Post by C.J. Gates on Mar 23, 2013 12:10:50 GMT -4
"Speculation.
"Everyone falls victim to it at some point, and I'm sure that there are people out their right now speculating. I'm sure there are people that have tried connecting the dots, have heard what Terry Marvin had to say, and are starting to speculate about how this Iron Man match is going to end.
"After all, at Rasslemania VII, Blade and I lost a tag team title rematch to the Beautiful Disaster team. At Rasslemania VIII, I came up just short of retaining the Undisputed title when I lost to Kurt Noble in a very hard fought match. And since Terry Marvin returned to APW, I have only managed to beat him once, and that was nearly a year ago.
"So I guess it's natural that people would speculate that I am going to lose. That I am not going to be able to hold up for the entire sixty minutes. Some people might even go as far as to say that the stars are pointing to me failing, simply giving Terry another defense to his credit. Right?
"Wrong.
"This title match isn't that easy to call. One can't just speculate about what could happen without seeing the body of work in action. After all, everyone has moments when they get over that proverbial hump. I might have lost to Kurt Noble, but I also beat him in our most recent meeting. I may have a poor record against Terry Marvin, but going into Christmas Chaos, I had never been able to beat Level One.
"But I slayed that giant and earned the chance to slay the dragon. And who knows, maybe I'm not the right one for that job, but I'm not going to let the rumors pre-determine that for me. I'm not going to let the past dominate my future. If I did that, I would have never beaten Lester.
"Instead, I am going to do all that I can to make the past two Rasslemania's a blip on the radar. To show that they are not an exact representation of who I am when I step inside that ring.
"I am going to do my best to make sure that Terry Marvin's wave of success comes to a crashing halt. I am going to do my best to become a two time Undisputed champion. That is what I want, so that is what I am aiming for.
"But not just that, there is also the matter of saving everyone from Marvin's reign of terror. There is the fact that he is slowly killing APW from the inside. And that is something we can not let happen.
"It's time to end the Year of Showtime."
The Wicked Witch of Level One had been defeated, yet a potent evil still remained in the land of APW. No one knew where it was coming from, but one man was destined to find out. One man was hell bent on eliminating the evil and bringing the land back into a global good.
Currently, our adventurers find themselves inside the Emerald City where things are anything but normal. The residents of the city all seem sad, depressed, and some are even angry. They don't talk amongst themselves and when they do, it is only to yell at one another. And when they're not yelling at one another, they are fighting with each other or robbing each other blind.
"The source of evil ust be stopped," C.J. Gates declares as he stands on the steps to the Emerald Palace. "It must be coming from inside the Emerald City, and we must find it! At the very least, we need to at least find some answers as to where it is."
"But how?" the cowardly tin scarecros Vincent James asks. "It's not like we're just going to be able to walk in there and ask someone about it. There's bound to be traps laid out for us!"
"Traps," Gates scoffs, waving the thought off with his hand. "They're tests. Nothing more than that. Besides, there might not even be anything to worry about. Lets go."
The two adventurers make their way up to the entrance and knock. A large guard comes out and peers down at them through a green monocle, his breath moving a bushy mustache as he speaks.
"What is your business here?"
"We are here to see the Wizard of Oz," Gates exclaims. "We have some matters to discuss with him and are looking for his help."
"His help?" the guard asks, peering down at them. "I don't think he will want to help. He's not exactly the kindest man, but I can let you in and you can find that out for himself."
The guard stands aside, allowing Gates and James to enter the Emerald Palace. Much like the city, everything is green and the palace is filled with winding hallways. The two look at one another before making their way along the hallway. As they pass the residents of the palace, Gates looks at each one suspiciously.
"What's up?" James whispers.
"I don't know," Gates answers. "Something just seems different. These people aren't themselves."
The two continue to walk, passing fewer and fewer people. They turn a corner and hear the rustling of wings.
"What's that?" James asks, looking scared.
"I'm not sure," Gates answers. "But I don't like it at all. Hold on."
The two men stop before turning the corner and Gates peers around in time to watch two flying monkeys land in the intersection of two hallways. One of the monkeys is wearing a violet colored vest and taps the other monkey on the shoulder, pointing to their left, away from our adventurers.
"KIA! KIA!" the violet clad monkey shouts to the other. The other monkey takes a few steps in that direction, sniffing the air before shaking its head.
"Find them!" a loud booming voice commands. "They must not make it to me!"
"KIA!" the violet monkey shouts one more time in response. The two monkeys take one last glance up each of the hallways before taking a few steps and lifting off, disappearing down the hallway they came from.
"That's not good," Gates says. "With the witch dead, I figured the monkeys wouldn't bother us anymore. But it seems as though someone is controlling them. Someone within the Emerald Palace. And I think I know who it is."
"Who?" James asks.
"The Wizard of Oz. We need to confront him about it and stop this evil."
The two continue on down the hallway, keeping at eye out for the flying monkeys. Eventually they come upon a set of large double doors. "This is it!" Gates says as he moves forward with James in tow. Gates pushes on the door and it opens up onto a large fairly empty room. A throne sits in the middle of the room and as Gates and James enter, a cloud of smoke bursts up from the ground. In the cloud is a nondescript face, angry and menacing.
"Who goes there?" a loud, booming voice shouts.
"I can't do this!" James cries as he takes a step back.
"Of course you can!" Gates encourages before turning back to the face. "My name is C.J. Gates and I am here to speak to the Wizard of Oz!"
"I am the Great and Powerful Oz!" the voice shouts. "I do not wish to speak to the likes of you!"
"You don't?"
"I don't!" the voice repeats. "I have no reason to because you are not worthy of being in my presence. Leave now!"
"I will not leave until I get answers," Gates begins, taking a step forward. "Until I end your reign of evil!"
"Evil?" the face says with a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. There is no evil here."
"But there is!" Gates shouts. "I saw the people out in the city and the ones in the palace. No one looks happy and there is a lot of crime. Plus, there are flying monkeys in the palace taking orders from you! The witch is dead and the flying monkeys should be free to move about on their own."
"The people are happy," the wizard says. "They just don't know it. Not yet anyways. But soon they will see that their choice to remain in MY Emerald City is the best one for them!"
"It never will be," Gates says. "It's impossible. You are tearing this city apart and ruining everything that the Emerald City once stood for. You are turning this city into a joke, and the people are suffering. And for what? Why?"
"Because I demand respect!" The room shakes with the booming voice.
"Respect?" Gates asks.
"Yes," the wizard says. "Ever since I came to this city no one has respected me and I am sick of it. So I made sure that they would respect me by turning this city into a city filled with evil. And once day, I will save them from it so that I will be the hero."
"What's this?" James asks from the far side of the room. Gates looks over to see James standing beside a large curtain.
"I will not let this city prevail! I will show them that they need me to survive! That they are lost without me! This is my city! I am it's master!"
As the wizard speaks, Gates walks over to where James is and eyes the curtain.
"What are you doing?" the wizard asks as Gates raises a hand up and grabs hold of the curtain. "No!" the wizard shouts as Gates pulls on the curtain. The curtain falls away revealing a man wearing a green suit and standing in front of a series of levers and buttons. Slowly, the smoke begins to dissipate. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"
"You're the wizard?" Gates asks with a smirk.
"I am," the wizard says. "How dare you pull down that curtain! How dare you reveal the real me! You will pay for that!" By now the smoke has completely disappeared and the wizard turns to face the two men.
"'My Name is Terry'," Gates says, reading the name tag on the wizards suit jacket. "How can you be a wizard? You are just a man playing with toys."
"I am a wizard," Terry the wizard says. "I knew I was destined for greatness when I arrived here. All I had to do was outsmart the former noble wizard. And with the help of the Witch of the North, I won this seat fair and square."
"I doubt it was fair and square," Gates says. "From what I have seen, I doubt you've ever done anything fair and square."
"I have!" the wizard shouts. "But over time, the people didn't respect me and they didn't give me that recognition that I deserve! So I devised this plan to ruin the city before saving it. And you will not stop me!"
"But I will," Gates says. "I am not going to let a fraud run this place and tear it down from the inside out. I am not going to sit back and let you destroy a once prosperous city!"
"I am not a fraud!"
"You are!" Gates shouts back. "You played the smoke and mirrors game to your advantage, but when you break it down, you aren't anything you make yourself out to be. You aren't a great and powerful wizard at all. Everything you have done, it's all been a lie!"
"To you maybe, but you don't live here," Terry says.
"I don't have to live here to see that the people aren't happy," Gates fires back. "To see that you are crippling this city. And I can't let you continue to spread your lies."
"Oh and what are you going to do? Stop me?"
"Yes," Gates says. "I will stop you and I will show this entire city just how much of a fraud you are.
"I will show them that I am a better than you."
"It's all just smoke and mirrors, isn't it Terry?
"No matter how many times you say otherwise, your attempts to try and convince us all aren't being bought. We see though your little games. We all see through the giant head facade and the smokescreen that you are trying to throw at us. We all see the truth that lies underneath.
"Though what are you hiding? You're still trying to hide the fact that you are a fraud, plain and simple. I don't know how many times I can go over it before you realize that I'm not just making things up. You've had a great year, that's something that many people will agree on, but the year becomes less and less impressive when you realize just how many dirty tricks you used to get there. When one realizes just how often you bent the rules to fit your own will, the year doesn't hold the same water.
"Sure, on paper it's been great. You won the Overdrive title, Test for the Best, the Undisputed title, Survive and Conquer and capped it off with the ViW Tag Team titles. How can that be anything but great? Well, it's simple, really. The biggest victories of the bunch came under shady circumstances. Test for the Best aside, it's not like one can see your Undisputed title win without realizing that you only won the title thanks to the help of Amy Noble.
"And if it wasn't for her, who knows? You might not even be the APW Undisputed champion. We might have had to put up with a raging Noble for a year instead of the evil tyrant that we got. The best part of it all is that you don't care. Maybe I'm trying to give you too much credit, but I know that when I win titles and earn accolades, I like to be able to think back and realize that I actually earned them. I like to think about how much I had to work to get them.
"I don't let a woman fight my battles, low blow my opponent, and then take the title with a shit eating grin splashed across my face. I don't let other people fight my battles and then take all of the credit for it.
"But of course, I'm not you, am I? I'm better than you, in every sense of the word. It's true, Terry. You might not see it right no, and you might never truly see it. Even when I beat you at Rasslemania, you won't realize it, but I am. I have more integrity then you, I fight my own battles, I own up to my own downfalls, and I definitely don't let myself lose sight of the big picture. And when it comes to wrestling ability? Well, take away your affinity for cheating, and yeah, I'd say that I am better then you.
"I have more tenacity, more perseverance, more will to succeed then you do. I fight for more than just myself, I fight for the fans and just for the sake of putting on a good match. I'm not constantly worried about gold belts, tournament wins and adding another bit of hardware to my trophy case.
"Even when I beat Level One, it wasn't solely based on the Undisputed title. When he and I clashed, our battle was always about him and I, at least to me anyway. Our fight was always about whether or not I could actually beat Level One on a big stage, or on any stage at all. He became one of those names that I had never been able to beat. But I did and in doing so I got a shot at you.
"Not your title, necessarily, but you. I got the chance to stop you, to make you realize that you aren't going to be the man for much longer. I got the chance to shut you up once and for all in a one on one match up. Sure, you can say that I failed at this at One Night in Hell, but I was also not fighting you alone. I wasn't going up against God's Gift to Wrestling on my own. There were other variables and other matters that were hanging around. There were other people that were making that task a bit harder then it needed to be.
"But now that chance has come, and I am not going to let it go to waste. You see, Terry, I am not Keaton Saint. Nothing against him, but I am not him. Unlike Keaton Saint, I haven't let you destroy my psyche. Sure, you think that you've ruined me, but you haven't. You're far from it. If I let every match between us ruin me, to make me think I couldn't beat you, I wouldn't have been able to beat Level One. You see, when he and I fought, I never beat him. Never. Maybe once in an eight man tag team match, but never one on one. So, sure, you used me as a landing spot at Survive and Conquer, you might have beaten me in a six man tag team match, when you didn't actually pin me, and you might have bested me at Clash of the Titans. And if you want to bring up the match where we tagged together, Terry, don't forget that we only won that match because Evan Envi decided to turn his back on his partner.
"Evan Envi decided to pull a Terry Marvin and turn his back on his team.
"But those are small potatoes compared to this. Those matches don't matter to me as much as Rasslemania does. They don't matter as much as a chance to fight you one on one. Because that's what all of those matches had in common. Clash of the Titans, the six man tag, Survive and Conquer, they were all matches littered with other people. They were all fights that had other variables in it. Level One probably carried your ass to victory numerous times, yet you don't want to admit it. Even in your so called retirement match, after I pinned Envi, Lester pinned me for the win, not you. Which is what makes this match that much different. This time, I'm allowed to fight you one on one with no one around to change the course of action. And it's a moment I'm looking forward to.
"And don't worry, Terry, I'm not jealous. I'm motivated. When I look up that so called ladder and barely see your feet because your head is stuck in the clouds, it drives me to push myself better. It forces me to become better then I was a day ago. This week in particular, it has made me work hard to make sure I am ready for you at Rasslemania. To make sure that I am prepared for anything that you have to throw my way. The best part is, that I know I can beat you, Terry. I've done it before and I know I can do it again. It might be nearly a year since I pinned you in a sanctioned match, but I did, and I am going to have that moment play again and again and again in front of the Toronto faithful.
"Because that's the difference between us. I'm not held up on pinfalls I got when they didn't even matter. I'm not worried about the three counts you made on me after matches when you attacked me from behind. In a match, sure, and those are few and far between when it comes to battles between us. In this year of time we've only fought each other one on one twice, and we've split those decisions.
"And one of them has ended in your favor, but that one was also filled with uncertainty. Not because of the outcome but because of the means of it. It's another smokescreen you are trying to throw up to throw people off the scent. You talk about beating me, you talk about how that match began your trek to super stardom in APW, but you don't talk about how that match ended in your favor because Stan Everdeen was sent to attack me. He was sent to take me out of action so that Biggs could get the upper hand on me in our eventual match. That is why I keep calling it an uncertainty, because no one truly knows if you would have beaten me in our match. No one knows if you would have truly gone on to win Test for the Best. No one knows any of this.
"Except you and your assuming nature. You assume you would have won regardless of who stuck their nose into the match because that's what you do. You don't look at the big picture, you focus in on what happened. That's why it is up to me to look at those pictures and point out the details that you 'conveniently' leave out. The facts that you don't look at when you are coming up with your rants.
"Like the one detail you glossed over multiple times in your run down of why I won't beat you. As I noted, there always seems to be a second or third person on your side to help you win matches. Whether that's Level One or Evan Envi, you always seem to take the total credit for what they did as well. Which is fine. That's the kind of person you are, so I can't really expect anything more. Anyway, this reliance shows me that you aren't the singles star you crack yourself up to be. You need people to have your back so that you can succeed. You want more proof of that? Just look to Sam Strachon, your new manager. There is only one or two reasons why someone has a manager, and I don't think he's your significant other. No, in your case, you brought him on board to do your dirty work so you can take all the credit.
"It's the only reason why you would suddenly need someone like Strachon by your side. You spent an entire year doing what you claim was a sand up job at being the best in the world, and all of a sudden at a big event where your title is actually on the line and in jeopardy of being lost, you bring in someone that will be able to stand in your corner, trip up my legs, and help you score a victory.
"Which is right in line with how your ego began to grow in the first place.
"You say that I created you, that it was me who failed to beat you in that qualifier, but I don't see that as being the truth. See, to me, that was thanks in large part to Biggs, but I am not going to sit here and blame him for anything. Because that is just one moment in time. There were many others along the way that saw you grow more and more like a monster, and there were more people then me that could have been able to stop you. If anything, Keaton Saint could have started you on your path to being a monster by feeding your ego time after time.
"But again, I don't want to blame anyone because, as of right now, moments like that don't happen. Right now, it's all about Rasslemania. Do I want to stop you? Sure I do. I would love nothing more than to end your reign of tyranny, to show any people who might call themselves your fans that you are nothing more than a floating head of smoke, one that can be removed with one big gust of wind.
"And trust me, I know that you have at least tried to get yourself some fans in the past week, since you have been trying to run my name into the mud. You have been trying to paint me as the villain so that people won't see me as the one to cheer for, so that they will cheer for you. I know your plan, I see what you're trying to do, but trust me, it's not going to work. You've pulled enough shit in the past month to make any fans of APW hate and loath you. You've played with their emotions, you've destroyed their faith in you, and now they are going to do all that they can to make sure that you don't have a single person cheering you on. They are going to cheer me on until I beat you. They are going to provide me with that little extra boost to get me into the right frame of mind to win.
"After all, when I began my rise back to this point, it was the fans that helped me along the way. It's been tough to get back here, but I did and I am not going to squander this chance. I am not going to let you just walk over me at Rasslemania and score a victory just to say that I main evented Rasslemania for the second year in a row, something that only Level One can lay claim to.
"With them on my side, I will be able to do what so many before me failed to do. I will be able to do what many have dreamed of doing. I will be able to beat you. As I have said countless times, Terry, you are not unbeatable. You are not untouchable. At some point, someone was going to come along and prove that, and slay this so called dragon and at Rasslemania, I am looking for that person to be me.
"You might see doubt in my eyes, Terry, but I call that a realistic point of view. But the doubt isn't about whether I can beat you, the doubt is about whether you can make this a good match, or if you will enlist the help of all of your friends to make it one big clusterfuck.
"You want to turn yourself into The Prince, that's fine with me. You want to be feared? Go for it. Just remember that with that fear comes loathing. With all of that, the people will hate you to your core even more than they did before. And one way or another, I will make sure of that. And no matter how many times you say it, Terry, everything that happened between you and Kurt Noble isn't going to matter here. No matter how many times you say it, warning the world about the inevitable about Noble isn't going to give you a pass into heaven. You're still evil incarnate and there's no changing that.
"Regardless, it all comes down to this. It all comes down to Rasslemania where our stories will finally cross paths. This is when everything that we have been doing for the past year is put to the test. It's your great year versus my comeback from obscurity, my return to relevance. I will stroll into your so-called lair and I will do what all great knights have done.
"I will slay the dragon.
"I will end the Year of Showtime.
"I will prove that you are the fraud I have claimed you to be since the beginning.
"I will end your reign of terror and free the people of APW and APW itself from your tyranny. After all, it's like the old saying goes. All good things must come to an end. I found that one out at this time last year, and after the year you had, after everything you have done and everything that has gone right, it's time for your good ride to come to an end as well.
"Its just how it goes, Terry. There's no way around it. At some point everything will end for you, and it's not going to be on your terms. It's not going to be part of a feel good story where Terry Marvin goes out on top, actually retiring because he's done too much. It's going to end at Rasslemania when it all comes down to you versus me.
"When it all comes down to the White Knight and the dragon.
"The North Dakota Cowboy and the Real Show.
"C.J. Gates and Terry Marvin.
"It's time to go big or go home."
"Everyone falls victim to it at some point, and I'm sure that there are people out their right now speculating. I'm sure there are people that have tried connecting the dots, have heard what Terry Marvin had to say, and are starting to speculate about how this Iron Man match is going to end.
"After all, at Rasslemania VII, Blade and I lost a tag team title rematch to the Beautiful Disaster team. At Rasslemania VIII, I came up just short of retaining the Undisputed title when I lost to Kurt Noble in a very hard fought match. And since Terry Marvin returned to APW, I have only managed to beat him once, and that was nearly a year ago.
"So I guess it's natural that people would speculate that I am going to lose. That I am not going to be able to hold up for the entire sixty minutes. Some people might even go as far as to say that the stars are pointing to me failing, simply giving Terry another defense to his credit. Right?
"Wrong.
"This title match isn't that easy to call. One can't just speculate about what could happen without seeing the body of work in action. After all, everyone has moments when they get over that proverbial hump. I might have lost to Kurt Noble, but I also beat him in our most recent meeting. I may have a poor record against Terry Marvin, but going into Christmas Chaos, I had never been able to beat Level One.
"But I slayed that giant and earned the chance to slay the dragon. And who knows, maybe I'm not the right one for that job, but I'm not going to let the rumors pre-determine that for me. I'm not going to let the past dominate my future. If I did that, I would have never beaten Lester.
"Instead, I am going to do all that I can to make the past two Rasslemania's a blip on the radar. To show that they are not an exact representation of who I am when I step inside that ring.
"I am going to do my best to make sure that Terry Marvin's wave of success comes to a crashing halt. I am going to do my best to become a two time Undisputed champion. That is what I want, so that is what I am aiming for.
"But not just that, there is also the matter of saving everyone from Marvin's reign of terror. There is the fact that he is slowly killing APW from the inside. And that is something we can not let happen.
"It's time to end the Year of Showtime."
------------------------------------------------
A Different Kind of Oz
The Wicked Witch of Level One had been defeated, yet a potent evil still remained in the land of APW. No one knew where it was coming from, but one man was destined to find out. One man was hell bent on eliminating the evil and bringing the land back into a global good.
Currently, our adventurers find themselves inside the Emerald City where things are anything but normal. The residents of the city all seem sad, depressed, and some are even angry. They don't talk amongst themselves and when they do, it is only to yell at one another. And when they're not yelling at one another, they are fighting with each other or robbing each other blind.
"The source of evil ust be stopped," C.J. Gates declares as he stands on the steps to the Emerald Palace. "It must be coming from inside the Emerald City, and we must find it! At the very least, we need to at least find some answers as to where it is."
"But how?" the cowardly tin scarecros Vincent James asks. "It's not like we're just going to be able to walk in there and ask someone about it. There's bound to be traps laid out for us!"
"Traps," Gates scoffs, waving the thought off with his hand. "They're tests. Nothing more than that. Besides, there might not even be anything to worry about. Lets go."
The two adventurers make their way up to the entrance and knock. A large guard comes out and peers down at them through a green monocle, his breath moving a bushy mustache as he speaks.
"What is your business here?"
"We are here to see the Wizard of Oz," Gates exclaims. "We have some matters to discuss with him and are looking for his help."
"His help?" the guard asks, peering down at them. "I don't think he will want to help. He's not exactly the kindest man, but I can let you in and you can find that out for himself."
The guard stands aside, allowing Gates and James to enter the Emerald Palace. Much like the city, everything is green and the palace is filled with winding hallways. The two look at one another before making their way along the hallway. As they pass the residents of the palace, Gates looks at each one suspiciously.
"What's up?" James whispers.
"I don't know," Gates answers. "Something just seems different. These people aren't themselves."
The two continue to walk, passing fewer and fewer people. They turn a corner and hear the rustling of wings.
"What's that?" James asks, looking scared.
"I'm not sure," Gates answers. "But I don't like it at all. Hold on."
The two men stop before turning the corner and Gates peers around in time to watch two flying monkeys land in the intersection of two hallways. One of the monkeys is wearing a violet colored vest and taps the other monkey on the shoulder, pointing to their left, away from our adventurers.
"KIA! KIA!" the violet clad monkey shouts to the other. The other monkey takes a few steps in that direction, sniffing the air before shaking its head.
"Find them!" a loud booming voice commands. "They must not make it to me!"
"KIA!" the violet monkey shouts one more time in response. The two monkeys take one last glance up each of the hallways before taking a few steps and lifting off, disappearing down the hallway they came from.
"That's not good," Gates says. "With the witch dead, I figured the monkeys wouldn't bother us anymore. But it seems as though someone is controlling them. Someone within the Emerald Palace. And I think I know who it is."
"Who?" James asks.
"The Wizard of Oz. We need to confront him about it and stop this evil."
The two continue on down the hallway, keeping at eye out for the flying monkeys. Eventually they come upon a set of large double doors. "This is it!" Gates says as he moves forward with James in tow. Gates pushes on the door and it opens up onto a large fairly empty room. A throne sits in the middle of the room and as Gates and James enter, a cloud of smoke bursts up from the ground. In the cloud is a nondescript face, angry and menacing.
"Who goes there?" a loud, booming voice shouts.
"I can't do this!" James cries as he takes a step back.
"Of course you can!" Gates encourages before turning back to the face. "My name is C.J. Gates and I am here to speak to the Wizard of Oz!"
"I am the Great and Powerful Oz!" the voice shouts. "I do not wish to speak to the likes of you!"
"You don't?"
"I don't!" the voice repeats. "I have no reason to because you are not worthy of being in my presence. Leave now!"
"I will not leave until I get answers," Gates begins, taking a step forward. "Until I end your reign of evil!"
"Evil?" the face says with a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. There is no evil here."
"But there is!" Gates shouts. "I saw the people out in the city and the ones in the palace. No one looks happy and there is a lot of crime. Plus, there are flying monkeys in the palace taking orders from you! The witch is dead and the flying monkeys should be free to move about on their own."
"The people are happy," the wizard says. "They just don't know it. Not yet anyways. But soon they will see that their choice to remain in MY Emerald City is the best one for them!"
"It never will be," Gates says. "It's impossible. You are tearing this city apart and ruining everything that the Emerald City once stood for. You are turning this city into a joke, and the people are suffering. And for what? Why?"
"Because I demand respect!" The room shakes with the booming voice.
"Respect?" Gates asks.
"Yes," the wizard says. "Ever since I came to this city no one has respected me and I am sick of it. So I made sure that they would respect me by turning this city into a city filled with evil. And once day, I will save them from it so that I will be the hero."
"What's this?" James asks from the far side of the room. Gates looks over to see James standing beside a large curtain.
"I will not let this city prevail! I will show them that they need me to survive! That they are lost without me! This is my city! I am it's master!"
As the wizard speaks, Gates walks over to where James is and eyes the curtain.
"What are you doing?" the wizard asks as Gates raises a hand up and grabs hold of the curtain. "No!" the wizard shouts as Gates pulls on the curtain. The curtain falls away revealing a man wearing a green suit and standing in front of a series of levers and buttons. Slowly, the smoke begins to dissipate. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"
"You're the wizard?" Gates asks with a smirk.
"I am," the wizard says. "How dare you pull down that curtain! How dare you reveal the real me! You will pay for that!" By now the smoke has completely disappeared and the wizard turns to face the two men.
"'My Name is Terry'," Gates says, reading the name tag on the wizards suit jacket. "How can you be a wizard? You are just a man playing with toys."
"I am a wizard," Terry the wizard says. "I knew I was destined for greatness when I arrived here. All I had to do was outsmart the former noble wizard. And with the help of the Witch of the North, I won this seat fair and square."
"I doubt it was fair and square," Gates says. "From what I have seen, I doubt you've ever done anything fair and square."
"I have!" the wizard shouts. "But over time, the people didn't respect me and they didn't give me that recognition that I deserve! So I devised this plan to ruin the city before saving it. And you will not stop me!"
"But I will," Gates says. "I am not going to let a fraud run this place and tear it down from the inside out. I am not going to sit back and let you destroy a once prosperous city!"
"I am not a fraud!"
"You are!" Gates shouts back. "You played the smoke and mirrors game to your advantage, but when you break it down, you aren't anything you make yourself out to be. You aren't a great and powerful wizard at all. Everything you have done, it's all been a lie!"
"To you maybe, but you don't live here," Terry says.
"I don't have to live here to see that the people aren't happy," Gates fires back. "To see that you are crippling this city. And I can't let you continue to spread your lies."
"Oh and what are you going to do? Stop me?"
"Yes," Gates says. "I will stop you and I will show this entire city just how much of a fraud you are.
"I will show them that I am a better than you."
------------------------------------------------
"It's all just smoke and mirrors, isn't it Terry?
"No matter how many times you say otherwise, your attempts to try and convince us all aren't being bought. We see though your little games. We all see through the giant head facade and the smokescreen that you are trying to throw at us. We all see the truth that lies underneath.
"Though what are you hiding? You're still trying to hide the fact that you are a fraud, plain and simple. I don't know how many times I can go over it before you realize that I'm not just making things up. You've had a great year, that's something that many people will agree on, but the year becomes less and less impressive when you realize just how many dirty tricks you used to get there. When one realizes just how often you bent the rules to fit your own will, the year doesn't hold the same water.
"Sure, on paper it's been great. You won the Overdrive title, Test for the Best, the Undisputed title, Survive and Conquer and capped it off with the ViW Tag Team titles. How can that be anything but great? Well, it's simple, really. The biggest victories of the bunch came under shady circumstances. Test for the Best aside, it's not like one can see your Undisputed title win without realizing that you only won the title thanks to the help of Amy Noble.
"And if it wasn't for her, who knows? You might not even be the APW Undisputed champion. We might have had to put up with a raging Noble for a year instead of the evil tyrant that we got. The best part of it all is that you don't care. Maybe I'm trying to give you too much credit, but I know that when I win titles and earn accolades, I like to be able to think back and realize that I actually earned them. I like to think about how much I had to work to get them.
"I don't let a woman fight my battles, low blow my opponent, and then take the title with a shit eating grin splashed across my face. I don't let other people fight my battles and then take all of the credit for it.
"But of course, I'm not you, am I? I'm better than you, in every sense of the word. It's true, Terry. You might not see it right no, and you might never truly see it. Even when I beat you at Rasslemania, you won't realize it, but I am. I have more integrity then you, I fight my own battles, I own up to my own downfalls, and I definitely don't let myself lose sight of the big picture. And when it comes to wrestling ability? Well, take away your affinity for cheating, and yeah, I'd say that I am better then you.
"I have more tenacity, more perseverance, more will to succeed then you do. I fight for more than just myself, I fight for the fans and just for the sake of putting on a good match. I'm not constantly worried about gold belts, tournament wins and adding another bit of hardware to my trophy case.
"Even when I beat Level One, it wasn't solely based on the Undisputed title. When he and I clashed, our battle was always about him and I, at least to me anyway. Our fight was always about whether or not I could actually beat Level One on a big stage, or on any stage at all. He became one of those names that I had never been able to beat. But I did and in doing so I got a shot at you.
"Not your title, necessarily, but you. I got the chance to stop you, to make you realize that you aren't going to be the man for much longer. I got the chance to shut you up once and for all in a one on one match up. Sure, you can say that I failed at this at One Night in Hell, but I was also not fighting you alone. I wasn't going up against God's Gift to Wrestling on my own. There were other variables and other matters that were hanging around. There were other people that were making that task a bit harder then it needed to be.
"But now that chance has come, and I am not going to let it go to waste. You see, Terry, I am not Keaton Saint. Nothing against him, but I am not him. Unlike Keaton Saint, I haven't let you destroy my psyche. Sure, you think that you've ruined me, but you haven't. You're far from it. If I let every match between us ruin me, to make me think I couldn't beat you, I wouldn't have been able to beat Level One. You see, when he and I fought, I never beat him. Never. Maybe once in an eight man tag team match, but never one on one. So, sure, you used me as a landing spot at Survive and Conquer, you might have beaten me in a six man tag team match, when you didn't actually pin me, and you might have bested me at Clash of the Titans. And if you want to bring up the match where we tagged together, Terry, don't forget that we only won that match because Evan Envi decided to turn his back on his partner.
"Evan Envi decided to pull a Terry Marvin and turn his back on his team.
"But those are small potatoes compared to this. Those matches don't matter to me as much as Rasslemania does. They don't matter as much as a chance to fight you one on one. Because that's what all of those matches had in common. Clash of the Titans, the six man tag, Survive and Conquer, they were all matches littered with other people. They were all fights that had other variables in it. Level One probably carried your ass to victory numerous times, yet you don't want to admit it. Even in your so called retirement match, after I pinned Envi, Lester pinned me for the win, not you. Which is what makes this match that much different. This time, I'm allowed to fight you one on one with no one around to change the course of action. And it's a moment I'm looking forward to.
"And don't worry, Terry, I'm not jealous. I'm motivated. When I look up that so called ladder and barely see your feet because your head is stuck in the clouds, it drives me to push myself better. It forces me to become better then I was a day ago. This week in particular, it has made me work hard to make sure I am ready for you at Rasslemania. To make sure that I am prepared for anything that you have to throw my way. The best part is, that I know I can beat you, Terry. I've done it before and I know I can do it again. It might be nearly a year since I pinned you in a sanctioned match, but I did, and I am going to have that moment play again and again and again in front of the Toronto faithful.
"Because that's the difference between us. I'm not held up on pinfalls I got when they didn't even matter. I'm not worried about the three counts you made on me after matches when you attacked me from behind. In a match, sure, and those are few and far between when it comes to battles between us. In this year of time we've only fought each other one on one twice, and we've split those decisions.
"And one of them has ended in your favor, but that one was also filled with uncertainty. Not because of the outcome but because of the means of it. It's another smokescreen you are trying to throw up to throw people off the scent. You talk about beating me, you talk about how that match began your trek to super stardom in APW, but you don't talk about how that match ended in your favor because Stan Everdeen was sent to attack me. He was sent to take me out of action so that Biggs could get the upper hand on me in our eventual match. That is why I keep calling it an uncertainty, because no one truly knows if you would have beaten me in our match. No one knows if you would have truly gone on to win Test for the Best. No one knows any of this.
"Except you and your assuming nature. You assume you would have won regardless of who stuck their nose into the match because that's what you do. You don't look at the big picture, you focus in on what happened. That's why it is up to me to look at those pictures and point out the details that you 'conveniently' leave out. The facts that you don't look at when you are coming up with your rants.
"Like the one detail you glossed over multiple times in your run down of why I won't beat you. As I noted, there always seems to be a second or third person on your side to help you win matches. Whether that's Level One or Evan Envi, you always seem to take the total credit for what they did as well. Which is fine. That's the kind of person you are, so I can't really expect anything more. Anyway, this reliance shows me that you aren't the singles star you crack yourself up to be. You need people to have your back so that you can succeed. You want more proof of that? Just look to Sam Strachon, your new manager. There is only one or two reasons why someone has a manager, and I don't think he's your significant other. No, in your case, you brought him on board to do your dirty work so you can take all the credit.
"It's the only reason why you would suddenly need someone like Strachon by your side. You spent an entire year doing what you claim was a sand up job at being the best in the world, and all of a sudden at a big event where your title is actually on the line and in jeopardy of being lost, you bring in someone that will be able to stand in your corner, trip up my legs, and help you score a victory.
"Which is right in line with how your ego began to grow in the first place.
"You say that I created you, that it was me who failed to beat you in that qualifier, but I don't see that as being the truth. See, to me, that was thanks in large part to Biggs, but I am not going to sit here and blame him for anything. Because that is just one moment in time. There were many others along the way that saw you grow more and more like a monster, and there were more people then me that could have been able to stop you. If anything, Keaton Saint could have started you on your path to being a monster by feeding your ego time after time.
"But again, I don't want to blame anyone because, as of right now, moments like that don't happen. Right now, it's all about Rasslemania. Do I want to stop you? Sure I do. I would love nothing more than to end your reign of tyranny, to show any people who might call themselves your fans that you are nothing more than a floating head of smoke, one that can be removed with one big gust of wind.
"And trust me, I know that you have at least tried to get yourself some fans in the past week, since you have been trying to run my name into the mud. You have been trying to paint me as the villain so that people won't see me as the one to cheer for, so that they will cheer for you. I know your plan, I see what you're trying to do, but trust me, it's not going to work. You've pulled enough shit in the past month to make any fans of APW hate and loath you. You've played with their emotions, you've destroyed their faith in you, and now they are going to do all that they can to make sure that you don't have a single person cheering you on. They are going to cheer me on until I beat you. They are going to provide me with that little extra boost to get me into the right frame of mind to win.
"After all, when I began my rise back to this point, it was the fans that helped me along the way. It's been tough to get back here, but I did and I am not going to squander this chance. I am not going to let you just walk over me at Rasslemania and score a victory just to say that I main evented Rasslemania for the second year in a row, something that only Level One can lay claim to.
"With them on my side, I will be able to do what so many before me failed to do. I will be able to do what many have dreamed of doing. I will be able to beat you. As I have said countless times, Terry, you are not unbeatable. You are not untouchable. At some point, someone was going to come along and prove that, and slay this so called dragon and at Rasslemania, I am looking for that person to be me.
"You might see doubt in my eyes, Terry, but I call that a realistic point of view. But the doubt isn't about whether I can beat you, the doubt is about whether you can make this a good match, or if you will enlist the help of all of your friends to make it one big clusterfuck.
"You want to turn yourself into The Prince, that's fine with me. You want to be feared? Go for it. Just remember that with that fear comes loathing. With all of that, the people will hate you to your core even more than they did before. And one way or another, I will make sure of that. And no matter how many times you say it, Terry, everything that happened between you and Kurt Noble isn't going to matter here. No matter how many times you say it, warning the world about the inevitable about Noble isn't going to give you a pass into heaven. You're still evil incarnate and there's no changing that.
"Regardless, it all comes down to this. It all comes down to Rasslemania where our stories will finally cross paths. This is when everything that we have been doing for the past year is put to the test. It's your great year versus my comeback from obscurity, my return to relevance. I will stroll into your so-called lair and I will do what all great knights have done.
"I will slay the dragon.
"I will end the Year of Showtime.
"I will prove that you are the fraud I have claimed you to be since the beginning.
"I will end your reign of terror and free the people of APW and APW itself from your tyranny. After all, it's like the old saying goes. All good things must come to an end. I found that one out at this time last year, and after the year you had, after everything you have done and everything that has gone right, it's time for your good ride to come to an end as well.
"Its just how it goes, Terry. There's no way around it. At some point everything will end for you, and it's not going to be on your terms. It's not going to be part of a feel good story where Terry Marvin goes out on top, actually retiring because he's done too much. It's going to end at Rasslemania when it all comes down to you versus me.
"When it all comes down to the White Knight and the dragon.
"The North Dakota Cowboy and the Real Show.
"C.J. Gates and Terry Marvin.
"It's time to go big or go home."
