Media Annoyance

[Tommy Knox]

///Media Annoyance\\\
Interview

Sunday 7:27 AM [June 16th, 2013]
Phoenix, Arizona

The atmosphere at Sky Harbor International is calm this morning. The sky is blue with a slight grey tint from the clouds in the distance overlooking the airport. A gentle wind blows as it kicks up a trail of dust in its path. Things aren't quite a busy as expected inside. It's Father's Day, the last place anyone wants to be is the airport when they could be spending their time with family.

Inside, Tommy Knox is seen walking up from a terminal with a black duffle bag draped over his shoulder. As usual, he's dressed the attire with tattered, faded jeans hanging over his black boots. His shirt is sleeveless, showing off the many tattoos he's gotten over his lifetime traveling the world. As you may have guessed, he's also wearing his sunglasses as always.

Just as he gets out of the terminal, an unknown face walks towards him with another man trailing behind with a camera in hand. Great, this is exactly what Knox wants to deal with this early in the morning right after a plane ride. Reporters, the media, parasites is how Knox views them all. The reporter leading the crusade towards Knox, pulls out a microphone and rushes in before Knox even has a chance to avoid them.

"Do you have a moment, Mr. Knox?" the reporter asks as she looks at Knox with a kind look in her eyes.

"Damn, I can't even get settled and have a moment to relax before you people move in like sharks at the scent of blood in the water." Knox says as he slides his sunglasses away from his eyes and above his eyebrow.

"Sorry to bother you. We didn't expect any wrestlers to make their appearance this early in the morning. The show is tomorrow night and we were only getting set up now as we wait for the flood of APW megastars to come though. You were merely just a surprise to be honest." the reporters says as Knox looks at her with an annoyed look on his face.

"A surprise?" Knox questions.

"Yes, a surprise. Anyone who follows APW knows who you are and what you represent. Honestly, I wasn't even planning on questioning you if you did walk through this airport and caught our attention. I'm sure talking to the media is the last thing on your mind. Since no one else is here this early, I figured what the heck." the reporter says as she brushes her hair out of her face with her free hand.

Knox thinks to himself for a moment before replying with a cocky look across his face. "You know what, fuck it. I have a little time to pass before my ride gets here anyway. My flight left a little earlier than planned so here I am with free time and nothin' else to do."

"I'm glad to hear that! I won't take up much of your time. I'm just trying to get a few words about tomorrow nights Meltdown at U.S. Airways Center." the reporter says as Knox's eye widen.

"Tomorrow nights Meltdown, I don't even know where to begin. I'll entertain you for a moment before I bounce and get the hell out of this place. I want to make a few things clear before proceed. First, I'm not censorin' my language. If you want this interview then you're goin' to get the real me, not the censored version that has to appeal to television guidelines. Second, I want you to make sure that this footage makes its way to both Jace Savage and Buckson Gooch."

"I don't care when you plan to release this footage after you speak with every other wrestler, just make sure that a copy makes it to their hands if and when you see them walk through these halls. If you don't see them here, get one delivered to the arena or find out where they're stayin'. I don't care how you do it, just get it done."

"Understood, we can definitely make that happen. And please, be yourself. We can always bleep any content out that isn't suitable for our audience." the reporter says as a smile comes to her face in excitement of the first interview of the day.

"Walk with me." Knox says as he nods his head and takes a step forward, leading with cockiness in each step. "So, where should I begin?"

As the three continue to walk through the airport, the reporter thinks to herself for a brief second and speaks up. "Just tell us a little about this matchup tomorrow night and where it points for things leading into Test for the Best."

Knox cracks a grin as he looks around the airport and lowers his sunglasses back over his eyes. "Where this match leads into Test for the Best? I honestly can't tell you. I don't know what management has planned for me at Test for the Best. Honestly, I could care less after Thursday night when I handed the match to Havok. I reacted too slow and left an openin' for him to capitalize on my mismanaged time. I can promise you that I won't make that same mistake twice. Havok and I will meet in the ring again, you can bet on that. The League isn't safe from these hands and I'm goin' to prove that to them after I rip Buckson Gooch to shreds. But enough with Havok and The League, their time will come just like those posers in NBK's time came, just like Jake Titan's time came. I don't forgive and forget, I get fuckin' even and don't stop until I have the last word."

"Tomorrow night, I have the opportunity to redeem myself before headin' into Test for the Best blind as to what management has in store for me and Gooch. Hell, we might not even face off in the ring. Then again, we could go at each others throats the entire night. There's a pure hatred between the two of us and it's boiled over for far too long. After I turned my back to him and embarrassed him in that ring for losin' the tag titles for us, I should have squashed the beef within the next week or two."

"It never should have carried over for this long but since it has, the hatred between us two has grown to even greater lengths. I don't know what management has in store for us at Test for the Best but I will guarantee you that tomorrow night will be one hell of a night for the man talkin' to you right now. Tomorrow night is the last event goin' into Test for the Best and damnit, I plan to make an impact and head into the pay per view with enough momentum to steam roll over whatever management decides to place in front of me."

A silence fills the air for a slight moment. The reporter then notices that Knox is leaving an opening for her to ask another question and she capitalizes on the opportunity. "How doesn't Jace Savage fit into this picture, this rivalry between you and Buckson Gooch?"

"He doesn't, really. A few weeks back Niobe and I kicked his ass in the ring and he just can't stand that taste it left in his mouth. Pride will get you killed. Now I wouldn't go as far as that but I will go as far as killin' his career in front of an audience of people who pull for little punk, baby-face bitches like Jace. All I've heard from him is talk about how he's goin' to settle the score. Hell, I just saw his latest promo online while waiting for the plane to get situated after landing."

"This guy has the nerve, the stupidity to say that he is a better wrestler than me. Can you believe this nonsense? I lost a close match to a far more challengin' opponent than Jace could ever be in this tournament for Test for the Best. I lost to a megastar on Overdrive, APW's premier brand. I'm man enough to own up to that loss. I won't sit here and make excuses about what happened, it is what it is. But one thing is for certain, advancin' in a tournament with less competition than someone who didn't against a higher level doesn't make you a better wrestler."

"In fact, it makes you a complete moron to think that the two could even compare. I did my time on Metldown before gettin' called to the bigs. Where is he at? What has he done? Jace's just a steppin' stone for people like myself who come through Meltdown with aspirations of breakin' onto the set of the fuckin' show. If I remember correctly, and I'm sure he does as well. When he first came onto Meltdown he issued an open challenge for anyone in the locker room to accept. My memory is a little cloudy, I've burned through a lot of joints since then, but wasn't it me that answered the call? Was I not the person to accept his pathetic challenge and carry it onto Meltdown with a street fight where I handed him his ass and made him my bitch?"

"I dragged him all over that arena and put a hurtin' on him like he's never even imagined could happen. While this was takin' place, I also had to deal with Jake Titan stickin' his nose in our business. Even with him steppin' in, I still managed to beat Jace into a pool of his own blood and get the win. While havin' my shirt set on fire by Jake, I still managed to choke Jace out and show him who the better wrestler is. I'll leave it at that, it's a story that pretty much tells itself. Maybe he's just too stupid to see the big picture here and lives in a world of imagination to overcome the fact that he's simply just not that good."


"Those are strong words, Tommy Knox. Where does Gooch fall in all of this?" the reporter asks.

Knox laughs to himself before answering. ""Seriously? Do you even have to ask? This whole thing revolves around Gooch. When I attacked Jace a few weeks back it was to get Gooch's attention since he's the so called "good guy" in APW. It worked too. I grabbed his attention and I haven't let go since. He had his time to shine a little over a week ago when we got into a scuffle on Overdrive. I hope he enjoyed every moment of it because it's goin' to be the last time he EVER shines against me. The other night on Overdrive, I made an example out of him and sent a message to his friends."

"Tommy Knox isn't here to conform and bow down to the craze that all these weak ass factions have created in APW. It doesn't matter is Gooch is aligned with The League or the U.S. Army, no one is safe when you cross the baddest man on Overdrive. This whole rivalry began with just Gooch and I. Lately, it has evolved into so much more now that these factions have popped up and plagued APW like a sexually transmitted disease. What can you expect, though? Things are goin' to get dirty like an STD when you have skanks like AJP in the mix."

"Things are what they are. The hatred between Gooch and myself hasn't changed one bit. I'm ready to put this thing behind us so I can focus on bigger things, like the downfall of weak empires within APW. Monday night is the last time that anyone in the locker room will see me before we head into Test for the Best. Jace has taken it upon himself to target his rage towards Niobe, pfft. I know for a fact that she welcomes the small threat with open arms. Niobe is far more of a competitor in the ring and damn sure a better fighter. I like my women with a wild, rough side to them and she's everything rolled into one package."

"Tomorrow night, Meltdown gets to witness... the entire world gets to witness Iron Nightmare rip Buckson Gooch and Jace Savage limb from limb. I've been lookin' forward to this match since I heard about it and it sends chills down my spine. It excites me to know that APW is castin' Savage and Gooch to the ring to be slaughtered Monday night. I just hope there's enough left after I'm finished with Gooch to have a one on one match down the road to settle our differences. Then again, what do I care if he isn't capable of climbin' back in that ring after Niobe and I put him on his back and beat the livin' hell out of him again. As for Jace, his time is comin', his short time before becomin' nothin' but a small image in our rear view mirror. No one can save him. Gooch can't save him. His daddy can't save him. The law can't even save him. What about his friend, Jason Kash? Good luck with that."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, my ride is here. I have a few things to attend to before Niobe gets into town."

As the three stand in the lobby by the entrance, a pack of motorcycles pull up with a black van following. Knox nods at the reporter and heads to the door, leaving them behind as he looks forward to Meltdown. Once outside, Knox climbs in the van and they all drive off as the scene slowly fades to black.