Post by Mad Mumf on Sept 11, 2013 10:31:02 GMT -4
Sometimes when you owe somebody a favor, they call in the favor on a small thing. Things like buying them a fancy bottle of wine or alcohol. Getting them a ticket to that next big sporting or music event you're going to. Hook them up with backstage passes at the wrestling show you're part of. Things like that. Then there are the favors like covering someone's shift at work or covering for them with an alibi or story. Those are all minor things you can do in return for a favor when a friend calls it in.
Then there are the big things. The things where a friend holds it over your head that you owe them and gets you to do something they need you to do, but that you really don't want to. Those are the tasks set before you that are much more serious and important. That's why reasonable people sometimes avoid asking for huge favors. You never know when someone will call one of those favors in. It could be shortly after you owed it to them. It could be years later when you least expect it. But any person worth a damn or with even an ounce of trustworthiness will still perform it regardless of how large the task or how long down the road it's asked of them.
The scene opens up to Mumf's locker room following another succesful outing at the Overdrive in Paris. Wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a tshirt, he's relaxing in a steel folding chair while he and Ivy make small talk and Ivy gives him a shoulder massage. His eyes are half lidded but go wide and fully open every time Ivy finds a knot in his shoulders and bares down on it.
Ivy - Jeez, Adam, you'd think you worked in a high stress business with all the knots I'm finding back here.
Mumf - Actually I'm not all that stressed out so much as that I haven't had any kind of massage probably in about five years.
He grimaces as she finds a particularly tight knot and begins going to work on it.
Mumf - Although, to be honest, three's been a few assorted things on my mind ever since business has started picking up around here.
Ivy - Well, you HAVE had your hands full. We've already talked about this, but just make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew.
Mumf - I'll be fine. I've got good people watching my back. We can handle anything that ends up getting thrown at us.
Ryan comes through the door with a printout of the following week's matches and tosses it to Mumf with a grin on his face.
Ryan - Well, hopefully you've got your game face on because apparently what's getting thrown at you next week is a shot at A.C. Smith's title.
Mumf raises an eyebrow and inspects the flyer.
Mumf - The Xtreme Title, huh? Yeah I don't see any way that could even remotely become a dangerous situation. Either way, an opportunity is an opportunity, and I've definitely found myself in a few extreme situations. This could definitely play to my strengths.
Ivy - Wasn't that the guy Shione beat this week?
Mumf - Yeah, it was. I'm gonna have to get in touch with her to compare notes on the guy. This is a big chance and I'm not about to let it slip...
As Mumf's speaking he's interrupted by a knock on the locker room door. He casts a look at Ryan and Ivy and shrugs, impressed after his first few office segments that somebody actually knocked.
Mumf - It's open. Come on in!
A man in a suit enters the room with a receding hair line of grey hair with a few stray patches of brown holding out against old age. Ryan and Ivy look perplexed as to the man's identity, but Mumf recognizes him immediately.
Mumf - John, welcome to Paris. I take it you're here to call in the favor I asked from you last week? You didn't waste much time. Let's hear it then, something tells me I'm not going to like it.
John - What gives you that idea?
Mumf - Aside from or including the fact that you flew halfway across the world to ask me to return the favor in person? You wouldn't be coming all the way to Paris for a social call or free tickets to something. That kind of stuff warrants a cell phone message.
John - Well, Mumf, here's the thing. I was going to be more than happy to just take the free top shelf liquor from you but something's come up.
Mumf sighs and casts an exasperated look at John.
Mumf - There's always something coming up. Your boys in the offices have been dying to get me boots on the ground on something ever since I left. Whether it was consulting, wet work, or security. The answer was the same every time. I hope it's something important, because I'm really tempted to say no regardless of how hard you've got me by the balls.
John - We really need you on this one. You're the best option we've got and you're already in Europe.
Mumf - I said let's hear it.
John - We've got a valued asset who refuses to report back in. He's a Serbian expat who's shacked up in Istanbul, Turkey and starting to step on the wrong toes. The mission is a snatch and grab. He's going to eventually piss off the wrong government official or black market dealer on one of his benders and end up dead if we leave him in te field, but here's the thing, we don't know what kind of security he keeps or his exact location. We've only gotten word on him second hand. He's not the type to come quietly, so that's why we need you. If anyone can non-lethally subdue this guy without causing any serious harm or raising too much attention, it's you.
Mumf - Alright. I'm not saying I'm going to take the job yet, but couple of big questions, do I have a team going in with me? If so, how many? Where am I suppose to bring him once I've got him subdued? Istanbul's got alot of nooks and crannies, but damned if a white man carrying around an unconscious Serbian isn't going to grab some attention. Also, I want assurance, that if I do get involved, there isn't going to be any changing of plans when I'm mid mission like the crap they pulled back in the day. I also want to know that there's a guarantee that any wet work will be done non-lethal. I want zero, and I mean ZERO kills as a result of this mission. I need a time table on this whole thing as well.
John - The sooner the better. The good news for you is that Athens is only ten hours from Istanbul and I'm pretty sure that's where your next show is located. This way you won't have to fly halfway around the world like my sorry ass. As far as your questions go, it's a one man job. You'd be expected to get the assett to Istanbul Hilton where a room has been reserved in the assett's name. Once there, a CIA handler will report for extraction and you can head back to Greece. This way you can get him around the streets under the guise of being a drunk if you so choose. As far as the non-lethal demands go, this is your mission, you run it however you want, and of course you'll be well compensated in your next pension payment.
Mumf sighs and runs his hands through his short-cropped hair.
Mumf - I suppose I don't have much of a choice. Alright I'll get this done for you, but it won't be until after my show next week. I'm not about to lose my focus for my match just so I can pull some Serbian drunkard who can't hold his booze out of the snake-pit.
John nods and grabs the doorknob again, opening up the door to leave before he pauses to comment.
John - That will be fine. Just keep in mind that by that point the assett may end up being even more jittery. Your mission file and dossier on the assett will be waiting for you at the front desk of your hotel in Greece. It should already be en route. Thanks again, Mumf. We'll be in touch.
Mumf grumbles under his breath as the door closes, shaking his head.
Mumf - Bastard assumed that I wouldn't say no before he ever even asked me... Alright either way, let's get ready to head out. At least I can focus on my match before I have to deal with this crap.
Mumf gets up from his chair and throws his stuff in his duffle bag while Ivy and Ryan pack up their things as well as the scene fades to black. After a few moments of blackscreen, a graphic appears on screen.
The scene slowly dissolves into a hotel balcony overlooking the ancient city of Athens, Greece. Mad Mumf is standing there on the balcony, looking out at the city below, wearing a pair of dark jeans, a white button down shirt, untucked, and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as he remains silent for a few moments.
Mad Mumf - Athens. Birthplace of the olympics and by extension, if there could be one birthplace for the business that we're in, birthplace of wrestling as well. This was the place where true public spectacle began and men strove against each other in contests of brute force in the attempt to defeat or eliminate the other while claiming the honor of being declared winner, champion, the best. Even back then without belts or titles or crazy gimmicks it all came down to the same thing. Proving yourself in the ring against the man pitted against you despite whatever the odds may seem.
That is a journey and a struggle that still exists to this day in this business. Always, competitors, new and old, veteran and rookie strive to climb the ladder to whatever prize it is they've set their eyes upon. Normally it begins with something simple, like having a winning record or making a name for yourself. Then it progresses to some of the lower tiered titles. The ones that aren't the World Title that still have an illustrious history and past as well as being held by worthwhile competitors who could contend for the World Title at some point as it is.
And so it comes down to this. My first opportunity for a title that doesn't involve a gimmick match or more than one opponent is presented to me this weekend in the birthplace of this business. After several months of fighting and clawing and being met with moderate success, the time has come for me to set my sights on one of this business's prides and accolades. In this case, the one that has been set before me is A.C. Smith's Xtreme Title.
A.C. it looks like, right now, you're finding yourself with a bit of negative traction. However, you appear to still be strongly confident and determined. Good. You've managed to keep that title of yours within your grasp up until now and you've even gone so far as to state you're the longest reigning champion currently in the brand. I'll grant you that that's impressive. I AM impressed. It tells me that when your title is at stake, you will stop at nothing to keep it. It tells me that you are the type of man who will dig down deep to pull out that victory so that somebody else doesn't walk away with YOUR title. But what happens when that title is not on the line? I think we found out last week when a friend of mine beat you in the middle of that ring and was the better competitor on that night. You may be one hell of a fighter. You may be as even keeled as I am. However, if you treat your non-title matches differently from the ones where someone is trying to take away that strap of gold, it's eventually going to bite you in the ass.
You seem to be of the opinion that you've got me figured out, and I have to laugh at that. Greater people have tried and many have failed. It's not such an easy task as anlysis and interpreting what I've done in the past. I am always evolving, always learning, always striving to get better at what it is I do. Every single person I've faced so far in the ring here in APW seems to think that they've managed to figure out just what makes me tick. Some assume that my only approach is being able to intimidate people or get into their heads. Some people think my primary weapon is the fact that I can keep calm and collected in that ring and focus on my opponent with a cold, calculating determination. These are skills I possess, yes. These ARE important attributes in the way I compete.
They are not, however, what make me who I am. Honestly, I don't know one hundred percent what defines me, but that is because with how long I've spent in this business, other definitions have always been added to the mix. New facets have come into creation with regards to my identity and my ability. You think you've faced people like me before, A.C., but you, sir, are sorely mistaken. If you start making assumptions about me at this point, you are already doomed to fail. I don't need to come into that ring and intimidate you. I don't need to get into your head right now. What I do need to, and plan to do, is step into that ring and fight you with everything I have. Whether you think my arsenal is one dimensional, or you believe you are going to expose me as some sort of one trick pony, I will come at you with the same determination that I have in every single match. I will be treating it with that same ravenous hunger for success that I always bring to the ring and claim what will soon belong to me.
And it WILL belong to me, A.C. Smith. Come Overdrive this Thursday in Athens, Greece, the longest current title reign on the program is going to come to an end. I am coming for you and for the Xtreme Championship on Thursday and I will take it by any means necessary and head home with my first piece of APW gold courtesy of beating you in the middle of that ring for the 1...2...3.
You can sit there and dispute what I'm capable of, whether I have more fire than you, whether you know what I can do, whether you're better than me or not, but none of it really matters. What really matters is that when you step into that ring on Thursday night, you are mine. You want to find out if you're better than me? You want to see if you're cut from the same mold or something better? Get into the ring and prove it. Because as of right now, A.C. Smith, I am telling you that come Thursday, your title reign will...not...survive.
With that Mad Mumf turns away and heads back in off the terrace as the scene slowly fades to black.
Then there are the big things. The things where a friend holds it over your head that you owe them and gets you to do something they need you to do, but that you really don't want to. Those are the tasks set before you that are much more serious and important. That's why reasonable people sometimes avoid asking for huge favors. You never know when someone will call one of those favors in. It could be shortly after you owed it to them. It could be years later when you least expect it. But any person worth a damn or with even an ounce of trustworthiness will still perform it regardless of how large the task or how long down the road it's asked of them.
The scene opens up to Mumf's locker room following another succesful outing at the Overdrive in Paris. Wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a tshirt, he's relaxing in a steel folding chair while he and Ivy make small talk and Ivy gives him a shoulder massage. His eyes are half lidded but go wide and fully open every time Ivy finds a knot in his shoulders and bares down on it.
Ivy - Jeez, Adam, you'd think you worked in a high stress business with all the knots I'm finding back here.
Mumf - Actually I'm not all that stressed out so much as that I haven't had any kind of massage probably in about five years.
He grimaces as she finds a particularly tight knot and begins going to work on it.
Mumf - Although, to be honest, three's been a few assorted things on my mind ever since business has started picking up around here.
Ivy - Well, you HAVE had your hands full. We've already talked about this, but just make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew.
Mumf - I'll be fine. I've got good people watching my back. We can handle anything that ends up getting thrown at us.
Ryan comes through the door with a printout of the following week's matches and tosses it to Mumf with a grin on his face.
Ryan - Well, hopefully you've got your game face on because apparently what's getting thrown at you next week is a shot at A.C. Smith's title.
Mumf raises an eyebrow and inspects the flyer.
Mumf - The Xtreme Title, huh? Yeah I don't see any way that could even remotely become a dangerous situation. Either way, an opportunity is an opportunity, and I've definitely found myself in a few extreme situations. This could definitely play to my strengths.
Ivy - Wasn't that the guy Shione beat this week?
Mumf - Yeah, it was. I'm gonna have to get in touch with her to compare notes on the guy. This is a big chance and I'm not about to let it slip...
As Mumf's speaking he's interrupted by a knock on the locker room door. He casts a look at Ryan and Ivy and shrugs, impressed after his first few office segments that somebody actually knocked.
Mumf - It's open. Come on in!
A man in a suit enters the room with a receding hair line of grey hair with a few stray patches of brown holding out against old age. Ryan and Ivy look perplexed as to the man's identity, but Mumf recognizes him immediately.
Mumf - John, welcome to Paris. I take it you're here to call in the favor I asked from you last week? You didn't waste much time. Let's hear it then, something tells me I'm not going to like it.
John - What gives you that idea?
Mumf - Aside from or including the fact that you flew halfway across the world to ask me to return the favor in person? You wouldn't be coming all the way to Paris for a social call or free tickets to something. That kind of stuff warrants a cell phone message.
John - Well, Mumf, here's the thing. I was going to be more than happy to just take the free top shelf liquor from you but something's come up.
Mumf sighs and casts an exasperated look at John.
Mumf - There's always something coming up. Your boys in the offices have been dying to get me boots on the ground on something ever since I left. Whether it was consulting, wet work, or security. The answer was the same every time. I hope it's something important, because I'm really tempted to say no regardless of how hard you've got me by the balls.
John - We really need you on this one. You're the best option we've got and you're already in Europe.
Mumf - I said let's hear it.
John - We've got a valued asset who refuses to report back in. He's a Serbian expat who's shacked up in Istanbul, Turkey and starting to step on the wrong toes. The mission is a snatch and grab. He's going to eventually piss off the wrong government official or black market dealer on one of his benders and end up dead if we leave him in te field, but here's the thing, we don't know what kind of security he keeps or his exact location. We've only gotten word on him second hand. He's not the type to come quietly, so that's why we need you. If anyone can non-lethally subdue this guy without causing any serious harm or raising too much attention, it's you.
Mumf - Alright. I'm not saying I'm going to take the job yet, but couple of big questions, do I have a team going in with me? If so, how many? Where am I suppose to bring him once I've got him subdued? Istanbul's got alot of nooks and crannies, but damned if a white man carrying around an unconscious Serbian isn't going to grab some attention. Also, I want assurance, that if I do get involved, there isn't going to be any changing of plans when I'm mid mission like the crap they pulled back in the day. I also want to know that there's a guarantee that any wet work will be done non-lethal. I want zero, and I mean ZERO kills as a result of this mission. I need a time table on this whole thing as well.
John - The sooner the better. The good news for you is that Athens is only ten hours from Istanbul and I'm pretty sure that's where your next show is located. This way you won't have to fly halfway around the world like my sorry ass. As far as your questions go, it's a one man job. You'd be expected to get the assett to Istanbul Hilton where a room has been reserved in the assett's name. Once there, a CIA handler will report for extraction and you can head back to Greece. This way you can get him around the streets under the guise of being a drunk if you so choose. As far as the non-lethal demands go, this is your mission, you run it however you want, and of course you'll be well compensated in your next pension payment.
Mumf sighs and runs his hands through his short-cropped hair.
Mumf - I suppose I don't have much of a choice. Alright I'll get this done for you, but it won't be until after my show next week. I'm not about to lose my focus for my match just so I can pull some Serbian drunkard who can't hold his booze out of the snake-pit.
John nods and grabs the doorknob again, opening up the door to leave before he pauses to comment.
John - That will be fine. Just keep in mind that by that point the assett may end up being even more jittery. Your mission file and dossier on the assett will be waiting for you at the front desk of your hotel in Greece. It should already be en route. Thanks again, Mumf. We'll be in touch.
Mumf grumbles under his breath as the door closes, shaking his head.
Mumf - Bastard assumed that I wouldn't say no before he ever even asked me... Alright either way, let's get ready to head out. At least I can focus on my match before I have to deal with this crap.
Mumf gets up from his chair and throws his stuff in his duffle bag while Ivy and Ryan pack up their things as well as the scene fades to black. After a few moments of blackscreen, a graphic appears on screen.
The scene slowly dissolves into a hotel balcony overlooking the ancient city of Athens, Greece. Mad Mumf is standing there on the balcony, looking out at the city below, wearing a pair of dark jeans, a white button down shirt, untucked, and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as he remains silent for a few moments.
Mad Mumf - Athens. Birthplace of the olympics and by extension, if there could be one birthplace for the business that we're in, birthplace of wrestling as well. This was the place where true public spectacle began and men strove against each other in contests of brute force in the attempt to defeat or eliminate the other while claiming the honor of being declared winner, champion, the best. Even back then without belts or titles or crazy gimmicks it all came down to the same thing. Proving yourself in the ring against the man pitted against you despite whatever the odds may seem.
That is a journey and a struggle that still exists to this day in this business. Always, competitors, new and old, veteran and rookie strive to climb the ladder to whatever prize it is they've set their eyes upon. Normally it begins with something simple, like having a winning record or making a name for yourself. Then it progresses to some of the lower tiered titles. The ones that aren't the World Title that still have an illustrious history and past as well as being held by worthwhile competitors who could contend for the World Title at some point as it is.
And so it comes down to this. My first opportunity for a title that doesn't involve a gimmick match or more than one opponent is presented to me this weekend in the birthplace of this business. After several months of fighting and clawing and being met with moderate success, the time has come for me to set my sights on one of this business's prides and accolades. In this case, the one that has been set before me is A.C. Smith's Xtreme Title.
A.C. it looks like, right now, you're finding yourself with a bit of negative traction. However, you appear to still be strongly confident and determined. Good. You've managed to keep that title of yours within your grasp up until now and you've even gone so far as to state you're the longest reigning champion currently in the brand. I'll grant you that that's impressive. I AM impressed. It tells me that when your title is at stake, you will stop at nothing to keep it. It tells me that you are the type of man who will dig down deep to pull out that victory so that somebody else doesn't walk away with YOUR title. But what happens when that title is not on the line? I think we found out last week when a friend of mine beat you in the middle of that ring and was the better competitor on that night. You may be one hell of a fighter. You may be as even keeled as I am. However, if you treat your non-title matches differently from the ones where someone is trying to take away that strap of gold, it's eventually going to bite you in the ass.
You seem to be of the opinion that you've got me figured out, and I have to laugh at that. Greater people have tried and many have failed. It's not such an easy task as anlysis and interpreting what I've done in the past. I am always evolving, always learning, always striving to get better at what it is I do. Every single person I've faced so far in the ring here in APW seems to think that they've managed to figure out just what makes me tick. Some assume that my only approach is being able to intimidate people or get into their heads. Some people think my primary weapon is the fact that I can keep calm and collected in that ring and focus on my opponent with a cold, calculating determination. These are skills I possess, yes. These ARE important attributes in the way I compete.
They are not, however, what make me who I am. Honestly, I don't know one hundred percent what defines me, but that is because with how long I've spent in this business, other definitions have always been added to the mix. New facets have come into creation with regards to my identity and my ability. You think you've faced people like me before, A.C., but you, sir, are sorely mistaken. If you start making assumptions about me at this point, you are already doomed to fail. I don't need to come into that ring and intimidate you. I don't need to get into your head right now. What I do need to, and plan to do, is step into that ring and fight you with everything I have. Whether you think my arsenal is one dimensional, or you believe you are going to expose me as some sort of one trick pony, I will come at you with the same determination that I have in every single match. I will be treating it with that same ravenous hunger for success that I always bring to the ring and claim what will soon belong to me.
And it WILL belong to me, A.C. Smith. Come Overdrive this Thursday in Athens, Greece, the longest current title reign on the program is going to come to an end. I am coming for you and for the Xtreme Championship on Thursday and I will take it by any means necessary and head home with my first piece of APW gold courtesy of beating you in the middle of that ring for the 1...2...3.
You can sit there and dispute what I'm capable of, whether I have more fire than you, whether you know what I can do, whether you're better than me or not, but none of it really matters. What really matters is that when you step into that ring on Thursday night, you are mine. You want to find out if you're better than me? You want to see if you're cut from the same mold or something better? Get into the ring and prove it. Because as of right now, A.C. Smith, I am telling you that come Thursday, your title reign will...not...survive.
With that Mad Mumf turns away and heads back in off the terrace as the scene slowly fades to black.
