The Ultimate Showdown: Act II “Setting the Stage”

[Thomas Uriel Bates]

The Ultimate Showdown: Act II “Setting the Stage”

Scene I “Unity”
Homewood Suits – East Rutherford, New Jersey

L’union fait la force.

There is an old saying, with its origins dating back to Roman times, and surviving to become the motto of several of the nations of Europe, including Belgium. “L’union fait la force,” which means “unity makes strength.” Today is the day that the WCF forms that unity, and finally has the strength to stand up to the corruption of Seth Lerch.

WCF superstar, and one half of the Tag Team Championship, Thomas Uriel Bates, wearing a black three-piece suit, stood at the head of the table with his massive arms resting on the table as he leaned forward. He sports a smile, as he looks across the table to the sea of professional wrestlers, announcers, commentators, referees, and various other employees of the Wrestling Championship Federation.

Seated at the conference table we find Gemini Battle, sitting to the right of Bates, and Mikey eXtreme sitting to the left of him. We find Dion Necurat, Kira Izumi, Psychopomp, Freezer Burn, Tom-O-Hawk, Bryan “Buzz” Worthy, “The Baron” Henker von Massaker, “The Shine” Brent Alpine, Henry Spearman, even Doc Henry. Standing just behind Bates, is attorney Thaddeus Jefferson Montgomery III.

Each person seated at the table has a glass of some kind of liquid, most likely liquor, and a small plate with typical finger food from the catering table near the back of the room. The WCF superstars are talking amongst themselves, having a rare moment where everyone is not trying to tear into each other, even though many of these people would soon face each other at Ultimate Showdown.

Gemini Battle: Why are we even here? Did you just expand DRG to include everyone now? I know standards got pretty low, but come on!

Thomas Uriel Bates: No, this has nothing to do with the Club, Gemini. This is something entirely different.

Thaddeus Jefferson Montgomery III steps forward, and hands Bates a stack of paper. Bates lays it on the table.

Thomas Uriel Bates: We’ve all complained from time to time about the things Seth has been doing. Hell, the man shut down the WCF just to help his so-called Family. He refuses to repair any damages to the ring, he’s missed payments to our salaries, he’s booked each and every single one of us in his famous drunken clusterfuck matches, and now he’s turned our once great national wrestling promotion into some regional group that can’t even get out of New England.

Now some of us here have banded together to put an end to this insanity. We took on The Family, and got rid of them. We took on Seth’s team of mercenaries. We’ve backed Seth into a corner now, and the day seems to be ours.

Everyone starts chatting, and clapping.

Thomas Uriel Bates: It’s not over yet. Seth Lerch’s corruption was allowed to get to a dangerous point, tarnishing the reputation of the WCF, and causing virtually all funds to dry up trying to pay for contracts he violated by simply shredding them when he closed the place. If we’re not careful, he’s going to do this again.

Now I’ve proposed a Bill of Rights for Seth Lerch to sign, and my lawyer here, Mr. Montgomery, is doing everything he can to make sure Seth signs it. Now he won’t do it if he thinks we will all just roll over and take it. No, he won’t change anything until he sees that we are all together.

Bates slides the paper across the table, allowing the wrestlers to read it.

Thomas Uriel Bates: That is why I am proposing that we form a Union, the United Wrestlers Association. We must stand together if we are to ensure a future for the WCF, and for ourselves.

Bates sits down at the head of the table as Thaddeus Jefferson Montgomery III begins passing out individual stacks of paper to each attendee, along with a pen. The wrestlers begin to talk amongst themselves.

Thomas Uriel Bates: With unity, there is strength.

Scene II “Sport”
Meadowlands Racetrack – East Rutherford, New Jersey

The New Grandstand at the Meadowlands Racetrack was just as beautiful as planned. It stood out like a fancy modern building overlooking the dirt track before it. Today however, it was empty, except for a WCF Cameraman, and Thomas Uriel Bates.

The giant sat on the bench with his arms stretched out, leaning back. He wore khaki pants, and a blue oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearm, and wore dark aviator sunglasses over his eyes. He held in his right hand a lit Romeo Y Julieta Churchill cigar, occasionally smoking it. He largely ignores the camera, instead appearing to look over the tracks.

Thomas Uriel Bates: They say that professional wrestling is fake. That we all plan our matches before we ever step in the ring, and that we even decide who the winner will be, rather than let it be an actual contest. Then again, they also say Abraham Lincoln was a Vampire hunter, so what are you going to believe?

No, wrestling is a sport. It is a contact sport, a combat sport. Two or more individuals step into that ring and do everything they can to destroy the mind and body of their opponents in an effort to win and hopefully achieve some kind of success in the company, usually some kind of Championship.

Like any kind of sport, we do have awards. Not just the Wrestler of the Week, or Match of the Week, but gold or silver plates pinned to a leather belt and adorned with dozens of shiny jewelries. Actual titles, each one presiding over one of the many divisions within the Wrestling Championship Federation.

There’s the Tag Team Championship, which I hold with my good friend Gemini Battle. Now, I haven’t been a good friend to Gemini, I’ll be honest. I did leave him when he needed me. I left the WCF in pursuit of some political career, and seemingly left him behind.

I thought he would have already achieved the World Championship. I thought his career here would have skyrocketed the moment I left. Since the first day we met, we knew we would be competitors for the World Championship, and with me out of the picture it should have been easy pickings.

Of course, no one could have predicted the loss of his son, which haunts him to this day. Hell, it haunts me. No father should ever have to bury his son. One of the biggest regrets in my life is not being there for Gemini in his time of need.

Now he hates me for it, and quite honestly, his hatred is righteous. He deserved more from a friend, and although I know I have apologized, it still doesn’t take away from what happened. So he lashes out, and he pushes away, and sadly, he loses focus.

Gemini, my good friend, will not be focused on winning the Ultimate Showdown. That will be his downfall, and ultimately be the reason for his elimination. I do hope that I am wrong, but I don’t think that I am.

Now, with Gemini and myself holding the Tag Team Championship, we move on to the next worthy title. The WCF People’s Championship. This title is held by a man who has shown time and time again that he is the People’s Champion, belt or no belt. That man was Teo Del Sol.

That title though, isn’t held by Teo Del Sol anymore. Sure it’s his body, sure it’s physically him, but he is not the same anymore. He turned his back on his morals, and betrayed the people he claims to champion. Teo Del Sol has become Teddy Blaze.

He will do anything he can to win that title, but he will also do anything he can to make sure that he keeps the People’s Title, in an effort to legitimize his reign and hold on to something from Teo Del Sol’s past, and perhaps his own sanity.

This is why he will lose. He enters a new territory by coming into this match as a person seemingly willing to do anything to win, even if that means cheating; an act Teo Del Sol would be appalled by. That tiny bit of Teo that is stashed away and hiding in some deep and dark corner of his black heart, will be a constant reminder to Teddy of all the sins he has committed, all the wrongs, all the betrayals. His own guilt will betray him. He will try to hold on to the legacy of Teo Del Sol, and in doing so will lose sight of both of his goals. He may even advance to another title, but Teddy Blaze will not be victorious.

Now then, we come to the WCF Internet Championship, currently held by Internet Championship legend Zombie McMorris. He is a Champion, and he really is the best WCF Internet Champion we have ever had. That belt is made for him.

Now Zombie McMorris does fancy himself as a mastermind. The issue is that he’s not. He thinks he just struck first, but in reality he just steps into the trap first. He advertises what he’s going to do, he tells you just what he will do, and that allows everyone, not just me, but everyone to counter his every move. He tries to wear people down with the Internet posts, but even now he’s failed at that. He tries to make himself out to be some unstoppable legend that none of these new guys have beaten, but he’s lost to quite a few of us, including losing to me a few times.

Now he is the only other person in this match who has competed in the Ultimate Showdown, and so I do expect him to perform quite well. However, Zombie McMorris too will not be successful. As he did a few years ago, and as he has done nearly every time he has faced me, he will fail.

Zombie’s pride, and his willing forgetfulness will be his downfall. He thinks he has this all in the bag, he thinks he’s already won just by stepping in that ring. He forgets that he has already failed against me. I will be giving him a refresher.

Now we come down to the United States Champion, held by “The Plague” Kevin Bishop. Now Bishop’s a good wrestler, and he does have some skill, but he will not walk away with the World Championship. He might trade it off for a higher belt, but he won’t be walking away with the belt I will lay claim to.

You see, Kevin is an intelligent man, and like all intelligent men we desire a challenge. This will be a great fight, and he will show great promise and great skills in this match. He is a strategist, and that is why he will lose.

He is expecting me to walk into that ring, and begin tossing people around like rag dolls. Not going to say that won’t happen, but it’s not the strategy. It’s expected of me. I’m this big guy, and one of the strongest men in the world; they expect me to compete in hardcore matches swinging a semi-truck as if it was a steel chair. Kevin Bishop expects this.

Any good strategist knows that if your opponent knows your moves; change them up. Always keep them on their toes, and if they’re already predicting your next move, hit them with something else. He will be expecting my Queen to strike, but I’ve already positioned my Rook and my Bishop. He’s expecting something, but he won’t be ready for what actually comes.

Now we have the Hardcore Championship, currently disgraced by its unofficial and demeaning “Perfection” title slapped across its once great body. The man who has dragged the prestige of the Hardcore Championship through the mud is none other than Nathan Chambers.

Nathan seems to think he’s better than everyone. In fact, he seems to think that he is the perfect wrestler, and the perfect person. I’ve seen a lot of people that toot their own horn, Zombie McMorris comes to mind, but Nathan Chambers toots away at it with such tenacity.

This is a man that actually thinks that his disgraced title is worth more than being the World Champion. He thinks that we should all be going for that belt instead of the World Title. Of course, what he’s not telling people is that he intends on winning the World Championship and disgracing it the same way he did to the Hardcore Championship.

He doesn’t see anyone as his equal. He thinks he’s better. He thinks he’s going to come down to that ring walking on water and everyone will simply bow down and worship him. That is why he will lose at Ultimate Showdown. That is also why I predict he will lose big.

He's not going to be focusing on what he needs to do to beat anyone in the match, he thinks he can already do it with ease. It’ll be funny seeing the look on his face as he is pinned down, or forced to submit early in the match. It will be as funny as watching him try to post on social media.

Now we come to the WCF Television Championship. A title I once held a year ago. I fought to keep that belt each and every single week through the Trios Tournament and beyond. I faced legends, I faced hall of famers, I faced Champions, I faced the very best the WCF had to offer.

The title is currently held by “The Shine” Brent Alpine. I am sure he is a good champion, but anyone who holds the Television Championship for over a month deserves some praise. It is the most stressful Championship in the WCF. Even the World Championship isn’t as stressful. I mean, you have people gunning for you all the time, but you at least get a break from it.

Which is of course why Brent will not walk out of the Ultimate Showdown with the World Championship. He may even trade his belt in for a lower title. Brent has a history of not being able to handle the hard stuff. When the stress gets to him, he has a breakdown. It’s all a bit much, too much even. He just can’t handle the stress of the whole thing, which is exactly why he will lose.

Now the title everyone is gunning for, including me, is the WCF World Championship currently being held by “The Scoutmaster” Stuart Slane. Now he is the World Champion, and he will get the respect for holding that title. He didn’t win it by simply begging Seth to just hand it over. He didn’t just pin some random nobody that no one ever hears from again. He earned that title.

Being the World Champion does something to you though, I’ve noticed. It’s happened to Stuart Slane. He is entering the Ultimate Showdown with the belief that he will retain the World Title simply because he is the World Champion. He is the best there is right now, but he also thinks he was the best there was, and the best there ever will be. This is not so, and this is why he will not walk away with that title.

When you start to think that you’re better than everyone, especially just because of the belt you wear, then you leave yourself open for people to prove you wrong. You don’t train as hard, you relax a bit more, you don’t prepare for your match, and that’s where you lose.

That is also why I will be winning the Ultimate Showdown. I am focused on winning that title, viewing my current championship, although a well-established title, as a ticket to advance. I am training harder than ever before. I’m pushing myself further than I’ve ever pushed myself. I’m watching all the videos, I’m studying every opponent. I’m learning their moves, I’m analyzing their minds, I’m learning and I’m growing as a wrestler.

Bates stands up and faces the camera.

Thomas Uriel Bates: That is why I will win.