Post by Chris Strike on Nov 22, 2012 17:14:02 GMT -4
OFF-CAMERA
Watching Overdrive at home had become a semblance of tradition – a nice way of kicking back at the household after returning from the night prior of action in the Luxor for Sin City Wrestling, along with watching some of the premiere best wrestlers in the world practice their craft on national television. This week around was no different, as he sat on the brown leather couch of his living room, leaning back on the seat with his chocolate-brown eyes staring intently into the high definition television a few feet away from him and right at the man who was in front of the cameras, standing front and center inside the squared circle and glancing around at the volatile crowd that didn’t seem to give him an inch.
Chris Strike watched intently as the man addressed the nation at hand and drew their ire with single word that escaped his lips, every bit of movement from his body and exuberated a presence that was outright malicious compared to his older self. It struck a chord of familiarity within the “God of Thunder” as he stared right onto the television monitor and found himself fully believing Chris Hart’s hypothesis on what the hell had become of the man right in front of him. The man before him was not the same man that he once fought against on multiple occasions for control of the PWF World Tag Team titles and he was not the man that many weeks ago Chris agreed to walk alongside him into the gates of hell of Siberia to put a stop to the corruption going on within the Experts’ confines.
No, this man truly experienced a metamorphosis that the “God of Thunder” didn’t think possible.
Kurt Noble’s shift from “Common Man” to the “It Man” over the past in APW hadn’t gone unnoticed. However, the damage caused psychologically by the wars with the likes of the Sindicate and Terry Marvin along with the crushing loss of the APW Undisputed title and the fact Chris Hart took him out at the Elimination Chamber definitely took its toll…and yet, Chris couldn’t help but to shake his head.
Kurt Noble was one of the few men Chris Strike still believed in. Be it his iron will, be it his ability to pull off that last minute move to turn the tables, be it his presence and natural leadership along with the capacity to make others around him believe that they could take charge and achieve whatever it was they set out to be. There was no doubt that Chris Strike believed in Kurt Noble.
And now, he was watching the man he believed in all along turn a new leaf and then turn his back on every single thing that he cherished because he couldn’t handle it anymore.
It struck a nerve within the “God of Thunder.”
Of course, it didn’t help when the following came out from Kurt Noble’s lips on television, the sound blaring through his surround system in the living room…
“As for Strike…well, I have my own little proposition for you…either you ignore any future contact from Chris Hart…” There’s a small pause here from the man once known as the ‘Noble One.’ “Or I’m sending another Chris to the hospital.”
The threat was rather touching alongside the accusations of treason on his part from Kurt Noble. A part inside of Chris Strike was outright giddy at the prospect. All of their encounters over the last two years inside of the ring had been in tag team contests – never has there been a one-on-one encounter between the “Noble One” and the “God of Thunder.” That part of him relished the idea of fighting Kurt Noble. The other part regretted that it could not be under better terms.
He looked over above the couch, watching as his fiancée made her way over to it, a small smile on her face as she looks over at him. Early twenties, a pair of piercing, icy blue eyes, vivacious red hair fell to her shoulder and an athletic yet slender build from her years as a wrestler and from dancing. She took a seat next to Chris, gently leaning her head against Strike’s shoulder while wrapping her arms around him, her attention turning to the screen while Kurt Noble grabbed a certain t-shirt and displayed it to the world.
“I’m sorry, babe.” If there was one thing that former SCW Hardcore and Tag Team champion Jo McFarlane knew is how much of a friendship there was between her fiancée and the team of Noblehart. “Never thought I’d hear him saying these kinds of words, considering how high and mighty he seems to be whenever he runs into people like Doug E. Fresh or a Jack Benevolence.”
Chris shook his head. “Nothing to be sorry about, JoJo. He was the one who chose this path, no matter how many times he may attempt to say otherwise or how hard he tries to shift the blame to those around him.”
“He’s got some guts thinking he can just put you in a hospital if you don’t stop talking to Hart.”
“Oh, he’s a capable one. Make no mistake of it – but at the same time, I get what Chris is getting at here. Kurt needs to wake up and realize exactly where he is heading…” The destination in question was a downward spiral that led to things a whole lot worse than just accusing people of ‘high treason.’ “Been there, done that, would rather not see someone else fall down that same abyss – especially someone that I like and that I respect.”
“Aye.” Jo leaned even closer as Chris placed his left arm around her shoulder. “So, who else is going at it tonight?”
“Well, C.J. Gates and Terry Marvin are throwing in down in the night’s main event.” He smiles at his fiancée, lightly kissing Jo’s forehead. “It’s a new company with a bunch of new challenges…figured I’d scout all the competition and see what I get to look forward to as I take this next step.”
Their eyes avert to the screen, watching as Kurt Noble burns the Nobledrive t-shirt he had in his hands, standing over it as the flames start getting higher. “This isn’t a promise. It isn’t a threat. It’s not even a message. It’s the future.”
As “Labyrinth” begins to play over the stereo system while the crowd fiercely boos, Chris Strike watches it all intently as Kurt makes his way out of the ring. His eyes narrow, left hand curling into a fist. “Jo…can you hand me my laptop, please?” he asked kindly, referring to the dormant laptop on the coffee table a foot or two away from the couch in the living room. Jo reached out, grabbing it for him and resting it on his lap. “Thanks babe.”
Opening the laptop, it doesn’t take the “God of Thunder” all too long to make the jump from a home page on his browser to the wonderful land of Twitter. Eyes focusing over on the bright screen sitting on his lap, Chris is all too quick to fire all cylinders on a certain tweet:
Kurt Noble can consider this specific challenge accepted.
---------------------------
“Yeah, whenever you get the chance, get back to me. Uh huh. Thanks. I look forward to talking with Ms. Talfourd in person.”
Days later and already on the road for a show for SVW in Toronto, Ontario, Chris Strike pressed the “end call” button on his new Samsung Galaxy III phone, slipping it back onto his pockets before making his way around a corner. Dressed in an old, faded yellow t-shirt with the Brazil national football team logo on it, boot cut jeans and rather nifty yellow and green Nike’s, the “God of Thunder” made his way inside of a building, duffel bag in his right hand and up a set of steps. He was a little bit early for the radio spot he was going to be doing here in regards to everything that’s been going on in his career but the folks at the station were more than happy to set him up the moment he walked in the door.
Within ten minutes’ time, they were live in the air again with Chris Strike sitting adjacent to them.
“Hey, welcome back, you’re listening to 102.1 The Edge and right now, we’ve got a pretty damn good special guest that’s decided to join us a little earlier than expected – he is a professional wrestler who’s made his mark all over the world and is currently here in Toronto for SVW Aggression before once again taking it to the road – Chris Strike, welcome to the show.”
“Thanks Josie, good to be here.”
Strike exchanges a quick nod and returns the smile from the radio host in Josie Dye. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, nice smile and a flannel shirt along with jeans – in a way, Strike was rather glad he wasn’t the only one dressed casually.
Josie: Chris, you’ve done this for more than a decade now and as a fan, I’m happy to see you’re still at it. Now, this past year has been a little bit crazy, given the fact you were already working for SVW and then joined Sin City Wrestling, then, of course, the shocking news that you decided to join Action Packed Wrestling nearly a month ago.
Strike: I enjoy keeping myself busy. Ever since coming back from my hiatus in 2010, I’ve wanted to do nothing more than work – but at the same time, the quality is what matters over the quantity. Back when I first signed with SVW, I thought that’d be fine, that I’d be getting all the competition I can handle. Then, of course, Sin City Wrestling comes knocking and by going there, I get exposed to the realm of the Experts and APW’s actually been on my radar for quite some time prior to signing with them. I kept showing up at some of their Pay-Per-Views sitting ringside to the point where Chris Hart pulled me aside and went “you know you could just stop showing up at Pay-Per-Views in the crowd and actually BE a part of this roster, right?”
Josie: And that’s actually a pretty cool thing, considering that there’s been a lot of buzz over the fact you and Chris Hart are committed to putting a stop to Kurt Noble now that he’s taken a turn.
Strike: More like slap him back to his senses. This man that Kurt’s become…a lot of people will argue he’s justified, given the circumstances surrounding him at APW. However, between Chris Hart and I…we know all too well that whatever this is, it isn’t him. And maybe Kurt just needs to get it fought out of his system, be it against me, be it against Chris Hart…but the fact is, Noble’s obsession has been unhealthy as of late and he put his hands on a guy that I consider to be a friend. On top of that, he’s outright said he’d attempt to put me in a hospital bed if I kept going within this course of action…and Josie, one thing about me is that I do love these kinds of challenges.
Josie: Well, the idea of a future Chris Strike versus Kurt Noble bout does sound intriguing. I do want to hit on one more thing – there’s been rumors circling everywhere that you and Sally Talfourd have met over the past week and that there’s been discussions about the state of affairs in Asylum.
Strike: Well, I was rather intrigued by what the World Heavyweight champ had to say at Asylum and I tweeted at her that I was interested in conversing. Sally is somebody I’ve seen become one of the best in the land – being somewhat under looked, at that. She’s the kind of talent that any company can build around and she can act as the main pillar. So after the tweets, I ended up giving her a call as well and we’ll keep the conversations going as the weeks go along. At the same time, big things are on the horizon for the Asylum brand, Josie. I can’t wait to see them unfold myself.
Josie: Absolutely. I mean, you and Sally are teaming at Showcase Zero against Terry Marvin and Chris Hart and then, of course, now we’re getting to the interesting subject. Barely a month in APW and you’re already the APW Suicidal Champion. Did you bring the belt with you, perchance?
Strike: Yeah, I actually got the belt right here.
Reaching down, Chris unzips the duffel bag and from it, pulls out the APW Suicidal Championship – it shining rather magnificently as Josie looks at it in awe (although you can’t really see it, since it’s just a radio show and all…unless one is streaming it online with the live footage… Then yeah…)
Josie: Oooo, shiny!
Strike: I know! Quite the appeal, huh?
Josie: Yeah. It makes me want one of these too.
Strike: Hahaha, oh, you’re not alone there. Needless to say, I’m very proud to be the new APW Suicidal Champion. A lot of people weren’t very keen on giving me the proper credit or respect when I showed up in APW, but I earned the opportunity to fight for it and I capitalized on it.
Josie: Which does lead me to asking as to what do you make of this whole situation with the upcoming Christmas Chaos Pay-Per-View, but most importantly, the upcoming match this week against one of the guys you’re fighting for that title in Johnny Knuckles – who has been extremely vocal when it comes to you and you showing up here in APW.
Strike: Christmas Chaos is guaranteed to be a slugfest. You’ve got Jason Kash, the former champion, who’s going to be looking for blood and to regain the title. Then you’ve got Johnny Knuckles, hungry in his own rights and with bones to pick. But as for good old Knucks…
Strike sighed, placing the APW Suicidal title around his shoulder as he straightened his posture on the chair.
((To Be Continued…))
Watching Overdrive at home had become a semblance of tradition – a nice way of kicking back at the household after returning from the night prior of action in the Luxor for Sin City Wrestling, along with watching some of the premiere best wrestlers in the world practice their craft on national television. This week around was no different, as he sat on the brown leather couch of his living room, leaning back on the seat with his chocolate-brown eyes staring intently into the high definition television a few feet away from him and right at the man who was in front of the cameras, standing front and center inside the squared circle and glancing around at the volatile crowd that didn’t seem to give him an inch.
Chris Strike watched intently as the man addressed the nation at hand and drew their ire with single word that escaped his lips, every bit of movement from his body and exuberated a presence that was outright malicious compared to his older self. It struck a chord of familiarity within the “God of Thunder” as he stared right onto the television monitor and found himself fully believing Chris Hart’s hypothesis on what the hell had become of the man right in front of him. The man before him was not the same man that he once fought against on multiple occasions for control of the PWF World Tag Team titles and he was not the man that many weeks ago Chris agreed to walk alongside him into the gates of hell of Siberia to put a stop to the corruption going on within the Experts’ confines.
No, this man truly experienced a metamorphosis that the “God of Thunder” didn’t think possible.
Kurt Noble’s shift from “Common Man” to the “It Man” over the past in APW hadn’t gone unnoticed. However, the damage caused psychologically by the wars with the likes of the Sindicate and Terry Marvin along with the crushing loss of the APW Undisputed title and the fact Chris Hart took him out at the Elimination Chamber definitely took its toll…and yet, Chris couldn’t help but to shake his head.
Kurt Noble was one of the few men Chris Strike still believed in. Be it his iron will, be it his ability to pull off that last minute move to turn the tables, be it his presence and natural leadership along with the capacity to make others around him believe that they could take charge and achieve whatever it was they set out to be. There was no doubt that Chris Strike believed in Kurt Noble.
And now, he was watching the man he believed in all along turn a new leaf and then turn his back on every single thing that he cherished because he couldn’t handle it anymore.
It struck a nerve within the “God of Thunder.”
Of course, it didn’t help when the following came out from Kurt Noble’s lips on television, the sound blaring through his surround system in the living room…
“As for Strike…well, I have my own little proposition for you…either you ignore any future contact from Chris Hart…” There’s a small pause here from the man once known as the ‘Noble One.’ “Or I’m sending another Chris to the hospital.”
The threat was rather touching alongside the accusations of treason on his part from Kurt Noble. A part inside of Chris Strike was outright giddy at the prospect. All of their encounters over the last two years inside of the ring had been in tag team contests – never has there been a one-on-one encounter between the “Noble One” and the “God of Thunder.” That part of him relished the idea of fighting Kurt Noble. The other part regretted that it could not be under better terms.
He looked over above the couch, watching as his fiancée made her way over to it, a small smile on her face as she looks over at him. Early twenties, a pair of piercing, icy blue eyes, vivacious red hair fell to her shoulder and an athletic yet slender build from her years as a wrestler and from dancing. She took a seat next to Chris, gently leaning her head against Strike’s shoulder while wrapping her arms around him, her attention turning to the screen while Kurt Noble grabbed a certain t-shirt and displayed it to the world.
“I’m sorry, babe.” If there was one thing that former SCW Hardcore and Tag Team champion Jo McFarlane knew is how much of a friendship there was between her fiancée and the team of Noblehart. “Never thought I’d hear him saying these kinds of words, considering how high and mighty he seems to be whenever he runs into people like Doug E. Fresh or a Jack Benevolence.”
Chris shook his head. “Nothing to be sorry about, JoJo. He was the one who chose this path, no matter how many times he may attempt to say otherwise or how hard he tries to shift the blame to those around him.”
“He’s got some guts thinking he can just put you in a hospital if you don’t stop talking to Hart.”
“Oh, he’s a capable one. Make no mistake of it – but at the same time, I get what Chris is getting at here. Kurt needs to wake up and realize exactly where he is heading…” The destination in question was a downward spiral that led to things a whole lot worse than just accusing people of ‘high treason.’ “Been there, done that, would rather not see someone else fall down that same abyss – especially someone that I like and that I respect.”
“Aye.” Jo leaned even closer as Chris placed his left arm around her shoulder. “So, who else is going at it tonight?”
“Well, C.J. Gates and Terry Marvin are throwing in down in the night’s main event.” He smiles at his fiancée, lightly kissing Jo’s forehead. “It’s a new company with a bunch of new challenges…figured I’d scout all the competition and see what I get to look forward to as I take this next step.”
Their eyes avert to the screen, watching as Kurt Noble burns the Nobledrive t-shirt he had in his hands, standing over it as the flames start getting higher. “This isn’t a promise. It isn’t a threat. It’s not even a message. It’s the future.”
As “Labyrinth” begins to play over the stereo system while the crowd fiercely boos, Chris Strike watches it all intently as Kurt makes his way out of the ring. His eyes narrow, left hand curling into a fist. “Jo…can you hand me my laptop, please?” he asked kindly, referring to the dormant laptop on the coffee table a foot or two away from the couch in the living room. Jo reached out, grabbing it for him and resting it on his lap. “Thanks babe.”
Opening the laptop, it doesn’t take the “God of Thunder” all too long to make the jump from a home page on his browser to the wonderful land of Twitter. Eyes focusing over on the bright screen sitting on his lap, Chris is all too quick to fire all cylinders on a certain tweet:
Kurt Noble can consider this specific challenge accepted.
---------------------------
“Yeah, whenever you get the chance, get back to me. Uh huh. Thanks. I look forward to talking with Ms. Talfourd in person.”
Days later and already on the road for a show for SVW in Toronto, Ontario, Chris Strike pressed the “end call” button on his new Samsung Galaxy III phone, slipping it back onto his pockets before making his way around a corner. Dressed in an old, faded yellow t-shirt with the Brazil national football team logo on it, boot cut jeans and rather nifty yellow and green Nike’s, the “God of Thunder” made his way inside of a building, duffel bag in his right hand and up a set of steps. He was a little bit early for the radio spot he was going to be doing here in regards to everything that’s been going on in his career but the folks at the station were more than happy to set him up the moment he walked in the door.
Within ten minutes’ time, they were live in the air again with Chris Strike sitting adjacent to them.
“Hey, welcome back, you’re listening to 102.1 The Edge and right now, we’ve got a pretty damn good special guest that’s decided to join us a little earlier than expected – he is a professional wrestler who’s made his mark all over the world and is currently here in Toronto for SVW Aggression before once again taking it to the road – Chris Strike, welcome to the show.”
“Thanks Josie, good to be here.”
Strike exchanges a quick nod and returns the smile from the radio host in Josie Dye. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, nice smile and a flannel shirt along with jeans – in a way, Strike was rather glad he wasn’t the only one dressed casually.
Josie: Chris, you’ve done this for more than a decade now and as a fan, I’m happy to see you’re still at it. Now, this past year has been a little bit crazy, given the fact you were already working for SVW and then joined Sin City Wrestling, then, of course, the shocking news that you decided to join Action Packed Wrestling nearly a month ago.
Strike: I enjoy keeping myself busy. Ever since coming back from my hiatus in 2010, I’ve wanted to do nothing more than work – but at the same time, the quality is what matters over the quantity. Back when I first signed with SVW, I thought that’d be fine, that I’d be getting all the competition I can handle. Then, of course, Sin City Wrestling comes knocking and by going there, I get exposed to the realm of the Experts and APW’s actually been on my radar for quite some time prior to signing with them. I kept showing up at some of their Pay-Per-Views sitting ringside to the point where Chris Hart pulled me aside and went “you know you could just stop showing up at Pay-Per-Views in the crowd and actually BE a part of this roster, right?”
Josie: And that’s actually a pretty cool thing, considering that there’s been a lot of buzz over the fact you and Chris Hart are committed to putting a stop to Kurt Noble now that he’s taken a turn.
Strike: More like slap him back to his senses. This man that Kurt’s become…a lot of people will argue he’s justified, given the circumstances surrounding him at APW. However, between Chris Hart and I…we know all too well that whatever this is, it isn’t him. And maybe Kurt just needs to get it fought out of his system, be it against me, be it against Chris Hart…but the fact is, Noble’s obsession has been unhealthy as of late and he put his hands on a guy that I consider to be a friend. On top of that, he’s outright said he’d attempt to put me in a hospital bed if I kept going within this course of action…and Josie, one thing about me is that I do love these kinds of challenges.
Josie: Well, the idea of a future Chris Strike versus Kurt Noble bout does sound intriguing. I do want to hit on one more thing – there’s been rumors circling everywhere that you and Sally Talfourd have met over the past week and that there’s been discussions about the state of affairs in Asylum.
Strike: Well, I was rather intrigued by what the World Heavyweight champ had to say at Asylum and I tweeted at her that I was interested in conversing. Sally is somebody I’ve seen become one of the best in the land – being somewhat under looked, at that. She’s the kind of talent that any company can build around and she can act as the main pillar. So after the tweets, I ended up giving her a call as well and we’ll keep the conversations going as the weeks go along. At the same time, big things are on the horizon for the Asylum brand, Josie. I can’t wait to see them unfold myself.
Josie: Absolutely. I mean, you and Sally are teaming at Showcase Zero against Terry Marvin and Chris Hart and then, of course, now we’re getting to the interesting subject. Barely a month in APW and you’re already the APW Suicidal Champion. Did you bring the belt with you, perchance?
Strike: Yeah, I actually got the belt right here.
Reaching down, Chris unzips the duffel bag and from it, pulls out the APW Suicidal Championship – it shining rather magnificently as Josie looks at it in awe (although you can’t really see it, since it’s just a radio show and all…unless one is streaming it online with the live footage… Then yeah…)
Josie: Oooo, shiny!
Strike: I know! Quite the appeal, huh?
Josie: Yeah. It makes me want one of these too.
Strike: Hahaha, oh, you’re not alone there. Needless to say, I’m very proud to be the new APW Suicidal Champion. A lot of people weren’t very keen on giving me the proper credit or respect when I showed up in APW, but I earned the opportunity to fight for it and I capitalized on it.
Josie: Which does lead me to asking as to what do you make of this whole situation with the upcoming Christmas Chaos Pay-Per-View, but most importantly, the upcoming match this week against one of the guys you’re fighting for that title in Johnny Knuckles – who has been extremely vocal when it comes to you and you showing up here in APW.
Strike: Christmas Chaos is guaranteed to be a slugfest. You’ve got Jason Kash, the former champion, who’s going to be looking for blood and to regain the title. Then you’ve got Johnny Knuckles, hungry in his own rights and with bones to pick. But as for good old Knucks…
Strike sighed, placing the APW Suicidal title around his shoulder as he straightened his posture on the chair.
((To Be Continued…))
