Post by Teo Blaze on Feb 3, 2019 23:46:36 GMT -5
The viewer is greeted by a sight that hasn’t graced their screen in a long time, yet a sight that is immediately familiar. What greets the viewer this week is a sharp, curvaceous, yet almost indescribably bright crescent moon.
The dark blue night sky is filled with stars, though darkness is normally the view one would associate with a night sky, there is something about the view tonight, and the twinkle of hundreds of tiny torches seem to drown out the oppressive black void.
The moonlight shines down upon a sprawling urban city, tinging black rooftops a pleasant flourescent blue and illuminating the quiet street. It is perhaps midnight, yet for all the world one would mistake it for early evening.
It is this scene which greets the Television champion as he looks out over the quietly sleeping city, standing atop the tar paper roof of a cheap motel beneath a blinking pink neon sign. He stands quietly, the rhythmic flashing of pink light reflecting off the bright red of his lenses.
Around his waist sits the infinity championship, upon his left shoulder the belt that he has become more and more associated with. The look on his face is pensive, and it is clear he is lost in thought. In his hand sits a simple document, with a black and white photo of a disheveled looking man above a short, typed description of his physical attributes.
Teo stares down at the picture, considering it, taking in each and every word on the page, inhaling slowly before letting out a long, drawn out breath that appears in the air before him, a product of the chill.
Teo Blaze: No tapes...no records from other companies...no information. You’ve given me quite a riddle this week, Corey.
With those simple words, Teo releases his grip on the piece of paper, and almost immediately a gust of wind catches it, carrying it off of the roof and down over the city streets and into the distance. Yet even as he watches it fly away, Teo’s face twists into a grin.
Teo Blaze: These are the challenges which truly test a champion. Facing the unknown, the unknowable. A man shrouded in mystery, with no information, accepting the always standing open challenge for this wonderful championship right here.
Teo taps the Television title with his index finger lightly, letting out a barely audible chuckle as he does so.
Teo Blaze: Ah, if only it were that easy. To say to myself “This is a man with no past, no experience, who as far as anyone can on the internet can tell has never stepped foot into a wrestling ring before.”
“He has no chance, no way to beat Teo Blaze, and is just going to end up as another statistic, an asterisk on the long-standing reign of one of the greatest to hold the belt.”
Teo’s voice carries with it a tone of amusement, as though the assertion was particularly funny to him.
Teo Blaze: But those who would take those stance, those who would write off any opponent? They forget the one simple truth of the universe, that always present fact that defines everything I stand for.
There is always a chance.
Teo turns and begins walking, pacing slowly along the second-story rooftop as he speaks, letting his gaze wander to the various houses and businesses that line the urban sprawl.
Teo Blaze: You see, I have always felt that the most dangerous opponents are those who play their cards closest to their chest. The ones who surprise you, the ones who manage to pull off things that you wouldn’t possibly have expected. I’ve faced a few in my time with this championship. Matt Draven, Jaice Wilds, Leon Hayze, take your pick.
Each and every one of them a blowout on paper, each and every one little more than a new victim before me.
Except that’s not how I see it.
Teo turns and pauses, at the edge of the rooftop, settling with his heels just along the ledge.
Teo Blaze: We live in a chaotic and unpredictable universe, and I’d be lying if every now and then I catch myself falling into a routine. See, every week I’ve had the advantage of knowing exactly what my opponents are capable of, of knowing just what they can throw at me...and the simple facts of my match this week are that I can’t know what Far Cry is capable of, because he has been fast tracked to the front of the line despite this being his WCF debut.
Teo turns and places his forefinger on the rim of his glasses, pushing them back up on the bridge of his nose.
Teo Blaze: This is the part where someone else might point out that this is a travesty in just about every sense of the word, and a slap in the face to the rest of the roster that this completely unproven, completely undeserving contender has been placed at the top of the card against one of the hottest names in the company.
That a man who has never set foot in a WCF ring, and by all appearances doesn’t even possess a personality to speak of outside of a greasy and unkempt mop of hair has been given an opportunity that some go their entire career without getting.
And I have to admit, those criticisms have some weight.
Teo’s face breaks into a wild and vicious smile, as though witnessing something that provides him with a dark, perverse delight.
Teo Blaze: Fuck “Deserving”.
I don’t cherry pick contenders. Throw anyone you want in front of me, the result always stays the same.
It doesn’t matter whether you put me in the ring with a multiple time world champion or a fresh through the door rookie, it does not change the fact that once that bell rings, they are trapped with me until I decide that I am done with them.
Their are those men who spend their whole lives fearing the unknown, spending days, months, years considering all their options, making sure everything is as safe, as under control as possible.
Teo slams his palm against the well-worn gold around his shoulder.
Teo Blaze: Do you think that I give a shit about control? About safe? With this championship, there is no such thing as safe!
Fear leads to doubt! Doubt leads to hesitation, and hesitation leads to Failure! That is the fate of those who concern themselves with “deserving” contenders!
This belt doesn’t just represent chaos, this belt is chaos! It is cruel, unforgiving, and punishing to any man who fails to understand that!
To hold this belt is to submit yourself to the unknown, to stand blindly knowing that each and every week you will be asked to put everything on the line!
Do I give a damn whether Far Cry is a deserving challenger?
Do I look like I give a damn?
What I give a damn about is that this week I will be walking into the ring with a man who is determined to take this belt away from me, and that is simply something that I cannot abide.
I refuse to look past any contender, I refuse to see anyone who would demand a shot at this belt as anything other than a threat.
That is what has forged my reign! That is who I am!
I have remained undefeated for months only because I have refused to overlook any challenger, because I have walked into that ring without hesitation, and you’re damned sure without fear!
And that!
Teo exhales sharply, calming himself as he does so.
Teo Blaze: That will be your undoing, Far Cry.
You have exactly one thing going into this match, one advantage, one possible path to victory, and it lies in the element of surprise. You have to hope, you have to pray that by some miracle, some chance that you manage to catch me off-guard.
That you have that special spark, that once in a lifetime gift that I can not possibly see coming.
That you have the ability to walk into a WCF ring, on your first night, in front of the whole world, and be that damned good.
The champion cocks his head to the side, and slowly begins lifting his arms out to the side, raising them as he speaks until they stretch out on either side full-length.
Teo Blaze: Do you think you have that magic, Far Cry? Do you have the ego, the hubris, the fucking gall to believe that on your first night you can do what so many others have tried, and failed to do?
Because you’re not just coming for a title match, oh no.
You’re coming at the King.
And my throne is strong, Far Cry.
Teo’s eyes narrow behind the red lenses, the dark blue of his eyes shining almost the exact color of the night sky. Cold obsidian ringed by steel, staring lazer beams into the camera. Though he stares through a camera lens, his gaze is so focused, so sharp that it seems almost to burst out of the screen.
Teo Blaze: But I have bad news, Far Cry.
Your strongest weapon, your biggest threat to me, that power of the unknown? It relies on one thing.
It relies on my weakness. On my unreadiness. It relies on the idea that I will not be able to adapt to you, that I will not be able to take what you are able to dish out.
Your only hope is that I am not ready for what you are capable of.
Teo’s face now turns into a smirk, as though he is thinking of a particularly good joke...but despite the look, the stare can still be seen penetrating the screen, unbreaking, unhesitating, and as cold as ice.
And then, without a word, the champion slowly leans back, letting himself begin to fall backwards, arms out to his sides, he seems to hang in the air for a moment, a surreal instant caught in time, the champion almost floating in place...but after a moment gravity kicks in, and with a whoosh of air the champion disappears from the edge of the roof down to the alley below.
The camera seems to hang on the empty space for a moment, as though unsure of what to do, but it slowly pans downward, towards the edge that the champion lept from mere moments ago.
Below, on the concrete, laying in much the same pose, lies the champion, his eyes closed. While it appears that there was a small pile of debris for him to land on, he took the brunt of the fall directly on his back.
As the camera slowly zooms in on his face, there is an eerie silence, an almost unnatural calm.
Closer, and closer upon his closed eyes, on that face, that looks almost...peaceful.
And then, like a shot, his eyelids are open, and the same focused stare and cocky smirk remain.
Slowly, with a bit of effort, the champion begins to push himself up, glancing only momentarily at the huge drop he has just thrown himself from, before looking at the camera once more, now on ground level.
Teo Blaze: Do you get it yet, Far Cry? Do you understand that when that moment comes to take a plunge into the unknown, to risk everything, that I do not hesitate? I do not falter?
Teo gingerly places his hands on his chest, knocking his fist against it to bring wind back into his lungs.
Teo Blaze: That is why you are doomed in this match, my unknown challenger. That is why I will defeat you this week.
I do not fear what I do not know, nor do I hesitate to confront it.
I do not just take risk, I demand risk! I seek out danger! I walk into that ring each and every week knowing that there are monsters in this world and I do everything in my power to turn on the light and expose the falsehood!
That is who I am, Far Cry.
I am the seeker of truth, and I speak for those who do not hesitate, those who do not flinch, those who realize that fearing the unknown does not mean you don’t have to confront it!
I do not fear what I cannot know because in my heart of hearts I understand that I cannot face only what I know!
I do not seek to control my fate, I do not seek to mitigate my challenges with words like deserving, and that means that each and every week I am throwing myself to the whim of this universe!
Teo inhales sharply, breathing heavily, looking at the spot where just a moment ago he fell into the alleyway, throwing himself willingly from a second story roof.
Teo Blaze: It is that knowledge that has made me strong, Far Cry. Only by accepting that I have no control have I been able to gain the strength to turn away any challenger, big, small, experienced, green, anything!
It does not matter who you are.
It does not matter what you are capable of.
It does not matter that you have the element of surprise.
Because I am not afraid of you.
I am not afraid of what you can do, I am not afraid of who you might be, I am not afraid of giving you that advantage of the unknown.
Take it.
Because I have been doing this for a long time. I’ve faced bigger, I’ve faced badder, and I’ve faced scarier.
Even with that advantage of surprise, even with the ability to conceal your cards from my eyes..?
You can’t change the truth.
And the truth is that I am not just the Television Champion. I am not just the Infinity Man, the King of All Media, the People’s Champion, and the Wielder of the Voice of the WCF Galaxy…
I am a man without fear.
There is nothing you can do to shake my resolve. There is nothing you can do to make me hesitate once that bell rings.
I have held this belt with honor, and I have welcomed every challenger, and no matter who they were, rookie or veteran, former world champion or future world champion, I have faced them all, and I have beaten them all.
So you can have your mystery, you can have your enigma, you can have each and every advantage that comes with it.
Because it won’t make a difference.
No matter who you turn out to be?
I’m Teo Blaze.
And that’s all that really matters.
With that, the Television champion turns and looks one final time at the glowing pink Neon sign, flashing above the ledge where he stood mere moments ago, and as he walks back towards the empty street, the camera slowly pans up one final time to reveal the sharp outline of a bright crescent moon.
The dark blue night sky is filled with stars, though darkness is normally the view one would associate with a night sky, there is something about the view tonight, and the twinkle of hundreds of tiny torches seem to drown out the oppressive black void.
The moonlight shines down upon a sprawling urban city, tinging black rooftops a pleasant flourescent blue and illuminating the quiet street. It is perhaps midnight, yet for all the world one would mistake it for early evening.
It is this scene which greets the Television champion as he looks out over the quietly sleeping city, standing atop the tar paper roof of a cheap motel beneath a blinking pink neon sign. He stands quietly, the rhythmic flashing of pink light reflecting off the bright red of his lenses.
Around his waist sits the infinity championship, upon his left shoulder the belt that he has become more and more associated with. The look on his face is pensive, and it is clear he is lost in thought. In his hand sits a simple document, with a black and white photo of a disheveled looking man above a short, typed description of his physical attributes.
Teo stares down at the picture, considering it, taking in each and every word on the page, inhaling slowly before letting out a long, drawn out breath that appears in the air before him, a product of the chill.
Teo Blaze: No tapes...no records from other companies...no information. You’ve given me quite a riddle this week, Corey.
With those simple words, Teo releases his grip on the piece of paper, and almost immediately a gust of wind catches it, carrying it off of the roof and down over the city streets and into the distance. Yet even as he watches it fly away, Teo’s face twists into a grin.
Teo Blaze: These are the challenges which truly test a champion. Facing the unknown, the unknowable. A man shrouded in mystery, with no information, accepting the always standing open challenge for this wonderful championship right here.
Teo taps the Television title with his index finger lightly, letting out a barely audible chuckle as he does so.
Teo Blaze: Ah, if only it were that easy. To say to myself “This is a man with no past, no experience, who as far as anyone can on the internet can tell has never stepped foot into a wrestling ring before.”
“He has no chance, no way to beat Teo Blaze, and is just going to end up as another statistic, an asterisk on the long-standing reign of one of the greatest to hold the belt.”
Teo’s voice carries with it a tone of amusement, as though the assertion was particularly funny to him.
Teo Blaze: But those who would take those stance, those who would write off any opponent? They forget the one simple truth of the universe, that always present fact that defines everything I stand for.
There is always a chance.
Teo turns and begins walking, pacing slowly along the second-story rooftop as he speaks, letting his gaze wander to the various houses and businesses that line the urban sprawl.
Teo Blaze: You see, I have always felt that the most dangerous opponents are those who play their cards closest to their chest. The ones who surprise you, the ones who manage to pull off things that you wouldn’t possibly have expected. I’ve faced a few in my time with this championship. Matt Draven, Jaice Wilds, Leon Hayze, take your pick.
Each and every one of them a blowout on paper, each and every one little more than a new victim before me.
Except that’s not how I see it.
Teo turns and pauses, at the edge of the rooftop, settling with his heels just along the ledge.
Teo Blaze: We live in a chaotic and unpredictable universe, and I’d be lying if every now and then I catch myself falling into a routine. See, every week I’ve had the advantage of knowing exactly what my opponents are capable of, of knowing just what they can throw at me...and the simple facts of my match this week are that I can’t know what Far Cry is capable of, because he has been fast tracked to the front of the line despite this being his WCF debut.
Teo turns and places his forefinger on the rim of his glasses, pushing them back up on the bridge of his nose.
Teo Blaze: This is the part where someone else might point out that this is a travesty in just about every sense of the word, and a slap in the face to the rest of the roster that this completely unproven, completely undeserving contender has been placed at the top of the card against one of the hottest names in the company.
That a man who has never set foot in a WCF ring, and by all appearances doesn’t even possess a personality to speak of outside of a greasy and unkempt mop of hair has been given an opportunity that some go their entire career without getting.
And I have to admit, those criticisms have some weight.
Teo’s face breaks into a wild and vicious smile, as though witnessing something that provides him with a dark, perverse delight.
Teo Blaze: Fuck “Deserving”.
I don’t cherry pick contenders. Throw anyone you want in front of me, the result always stays the same.
It doesn’t matter whether you put me in the ring with a multiple time world champion or a fresh through the door rookie, it does not change the fact that once that bell rings, they are trapped with me until I decide that I am done with them.
Their are those men who spend their whole lives fearing the unknown, spending days, months, years considering all their options, making sure everything is as safe, as under control as possible.
Teo slams his palm against the well-worn gold around his shoulder.
Teo Blaze: Do you think that I give a shit about control? About safe? With this championship, there is no such thing as safe!
Fear leads to doubt! Doubt leads to hesitation, and hesitation leads to Failure! That is the fate of those who concern themselves with “deserving” contenders!
This belt doesn’t just represent chaos, this belt is chaos! It is cruel, unforgiving, and punishing to any man who fails to understand that!
To hold this belt is to submit yourself to the unknown, to stand blindly knowing that each and every week you will be asked to put everything on the line!
Do I give a damn whether Far Cry is a deserving challenger?
Do I look like I give a damn?
What I give a damn about is that this week I will be walking into the ring with a man who is determined to take this belt away from me, and that is simply something that I cannot abide.
I refuse to look past any contender, I refuse to see anyone who would demand a shot at this belt as anything other than a threat.
That is what has forged my reign! That is who I am!
I have remained undefeated for months only because I have refused to overlook any challenger, because I have walked into that ring without hesitation, and you’re damned sure without fear!
And that!
Teo exhales sharply, calming himself as he does so.
Teo Blaze: That will be your undoing, Far Cry.
You have exactly one thing going into this match, one advantage, one possible path to victory, and it lies in the element of surprise. You have to hope, you have to pray that by some miracle, some chance that you manage to catch me off-guard.
That you have that special spark, that once in a lifetime gift that I can not possibly see coming.
That you have the ability to walk into a WCF ring, on your first night, in front of the whole world, and be that damned good.
The champion cocks his head to the side, and slowly begins lifting his arms out to the side, raising them as he speaks until they stretch out on either side full-length.
Teo Blaze: Do you think you have that magic, Far Cry? Do you have the ego, the hubris, the fucking gall to believe that on your first night you can do what so many others have tried, and failed to do?
Because you’re not just coming for a title match, oh no.
You’re coming at the King.
And my throne is strong, Far Cry.
Teo’s eyes narrow behind the red lenses, the dark blue of his eyes shining almost the exact color of the night sky. Cold obsidian ringed by steel, staring lazer beams into the camera. Though he stares through a camera lens, his gaze is so focused, so sharp that it seems almost to burst out of the screen.
Teo Blaze: But I have bad news, Far Cry.
Your strongest weapon, your biggest threat to me, that power of the unknown? It relies on one thing.
It relies on my weakness. On my unreadiness. It relies on the idea that I will not be able to adapt to you, that I will not be able to take what you are able to dish out.
Your only hope is that I am not ready for what you are capable of.
Teo’s face now turns into a smirk, as though he is thinking of a particularly good joke...but despite the look, the stare can still be seen penetrating the screen, unbreaking, unhesitating, and as cold as ice.
And then, without a word, the champion slowly leans back, letting himself begin to fall backwards, arms out to his sides, he seems to hang in the air for a moment, a surreal instant caught in time, the champion almost floating in place...but after a moment gravity kicks in, and with a whoosh of air the champion disappears from the edge of the roof down to the alley below.
The camera seems to hang on the empty space for a moment, as though unsure of what to do, but it slowly pans downward, towards the edge that the champion lept from mere moments ago.
Below, on the concrete, laying in much the same pose, lies the champion, his eyes closed. While it appears that there was a small pile of debris for him to land on, he took the brunt of the fall directly on his back.
As the camera slowly zooms in on his face, there is an eerie silence, an almost unnatural calm.
Closer, and closer upon his closed eyes, on that face, that looks almost...peaceful.
And then, like a shot, his eyelids are open, and the same focused stare and cocky smirk remain.
Slowly, with a bit of effort, the champion begins to push himself up, glancing only momentarily at the huge drop he has just thrown himself from, before looking at the camera once more, now on ground level.
Teo Blaze: Do you get it yet, Far Cry? Do you understand that when that moment comes to take a plunge into the unknown, to risk everything, that I do not hesitate? I do not falter?
Teo gingerly places his hands on his chest, knocking his fist against it to bring wind back into his lungs.
Teo Blaze: That is why you are doomed in this match, my unknown challenger. That is why I will defeat you this week.
I do not fear what I do not know, nor do I hesitate to confront it.
I do not just take risk, I demand risk! I seek out danger! I walk into that ring each and every week knowing that there are monsters in this world and I do everything in my power to turn on the light and expose the falsehood!
That is who I am, Far Cry.
I am the seeker of truth, and I speak for those who do not hesitate, those who do not flinch, those who realize that fearing the unknown does not mean you don’t have to confront it!
I do not fear what I cannot know because in my heart of hearts I understand that I cannot face only what I know!
I do not seek to control my fate, I do not seek to mitigate my challenges with words like deserving, and that means that each and every week I am throwing myself to the whim of this universe!
Teo inhales sharply, breathing heavily, looking at the spot where just a moment ago he fell into the alleyway, throwing himself willingly from a second story roof.
Teo Blaze: It is that knowledge that has made me strong, Far Cry. Only by accepting that I have no control have I been able to gain the strength to turn away any challenger, big, small, experienced, green, anything!
It does not matter who you are.
It does not matter what you are capable of.
It does not matter that you have the element of surprise.
Because I am not afraid of you.
I am not afraid of what you can do, I am not afraid of who you might be, I am not afraid of giving you that advantage of the unknown.
Take it.
Because I have been doing this for a long time. I’ve faced bigger, I’ve faced badder, and I’ve faced scarier.
Even with that advantage of surprise, even with the ability to conceal your cards from my eyes..?
You can’t change the truth.
And the truth is that I am not just the Television Champion. I am not just the Infinity Man, the King of All Media, the People’s Champion, and the Wielder of the Voice of the WCF Galaxy…
I am a man without fear.
There is nothing you can do to shake my resolve. There is nothing you can do to make me hesitate once that bell rings.
I have held this belt with honor, and I have welcomed every challenger, and no matter who they were, rookie or veteran, former world champion or future world champion, I have faced them all, and I have beaten them all.
So you can have your mystery, you can have your enigma, you can have each and every advantage that comes with it.
Because it won’t make a difference.
No matter who you turn out to be?
I’m Teo Blaze.
And that’s all that really matters.
With that, the Television champion turns and looks one final time at the glowing pink Neon sign, flashing above the ledge where he stood mere moments ago, and as he walks back towards the empty street, the camera slowly pans up one final time to reveal the sharp outline of a bright crescent moon.
