"Many a revolution started with the actions of a few. A few hanging together and lead a nation to change..." - Wynton Marselis
--PROMO BEGIN--
This weekend is where our destiny is fulfilled...
This week is one of the most important in this company's history. Because this weekend is going to be etched into the history books forever. Every single person who enters the American Airlines Arena, every single person watching on television at home and every person with their eyes locked onto the text appearing on their computer screens as they desperately wait for the results, will all be watching in awe as i stand over the body of the beloved Ash Soulsfate, with the World title in my hand.
There comes a point in the existence of a dictatorship in which the leader is no longer fit to lead his or her people, where there is no longer the requirement of the previous leader and all that is left is the desire of a small little man or woman to hold onto any power whatsoever. And that's where i come in.
Because this week, we begin. This week is our date with destiny and this week the revolution truly begins. This week everything gets kicked into gear and all that we are about to accomplish, every single thing that this new era is going to bring about, is going to begin.
Every single thing that this place has become is going to be completely turned on it's head this Thursday. This PPV may be my Road to Glory, but this is MPW's Road to Glory as well, because once this revolution gets set in motion, there will be no stopping. You will all watch as this company frees itself from the corporate grip that's tied itself around it's neck and is pulling, twisting, draining it's life out.
Because finally, we will have a champion that's not controlled by men in suits. Finally we will have a champion not dictated by others and not given orders by anybody upstairs. Ash, you may have one that title from Johnny Clash, but you know that in the end that title always belonged to Trey Baxter. And what happened to him? Oh that's right...
I fucking ended his lame, pathetic excuse for a career and slammed a car into his ass, possibly breaking every single bone in his body. Well guess what? I'll do it again if i need to. If I get the feeling i can just as easily snap your neck Ash. Because i don't care who i go through, i don't care about anything you say, i don't care what you throw at me, nothing will stop this revolution.
This is now above my head, this is above anything can even comprehend, because the wheels have been set in motion and there is no stopping it. You can try to stop me, you can try and throw whoever you want at us, but in the end, we will still be standing atop the crown of the World Heavyweight title and looking down at the revolution as it stands before us, the new age.
An age of violence, a time of anarchy, where there will be no more of this utter waste of time in corporates. Wrestling is wrestling, not a business transaction, and i will bring about the new era we sweep this world of injustice.
Injustice.
You hear that word often, and yet it's completely been misleading throughout our tenure in this business. We have been lead to the meaning of injustice by the people who watch us perform, we have been lead to believe something exceptionally false because of the very people - insignificant people - who watch us, cheering and booing and buying their merchandise to inflate the egos of the suits.
To them, injustice is when they don't get their way. Injustice is when they are forced to stand up and boo the person who doesn't give two fucks about them, because the person they are cheering is laid out on the mat, defeated. They believe injustice is when they don't get what they want, because they are selfish, they always want their way.
It is human nature to be selfish, because in the inner core of every single person in this world, there is that feeling that they want to protect themselves, they want to enrich themselves. All they really want is to further their own agendas. And i'm a pure example of this. But on the outside, i'm willing to destroy the selfishness of these people, the selfishness of the people controlling this company and making money off the people's cries and cheers.
We are here to put and end to the selfishness engulfing this company, to stop those who would destroy what valuable people have built up all in the name of some marked paper that seems to make the world go round. Ash Soulsfate, Trey Baxter, you were part of those who built up this company, but you sacrificed all of that when you sucked up to the fans, when you puckered up to all of those in corporate and you skimmed over the heads of those higher up the ladder than you and you got the fans cheering, you got them buying your t-shirts and your action figures and buying tickets to come and cheer you.
And look what happened. I slammed a car into Trey Baxter - it's just such a shame that the gorilla had to jump out of the way and i couldn't knock him out too - maybe he'd retire for the thirteenth time and we'd see him back in a month, i wouldn't bet against it. But instead, Trey Baxter was put out of his miserable, pathetic excuse for a career and he's on his way back home - probably in a coma.
I imagine you must be hurting so much seeing your boyfriend in so much pain Ash, but don't worry. You'll be with him soon, because this weekend, MPW enters the greatest event ever held in wrestling history. The inaugural Road to Glory, Millennium Pro Wrestling's flagship show, and it will go down in history not only because we will crown MPW's fourth World Heavyweight champion - and if you're too stupid to count past three like most Americans, that's the one more than three, and that's going to be me, but we're also going to signal the beginning of a new era, the dawn of a new age.
Because everything up to this point has been preparation, setting down the foundations and waiting for it all to come together, when we can start building a new world together. Every single thing we've done has been part of my plan, because it's like i always say. I've always got a plan.
Thursday, that plan comes into full focus, that plan gets executed to the highest level. Tag Team Championships, X-Core Championship, World Heavyweight Championship...
This is what the Age of Arrogance is all about. Taking over.
Because the only way things will ever be fixed is when anarchy reigns, the only reason professional wrestling will thrive will be because of the actions of a few, leading the masses of many. A few hanging together can lead a nation to change, they can lead people to do drastic things. But that's the thing isn't it? We don't need to lead THE people, we simply need to lead a few.
A few people who can actually see the light, a few people who refuse to take part in this ridiculous popularity contest wrestling has become. A few people who see things as they truly are and can see how all of this is going to be cured...
Arrogance.
That's the cure for the corporate problem. That's the cure for this disease that's spreading all over Millennium Pro Wrestling, hell all over the worldwide stage of wrestling. Inside each and every squared-circle, it doesn't matter if it's in front of five people or five million people, the end will always be the same. The good guy will always win, because that's what happens. That's how corporate works. That's what gets them the most money.
I was once like them. I was once lead to believe that pointing to the fans and getting the people upstairs piles of cash so big not even Apostle Kried could eat it all, was a good thing. I was led to believe it got me titles. But then i got my arm broken by a dirty little bastard. In fact he was THE Bastard. Just like Tristan Slater was THE....shit, what was it again?
That's right he didn't have a nickname, because he was a loser. A loser that tried to step up to the big leagues and then got himself in the ring with me. And you know what happens when you get in the ring with me? You get a taste of revolution. You feel the full force of change, the full force of Arrogance. Because when you mess with one of us you don't mess with a single person, no you mess with four people and an ideal much, much bigger than your mind could possibly comprehend.
At least the guy who injured me had the presence of mind to come up with a nickname, even if it was the word people used to describe Trey Baxter. But in truth, i should probably thank Jackson Blaze. Because it was his loss to Trey Baxter - the man whose career i ended - that sparked him to enter my match with Taufik and snap my arm in two. Do you know what that sounds like? Having your arm snapped in two? It sounds like a branch being pulled off a tree.
And it's not pleasant.
But in hindsight, it was the best thing that ever happened to my career. Because when i was sitting on that hospital bed, plotting my next move when i came back and sought revenge, everything became crystal clear to me. I had to stop this monster that was looming like an endless stream of dark clouds over the horizons of MPW. I had to stop this atrocity from continuing any further, i had to do something about the problem that stared back at me every day i pandered to those insignificant, useless fans, and even the days when i didn't.
Because in the end there's no difference between heel or face. You have the fans cheering you, or you have the fans loving to hate you. It just so happens that the more cheers you get, the more successful you are, but that doesn't mean corporates aren't paying you, ooh no.
Because somebody needs to get out there and make the good guys look good. Every good guy needs the bad guy he can knock out in the most heroic way possible and get the fans on their feet, chanting their name as his arm is raised in ultimate triumph. Well, not anymore. Because we're here to change that.
And this week, it all comes to a brilliant climax with Ash vs Drake. Army of One vs the World Heavyweight champion and the only man to have held both the X-Core and the World championships, not that it matters obviously. That's like saying somebody's the first man to ever be a politician and an avid reader of James Patterson books. Because this weekend Ash, you will face your judgement for all the injustice you have created in this business, and not just you, but people like Roxi Johnson, and people like Apostle Kried, and people like fucking Trey Baxter!
These are the people that need to know their place. At Uncivil War, i ended Apostle Kried. Two weeks ago, i ended Trey Baxter. Now, this week, on the grandest stage of them all. I'm going to end the pitiful existence of Ash Soulsfate in this company, and in this business. And people will be hurling swear words at my names, people will be throwing whatever they can at their new hated champion, because deep down they know that this is not the part where their beloved hero comes back to save the day from the evil man, no, this is the part they haven't seen before.
This is the part where the bad guy wins. This is the part where Anarchy reigns and everything comes to a heated point. This is the part...
Where the Age of Arrogance takes over.
So go home to your mommies, go cry to your friends and bitch on the internet about how Ash should've won and how this is the biggest screwjob since Bret Hart, say whatever the fuck you want. But you'll all be saying one thing. The Punk. Is. Champ.
And no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you tap on those keyboards and click the little post buttons on the forums where nobodies think they can actually have a say in their pathetic insignificant lives, i want all of you to think long and hard about what you're doing when you click that post button, what you're doing when you throw your baseball bat on your bed and run your hands through your hair, trying to figure out how it all went so wrong so fast, you will always have that thought in the back of your mind...
You did this. You are the cause of this, you are the reason this was all necessary and you are the reason things are going to change. You will no longer be significant, you will no longer be the ones calling the shots. WE will. A new era is coming, the dawn of change is coming this thursday. The era of the popularity contest is over, now it's time for the new dawn to step in, for the revolution to take place.
Because all you are now, all you ever will be from now on, is spectators. Spectators that make the shows that much more exciting, make them that much more electric, but make them no less real. Because what we have now, is fake. What MPW is now is simply fake, all setup by corporates in a bid to gain money. If you're looking for something real...
Then look no further than us. Because we are the harbingers of the revolution. It doesn't matter who wants to speak their mind and who hates us so much that they would put a bullet through my head - that won't stop the unstoppable. Because that's what this is. Unstoppable.
Not Ash, Not Trey, Not Roxi, not even the faceless ones in corporate can stop the storm that will descend over the American Airlines Arena on thursday and begin to rain hell down upon MPW. And it won't stop, not until things change, not until our fight is glorified with victory and all our efforts come to the very thing we desire. You can bribe us, you can send us all of the so-called "superstars" you want to try and bring us down, in the end it won't matter. In the end, you can't stop the cause. You can't stop the wave of revolution from taking over.
This thursday, we begin. We begin at the end, the end of Ash Soulsfate, the end of this corporate dynasty that has it's firm grip on Millennium Pro Wrestling. Yes the End is Where we Begin. The end of your reign Ash, and beginning of mine.
--PROMO END--
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"I sing revolution while you're trying to silence me"
The word echo through my mind as i lie on my Dallas hotel room bed. The music fills my hotel room as i simply let myself get lost in it, listening to the lyrics as if they were a speech given by God. My eyes are firmly shut, as i lie on the bed shirtless. I hear the front door open but i don't open my eyes, i know who it is and why they're here, just like every other night.
With Road to Glory coming up, i needed to relieve a bit of stress. And there was no better stress reliever than a Goddess.
"Is all you listen to that revolution stuff?" Her first words as she opens the door and sees me lying on the bed come with a smirk, i open one eye slightly and look up, still engulfed in the entire sense of the music. I can't be bothered getting up so i simply pat the side of the bed and motion for her to lie down for a moment, maybe even take in some of the words.
"I wanna talk about a sound, a voice, a freedom, rejoice. I can't stay silent while you take away our choice"
"Lostprophets." I say, referring to the name of the band singing the song. "The song's called Better Off Dead. And i listen to this because it calms me, it helps me think. Just listen and you'll see what we're on about." I say, wrapping my arm around her possessively, something i'd been doing more and more in recent times, as if she was becoming mine. But i couldn't deny the fact that our beliefs differed, and that i wanted that to change.
I look down at her and can see she is taking in the whole of the lyrics, as i just was. Maybe she's pondering whether or not this is right, whether or not all of this nonsense coming out of my mouth is the truth - and it most certainly is. Maybe she'd reconsidered and she was planning to finally give in to the truth of it all, just as i had planned.
Only time would see what she would do, despite Ash's incessant and horrible rantings we weren't actually an item, and i wasn't sure what i wanted. Sure all of this had been fun, but after Electra...
Push all of that out of your head now Drake...
It was my own voice that spoke to me inside my head, not the one that had so much power over me. That was a voice i hadn't heard from recently - not since i crashed that car into the ass of Trey Baxter. It was possible that giving into it meant my voice simply became that voice, that it didn't need to assist anymore and simply watched from wherever it lay inside my mind. One thing was simple, what people said was true. I didn't regard my conscience, i didn't regard the fact that people would think i was a monster for things i did, i just do them. I do whatever the fuck i want, because i want to. Because it's all part of the plan, because everything, from Ash to Johnny to Bliss, is all part of the master plan.
I smile as i hear the words, so reminiscent of everything we had been aiming to achieve and will achieve after this thursday.
I'd rather die on my feet than ever live on my knees...
Those words, which have been so famously executed during the long course of history and famously written into the history books numerous times, will now have new meaning in the world of wrestling. Because i am not Ash Soulsfate, i am not Trey Baxter, i don't kneel to the feet of the fans, i don't kneel at the feet of corporate, i kneel to nobody. I would rather fall during the cause than ever have to live on my knees to these fans.
"Do you understand my logic now? I'm sorry to keep bringing this up but you have to understand how big this is. How we are bringing about a new dawn, a new era. Everything we're working to achieve here..." I finish, knowing she's heard the speech multiple times, and i know what she thinks of it.
She's silent for a moment, and i grin.
"You actually thinking about what i said? Wow, i have changed you Goddess. Usually i'd have a sarcastic remark by now." I say, and she grunts.
"Don't flatter yourself, you're just as crazy as when i met you. Although the circumstances were different then." She says, obviously recalling the first time we met in the locker room.
"Ha, oh yeah, that was when i was actually friends with that massive oaf." I say, recalling Apostle Kried. "And we know what happened to him..." I say, grinning down at Bliss, who grins back.
"Well, it did take a steel pipe and a towel." She says, with those defiant, stubborn eyes. Always challenging me to the end.
"Haha, just like it took a steel chair to knock you and Roxi out when Kuk made his presence known. And just like it took a car to end Trey Baxter's career. Just like it took a distraction or two to have Kuk beat you...." I say, reeling off the list as if i'm proud of it.
"Whatever it takes sweetheart." I say, grinning, as i cast my eyes to where the clock is. It reads 1:00 AM and i'm surprised that i've been listening to the music for so long.
"You still haven't answered my question..." She says, as i stroke her hair. My expression turns serious for a moment as i think.
I remain silent and she takes the hint, knowing that i'm not ready to answer it just yet, hell, i don't even know what my answer is.
"Tell you what." I say. "You were certainly right the other night."
"What do you mean?" She asks.
"You certainly can't date normal guys." I say, smiling as i look down at her, and she grins back up at me.
"Well, it does have it's perks..." She says, and i grin, as we kiss.
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The following morning we woke up together and she stayed for breakfast, something that seemed very awkward at the time but looking back was probably to do with the fact that we weren't actually going out, and we weren't exactly sure what was going on between us. I mean sure, we'd been fuck buddies for a while now but things had started to get serious, and with the match at Road to Glory coming up, and with all the glory and triumph i would be reigning in after that match, the serious talk could wait.
Because first and foremost, was arrogance.
She'd left immediately afterwards, getting ready for her flight and i realized i had a flight to catch as well, with a few people. I pick up my phone and dial a few numbers, watching the door in which Bliss had disappeared minutes ago and wondering what it was about her that interested me so much.
I'd struggle to ever find a better body on a woman, that was for sure, but that wasn't just it, nor was it the fact that having cups that size without enhancement is something that is rarer than most precious gems, and needed to be treasured.
But it wasn't just that, it was something else. Her defiance, her stubbornness, her personality and her undying belief that she is the best there is was all an attraction to, but most of all i think it was the fact that she was broken, just like me. We were both practically outcasts because of the anger built up inside us, and we both had made poor decisions in our lives.
I'd spent most of the time convincing her that everything i'd worked for over the past few months was worth it, that every single thing that spurted from my mouth was not just truth, but prophecy. Every single time i opened my mouth it was for the better of...well me.
"You there?" I say, over an oddly fuzzy cellphone line. I hear a muffled response from the man on the other line before the phone becomes clear and i hear the sound of panting - he's probably just finished working out for this week's match. Defending the tag team titles in a fatal four way tag team match certainly required full concentration.
"Hey mate, you talked to your long-haired tag team partner by any chance?" I say, as Andre Dixon laughs. We'd gotten along well since he'd joined forces with Cable and the Age of Arrogance, and realistically it was still just the three of us - with Kuk as purely an insurance policy, for now that is. I have a feeling that soon he'd see the light, soon enough he'll be more than sympathetic to our cause.
"Yeah Drake, he's right here. You wanna talk to him?" He asks, yelling out to Cable.
"God no." I say, and Dixon laughs. "No, i just wanted to tell you that we're all catching a flight in a couple of hours so grab your titles and meet over here in twenty." I say, picking up my jacket and throwing it over my back, as i grab a bottle of water from the fridge and a packet of chips and lay back on the couch. "And tell Chris that this time he better remember his elbow pad, in case of any....sticky situations."
Andre laughs, getting my meaning and yelling out to Cable across what i presume is the gym.
"No problem." He says, "Are you ready for all this? Is everything set?"
"Mate, things could not have been set up better. Millennium Pro Wrestling is about to get a whole lot more anarchy, and then, we reign supreme." I imagine that Dixon's grin is as wide as mine as we think about the repercussions of what will happen this week and everything about to transgress, because this week the wheels get set in motion and everything comes together, and is going to explode.
And that's when we strike.
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The flight over was uneventful, and as expected when we get our bags and are directed outside towards our transport to the hotels, there's a multitude of fans awaiting the arrivals of MPW's biggest superstars. We'd all been booked to fly in on the same day, so the crowds were fairly large - as they should be, considering this was the biggest event in the company's history and the greatest thing any of these puny, pathetic individuals would ever see.
As usual they came out with their little signs, their chants and cheers as the likes of Roxi Johnson, Ash Soulsfate and and especially for Rage, who signed some autographs and talked to a couple of the fans as we walked by. They didn't mean anything to us, never will.
One thing i did notice was the greater magnitudes of people who seemed to support the cause. Every time i came across them i couldn't help but grin, it only takes a few small explosions to draw people's attention, and then you prepare the bomb. It didn't matter how many people wanted to boo us or how many people understood what we're fighting for, the bottom line was that they would all see on thursday, they'd all see exactly what we'd do to their prized little World champion and their innocent little tag teams.
Because this thursday, Road to Glory would explode with hatred, all directed towards the anti-Christs, the anarchists, the outcasts, the outlaws, the unwelcome ones in Millennium Pro Wrestling. Because we would be messing up the little fans' good time, we would be stomping on their dreams of having a superhero as the World champion.
We would be eliminating their hope, their dreams, and i will love every single goddamn minute of it.
We enter the limo and zoom off towards the hotel where we'd be staying, as the sound of beer glasses clinking inside the limo resonates through my mind and i grin at my comrades as we move into the city that would define a new era.
We arrive at the hotel and all go to our rooms for room service, and i tell Cable and Dixon that i'll meet them in my room the next morning for the conference before the storm. It's almost five o'clock by the time i'm on the couch with the TV on, my sweat cleaned up in the shower from my workout and the punching bag with a significant amount of holes in it.
I grin as i switch it onto the Wrestling Television Network and see the pre-show for MPW's Road to Glory starting, just after some random show about a Monday night wrestling program starring somebody that looks suspiciously like an ex-MPW wrestler clouded in controversy. Good luck to anybody willing to take in such a dick.
The host is a guy i've never seen before, maybe they're giving some new guys some jobs in MPW. He speaks for a bit about a recent signing in Millennium Pro Wrestling - some guy called Jaysin Reigns. Let's hope he works out better than the last few, between THE Douchbag, the Queen of Porn and Tom Sawyer, we certainly needed some good fresh blood in here.
That is, just as long as he stays away from us...
The doorbell rings and i jump up from my lying position on the couch and pull open the door revealing a Goddess in her gym gear. She's sweating so i can only imagine that she's been to the gym training for her match against Roxi Johnson, just like i was training before. It was unusual for us to share a room together, but I guess this was a very....special week.0
"Well, i see you're back. I thought you'd run away. Of course, i'm just too irresistible..." I say, mockingly.
"I see the trip hasn't scarred any of your usual arrogance..." She says, smiling.
"Arrogant? Who? Me?" I say, pulling her into the room and going to turn the TV off so we can get to the shower.
"Wait." She says, motioning for me to not turn off the TV. I turn and see none other than Bliss herself on the TV, highlights of her recent matches. Suddenly it flashes onto the recent events of her and Roxi, including not only the contract signing, but also the incident with Kuk and his initiation into the Age of Arrogance.
"You know i still haven't forgiven you for that chair shot..." She says, looking at me with those stubborn eyes i've come to love...wait, did i just say love? Fuck, how has this girl got me so wrapped around her finger?
"Purely business sweetheart..." I say, as the replay shows and the chair shot is shown in slot motion, as if just proving her point. I can practically feel her eyes burrowing into the back of my head. "Plus, we got Roxi as well..."
"I'm going to have a shower." She says, and i know she's trying to hide the resentment she has for being hit over the head with a chair.
"Okay babe, i'll be in in a sec." I say, flicking off the TV as i pull the bottle of water back off of the table and taking a big gulp as i throw the bottle in the bin after downing it's entire contents. I'm about to turn around when the doorbell rings once more, and i pause for a second. The only person who knew my hotel room number was in my bathroom - not even Cable and Dixon knew - well, bothered to even remember - my room number, and it was too late for the journalists to be out and about.
"God, this better be good." I say as i move towards the door.
It's when i pull open the door that a thousand feelings start running through my mind at seeing her face. Why was it she kept popping up at the most important matches in MPW?
"Grace..." I say with a mixture of surprise and coolness, hiding the hint of disdain that came with seeing Grace Courtland.
"Hey Drake!" She says, with much more excitement than my greeting. "How've you been?" She asks, and i notice that she's wearing a very short skirt - too short for just a friendly visit. Either she wants in my pants, or she wants an interview. I'd say that's about 50/50.
I let her into the apartment after exchanging greetings, and i see that she's got a recorder in hand. Which is probably a good thing, considering how Kahlan would react to the idea of a threesome...
Then i hear the door open behind me, and i smile as i wait for the trains wreck to happen.
"Hey Dr-" Bliss starts to say before she sees Grace standing next to me, and she looks from me to Grace, as i simply stand there with an amused look on my face, and Grace looks stunned at the woman standing in my bathroom doorway with sweaty, tight gym clothes on. It takes a moment for her to recognize that the woman is indeed Bliss, and when she does she looks at me with a look of amazement and stun, although i can see a hint of betrayal in those eyes. Whatever me and Gracie had before i left for America, it was long gone. I was just a teen back then, and i was a fool.
"Grace Courtland, i would like to introduce you to "The Goddess" Bliss..." I say, motioning my arms towards Kahlan with a massive grin across my face. "Kah, i would like to introduce you to Grace Courtland. She's an old friend of mine." I say, looking back at Grace as she looks awkwardly at Bliss.
"Um, nice to meet you. I'm actually here for an interview with Drake, sorry for intruding." Grace says.
"Damn, so the threesome's out of the question then..." I say, clicking my fingers in fake annoyance, as my smile grows wider. Bliss hits me in the chest, playfully, and Grace just shakes her head, walking back towards the door.
"I'll just go then, i didn't realize you had company."
"No, stay Grace. I need somewhere to shit talk don't I?" I say, smiling at Bliss as she smiles back and goes back into the bathroom.
"Don't take too long." She says, as i hear the shower turn on and imagine the warm water running down the Goddess's smooth, perfect skin. Suddenly there is another knocking at the door and Grace pulls it open, after speaking.
"Oh good, the cameraman's here." She pulls the door open and in comes a man with a portable camera strapped to his shoulder, a stand in his other hand. He greets me with a smile which i simply ignore, and then sit on the edge of the couch and wait for him to set up. Grace pulls the tape recorder and pulls out a couple of sheets of paper, and i can't help but notice that her interview with me at Army of One wasn't nearly as high-tech as this.
I must've been the stepping stone for her career.
Still, all of this preparation wouldn't really pay off, because i intended to do most of the talking. This was as much a promo as an interview.
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen of Pro Wrestling Max Magazine and PWMax.com, i am here with none other than "Punk" Drake Hunter. Drake Hunter, you are the man that will face the Millennium Pro Wrestling champion Ash Soulsfate this thursday, in what will be MPW's biggest event of them all. First of all, i'd love to get your thoughts on everything that's been happ-"
I grab the tape recorder from her hand and push her out of the screen as i throw it on the ground, turning to the camera.
"Grace, if you want to get the best story possible then do yourself a favor and simply shut...up..." She looks at me stunned, she knows i'd never spoken to her like that before.
"Because what i have to say is much more important than any questions you may have to ask me. You can ask questions later, because first i've got to get this shit talk rolling don't i? I mean after Ash's pitiful and childish attempt at mocking me last week it would only be right come back with a quick witted skit of my own wouldn't it?"
"Maybe i could cut my hair, rip up mu shirt and knock half my teeth out and start acting like the sort of person you are Ash. Or maybe i could go down to the local insane asylum and hire out a superhero outfit and pretend to be Roxi Johnson? So many choices, and you know what they all have in common?"
"They're all part of the same thing, they're all part of the very thing we're trying to destroy. Because Ash Soulsfate, Rage, Trey Baxter, Roxi Johnson, all of you are part of the same little club, a club that the people in corporates have had their grip squeezed firmly around their throats. Because it's not why you are Roxi, it's not who you are Ash, it's not even what you do..."
"It's what you fail to do every single week."
"Because you sum up this revolution, you sum up all that is wrong with this world. You are the problem, you embody the entire facility of this problem. It's what we like to call, the popularity problem..."
"Because come thursday the revolution begins, there's no more of this popularity contest that's clouded over Millennium Pro Wrestling, there's no more jumping the cue because you can sell much more merchandise then anybody else, there's simply our ideal, our philosophy that will stretch across this entire company - hell, across the entire business."
"We are the harbingers of change, the bringers of the new era, we are the arrivals of anarchy and the coming of destruction and when we finally, finally gets our hands on every single title in this goddamn company, then maybe you people will realize that your little dreams of having superheroes on top of the company, your dream of having the good guys all win, is no more."
"Let me just get one thing straight for you though. You see we're not mercenaries, we're not renegades, we're not the Total Wanking Icons or the New Generations Spastics, we're simply about principle. We're about honour. If you're looking for a bunch of renegades who just wanna cause havoc and are sold to the highest bidder, then go somewhere else. Because that's not what we're about, we're about principle, we're about honour, and where honour no longer exists we're going to step in, and rectify that."
"Because every single person in the back of that locker room is guilty, there is not one person back there who is free from injustice because they commit it every day. Every single day, people like Ash Soulsfate, people like Rage, Trey Baxter, Roxi Johnson, they are all part of the problem. In fact, they are the problem..."
"But where to start, there's so much to say, so many choices to speak about...Well, how about we start with you Roxi? You said that you have a vision, you said that in your mind the best world is one with rules in it. Hell, you even said those three words i love the most, those three words that give me the most pleasure in this world..."
"I. Hate. You."
"Does it run through your blood Roxi? Do you feel it every time you see a picture of me? Every time you step into that ring with me? Because let me tell you, you're not the first, and you most certainly won't be the last person to echo those infamous three words to me. I've made a career on getting people to hate me, i'm twenty three years of age and i've heard those three words more than i've heard any other phrase in my life."
"This career i've made, out of pissing people off and driving them to the edge, it's part of why i do this. It's all part of why i do this. You say that rules are made to hold back people like you, well i think of it differently. You see, rules aren't made to hold back the bad things inside people like me, they're there to protect people like you from people like me. They're there to protect insignificant little nobodies who seem to think that they can wrestle from people like the Technical Messiah of professional wrestling."
"You know the old saying, Rules are made to be broken? Well trust me, that is something i live by every single day of my life." I brush a bit of hair from my forehead as i continue, feeling Gracie's eyes burrowing into the back of my skull. I know this isn't what she was expecting, but i couldn't give a crap about her anymore. This was about me.
Only me.
"You said that rules need to govern me, you say that without them the world becomes chaos. Well what's life without chaos? What's life without anarchy? I'll tell you what, life is far too short to be held back by rules and regulations that try to govern us and force people like the ones in corporate to make us all their slaves. That's not how society should work."
"Society, in the grand scheme of things, should have more chaos, more anarchy. Because it is only when the rules are broken and the regulations are tossed away that we are able to truly enrich our lives. That we can finally live our lives the way we want to live them, without having to bow to people like the fans."
"You say that if i want chaos, i'm not calling for a revolution, i'm calling for anarchy. Well you're dead wrong Roxi..."
"I want both."
"Because the only way things will finally be brought into the realm of justice once more is if the corporates no longer have their hands around our throats, forcing us down on our knees. The only way things are going to get better around here is if things get a whole lot worse, is if there's somebody here that ignores the rules, that breaks them, that tosses them away. That's what we're here for."
"But i know that you don't want that, just like Ash doesn't want that, because that would mean you couldn't climb your ladder wouldn't it? That would mean you'd still be stuck in the realms of insignificance, where you should be, where you were until a month ago when you sucked off corporates enough that they bumped you up the card. Guess what Roxi? I couldn't care less about your revolution, i couldn't care less about your rules and regulations and how you want everybody to have a fair chance, because you know the only thing i care about?"
"Justice."
"And you, my crazy, deluded, Roxi, are one of the main perpetrators of injustice in this company. But here's the thing, just like the others like you, it's not who you are. Hell, it's not even what you do. It's what you fail to do, what you simply accept. Every single night when you go out there you go into that ring with false credentials, purely because of what the fans want, purely because they're buying the Roxi Johnson action figures and t-shirts and purely because corporates know you're a money making tool."
"And here's the thing, you let yourself be one. You, just like everybody else lets yourself be a money making tool. And that's where we come in, we're going to right the injustice that comes about from the greedy suits up there, sitting down with their g-strings and complicated cups of coffee as they shove more and more money into their pockets, probably to go spend on some new talent that they can warp into another money-making tool."
"We are the cure for the injustice that surrounds Millennium Pro Wrestling, we are the cure to the popularity problem. We, the Age of Arrogance, are the solution, to people like you. And people like my opponent for this week..."
"Which brings me neatly onto the topic of Ash Soulsfate." I fiddle with the microphone in my hand as i drop my head and think to myself, laughing out loud before i look up at the camera once more.
"Ash Soulsfate. Always so predictable, aren't you Ashy boy? You're always the one that the fans look up to, you're the one that makes the most money out of all of them, hell you could probably give Trey Baxter a run for his - sorry - their money. Because the people look up to you, the people that attend our events and see us perform look up to you like a hero."
"And what happens then? Of course, they go and buy your shit. They go and buy little Ash Soulsfate posters so they can wank to their favorite 'superstar' with your shiny World title belt. And that's all you are to them, a 'superstar'. I'll tell you something, it sickens me. Not you, you don't sicken me Ash. In fact in another life, i'd probably admire you. After all you're one hell of a shit talker. But here's the thing, everything that comes out of your mouth, every single word that spurts from your pathetic little mouth is a piece of garbage that mirrors you as a person."
"Because you encompass all that's wrong with this business, you are the figurehead for our problem. Oh sure, you never wanted the fans to cheer for you, you don't go out there and actively seek their approval. Well bullshit to that. This is exactly what the corporates want. This is exactly their plan, to have somebody on top that the fans love, that they love to cheer and love to chant."
"And then what? The problem continues, the popularity problem grows stronger and stronger, nothing gets cured. Because we are the Age of Arrogance, we are the solution to this problem."
"So Ash, this week you step into the ring with the Technical Messiah. This week it all comes to a boiling point when we step into that MPW ring together and my destiny is finally fulfilled. I am going to raise that title high in the air, and I am going to do to you what I did to you last week - slam your head to the mat with a Death in Advance. Maybe then the crowd will stop chanting your name because maybe then they'll know just how much of a failure you are. Maybe then they'll see how expendable you are and move on to the next fad of a superstar, because that's all you are to them, a fad, expendable, irrelevant."
"And after this week, you'll simply be another person on the list of victims. Victims of arrogance, victims of the Age of Arrogance and victims of the revolution. Because every single thing we do is for the better of this company, MY company. Every single time we step into that ring we are going to show the world exactly what they are doing to this company and to wrestling in general. It's just like I said, we are the solution to this popularity problem."
"Ash, I knew you were predictable, because I know your type. You like to shit talk, you think that you're invincible when all you really are is a little man with a big championship to hold onto. All you really can do is smile for the fans and pull off a few wrestling moves, but when you get into the ring with me, one on one, no partners, no distractions, no stipulations except for one thing: that World title."
"They've thrown everything they can at us: princesses, goddesses, steel, superheroes, and now the true task. Now the real objective. Now comes the true challenge, doesn't it Ash? Because Johnny Clash, Trey Baxter, hell even my mate Kuk Killswitch. They all pale in comparison to the one man that defeated twenty-nine others, the one man that is leading the revolution on the biggest problem the wrestling world has seen. Me."
"We all know the history, we all know the details, what we don't know is the present. What we don't know, is how this thing is going to turn out. But i do. I know how it's all going to turn out, because i'm arrogant - it's one of the perks of the job. It turns out with me standing on top of your tired, broken body, holding my neck from all of the pain i've had to endure in getting to the top. I know this isn't going to be easy Ash, and so do you. But the thing is, even though i know this isn't going to be easy, i also know that there is nothing that will stop me from obtaining that shiny belt, that valued piece of gold."
"Because i am the best in this goddamn company and there is no way in hell that you can beat me when we step into that ring on thursday. You can be as predictable as you want, dressing up like me with that slut of a girlfriend you've got there and try to hit on the woman i'm sleeping with."
"Hell, i'm pretty sure Poe would go for an Ash sandwich wouldn't she? After all, she's done it in videos before." I laugh to myself, seeing Grace getting further and further impatient.
"But here's the thing Ash. You're juvenile, you're nothing more than an insignificant little asshole pushed further and further up the tree because he sells cool t-shirts. And guess what? This week, that ends. You go back to the back of the line, where you belong. Then we can finally have a world champion in this company that's half respectable."
"But Ash, i know you're going to reject absolutely all of this, because you have an ego, just like me, and you're probably going to come up with some snide remark about insulting me about who i choose to sleep with, but the bottom line is this: mine's a whole lot better than yours..." I laugh as i turn my head towards the bathroom. The shower's stopped and i know she's listening, just like the world will be listening.
"So bring everything you've got, i know you'll do nothing less. I want you to bring absolutely every single piece of energy you've got into that ring, because i can guarantee you i'm going to be doing the same, and i'm going to guarantee you something: Every single thing you can do, i will be there to counter it. Every single thing i do, you will be there to counter it. Every punch, kick, and strike will be matched by another punch, kick and strike. I know you're going to bring it, just like i am. The only difference is, yours won't be enough."
"Because tomorrow night you don't just step into the ring with Drake Hunter, you step into the ring with the ideal. You step into the ring with something far beyond your comprehension, and i can absolutely guarantee you that when you step out of that ring, whether or not your on your own two feet or whether you're able to even see is depending on circumstances that we'll see about tomorrow night. But one thing's for sure - tomorrow night you won't be walking out with that World championship."
"Because that honour is going to be bestowed upon me. Tomorrow night we step into the ring, but i can guarantee this one thing: I am going to be your next World champion. And it's going to happen on thursday the seventh of March, when my destiny is fulfilled." I turn back to Grace, who's finally relieved that my extensive promo is finally finished. She grabs her tape recorder and raises it to her mouth, ready to ask a question.
But i have other ideas.
"One question." I say, and Grace looks a little stunned. "You've got one question to ask me before i move onto....other things." I say, and Grace looks at me with a stunned expression, but decides not to argue.
"Okay..." She says, deliberating her question. "Okay, you talk about the revolution coming, you talk about how everything is coming and you've been planning for God knows how long, well, what exactly are you planning to do in this revolution?"
"Ha, Grace trust you to always try and get the first scoop, always trying to know too much. I'll say this..."
"Things in MPW have to get a lot worse before they get better. And believe me, things are going to get a whole lot worse. Because the End Is Where we begin. The end of the corporates reign over this company, the end of Ash Soulsfate's title reign, and the end of the restrictions of rules and their grip over this company. The End. Is Where. we Begin..."
With that i walk off, telling Grace and the cameraman to see their ways out as i enter the bathroom and smile as i think of this thursday, and everything that will come to progress when i stand atop Ash Soulsfate with the World title hoisted high in the air...
------FIN--------