Post by Stuart Slane on Jul 27, 2016 11:17:22 GMT -5
Plain Speaking/Slane Peaking
July 20, 2016
Reading, Pennsylvania
WCF Tower
WCF Recording Studio
“I wasn’t sure Ultimate Showdown was going to happen,” Stuart Slane confessed.
The current WCF World Champion stood at parade rest in front of a brick wall and a sign bearing the company’s logo. He was dressed in his ring gear, and wore the Wrestling Championship Federation Title around his waist.
“It seemed unlikely when WCF reopened in May. One marquee event, the Trilogy Cup, had already been scrapped, and the titles that went with the event declared inactive. Other belts joined them. Back in the spring the federation didn’t have a roster large enough or talented enough to justify the number of titles required for the Ultimate Showdown match. So WCF started small; four titles: World, Television, People’s, and Internet; and the wrestling community watched and waited to see if the company could establish a field of capable champions and challengers.”
“Now, here in July, it is safe to say WCF exceeded those expectations.”
“The Wrestling Championship Federation thrived, sustaining the titles it reopened with, but also bringing back belts that had been part of the company’s history for decades. In less than two months the Hardcore Title, the United States Title, and the Tag Titles were all reinstated. All are held by worthy champions. And, more importantly for Ultimate Showdown, all of those champions are more than capable of winning that match’s key prize.”
Stuart gestured at the gold plated, jewel encrusted trophy wrapped around his torso.
“Because of the strength of the WCF brand, and the competitive skills of the wrestlers who flocked to represent it, there will be an Ultimate Showdown. The fans of WCF will be able to watch eight of the sport’s best battle it out in a contest of sanctioned chaos. No count-outs, no disqualifications; the only way to win is by pin or to make your opponent submit, with the last man standing crowned WCF World Champion.”
The big man gave an abashed smile, “Which brings me to my second, awkward confession.”
“I don’t like Ultimate Showdown.”
“It’s understandable why the match is a crowd favorite, and, after One and War, the most highly anticipated event on the WCF calendar. What’s not to love about a match where the fed’s title holders fight for its highest stakes? And it’s not just the fans; every wrestler wants to be in Ultimate Showdown. Sunday at Slam gave us several demonstrations of this. Mikey eXtreme put in a stellar performance in a losing effort to capture the Television Title and a ticket to TUS. Gemini Battle threw aside what was left of his reputation to scheme his way into the match at the eleventh hour. And, in a moment that broke the hearts of millions, Teddy Blaze used tactics that should have ended his record People’s Title reign, but instead let him maintain his belt and his spot. These sacrifices show how important Ultimate Showdown is. Winning TUS proves you are the best of your field, and puts you into consideration as one of the best of all time. Look who has won in the past: Odin Balfore, J-j-j-j-j- the former leader of Pantheon, Nathan von Liebert, ICE Beckman, and Dune. All of these men have had runs of complete dominance in this company. A first place finish is an accomplishment that takes extraordinary ability and drive. Like winning War, it is a cornerstone to building a Hall of Fame career in WCF. So what’s my issue with Ultimate Showdown?”
“What happens when one loses it.”
“Ultimate Showdown is an elimination match among Wrestling Championship Federation’s eight champions. Implicit in this is the idea that all of us will be fighting for the World Title. Seven will fail to do so, but, unlike most battles, they will not walk away empty-handed. This is because according to the rules, the other championships will be awarded to those based on how long they have been able to avoid getting pinned. The first two who exit become WCF’s new Tag Champions. Then the Internet Title is doled out. Then the People’s. The wrestler who is eliminated fifth gets the Television Championship, and sixth the United States. Ultimate Showdown’s runner up then is the newly christened Hardcore Champion, leaving one man to stand alone holding the WCF World Title. At least I think that’s the order. Still waiting on confirmation from Seth. ”
“Irregardless of the sequence the championships are handed out in Ultimate Showdown, it is still a flawed system, I believe. First, it further diminishes the perceived value of titles already seen as insignificant. It is hard enough for WCF to build a proper tag division or encourage talent to pursue the Internet Title. Having those belts amount to participation awards for the first three eliminated in Ulltimate Showdown does them little favors. It wasn’t always this way, of course: in 2012 when I was Internet Champion the title wasn’t in play during Ultimate Showdown, nor was the People’s Title. Last year both the Internet and, amazingly, the Hardcore belts were exempt from the match. Also, previous Ultimate Showdowns have seen more participants than championships, which at least raises the stakes. Still, there is something about winning one title while losing another one that just doesn’t sit with me, unless of course you’re ‘trading up’; ie claiming a belt that WCF standards consider more prestigious than the one a competitor already possesses.”
Stuart paused and again motioned to the belt hanging around his waist.
“I do not have that luxury. Currently in possession of the most esteemed award in the promotion, if not all the sport, there is nowhere for me to go but down. But that’s not what bothers me about the rules of the match. My concern comes from the reality that even if I lose the World Title, I will still be rewarded. I could be eliminated ten seconds into the Ultimate Showdown match, leave the ring in abject humiliation, and the cost to my legacy would be none. Because such a defeat leads to my becoming a tag team champion, joining the list of top twenty five title holders in fed history, and earning the prestigious rank of Grand Slam Champion, one of only seven to hold that honor in WCF.”
(This is all true. You can look it up, thanks to Odin Balfore.)
“That is not how I wish to make history. I don’t want my name to be etched into the record books by losing the biggest match of my career. And since I am not a man who believes in half measures, I have made a decision: I will not represent any other WCF Championship won at Ultimate Shodown than the World. Any other title I ‘win’ on July 31st will be immediately abnegated. I will refuse to recognize myself as that title’s holder and will endeavor to ensure WCF officially does the same. It is all or nothing for me.”
“Now, some people will accuse me of being arrogant with this announcement. And I suppose on one level they have a point. Who am I to reject any title in WCF? Who am I to refuse to accept the terms of one of the sport’s tentpole events? Many other wrestlers, men and women with far more established careers than mine, have gone along with the rules of Ultimate Showdown. I should be able to do the same.”
Stuart shook his head.
“No. Not in good conscience. As Zombie McMorris has repeatedly pointed out this past week, part of the job of being WCF Champion is serving as its leader. This is true. But where I and the others disagree is how one goes about that. For ZMAC, it apparently means getting the word out first. Thomas Bates and Kevin Bishop want to be at the head of movements designed to keep Seth Lerch’s excesses as promoter in check. Me, I see things differently. I do wish to lead the Wrestling Championship Federation, but I will choose to do so by following my convictions. Not seeing defeat as victory is one example of that. Another is not being goaded by others into playing the game by their rules. ZMAC and the others should not mistake my silence for cowardice, or indolence. Every day between now and July 31st I will train and study so that when Ultimate Showdown comes, I will BE PREPARED to fight for my title."
“It won’t be easy to win Showdown. Only once has someone has been able to walk in as champ and walk out the same, and Dune was as much a force of nature as a wrestler. Every other time WCF has held Ultimate Showdown the World Title ended up in new hands. To keep that from happening will take a monumental effort, especially given who I must beat. Zombie McMorris, Thomas Bates, Teddy Blaze, Gemini Battle, Kevin Bishop, Nathan Chambers, and Brent Alpine: none of these men have had the privilege of being where I am now. The World Title has been a trophy that has eluded their grasp, though not for lack of trying. Whether it was the WCF Classic, the Trilogy Cup, War, prior Ultimate Showdowns, or ‘mundane’ title matches, all of these men except for Mister Bishop have been through the struggle of achieving their dream. In that regard I am very different from them, as I did it in my first attempt. I’m sure that galls some of them. I accomplished in one try what some of them have failed to do multiple times. To men like Mister McMorris or Battle, I’m likely seen as a dilettante; someone who happened to be in the right place at the right time and parlayed that into a position that before The Mexico Incident would have been unobtainable.”
Slane smiled ruefully.
“I won’t argue that point. I think it’s safe to say a good number of us wouldn’t be main eventing TUS if Seth didn’t decide to have a contract shredding party or half the roster got abducted by space sharks to another universe or whatever explanation you choose to accept as gospel. But here we all are. And I want to make this point clear: here is where I’m going to stay.”
The WCF World Champion glared at his audience.
“I’m winning Ultimate Showdown. The World Championship is mine. My recent body of work proves it belongs around my waist. I’ve beaten half my current challengers on the way to winning the WCF Classic and this title. Of those who remain, half of those I’ve defeated either in singles or tag competition before the Classic or since. And neither of my fresh opponents make me doubt my impending victory at all. This doesn’t mean I am no-selling their collective merit as opponents. They’re all solid wrestlers who bring something to the fight. They’re all deserving champions. They just don’t have what it takes to dethrone me. No one in this fed does. The WCF Galaxy knows where I rank on the card; at least the part smart enough to look past the merit badges and pig politics does. I’m as dangerous a man you’ll find in Wrestling Championship Federation. In that ring, where it counts, I am a threat to everyone. I do my job with a minimum of flash or melodrama. Those artifices are unnecessary when you have repeatedly shown you can get by on talent alone. I don’t need to talk down to my opponents, just straight. My reputation is just as imposing as anyone’s in WCF right now, and I’ve managed that in just a fraction of the time of any of the supposed mainstays. Now that I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, no record is going to be safe. I am going to become the benchmark of WCF, the standard everyone else is going to have to compare themselves to. Not bottom feeder Corey Black, not Prodigal Son Spencer Adams, and not any of my competitors in Ultimate Showdown. I am going to carve out a legacy in Wrestling Championship Federation that no one will be able to dismiss. The WCF Classic was just the start. Ultimate Showdown will be next. Then War. Then, to complete the quartet of labors I’m colloquially christening as ‘The Slane Slam’, I will main event One.”
Dramatic pause.
“That is my goal. ‘The Slane Slam’ is something that has never been done in a calendar year, and with good reason. Each match is a trial in itself. Taken together, it would seem impossible. I’ve already stated how hard it is for a World Champion to keep his belt after running the gauntlet that is Ultimate Showdown. Carrying it through the crucible that is War will be infinitely more difficult. But it can be done, if one has the talent and the drive to see it through. I do. And I will. But Showdown comes first. That is where my focus must lie. In two weeks I will prove that the WCF Champion deserves that title by defeating every other belt holder in the promotion, and continue my rise in the ranks of its history.”
July 20, 2016
Reading, Pennsylvania
WCF Tower
WCF Recording Studio
“I wasn’t sure Ultimate Showdown was going to happen,” Stuart Slane confessed.
The current WCF World Champion stood at parade rest in front of a brick wall and a sign bearing the company’s logo. He was dressed in his ring gear, and wore the Wrestling Championship Federation Title around his waist.
“It seemed unlikely when WCF reopened in May. One marquee event, the Trilogy Cup, had already been scrapped, and the titles that went with the event declared inactive. Other belts joined them. Back in the spring the federation didn’t have a roster large enough or talented enough to justify the number of titles required for the Ultimate Showdown match. So WCF started small; four titles: World, Television, People’s, and Internet; and the wrestling community watched and waited to see if the company could establish a field of capable champions and challengers.”
“Now, here in July, it is safe to say WCF exceeded those expectations.”
“The Wrestling Championship Federation thrived, sustaining the titles it reopened with, but also bringing back belts that had been part of the company’s history for decades. In less than two months the Hardcore Title, the United States Title, and the Tag Titles were all reinstated. All are held by worthy champions. And, more importantly for Ultimate Showdown, all of those champions are more than capable of winning that match’s key prize.”
Stuart gestured at the gold plated, jewel encrusted trophy wrapped around his torso.
“Because of the strength of the WCF brand, and the competitive skills of the wrestlers who flocked to represent it, there will be an Ultimate Showdown. The fans of WCF will be able to watch eight of the sport’s best battle it out in a contest of sanctioned chaos. No count-outs, no disqualifications; the only way to win is by pin or to make your opponent submit, with the last man standing crowned WCF World Champion.”
The big man gave an abashed smile, “Which brings me to my second, awkward confession.”
“I don’t like Ultimate Showdown.”
“It’s understandable why the match is a crowd favorite, and, after One and War, the most highly anticipated event on the WCF calendar. What’s not to love about a match where the fed’s title holders fight for its highest stakes? And it’s not just the fans; every wrestler wants to be in Ultimate Showdown. Sunday at Slam gave us several demonstrations of this. Mikey eXtreme put in a stellar performance in a losing effort to capture the Television Title and a ticket to TUS. Gemini Battle threw aside what was left of his reputation to scheme his way into the match at the eleventh hour. And, in a moment that broke the hearts of millions, Teddy Blaze used tactics that should have ended his record People’s Title reign, but instead let him maintain his belt and his spot. These sacrifices show how important Ultimate Showdown is. Winning TUS proves you are the best of your field, and puts you into consideration as one of the best of all time. Look who has won in the past: Odin Balfore, J-j-j-j-j- the former leader of Pantheon, Nathan von Liebert, ICE Beckman, and Dune. All of these men have had runs of complete dominance in this company. A first place finish is an accomplishment that takes extraordinary ability and drive. Like winning War, it is a cornerstone to building a Hall of Fame career in WCF. So what’s my issue with Ultimate Showdown?”
“What happens when one loses it.”
“Ultimate Showdown is an elimination match among Wrestling Championship Federation’s eight champions. Implicit in this is the idea that all of us will be fighting for the World Title. Seven will fail to do so, but, unlike most battles, they will not walk away empty-handed. This is because according to the rules, the other championships will be awarded to those based on how long they have been able to avoid getting pinned. The first two who exit become WCF’s new Tag Champions. Then the Internet Title is doled out. Then the People’s. The wrestler who is eliminated fifth gets the Television Championship, and sixth the United States. Ultimate Showdown’s runner up then is the newly christened Hardcore Champion, leaving one man to stand alone holding the WCF World Title. At least I think that’s the order. Still waiting on confirmation from Seth. ”
“Irregardless of the sequence the championships are handed out in Ultimate Showdown, it is still a flawed system, I believe. First, it further diminishes the perceived value of titles already seen as insignificant. It is hard enough for WCF to build a proper tag division or encourage talent to pursue the Internet Title. Having those belts amount to participation awards for the first three eliminated in Ulltimate Showdown does them little favors. It wasn’t always this way, of course: in 2012 when I was Internet Champion the title wasn’t in play during Ultimate Showdown, nor was the People’s Title. Last year both the Internet and, amazingly, the Hardcore belts were exempt from the match. Also, previous Ultimate Showdowns have seen more participants than championships, which at least raises the stakes. Still, there is something about winning one title while losing another one that just doesn’t sit with me, unless of course you’re ‘trading up’; ie claiming a belt that WCF standards consider more prestigious than the one a competitor already possesses.”
Stuart paused and again motioned to the belt hanging around his waist.
“I do not have that luxury. Currently in possession of the most esteemed award in the promotion, if not all the sport, there is nowhere for me to go but down. But that’s not what bothers me about the rules of the match. My concern comes from the reality that even if I lose the World Title, I will still be rewarded. I could be eliminated ten seconds into the Ultimate Showdown match, leave the ring in abject humiliation, and the cost to my legacy would be none. Because such a defeat leads to my becoming a tag team champion, joining the list of top twenty five title holders in fed history, and earning the prestigious rank of Grand Slam Champion, one of only seven to hold that honor in WCF.”
(This is all true. You can look it up, thanks to Odin Balfore.)
“That is not how I wish to make history. I don’t want my name to be etched into the record books by losing the biggest match of my career. And since I am not a man who believes in half measures, I have made a decision: I will not represent any other WCF Championship won at Ultimate Shodown than the World. Any other title I ‘win’ on July 31st will be immediately abnegated. I will refuse to recognize myself as that title’s holder and will endeavor to ensure WCF officially does the same. It is all or nothing for me.”
“Now, some people will accuse me of being arrogant with this announcement. And I suppose on one level they have a point. Who am I to reject any title in WCF? Who am I to refuse to accept the terms of one of the sport’s tentpole events? Many other wrestlers, men and women with far more established careers than mine, have gone along with the rules of Ultimate Showdown. I should be able to do the same.”
Stuart shook his head.
“No. Not in good conscience. As Zombie McMorris has repeatedly pointed out this past week, part of the job of being WCF Champion is serving as its leader. This is true. But where I and the others disagree is how one goes about that. For ZMAC, it apparently means getting the word out first. Thomas Bates and Kevin Bishop want to be at the head of movements designed to keep Seth Lerch’s excesses as promoter in check. Me, I see things differently. I do wish to lead the Wrestling Championship Federation, but I will choose to do so by following my convictions. Not seeing defeat as victory is one example of that. Another is not being goaded by others into playing the game by their rules. ZMAC and the others should not mistake my silence for cowardice, or indolence. Every day between now and July 31st I will train and study so that when Ultimate Showdown comes, I will BE PREPARED to fight for my title."
“It won’t be easy to win Showdown. Only once has someone has been able to walk in as champ and walk out the same, and Dune was as much a force of nature as a wrestler. Every other time WCF has held Ultimate Showdown the World Title ended up in new hands. To keep that from happening will take a monumental effort, especially given who I must beat. Zombie McMorris, Thomas Bates, Teddy Blaze, Gemini Battle, Kevin Bishop, Nathan Chambers, and Brent Alpine: none of these men have had the privilege of being where I am now. The World Title has been a trophy that has eluded their grasp, though not for lack of trying. Whether it was the WCF Classic, the Trilogy Cup, War, prior Ultimate Showdowns, or ‘mundane’ title matches, all of these men except for Mister Bishop have been through the struggle of achieving their dream. In that regard I am very different from them, as I did it in my first attempt. I’m sure that galls some of them. I accomplished in one try what some of them have failed to do multiple times. To men like Mister McMorris or Battle, I’m likely seen as a dilettante; someone who happened to be in the right place at the right time and parlayed that into a position that before The Mexico Incident would have been unobtainable.”
Slane smiled ruefully.
“I won’t argue that point. I think it’s safe to say a good number of us wouldn’t be main eventing TUS if Seth didn’t decide to have a contract shredding party or half the roster got abducted by space sharks to another universe or whatever explanation you choose to accept as gospel. But here we all are. And I want to make this point clear: here is where I’m going to stay.”
The WCF World Champion glared at his audience.
“I’m winning Ultimate Showdown. The World Championship is mine. My recent body of work proves it belongs around my waist. I’ve beaten half my current challengers on the way to winning the WCF Classic and this title. Of those who remain, half of those I’ve defeated either in singles or tag competition before the Classic or since. And neither of my fresh opponents make me doubt my impending victory at all. This doesn’t mean I am no-selling their collective merit as opponents. They’re all solid wrestlers who bring something to the fight. They’re all deserving champions. They just don’t have what it takes to dethrone me. No one in this fed does. The WCF Galaxy knows where I rank on the card; at least the part smart enough to look past the merit badges and pig politics does. I’m as dangerous a man you’ll find in Wrestling Championship Federation. In that ring, where it counts, I am a threat to everyone. I do my job with a minimum of flash or melodrama. Those artifices are unnecessary when you have repeatedly shown you can get by on talent alone. I don’t need to talk down to my opponents, just straight. My reputation is just as imposing as anyone’s in WCF right now, and I’ve managed that in just a fraction of the time of any of the supposed mainstays. Now that I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, no record is going to be safe. I am going to become the benchmark of WCF, the standard everyone else is going to have to compare themselves to. Not bottom feeder Corey Black, not Prodigal Son Spencer Adams, and not any of my competitors in Ultimate Showdown. I am going to carve out a legacy in Wrestling Championship Federation that no one will be able to dismiss. The WCF Classic was just the start. Ultimate Showdown will be next. Then War. Then, to complete the quartet of labors I’m colloquially christening as ‘The Slane Slam’, I will main event One.”
Dramatic pause.
“That is my goal. ‘The Slane Slam’ is something that has never been done in a calendar year, and with good reason. Each match is a trial in itself. Taken together, it would seem impossible. I’ve already stated how hard it is for a World Champion to keep his belt after running the gauntlet that is Ultimate Showdown. Carrying it through the crucible that is War will be infinitely more difficult. But it can be done, if one has the talent and the drive to see it through. I do. And I will. But Showdown comes first. That is where my focus must lie. In two weeks I will prove that the WCF Champion deserves that title by defeating every other belt holder in the promotion, and continue my rise in the ranks of its history.”
