Lackluster

[Mikey eXtreme]

The Road to Showdown

Act I: Dat Hawt American Darkness

A heartbreaking week with a loss against Nathan Chambers lead Mikey searching for answers. Was he as good as he thought he was? Was he fading? Was he being passed by, by lower talent?

These questions bugged him all week.

But Slam rolled around, and he got to step inside the ring with the current United States champion as Dat Hawt American Darkness, da hawtest tag team in wrestling today, took on Kevin Bishop and Severan King in a tag team match.

But what if Mikey was defeated again? What if Dat Hawt American Darkness suffered their first tag team loss at the hands of these newcomers? There were many doubts in Mikey’s mind, but the only thing he knew how to do was to fight forward and prove that this was not true.

Slam would act as a rebirth, and Mikey would rise from the ashes ready to take on the world and reclaim his spot at the top of the WCF roster.

Dat Hawt American Darkness did not disappoint.

The match was full of action from the start. Quick paced and brutal, the match went from standing to flying to all out brawling within a few moments. But Mikey was a man on a mission, and Severan King found that out with a meeting with the barricade. Mikey took his aggression out the best way he could, by simply destroying Severan King. The barricade was just there to aide Mikey in his mission.

This left Kevin Bishop alone with Dat Hawt American Darkness. Which, set up The Plague to become the next victim of the Darkness, which caused panic. Bishop tried to take them out, he really did, but that’s where he made his mistake. That’s where Dat Hawt chemistry came into play. Mikey simply caught Bishop out of the air, and Z-Mac connected with a devastating superkick for good measure.

What came next was a message. What came next was justice. Dark Justice. With one huge knee, Kevin Bishop came crashing to the ground as Mikey let him go. Dat Hawt American Darkness were victorious once again. Mikey was victorious once again.

A message had been sent in the direction of the Tag Team champions. However, by the time Dat Hawt American Darkness get their shots at those belts, the current champions are likely to be long gone. Ultimate Showdown was right around the corner and anything was possible.

Act II. Perfection: Redux

The biggest loss of Mikey’s career had come and gone. Mikey moved on, Dat Hawt American Darkness was victorious the following week and Mikey was shifting his eyes towards the future. The tag titles were in his sights, the United States title was calling out to him.

But, Nathan Chambers would appear in Mikey’s sights once more. This time there was no hardcore title on the line, but Brent Alpine’s television championship was up for grabs and Mikey knew that he had to win that belt. He knew that he had to walk away holding the television championship that has eluded him since his arrival in the WCF.

mikey extreme: Nathan may have gotten lucky in our last meeting, but that doesn’t mean he’ll taste that same luck this time. That doesn’t mean that he’ll have his way with lady luck once again.

This time?

This time I do what I do best, I body these guys that get put in MY ring. I’ve got something to prove this week, and Nathan Chambers is just the guy to prove it against.

When I lost that hardcore championship match, in the most unhardcore championship I have ever been in, it hurt. It really hurt. I know I’m better than Nathan Chambers, I am better than perfect. I am the greatest competitor in WCF history. Make no mistake about it, Nathan’s win was a fluke.

Nathan, I’m talking to you. I want you to listen very carefully right now. Clean out those ears, and listen up. This week at Slam, this week I get to redeem myself in front of the entire WCF galaxy. I get to prove to the world that I am worthy of being part of the WCF. This week isn’t just a normal match. It isn’t some clusterfuck tag team match to me.

You may have nothing to gain from having to help defend Brent Alpine’s television championship. But believe me, he’s going to need you more than you’ll ever know, and you’ll need him just as badly if you are planning on walking out of this match.

There is a deadly force approaching, Nathan.

Here we are a short time away from Slam, two weeks after the match that I was supposed to win. Two weeks of anger and pain manifesting together to create a warpath that nobody has a chance of recovering from.

Each and every second that ticks by, brings us closer and closer to your demise, Nathan. Tick, tock.. Tick, tock.. I know you can hear it. I know you can feel your time slowly ticking away. There’s nothing you can do. That weight that is bearing down on you, that you’re trying to fight each and every week.. That’s the darkness. That’s the presence of Mikey eXtreme. Each and every time do you step in that ring with me, you lose a piece of your soul. A piece of your being becomes claimed by and for the Darkness.

There’s nothing you can do, Nathan.

You can fight through it or you can kneel down before me and give up the fight. Either way, it will end the same way. It will end with you broken, barely able to move, a shell of the man you once were.

That’s your future, Nathan. That’s what you’ve gotten yourself into. That’s your penalty for lady luck giving you the greatest one night stand in the history of mankind. But, lady luck is dead. I slit her throat myself once that night was over.

Cherish that victory, Nathan. Because it will never happen again. I will make sure of that, I will do whatever I have to do in order to end you. To end your reign of self proclaimed “perfection.” You’re not perfect, Nathan, far from it.

You want to portray yourself as this perfect figure but at the end of the day, you’ll whine and bitch about everything until you get your way. Not man enough for the hardcore division, so you put forth rules to make sure the match is forever in your favor. Because, you know deep down that you cannot compete with the best of the best here in WCF. You know that you cannot compete with the likes of Mikey eXtreme. So, you rig the matches. You make it so that it is nearly impossible for you to lose.

Some may say that’s smart. Hell, some may say that’s the greatest way to keep a title around your waist. But, it’s not. It’s a bitch move made by a little bitch. But, that’s perfect, right? That’s how you become perfect? By making sure you have an unfair advantage. Yeah, that sounds about right.

You’re nothing, Nathan.

You do not belong in my ring. You do not deserve your spot inside the Ultimate Showdown match. That is my spot, and you will pay for taking my spot. You will look back to that match years down the road and regret it. You will wish that it hadn’t set forth the evils that were to follow.

This upcoming Slam may be your last, Nathan. Or, I may choose to toy with you longer and drag out your eventual doom. The darkness has no timetable set in motion for the capture of your soul, but believe me, it will be ours. It was destined to be ours the moment you stepped foot in that ring, in MY ring.

The scene fades.

Act III. Scouts

The scene opened with Mikey eXtreme rocking back and forth in the corner of a dark room. The camera panned in towards him as he began to speak.

mikey extreme: Stuart Slane, the WCF World Champion?

Mikey laughed.

mikey extreme: I guess it could be worse, Chambers could be the world champion or even worse, Jeff Purse could still hold that strap.

But, none the less, still an awful champion.

Do you remember the last time you were in the ring with me, Stu? The first and only time we have ever been in the ring with each other? The night that you were lucky enough to step foot in Dat Hawt American Ring?

You ran away.

You couldn’t deal with the fact that you knew you couldn’t win. So what did you do? You sacrificed your partner, Nathan Chambers, to a bunch of hungry wolves. Dat Hawt American Darkness almost devoured Nathan’s soul right there on the spot but he took a page out of your scouts handbook and he ran for the hills too.

I can’t say I blame you, who would want to be in that ring with us? Who would want to face the greatest team the WCF has had in quite some time?

But, you ran. You ran like the coward that you are. You ran because you are not on my level, you are not on Zombie’s level.. But yet, you’re the World Champion? Thus far I am in for a night of facing lackluster champions.

Might as well call yourself that. This week, for the Television Championship we have the team of Mikey eXtreme & two nobodies going up against Lackluster.

I can see the headlines now, “Mikey eXtreme wins the Television Championship, Ultimate Showdown now contains two actual talents.”

You are nothing for the WCF to be proud about. You beat Oblivion last week, wow, great job. The week before that you couldn’t even bother getting inside the ring to put on a match. Why is that? Because you know your time at the top is limited and the best way to keep that belt around your waist is to figure out the least amount of times that you can step inside it.

But, you have to step in MY ring right now. You have to step inside a warzone that you’ve never fully stepped into before.

Mikey eXtreme is a monster like no other. You beat Oblivion, but you’ve never beaten somebody like me. You’ve never beaten the best competitor the WCF has ever seen and you never will.

This week, I finally get my badge for beating a worthless champion. I’ll wear it proudly, too, Stu. Right with my Arrow of Light. Well, I’ll actually get three of those badges and in the process I’ll be awarded that Television strap.

I’ve got my eyes on that belt, Stu. Both your world title and this Television championship. So, if I was you, which thankfully I am not, I would do my very best to keep Alpine out of that match because if I secure that victory, you can kiss your world title goodbye. I will enter Ultimate Showdown and I will take that belt from around your waist.

Mikey stands up and approaches the camera.

mikey extreme: Slane, do yourself a favor. Just like last time, run away. Hop out of my ring, and get to steppin’. Let Holmes and Alpine eat the beating of a lifetime. Just run away, get far, far away from this ring.

It’s what’s best for you to survive.

The scene fades.

Act IV. The Shining

Mikey was at a hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. He wasn’t sure why, or how, but he was there none the less. There was an ominous presence that covered the place, but Mikey felt right at home.

R E D R U M

Mikey sat in his hotel room with Vidalia. Freakshow was buy attending to other matters in Colorado, the real reason the trio had ventured this far away from the host city of Slam.

mikey extreme: Ah, beautiful Estes Park!

Mikey didn’t care about the scenery, though the weather was higher than he wanted during the day, the nighttime dip was perfect.

mikey extreme: It’s a shame after this trip, I have to return to that shithole, Philly and take on a piece of shit known as “The Shine.” Only thing that better be shining is that belt when I snatch it away from that fucking prick.

Brent Alpine has no reason to be in Ultimate Showdown. That’s my match to win, not his. Not Stuart Slane’s, and definitely not Nathan Chambers. It’s my match. I should be the only one of us in this match to get an invitation to this dance.

Brent Alpine is another guy who is lucky not to have met the fate that I had tolled out. Not too long ago, a certain Teddy Blaze swept in and stole a victory from me after I had dismantled and destroyed Brent. Laid him out right there in that ring, and Blaze came in and stole it. But that doesn’t happen this time, I can promise that.

If anyone steals this win from me, it’ll be the last thing they ever do. It will be the end of their WCF careers. This match means more to me than anyone can imagine. Brent Alpine gets the misfortune of being on the receiving end of a nuclear explosion.

All because Seth decided that his television championship is my last ticket to the big dance. If I miss this opportunity, I cannot redeem myself for last year’s Ultimate Showdown disappointment. I do not get a chance to earn big and prove to the world my worth in the WCF.

That’s not something that I can live with. That’s not something that I can go to sleep with at night. I need to make this right and the only way that’s possible is if Brent Alpine is dealt with and believe me I will be dealing with him. I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this place and by god am I going to take everything I have to Brent.

There is no way that I can let him squeeze by.

He barely got past Psychopomp last week, and he expects to retain this championship against me this week? It just can’t happen. It won’t, because I won’t allow it to happen. There is only one possible outcome to this match and it is me picking up the victory over Brent Alpine and walking out with the television championship.

It ends with Brent Alpine broken and bloodied in the center of my ring. His heart barely beating in my hand, and his body lying motionless to the horror of the Philadelphia morons that fill that arena. Believe me when I tell you this, Brent, you are in for a world of pain.

Each and every week I go to that ring, I try my best, and I walk out with a chip on my shoulder. Each and every week I remind myself of my poor performance last year in Ultimate Showdown. It took three men to eliminate me, but that doesn’t matter. It took three men to eliminate me and I left empty handed. I had nothing to prove my worth, I was regulated to the trash of the WCF. I found myself lost and confused.

It was because of that which I was left so vulnerable to the vicious and uncalled for attack at the hands of Scarecrow. That attack knocked me out of action for quite some time, and I tried to put it behind me. I tried to forget about it.

I captured the WCF United States championship on my return, but sitting in the back of my mind, haunting me every day was Ultimate Showdown.

R E D R U M

mikey extreme: Even when I was at the top of the WCF and had shifted everyone’s focus to MY United States Championship. That memory of losing Ultimate Showdown was sitting there, eating away at my soul. Haunting my each and every memory.

I need to make this right, Brent.

Greatness is destined for this Ka-tet. There is nothing that I won’t do to ensure that happens. There is nothing that I won’t do to make sure that you don’t leave that ring on your own two feet. There is nothing that I won’t do to make sure that I am Television Champion.

Do you really think that you deserve to carry that belt into Showdown? That you really belong in that match with the best of the best that the WCF has to offer? Well, I guess, you look around and you see your teammates and you think that you do belong.

But, you’re all equally shit.

The three of you don’t belong in my match. You dont belong in my ring. You shouldn’t be allowed to breathe my air. But, you do.

That’s where we have a real big problem, Brent. You’re not entitled to any of this. You’re not entitled to anything inside MY ring, except to a quick end. A quick and powerful end. Tag yourself into that match, Brent, and make sure you earn your spot at Showdown. Make sure that you earn your title, because as far as I’m concerned, until you beat me, you haven’t proven anything. Until you survive at my hands, you have not proven that you are a viable option for that match.

Believe me, Brent, this time when I mark that X, you will be decapitated. You will hit that mat,and your head will land 10 rows deep into the crowd. There is not playing around this time, there is no Teddy Blaze to swoop in and steal this victory. This is my last chance, and I will make it worth it.

Rest in Peace, Brent. Or pieces. Whichever you prefer.

R E D R U M

A vicious grin comes over Mikey’s face as the scene fades.

IV. Garden Warfare

Inside the mind of Mikey eXtreme sits a clock tower that holds the throne of the King of eXtreme. The clock tower sits in the middle of Mikey’s kingdom, guarded on all sides by mountains and thick dense forest.

There are a group of Gargoyles who watch over the skies and keep an eye out for intruders in the distance, but down on the ground level, in the garden, there are a group of gnomes and imps that guard the garden.

One of the gnomes, Dimble, has decided to venture towards the Fairy Kingdom of the North. It was a long journey, but he was not fit to guard the eXtreme garden, and it hurt him to punish the intruders. So much, in fact, that he had chosen to switch sides and make this trek.

The first order of business was to make it out of the garden without being caught by the other gnomes, or the imps. The gargoyles would not be a problem until further on down the line, but now Dimble’s main concern was the other gnomes.

Dimble never really fit in with his fellow gnomes. There was always something different about him, maybe it was his heart. Dimble cared for others, unlike the other gnomes in the kingdom. He had feelings, and morals. The other gnomes were soldiers, programmed to protect and kill anything that approached the garden, which always happened.

Dimble must have seen around 2000 fairy murders during his time in the garden. Two thousand pointless murders, in his eyes, of curious creatures that were attracted to the exotic flowers growing inside the garden.

“Why can’t they approach the garden?” Dimble would ask all the time, never receiving much of an answer.

“Because they’re not allowed!” The imp would scream at him from the second zone of the garden.

Dimble never got an answer that made any sense to him, but he knew there was probably no real answer. He knew that at this point it was probably just something that happened because that’s how it was in the past and that it would not change so easily.

But still, it was something he wanted no part it. It was something that broke his heart each and every time that it happened. He could not live with himself anymore, he had to do something but he knew he would be put to death himself if he brought his concerns up with the imps.

Dimble made his way around the clock tower and looked deep down the path that lead into the forest. His heart raced as he thought about making his great escape, something that had never been done before.

What if I’m caught? He thought to himself. Surely, he would be put to death. But, if he made it out of the kingdom he could warn the fairies. He could tell them to stay far away from this kingdom where there was such intolerance for their kind. He could save them, he thought.

That’s just what he needed to fuel his courage, he looked all around to make sure there were no other gnomes in sight and when he was confident that he would not be seen, he made a break for it. Running right down the path, his heart was beating a mile a minute. He made it to the first set of trees and dropped quickly into the bushes where he sat for a moment to catch his breath.

Nobody had seen the gnome make his great escape, Dimble was sure of this. A smile came across his face. But for how long would his absence go unnoticed? And would they go looking for him? Probably not, Dimble thought. They would not care that he was gone, maybe some would even enjoy it.

Once Dimble had caught his breath he began to slowly navigate through the bushes, trying his best to stay off the path that led to the castle. Even though it was forbidden to be on this road, messengers were still free to use it to travel up and down when the Kingdom needed it’s news.

So Dimble made his way through the bushes, pushing through the thick foliage until he felt that he was a safe enough distance away to search for a second path. There had to be more than one path, he thought. Where did the animals that roamed the kingdom go? Surely, there was a way through, and Dimble would eventually find it…

Act V: Hank Brown Chronicles

Mikey finds himself sitting inside a storage unit in Pennsylvania. Apparently, this was the WCF Headquarters. Hank Brown sat across from him on a lawn chair.

hank brown: I am joined by none other than Mikey eXtreme!

Mikey shrugs.

hank brown: Mikey, going into this match on Slam, I ran into an interesting stat.. You have never won a match that the television title has played a part in.

Mikey rolls his eyes.

mikey extreme: That’s about to change.

hank brown: This will be the 6th match of your WCF career in which the Television championship is either defended or you fight for a contendership for the title. You are 0-for-5 thus far.

What do you think will be different this time around?

Mikey scoffs at the question.

hank brown: Do you think experience will play a factor this time around?

Mikey grabbed Hank by his shirt.

mikey extreme: I said things will be different this time.

Security runs to break up the two but Mikey pushes Hank back into the chair before they get close enough to interfere. Hank, the usual victim of Mikey’s punishment, waves them off. There’s no reason to involve them now when he might need them later.

hank brown: Well, let’s shift focus. This week, you will be teaming up with Captain WCF and Henry Speaman.

Mikey looks at Hank as if he is waiting for him to get to the punchline. There is an awkward silence.

mikey extreme: These are real people?

hank brown: Yes, have you not been paying attention?

mikey extreme: To the ones that matter, yes. Not to guys who barely fill the opening match void.

Hank raises his eyebrow.

hank brown: These guys are legitimate wrestlers, Mikey. You guys are in the main event for a reason.

mikey extreme: For a reason? Yeah, I’m that reason. We’re the main event because Mikey eXtreme is the main event. I have put on the match of the week the last two weeks and this week will be no different.

Nobody cares about Spearmint and Captain WCF. Nobody cares about Stuart Slane, Nathan Chambers, or Brent Alpine. People want to see me win this match. They want to see the destruction that I bring to the WCF each and every week.

That’s why we’re the main event, Hank. Make no mistake about it.

hank brown: Even if that were true, the three of you have to work together in order to win this match. You’re up against three of the WCF champions, this is no small order!

Mikey laughs in Hank’s face.

mikey extreme: No small order? I’ve been beating champions since I started here in the WCF & I will continue to do so until the day that I die. I already hold a victory over two of these fools, and I should have a victory over the other one too, but I was robbed.

hank brown: Do you think you will mesh together as a unit? Or do you see yourself going out there like a lone wolf?

mikey extreme: I’m no stranger to the tag team scene, Dat Hawt American Darkness is undefeated in tag team action for a reason. This team doesn’t have the chemistry of Dark America but, we got me and that’s all that we need.

As long as these idiots don’t go out there and fuck up my winning of that television strap, we should be fine. We should be 100% on the same page. Because, that’s all that matters. Henry Spearman and Captain WCF have no right to be in Ultimate Showdown either, so they have no right to take this from me either.

This is my match and I will win it for this team and walk away with the strap.

hank brown: You were in a similar match one year ago at the Slam before Showdown. You teamed up with Howard Black to defend his television championship against Scarecrow and Kaz Mazy and Jay Omega and Alex Richards. The match saw Kaz Mazy pinned by Alex Richards.

Do you think it will be hard to find yourself and Brent Alpine in the ring at the same time?

mikey extreme: If he was a smart champion, he would keep himself on that apron, hell, hop down and watch from the floor. But, he’s not that smart, and he’ll probably tag himself in & I’ll tag myself in too. I’ll do whatever I have to do in order to get in that match and take that strap away.

hank brown: Even if that means ruining Captain WCF and Henry Spearman’s chances at winning the gold?

mikey extreme: They have no chance at winning that belt, Hank. They shouldn’t even be in the match, but Seth gifted them this shot just like he gifted Nathan Chambers that pathetic title he wears around his waist.

But that’s old news.

Right now, we focus on getting MY television championship. We focus on getting me in the Ultimate Showdown match. We focus on me becoming the World Champion.

That journey starts now, with this match. This is my last chance to get into this match and it will be taken advantage of. It will not be another wasted opportunity. It will not be a pathetic showing like every match of Brent Alpine’s career. It will not be as pathetic as the “Perfection” title rules. It will not be pathetic as a grown man running around in a boyscouts uniform holding the world championship.

This will be eXtreme. This will be powerful. This will be the start of the greatest era the WCf has ever seen.

Mark my words, Hank. The Dawn of eXtreme is upon us.

Mikey throws his head back as he begins laughing maniacally. Hank looks into the cameras and begins to sign off.

hank brown: This has been Hank Brown one on one with Mikey eXtreme. Tune in this Sunday LIVE for WCF Slam! It has been an honor to talk to you, Mikey, and I want to wish you the best of luck in your upcoming match.

Mikey shoots a piercing look through Hank Brown.

mikey extreme: Luck? I don’t need luck, Hank. I’m not on Team Lackluster. I am the fucking King of eXtreme. I am YOUR American Hero. Don’t bring luck into my world again, Hank.

Suddenly, Mikey grabs Hank by his throat, and gets to his feet, pulling Hank with him. The security team rush into action, but Mikey lands three superkicks in a row flooring the team.

mikey extreme: One for Nathan.. One for Stuart.. One for Brent..

Hank is breathing heavily, and tries to squirm away.

mikey extreme: Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you, Hank..

Mikey knees Hank in the gut, which causes him to double up in pain. Mikey grabs him by the back of his neck, and begins to laugh once again. Mikey lifts Hank high into the air, slamming him face down onto the concrete before turning his attention to the camera man who begins to run off in fear.

The scene fades.