Post by Chaos Stryke on Sept 15, 2012 19:37:11 GMT -4
We start with an audio pickup as the scene shifts from black and begins to come into focus.
“Hello Aubrey. It’s Logan calling. When you get this message and then have some free time, call me back. I’d like to discuss something about this week with you as soon as I can. Talk to you later.”
The camera is now in focus on Logan Alexander and we see him hanging up his phone on his desk. He’s sitting in his office chair and he leans back before looking up at the camera.
“It was just a little business call. It’s amazing how quickly the rumour train picks up all the strange mistaken information and begins to spread it around wildly. Like Aubrey and I for one…”
He shakes his head slowly then reaches up to rub the bridge of his nose. He lowers his hand and looks at the camera.
“But this week it is not supposed to be about Logan and Aubrey together. We’ve got something a bit different this time.”
He pauses for a few moments then leans closer to the camera.
“Snake Boy versus Logan Alexander…”
He smirks slightly before pushing his chair back and standing up. We see him dressed in jeans, brown in colour this time, and a green t-shirt with writing in black that reads ‘I’m APW for life!’ on the front. As he turns and climbs out of the chair, we see that the back of the shirt reads ‘Or until my paycheque bounces.’ He moves out from behind the desk slowly, looking over at the camera as he goes.
“Last week it was Comikaze versus M&M. This week… it’s the same, but not quite. It’s still one team against the other, only now it’s supposed to be one on one.”
“I’m not betting on that holding up for very long this week. In general, APW seems to run on the rule of someone always getting involved in things that don’t immediately involve them. Aubrey will be in my corner. Red Crow will be in the opposite one. And who knows who else might show up… Now neither Crow or Aubrey have a place in this match, but I fully expect that neither of them are going to let that little detail get in their way should they decide to do something.”
He shrugs slightly before sitting down on the front corner of his desk.
“That’s just one of the things I’ve had to adjust to over the years, try to be ready for that other person who’s going to be looking to get involved in my business whether it’s to raise their own stock or to be bringing me down a peg of two or to just try and do some damage. But I adapt.”
Logan looks straight into the camera, brimming with confidence.
“I get wiser. I get smarter. I figure out ways to defend myself. I learn how to pay attention to things going on around me and not lose focus on what I need to do. This may very well be like a tag team match in that regard. I have to beat Snake Boy, but I need to be sure that I don’t put myself in a position where Red Crow can get the drop on me without the ref seeing it happen at least.”
“I know you two will bend or break the rules if you get the chance. I’m not ignorant of that fact. I saw the cheap tactics you used against Aubrey last week. I experienced a couple of them myself as well. It didn’t help either of you out in the end though did it? Sometimes taking the shortcut can get you where you need to go, but the vast majority of the time, you’re not going to beat out pure talent that way.”
“That’s what I brought to the game last week. It’s what I will be bringing again this week.”
He smiles slightly… but after a few moments it disappears. Logan looks a little uncomfortable as he continues and his gaze shifts away from the camera.
“This will be my first singles match since January 2011 though. I can’t say that I’m not coming into this match with a little anxiousness and trepidation.”
He lifts one hand to his face, absently massaging either side of his mouth with his thumb and index finger for several moments. The silence stretches on for several seconds before lowering his hand again.
“For the last two weeks, I’ve been in tag team wrestling. It’s let me find myself at a professional level once more and given me the chance to remember what it was like. I got the chance to feel the rush and to enjoy the thrill of competing once again, but it was in a much more controlled and safe environment. If I got in over my head, if I overreached myself, if I needed some time to collect myself, I had an out.”
“All I needed to do was reach back and find Aubrey or, if things looked particularly bad, she could step in and bail me out before we lost. Things generally haven’t been that bad, for us though, so I’ve been able to make the most out of these first two matches I’ve had.”
“Now I finally have to go out and take the next step on my own. Aubrey can’t save me if I need it this time. For the first time in a long time, I’m going to be performing without a safety net of any sort.”
“It feels a little daunting, but it’s exciting at the same time.”
He looks over at the camera again. He looks more focused and serious now.
“I’ve been a singles wrestler for most of my career. It’s not something that fades away just because you’re become part of a tag team. I practice and train with Aubrey in order to keep our teamwork sharp, but I also make sure to do the same on my own so that I never become too reliant on having a second person there to watch my back. So, don’t think that just because this is a one on one match that I will be at any sort of a disadvantage in the ring.”
“I’ve always had an easy time shifting between those two gears. Even before I spent time as a dedicated tag team wrestler, I had plenty of success just being tossed in with any other competitor, even ones I didn’t like. You’re only benefit is the fact I might have ring rust, but I still have plenty of experience to help trump Snake Boy in the ring even if my timing and execution are a little off.”
“But what about you, Snake Boy? I suppose that asking you questions is relatively pointless, since you tend to just hiss at people, but I’ll do so anyway.”
He snorts softly at that.
“You have been working with your partner Red Crow since before you ever became a wrestler. How much time have you dedicated to working on your own? You were a super hero team. Then you were a delinquent tandem. Then you became aspiring wrestlers and a tag team. Based on the super hero clichés, I’m pretty sure that you, Snake Boy, are the sidekick.”
“The hero has to be able to speak after all. What does the sidekick need conversing skills for anyway? They’re rarely in the spotlight. They don’t tend to save the day. They might do a decent amount of the grunt work, but generally on their own, they can’t get the job done. That’s why they aren’t the hero.”
“I made you a concrete example of that last week. In the middle of the ring, when it was you and me at the end, you couldn’t get the job done. You weren’t good enough and I made you tap.”
Logan smirks at the camera again.
“Much of what I had said earlier for me about this transition to singles action also applies to you as well Snake Boy. But I’ve done this before, for years, and I was quite successful at it. I could list titles, but does it really need to be done? I don’t think so. This is your first time out without Red Crow able to legally save you in this match, or possibly ever. If he were to do so could easily cost you the match instead and leave you with another failure on your record.”
“Or he might let me cause even more damage to you. If he were to distract the referee while I was bending you into a pretzel per say, I wouldn’t let you go to chase him off, I’d just torque back on you until the ref saw you tapping out. So you’re going to have to figure out how to handle your own business without outside help, because I’m just as or maybe even more capable than either of you in taking advantage in the lapse of an official.”
“Either way, if Red Crow gets involved, I can almost guarantee that Aubrey will do the same, but she’ll only be interested in clipping a little birdie’s wings. The snake handling is strictly my job.”
Now looking collected and confident, Logan shifts off the desk and begins to pace in front of it.
“I can’t say how extensive your experience in the ring is Snake Boy. At most you’d have had three years of experience wrestling. You assuredly have less than that, maybe two years at the most depending on the amount of training you’ve done.”
“You may be walking into this encounter with some youthful exuberance and swagger, but that doesn’t make you stand out from the crowd of hundreds of others that do the same. I’ve faced plenty of people like that over the years. They show up thinking that they are going to be the next big thing or a huge star or will be the World champion before the year ends. They all demand recognition and respect for stepping into a new company. Inevitably they all burn out.”
“I’ve never snuffed out one of those self proclaimed ‘stars’ personally before, but I have had the opportunity to be the last opponent of many of the ones that I’ve seen. They get to go out facing a person that actually has been a star.”
“I haven’t and I’m not going to parade around APW going on about how I’m going to be the next Undisputed World champion or whatever else might catch my eye along the way. I don’t need to build myself up to make myself seem like a big deal here. I just have to go out the ring and wrestle. Once I do that, people watching me start thinking that maybe I am the next big star that’s going to leave a mark in whichever company I happen to be in at the time. That’s what happened in the AWA. That’s what happened in ACW. I’m going to let my work speak for itself here in APW. That’s what I do.”
He turns and fixes the camera with a cool glare.
“I don’t seek glory, but I do earn it by going out and putting on wrestling clinics at every chance I get. And it doesn’t matter who I compete against either. It might be some curtain jerker who’s having their first match, or it could be a rising star who’s competing for the top spot, or it could even whoever holds the distinction of being the face of the company… it’s pretty much all the same to me. The bottom line is the same. Go out and wrestle, push my limits, make myself better. If I win, that’s great. I move up and find a better challenge. If I don’t, it happens. I learn from it, adapt, and try again.”
Logan walks back in front of the desk and leans back against it, bracing himself with his hands.
“In a month, or two, or three, I’ll still be here. I’ll still be putting on a show because I want to. Not because I need to in order to rack up wins or because I crave attention or a title shot. But I will get all of those. I already have wins under my belt and I’m going to get more. People are already taking note of Logan Alexander and Aubrey Parker and interest is building in M&M. Sooner or later, we’ll have our opportunities to get the titles, tag or singles. It’s inevitable.”
“But you Snake Boy… are you going to be able to say the same? What about your partner? Do you think you two are going to last over the long haul or are you just going to be footnotes in the history of other people?”
Logan laughs softly for several moments.
“This is the Comikaze era after all, isn’t it? Isn’t that what was proclaimed last week? Heck of a start I must say. You show up in your fancy costumes, all for the sake of drawing attention. Oh wait… it’s your ‘way of life’. Right… whatever guys.”
“It’s all just a way to stand out from the crowd. You’re hoping that people will stop ignoring you. You’re hoping that people will remember you guys a few matches along in the show, or maybe even on the trip home. You want recognition, but what are you going to do to earn it? What are you going to do to show that you deserve it? Well… a good first step would be for you to find a way to beat me.”
“Do what you couldn’t do last week and people might start taking notice of you. People might start taking you seriously. You won’t have to worry about the guards giving you a run around. You won’t have to deal with the reps laughing at you as you walk past.”
“But maybe that doesn’t matter to either of you at all.”
He sneers slightly at the camera.
“You two are just errand boys for your boss after all. Neither of you are wrestlers. You’ve even said as much last week. You’re just here because some other guy paid you to be his mercenaries in APW. I might be quaking in my ring boots assuming you two weren’t amateurs in the ring. You two are really just a pair of expendables. You might be able to fight. You may want to survive. But what is that really going to matter? You aren’t fighting for anything. When I take you to your limit again Snake Boy, what reason are you going to have to go on?”
“What are you fighting for that will keep you from giving up exactly like you did last week? What will be your motivation? What will give you the passion to press forward or the heart to endure? Or perhaps when the time for that final gut check comes around, you’ll realize that the only way for you to survive against an opponent like me is to yield, limp away, lick your wounds, and hope for favourable circumstances the next time out.”
“You see, there is so much that sets us apart in this match. Neither one of you are really here to compete. Neither of you are truly interested in wrestling. You might just be better off pretending to be super heroes or villains.”
Logan just shakes his head disappointedly.
“You’ve been spurned by society, because they didn’t want your ‘help’ or ‘protection’. You’ve been labelled as trouble makers by the authorities, and that was something you reinforced last week when you couldn’t play nice with security. None of this reinforces the ‘bad boy’ image you want to cultivate. It’s just makes you seem more like spoiled children who get mad when you’re told to behave and follow the rules like everyone else does.”
He sits on the desk again and crosses his arms over his chest, looking pointedly at the camera now.
“Last week though, you asked some interesting questions of Aubrey and myself. We’ve both had cities turn against us. I’ve been booed out of arenas, cursed out on the street, and I’ve listened to other people be cheered for attacking me. So I’ve been like you. I’ve been the person that no one likes, the one everyone wants to be rid of. I sucked it all up and forged on ahead regardless. I’ve had plenty of issues with authority in this business along the way too. I simply draw my line and hold my ground. I suffered for it, but I have managed to endure all that came my way.”
“I didn’t whine and moan about how I was disrespected or mistreated. As long as I was able to pick myself up and keep going, I did. I didn’t blame ‘the man’ for having it out for me either. Those are all just excuses, and excuses get you no where… but you two seem like just the pair who’ll use them to try and ‘excuse’ your failings and shortcomings.”
“So you’d better bring more than that this week, unless you want to be doing the same next week with another L on your record.”
One of the lights begins to blink on the phone which is almost right beside Logan. He glances down at it, then reaches over and puts his hand on the handset. He then returns his attention to the camera.
“So then gents, I think we’re about done until Monday night. Show me if you improved over the last seven days Snake Boy… because I’ll be coming to show you that you still have a long way to go before you’ll be gaining any recognition or respect here.”
“Good luck… you’ll probably need all you can find.”
He lifts the handset to his head.
“Hello Aubrey. Good timing on your part I just finished up here.”
The scene fades to black.
“Hello Aubrey. It’s Logan calling. When you get this message and then have some free time, call me back. I’d like to discuss something about this week with you as soon as I can. Talk to you later.”
The camera is now in focus on Logan Alexander and we see him hanging up his phone on his desk. He’s sitting in his office chair and he leans back before looking up at the camera.
“It was just a little business call. It’s amazing how quickly the rumour train picks up all the strange mistaken information and begins to spread it around wildly. Like Aubrey and I for one…”
He shakes his head slowly then reaches up to rub the bridge of his nose. He lowers his hand and looks at the camera.
“But this week it is not supposed to be about Logan and Aubrey together. We’ve got something a bit different this time.”
He pauses for a few moments then leans closer to the camera.
“Snake Boy versus Logan Alexander…”
He smirks slightly before pushing his chair back and standing up. We see him dressed in jeans, brown in colour this time, and a green t-shirt with writing in black that reads ‘I’m APW for life!’ on the front. As he turns and climbs out of the chair, we see that the back of the shirt reads ‘Or until my paycheque bounces.’ He moves out from behind the desk slowly, looking over at the camera as he goes.
“Last week it was Comikaze versus M&M. This week… it’s the same, but not quite. It’s still one team against the other, only now it’s supposed to be one on one.”
“I’m not betting on that holding up for very long this week. In general, APW seems to run on the rule of someone always getting involved in things that don’t immediately involve them. Aubrey will be in my corner. Red Crow will be in the opposite one. And who knows who else might show up… Now neither Crow or Aubrey have a place in this match, but I fully expect that neither of them are going to let that little detail get in their way should they decide to do something.”
He shrugs slightly before sitting down on the front corner of his desk.
“That’s just one of the things I’ve had to adjust to over the years, try to be ready for that other person who’s going to be looking to get involved in my business whether it’s to raise their own stock or to be bringing me down a peg of two or to just try and do some damage. But I adapt.”
Logan looks straight into the camera, brimming with confidence.
“I get wiser. I get smarter. I figure out ways to defend myself. I learn how to pay attention to things going on around me and not lose focus on what I need to do. This may very well be like a tag team match in that regard. I have to beat Snake Boy, but I need to be sure that I don’t put myself in a position where Red Crow can get the drop on me without the ref seeing it happen at least.”
“I know you two will bend or break the rules if you get the chance. I’m not ignorant of that fact. I saw the cheap tactics you used against Aubrey last week. I experienced a couple of them myself as well. It didn’t help either of you out in the end though did it? Sometimes taking the shortcut can get you where you need to go, but the vast majority of the time, you’re not going to beat out pure talent that way.”
“That’s what I brought to the game last week. It’s what I will be bringing again this week.”
He smiles slightly… but after a few moments it disappears. Logan looks a little uncomfortable as he continues and his gaze shifts away from the camera.
“This will be my first singles match since January 2011 though. I can’t say that I’m not coming into this match with a little anxiousness and trepidation.”
He lifts one hand to his face, absently massaging either side of his mouth with his thumb and index finger for several moments. The silence stretches on for several seconds before lowering his hand again.
“For the last two weeks, I’ve been in tag team wrestling. It’s let me find myself at a professional level once more and given me the chance to remember what it was like. I got the chance to feel the rush and to enjoy the thrill of competing once again, but it was in a much more controlled and safe environment. If I got in over my head, if I overreached myself, if I needed some time to collect myself, I had an out.”
“All I needed to do was reach back and find Aubrey or, if things looked particularly bad, she could step in and bail me out before we lost. Things generally haven’t been that bad, for us though, so I’ve been able to make the most out of these first two matches I’ve had.”
“Now I finally have to go out and take the next step on my own. Aubrey can’t save me if I need it this time. For the first time in a long time, I’m going to be performing without a safety net of any sort.”
“It feels a little daunting, but it’s exciting at the same time.”
He looks over at the camera again. He looks more focused and serious now.
“I’ve been a singles wrestler for most of my career. It’s not something that fades away just because you’re become part of a tag team. I practice and train with Aubrey in order to keep our teamwork sharp, but I also make sure to do the same on my own so that I never become too reliant on having a second person there to watch my back. So, don’t think that just because this is a one on one match that I will be at any sort of a disadvantage in the ring.”
“I’ve always had an easy time shifting between those two gears. Even before I spent time as a dedicated tag team wrestler, I had plenty of success just being tossed in with any other competitor, even ones I didn’t like. You’re only benefit is the fact I might have ring rust, but I still have plenty of experience to help trump Snake Boy in the ring even if my timing and execution are a little off.”
“But what about you, Snake Boy? I suppose that asking you questions is relatively pointless, since you tend to just hiss at people, but I’ll do so anyway.”
He snorts softly at that.
“You have been working with your partner Red Crow since before you ever became a wrestler. How much time have you dedicated to working on your own? You were a super hero team. Then you were a delinquent tandem. Then you became aspiring wrestlers and a tag team. Based on the super hero clichés, I’m pretty sure that you, Snake Boy, are the sidekick.”
“The hero has to be able to speak after all. What does the sidekick need conversing skills for anyway? They’re rarely in the spotlight. They don’t tend to save the day. They might do a decent amount of the grunt work, but generally on their own, they can’t get the job done. That’s why they aren’t the hero.”
“I made you a concrete example of that last week. In the middle of the ring, when it was you and me at the end, you couldn’t get the job done. You weren’t good enough and I made you tap.”
Logan smirks at the camera again.
“Much of what I had said earlier for me about this transition to singles action also applies to you as well Snake Boy. But I’ve done this before, for years, and I was quite successful at it. I could list titles, but does it really need to be done? I don’t think so. This is your first time out without Red Crow able to legally save you in this match, or possibly ever. If he were to do so could easily cost you the match instead and leave you with another failure on your record.”
“Or he might let me cause even more damage to you. If he were to distract the referee while I was bending you into a pretzel per say, I wouldn’t let you go to chase him off, I’d just torque back on you until the ref saw you tapping out. So you’re going to have to figure out how to handle your own business without outside help, because I’m just as or maybe even more capable than either of you in taking advantage in the lapse of an official.”
“Either way, if Red Crow gets involved, I can almost guarantee that Aubrey will do the same, but she’ll only be interested in clipping a little birdie’s wings. The snake handling is strictly my job.”
Now looking collected and confident, Logan shifts off the desk and begins to pace in front of it.
“I can’t say how extensive your experience in the ring is Snake Boy. At most you’d have had three years of experience wrestling. You assuredly have less than that, maybe two years at the most depending on the amount of training you’ve done.”
“You may be walking into this encounter with some youthful exuberance and swagger, but that doesn’t make you stand out from the crowd of hundreds of others that do the same. I’ve faced plenty of people like that over the years. They show up thinking that they are going to be the next big thing or a huge star or will be the World champion before the year ends. They all demand recognition and respect for stepping into a new company. Inevitably they all burn out.”
“I’ve never snuffed out one of those self proclaimed ‘stars’ personally before, but I have had the opportunity to be the last opponent of many of the ones that I’ve seen. They get to go out facing a person that actually has been a star.”
“I haven’t and I’m not going to parade around APW going on about how I’m going to be the next Undisputed World champion or whatever else might catch my eye along the way. I don’t need to build myself up to make myself seem like a big deal here. I just have to go out the ring and wrestle. Once I do that, people watching me start thinking that maybe I am the next big star that’s going to leave a mark in whichever company I happen to be in at the time. That’s what happened in the AWA. That’s what happened in ACW. I’m going to let my work speak for itself here in APW. That’s what I do.”
He turns and fixes the camera with a cool glare.
“I don’t seek glory, but I do earn it by going out and putting on wrestling clinics at every chance I get. And it doesn’t matter who I compete against either. It might be some curtain jerker who’s having their first match, or it could be a rising star who’s competing for the top spot, or it could even whoever holds the distinction of being the face of the company… it’s pretty much all the same to me. The bottom line is the same. Go out and wrestle, push my limits, make myself better. If I win, that’s great. I move up and find a better challenge. If I don’t, it happens. I learn from it, adapt, and try again.”
Logan walks back in front of the desk and leans back against it, bracing himself with his hands.
“In a month, or two, or three, I’ll still be here. I’ll still be putting on a show because I want to. Not because I need to in order to rack up wins or because I crave attention or a title shot. But I will get all of those. I already have wins under my belt and I’m going to get more. People are already taking note of Logan Alexander and Aubrey Parker and interest is building in M&M. Sooner or later, we’ll have our opportunities to get the titles, tag or singles. It’s inevitable.”
“But you Snake Boy… are you going to be able to say the same? What about your partner? Do you think you two are going to last over the long haul or are you just going to be footnotes in the history of other people?”
Logan laughs softly for several moments.
“This is the Comikaze era after all, isn’t it? Isn’t that what was proclaimed last week? Heck of a start I must say. You show up in your fancy costumes, all for the sake of drawing attention. Oh wait… it’s your ‘way of life’. Right… whatever guys.”
“It’s all just a way to stand out from the crowd. You’re hoping that people will stop ignoring you. You’re hoping that people will remember you guys a few matches along in the show, or maybe even on the trip home. You want recognition, but what are you going to do to earn it? What are you going to do to show that you deserve it? Well… a good first step would be for you to find a way to beat me.”
“Do what you couldn’t do last week and people might start taking notice of you. People might start taking you seriously. You won’t have to worry about the guards giving you a run around. You won’t have to deal with the reps laughing at you as you walk past.”
“But maybe that doesn’t matter to either of you at all.”
He sneers slightly at the camera.
“You two are just errand boys for your boss after all. Neither of you are wrestlers. You’ve even said as much last week. You’re just here because some other guy paid you to be his mercenaries in APW. I might be quaking in my ring boots assuming you two weren’t amateurs in the ring. You two are really just a pair of expendables. You might be able to fight. You may want to survive. But what is that really going to matter? You aren’t fighting for anything. When I take you to your limit again Snake Boy, what reason are you going to have to go on?”
“What are you fighting for that will keep you from giving up exactly like you did last week? What will be your motivation? What will give you the passion to press forward or the heart to endure? Or perhaps when the time for that final gut check comes around, you’ll realize that the only way for you to survive against an opponent like me is to yield, limp away, lick your wounds, and hope for favourable circumstances the next time out.”
“You see, there is so much that sets us apart in this match. Neither one of you are really here to compete. Neither of you are truly interested in wrestling. You might just be better off pretending to be super heroes or villains.”
Logan just shakes his head disappointedly.
“You’ve been spurned by society, because they didn’t want your ‘help’ or ‘protection’. You’ve been labelled as trouble makers by the authorities, and that was something you reinforced last week when you couldn’t play nice with security. None of this reinforces the ‘bad boy’ image you want to cultivate. It’s just makes you seem more like spoiled children who get mad when you’re told to behave and follow the rules like everyone else does.”
He sits on the desk again and crosses his arms over his chest, looking pointedly at the camera now.
“Last week though, you asked some interesting questions of Aubrey and myself. We’ve both had cities turn against us. I’ve been booed out of arenas, cursed out on the street, and I’ve listened to other people be cheered for attacking me. So I’ve been like you. I’ve been the person that no one likes, the one everyone wants to be rid of. I sucked it all up and forged on ahead regardless. I’ve had plenty of issues with authority in this business along the way too. I simply draw my line and hold my ground. I suffered for it, but I have managed to endure all that came my way.”
“I didn’t whine and moan about how I was disrespected or mistreated. As long as I was able to pick myself up and keep going, I did. I didn’t blame ‘the man’ for having it out for me either. Those are all just excuses, and excuses get you no where… but you two seem like just the pair who’ll use them to try and ‘excuse’ your failings and shortcomings.”
“So you’d better bring more than that this week, unless you want to be doing the same next week with another L on your record.”
One of the lights begins to blink on the phone which is almost right beside Logan. He glances down at it, then reaches over and puts his hand on the handset. He then returns his attention to the camera.
“So then gents, I think we’re about done until Monday night. Show me if you improved over the last seven days Snake Boy… because I’ll be coming to show you that you still have a long way to go before you’ll be gaining any recognition or respect here.”
“Good luck… you’ll probably need all you can find.”
He lifts the handset to his head.
“Hello Aubrey. Good timing on your part I just finished up here.”
The scene fades to black.
