Post by T-Marv on Feb 6, 2013 19:25:56 GMT -4
There is a glorious sunset waiting out there for everybody. There are those who look after it longingly, but watch it slip away further and further into the horizon until the moment comes when it’s too late and they hobble off towards it as broken men unable to enjoy the sunset for all its glory. But on the rarest of occasions, there are those men who recognize the Sunset for what it is, not the end but a new beginning. Those men realize that there is nothing else binding them to this world. They realize that all of their accomplishments are enough to sustain them, that their memories are what will drive them henceforth.
These men realize that it is better to walk away in the middle of the best days than to sit and watch as their memories slowly deteriorate into regret and longing. They realize it is better to bask in the glow of what was, than to forever chase the past in the feeble hopes of reclaiming glory that has long since passed them by. Instead they walk away with no regrets, only happy thoughts, only the pride of knowing that they left at the very top of their game. They are the lucky, lucky few!
But how does a man decide to simply walk away from his life’s work, from everything that he’s so struggled to build day in and day out? How does a man know when the time is right to just become a memory floating in the wind? Nobody’s answer is ever the same, but somewhere deep down they feel a sense of completion, a sense of wholeness. Because what is the use of climbing to the top of the food chain when the only thing that will be remembered is your descent? If you’re at peace with your life, If you’re at a calm with your accomplishments…. Then why not enjoy one last ride off into the happy arms of paradise?!
Edgar Allan Poe once wrote about the City of Gold. Perhaps he was referring to a real city. Perhaps he was more metaphorical and talking about the golden years of one’s lives. Perhaps he was simply talking about the idea of success….
This week, one man strides into his City of Gold.
One man boldly rides into twilight.
One spectacular journey comes to an end!
”This isn’t very fucking funny!”
Felipe DeLoren stands in his luxurious office staring down at a seated Terry Marvin while Level One stands beside him with his arms crossed staring down at Terry. Terry sits there solemn face. Felipe is still fuming….
”After everything we went through to get a solid foothold here in APW, you’re just gonna pick up and walk away just like that?”
“What can I say man….it’s time.”
This only serves to infuriate Felipe even more.
”It’s time? It’s TIME? You just won Survivor and Conquer! You just swept 2012 in your back pocket! You are the single hottest commodity in the WORLD right now and it’s fucking time? Do you realize that we’re inches away from breaking through this tyrannical hypocrisy to a position of real power. APW is about to be ours! And now you’re just bowing out like some selfish little brat!”
Marvin stands up and gets in Felipe’s face, backing him into a corner.
“You’re where you are BECAUSE OF ME! I’ve brought you on this ride, and it’s not my fault if you’re not STRONG enough to sustain it! This is MY LIFE, and you don’t own me BITCH! I’m not going to be one of those grumpy old men still trying to hold on to something that’s let them go a long time ago. I’m going out on top….where the world will ALWAYS remember me!
One last match. One last victory. One last goodbye…..then I’m out!”
Terry backs off of Felipe and sits back down. Felipe looks absolutely distraught now. Level One looks back and forth between the two men and then just bursts out into laughter.
”Something’s funny to you Lester?”
”I find this whole thing fucking hilarious. Don’t you see what’s going on here Felipe? This is fucking Terry Marvin you’re dealing with. He’s the master of mind games, the king of manipulation.”
”So what’s your point?”
”God Damn Felipe, you’re dense as shit sometimes! This whole thing is a ruse… It’s simply being used to lower CJ’s guard down so BOOM! CJ will never know what hit him. It’s fucking genius.”
Felipe smiles and looks at Terry for some sort of confirmation. Level One holds his fist up for Marvin to Bump, but Terry just looks down solemnly at the floor. Level One’s face drops to one of concern.
”Dude, seriously, cut the crap here. It’s just us.”
Terry doesn’t look up as Felipe falls into his chair.
”This is no ruse is it…. It’s the real deal?”
Terry takes a deep breath and looks up. When Level One see’s his face, he sinks down into a chair of his own.
“It’s the real deal!”
Just as the news smacks the Sindicate right in the face, Level One’s rage grows heavy in his eyes.
”ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Do you realize what I sacrificed for you to get ahead in this world? I sat back and allowed you to become the face of the SIndicate. I graciously took a back seat so that you could shine. And you repay this by walking away like some fucking coward before the biggest show of the year?”
Terry just laughs a bit.
”What the FUCK is are you laughing at?”
“You just bashed Felipe for being dense and here you are with the same inane lack of thought. You of all people should be the first to hop on the Terry Marvin Retirement party train!”
Level One raises an eyebrow in question.
“First of all, you’ll get your spot back as the Sindicate golden child! This will all be yours again! No more playing second fiddle. No more taking the back seat to me. Come on Level One, aren’t you tired of lapping up my sloppy seconds? Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it every day for the last few months. Don’t tell me you haven’t dreamed of the second I get displaced so you can climb up to the top of the mountain once again. This is your chance big boy!”
Level One can’t hide the smile flashed on the side of his face.
“With that Rasslemania Main Event spot opened, who do you think they’re going to get to fill it? The man who’s Headlined more Rasslemanias than any other human in APW? I’m doing you a favor Level One!”
Level One seems to be contemplating this over in his head and a slight smile comes over his face.
”Come on, this is all you’ve ever done, all you’ve ever been. How in the hell are you just going to stop?”
Terry chuckles a little bit.
“I haven’t the slightest clue. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. I’m not even saying I’m gonna make it. Hell, I may be back here in 6 months starting all over again, who knows. But I know in my heart of hearts that this is the time….that this is the right thing to do!”
Terry then stands up and slaps Level One on the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“But I’m going out making my mark, you had better believe that. One more match…. You, me and Envi will take team Good Guy to the very limit and break them in half. I will go out with my final victory over CJ Gates proving once and for all that I am heads and tails the better man compared to him. We will prove that Evan Envi is deserving of our attention AND that Overdrive title. And You, Level One, after showing up every other so called talent that could possibly lay claim to the Undisputed Title, will walk out of there the guaranteed #1 Contender to my belt! And everyone gets a happy ending.”
Level One smiles and nods as they both look at Felipe who eventually signs and shrugs his shoulders.
”Well, I guess it’s time for a toast!”
He pulls out a bottle of wiskey and pours 3 glasses handing them out. He then holds his up.
”To the GREATEST career the wrestling world has ever seen. To God’s Gift of Wrestling. To THE REAL SHOW Terry Marvin.”
They all clink glasses and take down their drinks as the scene fades to black.
Inside a large living room with two plush chairs and a roaring fire sits the APW Undisputed Champion and Survive and Conquer winner, “The Real Show” Terry Marvin! He has a scotch in his hand. He smiles before he thinks.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Showtime Story Telling hour. Please close your eyes, relax, and allow yourselves to run free into your imagination.”
He smiles, takes a sip, and then looks back at the camera.
“Once upon a time there was a great and talented man. Well, to call this entity a man would be an insult to everything he stands for. He was more than a man, more than a king. He truly was a gift from the almighty himself sent to bless the wrestling world with a show that revolutionized the entire community. He did great things from the very beginning. Like all things, he had stumbles and struggles along the way, never quite reaching his full potential….until one day.”
Terry pauses as he closes his eyes and a smile comes upon his face.
“One day he set a plan in motion in his mind. He set his goals, and he took the first steps toward glory. Step by step he achieved everything he could have ever wanted. He wanted gold, and with a flick of his wrist, he slaughtered 3 of the most fierce dragons in the world and claimed the Overdrive Championship.
He wanted power, and sought out on the journey of a life time in the form of the most challenging Test he’d ever taken. After one by one conquering three of the greatest knights in the land including the queen of legends, he passed the test and claimed his thrown as the BEST king in the land!
He wanted Fame, and he sought out the most dangerous monster in the land. This monster held highest crown in the land. This monster had gone ballistic on people before. Once a Noble man, he underwent the curse of an evil succubus who promised him wealth and fame. This sent him in a violent rage where he attacked his own great love. But our hero manages to slay the monster and claim his Undisputed Fame!”
Terry chuckles but raises his hand up with a one finger extended.
“But there was one last thing he wanted, one that meant more to him than all the others combined. It was everlasting GLORY! But it did not come easy! He had to fight a war, a wicked war fought by many kingdoms. 99 soldiers all came together in the bloodiest battle the world has ever seen. It came down to a battle between a Kangaroo, a convict, the Queen of Legends, and our Hero. For years, our hero strived to be the last warrior standing…and this year, he wanted it more than anything. The Kangaroo was the first to fall, followed by the convict. The Queen of Legend was all that stood in our hero’s way, but she too wanted to Survive and Conquer more than anything else in the land. They split diminsions, broke the lands, and stopped time in their epic battle. When all was said and done, the Hero launched the Queen off the highest mountain top to the abyss below and claimed his prize!”
Terry smiles and leans forward before pulling up the Survive and Conquer case and sitting it on his lap. He pats it with a laugh and opens it to reveal the Million Dollar Prize.
“He had achieved every goal he strived toward, but suddenly he felt empty! All his life he had purpose, something more to aim at. But now, any achievement that he could possibly reach now would just seem redundant. He was so far down in depression that for a while he didn’t even allow himself to revel in the moment! The fire was gone, the drive was gone and it felt like his heart was ripped from his chest….and then it hit him.”
Terry flashes a smile before he leans back.
“The answer was right there all along. He was complete. He reached the very tippy top of anything he could ever do. It was all downhill from here. If he continued fighting, his accomplishments would be replaced by more recent failures. There was only one solution…only one answer that fit the situation. So, he took his gold, power, fame and glory and walked away from the life he lead. He was done…..”
Terry let out a long sigh as a small tear rolls down his cheek.
“But before he could walk away for good, the hero had one last battle to fight, one last war to win! He would strike up with his brothers in arms against their biggest rivals. Win or lose, this was it for him! But he was not in this fight alone. He chose his two most trusted knights to ride with him.
One was sir Lester of Only, the former king of the Sindicated lands. Though he was a jealous knight, deprived of his station by our Hero, he was loyal to a fault! He knew that he was the rightful successor to the throne and planned to make sure his king had one last epic victory before he retired to paradise.
The other was a young but brutal knight. His loyalties were unsure, but he was the fiercest warrior in all the land and struck without mercy. Sir Evan of Envi could care less about securing his kings Legacy, but would do whatever it took to assure that his rival in this battle forever knew his name! Fresh off of slaying the hideous Dionysus, Evan was hungry for more. ”
Terry pauses before standing up and walking over to a mantle in front of the fire. We see a photograph of Terry standing between Level One and Evan Envi assumedly before a big match.
“All three of these men had a rival counterpart on the side of the opposition. There was Lord Envi’s enemy… a man who held the strap of gold that called out so to sir Envi that it was all that he could see. Mark was a wise and courageous man who slayed an insane ogre to gain his treasure. He knew how to handle people, knew how to manipulate his station of power. He was rising through the ranks and surely had the throne in his sights. He was a threat to everyone in this battle, and therefore had to be dispatched.
You see, this Mark Mania was a confident and cocky man who thought he could surely do no wrong, but proved time and time again that when the stakes were high, his bravado would run the other way and hide. HE crashed and burned in the massive Epic War that was just waged, and it’s only a matter of time before he gives up his tightly grasped station in life. You see, Mark was cursed! He was cursed long ago by an evil witch to always play the part of the sidekick, always be the “Also Ran,” the bridesmaid. Everytime he got close to greatness, an epic catastrophe melted down all of his plans, hopes and dreams. He ran his Mania Incorporated Kingdom into the ground because he just couldn’t hack it as a leader! NOBODY trusted him with the crown, so our hero VOWED to never let him get close enough to power to allow his destructive ineptitude to run free!”
Terry slams his fist down on the table and snears into the camera.
“Then there was the enemy of all mankind who has the power to change his face and disguise himself as anything he’d like! First he posed as Confident man who could rise to any occasion, even claiming the top prize in the land. Then he posed as an injured man, inflicted with an ailment of the mind. Then he posed as a cold and callous man who threw his beloved Madden to the wolves in order to advance his own career. And now this untrustworthy leach poses as a man of the people, as a hero in his own right. This man is the Biggs… a treacherous rogue who must never be trusted. He tried unsuccessfully to steal the crown from it’s rightful owner just months ago. But the King’s trusty first Night, the one they call Level One, takes it upon himself to vanquish this monstrous being. The two have already fought a vicious war of words and now will soon step up in single combat for nothing but Glory.
Biggs would love nothing more than to send our king into retirement with his head hung low and his tail stuck between his legs. But for all the stealthful attacks and venomous words, the Biggs is and always will be a coward at heart. When he had the chance to steal the crown, he hesitated in fear and that moment of hesitation lead to his downfall. Years ago when he had the same chance over and over again, he could not overcome himself to do what must be done. You see, the Biggs worst enemy and biggest weakness is himself. In the end he will ALWAYS lose to himself, and that defeat leaves a bitter pill. He is now a bitter warrior past his prime who himself should do the right thing, the brave thing, the honorable thing and walk off into the sunset with the king….never to look back. But he’s one of those who is too ignorant to understand that his greatest days are over! He will instead hold on to whatever piece of this life that he can until in eats away at his heart and turns him into a shell of a man, a fate WORSE than death. Our Hero is a merciful King, so he shall put this disgusting being out of its mercy before he leaves.”
Terry’s smile comes back before he sits in the throne and stares into the camera solemnly.
“The final man is not wicked at all. He is an honorable entity who, though all together too trusthing, has done nothing but great things for this kingdom. In fact, he was a former king who ruled with bravado and grace! He bested our hero’s 1st knight to earn a chance to claim the crown for his own and will surely be in the running when the King hangs up his scepter. He is lord CJ Gates, protector of the innocent and naïve white Knight! He and the king have had many brutal battles in the past, and The king had highly anticipated one final showdown with his biggest rival. But now, he’ll have to settle things in the middle of this 6 person show down.
But you see, CJ Gates also had a fatal flaw. He was a trusting soul that often chose poorly the company he kept. This forced him to let his guard down quite often and allow those to take advantage of him. CJ was bound and determined to eliminate the King in the massive war to Survive and Conquer, but the King out smarted him and used CJ as a landing pad to keep his dreams alive. You see CJ had the physical skills, but lacked the killer instinct that made a good king. He was the one who allowed the once Noble monster to run rampant on the kingdom without lifting a hand to stop it. He is SOFT, and lacks the testicular fortitude to do the job right. SO in good conscious, the King cannot retire to Valhalla until he is certain that this man either possess the qualities it takes to rule, or is dispatched for good in lieu of somebody more suited to do the job. So as his last official act as the Emperor of all the lands is to put down his biggest threat, his most vicious rival and secure his kingdom for the people who unwittingly need him more than even the oxygen they breathe. SO CJ Gates must become the final sacrifice in the most glorious reign the Action Packed land of ours has ever seen. ”
Terry smirks as he looks at the camera and stands up in his chair. HE clears his throat before continuing on.
“I’m sure you’re all dying to know how this story ends, but unfortunately the ending has yet to be written. Tomorrow night I lace up these glorious and successful boots for the last time in my illustrious career. And if you think for one second that the final memory of me to these people out in peonsville will bet that of me laying with my ass on the mat staring up into the lights with the ugly stench of defeat on my being , then you haven’t paid attention to ONE FUCKING WORD of my story.
I just conquered NINETY NINE other wrestlers with ZERO help what so ever. To think that three would spell the end of the GREATEST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO WRESTLING is a thought so sickening that I’m in desperate need of a change of shorts!
Tomorrow night is all she wrote folks, and I will go out in style…I will go out victoriously.
Tomorrow night, you will forever know why I am, was, and will always be THE REAL SHOW!
Tomorrow night, I will come out and take one final bow.
Tomorrow night, I will channel all of my accomplishments, all of my treasures, and use them to propel me into history as the greatest APW talent that has EVER LIVED!
Tomorrow night, the illustrious novel that has been my career comes to an end. And I WILL have my happy ending!
Tomorrow night, for the last time ever…..”
Terry takes a DEEP BREATH, and then exhales before looking at the camera with a resolved look on his face.
“ IT’S SHOWTIME!”
These men realize that it is better to walk away in the middle of the best days than to sit and watch as their memories slowly deteriorate into regret and longing. They realize it is better to bask in the glow of what was, than to forever chase the past in the feeble hopes of reclaiming glory that has long since passed them by. Instead they walk away with no regrets, only happy thoughts, only the pride of knowing that they left at the very top of their game. They are the lucky, lucky few!
But how does a man decide to simply walk away from his life’s work, from everything that he’s so struggled to build day in and day out? How does a man know when the time is right to just become a memory floating in the wind? Nobody’s answer is ever the same, but somewhere deep down they feel a sense of completion, a sense of wholeness. Because what is the use of climbing to the top of the food chain when the only thing that will be remembered is your descent? If you’re at peace with your life, If you’re at a calm with your accomplishments…. Then why not enjoy one last ride off into the happy arms of paradise?!
Edgar Allan Poe once wrote about the City of Gold. Perhaps he was referring to a real city. Perhaps he was more metaphorical and talking about the golden years of one’s lives. Perhaps he was simply talking about the idea of success….
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old--
This knight so bold--
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be--
This land of Eldorado?"
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied--
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old--
This knight so bold--
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be--
This land of Eldorado?"
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied--
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
This week, one man strides into his City of Gold.
One man boldly rides into twilight.
One spectacular journey comes to an end!
---------------------------------------------------------------
”This isn’t very fucking funny!”
Felipe DeLoren stands in his luxurious office staring down at a seated Terry Marvin while Level One stands beside him with his arms crossed staring down at Terry. Terry sits there solemn face. Felipe is still fuming….
”After everything we went through to get a solid foothold here in APW, you’re just gonna pick up and walk away just like that?”
“What can I say man….it’s time.”
This only serves to infuriate Felipe even more.
”It’s time? It’s TIME? You just won Survivor and Conquer! You just swept 2012 in your back pocket! You are the single hottest commodity in the WORLD right now and it’s fucking time? Do you realize that we’re inches away from breaking through this tyrannical hypocrisy to a position of real power. APW is about to be ours! And now you’re just bowing out like some selfish little brat!”
Marvin stands up and gets in Felipe’s face, backing him into a corner.
“You’re where you are BECAUSE OF ME! I’ve brought you on this ride, and it’s not my fault if you’re not STRONG enough to sustain it! This is MY LIFE, and you don’t own me BITCH! I’m not going to be one of those grumpy old men still trying to hold on to something that’s let them go a long time ago. I’m going out on top….where the world will ALWAYS remember me!
One last match. One last victory. One last goodbye…..then I’m out!”
Terry backs off of Felipe and sits back down. Felipe looks absolutely distraught now. Level One looks back and forth between the two men and then just bursts out into laughter.
”Something’s funny to you Lester?”
”I find this whole thing fucking hilarious. Don’t you see what’s going on here Felipe? This is fucking Terry Marvin you’re dealing with. He’s the master of mind games, the king of manipulation.”
”So what’s your point?”
”God Damn Felipe, you’re dense as shit sometimes! This whole thing is a ruse… It’s simply being used to lower CJ’s guard down so BOOM! CJ will never know what hit him. It’s fucking genius.”
Felipe smiles and looks at Terry for some sort of confirmation. Level One holds his fist up for Marvin to Bump, but Terry just looks down solemnly at the floor. Level One’s face drops to one of concern.
”Dude, seriously, cut the crap here. It’s just us.”
Terry doesn’t look up as Felipe falls into his chair.
”This is no ruse is it…. It’s the real deal?”
Terry takes a deep breath and looks up. When Level One see’s his face, he sinks down into a chair of his own.
“It’s the real deal!”
Just as the news smacks the Sindicate right in the face, Level One’s rage grows heavy in his eyes.
”ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Do you realize what I sacrificed for you to get ahead in this world? I sat back and allowed you to become the face of the SIndicate. I graciously took a back seat so that you could shine. And you repay this by walking away like some fucking coward before the biggest show of the year?”
Terry just laughs a bit.
”What the FUCK is are you laughing at?”
“You just bashed Felipe for being dense and here you are with the same inane lack of thought. You of all people should be the first to hop on the Terry Marvin Retirement party train!”
Level One raises an eyebrow in question.
“First of all, you’ll get your spot back as the Sindicate golden child! This will all be yours again! No more playing second fiddle. No more taking the back seat to me. Come on Level One, aren’t you tired of lapping up my sloppy seconds? Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it every day for the last few months. Don’t tell me you haven’t dreamed of the second I get displaced so you can climb up to the top of the mountain once again. This is your chance big boy!”
Level One can’t hide the smile flashed on the side of his face.
“With that Rasslemania Main Event spot opened, who do you think they’re going to get to fill it? The man who’s Headlined more Rasslemanias than any other human in APW? I’m doing you a favor Level One!”
Level One seems to be contemplating this over in his head and a slight smile comes over his face.
”Come on, this is all you’ve ever done, all you’ve ever been. How in the hell are you just going to stop?”
Terry chuckles a little bit.
“I haven’t the slightest clue. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. I’m not even saying I’m gonna make it. Hell, I may be back here in 6 months starting all over again, who knows. But I know in my heart of hearts that this is the time….that this is the right thing to do!”
Terry then stands up and slaps Level One on the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“But I’m going out making my mark, you had better believe that. One more match…. You, me and Envi will take team Good Guy to the very limit and break them in half. I will go out with my final victory over CJ Gates proving once and for all that I am heads and tails the better man compared to him. We will prove that Evan Envi is deserving of our attention AND that Overdrive title. And You, Level One, after showing up every other so called talent that could possibly lay claim to the Undisputed Title, will walk out of there the guaranteed #1 Contender to my belt! And everyone gets a happy ending.”
Level One smiles and nods as they both look at Felipe who eventually signs and shrugs his shoulders.
”Well, I guess it’s time for a toast!”
He pulls out a bottle of wiskey and pours 3 glasses handing them out. He then holds his up.
”To the GREATEST career the wrestling world has ever seen. To God’s Gift of Wrestling. To THE REAL SHOW Terry Marvin.”
They all clink glasses and take down their drinks as the scene fades to black.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Inside a large living room with two plush chairs and a roaring fire sits the APW Undisputed Champion and Survive and Conquer winner, “The Real Show” Terry Marvin! He has a scotch in his hand. He smiles before he thinks.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Showtime Story Telling hour. Please close your eyes, relax, and allow yourselves to run free into your imagination.”
He smiles, takes a sip, and then looks back at the camera.
“Once upon a time there was a great and talented man. Well, to call this entity a man would be an insult to everything he stands for. He was more than a man, more than a king. He truly was a gift from the almighty himself sent to bless the wrestling world with a show that revolutionized the entire community. He did great things from the very beginning. Like all things, he had stumbles and struggles along the way, never quite reaching his full potential….until one day.”
Terry pauses as he closes his eyes and a smile comes upon his face.
“One day he set a plan in motion in his mind. He set his goals, and he took the first steps toward glory. Step by step he achieved everything he could have ever wanted. He wanted gold, and with a flick of his wrist, he slaughtered 3 of the most fierce dragons in the world and claimed the Overdrive Championship.
He wanted power, and sought out on the journey of a life time in the form of the most challenging Test he’d ever taken. After one by one conquering three of the greatest knights in the land including the queen of legends, he passed the test and claimed his thrown as the BEST king in the land!
He wanted Fame, and he sought out the most dangerous monster in the land. This monster held highest crown in the land. This monster had gone ballistic on people before. Once a Noble man, he underwent the curse of an evil succubus who promised him wealth and fame. This sent him in a violent rage where he attacked his own great love. But our hero manages to slay the monster and claim his Undisputed Fame!”
Terry chuckles but raises his hand up with a one finger extended.
“But there was one last thing he wanted, one that meant more to him than all the others combined. It was everlasting GLORY! But it did not come easy! He had to fight a war, a wicked war fought by many kingdoms. 99 soldiers all came together in the bloodiest battle the world has ever seen. It came down to a battle between a Kangaroo, a convict, the Queen of Legends, and our Hero. For years, our hero strived to be the last warrior standing…and this year, he wanted it more than anything. The Kangaroo was the first to fall, followed by the convict. The Queen of Legend was all that stood in our hero’s way, but she too wanted to Survive and Conquer more than anything else in the land. They split diminsions, broke the lands, and stopped time in their epic battle. When all was said and done, the Hero launched the Queen off the highest mountain top to the abyss below and claimed his prize!”
Terry smiles and leans forward before pulling up the Survive and Conquer case and sitting it on his lap. He pats it with a laugh and opens it to reveal the Million Dollar Prize.
“He had achieved every goal he strived toward, but suddenly he felt empty! All his life he had purpose, something more to aim at. But now, any achievement that he could possibly reach now would just seem redundant. He was so far down in depression that for a while he didn’t even allow himself to revel in the moment! The fire was gone, the drive was gone and it felt like his heart was ripped from his chest….and then it hit him.”
Terry flashes a smile before he leans back.
“The answer was right there all along. He was complete. He reached the very tippy top of anything he could ever do. It was all downhill from here. If he continued fighting, his accomplishments would be replaced by more recent failures. There was only one solution…only one answer that fit the situation. So, he took his gold, power, fame and glory and walked away from the life he lead. He was done…..”
Terry let out a long sigh as a small tear rolls down his cheek.
“But before he could walk away for good, the hero had one last battle to fight, one last war to win! He would strike up with his brothers in arms against their biggest rivals. Win or lose, this was it for him! But he was not in this fight alone. He chose his two most trusted knights to ride with him.
One was sir Lester of Only, the former king of the Sindicated lands. Though he was a jealous knight, deprived of his station by our Hero, he was loyal to a fault! He knew that he was the rightful successor to the throne and planned to make sure his king had one last epic victory before he retired to paradise.
The other was a young but brutal knight. His loyalties were unsure, but he was the fiercest warrior in all the land and struck without mercy. Sir Evan of Envi could care less about securing his kings Legacy, but would do whatever it took to assure that his rival in this battle forever knew his name! Fresh off of slaying the hideous Dionysus, Evan was hungry for more. ”
Terry pauses before standing up and walking over to a mantle in front of the fire. We see a photograph of Terry standing between Level One and Evan Envi assumedly before a big match.
“All three of these men had a rival counterpart on the side of the opposition. There was Lord Envi’s enemy… a man who held the strap of gold that called out so to sir Envi that it was all that he could see. Mark was a wise and courageous man who slayed an insane ogre to gain his treasure. He knew how to handle people, knew how to manipulate his station of power. He was rising through the ranks and surely had the throne in his sights. He was a threat to everyone in this battle, and therefore had to be dispatched.
You see, this Mark Mania was a confident and cocky man who thought he could surely do no wrong, but proved time and time again that when the stakes were high, his bravado would run the other way and hide. HE crashed and burned in the massive Epic War that was just waged, and it’s only a matter of time before he gives up his tightly grasped station in life. You see, Mark was cursed! He was cursed long ago by an evil witch to always play the part of the sidekick, always be the “Also Ran,” the bridesmaid. Everytime he got close to greatness, an epic catastrophe melted down all of his plans, hopes and dreams. He ran his Mania Incorporated Kingdom into the ground because he just couldn’t hack it as a leader! NOBODY trusted him with the crown, so our hero VOWED to never let him get close enough to power to allow his destructive ineptitude to run free!”
Terry slams his fist down on the table and snears into the camera.
“Then there was the enemy of all mankind who has the power to change his face and disguise himself as anything he’d like! First he posed as Confident man who could rise to any occasion, even claiming the top prize in the land. Then he posed as an injured man, inflicted with an ailment of the mind. Then he posed as a cold and callous man who threw his beloved Madden to the wolves in order to advance his own career. And now this untrustworthy leach poses as a man of the people, as a hero in his own right. This man is the Biggs… a treacherous rogue who must never be trusted. He tried unsuccessfully to steal the crown from it’s rightful owner just months ago. But the King’s trusty first Night, the one they call Level One, takes it upon himself to vanquish this monstrous being. The two have already fought a vicious war of words and now will soon step up in single combat for nothing but Glory.
Biggs would love nothing more than to send our king into retirement with his head hung low and his tail stuck between his legs. But for all the stealthful attacks and venomous words, the Biggs is and always will be a coward at heart. When he had the chance to steal the crown, he hesitated in fear and that moment of hesitation lead to his downfall. Years ago when he had the same chance over and over again, he could not overcome himself to do what must be done. You see, the Biggs worst enemy and biggest weakness is himself. In the end he will ALWAYS lose to himself, and that defeat leaves a bitter pill. He is now a bitter warrior past his prime who himself should do the right thing, the brave thing, the honorable thing and walk off into the sunset with the king….never to look back. But he’s one of those who is too ignorant to understand that his greatest days are over! He will instead hold on to whatever piece of this life that he can until in eats away at his heart and turns him into a shell of a man, a fate WORSE than death. Our Hero is a merciful King, so he shall put this disgusting being out of its mercy before he leaves.”
Terry’s smile comes back before he sits in the throne and stares into the camera solemnly.
“The final man is not wicked at all. He is an honorable entity who, though all together too trusthing, has done nothing but great things for this kingdom. In fact, he was a former king who ruled with bravado and grace! He bested our hero’s 1st knight to earn a chance to claim the crown for his own and will surely be in the running when the King hangs up his scepter. He is lord CJ Gates, protector of the innocent and naïve white Knight! He and the king have had many brutal battles in the past, and The king had highly anticipated one final showdown with his biggest rival. But now, he’ll have to settle things in the middle of this 6 person show down.
But you see, CJ Gates also had a fatal flaw. He was a trusting soul that often chose poorly the company he kept. This forced him to let his guard down quite often and allow those to take advantage of him. CJ was bound and determined to eliminate the King in the massive war to Survive and Conquer, but the King out smarted him and used CJ as a landing pad to keep his dreams alive. You see CJ had the physical skills, but lacked the killer instinct that made a good king. He was the one who allowed the once Noble monster to run rampant on the kingdom without lifting a hand to stop it. He is SOFT, and lacks the testicular fortitude to do the job right. SO in good conscious, the King cannot retire to Valhalla until he is certain that this man either possess the qualities it takes to rule, or is dispatched for good in lieu of somebody more suited to do the job. So as his last official act as the Emperor of all the lands is to put down his biggest threat, his most vicious rival and secure his kingdom for the people who unwittingly need him more than even the oxygen they breathe. SO CJ Gates must become the final sacrifice in the most glorious reign the Action Packed land of ours has ever seen. ”
Terry smirks as he looks at the camera and stands up in his chair. HE clears his throat before continuing on.
“I’m sure you’re all dying to know how this story ends, but unfortunately the ending has yet to be written. Tomorrow night I lace up these glorious and successful boots for the last time in my illustrious career. And if you think for one second that the final memory of me to these people out in peonsville will bet that of me laying with my ass on the mat staring up into the lights with the ugly stench of defeat on my being , then you haven’t paid attention to ONE FUCKING WORD of my story.
I just conquered NINETY NINE other wrestlers with ZERO help what so ever. To think that three would spell the end of the GREATEST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO WRESTLING is a thought so sickening that I’m in desperate need of a change of shorts!
Tomorrow night is all she wrote folks, and I will go out in style…I will go out victoriously.
Tomorrow night, you will forever know why I am, was, and will always be THE REAL SHOW!
Tomorrow night, I will come out and take one final bow.
Tomorrow night, I will channel all of my accomplishments, all of my treasures, and use them to propel me into history as the greatest APW talent that has EVER LIVED!
Tomorrow night, the illustrious novel that has been my career comes to an end. And I WILL have my happy ending!
Tomorrow night, for the last time ever…..”
Terry takes a DEEP BREATH, and then exhales before looking at the camera with a resolved look on his face.
“ IT’S SHOWTIME!”
THE END!
