No Beginning, No End....

[Reaver]

“And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way”

-Frank Sinatra

Knuckles: We’ve all seen this coming for months now Raab. The end is not only here, but the final curtain falls and you will be left with nothing. Sure there will be memories of past accomplishments, but dwelling on the past without release cripples you from within. As a man with storage units filled with skeletons of his own, I can honestly say this. We both have come a long way since our debut’s here in APW. Our reputations followed us throughout this business and nobody believed we were worth a damn.

Yet..

Here we both are, standing face to face for the most brutal championship Action Packed Wrestling has to offer. In a world where both of us seem to thrive….if that’s what you wanna’ call it Raab. It was ME who put this match together Stefan. Not Jeff, not Reginald. ME! Dozens of other, more qualified competition, people who have earned their spot for this final chance and I handed it to you. Just as I handed Jason Kash to you. The man I call brother. The man who has spent half of his career around me; whether it be kicking my ass or standing side by side ready to die with me. I didn’t do that for you Stefan, I did that as payback for last years injury. What more of an insult that to take a loss to the most hated man in APW?

The scene opens slowly as a dark room has flickers of light in the distance. Sparks shooting out fusing metal to metal in what could only be described as a construction project of sorts. “CLANKETY CLANK CLANK” as the noise continues on.

Reaver: HEHEHEHAHAHAHA!!

Knuckles: Just like that win at One Night In Hell, I handed you another bone so to speak. Not because you earned it Stefan. Not because you deserve it. But because im “contractually obligated” and as a fighting man Raab, I always commit to my obligations. Consider this match the final nail in the coffin. I’ve beaten you three times now and they’ve all been unanswered. This match will finally put an end to your reign of tyranny Asylum and the rest of APW have had to endure with you.

All things must come to an end, but there is no end without a beginning….

The shadowy figure continues to work as the sparks fly out higher and higher. He giggles to himself over and over in a very eerie tone.

Knuckles: My personal past has been very well documented Raab. The pain and suffering I’ve had to endure over the coarse of my childhood is more than any person to bare. So tell everybody about yours Stefan. Since yours doesn’t seem to be public record. I can only assume you were an orphan at some point to where you were adopted and then sold on the child prostitution ring. There, you managed to get butt fucked enough to acquire the power necessary to earn a living. Just a theory of coarse. The reason people hate you so much is because you hit puberty early and started giving handjobs when you were twelve, and now you cant stand the sight of yourself in the mirror cuz’ all you see is a child whore. So you pick on and prey upon the likes of those who can’t defend themselves to avoid the inevitablity that once your body is used up after your so called “wrestling career”, you’re going to be a worn out; jocky skinned burlap sack that even a quadrapalegic hooker won’t wanna touch…….How’s that? Am I somewhere in the ball park Raab?

Reaver: HEHEHEHEHAHAHAHA! Burlap sack…..

Knuckles: You spent so much time trying be hated that you never took the time to hone your craft. Can’t really blame you though, you still managed to terrorize Asylum, beat down President Jeff, Reginald to take control of the company, give yourself title match after title match. Hell, if it wasn’t for Terry Marvin winning your tag match for you, your losing streak would continue to this very day. You have really earned that nickname, “Most Hated Man”.

The problem with that Stefan, I don’t honestly hate you. You’ve done some pretty fucked up things in your career here in APW but to be frank, I would have done the same things given the opportunity in necessary. Life isn’t just about survival, its about thriving right? You did what you had to do in order to thrive so in retrospect; you can’t be blamed for it. The truth is Raab, I don’t hate you, I pity you. Everything you do for attention is because nobody could give two shits about you. Who gives a fuck about a man who roams around; beating up helpless women? A man who competes in multiple organizations but expects to make it somewhere. Your loyalties lye with yourself but you’re so spread out that you can’t concentrate on the task at hand.

This is why you will be nothing more than a hated failure Raab. I guess in a way, I can relate. When I started my career here in APW, I was undefeated. I was a hardcore champ for an organization with a proven track record of favoritism. It was WHY I came here to APW. I wanted the real competition. And it was the real competition that I got. Loss after loss from legendary names. From those who are being put in the Hall of Fame even. Just like you Raab, I would lose again and again. It wasn’t until I realized that I had to change my tactics and adapt to my environment that I started winning. That’s the one thing you refuse to do Stefan. You use the same tired ass tactics over and over and quite frankly, it gets old. Try something new for once Raab. Try actually LEARNING HOW TO FIGHT!

The sparks stop as echoes of laughter continue. A burst of light hits the warehouse revealing a steel cage. The shadowy figure takes off a welding mask to show that it’s Johnny Knuckles. He stands there quite pleased at his construction work. Not bad for a guy who’s never welded before.

Knuckles: Look what I’ve made got you Raab. A present from me to you. This is where I will give you the greatest gift of all…..

Credibility.

Reaver: You? Credible? HEHEHEHEHAHAHAHA!

Knuckles: Oh shut the hell up! I’m busy, may I PLEASE proceed?

Reaver: It’s all you Mr. Credibility HEHEHEHAHAHA!

Knuckles: It will be here in this cage that I make a real man out of you Raab. You have spent almost two years inside of a so called, “prison”, trying to get it only to fall short again and again. Didn’t you stop to think why nobody takes you seriously? How could a man go to prison and NOT know how to fight? A place where corruption would allow a prisoner to come and go as they please in order to compete. Doesn’t seem too legit. Sounds to me like a scam in order to make people believe you’re something more than what you really are. Calling it a temporary tattoo is prolly the best way to describe it. It will be here in this very cage that I spent so much time on building; that I teach you the true meaning of brutality.

You have wasted almost two years rotting in a cell that I’ve spent my whole life living in. this will be a small taste of what I deal with regularly. This cage is where you earn your “prison cred” from and you wont even have to worry about dropping the soap. God knows how many times you’ve done that in order to receive special favors right? HA! I suppose there’s more than one way to smuggle in a pack of smokes. This fight will bring legitimatcy to your claims of being locked up Stefan. The only thing this cage needs, is to be christened.

Knuckles pulls out a knife and cuts himself on the forehead. He starts laughing as he rubs his bleeding head on the metal of this cage he’s just built. Staring at the camera with an almost “gleeful” smile on his face as if Stefan Raab was standing right on the other side of it. As if he was starring into Raab’s very soul.

Knuckles: I didn’t dedicate my life to brutality to let the likes of a fake rule it in my absence. Rasslemania is the biggest stage in Action Packed Wrestling. This Rasslemania just also happens to be the last show and if you think that I’m going to allow an imposter; take away from me the one thing I’ve sacrificed my life to achieve then you’re sadly mistaken. This is the Suicidal Championship of APW. The most violent championship on Asylum. Not only did I take control of Asylum away from you Raab, but I ripped this very championship away from you.

Why?

Because, in order to be Suicidal Champion, you must first BE suicidal. I am just that Stefan. I embody the very essence of what it means to hold this belt. Not Jason Kash, not Michael Callahan, and certainly not you Stefan Raab. Take a good long hard look at me. We both know you been doing that with a raging hard on anyways so why the hell not? I am indeed EVERYTHING I say I am. You know that first hand. I’ve proven that over and over to the likes of the rest of the roster. I’ve BEATEN top names. I’ve PUT DOWN legends of this business. I’ve RETIRED champions and champions alike. My resume and repitoire speak for themselves. Can you honestly say that?

How many times have you bled? How many times were you hit in the head with a blunt or sharp object? How many times have you been electrocuted or set on fire? Then tell me how many times you still came out on top after all of that. It was a few years ago at Survive and Conquer that people finally started to take me seriously when I took 4th out of 85 other competitors. A feet only a handful of people can say they’ve accomplished. How many people can say that they main evented Rasslemania for the World Heavyweight Championship? Past is past Stefan and here I am DEFENDING MY CHAMPIONSHIP on that same biggest stage in APW, Rasslemania.

Reaver: LAME!! How can you say that Raab is singing the same old song and dance when the same shit comes from YOUR mouth? Seems a little hiprocitical to me. If anything it was ME who did all that for you remember? HEHEHEHAHAHA!

Knuckles: My focus will to break you down to the point of no return and finish the job that everybody on Asylum has already started. Then I’ll start screaming “Fella” over and over just to piss you off. Doesn’t feel good knowing that your old tag team partner, Yarmouth, has become more popular than you does it? I will dehumanize you to put it blutly Raab. That’s what seperates us from the other. The people look at me and see my faults for what they are.

I’m human.

I don’t pretend to be superman, I don’t act all high and mighty, and I certainly don’t claim to be the best when im clearly not. I am. That’s all. I do the best that I can with what I have and make it all work to my advantage. You would much rather hide behind the shroud of cowardice and smoke to pull off the biggest con job you can. That’s the real reason you were “locked up” wasn’t it? Not to protect society from you but to protect you from society. The world’s a big and scary place and instead of facing it head on, you run like the bitch you are.

Not this time Stefan. Not anymore……

Here is your chance Raab. Prove to the world how much you matter. How significant you are or at least claim to be. At Rasslemania, I step into your world and you step into mine. Prove to the world that I’m nothing more than a one hit wonder, that I’m just a fluke. Try if you dare so I can curb stop your ass back to the stone-age just one more time. I’ll break that fake ass grin off your face and I’ll do it while wearing lederhosen and drinking a pint in YOUR home terf of Germany. Watch as your own people look at you with such disgust that a “yank” broke the spirit of the man who claims he’s the most hated in this business. Just as I said before Raab. You aren’t hated…..

You’re pitied….

You can look at the seriousness in Knuckles eyes. His desire to win has never been greater. He has always been that kind of person who pushed harder and harder to be the best that he could be. He continues to stand there with that eerie look on his face as a grin from cheek to cheek forms. His bloody forehead pressed against the cage with excitement.

Knuckles knows what he must do. This is his last chance to end his APW career on a high note and he can’t let the likes of Stefan Raab come between him and his Suicidal Championship. He worked his ass off for four long years to finally become a champion in Action Packed Wrestling. Something he has always struggled in the past to achieve. Becoming Suicidal Champion along with the likes of James Chambers, Michael Callahan Arcadia, Rico Casteel, Jason Kash, etc….gives Knuckles the will to be as great as they were if not better. To uphold the integrity of what it actually means to be this type of champion in APW. To him, this title IS the grandest of the grand. It IS the World Heavyweight Championship. Now that he finally has it, he will gladly kill or die to keep it. Its this reason that makes Knuckles feel that he truly embodies the very soul of this championship and NOTHING will make him believe otherwise.

Knuckles: I also want you to keep one last thing in mind Raab. When you finally drag that pussy of yours down inside this cage. I want you to remember that you face both of us inside this thing. Not just me but Reaver too. Keep in mind that if I feel THIS strongly about the outcome of this match, just imagine how Reaver feels. The very thought of getting to hurt somebody with no restrictions. It was US who made it to the final four of our bracket at Survive and Conquer again this year. The hardest bracket in the damn tournament. Of coarse that doesn’t mean anything without the victory but none the less, the ability to stand toe to toe with the absolute best this business has to offer should strike fear into your heart. If it doesn’t, then there’s no point in dehumanizing you since you’ve already done a good job of it yourself.

Last chance Raab. How bad do you really want it? How bad do you really need it? Are you ready to kill for it? Are you ready to die for it? Then come kill me Stefan. I beg you, come kill me. Do it or I’ll kill you and never think twice about it. It’s just self defense is all. AWW SHIT! I pulled a Zimmerman……

Seriously though Raab. If you want it that bad? Come and fucking take it out of my cold dead hands.

Reaver: SHIT JUST GOT REAL SON!! HEHEHEHEHAHAHA!

The camera slowly pans back as his maniacal laughter echoes through the warehouse. Knuckles sanity can’t be certain but his desire to not only win but thrive surely is. His last chance at the little bit of glory, his destiny NEEDS to be fulfilled. Stefan Raab better hope that for his own sake…….he comes prepared to face absolute hell. The lights dim as the scene fades.

“Endless days
We search for what we hold inside
So hard to find
Luck turns
Will the fallen ever reach within?
And rise again
For the rest of my life
I will find the answers
That were always here
I will find the meaning this time
I will fight the end
'Till the end is here
End is here”

-Alter Bridge