Post by soulshadow on Jan 6, 2014 19:53:45 GMT -5
{Located in the suburbs of Boston is located the home of MPW wrestler and reigning World Tag Team champion Soul Shadow. Though his wrestling career and sports agency business has earned him considerable wealth, his house is relatively modest by most people’s standards. It is a decent-sized colonial surrounded by woods on a fairly large parcel of land. Once inside, one would find only two things indicative of his success. The indoor pool located in the back draws the attention of most visitors. Yet it is the trophy room in the basement of which the champion is most proud.}
{At present, Soul Shadow is walking through that very room, looking at his various memorabilia from his career. On one wall is a picture of a younger version of himself and another individual, recognizable to diehard wrestling fans as three-time former World champion Dread Saxon, holding up a pair of matching title belts. Next to it is a famed photograph of him holding his late wife close, a large gold belt hung over his shoulder, as confetti rains down from the top of the Georgia Dome. As he moves down the line, Soul passes a smaller image of himself holding up a championship with Seattle’s Space Needle in the background. Finally, he stops next to the obvious most recent portrait: him and Aeryn Ashfield, bloody, bruised, and very triumphant, showcasing their newly captured MPW World Tag Team championships.}
Soul: Ah the joys of being a champion. In the insular world of pro wrestling, there is no bigger thrill than capturing a title. At that moment, you go from being a member of the pack to becoming the alpha dog. After months and perhaps years of hard work, you finally have earned the ultimate accomplishment in our sport. Your claims of being the best are at last validated. As long as you hold the gold around your waist, you are the seen as the ultimate representative of the company.
{Soul walks over to a glass case, where inside resides a replica of the late and lamented National Wrestling Council World Heavyweight championship. Fondness bleeds from his eyes as he stares at it.}
Soul: Of course, the triumph of a championship does not come without its own tribulations. After being the hunter for so long, you are now one of the hunted. Everyone is looking to knock you from the top of the mountain, even those you consider to be your friends. Even when the belt is not on the line, your opponents are going to give you one hundred and fifty percent just to prove themselves against the best. As long as you hold onto the gold, an enormous target will be etched onto your back and the entire world will be taking aim.
{Soul leaves the trophy case and walks over to a table, where his current MPW World Tag Team belt is sitting. He places one hand on it.}
Soul: In the decade since my last title run, I hadn’t spared those truths one single thought. However, once Aeryn and I claimed these belts as our own, all of those feelings and memories came rushing back in an instant. They are simply the way of life for those who are champions. It is a life of which my opponent this Sunday is absolutely familiar.
{Soul lifts the belt from the table, running his hand along the letters “MPW”.}
Soul: Roxi Johnson, in my mind at least, you are the most successful person in the short history of MPW. This belt in my hands is the only major one you have not claimed as your own during your career. Your TV title reign raised its prestige to another level. The battles you and Bliss had over the Sin City gold ranks as the fed’s most legendary feud. And your defeat of Trey Baxter for the World Heavyweight championship represented the beginning of the end for Iconic Aggression. Time and time again you have proven yourself to be amongst the greatest to ever step in the ring.
{Soul replaces his title belt on the table.}
Soul: This may come as a surprise to you given the conversation Aeryn and I had with your friend Johnny this past Sunday, Roxi, but I truly do admire what you have done. For months, you led the fight against the stranglehold Iconic Aggression had clamped onto MPW. Despite having lost your Sin City title to his running buddy Blaze… despite having lost on your first opportunity to beat him for the World title… you never lost faith. It was you who brought together the various individuals who had been beaten down and humiliated by them over the past few months and formed the Resistance, with the single purpose of teaching them an enduring lesson. In the end, you were able to stand triumphant, with your force now holding all three of the best singles titles in our sport while Baxter, Blaze, King, and Leila were all sent scurrying into the night. For that, you have my respect.
Soul: But that does not mean you have my trust.
{Soul turns away from the table and once again approaches the portraits. His eyes move between the pictures of him celebrating title wins with his longtime friend Dread and his current partner Aeryn, as well as the one of him kissing the first love of his life and mother of his child.}
Soul: Trust is something which does not come easy to me, Roxi. I tend to view the world through the eyes of a businessman. You can work with people towards common goals. You can make deals which bond you with people for a certain amount of time. However, once the relationship stops being beneficial to one of the parties, there will be a break if not an eventual stabbing in the back. It is just human nature.
{Soul reaches forward, touching the image of his deceased wife.}
Soul: In my life, I have only ever truly trusted three people. My late wife taught me about love as she stood by my side all through college, building my business, and starting my wresting career. She was the first person to cheer my successes and comfort me after my failures.
{His fingers are raised as he looks at Dread’s image.}
Soul: Dread Saxon was the first friend I ever made in the entire wrestling business. Both he and I were rookies struggling against the veterans of the Cyber Wrestling Federation. To try and jumpstart our careers, we decided to form a tag team and soon bonded battling some of the most vicious teams the sport had ever seen. We spilled blood, both our own and our enemies, together. One cannot go through such wars at one’s side without developing a lasting trust.
{Soul turns his attention to Aeryn’s image, a smile forming across his face.}
Soul: Those wars are the exact same reason I found myself willing to tie my future to Aeryn’s. Yes, she had separated from me at the height of my war with Crow and his Damned cronies as we were going to be on opposite sides of the Roll the Dice match. Yet, she proved herself by willfully inserting herself into that fight, helping me to end my feud with them and then riding that momentum to win our first gold in years. Since teaming with me she has been beaten, battered, and bruised. And despite all that, she has always remained by side. For going through that, I find myself loving and trusting her explicitly.
{Soul steps back once more, surveying all the images of three of the most important people in his life.}
Soul: These three are the only ones in my entire lifetime, who were not related to me by blood, to earn my trust. And I returned that faith with all of my heart. With all three, I formed an unbreakable bond. We worked together, we bleed together, we fought together. Our minds, hearts, and souls became one. My wife, Aeryn, and Dread all shared a similar view of the world, and that is what allowed us to join together in order to stand together against it.
{Soul turns from the pictures and faces the camera.}
Soul: Thing is, Roxi, I don’t ever think I could ever reach that level of trust with you. Yes, we have been in the ring together twice on the same side. Yet at no point have I ever felt we were on the same page. The first time we teamed together against Carter and Newman, you seemed to view me as almost being nothing more than an accessory to your battle with them, despite me having the more recent battles with them, especially the former. Of course, I guess I must have impressed you given you deigned to allow Johnny to offer Aeryn and I a place in your little club. Once again, we both appreciated the invitation. But we could never accept it.
{Soul sighs as he once more glances back at his current partner’s image.}
Soul: You see, Roxi, we don’t quite share the same world view you do. I’ve seen your promos and have followed your many adventures as “Roxi, superhero.” They are certainly cute, though in this day and age I do not understand why you don’t simply call the cops then record a video on your smartphone for evidence. They also reveal that you apparently see life in black and white. To you, everyone is either a good guy or a bad guy. You act as if the world is strictly made up of heroes and villains, with very little distinction in-between.
{Soul shakes his head as if in disbelief.}
Soul: Even for someone as younger than me as yourself, I must admit I am floored anyone past puberty would continue to have that attitude. It isn’t black and white, rather is made of shades of grey. People are flawed and quite complex, Roxi. Good people occasionally do bad things in order to survive. Bad people tend to be more complex, willing to do anything to perhaps protect their families and those they love. People’s motives are never simple, Roxi. Why people do things is never as simply as good versus evil.
{Soul once again takes up his current title belt.}
Soul: Would it surprise you to know that, unlike you, my battles with the Damned and Iconic Aggression had nothing to do with their perceived “evilness”? I could have cared less about Crow, but after our first battle he became obsessed with me and would not leave me alone until Aeryn and I soundly defeated him in the middle of the ring. As for Trey and Jackass… they had something I wanted. Very badly. So I became determined to take it.
{A glint appears in Soul’s eye as he looks at the camera.}
Soul: Just like you.
{A slight smile plays across his lips.}
Soul: Aeryn and I wanted Iconic Aggression’s tag team titles… nothing more and nothing less. In reality, we could have cared less about the games they played with the rest of the roster. We were only concerned with ourselves and becoming champions. We wanted their belts for ourselves. And we were willing to do anything to get them. I honestly don’t think Trey and Jackson expected that. They were too used to facing opponents who were too righteous and too… pure to really stoop to the levels they were willing to go in defense of their gold. So when Aeryn and I showed in that bloody match just how far we would take it in pursuit of our goals, they were caught completely unaware. We weren’t quite the angels they expected us to be.
{Soul pats his belt as he looks around at the replica belts which line the room.}
Soul: And I am not quite the angel I imagine you expect me to be either, Roxi. Having been in your shoes, I know what you are thinking. You know this will be a challenge. You know this will be a quite a test. You expect this to be a battle of honor between two warriors who respect each other. But you also expect to come out on top. If only because you wrestled others like me before, and have always emerged victorious.
{Soul returns his attention to the camera.}
Soul: But just like Trey and Jackass found out, I am not quite what you are expecting, Roxi. There is another claim on your belt right now, so I wouldn’t take it from you right now even if this was a title match. However, this match is a chance for me to show just how worthy I am singles gold in the future, be it your title, Clash’s, or Taufik’s. For that, I will do anything and everything I have to in order to win this match. I will take you to the outside and work you over. I will use the five-count on rope breaks to full advantage. I won’t straight out cheat, Roxi, but I will not wrestle pure either.
Soul: This is my proving ground, Roxi. And if you expect me to be a good guy in this case, champ, you will find yourself on the losing end. For this match, I will become that shade of grey.
{Soul begins to turn to leave the room, but pauses.}
Soul: And that, you can trust.
{With that, Soul exits the room. The camera focuses on the picture of him and Aeryn, then fades to black…}
{At present, Soul Shadow is walking through that very room, looking at his various memorabilia from his career. On one wall is a picture of a younger version of himself and another individual, recognizable to diehard wrestling fans as three-time former World champion Dread Saxon, holding up a pair of matching title belts. Next to it is a famed photograph of him holding his late wife close, a large gold belt hung over his shoulder, as confetti rains down from the top of the Georgia Dome. As he moves down the line, Soul passes a smaller image of himself holding up a championship with Seattle’s Space Needle in the background. Finally, he stops next to the obvious most recent portrait: him and Aeryn Ashfield, bloody, bruised, and very triumphant, showcasing their newly captured MPW World Tag Team championships.}
Soul: Ah the joys of being a champion. In the insular world of pro wrestling, there is no bigger thrill than capturing a title. At that moment, you go from being a member of the pack to becoming the alpha dog. After months and perhaps years of hard work, you finally have earned the ultimate accomplishment in our sport. Your claims of being the best are at last validated. As long as you hold the gold around your waist, you are the seen as the ultimate representative of the company.
{Soul walks over to a glass case, where inside resides a replica of the late and lamented National Wrestling Council World Heavyweight championship. Fondness bleeds from his eyes as he stares at it.}
Soul: Of course, the triumph of a championship does not come without its own tribulations. After being the hunter for so long, you are now one of the hunted. Everyone is looking to knock you from the top of the mountain, even those you consider to be your friends. Even when the belt is not on the line, your opponents are going to give you one hundred and fifty percent just to prove themselves against the best. As long as you hold onto the gold, an enormous target will be etched onto your back and the entire world will be taking aim.
{Soul leaves the trophy case and walks over to a table, where his current MPW World Tag Team belt is sitting. He places one hand on it.}
Soul: In the decade since my last title run, I hadn’t spared those truths one single thought. However, once Aeryn and I claimed these belts as our own, all of those feelings and memories came rushing back in an instant. They are simply the way of life for those who are champions. It is a life of which my opponent this Sunday is absolutely familiar.
{Soul lifts the belt from the table, running his hand along the letters “MPW”.}
Soul: Roxi Johnson, in my mind at least, you are the most successful person in the short history of MPW. This belt in my hands is the only major one you have not claimed as your own during your career. Your TV title reign raised its prestige to another level. The battles you and Bliss had over the Sin City gold ranks as the fed’s most legendary feud. And your defeat of Trey Baxter for the World Heavyweight championship represented the beginning of the end for Iconic Aggression. Time and time again you have proven yourself to be amongst the greatest to ever step in the ring.
{Soul replaces his title belt on the table.}
Soul: This may come as a surprise to you given the conversation Aeryn and I had with your friend Johnny this past Sunday, Roxi, but I truly do admire what you have done. For months, you led the fight against the stranglehold Iconic Aggression had clamped onto MPW. Despite having lost your Sin City title to his running buddy Blaze… despite having lost on your first opportunity to beat him for the World title… you never lost faith. It was you who brought together the various individuals who had been beaten down and humiliated by them over the past few months and formed the Resistance, with the single purpose of teaching them an enduring lesson. In the end, you were able to stand triumphant, with your force now holding all three of the best singles titles in our sport while Baxter, Blaze, King, and Leila were all sent scurrying into the night. For that, you have my respect.
Soul: But that does not mean you have my trust.
{Soul turns away from the table and once again approaches the portraits. His eyes move between the pictures of him celebrating title wins with his longtime friend Dread and his current partner Aeryn, as well as the one of him kissing the first love of his life and mother of his child.}
Soul: Trust is something which does not come easy to me, Roxi. I tend to view the world through the eyes of a businessman. You can work with people towards common goals. You can make deals which bond you with people for a certain amount of time. However, once the relationship stops being beneficial to one of the parties, there will be a break if not an eventual stabbing in the back. It is just human nature.
{Soul reaches forward, touching the image of his deceased wife.}
Soul: In my life, I have only ever truly trusted three people. My late wife taught me about love as she stood by my side all through college, building my business, and starting my wresting career. She was the first person to cheer my successes and comfort me after my failures.
{His fingers are raised as he looks at Dread’s image.}
Soul: Dread Saxon was the first friend I ever made in the entire wrestling business. Both he and I were rookies struggling against the veterans of the Cyber Wrestling Federation. To try and jumpstart our careers, we decided to form a tag team and soon bonded battling some of the most vicious teams the sport had ever seen. We spilled blood, both our own and our enemies, together. One cannot go through such wars at one’s side without developing a lasting trust.
{Soul turns his attention to Aeryn’s image, a smile forming across his face.}
Soul: Those wars are the exact same reason I found myself willing to tie my future to Aeryn’s. Yes, she had separated from me at the height of my war with Crow and his Damned cronies as we were going to be on opposite sides of the Roll the Dice match. Yet, she proved herself by willfully inserting herself into that fight, helping me to end my feud with them and then riding that momentum to win our first gold in years. Since teaming with me she has been beaten, battered, and bruised. And despite all that, she has always remained by side. For going through that, I find myself loving and trusting her explicitly.
{Soul steps back once more, surveying all the images of three of the most important people in his life.}
Soul: These three are the only ones in my entire lifetime, who were not related to me by blood, to earn my trust. And I returned that faith with all of my heart. With all three, I formed an unbreakable bond. We worked together, we bleed together, we fought together. Our minds, hearts, and souls became one. My wife, Aeryn, and Dread all shared a similar view of the world, and that is what allowed us to join together in order to stand together against it.
{Soul turns from the pictures and faces the camera.}
Soul: Thing is, Roxi, I don’t ever think I could ever reach that level of trust with you. Yes, we have been in the ring together twice on the same side. Yet at no point have I ever felt we were on the same page. The first time we teamed together against Carter and Newman, you seemed to view me as almost being nothing more than an accessory to your battle with them, despite me having the more recent battles with them, especially the former. Of course, I guess I must have impressed you given you deigned to allow Johnny to offer Aeryn and I a place in your little club. Once again, we both appreciated the invitation. But we could never accept it.
{Soul sighs as he once more glances back at his current partner’s image.}
Soul: You see, Roxi, we don’t quite share the same world view you do. I’ve seen your promos and have followed your many adventures as “Roxi, superhero.” They are certainly cute, though in this day and age I do not understand why you don’t simply call the cops then record a video on your smartphone for evidence. They also reveal that you apparently see life in black and white. To you, everyone is either a good guy or a bad guy. You act as if the world is strictly made up of heroes and villains, with very little distinction in-between.
{Soul shakes his head as if in disbelief.}
Soul: Even for someone as younger than me as yourself, I must admit I am floored anyone past puberty would continue to have that attitude. It isn’t black and white, rather is made of shades of grey. People are flawed and quite complex, Roxi. Good people occasionally do bad things in order to survive. Bad people tend to be more complex, willing to do anything to perhaps protect their families and those they love. People’s motives are never simple, Roxi. Why people do things is never as simply as good versus evil.
{Soul once again takes up his current title belt.}
Soul: Would it surprise you to know that, unlike you, my battles with the Damned and Iconic Aggression had nothing to do with their perceived “evilness”? I could have cared less about Crow, but after our first battle he became obsessed with me and would not leave me alone until Aeryn and I soundly defeated him in the middle of the ring. As for Trey and Jackass… they had something I wanted. Very badly. So I became determined to take it.
{A glint appears in Soul’s eye as he looks at the camera.}
Soul: Just like you.
{A slight smile plays across his lips.}
Soul: Aeryn and I wanted Iconic Aggression’s tag team titles… nothing more and nothing less. In reality, we could have cared less about the games they played with the rest of the roster. We were only concerned with ourselves and becoming champions. We wanted their belts for ourselves. And we were willing to do anything to get them. I honestly don’t think Trey and Jackson expected that. They were too used to facing opponents who were too righteous and too… pure to really stoop to the levels they were willing to go in defense of their gold. So when Aeryn and I showed in that bloody match just how far we would take it in pursuit of our goals, they were caught completely unaware. We weren’t quite the angels they expected us to be.
{Soul pats his belt as he looks around at the replica belts which line the room.}
Soul: And I am not quite the angel I imagine you expect me to be either, Roxi. Having been in your shoes, I know what you are thinking. You know this will be a challenge. You know this will be a quite a test. You expect this to be a battle of honor between two warriors who respect each other. But you also expect to come out on top. If only because you wrestled others like me before, and have always emerged victorious.
{Soul returns his attention to the camera.}
Soul: But just like Trey and Jackass found out, I am not quite what you are expecting, Roxi. There is another claim on your belt right now, so I wouldn’t take it from you right now even if this was a title match. However, this match is a chance for me to show just how worthy I am singles gold in the future, be it your title, Clash’s, or Taufik’s. For that, I will do anything and everything I have to in order to win this match. I will take you to the outside and work you over. I will use the five-count on rope breaks to full advantage. I won’t straight out cheat, Roxi, but I will not wrestle pure either.
Soul: This is my proving ground, Roxi. And if you expect me to be a good guy in this case, champ, you will find yourself on the losing end. For this match, I will become that shade of grey.
{Soul begins to turn to leave the room, but pauses.}
Soul: And that, you can trust.
{With that, Soul exits the room. The camera focuses on the picture of him and Aeryn, then fades to black…}
