Post by Speede on Feb 24, 2019 23:58:49 GMT -5
The scene opens to the interior of an arena, where in the center of a significantly smaller crowd than the typical for WCF stands a wrestling ring with an emblem on the side reading 'KPW'. In the stands, we find Roy Speede, somewhat back from the next furthest group of spectators and seated rather than standing, as are some of the fans. The sound of a ring bell echoes through the arena, and one of the wrestlers in the ring has his hand raised as the crowd cheers on, but Speede simply watches, giving a calm clap. From the end of the row in comes Alex Haden, a drink cup in one hand and a box-set style combo of food in the other.
"Aww, shit, did I miss the end of the match? How'd it play out?"
"Sunset flip bomb for three, actually really well-executed. I'm impressed. Got some really talented folk out this way."
"I'm sure. After all, if Rabid had to come all this way for a meeting, it'd be with some qualified individuals."
"Yeah, for sure. But that being said, I feel like there's more to this whole thing. Rabid has some greater value here than what you're seeing, and I think it's worth taking time to notice that."
"Speaking of which, whatcha think? Should I try to score a contract wrestling out here? Looks like they have some respect for genuine talent. Shit, you'd probably get loads of opportunity here."
"Yeah, possibly. I know certain places have a tendency to overlook me despite coming out guns blazing every single week. But that being said, I'm not moving overseas to compete. I'm going to step it up so they don't have a choice. After all, Superkick Uncensored are in the finals for the tag tournament, and after this, there's no chance we're being overlooked anymore. I've got whatever match I want lined up for the next Pay-Per-View if we win this thing, and I can only imagine all the different possibilities and options laying in my path."
"So if you win, what ARE you gonna do?"
"I haven't decided yet. It depends, really. If Bonnie wins the title, I'm not going against a teammate. If Rabid goes for the big one, a triple threat probably isn't a good play. If neither situation falls into place? Well, who the hell knows. That Savage chick is nuts. And let's be real, here, I'm looking a bit further ahead by discussing this sort of thing than I particularly ought to be, don't you think? First things first, I need to secure the win in this tag tournament."
"Yeah, but who've you got in this thing anyway, Odin and Richards right?"
"Yeah, and I think we all know where my mind is at with this one. Odin Balfore has progressed so far beyond his mortal state in this business that it's kind of intimidating for lesser men to fight him. The days where he tried to strike fear in his enemies by doing stupid shit are behind him, and I don't see a giraffe as a metaphor he would use to still get ahead in this business anymore. He's long since climbed the neck and slain the timid creatures this company used to send in to face him. Any more, Odin's only real threats are the Lions, the vicious wild beasts of the ring- the types of guys who know what he's capable of and how to avoid his attempts to seize control. He's yet to learn it, but Rabid and I? Odin should fear us. We're the kind of guys who know how to take his accolades, a legacy that spans eight years in this company and drag his reputation through the mud on our way through him and straight to the top of this company, where we belong.
"He likes to think that as the 'All-Father' he is all-knowing, all-powerful, and nothing short of almighty, but despite putting together a list of achievements that so many could only dream of, he's another opponent, and that's all. He's just the next guy to hit the mat and stare up at the lights for a three count on behalf of John Rabid and Roy Speede. I mean, let's just look at a list of the guys he's beaten to claim some of those belts, huh?
"Donald Deruty? Dude, who cares? I took out Deruty too.
"Johnny Reb? The best thing he ever produced for WCF is in our corner.
"Stephen Singh? As in, the guy who only held the belt because of a briefcase that he won by luck? Where's the credibility there?
"Michael X? As in, the same Michael X we took down in week one of this tournament?
"Again, talk to me when Odin's accomplishments are actually worth a damn. Talk to me when he beats someone whose credibility in a wrestling ring extends beyond a southern stereotype or an underdog story gone wrong. Odin is in this match because there's nobody else left in the company who could even pretend to pose a threat to SKU, and nobody else could grow the balls to try.
"And then there's Alex Richards... where the hell am I gonna start when it comes to Alex Richards? Should I go with the fact that his lone shreds of personal accomplishment to date come from playing the weak link in a highly forgettable stable whose only member worth a paycheck bailed to join SKU and succeeding as the one guy who didn't flop on his face in a company that couldn't last a year? Should I talk about the fact that he's only playing the role of Odin Balfore's helper monkey because he couldn't perform to standard in Action Wrestling, fell flat on his face from the start, and retreated to the confines of a company that he knew wouldn't ridicule him for his inability to prove himself as a reasonable competitor? How about I start with his history of failing where it matters most, even to the point where it makes yours truly look like my friggin' 'dad'? I don't have a ton of room to talk, but let's look at the record books one more time, shall we?"
Roy pulls out his phone and looks up the title histories on the WCF Website
"Trios champion, tag champion... okay, so I get that he has a thing for letting better wrestlers carry him for the sake of his accomplishments.
"Internet Champion, People's champion... Nice, a couple of defunct titles that under the reign of Seth Lerch only the newbies and the nobodies competed for and mean virtually nothing.
"Oh, here we go, Hardcore Champion! For... less than a month, literally not even enough time to have had a single attempted defense, much less a successful one. Wanna call yourself a hardcore champ? Six months, mate, 182 days. And I was a damned fighting champion. That belt still holds my scent after six years I had it so long, and y'know what? I just got tired of it at that point. I picked someone who was terrible and took a dive. You've never been good enough to even get that far.
"Tell you what, Richards. I can look past your title history. I can look past your record of being the one to fall flat out of every single tag team and stable you've ever been a part of. What I can't look past is you still trying to call yourself a half-decent wrestler. You'd have been better off giving up, or winding up trading places and letting Jay Omega team with Odin, because this tournament, a spot in the finals just isn't where you belong. You're further out of your element in this spotlight than if you were in the World Title picture, but at least this time you have someone to help you, right?
"Wrong, this time you have someone else aside from yourself to disappoint, just like so many other times. Look at the Guardians, Richards. See where every one of them ended up, and you'll notice that you let them all down. Half the team ran for the hills and got out of the wrestling ring, and the ones who are still in that squared circle have left you for abandon. Bonnie realized that the corner she needs to be in, definitely isn't yours. It's about time you make the same decision and hang up the boots, bud.
"But if nothing else, thank you. By dressing out and lacing your boots back up for another match time and time again, you lucked out as the guy Odin Balfore dragged to the tag tournament finals instead of someone else who might actually have been capable of getting lucky in the clutch and beating Rabid and I. Now, Rabid and I can see where this tournament is going to end up, and while it just as well could be Odin, we all know the truth: when that bell rings, it's going to be SKU's music blasting over the speakers and you with your back on the mat. I hope you like the taste of ring boots."
"Whoa, Roy, getting a little carried away, aren't you? I mean, yeah, confidence is one thing, but shitting on Alex Richards's entire career?"
"It is what it is, Alex. Richards's career to this point is something to look at with bewilderment. And to be fair, mine has been almost as weird- but at least I know to bring the heat when it counts. Look at Deruty, or at Wade Moor. They'll both tell you that."
"Yeah, but even still, neither of those guys are a part of the WCF anymore, and your accomplishments don't mean as much under a WCF roof."
"Dude, this is England. Does this look like a WCF roof to you?"
"Not particularly, no. But that being said, I could've imagined WCF holding a smaller scale show in this sort of arena, so maybe one day it will be?"
"Not my point, dude. All I know is, my accomplishments elsewhere amount to a whole lot more than their accomplishments elsewhere, and in my eyes their accomplishments in the WCF don't amount to much either."
Speede stands.
"Tell you what: enjoy the show dude. I'm gonna go see if I can find Rabid. I have a couple questions."
Speede turns and walks away, through the back doors into the hallway. As he paces through, he starts muttering to himself.
"Now that I'm back in a WCF ring, even my best freakin' friend is doubting me and questioning what I have to say. It's just typical when I'm competing with the WCF, I guess. Everybody always overlooks the guy who they see as insignificant, and I never pushed hard enough or spoke loud enough to make my voice heard in this company. Everybody always looked at me and said 'oh, here comes that guy again,' and pushed past because I was never given my due or considered to be the competition I deserved to be. Look at that title history and you could see my name on just about every page of it from the World Title on down to the People's Championship even. Sure, I may not have won all of them, but I've been fighting my way through this company for eight freakin' years, and I've made it known that if management ever bothered to give me the opportunities I deserved, instead of being the last guy pinned to win a belt, my name would've been engraved into every single one.
"But this company has such a freakin' history of favoritism that it's honestly almost to a point where it isn't worth my time to be here. Look at Odin, look at Natural ICE Beckman, look at freakin' Gemini Battle- sure, not all of these guys are the worst excuses for talents, but favoritism paved the way for them to make themselves household names in the business, until Battle died at least. Any bets on whether Ice would've won a belt somewhere that gave actual talent a chance instead of someone with the biggest mouth? How about Odin? Neither of these guys would last a single minute in the World Title picture outside the walls of the WCF. And yet when it comes to this place, they've got their names down in history while I still fight from the outside looking in.
"I was this damned close in 2012, I should've walked out of that match with the title, and yet surprise, surprise, I never once got an actual one-on-one shot for the belt. If it hadn't been for Purse wearing me down, Jonny Fly would not have beaten me, and Seth Lerch was always scared of that thought, the idea that if I had a proper shot, I might wind up the last World Champion he ever had because that belt would never leave my waist. And God only knows Corey Black never respected me enough to give me a fair shake at it. But even one of his most storied rivals, Odin Balfore, constantly dances in that Title picture because I'm getting overlooked on a daily basis.
"Not anymore. This tournament has already solidified me as a main event talent in this company, and Superkick Uncensored as THE stable in professional wrestling in a span shorter than Jay Price's World Title reign. The fact that this match is being hyped as so hotly contested is only further proof that management favors the beefy, bulky Odin Balfore and wants him to have all the chances in the world to succeed. Regardless of his team losing this match, we all know Odin will never be too far from the World Title picture. But now, it's SKU's time to seize the spotlight and shut down these so-called 'Enforcers' before management can screw me over yet again."
Speede opens a door to his left and steps inside, looking back outside and pulling the door deliberately shut behind him.
"Aww, shit, did I miss the end of the match? How'd it play out?"
"Sunset flip bomb for three, actually really well-executed. I'm impressed. Got some really talented folk out this way."
"I'm sure. After all, if Rabid had to come all this way for a meeting, it'd be with some qualified individuals."
"Yeah, for sure. But that being said, I feel like there's more to this whole thing. Rabid has some greater value here than what you're seeing, and I think it's worth taking time to notice that."
"Speaking of which, whatcha think? Should I try to score a contract wrestling out here? Looks like they have some respect for genuine talent. Shit, you'd probably get loads of opportunity here."
"Yeah, possibly. I know certain places have a tendency to overlook me despite coming out guns blazing every single week. But that being said, I'm not moving overseas to compete. I'm going to step it up so they don't have a choice. After all, Superkick Uncensored are in the finals for the tag tournament, and after this, there's no chance we're being overlooked anymore. I've got whatever match I want lined up for the next Pay-Per-View if we win this thing, and I can only imagine all the different possibilities and options laying in my path."
"So if you win, what ARE you gonna do?"
"I haven't decided yet. It depends, really. If Bonnie wins the title, I'm not going against a teammate. If Rabid goes for the big one, a triple threat probably isn't a good play. If neither situation falls into place? Well, who the hell knows. That Savage chick is nuts. And let's be real, here, I'm looking a bit further ahead by discussing this sort of thing than I particularly ought to be, don't you think? First things first, I need to secure the win in this tag tournament."
"Yeah, but who've you got in this thing anyway, Odin and Richards right?"
"Yeah, and I think we all know where my mind is at with this one. Odin Balfore has progressed so far beyond his mortal state in this business that it's kind of intimidating for lesser men to fight him. The days where he tried to strike fear in his enemies by doing stupid shit are behind him, and I don't see a giraffe as a metaphor he would use to still get ahead in this business anymore. He's long since climbed the neck and slain the timid creatures this company used to send in to face him. Any more, Odin's only real threats are the Lions, the vicious wild beasts of the ring- the types of guys who know what he's capable of and how to avoid his attempts to seize control. He's yet to learn it, but Rabid and I? Odin should fear us. We're the kind of guys who know how to take his accolades, a legacy that spans eight years in this company and drag his reputation through the mud on our way through him and straight to the top of this company, where we belong.
"He likes to think that as the 'All-Father' he is all-knowing, all-powerful, and nothing short of almighty, but despite putting together a list of achievements that so many could only dream of, he's another opponent, and that's all. He's just the next guy to hit the mat and stare up at the lights for a three count on behalf of John Rabid and Roy Speede. I mean, let's just look at a list of the guys he's beaten to claim some of those belts, huh?
"Donald Deruty? Dude, who cares? I took out Deruty too.
"Johnny Reb? The best thing he ever produced for WCF is in our corner.
"Stephen Singh? As in, the guy who only held the belt because of a briefcase that he won by luck? Where's the credibility there?
"Michael X? As in, the same Michael X we took down in week one of this tournament?
"Again, talk to me when Odin's accomplishments are actually worth a damn. Talk to me when he beats someone whose credibility in a wrestling ring extends beyond a southern stereotype or an underdog story gone wrong. Odin is in this match because there's nobody else left in the company who could even pretend to pose a threat to SKU, and nobody else could grow the balls to try.
"And then there's Alex Richards... where the hell am I gonna start when it comes to Alex Richards? Should I go with the fact that his lone shreds of personal accomplishment to date come from playing the weak link in a highly forgettable stable whose only member worth a paycheck bailed to join SKU and succeeding as the one guy who didn't flop on his face in a company that couldn't last a year? Should I talk about the fact that he's only playing the role of Odin Balfore's helper monkey because he couldn't perform to standard in Action Wrestling, fell flat on his face from the start, and retreated to the confines of a company that he knew wouldn't ridicule him for his inability to prove himself as a reasonable competitor? How about I start with his history of failing where it matters most, even to the point where it makes yours truly look like my friggin' 'dad'? I don't have a ton of room to talk, but let's look at the record books one more time, shall we?"
Roy pulls out his phone and looks up the title histories on the WCF Website
"Trios champion, tag champion... okay, so I get that he has a thing for letting better wrestlers carry him for the sake of his accomplishments.
"Internet Champion, People's champion... Nice, a couple of defunct titles that under the reign of Seth Lerch only the newbies and the nobodies competed for and mean virtually nothing.
"Oh, here we go, Hardcore Champion! For... less than a month, literally not even enough time to have had a single attempted defense, much less a successful one. Wanna call yourself a hardcore champ? Six months, mate, 182 days. And I was a damned fighting champion. That belt still holds my scent after six years I had it so long, and y'know what? I just got tired of it at that point. I picked someone who was terrible and took a dive. You've never been good enough to even get that far.
"Tell you what, Richards. I can look past your title history. I can look past your record of being the one to fall flat out of every single tag team and stable you've ever been a part of. What I can't look past is you still trying to call yourself a half-decent wrestler. You'd have been better off giving up, or winding up trading places and letting Jay Omega team with Odin, because this tournament, a spot in the finals just isn't where you belong. You're further out of your element in this spotlight than if you were in the World Title picture, but at least this time you have someone to help you, right?
"Wrong, this time you have someone else aside from yourself to disappoint, just like so many other times. Look at the Guardians, Richards. See where every one of them ended up, and you'll notice that you let them all down. Half the team ran for the hills and got out of the wrestling ring, and the ones who are still in that squared circle have left you for abandon. Bonnie realized that the corner she needs to be in, definitely isn't yours. It's about time you make the same decision and hang up the boots, bud.
"But if nothing else, thank you. By dressing out and lacing your boots back up for another match time and time again, you lucked out as the guy Odin Balfore dragged to the tag tournament finals instead of someone else who might actually have been capable of getting lucky in the clutch and beating Rabid and I. Now, Rabid and I can see where this tournament is going to end up, and while it just as well could be Odin, we all know the truth: when that bell rings, it's going to be SKU's music blasting over the speakers and you with your back on the mat. I hope you like the taste of ring boots."
"Whoa, Roy, getting a little carried away, aren't you? I mean, yeah, confidence is one thing, but shitting on Alex Richards's entire career?"
"It is what it is, Alex. Richards's career to this point is something to look at with bewilderment. And to be fair, mine has been almost as weird- but at least I know to bring the heat when it counts. Look at Deruty, or at Wade Moor. They'll both tell you that."
"Yeah, but even still, neither of those guys are a part of the WCF anymore, and your accomplishments don't mean as much under a WCF roof."
"Dude, this is England. Does this look like a WCF roof to you?"
"Not particularly, no. But that being said, I could've imagined WCF holding a smaller scale show in this sort of arena, so maybe one day it will be?"
"Not my point, dude. All I know is, my accomplishments elsewhere amount to a whole lot more than their accomplishments elsewhere, and in my eyes their accomplishments in the WCF don't amount to much either."
Speede stands.
"Tell you what: enjoy the show dude. I'm gonna go see if I can find Rabid. I have a couple questions."
Speede turns and walks away, through the back doors into the hallway. As he paces through, he starts muttering to himself.
"Now that I'm back in a WCF ring, even my best freakin' friend is doubting me and questioning what I have to say. It's just typical when I'm competing with the WCF, I guess. Everybody always overlooks the guy who they see as insignificant, and I never pushed hard enough or spoke loud enough to make my voice heard in this company. Everybody always looked at me and said 'oh, here comes that guy again,' and pushed past because I was never given my due or considered to be the competition I deserved to be. Look at that title history and you could see my name on just about every page of it from the World Title on down to the People's Championship even. Sure, I may not have won all of them, but I've been fighting my way through this company for eight freakin' years, and I've made it known that if management ever bothered to give me the opportunities I deserved, instead of being the last guy pinned to win a belt, my name would've been engraved into every single one.
"But this company has such a freakin' history of favoritism that it's honestly almost to a point where it isn't worth my time to be here. Look at Odin, look at Natural ICE Beckman, look at freakin' Gemini Battle- sure, not all of these guys are the worst excuses for talents, but favoritism paved the way for them to make themselves household names in the business, until Battle died at least. Any bets on whether Ice would've won a belt somewhere that gave actual talent a chance instead of someone with the biggest mouth? How about Odin? Neither of these guys would last a single minute in the World Title picture outside the walls of the WCF. And yet when it comes to this place, they've got their names down in history while I still fight from the outside looking in.
"I was this damned close in 2012, I should've walked out of that match with the title, and yet surprise, surprise, I never once got an actual one-on-one shot for the belt. If it hadn't been for Purse wearing me down, Jonny Fly would not have beaten me, and Seth Lerch was always scared of that thought, the idea that if I had a proper shot, I might wind up the last World Champion he ever had because that belt would never leave my waist. And God only knows Corey Black never respected me enough to give me a fair shake at it. But even one of his most storied rivals, Odin Balfore, constantly dances in that Title picture because I'm getting overlooked on a daily basis.
"Not anymore. This tournament has already solidified me as a main event talent in this company, and Superkick Uncensored as THE stable in professional wrestling in a span shorter than Jay Price's World Title reign. The fact that this match is being hyped as so hotly contested is only further proof that management favors the beefy, bulky Odin Balfore and wants him to have all the chances in the world to succeed. Regardless of his team losing this match, we all know Odin will never be too far from the World Title picture. But now, it's SKU's time to seize the spotlight and shut down these so-called 'Enforcers' before management can screw me over yet again."
Speede opens a door to his left and steps inside, looking back outside and pulling the door deliberately shut behind him.
