Post by The Soul Of Philly on Mar 19, 2013 14:04:00 GMT -4
Sunday March 10th, 2013 10:15 PM
Wednesday March 13th, 2013 2:47 PM
Backstage of the MTS Centre in Winnipeg is where we open the scene, specifically the medical room. As we open the scene, we see the two pillars of Asylum, Keaton Saint, the new World Heavyweight Champion, and “The Soul of Philly” TJ, the Tap Out Champion, both laying on tables getting checked out after the attacks both suffered.
Doctor Keaton, don’t move, you may have a broken rib or two.
Keaton releases a pain-filled sigh.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint I’m fine how is TJ?
Doctor He’s still out. He lost a lot of blood.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint He’s tough to put down, the fact that he’s still out is something to take note of. Hey, doc, help me sit up.
TJ slowly opens his eyes as the doctor helps Keaton sit up against the wall. A grunt comes from TJ as he fails to sit up.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Whoa, light headed. Hey Keaton…wait, what are you doing here? Checking on me making sure I’m alright, that’s so sweet, but I’m a big boy, I can handle myself.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint You can thank Michael Callahan for our presence here.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ OUR presence?
With a smile on his face, Keaton lifts the World Heavyweight Title up. TJ struggles to get up, but does and smiles.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ HELL YEAH SAINT! Finally, congrats man. You deserved it.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Thank you, wish I had a proper celebration tonight, but Michael prevented that.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Screw him, after Rasslemania, when you beat him and I beat Reaver, we’ll tear down Toronto.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Sounds like a plan.
A silence falls over the room as TJ looks up at the ceiling, which draws the attention of Keaton.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint What’s on your mind TJ?
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Remember what you said was the difference between myself and someone like Terry Marvin?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint That you treat everything threat to your title is respected rather than feared.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Yea that. I think I may have just gone from respecting Reaver as a threat to fearing him.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Because of this attack? TJ, you’re awake and while you may be missing a pint or two of blood, you’re still the champion.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ No, Keaton, because I made the mistake of stepping into his world. I could have waited until he made his way down to that ring and jump him then, but I chose to enter his world.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint That speaks more of you than it does of Reaver.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Why though? Why does TJ walking into the lion’s den speak more than the lion tearing me up like no one has been able to do? It shouldn’t. I look more stupid than brave.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint From what I’ve gathered, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve looked like that.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I’m serious Keaton. I’m thinking I made a mistake tonight.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Why is that?
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Because now Reaver is in my head. Not like in the way that Stefan Raab would be, like…
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint He’s put a dent in the armor and he knows it.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Yes. He knows I can bleed. He knows I’m human.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Doesn’t everyone?
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ What?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Do you remember the other thing I told you, that you’re touchable.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Yea, but this is more than being touchable Keaton. I’m a monster of a man, and while I am touchable, there was this thing that no matter what you did to me, I wouldn’t be the one leaving the worst.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint What of your time against Julius? He broke your ankle twice TJ, causing a ref to call the match for you while he walked out with the Tap Out Champion.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ But, in the end Keaton, I walked out the better man.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Did you TJ? You walked out with the championship, but Julius had defeated three men prior, myself included, three different ways, while you picked the scraps quickly.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Really Saint?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Yes TJ, really. That’s the truth, since then, you’ve been on a uphill to defend yourself as a champion. You won the title over a tired man and defended it against a rookie that he had defeated.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I beat Sally the week prior.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Yes, but not with the pressure of your title on the line, if you lost, you lost to a future Hall of Famer, there was nothing to truly lose. If you were to win, it would be the biggest win of your APW career, and you did. Had you defeated Sally with your Tap Out Title on the line, every doubt of your reign would have been ended then and there, but it wasn’t on the line and it didn’t end the doubt. This is the first time you have challenge in front of you. Something more intense than Williams. Something more fresh than Julius. Something dangerous.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Keaton, I know that. I’m fully aware of what I’m facing.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Are you? Judging by the results of your decisions tonight, I would argue that you don’t. To you, what is Reaver.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ A maniac. A masochistic. A psycho.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint So you don’t know what you’re facing.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ What are you on? You’ve seen this man get thrown through a wall and laugh it off. I slammed him into a dumpster and he laughed THAT off. The man enjoys pain.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint That is true, but you don’t know what you are facing.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Fine, please Keaton, enlighten me to what I’M facing at Rasslemania. Tell me what it that threatens my Tap Out Title reign?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint A man. A man who wears a mask.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ You’ve got to be shitting me. That was you’re deeper thought?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint TJ, that is what Reaver is. He is still Johnathan c under that mask. He’s fooled you and everyone else, it’s still Johnny Knuckles, only difference is that he uses the mask to hide from what reality is.
Click. The light bulb turns on over TJ’s head, finally getting it.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And the reality is that I’m the Tap Out Champion.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Keep going.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And that I’m The Soul of Philly.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Almost there.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And that there is no hiding from me.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Bingo. That’s thinking like a champion, champ.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Thanks, champ.
The two Pillars, now champions, share a chuckle, both in pain after. The doctors approach them to do some final checkup before releasing them for the night.
Doctor Keaton, don’t move, you may have a broken rib or two.
Keaton releases a pain-filled sigh.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint I’m fine how is TJ?
Doctor He’s still out. He lost a lot of blood.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint He’s tough to put down, the fact that he’s still out is something to take note of. Hey, doc, help me sit up.
TJ slowly opens his eyes as the doctor helps Keaton sit up against the wall. A grunt comes from TJ as he fails to sit up.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Whoa, light headed. Hey Keaton…wait, what are you doing here? Checking on me making sure I’m alright, that’s so sweet, but I’m a big boy, I can handle myself.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint You can thank Michael Callahan for our presence here.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ OUR presence?
With a smile on his face, Keaton lifts the World Heavyweight Title up. TJ struggles to get up, but does and smiles.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ HELL YEAH SAINT! Finally, congrats man. You deserved it.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Thank you, wish I had a proper celebration tonight, but Michael prevented that.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Screw him, after Rasslemania, when you beat him and I beat Reaver, we’ll tear down Toronto.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Sounds like a plan.
A silence falls over the room as TJ looks up at the ceiling, which draws the attention of Keaton.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint What’s on your mind TJ?
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Remember what you said was the difference between myself and someone like Terry Marvin?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint That you treat everything threat to your title is respected rather than feared.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Yea that. I think I may have just gone from respecting Reaver as a threat to fearing him.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Because of this attack? TJ, you’re awake and while you may be missing a pint or two of blood, you’re still the champion.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ No, Keaton, because I made the mistake of stepping into his world. I could have waited until he made his way down to that ring and jump him then, but I chose to enter his world.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint That speaks more of you than it does of Reaver.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Why though? Why does TJ walking into the lion’s den speak more than the lion tearing me up like no one has been able to do? It shouldn’t. I look more stupid than brave.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint From what I’ve gathered, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve looked like that.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I’m serious Keaton. I’m thinking I made a mistake tonight.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Why is that?
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Because now Reaver is in my head. Not like in the way that Stefan Raab would be, like…
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint He’s put a dent in the armor and he knows it.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Yes. He knows I can bleed. He knows I’m human.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Doesn’t everyone?
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ What?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Do you remember the other thing I told you, that you’re touchable.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Yea, but this is more than being touchable Keaton. I’m a monster of a man, and while I am touchable, there was this thing that no matter what you did to me, I wouldn’t be the one leaving the worst.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint What of your time against Julius? He broke your ankle twice TJ, causing a ref to call the match for you while he walked out with the Tap Out Champion.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ But, in the end Keaton, I walked out the better man.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Did you TJ? You walked out with the championship, but Julius had defeated three men prior, myself included, three different ways, while you picked the scraps quickly.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Really Saint?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Yes TJ, really. That’s the truth, since then, you’ve been on a uphill to defend yourself as a champion. You won the title over a tired man and defended it against a rookie that he had defeated.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I beat Sally the week prior.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Yes, but not with the pressure of your title on the line, if you lost, you lost to a future Hall of Famer, there was nothing to truly lose. If you were to win, it would be the biggest win of your APW career, and you did. Had you defeated Sally with your Tap Out Title on the line, every doubt of your reign would have been ended then and there, but it wasn’t on the line and it didn’t end the doubt. This is the first time you have challenge in front of you. Something more intense than Williams. Something more fresh than Julius. Something dangerous.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Keaton, I know that. I’m fully aware of what I’m facing.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Are you? Judging by the results of your decisions tonight, I would argue that you don’t. To you, what is Reaver.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ A maniac. A masochistic. A psycho.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint So you don’t know what you’re facing.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ What are you on? You’ve seen this man get thrown through a wall and laugh it off. I slammed him into a dumpster and he laughed THAT off. The man enjoys pain.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint That is true, but you don’t know what you are facing.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Fine, please Keaton, enlighten me to what I’M facing at Rasslemania. Tell me what it that threatens my Tap Out Title reign?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint A man. A man who wears a mask.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ You’ve got to be shitting me. That was you’re deeper thought?
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint TJ, that is what Reaver is. He is still Johnathan c under that mask. He’s fooled you and everyone else, it’s still Johnny Knuckles, only difference is that he uses the mask to hide from what reality is.
Click. The light bulb turns on over TJ’s head, finally getting it.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And the reality is that I’m the Tap Out Champion.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Keep going.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And that I’m The Soul of Philly.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Almost there.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And that there is no hiding from me.
The.Paragon.of.Wrestling. Keaton.Saint Bingo. That’s thinking like a champion, champ.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Thanks, champ.
The two Pillars, now champions, share a chuckle, both in pain after. The doctors approach them to do some final checkup before releasing them for the night.
Wednesday March 13th, 2013 2:47 PM
We open the scene inside of Pierre’s Costumes located in Philadelphia. Many people browse the selection of costumes and get ups as we focus on a large ape costume, the attention to detail is great, the hair of the costume moving as the wind blows in from the street. Then, a hand touches the costume, a large hand that is connected to the large APW Megastar, TJ.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Impressive isn’t it? Made right here at Pierre’s, one of the most respected costume shops in America. Television and movie companies from around the nation come here to get their wardrobe for their shoots. I use to come here to get my gear made, back in the day, before I realized that I kicked ass better in jeans dyed red, you know, just my regular old self. See, people believe that it’s the gear that makes them. That cool ass trunks or cool kickpads make you a better wrestler. It’s just like high school when the third stringer would get the greatest looking gloves or cleats to make up for his lack of skill. Thinking that if you looked good, you played good. Me, I was a lineman, it didn’t matter how I looked, I played the way I played. I wore no sleeves even in the coldest games, I rolled my sleeves because my opponent couldn’t grab me by the sleeve to gain leverage on me.
TJ takes the mask of the gorilla costume and plays with it a bit.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And I’ve taken that philosophy into wrestling. I don’t need anything more than what I have right on right now to kick someone’s ass. That’s just fact. I don’t need spandex, I don’t need loaded knee or elbow pads, and I don’t need a mask, especially a mask.
Over the shoulder goes the mask as TJ smiles.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ You had me fooled for a bit there Reaver. I’ll give you that. You were this psycho, this monster, in fact, I called you Kashenstein’s Monster, and while that still holds some water, it’s not completely true. True, Kash made you the way you are by beating the ever loving shit out of you, putting you in a coma and apparently waking up “Reaver”, but the real truth is that behind that mask, the masochistic mentality, you’re still Johnny Knuckles.
TJ holds his finger, in a “let me explain” type manner. He leaves the area for a few moments and he returns as Michael Myers, the serial killer in the Halloween franchise, not the goofy actor. His voice is muffled from under the mask, yet still audible.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ You see, I’m pretending to be a terrible serial killer from an average slasher flick franchise, something only the dimwitted would praise as high quality horror. This get-up does not change the man underneath this mask. I am still “The Soul of Philly”, I am still TJ. I’m still the most dangerous man in APW.
Struggling to get the latex mask off at first, TJ finally takes the mask off and breathes.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Hard to breathe in that thing. Ah, where was I? Ah, most dangerous. I guess that’s why this all started. For those of you who aren’t aware, that use to be a title that Johnny Knuckles owned. Johnny Knuckles was something of legend. A man who fought tooth and nail to win and everyone respected him for it, but then something happened.
As he pauses, TJ looks at the Michael Myers mask and shakes his head, throwing it to the side.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ You see, somewhere between the whole identity theft issue and the Dark Match Championship, Johnny Knuckles believed that everyone was turning on him. Everyone was pushing him away, myself included. And this isn’t gonna turn into one of those, “Oh if I had done something, help him out, maybe he wouldn’t have snapped!”
TJ clears his throat following a higher pitch of tone.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I’m not that kind of guy. No one turned on Knuckles, Knuckles did nothing to help his case by sulking around whenever someone didn’t want to believe him, and can you blame us who didn’t believe him when he said, “I’m real! That guy is lying!”? Maybe you can, you can call us “guilty until proven innocent” minded people, but there was nothing that Knuckles would say that would counter the claims against him. To me, if your only defense is “He’s lying”, they’re not. Should have told us some more Knuckles, I may have believed you, then I could say I did my best to stop Johnny Knuckles from turning into Reaver, but I don’t think it would have helped.
Pausing to look down at the Myers mask, TJ tilts his head.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Because I don’t make the life choices that Johnny Knuckles makes. I believe that everyone decides their own choices in regards to their lives and careers and those are choices that Knuckles chose are his and his alone. He decided to respond to the loss of his “Most Dangerous Man in APW” title by losing his sanity. No one told Knuckles to put on a mask, hide his face from the people that he felt betrayed him. No one told Knuckles to come down to the ring, clubber me with my Tap Out Championship during my match against Stefan Raab and piss me off. No one told Knuckles to attempt to light me on fire. He decided to do all those things. Not me, not Jason Kash, not Mike the camera man, Knuckles made that choice and he’s got no one to blame for what is going to happen to him come Rasslemania IX.
TJ leans over to pick the mask up and plays around with it a bit. He continues to look at it while he talks.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Not many people can get thrown through a wall by me and walk the next day. Reaver did that and laughed about it. Not many people can get thrown off a docking bay dock into a dumpster and be able to feel their back for a couple days. Reaver did that and laughed about. Not many people can bloody me, make me weak. Reaver did that and laughed about it. As much as I said Reaver is simply Johnny Knuckles under a mask, Reaver isn’t Johnny Knuckles because what Johnny Knuckles lost in becoming Reaver, his sanity being the biggest thing, he gain a few attributes, mainly, an extremely high tolerance for pain. And, ah, that’s not something I know exactly how to face, which is a negative and a positive.
TJ looks up from the mask.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ A negative because I don’t know how to approach this match. How do you hurt a man whose pain tolerance is so damn high he laughs? I’m a man of simple things. I wear jeans and a t-shirt. I don’t like to go out to fancy places for dinner, I love Olive Garden or Ihop. I don’t go to art galleries, I look at pictures of cats on the internet. I wrestle simple. I hit you in the mouth hard and quick. Not isn’t anything extravagant to me in that ring, and I doubt there ever will be. But when that simply won’t work, I’m forced to be extravagant. I’m forced to complicate my skills. There’s a reason I didn’t go to college, I don’t like to complicate things. And Reaver has done that to me. That make facing him a negative.
TJ looks over his shoulder to see a man with a large latex suit of some costume. TJ turns back around and smiles before continuing.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ There is a positive, as I said, and it’s that I don’t know how to approach this match. Now, if you’ve been paying attention, that’s why this is a negative, will it’s a double edged sword. A catch 22 if your into those clichés. I don’t know how to hurt a man who has a higher tolerance for pain than I, and I’m excited. Because on March24th, in Toronto, I defend my title against Reaver not in a normal Tap Out Rules match. Nope, those rules I am not ordered to follow, I have no rules, anything goes. If I throw Reaver out of the ring and follow him, I’m not DQed. If I use a weapon, so be it, it’s legal. I, within my own natural weapons…
TJ flexes, stretching the bands on the short sleeve t-shirt, before raising his foot into the camera’s frame.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ …am a dangerous, DANGEROUS, being. I now can do things with man-made weapons. A steel chair, a trash can, a car. ANYTHING GOES PEOPLE!
TJ smiles as he looks down at the mask, gripping it in his hands.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I’ve spent the last month or so trying to figure out how to hurt Reaver, how to stop him from laughing, how to torture him. A month, and I still got another two weeks for inspiration. That’s six weeks of planning and preparation for one man. Not a monster, a man. A man who has lost his mind because he alienated himself from everyone and blamed everyone else for his choice. I know what I’m facing, I know who I’m facing. I’m facing a man who made the choice to get involved in my business. I’m facing a man who is looking for a title that he lost, one that I hold as my own. I’m facing a man who has never captured a title in APW and is looking for one, but I stand in his way. I’m facing Reaver, a man who doesn’t know what he’s facing.
With force reserved for a 102 mph fastball, TJ throws the Myers mask across the room. The sound of latex hitting the wall as hard as it did, brings attention to TJ, who ignores it.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Because he’s not facing just a normal man. No, he’s not facing a man, he’s facing greatness in its truest form. Reaver is not facing someone the likes of Chris Strike or Calvin Ingram, no he’s facing nightmares in their physical forms.
TJ stops himself and throws his hands up in a “Whoa!” type manner.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I don’t care if you’re psychotic, you have nightmares, and in most cases, they’re worse than normal people’s nightmares, so there’s that.
Shaking back into his catchphrase, TJ resumes his intense glare.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Reaver is not facing Jason Kash, he’s facing something much worse. What he is facing won’t stop at ten chair shots to the head. He’s facing “THE SOOOOOOOOUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLL OF PHILLY”. And as tough and pain resistant he thinks he is, Philly is far more tough, far more pain resistant than he.
TJ shakes his head before continuing.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And we don’t need a mask to try to prove it.
TJ leaves the costume shop as the scene fades to black.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Impressive isn’t it? Made right here at Pierre’s, one of the most respected costume shops in America. Television and movie companies from around the nation come here to get their wardrobe for their shoots. I use to come here to get my gear made, back in the day, before I realized that I kicked ass better in jeans dyed red, you know, just my regular old self. See, people believe that it’s the gear that makes them. That cool ass trunks or cool kickpads make you a better wrestler. It’s just like high school when the third stringer would get the greatest looking gloves or cleats to make up for his lack of skill. Thinking that if you looked good, you played good. Me, I was a lineman, it didn’t matter how I looked, I played the way I played. I wore no sleeves even in the coldest games, I rolled my sleeves because my opponent couldn’t grab me by the sleeve to gain leverage on me.
TJ takes the mask of the gorilla costume and plays with it a bit.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And I’ve taken that philosophy into wrestling. I don’t need anything more than what I have right on right now to kick someone’s ass. That’s just fact. I don’t need spandex, I don’t need loaded knee or elbow pads, and I don’t need a mask, especially a mask.
Over the shoulder goes the mask as TJ smiles.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ You had me fooled for a bit there Reaver. I’ll give you that. You were this psycho, this monster, in fact, I called you Kashenstein’s Monster, and while that still holds some water, it’s not completely true. True, Kash made you the way you are by beating the ever loving shit out of you, putting you in a coma and apparently waking up “Reaver”, but the real truth is that behind that mask, the masochistic mentality, you’re still Johnny Knuckles.
TJ holds his finger, in a “let me explain” type manner. He leaves the area for a few moments and he returns as Michael Myers, the serial killer in the Halloween franchise, not the goofy actor. His voice is muffled from under the mask, yet still audible.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ You see, I’m pretending to be a terrible serial killer from an average slasher flick franchise, something only the dimwitted would praise as high quality horror. This get-up does not change the man underneath this mask. I am still “The Soul of Philly”, I am still TJ. I’m still the most dangerous man in APW.
Struggling to get the latex mask off at first, TJ finally takes the mask off and breathes.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Hard to breathe in that thing. Ah, where was I? Ah, most dangerous. I guess that’s why this all started. For those of you who aren’t aware, that use to be a title that Johnny Knuckles owned. Johnny Knuckles was something of legend. A man who fought tooth and nail to win and everyone respected him for it, but then something happened.
As he pauses, TJ looks at the Michael Myers mask and shakes his head, throwing it to the side.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ You see, somewhere between the whole identity theft issue and the Dark Match Championship, Johnny Knuckles believed that everyone was turning on him. Everyone was pushing him away, myself included. And this isn’t gonna turn into one of those, “Oh if I had done something, help him out, maybe he wouldn’t have snapped!”
TJ clears his throat following a higher pitch of tone.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I’m not that kind of guy. No one turned on Knuckles, Knuckles did nothing to help his case by sulking around whenever someone didn’t want to believe him, and can you blame us who didn’t believe him when he said, “I’m real! That guy is lying!”? Maybe you can, you can call us “guilty until proven innocent” minded people, but there was nothing that Knuckles would say that would counter the claims against him. To me, if your only defense is “He’s lying”, they’re not. Should have told us some more Knuckles, I may have believed you, then I could say I did my best to stop Johnny Knuckles from turning into Reaver, but I don’t think it would have helped.
Pausing to look down at the Myers mask, TJ tilts his head.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Because I don’t make the life choices that Johnny Knuckles makes. I believe that everyone decides their own choices in regards to their lives and careers and those are choices that Knuckles chose are his and his alone. He decided to respond to the loss of his “Most Dangerous Man in APW” title by losing his sanity. No one told Knuckles to put on a mask, hide his face from the people that he felt betrayed him. No one told Knuckles to come down to the ring, clubber me with my Tap Out Championship during my match against Stefan Raab and piss me off. No one told Knuckles to attempt to light me on fire. He decided to do all those things. Not me, not Jason Kash, not Mike the camera man, Knuckles made that choice and he’s got no one to blame for what is going to happen to him come Rasslemania IX.
TJ leans over to pick the mask up and plays around with it a bit. He continues to look at it while he talks.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Not many people can get thrown through a wall by me and walk the next day. Reaver did that and laughed about it. Not many people can get thrown off a docking bay dock into a dumpster and be able to feel their back for a couple days. Reaver did that and laughed about. Not many people can bloody me, make me weak. Reaver did that and laughed about it. As much as I said Reaver is simply Johnny Knuckles under a mask, Reaver isn’t Johnny Knuckles because what Johnny Knuckles lost in becoming Reaver, his sanity being the biggest thing, he gain a few attributes, mainly, an extremely high tolerance for pain. And, ah, that’s not something I know exactly how to face, which is a negative and a positive.
TJ looks up from the mask.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ A negative because I don’t know how to approach this match. How do you hurt a man whose pain tolerance is so damn high he laughs? I’m a man of simple things. I wear jeans and a t-shirt. I don’t like to go out to fancy places for dinner, I love Olive Garden or Ihop. I don’t go to art galleries, I look at pictures of cats on the internet. I wrestle simple. I hit you in the mouth hard and quick. Not isn’t anything extravagant to me in that ring, and I doubt there ever will be. But when that simply won’t work, I’m forced to be extravagant. I’m forced to complicate my skills. There’s a reason I didn’t go to college, I don’t like to complicate things. And Reaver has done that to me. That make facing him a negative.
TJ looks over his shoulder to see a man with a large latex suit of some costume. TJ turns back around and smiles before continuing.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ There is a positive, as I said, and it’s that I don’t know how to approach this match. Now, if you’ve been paying attention, that’s why this is a negative, will it’s a double edged sword. A catch 22 if your into those clichés. I don’t know how to hurt a man who has a higher tolerance for pain than I, and I’m excited. Because on March24th, in Toronto, I defend my title against Reaver not in a normal Tap Out Rules match. Nope, those rules I am not ordered to follow, I have no rules, anything goes. If I throw Reaver out of the ring and follow him, I’m not DQed. If I use a weapon, so be it, it’s legal. I, within my own natural weapons…
TJ flexes, stretching the bands on the short sleeve t-shirt, before raising his foot into the camera’s frame.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ …am a dangerous, DANGEROUS, being. I now can do things with man-made weapons. A steel chair, a trash can, a car. ANYTHING GOES PEOPLE!
TJ smiles as he looks down at the mask, gripping it in his hands.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I’ve spent the last month or so trying to figure out how to hurt Reaver, how to stop him from laughing, how to torture him. A month, and I still got another two weeks for inspiration. That’s six weeks of planning and preparation for one man. Not a monster, a man. A man who has lost his mind because he alienated himself from everyone and blamed everyone else for his choice. I know what I’m facing, I know who I’m facing. I’m facing a man who made the choice to get involved in my business. I’m facing a man who is looking for a title that he lost, one that I hold as my own. I’m facing a man who has never captured a title in APW and is looking for one, but I stand in his way. I’m facing Reaver, a man who doesn’t know what he’s facing.
With force reserved for a 102 mph fastball, TJ throws the Myers mask across the room. The sound of latex hitting the wall as hard as it did, brings attention to TJ, who ignores it.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Because he’s not facing just a normal man. No, he’s not facing a man, he’s facing greatness in its truest form. Reaver is not facing someone the likes of Chris Strike or Calvin Ingram, no he’s facing nightmares in their physical forms.
TJ stops himself and throws his hands up in a “Whoa!” type manner.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ I don’t care if you’re psychotic, you have nightmares, and in most cases, they’re worse than normal people’s nightmares, so there’s that.
Shaking back into his catchphrase, TJ resumes his intense glare.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ Reaver is not facing Jason Kash, he’s facing something much worse. What he is facing won’t stop at ten chair shots to the head. He’s facing “THE SOOOOOOOOUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLL OF PHILLY”. And as tough and pain resistant he thinks he is, Philly is far more tough, far more pain resistant than he.
TJ shakes his head before continuing.
The.Soul.Of.Philly TJ And we don’t need a mask to try to prove it.
TJ leaves the costume shop as the scene fades to black.
