The Comprehensive Guide: Chapter II - Expose and Execution
Sept 21, 2017 3:52:50 GMT -5
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Post by "Iron Heart" Ethan King on Sept 21, 2017 3:52:50 GMT -5
No Time For Pleasantries.
He wondered how it would feel, arriving back at his old college campus, the same place that had supported him and raised him through the beginnings of his wrestling career. What would he be feeling upon walking through the gates once more? Nervousness? Excitement? A mixture of both?
The honest answer was more or less underwhelming. Throughout his career, he had been through many high-stakes situations, moments that had changed his mentality and in some instances… had numbed him entirely. And in this situation, he was most certainly numbed.
Everything was the same, the footpaths, the general chatter of the college students, even the main office-block that would contain many familiar faces within it, one of which being his original mentor and motivator – Mr. Sudoku.
His appearance at the campus was nothing short of extraordinary, it wasn’t ever day a small-time college such as this received such publicity – but as former student, it was to be expected. It wasn’t his first time arriving back on the scene, although it had been one of his first times since hitting the so-called ‘big time’, which spoke towards Ethan’s opinion of the school itself.
Then again, did it really? He was rather indifferent to most thinks nowadays, and his former school was most likely no exception.
He calmly and selectively ignored the few people who were brave enough to approach him. Usually, he would at least try and entertain them, but today would serve a more important purpose, his return to Los Angeles was not centred around the idea of signing autographs and taking pictures with envious fans.
No, Ethan King was on the hunt for any information at all, information on the whereabouts of his sister, Kylie. It had only been a few weeks ago that she had seemingly been taken by someone who has connections to Ethan, and while he had no time previously to follow up on this – it had circled within his thoughts constantly, and chewed away at his confidence.
He had a week, a week before he would arrive back in Japan once more and begin his rigorous training regime in preparation for WAR. A week before he would go through his routine of ensuring he was in peak physical condition, and then proceed to earn what he believed was deserved after his struggle to reach the upper-echelon.
He knocked once on the wooden door leading into Sudoku’s office, before twisting the door handle and making his way inside. His former mentor was decked out in his usual formal attire, a grey suit with a purple tie. A smile immediately grew on the face of the older man, who quickly approached him to embrace him, Ethan made no response.
‘If it isn’t my most prestigious alumni. What brings you here? Have you come to reconsider my offer?’
Ethan thought back to this ‘offer’ he had received many months ago. It was one of devious intention, and though it was not one he was strictly opposed to, it would have to wait another day, there were more important matters at hand.
‘Unfortunately not. I don’t want to be rude, but I’m strained for time, and something very, very bad has happened recently.’
The smile upon Sudoku’s face fades, his forehead creasing in worry.
‘Go on then.’
Sudoku steps back from Ethan, walking over to his office chair and pushing it in closer towards his desk. He sits down and hunches over the table.
‘Kylie’s gone missing. Taken, to be more accurate.’
A grave look appears over the face of Sudoku.
‘Ah, yes. I’ve heard of these disappearances. A number of students have been distressed over them.’
Ethan’s eyebrows raise upward.
‘You’re telling me this isn’t just a one-off?’
‘No, as a matter of fact, it’s been happening rather constantly. From what I’ve gathered, the assailant takes at least one person from a family, and then attempts to see how far that family will go to get them back. So far, it has been reported that no-one has died, or even come away with wounds, but nobody has found the person responsible.’
‘What’s his aim, then?’
‘You know as well as I do that there’s some sick people in this World, Ethan.’
The way his eyes bored through him almost seemed to imply that he was one of these people, Ethan ignored this thought though, and simply shook his head.
‘His motivation is meaningless, all that matters is that I find out where she is.’
‘I suggest speaking to your family, or checking anything this person may have sent you that’ll give you a hint as to her whereabouts. Apparently they send information to the families, they treat it as a bit of a game, I hear.’
Ethan’s eyebrows furrow, falling into a blank state of thought as he attempts to piece together this puzzle. Before he can do so, Sudoku cuts in once more.
‘Why did you not do anything sooner, Ethan?’
‘Honestly? I figured that whoever did this, just wanted a payout. A ransom of some sort, which I wouldn’t be opposed to playing. But this information? It gives me some hope. Sounds like I’ve got time to figure this out and plan a course of action.’
‘And what happens if you wait too long, and this fiend takes matters into their own hands?’
The stare Sudoku receives from Ethan is akin to a set of sharpened blades being held directly at someone’s throat.
‘They won’t, I’ll make certain of that. Goodbye, Sudoku. I have business to attend to.’
He nods towards his mentor respectfully, inclining his head downward, before pivoting around and beginning to make his departure from the office.
‘It’s about time I gave my father a visit.'
The screen, with the transcript of the ‘Comprehensive Guide’, and the audio of Ethan King’s voice-over of the guide itself, cut out to static. Grey, black and white is the only visual for a few seconds, until a fumbling, shaky camera appears over the face of the Hardcore Champion in the flesh.
Sweat drips down from his chin, his greenish-blue eyes are hardened and appear to have a fierce fire brewing beneath them. He stands in a forest clearing, with finely cut grass and a beaming sun that shines down upon him. Though his eyes are ablaze, he seems tired, worn down, as if he had been rushing around through the forest that encircles him for the last hour at the least.
He sighs wearily, as he starts to slow down his breathing. He makes his way over to a medium-sized wooden stump, one presumably created by the cutting down of a tree. He bends over and sits down on it, and glances up to the heavens above him, before setting those furious eyes on the camera once more.
‘It’s time, everyone. There are no more games that can be played, no more time that I can spend stalling, hoping that you will all start to eventually get it and see the bigger picture.
‘None of you need a guide to realize that I am going to be the man walking out of WAR with a ticket to the main-event of ONE, none of you need a guide to explain to you that, this Throne that I am soon going to conquer? Is going to be conquered through these two fists that you see before you.
‘I’ve sat by, I’ve remained in the Shadows, I’ve taken a back-seat, but now? I’m done. And it’s all over, for every single person that has stood in my path, for every single person who is yet to see that I am the one who is destined to hold the Crown.
“I’ve been able to hide it away, I really have. Sure, my apathy has been growing by the day, and my restlessness and feeling of being lethal have progressively gotten worse, but I’ve managed to keep it under control.
‘Not anymore.
‘WAR is fast approaching, and it’s time that you all took a good, hard look at what you’re going to be seeing in these two eyes right here.
‘You’ll be seeing The Truth.’
His lips curve upward in a smile. But this smile? It never reaches his eyes.
‘It’s about time you all saw the real me.’
He wondered how it would feel, arriving back at his old college campus, the same place that had supported him and raised him through the beginnings of his wrestling career. What would he be feeling upon walking through the gates once more? Nervousness? Excitement? A mixture of both?
The honest answer was more or less underwhelming. Throughout his career, he had been through many high-stakes situations, moments that had changed his mentality and in some instances… had numbed him entirely. And in this situation, he was most certainly numbed.
Everything was the same, the footpaths, the general chatter of the college students, even the main office-block that would contain many familiar faces within it, one of which being his original mentor and motivator – Mr. Sudoku.
His appearance at the campus was nothing short of extraordinary, it wasn’t ever day a small-time college such as this received such publicity – but as former student, it was to be expected. It wasn’t his first time arriving back on the scene, although it had been one of his first times since hitting the so-called ‘big time’, which spoke towards Ethan’s opinion of the school itself.
Then again, did it really? He was rather indifferent to most thinks nowadays, and his former school was most likely no exception.
He calmly and selectively ignored the few people who were brave enough to approach him. Usually, he would at least try and entertain them, but today would serve a more important purpose, his return to Los Angeles was not centred around the idea of signing autographs and taking pictures with envious fans.
No, Ethan King was on the hunt for any information at all, information on the whereabouts of his sister, Kylie. It had only been a few weeks ago that she had seemingly been taken by someone who has connections to Ethan, and while he had no time previously to follow up on this – it had circled within his thoughts constantly, and chewed away at his confidence.
He had a week, a week before he would arrive back in Japan once more and begin his rigorous training regime in preparation for WAR. A week before he would go through his routine of ensuring he was in peak physical condition, and then proceed to earn what he believed was deserved after his struggle to reach the upper-echelon.
He knocked once on the wooden door leading into Sudoku’s office, before twisting the door handle and making his way inside. His former mentor was decked out in his usual formal attire, a grey suit with a purple tie. A smile immediately grew on the face of the older man, who quickly approached him to embrace him, Ethan made no response.
‘If it isn’t my most prestigious alumni. What brings you here? Have you come to reconsider my offer?’
Ethan thought back to this ‘offer’ he had received many months ago. It was one of devious intention, and though it was not one he was strictly opposed to, it would have to wait another day, there were more important matters at hand.
‘Unfortunately not. I don’t want to be rude, but I’m strained for time, and something very, very bad has happened recently.’
The smile upon Sudoku’s face fades, his forehead creasing in worry.
‘Go on then.’
Sudoku steps back from Ethan, walking over to his office chair and pushing it in closer towards his desk. He sits down and hunches over the table.
‘Kylie’s gone missing. Taken, to be more accurate.’
A grave look appears over the face of Sudoku.
‘Ah, yes. I’ve heard of these disappearances. A number of students have been distressed over them.’
Ethan’s eyebrows raise upward.
‘You’re telling me this isn’t just a one-off?’
‘No, as a matter of fact, it’s been happening rather constantly. From what I’ve gathered, the assailant takes at least one person from a family, and then attempts to see how far that family will go to get them back. So far, it has been reported that no-one has died, or even come away with wounds, but nobody has found the person responsible.’
‘What’s his aim, then?’
‘You know as well as I do that there’s some sick people in this World, Ethan.’
The way his eyes bored through him almost seemed to imply that he was one of these people, Ethan ignored this thought though, and simply shook his head.
‘His motivation is meaningless, all that matters is that I find out where she is.’
‘I suggest speaking to your family, or checking anything this person may have sent you that’ll give you a hint as to her whereabouts. Apparently they send information to the families, they treat it as a bit of a game, I hear.’
Ethan’s eyebrows furrow, falling into a blank state of thought as he attempts to piece together this puzzle. Before he can do so, Sudoku cuts in once more.
‘Why did you not do anything sooner, Ethan?’
‘Honestly? I figured that whoever did this, just wanted a payout. A ransom of some sort, which I wouldn’t be opposed to playing. But this information? It gives me some hope. Sounds like I’ve got time to figure this out and plan a course of action.’
‘And what happens if you wait too long, and this fiend takes matters into their own hands?’
The stare Sudoku receives from Ethan is akin to a set of sharpened blades being held directly at someone’s throat.
‘They won’t, I’ll make certain of that. Goodbye, Sudoku. I have business to attend to.’
He nods towards his mentor respectfully, inclining his head downward, before pivoting around and beginning to make his departure from the office.
‘It’s about time I gave my father a visit.'
CHAPTER II: Expose and Execution
Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor to bring to the next Chapter of my Comprehensive Guide to WAR XVI. Today, we will be discussing the mid-tier mooks that make up the ‘Returnee’ and ‘Middle of the Pack’ divisions. To give you some insight as to what it takes to qualify onto these lists, here are some generic requirements that most of these people meet.
Returnees (Kevin Bishop, Bonnie Blue, Shadowlove, Dag Riddik, Wolf, Bernard Core, Cliff of Doom, Gonzo)
-Be returning to the WCF, whether it be specifically for WAR, or for a few matches, even if it is not their ‘main company’. For example, those who still make regular appearances on UCI.
-Not have a strong enough legacy to be considered a ‘legend’, nor do they have the ability or star power to be considered a ‘main player’ or factor in regards to the outcome of the WAR match.
-Usually people who will come in, pick up one or two eliminations, last anywhere from five minutes to half an hour at most, and then get eliminated by an actual contender.
-Have achieved very little success in the WCF, and are unlikely to do so in the future.
-Will be utterly humiliated and humbled by Ethan King. Actually... disregard this, this is a universal trait among all WAR competitors this year.
Let’s start off with a former fan favorite, Kevin Bishop.
KEVIN BISHOP
In-Ring Ability: B+
Mentality: Delusional.
Survivability: Strong performance last year, numerous lengthy title reigns. Well rounded.
Craftiness: Expert manipulator, yet oddly straightforward and one-dimensional.
Momentum: Great success in UCI. Then again, why does this matter? Success in UCI never transfers over to WCF.
Clutch Factor: In regards to WCF? Limited. Kevin Bishop is one of the biggest choke artists in this match when faced with main-event level competition, as proven multiple times throughout his career.
Once hailed as a man who could potentially be a World Champion in the WCF, Kevin Bishop has now been relegated to holding a second-rate title in a second-rate company with second-rate competition. This is befitting of someone of your talent and status, Kevin, because if we’re being honest? You were never worth any of the hype you were receiving in the first place.
I see you in the exact same way I see Mikey eXtreme. Both of you are deluded beyond your wildest imaginations, both of you see yourselves as Kings, yet neither of you have proven anything except the fact that you’re semi-decent talents who can earn a nicely sized paycheque or two.
You consider yourself as some sort of omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent being, yet we have received no evidence of this besides your generic whacky dreams sequences, constant ramblings about destiny, your desperate longing for power, and your immense strength as someone who ‘holds darkness’ inside of him.
Honestly, if you were just a little bit more depressed, I could probably turn you from a ‘respectable wrestler’ into a wrist-slitting teenager. Your character screams being edgy and trendy, yet holds none of the nuance or layers that will ever see you as a big success here in the WCF.
You are a pathetic excuse for a main-event talent, and it’s a shame that a once promising federation in UCI has to resort to YOU as one of its top athletes. You have choked away every big opportunity or moment you’ve ever had in the WCF. At one point in time, you were Everest’s personal punching bag, before you ran away knowing that your level of ability simply couldn’t cut it against the best of the best.
And all of that still applies. Be gone, Kevin Bishop. This ‘Kingdom’ doesn’t need you.
BONNIE BLUE
In-Ring Ability: B+
Mentality: Erratic.
Survivability: Looks like something off of pivot stick figure animator.
Craftiness: None, very straightforward.
Momentum: Literally had her last match called off mid-way through due to the referee being bored. If this isn’t a momentum killer, I don’t know what is.
Clutch Factor: Similar to Kevin Bishop, struggles to perform in big matches in regards to WCF.
Honestly, you confuse me. Your presence in WCF has been so weirdly underwhelming that it isn’t even worth my time figuring out what exactly it is that you’re doing here. You seem to be the generic ‘follower type’, in terms of the fact that you latch onto whatever seems to be successful at the time. Whether that be Rebellution, The Guardians, or UCI’s watered down, last ditch effort towards the survival of the #BeachKrew… you just always seem to be… there.
But you’re never the centrepiece. You don’t have that star power. You do just enough to get by in the ring, you win titles and some important matches here and there (in the UCI at least, because in WCF you’re another pitiful performer when it comes to upping your game on the main-stage), but other than that? You’re vanilla. At times you’ll be the good girl, fighting as hard as she can for what’s right… and then at other times, you’re just an angry person, with no real motivation other than just… being angry, I guess?
You’ll have a decent performance, and inevitably fall short somewhere in the second half of the match. This is what’s expected of you, and deep down, even you can admit that this is exactly how it will go down.
This isn’t UCI, where you can cruise by due to the lack of real, substantial talent on the roster. Both you and Kevin Bishop are going to be exposed the minute you step into the ring with a real champion like myself.
INTERLUDE - Bring Forth The Execution
Apologies for what is about to happen next, but I grow tired of having to wade through the seemingly never-ending swamps of mediocre competition that encompasses me. Therefore, for the rest of this section, I am going to go into ‘rapid-fire’ mode.
To translate for all you simpletons, basically I’m about to disintegrate the rest of these cunts in a timely fashion, removing any hope they may have had of having a good performance or god forbid, WIN the entire damn thing. The unfortunates that are about to be given this scathing barrage that will bring them to their knees are: Shadowlove, Dag Riddik, Bernard Core, Cliff of Doom, Dean Wolf and Gonzo.
Let’s all be honest here – none of you stand a fucking chance in this match, and you never did in the first place. If you did, I wouldn’t be bullying you like I’m about to in just a few moments. You see, there’s a certain level of talent, marketability, and competitive fire that you need to even stand a SMALL chance of simply surviving this cluster-fuck of a match, and from what I’ve seen of all of you? Not one of you withholds the combination of qualities within their arsenal.
Wolf and Cliff of Doom are flakers, they are the type of people who will dissolve before your very eyes the moment you strike fear into them and leave them uncertain of what to do next. That’s not to say they’re terrible competitors (keep in mind, most of the people in this section are AVERAGE), but it’s easy to poke flaws in their game-plans and wrestling styles – and the fact that neither of them have wrestled on WCF programming for months on end will make it oh so easy to exploit their every weakness and leave them broken at my feet.
Bernard Core on the other hand? He showed he has at least some integrity and hope for the future, or well… he did. Then he got bodied by Mikey fucking eXtreme of all people, you know, the same guy that I beat and embarrass on a regular basis, and then you realize that this equation doesn’t exactly point towards a good result for this guy. Core is smart, and that means he could have an objective, but his lack of real, tangible in-ring ability will leave him unable to capitalize on whatever he may have up his sleeve. Except these three to be given the boot early on in this match, as they’re the types of people that are utilized simply to increase the ‘body count’ of other wrestlers in the match, usually to increase their reputation and credibility.
Speaking of credibility, or lack of credibility, let’s talk about Dag Riddik. This man is the epitome of what you would call a ‘failure’, and you need to look no further than his last few professional bouts within the WCF. This man is a sad excuse of a champion, and an even worse example of what it means to be a true wrestler. He constantly staked his claim to his beloved Internet Championship, it was the one and only thing he cherished throughout his career, and you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that. In that sense, Dag was a smart guy. He knew that he didn’t have the ability to contend for anything that could be regarded as a mid-card championship, so he went for the lowest of the low and hoped for the best.
Eventually, after a few failed attempts, he actually managed to win the fucking thing, and what do you know? This somehow managed to get him a spot on the most recent iteration of Pantheon. Things were looking up for Dag! And then… and then… Lilith happened.
This guy lost to Lilith.
Enough said, roll the tape. This guy is done.
Now we move onto Shadowlove, and you are quite the interesting specimen, I must admit. While you don’t exactly seem to be a ‘half-breed’, as you put it… you more so seem as though you’re… how should I say it?
Half-baked?
You are possibly the most well-rounded athlete I’ve ever had to come up against, and while most people would see this as a compliment, I suggest that you do not. Just because you are well-rounded, doesn’t mean that you’re good at anything that you do. In fact, it seems to be quite the opposite. Similar to Bonnie Blue, you don’t seem to know WHAT you want to do.
Your personality seems to just be the ‘generic, charming type’ who knows what to say and exactly when to say it. It all seems awfully rehearsed and convoluted, to the point that you don’t even seem to behave as though you’re a real person. You have an over-inflated ego and opinion of yourself, which is fine in this business I suppose, but doesn’t exactly help you when you literally have no real success in the wrestling industry other than… you know…
Being a title contender every now and again, and then getting beat up.
Wait, what’s this? Shadowlove actually managed to win a belt for himself, this is magnific-
Oh, wait… it’s the UCI Television Championship. My mistake, I thought you had actually done something of note. Never mind then, my friend. Keep doing whatever it is that you do, and except to find yourself quickly and easily eliminated by yours truly.
Moving on to the final person in this section of ‘Returnees’, we have Gonzo Murdock.
Usually, I would rip into a guy like you, a guy who has had a relatively unimportant and meaningless career here in the WCF, with very little success and only a few shining moments that were buried swiftly due to the other men who were simply superior to you (see: Dune, Thomas Bates, most other wrestlers on the roster, LOL).
But, at the end of the day, this is your final match in the WCF. This is your retirement match, and that is something that I have to come to respect. There are countless people who leave their mind, body and soul out here in the wrestling industry, and you, Gonzo? You’re a survivor. Even after all the pain and suffering you’ve been through, you’re still coming out here to make an appearance.
So because of all of this, I am going to do you a service.
I am going to make this as painless for you as it can possibly get. All it’s going to take is two blows, the first one? It’ll be the T I M E S K I P, it will literally stop the entire World around you and leave you frozen in time, and then? I’m going to knock you out cold. You will hardly feel a thing, one moment, you will be feeling the rush of adrenaline flowing through your veins, and then it’ll all fade away into nothingness, as I eliminate you from the match and relieve you of your last duty to the WCF.
There’ll be no need to thank me – I was made to do this, for I am the one who carries the baton, the baton that signifies the man who will carry the WCF into its new age.
MIDDLE OF THE PACK
Congratulations, if your name hasn’t come up on the Comprehensive Guide yet, then it means that you are a solid talent within the WCF. However, if your name comes up in this section that is about to follow? Then it unfortunately means that, while you’re either decent (or were even good/great, at one point in your career), you are currently nothing more than an average Joe who will NOT win WAR.
As I’ve mentioned before, don’t become discouraged by this fact. WAR is an extremely hard match to win, and only those who boast incredible abilities (such as myself) can ever hope to land such a big achievement. You guys? You just aren’t cut out for it.
First up on the list, Mikey eXtreme and Kyle Kemp.
There’s no scientific reasoning or convoluted explanation behind why I have put the two of you in this category – the fact is that neither of you will ever be World Title tier in this company, and it has been proven over and over again by your not-so-stellar performances in WCF rings around the globe.
Both of you share similar qualities, and it’s quite fitting that the two of you were teamed together for a period of time, because while you’re both different in the way you go about things, at the end of the day… you’re both in the same boat.
You two are the literal definitions of delusional. Kyle Kemp has made his entire career off of believing he is ‘better’ than everyone that surrounds him, even though the guy can hardly win a fucking match and struggles to do anything except eat pinfalls week in and week out. Meanwhile, Mikey can hardly go a fucking day without mentioning my name.
If I’m being frank, it appears as though you have some sort of obsession with me, Mikey. And I’m not down for that shit, to be honest. But I get it, I get why you’re so caught up with this, with this supposed ‘ongoing rivalry’ that we have between us – even though you’ve done literally nothing to put even a single dent in this impenetrable armour.
You see, Mikey… you’re stuck in the past. You look back to what you once were, a proud and fighting United States Champion, and you remember the dominance you had in that division… and then you remember that I swooped in and fucked everything right up. Your entire career, your entire purpose for fighting, I vanquished it carelessly. I didn’t even give a fuck about the premise or prestige behind the belt, I just stepped into the ring, did what I did best, and ripped it right from your cold, dying hands.
And ever since that day, you’ve been angry, you’ve been waiting for you chance at revenge, your one opportunity to get back at me. You thought you did it by winning the Omega Title, by winning the ‘number two’ belt in the company, while I still had to defend this Hardcore Championship week in and week out, but then you fucked that up too – as you usually do – by dropping the belt not even a month after winning it.
Are you seeing a pattern here, Mikey? You’re obsessed with success, but you can never seem to find it. And the same goes for Kemp too, both of you feed off of accolades, victories and achievements, but while those things come natural to somebody like me… they always seem to elude the two of you.
At WAR, I am going to make this fact even more evident than it already was before. Whatever delusions of grandeur the two of you have, whatever aspirations or dreams you’re about to bring to the table, I am going to snuff them out in the blink of an eye, and leave your spirits shattered.
Trey Carter is another man filled with demons that cause him doubt, but this demon is one that actually exists, I suppose. You are a sad story, Carter. Once just a young rookie who seemingly had potential, but now? Just a crazed mess who has to resort to the preaching of a voice inside your head to garner any sort of results within the ring.
You’re a desperate man, Trey, and even with all the help you receive from this entity, you’re still nothing more than just another… average… guy.
So let the madness consume you, because at WAR? There will be nothing BUT madness, and you will succumb to it, as will everyone else that stands in my path.
Speaking of those that have stepped in my path, step up onto the stage, Taylor Wright and FPV! The two of you pretty much summarize what I mean by this ‘Middle of the Pack’ section of competitors. It’s not that the two of you have are bad, by any means. In fact, the two of you could potentially have very solid showings within this WAR match, but if we’re being realistic? You won’t.
Both of you are far too complacent to have any sort of chance within this match.
Frank, we’ve already been through this, but I exposed your true nature at Revenge, when I stopped time and pinned you to the mat for the clean one, two, three. Once you get a taste of success? You stop pushing forward, you stop trying to improve, and that? That’s what makes you only good, and that’s why you’ll never be a GREAT.
And Taylor, you’ve allowed yourself to become a slave to the man that is David Sanchez. You’ve had ample opportunity to fight back, to break free from the choke hold he has held over you for so many months now… but you don’t. You’ve grown comfortable, you’ve grown too content with what you currently have, and for that? You will be punished, no doubt.
However, you are still a member of Everest, and I will show respect towards that. With my assistance, you may last long enough to make a reasonable impression to the WCF Universe… but don’t take this as a sign of respect from me. I am someone who has been abducted, had their mind broken, and their skills and talents used by someone else, and you know what I did?
I broke free.
If you don’t do the same soon? Then you’re nothing but a fucking disappointment.
The next man who arguably has been just as pathetically complacent as you… is Oblivion. Now, I could surely count this man into the Legend category, but that would be wasting my time in one of the most important sections of this guide, and it would give my audience a skewed perception about you, Oblivion… because it’d make them think you’re actually somebody worth fearing.
And they’d be right to fear you, except when it comes to being in a wrestling ring. You are an intimidating figure, no doubt, but you don’t have a clue about how to achieve success in the modern era of wrestling, you only know how to dish out damage and pray to god that the opponent isn’t good at AVOIDING damage, and that’s what will be your downfall in this match. I am too quick, too crafty, and too intelligent to allow someone of your utter stupidity and your slow, old-school style of wrestling to take me down and end my climb towards the top of the mountain.
You are but another person that will fall. Yes, a person, not a monster, but just a man. Because in the World of Wrestling? You’re not someone you’re fear.
You’re only someone that I see as just another victim of my inevitable rise to dominance.
And now, we’re brought down to the final man who rounds out this category of mediocrity, and that is… Luke Force.
I can see him already, growing furious and motivated upon the realization that one of his fellow champions has rendered him as nothing more than a ‘filler wrestler’ that will be used to make up the numbers, but Luke? This is what you’ll be expected to do, and this is EXACTLY what you’re going to do.
You’re no breakout star, you’re no future World Champion, and you’re most certainly not a WAR winner, and do you want to know the reason for that?
It’s because you’re not Ethan King.
You, Luke Force, are just another common, run of the mill guy. You train hard, you work hard, you’re always on your game… and even that will only get you served with an Alpha Championship that has been tainted by men such as Jason O’Neal.
You’ve already hit your peak, Luke. Sure, there’s still some edges you can round out, and if you tag behind as a mentee of some bigger, more experienced, more talented name, then perhaps you could carry a title that’s actually worth something around here one day.
But at the moment? You’re nothing more than an immature boy, who believes that stupid gimmicks, rhyming, and managing wins against lackluster competition make you something more than just your average competitor.
There are far better men then you who have failed to put me down for the count. In fact, there is only ONE man that has even managed to put me down for the count, and that came at a time where I wasn’t even close to my best. You, Luke? Your weaknesses have already been pointed out. You’ve already been pinned before, you’re a false-bravado flexing cunt that’s just waiting to be taken down a peg.
And at WAR, that’s certainly what you can expect.
You’re still nowhere near learning what it takes to be one of the top athletes in this company.
Prepare to be humbled.
The screen, with the transcript of the ‘Comprehensive Guide’, and the audio of Ethan King’s voice-over of the guide itself, cut out to static. Grey, black and white is the only visual for a few seconds, until a fumbling, shaky camera appears over the face of the Hardcore Champion in the flesh.
Sweat drips down from his chin, his greenish-blue eyes are hardened and appear to have a fierce fire brewing beneath them. He stands in a forest clearing, with finely cut grass and a beaming sun that shines down upon him. Though his eyes are ablaze, he seems tired, worn down, as if he had been rushing around through the forest that encircles him for the last hour at the least.
He sighs wearily, as he starts to slow down his breathing. He makes his way over to a medium-sized wooden stump, one presumably created by the cutting down of a tree. He bends over and sits down on it, and glances up to the heavens above him, before setting those furious eyes on the camera once more.
‘It’s time, everyone. There are no more games that can be played, no more time that I can spend stalling, hoping that you will all start to eventually get it and see the bigger picture.
‘None of you need a guide to realize that I am going to be the man walking out of WAR with a ticket to the main-event of ONE, none of you need a guide to explain to you that, this Throne that I am soon going to conquer? Is going to be conquered through these two fists that you see before you.
‘I’ve sat by, I’ve remained in the Shadows, I’ve taken a back-seat, but now? I’m done. And it’s all over, for every single person that has stood in my path, for every single person who is yet to see that I am the one who is destined to hold the Crown.
“I’ve been able to hide it away, I really have. Sure, my apathy has been growing by the day, and my restlessness and feeling of being lethal have progressively gotten worse, but I’ve managed to keep it under control.
‘Not anymore.
‘WAR is fast approaching, and it’s time that you all took a good, hard look at what you’re going to be seeing in these two eyes right here.
‘You’ll be seeing The Truth.’
His lips curve upward in a smile. But this smile? It never reaches his eyes.
‘It’s about time you all saw the real me.’
