Post by SalTal on Jul 28, 2012 12:26:15 GMT -4
Internet Explorer-*click*-Favorites-*click*-APW.com-*click*-Survive and Conquer-*click*-Sally Talfourd-*click*-Loading...
"Sally Talfourd presents ..."
is written across the screen, fades out, then
"In association with Action Packed Wrestling..."
is next to appear, holds, then fades out for
"Happy Endings T.V."
Which fades away to a shot of the outskirts of Vegas. Yes, unusual; most people find themselves somewhere along glitz and glamour row. No, this is taking place in the ‘burbs - somewhere our host is keen to get her coffee on. Grouchy John’s - the makers of the best coffee in all of the land. And that’s where we find Miss Talfourd, taking sips from a drink she holds onto with white knuckles.
[Shane] Why did we have to come out here to do this?
[Sally] Maybe because there’s really good coffee here? Maybe because I didn’t want to have to see any of the more aggravating Asylum members?
[Shane] But we’re so far away from the casinos...
[Sally] Or maybe because my cameraman is a gamlbaholic! And if he goes in a casino he will lose everything he owns! I’m not stupid, Shane. We’re keeping you as far away as we can from the action.
[Shane] But, just a quick visit. I promise I’ll win.
[Sally] No! And if anyone is doing any winning - it’s me. Me and my good friend AB are teaming up against that dastardly Wolves and Callahan, and we’ll be doing our darndest to get the win, trust me Shane. So all the gambling and the action and the whatever that you might find in the casino has nothing on the action you’re going to be seeing in the ring this Asylum.
[Shane] It’s main event so it’s bound to be something big.
[Sally] Oh, is it a main event? I hadn’t noticed. *Of course she noticed!*[/b] But that’s not important. What’s important are team dynamics, expectations, and experience. Three simple things, but nothing simple about them! They’re nothing that can be learned overnight, but certainly things that Bailey and I bring to the match. [/color]
[Shane] Like dynamics?
[Sally] Exactly, Shane. Like dynamics. Who cares about the number one contendership. Who cares about his title. None of it matters this week. What does matter is how well we can work together. And, not to brag, but Bailey and I have been getting along quite well for the past few weeks - much to the chagrin of teenager boys and girls alike! I think everyone would agree that we have a chemistry, Shane. And it’s chemistry that makes a great team. A good team can get along; a great team works together. A great team protects each other. A great team strategises. A great team does exactly what Bailey and I do. We’ve been planning, we’ve been thinking this out, and I know for a fact that we’ll be We’re in the greatest position to make a team out of everyone on Asylum, that’s a fact. We’ve got the kind of chemistry that you search and search for. Wolves and Callahan? They’re just thrown together without any idea of what they have to do to work together. Wolves wants to prove that he’s better than the rest of Meltdown while Callahan just wants to remain relevant while everyone else is talking about Bailey and Talfourd. Where’s the dynamics there, huh? Where’s the teamwork and the care and the love?
Where is the love? Surely someone will have to pay for that copyright infringement. But nevertheless, it’s a valid question. A team is only successful when they can work together. Look at the Sindicate over on OverDrive, then Noble-Hart - two teams that won the biggest team titles APW has but only because they could work together. If Asylum was tasked to find two wrestlers who work better together, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone else other than Bailey and Sally.
[Shane] What else was important? Expectations?
[Sally] Yes, expectations. But, really, what does the team expect realistically. Does Callahan and Wolves realistically expect to win this match. One of them is yet to wrestle a main event like this in his APW career. The other is yet to figure in a world title picture. Yes, we’ve got a champion and a red-hot rookie. But look at their opponents. One is the currently world heavyweight champion. The other is a former undisputed champion and currently the number one contender. Just last week I beat Callahan. In fact, my record against Callahan only has one loss. Sure, it was a big loss, but I’m still something like two or three wins up! Now I expect that if you ask Callahan, he’d say that he’s better than his partner. I think most people would agree with him too. But, at the end of the day, the records show I’m better than Callahan - so obviously I’d be better than Wolves! But I’m not fighting this alone. That lump of gold hanging over Bailey’s shoulder? That tells everyone that he’s better than everyone on Asylum - no if’s or but’s. My partner is the best wrestler on Asylum right now. He beat the last best, and he’ll beat anyone who pretends that they’re better than him right now.
[Shane] So, Callahan and Cameron shouldn’t expect to win.
[Sally] No, but neither should we. When you expect to win, you’re setting yourself up for defeat. No, you need to recognise the hard work and the determination you need for something like this. You need to accept that either side could win here, and that only the side that has the skill and the focus and the determination to get to the end and win...they’re the winners. You need a team that can grind out a win when so much talent is in the match. I’d say both sides are matched in pure wrestling abilities, in impact, in finesse, in the excitement. It’s all going to come down to that endurance. Who can hold on, who can last, the longest? You have to be able to endure more than anything else, don’t you? And, well, when I think about what Bailey and I have had to go through, each, to get where we are...who has endured more than us? Bailey had to come into this fed and find a place amongst some of the best competition in the business. He came in in tough times, yet has held two titles, went on a huge undefeated streak, and still dominates the competition. Me? Well, need I tell you of the challenges a woman faces in this business? Of course I don’t need to - everyone’s lived that adventure with me. Yet I’ve still come out triumphant, and that’s all that matters. So determination? We have plenty of it, don’t you worry yourself Shane.
Their tales hardly need to be told, Sally’s and Bailey’s. But if any two people have had an easier ride than Callahan and Wolves they’ve yet to be found. Callahan, who has probably had the easiest string of title defenses and Wolves who only had to be better than the rest of the people left on Meltdown - how much easier can you get in your career?
[Shane] And what was the last of your three simple things?
[Sally] The simple things that aren’t simple? That last one would be experience, Shane. Experience. Experience in the big matches. Experience in the unfamiliar. Experience in a tag match where you have to work with someone. Out of us four, I’d hazard a guess that I’ve been in more high-stakes, more main event matches. Not that that’s enough to get us the win, but it certainly helps in the whole ‘nerves’ department, right? And experience with the unfamiliar - well, Bailey might be unfamiliar in the ring, but out of the ring I know him well enough to be comfortable to work with him. He stops being unfamiliar as soon as we make four, five minutes into the match. Callahan and Wolves will still be learning each other’s names at the half-way point. And, at the end of the day, who has had more tag matches in their career? Who has the experience of working with someone to win a match, rather than just against someone? I’d hazard a guess that I’ve got more experience there too. But, like I said, just because Bailey and I have more experience in all of these things...it’s not enough to win the match alone. But all of it together, it really helps to get the job done. And it’s important Shane. It’s important that Bailey and I win.
[Shane] Why’s that?
Sally’s attention drifts off. It’s as if her mind is floating elsewhere for the moment, to some far-flung place where she is occupied with all of her ideas and memories. While she stares off to this imaginary place...
[Sally] It’s important, Shane, because I’ve seen the best bodies of this business destroyed by madness. Driven mad by a deep desire to be someone. Someone in this business that everyone admires and respects and love. They’ve gone mad in that desire and the pursuit, and come out as the person they most despise. Take a look at Callahan. I’m sure at one time or another he was a good guy. He wanted to improve the world or something. At one point in his life, he surely thought that he could improve things for the better. And he probably tried to do it. But somewhere along the line - instead of becoming someone like me or someone like Bailey - he became the person he is today. Driven by a madness, he’s exactly the kind of person who ruins places like APW. And now he is teamed with Cameron Wolves - another case of someone gone wrong somewhere along the line. Two of these men together might be enough to further the madness that they alone enjoy.
Sally’s eyes dart back to the here and now, back to the camera.
[Sally] They might be...if they weren’t facing Bailey and I. We’re a team fighting to make Asylum and APW better. Bailey with the belt, me by his side. What could be better for the fans? Better for the company than the two best talents, the two biggest names, and the two best wrestlers to be on the same road? Shockwave is all the way down the end of the road - right now, we get to do a whole lot of good and a whole lot of entertaining before we get there. He and I aren’t in this for revenge against each other, nor are we in it for glory - two things that our opponents are. No, we’re in it to find out who is better, and to make sure that it’s all about the fans. And that starts this week. He and I will put on a show for the fans together, he and I will win together, and we will walk out of the arena victorious together. Anyone who doubts that...well...you might as well think like Callahan and Wolves. They think that they will win. They think that they are better. They think that they’re the best for this company. The fact is that they are the worst thing for everyone. Bailey and I? We give the fans some hope. Hope that good things happen to people who work hard and are focused and are determined to succeed. We’ll be showing that tonight as well as down the line. But tonight is our only focus for now. Working together, getting the win, stopping Callahan and Wolves in their tracks. They need to be stopped. Callahan came in and one of the first things he did was up-end a rather prestigious title that Asylum had. From all accounts, Wolves is just as bad - so imagine what he would get up to if he wasn’t checked. No, they both need to make sure that they remember where their place is in the company - because the number one and number two positions are already filled!
Trust me, fans and critics alike, when I say this: This tag match is more important than my opponents think. It’s a chance to show that two people who will face each other can get along. This match is mine and Bailey’s chance to show the world just how things can go when you take out the hatred and the animosity and all the negativity between two poeple and boil it down to entertainment and wrestling. And, just to show that those two things are the essence of each and every match that happens in APW, Bailey and I will be bringing our match tonight back to those very two things. Entertainment and wrestling. That’s all you need. You don’t need all the baggage that Callahan and Wolves will bring into this match. You don’t need it to make a good match or a memorable match or even an important match. All you need are two people willing to go the distance to make a match worthwhile. And, luckily enough, the same two people are teaming tonight. So what result could you possibly expect?
[Shane] Finished?
[Sally] Yeah.
[Shane] Can we go gambling now?
[Sally] No!
Sally glares at her cameraman, a sight that would scare the scare out of the scariest thing to ever scare. After a moment more on this, there’s a slow fade out and then into...
Sally Talfourd
written across the screen, which in turn fades away as the episode comes to a close.
"Sally Talfourd presents ..."
is written across the screen, fades out, then
"In association with Action Packed Wrestling..."
is next to appear, holds, then fades out for
"Happy Endings T.V."
Which fades away to a shot of the outskirts of Vegas. Yes, unusual; most people find themselves somewhere along glitz and glamour row. No, this is taking place in the ‘burbs - somewhere our host is keen to get her coffee on. Grouchy John’s - the makers of the best coffee in all of the land. And that’s where we find Miss Talfourd, taking sips from a drink she holds onto with white knuckles.
[Shane] Why did we have to come out here to do this?
[Sally] Maybe because there’s really good coffee here? Maybe because I didn’t want to have to see any of the more aggravating Asylum members?
[Shane] But we’re so far away from the casinos...
[Sally] Or maybe because my cameraman is a gamlbaholic! And if he goes in a casino he will lose everything he owns! I’m not stupid, Shane. We’re keeping you as far away as we can from the action.
[Shane] But, just a quick visit. I promise I’ll win.
[Sally] No! And if anyone is doing any winning - it’s me. Me and my good friend AB are teaming up against that dastardly Wolves and Callahan, and we’ll be doing our darndest to get the win, trust me Shane. So all the gambling and the action and the whatever that you might find in the casino has nothing on the action you’re going to be seeing in the ring this Asylum.
[Shane] It’s main event so it’s bound to be something big.
[Sally] Oh, is it a main event? I hadn’t noticed. *Of course she noticed!*[/b] But that’s not important. What’s important are team dynamics, expectations, and experience. Three simple things, but nothing simple about them! They’re nothing that can be learned overnight, but certainly things that Bailey and I bring to the match. [/color]
[Shane] Like dynamics?
[Sally] Exactly, Shane. Like dynamics. Who cares about the number one contendership. Who cares about his title. None of it matters this week. What does matter is how well we can work together. And, not to brag, but Bailey and I have been getting along quite well for the past few weeks - much to the chagrin of teenager boys and girls alike! I think everyone would agree that we have a chemistry, Shane. And it’s chemistry that makes a great team. A good team can get along; a great team works together. A great team protects each other. A great team strategises. A great team does exactly what Bailey and I do. We’ve been planning, we’ve been thinking this out, and I know for a fact that we’ll be We’re in the greatest position to make a team out of everyone on Asylum, that’s a fact. We’ve got the kind of chemistry that you search and search for. Wolves and Callahan? They’re just thrown together without any idea of what they have to do to work together. Wolves wants to prove that he’s better than the rest of Meltdown while Callahan just wants to remain relevant while everyone else is talking about Bailey and Talfourd. Where’s the dynamics there, huh? Where’s the teamwork and the care and the love?
Where is the love? Surely someone will have to pay for that copyright infringement. But nevertheless, it’s a valid question. A team is only successful when they can work together. Look at the Sindicate over on OverDrive, then Noble-Hart - two teams that won the biggest team titles APW has but only because they could work together. If Asylum was tasked to find two wrestlers who work better together, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone else other than Bailey and Sally.
[Shane] What else was important? Expectations?
[Sally] Yes, expectations. But, really, what does the team expect realistically. Does Callahan and Wolves realistically expect to win this match. One of them is yet to wrestle a main event like this in his APW career. The other is yet to figure in a world title picture. Yes, we’ve got a champion and a red-hot rookie. But look at their opponents. One is the currently world heavyweight champion. The other is a former undisputed champion and currently the number one contender. Just last week I beat Callahan. In fact, my record against Callahan only has one loss. Sure, it was a big loss, but I’m still something like two or three wins up! Now I expect that if you ask Callahan, he’d say that he’s better than his partner. I think most people would agree with him too. But, at the end of the day, the records show I’m better than Callahan - so obviously I’d be better than Wolves! But I’m not fighting this alone. That lump of gold hanging over Bailey’s shoulder? That tells everyone that he’s better than everyone on Asylum - no if’s or but’s. My partner is the best wrestler on Asylum right now. He beat the last best, and he’ll beat anyone who pretends that they’re better than him right now.
[Shane] So, Callahan and Cameron shouldn’t expect to win.
[Sally] No, but neither should we. When you expect to win, you’re setting yourself up for defeat. No, you need to recognise the hard work and the determination you need for something like this. You need to accept that either side could win here, and that only the side that has the skill and the focus and the determination to get to the end and win...they’re the winners. You need a team that can grind out a win when so much talent is in the match. I’d say both sides are matched in pure wrestling abilities, in impact, in finesse, in the excitement. It’s all going to come down to that endurance. Who can hold on, who can last, the longest? You have to be able to endure more than anything else, don’t you? And, well, when I think about what Bailey and I have had to go through, each, to get where we are...who has endured more than us? Bailey had to come into this fed and find a place amongst some of the best competition in the business. He came in in tough times, yet has held two titles, went on a huge undefeated streak, and still dominates the competition. Me? Well, need I tell you of the challenges a woman faces in this business? Of course I don’t need to - everyone’s lived that adventure with me. Yet I’ve still come out triumphant, and that’s all that matters. So determination? We have plenty of it, don’t you worry yourself Shane.
Their tales hardly need to be told, Sally’s and Bailey’s. But if any two people have had an easier ride than Callahan and Wolves they’ve yet to be found. Callahan, who has probably had the easiest string of title defenses and Wolves who only had to be better than the rest of the people left on Meltdown - how much easier can you get in your career?
[Shane] And what was the last of your three simple things?
[Sally] The simple things that aren’t simple? That last one would be experience, Shane. Experience. Experience in the big matches. Experience in the unfamiliar. Experience in a tag match where you have to work with someone. Out of us four, I’d hazard a guess that I’ve been in more high-stakes, more main event matches. Not that that’s enough to get us the win, but it certainly helps in the whole ‘nerves’ department, right? And experience with the unfamiliar - well, Bailey might be unfamiliar in the ring, but out of the ring I know him well enough to be comfortable to work with him. He stops being unfamiliar as soon as we make four, five minutes into the match. Callahan and Wolves will still be learning each other’s names at the half-way point. And, at the end of the day, who has had more tag matches in their career? Who has the experience of working with someone to win a match, rather than just against someone? I’d hazard a guess that I’ve got more experience there too. But, like I said, just because Bailey and I have more experience in all of these things...it’s not enough to win the match alone. But all of it together, it really helps to get the job done. And it’s important Shane. It’s important that Bailey and I win.
[Shane] Why’s that?
Sally’s attention drifts off. It’s as if her mind is floating elsewhere for the moment, to some far-flung place where she is occupied with all of her ideas and memories. While she stares off to this imaginary place...
[Sally] It’s important, Shane, because I’ve seen the best bodies of this business destroyed by madness. Driven mad by a deep desire to be someone. Someone in this business that everyone admires and respects and love. They’ve gone mad in that desire and the pursuit, and come out as the person they most despise. Take a look at Callahan. I’m sure at one time or another he was a good guy. He wanted to improve the world or something. At one point in his life, he surely thought that he could improve things for the better. And he probably tried to do it. But somewhere along the line - instead of becoming someone like me or someone like Bailey - he became the person he is today. Driven by a madness, he’s exactly the kind of person who ruins places like APW. And now he is teamed with Cameron Wolves - another case of someone gone wrong somewhere along the line. Two of these men together might be enough to further the madness that they alone enjoy.
Sally’s eyes dart back to the here and now, back to the camera.
[Sally] They might be...if they weren’t facing Bailey and I. We’re a team fighting to make Asylum and APW better. Bailey with the belt, me by his side. What could be better for the fans? Better for the company than the two best talents, the two biggest names, and the two best wrestlers to be on the same road? Shockwave is all the way down the end of the road - right now, we get to do a whole lot of good and a whole lot of entertaining before we get there. He and I aren’t in this for revenge against each other, nor are we in it for glory - two things that our opponents are. No, we’re in it to find out who is better, and to make sure that it’s all about the fans. And that starts this week. He and I will put on a show for the fans together, he and I will win together, and we will walk out of the arena victorious together. Anyone who doubts that...well...you might as well think like Callahan and Wolves. They think that they will win. They think that they are better. They think that they’re the best for this company. The fact is that they are the worst thing for everyone. Bailey and I? We give the fans some hope. Hope that good things happen to people who work hard and are focused and are determined to succeed. We’ll be showing that tonight as well as down the line. But tonight is our only focus for now. Working together, getting the win, stopping Callahan and Wolves in their tracks. They need to be stopped. Callahan came in and one of the first things he did was up-end a rather prestigious title that Asylum had. From all accounts, Wolves is just as bad - so imagine what he would get up to if he wasn’t checked. No, they both need to make sure that they remember where their place is in the company - because the number one and number two positions are already filled!
Trust me, fans and critics alike, when I say this: This tag match is more important than my opponents think. It’s a chance to show that two people who will face each other can get along. This match is mine and Bailey’s chance to show the world just how things can go when you take out the hatred and the animosity and all the negativity between two poeple and boil it down to entertainment and wrestling. And, just to show that those two things are the essence of each and every match that happens in APW, Bailey and I will be bringing our match tonight back to those very two things. Entertainment and wrestling. That’s all you need. You don’t need all the baggage that Callahan and Wolves will bring into this match. You don’t need it to make a good match or a memorable match or even an important match. All you need are two people willing to go the distance to make a match worthwhile. And, luckily enough, the same two people are teaming tonight. So what result could you possibly expect?
[Shane] Finished?
[Sally] Yeah.
[Shane] Can we go gambling now?
[Sally] No!
Sally glares at her cameraman, a sight that would scare the scare out of the scariest thing to ever scare. After a moment more on this, there’s a slow fade out and then into...
Sally Talfourd
written across the screen, which in turn fades away as the episode comes to a close.
