Post by Johnny Reb on Apr 13, 2012 11:52:21 GMT -5
The Inveterate Confederate leans against the railing of a hotel balcony, gazing reflectively out over the Tokyo skyline. Shiny, ultramodern skyscrapers mirror the rosy-orange glow of the westering sun, bathing nearby suburbs in a prolonged twilight. In some ways, Tokyo is like any other big city anywhere else in the world: a center of commerce, of culture, of community. In other ways, it’s very, very different. To a man like Johnny Reb, it feels simultaneously foreign, and yet, rather like coming home. A sense of expectation hangs in the very air, mingling with the distant sounds of traffic, the aromas of dozens of restaurants, and the pervasive smog that is endemic to all large cities.
Reb: So… Seth Lerch wants me gone. An’ he reckons he’s gonna use Doc Henry to get the job done. I ain’t the only one that sees the problem inherent in this, right? Yeah, all right, so Doc beat me last month in that Hell in a Cell match – the one I specifically chose. I reckon that leaves me lookin’ a little foolish. Then again, me an’ Doc have clashed more times than I care to count… an’ the majority of them times, I put that son of a bitch on his back for the three count. What makes either of ‘em think it’s gonna be any different the next time?
Johnny heaves a sigh, shakes his head.
Reb: Right now, though, that ain’t even a consideration. Lerch an’ Doc an’ this whole Team of Treachery bullshit can wait until I get back home. Right now is about this…
He makes a sweeping gesture with his arm, as if to encompass all of Tokyo. And then, slowly, he turns to face the camera.
Reb: See, this is my first official, scheduled match at XIII. For the last three years, I been overlooked when it comes to this most illustrious event. Now, whether that’s ‘cause Mr. Black don’t especially care for me, or merely ‘cause I never said nothin’ before now, is a matter of debate – an’ completely irrelevant. Fact of the matter is, I wasn’t the only one who responded to Kira’s challenge; but I was the one Corey Black approved. I could not be more thrilled, nor more honored.
Now…some of y’all may be wonderin’ why. Why did Johnny Reb answer the challenge of a comparative newcomer? Why now, when there have been a plethora of open challenges issued over the years? Why, specifically, XIII?
Johnny shrugs.
Reb: The timin’ was one aspect. When I saw a chance to put myself on the card for this pay-per-view event, I pounced on it. The name Johnny Reb has never been synonymous with the types of matches usually featured at XIII. Oh, sure, I’m pretty well known for dominance in your standard ladder matches. Just ask Torture, or Dake Ken. Oddly, it seems most folks have avoided bein’ in a ladder match with the Inveterate Confederate since then. TLC was never my strongest point, but not my weakest, either. But neither of those is quite the spectacle one expects from a show presented by our very own Mr. Black. XIII is about violence an’ bloodshed. An’ the time has come for me to make it very clear that I ain’t no one-trick pony; to demonstrate that I can run with the biggest an’ the baddest, an’ still hold my own. Ah, but why Kira Sakazaki?
A slight smile tugs at the corner of Johnny’s lips.
Reb: Part of it, I’ll admit, is ‘cause he reminds me of me, when I was first startin’ out in this business. Young, untested, passionate… an’ like me, he ain’t some huge monolith of a human bein’. Neither one of us looks like he’d be much of a fighter. Looks can be deceivin’, though. It’s like the sayin’ goes… “It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” What’s more, though, is that this kid has potential – potential I wanna see firsthand. When Kira Sakazaki is a household name, I wanna be able to say, “Yeah, he’s great! I beat him in a match of his own choosing way back when he was still a risin’ star – but boy did he make me work for it!”
See, much as I might respect the kid; much as I might believe in his talent; fact of the matter is, I got the experience he lacks. And in just a few hours, we’re gonna put that experience to the test. This ain’t my first rodeo – or in this case, street fight. I know how these things go, an’ the more I participate in ‘em, the more I learn. A street fight may be your specialty, Kira-kun… but adaptability is mine. Just ‘cause we’re on your turf don’t mean a thing. All else bein’ equal, I already got you beat nine ways from Sunday.
So go ahead. Bring me your ninjas, your giant robots, your magical schoolgirls… even colossal radioactive monsters! I mean…we’re in Tokyo. One expects to see these things.
Johnny shoots the camera an exaggerated wink.
Reb: An’ then, after all that, it’s still gonna be The Inveterate Confederate getting his arm raised in triumph. No amount of prayin’ for luck is gonna change that. Deo vindice!
Reb: So… Seth Lerch wants me gone. An’ he reckons he’s gonna use Doc Henry to get the job done. I ain’t the only one that sees the problem inherent in this, right? Yeah, all right, so Doc beat me last month in that Hell in a Cell match – the one I specifically chose. I reckon that leaves me lookin’ a little foolish. Then again, me an’ Doc have clashed more times than I care to count… an’ the majority of them times, I put that son of a bitch on his back for the three count. What makes either of ‘em think it’s gonna be any different the next time?
Johnny heaves a sigh, shakes his head.
Reb: Right now, though, that ain’t even a consideration. Lerch an’ Doc an’ this whole Team of Treachery bullshit can wait until I get back home. Right now is about this…
He makes a sweeping gesture with his arm, as if to encompass all of Tokyo. And then, slowly, he turns to face the camera.
Reb: See, this is my first official, scheduled match at XIII. For the last three years, I been overlooked when it comes to this most illustrious event. Now, whether that’s ‘cause Mr. Black don’t especially care for me, or merely ‘cause I never said nothin’ before now, is a matter of debate – an’ completely irrelevant. Fact of the matter is, I wasn’t the only one who responded to Kira’s challenge; but I was the one Corey Black approved. I could not be more thrilled, nor more honored.
Now…some of y’all may be wonderin’ why. Why did Johnny Reb answer the challenge of a comparative newcomer? Why now, when there have been a plethora of open challenges issued over the years? Why, specifically, XIII?
Johnny shrugs.
Reb: The timin’ was one aspect. When I saw a chance to put myself on the card for this pay-per-view event, I pounced on it. The name Johnny Reb has never been synonymous with the types of matches usually featured at XIII. Oh, sure, I’m pretty well known for dominance in your standard ladder matches. Just ask Torture, or Dake Ken. Oddly, it seems most folks have avoided bein’ in a ladder match with the Inveterate Confederate since then. TLC was never my strongest point, but not my weakest, either. But neither of those is quite the spectacle one expects from a show presented by our very own Mr. Black. XIII is about violence an’ bloodshed. An’ the time has come for me to make it very clear that I ain’t no one-trick pony; to demonstrate that I can run with the biggest an’ the baddest, an’ still hold my own. Ah, but why Kira Sakazaki?
A slight smile tugs at the corner of Johnny’s lips.
Reb: Part of it, I’ll admit, is ‘cause he reminds me of me, when I was first startin’ out in this business. Young, untested, passionate… an’ like me, he ain’t some huge monolith of a human bein’. Neither one of us looks like he’d be much of a fighter. Looks can be deceivin’, though. It’s like the sayin’ goes… “It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” What’s more, though, is that this kid has potential – potential I wanna see firsthand. When Kira Sakazaki is a household name, I wanna be able to say, “Yeah, he’s great! I beat him in a match of his own choosing way back when he was still a risin’ star – but boy did he make me work for it!”
See, much as I might respect the kid; much as I might believe in his talent; fact of the matter is, I got the experience he lacks. And in just a few hours, we’re gonna put that experience to the test. This ain’t my first rodeo – or in this case, street fight. I know how these things go, an’ the more I participate in ‘em, the more I learn. A street fight may be your specialty, Kira-kun… but adaptability is mine. Just ‘cause we’re on your turf don’t mean a thing. All else bein’ equal, I already got you beat nine ways from Sunday.
So go ahead. Bring me your ninjas, your giant robots, your magical schoolgirls… even colossal radioactive monsters! I mean…we’re in Tokyo. One expects to see these things.
Johnny shoots the camera an exaggerated wink.
Reb: An’ then, after all that, it’s still gonna be The Inveterate Confederate getting his arm raised in triumph. No amount of prayin’ for luck is gonna change that. Deo vindice!
