Take my Stand

[Thomas Uriel Bates]

Scene I “Take my Stand”
St. Stephen’s College – Hong Kong, China

Saint Stephens College. There’s so much history within these walls, and on these grounds. The grounds of the college, which once was a bloody battlefield during World War Two, now made up several sports fields. We are focused on the football field, or as American’s like to call it, Soccer.

Here we find WCF superstar Thomas Uriel Bates sitting comfortably on the bench. He wears blue jeans, and black boots. His t-shirt has several Chinese Characters, and an image of two crossed Chinese Butterfly Knives. The shirt is white, with green lettering. He also wears his DRG vest. The vest has his DRG Patch on the back. The right breast has two tabs; “President” and “Defilers of Logic”. The left breast has two tabs as well; “T.U.B.” and “WCF”. On his right side are two more matches; one an image of the Trio’s triangle with a small brass “C” placed in the centre, the other an image of an old box television.

Bates takes notice of the WCF camera crew filming the site, and waiting patiently for him to begin. Bates leans forward on the bench, looking across the field and at the school.

Thomas Uriel Bates: So much history within those walls, and on these grounds. The Battle of Hong Kong ended right here. The college was used as a hospital during that battle. When the Japanese finally defeated the British, Canadians, and Indian troops, they stormed the college. They bayoneted the patients, murdered doctors and nurses. Those poor nurses, many were gang raped. One man though, one man tried to do something about it. He was brutally killed for his efforts, but at least he died a hero. He wasn’t afraid to take a stand.

Before that sad day, the college was quite different. It was a place of higher learning. One such student would soon change the entire world. That student was a young man named Yip Man. He attended this school for a time, and once witnessed a foreign police officer beating a woman. He too took a stand, and intervened on behalf of the woman. The officer was not happy, and attempted to attack Yip Man. Wrong move. Yip instantly struck the officer down. An older gentleman soon found out, hell everybody found out. This older gentleman soon met with Yip Man, asking what style of martial art he practised. The two did Chi Sao. The man won, and told Yip that his forms were “not too great”. Here comes this great fighter, tales of his skill are already spreading all across the land, but no, his forms are “not too great”. The old man revealed himself to be Leung Bik, Chan Wah-shun’s senior and son of Chan’s teacher, Leung Jan. Yip then continued to learn Wing Chun from Leung Bik.

He learned from Leung Bik, and later taught his skills to a new generation, including another man that changed the world; Bruce Lee. It’s amazing what can happen, when you take a stand, isn’t it? Taking a stand can either end horribly, or change the world for the better.

My point in this; is you can’t be afraid to take a stand. The results can go either way, but the stand itself must be made. It may make you enemies, it may even turn the whole world against you, but if you stand for something strong enough, then you will earn the respect of even your enemies.

That’s what we’re doing in the W-C-F right now. We have taken our stand. Our stand has put us against some of the most powerful groups in the entire company. Alone each one is more than formidable, but with our recent success, it seems as if they have formed alliances with each other. While some may be uneasy, such as Pantheon and Imperium, some are warm and cosy, such as Imperium and the Sentinels.

So right now, it really does feel like us against the world. Pantheon, Imperium, Sentinels, and now maybe even the Angels of Death. Yet here we are, still making our stand. Now why would we do that? It’s because it’s the right thing to do. Back when the Stable Wars really began, I made a promise to protect the locker room from the fallout of these stables. I didn’t just make a promise and then hope that it slowly faded away. No, I set out to do exactly what I said I would. Sometimes, that meant taking an active part in the Stable War. That active part was destroying Imperium.

Oh they took notice then, didn’t they? Imperium was stunned, Pantheon shocked, the Sentinels embarrassed. Imperium is now down to only three active members. They’re hurting so bad that they have befriended the Sentinels. The very group, who was founded to fight off Imperium, now might as well be a part of that very group! Pantheon has been running on fumes every since they first formed up, and with Corey Black siding with Jonny Fly and Steve Orbit, Pantheon seemed to be without leadership. Well now that Corey Black came back to them licking his wounds, they have found that leadership. With new alliances, with a new mission, the Stable Wars have now kicked back up.

You know, when the Dark Riders Gang W-C-F Chapter formed, we didn’t do it to enter this Stable War. We didn’t do it to become some big faction in this company. We did it for the love of the road, the ride. In doing so, we formed a brotherhood. Backing each other up on the road soon transferred to backing each other in the ring. “One for All, All for One”, that’s not just some fancy quote we read in a book; that’s our life motto. We’re going to back each other up, no matter what.

So when we see Imperium, or Pantheon running down to the ring, interfering with matches, or attacking people backstage, then we’re going to step up and do something about it. We had hoped that something would be to face our opponents in the ring. Sadly, this is not the game that we must play. Backstage attacks, interferences, distractions, these are the games that our opponents want to play. So we met them on their grounds last week. Joey Flash and Scarecrow got paid a little visit. Now did we take either one of them, and do a big gang beat down like people think we would do? No, that’s now how we do things. We just provided a way that the person wronged could have a chance to get even. We just didn’t let anyone else interfere or escape.

Now some might not like our move last week. They may even think we are going to make some sort of heel turn. This is not true. No, we are just doing what we need to do to get the point across that we will not let such behaviour go without punishment. Now, if that means that the message gets a little rough, then so be it. That line was drawn in the sand, and we have chosen our side.

Bates stands up from the bench, nods at the camera, and begins to walk away. The camera watches as Bates walks the football/soccer field until finally the camera fades away.

Scene II “Good Old Rebel”
Hotel ibis Hong Kong North Point – Hong Kong, China

O, I’m a good old Rebel,
Now that’s just what I am,
For this “Fair Land of Freedom”
I do not care at all;

I’m glad I fit against it –
I only wish we’d won,
And I don’t want no pardon
For anything I done.

I hates the Constitution,
This Great Republic too,
I hates the Freedman’s Buro,
In uniforms of blue;

I hates the nasty eagle,
With all his brags and fuss,
The lyin’, thievin’ Yankees,
I hates ‘em wuss and wuss.

I hates the Yankee nation
And everything they do,
I hates the Declaration
Of Independence too;

I hates the glorious Union –
‘Tis dripping with our blood –
I hates their striped banner,
I fit it all I could.

I followed old mass’ Robert
For four year, near about,
Got wounded in three places
And starved at Pint Lookout;

I cotch the rheumatism
A campin’ in the snow,
But I killed a chance of Yankees,
I’d like to kill some mo’.

Three hundred thousand Yankees
Is stiff in Southern dust;
We got three hundred thousand
Before they conquered us;

They died of Southern fever
And Southern steel and shot,
I wish they was three million
Instead of what we got.

I can’t take up my musket
And fight ‘em now no more,
But I ain’t going to love ‘em,
Now that is sarten sure;

And I don’t want no pardon
For what I was and am,
I won’t be reconstructed
And I don’t care a damn.

The words of the song “Good Old Rebel” played in the background of the hotel room. It is a fitting anthem, considering the recent controversy that had befallen the nation. These words were written, presumably by Major James Randolph, who served under General J.E.B. Stuart in the War of 1861. Sung to the popular tune of Joe Bowers, a favourite of the forty-niners, the song echoed the sentiment of many Southerners during the Re-Construction era. Faced with a harsh occupation by Federal forces, and many Southerners forced into poverty and depression due to the Freedman’s Bureau and other Carpetbaggers, many had come to resent the nation that they had all at one time loved.

This sentiment is beginning to make a comeback. Many Southerners today are feeling the effects of Reconstruction. It is a policy of humiliation, degradation, and cultural genocide that has been in force for one hundred and fifty years. Strike the image of the Southern Man, destroy their heritage, demolish their pride, and subjugate an entire region that was once a power in the world. Like the Communist policies forced on the Eastern European nations during the Cold War, cultural icons and symbols are being eradicated. The flags of the region, of the people, are being banished from the land. Monuments erected to honour brave and courageous men, are being removed. Even the graves of an entire people’s heroes are threatened to be dug up and discarded like trash. With such hostilities shown to the people of the South, how could you not expect them to feel resentment?

These are just some of the thoughts crossing the mind of WCF superstar, and one third of the WCF Trios Champions, Thomas Uriel Bates. These thoughts, and more, were crowding his mind. He attempted to clear his mind by watching television, but that didn’t help. Checking Facebook, Twitter, and his email didn’t help either, not with almost everyone posting either about the flag, or any of the recent Supreme Court decisions.

He tried to watch television again, flipping the channel to Cartoon Network and watching Family Guy. A funny show, even though he had seen every single episode at least fifty times (thanks a lot Adult Swim, TBS, FOX, and the thousand other channels carrying the show). Peter driving around in the Dukes of Hazard car, visiting a “Civil War re-enactment” that was completely inaccurate and highly offensive, a trademark of the show. Damn it, even Family Guy had to remind him of the controversy.

The phone rang. “Call me the Breeze” blares out of the tiny but loud speakers. An image of the Army of Northern Virginia Battle flag filled the screen, with the words “Doc” towards the bottom. Bates accepts the call and brings the phone to his ear.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Hey Doc, how are things going?

The sounds coming out of the phone were muffled. Clearly Bates had discovered the bug planted in the phone and removed it.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Good. Someone needs to do something about this.

The WCF Galaxy will not be able to hear both sides of the conversation this time.

Thomas Uriel Bates: We’re in Hong Kong for Slam. Not going to be able to make it to Memphis this time.

Hearing one side of a phone conversation can be boring, or funny, depending on how bored you get.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Yea, talk to Lee Miller when you’re there. He’s been real big on defending the monument and the heritage. What they need to do is talk to some lawyers, removing any flag or monument is strictly illegal in Tennessee via the Heritage Protection Act.

Hey, names are dropped now. The WCF Galaxy has no clue who Lee Miller is, unless they are also interested in history, re-enacting, or heritage defence.

Thomas Uriel Bates: So, hey. When are you coming back?

Coming back? Who was Bates talking to?

Thomas Uriel Bates: You sure?

Well, maybe this person isn’t coming back. Maybe he is, but not too soon. Only time will tell, since we can’t hear the other line thanks to Bates.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Alright brother. You be safe over there, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone starts shooting soon. I hope they don’t, but it’s possible.

They seem to be wrapping up now.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Take care.

Bates hangs up the phone, holding it in his hands for a moment. After much consideration, he turns on the camera of his phone and sets it near the television. He looks into the camera and sighs.

Thomas Uriel Bates: This has been a terrible time in our Nation’s history. Many of our citizens have come to the painful realization that our Republic is dead. It has been replaced with a tyrannical empire that asserts its powers over their subjects in complete disregard to the written law. The Nation founded by George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin now lies in ruins. The Constitution, the very laws, the Supreme Laws of this land, is dead.

A flag, and the people who carry that flag, have been made the scapegoat. The South, and all of its people have been made the scapegoat; forced to carry the burden of slavery, racism, and anything that the so called progressive thinkers wish to cast off on them.

A victory today for these progressive thinkers was a defeat for liberty. No longer may you have your own thoughts and opinions. No longer may you choose to honour your ancestors, your family, your heritage, or your culture. When that flag came down in South Carolina, the heart of those who loved this Nation dropped.

I have aligned myself with the Confederacy, and the flag and symbols that represent her. In doing so, I recognize that I have lost friends, and fans. I have lost some support, and I may even be jeopardising my career for this, but a stand must be made. That line has been drawn in the sand by those so called progressive thinkers, and I for one will take my stand for Dixie. I will take my stand for God, State, and Country.

So before you judge, before you send your hate, I encourage you to listen. What I’m about to tell you is from years of research. Official accounts, personal letters, written and oral accounts. What I’m about to tell you, is what they don’t want to tell you.

In Sixteen Nineteen, Dutch traders captured nineteen Africans from a Spanish slave ship. The Spanish however, baptized slaves in Africa before taking them. English Law considered baptized Christians exempt from slavery; therefore these Africans were treated as indentured servants.

Roughly one thousand indentured servants existed in the colonies when the Africans arrived. Indentured servitude was similar, but different than slavery. An Indentured Servant worked until they had served their indentured time. Once done, they were freed and given some land and supplies from their former masters. In Sixteen Fifty-Four, John Casor was a black indentured servant. He was the first man to be declared a slave in a civil case. He claimed that his owner, a free black colonist by the name of Anthony Johnson, had held him past his indenture term. A neighbour named Robert Parker told Johnson that if he did not release Casor, Parker would testify in court to this fact; which under local laws, would have resulted in Johnson losing some of his lands. Johnson took Parker to court, which ruled in favour of Johnson, declaring that Parker illegally detained Casor from his rightful master who legally held him “for the duration of his life”.

Yes, the first case of slavery in the American Colonies was a black man owning another black man. During colonial times slavery existed in all of the colonies, with the greatest numbers in the cities. In Seventeen Hundred and Three, more than forty-two percent of New York City households held slaves. This was the second highest proportion of any city in the colonies, second only to Charleston, South Carolina.

The first anti-slavery laws were in Seventeen Thirty-Five in Georgia. This lasted up until Seventeen Fifty when Georgia authorized slavery due to the inability to secure enough indentured servants. Does the South get credit for that? No, instead the South is portrayed as the only place in the entire world that allowed Slavery, at any time.

For Eighty-Nine years slavery existed under the flag of the United States of America. Segregation existed under the flag of the United States of America. The flag of the Confederacy, the flag everyone lately has been accusing as being the Flag of Slavery, only presided over slavery for a short period, a fraction of the time that it existed in the Union.

Opponents of the Flag today like to claim that the Civil War was started over Slavery. They are wrong. To view the cause of the war, one must look at the aggressive party, in this case the Union. Their call to arms, their rallying cry was not “Free the Slaves”, as many didn’t care one way or another. In fact, Abolitionists were in the minority even in the North. No, the Union’s rallying cry was “Preserve the Union”. It wasn’t until international pressure, and constant defeats, caused Lincoln to create the Emancipation Proclamation. It was then, and only then, in the middle of the War, that the Union’s “cause” changed to freedom for the slaves.

Slavery was not the cause of the War; this is fact. Abraham Lincoln himself declared that by offering to keep slavery if only the Southern States rejoin the Union. No, if you want to talk about Slavery, then we need to be talking about the Cause of Secession.

Starting in December of Eighteen Sixty, the Southern States seceded from the Union. Originally only six States seceded from the Union, soon followed by the seventh. After the incident at Fort Sumter, four more States seceded, soon followed by two more by the end of Eighteen Sixty-One. Of those thirteen Southern States, only five issued a Declaration of Causes of Secession. Those States were; Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas mentioned in one way or another, the cause of slavery, some in addition to other causes. Virginia however, listed another cause. Virginia’s cause of Secession mirrored the causes of Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Missouri. Virginia’s causes of Secession were identified as the Federal Government having perverted their powers, and were actively moving to oppress the Southern States.

Virginia, like some other States, only seceded from the Union after Abraham Lincoln’s call for Seventy-Five Thousand volunteers to invade the South. Yes, the Invasion of the South by the North was the cause of Secession for several States, not the issue of Slavery.

Alright, let’s go on to another issue; the flag itself. They claim that it is a symbol of slavery, racism, and white supremacist views. Many people have been quoting Mister William T. Thompson and incorrectly listing him as the creator of the Confederate Battle Flag. Mister Thompson was quoted as having “created” the flag with White Supremacist symbolism. The problem is that Mister Thompson did not create the flag, but rather took an existing flag and placed it in the corner of a white field. His creation of the Flag is as original as the “creation” of one of the million cheaply made remakes of classic movies or television shows.

The first flag of the Confederacy, the Stars and Bars, was designed by Mister Nicola Marschall who was born in Germany and immigrated to Alabama. He designed the first National flag after the Flag of the Austrian Empire. The problem with this flag is that it looked too similar to the flag of the United States, and was often confused as such in battle. This led to Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard pushing for a change in the flag design, and choosing the symbol we all know today as the “Confederate Battle Flag”.

The “Confederate Battle Flag” was actually designed by Mister William Porcher Miles, of South Carolina.

Miles chose a design very similar to the South Carolina Secession Flag; a blue Saint George Cross adorned with fifteen white stars and a field of red. This flag was critiqued by Mister Charles Moise, a Jewish citizen of the South. He asked that the symbol of a particular religion not be made the symbol of a nation. Miles then changed the Saint George Cross to the Saint Andrew’s Cross, creating the flag we know of today.

This flag was used by General P.G.T. Beauregard, and soon became the symbol which identified most with the Confederacy. It should be noted that General Beauregard was an Abolitionist, and considered by some as a “Person of Colour”. The claim that the Confederate Battle Flag is a symbol of racism and white supremacy is flawed from the start. The only claim of racism that can be made is that the Ku Klux Klan adopted the symbol for their rallies. One only has to look at images of that same Klan to realize that the Flag of the United States is used just as much, if not more, than the flag of the Confederacy.

Now I wish to address the claim of treason, made by a few people. They claim that the Confederacy committed treason against the United States. How can this be true, if the Confederacy was not a part of the Union? This is like saying that Mexico, Spain, or Japan committed treason for fighting the United States.

This claim is made by the false assumption that the Confederacy never left the Union. Starting on the Twentieth of December, Eighteen Sixty; Thirteen States would secede from the Union. Nowhere in the Constitution does it mention Secession or the right or does it prohibit a State to leave the Union. As it does not mention the matter in one way or the other, as per the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution that right is reserved to the State, or to the People.

Some will claim that Texas v White proved Secession as illegal. I point out that this matter was decided after the War itself, and therefore not in effect during the war or before. I also must point out that the decision reached by the Supreme Court was not made by using the Constitution, but the voided Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was our system of government that we abandoned in order to adopt the Constitution of the United States of America. As such; the ruling by the Supreme Court in the matter of Texas v White is null and void, and has no legal standing.

So again I ask; how can the Southern States be guilty of Treason, if they were a separate entity from the Union? If we declare the South as treasonous, then we must therefore declare all enemies of the United States as traitors. We also must turn a blind eye to the very foundation of the United States, as the secession from the British Empire was in fact an act of treason, as the colonies had no legal right to leave the Empire.

Bates stops, and leans back a moment. He is clearly holding back on what he wants to say. This Southerner, a College History Professor, and respected Historian, clearly has been biting his tongue for far too long. The line in the sand has been drawn, and he has chosen to make his stand.

Scene III “This is War”
Hotel ibis Hong Kong North Point – Hong Kong, China

The term “Brotherhood” has deep meaning. These last few weeks have proven that. The Dark Riders Gang MC came out in defence of the entire locker room, ready to defend them against the powerful forces of Imperium and Pantheon. They took the initiative and took out Imperium in two quick and decisive blows. The locker room quickly turned. The moment that the Club began to bring home the gold, to have success in this company, everyone turned their back. All of those kind words in the beginning, of how Bates was a rising star, or how Mikey and Danny were steady workers, all disappeared. Those praises were replaced by harsh criticism and hatred.

Only his brothers stood by him now. “Gonzo” Deuce Murdock, Gemini Battle, Mikey eXtreme, Danny Anderson, Spencer Adams, Charles “Charlie” Anderson, and Konstantin “Connor” Noskov, those were his brothers and those were all who stands beside him now.

Bates entered the conference room to find the Club already present. Charlie and Connor were sitting in their customary place. Gonzo and Gemini sat beside Charlie, while Mikey eXtreme and Spencer Adams sat on the side of Connor. In place of Danny Anderson, an empty chair sits on the side next to Spencer. Bates walks to the head of the table, and takes his seat.

Thomas Uriel Bates: What a ride, huh? The last few weeks have been interesting, hasn’t it? That target on our back ended up being a reason to unite Imperium and the Sentinels, while also having them form an uneasy alliance with Pantheon, and now the A-o-D is trying to step into the fold. Meanwhile, our boy Danny gets his knee messed up against Kaz, now it looks like he’s going to miss some time. Seth didn’t book Charlie or Connor this week either, and I have no idea when he plans to do so.

Bates looks around at his Club, at his Brothers. He sighs, and leans back in his chair.

Thomas Uriel Bates: So what do y’all want to do? Last week we set up two backstage encounters, and prevented anyone from interfering. Gonzo got a piece of Joey Flash, and Mikey and Scarecrow had a descent scuffle. That was just a taste of what we can do backstage. The question is; do we continue? Do we step it up some more, or do we need to back off of it and just sit by as Pantheon, Imperium, and the Sentinels run rampant backstage?

“Gonzo” Deuce Murdock: Oh, those assholes again! You figure they’d leave well enough alone, but they got to poke the angry bear. Why can’t they figure out that fuck off means just that, and to fuck off? Has anybody been starting some backstage shit that I’m just not paying attention to? Maybe the drugs are really throwing me off, or lack thereof... Fuck, has anybody seen my Percocets? I think someone took my fucking Percocets!

Spencer Adams: I guess I’ve had a few backstage fights myself with Kemp... but I mean... I don’t know. I just like settling the issues in ring... I’ve never been a huge fan of the backstage brawl. It just seems a little messed up to me.

Charles “Charlie” Anderson: I would love to settle everything in the ring, that’s fine and dandy. The problem is that the ring has far too many rules, and most of us here like to try and follow the rules. These people, they come out to our matches, and don’t expect retaliation? They attack us, and don’t expect us to attack back? They lie, they cheat, and we’re just supposed to grip our ankles and take it? I’m sorry, but if catching some of these people backstage and beating the shit out of them one on one will get them to at least second guess their interference then it’s damn well worth it.

Connor nods in approval.

Mikey eXtreme: Any time, any place. I’ll do what has to be done.

Thomas Uriel Bates: When you get pushed into a corner, there’s really only one thing to do; push back. I think that’s right where we’re at. Alright, we’ve got a lot of things to go over today too. We don’t need to be tied down dealing with this crazy shit.

Bates sets his elbows on the table, and looks towards Gonzo.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Gonzo, I think you said something about finding us a new prospect.

“Gonzo” Deuce Murdock: Oh yea, my brother came into town earlier. He’s not feeling well, hence him not being here. I guess jet lag finally got to him and his manager. They dress like douchebags, but they’re tougher than coffin nails. We can fix that first problem, but why bother with the second problem.

As for the attacks, because I’m not done on that subject, maybe we’re not sending a clear enough message not to fuck with us. Still got a bunch of mouthy assholes who still want to agitate. We may need to have some better examples to bring to show and tell for the coming weeks. Especially to those who cannot leave us or well-enough alone. I think from here on in, we start crucifying assholes who can’t keep their fucking hands off of us. But on the flipside, we’ve got to maintain the same peace. We lay off of the backstage attacks. We quit going to ringside for our team’s matches...

Charles “Charlie” Anderson: But we don’t do that last one. That’s only a Pantheon thing...

“Gonzo” Deuce Murdock: Oh yea... Pot, meet kettle! Kettle, pot...

Thomas Uriel Bates: You’re right; we need to maintain some form of peace. I’m going to try and arrange some kind of sit down with Dune, Kaz, and Corey and see if we can reach an understanding. No more backstage assaults, no more interference in matches, no more distracting the referees, and all that insane mess. Let’s see if we can leave it all in the ring.

As for Gonzo’s little brother; Gonzo wants him to be our new prospect. Our numbers are pretty good right now, but with the way everything’s going, and having lost Fenix lately, we may need the fresh blood. All in favour of Doug “The Thug” Murdock becoming the newest Prospect for the Dark Riders Gang M-C, W-C-F Chapter, say “Aye”.

Charles “Charlie” Anderson: Aye.

Connor nods in approval.

“Gonzo” Deuce Murdock: I brought him here, yes? Then ARGH!

Mikey eXtreme: Aye.

Spencer Adams: Aye.

Everyone turns to Gemini, waiting on his vote Gemini is staring at the ceiling, completely spaced out.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Gemini?

Gemini is too spaced out to hear him.

Thomas Uriel Bates: GEMINI?!

Gemini: Eh, huh? What uh... sure, whatever you say.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Then it’s official. Doug “The Thug” Murdock is the newest prospect of the D-R-G.

Bates bangs his gavel on the table and smiles.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Now, on to our upcoming matches. We have quite the busy schedule, and have the opportunity to regain some momentum we lost at Blast. We...

A knock on the door interrupts the Club. A Chinese gentleman enters the room wearing a nice three piece striped blue suit.

Gentleman: Mister Bates, sir. I am sorry to interrupt, but your time is up. We must prepare for the next reservation.

Bates nods, and turns back to the Club.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Looks like we’re going to have to put off this meeting for next week. Hopefully we’ll have more time then. Good luck everyone, and let’s bring back some gold.

Bates bangs the table, ending the meeting. Mikey, Spencer, Charlie, and Connor leave the room, leaving only the Defilers of Logic. Bates and Gonzo simply approach Gemini, and help him up. They help him walk out of the room, leaving the Hotel staff to prepare for their next reservation.

Scene IV “The Interview”
The Venetian Macau – Macau, China

The carpets, the colours, the placement of the tables, lack of clocks, all designed to keep people at the tables or slot machines. It is designed to distract them from the time, and from other responsibilities. It is a great way to pass the time, but if you’re not careful, you can pass too much time.

The larger than life man sitting at the blackjack table kept an eye on his watch. He had somewhere to be, and at a certain time. However, he had a stack of six purple chips on the table, and one card laying face up; the King of Spades. The dealer had a Ten of Diamonds showing. The dealer laid out another round of cards, moving from left to right. Bates watched carefully as his card was finally laid out before him; the Five of Hearts. The dealer checks his cards, and then looks to the person on his left.

Table Games Dealer: Thirteen.

The gambler tapped the table, causing the dealer to draw a card; a Ten of Spades. The dealer collected the gambler’s money, a single purple chip. The dealer clockwise, asking if they players wanted another card or not. Some took cards, many of them “busting”. One man bet two grey chips, and seemed devastated when he lost. Now it was Bates’ turn.

Table Games Dealer: Fifteen.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Hit me.

The dealer drew the card and placed it near Bates’ chips; the Four of Clubs.

Table Games Dealer: Nineteen.

Bates waved it off, choosing to “stay”. The dealer now turned to his own hand, taking the faced up card and using it to flip the other card up, revealing it to be a Three of Hearts. The dealer drew a card, placing it beside the Ten of Spades. The new card was revealed as the Ace of Diamonds. The dealer drew again; the Four of Spades.

Table Games Dealer: Dealer has Seventeen.

Bates breathes a sigh of relief as the dealer reaches into his rack, and pulls out six more purple chips, paying Bates. As the dealer continued counter-clockwise to pay or take the bets, a Floor Manager approached the WCF Superstar.

Floor Manager: Mister Bates, the interviewer is ready for you.

Bates smiled, and grabbed his chips, a handful of purple and one orange chip.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Thank you.

Bates stuffed the chips in his pocket, and walked from the table. He walked towards the back, entering a room marked for employees only. Once through the doors, he entered another hallway, leading to a large room filled with cameras, crew, and a British man wearing a nice two piece grey suit. The man extends his hand, Bates accepts.

Interviewer: Mister Bates, it is so nice to meet you. Please, have a seat.

Bates sits on a chair in front of a camera. The interviewer sits on a chair opposite of him. A crewman approaches and begins a countdown.

Crewman: Five... Four...

The “Three”, “Two”, and “One” are silent.

Interviewer: Hello! I am Wesley Cunningham for Lotus T-V. I am here today with a professional wrestler from the Wrestling Championship Federation. He is the former W-C-F Television Champion, and current W-C-F Trios Champion alongside “Gonzo” Deuce Murdock, and Gemini Battle. He stands at an amazing Two Point O Six Meters, and weighting in at One hundred and Ninety-Five Point Zero Five kilograms. He has been called the Impassable Mountain, as well as T.U.B., standing for Total Ultimate Badass. Mister Thomas Uriel Bates!

Thomas Uriel Bates: Thank you for having me Wesley.

Wesley Cunningham: Thank you for being here. You are going to be at the China United Centre in Hong Kong this Sunday for an episode of W-C-F Slam, am I right?

Thomas Uriel Bates: Absolutely.

Wesley Cunningham: Now, the main event for this show will be a World Title Match between Raymond Hatcher and the W-C-F World Champion Dune. The co-main event for this match will be for the W-C-F Television Title, and it pits you against a man you just fought to a draw; Corey Black. Also within this match is the very man who took that Television Title away from you; Howard Black. Do you have any comments about your match?

Thomas Uriel Bates: This match is a chance to retain some of the momentum I may have lost when fighting these two men. Howard beat me for that title. I faced an opponent that quite frankly, surprised me. Now, I know his moves first hand. Not from some video, but first hand. I know more of what to expect, and know better ways to counter him. As for Corey Black, I didn’t beat him, and he didn’t beat me. My Patented Boot didn’t send him straight to the moon, but he did board the rocket to get there. This is a chance to show both of them that I am not someone to take lightly.

Wesley Cunningham: I want to talk about Corey Black for just a moment. The man is a legend, a member of the prestigious W-C-F Hall of Fame, former World Champion, and the leader of one of the most legendary factions in W-C-F history; Pantheon. Why do you think he has set his sights on you?

Thomas Uriel Bates: That’s easy. He’s the veteran of this place. He has done all there is to do in this company. Now he, compared to many others, is the old man of this company. In comes this new kid, and this kid rises fast. This kid, and his teammates, kicks Corey Black out of the running for the Trio’s Championship. I have never said that people like Corey Black didn’t have their place, but the fact that I exist, that I have achieved success so quickly in my career, scares him. Now he’s worried that I’m going to overcome his achievements.

So he goes out here, him and his group, and they talk shit. They insult, they threaten, and they make fun of me and my Club. He’s attacking me and my Club because he fears that we’re going to push him out of this game.

Wesley Cunningham: In one of his promotional videos, he claims that though you are tall, strong, and quote “Built to move planets”, you still surround yourself with people as a sort of security blanket. Do you have any response to that claim?

Thomas Uriel Bates: He’s just pushing the same tired old claim that the D-R-G is nothing but a gang. Look, we’re not the ones who like to interfere in people’s matches. We’re not the one going down to the ring to distract the referee. Last Sunday was the first time we have ever attacked someone backstage, and it was still a fair one on one. All the Club did, was stop anyone from interfering.

Wesley Cunningham: Real briefly, your move, The Bates’ Boot, has been gaining international acclaim lately. The running joke of course, is that your Boot will send people to the Moon. Corey Black recently touched on this subject, and when you two faced, you used the move on him.

Thomas Uriel Bates: That’s correct. I used the Bates’ Boot on him, and it took him out for the count. Unfortunately I too was out for the count. Unlike some of my previous opponents, Corey survived the kick. Corey joins a special club consisting only of Abaddon when it comes to surviving the Boot.

Wesley Cunningham: What is the Bates’ Boot exactly?

Thomas Uriel Bates: That’s when I whip my opponent into the ropes, and when they bounce back I deliver a powerful front kick to the face. The move is so devastating; it has ended a few careers in this company. Mister Amazing, Donovan Sharp, and Grime are all sitting on a crater on the moon now, thanks to my Boot. Corey, and Howard, could very well be next.

Wesley Cunningham: Apparently Corey Black no longer fears the Bates’ Boot. After seeing Abaddon kicking out of that move, and Corey at least surviving it at Slam, he apparently has no respect for the powerful move.

Thomas Uriel Bates: He doesn’t have to respect it right now. When he wakes up from the hospital after getting kicked with it, he’ll have respect for it then. I have a lot of respect for him. I have a lot of respect for the work he put into this company, and what he did in his time here. When I’m done with him; he’ll have respect for what I can do. Until then, he’s just going to run his mouth like he always does.

Wesley Cunningham: Corey Black also made some comments about your father. Your father being legendary professional wrestler Andre Uriel Bates, who achieved quite a successful career before retiring back in Two Thousand and Five. Mister Black of course, downplayed your father’s contribution to wrestling.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Of course he did. If you listen to Corey Black, he might just tell you that he single handily created professional wrestling. Of course he’s going to think that my father’s achievements don’t mean anything. Just because his achievements are not in the W-C-F record books, or done under the W-C-F banner, doesn’t mean that they’re worthless. It just means that Corey doesn’t quite know as much as he likes to pretend.

You know what though? This isn’t about my father. This isn’t about my uncle either. I am my own man, and every since I signed on to the W-C-F I have been proving that. I come out to the ring week after week and put on the best show I can. I don’t do one match, and then take a month or two off. No, I’m out here every single week busting my ass. I busted my ass when I got here. I busted my ass in a Hardcore Title Match that was deemed so disturbing by the United States Government that they sent in the F-C-C to cut the show and monitor our levels of violence. I took on the World Champion at the time, Bobby Cairo, and I damn near took that title away from him. Along with Gonzo and Gemini, I entered the Trios Cup Tournament and walked out victorious. Leaving behind the broken bodies and spirits of Bobby Cairo, ICE Beckman, Zombie McMorris, Joey Flash, Odin Balfore, Kaz Mazy, Steve Orbit, Jonny Fly, and yes, even Corey Black. I then went one on one with the legend himself, the self proclaimed King of Wrestling, Corey Black. Although I didn’t beat him, he didn’t beat me either. So much for just a flash in the pan, right?

Wesley Cunningham: Corey Black is the leader of Pantheon, and as such has been making a few statements about your group, the Dark Riders Gang. He claims there are rumours that the D-R-G is caught up in drugs and murder. He claims that your Club is the living incarnation of the television show, “Sons of Anarchy”.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Of course he’s going to say that. Most people’s knowledge of bikers comes from shows like “Sons of Anarchy” or shows and movies like that. The drugs, the guns, the murder, all makes for great television, but the reality is that only a small percentage of bikers are involved in such activity. The Dark Riders Gang is not associated with any outlaw activity. While in Mexico, we worked with the United States and Mexican Governments to bring down a vicious and dangerous drug cartel. That is as close to the rumour as we ever got.

Wesley Cunningham: Getting back to your match, still focusing on Corey Black. He believes that you will not achieve anything more than the Trio’s Cup. That you will face defeat, and then leave the company.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Well, let’s look at the facts shall we? While making our achievement in the Trio’s Cup, I managed to keep the Television Championship when it was on the line against legends, champions, and hall of fame inductees. The main event of today, yesterday, and tomorrow, and I still walked away with that Television title around my waist. That’s an achievement there. I know Corey doesn’t think that I respect the older guys, but that just means he hasn’t been listening. I know full well what it means to defeat people like Bobby Cairo or ICE Beckman. I know the weight behind that meaning, because I’ve done it. I’ve been in the ring with the best this company has to offer, I know damn well what they can do. As for my loss, I’m not going to tuck my tail and run off. No, after losing my belt to Howard Black, I’m still here. You’re not getting rid of me that easy Corey.

Wesley Cunningham: Corey Black, and quite a few others, has made comments regarding your recent and controversial posts online regarding the embattled Flag of the former Confederate States of America. They are making claims that you are a bigot, a racist, and homophobe. Do you have anything you would like to say?

Thomas Uriel Bates: Corey Black, like many people, is simply ignorant of history. He believes that the Confederate Flag is a racist symbol, and was used by a country fighting to preserve slavery. This is inaccurate. Only four out of thirteen States listed slavery as a cause of the war, or how six States seceded from the Union only when Lincoln called for Seventy-Five Thousand volunteers to invade the South, or how the Union’s own rallying cry was “Preserve the Union” rather than “Free the Slaves”. Not to mention how the Confederate Battle Flag was actually designed in such a way to not offend people, and was pushed by a man who was an Abolitionist and “Person of Colour”. No, of course Corey Black wouldn’t know that. He wants to claim that over the last couple of dozen years it has become a symbol of slavery and rednecks. Nevermind the fact that slavery existed for eighty-nine years under the Union flag, or how more “rednecks” fly the American flag than the Confederate flag. No, Corey wants to think only the South could be guilty of such things. I wonder who looks like the bigot now.

Wesley Cunningham: What about the claim of homophobia?

Thomas Uriel Bates: I do not agree with the homosexual lifestyle, but if that’s the choice people wish to make, it’s their right to make that choice. As far as homosexual marriage goes, I am against them using the term “marriage”, but believe they should have all the same legal rights and privileges as a married couple. I also believe that marriage should be left to the religious institutions, and the law should only issue civil unions to all couples. If that make me a homophobe, then so be it.

Wesley Cunningham: Getting back on the topic of wrestling...

Thomas Uriel Bates: Thank you.

Wesley Cunningham: You have been accused of being somewhat of a cult leader. They claim that the D-R-G follows you around and caters to your every wish, and that you are actually holding them back.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Look, I don’t demand that my Club look up to me. If they do, then they do. If they don’t, then they don’t. We’re all individuals here. Everyone is free to choose their own way in life. That’s why we have people like the loveable Spencer Adams, but also have the heels such as Mikey eXtreme or Gemini before he turned face. I don’t decide whether or not we come out as heels, or face, or decide how we are all supposed to dress, or what we’re supposed to say. That’s for those other groups, that’s for people like Imperium or Pantheon. We’re just a bunch of people riding from event to event that just so happened to form a brotherhood.

Now if people look up to me, it might be because I do come out to the ring each and every week and pour my heart and soul into this company. I don’t sit in the back and let my Club do all my dirty work. I don’t sit on the sidelines as they carry my name for me. I would never ask them to do something that I wouldn’t do myself, and maybe Corey, just maybe that’s why we’re so different. I’m out here, my club respects me, you’re coming and going, and your club only lives on due to tales of your history and the Old Pantheon.

Wesley Cunningham: Our time is about up, Mister Bates. Do you have any final words for Corey Black?

Thomas Uriel Bates: Corey Black likes to think he’s this great wrestler, or some kind of smart guy. He’s got skill, and he’s got better skill than most, but he’s not the greatest. Just look at his tired and recycled insults that he lashes out at me. Talking about I’m a racist because I fly the Confederate Flag, like I haven’t heard that one before. He’s making gay jokes like some kind of fifth grader on the playground. He’s telling the big wrestler the tired old and unoriginal phrase “the bigger they are”. Damn, I think everyone over six foot four has heard that phrase at least a hundred times in their life. Oh, and let’s not forget the old favourite, “I’m your daddy” insult. Am I wrestling Corey Black, or did I walk into a school playground by mistake?

My Club rose to the top, and dethroned Imperium, and dethroned Pantheon. That’s what’s bothering Corey Black. That’s what’s got everybody so upset lately. They spent so much time putting me and my Club down, thinking that we’re a bunch of nobodies, that when we walked away from the Trio’s Tournament as the Champions, everyone’s sensitive egos got hurt. They got angry. Now they want to take me out. Now they want to go after my Club. Now they all want to just prove that all we are, is hype. That all we are is a fluke.

Well I’m still here. The Dark Riders Gang, we’re still here. You want Pantheon to be back to what they do best, back to making everyone in that locker room your bitch, well then you’re going to have to come through us first. A wise man once said, to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. Well, we beat the best, Corey, now you’ve got to beat us.

With Bates’ last words, the lights in the room dim out, bringing the interview to a close.

Scene V “Meet Mr. Kettle; AKA Howard Black”
United Centre – Hong Kong, China

WCF superstar, one third of the Trio’s Champions, and DRG WCF Chapter President Thomas Uriel Bates stood outside of the United Centre in Hong Kong, China. He stands at the small entrance door facing the street, and looks up at the giant skyscraper. A WCF Camera Drone hovers right beside him, catching his confused reaction to the location of the next WCF Slam.

Thomas Uriel Bates: This is not an arena. This looks more like, office space. How are we going... what are we... Damn it Seth, we need to have an intervention. This is getting out of hand, first we get booked at an arena that’s about to be demolished, then we get booked at the terrible location of the Moscow Olympics, now we’re booked to wrestle in an office building? I’m going to have to have a talk with him about this.

Bates turns to face the Drone. Although only a robotic machine, it too seems confused. Bates simply shakes his head.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Well, we already cleared this area for a promotional video shoot. Best not let it go to waste.

Bates walks over to a motorcycle and sits on the seat. The bike is not his usual Harley-Davidson Heritage Softtail, but rather a different model of the Sofftail. It has dark blue paint, with the words “DRG Hong Kong” in English written on the side of the tank.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Alright Drone, whenever you’re ready.

The drone moves up and down quickly, as if acknowledging it was ready. A red light turns on at the camera. Bates looks directly at the light. His facial expressions change as he focuses on the thoughts at hand.

Thomas Uriel Bates: What happened to you, Howard? One moment you’re this bright eyed kid and saying all these nice things trying to be friends, then the next you’re digging that knife deep in my back while claiming that I’m digging one in yours. You don’t respect me now, Howard? You wish you could respect me? I feel the same way, I really do. How can I respect someone who has done nothing but hate me since I had a little success in this company?

You hate me, Howard. Somewhere down the line, what was almost a friendship, bonding over shared views on domestic violence, has now turned to a violence of its own, hasn’t it? Gemini characterized you as a liar, and so you decide to hate me? Whatever happened to being your own man, Howard? If you’ve got a problem with Gemini, then you take it up with Gemini. What did I have to do with any of it? Just because I am the President of the W-C-F Chapter of the D-R-G, doesn’t mean that I control what my guys think and say. Maybe that’s how The Sentinels work, but we just don’t play like that.

So you think I lied to you. You think that I manipulated you. When, Howard? I’d like to know just what you’re trying to talk about right now. What lies did I tell you? Your quest for gold, or your quest for beating me, whatever you want to claim, has completely corrupted you. When just a few weeks ago you were acting friendly towards me, accepting my request to do the P-S-A, now you just hate me?

Gonzo says something to you, now you hate me. Gemini says something to you, now you hate me. Hell, if that’s all it took then shouldn’t I hate absolutely everybody in the W-C-F? You’re spewing your hate filled rhetoric to me, should I hate dune for it?

You won the Number One Contender spot for the Television Championship. Good job. If you remember, I even congratulated you. Of course, you might not remember that now. Seth got into another one of his drunken binges, and you got passed over on that Contendership. You come down to the ring and start, what did I do? Did I look at you and say ‘tough shit?’ No, Howard. No, I looked at you and said that if Seth ended up forgetting, we’d do the match any damn way.

You wanted it at Blast. You wanted to wait until then. You could have had the shot before Jimmy Wicked, or before Abaddon, but you wanted to wait. I suppose that’s my fault now too though, right? I seem to be everything that’s wrong with you lately, don’t I?

Do you know why people say you have an anger issue? It’s because you’re showing them that they’re right. Every since Seth drunk booked Snapz into that title match, you’ve been taking out your hatred on me. With no proof, only suspicion, you take out your anger on me. You take out your anger on Spencer just to prove the point that you hate me. You run your mouth on the internet, and you run your mouth backstage, then you want to come around and try to act like I’m the one acting like a bully?

I tried to be friendly, Howard. I was looking forward to having a friendly competition for the Television Championship. I was looking forward to us shaking hands after the match, regardless of who stood victorious. You are the one who changed that. You are the one who started going around making the comments. My boys, they responded. They told me what you were doing, and Howard, I didn’t want to believe them. Then I saw it with my own eyes.

You are so caught up on this image of yourself. You really see yourself as some kind of hero for the little people. You see yourself as some kind of champion for the underdogs fighting against all the evil people. The issue, Howard, is that it makes anyone who oppose you appear to be evil in your eyes. If you can do no wrong, then that means only those who oppose you can. That makes everyone appear to you as evil, or liars.

You take your shots at me, claiming that I have a double standard. Let’s look at you for a minute. You’re out there running your mouth, talking the shit, and you don’t think that’s going to get back to me? You don’t think I have any right to respond to your insults and your comments?

You and Gemini had it out, and he called you up on your history and your past. You even said that it’s not a secret, but you’re going to try to claim that I’m around telling everybody your past? Howard, you’re telling people about your past! My knowledge of you is from the brief time that we did the P-S-A, and from your time here in the W-C-F. Whatever I know of you, is the same thing everyone else knows of you, it’s the same thing you’re out there shouting to the world about, and then pretending that no one knows so the big mountain must be whispering in people’s ears.

You try to act like only I knew about you being approached by Grime. Howard, you told everybody! He wanted some kind of big secret reveal, and you came out and jumped ship when the tide turned against him. You made the announcement, you made the reveal that you no longer backed Grime. What did I do at that time? I was busy giving the entire Movement my big mountain sized Boot. Did you really think that as I was Booting Grime that I was also turning around to the camera and yelling ‘Oh, by the way, that new guy Howard Black was going to join Grime, but changed his mind at the last minute!’ Really, Howard, really?

Then you talk about my Club. You want to try to act like you know me and my Club, and know the reasons why we formed? Howard, the D-R-G has been around since Nineteen Ninety-Three. My father and uncle formed this Club, and it has branched out to several Chapters through-out the years. The W-C-F Chapter was formed after we met the requirements of a minimum of four members. It was formed for the same reason the original Chapter was formed. We opened our Chapter so we could ride from event to event. Yes, Howard, safety in numbers. That safety through numbers though, Howard, had nothing to do with the ring. Are you even aware of how many people are killed riding motorcycles, because some idiot in their cage wasn’t paying attention? Everyone can see four or more motorcycles riding, but seems when it’s only one rider, everyone turns blind.

That formed a brotherhood, Howard. We ride together, we party together, and we’re going to eventually back each other in a fight. Did we do that by jumping someone in the ring? No, we didn’t. Each member of the D-R-G must make their own way in this squared circle. They get no help in that ring. All of their achievements are their own. Mikey didn’t get that United States Championship because of our numbers, he earned that title by beating Kaz Mazy fair and square in that ring. That’s what you can’t stand is it? You can’t stand that we handle our shit in the ring not as a group, but as individuals. When we teamed up for tag team matches, or trios, yes we have the advantage of being an already established brotherhood. That’s no different than brothers teaming up, or best friends teaming u, or even the other stable mates teaming up.

You can’t stand that we’re not out there acting like we’re Imperium or Pantheon. We’re not out there using these numbers we have. What’s that the Sentinels say? ‘We stand for the fallen, we stand against the rising’? I thought that only applied to stables, Howard, are you telling me you oppose individuals rising up under their own merits? I didn’t earn that Television Championship because I had a lart group; I earned it because I beat Grime in the middle of that ring. Mikey earned that United States Championship in that ring. Gemini, Gonzo, me, we earned the Trios title in the ring. So what you’re telling me Howard, what you’re telling the entire W-C-F Galaxy, is that you and the Sentinels will stand against anyone that isn’t a Sentinel gaining any kind of success in this company. Who’s the liar now?

I am so happy, so relieved that you declined my invitation to the D-R-G. I thought you were a good egg, Howard. I thought youw ere good people. Man you had me fooled, didn’t you? You’re obsessed about that Gold. You’re obsessed about your image. You’re obsessed with trying to be on top of the card. Why do you think I called you Gollum? You think that I just thought you were running around like a deformed hobbit wanting this ring? No, Howard. I called you Gollum because you may have started out as a good hobbit, but you were corrupted by your obsession. It transformed you, Howard. Your obsessions turned you into a Gollum running after his Precious.

So you’re mad about Gemini Battle knowing that we spoke about membership into the Club. You’re angry that he knows about it. Howard, how do you think this all works? I’m the President of my Club, yes, but that doesn’t mean I get to do whatever I want. We vote on damn near everything, a true democracy is what we are. Your potential membership was voted on by the rest of the Club! You had us all fooled, Howard. You made us all believe you were the person that we might even be able to call ‘brother.’ The Sentinels might keep secrets from each other, but that’s now how the D-R-G operates.

Am I angry that you declined our offer? No, Howard, I’m not. This life isn’t cut out for everybody, and you know that. You wanted to go your own way, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You wanted to join the Sentinels and that’s fine. We had no problem with that, Howard. No problem until you started running your mouth, which seemed to happen right around the time the D-R-G started to gain success in this company. So much for your support, right?

You went the way of the Sentinels, and then the D-R-G starts scooping up those gold belts. Victory after victory, we gained success, and each one of us earned our billing in this company. Where were you, Howard? You were sitting in your corner getting more and more frustrated. You’re practically fuming over there! Sure, Dune got a World Title, but the D-R-G got belt after belt, and contendership after contendership. Ol’ Howard was over there in the Sentinels getting a bit jealous while sitting on his high horse. You felt that you should have gotten those titles, that you were entitled to the success that we had. Sounds like you have that false sense of importance, that pretension you were talking about.

You know, it’s funny you talk about how I bury my guys. How I’m this big towering personae that holds everyone down. It’s funny Howard, because you said that right when everyone in my Club either had a title, or a shot at a title. Damn near everyone in my Club was at the top of the card. You say I hold down Mikey, yet he was holding the United States Championship. You say I held down Gemini and Gonzo, yet we hold the Trios Championship and Gonzo had a shot at the World Title. Danny had a shot for the United States Championship, Spencer had a shot for the People’s Championship. Damn Howard, if I’m holding everyone down, then I’m not doing too good of a job there.

Do you know why I didn’t join Caraid in the Tournament? Or team up with Danny? It’s because they teamed up together. Charlie is Danny’s uncle, and they wanted to team up and go for the Trios Title. I didn’t stop them, instead I encouraged them to join up. I had announced my inclusion inthe tournament as well, and who could I team up with? I would have been happy teaming with Mikey, but he went a separate path to success. Instead I teamed up with someone I have wanted to team up with since my first match. Gemini was my first opponent, and had earned my respect in that match. When we were dealing with the Grime situation, and a little Vapor Kings trouble, Gemini came out to help me. It seemed like the thing to do, teaming up with Gemini. As for Gonzo; why not? He’s a highly experienced fighter, a skilled wrestler, and a good guy. It was only natural that they would receive the invitation to join the Club.

Yes, Gemini talks about crazy stuff. That’s Gemini for you. In case you’ve missed it, he’s a clown. Underneath that clown though, is a highly intelligent man trying to find his way in the world that continues to screw him over. If you can’t laugh, Howard, then what’s the point of life? As for Gonzo flying off the handle; yes he does that. I mean, the man lost a leg fighting for his country. He works for some interesting companies, and has to deal with stupid idiots on a daily basis, yes he’s going to be prone to flying off the handle from time to time. Everyone has their own personality Howard, even you. Your personality is believing that you’re this great guy standing up for the people, when you’re just a jealous bully trying to make himself sound important.

So you brought up the Cartel. It seems that everybody’s talking about it now days. Everyone in Imperium, Pantheon, Sentinels, seems to think we should have just sat by and done nothing. That we should have turned down the offer from our Country to eradicate a dangerous threat. You’re scared that the blowback would have hit you in the W-C-F locker-room. So instead we’re supposed to sit by and do nothing. Howard, don’t you remember what happens when you sit by and do nothing? Things get worse. So yes, Howard, the D-R-G took on one of the most dangerous drug cartels in Mexico, and we came out on top. They won’t be able to hurt anyone else, every again. Of course, you think by working with the authorities to eliminate the cartel brought crime and drug smuggling to the W-C-F’s door. Have you even looked at the roster Howard? For crying out loud, one of the biggest talents on the roster goes by the nickname ‘Coked Up Madman!’ Countless W-C-F superstars are rubbing their noses and eyeing the door for the next shipment to arrive. You know maybe that’s why we’ve started to get more heat from backstage. We cut off some of their supply. Howard, did we cut off your supply? Oh, that’s right; you don’t do that kind of stuff. So why would you be so angry that we took out the bad guys?

Oh, no it’s our apparent friendship with Seth Lerch. The man who wore one of the most highly purchased merchandises from the W-C-F Shop. I came to him to let him know that we would keep an eye on his little problem. We would take care of it. He is the boss of this company after all, he does deserve to know what’s going on. Yes, he revealed a Support Four Eighteen Seven shirt under his other shirt. Hell, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was wearing a dozen other shirts under there. The guy likes to run the A-C pretty high in his office.

So does that mean he’s in our pocket now? Seth is still Seth. His only friend is the bottle, and he downs that every single moment of every single day. Wake up he drinks. Eat breakfast, he drinks. Eats lunch, he drinks. Eats super, he drinks. He takes a shit, he drinks. Books matches, he drinks. Fucks some girl three times his age, he drinks. That would explain Spencer’s mom come to think about it. Sorry Spencer.

I went into that office to tell the boss of our company, the very man that hired each and every one of us, what was going to happen. I told him what I was going to do, and I did it. Pantheon and Imperium were a big problem for this company, and everyone was at risk. Hell, that’s why the Sentinels formed up. I went in there, told him what I was going to do, and then did it. Pantheon and Imperium are so devastated now, that they find themselves teaming together, and even teaming with the Sentinels from time to time. That is far from what they were doing only a short time ago.

Of course, little Howard was getting all upset that he couldn’t make it through the Trios Tournament and achieve what the D-R-G achieved, so he gets angry at me. He calls me a sell-out for doing exactly what I said I would do. No, Howard, selling out would be betraying everything, and everything I am, just to get something. If you’re not careful Howard, this obsession of yours may lead you down that path. After all, you’re teaming with the very people you swore to destroy.

The Trios Championship went exactly how it should have. Never once in that tournament did I allow my goals for the World Title to rule my actions. I set that aside, Howard, so my team would be successful. I’ll get my shot at the World Title, I’m not worried about that. I’ll take back my Television Championship from you, and then trade it in at Ultimate Showdown. If not, I’ll get it the next time around. Howard, I’m where I am in this business not because of riding the coattails of anyone around me, but because I carved my own path. Just like I expect everyone else in the Club to do, I carved my own path and walked it. I won the Television Championship, then the Trios Championship. I may have lost that Television Championship to you, but here we are again, right where I can take back what is mine. I didn’t rely on everyone bringing me here. I didn’t rely on Dune or Occulo to raise me from my previous status. I did it myself, and maybe Howard, maybe that’s what your problem is with me.

I did it myself. I climbed to the top of the Mountain, I did it. I had my setbacks of course. I lost to Jay Omega when it came to the Hardcore Title. Then again, so did a lot of other people. The man’s a beast when it comes to that title. I lost to Bobby Cairo, and again this is Bobby Cairo we’re talking about. One of the best talents the W-C-F ever had. He would be making a play for that World Title as we speak, if he was still around. Then you took the Television Championship from me. You’re not a bad wrestler, Howard, you’re just an asshole. I could have allowed those loses to determine my fate in the W-C-F. I could have allowed that to keep me in the low card status of this company. I didn’t though. I pushed through, and I continued to do what I said I would do. That’s what makes you angry Howard. I set my goals, and I push forward to achieve them.

For all of my success, Howard, you claim I am the villain. You claim that I don’t deserve anything I have. You claim that I am some kind of tyrant, Howard. Yet it is you who proudly states the Sentinels motto, ‘The Sentinels stand for the fallen. The Sentinels stand against the rising.’ You are boasting your mission to keep people down, prevent them from rising in this company, unless their name happens to be Howard Black. How much longer before you turn on Dune, especially the longer he keeps his World Championship? How long before he becomes that hero you claim is the villain?

‘The Sentinels stand for the fallen. The Sentinels stand against the rising.’ What kind of business do you think you’re in, Howard? What kind of world do you think we live in? Did you buy into Kaz and Bobby’s Communist Manifesto? Do you think everyone should be equal now, and no one should ever rise from their current status? Is individualism such a hated concept for you that you must hold anyone down that stands up? You’re a villain pretending to be a hero, calling everyone else a villain.

Oh the D-R-G holds everyone down, do they? Did we hold Kaz Mazy down when Mikey pinned him? Did I just stand off to the side and let everyone else beat the hell out of Grime, and beat him without even lifting a finger? No, Howard, it doesn’t work like that. D-R-G is at the top only because of the individual achievements of its members. They earned it. We’re not running rampant and taking control of absolutely everything in this company, no. We’re coming out here each and every week, proving why we are where we are. That’s not tyranny, Howard, that’s success.

You wanted that success. You wanted what I had. At Blast, you took it. You beat me in this ring, and you earned a little success. You didn’t have to worry about the D-R-G coming down and interfering with our match, and you still don’t, even in our rematch. Somewhere in that dementia riddle mind of yours, you knew that would be a match where Howard Black would truly put his skills on the line against Thomas Uriel Bates. There were no Sentinels, no D-R-G, there was just you and me inside that squared circle. You can bet on the same deal with me this week. Not so much with Corey Black, he is Pantheon after all, but at least you know with me and my Club, it’s about the individual achievements.

It will be the False Prophet and the Creeping Death will step into that squared circle and face off against the Impassable Mountain.

Bates nods at the Drone, causing the red light to turn off. The drone moves up then down again, as if to thank Bates for the promotional video. The Drone begins to lift itself in the air, scaling the skyscraper that will host WCF’s Slam.

Scene VI “Aegis”
Jumbo Kingdom – Hong Kong, China

He sits at the nice elaborate table wearing a nice two piece dark grey suit. His shirt is light grey, and his lacks a tie. In front of him is a plate of boiled shrimp and a glass of red wine. Thomas Uriel Bates takes a sip of his wine, and encourages the cameraman, and therefore the viewer, to sit. The camera moves down, as if sitting opposite of Bates.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Thank you for coming.

Of course there are no responses. WCF Cameramen, for the most part, are fully aware that their job is to tape the videos and let the superstar do the talking.

Thomas Uriel Bates: I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you here.

The camera doesn’t move, but you can sense that the cameraman may be confused.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Y’all are going to have to stop with these.

Bates reaches in his coat pocket, and pulls out several small cameras, placing them on the table.

Thomas Uriel Bates: I’ve been finding them in my hotel room, in conference rooms, hell you have me bringing a scrambler with me when I go to the restroom. I can tolerate the drone from time to time, and the occasional cameraman wanting a promotional video, but I’m telling you, I find too much more of these; then we’re going to have a problem.

The camera zooms in on the torn camera pieces and wires. The camera turns back up to Bates, who leans back in his chair.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Alright, now that that’s over with. I understand that Seth wants us to talk a bunch of crap about each other before matches. It builds up the hype, and the hype puts money in his pocket, I get it, I really do. I would much rather settle everything in the ring, but that’s not what Seth wants.

Bates takes a shrimp, peals it, and eats it.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Alright, so my opponents this week are Corey Black and Howard Black. Corey Black, the leader of Pantheon, and a member of the W-C-F Hall of Fame. I sent him to the moon, but he’s a strong enough competitor that I had a little bit of a trip myself. Howard over there is the man who took my Television Championship. He’s an angry little man, trying to pick on the bigger guys to prove a point. He’s not a bad fighter, he’s not a terrible wrestler; he’s just an asshole.

Losing that title was more of a relief than anything. I tell you; my doctors were relieved. They wanted me to rest up proper after that concussion at the hands of that coward Abaddon. No, instead I go straight into another match. I was the W-C-F Television Champion, what was I supposed to do? That title has to be defended each and every week. You don’t get a day off. You don’t get to rest when injured. You push on, and you hope none of it catches up with you.

That’s why for the longest time, that title was meant to be an entry level title. A belt to satisfy people who join the company and instantly get a big head, people like Grime. They face off against the lower card, all the other newbies. Here we find all the Snapz, the Dampshaws, the many faces of Adam Young. Every once in awhile, the entry level champion would face another newcomer with a chip on his shoulder, and most likely lose that belt then.

That changed when I got the belt. The title that everyone wants at first, then drops and never wants it again, now became this worthy piece of gold that all the ex-champions suddenly wanted back. Seth changed the rule, and put the belt on the same level as the United States Championship and the Hardcore Championship, and now everyone wanted it.

That entry level championship, now became a coveted Television Championship that everyone wanted. Odin Balfore wanted it, ICE Beckman wanted it, Jonny Fly wanted it, everyone wanted what I had. Three by three, I sent them away. The Defilers of Logic fought off wave after wave of Champions and Legends, the Kings of Wrestling. We stood victorious, I stood victorious.

My opponents were the best in this business. Odin Balfore, Bobby Cairo, Kaz Mazy, ICE Beckman, Zombie McMorris, Joey Flash, Jonny Fly, Steve Orbit, even Corey Black; my opponents were truly the people to beat. Week after week I continued to hold on to that title. Week after week, I defended what I had. Week after week, I proved why I was the W-C-F’s first new Television Champion.

Then here comes Howard Black. Here comes the False Prophet, the Fake Honey Badger, the Evil Roy Speede, and Logan’s nephew. He comes in here with a big chip on his shoulder. First almost siding with Grime in that whole Anti-W-C-F Movement, then joining the hypocritical Sentinels, then befriending Imperium. He comes in here, and wins the Number One Contendership for the Television Championship.

I’m happy. This kid looks like he would do good. He looked like a good kid, he really did. He was almost swayed by Grime, but hell so were a lot of other good people. I liked a few things he said, I offered him entrance into the Club, hell I thought he was a good egg.

Boy was I wrong. He won the shot at the title, and then started getting a big head. Started thinking he was the greatest thing on the face of the earth and that no one was in his league. He started associating with people who only encouraged his line of thinking. He started really believing the party line, “The Sentinels stand for the fallen. The Sentinels stand against the rising.”

When he wasn’t one of the rising, he had a problem. When the Dark Riders Gang earned success in the Trio’s Cup, with the Television Title, with the Trio’s Title, with the United States Title, having a shot at the World Title, having a shot at the People’s Chamionship; Howard started to have a problem. He started to view us as the bad guys.

Was he opposing us coming out to the ring and cheating to win? No, because we don’t do that. Did he oppose us all jumping people backstage or interfering in matches? No, because we don’t do that. When we fight, it’s one on one. So what did Howard get upset about? He got upset about our success. He’s showing that the Sentinels are not this group of people who will stand against the bad guys, but instead showing that they will stand against anyone who has success, unless they are Sentinels.

You know who does interfere in matches, who jumps people, who cheats, and who does sneak attacks? I’ll tell you; Howard’s new buddies in Imperium. What happened to taking the stand against the bad guys? So much for being the Hero that Gotham needs. No, you’re just going to make friends with them now.

Oh, but you think that the Dark Riders Gang is a bigger threat, right? We come in on our loud bikes, wearing our leather vests with our Cuts, and having big chains hooked to our wallets. The big bad scary bikers, of course we must be doing something wrong. Oh, now rumours are saying they deal drugs, sell guns, kill people. You’ve been watching too much Sons of Anarchy, Howard. Not everybody who rides a bike, is an outlaw. Only a small percentage is considered outlaw. That’s where we get the terms “One Percenter” and “Ninety-Nine Percenter”, from a study done on the number of law abiding Clubs, and Outlaw Clubs. By your logic, Howard; the B-A-C-A are outlaws.

Our only dealing with drugs, guns, and murder, was when we worked with the United States and Mexican Governments in getting rid of a dangerous drug cartel. We have members with military and special ops experience, of course the Government is going to come calling sooner or later. You don’t like what we did, in getting rid of a dangerous and murderous drug cartel? Take it up with the Government, or better yet; take it up with the victims of the cartel and their families.

Now though, I’m sure you’re going to say that we jumped Scarecrow and Joey Flash. True, we approached them backstage. True, we surrounded them. No jumping though, no gang attack. Each one was one on one. These were not unprovoked attacks, each one of these attacks was retaliation for something they did. Scarecrow and Pantheon likes to interfere in matches and distract referees. Joey Flash likes to attack people backstage. This isn’t like we took the nicest guys in the company and beat them near to death as a gang. We even gave those two a chance to fight back.

I suppose you think we’re the bad guys still though. Maybe claim that we shouldn’t be attacking people backstage. That it’s not the nice guy thing to do. Well Howard, we’re the good guys. Good guys don’t sit on their ass and whine about the bad guys, then go team up with them. No, the good guys go after the bad guys. If that means meeting them on a level similar to their own; then that’s what it means. When you go up against the baddies, you’ve got to get mean. If you don’t, Howard, then you get run over quick. These guys are playing at a certain level, and if you’re not aware of this, then you will never be able to stand against them.

Oh, maybe we should just let them be then, right? Maybe we shouldn’t stir the pot, maybe we should just let them do whatever it is they want to do. Go ahead, attack Poland, we’ll just issue a strongly worded letter. Go ahead and massacre people, we’ll just shake our fists and be angry. Appeasement, Howard, never works. Give an inch, they take a mile, you ever heard that before? What do you think is wrong with the world today? The problem is too many people appeasing the bad guys, and no one making a true stand. How do you think Nazi Germany, or ISIS got so big? It’s because people turned a blind eye to them. They let the situation go, because they’re afraid to step up.

Now I’m not comparing Imperium or Pantheon to history’s biggest bad guys, those were just examples. I don’t think that Corey Black is Hitler or that Kaz Mazy is Stalin, although Kaz is a communist, he’d tell you that himself I’d think. What I’m saying; is in comparison with our little wrestling promotion, Imperium and Pantheon are the big bad guys, and we’re just the guys willing to stand up, kick their ass, and save the day.

So Imperium is down, suffering heavily with the loss of Bobby Cairo and ICE Beckman. Pantheon just never quite rose as high as they wanted to, not like the Pantheon of Old. The Stable Wars come to an end, but what happens? Instead of letting it die out, Howard Black comes on the attack and starts it all back up again. Now Imperium leans on the Sentinels, and Pantheon is even willing to work with them to face on the new threat; the group that came in and took them out.

The Sentinels, the very group that was founded to combat groups like Imperium or Pantheon, now find themselves in bed with them. Why? It’s because the Sentinels were not the ones to save the day. The Sentinels didn’t take out Imperium, the Dark Riders Gang did. Sure, Dune secured the World Title, a great achievement considering who he defeated. ICE Beckman’s back was already broken when he was presented to the hungry Dune on a silver platter.

So now the Sentinels need to look like the good guys. They need to look like the very heroes they tell everyone they are. So they need an enemy, and they need an enemy that they can make to look like the bad guys. Here’s the Dark Riders Gang. Oh, a Biker Gang works perfect, doesn’t it? Judge fudge the details a bit to make them seem like an Outlaw Gang, maybe twist their cooperation with American and Mexican government officials and make it seem like a drug deal gone bad. Play on people’s fears and concerns of what a group of bikers mean. Take the biggest guy, their leader, and make him seem like nothing more than a big bully. Call them evil, and sooner or later people will believe it.

Take the eyes off of you. Have everyone focused on what the Dark Riders Gang may or may not be doing, all the while you’re shaking hands with the Devil and plotting big schemes. Let those eyes scan my Club, and look for anything that might be seen as bad, all the while you are betraying the very principles you claimed to be for. You are indeed the False Prophet, Howard, you surely earned that title.

Oh, but you gained so much now that you won the Television Championship, didn’t you? Made me tap, didn’t you? Hey, this is wrestling. This is competition fighting, Howard, sooner or later everyone gets pinned, and everyone taps out. Hell Howard, eventually everyone gets knocked out. It happens. It happened to me, it’ll happen to you. Who knows Howard, maybe I’ll make you tap out this Sunday.

I’m not upset about losing the match, Howard. That’s not what got me angry. What got me angry was your attitude. You really believe you’re the best out there, and if anyone else gets ahead of you in life, you feel the need to vilify them. If you’re not the one holding the gold, or standing at the top of the mountain, you’re just not happy, are you Howard? You need that gold, you obsess about that gold. That gold represents power; it represents the best in the world, and Howard you think that’s you. You’re not satisfied with being a good wrestler; you want to do anything you can to get the gold. You’re obsessed, you are indeed Gollum chasing his ring, fighting desperately to get it and keep it.

Well, Howard, you’re going to see that it’s a lot harder to keep that belt, than it is to win it. Last week, your first defence, you faced off against BioWalker. This week, you’re facing me and Corey Black. Corey Black’s a legend, and certainly not a man to take lightly. As soon as he returns from his trip to the Moon, that Burning Hammer may just be falling on you. Then Howard, then you have a big problem. You have to face off against me. At Slam, when I’m done with you, the doctors are going to wire your jaw shut, finally giving the W-C-F the peace and quiet it so desperately needs right now.

Bates leans back and smiles. Through-out the filming, he had finished his shrimp plate and now has finished his wine.

Thomas Uriel Bates: Howard, Corey, I’ll see you in the ring on Sunday.

Bates wipes his mouth and lays a hundred U.S. Dollar bill on the table and stands. He turns, and leaves the cameraman sitting at the table.