Post by petrov on Sept 29, 2017 20:25:00 GMT -5
Part 1: Rebirth
Stepping out into the night, Petrov finds himself on the side of a relatively quiet and blackened street, his only company being a dim street light towering toward the third story of the building he liberated himself from. With no other people or cars around, the goliath of a specimen steps forward and begins to cross toward the other side of the road, looking toward a glimmering lakeside. In the distance is a boat settled in the middle of the water which Petrov takes immediate note of.
YACHT
Threat level: 0/10
Blood trickles slowly from small cuts along his nude form as he marches onward, a repetitive crunching sound still emanating from shards of glass imprinted in the flesh of his heels. His head jerks up at the sight of a winged creature that coasts just over his head.
MYOTIS LUCIFUGUS
Threat level: 0/10
Part 2: Unstable
Woman: Thanks for showing up last night, dick! Don’t worry, I figured it out my-....
The female scientist stops mid-rant, noticing the effects of last night’s lab accident.
What the…?
Woman: Hello?
Her shoes crunch over the trail of shattered glass a bit as she steps into the room, almost slipping on the thin layer of water covering the entire area, but manages to regain her balance just in time.
Woman: Hello?!
Shit..
A look of horror crosses her face as she steps into the lab used for the programming of 3.0. She drops by the side of her injured co-worker, leaning him up and smacking at him to prompt consciousness. He winces in pain as his eyes pry themselves open.
Woman: Thank god! What the hell happened here?!
He gingerly pushes off to lean against the wall backing him, trying his best to collect himself. Sure enough, he spots the broken pod, a reminder of reality.
Man: Fuck! He’s….he’s fucking gone!
Woman: ...What do you mean he’s gone?..
Man: 3.0! He escaped! I...I was getting ready to finish up my programming for the night and head your way, but something went wrong!
Woman: What do you mean something went wrong?
Man: The glass started cracking and next thing I knew, he was out. I remember him picking me up and then I blacked out.
Woman: So we’ve got no idea where he is?
Man: No, but-
His eyes grow wide as his colleagues brow crinkles in confusion.
Woman: What is it?
Man: I think I know where he’s going.
He presses off the ground, trying to gain his footing as his face continues to tell the story of the night before.
Woman: We need to get you to a-
He pulls back from her help a bit, a sense of urgency in his voice.
Man: No time. We worry about me later.
Woman: Are you-
Man: Yes, I’m sure.
He rotates his neck, favoring its stiffness as he leads them out of the lab.
Man: Do you have your phone on you?
Woman: Should I call the police?
Man: Definitely not! They’d have our entire building shut down in an instant and the last thing we want is them bringing the entire department out for a manhunt. I may not have finished programming, but he’s built to adapt and learn himself. We don’t want that kind of blood on our hands.
Woman: Well...what do we-
Man: Call Seth Lerch. We need to speak with him right away.
Part 3: Acting Natural
Sat side by side on the edge of a small dock are two dirty old fishermen swaying back and forth a bit, their twin flasks near empty as they exchange drunken banter.
?: We haven’t caught a damn thing all day! Might as well call it a night..
His eyes appear glossy and bloodshot as he nearly falls off into the water. The other bum-like man next to him extends his arm out as a brace to avoid him from spilling over.
?: Easy there, Stevie! I ain’t tryna watch your stupid ass drown here tonight.
Stevie: I’m good. Ay, you want a beer?
?: Why you gotta ask questions you already know the answer to?
Stevie: Why you gotta be such a smart ass?
Stevie turns around, pressing up and making his way to the cooler located just a few feet behind the two of them. He sloppily kicks it open by lifting the toe of his boot before reaching in and gripping a couple cans in his right hand.
Stevie: I’ll beat your ass if you got a bite with my back turned..
He leans to the side a bit, looking at a now empty wooden edge where his friend was just sitting.
Stevie: Ricky?
He spots a small ripple a couple feet past where Ricky was, a handful of bubbles sprouting around its center.
Stevie: Ay, Ricky..stop fuckin’ around with me, man!
STEVIE
(AGING WHITE MALE, INEBRIATED)
Threat level: 1.5/10
Stevie: Ricky!
Petrov’s head appears above the surface, causing the fisherman to step forward in anger.
Stevie: You feel like doin’ something, motherfucker!
Take out Stevie, steal clothes.
Petrov pulls himself out of the water and onto the dock, Ricky charging forward and trying to shove him off into the lake.
Stevie: Come on!
Do not kill right away. Knock out Stevie and take clothing first.
Petrov strikes quickly, putting Stevie to sleep instantly with a strong right hand. He scans his surroundings a bit more before stripping Stevie down, dressing himself in the fisherman’s worn clothing. Sporting dirty overalls and a pair of dirt-caked boots, Petrov cracks his neck and kicks Stevie’s body into the water below.
Part 4: Warning
WCF owner Seth Lerch sits in his office drinking a chai latte (his favorite) and staring longingly at a framed picture of James Hetfield. He thinks to himself about how much money he’ll be making on October 1st when suddenly, his Note 7 begins to ring, blaring Torture’s version of “Hello” by Adele. Seth lifts it up and answers.
Seth: Hey, I’m a little busy right n-
The urgent voice of the mail scientist practically jumps through from the other end.
Man: Seth! Seth Lerch!
Seth: Uh...yeah?
Man: Mr. Lerch, I need you to listen to me very carefully.
Seth: Look, if this is about-
Man: Just….please, I have reason to believe that the members of your roster may be in danger.
Seth: In danger? They’re professional wrestlers. I pay them to throw themselves in front of danger for profit.
Man: It’s about Petrov.
Seth: What about him?
Man: You may want to staff extra security around the arena and I’m advising that you do what you can to make sure he doesn’t compete in WAR.
Seth: Are you kidding me? First off, I don’t think Petrov has proven to be much of a threat against high competition and second, I need my special appearances at this show to fill seats and garner cheap pops. Now if-
Man: I’m the one who signed him up. We’ve been working on improving him and I have strong reason to believe that he’s coming for your roster with bad intentions.
Seth: Working on improving him?
Man: We’ve been programming him with instructions on how to strategize against the competition.
Seth: Look...it’s getting late and I don’t have time to mess around with this crap!
Man: Mr. Lerch!
*CLICK*
Seth rolls his eyes, shit talking under his breath.
Seth: Programming? I guess people are just abducting jobbers and making them terminators now..
As the boss returns to his one on one time with James, the male scientist on the other end tosses the phone across the room and screams out in frustration.
Man: FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!
Woman: What did he say?
Man: He just hung up! He’s not going to take this seriously at all..
Woman: What do we do now?
He leans against a nearby wall, defeat in his voice.
Man: There’s….nothing we can do, at least not right now. We have no way of tracking him and this fucking promoter won’t listen to reasoning!
Woman: So...we just give up?
Man: We hope, we pray. I’ll get us tickets to the show. At least then we’ll be there if shit goes downhill.
Woman: What can we expect?
Man: 3.0 is unstable. Since I didn’t complete the programming myself, there’s a lot of things I can’t guarantee. Will he win? I’m not sure….but I do know that either way, bad things are going to happen in Tokyo..
Part 5: Self-programming
Stepping past a row of bushes, Petrov finds himself just along the outside of the Tokyo Dome, the sun not yet rising and fans not yet lined up. Looking toward the pillars along the dome’s side, Petrov notices a series of WAR posters, each featuring the face of a different competitor. He stops in his tracks, eyes scanning the first face for data as the voice of the male scientist echoes in his mind.
LEON HAYZE
(STONER, SEMI-PROMISING WCF ROOKIE)
Threat level: 5/10
While apparently showing promise in ring, Leon hopping into competition with Petrov will lead only to destruction of his bloated body as he falls victim to his own bad cardio. While said to be a vet elsewhere, coming out of retirement to spark his career should prove to be difficult given that he’s already shown disdain for the business and will lack passion that would help him in this situation. On top of that, he’s injury prone. A couple big shots here and there and you may be able to take away the knee and put Leon right back on the mend for good.
BRYAN DEVLIN
(ONE OF MANY ARROGANT NEWCOMERS, WANNABE TECHNICIAN)
Threat level: 5/10
Bryan is one of many cocky young bucks in this matchup. Just like a few of his fellow rookie entrants, Bryan’s paper thin ego is accompanied by a gimmick and repertoire that are just barely on par with your average wrestler in their first few months of working in a developmental territory. Bryan is as green as they come and presents no physical threat due to his less than impressive size. Since he brings no substance, knowledge, or worthwhile experience to this match, then it’s hardly necessary to strategize for this specific competitor.
Petrov envisions Devlin leaping off the top rope moments before he is caught in his grasp and slammed over his knee, sent to the ER with a broken back and a dead career. He scowls at the rook’s image as he moves onto another small poster.
RED DRAGON
(EVIL DEMEANOR, FORMER UCI TV CHAMPION)
Threat level: 6.25/10
Not much has been said about Red Dragon since his signing with WCF, but what we do know is that he’s showed mild promise in his ventures with companies like UCI. Known for playing sinister games with his prey, Red Dragon is in some sense, a less accomplished and threatening version of WCF legend Oblivion. While he may also know how to inflict pain and punishment on more naive rookies, Red Dragon should not be viewed as on your level. Likely not approaching even the top 20 in this match. Let him bring his own brand of terror to you and show him why you’re the Carnage to his Venom.
Viewing Red Dragon as someone who will try to test his credibility as a menace in WAR, Petrov thinks about standing chest to chest as Red Dragon grins wickedly in his face just before having his mouth pried open further and his jaw broken into halves. He extends his hand forward and tears down the picture which he tosses carelessly to the ground behind him. He moves toward the next pillar and studies the next talent.
JAY WEST
(TROUBLED, CONFUSED, LOWER CARD COMPETITOR)
Threat level: 5.5/10
Jay West enters WAR with a closet full of skeletons and a decent amount of experience fighting in opening contests. In a match where attention to the situation is vital, Jay will continue to have his mind wander to the skeletons in his own closet. Jay’s not quite a rookie, but nowhere close to veteran status. While he does have that familiarity inside a WCF ring that many will wish they had come WAR, he’s still quite unfamiliar with elite competition. Jay is someone who likely feels on edge here, so let’s go ahead and push him over it.
Petrov imagines ramming his head repeatedly into Jay’s own, causing a significant amount of damage to the frontal lobe and leaving the entire event a blur among his variety show of mental illness. He continues on to the next poster.
RISE
(SHADOWLOVE, BUT WORSE)
Threat level: 6/10
Rise has great physical gifts, excelling as an athlete on that level. However, if you’re familiar with Shadowlove, then this is basically just a dollar tree imitation of The Handsome Half-Breed running on a mix of shitty coke, Stacker 3, and an iPod loaded with Godsmack and Papa Roach. This is a man who does everything fast. While this may be a marathon, Rise will be sprinting out of the gate, shitty heart and all. Let Rise reach his crashing point. As he’s hit with cold sweats and dizziness, you’ll be able to move in for the kill and throw C list Shadowlove into the mass grave where all his favorite nu metal albums are currently residing.
Petrov thinks about twisting and tearing at Rise’s ankle in hopes of hearing a pop, a crack, or the tearing of his achilles tendon and looking on as he struggles to get to his feet or even to put enough distance between himself and 3.0 in hopes of avoiding further injury. Still unblinking and stiff moving, Petrov proceeds to the next photo.
THE NERDSMASHERS (KEVIN AND GEORGE)
(HALF-WITS, WIMPY COLLEGE BROS)
Threat level: 3/10
Yes, there are two of them to deal with, but Kevin and George will not pose the kind of threat that a Very Big Security may. The name says it all actually. The Nerdsmashers are known to prey on the weaker competitors who find themselves in WCF. They may be stupid, but they’ll no better than to try to pick a fight with you. Plus, neither of them got famous because of their talent inside of a wrestling ring. They have absolutely zero chance of winning WAR and while they will leave the match with any last bit of pride being forcefully stripped from them, they’ll always be able to return to whatever shitty apartment they share together and spend the last of their days reminiscing over mild success as high school linebackers.
Petrov’s mind floats to a place where he’s outside the ring, simultaneously sending Kevin and George’s heads into the same ring post and watching as they’re stretchered to the back where they will be told that wrestling ever again could result in serious injury or death. He hesitates a bit as he spots the next poster, one hosting a familiar face.
HAJEET
(ROYAL PRINCE, FRIEND)
Threat level: 0/10 personally, 10/10 to others
Hajeet brings a royal pedigree and a true drive for competition, success, fame, and praise. While some will try to point to Hajeet’s time in UCI and say that he has yet to enjoy the taste of success in the wrestling business, Hajeet has already succeeded as the most important man in Tripura and will soon prove himself as not only the most important signing that WCF has ever made, but the most valuable import the US has. This man has captured lightning in a bottle. His offense is quick and deadly and his charisma and charm are unmatched.
Hajeet knows that your chemistry is of great importance in the WAR match. While he’s not familiar with this type of war, the two of you are familiar with each other and Hajeet is also familiar with hanging a man by his ankles and slicing him down the midsection for trying to make love to his chickens, because it made the eggs taste funny and gave one of his wives pink eye. Don’t underestimate the bond that you share with Hajeet. If you find yourself in a pinch, Hajeet will prove himself loyal and do what he can to make it so it’s just Hajeet and Petrov in the final two fighting like gentlemen and sharing respect.
Petrov taps the poster, his facial expression becoming temporarily more peaceful as the more human part of his mind revisits memories of their friendship with great fondness. Continuing on, he finds one last poster tucked back on a shadow-covered pillar.
TREY CARTER
(FORMER ALPHA CHAMPION, COREY BLACK IF COREY WAS BLACK)
Threat level: 7.25/10
Trey Carter is one of the competitors in WAR this year who brings championship experience as well as in-ring experience that always seems to keep him knocking on the front door of the upper card. The issue with Carter may lie with his current career direction. While coming in quite confident, Carter is a bit past his days as a champion and hasn’t had much luck finding his footing since then. This had led to the recent trend of embracing a darker side which has only proved to bring slightly better results than before.
Trey brings well-rounded abilities and a slightly above average frame to the ring. He won’t be quite as easy to take down as someone like Bryan Devlin, but he shouldn’t take a lot out of you as long as you work around his skill correctly and overpower him when there is an opening to do so. Let Trey look toward the dark side once more during the WAR match and if he tries to use that in a situation against you, feel free to show him what happens when you turn it up as well.
Petrov turns from Trey Carter and steps out past the building as he reaches the end of the smaller promotional posters. Looking up across a busy highway, he spots a large billboard with the face of a well-known WCF star on it.
MIKEY EXTREME
(MULTI-TIME CHAMPION, ONE OF THE BEST OF THE UPPER-MID CARD)
Threat level: 8.75/10
Building a lasting legacy as arguably the greatest US champion in WCF history, becoming the first person to capture the recently introduced Omega Championship, enjoying team success as part of some of WCF’s more effective unions in recent memory, and so much more. Mikey eXtreme has been forever on the cusp of reaching the top of the food chain. In many other companies, he’d very likely already be there. Call it winning and losing some or just falling victim to others grabbing the spotlight before him.
Don’t ignore how badly Mikey wants to reach that next level and don’t underestimate how far he may be willing to go. His performance probably won’t be pretty, but history shows that it will at least come very close to getting the job done. Expectations will also be at an all-time high for Mikey who needs to fight with urgency. After falling short in a contender’s match a couple months back, this could be the last big chance Mikey gets for awhile. He won’t want to squander it, but let’s make him do just that. He should definitely be seen as landing around the top five. If you can land a few big signature spots on him, that’d could go a long way toward getting the victory for yourself.
Petrov imagines Mikey’s former DRG teammates reduced to tears at a grave that reads “Mikey eXtreme’s career” with an end date of 10/1/17. He continues along the outside of the arena with visions of a WAR win becoming more and more clear with each new bit of self-programming. Rounding a corner, he spots a WCF production truck with four faces painted along it’s siding.
FPV
(DOUBLE GRAND SLAM CHAMPION, ONE OF THE GREATS)
THREAT LEVEL: 10/10
Frank has very little left to prove in WCF or any other company in the sport, yet shows very little interest in calling it quits anytime soon. He’s faced and beaten basically everybody ever and has a list of accomplishments that very few others in WCF’s long history can claim to have matched. It’s a little bit surprising that FPV’s name hasn’t been going around in the past few weeks as one of the biggest threats to win it all considering a WAR win is one of the very few accolades that may be keeping him from a hall of fame ring.
So, how is FPV beaten? First things first, let’s go ahead and add Frank to that list of competitors whose finishing moves you do NOT want to be hit with. Obviously, any and all finishers should be avoided, but Frank’s will eliminate people in an instant. You don’t want to be one of those people, do you? People may have laughed if told that Petrov pinning FPV could be a reality. Let’s see if we can make those same people see the truth. Right now, you present a dangerous game to FPV and all the others in WAR. So, avoid the headshot and crumple Frank to add to another upset elimination to what will be an ever-growing list for you.
BONNIE BLUE
(JOHNNY REB’S FLESH AND BLOOD, THE BEST FEMALE COMPETITOR OF THE MODERN ERA OF WRESTLING)
Threat level: 10/10
Bonnie gained instant attention when first joining WCF for the ties her family has to the company. Eventually, she decided that not to be enough for her. Over the past couple years, Bonnie has established herself as one of the top competitors in UCI’s young history and carries her much improved abilities and the world’s largest chip on her shoulder as she ventures to WCF again and throws her name in the hat for WAR 2017.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. That chip on Bonnie’s shoulder will play a major factor in her WAR performance and will either improve or hinder her success in the match. If she uses that chip for any sort of motivation or determination for success, she has a very high chance of going to One and becoming WCF champion. If she lets that chip grow stale and become a burden as she dwells on what she feels the perception of her among the rest of the locker room here may be, she’s going to fall flat. There will be no Guardians or UCI spotlight cast on Bonnie in this match. While she’s certainly gotten herself out of Reb’s shadow by this point, this is her chance to make a major statement in WCF. Win or lose, there is no in between for Bonnie Blue.
GONZO
(ISN’T ACTUALLY A MUPPET, REFUSES TO DIE)
THREAT LEVEL: 9/10
Gonzo’s held a few titles, won a few significant matches, and was a crucial part to DRG’s success during their initial run. He’s challenged for the top prize and fallen short by just an inch. He’s developed a reputation for being tough as nails and surviving death more times than humanly possible. Gonzo’s been in the WAR match before and even a lost a prosthetic foot trying to win it. If Gonzo doesn’t end up winning WAR, it’s a safe bet that he’ll end up losing some part of himself in the process whether externally or internally.
A couple years may not be a long time for some, but for Gonzo it definitely is. This man may be the most grizzled vet there is in the business other than Zombie McMorris. The difference there is that time is never kind to Gonzo. He’s starting to look like a horror movie slasher by this point, yet the punch he has is much weaker and he’s starting to feel like a senile old geezer whose arthritic body is only willing to take him so far out there. This is touted as that “one last match!”, but the real question is who really wants that to be the case? It’s not that anybody wants more, it’s that the consensus is that Gonzo’s last should’ve been a long time ago. Old Yeller is getting up there. Why don’t you take him out back and put him out of his misery?
ETHAN KING
(PREDICTED AS ONE OF THE NEXT UP, HIGH ODDS OF WINNING)
Threat level: 9.5/10
Ethan King has made it abundantly clear where he sees himself in WCF. He’s not someone who will be content as just another face among the midcard. He’s done everything in his power recently to position himself closer to the grandest prize of them all in WCF and that trend will continue well beyond WAR itself. He may be seen as being on a bit of a downtrend after losing his hardcore title to Andre Holmes, but don’t expect that to stop him. He’s yet another competitor who will see this as the only shot he could get at that world title opportunity and his performance in the match is guaranteed to reflect that.
You don’t need the world’s greatest strategy against Ethan, because recent events mean that he will be left scrambling for one of his own and hoping for some sort of miracle. While pining for that top spot, Ethan may have bit off more than he can chew. The loss to Andre means Ethan King is lock to be the first entrant in WAR. That sort of thing stings and is no doubt weighing on him in one way or another ahead of the match. There’s a good chance that Ethan will already be spent by the time you enter the match. Let him run the gauntlet and see where he is as time continues to pass. He has as good a chance as anyone of doing so successfully, but that chance remains slim. A top finish is promised, but he’ll lose a lot in the process. Be the one to put the nail in the coffin.
Taking one last look at the competitors along the truck, Petrov now pictures his own as the lone image on the truck. As he looks around toward the posters and the billboard, he sees the same. He finds a door along the back of the building that is propped open with a wooden wedge. Petrov takes one last look before moving to the strip of light coming from it’s opening. As he swings it open, his mind makes one last analysis.
PETROV 3.0
(UNSTOPPABLE, 2017 WAR WINNER)
Threat level: Run.
