is quite fitting that I face Navarro after my most comprehensive defeat to date. After all, in my very first week back from my hiatus, I faced off against him, and managed to get him down for the pinfall. After Budokai Tenkaichi, I am in the desperate need of pushing the restart button, and allowing myself to start from scratch. I need to go back to basics, and what better candidate is there for me to test my mettle and my heart than a man who has neither?
Matias, I can go and repeat myself from a few months ago. That you have no character, and that your current trajectory in life will lead you to middling results. You had a match with Aria, and to date you are the only person she defeated for that belt on her own merits. Imagine if you actually cared about what you were doing. I might not be facing Tres Comas Club’s middle-manager Matias Navarro. I could be facing SSW Puroresu World Champion Matias Navarro. But I’m not. I’m facing Mr. Big Bucks, No Fucks. I am facing someone who is happy to let his talent slip away when he should be hitting his prime, and having his name placed in the same vein as so many champions past. I am facing one of the biggest wastes of talent professional wrestling has ever seen, and as somebody who deeply loves this sport, that makes me sad.
When I see you, Matias, I see someone who has more potential and raw athleticism than I have ever possessed. You make things that took me years to perfect look easy. You’re not the biggest or the quickest, but you are stronger and faster than anyone of your size has any right to be. It is one of wrestling’s greatest shames that you ended down the path you are currently on, but allow me to be your light.
The last two major shows, I had the chance to really make everyone know that The Apparition is back, and is better than ever. My first match, I was overwhelmed by a force which might not be of this world. In my second, I was unprepared and outclassed.
Well that ends this Saturday in Tokyo. I am going to make sure you start giving a shit again, Navarro, and I am going to do so by forcing you into a corner and making you fight your way out. In the Ariake Coliseum, this isn’t just going to be a replay of our debut match, minus Miltiades and Nobunaga. This is going to be a chance for me to prove that I am strong enough to deserve representing the proud heritage of Shoot Nation and Strong Style Wrestling, both the company and the art form. But also, this is your chance to finally break through your own self-created mental barricades and prove to the world that you have so much left to show the world. And if you can’t do that…Well, we all remember what happened last time.
At Budokai Tenkaichi, I wasn’t good enough. I let down Belle Kingsley, I let down Shoot Nation, and I was not able to match up with the One True Pairing when it mattered the most.
I will not apologise, because at the end of the day I did try my best. My best may not have been good enough, but that is the beautiful thing about the future. I have the chance now to take a step back, re-evaluate where I stand, and try once again to reach the lofty standards that I place for myself. That is the true essence of strong style, and that is the mentality that I am bringing this coming week against Matias Navarro.
It is quite fitting that I face Navarro after my most comprehensive defeat to date. After all, in my very first week back from my hiatus, I faced off against him, and managed to get him down for the pinfall. After Budokai Tenkaichi, I am in the desperate need of pushing the restart button, and allowing myself to start from scratch. I need to go back to basics, and what better candidate is there for me to test my mettle and my heart than a man who has neither?
Matias, I can go and repeat myself from a few months ago. That you have no character, and that your current trajectory in life will lead you to middling results. You had a match with Aria, and to date you are the only person she defeated for that belt on her own merits. Imagine if you actually cared about what you were doing. I might not be facing Tres Comas Club’s middle-manager Matias Navarro. I could be facing SSW Puroresu World Champion Matias Navarro. But I’m not. I’m facing Mr. Big Bucks, No Fucks. I am facing someone who is happy to let his talent slip away when he should be hitting his prime, and having his name placed in the same vein as so many champions past. I am facing one of the biggest wastes of talent professional wrestling has ever seen, and as somebody who deeply loves this sport, that makes me sad.
When I see you, Matias, I see someone who has more potential and raw athleticism than I have ever possessed. You make things that took me years to perfect look easy. You’re not the biggest or the quickest, but you are stronger and faster than anyone of your size has any right to be. It is one of wrestling’s greatest shames that you ended down the path you are currently on, but allow me to be your light.
The last two major shows, I had the chance to really make everyone know that The Apparition is back, and is better than ever. My first match, I was overwhelmed by a force which might not be of this world. In my second, I was unprepared and outclassed.
Well that ends this Saturday in Tokyo. I am going to make sure you start giving a shit again, Navarro, and I am going to do so by forcing you into a corner and making you fight your way out. In the Ariake Coliseum, this isn’t just going to be a replay of our debut match, minus Miltiades and Nobunaga. This is going to be a chance for me to prove that I am strong enough to deserve representing the proud heritage of Shoot Nation and Strong Style Wrestling, both the company and the art form. But also, this is your chance to finally break through your own self-created mental barricades and prove to the world that you have so much left to show the world. And if you can’t do that…Well, we all remember what happened last time.
June 29th 2018, 11:56 pm
Feed the Machine
Date: 27/6/2018
Time: 10:50am
Location: Osaka, Honshu, Japan
---
We open within the confines of a dojo owned by Hiroshi Yamakita, on the fringes of the city - a place renowned for its commitment to the 'Puroresu' Style of wrestling. A style, that aligns many of its beliefs with beliefs that Scott holds - more specifically, the notion that it is seen as the most 'pure'; unfettered form of wrestling. Its core, synergising with how wrestling once was. How, if Scott has his way, wrestling shall return to become once again. Yet right now, this is a sanctuary for him - a way to escape not just the whirlwind that has been the past month or so of his life, both in a professional and personal sense, but also a way to attempt to become at peace with himself once more.
Especially more necessary, after the arise of 'Zion' whilst he was transversing the ' Kema Sakuranomiya Park' yesterday. Heralding the seeds of doubt that fester within him - causing him to ponder whether or not it was *correct* in calling his relationship with Amelia into question. Even though deep down, he knows how much Amelia means to him - after all, she was one of the primary reasons he flew back home to Australia the day after "Game Over" came to its conclusion; he walked out of Hartford with the Spartan's championship still firmly within his possession.
Well, Amelia and Chili were the primary reasons, but he would ensure that the first sight Amelia saw when we exited the hospital, was him. Smiling and showing her just how much she *truly* means to him; how he still hasn't truly forgiven himself for allowing her to be in the position where she would be attacked in the first place.
"It's my fault," was his repeated statements; the words that resonate throughout the air, as we finally pan in upon his location within the dojo. He is seated, tee-pee style, atop a crimson covered cushion, about two and a half inches in front of the direct centre of the dojo itself, the oak hardwood floor (that has been neatly crafted into diamond shaped patterns, much like one would see in a traditional Japanese home), with the plaster on the walls being painted a Viridian shade of green, offering a sense of tranquillity within the room itself. One, that matches the slate coloured kimono that Scott is currently wearing, resting atop his body; covering his more 'standard' attire, which consists of a midnight black t-shirt, Azure/snow white basketball shorts and as per the customs of this dojo, he is barefoot.
Closing his eyes, he allows a feeling of relaxation to wash its way through his body, knowing that if he is to find the 'peace' he desires. If he is to ensure that 'Zion' remains within the constructed prison he designed for it, then he must unlock the passage to his own soul. He must release the chamber that holds all he claims within. Exhaling softly, he also knows that Zion *might* just be right - not about the personal side of him, but rather, the professional side of him. The side of him, that is preparing to set foot in the ring against the one they fall 'Monolith' in a metter of days - at the Budokai Tenkaichi event that is being co-hosted by both the OWA and SSW.
As part of their 'working agreement'; the primary reason he is here in Japan. Well, it's more honestly a combination of that and deciding to travel over himself, having received intelligence from Alyce that there were three young prospects who are willing to join the 'Adams wrestling clinic', though he'll meet with them once Budokai is said and done. "I respect you, Monolith," he quietly remarks, bowing his head as he glances around the dojo, allowing his thoughts to resonate within the chambers of his mind.
"It's as you said, we *are* alike in our convictions, even if we have our own methodology in acquiring that finality," Exhaling deeply, he feels a tingling dull orange glow being to emit itself within his irses, before they mould themselves into a soft; gentle glow. Enough to light up a small passage in front of him, but not enough to arouse any unwanted suspicion - should anybody enter the dojo, wishing to commence their own 'introspective look' within themselves.
"But that is where our similarities end - see, whilst you merely claim to hold your convictions. Whilst you merely portray the emotionless nature; supposed mentality of a 'monster', I *live* my morality. I don't hide behind meaningless 'smoke'; I don't disguise my motivations, my reality behind a 'mirror'," Pausing, one can feel the venomous chill rising within the air with those statements. Knowing, that irrespective of how one wishes to perceive Scott, he *has never* shied away from himself. He has never attempted to hide behind a veil.
"You see, you claim to be this 'machine', yet you fail to comprehend what being a machine truly entails," A soft smirk rising across his face, the glow within his eyes pulsates as he uses his elbows to push down upon his knees.
"It's not merely about not having a conscious, or not showing any mercy - oh no," A soft laughter emits itself into the air. One, that is more akin to what you would expect from a mad scientist. Though, that is actually an apt name for Scott. "It's about realising that unless you are able to construct your passage; unless you are able to find the conviction on which you stand, than you are nothing more than a shall. A husk, waiting for the eyes of fate to claim you," His words vibrating through the air like a breeze on a chilly night, even we feel the shiver run down our spines as the words resonate within the air. Yet Scott remains stoic; cold. Almost demon like in his external appearance.
"Don't worry though - I *can* save you," Almost child-like in his inflection, those words are accompanied by the soft strains of a violin playing within the background. Its origin, a speaker that is situated in the far right corner of the dojo, implemented originally in order to well, ensure announcements could be heard throughout the dojo by the students. No matter where they would be situated, but also serving as the sound booth for Scott's musical mind game.. "I can bring about the destiny you crave; the finality, that you have wished to evade - all you need to do, is beat me," A demonic grin creeping across his face, Scott slowly unfolds his legs, as he feels his eyes continue to burn within.
"Beat me, and you shall be saved - the blanket you claim, shall be your eternal glory," Pausing, he allows the words to 'rest' within the air, embedding themselves deep within Monolith's core.
"But should you fail - it is then, that you will find that the candle. The light that you once burnt, has slipped into the mire of your final fate," His statements prophetic, they cut through the air as he accompanies them with a childish laughter. Well, more like a childish demonic laughter, as he whispers "Will you claim salvation, or will you expose your own core?" as we fade into nothingness, the strains of the violin the last sounds we hear.
Date: 27/6/2018
Time: 10:50am
Location: Osaka, Honshu, Japan
---
We open within the confines of a dojo owned by Hiroshi Yamakita, on the fringes of the city - a place renowned for its commitment to the 'Puroresu' Style of wrestling. A style, that aligns many of its beliefs with beliefs that Scott holds - more specifically, the notion that it is seen as the most 'pure'; unfettered form of wrestling. Its core, synergising with how wrestling once was. How, if Scott has his way, wrestling shall return to become once again. Yet right now, this is a sanctuary for him - a way to escape not just the whirlwind that has been the past month or so of his life, both in a professional and personal sense, but also a way to attempt to become at peace with himself once more.
Especially more necessary, after the arise of 'Zion' whilst he was transversing the ' Kema Sakuranomiya Park' yesterday. Heralding the seeds of doubt that fester within him - causing him to ponder whether or not it was *correct* in calling his relationship with Amelia into question. Even though deep down, he knows how much Amelia means to him - after all, she was one of the primary reasons he flew back home to Australia the day after "Game Over" came to its conclusion; he walked out of Hartford with the Spartan's championship still firmly within his possession.
Well, Amelia and Chili were the primary reasons, but he would ensure that the first sight Amelia saw when we exited the hospital, was him. Smiling and showing her just how much she *truly* means to him; how he still hasn't truly forgiven himself for allowing her to be in the position where she would be attacked in the first place.
"It's my fault," was his repeated statements; the words that resonate throughout the air, as we finally pan in upon his location within the dojo. He is seated, tee-pee style, atop a crimson covered cushion, about two and a half inches in front of the direct centre of the dojo itself, the oak hardwood floor (that has been neatly crafted into diamond shaped patterns, much like one would see in a traditional Japanese home), with the plaster on the walls being painted a Viridian shade of green, offering a sense of tranquillity within the room itself. One, that matches the slate coloured kimono that Scott is currently wearing, resting atop his body; covering his more 'standard' attire, which consists of a midnight black t-shirt, Azure/snow white basketball shorts and as per the customs of this dojo, he is barefoot.
Closing his eyes, he allows a feeling of relaxation to wash its way through his body, knowing that if he is to find the 'peace' he desires. If he is to ensure that 'Zion' remains within the constructed prison he designed for it, then he must unlock the passage to his own soul. He must release the chamber that holds all he claims within. Exhaling softly, he also knows that Zion *might* just be right - not about the personal side of him, but rather, the professional side of him. The side of him, that is preparing to set foot in the ring against the one they fall 'Monolith' in a metter of days - at the Budokai Tenkaichi event that is being co-hosted by both the OWA and SSW.
As part of their 'working agreement'; the primary reason he is here in Japan. Well, it's more honestly a combination of that and deciding to travel over himself, having received intelligence from Alyce that there were three young prospects who are willing to join the 'Adams wrestling clinic', though he'll meet with them once Budokai is said and done. "I respect you, Monolith," he quietly remarks, bowing his head as he glances around the dojo, allowing his thoughts to resonate within the chambers of his mind.
"It's as you said, we *are* alike in our convictions, even if we have our own methodology in acquiring that finality," Exhaling deeply, he feels a tingling dull orange glow being to emit itself within his irses, before they mould themselves into a soft; gentle glow. Enough to light up a small passage in front of him, but not enough to arouse any unwanted suspicion - should anybody enter the dojo, wishing to commence their own 'introspective look' within themselves.
"But that is where our similarities end - see, whilst you merely claim to hold your convictions. Whilst you merely portray the emotionless nature; supposed mentality of a 'monster', I *live* my morality. I don't hide behind meaningless 'smoke'; I don't disguise my motivations, my reality behind a 'mirror'," Pausing, one can feel the venomous chill rising within the air with those statements. Knowing, that irrespective of how one wishes to perceive Scott, he *has never* shied away from himself. He has never attempted to hide behind a veil.
"You see, you claim to be this 'machine', yet you fail to comprehend what being a machine truly entails," A soft smirk rising across his face, the glow within his eyes pulsates as he uses his elbows to push down upon his knees.
"It's not merely about not having a conscious, or not showing any mercy - oh no," A soft laughter emits itself into the air. One, that is more akin to what you would expect from a mad scientist. Though, that is actually an apt name for Scott. "It's about realising that unless you are able to construct your passage; unless you are able to find the conviction on which you stand, than you are nothing more than a shall. A husk, waiting for the eyes of fate to claim you," His words vibrating through the air like a breeze on a chilly night, even we feel the shiver run down our spines as the words resonate within the air. Yet Scott remains stoic; cold. Almost demon like in his external appearance.
"Don't worry though - I *can* save you," Almost child-like in his inflection, those words are accompanied by the soft strains of a violin playing within the background. Its origin, a speaker that is situated in the far right corner of the dojo, implemented originally in order to well, ensure announcements could be heard throughout the dojo by the students. No matter where they would be situated, but also serving as the sound booth for Scott's musical mind game.. "I can bring about the destiny you crave; the finality, that you have wished to evade - all you need to do, is beat me," A demonic grin creeping across his face, Scott slowly unfolds his legs, as he feels his eyes continue to burn within.
"Beat me, and you shall be saved - the blanket you claim, shall be your eternal glory," Pausing, he allows the words to 'rest' within the air, embedding themselves deep within Monolith's core.
"But should you fail - it is then, that you will find that the candle. The light that you once burnt, has slipped into the mire of your final fate," His statements prophetic, they cut through the air as he accompanies them with a childish laughter. Well, more like a childish demonic laughter, as he whispers "Will you claim salvation, or will you expose your own core?" as we fade into nothingness, the strains of the violin the last sounds we hear.
June 29th 2018, 11:51 pm
DIANTHA PROMO:
This match is everything to me.
Not because of the venue, or the fact that it’s a pay-per-view match. Not because of it being a return to the country where I have to date had my most experience and success as a professional. It’s not because the match is against someone who is a respected name not only in Japan but in the United States after everything she’s been able to accomplish.
This match is everything to me because I have no choice but to win it.
Azumi, I know who you are and what you are capable of. And to say that you believe that you remind me of yourself I take with a great deal of respect that you feel this way. However, this could not be any more inaccurate. You have been chosen for your success from the start. People handpicked you for greatness, either in the dojo or when you joined their companies. You are where you are because you were supposed to succeed. This is not to say that you have never done anything or earned anything, but I’m sure seeing as where you have been in recent times in your career that being a favorite of the powers that be is far from a detriment.
I come from a family of wrestlers, a family of artists. But they refuse to claim me as one of their own. I’m looked upon with the love and respect that one shows a stray puppy or a homeless person. To put it in a way that you understand, I’ve often felt like a gaijin in my own home, an outsider, an outcast. And this losing has done nothing but compoud that feeling. Every week I have gone out there and given my all, pushing myself in the gym and in the ring and I have nothing to show for it. A half-second late here, a botched move there. I can’t get my head around it. I have been closer to victories than a couple of my opponents will probably care to admit, the reigning SSW Heavyweight Champion among them. It took her a bit of good fortune to survive me and I think she and the rest of the Phantom Troupe are well aware of the challenge I could bring if I was ever offered another shot at her.
If you’re looking for a fight, you’re not going to be disappointed. No matter who my opponent is, no matter the stage or the venue, I bring everything I have everytime I step out. That’s the way I was taught in the slums of Mexico City and Paris, that’s the way I approach every day. You will have never faced a more determined, more dangerous opponent than me Azumi, and you have never faced someone this hungry and this determined to prove a point. Kenny Drake when I first arrived kept speaking of salvation, as if I need his hand to hold mine to become a major player here. Carlos Rosso, one of the most respected wrestlers in the world, mocked me for not being strong enough and refused my call to be his tag team partner. Do you know what it is like to have someone you admire and respect that much simply laugh at you to your face, tell you that you aren’t good enough and pretend that you aren’t even there?
I didn’t take the name Forgotten Senshi as an ironic joke. I took it because it’s reality: whenever contenders for the Women’s Championship for OWA are discussed, my name is not mentioned and when it is, it’s almost always as a dismissive afterthought. It hurts me, but it also makes me laugh. Not out of any real humor, but because of the ignorance that I know is being displayed. I know who you are Azumi, and I know that you have the capability of being one of the very best in the world when your mind and heart are into things. You don’t doubt me, I’m sure, but there are so many people around the world and in the locker room of OWA that do. I’m going to use this match to prove them wrong. I am sick of losing, and I appreciate the fact that you accepted my call to answer your challenge. But, in the end, on your own turf, Azumi Goto, YOU WILL FEEL YOUR VERY WORLD SHAKING!!
And my losing streak will finally be put to bed. Then, the chase for the championship that will open the eyes of my family and those around the wrestling world who still will continue to doubt me can begin.
This match is everything to me.
Not because of the venue, or the fact that it’s a pay-per-view match. Not because of it being a return to the country where I have to date had my most experience and success as a professional. It’s not because the match is against someone who is a respected name not only in Japan but in the United States after everything she’s been able to accomplish.
This match is everything to me because I have no choice but to win it.
Azumi, I know who you are and what you are capable of. And to say that you believe that you remind me of yourself I take with a great deal of respect that you feel this way. However, this could not be any more inaccurate. You have been chosen for your success from the start. People handpicked you for greatness, either in the dojo or when you joined their companies. You are where you are because you were supposed to succeed. This is not to say that you have never done anything or earned anything, but I’m sure seeing as where you have been in recent times in your career that being a favorite of the powers that be is far from a detriment.
I come from a family of wrestlers, a family of artists. But they refuse to claim me as one of their own. I’m looked upon with the love and respect that one shows a stray puppy or a homeless person. To put it in a way that you understand, I’ve often felt like a gaijin in my own home, an outsider, an outcast. And this losing has done nothing but compoud that feeling. Every week I have gone out there and given my all, pushing myself in the gym and in the ring and I have nothing to show for it. A half-second late here, a botched move there. I can’t get my head around it. I have been closer to victories than a couple of my opponents will probably care to admit, the reigning SSW Heavyweight Champion among them. It took her a bit of good fortune to survive me and I think she and the rest of the Phantom Troupe are well aware of the challenge I could bring if I was ever offered another shot at her.
If you’re looking for a fight, you’re not going to be disappointed. No matter who my opponent is, no matter the stage or the venue, I bring everything I have everytime I step out. That’s the way I was taught in the slums of Mexico City and Paris, that’s the way I approach every day. You will have never faced a more determined, more dangerous opponent than me Azumi, and you have never faced someone this hungry and this determined to prove a point. Kenny Drake when I first arrived kept speaking of salvation, as if I need his hand to hold mine to become a major player here. Carlos Rosso, one of the most respected wrestlers in the world, mocked me for not being strong enough and refused my call to be his tag team partner. Do you know what it is like to have someone you admire and respect that much simply laugh at you to your face, tell you that you aren’t good enough and pretend that you aren’t even there?
I didn’t take the name Forgotten Senshi as an ironic joke. I took it because it’s reality: whenever contenders for the Women’s Championship for OWA are discussed, my name is not mentioned and when it is, it’s almost always as a dismissive afterthought. It hurts me, but it also makes me laugh. Not out of any real humor, but because of the ignorance that I know is being displayed. I know who you are Azumi, and I know that you have the capability of being one of the very best in the world when your mind and heart are into things. You don’t doubt me, I’m sure, but there are so many people around the world and in the locker room of OWA that do. I’m going to use this match to prove them wrong. I am sick of losing, and I appreciate the fact that you accepted my call to answer your challenge. But, in the end, on your own turf, Azumi Goto, YOU WILL FEEL YOUR VERY WORLD SHAKING!!
And my losing streak will finally be put to bed. Then, the chase for the championship that will open the eyes of my family and those around the wrestling world who still will continue to doubt me can begin.
June 29th 2018, 11:49 pm
II.
(OWA Women's Championship)
Some people with small minds might say I’m getting greedy. I say I’m doing what I have every right to do. In wrestling, you’ll come across countless people whose ambition far exceeds their actual level of ability. I’ve never been one of those people. I haven’t made it my business to constantly set goals for myself that I can’t reach. The task that I’m undertaking would make a less capable competitor shake in their boots. The biggest show put on by either Omega Wrestling Alliance or Strong Style Wrestling in either promotion’s young history, and I find myself competing both nights. Back-to-back championship matches sit on the horizon for me. The prospect of going 0-2 on a show of this magnitude would terrify a lesser woman, leave her so petrified of falling on her face that she wouldn’t even dare try her hand at walking out of Osaka dripping in gold. But luckily for me, this isn’t just about trying. Just attempting to leave an event as a double champion would probably be enough to warrant a few pats on the back, but that’s not what I’m here for. I’m playing double or nothing, Roxy dear, and I have no plans of leaving Osaka empty-handed. It’s the gamble of a lifetime, and yet I don’t feel the slightest bit of trepidation, and why should I? It’s true, experience is the main thing I have over you here, but it means everything, and you can’t bring yourself to admit it. What’s funny is that when I say that, it makes me sound so much older than I am, but I’m not that much older than you. Still, I feel as if I’ve learned things since I was sixteen that your parents never told you about when they were telling you stories about their careers as they tucked you into bed. Experience, Roxy darling, means that I’ve seen a dozen girls just like you. I’ve seen the promising newcomers, the optimistic upstarts, the new kids on the block with all the potential in the world. When I looked in the mirror once upon a time, that’s what I saw. Once upon a time, I too was a Princess with dreams of doing something bigger, and after a while, I wasn’t content with that anymore. So came my coronation, and now I stand in front of you as a Queen. One who, despite what you’ve tried to say, has many, many more years of ruling in front of me. I wanted more, so I attained more. You could look at my Puroresu Heavyweight Championship and argue that I’ve already got the keys to the kingdom, so why bother coming after the Women’s Championship? Why possibly overexert myself? Why not just focus on hanging onto the gold I already have?
Because I can.
As I told you last time we spoke, choices and chances led us here. I chose to make up for my embarrassing first loss, just as you chose to never take one in the first place. You chose to do what you felt was the ring thing by intervening when it looked like I’d gotten myself into a tight spot, just as I chose to disregard it completely when I popped up at Game Over. Poor you not getting paid back for a favor I never asked for in the first place. I’ll be honest, I didn’t actually think I’d wind up in handcuffs. That’s never part of anyone’s game plan, is it? My plans changed on a dime and I adapted. Nobody, least of all you, expected me to show my face in Hartford. And some champion you are, not having eyes in the back of your head. You’ve got a lot to learn sweetheart. Being the champion means you’ve got a target on your back, and you gotta keep your head on a swivel at all times -- or else someone might take it off your shoulders. You can’t afford to be slipping up like that, not this early on. The sad thing is that you won’t get the chance to learn from that mistake. You won’t get to mature into a more battle-tested champion, because I can’t allow that to happen. I know what it’s like to take on too much too fast, and I know what it’s like to have it all ripped away because I couldn’t rub the fairy dust from my eyes soon enough. And since you wanted to bring up your mom, yeah, she was on the opposite side of that loss. She got her last hurrah at my expense on what was, at that point, the biggest stage of my career. She was a fool to think I’d never bounce back, even if I’d beaten her and proven over and over again that I was better than she’d ever give me credit for. And now I see her little girl possessing that same boundless confidence that she said was the chief factor of my downfall. Funny how that works. It’s a little amusing to point out the recurring shit, but I’m still gonna maintain that this isn’t the personal war you’ve tried to make it out to be. Wars simmer and boil over into something ugly. We haven’t been running in the same circles nearly long enough for that to be the case. I don’t need to change your mind, Roxy. I don’t care if you think you’ve got me all figured out after this little chunk of time. The fact remains, in your short career, you haven’t encountered anyone like me, and I’ve had more than enough practice to know how to handle people on your level -- or above it. Proud of yourself as you may be, you need to deal with the fact that you’re my warm-up. You’re the first person I get to beat before I go out there on night two and manhandle your mom’s fan club president. “Someone like me” -- whatever the fuck kinda coded language that’s supposed to be -- might never know what it’s like to be born with a silver spoon in my mouth and to be escorted through every door in this industry by mommy and daddy, but I know what it’s like to rise up and conquer entire companies despite that. I know you’re a fighter. You wouldn’t be standing here otherwise, even if it’s bad for your health to wanna fuck with me. That winning Vendetta blood that you’re so proud of...what good is it gonna do you if it’s spilled on the mat? For your whole OWA tenure up to this point, you’ve made the most of being in the right place at the right time, but tomorrow night, your luck runs out. You’ll finally have stepped into a situation you should’ve turned and walked away from, and it will cost you the thing you hold most dear.
“I’ve only started to build the prestige…”and God, what a fucked up, dilapidated ass foundation the house of the OWA Women’s Championship is already built on. I don’t think you have the right tools to make this house a home, Roxy. I never anticipated you’d just turn over the deed to the house willingly. No sane champion would ever do such a thing, but that’s doing little to stop me from prying it from your hands, no matter how much of a fight you put up. I take what I want when I want, and you should already know that based on the way I got you to concede to wanting to compete in this match in the first place. I’m sure the fans will remember you as brave. They’ll remember you as the girl who caught lightning in a bottle and rose very high, very fast, and who knows? When I’ve had the title’s defining reign and moved on, maybe you’ll get another chance to hold it. For now, though, your time in the sun is over. The clouds are rolling in because of me, and trust me...nothing will be sweeter than my victory, and knowing the Queen of OWA will have taken her rightful place on the throne. I’m not asking you to abdicate, Princess. I’m deposing you by force. It’ll be a glorious ascension ceremony for me, I promise.
Because I can.
As I told you last time we spoke, choices and chances led us here. I chose to make up for my embarrassing first loss, just as you chose to never take one in the first place. You chose to do what you felt was the ring thing by intervening when it looked like I’d gotten myself into a tight spot, just as I chose to disregard it completely when I popped up at Game Over. Poor you not getting paid back for a favor I never asked for in the first place. I’ll be honest, I didn’t actually think I’d wind up in handcuffs. That’s never part of anyone’s game plan, is it? My plans changed on a dime and I adapted. Nobody, least of all you, expected me to show my face in Hartford. And some champion you are, not having eyes in the back of your head. You’ve got a lot to learn sweetheart. Being the champion means you’ve got a target on your back, and you gotta keep your head on a swivel at all times -- or else someone might take it off your shoulders. You can’t afford to be slipping up like that, not this early on. The sad thing is that you won’t get the chance to learn from that mistake. You won’t get to mature into a more battle-tested champion, because I can’t allow that to happen. I know what it’s like to take on too much too fast, and I know what it’s like to have it all ripped away because I couldn’t rub the fairy dust from my eyes soon enough. And since you wanted to bring up your mom, yeah, she was on the opposite side of that loss. She got her last hurrah at my expense on what was, at that point, the biggest stage of my career. She was a fool to think I’d never bounce back, even if I’d beaten her and proven over and over again that I was better than she’d ever give me credit for. And now I see her little girl possessing that same boundless confidence that she said was the chief factor of my downfall. Funny how that works. It’s a little amusing to point out the recurring shit, but I’m still gonna maintain that this isn’t the personal war you’ve tried to make it out to be. Wars simmer and boil over into something ugly. We haven’t been running in the same circles nearly long enough for that to be the case. I don’t need to change your mind, Roxy. I don’t care if you think you’ve got me all figured out after this little chunk of time. The fact remains, in your short career, you haven’t encountered anyone like me, and I’ve had more than enough practice to know how to handle people on your level -- or above it. Proud of yourself as you may be, you need to deal with the fact that you’re my warm-up. You’re the first person I get to beat before I go out there on night two and manhandle your mom’s fan club president. “Someone like me” -- whatever the fuck kinda coded language that’s supposed to be -- might never know what it’s like to be born with a silver spoon in my mouth and to be escorted through every door in this industry by mommy and daddy, but I know what it’s like to rise up and conquer entire companies despite that. I know you’re a fighter. You wouldn’t be standing here otherwise, even if it’s bad for your health to wanna fuck with me. That winning Vendetta blood that you’re so proud of...what good is it gonna do you if it’s spilled on the mat? For your whole OWA tenure up to this point, you’ve made the most of being in the right place at the right time, but tomorrow night, your luck runs out. You’ll finally have stepped into a situation you should’ve turned and walked away from, and it will cost you the thing you hold most dear.
“I’ve only started to build the prestige…”and God, what a fucked up, dilapidated ass foundation the house of the OWA Women’s Championship is already built on. I don’t think you have the right tools to make this house a home, Roxy. I never anticipated you’d just turn over the deed to the house willingly. No sane champion would ever do such a thing, but that’s doing little to stop me from prying it from your hands, no matter how much of a fight you put up. I take what I want when I want, and you should already know that based on the way I got you to concede to wanting to compete in this match in the first place. I’m sure the fans will remember you as brave. They’ll remember you as the girl who caught lightning in a bottle and rose very high, very fast, and who knows? When I’ve had the title’s defining reign and moved on, maybe you’ll get another chance to hold it. For now, though, your time in the sun is over. The clouds are rolling in because of me, and trust me...nothing will be sweeter than my victory, and knowing the Queen of OWA will have taken her rightful place on the throne. I’m not asking you to abdicate, Princess. I’m deposing you by force. It’ll be a glorious ascension ceremony for me, I promise.
June 29th 2018, 11:44 pm
I believe in pink. I believe that laughter is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day... and I believe in miracles. -Audrey Hepburn
Second chances aren't easily given. Second chances only come once in a lifetime. Second chances are only given to those deemed worthy and deserving of this second chance... and I will not squander this opportunity again. I will not walk out of this empty handed, I will not allow these men to walk all over me because they deem me to be weak. These men who so willingly would hurt someone because they deem them weak. These men who stole our rightful chance at gold by coming in as the last participants and dismantling my partner before giving me the killing blow.
You see, Kenny, Nate... You are the monsters that hide under the beds of children. You think becoming savage men and destroying everything in your path is the right way of life. You think brainwashing the people that you hold close inside of your "congregation" is the way of life. You believe violence will solve everything... but, that is not how this life works. No, that is not how any of this works. Sure, when you're inside of the ring, violence is the only acceptable choice. But, in our normal day to day lives? Violence is not acceptable in any way, shape or form.
You both think that the mindset you have... the mentality you have... is the right way to live. But, I am the last person that should be judging anyone for their choices. Just look at my last match with Aria Jaxon at that. I got put through the ringer, but I put up one hell of a fight... and this will be no different. I will fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. That is all that truly matters. As long as there is blood in my veins, courage in my heart and fists on my hands? Then, I can do anything I set my mind to.
You may call us weak, but we are stronger together than we are apart. You can throw your sticks and stones, your bombs and your blows... but, you're not going to take our souls. This time around, the Sugar Girls are bringing pure fire and ferocity into this match. We are going into this knowing exactly what the two of you are capable of. We have had the time to recuperate and time to think back on what mistakes we made during the last encounter between the two of us... and we will not make those same mistakes again.
Third time is the charm, isn't that right? At least... that's what everyone says anyway. The more you underestimate us, the harder we will continue to fight. The more you call us weak, the stronger we will get. We might rely on the fans to get behind us any given chance, but we have the pure fight within us and will stop at nothing until we dethrone the both of you. Even if it is the last thing we do for a long while. We will do whatever it takes to make sure you monsters no longer strike fear into those around you. By any means necessary!
So, go ahead... Think of us as weak. Bring your best fight, don't stop until you think we've had enough... But, we will do whatever we have to ensure you never hold those titles again. This is our last chance... This is our fight song and we still have a lot of fight left inside of us. So, continue to underestimate us and you'll see a real fight. See you soon, Wolvesden...
June 29th 2018, 11:30 pm
You know, a couple of years ago, I knew that I would never be a professional wrestler. I knew that I would never enjoy doing it once I took it up as a career. I knew that I would always be in the Crowe’s Nest and Elite Answers Wrestling forever. Imagine what you know tomorrow….
So here I am, ladies and gentlemen of Japan. All the people watching stateside too. This is not a mirage. It’s me, April Song, and I’m getting ready for the most important fight of my career coming up. This is my chance to show that I’m just as effective as I was wrestling strictly women against men. And before you ask, no, this is not some feminist kick I’m on to kick ass for womankind and have Whitney Houston’s version of “I’m Every Woman” blasting through the arena. This is about money, prestige and prominence. Sure, there were women where I was before who “crossed” over and had success against the men in the company, my partner this weekend not the least among them. But for someone like me, who is pretty damn good at what she does but known to ruffle too many feathers, there was always a bit of a glass ceiling in place. Not specifically just because of gender, but because of who I am as a person.
And who is April Song?
Well, for those of you who have been hiding under a rock, let me tell you my story! I’m a daughter to Korean and Canadian parents, I’ve studied jujitsu since I was a small child, and I’m a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. And...let’s just say I didn’t earn the nickname Killer Bee in the Air Force for being a “pesky fly”. I stumbled on wrestling a couple of years ago and for a while it was all about work. I was supposed to take a few people out, make my boss look good, and run over anything in the way. But….as I got more and more into the life of a wrestler, as I got more attached to the fans and the people I shared the ring with...something for once was a little more important to me than money.
I love wrestling! I love being in the ring, I love competing, and honestly I like the prize money and endless booze even more. I’ve always heard a lot about wrestling in Japan and I’m so proud and honored to be on one of the preeminent rosters here in the World. Even more, I’m actually proud to be partnered in Ronin with Tarah Nova, one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. She’s a little quiet lately and honestly I don’t think she’s ALL the way cozy with an admitted control freak and megalomaniac like my pretty lil self being her tag team partner, but I think once the bell rings I think she’ll realize that we’re going to have to work together to survive this fight. Why?
Have you seen our opponents?
First there is Gronk, who apparently is not apart of the Phantom Troupe to aid in diversity training or logical thought process. The fact that he’s still stuck in 1950 makes him even more repulsive to me. I wonder if he realizes that I’m Korean-American and not Japanese, but I think anyone who looks Asian to him is probably some sort of weird communist. Small brain and pathetic worldview aside, the guy is big and strong. I’m not stupid, I’m not going to have much of a chance against someone that damned big. At least not in a fair fight. Which is why, I’m going to go ahead and say this now, I plan on cheating. A lot. Gouge his eyes? Sure. Pull his scruffy beard? Of course. Kick him in his balls? Tarah, distract that ref for me and I’ll kick his jewels into oblivion. The funny thing is, I think Gronky is aware of my propensity for not giving zero fucks. Everytime he sees me and my weapon at the ready he seems a little afraid. Why are you so afraid of me, big man? Afraid that you’re gonna hurt me? Afraid that someone so small can potentially kick your ass and embarrass you on a world stage? Or are you afraid I’m going to sit you down and read you a long list of all the times “Zaddy Trump” lied to the American people back home? Oh well...as big, dumb and kinda cute as you are, you’re not the one who interests me in this match.
Khmaoch. I don’t know you personally, but it feels like I know a good bit about you. In the limited time we’ve shared the ring, I know you’re not someone to make jokes about or fail to take seriously. You’ve been in wrestling almost as long as I’ve been alive. The fact that you’re still around and still competing for and winning championships is an impressive feat. Now, my partner has the next crack at your belt, so I’m not all that interested in it, but I’m interested in seeing someone who has all this rage and venom built up inside him performs against someone who is not going to cower in front of him. I’m not going to throw up a white flag for you anytime soon, bucko. I didn’t surrender in real war, I didn’t surrender on the jiu jitsu mat when I was fighting world class competition as young as 13, and I’ve damn sure never quit in a wrestling ring.
I’m not too concerned about you going to Aria Jaxon about me to learn about my strengths and weaknesses. That walking glass of Grape kool aid could probably told you the same thing that a simple Google search would have told you: I’m fond of submission wrestling, i’m a bitch, and I don’t mesh with bullies well. You see, people like you have every reason to be the hero. You have suffered more than even a soldier like me could ever understand. You lost so much during the dark times of your country’s history even someone like me will not dare mock it or sell it short. However, there is something about you that I can’t stand. It’s the fact that other people seem to have to pay for YOUR suffering. Instead of making the world a better place, you and the rest of your band of Saturday Morning Super Sentai villains just want to disrupt things and put your boot on the throat of everyone here. “Oh, but you’re just about money, April! What do you do to help the world! All you do is sit around and drink and fight!” Uh...and? I’m not subjecting anyone else to my bullshit either, am I?
I’m looking forward to facing you in the ring, Khmaoch. You’re the SSW Heritage Champion after all, and one of the top ranking members of Phantom Troupe. You carry a presence, a gravitas around you and I haven’t had an opportunity to face someone of this particular level in my career. I’ve been in there with some of the toughest, most dangerous women….but never against someone like you. I’m gonna find out where I stand, and more importantly than that, YOU are gonna find out where I stand. Why? Because I’m not just some ordinary little housefly. This bee may be far from her nest, but my sting is as deadly and as potent as ever.
You and MAGA Hulk are gonna find that out when me and Tarah kick your asses in the Osaka Dome. That’s all.
June 29th 2018, 9:36 pm
落雷
At the clap of thunder the scene comes into view, at a temple’s front steps, seated is Jaydayne Pendragon, adorned with a samurai sarashi after recent attacks. He is stone faced and speaks with resolve.Myth speaks of the foolishness of man and makes it the stuff of legend, but in these times the world is plastered with greater ignorance still. Tales are told of he who flew too close to the sun, but the world constantly is in witness of those who chase disasters, and challenge that of lightning. They stick forks in power plugs, and they find the tallest tree to hide under in thunderstorms. I see it when people step up to the Rakurai.
Legend uplifts favoured totems above what is seen before us, they can make rudimentary sights into locations of the gods, even if greater mountains would make them look similar to hills. Mount Olympus is said to be where the gods chose to reside, yet here in Japan there are handful of higher peaks to have made home. I saw it once I stood on top Heaven’s Arena with Zeus’s lightning in hand and a titan fallen at my feet, there’s so much higher I can go.
So, I allow us to do away with these. I won’t call you Icarus, Scott Oasis, not when you display the greater, common, suicidal tendency of man as you stick your tongue on this wet electrical box. I won’t rest on my laurels when it was just after I rattled what was thought to be the world’s last titan, you came lumbering in straight after as if to remind the world that the titans thrown off the heavens of Greece were legion and surely Japan with higher mountains would have scum more numerous attempting to conquer our summits. Yes, men such as yourself travel great distances to find your demise, perhaps out of misguided sense of adventure or pure ignorance to cultures outside of your own, you walk in here like the locals aren’t on your level, even though you’re the one who came to their lands for something. You stand on the platform we built because we are welcoming, keep acting up and the only platform we’ll have for you are Harajuku shoes. You surely couldn’t fill the shoes of the samurai, nor the geisha who at least have the education and respect of craft to entertain. You talk a lot about champions and championships, but I don’t see title on you, be it SSW or OWA. Just another day with a boy talking about cleaning up the world, when he can’t even clean his own room. Say what you will about Aria Jaxon, but she didn’t beat me one on one, she needed a whole army and a triple threat match to get the job done, remember to add Nas. Speaking of that equation, why is a world champion from your house playing crony to her if she’s so lacking? And why did you stop from coming into the ring a few weeks ago when April Song showed up to stop you and two other goons from attacking me and Tarah? Was I safer with two women at my side when you had men? These funny wonders of the world may never cease from creating questions, but at the flash of the Rakurai the light will reveal the truths of the world kept hidden, I know five-foot nothings with more heart than you!
I have no time for idle thoughts during the Red Strife waged, it doesn’t matter the size, nor does it matter the gender, all those who swear fealty to the honourable sword can lift their heads up high, and all those who don’t can have their heads forever cut low! And I, unlike you, will never back down from any fight. For in war, you give no ground, just as you give no quarter! For in hesitation exists insecurity, and you have exposed your insecurities time and time again, a weakness that should never be displayed to an enemy. See I’m a man of many blades, be they swords or razors, and for this I rely on Occam’s Razor. Occam says the simplest explanation tends to be right. Why would a man like you speak so much of women? Why would a man such as yourself also back down from women? Why do you resort to sneak attacks on me? It’s because you’re afraid of what would happen if someone made you look bad, bring to light how little you are on the inside of that big frame of yours. I should have known it when you confronted me after I defeated the beforehand undefeated Gronk, you could have chosen anyone else to brutalize, but you picked me because if someone is allowed to get away with beating a man the size of Gronk, then everyone would be willing to stand up to the big bad Oasis. Of course, even the big bad wolf would lash out in panic if the little pigs started smashing brick into the heads of larger bears in the woods. You don’t like the food chain being turned on it’s head, you don’t like tradition wasting away, not when they’ve treated men like you so well. You are not foreign to me, I’ve dealt with guys like you all my life learning the way of the sword, you’re in every dojo and in every order of knights. I’m a hāfu who has taken leadership over the face of what represents Japan and SSW in Shoot Nation, something that would never have been allowed in the past, I represent everything that you don’t. You may hate me, but I am the one who wields the balance to keep some of the traditions of Japan into the future, just as I am the one who will be keeping a shred of manhood as a forefront in this company! Because I adapt and push forward! The greatest tradition there is, is to head straight on into the future without reservation! Once from the same type of fear you have, they said that man should not enter the valley of the gods, but we still decided to channel lightning in electricity and look where society has come from it! This is an end to old myths, Oasis, we now usher in the new.
At the swishing sound of a sword, the screen cuts to black.落雷
June 29th 2018, 9:09 pm
BUDOKAI TENKAICHI
Who can tell me the significance?
I am a Champion. What should that mean to you? I am sat here with Strong Style Wrestling’s very Heritage strapped around my waist. Gilded in silver. But what does it all mean? I look for answers upon its gleaming surface and see my own face reflected back. Now that is significant enough, I suppose. From now until eternity, like it or not I am the Heritage of Strong Style Wrestling. It’s inaugural Champion. The first main event and the earliest draw. I am the very father of this title’s relevance and the fount of history.
Like the Original Sin, I am the adversary that gives meaning to the heroes of justice.
Like the legendary source of the Nile, I flood the valleys with rivers of blood.
Like an apparition from the past, all future generations are haunted by my legacy.
But this is only part of it, right? I am not satisfied with this. I only want everything. I don’t want just the beginnings of a story. I want to see it through to the end. You see, many have cried villainy at the means by which I and the Phantom Troupe ripped this prize from the jowls of their “hero” Masanori Kawada. Others still look back in pallid horror at what I have done for this championship since. They have seen the filial love and affection with which I have enacted this will that I have inherited. But do not have me mistaken. This is not about which camp most discredits the other. This is not about worth. There is no merit in me weighing in on either side this controversy because indeed there is no controversy. Just look at the title again. Is it not beautiful? Gold and silver do not tarnish so easily. They retain their own luster in spite of the filth that surrounds them. This title is an object of desire. That is the significance. That is the full story. Only everything that you may ever need to know here. Whatever you might think about the man who holds this treasure, it is a treasure nonetheless. Nothing sticks to it. It remains pure. It is still so alluring. And challenger after challenger will continue to march through the fire for the mere opportunity to see themselves reflected in this promotion’s Heritage.
That is the nature of precious things.
And this is the nature of man.
The soul is not content with the bounded limitations of this flesh. It longs to wander. It strives toward The Ultimate. Toward infinity. Man longs to be more than just this. So we hunger. To accumulate. To grow. To have more. To be more. A lucky few clothe themselves in gold and in silver. Others fail to crown themselves in jewels and so devise other means to measure their progress. The monks, the ascetics, the White Knights of this world like Masanori Kawada who emulate those things they cannot claim. White too is bright, isn’t it? Not so perfectly, but it does reflect like a mirror of polished silver. Of all the colours of light… Nothing sticks. They will remain pure. The white knights will pass through this world with their spirits, and their reputations, untarnished by the filth that surrounds them.
What foolishness…
Strip away the self-serving morality and all distinctions dissolve at once. Love and War and just names for making two things become one. Worldly Accumulation and Spiritual Devotion are just names for seeing your identity reflected in something more than yourself. The distinction is not so bold as two sides of the same coin. There is no this and that, only this. The only difference between black and white is that black understands exactly what it wants…
Only Everything.
Where White only reflects all the colours of light, Black devours them all. It will not suffer for anything to escape it’s clutches. Catch the significance? There are enough sheep out in the world who do nothing but conform and reflect the exterior wants and values of others. But The Phantom Troupe… We are black sheep. We know exactly what we want…
Only Everything.
Everything. That is what the Phantom Troupe is here for. Not Fame. Not Fortune. Not Pride. Not Shame. Not Love. Not Hate. Not Heritage. Not Filial Duty. Not Coercion. Not Choice.
Only Everything.
Scorn if you must, but it is this knowledge… This clarity of purpose which has ensured that The Phantom Troupe has been THE Pre-eminent force in SSW since day one. It is within one’s prerogative to call us monsters if that helps to elaborate one’s feelings. Just understand that even beasts have feelings too. We have black hearts because we love everything. NOTHING escapes our love because black absorbs everything. When something catches the eyes of the Phantom Troupe, our very first inclination is to devour it. We want to make it part of ourselves in much the same way that the food you eat becomes your flesh. More enlightened souls out there may say that we cannot simply eat the universe. The task is futile and completely at odds with the true means to transcend the boundaries of this samsaric human existence and achieve Moksha. But we do not claim to be enlightened beings. We are not bodies filled with a light that shines any brighter than our peers. Indeed, take it from me when I say that, contrary to popular belief, phantoms don’t even wear white sheets. No. Our souls are as black as the limitless and all devouring void that makes up the greater part of existence. And that is why we are not satisfied with merely dominating Strong Style Wrestling…
Only Everything.
The ENTIRE wrestling industry.
Promotion by promotion. It has already begun. At Budokai Tenkaichi we shall prove that the spider is the number one predator under heaven when the Phantom Troupe bares its fangs and displays the inevitability of our hunger to not only Strong Style Wrestling, but the Omega Wrestling Alliance too. Here the buzzing pests, Brian Daniels and Stark, will finally be exterminated. Aria Jaxon will tie not one but two titles into our web. The very symbol of Justice, Masanori Kawada, will be reduced to a hollow husk by chaotic ambition of John Doe. And of course myself and Gronk will be catching a couple of flies of our own… April Song and the number one contender to MY Heritage… Tarah Nova.We know exactly who you are. Aria and Nasir have been so very kind to fill us in on your esteemed careers. Your strengths. Your weaknesses… If that sounds at all dismissive to you, then I advise you refrain from attributing such value judgements to us. You especially Tarah. We have all seen what you have achieved here. I know that you are strong adversaries. But as I told the Apparition, merit is meaningless. We are all here for the same core reason. Every soul still bound to this Earth is bound here by our attachments. We are all slaves shackled to our compulsions. The blackest hearts so love their irons with the greatest of devotion such that our ambitions shall never be muzzled. You will learn as The Apparition did. As all of the Wrestling Industry shall know. When you get caught in the spider’s web, whatever your merits, however firmly you resist without surrender… We will not suffer to let you escape our clutches. Consciousness wanes. All with fade into the sweet release of slumber because:
Black devours everything.
Do not trouble yourselves to tiresome resistance. Liberation is the blowing out of a candle. As the Ghost pushes you down into the dark, the enemies of the Phantom Troupe will raise a white flag:
“No more. We want none of this. What do you want?”
To which the Troupe raises the black mast:
“Only Everything”
June 29th 2018, 8:21 pm
Budokai Tenkaichi Promo #1: Kill Your Dreams
(Word Count: 1,320)
*Footage plays of Gareth Cason applying the Dream Killer to Bull Connors. Then of Connors tapping and Gareth Cason being handed the TV championship. Gareth Cason holds it up in triumph, smiling a cocky shit eating grin*
Gareth: this… this is what I came here for… to win championships. To be the best professional wrestler to ever walk this goddamned earth. I knew when I entered this business that a meteoric rise to stardom was inevitable and imminent, it hasn't taken long before I have entered my name into the history books of the OWA forever as their inaugural TV Champion. Now I could say something here about proving my doubters wrong or some stupid shit like that. I choose not to let my doubters affect me because there's gonna be many of 'em. I've been fighting professionally for too long to actually give a flying shit about what people think of me. As long as my statistics back up every word I say, then that's an absolute victory for me.. and they sure as hell do. You can bet this title is going to be on my shoulders and around my waist for a very very long time, because any title I hold I'm going to make the highlight of where it is I am. As for Olympus, I think what has been said reflects how I feel, my championship celebration truly addressed anyone that had even a fleeting thought about challenging for MY title. Well, now it seems I missed someone. But you'll have to forgive me for it because I had no idea that this guy was in contention for this title.
*Gareth slicks his hair back, an audible chuckle emitting from the Englishman. He then grins, the same smug shit eating grin that he had when he beat Bull Connors.”
Gareth: Nathan Quinn, I have to admit I didn't know your name before you were announced to be challenging me. But it seems that management thinks you made enough of a statement in your one match that you earned the right to challenge me. Now, while that is wrong on a bevy of different stances, I'll say this; it's pretty convenient to me that they gave me light work for my first defence. It allows me to show my dominance to anybody else that's considering challenging me. I'm sure I've already proved my dominance to most of the roster, but a refresher seems to be in order, and you, Quinn, are the perfect example. If you check my track record, i have never had anyone accompany me down to the ring. That's because I need absolutely nobody beside me to succeed, I have gotten to where I am right now without the aid of anyone except for Gareth Cason. And i pride myself on that. In fact, I pride myself in everything I've ever done! But I digress. YOU on the other hand Quinn, need the assistance of your new friends. I think you call yourselves the Unchained? To me, you're a bunch of punks who need to learn their place in OWA. I'd surely be happy to show that to you, the back of the line! Now you've wisely decided not to address me, and i hope you are stuck to that decision. I also hope you're not proud of your debut, because while you were siccing your dogs on Jacob Steele and adding a loss to your statistics, I was celebrating my title win and standing tall over everyone on Olympus. No David Fierce or Nathan Quinn are going to stop me from standing tall like I always have.
*Footage of Gareth celebrating his TV title win plays, him talking down to the entirety of Olympus and hailing himself as a dominant force. Then ending it with a statement that he'll make the TV Title the best title in OWA*
Gareth: *he looks at his TV title, then holds it high.* Isn't it everything you want, Quinn? Isn't it such a beautiful shade of blue? Well looking at it, unfortunately for you, is the closest you're ever going to be getting to it. I'd be a bit remiss if I didn't mention that this match isn't taking place in a traditional OWA environment, but in fact in Japan for a crossover event called Budokai Tenkaichi. The company that OWA is crossing over with is called Strong Style Wrestling, and I've recently done a bit of watching on their program. It's not bad… *Gareth smiles* maybe after I've completely conquered OWA like I plan to I can move on to there and do the same thing huh?
*Gareth cracks his neck and his cocky smile quickly changes to a scowl. He focuses on the camera and speaks in a much more serious tone*
Gareth: Nathan, come to Japan expecting the most unsuccessful and one sided fight you've ever been in, come to Japan expecting to lose because a quick defeat is the only hope you have of not incurring serious injury at the hands of Gareth Cason. I am a ring general, a grappling master who rises above and beyond any challenge that has been put in front of me. I am a striking machine who's kicks can break ribs and shatter shins. Who's elbows can give concussions and break orbital bones, who's fists have put people out like someone had turned off a light switch more times than I can count and will again. A martial arts acumen that includes multiple belts and ceremonies under three different facets of fighting. A mean streak that is known to come out whenever I feel like I need to step into a higher gear, and while I doubt that you'll be able to bring that out in me, my point is…
*Gareth cracks his knuckles*
Gareth: I have so many weapons, so many ways that I can hurt and maim, destroy and break people. It is why I got my nickname “the instrument of violence” because I have so many things that can put you away that I can just rattle them off. It takes little effort, at least for me to knock another human being completely unconscious, and you'll be finding that out come Budokai Tenkaichi. There is nobody that can save you Quinn, because I've been known to successfully take on multiple people simultaneously. It doesn't matter to me whether you tap out to the Dream Killer, or I pin you for the one two three with Pull the Plug, you've got exactly zero chance of beating me at Budokai Tenkaichi. There isn't a soul in this company able to take this title from me, and I'm perfectly ready to send just that message tomorrow.
*Assorted highlights from Gareth Cason's past matches begin to play, highlighting his aggressiveness and his arsenal of moves that can be used to finish a contest*
Gareth: in Japan, Quinn… you'll be meeting someone you just can't beat, someone you just can't play the games you play against, someone who knows the counter to any hold or move you attempt to apply and then some, somebody who is willing to hurt you severely in order to send a message to others in this company that he is not to be fucked with, somebody who has dominated some of the best OWA has to offer and can dominate the rest of them too, somebody that will spill your blood all over that ring canvas and laugh at your writhing body as you scream in pain and try to stand up to meet me. You are not my peer Quinn, you are a bug for me to squash, you are a superficial Challenger for me to incapacitate, and most importantly… you're going to meet someone…
LEGIT… FUCKING… DANGEROUS
*Gareth hoists the tv title up into the air and chuckles as the camera feed fades to black*
June 29th 2018, 7:49 pm
I.
(Puroresu Heavyweight Championship)
“THROW POPCORN AT ME AGAIN AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS, NASIR!”
The shot only fades in from black after a handful of words tinged with annoyance fall from Aria’s glossed lips. A quick look around the locale makes it obvious that she and the rest of her Phantom Troupe cohorts are seated in an otherwise empty screening room in a movie theater. The lights are all still on, and it can be seen that, since they’ve got free run of the room, they’re all spread out across the expanse of seats. Sort of.
Aria popped her gum before gesturing to all the empty seats. “All these places to sit and you just gotta be close enough to me to be annoying?”
Nas was seated behind and off to the right of her, shrugging his shoulders as he leaned back into his seat. An unnecessarily large bucket of popcorn was perched precariously on what remained of his lap as he kicked his feet up on the headrest of the seat beside Aria. “I tell you all the time that you’re fun to mess with, and you never make it any less entertaining. You ever thought about trying that?”
Aria shook her head. “Nah, but I already lost track of all the times I thought about dumping this soda over your head since we been here.” She grabbed the cup from her cup holder and pretended like she was about to take the plastic top off.
Kerry was sitting five or six rows in front of them, and at this time, he turned around. “Hey, you guys know I love kicking people out of a movie theater as much as the next guy, but I know this isn’t what we came here for.” He grabbed a small box from the cup holder beside him and dumped some M&Ms into his hand. “We could’ve listened to you two argue at the hotel. It didn’t have to be a field trip.”
Clear on the opposite side of the row where Kerry sat, Saul finally spoke. “He’s right.”
Quiet as Saul normally was, Khmaoch and their new brother-in-arms, Maelstrom, seemed to be even less for talking, and if they didn’t really wanna be here, they probably wouldn’t say so. In the meantime, they sat scattered around the theater with their arms crossed.
Aria huffed. “You’re right, Kerry,” she maintained. “We were supposed to come in here and get right to business, but SOMEONE…” The Californian turned around briefly to stare daggers at Nas, who grinned before flicking another piece of popcorn in her direction, “...thinks I won’t kill him.”
“I’m just here to enjoy the show like everyone else!” Nas replied, feigning innocence.
The shot only fades in from black after a handful of words tinged with annoyance fall from Aria’s glossed lips. A quick look around the locale makes it obvious that she and the rest of her Phantom Troupe cohorts are seated in an otherwise empty screening room in a movie theater. The lights are all still on, and it can be seen that, since they’ve got free run of the room, they’re all spread out across the expanse of seats. Sort of.
Aria popped her gum before gesturing to all the empty seats. “All these places to sit and you just gotta be close enough to me to be annoying?”
Nas was seated behind and off to the right of her, shrugging his shoulders as he leaned back into his seat. An unnecessarily large bucket of popcorn was perched precariously on what remained of his lap as he kicked his feet up on the headrest of the seat beside Aria. “I tell you all the time that you’re fun to mess with, and you never make it any less entertaining. You ever thought about trying that?”
Aria shook her head. “Nah, but I already lost track of all the times I thought about dumping this soda over your head since we been here.” She grabbed the cup from her cup holder and pretended like she was about to take the plastic top off.
Kerry was sitting five or six rows in front of them, and at this time, he turned around. “Hey, you guys know I love kicking people out of a movie theater as much as the next guy, but I know this isn’t what we came here for.” He grabbed a small box from the cup holder beside him and dumped some M&Ms into his hand. “We could’ve listened to you two argue at the hotel. It didn’t have to be a field trip.”
Clear on the opposite side of the row where Kerry sat, Saul finally spoke. “He’s right.”
Quiet as Saul normally was, Khmaoch and their new brother-in-arms, Maelstrom, seemed to be even less for talking, and if they didn’t really wanna be here, they probably wouldn’t say so. In the meantime, they sat scattered around the theater with their arms crossed.
Aria huffed. “You’re right, Kerry,” she maintained. “We were supposed to come in here and get right to business, but SOMEONE…” The Californian turned around briefly to stare daggers at Nas, who grinned before flicking another piece of popcorn in her direction, “...thinks I won’t kill him.”
“I’m just here to enjoy the show like everyone else!” Nas replied, feigning innocence.
Aria rolled her eyes. “So, at the risk of stating the obvious,” she began, “Y'all know that my least favorite groupie, Drake Jaeger, is only a couple of days from getting his shit pushed in by yours truly in the main event of Budokai Tenkaichi. I’ll be honest, this gradual increase in just how annoying my opponents are would drive a lesser woman insane.” She started counting off people on her fingers. “First it was Pendragon’s boy scout ass, then that El Chapo cosplayer from TCC, and now the Ghost of Employer Past. God, I don’t even wanna know how the next motherfucker is gonna try my patience. And yes, there will be another one and one after that, and on and on again, because he’s not taking my fucking title. Actually...now that I think about it, he doesn't even just want my title. He wants to take everything from me, but that's not his job. I'm the one who takes from people until they don't have anything left. For proof, think about the person I'm addressing. He's got nothing to lose at this stage in his career, and he blames it all on me. The funny thing about that is, I didn't even KNOW I was playing a hand in this clown's downward spiral. It just...happens. Fucking up his life was something I basically did in my spare time, and now he wants to return the favor, but he won't get his way."
She paused, fiddling with her straw before taking a sip of her drink.
“The thing that probably irks me the most is the fact that the reason why Jaeger is puffing his chest out the way he is happens to be because he’s thrown his entire being into telling the story of how we wound up here the wrong way. It took forever for him to say anything, and when he did, did I get anything new or unexpected? If he was a smarter man, in his time on the sidelines, he would’ve studied up and realized how far I’ve come. It would’ve dawned on him that I won something he was NEVER in the running for -- a world title. And with that knowledge, he should’ve accepted that the stakes were higher than they’ve ever been. This isn’t for tag team bragging rights or control of a brand or whatever else we’ve crossed paths concerning in the past. This is about more than that. My title and I are worth more than ALL of that. And he better not bother tryna tell me it’s not true. He can run his chapped lips all day about how I’m playing dress-up and I’m a little girl playing a grown man’s game, but HE happens to be the one who racked up all these frequent flyer miles just to stay on my heels. If I’m so lowly, such a disappointment, and SO undeserving, what the fuck does it say about him if he’s the one playing catch-up? If he’s better than me, why did it take so goddamn long for him to even be mentioned in the same sentence as me again?”
“It doesn’t make sense,” Kerry piped up, still downing M&Ms.
Aria pointed at the Michigan native. “EXACTLY, KERRY!” she exclaimed. “It doesn’t, but the story this clown has told up to this point doesn’t make much sense at all. Asking him to tell the truth would be asking too much from his dense ass. Revisionist history is a trip, but the unwashed SSW masses ain’t gotta worry. The Queen is gonna be nice enough to give everyone --chief among them being my PT family -- the true version of events, and the truth behind just how badly Budokai Tenkaichi is gonna go for Drake Jaeger.”
“Speaking of which…” Aria cupped her hands around her mouth. “GRONK! PROJECTOR, BIG GUY!”
A second or two passes, and a commotion can be heard up above them all in the projector room. A scrawny theater employee is shoved aside with little effort by the much-larger Gronk. At that point, the lights finally shut off and the screen is alight. The footage shown now is from December 2015, inside the sold-out Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. A younger, fire engine red-haired Aria is slumped in a corner, having a towel pressed against a cut on top of her bleeding head by a medic. The camera then pans over to show Drake Jaeger and his one-time tag team partner, Tiberius Jones, celebrating their victory on the ramp. From her seat in the theater, Aria gestures at the screen. “Peep the red hair. This was a LONG time ago.” She tilted her head to the side in amusement. “I also see Jaeger was doing his best Doe impression back then.”
All of Phantom Troupe is prompted to squint their eyes at the screen, mulling over the comparison. “I won’t lie to you and say that I don’t see the resemblance,” John Doe finally remarked after all this time. It was beyond any of them how he could see anything at all, granted he was still wearing his signature aviators in the darkened theater. The man stayed on-brand. “Still, I’d rather not be compared to the insolent scum who thinks he’ll defeat our Heavyweight Champion.”
“Fair enough, boss man,” Aria conceded. “This was where it started, though. I came into this match against Drake and Jones thinking I was gonna win. In the end, tryna drag a bunch of dead weight caught up with me. When it was over, I thought this was the end of it. I mean, that’s how it goes for normal wrestlers, right? You can have a match and realistically expect the other person not to become some wildly obsessed psycho who spins one contest into some fucking blood feud? Look at how fucked up I was at the end of that match! You think I’d be the one who couldn’t let go, but no, it’s the guy who won. I won’t pretend I don’t know why he clings onto this moment in time so tightly. He was at his most powerful when he beat the woman I used to be. He threw everything he had into beating a twenty-year-old rookie, and that’s who he needs to remember me as. The person he’s already beaten. That’ll eventually catch up to his ass. I don’t have any problem revisiting this shit. What’s done is done, and the championship I have now is anything but a consolation prize. I learned, I grew, and now, I have the most coveted championship in all of Japan around my waist. I’ll be damned if I lose it to somebody who peaked already and can’t cope.”
At this point, the next clip is played. The footage that played now was from March 2016 inside Marquee Nightclub in New York City. A pink-haired Aria is flanked by four other wrestlers, walking stone-faced down the ramp to cheers from the crowd. All at once, it seems, they break their stride and run directly at the other group of wrestlers further down the ramp, which included Jaeger. “I know Nas has heard me mention a million times how bad this night went for me,” Aria remarks. “Long story short, this is back when I used to be all selfless and altruistic.” She paused, shuddering. “Stupid as hell, I know. But anyway, only a couple of months after I became the object of Jaeger’s obsession, we had to face each other again. He was in this stable that was kinda like a bootleg version of the Troupe, and they wanted control of a whole show. My dumb ass decided to do something nice for the greater good and try to stop the hostile takeover. Again, no matter what I did, was let down by the people around me coming up short.”
“A distant memory, I’m sure,” said Saul.
“Well, yeah, obviously,” Aria beamed. “It was back then that I should’ve learned the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. Trust me, I loathed Jaeger and all his friends, but I’d never seen a more cohesive unit than them. At one time, anyway. Now there’s not a single faction on earth that can hold a candle to the bond holding The Phantom Troupe together. Jaeger is a fool. He thinks I have Y'all at my beck and call and that I’ll need you to beat him, but I won’t. My boys won’t have to do shit but meet me behind the curtain after I beat that vanilla midget within an inch of his life and tick off another successful title defense in his blood. Like I said, he’s living in the past. He can change his hair, flaunt a new attitude, sign with a different company, it doesn’t matter. He’s been running in place for YEARS, and maybe if he had the good fortune of anyone else, it wouldn’t bite him in the ass. He’s fucking with me, somebody who hasn’t stopped evolving since the first time we crossed paths. The woman he used to poke and prod at had some restraint. I’d never have imagined hurting somebody on purpose, even if it meant hanging onto my precious championship. But now? Accidents happen, but what I do to Jaeger won’t be an accident. Every kick to the grill, every submission contorting his joints and cutting off his air supply, every elbow to the head...it’s all deliberate. But unlike this psycho, I don’t want my opponent dead. Number one, I’d rather not spend my hard-earned money on unnecessary fucking legal fees, and number two, what fun is it if he’s not around to be constantly reminded of his failure? After this, I won’t lie, I want him to hang around. He might get on my last nerve, but after this, there won’t be shit he can tell me. He won’t ever be able to look me in the eye again. He’ll never again feel like we’re on the same level when I’m walking around backstage with my title in my hands as a constant reminder of the time he failed so miserably.”
A new clip overtakes the big screen once more, and this one is from a cloudy evening in South Bend, Indiana from April 2016. In a flash, Brian Daniels yanks Jaeger down into a victory roll. He kicks wildly trying to break free, but Daniels holds steadfast, holding him in place for a three-count. At that point, three bell chimes echo in the stadium, and the crowd leaps to their feet. Jaeger’s mouth is agape, and Aria laughs hysterically at the visual. “I’ll be honest, this one was just a bonus clip. He wants me to be scared of someone who loses titles to roll-ups? Fuck outta here.”
Aria rolls her eyes. After a couple of moments, a content sigh precedes her next words. “After that was when things got interesting, though. See after Jaeger damn near got murdered by Daniels and his friends a couple months later, he eventually did manage to notch an unimpressive little midcard championship reign. But apparently, when he lost that singles title, all the wind was taken outta his sails. He tucked his tail between his legs and ran off to a seat behind the commentary table. He didn’t have the balls to step back into the ring at that point, so it seemed he decided to fixate on the people daring to do what his bitch ass couldn’t -- or wouldn’t. He became so obsessed with his one-time mentor that eventually she didn’t want anything to do with him, but even before that, he was running his mouth with little snide comments about me on shows where I wasn’t even appearing. I mean, I get it, I’m a topic of conversation, I’m really fucking important, but it was getting outta hand. By the time we stepped in the ring to face off again, it was pathetic how far he’d fallen.”
The footage shown now was from Sydney, Australia in March 2018. A blue-haired Aria is standing on the ring apron scowling, reaching over the top rope to backhand Jaeger before collecting a very...familiar looking championship from the ringside assistant. She smiles and waves goodbye to Jaeger as she walks backward up the ramp. “Oh, this match was a shitshow, but I did kinda get the chance to repay Jaeger for all the shit-talking he’d done up to that point. Like I said, though, this wasn’t the same dude that people were calling “the future of the industry” before. This was a delusional fanboy chasing a vendetta to the ends of the earth. He was desperate for another chance in the sun, but this night wasn’t like the chance I’m so graciously granting him now. And just like right now, when this match took place, I was walking in as a dominant world champion and he should’ve been thanking whoever the fuck he prays to that he was even allowed to breathe the same air as me, much less share the same ring. He won’t talk about all of this, so I will. Look at the way the story’s changed. Back in the day, I can almost see why people would’ve thought a match between us was a mismatch, but now the only person saying that is Jaeger himself. Budokai Tenkaichi was supposed to be some kinda twisted fairytale for him, wasn’t it? Make the most of his triumphant return, rise from the ashes like a phoenix, and knock off the person he hates most in the world all in one go, right? I’ll tell him the same shit I told that glorified Forever 21 cashier lookalike that I’m facing on night one of the show; I don’t specialize in fairy tales. People who come at me sideways don’t get happy endings.”
“You’ve been wrong since the beginning, Jaeger. You see this company as a joke and its HBIC as an easy mark, but tell me, how fast do you think you’ll be able to adapt once you step in that ring with me and realize it’s too late to correct the mindset that’s gonna get you hurt? You might just find yourself wondering why you didn’t just stay with our previous employer. Your claims that I had to cut my losses and go somewhere with easier competition doesn’t hold much weight. I’m better than every man who’s tried to take my prize -- you especially -- but that doesn’t mean they haven’t tried their hardest. They gave everything they had just to come up short, and you’re about to find out what that’s like. You think you’re destined to take me down because those scrubs in the crowd don’t want me as champion? You’re a little late on that one. They’ve hated me since DAY ONE, and at no point has that stopped me. Hell, most of the locker room can’t stand to see me on top either, and what’s all their grumbling gotten them so far? A bunch of hurt feelings and soon to be three reminders of the danger that comes with dealing with the absolute best this company has to offer. The place we used to work for chewed you up and spat you out. You can call yourself the best all you want, but I only see the best when I look in the fucking mirror. You know what I see when I look at you? A pathetic shell of a man who’s lost so many brain cells that he thinks he’s about to parlay this whole beef into a championship win. You wanna be important SO bad, but don’t let all this footage fool you. For all the times we’ve crossed paths, in the interim between all these incidents, I never gave you a second thought. Meanwhile, you were diverting every spare thought to wanting me out of the picture. Fixating on things you can’t have is dangerous, and you probably should’ve learned that by now. Drake Jaeger isn’t used to basking in the bright lights of the main event scene, but Aria Jaxon is. The final match of Budokai Tenkaichi is where I belong. It’s where I’ve made my home, and you think I’m the one that’s out of my element?”
Aria chuckles, shaking her head before gesturing to herself. “Nah. I’m the object of your obsession, remember? And you’re just a footnote in my story. That’s where the imbalance comes in. Don’t try saving face by telling me it’s nothing personal. I know better. You came all this way just to try your hand at beating me. You won’t know peace until you can say you’ve beaten me one-on-one and finally claimed that elusive world title reign...but that reign will continue to be elusive, and you still won’t find that peace you’re looking for. You should’ve stayed in the stockroom of whatever anime memorabilia store you got hired at after you disappeared before. But since you crawled out of that hole, I’ll do what I can to make your time above ground mean something. Budokai Tenkaichi is not the night you make an example of me en route to capping off your cute little comeback. It’s the night I take you on a guided tour of this company as it IS, not as you’ve imagined it to be. The landscape of Strong Style Wrestling? The Phantom Troupe runs it, and we take particular joy in smacking around the lame ass misfits you call your Ronin brothers. And as for anyone thinking of themselves as a contender, I stand head and shoulders above them all. It’s a harsh fucking landscape to find yourself a part of, and I rule over all of it as The Queen. You haven’t knelt at my feet yet, but you will. Even if I have to cut your legs out from underneath you to make it happen, I can manage that.”
Aria grins broadly as she slams her cup down in the cup holder beside her and crosses her arms behind her head, leaning back in her seat. Her tone of voice is breezy. “Welcome to your new reality, Jaeger. The one where I ALWAYS win.”
The champion kicks her feet up on the headrest of the seat in front of her as the shot fades to black.
Last edited by Aria Jaxon on June 29th 2018, 10:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
June 29th 2018, 6:59 pm
PENDLETON, OR
HEAVEN’S DEN - NORTHWEST FIELDS11:57 pm - TUESDAY
You stand in a lonely plain. A gentle wind sweeps across, blowing the few pieces of tall grass back and forth. The moon is full overhead, giving the hills nearby an eerie blue tint.
A child carrying a lantern bounds over the small hill and runs across the field. The flame inside barely clings to life, fighting against the constant swinging from the child’s careless grasp. Behind him run three more children, and behind them, a large group of adults. Several of them hold lanterns. A few hold ends of intertwined red sheets. Countless men and women stalk over the hill, silhouetted by the bright white moon. Twenty, thirty, forty...70...100 men and women, half of whom carry torches.
Two in the middle carry large items under red cloaks, but the form and shape and fall of the cloak says it is a scarecrow. As the mass of people gets closer, you can hear them sing with beautiful voices.
CONGREGATION
“As I went down to the river to prey/studying about that goooood old way/and who shall wear/the thorny crown/oh fa-ther, show me the way…”
The congregation walks past, surrounding you; draping you in their crimson cloaks, dragging you along with them...they welcome you as their own. They take you in. You feel safe.
The sight that befalls you ahead is truly magnificent. A giant altar in the middle of the field...in front of it, a fire rages, being kept under control by two men in Black balaclavas. A woman in a jet black sari and black leather jacket sits on the stage, deep in meditation. Sitting behind her on the field are thirty men and women in black and gold robes, their heads shaved bald. Red lines run over their left eyes. The woman has a large red line down over her left eye. Niki Khan.
She is beautiful...you want to be with Her...study with Her...love Her and one day hopefully have Her hold you in Her arms and give you strength...You wish to be so blessed as to be in the proximity of Guru Khan…
The sudden arrival of a young man - a boy, really - in Black trench coat on the stage shakes you back to the present. The young man’s unruly hair falls haphazardly in his face, but he simply stares forward, eyes gazed on nothing in particular 1000 miles away. Rasmus Walker.
Another man steps on stage. He wears a large brown hunting coat adorned in patches. He surveys the area for an eerily uncomfortable amount of time. Clinton Stone.
You fear them. Almost immediately, you are filled with an overwhelming feeling of unpredictability and impending doom. They ooze violence. They seep terror from their very pores, and what frightens you most? Is the feeling that they enjoy it all. You wish to join them; follow behind them, never stand in front of them.
The next man that steps on stage, however...He leaves you in stunned silence. The Man walks slowly; confidently; with purpose and grace. He wears a long white fur coat. Even in the dark of night, he wears round sunglasses. The fire flickers in the reflection, making the man look like Satan himself. He walks to Niki Khan and places his hand on her cheek, before turning to the people...turning to You. A comforting, calm silence falls over the congregation. You only look at the Man...the Man known as Kenny Drake.
KENNY DRAKE
This Sunday...this Sunday, my brothers and sisters...this Holiest of Days, We go to a foreign land to defend our honor...to defend our pride...to defend our CLAIM to the Kingdom. It is ours, Brothers...Sisters, do you hear me? It is OUR KINGDOM, and therefore it is OURS to PROTECT. We go to a land of liars...of miscreants...of perverts. Japan is a land of Sinners, simple and plain...islands of people who claim to be respectful and polite, but hide the same evil desires and perversions as everyone else! In fact, I’d rather someone be OPEN about it all instead of showing such cowardice. Pathetic.
You are filled with an intense anger and hatred for the sinners...an irreversible and fierce feeling of loyalty for Kenny Drake washes over you...you would DIE for Him...he raises his hand, and you immediately silence your thoughts.
We will not lose our place in this...heathen land. No...instead, Brother Nate and I will RAZE their cities! We shall burn their suburbs, towns, ports, metropolis’s and villages alike and leave NOTHING in our wake but fear...and do you all know why?
Because He has given me the strength to do so.
The strength of Kenny Drake fills you with hope and furthers your devotion. You find your hands clasped in prayer in front of your face.
KENNY DRAKE
Once again...we are set to face the avatars of idiocy, vapidity, and uselessness. Jessica Ross and Savannah Sunrise. The worst of the worst. The bubble gum pop princesses that are here to satisfy a futile and fickle fan base...to meet a niche. That’s it. They HAVE their place...they HAVE THEIR SPOT, and let me tell you all know, Brothers and sisters...it is NOWHERE near us. In fact, what claim do they have?! We BEAT them to get a shot at the thrones ...we BEAT them to GET the thrones...the path is clear ...we must KILL THEM to keep it.
A flutter behind you takes your gaze from the father… how dare they...but you see the scarecrows, now uncovered, are made to resemble the Sugar Girls. The effigies are passed from hand to hand with disdain and contempt. The loathsome Sugar Girls. Pointless fools. Leaders of a lost generation. You HATE them. You wish nothing but pain and sadness on them and their families. The fact they are uttered in the same breath as the Father and General is blasphemy. You want them dead...bloody messes...vile, horrible creatures! The Jessica Rose effigy moves past you, and in a fit of passion, you spit on it. A roar rises from the crowd. Hands pat you on the shoulder. SHE SMILED! YOU MADE THE GURU SMILE!!! An unwavering devotion to the Drake Family and Wolvesden floods you, and you sink in with a smile.
The effigies are brought to the stage and placed next to Father Drake. He grabs the stakes of the effigies and gently tilts both headfirst into the raging fire in front of him. They instantly go up in flames. He tilts them back, giving you and the whole congregation a clear view. Burn. Burn. BURN.
KENNY DRAKE
These effigies are almost exact replicas of the Sugar Girls. Nothing...nothing but a husk filled with stuffing. Empty; hollow. From a distance, wow! How intimidating! Best friends, vicious fighters, world warriors!
But as you get closer, what do you see? You see it was all just a charade. A light breeze pushes them over, and even the slightest spark...and look...up in flames.
I ask of you all, is THIS who deserves to be in our company? Is THIS the best that there is to offer? If that’s the case...if the Sugar Girls are TRULY considered contenders...then these titles are nothing more than wasted leather and precious metals...because I guarantee, if the Candy Thots get their sticky little fingers on these titles, then they mean nothing. Not a damn thing, because the SUGAR GIRLS mean nothing. To anybody. What do they have that we don’t? Determination? Friendship? Belief in THEMSELVES? I can’t tell you how upsetting that is...that having the bare minimum is now ENOUGH to be given CHAMPIONSHIP OPPORTUNITIES...imagine...to go from hearing “Bloodline Tag Team Champions, the almighty Wolvesden...to “your champions, the Sugar Girls…” It would be as if I gave the title to this child here.
Kenny kneels and tussles the hair of the child in question, who raises his arms in victory And giggles. You chuckle as well...imagine, children like him or Sugar Girls as champion...the thought makes you guffaw out loud. You silence yourself, but you seem to have sparked laughter in the congregation. You feel happy...you feel at home.
Kenny smiles and raises his hand, silencing you and the crowd.
KENNY DRAKE
Brother Nate and I know our goal...we have our mission...it is to preserve the reverence of these belts. It is to DEFEND the honor of the Tag Team division and to RID THIS WORLD of those that try and lead you into Sin! THESE SINNERS WANT TO TAKE THESE FROM US! THEY WANT TO STRIP US OF THE POWER THAT WE FOUGHT AND CLAWED FOR!! THEY WANT WHAT THEY DO NOT DESERVE, LIKE THE REST OF THIS HORRIBLE GENERATION!! WILL WE GIVE IT TO THEM?!?
NO!!!
WILL WE GIVE THIS WORLD TO THE SINNERS?!
NO!!!
WE WILL FIGHT. WE WILL BLEED. WE WILL SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF ULTRAVIOLENCE UNTIL THE ENTIRE WORLD SHOUTS IN UNISON…LONG LIVE THE WOLF KING...LONG LIVE THE RED RIGHT HAND…
“PRAISE HIM!!! LONG LIVE THE WOLF KING!!!”
And when the usurped and the sinners scream and cry for help under our boot heels...and when the helpless and weak bleat like wounded deer, begging to die...and the SUGAR GIRLS THEMSELVES reach up to us with their bloodied hands and mangled, twisted faces...begging for mercy...We will say, as we give the final stomp to their broomstick necks...
“Wolves...Aeternum…”
You feel tears streaming down your face. You hear your voice scream “Wolves, Aeternum” along with the rest of the congregation; you have never heard yourself so strong and confident. Your voice is powerful with the group, yet you can hear yourself clear as day. You have never felt such pride; never felt such unbelievable happiness and love for one person.
Father Drake cracks his neck and drives the stakes into the wooden stage. The effigies sway for a moment sending embers flying in the air. Some land behind the stage, catching the tall grass on fire. You feel no fear. The congregation begins to dance and sing wildly as Kenny and Guru Khan walk off the stage. On the hill nearby, a helicopter waits, blades rotating and ready to fly. You watch them walk away as you dance amongst the flames...you have never felt so happy...as the you dance, the children run back towards the farm...the flames from the effigies begin to whip off with the wind...the stage itself catches light. Soon, you and and hundred more dance and sing “Wolves Aeternum” into the night sky. You scream it into the air as the flames rise to meet the moon. Kenny Drake and Nate Cage will not lose. Wolvesden will never fall. The fire consumes you. You feel the warmth of Kenny Drake...you feel…
Nothing.
Wolves, Aeternum
Last edited by kennydrake on June 29th 2018, 8:47 pm; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : Nvm)
June 29th 2018, 2:48 pm
Finnegan Wakefield has always been a man that carries himself and the company he represents with a smile in the face of any conflict that finds it's way to him like a moth to a flame. With the recent events of his open challenge for the OWA World Championship, being issued within what some could consider enemy territory, this occasion seems to be no different. A conference room has been prepared for the evening, a small gathering seated in front of a table, men and women dressed like reporters, more than likely the profession that brought them here with their notepads and cameras. We are not left waiting long as the OWA Champion emerges to the sound and lights of flashbulbs igniting the room, dressed sharply for the occasion, a respectable public image to display. He places the championship belt onto the table, propped up to show the glistening golden plate as he takes his seat at the table, picking up the microphone and waving off a man standing to the side, presumably a moderator for this event. He'd look out to the sea of reporters and began to speak clearly and directly towards them. ”I have been asked many questions since the events of the recent SSW event, many that I have answers to and some that I haven't quite found the answers to yet. I will spare you all here today the task of having to repeat those questions to me for your tabloids, instead, I will address everything that needs to be addressed as it concerns to Budokai Tenkaichi." He'd allow the moderator the translate his message to the press, after he finishes, Finn continues. ”The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is that of the unknown. I came to Strong Style Wrestling to challenge myself as a champion, by facing an unknown challenge head-on with little to no time for preparation. Some have told me it is a gutsy, if not foolish, move to make. And perhaps the reason has been misconstrued. I didn't come to Japan to challenge a wrestler from the east as a wrestler from the west hoping to display some kind of international dominance by placing a championship belt on the line. No, I actually challenged a member of the SSW roster to a championship match because I have a deep admiration for the Japanese puroresu scene and, with this joint event taking place in this country, couldn't think of a better way to prove my worth as a 'world' champion than by taking my challenge to the public, for anyone who wanted to test my valiance as champion. You see, I think I have something to prove to the Japanese people. Last time I wrestled in this country, it was just a little under two years ago, as what you would call a young lion, inexperienced but fortunate to receive a shot at Tag Team gold in a losing effort. I feel I have to prove my growth to cast away any doubt that I am a world elite wrestler. To prove that I am a more complete fighter than what some would give me credit for. And that brings me to Budokai Tenkaichi." Following the translation being verbalised, Finnegan addresses the elephant in the room.
”Maelstrom has made many claims leading up to this match. He believes he knows everything there is to know about Finnegan Wakefield, that he has me all figured out. He is of the impression that my defeat at his hands is all but an inevitability, that I am no real opposition for him, that he is unlike any other man I have ever stepped in the ring with. I have heard these kinds of statements many times before in my short career. These kinds of statements have been made by many men who felt that they knew me better than I knew myself. And that way of thinking has never worked out for them. Though I don't underestimate the fight that Maelstrom will bring, I very much doubt that he hasn't underestimated me. He has never stepped in the ring with me. He has never looked me in the eyes and saw what all those men that have come before him have seen as they stared into the portal to my soul. That I don't possess fear. That I am not burdened with uncertainty. That there is no desperate man behind these eyes. That the Finnegan Wakefield you take at face value and the Finnegan Wakefield you meet in the ring are two entirely different beasts, and Maelstrom has yet to learn of that difference. That will be his undoing. That will be the vulnerability that his mightier-than-thou demeanour will never allow him to understand. And that is what will guarantee that the OWA World Championship will not find a new "master" when all is said and done. His philosophies are unfound and his hyperbole has yet to be put into practice. He looks at the world like an object that he can possess, and that this championship --" Finnegan pats his hand on the golden plate of the OWA World Championship "-- is nothing in his grand scheme of things. Well, Maelstrom if you're listening and I am sure you are, if you see this championship as nothing of value, you will be leaving Budokai Tenkaichi with an image of a fallen demigod that is the ruler of nothing. It's true, I may not know much about you but your name and your affiliation, but you have painted me an image that speaks a thousand words about the man I battle tomorrow night, and it has helped me get an understanding and given me all the tools I need to break this facade behind your words. And it starts with your affiliation; the Phantom Troupe. I've seen the agenda they have around here, I have seen what they do to tip the balance into their favor when all seems bleak and that's why I have decided to ensure that if the Phantom Troupe rear their ugly heads, that I will have someone -- scratch that -- a group that will be watching my back to ensure their influence doesn't spread any further." Many flashbulbs ignite as Finnegan unbuttons his dress shirt, revealing a Shoot Nation T-Shirt beneath. "For one night, I will be an honorary member of the Shoot Nation faction. I have been training in their camp alongside the likes of Kawada, Santiago, Kingsley & Pendragon to prepare myself for a war of attrition against any and all members of the Phantom Troupe. So, if you believe I am coming into this match blind, facing the unknown helplessly and regretfully, you are sadly mistaken. You praise yourself highly, Maelstrom, you praise yourself like you're some type of god. Tomorrow Night, Budokai Tenkaichi, with the OWA World Championship on the line, I am going to show you what is a god to a non-believer. And send your distortion world crashing down!"
”Maelstrom has made many claims leading up to this match. He believes he knows everything there is to know about Finnegan Wakefield, that he has me all figured out. He is of the impression that my defeat at his hands is all but an inevitability, that I am no real opposition for him, that he is unlike any other man I have ever stepped in the ring with. I have heard these kinds of statements many times before in my short career. These kinds of statements have been made by many men who felt that they knew me better than I knew myself. And that way of thinking has never worked out for them. Though I don't underestimate the fight that Maelstrom will bring, I very much doubt that he hasn't underestimated me. He has never stepped in the ring with me. He has never looked me in the eyes and saw what all those men that have come before him have seen as they stared into the portal to my soul. That I don't possess fear. That I am not burdened with uncertainty. That there is no desperate man behind these eyes. That the Finnegan Wakefield you take at face value and the Finnegan Wakefield you meet in the ring are two entirely different beasts, and Maelstrom has yet to learn of that difference. That will be his undoing. That will be the vulnerability that his mightier-than-thou demeanour will never allow him to understand. And that is what will guarantee that the OWA World Championship will not find a new "master" when all is said and done. His philosophies are unfound and his hyperbole has yet to be put into practice. He looks at the world like an object that he can possess, and that this championship --" Finnegan pats his hand on the golden plate of the OWA World Championship "-- is nothing in his grand scheme of things. Well, Maelstrom if you're listening and I am sure you are, if you see this championship as nothing of value, you will be leaving Budokai Tenkaichi with an image of a fallen demigod that is the ruler of nothing. It's true, I may not know much about you but your name and your affiliation, but you have painted me an image that speaks a thousand words about the man I battle tomorrow night, and it has helped me get an understanding and given me all the tools I need to break this facade behind your words. And it starts with your affiliation; the Phantom Troupe. I've seen the agenda they have around here, I have seen what they do to tip the balance into their favor when all seems bleak and that's why I have decided to ensure that if the Phantom Troupe rear their ugly heads, that I will have someone -- scratch that -- a group that will be watching my back to ensure their influence doesn't spread any further." Many flashbulbs ignite as Finnegan unbuttons his dress shirt, revealing a Shoot Nation T-Shirt beneath. "For one night, I will be an honorary member of the Shoot Nation faction. I have been training in their camp alongside the likes of Kawada, Santiago, Kingsley & Pendragon to prepare myself for a war of attrition against any and all members of the Phantom Troupe. So, if you believe I am coming into this match blind, facing the unknown helplessly and regretfully, you are sadly mistaken. You praise yourself highly, Maelstrom, you praise yourself like you're some type of god. Tomorrow Night, Budokai Tenkaichi, with the OWA World Championship on the line, I am going to show you what is a god to a non-believer. And send your distortion world crashing down!"
June 29th 2018, 12:44 pm
Brian Daniels...the most foolish man to ever walk this earth.
Yes I said it. Even more so than I was when I followed a path in life just like his. Had Brian Daniels thought out his future wisely he would have stayed wherever we, The Phantom Troupe, sent him last time we assaulted him and costed him his position as the beloved chairman of Strong Style Wrestling. And now look at the man. Desiring to make one last ditch effort to come back for vengeance against us? For what? Speeding up the process of what was naturally destined to happen? Brian Daniels does not belong in a professional wrestling ring in the year of 2018. The two concepts just are not compatible. It’s like if someone were to suggest that I, CM Nas, were not the Best. The two concepts just cannot be paired together. Well unless you desire to deceive people of course. Because what Brian Daniels is trying to escape from so badly. What Brian Daniels wishes to fight back against so much...if reality! The cold hard reality is, his time has already passed and he’s trying to hang on to this by every last thread he can cling his grubby paws to. The man is washed up. He is passed his prime. His expiration date has already already come. All I am seeking to do is show him the door, like any respectable young man would do. How is that such a bad thing when you really look at it down to its core? Can any of you ingrates riddle me that one? In the end Brian Daniels will be doing the wrestling world a service on his way out of it, just as he did during his time within it. Brian will be used as the ultimate platform that shall propell CM Nas into a stratosphere that no other member of our industry has entered before. I’ll truly be the single most massive name in the history of professional wrestling! Only a position deserved to be held by the best such as myself. So Brian we go way back, much farther than most would assume at first glance, and our relationship spans many different types, whether as friends, mentor and mentee, or now heated enemies pitted against one another. Now I am not stupid. I fully realize you won’t go down without a fight. That is the story of Brian Daniels’ Career after all. Never say die. Unfortunately Brian, you face the one man who arguably knows that very mentality even greater than you do! I have been scratching and clawing for every little bit of everything I have obtained in my professional life! I built this damn empire I stand upon now all on my own! Through my own hard work and determination! Every bit of energy I’ve exerted. Every drop of sweat, blood, and tears I shed throughout the years. They were all worth it in the end! As now here I am as the most powerful man in all of Wrestling! A man carrying multiple world championships, a loyal fanbase who recognize fully that there is no one better, and being a very influential member in the most powerful organization of talent in the entire world...The Phantom Troupe of course. Standing alongside me is of course my dear friend Saul Omen. No I would go a step further in saying Saul is a Brother in Arms! We have some differing views on the world and those in it, however our goals are not mutually exclusive obviously, or else we would not be the cohesive unit we have managed to be for so many months now. I am the Heavenly Deity who casts divine judgement upon you, and Saul is the Reaper who banishes all who oppose him straight to the depths of hell itself! The pain and suffering awaiting you and Stark at Budokai Tenkaichi shall last for an eternity! You’ll have permanent scars to remind you constantly of the beating you took at the hands of CM Nas and Saul Omen. And as for Stark. You might as well give it up now buddy. You couldn’t even defeat JUST ME! What could possibly make you think that you can stop both myself AND Saul Omen when you have nothing more than a withered old man backin you up. And I must ask, why should anyone trust YOU after what you did to Jacob Senn at Supremacy. Brian Daniels specifically. In the end Stark, you wisest decision would be either to skip town altogether, or join Brian Daniels in the retirement home, because you stand absolutely zero chance of stopping Saul Omen and The BEST! WRESTLER! ALIVE! C! M! NAS! So for the two of you, your fate is very simple. You should know how it goes by now bois…
HAKAI!
Yes I said it. Even more so than I was when I followed a path in life just like his. Had Brian Daniels thought out his future wisely he would have stayed wherever we, The Phantom Troupe, sent him last time we assaulted him and costed him his position as the beloved chairman of Strong Style Wrestling. And now look at the man. Desiring to make one last ditch effort to come back for vengeance against us? For what? Speeding up the process of what was naturally destined to happen? Brian Daniels does not belong in a professional wrestling ring in the year of 2018. The two concepts just are not compatible. It’s like if someone were to suggest that I, CM Nas, were not the Best. The two concepts just cannot be paired together. Well unless you desire to deceive people of course. Because what Brian Daniels is trying to escape from so badly. What Brian Daniels wishes to fight back against so much...if reality! The cold hard reality is, his time has already passed and he’s trying to hang on to this by every last thread he can cling his grubby paws to. The man is washed up. He is passed his prime. His expiration date has already already come. All I am seeking to do is show him the door, like any respectable young man would do. How is that such a bad thing when you really look at it down to its core? Can any of you ingrates riddle me that one? In the end Brian Daniels will be doing the wrestling world a service on his way out of it, just as he did during his time within it. Brian will be used as the ultimate platform that shall propell CM Nas into a stratosphere that no other member of our industry has entered before. I’ll truly be the single most massive name in the history of professional wrestling! Only a position deserved to be held by the best such as myself. So Brian we go way back, much farther than most would assume at first glance, and our relationship spans many different types, whether as friends, mentor and mentee, or now heated enemies pitted against one another. Now I am not stupid. I fully realize you won’t go down without a fight. That is the story of Brian Daniels’ Career after all. Never say die. Unfortunately Brian, you face the one man who arguably knows that very mentality even greater than you do! I have been scratching and clawing for every little bit of everything I have obtained in my professional life! I built this damn empire I stand upon now all on my own! Through my own hard work and determination! Every bit of energy I’ve exerted. Every drop of sweat, blood, and tears I shed throughout the years. They were all worth it in the end! As now here I am as the most powerful man in all of Wrestling! A man carrying multiple world championships, a loyal fanbase who recognize fully that there is no one better, and being a very influential member in the most powerful organization of talent in the entire world...The Phantom Troupe of course. Standing alongside me is of course my dear friend Saul Omen. No I would go a step further in saying Saul is a Brother in Arms! We have some differing views on the world and those in it, however our goals are not mutually exclusive obviously, or else we would not be the cohesive unit we have managed to be for so many months now. I am the Heavenly Deity who casts divine judgement upon you, and Saul is the Reaper who banishes all who oppose him straight to the depths of hell itself! The pain and suffering awaiting you and Stark at Budokai Tenkaichi shall last for an eternity! You’ll have permanent scars to remind you constantly of the beating you took at the hands of CM Nas and Saul Omen. And as for Stark. You might as well give it up now buddy. You couldn’t even defeat JUST ME! What could possibly make you think that you can stop both myself AND Saul Omen when you have nothing more than a withered old man backin you up. And I must ask, why should anyone trust YOU after what you did to Jacob Senn at Supremacy. Brian Daniels specifically. In the end Stark, you wisest decision would be either to skip town altogether, or join Brian Daniels in the retirement home, because you stand absolutely zero chance of stopping Saul Omen and The BEST! WRESTLER! ALIVE! C! M! NAS! So for the two of you, your fate is very simple. You should know how it goes by now bois…
HAKAI!
June 29th 2018, 7:35 am
(Cash and Sakura are shown leaving the restaurant - their arms locked as Sakura rests her head against Cash’s shoulder. They walk along the streets of Osaka as Sakura’s eyes glare at any women that walk by them as they get too close to Cash)
Cash: Relax, my Cherry Blossom.
(Sakura grumbles as they continue to walk. As they walk by an alley, they’re interrupted by children shooting fireworks within it. Sakura immediately looks at them with glee)
Sakura: Oh my God! I love this!
Cash: I thought you hated kids.
Sakura: Who gives a shit about the kids, look at the fireworks!
(Sakura rushes up to the kids, pushing them over and taking possession of their fireworks as they yell at her in Japanese before running off)
Cash: I wonder what they were shooting those for.
(Sakura’s eyes remain fixated on the fireworks, wasting no time lighting them up as Cash makes his way over to her)
Sakura: Aren’t they pretty, my Cassius?
Cash: Not as pretty as you, my Cherry Blossom.
Sakura: Aww!
(Sakura and Cash kiss before Sakura lights up another firecracker, tossing it into the air as it explodes)
Cash: I wonder if everyone just shoots fireworks around this time. They don’t celebrate 4th of July here, but that does remind me.
Sakura: You’re right! We should buy lots of fireworks! We could blow up so many things!
Cash: I would love that. We could use them to celebrate our victory.
Sakura: I like how you think. You know what, we should incorporate these into our match! Let’s just blow up Shoot Nation!
Cash: Nothing would please me more, my Cherry Blossom. In fact… I think there’s something to be said here about this. I dare say these fireworks remind me of our opponents. Not just the ones at Budokai. All of them. Every single one of them are nothing but insignificant firecrackers - they’ve all been one massively disappointing bang, and then the novelty of facing them immediately wears off. Before your very eyes, you watch their entire lifespan in mere moments. They’ve all got that… You know, that spark. They’ve got something that ignites that supposed “undying will” that makes them get up and fight even in the face of an inevitable loss. They light up and they explode and they show what they’ve got before not only OTP, but their fellow peers and friends and family and so many watching around the World… Before their time is up and they go out, along with the rest. And then…
(Cash walks over to the used firecrackers laying on the ground)
Cash: And then they become this. They’ve already exceeded their purpose. They’ve overstayed their welcome, and now they’re nothing more than wasted space. And we’re forced to look at them when it’s finished. They have absolutely nothing left of value to offer to The One True Pairing, and yet here they are. Belle Kingsley has fought and died on this hill already, and yet, she’s been given another shot...
Sakura: Ugh… Don’t remind me of her again.
(Sakura lights another firecracker - chucking it at the nearest wall as it explodes)
Cash: I’d be lying if I said it didn’t nag me. Something about it. Something about how persistent these useless people can be. Doesn’t she understand? You can’t hope to win against something you can’t even comprehend, and she sits there spouting off her hollow words and achieves nothing but the blatant fact that she hasn’t the faintest clue why she stands before us as the challenger while we are the Champions. It’s never been some big secret. It’s not something the likes of which she could ever hope to dig down deep within herself and pull out to pull off the upset of the century. It’s something she’s never had, and never WILL have. It’s why she’s just a tiny firecracker in the grand scheme of things, and she’s already gone off. Now? Now all she is…
(Cash steps down onto the used firecracker in front of him)
Cash: Worthless. Absolutely worthless. This company lacks anyone of value to challenge us, so they throw their little dog another bone even when the outcome is long since decided. Her spooky friend won’t make a difference. Her Shoot Nation pals won’t heed the call and save the day. She’s a victim of avarice - the money, power, and fame that we’ve always had - it’s what she wants more than anything deep down. Deep down in her tiny, frail body in the deepest corners of her mind that she ignores, she knows she wants to be the One True Pairing. That’s why she desperately reaches out and hopes she can grab onto our gold, if only for one fleeting moment. She is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a firecracker. And what do we do with firecrackers, my Cherry Blossom?
(Sakura smiles at Cash as she lights another firecracker)
Sakura: We use them…
(Sakura throws the firecracker into the air as it explodes. They both watch as its remains drop to the ground)
Cash: … And then we leave them broken, beaten, and nothing of value to anyone. She and The Apparition don’t know what they’re truly putting on the line by standing in the ring with us. This is more than any Championship match. This isn’t about simply walking out as Champions. This isn’t even about bragging rights. They don’t realize they’ve put their lives on the line by stepping inside the ring with us. They abide by rules - ones that don’t exist. Rules that have never existed. They waste their entire lives trying to color between the lines, no matter how frustrated they get. No matter how often they wonder why they just can’t pull off the big one. Why they can’t be the center of attention. Why they fail time and time again while people like us succeed - the ones who are supposedly the “bad guys”. It’s because we’ve always done what we want to get what we desire, and we always will. They’re all nothing short of dogs with moral chains around their necks, and they are going to die a slow, painful death by going as far as those chains will take them as they desperately try to reach out for our gold and know they’ll never get close enough. We’ll laugh and celebrate while we watch the life leave their broken bodies, and they will become just another firecracker in the garbage.
(Sakura sets off another firecracker before Cash pulls her to him)
Cash: That’s the big difference between them and us. They’ll die for their precious Shoot Nation and believe it’s an honorable death. Us? The One True Pairing will celebrate their independence. We will become an entity on our own, transcending all these factions. Tres Comas Club will profit, but they will do so under our guidance. Belle and The Apparation will die as nameless soldiers for a pathetic, meaningless cause. And that, my Cherry Blossom… Is something to celebrate.
(Cash and Sakura kiss before looking at all of the used fireworks laying on the ground of the alley)
Sakura: Can we get more, my Cassius?
Cash: Of course, my Cherry Blossom. You can have anything you want. You will always get it.
(Cash and Sakura smile at one another before locking arms and exiting the alley, leaving behind all of the used fireworks on the ground before the camera fades to black)
Cash: Relax, my Cherry Blossom.
(Sakura grumbles as they continue to walk. As they walk by an alley, they’re interrupted by children shooting fireworks within it. Sakura immediately looks at them with glee)
Sakura: Oh my God! I love this!
Cash: I thought you hated kids.
Sakura: Who gives a shit about the kids, look at the fireworks!
(Sakura rushes up to the kids, pushing them over and taking possession of their fireworks as they yell at her in Japanese before running off)
Cash: I wonder what they were shooting those for.
(Sakura’s eyes remain fixated on the fireworks, wasting no time lighting them up as Cash makes his way over to her)
Sakura: Aren’t they pretty, my Cassius?
Cash: Not as pretty as you, my Cherry Blossom.
Sakura: Aww!
(Sakura and Cash kiss before Sakura lights up another firecracker, tossing it into the air as it explodes)
Cash: I wonder if everyone just shoots fireworks around this time. They don’t celebrate 4th of July here, but that does remind me.
Sakura: You’re right! We should buy lots of fireworks! We could blow up so many things!
Cash: I would love that. We could use them to celebrate our victory.
Sakura: I like how you think. You know what, we should incorporate these into our match! Let’s just blow up Shoot Nation!
Cash: Nothing would please me more, my Cherry Blossom. In fact… I think there’s something to be said here about this. I dare say these fireworks remind me of our opponents. Not just the ones at Budokai. All of them. Every single one of them are nothing but insignificant firecrackers - they’ve all been one massively disappointing bang, and then the novelty of facing them immediately wears off. Before your very eyes, you watch their entire lifespan in mere moments. They’ve all got that… You know, that spark. They’ve got something that ignites that supposed “undying will” that makes them get up and fight even in the face of an inevitable loss. They light up and they explode and they show what they’ve got before not only OTP, but their fellow peers and friends and family and so many watching around the World… Before their time is up and they go out, along with the rest. And then…
(Cash walks over to the used firecrackers laying on the ground)
Cash: And then they become this. They’ve already exceeded their purpose. They’ve overstayed their welcome, and now they’re nothing more than wasted space. And we’re forced to look at them when it’s finished. They have absolutely nothing left of value to offer to The One True Pairing, and yet here they are. Belle Kingsley has fought and died on this hill already, and yet, she’s been given another shot...
Sakura: Ugh… Don’t remind me of her again.
(Sakura lights another firecracker - chucking it at the nearest wall as it explodes)
Cash: I’d be lying if I said it didn’t nag me. Something about it. Something about how persistent these useless people can be. Doesn’t she understand? You can’t hope to win against something you can’t even comprehend, and she sits there spouting off her hollow words and achieves nothing but the blatant fact that she hasn’t the faintest clue why she stands before us as the challenger while we are the Champions. It’s never been some big secret. It’s not something the likes of which she could ever hope to dig down deep within herself and pull out to pull off the upset of the century. It’s something she’s never had, and never WILL have. It’s why she’s just a tiny firecracker in the grand scheme of things, and she’s already gone off. Now? Now all she is…
(Cash steps down onto the used firecracker in front of him)
Cash: Worthless. Absolutely worthless. This company lacks anyone of value to challenge us, so they throw their little dog another bone even when the outcome is long since decided. Her spooky friend won’t make a difference. Her Shoot Nation pals won’t heed the call and save the day. She’s a victim of avarice - the money, power, and fame that we’ve always had - it’s what she wants more than anything deep down. Deep down in her tiny, frail body in the deepest corners of her mind that she ignores, she knows she wants to be the One True Pairing. That’s why she desperately reaches out and hopes she can grab onto our gold, if only for one fleeting moment. She is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a firecracker. And what do we do with firecrackers, my Cherry Blossom?
(Sakura smiles at Cash as she lights another firecracker)
Sakura: We use them…
(Sakura throws the firecracker into the air as it explodes. They both watch as its remains drop to the ground)
Cash: … And then we leave them broken, beaten, and nothing of value to anyone. She and The Apparition don’t know what they’re truly putting on the line by standing in the ring with us. This is more than any Championship match. This isn’t about simply walking out as Champions. This isn’t even about bragging rights. They don’t realize they’ve put their lives on the line by stepping inside the ring with us. They abide by rules - ones that don’t exist. Rules that have never existed. They waste their entire lives trying to color between the lines, no matter how frustrated they get. No matter how often they wonder why they just can’t pull off the big one. Why they can’t be the center of attention. Why they fail time and time again while people like us succeed - the ones who are supposedly the “bad guys”. It’s because we’ve always done what we want to get what we desire, and we always will. They’re all nothing short of dogs with moral chains around their necks, and they are going to die a slow, painful death by going as far as those chains will take them as they desperately try to reach out for our gold and know they’ll never get close enough. We’ll laugh and celebrate while we watch the life leave their broken bodies, and they will become just another firecracker in the garbage.
(Sakura sets off another firecracker before Cash pulls her to him)
Cash: That’s the big difference between them and us. They’ll die for their precious Shoot Nation and believe it’s an honorable death. Us? The One True Pairing will celebrate their independence. We will become an entity on our own, transcending all these factions. Tres Comas Club will profit, but they will do so under our guidance. Belle and The Apparation will die as nameless soldiers for a pathetic, meaningless cause. And that, my Cherry Blossom… Is something to celebrate.
(Cash and Sakura kiss before looking at all of the used fireworks laying on the ground of the alley)
Sakura: Can we get more, my Cassius?
Cash: Of course, my Cherry Blossom. You can have anything you want. You will always get it.
(Cash and Sakura smile at one another before locking arms and exiting the alley, leaving behind all of the used fireworks on the ground before the camera fades to black)
June 29th 2018, 6:01 am
覇 The camera shows nothing but total darkness as a song begins to play... 覇
“Yeah, this one right here goes out to all the baby’s mamas, mamas…”
覇 The camera slowly begins to zoom out 覇
“Mamas, mamas, baby mamas, mamas…”
覇 The camera zooms out further to slowly reveal what appear to be black sunglasses 覇
“Yeah, go like this -”
覇 The camera pans out further, revealing the sunglasses on the face of a motionless Drake Jaeger 覇
“I’m sorry, Miss Jackson (Oooh) I am for real”
覇 The camera continues to pan out, showing Drake’s entire stoic expression and his bare shoulders as he remains seated 覇
“Never meant to make your daughter cry/I apologize a trillion times”
覇 The camera finally stops, revealing Drake Jaeger sitting at a long table in an unknown room that’s been set up to resemble a Strong Style Wrestling Press Conference, along with a large “Ronin” banner behind him. Next to a still motionless Drake sits a boombox playing the song 覇
“I’m sorry, Miss Jackson (Oooh) I am for real”--
覇 Drake finally moves, stopping the song with the press of a button on the boombox. Silence fills the entire room as Drake says nothing. He continues to look directly at the camera, wearing his black sunglasses as begins to rock back and forth in his chair 覇
Drake: Ahem… Ladies and gentlemen… I would like to welcome each and every one of you to the Drake Jaeger Pre-Match Victory Celebration. I don’t have my World Championship quite yet, it’s currently still in the mailing system and being delivered to me on a silver platter by the brand new mailwoman of SSW - one Miss Aria Jaxon.
覇 Drake chuckles and shakes his head 覇
Drake: And I know… I know EXACTLY what you’re all thinking. You’re thinking ‘But Drake! How can you celebrate winning a match you haven’t even competed in yet?!’. I’d like every single one of you marks to listen to me very carefully - I’ve already won. I won the moment I signed my name on the dotted fucking line. I won the moment Aria decided to swallow something fouler than what she’s usually got in her mouth... And that is her pride. You see, Future Drake already beat Future Aria, so why should I go out of my way to put on some little facade to make the so-called “World Champion” feel better about herself? I mean if anything, Aria should be giving me some credit here, because little does she know, I’m already putting on airs by NOT bursting out into uncontrollable laughter at the sheer thought that she’s considered a World Champion in any way, shape, or form! In fact, how about this - how about I tell everyone a story. Uncle Drake is gonna paint a picture for you…
覇 Drake leans back in his chair, pretending to visualize his story as he continues 覇
Drake: Once upon a time, there lived a ratchet little girl by the name of Aria Jaxon. She showed up in the big city with nothing to her name, and there she displayed her talents for all to see. No, no, no, not talent in the ring! Talent elsewhere! Talent on the phone, and talent in the bed, and talent in the locker room where she would bitch and moan and whine about not getting her due. Then one day two heroes by the name of Drake and Jones came along to give her the bitchslap of SEVERAL lifetimes! Little Aria Jaxon was beaten within an inch of her miserable life and yet still thought it was a better idea to reach out for a chance to grab the rope and escape than it was to reach out for a fucking clue! She never learned her lesson and instead, she went on to do whatever it was Aria Jaxon does until she couldn’t take it anymore and left the big city to find a smaller one where she could thrive against a massive lack of competition to the point where it’s absolutely sad to watch. She declared herself Queen of this desolate, broken down World she found and believed she would live happily ever after. But little did she know… There is no such thing as happily ever after. Not for her. Not as long as there’s a breath left in the body of Drake Jaeger, because his purpose in life is to ensure there ISN’T a breath left in her tiny little body. She lived in peace and harmony with her World Title until the day Drake found out, and he knocked on the door and said “Little bitch, Little bitch, let me in” and she said, “Not by the beard on my chinny chin chin!” So Drake huffed… And he PUFFED….
覇 Drake gets on his feet 覇
Drake: AND HE BLEW ARIA JAXON’S ENTIRE FUCKING HOUSE DOWN TO THE GROUND, BURNED THE REMAINS, AND PISSED ON THE ASHES!
覇 Drake plops back down into the chair, regaining his composure 覇
Drake: … And that, my friends, is the Ballad of Aria Jaxon. No more, no less. The day Drake Jaeger stepped onto the soil of her precious company was a grim reminder. That’s what I am. I’m a reminder of a past she can’t escape, no matter how far away she runs, and no matter who she beats, and no matter how many Titles she wins. You can’t escape fate, and her fate is to be the remains of shit I wipe off of my boot when the smoke clears and I’m busy polishing my new Championship while the World forgets who held it prior. She’s wasted her life here beating absolute nobodies, and that’s because she herself is a fucking nobody. She’s a weak, fragile, shark that picked off smaller fish in the sea until someone like me finally came along to devour her. It’s not even anything personal, sweetheart. Don’t let all of my eccentricity fool you into thinking you’re special. I’m rolling out the red carpet for you the way anyone would for someone’s funeral, because that’s what this is. It’s your funeral, and I’m giving you your last rites with every word I speak. When this is said and done, you’re gonna spit your venom at me and curse me for what I’ve done to you, but you need to know it really, really wasn’t something personal. It’s just in my nature to ruin people like you because I’m simply better. Plain and simple. Clear as fucking day. Better than you in every single possible way, and the sooner YOU accept that, the sooner we can all live our lives the way they should be and be in the roles we belong. You’ve got that big fucking forehead still high in the clouds, riding off the high of believing you belong with the “big boys” because you’re standing here in the main event with a main event Title, and you have absolutely no idea how hard you’re about to come crashing down. You built those wings you’re flying with out of wax, and I’m the fucking sun. Understand? When this is all over, you’ll hate me far, far more than you do now, but more importantly, you’ll remember this. You’ll think about it every fucking day for the rest of your miserable existence because come Sunday, you’ll have experienced the most important day in your entire LIFE… But for me, it’s just gonna be another Sunday.
覇 Drake loses focus as he starts to fiddle with the buttons on the boombox before turning back towards the camera 覇
Drake: Oh yeah, and I guess when I do win the Championship, I’ll be bringing it back to…
覇 Drake awkwardly turns around, lifting his sunglasses to read the banner behind him 覇
Drake: … Ronin. I’ll be bringing it to Ronin.
覇 Drake turns back around and shrugs 覇
Drake: So make a note of that. And also, you know, for future reference…
覇 Drake reaches underneath the table and pulls out a red solo cup, placing it on the table 覇
Drake: I know that I’ve garnered some hate since showing back up, and I know people have some issues with me. So as a lot of you know, there tends to be sponsored beverages here when people come in for their post-match Press Conferences. I took the effort to bring one of my own, because what I’ve got here isn’t an alcoholic beverage, let alone a sponsored one. I’m an innovator. I instead demand this right here.
覇 Drake picks up the cup, taking a sip of it. 覇
Drake: Ahh, that’s good. You know what that is?
覇 Drake places the cup back down and points at it 覇
Drake: THAT is something far sweeter than any normal beverage. That, my friends, is the tears of every piece of shit who’s crying about me showing up in this company and immediately getting a World Title shot. Hell, they’ve managed to nearly fill it to the brim! Insane… Here, let me show you a simulation of what it’s gonna be like when I win this company’s World Championship on my first try without having even stepped inside an SSW ring before.
覇 Drake reaches under the table again, this time pulling out a salt shaker. He vigorously sends salt into the water before taking another sip 覇
Drake: Mmm… Delicious.
覇Drake immediately tosses the cup as the contents of it go everywhere in the background 覇
Drake: Here’s what I think you all should do.
覇 Drake takes off his sunglasses as he stares into the camera 覇
Drake: I think you should take Aria’s lead and off yourself when this match is over, because you will all see the wall you’ve just run into. One that isn’t gonna budge. One that won’t be knocked down. One that can’t be reasoned with or struggled against. One with Aria Jaxon’s blood and viscera and hair dye painted all over it like a fucking MURAL! ONE FOR YOU ALL TO BARE WITNESS TO AND KNOW THAT DRAKE JAEGER WILL NOT BE FUCKED WITH! I am going to collectively take this entire fucking nobody company and I’m going to carry it on my extremely well-toned shoulders until I get bored and toss it aside just like I did that fucking cup, and why? WHY? Because I can, obviously. Because I’m the best, and I know I’m the best, and YOU know I’m the best, and Aria Jaxon is gonna know I’m the best. Oh no, she doesn’t know it yet. She doesn’t believe. She’s still thinking that this is a good thing for her. Like she’s finally gonna get her redemption for me knocking her the fuck out inside the ring so long ago, but that’s not the case. Instead, it’s gonna be Drake Jaeger taking a massive hammer of reality and smacking it down onto the final nail in the coffin Aria doesn’t realize she’s been in for a very long time. Before I carry this company, I’m gonna grab it by its head and make you all watch what I do to your World Champion, because in that moment, I am going to unite you. That’s right. I’m going to unite all four factions on the night of Tenkai-whatever the fuck. I speak Japanese, I don’t need to say it! I’m gonna make you all unite and I’m gonna tape your eyes open and I’m gonna make you all watch the things I do to your World Champion. You say “That’s not my World Champion”, but it IS. She IS your Champion, and you’ll know it because you’ll all feel the same dread and pain and agony she’s going through with every excruciating second, and you’ll all as ONE feel the despair of knowing you could have stopped me from beating her to a pulp and ending her career as a wrestler while simultaneously starting her career as the brand new poster girl of every fucking Lifetime and LMN movie from now to eternity! Because what I do to Aria Jaxon is going to be a borderline snuff film! What I do to your precious Champion is going to get me thrown in jail when it’s mistaken for several different hate crimes! I’m going to murder this bitch and you’re going to watch it happen! I AM NOT GOING TO WIN! SHE IS GOING TO FUCKING DIE!
覇 Drake flips the table over as he gets up to his feet. He paces around as he brushes his hair back 覇
Drake: … And then… And then I’m gonna just take what’s left. I hope she’s a “You’ll have to pull this Title from my cold dead hands” because I’m gonna take that more literally than you know, Aria. I’m gonna put you into the Goddamn ground, and I’m gonna enjoy every second of it. Not because I have to. Not because I want to.
覇 Drake walks over the table, getting up to the camera 覇
Drake: Just… Because.
覇 Drake smirks as he walks away, leaving behind the shattered remains of the table and boombox and set as the camera begins to zoom out again, panning further and further to reveal the room entirely empty. The Ronin banner falls down moments before the camera cuts to black 覇
“Yeah, this one right here goes out to all the baby’s mamas, mamas…”
覇 The camera slowly begins to zoom out 覇
“Mamas, mamas, baby mamas, mamas…”
覇 The camera zooms out further to slowly reveal what appear to be black sunglasses 覇
“Yeah, go like this -”
覇 The camera pans out further, revealing the sunglasses on the face of a motionless Drake Jaeger 覇
“I’m sorry, Miss Jackson (Oooh) I am for real”
覇 The camera continues to pan out, showing Drake’s entire stoic expression and his bare shoulders as he remains seated 覇
“Never meant to make your daughter cry/I apologize a trillion times”
覇 The camera finally stops, revealing Drake Jaeger sitting at a long table in an unknown room that’s been set up to resemble a Strong Style Wrestling Press Conference, along with a large “Ronin” banner behind him. Next to a still motionless Drake sits a boombox playing the song 覇
“I’m sorry, Miss Jackson (Oooh) I am for real”--
覇 Drake finally moves, stopping the song with the press of a button on the boombox. Silence fills the entire room as Drake says nothing. He continues to look directly at the camera, wearing his black sunglasses as begins to rock back and forth in his chair 覇
Drake: Ahem… Ladies and gentlemen… I would like to welcome each and every one of you to the Drake Jaeger Pre-Match Victory Celebration. I don’t have my World Championship quite yet, it’s currently still in the mailing system and being delivered to me on a silver platter by the brand new mailwoman of SSW - one Miss Aria Jaxon.
覇 Drake chuckles and shakes his head 覇
Drake: And I know… I know EXACTLY what you’re all thinking. You’re thinking ‘But Drake! How can you celebrate winning a match you haven’t even competed in yet?!’. I’d like every single one of you marks to listen to me very carefully - I’ve already won. I won the moment I signed my name on the dotted fucking line. I won the moment Aria decided to swallow something fouler than what she’s usually got in her mouth... And that is her pride. You see, Future Drake already beat Future Aria, so why should I go out of my way to put on some little facade to make the so-called “World Champion” feel better about herself? I mean if anything, Aria should be giving me some credit here, because little does she know, I’m already putting on airs by NOT bursting out into uncontrollable laughter at the sheer thought that she’s considered a World Champion in any way, shape, or form! In fact, how about this - how about I tell everyone a story. Uncle Drake is gonna paint a picture for you…
覇 Drake leans back in his chair, pretending to visualize his story as he continues 覇
Drake: Once upon a time, there lived a ratchet little girl by the name of Aria Jaxon. She showed up in the big city with nothing to her name, and there she displayed her talents for all to see. No, no, no, not talent in the ring! Talent elsewhere! Talent on the phone, and talent in the bed, and talent in the locker room where she would bitch and moan and whine about not getting her due. Then one day two heroes by the name of Drake and Jones came along to give her the bitchslap of SEVERAL lifetimes! Little Aria Jaxon was beaten within an inch of her miserable life and yet still thought it was a better idea to reach out for a chance to grab the rope and escape than it was to reach out for a fucking clue! She never learned her lesson and instead, she went on to do whatever it was Aria Jaxon does until she couldn’t take it anymore and left the big city to find a smaller one where she could thrive against a massive lack of competition to the point where it’s absolutely sad to watch. She declared herself Queen of this desolate, broken down World she found and believed she would live happily ever after. But little did she know… There is no such thing as happily ever after. Not for her. Not as long as there’s a breath left in the body of Drake Jaeger, because his purpose in life is to ensure there ISN’T a breath left in her tiny little body. She lived in peace and harmony with her World Title until the day Drake found out, and he knocked on the door and said “Little bitch, Little bitch, let me in” and she said, “Not by the beard on my chinny chin chin!” So Drake huffed… And he PUFFED….
覇 Drake gets on his feet 覇
Drake: AND HE BLEW ARIA JAXON’S ENTIRE FUCKING HOUSE DOWN TO THE GROUND, BURNED THE REMAINS, AND PISSED ON THE ASHES!
覇 Drake plops back down into the chair, regaining his composure 覇
Drake: … And that, my friends, is the Ballad of Aria Jaxon. No more, no less. The day Drake Jaeger stepped onto the soil of her precious company was a grim reminder. That’s what I am. I’m a reminder of a past she can’t escape, no matter how far away she runs, and no matter who she beats, and no matter how many Titles she wins. You can’t escape fate, and her fate is to be the remains of shit I wipe off of my boot when the smoke clears and I’m busy polishing my new Championship while the World forgets who held it prior. She’s wasted her life here beating absolute nobodies, and that’s because she herself is a fucking nobody. She’s a weak, fragile, shark that picked off smaller fish in the sea until someone like me finally came along to devour her. It’s not even anything personal, sweetheart. Don’t let all of my eccentricity fool you into thinking you’re special. I’m rolling out the red carpet for you the way anyone would for someone’s funeral, because that’s what this is. It’s your funeral, and I’m giving you your last rites with every word I speak. When this is said and done, you’re gonna spit your venom at me and curse me for what I’ve done to you, but you need to know it really, really wasn’t something personal. It’s just in my nature to ruin people like you because I’m simply better. Plain and simple. Clear as fucking day. Better than you in every single possible way, and the sooner YOU accept that, the sooner we can all live our lives the way they should be and be in the roles we belong. You’ve got that big fucking forehead still high in the clouds, riding off the high of believing you belong with the “big boys” because you’re standing here in the main event with a main event Title, and you have absolutely no idea how hard you’re about to come crashing down. You built those wings you’re flying with out of wax, and I’m the fucking sun. Understand? When this is all over, you’ll hate me far, far more than you do now, but more importantly, you’ll remember this. You’ll think about it every fucking day for the rest of your miserable existence because come Sunday, you’ll have experienced the most important day in your entire LIFE… But for me, it’s just gonna be another Sunday.
覇 Drake loses focus as he starts to fiddle with the buttons on the boombox before turning back towards the camera 覇
Drake: Oh yeah, and I guess when I do win the Championship, I’ll be bringing it back to…
覇 Drake awkwardly turns around, lifting his sunglasses to read the banner behind him 覇
Drake: … Ronin. I’ll be bringing it to Ronin.
覇 Drake turns back around and shrugs 覇
Drake: So make a note of that. And also, you know, for future reference…
覇 Drake reaches underneath the table and pulls out a red solo cup, placing it on the table 覇
Drake: I know that I’ve garnered some hate since showing back up, and I know people have some issues with me. So as a lot of you know, there tends to be sponsored beverages here when people come in for their post-match Press Conferences. I took the effort to bring one of my own, because what I’ve got here isn’t an alcoholic beverage, let alone a sponsored one. I’m an innovator. I instead demand this right here.
覇 Drake picks up the cup, taking a sip of it. 覇
Drake: Ahh, that’s good. You know what that is?
覇 Drake places the cup back down and points at it 覇
Drake: THAT is something far sweeter than any normal beverage. That, my friends, is the tears of every piece of shit who’s crying about me showing up in this company and immediately getting a World Title shot. Hell, they’ve managed to nearly fill it to the brim! Insane… Here, let me show you a simulation of what it’s gonna be like when I win this company’s World Championship on my first try without having even stepped inside an SSW ring before.
覇 Drake reaches under the table again, this time pulling out a salt shaker. He vigorously sends salt into the water before taking another sip 覇
Drake: Mmm… Delicious.
覇Drake immediately tosses the cup as the contents of it go everywhere in the background 覇
Drake: Here’s what I think you all should do.
覇 Drake takes off his sunglasses as he stares into the camera 覇
Drake: I think you should take Aria’s lead and off yourself when this match is over, because you will all see the wall you’ve just run into. One that isn’t gonna budge. One that won’t be knocked down. One that can’t be reasoned with or struggled against. One with Aria Jaxon’s blood and viscera and hair dye painted all over it like a fucking MURAL! ONE FOR YOU ALL TO BARE WITNESS TO AND KNOW THAT DRAKE JAEGER WILL NOT BE FUCKED WITH! I am going to collectively take this entire fucking nobody company and I’m going to carry it on my extremely well-toned shoulders until I get bored and toss it aside just like I did that fucking cup, and why? WHY? Because I can, obviously. Because I’m the best, and I know I’m the best, and YOU know I’m the best, and Aria Jaxon is gonna know I’m the best. Oh no, she doesn’t know it yet. She doesn’t believe. She’s still thinking that this is a good thing for her. Like she’s finally gonna get her redemption for me knocking her the fuck out inside the ring so long ago, but that’s not the case. Instead, it’s gonna be Drake Jaeger taking a massive hammer of reality and smacking it down onto the final nail in the coffin Aria doesn’t realize she’s been in for a very long time. Before I carry this company, I’m gonna grab it by its head and make you all watch what I do to your World Champion, because in that moment, I am going to unite you. That’s right. I’m going to unite all four factions on the night of Tenkai-whatever the fuck. I speak Japanese, I don’t need to say it! I’m gonna make you all unite and I’m gonna tape your eyes open and I’m gonna make you all watch the things I do to your World Champion. You say “That’s not my World Champion”, but it IS. She IS your Champion, and you’ll know it because you’ll all feel the same dread and pain and agony she’s going through with every excruciating second, and you’ll all as ONE feel the despair of knowing you could have stopped me from beating her to a pulp and ending her career as a wrestler while simultaneously starting her career as the brand new poster girl of every fucking Lifetime and LMN movie from now to eternity! Because what I do to Aria Jaxon is going to be a borderline snuff film! What I do to your precious Champion is going to get me thrown in jail when it’s mistaken for several different hate crimes! I’m going to murder this bitch and you’re going to watch it happen! I AM NOT GOING TO WIN! SHE IS GOING TO FUCKING DIE!
覇 Drake flips the table over as he gets up to his feet. He paces around as he brushes his hair back 覇
Drake: … And then… And then I’m gonna just take what’s left. I hope she’s a “You’ll have to pull this Title from my cold dead hands” because I’m gonna take that more literally than you know, Aria. I’m gonna put you into the Goddamn ground, and I’m gonna enjoy every second of it. Not because I have to. Not because I want to.
覇 Drake walks over the table, getting up to the camera 覇
Drake: Just… Because.
覇 Drake smirks as he walks away, leaving behind the shattered remains of the table and boombox and set as the camera begins to zoom out again, panning further and further to reveal the room entirely empty. The Ronin banner falls down moments before the camera cuts to black 覇
June 29th 2018, 4:46 am
Budokai Tenkaichi #1
“Jiyuu No Tsubasa”
I look back at my tenure in the world of a certain other promotion and feel happy that I’m out of there, I went there to hone my craft and become the best. A step towards truly becoming great in this business. Now with the wings of freedom spread, I continue to this upcoming chapter of my career but now in OWA.
To think it’s been over a month since I’ve had to step into a wrestling to compete but what a stage to make this return at. 50,000 people inside the Osaka Dome, cheering, screaming their hearts out for the arrival of the Almighty Empress. The crowd knows who’s coming back home and all this seems like in-ring return for everyone’s favorite Thot slayer. It was just years ago where I was trying to make my mark in some big American promotion and now I stand as a member of the OWA roster. It’s been ages since I’ve felt this free, I can pursue every kind of side project I’ve ever wanted. I’m finally spreading my wings once again but it doesn’t mean that I don’t care about wrestling. This is still my one true calling, to be in that ring and prove that I’m the best. It’s the constant drive for improvement that's made me the woman who I am right now. But enough about me, let’s talk about the woman who had the guts to stop up to the plate and take on The Almighty Empress. Diantha, I’ve got much respect for you because you decided to step and not just challenge me but face me in my backyard. Credit is due where it deserves to be given, Diantha. You stepped even when you haven’t won a match here in OWA, reminds me of myself. Even when I was losing at the beginning of my career here in America, I kept on fighting and showing heart until I got that first win. In that regard, you remind me of myself.
I know how much this match and winning this one matters to you. to get your first win in a new company is big deal, it allows you to send a message to the back and say that you have what it takes to be a contender. As much as I know you want to win but I can’t you let do that. This is my comeback and I simply won’t let you win just because I feel for you. When you make your entrance, remember that you’re gonna wake into a hostile crowd cheering on me. Don’t fright though, if you had the courage to step up and challenge then you must have known about that. Confidence is at an all-time high for yours truly right here, and why shouldn’t I be confident. My photo books are selling out all over Japan, I’m in charge of the most successful Joshi Wrestling company, and now I step back in the ring by being a part of the marquee matches for the show in one of the biggest areas that Japan has. Think about that, Diantha. Over 50,000 people are going to be attendance, think of this as your big moment. Show that talent and passion you have for this business! Make yourself known to the world, Diantha. That’s all I want from you because it won’t be any fun if I don’t have a challenge for my grand debut.
When we get to Osaka, show me that spirit that made you want to step up to me and challenge me to this match. If you want to be taken seriously in the wrestling world then stand up and make the people care. Become someone they despise or someone they cheer, showcase that heart and make me want to care about you as a threat in my future.
This is me telling you this, Diantha. Think of this as advice as someone who was once like you, I was once a struggler but now after overcoming every challenge and obstacle, I stand before you as one of the premier talents in Women’s Wrestling.
Take this as my last piece for you. When you take a fall, remember to get back up and stand proud. If you do that then you’re certainly on the right path to greatness. Rest is up to you to show me if you have what it takes to be a star. I want a challenge, Diantha you better not disappoint.
June 29th 2018, 4:41 am
Dear Diary,
Cassius is so hot and beautiful. I think I'm dying from being too in love, my heart is about to explode. Pls send help.
Love, Sakura
Sakura felt proud of herself as she finishes her first "Diary" entry on her computer. She sits at the table of a fancy pastry shop staring at the window waiting for Cassius, and she was lost in thought. She closes her laptop. She looks to the door and there he was. Cassius Corleone who had just arrived with a gift in hand -- stems of cherry blossoms made to look like a bouquet of flowers. Cassius does this from time to time and every time he did, Sakura just wanted to faint from how special he makes her feel. She tried not to, instead as soon as Cassius hands the flowers to her, she pulls him closer to kiss him.
Sakura Corleone: Oh, they're beautiful my love!
Cassius Corleone: I'm glad you like them, my cherry blossom!
Cassius sits across Sakura and they both stare at each other's smile.
Waiter: Um.. so are you guys ready to order?
Sakura Corleone: Can't you see that we're busy? God, people are so inconsiderate sometimes, we just wanted to have a good time on our date! It's been two hours! TWO HOURS since we last saw each other which is equivalent to about 5 years in our time!
Waiter: Well, sorry, miss but --
Sakura Corleone: NO BUTS! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE!
The Waiter starts to walk off.
Sakura Corleone: AND I WANT A STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE PLEASE!
Waiter: Right away, Miss.
The waiter nervously hurries up and calls the order.
Sakura Corleone: Was I too harsh on him?
Cassius Corleone: Not harsh enough, my love. Sometimes you have to set people straight or else they end up hurting themselves, it's a known fact of life!
Sakura Corleone: That's actually true, and those who are smart enough to listen to us would at most get half the success that we've had as a couple! Partners reach out to us for advice! Married couples try to be us when they see us walking down the street! We are everything that they wish they can be! Belle Kingsley always have the wrong impression of us because being a loser that nobody wants and having a partner who actually likes her company is as good as it gets for her! And now that she couldn't impress anyone with her lack of talent and in-ring presence, she comes at us because of how "annoying" we are as a couple. She sounds like that bitter bitch who just reads romance novels hoping to someday find "the one"! She sounds like one of those heartbroken salty idiots who can't stand the sight of two people being happy together while thinking to herself "they're gonna break up soon anyway" just because nobody takes her seriously enough to be with her unless its some racist asshole like Gronk!
Cassius Corleone: Oh my Sakura, I think it's obvious why she and the rest of Shoot Nation can never reach the same success that we have had in Tres Comas Club. A woman like her simply pales in comparison. You are the most beautiful woman on the planet, while she looks like a blonde Eugenia Cooney!
Sakura Corleone: I KNOW! She preaches so much about how cringe-worthy we are because we speak the truth, but she never noticed how humiliating her display is in the ring especially when faced with me? She is having a mental breakdown, and to be honest with you, I worry about her. Tell me, when did we start yelling "OTP!" over and over again?
Cassius Corleone: I don't think we do that. Why would we need to yell that?
Sakura Corleone: Exactly! I feel like she has just been hearing that in her head as a result of the beatdown that we constantly have given her week after week since the first day we faced each other! And now she claims something as ludicrous as the One True Pairing not doing anything for Tres Comas Club? We have brought the Lovebird Tag Team Championship to Tres Comas Club, and that is more to be proud of than anything she has ever done in the duration of her career in SSW! It's true that we are in our own world most of the time, but because of how we do things, we get the gold that she and The Apparition can only dream of taking! Belle Kingsley believes that no one else matters but the Phantom Troupe. She doesn't even believe in her own strength! She doesn't even believe in her own team! How on earth is she planning to win the titles against two people who believe in no one else but each other? Belle Kingsley is just as pessimistic as Saul Omen, and it comes to a point where it just gets sad how similar they are cutting their wrists over the fact that they're not important enough to be celebrated. And this world needs positivity, this world needs rainbows and milkshakes and cheesecakes! This World needs the One True Pairing! If I have to beat them over and over again just to prove that there is no taking the Lovebird Tag Team Championships from us, then so be it! I am ready for what little they have to offer in our match.
Waiter: Here's your milkshake, Miss.
The Waiter gently places the milkshake on the table.
Sakura Corleone: Ooohh this looks good. Share this with me, Cassius, will ya please?
Cassius Corleone: Of course, my Cherry Blossom!
Sakura places two bending straws right in the milkshake and they both happily sip. Sometimes even the most simple activities turn out to be the most enjoyable. Whether they are on their adventures or just simply enjoying a date, they can't help but fall in love more and more each passing day.
June 29th 2018, 1:00 am
One week, The Apparition and ourselves were two out of three people that got a victory over Tres Comas Club. The other week, I am getting screwed out of a victory by a woman who has been nothing but a thorn in my side, Sakura Corleone. I don’t say that in a way that is flattering or she can make it seem like it’s “sooooo cute”. I mean that in a way that no one in Shoot Nation wants to be in this match because she and Cassius are both annoying as heck. They are two people who used the power of money to even have those SSW Freebird Tag Team Championships. I know, it’s a perk of being part of Tres Comas Club. Their main motivation is money, but I don’t see that being the main motivation for One True Stupid Pairing. It almost thinks that they shouldn’t even there. I mean, it wouldn’t be shocking if the rest of the members don’t think that they belong there. They might as well kick those two out of the group because they offer nothing to Tres Comas Club. In this match, they aren’t even “Tres Comas Club”. They are “One True Pairing”. Is it like they don’t even associate themselves with the group? Is it because they know that they don’t matter? They have the power of love! They have love in their side and with love, ANYTHING is possible! Give me a break, OTP. No one cares about your love. The only thing people care about are those titles that are on your shoulders. The titles that should have belonged to Shoot Nation. At Budokai Tenkaichi, we will do the entire world a favor and bring those titles to our side. Like, it should have been in the very first place.
With Sakura, she claims that they have “stolen” my spotlight? And, I’m like “I had a spotlight to begin with?”. I’m sorry, but the word on the street is that Shoot Nation doesn’t matter. Tres Comas Club doesn’t matter. Who gives a hoot about Ronin! In the SSW world, if you’re not part of that Phantom Troupe jerk circle, you don’t matter at all. It must have been why you decided to be part of Tres Comas. It is so easy to insert yourself into their spotlight because no one else in the group matters. Who cares about Andre Virgo? Who cares about Miltiades? Who is GREED? Where in the world is Matias Navarro? Apparently, no one could give a damn about the other members of the group because they are too busy focusing on the cringe-worthy show that the two of you put on every single week You may think that it’s cute, but I find it pretty disgusting and I think you two are meant for each other. I mean, there is no one else in this world that would tolerate the cringe-worthy garbage that you deliver to one another. Go ahead and ignore my words. Come up with some of the dumbest reasonings and arguments are known to man. Shout “OTP, OTP, OTP” and try to convince people that you’re so great, but at least with Shoot Nation, we don’t need to shout our faction name in order to get people to give a damn about us. I think it is about time that someone put an end to your sad and pathetic reign. Finally, the titles will go to someone who will carry it with prestige and honor. It will go to people that care about the faction they are apart of. Most importantly, the titles will go to Shoot Nation.
June 29th 2018, 12:58 am
Jaydayne Pendragon….
The time has come my friend. The time has come for me to go back to doing what I do best in this business and that is hurting people, maiming people and EXPOSING PEOPLE! ….This is the time for all the talking to stop and for the fighting to begin….This is the time for the masses to reach their realization about who you truly are, not only as a competitor but as a man -- as the undeserving and poor excuse of a leader you are for those boys in the back! It is time for Strong Style Wrestling to be corrected and legitimacy in Japanese wrestling to be restored; the time for your demise is here Jaydayne, and it is long overdue. You’re phase one in my plans of liberating SSW, freeing it of all the deadweight holding the company hostage and halting it from growing. I’ve been waiting on this opportunity for weeks now. I knew as soon as the management over here cut me a check that I had to carry on with my duties of being gatekeeper in the industry. Given how I handled things in the others feds I’ve been in, me playing the role of clean up crew around here was something everyone should have expected. I’m not one to just stand by and watch the business that I respect, the business I have a BRAND upon, what my LIFE is based around, go to shit because a bunch of no talent punks who can’t match the standard were somehow allowed at the helm. That is why I won’t stop, I can NEVER rest easy, until one by one every flaw in this business is erased. I’m doing it in OWA and I WILL do it in SSW.
There is no doubt that I have a lot of work ahead of me when it comes to undoing the huge amount of damage that’s been done around here in such a short time of the place’s existence. Having watched and studied Strong Style Wrestling prior to making my decision to join it I was able to see just how much in need of my help this company was. When this company was announced it had all of the potential in the world, all of the mainstream competitors in the industry were watching this place’s every move; they were trying to see what it would do next -- trying to see if it would rise up and change the game. SSW had the whole world in its hands, it was on the verge of being an international sensation! But what happened? Stupid faction war nonsense. Piss poor young boys with no knowledge of the business. Broken down rejects from the big leagues. The credibility and good will that this company had fell down extremely quick, going from a major high point in the premiere to dwindling excitement and attention. To say it bluntly, this place became a JOKE. Don’t believe me? Look at the state of the shows.There’s a reason why this place has to cling on to OWA for relevancy. Hell, it has gotten to the point where the top champion and best freaking person in the place is a WOMAN. Aria Jaxon, all five feet and one hundred fifteen pounds of her - she gets to rule over the roster.
And matter of fact, who allowed that to happen? Jaydayne Pendragon. Someone SSW brought in and immediately pushed as one of its most important homegrown talents. Jaydayne was placed as the figurehead of Shoot Nation and in a lot of ways is almost like the mascot to the whole company. He’s the face you see in all of the promotion. He’s the guy they’ve had on the payroll since day one and continue to feature heavily! Every company needs men to push at the forefront don’t get me wrong, but has Jaydayne’s ability justified his position in the slightest? Not even close. Jaydayne belongs nowhere near the headlines he’s been placed upon, he’s hardly even worthy of this match with me but it must be done in order to rid the place of him. SSW has the chance to make something special, to be a supercard of the best wrestlers far and wide. Japan is known for treating wrestling as its most prized sport and there’s so many tough athletes, so many fighters and true men that could be brought in, but instead you have chosen to invest in a weakling such as Pendragon. The only reason Pendragon has went this long without his many, obvious shortcomings being capitalized upon is because of the disparity in talent here. Gronk came pretty close it’s just too bad such brute strength was wasted on someone so incompetent. That’s not what you’re getting with me though. Not only am I built like a true athlete but I work like one, I got a mind for this sport! A mind that will take SSW to the level it needs to be! A mind that has a vision with no space for you in it! I am going to send you out of SSW in a bodybag and give the public the wake up call it’s been needing! We are not accepting mediocrity anymore! We are not entertaining false idols! The stars of wrestling, the people that make this sport what it is, those are the people that are going to be emphasized! Men like me. Once I clean out the main event - not just Jaydayne but ALLLLLL of those clowns - and put Strong Style Wrestling to its knees….I can help build it up to what it started out as. I can bring back the legitimacy.
I’m doing what’s best. Trust me.
The time has come my friend. The time has come for me to go back to doing what I do best in this business and that is hurting people, maiming people and EXPOSING PEOPLE! ….This is the time for all the talking to stop and for the fighting to begin….This is the time for the masses to reach their realization about who you truly are, not only as a competitor but as a man -- as the undeserving and poor excuse of a leader you are for those boys in the back! It is time for Strong Style Wrestling to be corrected and legitimacy in Japanese wrestling to be restored; the time for your demise is here Jaydayne, and it is long overdue. You’re phase one in my plans of liberating SSW, freeing it of all the deadweight holding the company hostage and halting it from growing. I’ve been waiting on this opportunity for weeks now. I knew as soon as the management over here cut me a check that I had to carry on with my duties of being gatekeeper in the industry. Given how I handled things in the others feds I’ve been in, me playing the role of clean up crew around here was something everyone should have expected. I’m not one to just stand by and watch the business that I respect, the business I have a BRAND upon, what my LIFE is based around, go to shit because a bunch of no talent punks who can’t match the standard were somehow allowed at the helm. That is why I won’t stop, I can NEVER rest easy, until one by one every flaw in this business is erased. I’m doing it in OWA and I WILL do it in SSW.
There is no doubt that I have a lot of work ahead of me when it comes to undoing the huge amount of damage that’s been done around here in such a short time of the place’s existence. Having watched and studied Strong Style Wrestling prior to making my decision to join it I was able to see just how much in need of my help this company was. When this company was announced it had all of the potential in the world, all of the mainstream competitors in the industry were watching this place’s every move; they were trying to see what it would do next -- trying to see if it would rise up and change the game. SSW had the whole world in its hands, it was on the verge of being an international sensation! But what happened? Stupid faction war nonsense. Piss poor young boys with no knowledge of the business. Broken down rejects from the big leagues. The credibility and good will that this company had fell down extremely quick, going from a major high point in the premiere to dwindling excitement and attention. To say it bluntly, this place became a JOKE. Don’t believe me? Look at the state of the shows.There’s a reason why this place has to cling on to OWA for relevancy. Hell, it has gotten to the point where the top champion and best freaking person in the place is a WOMAN. Aria Jaxon, all five feet and one hundred fifteen pounds of her - she gets to rule over the roster.
And matter of fact, who allowed that to happen? Jaydayne Pendragon. Someone SSW brought in and immediately pushed as one of its most important homegrown talents. Jaydayne was placed as the figurehead of Shoot Nation and in a lot of ways is almost like the mascot to the whole company. He’s the face you see in all of the promotion. He’s the guy they’ve had on the payroll since day one and continue to feature heavily! Every company needs men to push at the forefront don’t get me wrong, but has Jaydayne’s ability justified his position in the slightest? Not even close. Jaydayne belongs nowhere near the headlines he’s been placed upon, he’s hardly even worthy of this match with me but it must be done in order to rid the place of him. SSW has the chance to make something special, to be a supercard of the best wrestlers far and wide. Japan is known for treating wrestling as its most prized sport and there’s so many tough athletes, so many fighters and true men that could be brought in, but instead you have chosen to invest in a weakling such as Pendragon. The only reason Pendragon has went this long without his many, obvious shortcomings being capitalized upon is because of the disparity in talent here. Gronk came pretty close it’s just too bad such brute strength was wasted on someone so incompetent. That’s not what you’re getting with me though. Not only am I built like a true athlete but I work like one, I got a mind for this sport! A mind that will take SSW to the level it needs to be! A mind that has a vision with no space for you in it! I am going to send you out of SSW in a bodybag and give the public the wake up call it’s been needing! We are not accepting mediocrity anymore! We are not entertaining false idols! The stars of wrestling, the people that make this sport what it is, those are the people that are going to be emphasized! Men like me. Once I clean out the main event - not just Jaydayne but ALLLLLL of those clowns - and put Strong Style Wrestling to its knees….I can help build it up to what it started out as. I can bring back the legitimacy.
I’m doing what’s best. Trust me.
June 29th 2018, 12:18 am
She walked down the hallways with three books in hand that she borrowed from the library and Alexa stopped her from going further as she stands right before her.
"What do you want?" The Little Girl said.
Alexa Bloom laughs at her face instead of answering the question. Truth be told, she picks on girls a grade below her. She'd pull their hair randomly, or take their money, or their things, but The Little Girl she really wanted to hurt. She snaps her finger and one other girl Lauren, Alexa's friend who was in the same grade as The Little Girl, grabs her by her arms and making her drop her books. The Little Girl was enraged, and out of reflex, slips her arms away to break free and punched her in the face, not enough to leave a mark, but enough to make her back off.
Alexa Bloom then turns The Little Girl to her and pushes her back-first onto the lockers. The Little Girl's back was again surprised for she has never been in this situation with Alexa. Usually, Alexa would simply insult The Little Girl's clothes, or throw paper balls at her when she'd walk by, but nothing this physical.
"You have some real balls hanging out with Greg like that, Roxy," Alexa says while her face is sweating. "Maybe you have to learn your lesson to not flirt with boys so much"
"Really?" The Little Girl was dearly confused, but she kept a calm face. "He literally just sat beside me at the cafeteria"
This did nothing but trigger Alexa more. She signals Lauren. Lauren then grabs the scissors from her pocket and starts to giggle. "This won't hurt... we'll just give you a little makeover"
Lauren then takes some of The Little Girl's hair while Alexa laughs.
But suddenly another girl tackled Lauren and sent her crashing on the ground again. This gave The Little Girl the opportunity to lick Alexa right to her knee and slap her across the face. Both Lauren and Alexa were down. The Little Girl picked up her books again, and saw Alexa and Laurel running for their lives. She then looks at the hero that saved her, she started to help the Little Girl pick up her books.
"Greg did have that weird ugly smile on his face whenever he comes near me." The Little Girl said. "I guess it upset her that the guy she had a crush on wouldn't even speak to her, sorry I'm pretty I guess."
The hero laughs. "You shouldn't apologize for anything, she was stupid for pulling that stunt anyway, she brought ONE girl with her" She stands up with The Little Girl. "I am Mia, by the way"
"Rosanna. But you can call me Roxy" The Little Girl thought she was a very cool girl, it feels like she's found her BFF, someone she wants to hang out with... someone she could rely on.
Mother always said that even in distress, even in a dangerous situation... always fight back until your body gives out.
Bullying. Really, Aria? That's your gameplan? If I wanted to be bullied and shamed, I would have just called HENDRIX over to yell at me for fifteen minutes about how undeserving I am for getting a title shot in less than three weeks after my debut when she had to go through an entire tournament, that would have made more sense instead of virtually grunting and groaning over the belief that I am doing such a bad job elevating the title's prestige. It's so much better than to listen to your attempts on making me feel scared because of the idea that this is your turf and that there's no room for me if you finished the tournament. You just stand there and tell the world how this has been "your plan all along" to slap me across the face in a match that was much more important and more progressive than anything you have ever done at Game Over. I suppose showing off how much of a big bad wolf you are, and then getting suspended for it was all part of the drill too! I suppose trespassing and being kicked out of the arena and put in a rotting prison was all part of your grand master plan too! Mother always told me that I shouldn't worry too much about facing you because you are not a very smart person, and you know what I did, Aria? I rooted for you. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and told her that she might be more than that... but I'm starting to think that I should have listened. I have never met someone so narrow-minded, so overwhelmed with the lies she herself has formulated in her mind, that she thinks that she still has control in of the game. You place yourself in a bad situation and someone comes to the rescue and pushes you back in the company that wants nothing but to shit you back out, and NOT ONCE did I get a thanks for it, because all you're concerned about is how scared and intimidated I would be if we come face to face for the first time. You have your eye on the OWA Women's Championship match, I get that, but don't you dare treat me like I didn't know what I was signing up for when I agreed to become part of this company. This was going to be a battlefield where I have to come prepared in every match or else I would find myself at the back of the line like the rest of these cretins. And no matter how bad things have gotten and how many people have tried to come for my neck for being proud of who I am, I remain steadily walking up the steep staircase until I got an opportunity that I refused to let slide. I have displayed more fighting spirit. I have displayed a better sense of urgency, more than you ever will... What happened again to the first chance you got at a title? You lost to Savannah Sunshine on the very first round of the tournament. You lost to someone who you think so little of, who you never thought would pull a win against you. And yes, I never missed the time you had your senseless rematch when you drove her away from the Women's Championship pursuit, but what did that do to you in the end? What exactly did you win for doing that? Absolutely nothing! Justice has been served and your face has been saved from the humiliation, but it still changed nothing! And you can't even bring yourself to admit that. All your efforts did nothing for you and you're still stuck in the same revolving door that you were in prior to defeating her. You may be big on Strong Style Wrestling where you fight men and women half your size, but in OWA, the politics and the drama that you constantly surround yourself in are the only things that make you remotely important. You have still proven nothing.
Experience is the only thing that you truly have on me. You could freely talk about how I have not beaten a handful of men and women, while you have overcome countless competition in the duration of your wrestling career. That is the only solid argument that you could actually back up, and you're using your experience to prove that I can never represent a division the way you do. But in case you haven't been paying attention, I have and I will continue to. I have only started to build all the prestige, and the reputation, and the pride of my name that goes far and beyond my family's history, and I have done such a good job at it in the duration of my professional wrestling career. The women's division is the least of my concern, and I think you shouldn't go out of your way to pretend that you care about its state when we've already established that you only care about you. The women's division is doing very well without Aria Jaxon stinking up the place, and the only reason you believe it has not reached its peak is that you're not the center of attention. And you can't stand that. You can't stand not being needed, and the fact that someone so experienced as you couldn't even reach in and grab the Women's Championship, while someone who still aspires to be the best has done a much better job. Yeah, Aria, call out a newly named Champion for beating one person, it doesn't make you sound like an imbecile at all! Why do you think I'm here? Why do you think I have done you a favor and let you back in OWA if you really wanted a match against me so bad? I am a fighting Champion, Aria Jaxon, if someone wants to step in and take my gold, then I want to look them in the eye after I pin them for the three count to let them know that I am not someone you fuck with. You do not lay your hand on me especially in the midst of a match you have nothing to do with. You don't get to do what you want just because you're aching to be Champion, for you're no different from the rest of these women who want the same thing. My career is new and there has already been so much that I have won in so little time, and as much as you hate to agree, it happened. Not everyone gets to say their professional wrestling career started with a Championship around their waist on their second match, and it eats you up inside that you couldn't pull off the same thing no matter how strong you pretend to be. Because of this confidence, there is no room for fear inside me. I have done nothing to tarnish the prestige of the title, as a matter of fact, by winning it I have proven that I am stronger than the strongest the Women's Division has to offer! You couldn't even finish the tournament, Aria, let alone make it through the first round, and now you believe that you're more capable than the one who was named the first Champion? You're stupid and you're reckless and you will only put this gold to shame, and I refuse to let someone like you get even a glimpse of it. And to be honest with you, Aria, I love being a Vendetta. I love the very idea that my mother and father have killed and been nearly killed for the sake of elevating their name value, and whether you like it or not, I will always let the world know that I share the same blood. The blood of fighters. The blood of victors. The blood of true royalty that someone like you can't compare to. I will always let the world know that I am their Princess, one who will sit on her throne and rule as they did while I wear my crown beautifully over my head. I love that my parents taught me how this business operates, and that allows me to be focused and vigilant of what bitter bitches like you may attempt to pull. And I assure you, Aria, you'd have to get yourself arrested again before you beat me down to no return because that is the only way you can hurt me bad enough to win my title. But we wouldn't want that, would we? Aria Jaxon can't be Champion if she's in prison and without a job, and as much as I'd consider that a dream come true, I want you to stick around for as long as you can. I want you to be around while I celebrate my name as the victor of this war and STILL the OWA Women's Championship. Surely, the so-called Queen had a good run, but now she is already on her deathbed sickly and incapable and waiting to die... You can fight it all you want, but you know that its inevitable. And the Princess has come to take your place.
June 28th 2018, 7:32 pm
(Somewhere in the dark sanctuary known as “Distortion World”, Maelstrom sits alone in a room surrounded by books and dim candlelight. With an open book and quill pen, he writes a symbol in that the viewer can see as he speaks in his native Japanese.)
死
Death. Humans cannot escape it’s cold, emotionless grasp. It is as inevitable as the rising and setting of the sun. Why do they struggle when it is near though? Why do they choose to fight inevitability as if they are Gods, capable of changing what has already been predetermined for them? As long as I have existed in this world, all the years upon years, I still do not understand it. To struggle against death is futile.
Finnegan Wakefield. Destiny and fate brought us together. When I arrived in the war zone that is Strong Style Wrestling, I was immediately offered a spot within the Phantom Troupe, the strongest and most dangerous force ever assembled. Demons, monsters, men and women with hearts as dark and twisted as my own. That was destiny. I cannot create my Distortion World simply with my own fists. I am Destruction Incarnate, but not without weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
Heh. Does it surprise you that someone like me, who easily dispatched you when you called for someone to challenge you would admit weakness? It should not. You see, men and women who admit their weaknesses and work to better themselves are much stronger than the fools who don’t realize their weaknesses. I’m sure that this admission of weakness has you hopeful that you can find some vulnerability in me to escape with your life and victory.
Don’t grasp at false hope.
The weakness I reference has nothing to do with my capabilities in the wrestling ring. I am the strongest opponent you have ever faced, both mentally and physically. Just look at the position you find yourself in. I know EVERYTHING about you. I know about your career in Europe and in America. I know about your lovely girlfriend. I know that you worked diligently to cling to that pitiful piece of gold that you bow down and worship as if it were a God. And now, after having faced you in the ring for a moment, I know that you are absolutely nothing for me to consider as opposition. What do you know about me? Other than my allegiance and my name, you have no idea of what I’m capable of. I am a completely new opponent. You have no idea of what my style entails, though you were the recipient of the first Ascent to Madness of many to come. You walk as blindly as so many other gaijin who come to these shores, completely oblivious to the obvious.
Do you want to know why I challenged you? I challenged you simply to give the world a taste of the darkness to come. Of the distortion of everything they hold dear until it’s shaped in my perverse image. I don’t care about your championship. It is of no use to me. It did call out to me in a weak voice, as if coming from an infant. Does it want me for it’s master instead of you? Perhaps. Why else would it fill your head with the nonsense of challenging anyone who sets in your path? There are fights in this world that even the most adept warrior cannot win.
I wonder if anything I am saying makes sense to you. I know that the words that I say may sound like lunacy to normal men. I have been called insane, evil, and psychotic, but my mission is as clear to me as water: to destroy, to cripple, to distort….and eventually, to rule. Your dominion is Omega Wrestling Alliance, but MY dominion, the dominion of Maelstrom, is the entire world. It is my arena, a cathedral that I will build with my own hands. And it will be the burial ground of you and anyone foolish enough to follow in your footsteps to challenge me.
(Maelstrom writes Finnegan Wakefield out in kanji before striking through it with his pen.)
I look forward to this meeting, even though I already know what will happen. You will leave the ring forever changed, Finnegan Wakefield. You believe that you have reached the pinnacle, but I will show you that the mountain that you thought that you climbed is a mere anthill compared to the power I possess. You will suffer. You will grovel. You will beg from the mercy of your god and your world….but you will receive none. At Budokai Tenkaichi, you will experience the turbulence of the Sea of Destruction. The Phantom Troupe will conquer everything, and Distortion World’s construction will be underway in earnest. I tried to herald my arrival to those who wanted to prepare themselves for the end. Just like in so many of your world’s books of prophecy, the world has a beginning and an end. Consider these last few days the beginning of the end. I am tired of hiding in the shadows, of simply preparing for it all. Now, I’m prepared to go to the battlefield myself. I am ready to bleed, I’m ready to shed the blood of all who stand before me.
I will take everything from you, and with the Phantom Troupe around me, I let the world see your conquered countenance before I show you the way to oblivion. Your title, I don’t know what I will do to it yet. Maybe I’ll destroy it in front of you to show you that it is as worthless to me as you are. Maybe I’ll go to some far-flung corner of America and build more gateways to my distortion world. Perhaps I will bring it here to my sanctuary and use it as a paperweight. That is not decided. Your fate, however, is very much decided.
(in English) FINNEGAN WAKEFIELD…..WELCOME TO….DISTORTION WORLD!
June 28th 2018, 7:20 pm
[Nate Cage]
[The Sins of our Fathers]
[The Wolvesden Carrier]
[June 29 2018]
[Clear the Drop Zone]
[Nate is standing inside a military carrier plane in flight. He is wearing a Kamikaze headband]
And so here I am, on the cusp of the great nation of Japan. A nation with a history of war richer than maybe any other. When one thinks of Japanese military history, images of samurai warriors are conjured up in their heads. Men who would sooner die before experiencing dishonour. This is what Japan once was, not anymore. The last time Japan was involved in a major war, we all know what happened. They bent to the will of the American nuclear strike and surrendered, bringing shame on the entire nation.
[Nate grabs a parachute and straps it on, before signalling for the hangar doors to be opened. It appears he has flown all the way to Japan by his own means, and plans on entering the country in the same manner]
Japan is no longer a battlefield worth dying on. Much like the Candy Cunts, it is a soft, delicate little flower that will be scorched by the power of the wolf. Myself and Kenny do not see it as an honour to defend our titles for the first time here. We do not respect Japan, we do not respect our opponents. To face you here is a fallacy. It is a slap in the face to our mission. Two girls who weren’t even on Kingdom this week while I headlined the show for the second week in a row. The OWA know that I am the one to lead them into the future, while you two are doomed to be relics of its past.
Jessica Rose, my nation’s own. How can you sleep at night, knowing that you are an affront to the entire UK? While I uphold British excellence and rebuild the British Empire from the ground up, you seem to be intent on tearing it all down. You run around with your little friend, Savannah Sunshine, thinking that you’re going to change the world through your cutesy little act. I see right through it all. The fear behind those eyes, the fucking terror you feel every time you go to sleep and remember that you’re inching ever closer to the beating of a lifetime. Why you two keep coming back for more, I do not know. If eviscerating you on foreign soil is what it’s going to take then so be it.
I want my title to be everything to everyone, yes. People are right to covet it, it is a work of art. I’d put it in a gallery if I could bring myself to part with it. Myself and Kenny were the only ones who could take such prizes and make them mean what they deserve to mean. Imagine a world where Savannah Sunshine and Jessica Rose are tag team champions right now. Imagine the hell that that would be to live in. You’d probably take my title and adorn it with candy canes and lollipops like a couple of infants.
[Nate appears to be physically repulsed by this thought, he clutches his belt tighter, so tight that it would take a crowbar to pry it away from him]
No, no, no, how dare you even occupy my thoughts in such an intrusive manner. As I stare at you Sunday night, stare at the pathetic wretches I’ve been presented with as challengers, I’ll do it knowing that I am doing the entire world a favour. When your skulls crunch under my fist, I know that you will go down and immediately attempt to make your way to your feet. I understand that that is your prerogative. You believe that because you’re two tough nuts to crack, it means you’re destined for great things. All you’re destined for is a prolonged exposure to pain.
How many teeth must I scatter across the mat? How much of your blood must stain the soil of Japan before you understand that you’re just not prepared to carry the weight of our titles and what they represent? When myself and Kenny are apart, we are dangerous, vindictive men. When we are together, no will of man or God can stop us. The faith that you have in yourselves is fuelled by the incorrect belief that working hard and moving on from mistakes is all you need in life. The things I have seen…the things I have done. I fought alongside men who worked hard, who moved on from their mistakes. It didn’t protect that from an AK-47 round to the face. It didn’t protect their widowed wives as I delivered the news to them that their husbands were gone. As I told their children that daddy wouldn’t be home for tea ever again.
I do not empathise with your quest, as it is a futile endeavour. Everything you want to say, please do get it off your chest, they are merely the battle cries of lost lambs. Lambs who will be devoured by wolves. We gave you an opportunity once to lead you to pasture, that offer had long since passed. You truly believed that you could become champions, that you could stand in the way of Wolvesdean. I pity the delusional ideas that dance around your heads. It must be hard to exist when every thought that your synapses fire off is one of juvenile ignorance. What do you have to gain from this match? International exposure? A positive star rating from a keyboard warrior? Why must you continue to plague the House of Cage? The Kingdom of Drake?
Every inch of my body tells a story. From the scars that were given to me by others to the ones I have given myself.
[Nate points to the tally mark that represents his loss to Caspian]
This story does not conclude with what the blind would call a “happy ending,” it does not feature the “heroic” Savannah and Jessica holding aloft the titles that they “worked” for. You two were handed a title shot by that stooge Tressler because the OWA needed sacks of meat for us to pulverise at their big crossover show. Oh this has to go off without a hitch, doesn’t it? The OWA on an international platform, cracking that Japanese market. And they choose to showcase their very best tag team against wrestling’s answer to Charlie Bucket. An interesting move, I must say.
While you two do your warm-ups, while you groan on and on about how you’ll overcome adversity to quell the threat of Kenny and I, we will be visualising the spectacular sight of the Sugar Girls being carried out of Japan in body bags. Loaded into two caskets, one with Old Glory and the other with the Union Jack, as they’re shipped back home as lifeless husks. And I will personally knock on the doors of your families and deliver the tragic news. I will describe to them how I couldn’t control myself, as how you begged for mercy, I refused to stop pummelling your faces into the ground until breath ceased entering your lungs. They will cry, they will weep, and I will laugh. This is what happens when you raise your children to believe that they can survive in the world with such minimal tools. Naïve little girls who came to the big time and weren’t ready for the wake-up call that they would receive.
I do not have a shred of sympathy. I will not hesitate to put both of you in the ground. With Kenny by my side, we are capable of the impossible. Unfortunately for you two, beating you within an inch of your lives is well within the realm of possibility.
[Nate straps his belt around his waist as tightly as it will go. He puts on a breathing mask as the lights in the plane turn blood red. He runs down the ramp of the hangar before leaping out of the plane, on his way to the war zone]
[STATIC]
Last edited by TBroomey on June 28th 2018, 7:27 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Got reference to day of event wrong.)
June 28th 2018, 3:03 am
Budokai Tenkaichi pt.3
(Miltiades is training with his general Fenrir. He’s fight a hard fought battle as Fenix stands atop a balcony looking over and watching intensely at what folds below him. Fenrir uses his experience to outmaneuver Miltiades, and it seems the tide is in his favor. Using everything he was taught Miltiades finds and opening and goes for it. It’s doesn’t take down Fenrir but he is surprised caught off guard, and that’s when Miltiades strikes. He goes under and flips him into a leg lock, and the man officiating gives Miltiades point. This goes back and forth up until Miltiades and Fenrir count it as a draw. They decide not to go on, due to the fact they both could’ve. Miltiades and Fenrir shake and Fenrir whispers something to him. Miltiades looks up contemplating and lets go of Fenrir. He begins to speak.)
Unfortunately I wouldn’t have the time to think anymore on it. Because the final hour is about to strike the final hour, is coming and all I can do is great ready for the outcome. The outcome that will decide the true fate of the Junior Heavyweight. And to be honest it shouldn’t end like this. But it has come to it, and I can’t do nothing but let it happen. And when it happens you’ll be looking at a man with a an action, not a plan. Action because what I do will forever show people my intentions and my worth in the company. Action because what I do will change the landscape of Strong Style Wrestling and Omega Wresting Alliance. Action because what I do, well what I’ll do, is going to be talked about for generations and generations to come. It’ll be like the works of the Michelangelo, talked about analyzed and then will be solidified as legend. That is what Miltiades is, that is what Miltiades does, and that is what is in turn for Miltiades. Virgo wants to talk as if he is one that can see clearer than any other man, but in reality he is blinded by his own ego.
(Fenrir leaves the ring, and Fenix looks on disappointed that the match lasted as long as it did. As he does Miltiades exits and go to his personal tent where he readies himself. He puts on his attire that he calls his God Complex attire. Not because of it defines his personality but because when people look at it, it reminds them of a god. All white with the lines that define his attire colored Gold.)
Ego, ego is blinding, but only to those that don’t acknowledge it. I have an ego, I know it, but I don’t let it blind me from my real ability, from my real success, from my real skills and strategy that only men can only dream to have. But Virgo, he uses his ego to tread in this so called realm he places himself in, like he’s god. But he’s not he’s just a parasite. He let envy enter his heart, he let it take shelter there and roost for as long as it has that it corrupted him. He was a respectable competitor but is now nothing more than a shell of a man he’s come to think he is. He thinks that Tres Comas Club was on the brink of greatness with his shoddy leadership but in reality it was on the brink of destruction, a toll that would’ve set the faction on a course of absolute eradication, leaving every member in the brink. And yet he wants to keep talking as if he had the answers as if he had everything in his mind yet no time to do anything with it. In his time as leader he didn’t want to act, he wanted to prove. He didn’t want to act, he want to make an example. And if BANG thought he was such a good leader to begin with you’d think he’d not want to do that, that he’d act like the leader he was expected to be. But he didn’t, and now here we are.
Here we are Virgo at the edge of the road that leads you to an untimely end with Tres Comas, and as Junior Heavyweight so do you have any last words. Because right now I speak your eulogy, he went out as he lived, and that’s a parasite. Feeding on the energy of everyone around him and then blaming them when he was caught for his act. It’s disgraceful, it’s unbecoming and it’s pathetic that a man that used to be great, a man that used to have strength to defy the odds has become. A man who thinks that he should hold no allegiance because he was finally over and done with. And now he’s just going to go another way, another way that leads him possibly to the path he wants, but when he does, a wall will be there ready to show him the errors of not only his pasts, but his acts as well, and then we’ll finally understand that the last days of Virgo were just that, the last days. And then when he’s snuffed out, maybe Tres Comas can come back from the shambles. Maybe GREED could do something, Maybe, just maybe. And if he can’t well then there is someone who is willing to take the reigns of leadership and show these two how to actually lead a faction. And that’s to do it as a brotherhood, something that unites us rather than divide us. Something we would all have in common without having the settle for not doing anything to help their own path. And then just then Tres Comas Club will begin to progress like it should have been these past months. But that’s the future, and if that future is shown to be what is to come to past then Virgo you aren’t the last person on my list. It will soon go to GREED, and then next I’ll topple the other factions one after the other, until SSW realizes that the real rulers, the real authority here is not only Tres Comas Club, but the power that is brought by Miltiades.
June 28th 2018, 12:20 am
STARK AND BRIAN JOINT-PROMO
*Stark holds a joint in his hand, standing inside the Bonsai Garden as Brian Daniels finally arives*
Stark: Yo you hitting this?
Brian: Nah.
Stark: Aight. Fuck the Phantom Troupe?
Brian: Ye.
Stark: Nice.
*End scene*
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(Sakura and Cassius are shown in the dining room of their mansion in Los Angeles, California, feeding each other sweets of their dessert. Cassius - dressed in an Armani suit, while Sakura is dressed in a pink and gold dress. In front of them sits their custom-made Strong Style Wrestling “Lovebird World Tag Team Championships”.)
Cash: Here…
(Cassius grabs a pastry in the shape of a Cherry Blossom and holds it for Sakura to take a bite of.)
Sakura: Mmm! It’s so sweet!
Cash: Not as sweet as you, my Cherry Blossom.
Sakura: Aww!
(Sakura and Cassius kiss as an alarmed man in a suit with black sunglasses and an earpiece rushes in; his suit embroidered with the words “Corleone Security” upon the lapel.)
Security Member: Sir--
(Cassius immediately puts a finger up, gesturing to silence the Security Member. Cassius finishes kissing Sakura as they both turn towards the Security Member. Cassius looks at him with an annoyed expression.)
Cash: Did we say you could just barge in here whenever you’d like?
Security: … Well, no, but--
Cash: You already answered the question. No. No, you were not given permission, so what’s so very important that you would interrupt us while just making up your own rules to follow?
Sakura: Oh don’t be so harsh on him, my Cassius. I’m sure he’s doing his best. What’s your name, grunt?
Security Member: … Oh, yes, uhm… My name is--
Sakura: Nope, bored now. God, you’re boring! Who would dress you up like you’re an off-brand Secret Service like that?
Security Member: … Y-You did, Mrs. Corleone.
(Sakura and Cassius look at one another, confused.)
Sakura: I did? Well, I have no memory of that, so just pretend you people dress yourself and you’re responsible for looking like you should be collecting debts from people instead of watching over our house. You look like boring incarnate. It’s like we’re surrounded by members of the Phantom Troupe!
(The Security Member lowers his head with a saddened expression behind his sunglasses.)
Sakura: Oh my God, you’re not gonna cry, are you? I think he’s gonna cry, Cassius!
(Sakura bounces up and down in her chair with a look of excitement at the thought of the Security Member weeping as Cassius shakes his head.)
Cash: Alright, alright! Before you go wipe your tears, tell us what this emergency is!
Security Member: …. Sir… Mr. Corleone….
Sakura: Someone better be dead - this guy is taking forever…
Security Member: … We caught a maid stealing from your room. I’m so sorry, I do not know if this is the first time she’s done it.
(Sakura and Cassius look at one another again at the sound of the news. Both struggle to not show their smiles. Cassius grabs a nearby napkin and wipes he and Sakura’s mouths.)
Cash: Well, it would seem the entertainment has begun early tonight.
Sakura: Yay!
Cash: Take us to our household criminal.
(The camera cuts to a woman in a maid’s outfit, weeping into the floor as her head is held down and her arm trapped by a member of the Corleone Security Team. Cassius and Sakura come into view as they admire the sight of it.)
Cash: Well, well, well….
Sakura: Oh my God, my Cassius! She’s crying! Can I?
Cash: I don’t see why not, my Cherry Blossom.
(Sakura reaches down, grabbing onto the maid’s hair as the Security Member gets up and backs away. Sakura pulls the maid up to her knees. The Maid begins to weep harder as Sakura looks in her eyes with a smile.)
Maid: Please! Please, Senora Corleone! I did not mean--
(The Maid is caught off-guard as Sakura immediately gets next to her with a look of pure joy and a smartphone in hand.)
Sakura: Say “Cheese”!
Maid: Cheese?
(Sakura takes a picture on her phone as the Maid continues to cry. Sakura starts to get up, but stops herself. Instead she turns back around and licks some of the tears running down the cheek of the Maid before getting back up and clinging to Cassius’ arm.)
Cash: So what happened here?
Security Member #1: She was caught stealing this.
(The Security Member hands Cassius a Rolex watch.)
Security Member #1: She attempted to flee the premises with it stuffed into her bra, but our cameras caught her and we were able to apprehend her in time. Should we contact the authorities!
Maid: No! No! No Policia! Senor Corleone! I am sorry! I am so, so sorry!
(Cassius says nothing as he squats down in front of the Maid, looking at her as she continues to cry.)
Maid: Please! I will go! I will go and never come back!
(Cassius raises the watch up for the Maid to see, before gently hitting her on the head with it.)
Cash: I’m disappointed.
Maid: I know… I know!
Cash: We all do bad things. You got caught.
(Cassius shakes his head.)
Cash: I expected better. If you’re gonna steal, don’t get caught. You can’t take what you want if you’re in a jail cell, now can you?
(Cassius holds out the watch in front of the Maid.)
Cash: Take it.
(The Maid looks back and forth between the watch and Cassius, confused.)
Maid: … No, no, no! No, Senor Corleone! I do not want it! I am sorry! Please, if you let me go--
(Cassius drops the Rolex to the floor in front of her.)
Cash: That’s a shame.
(Cassius stands back up and stomps down on the Rolex, taking his time to thoroughly smash it in front of the Maid while she watches.)
Cash: It could have been yours. All you had to do was take it.
(Sakura clings to Cassius’ arm once more.)
Sakura: She’s so dumb! Why are poor people so dumb, my Cassius?
Cash: Because they’re too afraid to think, my Cherry Blossom. Maybe she really is as dumb as a box of rocks, but maybe she’s got a brain in that pretty little head.
(Sakura glares at the Maid at the word “pretty” coming from Cassius’ mouth.)
Cash: It’s always so hard to tell. One thing is consistent though. People like her - they’re abject failures. They’re losers who don’t amount to anything. Footnotes on the bottom of history’s boot. They waste away their youth and beyond busting their asses to be the “working class”, but they wish they had more. They always do. She wanted that Rolex. She knew how much it was worth, and she didn’t take it when she could have gotten it for nothing. Because she’s afraid. She was afraid of a golden opportunity right in front of her face. That watch could have changed her life. It could have given her enough money to make something of herself, instead of being some crying cow in the middle of my fucking hallway!
(The Maid weeps harder at Cassius’ words as he continues.)
Cash: But we can’t go really holding that against her, can we? It’s in their nature - the poor. The ones that were dealt a shitty hand and had to go through life accepting the status quo that there were people like us and people like her, and that would never change. So she spent her entire life all the way up to this moment walking on a wire on the ground. No real risk to it. No chance of falling and never getting back up. She played it safe, like they always do. You know what she’s like? She’s like every fucking loser fan that cheers people on in SSW! She’s like every piece of garbage that wastes their hard-earned money on tickets and merchandise so they can cheer the wrestlers on and live vicariously through them and not feel - if only for a few hours - like they are the worthless trash that they truly are!
(Sakura spits at the Maid as the Maid cries more.)
Cash: Now, now, my Cherry Blossom. Her wailing is grating enough to my ears, don’t go making it worse. I could have her muzzled, but I want her perfectly capable of focusing on the words I’m telling her. Are you looking at me, cow? I don’t need one of these men to fill your mouth with my floor, do I?
(The Maid slowly nods, struggling to be quiet.)
Cash: Good. I want you to know that if you had just simply reached out and taken that Rolex from my hand, you would be a free woman right now. You would be on your way home with a shiny new Rolex that you were given - not one you had to steal. You would have a nice day that perhaps could have changed the course of the rest of your miserable existence. But you DIDN’T. And now this is the result. Now you can stay there like a good dog, and listen to me. Get used to it. I want you to REALLY get used to it, because moments like these are what your life will consistent of from now to when you breathe your last breath. That’s not a guessing game either, I’m afraid, that’s the God honest truth. Your life will go on, and you will find yourself always sitting there and watching people more successful than you telling you why you’re pathetic. Your parents were just as pathetic, because they had nothing but you, and they wasted you on this World. They wasted any potential you could have had to be somebody, and turned you into just another bitch who wastes space instead of contributing in some way. Nobody is gonna think about you when you’re dead, you know that, right? Not a soul. You’ll turn to dust, and you’ll be forgotten, and the World will move on. But us?
(Cassius kisses Sakura before they both look down at the Maid.)
Cash: The One True Pairing will live on. We’ll be talked about for years, and years, and years to come. Why? Because we’ve taken everything we ever wanted without hesitation. We’ve cheated too, and guess what, we never got caught. Not once. You can call that cutthroat or immoral or whatever the fuck you want, but it’s what you wish you were, deep down. What everyone like you wishes they were. You’ll curse the wealthy and successful, knowing full well the shitty things we’ve done to be on top and stay on top, and then you’ll return to your mundane lives and question why things are so bad for you despite living an honest life. Trick question - you aren’t living an honest life. None of you. Not a Goddamn one! In fact, it’s the opposite! You’re living a LIE. You’re the delusional ones. You’re the fakes and the phonies! You’re the ones pretending there’s rules you need to play by! You’re the ones that operate on a certainty that if you do good, then good things will come to you! You fucking loser!
(Sakura grins, watching Cassius get visibly angry before regaining his composure.)
Cash: So you die miserable. You didn’t take what you wanted. You didn’t take the Rolex. You wanted to. You got caught trying to. And the moment you got caught and fear took over, you retreated back into your shell and hid. Pathetic. You don’t deserve nice things. You don’t deserve a nice life. You deserve this. You deserve to sit there and be berated for wasting our fucking time when we have enough to deal with! We have a match this weekend. You know what a match is? You know what we do?
(The Maid hesitates to respond.)
Cash: Of course not. We win. That’s what we do. That’s what we’ve ALWAYS done. My Cherry Blossom and I have been winning since day one, and our parents were winners, and their parent’s parents were winners. You got a shitty hand in life, boo hoo! You could have overcome those odds, but you Goddamn didn’t, did you? We’ve seen who you are. You’ve realized who you are, and that ain’t changing. The people we’re up against - they’re not much different than you. They’re a part of an entire group of losers like you that fail to take what they want. They act like they’re the most cutthroat of them all, but they’re the poor, like you. They’re the footnotes, like you. They always will be, and they always have been. They have a World Championship, but a worthless one. It’s a trinket held by a bitch that needs her group as crutches to stand on her own two feet. They get opportunity after opportunity to stand toe to toe with the One True Pairing, and what happens? What fucking happens?
(Cassius squats down, looking the Maid in the eyes again.)
Cash: They don’t take the Rolex. They don’t take our gold. They don’t seize the opportunity. They waste our fucking time, just like you are right now! I get so tired of it. I really do. I really, really do. You’re all like fish I’ve caught that don’t taste good and can’t be even considered prized enough to keep, so I have to toss you back into the water, only for you to come back again and get caught on my hook. Isn’t that the definition of insanity? Doing things over again, and again, and again, expecting a different result? You’re not better than Saul Omen, and you’re no better than CM Nas. But even worse, they’re no better than you. All just cowards consumed by fear, and you all watch as people like the One True Pairing show you that our money doesn’t mean nearly as much as humiliating people like you.
(Cassius says nothing as he stares at the Maid in silence for several seconds.)
Cash: You’re free to go. There’s no need to call the police.
(The Maid breathes a sigh of relief and grabs Cassius’ hands.)
Maid: Thank you, Senor Corleone! Thank you so much! I am so--
(Sakura clutches the throat of the Maid with one hand, slamming her head against the wall as she gets next to her face. The Maid struggles to breath as tears begin to run down her cheeks again.)
Sakura: Another opportunity wasted! You had a chance to just walk away free! Instead you made the biggest mistake of your life and touched my Cassius, you bitch! Do it again, and freedom won’t be the watch here! You will! And I will not hesitate to throw you to the ground and crush you under my foot until there’s nothing left of you! My Cassius loved that watch! He’ll miss it! I promise nobody’s gonna miss you! Understand? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?
(Sakura lets go of the Maid as handprints around the Maid’s throat are shown. The Maid gasps for air as Sakura’s violent expression turns to a joyful one again as she gets back up and clings to Cassius’ arm.)
Sakura: Cassius, I’m bored again!
Cash: I suppose we should fix that, shouldn’t we? How about drinks and karaoke?
Sakura: I’d love that! You always know how to make me happy, my Cassius!
Cash: What kind of husband would I be if I didn’t? Come on, my Cherry Blossom.
(Sakura rests her head on Cassius’ shoulder as they walk off while the Maid is escorted away by Corleone Security before the camera fades to black)