Post by Kurt on Jan 16, 2013 21:43:18 GMT -4
Noble, No More
Time: Unknown
Location: Unknown
“Thank you for taking time out of your increasingly busy schedules to…’meet’ with me, ladies and gentlemen. I assure you, you want to hear what I have to say.”
Noble’s eyes scan from monitor to monitor as his fingers twist around his rolling chair. His hair is sleek, and his suit is even sleeker; it nearly glistens in the backdrop illuminating both Noble and the computer screens in front of him. However, the screens are blocked by a noticeable glare from the piercing light.
“Let us be clear on something, Mr. Noble,” one of the monitors emits in a husky voice. “The one, and only reason you’ve been granted a meeting with the APW Board of Directors is because of your past contributions to Action Packed Wrestling; that’s it.”
“Past contributions?” Noble asks with a snarky tone, emphasizing the first word. “Are you not… entertained by my recent affairs?”
A scoff emits from the middle monitor. “I speak on behalf of all womanhood when I say your actions are disgusting, Mr. Noble. If it were my decision, you would be terminated, and blacklisted from every reputable wrestling company in the world.”
“We’re all aware of Mr. Noble’s actions as of late,” interjects Monitor #3 in a brisk tone. “They’re not the purpose of this discussion. Now, Mr. Noble, if we are to have a discussion, I ask that you turn off that glaring light…”
“You refused to meet in person,” Noble answers as he leans back in his chair. “So I arranged this video conference. I played by your rules, now you’re playing by mine.”
“Fine,” states Monitor #1. “No need to waste any further time, so we might as well make it clear: You are not getting Chris Hart. His suspension will remain until after Survive and Conquer, and then we will review his return to APW. Our decision is final, Mr. Noble, and no amount of begging will change our-“
“I’m not going to ask for anything.”
Static fills the room as Noble’s grin diminishes.
“Well, then you must be inquiring about CJ Gates,” continues Monitor #2, breaking the silence. “We also feel that this match is necessary for both of you, despite our…concerns with booking you-“
“I’m not protesting that match either,” Noble answers just as abruptly. More silence.
“Well then,” murmurs Monitor #1. “Why are we here, Mr. Noble?”
Noble sits up in his chair, putting his hands together as he faces the three monitors. “I asked you, the APW Board, to lift Chris Hart’s suspension; you ignored me. I then demanded that President Jeff lift his suspension; I was tossed out. I’ve made the fatal mistake of putting choice out of my hands. Today, leaders of APW, I do make that mistake. Today, I am telling. At Survive and Conquer, I am going to face-off against Chris Hart in an unsanctioned match.”
“No, no you will not,” snaps Monitor #2. “Chris Hart is suspended, and will wrestle in any APW match-“
“Notice the unsanctioned part,” Noble interrupts as his eyes snap to her monitor. He grins, despite being unable to see her face due to the glare.
“As far as APW is concerned, the match won’t have happened; it won’t recorded. There’ll be no referee. It won’t even take place in the ring. Chris Hart and I will fight exactly where I say we fight. I merely instigated this meeting to give you…well, a heads-up.”
“You ungrateful shit,” snaps Monitor #2.
“This is a bold claim, Mr. Noble,” responds Monitor #2. “Let’s assume this doesn’t happen…that Chris Hart, or you, for that matter, never make it to Survive and Conquer. I ask that you consider the possibility that you aren’t going to get your way-“
“I already have,” Noble retorts. “And I ask you to consider the truth…that if you, or your organization, attempts to stop me, halt the match, or take any action that would delay me facing Chris Hart at Survive and Conquer…
“I will burn Action Packed Wrestling to the ground.”
Silence.
It holds itself in the air, mingled only with the slightest faint static.
“How dare you..” barks Monitor #2. “You should be fired for making such hollow threats to the Board-“
“It’s not a threat; it’s a forecast,” Noble calmly interrupts, his tone remaining steady. “And it is certainly not hollow. If you could stop me, or fire me, you’d have done it after I dropped my own wife to the canvas with a Noble Neck-breaker. Truth be told…you like the carnage I bring. That’s why you’re putting me against CJ Gates, isn’t it?”
Noble’s eyes dart from screen to screen.
“Absolutely not,” remarks Monitor #1. “We thought it an appropriate match-up before Survive and Conquer. You and CJ Gates have a storied history, and a match like this aims to showcase the talent under our roof-“
Suddenly, Noble breaks into a chuckle, holding his head up as his snigger grows louder and louder.
“What is so FUNNY, Mr. Noble-
“STOP calling me that!” Noble bellows, his voice ripe and vehement. His veins have begun to pulse.
“Calling you what?” asks Monitor #3.
“Mr. Noble,” he spouts. “Like I’m the SAME man that played bodyguard to CJ Gates while he was Undisputed Championship. You think this is a game to me? You think it’s an act? You sit there, putting your noses down on me…while loving that everything I’ve done has skyrocketed your ratings. You put me against Speede, and that small bump satisfied you. You pit me against Specter, and you got hungry from that spike. Now, you’re putting me against CJ…because you want me to destoy CJ. You can’t fire me because despite all the ‘terrible’ things I’ve done, I fill your seats. Your fans LOVE to boo me! They LOVE to me hate! But they don’t hate MR. NOBLE! They hate Kurt Noble.”
“This is ridiculous,” Monitor #1 asserts. “You are as delusional as we’d imagined. CJ Gates is the man that’ll face Terry Marvin at Rasslemania for the APW Undisputed Championship. He has been a consistent performer in APW. Why on Earth would we want some psychopath to destroy him-“
“Because APW loves destroying its heroes,” Noble answers. “You never took a single action against Terry Marvin for what he did to my wife; same reason you won’t do anything against me. You want a show…and I plan to give you one. APW handed me the gas. You handed me the matches. Now it’s time for the finale…”
Noble expands his hands, uttering a single word.
“Boom.”
“This call is over-“
“TELL THE TRUTH!” Noble bellows as he stands up, his chair flung backwards. He slams his hands down on the table as he stares down the monitors.
“Tell me that you want me, KURT NOBLE, to CRUSH CJ GATES! Tell me that you’d ENJOY watching me dig my thumbs into CJ’s eyes, showing you just how loud your hero can scream! A bling cowboy? That’s a damn spectacle! THAT’S a show!”
“Mr.-“
“TELL THE GODDAMN TRUTH!” Noble’s breathing has become erratic, his teeth gnarled as he stares down the computer screens.
“I believe we’ve had enough Mr. Noble,” answers Monitor #1 with a strained tone. Noble chuckles.
“And WHAT is so funny this time?” asks Monitor #2.
“You’re still ignoring me,” Noble answers with a cackle. “But actions speak louder than words. I don’t intend to send a message through CJ; I intend to give a demonstration through CJ. I have been ignored time and time again…so I’ll givr you something you cannot ignore. Let’s just say, you’re about see a year and a half’s worth of history between CJ and I…go up in flames.”
“Goodnight, Mr.-“
“Oh, I’m sorry…did you not want YOUR demonstration?” Noble asks, flipping his fingers across the light switch. The blaring light shuts off, reveals what appears to be a conference room, lined with a large wooden table. The moonlight soars into the room, illuminating a nameplate on the door…
APW BOARD OF DIRECTORS- CONFERENCE ROOM
“Mr. Noble,” Monitor #1 hesitantly states. “…Where are you right now?”
Suddenly, the door behind Noble bursts open, and in walks Kylie Demens with a red contained in her hand.
“What is going on here?!” demand Monitor #2 in as shrill of a voice as she can make. Kylie opens the can, and begins to fling liquid all over the room!
“Oh, just some redecorating!” she declares, gleeful as possible.
“I will tell you exactly what I told President Jeff…
“You think are safe.
“You think your heroes, your CJ Gates’s, will always be there to protect you. You think you can put them against men like, and always expect them to do what’s right…to do what’s noble. Every person alive can only take so much torment before they snap…and I assure you, CJ has had plenty. But, CJ’s just the beginning. Chris Hart will be coming for me after what I did to Amy…and I’ll be waiting for him. I’ll break Chris…just like I’m going to break CJ…”
Kylie tosses some of the liquid on the computer screens, causing them all to begin fizzing.
“The HELL are you doing!” screams Monitor #1. His monitor phases out completely.
“There will be consequences for this!” threatens Monitor #3.
“You have crossed a line, Mr. Noble.” However, the man on monitor #1 freezes up, the last two words hanging in the air as Noble reaches into his suit pocket. He pulls out a small metal object.
“And I cross is with purpose. Pay attention, APW,” Noble says as he flicks on the light, creating a small flame. “Everything…and I mean everything…burns. People, buildings, homes…even careers. Nothing is immune…”
Noble steps back towards the door as Kylie opens it. With a flick of his wrist, the lighter goes flying…
“Not even cowboys.”
No responses are necessary, or heard, as the flames ensnare the board room, instantly charring all three computer monitors! They instantly shut off, but the damage remains out of view as Noble closes the door behind him. He grins as he steps back, watching smoke seep from the door.
“I think they’ve heard us loud and clear,” Kylie says as she hugs Noble. His eyes are cold, despite the heat radiating from the door.
“This wasn’t for them,” Noble responds as he begins to walk down the hall. He then puts his hand against the wall, yanking down the fire alarm. A piercing ring fills the halls as Noble looks back at the door.
“This one was for me.”
-
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“Hello, old friend. It’s Kurt Noble.
“It’s been a while since we last spoke; they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Believe it or not, I have missed you C.J. Gates.
“I suppose you know what’s been new with me, right? You know, being backstabbed by the company I once adored, being treated dirt by the fans that once chanted our names simultaneously…and then, of course, there’s the wife-beating. Between all of that, I’ve been tripping to cripple, and effectively end the career of my former tag team partner, and best friend. I’ve hurt people, stomped on careers, and possible ended a marriage to achieve the goal of snapping Chris Hart’s neck.
“So what’s been new with you?
“I hear you’re back in the Undisputed Championship run – good for you! Quite frankly, I was a bit worried about you for a while CJ. I mean, we’re old compadres…we can be honest right? Personally…I thought your career was over once you lost the Undisputed Championship. I mean, you couldn’t beat me back for the belt…
“And then you said you were going to get it back by winning Test for the Best! That went…not as planned. You lost to Terry Marvin, right? You didn’t even make it past the preliminary stage, right? Hell, I can’t say I blame you; I know what it’s like to lost to Terry Marvin, you know!
“But it wasn’t that one loss that alarmed me…it was a pretty long stream of them that started to concern me. I watched your shoulders get put to the mat by AC Smith, a guy that’s largely been the mascot for APW thumb-twiddling. I was concerned when you put together some rag-team team with Keaton Saint, and couldn’t capture the Tag Team title from Chris and I; that was about the time Keaton Saint jumped ship, right? That was…disappointing.
“On the bright side, you made a few new friends! I distinctly remember you standing in a ring with Level-One, Biggs, and Terry Marvin, discussing how I was a threat to APW; I have to say, that one was a pleasant surprise! Nothing like seeing your former friend call you a snake …
“For the second time.
“Hey, that’s all in the past, right? I mean, you’re actually doing better for yourself! There was your forgettable Elimination Chamber appearance, but hey, can’t talk there! What’s important is that you beat Level-One at Christmas Chaos, and secured yourself a shot at Marvin at Rasslemania! I must say man, really just…wow! When I look at everything we’ve been through over the past year, it becomes pretty clear to me what’s new with you…
“Absolutely nothing.
“You have always been a good man CJ; Hell, probably a better man than I’ve been in APW. There was a reason that I was always the ‘bad guy’ during our stint together. I was the power-hungry, sadistic up-and-comer trying to take away your Undisputed Championship. I knew what I wanted, and was willing to do anything to get it.
“Sound familiar? It should.
“I suppose that brings us to today CJ; see, I hear you’ve been on some hard times lately. I mean, losing to Michael Lively had to be a bit of a momentum-killer. You were the one that was pinned, right? Tsk tsk. But hey, I can’t criticize you for losing; like you, after I lost the Undisputed Championship, things didn’t go smoothly for me. I spent more time with moy shoulders on the mat…than my hands around Chris Hart’s throat!
“Sorry, got distracted there!
“I guess what I’m trying to say CJ…is that after I lost the Undisputed Championship, things changed for me. You can only take so many knives in the back before you start to really feel the weight of it bringing you down. You feel people living off your success; you feel them trying to hurt you. You change things, for the better, hopefully. So, I changed things.
“I tried to cripple my best friend.
“I formed an alliance with a man that many thought I’d never so much as say a civil word towards.
“I even tried to hurt my wife.
“You could say I’ve changed, a bit.
“But here’s what I love about you CJ: You’ve stayed the same. You’re still the exact same hat-slinging, tough-talking, yet still loveable son of a bitch that came to APW’s rescue when the Survive and Conquer invaders tried to rip our walls down! I mean, damn…it was a flashback seeing you go out to that ring two weeks when they stormed the ring after the Main Event! You always want to do the right thing by APW. Truly, CJ Gates…
“You are the hero that APW deserves.
“In fact, let’s take in a step further: I bet when you saw you were facing me, again, the first thought rushing through your mind was that you were going to show me the ‘error of my ways!’ It was, CJ, who was going to fight for my ex-wife’s honor, and deliver justice upon me – not revenge, but true justice. You probably thought that you would finally prove to the world that you were better than me…that after three singles losses, you would finally prove that CJ Gates can beat Kurt Noble. You would do it not because you wanted to…but because you are Action Packed Wrestling.
“There’s just one problem with that CJ…
“Roll the tape, Kylie.
Noble: You have one week...then it’s APW’s turn.
“You know what that means CJ?
“It’s your turn.
“I kept myself reserved facing Roy Speede; he’s hardly what’s wrong with this company. I restrained myself from beating in Adrien Specter’s face; no need to ruin that poor soul any more than he already is. My wife…she got what was necessary. That leaves...
“You.
“See, it’s no accident that we got put together before Survive and Conquer. You’re the shining knight of APW that’s gearing up to take on the ultimate bad guy: Terry Marvin. But, you have to prove yourself; you need a strong win to gain the momentum necessary to beat Terry Marvin. So, you’re looking to take down the fire-breathing dragon that’s threatening to burn everything you know and love to a crisp.
“That’s me.
“The APW suits and collars know it’s a match made in heaven; Hell, it was a good match the last three times they booked it! The difference is that this time, there’s no subtle jealousy between us. There’s no lingering animosity, or hidden feelings. I’m a very honest man this time around. I’ve changed, for the better. I was pounded to the brink of oblivion, and becomes something stronger, more fierce, and most importantly…willing to do what’s necessary. The man you’re going to be facing isn’t the same one you faced on two Overdrives, Three Pay-Per-Views, and team with more times than we can count. You’re not facing the same man that chased the greatness you still hold so dearly. The man you face…
“Is Noble no more.
“Now this is where things get uncomfortable…for you. If it isn’t hard for to swallow that I’ve beaten you the last three times we’ve wrestled, than your head is buried in the sand more than I can imagine. But, make no mistake: I am different. I have changed. I will do what I have to do to beat you…and I’m not talking about hitting you with a steel chair.
“What I have planned for you, Mr. APW, is much, much worse.
“I recommended to Adrien Specter that he forego the match against me; I give you no such option. Oh, not because I want to rip that cowboy hat like I’d like to rip your throat. No, of course not! I don’t give you the option because I know you won’t take it. You, better than any, know that choice is an illusion in APW. You’ll never go home CJ; you’ll always go big. It’s just who you are. It’s how you became Undisputed Champion. It’s how you became one of the most recognizable names in APW history. It’s how you became great. The problem is, if you really want to put down the fire-breathing dragon, you can’t just go big…
“You have to godeep.
“You have to be willing to change, CJ; life demands that you change, and so far, you have failed that challenge. You are the exact same man you were a year ago. You’ve learned nothing. That’s why you shrank into mediocrity CJ; because you couldn’t adapt while the roof coming down around you. Maybe you think getting the Undisputed Championship back will change you for the better. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But, you have to prove that you can put down Terry Marvin first. So, CJ, I offer you what you’ve always given me: A choice.
“One word from you, and at the start of our match, I’ll stop. I’ll get down on both my knees, close my eyes, and hand you whatever weapon you want to carve me up with. I won’t resist. I’ll let you put the boogeyman in his place. I’ll let you have your little win; quite frankly CJ, a Noble man would be obsessed with proving himself against you. He’d want to prove he still had that greatness inside of him. Me? I’m not looking for wins, losses, or gold plates.
“I’m looking for blood.
“I want to believe you could do it CJ, I really do. If I may be honest CJ, you and I are very similar. We both have an innate greatness in us; it’s how we became Undisputed Champion. We also have something deeper…something more sinister. We’re held together by twigs and hard sand, and all it takes is someone to kick us down…and then we take off. It took my best friend’s betrayal to push me to that edge. So, CJ…where’s your breaking point? If you won’t find it by crushing me…
“I’ll find it myself.
“The ability to push limitations is always what’s separated us. If you intend to have any chance of returning to relevance in APW, and not simply being somewhere for Terry Marvin to shit, than you’re going to have to dig deeper, and push harder than you’ve ever done before. I don’t say that abstractly either; if you want to prove you’re good enough to beat Terry, you’d better be willing to dig into my bones, and push the air out of my lungs. You have to be willing to hurt me as much as I want to hurt you…and let me assure you CJ…
“I want to hurt you.
“I want to take all the friendship you’ve shown me over the past year and a half, and use it bury you.
“I want to take that stupid cowboy hat of yours, and set it ablaze for the world to see.
“I want to be the one to turn CJ Gates into something more.
“Whether that be the man that can defeat Terry Marvin…or a bloodied corpse…
“That’s the choice I give YOU, CJ.
“You can watch your career in APW end by being the hero…
“Or you can live, and watch yourself becomes the villain.
“You can try and be a decent man in an indecent time, and maybe that’ll make you King…but it’s an illusion, CJ. You’d be the King of a sandcastle, ready to come crashing down around you. There’s no safety, no solace in these walls. Even if you protect yourself from the 99 men and women at Survive and Conquer, they’re not the ones who’ll cripple you in the end.
“It’s the people you love that hurt you the most.
“Because sooner or later CJ, they’ll resent you. If you can’t defeat Terry Marvin, they’ll grow bored of you. If you try and hurt him, they’ll resent you for turning your back on them. Even if you beat me, you don’t win here; you only survive. I once loved you like a brother, so I give you this advice like you were my own flesh and blood. Believe me…
“It did happen to me, after all.
“So, don’t pretend like this match is something more than it is.
“It’s not about you fighting for my wife’s honor.
“It’s not about standing up for the little people of APW.
“It’s not about us trying to settle some score.
“It’s not about One Night in Hell, where we began.
“It’s not about Survive and Conquer, where we defended.
“It’s not about Rasslemania, where we drew a line.
“It’s not about Mayhem, where we separated.
“It’s not about going big.
“It’s not about going home.
“It’s about whether you want be the White Knight rushing into the inferno…
“Or the Noble man holding the matches.
