The Times They Are A-Changin' (Slam RP#1)

[Deleted]

{{Your vision jumps to life in the plush confines of a hotel suite. Your eyes scan the suite. You see a polished marble floor, a crystal chandelier that hangs from the ceiling and a canopy bed with solid gold fixtures. You see a flat-screen TV with satellite hook-up that's propped upon the cream-colored wall and a wet bar with a colorful array of alcohol bottles that are lined up on the counter. All of this is being illuminated by the sunlight that is shining in through the glass windows of the sliding patio doors located across from where you're standing. You are sure that the view from upon that patio is beautiful, but you dare not tread in the patio's direction. That's not why you're here. This isn't even your suite. Your eyes scan the suite once more. You spy a living room area with cream-colored leather furnishings and a glass table in the center.

Phillip Baines is seated upon a leather sofa in this area of the suite. He's wearing dark blue jeans, a dark green button-up shirt, which is untucked and has the top few buttons undone, and a pair of black Dickies boots. In his hands Baines is holding the WCF Hardcore Championship belt. He's staring at the belt while caressing its gold faceplate with his fingers. His long black hair hangs down from the sides of his head like tassels, touching the sides of the belt. After a few moments Baines leans forward and places the belt down upon the glass table in front of him. He stares at the belt while breathing in a deep breath and then exhaling. Baines turns his head and looks up at you. His eyes are non-threatening, in fact they appear somber. You take this as an invitation to sit down in one of those comfy-looking leather chairs that are located adjacent to where Baines is seated. After all, Baines looks like a man who has something to say and you are the one who watches Baines and broadcasts his every word and action to a worldwide audience. Baines leans back into a reclined position on the sofa. He looks away from you and begins speaking in a calm, measured tone of voice}}

Phillip Baines: "Time is a relative concept. For most people three seconds doesn't seem like time enough to do much of anything. For those of us in the sport of professional wrestling three seconds is all that it takes for careers to be made or broken. Three seconds... less time than it takes to complete a proper orgasm."

{{Phil nods his head knowingly. This is a man who has enjoyed more than his share of sexual releases through the years. He knows what he speaks from experience.}}

Phil: "My wrestling career has barely lasted four months, a blink of the eye compared to some of the veterans in the WCF locker room, but I have accomplished a great many things in that time. On my very first night in WCF I captured the WCF Hardcore Championship from a legend of this sport, the man known as Greenfever. I have held that championship, the championship that sits on the table in front of me, ever since. In fact I am the longest reigning current title-holder in WCF. I've held the Hardcore Title for so long that it's become redundant!"

{{Baines chuckles to himself, allowing a moment of levity before that somber look returns to his deep blue eyes.}}

Phil: "It's fair to say that I have mixed emotions about the fact that my championship is being rendered obsolete as a result of the three-way Title Unification Bout that will main event Slam tonight. To be honest I was surprised when I heard the news. Sure I was aware that Creeping Death had plans to consolidate several of the championship titles in WCF, but I was not aware that it would be happening so suddenly. Much like my opponents Donald "D-Day" Deruty and Ryan Blake I was afforded little time to prepare for the reality of losing my belt without even being defeated for it. I can't speak for Blake or Deruty, but I've grown rather attached to my belt. I understand that tonight's unification bout is an opportunity to move up the pay-scale so to speak and become a storied part of WCF's history as the inaugural holder of a brand new championship, but I'm gonna miss this fella right here."

{{Baines leans forward and pats the gold faceplate of the Hardcore Championship. He smiles through the pain on his face, looking as if he's trying to comfort a beloved family pet who's about to be put down due to illness.}}

Phil: "Good times, bad times... we've had our share of both. Right, old friend?"

{{Phil's eyes grow watery as he leans back in his seat. He takes a moment to compose himself. Phil clears his throat before continuing.}}

Phil: "In my mind I can't help but think back in time two weeks ago to Ultimate Showdown, a night that would prove to be my last title defense as Hardcore Champion. It was also a night that would prove to be a career-defining moment for all three of the competitors in tonight's Title Unification Bout. Going into Ultimate Showdown all eyes were fixated upon the eponymous main event match, which featured six superstars competing in an elimination-style bout for the WCF World Championship, among other prizes. Few figured that the Hardcore Championship match between Ryan Blake and myself would amount to much of anything more than a one-sided beatdown. Most expected me to murder Blake, to put it bluntly, to hit him with one highlight move after another, one weapon shot after another, to rip his flesh from his bones, break those same bones into a thousand fragmented pieces and then seven-twenty powerbomb him through a flaming table."

{{Baines pauses, as if reflecting back to that match, before he continues speaking.}}

Phil: "Of course we've seen in pro wrestling and in life that the best laid plans are oftentimes laid to waste."

{{Baines concedes a smirk while nodding his head.}}

Phil: "Ryan Blake rose to the occasion that night. He showed that for at least one match, it was HIS time in WCF. He was granted an opportunity to win gold and he was going to make the most of it. I applaud a young man with that kind of initiative. That's the same attitude that I had on my first night in WCF, my very first match against Greenie that I referenced earlier. Blake very nearly ripped a page straight from my life story by very nearly upending a far more accomplished and heavily favored opponent to capture the Hardcore Championship. A split-second here, a split-second there and the outcome of our match might have been different. Did Blake hesitate for just the slightest moment and allow me to take advantage and win that match? Did it cost him the championship?"

{{Baines shrugs his shoulders.}}

Phil: "Perhaps so. Those are the moments that alter the trajectory of our careers and our very lives. Of course even in defeat one can learn a great deal about themselves as a man, or woman for the female superstars on the roster, and as a competitor. Blake lost the match and a great deal of blood, but what he gained was perhaps far greater. Blake always had bravado, but on that Monday night in Hershey, PA he gained confidence. He gained respect, from himself and from others, myself included. I respect Ryan Blake as much as any man that I've ever competed against. We ripped each other apart with barbed wire, staples and nails. We beat each other with chairs, guard rails, steel steps and ringposts, kendo sticks, ladders and tables, not to mention our fists and feet. He hung with me every step of the way. We both lost gallons of blood. We both required hundreds of stitches. We both suffered concussions. We both made a statement, he as a young superstar on the verge of greatness, and I as a great champion who had survived another grueling challenge to defend my title. It was a war, but both men survived and ultimately both men prevailed."

{{Baines rises from his seat and walks over to the wet bar. You follow him over to the bar and sit down on a cushy leather stool in front of the counter, while Phil walks behind the counter and fixes himself a drink. He picks up a large glass bottle containing a blue liquid, the words Bombay Sapphire printed on the bottle's label. Phil pours a couple shots worth of the famous British gin into a glass. He quickly drinks the gin and takes a seat on a stool.}}

Phil: "Those kinds of matches can be thrilling for the competitors. They can also be harrowing, especially when you cannot remember who you just fought or even your own name in the minutes immediately following the match because your brains have been, quite literally, scrambled. I was unable to entertain the notion of cashing in my World Title shot that night at Ultimate Showdown, nor was I able to compete on Slam the following week due to my injuries. To Blake's credit he rebounded on Slam by winning the Television Championship. That shows resiliency and fortitude. It's the stuff from which legends are made, legends that are shaped over time in the minds of wrestling fans across the globe. Legends that grow. Legends that pinpoint to future generations of fans that precise moment when a changing of the guard occurred. Changing guards come with changing times, and we've seen a lot of change in WCF as of late. We've seen a major change at the top of the pecking order in WCF."

{{Phil squints his eyes and purses his lips.}}

Phil: "Though I was not able to compete on Slam last week, I was in the building that night in Reading, PA to formally congratulate our new WCF World Champion Odin Balfore on his victory at Ultimate Showdown. Unfortunately a very jealous individual prevented that from happening by ambushing me in the hallway. I speak of a man who fears true change, a man who fears becoming little more than a lost relic in WCF's changing times. You see, Donald Deruty operates under a sense of entitlement. Donald doesn't like having to go out and earn his keep. At one time he did. At one time the man known as D-Day thrived on rising to the occasion, meeting his challengers head on, and giving it his all in every match regardless of the outcome. Then one night D-Day defeated Torture and he embraced all of Torture's negative habits, the complacency, the persecution complex, the delusions of invincibility... and of course, that darned sense of entitlement. These negative traits only became exacerbated by Donald's World Title victory at Blast.

"Yes, we were all very impressed when WCF's American Hero proved that he was no longer the underdog, by defeating Jay Williams to capture the most prestigious championship in all of wrestling. However it has become apparent that there was always more than meets the eye with D-Day. The reality is that there was a monster growing under the surface, deep inside of that smiling and easygoing American Hero, waiting to lash out. Last Monday night that monster lashed out... at me."

{{Baines has a solemn expression on his face as he pokes himself in the chest with his index finger. After a few seconds, a sly smile creeps across Baines's face.}}

Phil: "What's the matter, Donald? I thought Ultimate Showdown was supposed to be your time to shine? I thought Ultimate Showdown was supposed to be a great highlight of the unbeatable D-Day's awesome World Title reign? What happened? What went wrong? Well, my friend, you learned what so many others have learned in this company: Your time on top is fleeting when you do not put in the work and make the necessary sacrifices to keep what's yours. If you want something then go out there and earn it. Don't expect it to be handed to you, just because you're D-Day and it's "your time". Everybody wants time to be on their side, D-Day. Do you think that makes you special? Do you think that you're special because you spent two years toiling and working your way up the ladder? That doesn't make you special. It doesn't make you bigger and better than anybody else. It actually makes you distinctly human, Donald.

"The truth is that when you lost the belt at Ultimate Showdown, you became just another sob story. You're another sad sap who lived his dreams for a fleeting moment and then awoke to a nightmare when his perfect little world came crashing down. Don't blame me for that, Donald. I'm not the reason why you lost the World Title. You lost because you allowed yourself to lose. Hell, you lost because Ragnarök came to town and fucked up your perfect little self-deluded plans. Sure you were World Champion, Donald, but you were never the best that this company had to offer. Odin was here in WCF during the entirety of your World Title reign and guess what? He was always better than you, regardless of who had the belt. Guess what else, Donald? I was always better than you. You held the World Championship for little more than one month and you allowed yourself to lose it in your very first defense. I've held the Hardcore Championship for nearly four months and I've never allowed myself to lose my belt. Why? Because it's mine! It belongs to me! Anyone who wanted it should have killed me because that's the only way that they were ever going to pry it away from my hands!

"It wasn't a fluke or a stroke of luck that allowed me to prevail each and every time someone challenged me for that belt."

{{Baines casts his glare to the title belt that sits upon the glass table in the living room area of the suite.}}

Phil: "It was a combination of skill and fortitude that allowed me to prevail time and time again. You could say, "Who cares about the Hardcore Championship? It's just another third-rate belt, that's why they're getting rid of it!" I care about the Hardcore Championship! Me! I do!"

{{An animated Baines pounds his chest with a clenched fist. After a few seconds red welts appear on the portion of his chest that is uncovered by his partially buttoned shirt.}}

Phil: "I successfully defended my championship against a who's who of WCF Hall of Famers and former WCF World Champions. I defended it against Mr. Ryan Blake, the reigning Television Champion, a man who will be joining you and I in tonight's title unification bout, Donald. That Hardcore Championship doesn't sound so third-rate after all, now does it? That's the funny thing about championships: They're only as important as the champion who holds them. That's why you're undistinguished World Title reign brought down the value of that belt, Donald. That's why Odin took it upon himself to restore honor and prestige to a World Championship that had depreciated in value during your reign, Donald."

{{Phil's tongue makes a clicking sound as he emphasizes the d at the end of Donald.}}

Phil: "Our personal animosity aide, Donald, I do not intend to allow you to deface the newly created Unified Championship that you, Blake and myself will compete for tonight. That's not happening. It's not happening because I will not allow it to happen!"

{{Phil pounds the counter top with his fist, symbolic of the iron fist that he has used to reign over the Hardcore Division for months.}}

Phil: "To my knowledge there has only been one occasion in WCF history when three titles have been unified in one match. That was the night that Reckless Jack walked out of Till Death Do Us Part in 2006 as WCF World Champion after unifying the KWA, XCW, and WCF World Championships against Creeping Death and Logan. We're not competing for a World Championship tonight, but we are competing for a spot in history as the first Unified Champion. I want to be the man who makes history tonight."

{{Suddenly there's a knock at the door. Phil raises his head and a familiar voice calls out.}}

Bobby Cairo: "Phil, are you decent? I don't want to walk in on any nudie scenes after... last night with you and Gina."

Phil: "It's OK, Bobby. I'm just doing a promo. Come on in, man."

{{The sound of a key card sliding into a door can be heard, and half-a-second later the door pops open. Phil's manager and close friend Bobby Cairo walks into the suite and shuts the door behind him. Bobby is looking sharp as always in a pinstripe suit and Italian loafers with his black hair slicked back. Bobby walks over to the bar, standing next to where you're seated, and bumps fists with Phil in a friendly manner. Bobby turns toward you and acknowledges your presence with a nod before turning back to Phil. Bobby notices the glass that Phil drank from earlier sitting on the counter top. Bobby lifts the glass to his nose and sniffs at it.}}

Bobby: "Bombay Sapphire? You haven't been drinking before your big title unification match, have you, Phil?"

Phil: "I had about two shots. Hey, you and Buzzsaw were drinking beers before his match against Young last week."

Bobby: "We saw how that worked out for him."

{{Bobby places the glass down on the counter and sits down on the stool next to you.}}

Phil: "Relax, Bobby. I know my limits. I'm just trying to get loose. This is a big night for me. I have a lot of thoughts running through my head. I've spent a lot of time this week reflecting on tonight's match, both in training and during my down-time. In a matter of hours I will be walking to the ring at the Wells Fargo Center as the WCF Hardcore Champion for the final time. Three champions will be entering that ring tonight to compete for a unified belt, but I'm the only one that has a real history with their current championship. I've spent four months defending the Hardcore Championship and elevating it to unprecedented heights. I've even killed a man to defend it. D-Day has been United States Champion before, but this time around he had to lose the World Title in order to win it. You know he's just looking at it as a scrap of tin. I'm sure that Blake was thrilled to become Television Champion, but he's only had a week to bond with that belt, and he learned of its doomed fate mere hours after winning it. There's no emotional investment there."

Bobby: "I know it's tough, Phil, but you have to let go. It's like losing a loved one. You can spend all of your time mourning in the wake of their death or you can celebrate their life and cherish the time that you spent together. If the Hardcore Championship belt were a person he would want you to honor him by going out there tonight and beating Deruty and Blake to capture that Unified Championship. Otherwise his death will have been in vain."

{{Phil nods his head in understanding. A smile even manages to sneak across his face.}}

Phil: "You're a wise man, Bobby. That belt--"

{{Phil thrusts his index finger in the direction of the Hardcore Championship belt that rests upon the glass table in the living room area of his suite.}}

Phil: "Might be dying tonight, but its legacy will live on through my work. I haven't been without championship gold since the night that I debuted in WCF and that's not going to change tonight, title unification be damned!"

Bobby: "That's the spirit, Phil!"

{{Bobby reaches across the counter and pats Phil on his shoulder. Bobby sits back down in his stool and checks his gold Rolex wrist watch.}}

Bobby: "It's just about that time that we need to be heading to the arena. Are you almost ready?"

Phil: "Almost, but I have time enough to say a few more words, right?"

Bobby: "Sure thing, pal. I'll be waiting downstairs, OK?"

{{Phil nods his head.}}

Phil: "Thanks, Bobby. I appreciate it, man."

{{Bobby winks at Phil and then rises from his seat and walks away. Within seconds Bobby evacuates the suite and the door closes shut behind him. Phil looks at you with a sharpened focus in his eyes.}}

Phil: "The time is of the essence and tonight will be my time to unify the United States, Television and Hardcore Championships. Tonight will be my time to expose Donald "D-Day" Deruty for the fraud that he is. Tonight will be my time to finish the job that Odin Balfore started at Ultimate Showdown. There's just one major difference this time around, Donald. This time when you're lying on your back defeated and in pain at the end of the match, there will be no consolation prize, no shiny gold belt for you to take home as your reward for losing. You will be left with only the sobering knowledge that your time atop WCF lasted for all but the blink of an eye, while my time is eternal!"

{{Phil extends his arms to his sides, forming a T with his body. He closes his eyes and tilts his head back, allowing his long black hair to flow freely behind him. Phil's body begins to shake as he garners the energy inside of him and spazzes out in a scene reminiscent of the Ultimate Warrior's old promos. Unintelligible utterances spew forth from Phil's mouth as his body continues to spasm and twitch.}}

Phil: "HOOORUCAAN ORRRUBBBMAAAAAR!!!!!!"

{{Phil's body suddenly thrusts forward. He nearly hits his head on the counter top of the bar before stopping short. He raises his head, stands up straight and glares at you with pure blue flames in his eyes.}}

Phil: "To Ryan Blake I say may the best man win tonight. To Donald Deruty I yield nothing. Do you understand me, Donald? I yield nothing TO YOU!"

{{Phil glares at you some more. He finally relents as he reaches into his pocket and pulls something out. It's an iPhone.}}

Phil: "The times they are a-changin', Donald. You could have been part of that change, but instead you will be condemned to fate as a faded memory from a dark time that shall not be missed or remembered. Tonight I will erase you from history and ensure that the legacy of Phillip Baines lives on forever!"

{{Phillip clicks a button on his iPhone and holds it up for you to listen as "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan begins to play. You close your eyes, casting the world around you to black, as you listen to the song.}}

"Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’..."