Post by Corey Black on Sept 18, 2016 16:41:11 GMT -5
As it usually seems to be, it is a dark and stormy night in Denmark. Sitting in his castle on a cliff side, Corey Black stands in a doorway which leads to a balcony over the cliff itself and looking down upon the village he calls home for most of the year. The rain falls with intensity and the lightning crashes around the countryside. Corey simply looks on behind the glass of his door, deep in thought. From inside the living room, a tune is heard, signaling a phone call on Corey's cell. He walks in and presses the green answer button.
Corey Black
Hello?
Voice
Corey? Hey it's Taylor.
Yes, that Taylor. Of the Swift variety. One of the most famous people in the real or fantasy world.
Corey Black
Oh, hey, what's up?
Taylor Swift
Don't you hey what's up me, you know what's up.
Corey Black
I know you haven't spoken to me for months. Since about May, I'd guess?
Taylor Swift
You're not going to turn this around on me.
Corey Black
So your payday got cancelled, you can't answer your phone after that?
Taylor Swift
It's not about the pay.
Corey Black
Isn't it? Because it sure seems that way. Taylor didn't get paid to announce at a cancelled XIII show because WCF's roster split in half, let's not think about the guy that put half his life in to this place only to see it tore down the middle. Let's not contact that guy or answer our phone.
Taylor Swift
I had to keep up appearance and you know it. Tom needed my help.
Corey Black
Tom schmom. Thor is better anyway.
Taylor Swift
Hemsworth is also more famous, but that isn't the point. That's all done and over with now, but I saw what you did a few months ago. I see Nikki is back in your life.
Corey Black
Strictly professional. She was one of the main reasons why I won that tournament.
Taylor Swift
You don't need that help anymore. You're fighting Danny Andersons and Dion Necurats now.
Corey Black
So what? They haven't done anything, but that doesn't mean they can't beat me.
Taylor is silent. Corey throws his hands up in the air.
Corey Black
You know what I mean, anybody can beat anybody at any given time. That's why I am doing this, because - once again - there's a new crop of talent that don't respect anything I've done for the place they are employed.
Taylor Swift
When does it end though? There will always be a new group of wrestlers that come in to WCF. Sooner or later you won't be able to keep up with them.
Corey stops moving. He was pacing around, but this has stopped him in his tracks. When DOES this end? What is the endgame for Corey Black's career? It's something he's never thought about. It's something nobody has ever really thought about. Many have tried, all have failed, Corey Black still stands among the top talent in WCF.
But he's stunned. The thought never even began to creep into his mind. Corey ends the call without saying a word. He places the phone down and it begins ringing again, but he ignores it. Eyes fixated in the distance, Corey opens a doorway that leads to a spiral staircase. The stairs go down into a damp looking dark room, the dungeon of the castle. The ring still stands, just as ragged as ever. As soon as Corey sees it, his gaze clicks back to reality. He shakes his head, laughs, and slides into the ring. The dummy on the ceiling is activated, and it comes down. This wooden dummy is outfitted with a shield and armor, just as a gladiatorial combatant would wear. Corey checks all the fittings, it's all on there tight. A camera on the wall catches all the action.
Corey Black
Welcome to the top of the card, Dion. I hope you enjoy your brief stay. I've prepared a nice meal for you while you have your cup of coffee. The first coarse is my foot, which is served 'super' or 'yakuza' styles. Your pick! The main meal is this elbow that I'll be slamming into your skull over and over. And for desert, you'll be treated to one of about twelve moves that will put any man away for the three count. I think you'll like the Madplex Beta. It's a complicated dish that involved you flying through the air and getting put through the mat.
See, the thing about you Dion is that I don't hate you. You come from my land, you model yourself after warriors of a time long past - but you're new. And that is the single thing that you have going against you. Don't show up with your chest puffed and spouting off about how I show up and take a place that should go to someone like Kevin Bishop or Crazy J - those guys didn't win six deathmatches in seven days. They haven't bled green for WCF for over fourteen years. You've been here for what, two months? Let this be a lesson. Much like the wolf that Leonidas has to conquer in order to become a Spartan, I am the beast that guards kingship in this land. Defeat me and you will be forever a king in the eyes of WCF. Fail to do so and it's back to the bottom of the card with you. Just as history once told, the gladiators in combat were mainly slaves, and the king decided their fate. Well Dion, you're the gladiator - I'm the king. Your face is sealed.
Corey steps back and throws a Big Boot at the dummy, denting the helmet. The force of the kick was stronger than any other seen before from Corey himself, a clear sign he's been working on the move. He laughs to himself, again turning his attention to the camera.
Corey Black
Unfortunately, you're against a Jomsviking in this battle for supremecy. All the knowledge you have of shield work and phlantax and leather boxing gloves and all that old Roman gladiator bullshit means nothing when you match it up with a motherfucking assassin, Dion. I am a straight up, true to life assassin. My strikes are precise, I'm mobile, I can counter anything you throw at me - you're just outmatched in every sense of the word. Watch Gladiator another three hundred times, no matter the viewing, it's always Russell Crowe and his stupid CGI abs in well choreographed and planned battle sequences. Ridley Scott created the style you are known for today. Of anybody in this company, I am the one guy that would know exactly what to do against a Ridley fucking Scott creation. I'd waste any gladiator, alien, or Apple Macintosh commercial placed in front of me. Give me Dion Necurat, the Gladiator. Give me Jonny Rabid, the alien. GIVE ME THOMAS BATES, THE APPLE MACINTOSH COMPUTER. Ridley Scott you sonofabitch I will defeat your entire line of work!
Let's assume a man from Minnesota is in love with gladiators, for some reason, and not the anscestors of his own land. Sounds odd, but let's go with it. I'm supposed to be impressed with your amateur wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills? Homeboy, I've seen everything in this world. Every single style you could ever come up with - except the Roman stuff. I'll be perfectly honest when I say I am excited for the challenge, and I hope you bring your Russel Crowe style A-game to the table. Show me what it would have been like to battle in the Collesium. Prove to me and the rest of the world that you are legit, that you aren't just a fanboy and you can fight. Rest assured, I won't be overlooking you. I don't overlook anybody, even if I have a World Title match against a mountain on the horizon.
Be forewarned, I have done my homework. Clearly. I know about the styles, I know about the history ... and I know about your shoulder. Some people may stray away from a weakness, but they're not legends. I pick my opponent apart piece by piece starting with their greatest weakness. Yours, Dion, is that bum shoulder. A bad deal for you, considering the way you wrestle is almost entirely throw and strike based. Hit the shoulder with one good blow and your scheme is fucked harder than a black guy in a horror movie. I don't think you can even handle the pressure of being at the top of the card, let alone in the biggest match of your career. For me, this is just Sunday, dude. I'm going to do what I used to do every Sunday, and that's bulldoze a path to the WCF World Title. Chump by chump, handicap match, deathmatch, Danny fuckin' Anderson, and now Dion Necurat. Bring me your best, don't crumble under pressure, and by GOD pray that I don't tear your arm off your body and beat you to submission with it.
Another quick turn, and Corey fires off another Big Boot, this time to the shoulder of the dummy, cracking the wood. As it splinters, it holds on to the armor and shield by just a thread.
Corey Black
No matter the outcome, no matter if you show strong will or cower like a maiden, your stock will now rise. You will have been in the ring with the King of All Wrestlers, Dion, and that alone is a gift you should cherish for the rest of your waking moments. You'll show up, though. You will fight me with everything you have because you are not a Danny Anderson. You're not a 3. You're one of the men that will lead WCF on through the future for many moons to come. You, Psychopomp, Archer, Bishop - you guys are the next generation of WCF superstar. I know a thing or two about the future of the company. You can believe me.
It's just too bad none of you will ever be good enough to beat The Jomsviking. It is my destiny to pass the torch in glorious battle. Someone will beat me and take the crown from my head. SOMEONE will give my career a death befitting a warrior such as I.
The search continues after Slam. I WILL NOT BE A TICK ON YOUR SHIELD.
Corey steps forward with a third Big Boot, again to the shoulder, this time sending it falling to the mat. He pulls all the dressings off it and swings the arm like a baseball bat into the rest of the dummy, sending chunks of wood flying everywhere.
Every man has a last day.
Corey Black's will not be for a long while.
Corey Black
Hello?
Voice
Corey? Hey it's Taylor.
Yes, that Taylor. Of the Swift variety. One of the most famous people in the real or fantasy world.
Corey Black
Oh, hey, what's up?
Taylor Swift
Don't you hey what's up me, you know what's up.
Corey Black
I know you haven't spoken to me for months. Since about May, I'd guess?
Taylor Swift
You're not going to turn this around on me.
Corey Black
So your payday got cancelled, you can't answer your phone after that?
Taylor Swift
It's not about the pay.
Corey Black
Isn't it? Because it sure seems that way. Taylor didn't get paid to announce at a cancelled XIII show because WCF's roster split in half, let's not think about the guy that put half his life in to this place only to see it tore down the middle. Let's not contact that guy or answer our phone.
Taylor Swift
I had to keep up appearance and you know it. Tom needed my help.
Corey Black
Tom schmom. Thor is better anyway.
Taylor Swift
Hemsworth is also more famous, but that isn't the point. That's all done and over with now, but I saw what you did a few months ago. I see Nikki is back in your life.
Corey Black
Strictly professional. She was one of the main reasons why I won that tournament.
Taylor Swift
You don't need that help anymore. You're fighting Danny Andersons and Dion Necurats now.
Corey Black
So what? They haven't done anything, but that doesn't mean they can't beat me.
Taylor is silent. Corey throws his hands up in the air.
Corey Black
You know what I mean, anybody can beat anybody at any given time. That's why I am doing this, because - once again - there's a new crop of talent that don't respect anything I've done for the place they are employed.
Taylor Swift
When does it end though? There will always be a new group of wrestlers that come in to WCF. Sooner or later you won't be able to keep up with them.
Corey stops moving. He was pacing around, but this has stopped him in his tracks. When DOES this end? What is the endgame for Corey Black's career? It's something he's never thought about. It's something nobody has ever really thought about. Many have tried, all have failed, Corey Black still stands among the top talent in WCF.
But he's stunned. The thought never even began to creep into his mind. Corey ends the call without saying a word. He places the phone down and it begins ringing again, but he ignores it. Eyes fixated in the distance, Corey opens a doorway that leads to a spiral staircase. The stairs go down into a damp looking dark room, the dungeon of the castle. The ring still stands, just as ragged as ever. As soon as Corey sees it, his gaze clicks back to reality. He shakes his head, laughs, and slides into the ring. The dummy on the ceiling is activated, and it comes down. This wooden dummy is outfitted with a shield and armor, just as a gladiatorial combatant would wear. Corey checks all the fittings, it's all on there tight. A camera on the wall catches all the action.
Corey Black
Welcome to the top of the card, Dion. I hope you enjoy your brief stay. I've prepared a nice meal for you while you have your cup of coffee. The first coarse is my foot, which is served 'super' or 'yakuza' styles. Your pick! The main meal is this elbow that I'll be slamming into your skull over and over. And for desert, you'll be treated to one of about twelve moves that will put any man away for the three count. I think you'll like the Madplex Beta. It's a complicated dish that involved you flying through the air and getting put through the mat.
See, the thing about you Dion is that I don't hate you. You come from my land, you model yourself after warriors of a time long past - but you're new. And that is the single thing that you have going against you. Don't show up with your chest puffed and spouting off about how I show up and take a place that should go to someone like Kevin Bishop or Crazy J - those guys didn't win six deathmatches in seven days. They haven't bled green for WCF for over fourteen years. You've been here for what, two months? Let this be a lesson. Much like the wolf that Leonidas has to conquer in order to become a Spartan, I am the beast that guards kingship in this land. Defeat me and you will be forever a king in the eyes of WCF. Fail to do so and it's back to the bottom of the card with you. Just as history once told, the gladiators in combat were mainly slaves, and the king decided their fate. Well Dion, you're the gladiator - I'm the king. Your face is sealed.
Corey steps back and throws a Big Boot at the dummy, denting the helmet. The force of the kick was stronger than any other seen before from Corey himself, a clear sign he's been working on the move. He laughs to himself, again turning his attention to the camera.
Corey Black
Unfortunately, you're against a Jomsviking in this battle for supremecy. All the knowledge you have of shield work and phlantax and leather boxing gloves and all that old Roman gladiator bullshit means nothing when you match it up with a motherfucking assassin, Dion. I am a straight up, true to life assassin. My strikes are precise, I'm mobile, I can counter anything you throw at me - you're just outmatched in every sense of the word. Watch Gladiator another three hundred times, no matter the viewing, it's always Russell Crowe and his stupid CGI abs in well choreographed and planned battle sequences. Ridley Scott created the style you are known for today. Of anybody in this company, I am the one guy that would know exactly what to do against a Ridley fucking Scott creation. I'd waste any gladiator, alien, or Apple Macintosh commercial placed in front of me. Give me Dion Necurat, the Gladiator. Give me Jonny Rabid, the alien. GIVE ME THOMAS BATES, THE APPLE MACINTOSH COMPUTER. Ridley Scott you sonofabitch I will defeat your entire line of work!
Let's assume a man from Minnesota is in love with gladiators, for some reason, and not the anscestors of his own land. Sounds odd, but let's go with it. I'm supposed to be impressed with your amateur wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills? Homeboy, I've seen everything in this world. Every single style you could ever come up with - except the Roman stuff. I'll be perfectly honest when I say I am excited for the challenge, and I hope you bring your Russel Crowe style A-game to the table. Show me what it would have been like to battle in the Collesium. Prove to me and the rest of the world that you are legit, that you aren't just a fanboy and you can fight. Rest assured, I won't be overlooking you. I don't overlook anybody, even if I have a World Title match against a mountain on the horizon.
Be forewarned, I have done my homework. Clearly. I know about the styles, I know about the history ... and I know about your shoulder. Some people may stray away from a weakness, but they're not legends. I pick my opponent apart piece by piece starting with their greatest weakness. Yours, Dion, is that bum shoulder. A bad deal for you, considering the way you wrestle is almost entirely throw and strike based. Hit the shoulder with one good blow and your scheme is fucked harder than a black guy in a horror movie. I don't think you can even handle the pressure of being at the top of the card, let alone in the biggest match of your career. For me, this is just Sunday, dude. I'm going to do what I used to do every Sunday, and that's bulldoze a path to the WCF World Title. Chump by chump, handicap match, deathmatch, Danny fuckin' Anderson, and now Dion Necurat. Bring me your best, don't crumble under pressure, and by GOD pray that I don't tear your arm off your body and beat you to submission with it.
Another quick turn, and Corey fires off another Big Boot, this time to the shoulder of the dummy, cracking the wood. As it splinters, it holds on to the armor and shield by just a thread.
Corey Black
No matter the outcome, no matter if you show strong will or cower like a maiden, your stock will now rise. You will have been in the ring with the King of All Wrestlers, Dion, and that alone is a gift you should cherish for the rest of your waking moments. You'll show up, though. You will fight me with everything you have because you are not a Danny Anderson. You're not a 3. You're one of the men that will lead WCF on through the future for many moons to come. You, Psychopomp, Archer, Bishop - you guys are the next generation of WCF superstar. I know a thing or two about the future of the company. You can believe me.
It's just too bad none of you will ever be good enough to beat The Jomsviking. It is my destiny to pass the torch in glorious battle. Someone will beat me and take the crown from my head. SOMEONE will give my career a death befitting a warrior such as I.
The search continues after Slam. I WILL NOT BE A TICK ON YOUR SHIELD.
Corey steps forward with a third Big Boot, again to the shoulder, this time sending it falling to the mat. He pulls all the dressings off it and swings the arm like a baseball bat into the rest of the dummy, sending chunks of wood flying everywhere.
Every man has a last day.
Corey Black's will not be for a long while.
