The Inferno

[Kurt]

THE BOOK OF NOBLE

EPISODE I: THE WRESTLER

This is the night you’ve been waiting for.

This is the night that is going to change the face of Action Packed Wrestling forever.

This is One Night in Hell.

But make no mistake: Hell doesn’t just exist on this night. It has been building since Shockwave, the event that saw the emergence of the hatred between Johnny Rebel and Kurt Noble. Ever since Noble took his first step into APW, Rebel has hounded him into oblivion. Verbal lashings, physical beatdowns, and forced partnerships have left a trail of blood and unanswered questions throughout APW’s landscape. Is Kurt Noble really as good as he’s hyped to be? How far is Johnny Rebel willing to go to see Noble’s career end? Who really is the better man?

Noble must discover the answer to these questions, and fast. Failure to do so could mean not only a loss, but the end of Noble’s career. In order to survive the flames, Noble must find the balance he has searched for since signing with APW, the balance Johnny Rebel has prevented him from finding. The search for answers must be found through the mistakes Noble has made. He must answer the one question that will enable him to stand up to Johnny Rebel.

Does Kurt Noble believe in himself?

Chapter V: The Inferno

October 23rd, 2011
6:55 PM
Pre-One Night in Hell

“Can you beat Johnny Rebel?”

Shane West tips the microphone towards Noble’s mouth, his eyes somewhat widened as he listens for Noble’s response. “The Noble One” cocks his head back, and grins to himself, as if he’s just heard a humorous story. Noble glances around the backstage locker-room, where photographers and other backstage personnel have surrounded the interview area where Shane West and Noble are seated.

“Well, that’s a loaded question now, isn’t it Shane?” asks Noble as he averts his eyes from the interviewer.

“Well… I just imagine the fans in APW are a bit confused about that fact, after all. There’ve been rumors about your recent contract meeting with President Jeff , and really, your shirt is bit alarming…”

The camera zooms in on Noble’s black shirt, one that bears the words ‘Simply F’n Put’ across them! Noble nods as he yanks at the collar, displaying it for the photographers surrounding him.

“Can I beat Johnny Rebel? Well…that depends on who you ask…”

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October 16th, 2011
2:33 PM

“Kurty Boy, I’d like you to meet the one, the only, the invincible man himself… Johnny Rebel!”

Noble’s eyes widen as he stares at the man before him…who definitely is *not* Johnny Rebel. Alex Monkwood proudly shows off the man standing before Noble, as if he were an Olympic gold medal. Compared to the bald, tower-like totem pole of a man before him, Noble is a mere cowering child. The man’s head practically reaches the top of the ropes of the wrestling ring directly sideways to the trio.

“You know Monkwood…I’ve faced Johnny enough times since Shockwave you know that *maybe* this isn’t him…” The man does seem amused as Noble stares upward at him, causing sweat to roll down his face.

“Of course it’s not actually him!” declares Mr. Monkwood as he puts his arm around Noble. “But for all intents and purposes, for the next few hours, this is Johnny Rebel! One Night in Hell is just a hop, skip, and jump away, and we certainly don’t want you getting hopped on, skipped on, or jumped over, do we? So if you’re gonna train, nothing’s better than a doppleganger! Ain’t that right Johnny?”

‘Johnny’ says nothing, and instead trudges up the stairs, and into the training ring. Noble continues to smirk, and grabs Mr. Monkwood by the arms as he sizes up ‘Johnny Rebel.’

“You want to explain what this human gorilla is? This guy isn’t even close to Rebel’s size!”

“Bud, the way I see it, this is exactly how you should be seeing Johnny Rebel right now, especially after he turned you ino Raggedy Ann’s stickman brother on Overdrive. How many stiches did you need again?” asks Mr. Monkwood as he flicks Noble’s forehead, which is covered by a white bandage.

“You’re forgetting that *I* pinned him, not the other way around,” retorts Noble as he swipes away Mr. Monkwood’s hand. “He may have butchered me afterwards, but I held my ground; isn’t that what my regular training was about?”

“Hey, that was about surviving the jungle, kiddo; now we’ve gotta conquer Hell.” Mr. Monkwood jabs his finger at the troll standing inside the ring. “If you wanna even last five minutes against Johnny Rebel, you gotta show him those Johnsons you drag around with you; and I don’t mean your legs! The Sadistic Match is all about withstanding pain, so let’s see how much your loveable, sensitive face can take!”

Noble scoffs as he reluctantly moves towards the ring. “Yeah, let’s tenderize me a week before the biggest match of my career. That sounds like it’ll work…”

“I haven’t done wrong by you yet kiddo!” yells Mr. Monkwood as Noble climbs into the ring. The two men stand in the middle of the ring, their eyes locked. Mr. Monkwood rings a bell outside the ring, which momentarily distracts Noble. In his mental absence, ‘Johnny Rebel’ grabs Noble, and chucks him three feet into the ring corner! The second Noble attempts to recover, ‘Johnny’ moves in, and begins to lay into Noble with some well times fists, keeping him off guard. Noble kneels over in pain, but he’s lifted right back up! The man then backhands Noble, and Noble falls on the ring canvas, his eyes blinking rapidly as he attempts to stay conscious!

“Hey, maybe we should put Chewbacca Jr. here in the Overdrive title match for you at this rate!” yells Mr. Monkwood, getting as death glare from Noble in return. Noble picks himself up, and wipes his lip, before lightly touching the bandage on his head, a reminder of Rebel’s offense from the last Overdrive. Noble then moves forward, and hits a shot on ‘Rebel’…that does absolutely nothing. Noble takes a few more swings, but ‘Rebel’ is unfazed. ‘Rebel’ swings at Noble, but Noble ducks, and suddenly spins, hitting a light kick on ‘Rebel’s” leg, which momentarily causes him to stumble. Just as Noble moves in, ‘Rebel’ swings his hand like a guillotine, taking Noble down! Noble goes down, and blood begins to drip from the bandage on his head. ‘Rebel’ stands over Noble, seemingly ready to deliver the death blow, but a voice stops him.

“What on God’s green Earth is going on here?!”

The voice of Angela Medea, Noble’s other manager, drowns all activity in the training room. Monkwood’s sheepish smile deteriorates, as if he was just caught with his head in the cookie jar.

“Oh, hey, didn’t expect you for hours-“

“So you decide to send our client to hospital to kill time?” vehemently asks Medea as she shoves past Monkwood, and attends to Noble. “Jesus Christ, he’s bleeding again!”

Noble tries to stand up, but his leg is shaky from the short, yet intense contest. He falls down, and Medea pulls him out of the ring as Monkwood tries to move in.

“Look, we were just doing some high stress workouts to get our boy into shape! He’s gotta be able to take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’!”

“Idiot. There’ll be no match if you kill him before it starts!” Medea sits Noble down, and takes a nearby water ball, and begins to pour its contents on Noble’s forehead. He shakes a bit, as the crimson drips from his eyes.

"I’m fine…really…” mumbles Noble as he attempts to blink the stars out of his eyes. Medea turns ferociously towards Mr. Monkwood.

“What the Hell are you thinking?! One Night in Hell is just one week away, and you’re turning him into a slasher film victim! Johnny Rebel meant to open up Noble on Overdrive so he would have a place of attack for the Overdrive title match, and you’re helping him get the job done!”

“Hey, this isn’t my fault!” protests Mr. Monkwood. “Rebel’s made Noble look like Jaws bait the last two months, so God forbid someone try to toughen him up! If he can’t take down someone like this dofus, are you really expecting him to beat the REAL Johnny Rebel, or did you just want a show for all the little people out there?”

“Monkwood’s right.”

Noble slaps the water bottle to the floor, before sitting back in his chair, sighing deeply. “Rebel has gotten the best of me ever since I came to APW. I figured if I trained hard enough, I’d get back into a decent enough shape to actually be a match for him…but One Night in Hell is a week away, and I don’t feel any Goddamn different! I’m about to throw myself into brimstone and hellfire, and I’m not any better off than the day I limped into APW!” Noble scoffs, and stands up, stretching his leg.

“Well, you did pin him on Overdrive, like you said-“

“What, after CJ Gates hit him with the jawbreaker? Yeah, real impressive victory on my end.” Noble walks past Medea, and sighs as he faces her. “Maybe you were right Medea…maybe I have been looking good through others mistakes. If I can’t even do one single bit of damage against Hagrid over there, what shot do I have at the real thing?” ‘Rebel’ glares, but Monkwood shoos him away and out of the ring.

Noble limps into a nearby resting area, and leans against the sink, looking at his blood slowly dripping down his forehead. “Can I even beat Johnny Rebel?”

There’s a silence, as Medea stands behind Noble, unable to answer his question. Suddenly, Monkwood moves in the room with a white box.

“Hey kiddo, cheer up; it’s fan-mail time! I was going to save this until after your little spar out there, but I don’t figure that’s going to resume…”

“I don’t want your Goddamn mail,” asserts Noble. “I need to go back out and train. Monkwood’s got the right idea; I need to be able to survive this. Rebel’s hurt me a lot over the past two months, but it’s going to get a lot worse when we’re going at it with no CJ or Biggs to break us apart. My body needs to be ready for this. I have this one shot, this one chance to prove that I can fight on the same level as Rebel, and-“

“It’s from Phoenix Wrestling.”

Noble’s instantly silence, and snatches the box from Monkwood. He rips it open, and pulls out a small letter, before reading it aloud.

Dear Kurt Noble,

We here at Phoenix Wrestling would like to wish you congratulations on your recent success in the Experts and in Action Packed Wrestling. As you know, Johnny Rebel is a member of our organization. He is one of the top draws of the company, and the prospect of seeing you and Mr. Rebel face-off at One Night in Hell is one we cannot surely ignore. We here at PW will be watching what is sure to be an excellent contest of ability. To commemorate your current, and hopefully future success in APW, we here at Phoenix Wrestling would like you to accept this gift on our behalf. We hope it will help you find strength when you do face off against Johnny Rebel.

Sincerely,
Phoenix Wrestling

Noble seems stunned by the letter…that is, before reaching into the bag, and pulling out a black shirt with the words “Simply F’N Put” stamped across the front! Noble stares at the shirt, his face void of any emotion. Monkwood leans in.

“Uhh…am I missing some inside shtick or something here?”

“Phoenix Wrestling courted Noble after the Extreme Tournament ended,” states Medea in a rather harsh tone. “We can only assume they’re still bitter about losing him.”

“And now they’re getting their revenge,” says Noble, as he throws the shirt into the sink. “They expect me to get mauled by their International Champion, their freaking star child of the wrestling universe! If I fall, PW ends up looking good, and Rebel continues to be the highlight of the Experts, CWC, and anyone with functioning eyes! How am I supposed to beat this guy when no one even thinks I can do it?”

Noble slumps against the wall, and looks at the blood on his hands as Monkwood and Medea share a worrisome look. Noble sighs to himself.

“I thought I could change things in the wrestling world, but Rebel is five steps ahead of me. He represents both APW and PW, is leading the #1 seeded CWC team…and is getting a shot at Jack Benevolence at the next Experts event. He’s so plugged into the major circles that it’s hard to feel like they’re not all looking down at me. If I can’t beat Rebel, and he’s the one to take down Jack Benevolence… “

Noble shudders, and looks towards his two managers. His eyes are desparate, highlighted by the bits of blood around them.

“What do I do now?”

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“What exactly are you trying to say Mr. Noble?”

Shane appears confused as Noble chuckles lightly to himself.

“There are a lot of men that expect failure from me, Shane. They’re expected me to waltz into APW, trip over my two left feet, and burn out. Johnny Rebel’s one of them; except he didn’t wait for it to happen…he actively tried to make sure it happened. He attacked me at Shockwave. He made an example out of me by becoming CWC Supremacy Captain. He even made sure I wear my failure into our match.” Noble taps his forehead, where his scar is displayed.

“Yes, we saw Johnny Rebel hit you with ‘The Putdown’ into the Overdrive title on the last Overdrive. With that said, are you going to be able to physically compete with Johnny Rebel tonight in your Sadistic Match tonight?”

“I’ve spent the better half of the last week wondering that, Shane…and the answer is no.”

A wave of murmurs moves through the crowd, but Noble silences them with a motion of his hand.

“Johnny Rebel is a better athlete than I can ever be, and he’s shown it. He’s stronger than me, faster than me, and knows his way around a steel bat better than I do. He might even be the best wrestler I have ever faced…but he’s abused his power, and it’s made him shortsighted. He’s made APW his personal Hell. The only man brave enough to speak against him is CJ Gates, and he can’t do that tonight. He has to fight his own battles…so I’m going to fight mine. I’m going to march to my own demise, or so everyone thinks. But if you take anything away from this interview Shane, know this: This match is not over for me. Not yet. I’ve spent a lot of sleepless nights wondering what Johnny Rebel’s weakness is. I can sum it up in one phrase.”

“He doesn’t believe in me.”

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October 20th, 2011
7:33 PM

“I’m glad that you could meet with me on such short notice.”

President Jeff wipes his mouth with a napkin, as Noble pushes the flame broiled burger around on his plate. Both men are dressed in formal suits, although the bruises on Noble’s face don’t exactly paint him as ‘refined.’

“I like my job,” says Noble half-heartedly as he pushes his meal away. “I’d rather not lose it by refusing dinner. Not sure anyone would want a half-crippled wrestler…and that’s *before* One Night in Hell, mind you.”

President Jeff lightly chuckles, before pushing away his own food. “That’s actually something I wanted to discuss. Do you remember our first meeting after Shockwave?”

“The one where you fired my manager and threw every horrible thing I’ve ever done back into my face? Yeah, I think I remember it.” Noble’s deadpan inflection seems to amuse Jeff more than it annoys him.

“Yes…that one As you remember, we signed you to a short term contract in case things didn’t exactly work out between us…but I daresay that things have changed in APW. Let me clarify: You have changed things in APW. The impact you’ve made on our business is incredible, and you’ve made quite the impression on the roster. You see to be a talking point for a good deal of the wrestlers in APW.”

“Yeah…half of them want me gone. The other half are new, and haven’t had time to hate me yet.”

“Well, I’m about to give them time.” President Jeff reaches down, and pulls out a briefcase from under the table. He pops it open, and hands Noble a set of papers. “I’d like to extend your contract through the rest of the year. Should things continue to go well, we’ll talk about a long-term contract in 2012. Your work with Johnny Rebel has really helped APW overall, and we’re hoping to continue to see the same level of devotion from you throughout-“

“I have a question, Jeff.” Noble’s blunt usage of President’s Jeff name seems to dampen his positive demeanor.

“President Jeff, ask away.”

“Isn’t it true that Champions automatically get resigned for longer contracts? I mean, after all, you wouldn’t want them jumping ship with your gold around their waist.”

“Well…yes, that is true.” Jeff looks a bit uneasy as Noble flips through the contract, the same emotionless expression continuing as the pages turn.

“So, let’s say that hypothetically, I beat Johnny Rebel at One Night in Hell and become the Overdrive Champion…then I’d automatically get my contract length increased…and yet, here we are, just a few days from the event and you’re resigning me? You know what that says to me, Jeff?”

Noble leans forward, closing the contract as he meets the eyes of his boss. “You don’t think I have a shot in Hell of beating Johnny Rebel. You’ve booked me against him to watch me pound my head against a brick wall, and get bloodied for it. You’re expecting a good show from me…and that’s it. You expect Johnny Rebel to leave One Night in Hell as the Overdrive Champion.”

“That’s ridiculous!” snaps Jeff, as he looks around the room to make sure no one is listening in on their conversation. “Look Kurt, I wouldn’t have booked you if I thought you were going to get crushed. That’s just not good for business!” Noble scoffs, clearly not convinced.

“Good for business? What about what’s good for APW?”

“You know why I needed you to sign this before your match? Because all of APW assumes I’ve groomed you to become the Golden Goose! You haven’t heard the Elite Posse, Biggs, or even Johnny Rebel whine about you getting a title shot so early into your APW career? I’m trying to contain all this hate you’re talking about by making this fair!”

“This was never about the Overdrive Championship,” asserts Noble as he shoves the contract away. “I didn’t challenge Rebel because he’s Champion; I challenged him because APW needs someone that can. Rebel interferes in your Shockwave Main Event, cheats in his own title defense, and participates in weekly beatdowns…and no one says a damn word to him. Johnny Rebel doesn’t pay for his sins, and the wrestling world loves him because of it. Wrestlers have be held accountable for their actions. That’s what I want to change. That’s why I’m here. I won’t watch APW burn.”

Noble leans forward, and points to the cut on his forehead. “I pay for my mistakes, Jeff. I pay for them every day when I try and drag myself out of bed. But I won’t make my biggest mistake by doing nothing in the face of evil. In two days, I’m going to stand up to Johnny Rebel because someone has to. Even…even if I can’t beat him, I have to try. I can drag him through Hell with me. I can make the “God King” bleed; just watch me.”

Noble stands up abruptly. “Thanks for the dinner Jeff.” Before he can walk off, Jeff speaks.

“And can you lead APW?”

The question stops Noble, who turns back to the table.

“What?”

“Can you lead APW?” repeats Jeff as he taps the contract. “You and I both know Champions are the leaders of wrestling promotions. You may resent it, but Jack Benevolence is the leaders of the Experts, and Johnny Rebel is one of the leaders in APW. If you can defeat him, then you become one of the leaders of APW. I know there are others that doubt you; I’ve heard the rumblings amongst the Experts about you being a one trick pony. This isn’t just a chance to make Rebel pay; it’s a chance to grab the attention of the wrestling world. You did it once already in the Extreme Tournament, and now’s your chance to do it in APW. If you honestly don’t think you can, don’t sign the contract. But know one thing…”

Jeff hands Noble the contract, and a pen.

“I believe in Kurt Noble. I believe that you can defeat Johnny Rebel. Do you?”

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“I’ll be honest with you Kurt…I’m not sure how to interpret your responses. What exactly are you thinking about this match?”

Noble nods to himself, and stretches out his hand.

“How about you let me tell Rebel myself?”

Many nervous glances are exchanged as Shane reluctantly hands Noble to microphone. Noble then turns, and makes himself the center of the camera’s view as he holds the microphone to his mouth.

“I don’t know that you’ll ever see this Johnny, but there are things you need to understand before we destroy each other tonight. Despite everything we’ve been through over the past month…I don’t hate you. I don’t hate that you’ve belittled me at every opportunity, called me a fluke, and shit on everything I stand for. If anything, you could say I’m a fan.” Noble points towards his ‘Simply F’N Put” shirt.

“You know what I do hate though Johnny? I hate that everything you’ve put me through has caused me to doubt myself. I hate that you put me this inferno of doubt, and watched me burn. I expected a clean start when I came into APW, and you threw me into a warzone…but it truth, it’s the only thing I’ve ever known. I stood against the ORC in the Extreme Tournament, but I didn’t doubt myself; I became stronger. So what is it about you that makes me doubt the fact that I’m even here?”

“Maybe…maybe it’s because you might actually be better than me.”

“But I’m going to force you to prove it, just as I'm going to force you to see your sins.”

“You’ve told me week in and week out, that you’re better than me. You have success in everything that you do, and it’s shown off your GREED. You’ve swung that Overdrive title around like it was your key to Heaven, and it’s made others afraid of you. They see you as this untouchable Idol of wrestling. I won’t deny that your accomplishments are great, probably better than anything I’ll ever achieve….but if you think for one Goddamn second that I’m going to lay down and die for you, you’re wrong. And you know why that is?”

Kurt grabs the collar of his shirt, and rips it in half! He throws the shirt to the side, unveiling his new back shirt under it, which reads:

‘APW NEEDS KURT NOBLE’

“I’m not here to save APW, Johnny. When I came here, I thought I would be able to turn this place totally around…and you showed me that I can’t. You showed me that I’m not invincible. I’ve doubted myself because you’ve made me doubt myself…but you’ve made me stronger. You’ve changed me for good. That’s why I don’t hate you. That’s why I thank you Johnny.”

“And that’s why I’m going to hurt you.”

“Shane asked me just minutes ago if I could beat you, and I didn’t give him an answer. To be honest, I haven’t known for the longest time…until right now.

I can beat you Johnny…and your greatest weakness is not believing me…or believing *in* me.

We know you’re physically the better wrestler, but there’s more to both of us than meets the eye. There’s one reason why I can beat you: It’s because I understand you, and your skills. I won’t underestimate you. I won’t shrug you off or call you nothing. My goal tonight is to make you bleed…but not just physically.

In your strength, you’ve gained PRIDE. It’s well deserved. You’re at the top of APW, CWC, and the Experts. You’ve proven yourself to be one of the best around. Maybe I’m just another stepping stone to you, but I’m the man that’s going to challenge everything that you are, just as you’ve done for me. Your ego, your accomplishments, your *bullshit* isn’t going to protect you tonight. I have every intention of shattering this image you’ve built of yourself. Even if I *can’t* beat you in the end, there are far worse things I can do than pin your shoulders to the mat: You can believe that you, like me, might not be all you’re cracked up to be.

And I’m going to feel your WRATH as you try and prevent that from happening. You have the chance tonight to send me straight out of APW, just like you’ve wanted since Shockwave’s Main Event. One of us has to bleed tonight to end this madness. You’ve tried to soften me up over the last two months, but here I am. I haven’t left, I haven’t backed down, and I haven’t given up. Not today. You can beat me into a bloody heap tonight, but I *will* keep getting up…because APW needs me to. APW needs me to stand against you, and say ‘No.’

So that’s what I’m going to do…and that’s what I’m going to do for a very long time.

I had the chance to walk away from this, Johnny. I had the chance to refuse a sign an elongated contract, and back out…but that’s not what APW needs. It doesn’t need the SLOTH that you’ve made the norm. It doesn’t need referees turning a blind eye to interferences. It doesn’t need management refusing to punish lazy Champions like you. It doesn’t need men unwilling to fight to defend APW. It needs action.

It doesn’t need this GLUTTONY that you’ve spread. This past month has been one of the most violent of my career, and you made it that way. You’ve overindulged in sadism, and it’s shown. Biggs nearly killed Gates because you made that the norm. Kash was nearly taken out before his match because you made that the norm. You changed APW for the worse, and to change things, I have to hurt you.

So I’m going to deal the greatest blow I can to you: I’m going to take the Overdrive Championship from you…or I’m going to force you to be better to keep it from me. That’s your choice.

You cannot rely on your LUST for violence to beat me tonight, and to keep the Overdrive Championship. You have to be better than that. You’ve pounded me to Hell for the last two months, and I’m still here. You’re going to have to dig deep, just as I’ve done, to beat me tonight. You can’t beat me like you have others in APW. My body has been through pain, Rebel. It’s part of being crippled, something you’ll no doubt exploit... but you have to be better than what you have been to win this. You’re going to have to want it more than anything else. You have to show me that you want it.

So do it. Show me your best, and I’ll show you mine.

But through it all Johnny…I think you ENVY me. You envy the fact that I don’t need destruction to work my way through the ranks: All I need is willpower. You envy that I came into APW with fists swinging, and was rewarded for it. That’s what makes you hate me…but I’m not a spoiled child Johnny. I’m going to show you that willpower that you envy so much. I am going to give you the very best I have tonight. I’m going to show you that I can lead this company away from the Inferno that you’ve made it. Even if I can’t beat you, even if I can’t become Overdrive Champion, I’m going to do something great tonight.

I’m going to make you believe in me. After October 23rd, 2011, you are going to believe in Kurt Noble.

I can’t save APW alone Johnny…but I can make it just a little bit better than when I found it. After two months of Hell, and seeing my own weaknesses, that’s what I’ve come to understand Johnny…and I thank you for that.

‘Simply F’N Put’? No…you don’t believe that. Not tonight, for One Night in Hell, you don’t. If you’ve shown me anything, it’s that we’re deeper than being ‘simply put’.

I’ve faced my sins, Johnny. Now, you have to face yours. You have to face your GREED, your PRIDE, your WRATH, your SLOTH, your GLUTTONY, your LUST, and your ENVY.

You have to face me.

I’ll see you in Hell, Johnny Rebel.