Assemble.

[Corey Black]

March 12th, 2015
Minneapolis, Minnesota
8:30 PM

A chilly but not freezing night in Minnesota has descended upon residents, namely one Corey Black. He isn't in his usual apartment this time, he's on the rooftop of a skyscraper overlooking most of the city. Corey is dressed in all black, including cargo pants, a hoodie and a mask that covers the bottom half of his face. It would seem that The Avenger has once again suited up. Corey opens the door on the roof leading into the skyscraper itself, down a ladder and into what looks to be a command center. Kind of like a Batcave, giant screen with a bunch of high tech looking wires and keyboards linked into it. He walks right by all that and into another room, which has all his furniture and wall decorations. It would appear as if Corey has moved out of his little apartment and into the top floor of a skyscraper. It is no Price Tower, that is for sure.

The walls are pretty much lined with framed WCF Title Belt replicas, one for every Championship Corey has won. A refrigerator is opened, stocked to the brim with Diet Coke and pizza Lunchables. Corey's wrist beeps, he checks it. A SmartWatch indicates a phone call. He presses a button on the watch and holds it up to his ear.

Voice
Door.

Click. The call is abruptly cut off, like a Jayden Thunder gimmick. Corey walks over to a big black door that has several locks on it. After unlatching all of them, two men in suits stand in the doorway and come inside Corey's place.

Man 1
Corey, look. We set you up with this place after the last one burned down because we need you out there.

Man 2
He's right, you know. The police force can only do so much, we have informants and snitches but there's nobody that can get work done like you can. I'm not even sure how you do it.

Corey Black
Prepare to have your mind blown, then. I've got some new friends that will surely help out in whatever mission you give me.

Man 1
Great, just make sure you can trust them. We'll have something for you soon, we are working on a case that you may find interesting. You might have to go car shopping soon.

Corey Black
Oh, so you read my file finally? What kind of car shopping? And what is this case about?

Man 2
You'll be informed soon. Stay in contact with us, we'll give you the details at a later date.

Corey Black
You'd think the Minneapolis Police Department would be able to tell a hired gun his own mission.

Man 1
Just keep doing what you are doing, Black.

Corey Black
I'll be in Philly tomorrow, after that my schedule is pretty clear. As long as you guys don't interfere with WCF, I'll do whatever you need me to do.

The men nod and leave and Corey relocks all the locks behind them. He heads back to the rooftop overlooking the city and pulls his cell phone out. He brings up the recording app and places it on the ledge of the rooftop, filming himself seemingly for WCF.com.

Corey Black
It's that time of the year again. An actual XIII card. The last few events have been a bit on the 'lets settle shit' side of things, I'll admit. But this time it was all about spreading the wealth. I've ran ten of these things, it is high time to allow someone else the spotlight. Seth Lerch decided he'd be the first to enjoy the option without even asking, which I'll get to. This time, though, I allowed Pantheon member Jayson Price the chance to finally do what he has wanted to do since he first joined WCF - book his own show. And what a show he booked. Pantheon looks to reign supreme in many ways coming off this grand night, and the Nightmare Chamber Match isn't even the marquee one! I know that's why most of the fans will come, let's not fuck around, this shit will be off the chain. But there's glass, light tubes, and World Championships to be decided as well.

The Chamber itself, this thing is a whole beast unlike any other. Naturally the 2300 Arena, New Alhambra, ECW Arena, whatever you want to call it, can barley house a scaffold match, let alone a gigantic cage. We're out in the parking lot, gentlemen. Same great steel, new terrible weather. It's fine, as soon as the bell rings, nobody will remember how cold or mild or snowy it is, because there's going to be blood spilling all over the place. This beast is huge and has held two of the most fucked up matches in the history of WCF.

Corey lifts his shirt revealing his ribcage where there is a massive amount of scars.

Corey Black
First Chamber, weed whacker to the ribcage. Tore me up something fierce. I put that bitch in a thumb tack coffin and never looked back. Climbed that steel and dropped some thirty feet on a poor sap. Second Chamber, Skyler Striker and the WCF World Heavyweight Championship. I dropped that fool fifteen feet right on his face and pinned him like he was a button.

Everyone seems to want to say I'm undefeated at XIII, and while that is technically true, it also isn't. See, once upon a time, I had Torture beat in the middle of the ring. The man himself was dead to rites and what do I do? I walk off. Hung my head in shame and just packed my bags. A countout is still a loss on paper, but the world knows I won that match. I used the Retirement Match to backdoor my way into a fight with Gravedigger who was controlling everything at that point. Except my contract. I did what I had to do to attempt to save WCF, and that was losing at my own show.

Look at my team. The newest and easily oddest member of Pantheon in Scarecrow. Dude marches to the beat of his own drum, but there's something about him. Maybe it is the fact that he reminds me of me and I wish I had someone like Pantheon on my side in my early days in WCF not only to show me the ropes but to have my back. And that is exactly what makes this match special. Crow is heading to battle Odin Balfore. This is prime time to show him that he made the right choice when he said he'd join Pantheon. I'd never turn my back or say no to my brothers or sister. We're in this fight together.

That being said, when it comes to Jeff Purse.. I don't know. Last time I saw him he was kicking my ass and hanging out with a puppet. Jayson seems to think everything will be okay. He also thought Polar Phantasm would be our saving grace and we wouldn't have to reconfigure the lineup. Rest assured, I'm going to be watching Purse out of the corner of my eye. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice and you're eating a Burning Hammer, Jeff.

Corey removes his mask and places it in his pocket. He then leans forward, hand on either side of his phone.

Corey Black
Our opponents have a newcomer to the fray, Joey Flash. Former Television Champion, highly touted as one of the best of the new crop - yet somehow didn't meet the criteria to be asked to join Pantheon. Let me explain why I chose people like Jay Omega and Scarecrow over Joey Flash. That's longevity. I don't believe for one second that Joey Flash can continue on beating everyone placed in his way for what will end up being a short run in WCF. The candle that shines brightest burns fastest. This is Joey Flash in a nutshell. Not only that, but his personality just doesn't mesh with us. You see Alex Richards scorching people on Twitter, and Mr. Flash is over here posting animals to Katherine Phoenix like it is going to make him any more liked. Alex Richards doesn't take shit from anyone. Jay Omega has been humbled and came back from a crushing defeat. Chelsea Armstrong was basically in a coma - and she's heading into a big match with Jayson Price with half a smile, half a scorn on her face. Scarecrow is the wildcard, every good stable needs one. XIII is his chance to really show me why I chose him over everyone else.

I digress, it's not that I hate everyone that comes into WCF anymore. Every though they all spew the same bullshit every time about how it isn't my time, their era is now, yadda yadda whatever. They just don't respect the men that made it possible to wrestle in front of a crowd of people in the first place. WCF isn't the only show in town, but we're the best. That's because guys like me and Logan stood our ground against every fucking one of the 'new waves' that ultimately fade away. There's always a guy that comes in with a chip on their shoulder because they can go on hour-long tirades about nothing in general and they can lay waste to the Doc Henrys of the world and as soon as a real challenge pops up in their face they freeze and fumble. Their star takes one big hit and slowly begins fading away.

I just described Joey Flash.

This guy wasn't even supposed to be in the match! He lucked his way into a battle with Pantheon at XIII. I've mentioned a bunch of times, it isn't personal. What happens inside that Chamber to Joey Flash is just what happens. He's a casualty of war when it comes to Odin Balfore and Seth Lerch. It isn't hard to see exactly what Occulo was thinking. Sure, he comes off like he thinks he is above this match but we know. He saw that he got paired up with Corey Black in his own creation on his own show and well, some US Champion Occulo is. If there's one compliment I can give Joey Flash, it is that he is a better fighting champion than Occulo - and he isn't even a champion anymore!

You're really the odd-man-out in this scenario, Joey. Your partners are spoken for by my partners. I dislike them both. But you. You're just here to try to make a name for yourself, you could have teamed with Doc Henry and Adam Young - it wouldn't matter. A fight is a fight, and this one is one of the better ones you could luck into. I look forward to mixing it up with you, as mouthy and douchey as you are. Maybe it'll do you good to lose again, everyone has to face some real adversary sometime. You'll come out of this match a better man. Assuming you can still walk. No promises.

A chuckle later, Corey stands upright and walks over to the side, looking over and down to the streets below.

Corey Black
The Keyboard Warrior Odin Balfore, once again on opposite sides of a cage match at XIII. This will mark the third time. Once again he has a WCF rookie with a big mouth on his team. Unlucky for him, it isn't Jonny Fly or ICE Beckman. I was going to question why I only ever see Odin talking shit on Twitter instead of kicking people in their face, but then I realized - dude is older than Reckless Jack and I combined. It's a common talking point, but I'll take it a step further. Everything he does results in dust. Standing up out of bed? Knees turn to dust. World Title reigns? Dust. Don't even ask about relations... POOF. Dust.

Before you even do it, let me stop you right there, Odin. Yes, I know you broke my mind with powerbombs. I remember, I was there. Let me remind you of literally every single time we got into the ring since then. Namely One and XIII. World Title and War Games twice, hell you even lost to the guy that ran IWF. This one isn't my fight though, this is Scarecrow's battle. It is his turn to lay the destruction on your ass, maybe your little raccoon too. Guess I could take the 'coon. I don't think PETA will watch XIII. Come to think of it, I've never hit a Burning Hammer on a rodent.. hmm.

No, no, still not my battle. I do have some weird comparisons for you though. You, Odin Balfore, the great and powerful Oz - Oz-type Wizard, that is, in a battle of wits with my man Scarecrow. Difference is, this one already has a brain. And he's filled with bricks instead of straw. Not to mention he is WCF Royalty. And the Tin-Man on his team is actually metal as fuck, ready to unleash elbow upon elbows. The lion isn't cowardly, but he does have some OCD. Odin concussive disorder. As in he's going to Spoke your skull to shit. Then I'll elbow you back to obscurity. And Crow? He'll come in and finish the fucking job so you'll finally learn to pick your battles smarter.

The thing about you is that you don't quit. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, considering what I just said about smarter battles. I pelted your face with my foot until it was dropping blood all over the mat and you still didn't go down. You were beat in the middle of the ring for the WCF World Title on the grandest stage we have, yet you turned right around and kept on trying to put me in my place. You got me the first time, Odin, and that is where it ended. You put Creeping Death to rest. You made me realize the error of my ways and that ultimately, being me is what is going to get the job done. You are proof positive that Corey Black is better than Creeping Death ever was. Oddly enough, thanks for that. I had a hand in creating you when I ran WCF, you had a hand in creating me when my time was up. We're forever linked, Odin, we'll do this until the end of time. Hell, knowing the power we have, we could very well do this at the beginning of time if we wanted. There's a Ranchero around here somewhere with those capabilities.

Back over to the phone now, arms folded and staring right into it, looking fairly pissed off.

Corey Black
Seth Lerch still hates me, more news at eleven. Here's the thing about Seth. As much as he hates me and claims to hate Pantheon, the guy still signs every single check. Pantheon, in its first form, dominated the top of every card. He won't admit it, but Pantheon made Seth Lerch a whole lot of money, personal feelings aside. Sure, we took over and basically made WCF our playground, but we did it in a light-hearted way. Everyone else that has done that did it with malice. Gravedigger ring a bell? He took over, shoved Seth aside and laughed his way to the bank. Eric Price and Sarah Twilight? Same. Jonny Fly took over and Seth still had a job. Secretary, but income nevertheless. We did this guy a favor by bringing life back into a dull place filled with crap like the Team of Treachery, Genesis, S-PAC - fuckin' Sarah Twilight, Waylon Cash and Eric Price in general. Those people were never going to lead WCF into the new era. It was always going to be Jonny Fly, Jeff Purse and Pantheon. Do you see Eric, Sarah or Waylon? Nah. You DO see Corey, Jeff, Jayson and you will see Jonny again sometime soon. Fans will pay money to see these names live. These fans pay Seth Lerch to see it.

I sometimes wonder why I have stayed here through all the crap Seth has thrown at me. I'm pretty sure I have been stripped of more titles than I have lost. I've been fired, I've been rehired, my life has been made a living hell by this guy for years and years and yet I remain loyal. I know he can't just fire me and let that be the end of it, the fans would be outraged and wherever I land will gain most of WCF's viewers. Maybe it is a case of Stockholm Syndrome. Maybe it is to prove myself as WCF's Ace. Seth has been behind Logan almost every single step of the way. It took me a while, but now Logan is my bitch. I've put that guy down more times than Shannan, the only thing he has done that I haven't is win War. I've got the WCF Classic, Tag Classic and Trios on this guy. And yet here's Seth, putting everything he has into pushing Logan's brand year in and year out while trying to snuff my flame.

Right here, right now, I will tell you this Seth: I am the best wrestler you have ever, or will ever have in WCF. Try to push ICE to the top of the mountain, he might get there in ten years. Put your power behind someone like Joey Flash and see how long he lasts. All your eggs are in the basket when it comes to Odin Balfore. You better hope those two keep me away from you. I know Purse is coming after you as well. Crow just wants to fight Odin. You're almost up shit creek, boss.

When it comes to you and I, man, I can't even remember the last time I had you in a ring. I'm not even sure it has ever happened in such an intimate setting. I remember your XIII debut against Torture and Chino, everyone had a great laugh about that one. This time, though, you're going against Pantheon New and Old. Your chance to come into our realm and get dirty with the wrestlers instead of standing behind henchmen and watching them fail time and time again.

Last month you hijacked my creation without even as much as an e-mail. While it seemed to go just fine, way better than last year's show, if anyone would have done that to you, you'd have flipped shit and booked them against Dr. Gonz0. Non-title. Me, on the other hand, I'm going to use it as fuel. You bitch and moan about Pantheon taking over WCF, homie? Check the mirror. Check the record books. Check the fuckin' sales reports. You put Corey Black on the card, nine times out of ten it is the main event, and people want to see it. I took this match in the middle of the card just so I could elbow your stupid little peanut head into peanut butter and eat you up for lunch, ya dig? Nobody - I MEAN NOBODY - hijacks my shit and then turns right around bitching about having theirs jacked just the same.

Odin, Seth, Joey - you guys are walking into XIII. Inside the Nightmare Chamber. Against Corey Black. I don't know how you can be confident. The Government is holding the thumbdrive that holds the last XIII I did because of the violence. I'm making it my personal mission to make sure this one doesn't air either. Someone is going to get maimed.

From seemingly out of nowhere, Corey reaches down and grabs his trust machete. A sick smile crosses his face before he ends the recording. He walks back into his command center, plugs his phone in and pulls the video file off, sending it to the webmaster at WCF.com. Corey walks over to the wall and presses a button, opening up a secret door. He heads down a dark hallway and into a dimly lit area which houses a black suit, purple accents, a white A and a black cape.

Corey Black
What is Earth's Mightiest Wrestling Stable without The Avenger?