Post by C.J. Gates on Dec 17, 2011 21:26:51 GMT -4
"The time is almost upon us.
"This battle is heading into the next stages, except it's no longer a battle. This little fight has escalated steadily and now, we are staring at a war. We are staring at two men standing across from one another, both hellbent on destroying the other.
"It's going to be explosive, that is for sure. For sixty minutes, Biggs and I will beat each other down, each of us trying to get the better of the other. Each one of us trying to better the other and prove our worth to the federation.
"It's definitely going to be a tall task.
"This will be the match where we can hopefully put everything behind us. A match to settle our differences once and for all. He's a talented man, that's for sure. I've said it a million times, this entire thing has never been about his abilities.
"It's been about his mentality. His preferred method of victory. The respect that I lost for him as a person. That's what it's all been about. And this time, I have to prove that I am better for him. I have to prove it by not lasting thirty minutes. By not climbing a ladder or a cage. But by outlasting him for sixty minutes. By giving it my all, putting it all on the line, and showing Biggs that I belong.
"That I deserve this title.
"Something that he can't come to terms with. He keeps telling me that I stole it. That it's still rightfully his. So I need to prove him wrong. I need to beat him as many times as I can for sixty minutes.
"Is it going to be possible?
"We will have to wait and find out. Everyone will have to tune in to Christmas Chaos to watch the match that everyone is waiting for. C.J. Gates vs. Biggs three.
"And I'm not pulling back. I'm not going to ease off the breaks.
"It's time to go big or go home."
The scene opens up inside of a university lecture hall. The hall is fairly large, and many of the seats are taken. At the front, standing behind a table on a raised platform is the APW Undisputed champion C.J. Gates, wearing a black suit with a white shirt underneath, his cowboy hat on his head and the APW title resting neatly on the table in front of him. He glances down at his watch, and then looks around at the room, at the seats that are filled....with cardboard cut outs. Cut outs of no one in particular, but cut outs all the same. He nods his head and walks over to the podium that is standing beside the table. He taps the microphone sticking out of the top, and then clears his throat.
"Alright class, settle down, let's get to work on the lecture for today. It's one that a lot of you have been asking about, so I figured, what better time to teach it then at the last class before the winter break. Sound good?" Gates pauses as he waits for the response from the class, and then nods his head. "Excellent. Let us begin."
He pulls a remote out of his jacket pocket and presses a button. A large screen lowers itself from the rough behind Gates and he waits until it hits the bottom.
"The topic today, is on one of the fastest rising stars currently wrestling in Action Packed Wrestling," Gates pauses and clicks the button, showing a picture on the screen. A picture of himself, C.J. Gates. "I'm not one to toot my own horn, but the facts are there to back up what I have been capable of doing this year. I have been making strides toward etching my name in the history books, and at a rapid rate. After all, had you told me at this time last year that I would be standing at the top of the APW mountain, I would not have believed you.
"Sure, I set out with the goal of making 2011 the year of C.J. Gates," Gates continues, pausing briefly, "but I never thought it would grow to be as big as it has been. The success that I have seen...it's hard to find someone to rival it. Not only in APW, but also across the wrestling community. Recognized as one of the top stars in both the Experts and CWC. Recognized as a fire starter with so much potential, that things could just have been tapped this year. But of course, with those successes, came failure."
Gates presses the button again, and the picture changes. This time, the picture is of a bloodied C.J. Gates from Survive and Conquer, tied up in the ropes.
"Not one of my brighter moments, I will admit that. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary, really. I did what I thought was the right thing to do. I let Sally Talfourd escape the cage so that she could rest, while I did my best to join her and Terry Marvin. Sadly, Ryan Ruckus got the better of me and ended up the ultimate victor." Gates shakes his head slightly. "Oh, what could have been had I been able to climb out of that cage. But that was just the beginning of the year."
He presses the button again, and the picture changes, this time showing the APW Tag Team titles.
"I also felt defeat where gold was involved. Blade and I went into that very same Survive and Conquer and lost our titles to Beautiful Disaster. We tried to get them back at Rasslemania, but we still failed. Yes, class, I am admitting that I failed in my quest to do something. I failed trying to defend and regain my first title in APW. But from that failure came improvement," Gates pauses again as the door at the back opens. In walks his brother B.J. Gates, who slinks down the aisle and enters one of the rows of seats, apologizing to the cardboard cutouts as he does.
"As I was saying," Gates continues, burning a hole in his brothers head. "Out of those failures came improvement. I realized what I needed to do to move on and better myself and I did just that. I realized that I needed to learn more about my opponents before stepping into the ring with them. I realized that I couldn't rely on anyone else except myself. That's not a slight against Blade, who was a fantastic partner, but instead, a slight against myself. I should have been focused. I should have been there to help him." He shakes his head again and his the button, bringing up a picture of former APW megastar Sally Talfourd.
"Then came Sally Talfourd," Gates begins.
"Wow, she's hot," B.J. whispers to the cut out beside him, drawing another glare from the man behind the podium.
"As I was saying!" C.J. shouts, startling B.J. and causing him to jump. "Sally Talfourd was my first real hurdle. Yes, I'd faced many, many tough opponents through my time, but this one...she was different. Her and I used to be friends. We used to have each others backs, until she decided to use me as the scapegoat for all of her problems. For losing the title, for the fans turning on her. So she took it out on me. And even though the odds weren't in my favor when she brought in her hired goon, I still came out on top again...and again...and again. I took a lot of beatings, sure, but that's to be expected in this business, right?
"If I had to pick one point, though, and name it as the turning point for my year, it would be Mayhem. It would be getting that win over Sally Talfourd," Gates pauses and nods, a smirk spreading across his face. "I had been on a losing streak for a fair might, but that win...it changed me. It made me see things differently, to see that I could overcome someone as talented and dangerous as her. A former champion. A woman that took Lester Only to the limit time after time. But I did." Another smile spreads across his face as he looks out as his pupils.
He hits the button again, and the poster for Test for the Best appears, with photos of Sally Talfourd, Johnny Rebel, and Shane Borderland at the bottom.
"Then, I broke out," Gates begins. "I was given an opportunity to explode from where I stood and rise to the top. I was given that chance, and I did not disappoint. After defeating Sally Talfourd again to put the nail in the coffin, I took on a man who would go on to pretty much become my rival, in Johnny Rebel. And then, I defeated Shane Borderland, who surprised many by making a serious push toward the top, to unseating me."
"And he almost did," B.J. heckles out, laughing at his own comment.
"You might have doubted me, but I never did," C.J. fires back. B.J. waves his hands with a laugh. "One more outburst from you and I'll have to remove you from my class!"
"Yeah right. You and what army!"
C.J. shakes his head with a scowl on his face. "Continuing, I managed to outlast everyone in the Test for the Best tournament, and I came away as the number one contender to the APW Undisputed title. I came away with the right to challenge whomever was the champion at Shockwave. And challenge I did."
He hits the button again, and a split screen or he and Biggs appears.
"No one could have predicted this in January. Two men, lost in the shuffle. Two men that would have never been pegged as the two competing for the APW title. Yet we did, and after a hard fought match that saw the debut of the only man I can truly trust in Kurt Noble, I came out the victor. I came out, as the APW Undisputed champion."
Gates steps away from the podium and grabs the title, raising it high into the air to the lone clap from B.J. Gates. C.J. nods his head before placing the title back down on the table.
"From there, it's been a hell of a ride," C.J. says, stepping back up to the podium. "Winning more matches then I probably had in the weeks before, going toe to toe with some of the best in this business, pushing myself to the limit time after time after time, all of it has felt like a dream. All of it has felt as if at any moment I am going to wake up and realize that I'm back in Fargo.
"Thing is, it's been long enough to realize that I deserve to be where I stand. Long enough for me to understand that being at the top of the mountain, it works for me. Others still haven't seen it, the Biggs', the Rebels, the Pences, but eventually they will have no choice by to agree." Gates nods and grips the podium on either side.
"You'd think that I would have hammered that point home at One Night in Hell," C.J. continues. "After Biggs beat me bloody for weeks prior to our second meeting, and after he had picked my match to try and prove his own point, and after I beat him at his own games...you figure that I would have earned something more than a slap on the wrist, a simple 'whatever'. But instead, Biggs came back out, continuing to call me a liar and a cheat." Gates shakes his head.
"Maybe you are!" B.J. heckles again, causing C.J.'s face to twist into anger.
"That's is, you were warned. Security!" From the far side, a door opens and in walks C.J.'s half brother O.J. Gates. He is wearing a security guard outfit and as he walks in, C.J. points to B.J.. O.J. nods and walks forward, motioning for B.J. to get up.
"You're kidding me, right? This is an outrage! I paid for this class!" O.J. motions again and, frustrated, B.J. gets up and complies, following his own half brother out of the classroom. C.J. looks satisfied as he takes a breath.
"Let us continue in peace," C.J. says, taking a moment to survey his class. "You would think that after everything I did to Biggs to try and prove to him that I deserved to be champion, he would concede. Sure, he might still want a title match, but you figure he'd at least recognize my victories. Instead, he just continued to be the same sort of brat that he always is. He continued to talk me down, and look at me as if I am a second class citizen. And now all of it has built up to a third meeting. After he finally weaseled his way into another match with me, he still thinks I don't belong.
"But this is when I show him!" C.J. exclaims, pounding a fist on the podium. "In a sixty minute iron man match, this is when I prove to Biggs that he has nothing on me. That the Spaceman is not able to beat the North Dakota Cowboy. That I am capable of carrying APW. I've represented APW to the best of my ability. I've gone up against everyone and come out on top. I know I'm not invincible, by all means, but I also know that when I am disrespected in the way Biggs has disrespected me, the ire rises. You get all jazzed up, and all you want to do is handle business."
C.J. shakes his head and takes a deep breath before looking back at his class. "How does this story end? Well, that part hasn't been written yet. There's a chance that it could end with Darth Biggs, the black knight, taking the title from me, but I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen. I have a point to prove. The fans want to see me win. And I can't disappoint my fans."
A buzzer is heard coming from the small table, and Gates looks over. "Well, it looks to be break time, so everyone has fifteen minutes to do what they need to do. We'll reconvene after that." The class doesn't move, and Gates steps away from the podium, and pulls a chair out from the table, taking a seat. The side door opens again, and in walks B.J., looking somewhat disappointed. He walks up to the table, shaking his head.
"What the hell was that all about, man?" B.J. asks, still shaking his head.
"What do you mean?"
"You said you were just going to give me a bit of a hard time, that was it," B.J. crosses his arms in front of his chest.
"That's what I did, wasn't it?" C.J. asks, sitting back and looking up at his brother.
"You kicked me out of the class!" B.J. exclaims. "You didn't say you'd do that."
"So what?" C.J. laughs. "Not like there was anyone here."
B.J. glances over his shoulder to look at the cardboard cut outs in the class. "Yeah, about that...it seems kind of creepy, doesn't it? To talk in front of a bunch of cutouts."
"It's all for show," C.J. responds. "I just wanted to make sure that I hammered the point home."
"Which was?" B.J. asks, trailing off.
"Well, had you not been late, you might have picked up on it," C.J. shakes his head, mockingly.
"You know, you're a real ass," B.J. says, turning away from his brother. "How do the fans cheer for you when you're such an asshole?"
"Because I act this way to you only, since you're my little brother."
"You're still an asshole."
"Thanks," C.J. says.
"So, how are you doing? How are feeling about your match this weekend?"
"I'm looking forward to it," C.J. explains. "It's going to be good to put Biggs in his place, and in the sixty minute iron man match, we can't go wrong. It's a great way to end the year."
"You think you stand a chance at winning?"
C.J. takes a few moments to respond and starts by nodding his head. "It won't be easy. That seems to be my mantra for every match, but it's true. Every match is harder than the one before it. I have to test myself at a whole new level whenever I step into the ring. And when I have to defend my title, it's even worse."
"Fight easier opponents," B.J. cracks as he shakes his head.
"As if," C.J. says. "That wouldn't mean anything. Going into matches with tough opponents is what pushes me. The Havoks, the Weatherlights, the Nobles, the Rebels.."
"The Biggs'..."
"Exactly," C.J. says. "They have all helped me get to where I am now, and as they all continue to improve, so will I. Sure, fighting an easier opponent is intriguing but...it's not something I really want to do, you know?"
"Yeah, I do," B.J. responds. "Just next time, don't use me as a pawn in your little game of chess, okay?"
C.J. laughs. "I had to have an example of disrespect. Since that's all I've been shown by Biggs, I figured that I could use that event as a kind of symbolism toward Biggs. He wants to keep disrespecting me, then he will be dealt with."
"You're going to send O.J. after him?"
"No, you idiot," C.J. says with a smile. "I'm going to deal with him. Show him that he should learn to respect people or pay the consequences. Last time, it was all about kharma. This time, it's about respect."
"Going to lay a little knowledge down on him, eh?"
"More or less. You know, it's like you don't even listen..." C.J. shakes his head. "I've been saying that all week and you're only know catching on?"
"What can I say...it's been a busy week."
"You didn't do anything!"
"That you know of!"
"What," C.J. starts before stopping. "You know, I don't want to know, really. Knowing you, it's some sort of sick and twisted thing."
"I'm actually offended!"
"Oh, come off it."
"So, Biggs," B.J. says trying to change the topic back. "He won't let you win easy."
"Nice save," C.J. says with a smirk. "But you're right. And I don't expect it to be easy. I expect us to leave blood and teeth inside of that ring."
"Going with the Kash look, nice touch. He managed to get a hot chick out of it."
"Is that all you think about? I'm about to fight a very important match and you're thinking of hot women!"
"Because I can?"
C.J. shrugs. "Whatever. Listen, I need you to stay focused. I need you to keep me focused. I don't want to end up going to war with Biggs and not realizing the importance of it. I don't want to fail."
"You won't," B.J. says. "You've beaten him twice. You've shown him what it means to go big! What more can he do?"
"Go Bigg?"
"Now you're just acting stupid," B.J. jokes.
"Fine, fine, I know it was lame. Just trying to cover all the possibilities. I don't want to be left in the cold, missing something important and then, WHAM, he catches me off guard."
"Do you want my honest thought?" C.J. nods his head. "Do what you've always done. Give him hell and don't look back until you've tallied more wins then him. Show him what it means to be the Undisputed champion, a title and an honor that he only held for a month."
"You're right," C.J. says. "I've got to summon all that I can and give him hell."
"Exactly," B.J. says, just before the buzzing sound returns. C.J. stands up and looks out at the class before clapping his hands together.
"Alright everyone, take your seats. We've still got a lot to cover!" The scene fades to black as B.J. rolls his eyes while C.J. motions for him to retake his seat.
"You see Biggs, the point of all of this is to show you that while you might say I haven't deserved the title, I have. There's proof that shows that I have done nothing but improve as 2011 rolled through. I did nothing but better myself each time I was booked into a match. Beating Sally Talfourd was definitely the point when things began to turn around, but that wasn't the only point where I learned. Losing to Ryan Ruckus? Yep, I learned a lot about myself. Beating Pence Weatherlight? Showed me that even some of the more top of the line talent could be halved. Defeating Johnny Rebel? Showed me that even the most conniving people can be beaten, without even having to bend the rules. And that last one, that is exactly what I used in my matches with you, Biggs.
"But then again, you haven't exactly cared, have you? You've made a point of telling me that you don't care for anything I say, and that you don't care when I call you out for it. You've made it blatantly obvious that you don't respect me, what with all of your shots, and you've told me point blank that you don't think I've done anything of note.
"At least I gave you the credit you deserved.
"When I said that you beating Lester was a feat? I was telling the truth. When I said that you're reign as Overdrive champion was an amazing feat, turning aside everyone from Chris Cyrus to Ryan Ruckus to A.J. King, that was a damn fine feat. But then, you turned around and took everything that I did, and rubbed it out with the heel of your boot. My Test for the Best win? Sure, you said it was nice, and then overshadowed it with your own. When I won the Undisputed title, you told me I stole it. You couldn't come out and shake my hand.
"Pretty much, Biggs, the point of the lesson was to show how you have disrespected me, how you have disregarded everything that I have done, how you have done nothing but weasel your way into matches, and how you have cheated beyond a shadow of a doubt. All things that, aside from the cheating, you don't really see. Instead, you call them something else, you try and make it seem like you're the good guy in all of this.
"But as I proved at One Night in Hell, and as I proved at Shockwave, you aren't. You're far from it. As I have said time and time again, I am the one representing good in this little tug of war between good and evil. And I always have. I've never faltered, and everytime you claim I have, has been your own doing. I warned you of karma back in the summer, Biggs. I told you that if you didn't shape up, you were going to be hit with a serious bout of bad luck. And you were. Maybe I wasn't trying hard enough to get through to you, or maybe I didn't care too much. Maybe I just figured that you would be smart enough to realize that if you really, truly wanted the title back, then you would take the steps to get better.
"Instead, you decided to bust me open with briefcases, ladders, steel chairs, balled fists...you basically did everything in your power to try and make sure that I wouldn't be able to stand come Halloween. That I would have to concede defeat to you. But I wasn't having any of that. And neither was karma. Neither were the fans. Neither were your own hand cuffs. But still, you believe you have a chance. Still, you believed that you were on the right path to retaining the belt.
"Then what happened?
"Well that's what we're going to figure out at Christmas Chaos. That's what we're here to do. And after all that we have been through, all that we have thrown at each other, you wouldn't think there would be anything more that we could do to settle our score. We couldn't do anything more to beat the crap out of each other. But then...we found it, didn't we.
"Sixty minute iron man match. Two men going to war against one another about everything and anything. Throwing it all on the table for a full hour to see who will come out on top. You gave me a lot of grief, thinking that I couldn't handle myself in a match of that length. And as I said, I'm sure you forgot about Survive and Conquer. I'm sure you forgot that I spent a great deal of time inside of the rumble before surviving to the second phase, and there, I took it to Ryan Ruckus. Yes, I lost, I admit that. I am capable of admitting that, unlike some other people. But even though I lost, I still made Ryan Ruckus pay for joining up with Lester. I still made sure that if Ryan were to continue, he would have earned it. And he did. But I still managed to exhaust myself in the rumble and come back stronger.
"So why do you think I can't last sixty minutes? Because I'm not you, right? Is that the only reason you have, because that's the only reason I can think of. I've never had to fight a sixty minute match, but you figure after everything that you have put me through, and after all of the perseverance and endurance that I showed, you still think I can't make it sixty minutes?
"You're going to be in for a surprise then when I shock you with how long I last. You are going to be even more shocked when you realize that the advantage you thought you had, is nothing more than a dream. I remember what you did a few weeks back, when you pinned me multiple times to prove a point, I remember that all too well. But I also remember that the match doesn't start until this Sunday. I know that all those pinfalls you made, they don't count toward anything. They don't mean anything. All it does, is show that you are the man that everyone has seen since the summer. After all, those 'pinfalls' you scored, were all done after you cheaply attacked me. Couldn't even do it face to face.
"But that doesn't surprise me.
"It runs in your blood, right? Lying, cheating, stealing. You always thought that nothing could stop you, that nothing could take you down. You figured that after beating Lester, you were on top of the world. You went through four others at Rasslemania, I give you credit for that. But that doesn't make you unbeatable. You toppled the giant Level One? Great work, but you were never invinceable. And I proved that once, twice, and I'll do it a third time too, Biggs.
"And I'm sure you've heard the words floating around. I'm sure you've seen people talk about this match rivaling the Lester Only/Pence Weatherlight match of the same sort. And knowing how much hatred is between us, and how much anger I have pent up after all that you put me through again, I'm sure we can top it. I'm sure we can make sure that everyone takes notice.
"I don't respect you, that's for sure, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten what you are capable of. After all, it was me who said that you have some great talent. It was I who said that you are one of the top men in APW. I've seen all that you have done against certain talent, and I know that if I let my guard down you can sweep in and take the victory from me. The trick, is to not let that happen. The key, is to always be on my guard and know where my opponents are at all times. And that means you, Biggs. Always knowing where you are, and always knowing what you're planning to do. Got to keep myself two steps ahead of you if I want to outlast you and win this iron man match.
"It's not going to be easy, though, Biggs, and that's something that even you should be aware of. We're going to have to bust our tails to come out on top, and make sure that we are giving it our all, and you can be sure that I am going to come at you with everything that I have. With this being the last show of 2011, Biggs, the last show of the year of C.J. Gates, I'm going to leave it all in that ring to put as many pinfalls or submissions on my tally for the evening. Because, when I really think about it, there are two things I am out to do.
"Teach you a lesson.
"And prove myself.
"Two things that I always seem to be doing. No matter where I go, I always have to prove myself to my opponents because they question my abilities. As if my recent stretch of victories doesn't speak for itself. Though admittedly, I'm not focused on those. I'm just saying that if you were to look back at the opponents I test myself againt, my worth and my ability to stay shouldn't be a question. Yet people always point it out. You always point it out, Biggs. And it's really starting to piss me off.
"Maybe this is what you wanted all along. To push my buttons enough so that I would get to this point where all I wanted to do was pop your head off like a dandelion. And if it's true, then you succeeded, but if you thought that you were going to get the advantage out of it, then you were wrong on that point. It doesn't cloud my judgement, it simply makes me want the match that much harder. It makes me want to prove my points to you even more.
"And now I get my chance. I might not have the chance to face a new opponent and defend my belt against someone who has actually earned it, but I am capable of making a point to all of those out there that want a shot at my title.
"Do what Biggs does, and know that you have the same thing coming.
"If you don't believe me, just ask the fans. Just ask the loyal fans that have had my back since day one. The ones that have been cheering me on since the beginning. The ones that have given me that drive, that little bit extra to get the job done. You want to hate someone, Biggs? Hate them. I'm not saying I do, but if you're tired of seeing me capture the advantage in the dying moments, they're the ones pushing me to do so. Driving me. Giving me the little boost.
"Which is why I'm looking to win it for them. To show them that their dedication is not going unnoticed.
"But of course, you knew that already, didn't you Biggs? You knew that the fans are my number one priority. Which is perfectly fine, because the more you know, the better this match will be.
"Nay.
"The better this war will be. Because that is what this is, Biggs. A war.
"And the way to win a war is to leave nothing unused from your arsenal. To give your opponents hell at every turn.
"The key is to go big, because I'm not going home."
"This battle is heading into the next stages, except it's no longer a battle. This little fight has escalated steadily and now, we are staring at a war. We are staring at two men standing across from one another, both hellbent on destroying the other.
"It's going to be explosive, that is for sure. For sixty minutes, Biggs and I will beat each other down, each of us trying to get the better of the other. Each one of us trying to better the other and prove our worth to the federation.
"It's definitely going to be a tall task.
"This will be the match where we can hopefully put everything behind us. A match to settle our differences once and for all. He's a talented man, that's for sure. I've said it a million times, this entire thing has never been about his abilities.
"It's been about his mentality. His preferred method of victory. The respect that I lost for him as a person. That's what it's all been about. And this time, I have to prove that I am better for him. I have to prove it by not lasting thirty minutes. By not climbing a ladder or a cage. But by outlasting him for sixty minutes. By giving it my all, putting it all on the line, and showing Biggs that I belong.
"That I deserve this title.
"Something that he can't come to terms with. He keeps telling me that I stole it. That it's still rightfully his. So I need to prove him wrong. I need to beat him as many times as I can for sixty minutes.
"Is it going to be possible?
"We will have to wait and find out. Everyone will have to tune in to Christmas Chaos to watch the match that everyone is waiting for. C.J. Gates vs. Biggs three.
"And I'm not pulling back. I'm not going to ease off the breaks.
"It's time to go big or go home."
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The scene opens up inside of a university lecture hall. The hall is fairly large, and many of the seats are taken. At the front, standing behind a table on a raised platform is the APW Undisputed champion C.J. Gates, wearing a black suit with a white shirt underneath, his cowboy hat on his head and the APW title resting neatly on the table in front of him. He glances down at his watch, and then looks around at the room, at the seats that are filled....with cardboard cut outs. Cut outs of no one in particular, but cut outs all the same. He nods his head and walks over to the podium that is standing beside the table. He taps the microphone sticking out of the top, and then clears his throat.
"Alright class, settle down, let's get to work on the lecture for today. It's one that a lot of you have been asking about, so I figured, what better time to teach it then at the last class before the winter break. Sound good?" Gates pauses as he waits for the response from the class, and then nods his head. "Excellent. Let us begin."
He pulls a remote out of his jacket pocket and presses a button. A large screen lowers itself from the rough behind Gates and he waits until it hits the bottom.
"The topic today, is on one of the fastest rising stars currently wrestling in Action Packed Wrestling," Gates pauses and clicks the button, showing a picture on the screen. A picture of himself, C.J. Gates. "I'm not one to toot my own horn, but the facts are there to back up what I have been capable of doing this year. I have been making strides toward etching my name in the history books, and at a rapid rate. After all, had you told me at this time last year that I would be standing at the top of the APW mountain, I would not have believed you.
"Sure, I set out with the goal of making 2011 the year of C.J. Gates," Gates continues, pausing briefly, "but I never thought it would grow to be as big as it has been. The success that I have seen...it's hard to find someone to rival it. Not only in APW, but also across the wrestling community. Recognized as one of the top stars in both the Experts and CWC. Recognized as a fire starter with so much potential, that things could just have been tapped this year. But of course, with those successes, came failure."
Gates presses the button again, and the picture changes. This time, the picture is of a bloodied C.J. Gates from Survive and Conquer, tied up in the ropes.
"Not one of my brighter moments, I will admit that. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary, really. I did what I thought was the right thing to do. I let Sally Talfourd escape the cage so that she could rest, while I did my best to join her and Terry Marvin. Sadly, Ryan Ruckus got the better of me and ended up the ultimate victor." Gates shakes his head slightly. "Oh, what could have been had I been able to climb out of that cage. But that was just the beginning of the year."
He presses the button again, and the picture changes, this time showing the APW Tag Team titles.
"I also felt defeat where gold was involved. Blade and I went into that very same Survive and Conquer and lost our titles to Beautiful Disaster. We tried to get them back at Rasslemania, but we still failed. Yes, class, I am admitting that I failed in my quest to do something. I failed trying to defend and regain my first title in APW. But from that failure came improvement," Gates pauses again as the door at the back opens. In walks his brother B.J. Gates, who slinks down the aisle and enters one of the rows of seats, apologizing to the cardboard cutouts as he does.
"As I was saying," Gates continues, burning a hole in his brothers head. "Out of those failures came improvement. I realized what I needed to do to move on and better myself and I did just that. I realized that I needed to learn more about my opponents before stepping into the ring with them. I realized that I couldn't rely on anyone else except myself. That's not a slight against Blade, who was a fantastic partner, but instead, a slight against myself. I should have been focused. I should have been there to help him." He shakes his head again and his the button, bringing up a picture of former APW megastar Sally Talfourd.
"Then came Sally Talfourd," Gates begins.
"Wow, she's hot," B.J. whispers to the cut out beside him, drawing another glare from the man behind the podium.
"As I was saying!" C.J. shouts, startling B.J. and causing him to jump. "Sally Talfourd was my first real hurdle. Yes, I'd faced many, many tough opponents through my time, but this one...she was different. Her and I used to be friends. We used to have each others backs, until she decided to use me as the scapegoat for all of her problems. For losing the title, for the fans turning on her. So she took it out on me. And even though the odds weren't in my favor when she brought in her hired goon, I still came out on top again...and again...and again. I took a lot of beatings, sure, but that's to be expected in this business, right?
"If I had to pick one point, though, and name it as the turning point for my year, it would be Mayhem. It would be getting that win over Sally Talfourd," Gates pauses and nods, a smirk spreading across his face. "I had been on a losing streak for a fair might, but that win...it changed me. It made me see things differently, to see that I could overcome someone as talented and dangerous as her. A former champion. A woman that took Lester Only to the limit time after time. But I did." Another smile spreads across his face as he looks out as his pupils.
He hits the button again, and the poster for Test for the Best appears, with photos of Sally Talfourd, Johnny Rebel, and Shane Borderland at the bottom.
"Then, I broke out," Gates begins. "I was given an opportunity to explode from where I stood and rise to the top. I was given that chance, and I did not disappoint. After defeating Sally Talfourd again to put the nail in the coffin, I took on a man who would go on to pretty much become my rival, in Johnny Rebel. And then, I defeated Shane Borderland, who surprised many by making a serious push toward the top, to unseating me."
"And he almost did," B.J. heckles out, laughing at his own comment.
"You might have doubted me, but I never did," C.J. fires back. B.J. waves his hands with a laugh. "One more outburst from you and I'll have to remove you from my class!"
"Yeah right. You and what army!"
C.J. shakes his head with a scowl on his face. "Continuing, I managed to outlast everyone in the Test for the Best tournament, and I came away as the number one contender to the APW Undisputed title. I came away with the right to challenge whomever was the champion at Shockwave. And challenge I did."
He hits the button again, and a split screen or he and Biggs appears.
"No one could have predicted this in January. Two men, lost in the shuffle. Two men that would have never been pegged as the two competing for the APW title. Yet we did, and after a hard fought match that saw the debut of the only man I can truly trust in Kurt Noble, I came out the victor. I came out, as the APW Undisputed champion."
Gates steps away from the podium and grabs the title, raising it high into the air to the lone clap from B.J. Gates. C.J. nods his head before placing the title back down on the table.
"From there, it's been a hell of a ride," C.J. says, stepping back up to the podium. "Winning more matches then I probably had in the weeks before, going toe to toe with some of the best in this business, pushing myself to the limit time after time after time, all of it has felt like a dream. All of it has felt as if at any moment I am going to wake up and realize that I'm back in Fargo.
"Thing is, it's been long enough to realize that I deserve to be where I stand. Long enough for me to understand that being at the top of the mountain, it works for me. Others still haven't seen it, the Biggs', the Rebels, the Pences, but eventually they will have no choice by to agree." Gates nods and grips the podium on either side.
"You'd think that I would have hammered that point home at One Night in Hell," C.J. continues. "After Biggs beat me bloody for weeks prior to our second meeting, and after he had picked my match to try and prove his own point, and after I beat him at his own games...you figure that I would have earned something more than a slap on the wrist, a simple 'whatever'. But instead, Biggs came back out, continuing to call me a liar and a cheat." Gates shakes his head.
"Maybe you are!" B.J. heckles again, causing C.J.'s face to twist into anger.
"That's is, you were warned. Security!" From the far side, a door opens and in walks C.J.'s half brother O.J. Gates. He is wearing a security guard outfit and as he walks in, C.J. points to B.J.. O.J. nods and walks forward, motioning for B.J. to get up.
"You're kidding me, right? This is an outrage! I paid for this class!" O.J. motions again and, frustrated, B.J. gets up and complies, following his own half brother out of the classroom. C.J. looks satisfied as he takes a breath.
"Let us continue in peace," C.J. says, taking a moment to survey his class. "You would think that after everything I did to Biggs to try and prove to him that I deserved to be champion, he would concede. Sure, he might still want a title match, but you figure he'd at least recognize my victories. Instead, he just continued to be the same sort of brat that he always is. He continued to talk me down, and look at me as if I am a second class citizen. And now all of it has built up to a third meeting. After he finally weaseled his way into another match with me, he still thinks I don't belong.
"But this is when I show him!" C.J. exclaims, pounding a fist on the podium. "In a sixty minute iron man match, this is when I prove to Biggs that he has nothing on me. That the Spaceman is not able to beat the North Dakota Cowboy. That I am capable of carrying APW. I've represented APW to the best of my ability. I've gone up against everyone and come out on top. I know I'm not invincible, by all means, but I also know that when I am disrespected in the way Biggs has disrespected me, the ire rises. You get all jazzed up, and all you want to do is handle business."
C.J. shakes his head and takes a deep breath before looking back at his class. "How does this story end? Well, that part hasn't been written yet. There's a chance that it could end with Darth Biggs, the black knight, taking the title from me, but I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen. I have a point to prove. The fans want to see me win. And I can't disappoint my fans."
A buzzer is heard coming from the small table, and Gates looks over. "Well, it looks to be break time, so everyone has fifteen minutes to do what they need to do. We'll reconvene after that." The class doesn't move, and Gates steps away from the podium, and pulls a chair out from the table, taking a seat. The side door opens again, and in walks B.J., looking somewhat disappointed. He walks up to the table, shaking his head.
"What the hell was that all about, man?" B.J. asks, still shaking his head.
"What do you mean?"
"You said you were just going to give me a bit of a hard time, that was it," B.J. crosses his arms in front of his chest.
"That's what I did, wasn't it?" C.J. asks, sitting back and looking up at his brother.
"You kicked me out of the class!" B.J. exclaims. "You didn't say you'd do that."
"So what?" C.J. laughs. "Not like there was anyone here."
B.J. glances over his shoulder to look at the cardboard cut outs in the class. "Yeah, about that...it seems kind of creepy, doesn't it? To talk in front of a bunch of cutouts."
"It's all for show," C.J. responds. "I just wanted to make sure that I hammered the point home."
"Which was?" B.J. asks, trailing off.
"Well, had you not been late, you might have picked up on it," C.J. shakes his head, mockingly.
"You know, you're a real ass," B.J. says, turning away from his brother. "How do the fans cheer for you when you're such an asshole?"
"Because I act this way to you only, since you're my little brother."
"You're still an asshole."
"Thanks," C.J. says.
"So, how are you doing? How are feeling about your match this weekend?"
"I'm looking forward to it," C.J. explains. "It's going to be good to put Biggs in his place, and in the sixty minute iron man match, we can't go wrong. It's a great way to end the year."
"You think you stand a chance at winning?"
C.J. takes a few moments to respond and starts by nodding his head. "It won't be easy. That seems to be my mantra for every match, but it's true. Every match is harder than the one before it. I have to test myself at a whole new level whenever I step into the ring. And when I have to defend my title, it's even worse."
"Fight easier opponents," B.J. cracks as he shakes his head.
"As if," C.J. says. "That wouldn't mean anything. Going into matches with tough opponents is what pushes me. The Havoks, the Weatherlights, the Nobles, the Rebels.."
"The Biggs'..."
"Exactly," C.J. says. "They have all helped me get to where I am now, and as they all continue to improve, so will I. Sure, fighting an easier opponent is intriguing but...it's not something I really want to do, you know?"
"Yeah, I do," B.J. responds. "Just next time, don't use me as a pawn in your little game of chess, okay?"
C.J. laughs. "I had to have an example of disrespect. Since that's all I've been shown by Biggs, I figured that I could use that event as a kind of symbolism toward Biggs. He wants to keep disrespecting me, then he will be dealt with."
"You're going to send O.J. after him?"
"No, you idiot," C.J. says with a smile. "I'm going to deal with him. Show him that he should learn to respect people or pay the consequences. Last time, it was all about kharma. This time, it's about respect."
"Going to lay a little knowledge down on him, eh?"
"More or less. You know, it's like you don't even listen..." C.J. shakes his head. "I've been saying that all week and you're only know catching on?"
"What can I say...it's been a busy week."
"You didn't do anything!"
"That you know of!"
"What," C.J. starts before stopping. "You know, I don't want to know, really. Knowing you, it's some sort of sick and twisted thing."
"I'm actually offended!"
"Oh, come off it."
"So, Biggs," B.J. says trying to change the topic back. "He won't let you win easy."
"Nice save," C.J. says with a smirk. "But you're right. And I don't expect it to be easy. I expect us to leave blood and teeth inside of that ring."
"Going with the Kash look, nice touch. He managed to get a hot chick out of it."
"Is that all you think about? I'm about to fight a very important match and you're thinking of hot women!"
"Because I can?"
C.J. shrugs. "Whatever. Listen, I need you to stay focused. I need you to keep me focused. I don't want to end up going to war with Biggs and not realizing the importance of it. I don't want to fail."
"You won't," B.J. says. "You've beaten him twice. You've shown him what it means to go big! What more can he do?"
"Go Bigg?"
"Now you're just acting stupid," B.J. jokes.
"Fine, fine, I know it was lame. Just trying to cover all the possibilities. I don't want to be left in the cold, missing something important and then, WHAM, he catches me off guard."
"Do you want my honest thought?" C.J. nods his head. "Do what you've always done. Give him hell and don't look back until you've tallied more wins then him. Show him what it means to be the Undisputed champion, a title and an honor that he only held for a month."
"You're right," C.J. says. "I've got to summon all that I can and give him hell."
"Exactly," B.J. says, just before the buzzing sound returns. C.J. stands up and looks out at the class before clapping his hands together.
"Alright everyone, take your seats. We've still got a lot to cover!" The scene fades to black as B.J. rolls his eyes while C.J. motions for him to retake his seat.
----------------------------------------------
"You see Biggs, the point of all of this is to show you that while you might say I haven't deserved the title, I have. There's proof that shows that I have done nothing but improve as 2011 rolled through. I did nothing but better myself each time I was booked into a match. Beating Sally Talfourd was definitely the point when things began to turn around, but that wasn't the only point where I learned. Losing to Ryan Ruckus? Yep, I learned a lot about myself. Beating Pence Weatherlight? Showed me that even some of the more top of the line talent could be halved. Defeating Johnny Rebel? Showed me that even the most conniving people can be beaten, without even having to bend the rules. And that last one, that is exactly what I used in my matches with you, Biggs.
"But then again, you haven't exactly cared, have you? You've made a point of telling me that you don't care for anything I say, and that you don't care when I call you out for it. You've made it blatantly obvious that you don't respect me, what with all of your shots, and you've told me point blank that you don't think I've done anything of note.
"At least I gave you the credit you deserved.
"When I said that you beating Lester was a feat? I was telling the truth. When I said that you're reign as Overdrive champion was an amazing feat, turning aside everyone from Chris Cyrus to Ryan Ruckus to A.J. King, that was a damn fine feat. But then, you turned around and took everything that I did, and rubbed it out with the heel of your boot. My Test for the Best win? Sure, you said it was nice, and then overshadowed it with your own. When I won the Undisputed title, you told me I stole it. You couldn't come out and shake my hand.
"Pretty much, Biggs, the point of the lesson was to show how you have disrespected me, how you have disregarded everything that I have done, how you have done nothing but weasel your way into matches, and how you have cheated beyond a shadow of a doubt. All things that, aside from the cheating, you don't really see. Instead, you call them something else, you try and make it seem like you're the good guy in all of this.
"But as I proved at One Night in Hell, and as I proved at Shockwave, you aren't. You're far from it. As I have said time and time again, I am the one representing good in this little tug of war between good and evil. And I always have. I've never faltered, and everytime you claim I have, has been your own doing. I warned you of karma back in the summer, Biggs. I told you that if you didn't shape up, you were going to be hit with a serious bout of bad luck. And you were. Maybe I wasn't trying hard enough to get through to you, or maybe I didn't care too much. Maybe I just figured that you would be smart enough to realize that if you really, truly wanted the title back, then you would take the steps to get better.
"Instead, you decided to bust me open with briefcases, ladders, steel chairs, balled fists...you basically did everything in your power to try and make sure that I wouldn't be able to stand come Halloween. That I would have to concede defeat to you. But I wasn't having any of that. And neither was karma. Neither were the fans. Neither were your own hand cuffs. But still, you believe you have a chance. Still, you believed that you were on the right path to retaining the belt.
"Then what happened?
"Well that's what we're going to figure out at Christmas Chaos. That's what we're here to do. And after all that we have been through, all that we have thrown at each other, you wouldn't think there would be anything more that we could do to settle our score. We couldn't do anything more to beat the crap out of each other. But then...we found it, didn't we.
"Sixty minute iron man match. Two men going to war against one another about everything and anything. Throwing it all on the table for a full hour to see who will come out on top. You gave me a lot of grief, thinking that I couldn't handle myself in a match of that length. And as I said, I'm sure you forgot about Survive and Conquer. I'm sure you forgot that I spent a great deal of time inside of the rumble before surviving to the second phase, and there, I took it to Ryan Ruckus. Yes, I lost, I admit that. I am capable of admitting that, unlike some other people. But even though I lost, I still made Ryan Ruckus pay for joining up with Lester. I still made sure that if Ryan were to continue, he would have earned it. And he did. But I still managed to exhaust myself in the rumble and come back stronger.
"So why do you think I can't last sixty minutes? Because I'm not you, right? Is that the only reason you have, because that's the only reason I can think of. I've never had to fight a sixty minute match, but you figure after everything that you have put me through, and after all of the perseverance and endurance that I showed, you still think I can't make it sixty minutes?
"You're going to be in for a surprise then when I shock you with how long I last. You are going to be even more shocked when you realize that the advantage you thought you had, is nothing more than a dream. I remember what you did a few weeks back, when you pinned me multiple times to prove a point, I remember that all too well. But I also remember that the match doesn't start until this Sunday. I know that all those pinfalls you made, they don't count toward anything. They don't mean anything. All it does, is show that you are the man that everyone has seen since the summer. After all, those 'pinfalls' you scored, were all done after you cheaply attacked me. Couldn't even do it face to face.
"But that doesn't surprise me.
"It runs in your blood, right? Lying, cheating, stealing. You always thought that nothing could stop you, that nothing could take you down. You figured that after beating Lester, you were on top of the world. You went through four others at Rasslemania, I give you credit for that. But that doesn't make you unbeatable. You toppled the giant Level One? Great work, but you were never invinceable. And I proved that once, twice, and I'll do it a third time too, Biggs.
"And I'm sure you've heard the words floating around. I'm sure you've seen people talk about this match rivaling the Lester Only/Pence Weatherlight match of the same sort. And knowing how much hatred is between us, and how much anger I have pent up after all that you put me through again, I'm sure we can top it. I'm sure we can make sure that everyone takes notice.
"I don't respect you, that's for sure, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten what you are capable of. After all, it was me who said that you have some great talent. It was I who said that you are one of the top men in APW. I've seen all that you have done against certain talent, and I know that if I let my guard down you can sweep in and take the victory from me. The trick, is to not let that happen. The key, is to always be on my guard and know where my opponents are at all times. And that means you, Biggs. Always knowing where you are, and always knowing what you're planning to do. Got to keep myself two steps ahead of you if I want to outlast you and win this iron man match.
"It's not going to be easy, though, Biggs, and that's something that even you should be aware of. We're going to have to bust our tails to come out on top, and make sure that we are giving it our all, and you can be sure that I am going to come at you with everything that I have. With this being the last show of 2011, Biggs, the last show of the year of C.J. Gates, I'm going to leave it all in that ring to put as many pinfalls or submissions on my tally for the evening. Because, when I really think about it, there are two things I am out to do.
"Teach you a lesson.
"And prove myself.
"Two things that I always seem to be doing. No matter where I go, I always have to prove myself to my opponents because they question my abilities. As if my recent stretch of victories doesn't speak for itself. Though admittedly, I'm not focused on those. I'm just saying that if you were to look back at the opponents I test myself againt, my worth and my ability to stay shouldn't be a question. Yet people always point it out. You always point it out, Biggs. And it's really starting to piss me off.
"Maybe this is what you wanted all along. To push my buttons enough so that I would get to this point where all I wanted to do was pop your head off like a dandelion. And if it's true, then you succeeded, but if you thought that you were going to get the advantage out of it, then you were wrong on that point. It doesn't cloud my judgement, it simply makes me want the match that much harder. It makes me want to prove my points to you even more.
"And now I get my chance. I might not have the chance to face a new opponent and defend my belt against someone who has actually earned it, but I am capable of making a point to all of those out there that want a shot at my title.
"Do what Biggs does, and know that you have the same thing coming.
"If you don't believe me, just ask the fans. Just ask the loyal fans that have had my back since day one. The ones that have been cheering me on since the beginning. The ones that have given me that drive, that little bit extra to get the job done. You want to hate someone, Biggs? Hate them. I'm not saying I do, but if you're tired of seeing me capture the advantage in the dying moments, they're the ones pushing me to do so. Driving me. Giving me the little boost.
"Which is why I'm looking to win it for them. To show them that their dedication is not going unnoticed.
"But of course, you knew that already, didn't you Biggs? You knew that the fans are my number one priority. Which is perfectly fine, because the more you know, the better this match will be.
"Nay.
"The better this war will be. Because that is what this is, Biggs. A war.
"And the way to win a war is to leave nothing unused from your arsenal. To give your opponents hell at every turn.
"The key is to go big, because I'm not going home."
