Post by Metrodamus on Jul 3, 2012 3:46:47 GMT -4
Seated in the locker room of Kurt Noble, Chris Hart focuses on the chess board in front of him, surveying the helpless lay out. Raising his hand to his face for a moment, he eventually bows his head in resignation. “Defeated” he says despondently as he lays the white king to rest on the chess board.
“Congratulations are in order for you Johnny Rebel and Level-One” Chris continues without the expected sarcasm. “You’ve finally done it. After four long years you’ve finally managed to do what everyone else has failed at: you’ve defeated me.”
Chris lifts his head and stares into the camera, the large wound on his forehead a visible reminder of the vicious assault at the hands of the Sindicate. “My entire career has been characterized by the underdog story. I’ve been put in situation after situation that no one expected me to survive but somehow I’ve not only manage to stay alive, but come out on top. Unfortunately for me however, that’s come to a screeching halt; I used up my ninth life, at Test for the Best it appears as if my luck has run out” a dejected Chris states.
Grabbing hold of one of the remaining white pawns on the board, Chris leans back into the chesterfield and closes his eyes before continuing. “I was supposed to be like this guy, fighting for the benefit of the good side, work my way forward until I was elevated a rank and in a position to consider myself on the same level as the two of you and Kurt Noble. This was supposed to be a battle that everyone would remember, that would determine the course of Action Packed Wrestling for the foreseeable future.”
Leaning forward, Chris replaces the pawn and reaches across the board and takes one of the pawns that had been taken in battle. “Instead, I was simply a cog in the machine that couldn’t do anything noteworthy to prevent the inevitable onslaught from the two of you. There’s no other way to say it outside of the fact that I’m outclassed” Chris says, furrowing his brow as he replaces the pawn.
“All week I’ve heard that term, ‘outclassed’. Every single person I’ve talked to has asked me whether I actually thought I had a chance against you. It should have infuriated me beyond belief but it didn’t, I simply accepted what seems to be a foregone conclusion – that I’m going to step into the ring and despite my best efforts, I simply can’t compete with the Sindicate and would end up in a familiar position, staring at the lights …
“Defeated.”
Chris shrugs his shoulders in resignation as he turns to the right and looks at the pictures adorning the walls of Kurt’s locker room; him holding the Undisputed Championship at Rasslemania, him posing with the title along with a consortium of fans at Mayhem. Missing amongst them is the previous fixture of Noble-Hart together from many years ago with the tag team title belts securely around their waists.
“All I’ve heard people say that I’m simply in this match to make up the numbers. I’ve heard Kurt Noble’s detractors saying that he chose me as a partner so that he had a fall guy when we inevitably succumbed to two of the legends of Action Packed Wrestling. On the flip side of the coin I’ve heard the fans of Kurt Noble saying that I’m simply tarnishing his legacy; that it was all well and good coming to save him when the two of you attacked like rabid dogs but when push came to shove I should’ve taken a step back and told Kurt that I simply wasn’t capable of standing in the ring next to him anymore.
I’ve been called a bad friend because I’m letting Kurt Noble drag me to heights that I couldn’t reach on my own and at the end of the day it’s going to cost him the opportunity to drive the final nail in the Sindicate’s coffin” Chris opines meekly as he gets to his feet and begins pacing back and forth in front of the chess board.
“And in a way, they’re right. If it had been Keaton Saint stepping up to take down the Sindicate I would’ve been the last person he would’ve chosen to fight next to him and I couldn’t blame him. This wasn’t President Jeff giving me a chance to shine, putting me underneath the spotlight in the hopes it would light a spark underneath me because he tried just as hard as anyone to get Kurt to choose someone else to fight next to him.
There isn’t a single person walking this earth that thinks I belong in this match, including myself and that’s because of you Level One, and you Johnny Rebel.
“Over the past month I’ve listened to everything you two have said about me. I’ve watched you not just fan the flames, but add fuel to the fire of what everyone is saying about me. I could stand here and try to disprove you but I can’t do that because there’s no defense for the truth, there’s no fantasy world that I can escape too where I exist in the same realm as the two of you.”
Ceasing his pacing, Chris stares at his reflection in the blank television screen before continuing. “All I’m going to do is given credence to everything you’ve been preaching over the past three months. You’ve espoused that there’s corruption in Action Packed Wrestling, that change is needed at the top and you were the ones who were going to bring it. You started by taking the tag team titles and tonight it’s on my shoulders when you bring down the Undisputed Champion. It’s going to be my fault when you can waltz into President Jeff’s office and demand that changes are made.
My failure is going to allow the two of you to remind everyone who ever doubted you that it was President Jeff who allowed me into the Action Packed Wrestling ring, that it was their beloved Kurt Noble who dragged me out of the gutter and into the glitz and glamor of the main event.
The Sindicate isn’t going to be some rebel movement resorting to propaganda to spread its message but instead the two of you, having already carved a legacy in Action Packed Wrestling, doing it another favor by wresting power away from those who seemed to abuse it” murmurs a forlorn Chris as he glances at the chess board for a moment.
Reaching out Chris grabs a hold of the white king still lying on its side. Chris looks at it intently, his eyes affixed to the head piece on the chess board before closing his fist around the marble figurine. “The worst thing about this defeat though is that it’s going to bring an end to the mystique of Kurt Noble. \
People aren’t going to believe in Kurt Noble, the king of Action Packed Wrestling, anymore. They’re always going to say that he was a party to the demise of the status quo and the resurrection under the auspices of the Sindicate, and it’s all going to be on my head.
“Everything that’s been said, whether by Level-One, Johnny Rebel or any single fan of Action Packed Wrestling, I’m less than nothing in relation to the three other men in this match. I don’t belong, I’m riding the coat tails of Kurt Noble, I’m simply here because he is. I came to Action Packed Wrestling because I wanted I felt that I had something more to give. I wanted to be able to walk out with my head held high but after tonight I’m going to walk out one thing …
“Defeated.
“Defeated because I’m no different than I was before I came. That all my self-righteous talk about doing this for a different reason was simply that, talk. It took the Sindicate to expose me for the fraud that I am, to defeat me but the problem is this battle isn’t my own. As I go down I’m going to do the one thing I swore I wouldn’t do and that’s bring Kurt Noble with me.
You see, Level One, Johnny Rebel, it’s not going to be you who puts an end to Kurt Noble. After tonight you won’t be able to gloat about how you were the one who put an end to the man who has seemingly been unconquerable. Instead, it’s going to be me; his best friend, his tag team partner and there’s nothing either of us can do about it.
When the bell rings and I stare across the ring at you two I’m going to be faced with the fact that the end of everything we’ve fought so hard for, the trials and hardships we’ve faced, the only person who could stop him was me. That for everything he’d done for me when it was my time to repay him, to stand by his side I let him down.”
“No matter what happens you’re not going to let me down.
Chris pinwheels around towards the door way and looks at the stern face of Kurt Noble, cane in hand. “How long have you been there?” Chris asks, his face contorted in consternation.
“Long enough” replies Kurt as he strides into the locker room. Chris sets him with a glare, slightly perturbed at the impertinence of the eavesdropping Noble. “I think you’re full of shit, you know that?”
Chris can’t help but shake his head as he sets the king back on the chessboard, this time upright in its usual position. “Do you really think that I, of all people, would let someone, or something, stand in the way of what I intended to accomplish?” Kurt asks as he unbuttons his shirt, exposing the ACM tattoo on his shoulder as he pulls his arm out of the sleeve.
Chris stares at him for a moment as Kurt completely removes his dress shirt and begins to slip into his Nobledrive t-shirt. “I had a chance to choose someone else Chris, I could’ve dropped you if I had wanted but there’s no one else I want standing next to me in that ring tonight because you’re the only one I believe in.”
“I’m glad someone does” sarcastically mutters Chris.
“How are they supposed to believe in you when you don’t even believe in yourself?” Noble asks shaking his head in disbelief. “As long as I’ve known you Chris there’s one thing I could always count on and that you’d come ready to fight, believing that we could win. Nothing’s changed Chris, this match is no different than any other we’ve been in and yet now you’ve decided it’s time to start doubting yourself? It doesn’t make sense.”
Chris tosses his head back as he reaches for his duffel bag but Kurt stares him down disapprovingly. Slowly Chris pulls his hand away as he leans back into the chesterfield. “Six months ago you told me I belonged with the Sally Talfourd’s of the world. CJ Gates, Johnny Rebel, those guys were on my level but since then the only thing that’s happened is I’ve proven that I’m not you Kurt Noble, despite what others might suggest. As hard as I try I’m simply incapable of stepping into that ring and being successful against the Megastars of APW resigns Chris.
“I don’t believe that for one second Chris. If you just …
“Believed in myself?” Chris interrupts. “Save it Kurt, I don’t need a pep talk.”
“No, what you need is a reality check” Noble asserts aggressively, drawing a visible shock from Chris Hart as he turns to his left and glares at him. “Wake up from this deluded fantasy you’re living in where you’re not able to compete with the best, where you feel you have to take care of me every step of the way, and realize that nothing has changed.
You’re still one of the best wrestlers in this company. If I could’ve done half the things you can at your age I wouldn’t need this cane to get around. This self-depreciating bullshit ends now. It’s time to stop being a figment of you and become the Chris Hart that I teamed with two years ago.”
“I can’t/” Chris says hastily.
“You can’t – or you won’t? Do you want to be a failure, do you …. Kylie Demenz says as she strides into the room as Chris turns his head to her.
“Kylie that’s enough!” Kurt snaps at her causing Chris turns back towards him. “Look, everything that’s been said; whether by Rebel, Level-One, the fans, yourself, that’s all about you. Every single match you’ve lost has been just you.”
“Exactly.”
“Let me finish” Kurt says, stifling Chris interruption. “Tonight though it’s not you stepping into the ring. When I said I need the Chris Hart I teamed with two years ago, that’s exactly what I meant. I don’t need the singles star that I know you can become, I don’t need the wrestler who Level-One and Johnny Rebel have destroyed psychologically, I need my tag team partner: because together we can’t lose.
Chris eyes Kurt understandingly, the reticence and resignation in his eyes slowly giving way to fire not yet seen from him. Without speaking the two both solemnly nod their heads as Kylie looks on with a sly grin on her face. “Why don’t you tell them that?”
Noble and Hart look at each other briefly, as a smile simultaneously creeps across their faces. “Kylie, get the camera.”
“Nobledrive nation, it may not be my place to make biblical analogies because this may offend some of you but if Kurt Noble is your Jesus, each and every one if you is Thomas.
“Over the past two weeks the only thing I’ve heard from you is doubt. Doubt that I could stand in the ring with the Sindicate, doubt that Kurt Noble could beat Johnny Rebel and Level-One because he’d picked his pool boy as his partner, doubt that Level-One and Johnny Rebel could be stopped. In fact, if I didn’t know better I’d say that you’ve become the Sisters of the Sindicate because you’ve done a damn good job of spreading their gospel.
“The good news is that there’s redemption for you. I’m not one to preach but over the past six months Kurt Noble has asked each and every single one of you to do one thing and that’s believe in him. I’m not going to stand here and ask you to believe in me because quite frankly I’ve done nothing to warrant that, nor will I ask you to believe in Kurt Noble because from the outside looking in, it look like he’s in well over his head. Instead I’m going to ask you to believe in an undefeated tag team, Noble-Hart.
“You see Lester, Johnny, that’s what you’re stepping into the ring against tonight. It’s not Johnny Rebel and Level-One against Chris Hart and Kurt Noble, it’s The Sindicate and Noble-Hart: Same people, big difference. Despite what you and Johnny would like to make it out to be, it’s not about the individuals involved in the match but the teams. Despite what you’d have everyone believe, I may not belong in this match but Noble-Hart does.
“In fact, that’s the exact opposite of where the two of you stand. Sure, Johnny Rebel and Level-One are befitting of the main event, but the Sindicate as the pre-eminent tag team in Action Packed Wrestling is simply unfathomable. Just because you bring two of the top Mega Stars, not just in APW today but in its history, together doesn’t make them a successful tag team.
Everything I’ve seen suggests that the Sindicate is that it’s nothing more than a terrible Lords of Chaos impression. Where’s the fireworks, anarchy, destruction? The only thing I’ve seen from them as a cohesive unit is the load of shit they parrot back and forth enough times they should have just hired Vince Offer and thrown him on loop.
Four Undisputed Championships, two Overdrive championships, numerous awards and recognition and yet at Test for the Best none of those matter because they’re not competing as individuals but as a team – Johnny Rebel simply doesn’t matter.
“Whereas the running commentary has me in this match because I’ve ridden Kurt Noble’s coattails to the top it’s a different story in the Sindicate. Johnny Rebel fought his way to the top and is going to find himself falling straight to the bottom clinging on to Level-One’s jock strap. Level-One says jump, Johnny says how high and then somehow manages to screw it up anyways. Mayhem, it was Level-One that bailed him out and brought home the titles. Three weeks ago who was standing on the top rope, beating his chest like the albino gorilla he is, and then found himself hurtling into Level-One – that’s right, it was Johnny Rebel.
“So here’s a lesson for you kids, steroids make your muscles bigger but sadly do nothing for your brains.
“It’s the sad truth too Johnny. I know you’re going to stand there and attempt to brush this all off. It’s really easy for you to look down from your lofty perch at me not just struggling, but failing to get over the initial hump. I don’t blame you for thinking that I’m in this match solely to make up the numbers – in fact, it kind of brings a perverse sense of pleasure because I know after Test for the Best there’s nothing you’re going to be able to say to explain what happened.
“Think about it Johnny, what happens when I win tonight. For the past two months you’ve done nothing but degrade me as a wrestler. You’ve called me a fish out of water, you’ve been the loudest on the Kurt Noble nepotism band wagon. In your estimation the result of this match is already written in stone, it’s going to be staring up at the lights with your size sixteen boot pressed into my throat for the pin, but what happens if it’s you staring up at the rafters of the United Center? It’ll be like de ja vu from when Kurt Noble was an interloper who managed to take your Overdrive Championship from you. You just don’t learn from your past mistakes Johnny, instead you repeat them over and over.
“Again kids, steroids don’t make your brain bigger.”
“But it’s not just Johnny Rebel who’s made the mistake of setting himself up for the fall from grace but Level-One as well. In order for it to be a team there needs to be two members, but not two individuals and that’s a concept Level-One simply can’t grasp. You need to check your ego at the door but what happens when it simply won’t fit through? You get Level-One. I’ve always wondered why Level-One would even contemplate teaming with someone, doing something so anathema to his being – how could Level-One accept the fact that he doesn’t matter?
“The answer, he hasn’t.
“Let’s not kid ourselves Level-One, there’s a reason you’re the one that does the talking, why it’s always you in the spot light and that’s because you’re unwilling to concede it to anyone else. You can’t possibly let Johnny Rebel take the lead once because then people might question who the leader is in the Sindicate and you can’t possibly let that happen, the impertinence of someone even questioning your superiority is mind boggling and yet after tonight you’re going to have to figure out something even more difficult.
“How the fuck did that kid beat me?
“You’re in the same boat as Rebel. You’ve done such a good job tearing Kurt Noble and I down that you’ve essentially put yourself in a no-win situation. You’re expected to beat us. Every single person who shows up to the United Center is going to expect you to win and when you don’t they’re going to question everything you’ve ever said. That maybe President Jeff isn’t some blithering fool, that maybe Kurt Noble knew what exactly he was doing when he choose me as a partner. You’re going to have to walk to the back and look Felipe DeLoren in the eyes as he asks that question on everyone’s mind.
“How the fuck did that kid beat you?
“And you’re going to have to answer not only to him, not just to everyone watching, but also yourself. You’re going to have to look at everything you’ve accomplished and wonder if you’re really that good - or if you were that good? If I could beat you where does that really leave you? if everything you said was true – or whether you were lying to yourself.
Pandora’s box Level-One: that’s what my victory opens for you and all because you couldn’t keep my name out of your mouth.”
Chris pauses for a moment as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small package.
“So here’s a bar of soap to wash it out.
“As individuals the two of you could simply walk right over us but as a tag team, you’re in for the fight of your lives. You’ve done a great job of trying to turn everyone against me, you made it so even I didn’t think I stood a chance in this match – and at the end of the day that just about sums up why at Test for the Best Noble-Hart is walking out with the Tag Team Championships, because you couldn’t turn my partner against me. When push came to shove there was one person who believed in me when no one else did.
“That’s the difference between the Sindicate and Noble-Hart. You could have worked together but instead you both chose to stay separate as individuals, and so tonight you fall as individuals. You’ll try and blame one another but the only person to blame is the man who flips you off in the mirror. For Kurt and I, it’s different, we know what it takes to be successful as a tag team, what it takes to walk out on top when the deck is stacked against you.
“It’s not about individual glory. It’s about achieving a common goal. It’s about focusing not on one’s self but the good of the team. So what if Johnny Rebel thinks that I only got here because of Kurt Noble, so what if Level-One thinks that I’m simply doing my best impersonation of him and failing at it miserably, because at the end of the day that closeness, that friendship, that familiarity is going to be the difference between winning and losing.
“Nobledrive nation that’s what being a tag team is. For each and every single one of you that doubted me, that said Kurt Noble was off his rocker for choosing me as a partner you’re wrong. It’s not about searching out the best person and teaming with them like Johnny Rebel thinks he’s done. It’s not about finding the best lackey possible like Level-One think’s he’s found. It’s about stepping into the ring with someone you can trust to do whatever it takes to bring home the gold, regardless of what anyone else may think.
“I don’t think Level-One’s ego can do that.
“I don’t think Johnny Rebel’s ego can do that.
“Kurt Noble knows I can do that.
“So when I asked you not to believe in me or Kurt Noble but in Noble-Hart it’s because that’s who’s stepping into the ring tonight. It’s not about the individuals like Johnny Rebel and Level-One would have you believe but the team.
“That’s why tonight Noble-Hart walks out of the United Center victorious, with the tag team championships around their waist and the Sindicate leaves Chicago …
Defeated!”
“Congratulations are in order for you Johnny Rebel and Level-One” Chris continues without the expected sarcasm. “You’ve finally done it. After four long years you’ve finally managed to do what everyone else has failed at: you’ve defeated me.”
Chris lifts his head and stares into the camera, the large wound on his forehead a visible reminder of the vicious assault at the hands of the Sindicate. “My entire career has been characterized by the underdog story. I’ve been put in situation after situation that no one expected me to survive but somehow I’ve not only manage to stay alive, but come out on top. Unfortunately for me however, that’s come to a screeching halt; I used up my ninth life, at Test for the Best it appears as if my luck has run out” a dejected Chris states.
Grabbing hold of one of the remaining white pawns on the board, Chris leans back into the chesterfield and closes his eyes before continuing. “I was supposed to be like this guy, fighting for the benefit of the good side, work my way forward until I was elevated a rank and in a position to consider myself on the same level as the two of you and Kurt Noble. This was supposed to be a battle that everyone would remember, that would determine the course of Action Packed Wrestling for the foreseeable future.”
Leaning forward, Chris replaces the pawn and reaches across the board and takes one of the pawns that had been taken in battle. “Instead, I was simply a cog in the machine that couldn’t do anything noteworthy to prevent the inevitable onslaught from the two of you. There’s no other way to say it outside of the fact that I’m outclassed” Chris says, furrowing his brow as he replaces the pawn.
“All week I’ve heard that term, ‘outclassed’. Every single person I’ve talked to has asked me whether I actually thought I had a chance against you. It should have infuriated me beyond belief but it didn’t, I simply accepted what seems to be a foregone conclusion – that I’m going to step into the ring and despite my best efforts, I simply can’t compete with the Sindicate and would end up in a familiar position, staring at the lights …
“Defeated.”
Chris shrugs his shoulders in resignation as he turns to the right and looks at the pictures adorning the walls of Kurt’s locker room; him holding the Undisputed Championship at Rasslemania, him posing with the title along with a consortium of fans at Mayhem. Missing amongst them is the previous fixture of Noble-Hart together from many years ago with the tag team title belts securely around their waists.
“All I’ve heard people say that I’m simply in this match to make up the numbers. I’ve heard Kurt Noble’s detractors saying that he chose me as a partner so that he had a fall guy when we inevitably succumbed to two of the legends of Action Packed Wrestling. On the flip side of the coin I’ve heard the fans of Kurt Noble saying that I’m simply tarnishing his legacy; that it was all well and good coming to save him when the two of you attacked like rabid dogs but when push came to shove I should’ve taken a step back and told Kurt that I simply wasn’t capable of standing in the ring next to him anymore.
I’ve been called a bad friend because I’m letting Kurt Noble drag me to heights that I couldn’t reach on my own and at the end of the day it’s going to cost him the opportunity to drive the final nail in the Sindicate’s coffin” Chris opines meekly as he gets to his feet and begins pacing back and forth in front of the chess board.
“And in a way, they’re right. If it had been Keaton Saint stepping up to take down the Sindicate I would’ve been the last person he would’ve chosen to fight next to him and I couldn’t blame him. This wasn’t President Jeff giving me a chance to shine, putting me underneath the spotlight in the hopes it would light a spark underneath me because he tried just as hard as anyone to get Kurt to choose someone else to fight next to him.
There isn’t a single person walking this earth that thinks I belong in this match, including myself and that’s because of you Level One, and you Johnny Rebel.
“Over the past month I’ve listened to everything you two have said about me. I’ve watched you not just fan the flames, but add fuel to the fire of what everyone is saying about me. I could stand here and try to disprove you but I can’t do that because there’s no defense for the truth, there’s no fantasy world that I can escape too where I exist in the same realm as the two of you.”
Ceasing his pacing, Chris stares at his reflection in the blank television screen before continuing. “All I’m going to do is given credence to everything you’ve been preaching over the past three months. You’ve espoused that there’s corruption in Action Packed Wrestling, that change is needed at the top and you were the ones who were going to bring it. You started by taking the tag team titles and tonight it’s on my shoulders when you bring down the Undisputed Champion. It’s going to be my fault when you can waltz into President Jeff’s office and demand that changes are made.
My failure is going to allow the two of you to remind everyone who ever doubted you that it was President Jeff who allowed me into the Action Packed Wrestling ring, that it was their beloved Kurt Noble who dragged me out of the gutter and into the glitz and glamor of the main event.
The Sindicate isn’t going to be some rebel movement resorting to propaganda to spread its message but instead the two of you, having already carved a legacy in Action Packed Wrestling, doing it another favor by wresting power away from those who seemed to abuse it” murmurs a forlorn Chris as he glances at the chess board for a moment.
Reaching out Chris grabs a hold of the white king still lying on its side. Chris looks at it intently, his eyes affixed to the head piece on the chess board before closing his fist around the marble figurine. “The worst thing about this defeat though is that it’s going to bring an end to the mystique of Kurt Noble. \
People aren’t going to believe in Kurt Noble, the king of Action Packed Wrestling, anymore. They’re always going to say that he was a party to the demise of the status quo and the resurrection under the auspices of the Sindicate, and it’s all going to be on my head.
“Everything that’s been said, whether by Level-One, Johnny Rebel or any single fan of Action Packed Wrestling, I’m less than nothing in relation to the three other men in this match. I don’t belong, I’m riding the coat tails of Kurt Noble, I’m simply here because he is. I came to Action Packed Wrestling because I wanted I felt that I had something more to give. I wanted to be able to walk out with my head held high but after tonight I’m going to walk out one thing …
“Defeated.
“Defeated because I’m no different than I was before I came. That all my self-righteous talk about doing this for a different reason was simply that, talk. It took the Sindicate to expose me for the fraud that I am, to defeat me but the problem is this battle isn’t my own. As I go down I’m going to do the one thing I swore I wouldn’t do and that’s bring Kurt Noble with me.
You see, Level One, Johnny Rebel, it’s not going to be you who puts an end to Kurt Noble. After tonight you won’t be able to gloat about how you were the one who put an end to the man who has seemingly been unconquerable. Instead, it’s going to be me; his best friend, his tag team partner and there’s nothing either of us can do about it.
When the bell rings and I stare across the ring at you two I’m going to be faced with the fact that the end of everything we’ve fought so hard for, the trials and hardships we’ve faced, the only person who could stop him was me. That for everything he’d done for me when it was my time to repay him, to stand by his side I let him down.”
“No matter what happens you’re not going to let me down.
Chris pinwheels around towards the door way and looks at the stern face of Kurt Noble, cane in hand. “How long have you been there?” Chris asks, his face contorted in consternation.
“Long enough” replies Kurt as he strides into the locker room. Chris sets him with a glare, slightly perturbed at the impertinence of the eavesdropping Noble. “I think you’re full of shit, you know that?”
Chris can’t help but shake his head as he sets the king back on the chessboard, this time upright in its usual position. “Do you really think that I, of all people, would let someone, or something, stand in the way of what I intended to accomplish?” Kurt asks as he unbuttons his shirt, exposing the ACM tattoo on his shoulder as he pulls his arm out of the sleeve.
Chris stares at him for a moment as Kurt completely removes his dress shirt and begins to slip into his Nobledrive t-shirt. “I had a chance to choose someone else Chris, I could’ve dropped you if I had wanted but there’s no one else I want standing next to me in that ring tonight because you’re the only one I believe in.”
“I’m glad someone does” sarcastically mutters Chris.
“How are they supposed to believe in you when you don’t even believe in yourself?” Noble asks shaking his head in disbelief. “As long as I’ve known you Chris there’s one thing I could always count on and that you’d come ready to fight, believing that we could win. Nothing’s changed Chris, this match is no different than any other we’ve been in and yet now you’ve decided it’s time to start doubting yourself? It doesn’t make sense.”
Chris tosses his head back as he reaches for his duffel bag but Kurt stares him down disapprovingly. Slowly Chris pulls his hand away as he leans back into the chesterfield. “Six months ago you told me I belonged with the Sally Talfourd’s of the world. CJ Gates, Johnny Rebel, those guys were on my level but since then the only thing that’s happened is I’ve proven that I’m not you Kurt Noble, despite what others might suggest. As hard as I try I’m simply incapable of stepping into that ring and being successful against the Megastars of APW resigns Chris.
“I don’t believe that for one second Chris. If you just …
“Believed in myself?” Chris interrupts. “Save it Kurt, I don’t need a pep talk.”
“No, what you need is a reality check” Noble asserts aggressively, drawing a visible shock from Chris Hart as he turns to his left and glares at him. “Wake up from this deluded fantasy you’re living in where you’re not able to compete with the best, where you feel you have to take care of me every step of the way, and realize that nothing has changed.
You’re still one of the best wrestlers in this company. If I could’ve done half the things you can at your age I wouldn’t need this cane to get around. This self-depreciating bullshit ends now. It’s time to stop being a figment of you and become the Chris Hart that I teamed with two years ago.”
“I can’t/” Chris says hastily.
“You can’t – or you won’t? Do you want to be a failure, do you …. Kylie Demenz says as she strides into the room as Chris turns his head to her.
“Kylie that’s enough!” Kurt snaps at her causing Chris turns back towards him. “Look, everything that’s been said; whether by Rebel, Level-One, the fans, yourself, that’s all about you. Every single match you’ve lost has been just you.”
“Exactly.”
“Let me finish” Kurt says, stifling Chris interruption. “Tonight though it’s not you stepping into the ring. When I said I need the Chris Hart I teamed with two years ago, that’s exactly what I meant. I don’t need the singles star that I know you can become, I don’t need the wrestler who Level-One and Johnny Rebel have destroyed psychologically, I need my tag team partner: because together we can’t lose.
Chris eyes Kurt understandingly, the reticence and resignation in his eyes slowly giving way to fire not yet seen from him. Without speaking the two both solemnly nod their heads as Kylie looks on with a sly grin on her face. “Why don’t you tell them that?”
Noble and Hart look at each other briefly, as a smile simultaneously creeps across their faces. “Kylie, get the camera.”
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Action Packed Wrestling Presents…
Nobledrive!
Test for the Best Edition!
Featuring the future APW Tag Team Champions
Noble-Hart
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Action Packed Wrestling Presents…
Nobledrive!
Test for the Best Edition!
Featuring the future APW Tag Team Champions
Noble-Hart
“Nobledrive nation, it may not be my place to make biblical analogies because this may offend some of you but if Kurt Noble is your Jesus, each and every one if you is Thomas.
“Over the past two weeks the only thing I’ve heard from you is doubt. Doubt that I could stand in the ring with the Sindicate, doubt that Kurt Noble could beat Johnny Rebel and Level-One because he’d picked his pool boy as his partner, doubt that Level-One and Johnny Rebel could be stopped. In fact, if I didn’t know better I’d say that you’ve become the Sisters of the Sindicate because you’ve done a damn good job of spreading their gospel.
“The good news is that there’s redemption for you. I’m not one to preach but over the past six months Kurt Noble has asked each and every single one of you to do one thing and that’s believe in him. I’m not going to stand here and ask you to believe in me because quite frankly I’ve done nothing to warrant that, nor will I ask you to believe in Kurt Noble because from the outside looking in, it look like he’s in well over his head. Instead I’m going to ask you to believe in an undefeated tag team, Noble-Hart.
“You see Lester, Johnny, that’s what you’re stepping into the ring against tonight. It’s not Johnny Rebel and Level-One against Chris Hart and Kurt Noble, it’s The Sindicate and Noble-Hart: Same people, big difference. Despite what you and Johnny would like to make it out to be, it’s not about the individuals involved in the match but the teams. Despite what you’d have everyone believe, I may not belong in this match but Noble-Hart does.
“In fact, that’s the exact opposite of where the two of you stand. Sure, Johnny Rebel and Level-One are befitting of the main event, but the Sindicate as the pre-eminent tag team in Action Packed Wrestling is simply unfathomable. Just because you bring two of the top Mega Stars, not just in APW today but in its history, together doesn’t make them a successful tag team.
Everything I’ve seen suggests that the Sindicate is that it’s nothing more than a terrible Lords of Chaos impression. Where’s the fireworks, anarchy, destruction? The only thing I’ve seen from them as a cohesive unit is the load of shit they parrot back and forth enough times they should have just hired Vince Offer and thrown him on loop.
Four Undisputed Championships, two Overdrive championships, numerous awards and recognition and yet at Test for the Best none of those matter because they’re not competing as individuals but as a team – Johnny Rebel simply doesn’t matter.
“Whereas the running commentary has me in this match because I’ve ridden Kurt Noble’s coattails to the top it’s a different story in the Sindicate. Johnny Rebel fought his way to the top and is going to find himself falling straight to the bottom clinging on to Level-One’s jock strap. Level-One says jump, Johnny says how high and then somehow manages to screw it up anyways. Mayhem, it was Level-One that bailed him out and brought home the titles. Three weeks ago who was standing on the top rope, beating his chest like the albino gorilla he is, and then found himself hurtling into Level-One – that’s right, it was Johnny Rebel.
“So here’s a lesson for you kids, steroids make your muscles bigger but sadly do nothing for your brains.
“It’s the sad truth too Johnny. I know you’re going to stand there and attempt to brush this all off. It’s really easy for you to look down from your lofty perch at me not just struggling, but failing to get over the initial hump. I don’t blame you for thinking that I’m in this match solely to make up the numbers – in fact, it kind of brings a perverse sense of pleasure because I know after Test for the Best there’s nothing you’re going to be able to say to explain what happened.
“Think about it Johnny, what happens when I win tonight. For the past two months you’ve done nothing but degrade me as a wrestler. You’ve called me a fish out of water, you’ve been the loudest on the Kurt Noble nepotism band wagon. In your estimation the result of this match is already written in stone, it’s going to be staring up at the lights with your size sixteen boot pressed into my throat for the pin, but what happens if it’s you staring up at the rafters of the United Center? It’ll be like de ja vu from when Kurt Noble was an interloper who managed to take your Overdrive Championship from you. You just don’t learn from your past mistakes Johnny, instead you repeat them over and over.
“Again kids, steroids don’t make your brain bigger.”
“But it’s not just Johnny Rebel who’s made the mistake of setting himself up for the fall from grace but Level-One as well. In order for it to be a team there needs to be two members, but not two individuals and that’s a concept Level-One simply can’t grasp. You need to check your ego at the door but what happens when it simply won’t fit through? You get Level-One. I’ve always wondered why Level-One would even contemplate teaming with someone, doing something so anathema to his being – how could Level-One accept the fact that he doesn’t matter?
“The answer, he hasn’t.
“Let’s not kid ourselves Level-One, there’s a reason you’re the one that does the talking, why it’s always you in the spot light and that’s because you’re unwilling to concede it to anyone else. You can’t possibly let Johnny Rebel take the lead once because then people might question who the leader is in the Sindicate and you can’t possibly let that happen, the impertinence of someone even questioning your superiority is mind boggling and yet after tonight you’re going to have to figure out something even more difficult.
“How the fuck did that kid beat me?
“You’re in the same boat as Rebel. You’ve done such a good job tearing Kurt Noble and I down that you’ve essentially put yourself in a no-win situation. You’re expected to beat us. Every single person who shows up to the United Center is going to expect you to win and when you don’t they’re going to question everything you’ve ever said. That maybe President Jeff isn’t some blithering fool, that maybe Kurt Noble knew what exactly he was doing when he choose me as a partner. You’re going to have to walk to the back and look Felipe DeLoren in the eyes as he asks that question on everyone’s mind.
“How the fuck did that kid beat you?
“And you’re going to have to answer not only to him, not just to everyone watching, but also yourself. You’re going to have to look at everything you’ve accomplished and wonder if you’re really that good - or if you were that good? If I could beat you where does that really leave you? if everything you said was true – or whether you were lying to yourself.
Pandora’s box Level-One: that’s what my victory opens for you and all because you couldn’t keep my name out of your mouth.”
Chris pauses for a moment as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small package.
“So here’s a bar of soap to wash it out.
“As individuals the two of you could simply walk right over us but as a tag team, you’re in for the fight of your lives. You’ve done a great job of trying to turn everyone against me, you made it so even I didn’t think I stood a chance in this match – and at the end of the day that just about sums up why at Test for the Best Noble-Hart is walking out with the Tag Team Championships, because you couldn’t turn my partner against me. When push came to shove there was one person who believed in me when no one else did.
“That’s the difference between the Sindicate and Noble-Hart. You could have worked together but instead you both chose to stay separate as individuals, and so tonight you fall as individuals. You’ll try and blame one another but the only person to blame is the man who flips you off in the mirror. For Kurt and I, it’s different, we know what it takes to be successful as a tag team, what it takes to walk out on top when the deck is stacked against you.
“It’s not about individual glory. It’s about achieving a common goal. It’s about focusing not on one’s self but the good of the team. So what if Johnny Rebel thinks that I only got here because of Kurt Noble, so what if Level-One thinks that I’m simply doing my best impersonation of him and failing at it miserably, because at the end of the day that closeness, that friendship, that familiarity is going to be the difference between winning and losing.
“Nobledrive nation that’s what being a tag team is. For each and every single one of you that doubted me, that said Kurt Noble was off his rocker for choosing me as a partner you’re wrong. It’s not about searching out the best person and teaming with them like Johnny Rebel thinks he’s done. It’s not about finding the best lackey possible like Level-One think’s he’s found. It’s about stepping into the ring with someone you can trust to do whatever it takes to bring home the gold, regardless of what anyone else may think.
“I don’t think Level-One’s ego can do that.
“I don’t think Johnny Rebel’s ego can do that.
“Kurt Noble knows I can do that.
“So when I asked you not to believe in me or Kurt Noble but in Noble-Hart it’s because that’s who’s stepping into the ring tonight. It’s not about the individuals like Johnny Rebel and Level-One would have you believe but the team.
“That’s why tonight Noble-Hart walks out of the United Center victorious, with the tag team championships around their waist and the Sindicate leaves Chicago …
Defeated!”
