Post by biggs on Oct 27, 2012 13:10:25 GMT -4
”You're staring at me again.”
I snap out the stupor I was in, looking across the table at the woman who I love most in this world, but who also will soon be my ex-wife. I flew Ellie in from Stanford, California, all the way here to Tokyo, Japan, and we're eating at one of the most upscale restaurants in the entirety of Japan, Motomachi Bairin.
It's a traditional Japanese House Style restaurant, complete with paper sliding doors. I was lucky that Stan and I made reservations before we came to Japan, and even luckier that he was willing to give up his spot for Ellie. Ellie looks absolutely dazzling in a sparkly purple dress, accented with an Amethyst necklace I got her for her birthday a year ago. She has her hair in a little up-do that just makes her even cuter than she normally is. I don't want this night to end.
We're on the 20th of the 27-course meal, although to be fair, the portions in each course is small, and Ellie and I have been taking turns liking one, and disliking another. Still, it's been a beautiful evening, just getting to spend time with her after almost two months apart.
”Sorry, I don't mean to. I'm just really happy to see you, that's all.”
”I understand, but it's kind of creepy. Just being honest.”
”I'm sorry...” I say sheepishly as I look back down at my plate. I pick at the Shitake Mushrooms, worried that I've already ruined the evening. As unlikely as it would be, I still hold a faint hope of getting back together with her. After all, the divorce doesn't get finalized until after 90 days, and considering she filed the day after Shockwave, that means I still have 30 days to win her back. ”So Ellie, I just got to ask. It seemed like things were going just fine between us before you imposed the ultimatum. Why did you chose to leave me even though I was willing to give up wrestling?”
Ellie swallows the food in her mouth before looking up at me nervously. She sighs a bit, and then responds. ”To be honest, it wasn't just the ultimatum. While we were separated, I did a lot of thinking, reflecting on our marriage. It wasn't the fact that you took so long to make your choice, it wasn't even the fact that I wanted you to stop wrestling. I took a good, long, hard look...”
”That's what she said! Sorry.” I realize immediately that it was not an appropriate time for that joke.
Ellie clears her throat, and gives me a stern look as she continues, ”Throughout our marriage, you showed a clear pattern of not treating me as an equal in the relationship. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of great things about us being married. You provided for me, heck you spoiled me. You were there for me when I had my mental illness, and I was there for you during the cancer scare, but when I look back at the big picture, when I look at the entirety of our marriage, the overriding story is that your opinions seemed to matter more than mine. I can't tell you how many times you made a choice without even talking to me, and then thought you could fix it by apologizing later.”
“When you decided to go back to wrestling, you didn't talk to me about first. When I told you my concerns about your concussion, you ignored me. I had had enough. I couldn't stand the thought of you stepping back into the ring, suffering another freak accident, and you being permanently disabled by it.”
”Yeah, but you said you'd be willing to care of me if that happened. And let's be honest here, the chances of that happening are so slim, I'm not worried about it in the slightest.”
”And that's a problem, because I was, and quite frankly, still am worried about you, especially with you stepping inside the Elimination Chamber this Sunday! I know that you offered me a ticket to the show, but I don't think the I could watch the match, considering how worried about you! Just because I filed for divorce doesn't mean I don't love you anymore, but it's because I love you that I left!”
That's ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! It makes no sense! I can feel my face getting red, and my veins tightening a bit, but I don't want to show Ellie that I'm upset. I can tell that she's starting to get uncomfortable, so I do everything I can to regain my composure. I drink some water, chew on some food, and let myself calm down a bit before I respond verbally. I speak as calmly as I can muster in the face of such an asinine statement. ”Please, explain the logic of that to me. The only reason I was going to give up wrestling was so that I could be with you.”
”You needed the wake-up call. And once I made that move, I realized how right it was. Do you remember the night we got married? Why we decided to get married?”
”Yeah! I remember it like it was yesterday. We still loved each other and didn't want to be apart. Made sense then, makes sense now.”
”No. That's not entirely accurate. We both decided that we were more miserable apart than we were together. We made our choice based not wanting to hurt, rather than out of love for one another. Now I'm not saying that night wasn't magical. I'm not saying that I regret that night. But I regret making the choice to get married based on the reason that we did. We were doomed to failure from the beginning...”
I can see tears beginning to form in the eyes of my soon to be ex-wife. Obviously her words are hurting her just as much as they're hurting me. I don't even try to filter myself anymore. She obviously has no intention of getting back together, so I'm not even going to hold back.
”Well, with that mindset, of course it wasn't going to work out! You gave up on us, Ellie, you gave up on me! I thought that by flying you out here tonight, we could try to talk things out, maybe give it another go, but now, I know that that's an impossible dream!”
With as intense as this conversation is getting, I'm glad that we're in a private dining room.
”You thought there was a chance that I was going to change my mind, and get back together with you? I mean that's sweet, delusional, but sweet. But it goes right back to what I was saying earlier, where you think about what you want first, not even considering how I feel! I appreciate everything you've done for me, I'm glad that we settled out of court, but just because you flew me out here to Japan, it doesn't mean I'm obligated to get back together with you. I merely wanted to talk, and see if we could go forward with just being friends. I thought just because we got a divorce, it didn't mean that we'd have to never see each other again. But obviously, that's not enough for you.”
”You're right, Ellie. It's not enough for me. Maybe sometime down the line, we might be able to 'just be friends.' But for now, it's too soon, things are still too raw between us. We're still technically married for 30 more days. Excuse me for hoping that we could extend that! I love you Ellie, and you do crazy things, you don't think straight when you're in love!”
”Yes, I understand that, but another part of love is knowing when to say goodbye. So once again, I say thank you for bringing me out here. Thank you for a lovely dinner. But now, I have to say goodbye.”
As she gets up from her chair, I plead with her to stay, clasping my hands together almost as if they were put together in prayer.
”Please don't go, Ellie! I'm begging you! We still got seven courses to go! I know I won't like all of them!”
As she reaches the paper sliding door, Ellie gives me a quick, cold retort.
”I still love you, Gary, but you make it really hard to like you sometimes. We'll talk about this later...”
She leaves in a huff as the waiter comes in with the 21st course.
”So I guess there won't be any dessert?” he asks, almost jokingly.
”No, there won't be. Please just bring the check...”
Could I have messed that up any more than I did? Sure, I disagree with Ellie's sentiments, I don't see how her leaving me showed her love, but I didn't handle that well. I just killed any chance I may have had reconciling with her.
Nuts.
Depeche Mode's “Spacewalker” plays as the words FIRST CONTACT flash across the starry background. The video transitions to Biggs, who stands inside an empty ring in the Tokyo Dome. The Elimination Chamber has been lowered, and there's a single spot light over him. There's a steel chair set up right behind him, as he begins to speak.
”Welcome, one and all, to Biggs' First Contact. If you are watching this show, you undoubtedly know that this Sunday, I face both the greatest challenge of my career, as well as the greatest opportunity, when I enter this very Elimination Chamber to compete for the APW Undisputed Championship. This match contains the last four Undisputed Champions, including yours truly, as well as the current champ. And Chris Hart's in it too. The fact of the matter is that this is most loaded, the most stacked line-up ever seen in an APW Elimination Chamber match! Any match with that many former champions would be a big deal, but when you throw in this unforgiving, cold, soulless structure, well, it just takes the match over the top! Whoever wins this contest will not only claim the APW Undisputed Championship as their own, but they will also immediately skyrocket themselves to legendary status in this business! That is not hyperbole, ladies and gentlemen, that is a fact!”
“Now some of my opponents have tried to frame the conversation about this match by talking about monsters, talking about things like the seven deadly sins, relying on gimmickry to try and sell their version of why they're going to win this match.”
Biggs looks around at the steel structure surrounding him in the ring. He flashes his trademark smirk before continuing.
”As I look at this gigantic structure enveloping the ring, I can tell you right now, there's no gimmicks needed to describe the barbarity, the brutality the six of us are about to face this Sunday night. Even though I stand alone inside it right now, the Elimination Chamber is still as every bit as intimidating a structure as there is in this world. I can't help but feel a sense of dread, foreboding as stand here. This Chamber is 16 feet high, 36 feet in diameter, and contains more than 2 miles of chain, each and every inch of it engineered to put us through hell! The event may be called One Night in Hell, but for those of us competing inside the Chamber, I can assure you all, we're going to be feeling the effects of this match for more than just one night, we'll be feeling them for weeks, perhaps months to come!”
“And let's be honest here. None of us in this match up have won an Elimination Chamber match here in APW. None of us know what it's like to enter this demonic structure, and emerge anything other than defeated. This is brand new territory for all six of us.”
“Level-One, C.J., Chris, Kurt, and Terry, whoever wins this match will not have only defeated five men, but they will have survived the Elimination Chamber itself! This structure is certainly the most dangerous participant in the match! What it's going to come down to in the end is what are you willing to sacrifice? What are you willing to give up in order for the chance at greatness?! The Elimination Chamber doesn't give anything away for free!”
“Kurt Noble, are you willing the sacrifice your humanity in order to win the APW Undisputed Championship? You've already become a vicious, remorseless beast, attacking anyone and everyone at will, with little regard for whom you're hurting. In your rage, you attacked your own wife. Let alone how you brutalized me following our tag match, let alone all the sneak attacks you've orchestrated backstage! You are becoming more animal than man, Kurt Noble, and if there's any environment that this benefits you, it's here in the Chamber!”
“You know what they say about caged animals, Kurt, how they're extremely dangerous, how they're wild and unpredictable. That could be the X-Factor you need to carry yourself to victory, Kurt, because let's face it, for all the talk that's been thrown around about me needing to hang it up, it's befits you a lot more than it fits me! After all, you're no longer a young man, and you've got the bum leg and weakened arm. You're body is breaking down on you, bit by bit, and the only hope you have is relying on your intensity and brute force, hoping that the adrenaline will last long enough to power you through to victory. But let me remind you, Kurt Noble, the Elimination Chamber is a marathon, not a sprint. You don't plow through the Elimination Chamber, you don't speed through it, you survive it! You win the Elimination Chamber by outlasting five other men! That's five, not one, not two, not even three or four. And considering the caliber of the competition in this match, Kurt, I know you're not going to be able to just steamroll your way this one! You may be a caged animal in this match, but there's nowhere for you to hide either!”
“You can't pull off the sneak attack! Everything you do inside this Chamber will be visible, will be seen by all of us! Other than Terry Marvin, Kurt, you've got the biggest target on you, because you've established yourself as one of the biggest threats, not necessarily to win the match, but in your capacity to injure the rest of us in the match. It behooves the rest of us to get rid of you quickly, just because you have become so wild. I know I'll be targeting you, as will Lester and Terry. I'm pretty sure C.J. will as well, and I wouldn't count out your good buddy Chris Hart being disenfranchised by your recent behavior. After all, I'm pretty sure he's fond of Amy as well. But who wouldn't be, she is a sweetheart.”
“But that's beside the point, Kurt. The bottom line is, everyone will be looking to get you out of this match, and get you out early. Will you be able to reach deep down inside, connect with your primal instincts, and become the ferocious beast you'll need to become in order to just survive, or will you try, desperately, to retain some shred of humanity? It's up to you.”
“Chris Hart, are you willing to sacrifice your physical well being for a shot at immortality? The fact of the matter is, Chris, that you are coming into this match the only man to have not held the APW Undisputed Championship, which makes you the unquestionable underdog, and the sentimental favorite, because everyone loves an underdog! But I know, Chris Hart, that even though you were out of action for the better part of a month following the Casket Match with Level-One, there's no way that you've healed up enough to be going into this match at 100%. Now granted, none of us will be at 100% for long once the match gets going, but the fact that you're coming in not just hurt, but probably injured, well, that doesn't help your chances that much at all!”
“This Chamber will chew you up and spit you out! It is a creature, an animal in and of itself, and you know the law of the jungle, Chris. The predators pick of the sick and weak first, survival of the fittest, and all that. Are you willing to put up a fight, risk your pretty boy good looks, wager your entire career, or are you just going to fall down and let this Chamber eat you like that lion that it is?”
“Chris, as great as you are in tag team competition, the fact is, I don't see Kurt trying to help you out much in this match. He's too far gone. And since you haven't shown yourself to be a formidable singles competitor, well, I just don't like your chances in this match. You got heart, kid, but that'll only get you so far.”
“Terry Marvin, are you willing to sacrifice the pretense that you give a crap what the fans think of you? You've been walking around, playing hero, trying to play yourself up as a paragon of virtue. You even cited the Seven Deadly sins, claiming that the rest of us in this match will each fall victim to at least one, if not a combination of any of these sins, and that they will be our downfall. Now forgive me if I don't buy into the fact that these sins are particularly more deadly than any other sin, because nowhere in the Bible does it state explicitly that these sins are particularly more damning than any other of the multitude of sins we are all capable of. The concept of the Seven Deadly Sins actually came about in the fourth century, but that is neither here nor there. The fact is, Terry, you forgot to mention yourself when you were talking about deceit.”
“Because Terry, I can see right through your goody two-shoes act. I've used that trick in the past, and I can tell you from experience, it rarely ever works out as well as you would have liked. But not only are you guilty of lying to the fans you're trying to win over, you're also guilty of deceiving yourself thinking that you can leave Tokyo still the APW Undisputed Champion.”
“I talked earlier about Kurt Noble has a big target on his back, but as the Undisputed Champ, Terry, yours is even bigger. If any of us in this match want instant credibility, we're all going to try to be the one to eliminate you from the match! But on a more personal note, Terry, you've been lying to yourself as you've tried to tear me down verbally. That little talk you gave me backstage a few weeks back, it didn't discourage me, it didn't make me question my position in this upcoming match. Like I've said before, I don't think you were trying to convince me that I didn't belong in the match, because you knew I wouldn't listen to you. No, I think you were trying to convince yourself that I'm no big deal, that I'm one less person that you need to worry about once we're inside the Chamber.”
“You're afraid, Terry, as well you should be. Because not only do you have to defend your belt against five other men, not only is your fate in the hands of a special guest referee who just joined APW, but you have to overcome all of these obstacles inside the one structure that doesn't need any other obstacles in it! The odds are thoroughly stacked against you, Terry, and yet you choose to hold back by sucking up to the crowd. I'm telling you right now, Terry, if you want to have any hope of retaining your title, if you want any chance of leaving the Chamber still APW Undisputed Champion, you'll quit faking that you're a good guy, and embrace who you really are. Now I'm not saying this will guarantee you a victory, but it would certainly help your chances more than being Dudley Do-Right.”
Biggs steps through the ropes, and grabs a hold of the chain wall. He keeps a hold on it as he continues on.
”Level-One, are you willing to sacrifice your pride? As I've stated before, Lester, you don't win an Elimination Chamber match, you survive it. These chains...”
Biggs clutches them a little tighter.
”This steel...”
Biggs stomps on the steel grating surrounding the ring for emphasis.
”This whole damn structure, it has a way of humbling you. I know that your first instinct, Lester, is that you want to dominate this match. You want to be the focal point, you want to make the most eliminations. In all honesty, Level-One, there's only one elimination that really matters, and that's the last one! While it would be nice to be able to say that you eliminated so-and-so, or took that guy out of the chamber, only one pinfall or submission earns you the APW Undisputed Championship, and that is the final one!”
“All of us want to be the one eliminates Kurt Noble. All of us want to be the one who eliminates Terry Marvin. Dare I say, all of us want to be the one to eliminate Level-One. But one of the keys to this match is knowing when to pick your spots. And Lester, in all the years I've known you, it's apparent that you crave the spotlight too much to be able to do that. You're going to want to pick off all the big names, you're going to want to make the most eliminations, and the fact of the matter is that the more you stand out in the Chamber, the more you make yourself a target!”
“At one point, it looked like you and Terry were going into the Chamber planning to work together. That's one of the main reasons I made my alliance with C.J. Gates. But after the way you talked about your supposed friend, claiming that you made Terry Marvin the man he is today, well, knowing his ego, and knowing your ego, I don't see that alliance lasting particularly long. But you're going to need to rely on Terry Marvin to be able to make it to the final two, let alone win the whole darn thing. It's just too bad for you that you may have already burned that bridge before the match has even started!”
“I want to eliminate you, Lester, and prove you wrong, but I'm not going to do it at the expense of winning the overall match. If I have the opportunity, if it seems prudent, then I'll take you out. But why sacrifice myself when everyone else, and more importantly, the Chamber can do it for me?”
“Are you willing to lay low? Are you willing to forgo the spotlight at some point during the match, just to be able to survive? If you can't, Lester, then sure, you might make some noise inside the Elimination Chamber, you may have a huge hand in the ultimate outcome of the match, but it will make it that much harder for you to be able to win this thing!”
“Finally, I come to C.J. Gates. Are you willing to sacrifice the moral high ground in order to have a chance at victory? I've already alluded to how the Chamber itself is a heartless, cold predator, but with competitors like Level-One, Terry Marvin, and Kurt Noble inside the Chamber, well, it's like you're getting thrown into the proverbial lion's den! Are you going to be able to rise to the violence? Are you going to be able to become as vicious as you need to be in order to survive in the jungle that you'll find yourself in?”
“I know that you've already made in your mind a deal with the devil in agreeing to be my ally in this Chamber. I know you're not happy about the fact that you need my help. Believe me, if I thought I wouldn't need you in here, I would have never made the offer. But the bottom line is, C.J., because I'm willing to go to the depths that you aren't, because I'm willing to be as sadistic as this structure requires me to be, I may very well be a bigger help to you than you are to me. We're stepping inside Satan's Structure! We're going to be playing in The Devil's Playground! Do you have it in you to be a player, or are you just going to be a victim? It's really up to you, C.J.”
“I give you my word, C.J., that I will do nothing to harm you until it comes down to just me and you. Heck, I'll help you out. But you need to keep your bargain with me, which I know you will, because you're just too gosh darn good of guy to go back on your word. We still have unfinished business, at least in my mind, so you know that I'm on the level when I say I want it to come down to just you and me. We'll settle things once and for all this Sunday, C.J.”
Biggs finally lets go of the chains forming the wall of the Elimination Chamber. He heads back into the ring, and takes a seat in the chair.
”Now as for what I'm willing to sacrifice, well, each and every thing I've talked about tonight, I'm willing to lay before the altar of this demonic structure. My pride, my morals, my reputation, my humanity, and my body, I willingly give to this Chamber, so that I may once more claim the APW Undisputed Championship as my own! I'll give these and more!”
“By stepping inside this Chamber, I give up any chance I may have with reuniting with the love of my life, Ellie. She is too afraid to think of what can happen to me in this match. I know I'm going to get hurt, I know I could be potentially injured, possibly enough to end my career. One more concussion, and I'm not coming back! I know this to be a fact. I also am smart enough to know that if there's any type of match that I'm likely to suffer another concussion, it's this one! The one-inch thick plexiglass that forms each pod. The 2 miles of steel chain. The steel grating at ringside. Each and every one of these parts of the Chamber is a weapon, and each of these weapons could potentially end my career!”
“There would be those who would ask why, knowing all of this, would I be willing to endure such torture? Why would any of us? It's simple really. It's because of the 15 pounds of gold around the waist of Terry Marvin, it's because of the APW Undisputed Championship. There is nothing I desire more in this world, and I know the same is true of all of us entered into this match. Anyone would be crazy to turn down an opportunity like this! Even if it will cost me everything, I would gladly pay that price just for one more chance to be champion!”
“Gentlemen, in a little over 24 hours, we will find ourselves to be a part of the biggest match in APW history! Four former champions! The current Champ! Azrael Goeren making his APW debut as the special guest referee! And Chris Hart's in there too...”
“The fact is, the only way this match could be any bigger is if we had somehow gotten another former Undisputed Champ in it, but even as is, this match will be one for the ages! Are you ready to be a part of history, gentlemen? Are you ready to become legends? Because when the smoke is cleared, when the last man is standing, he will undoubtedly become an instant legend!”
“And I'll tell you right now, I fully intend on leaving One Night in Hell as a legend! I already have a sterling legacy. Had I hung it up after last year's Christmas Chaos, I would have been able to retire with a career I could have been proud of. But the fact that I have this opportunity, this night, to elevate my legacy even more, well, I'm not going to squander it! When the dust settles, when all our blood has been poured, I will be the last man standing, and I will be the next APW Undisputed Champion!”
“Tomorrow night, gentlemen, we enter Hell. And our stay will be much longer than any of us could imagine. Because while the event is called One Night in Hell, we'll be suffering long after the event is over. The Elimination Chamber will make sure of that. But for one of us, namely myself, the suffering will be light and momentary compared to the glory I will achieve when I leave with the title!”
“Terry Marvin.”
“Kurt Noble.”
“Chris Hart.”
“Level-One.”
“C.J. Gates.”
“And even Azrael Goeren.”
“Welcome to Hell! I hope none of you enjoy your stay!”
Biggs tosses the mic, and gets up from the chair and exits the Chamber. The spot light turns off as First Contact comes to a close.
I snap out the stupor I was in, looking across the table at the woman who I love most in this world, but who also will soon be my ex-wife. I flew Ellie in from Stanford, California, all the way here to Tokyo, Japan, and we're eating at one of the most upscale restaurants in the entirety of Japan, Motomachi Bairin.
It's a traditional Japanese House Style restaurant, complete with paper sliding doors. I was lucky that Stan and I made reservations before we came to Japan, and even luckier that he was willing to give up his spot for Ellie. Ellie looks absolutely dazzling in a sparkly purple dress, accented with an Amethyst necklace I got her for her birthday a year ago. She has her hair in a little up-do that just makes her even cuter than she normally is. I don't want this night to end.
We're on the 20th of the 27-course meal, although to be fair, the portions in each course is small, and Ellie and I have been taking turns liking one, and disliking another. Still, it's been a beautiful evening, just getting to spend time with her after almost two months apart.
”Sorry, I don't mean to. I'm just really happy to see you, that's all.”
”I understand, but it's kind of creepy. Just being honest.”
”I'm sorry...” I say sheepishly as I look back down at my plate. I pick at the Shitake Mushrooms, worried that I've already ruined the evening. As unlikely as it would be, I still hold a faint hope of getting back together with her. After all, the divorce doesn't get finalized until after 90 days, and considering she filed the day after Shockwave, that means I still have 30 days to win her back. ”So Ellie, I just got to ask. It seemed like things were going just fine between us before you imposed the ultimatum. Why did you chose to leave me even though I was willing to give up wrestling?”
Ellie swallows the food in her mouth before looking up at me nervously. She sighs a bit, and then responds. ”To be honest, it wasn't just the ultimatum. While we were separated, I did a lot of thinking, reflecting on our marriage. It wasn't the fact that you took so long to make your choice, it wasn't even the fact that I wanted you to stop wrestling. I took a good, long, hard look...”
”That's what she said! Sorry.” I realize immediately that it was not an appropriate time for that joke.
Ellie clears her throat, and gives me a stern look as she continues, ”Throughout our marriage, you showed a clear pattern of not treating me as an equal in the relationship. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of great things about us being married. You provided for me, heck you spoiled me. You were there for me when I had my mental illness, and I was there for you during the cancer scare, but when I look back at the big picture, when I look at the entirety of our marriage, the overriding story is that your opinions seemed to matter more than mine. I can't tell you how many times you made a choice without even talking to me, and then thought you could fix it by apologizing later.”
“When you decided to go back to wrestling, you didn't talk to me about first. When I told you my concerns about your concussion, you ignored me. I had had enough. I couldn't stand the thought of you stepping back into the ring, suffering another freak accident, and you being permanently disabled by it.”
”Yeah, but you said you'd be willing to care of me if that happened. And let's be honest here, the chances of that happening are so slim, I'm not worried about it in the slightest.”
”And that's a problem, because I was, and quite frankly, still am worried about you, especially with you stepping inside the Elimination Chamber this Sunday! I know that you offered me a ticket to the show, but I don't think the I could watch the match, considering how worried about you! Just because I filed for divorce doesn't mean I don't love you anymore, but it's because I love you that I left!”
That's ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! It makes no sense! I can feel my face getting red, and my veins tightening a bit, but I don't want to show Ellie that I'm upset. I can tell that she's starting to get uncomfortable, so I do everything I can to regain my composure. I drink some water, chew on some food, and let myself calm down a bit before I respond verbally. I speak as calmly as I can muster in the face of such an asinine statement. ”Please, explain the logic of that to me. The only reason I was going to give up wrestling was so that I could be with you.”
”You needed the wake-up call. And once I made that move, I realized how right it was. Do you remember the night we got married? Why we decided to get married?”
”Yeah! I remember it like it was yesterday. We still loved each other and didn't want to be apart. Made sense then, makes sense now.”
”No. That's not entirely accurate. We both decided that we were more miserable apart than we were together. We made our choice based not wanting to hurt, rather than out of love for one another. Now I'm not saying that night wasn't magical. I'm not saying that I regret that night. But I regret making the choice to get married based on the reason that we did. We were doomed to failure from the beginning...”
I can see tears beginning to form in the eyes of my soon to be ex-wife. Obviously her words are hurting her just as much as they're hurting me. I don't even try to filter myself anymore. She obviously has no intention of getting back together, so I'm not even going to hold back.
”Well, with that mindset, of course it wasn't going to work out! You gave up on us, Ellie, you gave up on me! I thought that by flying you out here tonight, we could try to talk things out, maybe give it another go, but now, I know that that's an impossible dream!”
With as intense as this conversation is getting, I'm glad that we're in a private dining room.
”You thought there was a chance that I was going to change my mind, and get back together with you? I mean that's sweet, delusional, but sweet. But it goes right back to what I was saying earlier, where you think about what you want first, not even considering how I feel! I appreciate everything you've done for me, I'm glad that we settled out of court, but just because you flew me out here to Japan, it doesn't mean I'm obligated to get back together with you. I merely wanted to talk, and see if we could go forward with just being friends. I thought just because we got a divorce, it didn't mean that we'd have to never see each other again. But obviously, that's not enough for you.”
”You're right, Ellie. It's not enough for me. Maybe sometime down the line, we might be able to 'just be friends.' But for now, it's too soon, things are still too raw between us. We're still technically married for 30 more days. Excuse me for hoping that we could extend that! I love you Ellie, and you do crazy things, you don't think straight when you're in love!”
”Yes, I understand that, but another part of love is knowing when to say goodbye. So once again, I say thank you for bringing me out here. Thank you for a lovely dinner. But now, I have to say goodbye.”
As she gets up from her chair, I plead with her to stay, clasping my hands together almost as if they were put together in prayer.
”Please don't go, Ellie! I'm begging you! We still got seven courses to go! I know I won't like all of them!”
As she reaches the paper sliding door, Ellie gives me a quick, cold retort.
”I still love you, Gary, but you make it really hard to like you sometimes. We'll talk about this later...”
She leaves in a huff as the waiter comes in with the 21st course.
”So I guess there won't be any dessert?” he asks, almost jokingly.
”No, there won't be. Please just bring the check...”
Could I have messed that up any more than I did? Sure, I disagree with Ellie's sentiments, I don't see how her leaving me showed her love, but I didn't handle that well. I just killed any chance I may have had reconciling with her.
Nuts.
***
Depeche Mode's “Spacewalker” plays as the words FIRST CONTACT flash across the starry background. The video transitions to Biggs, who stands inside an empty ring in the Tokyo Dome. The Elimination Chamber has been lowered, and there's a single spot light over him. There's a steel chair set up right behind him, as he begins to speak.
”Welcome, one and all, to Biggs' First Contact. If you are watching this show, you undoubtedly know that this Sunday, I face both the greatest challenge of my career, as well as the greatest opportunity, when I enter this very Elimination Chamber to compete for the APW Undisputed Championship. This match contains the last four Undisputed Champions, including yours truly, as well as the current champ. And Chris Hart's in it too. The fact of the matter is that this is most loaded, the most stacked line-up ever seen in an APW Elimination Chamber match! Any match with that many former champions would be a big deal, but when you throw in this unforgiving, cold, soulless structure, well, it just takes the match over the top! Whoever wins this contest will not only claim the APW Undisputed Championship as their own, but they will also immediately skyrocket themselves to legendary status in this business! That is not hyperbole, ladies and gentlemen, that is a fact!”
“Now some of my opponents have tried to frame the conversation about this match by talking about monsters, talking about things like the seven deadly sins, relying on gimmickry to try and sell their version of why they're going to win this match.”
Biggs looks around at the steel structure surrounding him in the ring. He flashes his trademark smirk before continuing.
”As I look at this gigantic structure enveloping the ring, I can tell you right now, there's no gimmicks needed to describe the barbarity, the brutality the six of us are about to face this Sunday night. Even though I stand alone inside it right now, the Elimination Chamber is still as every bit as intimidating a structure as there is in this world. I can't help but feel a sense of dread, foreboding as stand here. This Chamber is 16 feet high, 36 feet in diameter, and contains more than 2 miles of chain, each and every inch of it engineered to put us through hell! The event may be called One Night in Hell, but for those of us competing inside the Chamber, I can assure you all, we're going to be feeling the effects of this match for more than just one night, we'll be feeling them for weeks, perhaps months to come!”
“And let's be honest here. None of us in this match up have won an Elimination Chamber match here in APW. None of us know what it's like to enter this demonic structure, and emerge anything other than defeated. This is brand new territory for all six of us.”
“Level-One, C.J., Chris, Kurt, and Terry, whoever wins this match will not have only defeated five men, but they will have survived the Elimination Chamber itself! This structure is certainly the most dangerous participant in the match! What it's going to come down to in the end is what are you willing to sacrifice? What are you willing to give up in order for the chance at greatness?! The Elimination Chamber doesn't give anything away for free!”
“Kurt Noble, are you willing the sacrifice your humanity in order to win the APW Undisputed Championship? You've already become a vicious, remorseless beast, attacking anyone and everyone at will, with little regard for whom you're hurting. In your rage, you attacked your own wife. Let alone how you brutalized me following our tag match, let alone all the sneak attacks you've orchestrated backstage! You are becoming more animal than man, Kurt Noble, and if there's any environment that this benefits you, it's here in the Chamber!”
“You know what they say about caged animals, Kurt, how they're extremely dangerous, how they're wild and unpredictable. That could be the X-Factor you need to carry yourself to victory, Kurt, because let's face it, for all the talk that's been thrown around about me needing to hang it up, it's befits you a lot more than it fits me! After all, you're no longer a young man, and you've got the bum leg and weakened arm. You're body is breaking down on you, bit by bit, and the only hope you have is relying on your intensity and brute force, hoping that the adrenaline will last long enough to power you through to victory. But let me remind you, Kurt Noble, the Elimination Chamber is a marathon, not a sprint. You don't plow through the Elimination Chamber, you don't speed through it, you survive it! You win the Elimination Chamber by outlasting five other men! That's five, not one, not two, not even three or four. And considering the caliber of the competition in this match, Kurt, I know you're not going to be able to just steamroll your way this one! You may be a caged animal in this match, but there's nowhere for you to hide either!”
“You can't pull off the sneak attack! Everything you do inside this Chamber will be visible, will be seen by all of us! Other than Terry Marvin, Kurt, you've got the biggest target on you, because you've established yourself as one of the biggest threats, not necessarily to win the match, but in your capacity to injure the rest of us in the match. It behooves the rest of us to get rid of you quickly, just because you have become so wild. I know I'll be targeting you, as will Lester and Terry. I'm pretty sure C.J. will as well, and I wouldn't count out your good buddy Chris Hart being disenfranchised by your recent behavior. After all, I'm pretty sure he's fond of Amy as well. But who wouldn't be, she is a sweetheart.”
“But that's beside the point, Kurt. The bottom line is, everyone will be looking to get you out of this match, and get you out early. Will you be able to reach deep down inside, connect with your primal instincts, and become the ferocious beast you'll need to become in order to just survive, or will you try, desperately, to retain some shred of humanity? It's up to you.”
“Chris Hart, are you willing to sacrifice your physical well being for a shot at immortality? The fact of the matter is, Chris, that you are coming into this match the only man to have not held the APW Undisputed Championship, which makes you the unquestionable underdog, and the sentimental favorite, because everyone loves an underdog! But I know, Chris Hart, that even though you were out of action for the better part of a month following the Casket Match with Level-One, there's no way that you've healed up enough to be going into this match at 100%. Now granted, none of us will be at 100% for long once the match gets going, but the fact that you're coming in not just hurt, but probably injured, well, that doesn't help your chances that much at all!”
“This Chamber will chew you up and spit you out! It is a creature, an animal in and of itself, and you know the law of the jungle, Chris. The predators pick of the sick and weak first, survival of the fittest, and all that. Are you willing to put up a fight, risk your pretty boy good looks, wager your entire career, or are you just going to fall down and let this Chamber eat you like that lion that it is?”
“Chris, as great as you are in tag team competition, the fact is, I don't see Kurt trying to help you out much in this match. He's too far gone. And since you haven't shown yourself to be a formidable singles competitor, well, I just don't like your chances in this match. You got heart, kid, but that'll only get you so far.”
“Terry Marvin, are you willing to sacrifice the pretense that you give a crap what the fans think of you? You've been walking around, playing hero, trying to play yourself up as a paragon of virtue. You even cited the Seven Deadly sins, claiming that the rest of us in this match will each fall victim to at least one, if not a combination of any of these sins, and that they will be our downfall. Now forgive me if I don't buy into the fact that these sins are particularly more deadly than any other sin, because nowhere in the Bible does it state explicitly that these sins are particularly more damning than any other of the multitude of sins we are all capable of. The concept of the Seven Deadly Sins actually came about in the fourth century, but that is neither here nor there. The fact is, Terry, you forgot to mention yourself when you were talking about deceit.”
“Because Terry, I can see right through your goody two-shoes act. I've used that trick in the past, and I can tell you from experience, it rarely ever works out as well as you would have liked. But not only are you guilty of lying to the fans you're trying to win over, you're also guilty of deceiving yourself thinking that you can leave Tokyo still the APW Undisputed Champion.”
“I talked earlier about Kurt Noble has a big target on his back, but as the Undisputed Champ, Terry, yours is even bigger. If any of us in this match want instant credibility, we're all going to try to be the one to eliminate you from the match! But on a more personal note, Terry, you've been lying to yourself as you've tried to tear me down verbally. That little talk you gave me backstage a few weeks back, it didn't discourage me, it didn't make me question my position in this upcoming match. Like I've said before, I don't think you were trying to convince me that I didn't belong in the match, because you knew I wouldn't listen to you. No, I think you were trying to convince yourself that I'm no big deal, that I'm one less person that you need to worry about once we're inside the Chamber.”
“You're afraid, Terry, as well you should be. Because not only do you have to defend your belt against five other men, not only is your fate in the hands of a special guest referee who just joined APW, but you have to overcome all of these obstacles inside the one structure that doesn't need any other obstacles in it! The odds are thoroughly stacked against you, Terry, and yet you choose to hold back by sucking up to the crowd. I'm telling you right now, Terry, if you want to have any hope of retaining your title, if you want any chance of leaving the Chamber still APW Undisputed Champion, you'll quit faking that you're a good guy, and embrace who you really are. Now I'm not saying this will guarantee you a victory, but it would certainly help your chances more than being Dudley Do-Right.”
Biggs steps through the ropes, and grabs a hold of the chain wall. He keeps a hold on it as he continues on.
”Level-One, are you willing to sacrifice your pride? As I've stated before, Lester, you don't win an Elimination Chamber match, you survive it. These chains...”
Biggs clutches them a little tighter.
”This steel...”
Biggs stomps on the steel grating surrounding the ring for emphasis.
”This whole damn structure, it has a way of humbling you. I know that your first instinct, Lester, is that you want to dominate this match. You want to be the focal point, you want to make the most eliminations. In all honesty, Level-One, there's only one elimination that really matters, and that's the last one! While it would be nice to be able to say that you eliminated so-and-so, or took that guy out of the chamber, only one pinfall or submission earns you the APW Undisputed Championship, and that is the final one!”
“All of us want to be the one eliminates Kurt Noble. All of us want to be the one who eliminates Terry Marvin. Dare I say, all of us want to be the one to eliminate Level-One. But one of the keys to this match is knowing when to pick your spots. And Lester, in all the years I've known you, it's apparent that you crave the spotlight too much to be able to do that. You're going to want to pick off all the big names, you're going to want to make the most eliminations, and the fact of the matter is that the more you stand out in the Chamber, the more you make yourself a target!”
“At one point, it looked like you and Terry were going into the Chamber planning to work together. That's one of the main reasons I made my alliance with C.J. Gates. But after the way you talked about your supposed friend, claiming that you made Terry Marvin the man he is today, well, knowing his ego, and knowing your ego, I don't see that alliance lasting particularly long. But you're going to need to rely on Terry Marvin to be able to make it to the final two, let alone win the whole darn thing. It's just too bad for you that you may have already burned that bridge before the match has even started!”
“I want to eliminate you, Lester, and prove you wrong, but I'm not going to do it at the expense of winning the overall match. If I have the opportunity, if it seems prudent, then I'll take you out. But why sacrifice myself when everyone else, and more importantly, the Chamber can do it for me?”
“Are you willing to lay low? Are you willing to forgo the spotlight at some point during the match, just to be able to survive? If you can't, Lester, then sure, you might make some noise inside the Elimination Chamber, you may have a huge hand in the ultimate outcome of the match, but it will make it that much harder for you to be able to win this thing!”
“Finally, I come to C.J. Gates. Are you willing to sacrifice the moral high ground in order to have a chance at victory? I've already alluded to how the Chamber itself is a heartless, cold predator, but with competitors like Level-One, Terry Marvin, and Kurt Noble inside the Chamber, well, it's like you're getting thrown into the proverbial lion's den! Are you going to be able to rise to the violence? Are you going to be able to become as vicious as you need to be in order to survive in the jungle that you'll find yourself in?”
“I know that you've already made in your mind a deal with the devil in agreeing to be my ally in this Chamber. I know you're not happy about the fact that you need my help. Believe me, if I thought I wouldn't need you in here, I would have never made the offer. But the bottom line is, C.J., because I'm willing to go to the depths that you aren't, because I'm willing to be as sadistic as this structure requires me to be, I may very well be a bigger help to you than you are to me. We're stepping inside Satan's Structure! We're going to be playing in The Devil's Playground! Do you have it in you to be a player, or are you just going to be a victim? It's really up to you, C.J.”
“I give you my word, C.J., that I will do nothing to harm you until it comes down to just me and you. Heck, I'll help you out. But you need to keep your bargain with me, which I know you will, because you're just too gosh darn good of guy to go back on your word. We still have unfinished business, at least in my mind, so you know that I'm on the level when I say I want it to come down to just you and me. We'll settle things once and for all this Sunday, C.J.”
Biggs finally lets go of the chains forming the wall of the Elimination Chamber. He heads back into the ring, and takes a seat in the chair.
”Now as for what I'm willing to sacrifice, well, each and every thing I've talked about tonight, I'm willing to lay before the altar of this demonic structure. My pride, my morals, my reputation, my humanity, and my body, I willingly give to this Chamber, so that I may once more claim the APW Undisputed Championship as my own! I'll give these and more!”
“By stepping inside this Chamber, I give up any chance I may have with reuniting with the love of my life, Ellie. She is too afraid to think of what can happen to me in this match. I know I'm going to get hurt, I know I could be potentially injured, possibly enough to end my career. One more concussion, and I'm not coming back! I know this to be a fact. I also am smart enough to know that if there's any type of match that I'm likely to suffer another concussion, it's this one! The one-inch thick plexiglass that forms each pod. The 2 miles of steel chain. The steel grating at ringside. Each and every one of these parts of the Chamber is a weapon, and each of these weapons could potentially end my career!”
“There would be those who would ask why, knowing all of this, would I be willing to endure such torture? Why would any of us? It's simple really. It's because of the 15 pounds of gold around the waist of Terry Marvin, it's because of the APW Undisputed Championship. There is nothing I desire more in this world, and I know the same is true of all of us entered into this match. Anyone would be crazy to turn down an opportunity like this! Even if it will cost me everything, I would gladly pay that price just for one more chance to be champion!”
“Gentlemen, in a little over 24 hours, we will find ourselves to be a part of the biggest match in APW history! Four former champions! The current Champ! Azrael Goeren making his APW debut as the special guest referee! And Chris Hart's in there too...”
“The fact is, the only way this match could be any bigger is if we had somehow gotten another former Undisputed Champ in it, but even as is, this match will be one for the ages! Are you ready to be a part of history, gentlemen? Are you ready to become legends? Because when the smoke is cleared, when the last man is standing, he will undoubtedly become an instant legend!”
“And I'll tell you right now, I fully intend on leaving One Night in Hell as a legend! I already have a sterling legacy. Had I hung it up after last year's Christmas Chaos, I would have been able to retire with a career I could have been proud of. But the fact that I have this opportunity, this night, to elevate my legacy even more, well, I'm not going to squander it! When the dust settles, when all our blood has been poured, I will be the last man standing, and I will be the next APW Undisputed Champion!”
“Tomorrow night, gentlemen, we enter Hell. And our stay will be much longer than any of us could imagine. Because while the event is called One Night in Hell, we'll be suffering long after the event is over. The Elimination Chamber will make sure of that. But for one of us, namely myself, the suffering will be light and momentary compared to the glory I will achieve when I leave with the title!”
“Terry Marvin.”
“Kurt Noble.”
“Chris Hart.”
“Level-One.”
“C.J. Gates.”
“And even Azrael Goeren.”
“Welcome to Hell! I hope none of you enjoy your stay!”
Biggs tosses the mic, and gets up from the chair and exits the Chamber. The spot light turns off as First Contact comes to a close.
