For all the Gold

[Chaos Stryke]

“We’re a couple of days from my second APW pay-per-view appearance in another title match. I’m hoping this time around I get the job done and walk away with the championship.”

“We’re fighting for the APW Tag Team championships. It’s the reason M&M came to APW in the first place. We came in hunting for tag team gold. Along the way we had our own trials competing for the North American championship, but no matter how bad things got, we stuck together. We’re still a team and we stand on the brink of accomplishing the goal that initially brought us together.”

“When I saw the initial line up for the tag tournament… with all due respect to my partner, I honestly wasn’t sure we’d make it here. I felt like an anchor Aubrey has to carry in these matches and when we were slated to face War Ensemble, I thought I’d finally drag her down. But as it turned out, we were up to the challenge and we’re now where nine other teams wanted to be, but now only three do.”

“Deruty and Speede are the new APW wunderteam. These two showed up here in November and went on a strong run to get through the tournament, upsetting Envikado, who I’d expected to make the finals. Dying Breed are the local veterans here. I expected them to cruise through the tournament and they have. I again find myself wondering… Do we have what it takes to win? Do I? I look at my partner and I wonder how she does it. Grace under pressure, always confident, always sure of herself. I look at myself and wonder when I lost those traits…”

There’s a brief pause before Logan resumes.

“Anyway, I’m walking into this match less than twenty four hours after trying to reclaim the North American title. Yes, I said reclaim. That belt isn’t mine unless I walk out of the supershow with it. Deruty’s working on the same schedule, so that keeps us fairly even. Dying Breed might have the edge depending on Bailey’s condition after the beating Callahan gave him a couple of weeks ago.”

“Given this match is double elimination falls-count-anywhere, we three aren’t going to have time to rest and let our partners handle the work. That’s why I’ve been stamina training for the last two weeks. Two days, two title matches, and in both I have at least four opponents looking to beat me down. I love a challenge… and after the supershow, this tag title match might make skating uphill look easy.”


We open to a shot inside Logan’s school. It’s late in the day and there are a handful of students training hard. Some are doing callisthenics routines in groups. Some are wrestling one another in the ring with a trainer looking on. Some are heading to other parts of the school to continue or conclude their training for the day in other facilities. Through the middle of the training area here, we see Logan walking alongside his friend Phil Jackson. They nod and trade greetings with students who pass, before resuming their conversation.

“I’m starting to think I should up the cardio content of my general training. I should get back into an iron man mindset.”

“Gonna put on a suit of armour and fly around blowing up your opponents?”

Logan snorts softly.

“Very funny, wrong iron man. I used to be able to go for thirty minutes in the ring easy… Feels like more of a struggle now.”

“You haven’t been pushing yourself for that. You used to do training sessions like that before your forced retirement. You eased off afterwards.”

“Guess I thought I was going to take it easy. I’m in good shape, but I could be better. Now I need to be and I’m pushing to get there before time’s up.”

Phil grins and pats Logan on the back.

“Procrastinator, but a successful one.”

“Something like that.”

“How you feeling about this match?”

Logan blows out a breath.

“Wishing Duvall and Harrison would stick their noses elsewhere.”

“Next time, don’t spike the vice GM on her head.”

Logan smirks.

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Phil shakes his head slightly. The two fall silent as they move clear of the students exercising and over towards the nearby ring, where an impromptu tag match is going on. They stop and watch, continuing to talk.

“Falls-count-anywhere sounds like a wonderful divide and conquer strategy doesn’t it? That’s what I’m expecting in this match because the GM’s don’t want to see me walking around with one, let alone both, of Meltdown’s titles after Christmas. I’m just sick of Sienna’s petty grudge.”

He looks pointedly at Phil.

“And yes, I’m well aware that it’s my fault as well. But I don’t keep making it an issue.”

Phil just looks back at him.

“So long as you’re aware the monster is of your own making.”

“Yeah I know. Just have to deal with it while facing the most underrated team in professional wrestling history and the living personifications of morality, integrity, and honour.”

Phil laughs quietly.

“Use sarcasm much?”

“Only for moments like this.”

Logan shakes his head and the two of them move along.

“My opponents are such broken records. Who are they trying to convince anyway?”

Phil shrugs.

“You’d have to ask them.”

The two continue on, reaching and passing through a doorway into an adjoining room. They enter the school’s arena, with its ever present ring and surrounded by tiered seating. The two of them take a seat in the front row.

“Deruty and Speede constantly talk about how they’re always overlooked and that it’s resulted in them winning. So I spent time researching them and you know what happens? I don’t underestimate them. I expect them to come out and compete like they were the world’s greatest tag team… which is the opinion they have of themselves. So… where is their greatest weapon now?”

“As for the Dying Breed, ‘we’re out to make wrestling better’ seems to be the rallying cry nowadays. Valo’s been saying that for months. Bailey’s clan say that now. The Four Pillars have jumped on board. It’s all self absorbed nonsense… They claim some sort of noble intention… but we’ll wait and see how that plays out because it never lasts.”

Phil glances at Logan.

“Feeling a little cynical about that?”

“Just a bit. The ones who claim the noblest intentions are the ones who’ll conduct the most heinous acts in the name of their ideal. I don’t fight for causes, just for me and my partner.”

“So how does this relate to the match?”

“It’s about understanding your opponents. Deruty and Speede are counting on sneaking out a win because their opponents disregard them. That doesn’t sound like a team that’ll win in a straight up contest. Instead of focusing on raising their ability, they hope their opponents come down to theirs. I’m not doing. Aubrey isn’t either. She generally doesn’t hold back. So those two have to step up on the weekend and they’ll have to tone down the arrogance and think rationally for that. When you’re arrogant, you think you can take on the world. When you think rationally, you remember the world is big and it’ll crush you like a bug.”

“The Dying Breed needs to can their rhetoric for the week. Who wants to listen to father Bailey preaching from his high horse?”

Logan scowls slightly and leans forward, staring at the floor.

“He dismissed me entirely. Since I’m not on Twitter, I’m not worth his time. It’s not the attitude a successful champion should have. You’d better consider all threats. I know he’s hurt, and I will exploit that for all it’s worth. Could you imagine Bailey choking down some humble pie should I, the guy he forgot about, make him submit? Maybe I’ll knock some sense into his head and he’ll realize his silly idea of the Dying Breed being based on integrity and morality is much like building a house on a foundation of sand. They act so much like the ones they decry.”

Phil looks at Logan.

“You really think that?”

Logan sits up slowly and looks back at Phil.

“Yeah. It’s called willful blindness. My opponents are becoming more delusional or hypocritical.

He shakes his head slowly.

“I think our opponents in this tag match have no idea what they’re up against. No one looks at the entirety of M&M. They look and see Aubrey, and might acknowledge my presence. But they define us by her. Look at the Dying Breed. Bailey surrounds himself with people like him. Look at Deruty and Speede. They’re two of a kind. Look at our opponents and you find teams made of identical partners with matching mindsets.”

“But look at M&M… there’s none of that. We’re night and day to one another in most respects… yin and yang. We’ve battled each other in the ring, and even in that we’re different. People try to tear us apart, but we still stand together. We’re opposites united by purpose and commitment. We’re a stronger whole than our opponents. That’s what’ll let us win.”

With the two of them still sitting there the scene fades to black.


We shift to another area, finding Logan dressed all in black, sitting cross-legged on the floor, with his hands clasped in front of him, in a bare, all white room. He looks at the camera and smiles.

“Diversity… That’s our strength. M&M share a goal, but we each have our own approach to get there, in and outside the ring. I’ve been able to work with anyone in the ring for years. I’ve partnered with people I didn’t like, ones with different styles or philosophies, and been successful having two tag title reigns.”

“I don’t need to brag like my opponents do though. Deruty and Speede talk about how they’re the greatest thing going. Bailey’s always patting himself on the back for his first year in APW. Hopkins carries the same opinion of himself without accomplishing anything. Of the four of them, Bailey’s the one entitled to that, but he has to prove he’s not a one-hit wonder.”

He looks smug as he continues.

“Deruty and Speede are stepping into a match where they’re comfortable. It’s their specialty. They’ve been impressive in tag matches… until last week. You got schooled by a thrown together tag team. You underestimated your opponents and they beat you. Now you’re facing two teams that aren’t just thrown together and are at least on par with the ones you lost to last week. But you two are doing the same thing as always. You two lose matches, but assume they don’t matter. Instead of improving yourselves and avoiding future mistakes, you act like you never lost or it was a fluke. For example, Speede was sure Valo beating Deruty was a fluke, and then Speede made the same mistake and got beaten by Valo a week later.”

“Just because you think you’re unbeatable doesn’t make it so. You’re not facing opponents who’ll be impressed by your flashy moves and fan appeal. M&M can turn your lights out in an instant. When you come to, it’s with the realization that your tag title opportunity and delusions of greatness are gone. You beat Envikado in shady fashion, but since then you’ve faltered alone and as a team. The cracks in your armour are plain for all to see, but you two ignore them. That’ll be your undoing.”

His smugness is replaced by annoyance as Logan switches focus.

“The Dying Breed thinks they’re entitled to be tag champions. Where were they about four months ago when the tag division was dying? Bailey was looking for credibility after taking a shortcut to beat Sally Talfourd and Hopkins was falling short in everything. After One Night in Hell, once gold eluded them both, they suddenly took interest in tag wrestling. Amazing how falling off your pedestal changes your world view, right Bailey?”

“You think the belts are yours for the taking. You have no idea what you’re in for. Aubrey matched up evenly with Talfourd two weeks ago. Aubrey and I have been almost equal against one another. You can do the math on that and understand what you’re facing this week. Potentially, you’ve got two opponents on your level, and a partner who isn’t. You badmouth Kash, but Kash has Hopkins number, so what does that mean for you? You seemed like someone who prided himself on knowing his opponents, but you haven’t got a clue what you’re up against.”

“You portray yourself as someone like the fans who watch us, right Bailey? So I’ll do my best to prove that you don’t belong in the ring with us. Fans can relate to that. Call it arrogance if you want. I’ll call it my promise to you.”

Logan slowly climbs to his feet, regarding the camera coolly and confidently.

“M&M came into APW to win the tag titles. We didn’t come for single’s gold although we each ended up with some. We’ve pushed one another. We’ve fought one another. Through all of that… we’re still together. We’re still focused on our initial goal. Our opponents have no idea of the hardship we’ve gone through in four months. Aubrey’s one of the premier rising stars in APW. I’m standing among the top competitors of Meltdown. But we’re still united as M&M.”

“What have our opponents overcome? What’s made them any better? What, if anything, makes them better than us? We’re the only team coming into this match with momentum. We beat War Ensemble where Dying Breed didn’t. Deruty and Speede have both lost in singles and tag action to Tuhoa Valo, who I’ve beaten. Aubrey and I have only lost recently through disqualification or biased referees, and that was in singles competition. We’re not generally outclassed by our opponents and we find ways to win. Maybe you four can change that, but I haven’t seen anything that’s convinced me you’ll be the ones to do it.”

“This won’t be the ideal environment for us at Christmas Chaos. I still smell a GM setup, but I’ll be ready for that. M&M have gotten this far by sticking together and we’re looking to win the titles the same way. Whatever comes our way, we’re ready to face it down.”

“So let Speede keep writing his blogs, Deruty keep sending himself cards, Hopkins keep reminiscing about the past, and Bailey keep yearning to be relatable to fans. We don’t promote higher ideals or pander to the fans. M&M are here to succeed… to be champions. We fight for ourselves and each other. That’s it. We work to be the best and take on all before us. For all the gold, that’s what has to be done.”

He touches two fingers to his temple and moves them away, like a wave to the camera. The scene then fades to black.