Beyond Good And Evil

[Kurt]

APW Rasslemania
Beyond Good and Evil

March 8th, 2012
Post-Overdrive

“What have I done?”

Noble leans up against a blue locker as sweat drips down his chin. He runs his fingers through his hair as he begins to choke, his hand gripping against the locker door for support. In the background, both Medea and Monkwood stare at Noble from a distance. Monkwood leans forward towards Noble.

“Well, if you ask me kiddo, what we just saw was you finally making CJ Gates take you seriously! That chump’s been leaning on you for weeks to get the Undisputed title back in time for Rasslemania…but it's his fault for losing it in the first place! If he had the balls to actually take on Rebel and Blade himself, he-“

Noble slams his fist against the steel, leaving a noticeable dent that silences Monkwood.

“I just lost the only friend I have in APW!” Noble snaps as his fingers twitch against the locker-door. “I thought everything was going to be okay after helping CJ get the belt back…but then CJ was attacking me! What the Hell happened…?”

“CJ Gates showed how much he is afraid of you,” Medea asserts in an authoritative tone. “If he really cared about your friendship, he would have given you time to explain what happened. He didn’t. He has assumed the worst of you, and it is time for you to do the same. I warned you against that man Kurt-“

“DON’T YOU GODDAMN LECTURE ME AFTER WHAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH!”

Noble bellows at Medea before grabbing the locker-door, and ripping it off its hinges! He flings the steel door across his locker-room, and it knocks over a water-tank, spilling the contents to the floor! Noble turns towards Medea, his nose and mouth twitching as he faces his mentors. Suddenly, his eyes soften, and he begins to move towards the door.

“I’ve g-got to try and make things right. CJ will understand. It has to-to be he and I against Rebel and Blade at Rasslemania. He’ll understand i-if I just explain it to him-“

“NO!”

This time, it’s Medea’s voice that silences the room. She moves in Noble’s path, reigniting the anger in his eyes.

“Get out of my way Angela. I don’t want to hurt you-“

“Get a hold of yourself, you damn fool!” Medea barks at Noble. “This man has wronged you, used you, and claimed to be your friend, and now you want to grovel at his feet before the most important match of your career?! Christ, when you took the Undisputed Title, did he take your spine in return?”

Without warning, Noble reaches forward, and grips Medea by the collar of her blouse! He pushes her against the wall as his knuckles clench back! Monkwood moves in to stop him, but Noble effortlessly pushes Monkwood away with one hand!

“Stay out of this,” Noble grunts as he locks eyes with Medea, who shows not an ounce of fear as she stares down her client.

“Do it,” Medea declares as she looks at his fist. “If anything, to show me that you can…because when the time comes, this is exactly what you’ll need to do to Johnny Rebel, Blade, and CJ Gates. You have no friends in APW…and those men will surely let you roll over and die in your mental agony if it means you stepping away from the Undisputed Title picture. I won’t allow that…so do it. Show me the real 'Kurt Noble.'”

Noble’s fist shakes in mid-air as his fingers become white. Monkwood watches on in horror as Noble’s fist moves inward!

“That’s enough Kurt.”

Noble's hand hits the wall, leaving a trace amount of blood. All eyes turn towards the speaker…Kurt Noble’s wife, Amy Register! Her beautiful face is blank as she stares at her husband, who instantly releases Medea.

“I…what are you doing here?” Noble asks in disbelief.

“Saving you, it would seem,” replies Amy in monotone. “Saving your career, that is. If the two of you wouldn’t mind, I’d like a word with my husband.”

Medea and Monkwood waste little time in exiting the room. Noble’s eyes glance around the destroyed room, a product of his rage.

“I…I wasn’t going to…” Noble mumbles as he hangs his head in shame. Amy moves forward…and SLAPS Noble across the face! He barely reacts…but nearly shakes as Amy embraces him for a hug. Noble buries his head in her shoulder as his eyes become misty and his hands wrap around her.

“Amy…I’m so sorry. I’ve done terrible things here in APW…when I should have been with you. I’m going to resign and forfeit the Rasslemania match-“

“No, you aren’t,” Amy states as she looks up at Noble. "In fact, from here on out…you’re not listening to the advice of anyone but yourself. I’ve watched your past few weeks here…it seems like everyone is trying to fill your head with all kinds of ideas. CJ Gates, Rebel, Blade, Medea, Monkwood…they’re all trying to make you into someone you’re not…but you know who you are. You can’t let these people lead you down a path that isn’t yours.”

“And if I don’t know what path is?” Noble asks as he faces her. “I…I barely know who I am anymore-“

“You know exactly who you are. You’re my husband. You’re an APW wrestler. You…are the man that is going to change APW forever. I heard your conversation outside the door…you wonder if you’re walking the wrong path…but know one thing Kurt: Only you know the path to Rasslemania. Only you know what the right decision is here. It’s time for you to act on your decisions, not theirs. It’s time you take your life back…for APW. For me.”

The corner of Noble’s mouth forms a small smile, and he strokes his wife’s blond hair.

“Even when you’re not working with me…you’re making everything better. I need you around here, you know.”

“We’ll see about that,” Amy says with a smile to match Noble’s.

“I love you Kurt.”

“I love you too Amy.”

Noble looks towards the door.

“You two can stop listening through the door and come in now…”

The door opens, and in walks Monkwood with a rather somber looking Medea behind him.

“Well that was fast! I was expecting some angry make-up sex after everything we just saw-“

“Grab the camera Monkwood,” Noble interjects with authority, Monkwood snaps to attention and grabs a nearby bag.

“Oh, you gonna film it? How kink-“

“Nevermind that. We’ve got a Nobledrive to film. I imagine everyone’s squirming after seeing CJ and I go at it an hour ago…well now it’s time they get the truth…it’s time they get the real me...the one they haven't seen in a long time.”

“Okie doke!” Monkwood exclaims. He and Monkwood begins to move out the door, before Noble gives Medea a glance.

“Sorry.”

Noble smiles at Amy one last time before exiting with Monkwood. Medea stares at the door.

“That was an appropriately timed entrance you made. Another second and your husband would have-“

Medea turns back…and takes a SLAP from Amy! Medea’s jaw hangs open as Amy’s face turns into a snarl.

“Don’t you ever talk about him, or too him again like that, you Goddamn bitch,” Amy snaps! “Let’s get one straight: It’s time you and that lard of a partner stop filling Kurt’s head with these grandiose thoughts. You don’t know the people you’re hurting…or the people’s he’s hurt because of you. From now on, I’m going to be the one keep tabs on Kurt, not you…and after he wins the Undisputed title on his terms, I’m going to take him from this dreadful place. Kurt is going to retire being the best there ever was…without your 'help.'”

Amy begins to move towards the door as Medea wipes blood from her chin. Amy stops in the doorway.

“And after it’s all said and done, and Kurt is the Undisputed Champion…I’m going to watch him destroy you for your sins. Believe that.”

Amy opens the door and slams it behind her! Medea wipes some blood from her lip again and stands alone in the room. Her eyes focus on Noble's blood dripping down the wall.

“You don't know the war you've started, Mrs. Noble.”

-
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Nobledrive
Rasslemania Edition: Part I

Action Packed Wrestling Presents...Nobledrive!
Featuring the host, APW Megastar... Kurt Noble!

“If you’re watching this March 8th edition of Nobledrive, just an hour after the final Overdrive before Rasslemania has gone off the air, one of two thoughts are filling your head right now:

“The first…is that I’m the ‘good guy’ going into Rasslemania.

“The second...is that I’m the ‘bad guy’ going into Rasslemania.

“I’m streaming this Nobledrive tonight to address both these statements…and more importantly, to classify them both as lies. Over the next two weeks, you’re going to hear those two phrases quite often. You’re going to see the Twitterverse light up with 140 characters of judgment. You’re going to see the forums and webpages get hit after hit as my competitors and I take hit after hit. You’re going to see people reduced to nothing more than labels…but unlike how one of my competitors would paint the picture of the Rasslemania Fatal Fourway Main Event…this story, the story of CJ Gates, Johnny Rebel, Blade…and myself, Kurt Noble, is not ‘simply put.’

“In fact, the last seven months of my career in APW have weighed more heavily on me than you can imagine, which makes this Rasslemania Main Event more complex and more complicated than the last month would lead you to believe. Just one hour ago, as I stood at odds with CJ Gates at the end of Overdrive, I asked myself…’Who the Hell am I?’ If I’m to stand against CJ Gates again at Rasslemania…I have to know the answer to that question. It’s the same question I’ve tried to find the answer to since I stepped into the Xcel Energy Center arena on August 28th for APW Shockwave. After seven months, eighteen matches, one title victory and one title loss, and the toughest challenge of my career, I have the answer to that question…but to understand it, you have to walk the same path I’ve walked with Johnny Rebel, Blade, and CJ Gates.

“So, Nobledrive Nation, I am going to tell you the story of how four men got to this point. It’s a story of hatred, fire, domination, authority, brotherhood, good, and evil. It’s my story.

“It’s the story of how we got to Rasslemania.

“When I first stepped into APW on August 28th, I knew my presence sent a Shockwave through the company. After all, I was refereeing the Undisputed Title Main Event match between CJ Gates and Biggs. I was a stranger walking through a strange land, having never been directly involved with any member of the APW community. I came into APW thinking I could be the ‘good guy’ and give the promotion a hero it needed. I thought I could be the one to change things, and maybe be in CJ Gates’s position one day, fighting the Champion that could not lead the kingdom he ruled over. I thought I could one day be the 'Good Guy King’ in APW…

“And then I met Johnny Rebel.

“Johnny Rebel… until today, I never understood why you attacked me during the Shockwave Main Event. If dealing with Blade has shown me anything, it’s that you don’t make friends easily and you have a hard time keeping them. You and Biggs weren’t allies. You weren’t enemies with CJ Gates or myself. I could sit here, and take the easy route by calling you a jealous, low-life human being that had to be act through the only medium you knew how: violence. I could sit here and deride you for always ducking out of challenges, like when you walked out against Young Mannie during your Overdrive title defense less than two weeks after Shockwave. I wish I could sit here and call you the ‘bad guy’. I wish I could say you were evil…but having watched our foot-steps together, you aren’t that guy.

“You were the guy that wanted to be heard.

“I didn’t understand that sense of resentment you felt living in someone else’s shadow at the time, so I branded you my archenemy. I aligned with CJ Gates, and for the next month, stumbled alongside him like a dog follows its master. There was this…controversy that CJ Gates had the Undisputed Championship because of me, like I had shaped the APW landscape at Shockwave…the one we would walk on for the rest 2011. CJ and I had a mutual respect for one another, and I wanted to learn all I could from this 'indestructible, unbeatable' Champion. I wanted to be CJ Gates.

“So I idealized you CJ. I thought that if I stood by your side, we could fight the battle for APW’s soul together. I stood between you and Johnny Rebel so that I could defend you…so you would acknowledge me as a challenger that APW could believe in…that you could believe in. Much like Keaton Saint got branded my ‘underling’ during his first few weeks here, I was beneath you.

“And then we spent One Night in Hell.

“That was the night that I became Overdrive Champion…the night that together, we all trekked through fire and watched who stepped out through the flames. This was the night I learned the kind of man that Johnny Rebel is…the kind of man that would go to the ends of the Earth AND Hell to prove he was better. I always assumed there was a line I would never cross…but it’s a trick. Just a shadow on the wall. I realized that if I let Rebel past me, he would fight you CJ…so for the first, but not last, time in my career, I summoned the energy to defend APW from Johnny Rebel…and won. I finally thought I could walk with the same determination you do.

"I stepped out with gold in my hand, and for a moment, I thought we could be equals…but even then, you one-upped me. Hell, how do you do that CJ? I stumbled out of the forest fire with cuts, bruises, and a scarred reality of the kind of man I needed to be to beat men like Johnny Rebel. You…you emerged as CJ Gates, the ‘indestructible,’ ‘unbeatable’ Champion.

“That was the man you were when you defeated me on the next Overdrive on November 3rd.

“I won’t lie to you CJ…it’s intimidating walking into Rasslemania knowing you hold a victory over me, while I hold no wins over you. In the seven months I’ve been here, I have not seen you lose one singles match in APW. Even when I lied to myself that I walked beside you on this path to Rasslemania, you were always flying high above me, fighting dangers I couldn’t see. You held that title…the title many believed I helped you win…with such pride. You were APW to me. I believe that even at Rasslemania, you will fight me with the same determination you struck me, Rebel, and Biggs down with. You, CJ Gates, are the man I so desperately wanted to be.

“But the battle for Supremacy among us showed me that we could never walk the same path together.

“You changed CJ. When we weren’t in APW, when we weren’t fighting for APW, you were different. I’ve been accused of being title hungry the last month…but you showed me where you true intentions lied. When we reached the finale of CWC Supremacy, you were forced with a decision: fight with us, or fight Azrael. Do you remember the choice you made CJ?

“I sure do.

“You fought Azrael. I now understand why you did what you did. You wanted to be great, to walk an even tougher path that I could follow. Hell, maybe you wanted to leave the rest of us behind on our journey. I didn't get it the time…but after One Night in Hell, I understood fighting for APW. So, I shook Johnny Rebel’s hand, and marched out to what seemed like a most certain defeat. In the end, I was the one standing over Doug Fresh…with your help. Many said it was us coming full circle after I helped you at Shockwave. I know why you helped me win Supremacy…

“And I don’t know that I can ever forgive you for it.

“You tried to win back APW’s love by assisting me against Fresh…but I’ve learned that you just can’t have it both ways CJ. I want you to look at the last Overdrive CJ, and tell me it’s not true: You can’t fight for yourself and APW at the same time…without becoming the ‘bad guy’. You walk a straight path, or you walk none at all…that’s the lie they feed us. This is where good and evil become just words CJ. You and I…we think we thought we were assisting one another at Shockwave and Supremacy…but in reality, we were robbing one another of the moments of our careers. We tried to be decent men CJ…and look what we did to one another. Look at what we’ve ALL done to one another.

“Blade…Rebel…Gates…

“Are the lines starting to blur yet?

“Because if they haven’t, then maybe that cold, shivering…familiar feeling will clarify things. With Christmas…came Chaos.

“I felt like a fog had covered the path before us. I had worked with Johnny Rebel to win Supremacy…and CJ Gates had been the one to interfere. Was I in bizarro land? I didn’t have time to answer that question among the anarchy we all faced. I began to feel…distant from CJ. After Supremacy, the ‘good’ that I thought he was…he wasn’t that anymore. Don’t take this out of context Nobledrive Nation: CJ Gates is the closest friend I have ever had in APW, and I would not have ever asked for a better man to learn from and walk behind.

“But in realizing that, I knew the truth: CJ Gates was just a man. Not an Angel. Not a Savior. Not a God. CJ Gates was a mortal…like the rest of us. I know you realized it too Rebel…because you struck at me with the kind of intensity that I thought only CJ Gates was capable of in order to get to him. You showed me that when you know who you are, and EXACTLY what you can do…that’s how you win matches. APW may hate you for it, but you showed one kind of man I could become that would allow me to beat CJ Gates.

“So, Johnny Rebel, for taking the Overdrive Championship from me at Christmas Chaos, I have only one thing to say to you…

“Thank you.

“But make no mistake: You are still my enemy. I thought after Christmas Chaos the two of us would be done…but our paths are always going to be intertwined Rebel because of who we are. Maybe I’m more like you than I think…but maybe you’re like me too. We both want to be heard. You want purpose just like I do. Deep down, you want to fight for APW…I can respect that. I don’t hate you Johnny Rebel…because APW needs you.

“Just like it needs me to defend APW from you at Rasslemania…

“But let’s not ruin the ending before the story’s over, shall we?

“APW needed me too…I was APW’s Destiny. When CWC Destiny rolled around, it wasn’t Johnny Rebel, Biggs, or CJ Gates that earned the loyalty of APW or CWC…it was me. I was voted to face Azrael Goeren for the CWC Title. I felt like a light had been turned on in the darkness we call faced.

“APW didn’t need an indestructible Champion, a savage warrior, or a snarky coward to fight for it…

“It didn’t need good or evil…

“It needed someone to defend it.

"When the point of no return came, APW needed someone that would be willing to put the company above themselves…and I did. For the first time since I had stepped into APW, I wasn’t hiding under someone else on my path to Rasslemania…and I began to know the kind of man I was.

“It was the start of 2012 that I realized I could no longer walk the same path as CJ Gates after Supremacy. I had to forge my own legacy…but how would I do it? How would I know who I was supposed to be as I stumbled alone through the shadows? I couldn’t stop Johnny Rebel from getting to CJ Gates. Had I failed? I thought so…and then, as I had to Survive and Conquer on my own, I got the answers to those questions.

“GIW and PW showed me who I was. When they invaded, I could have put my head in the sand like Rebel and Gates, choosing to fight themselves instead of ally together to defend APW…but that’s not who I am. I brought APW together to repel the attackers…and at Survive and Conquer, for the first time, I knew exactly who I was as I watched CJ Gates and Johnny Rebel fall in the Rumble match while I moved onward...

“Kurt Noble…the Defender of APW.

“I may not have won the match…but I wasn’t the loser of Survive and Conquer. I emerged stronger, more confident, and more powerful than I have ever been before…because finally, I knew who I was. I could see the journey to Rasslemania was winding down…and now it was time to rejoin CJ Gates and Johnny Rebel on their path. This time, things were different.

“Just as I walked alongside CJ Gates…Blade walked alongside Johnny Rebel. Believe it or not Blade… I know exactly why you joined this fight. I know you’re not a friend of Rebel’s, and you’ve proved it…but you allied with him to make a point to CJ Gates, the same point I have made across the last month:

“You walk to the beat of your own drum…and no one else’s.

“I get it. I really do. You lived under Gates’s shadow when you two teamed together. You know that you were meant to be bigger than everyone believed you were…so you rebelled, pardon the pun of course. I can’t sit here at my wooden table and say you were a bad guy by slamming the Undisputed title into my forehead. You’ve shown me ferociousness in our matches that I didn’t know existed…and once I saw it, I gave it to you right back. I can beat you Blade, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to destroy me. Hell, maybe you can be the one to bring us three off our high-horses and win the whole damn thing. Unlike CJ Gates and Johnny Rebel would have you believe…you deserve to be here Blade.

“Our journey now puts us at last month…and this is where we drop the bullshit logos and labels. This is where we leave behind the “simply put's,” the “going big or going home's,” the the “year of Blade's,” and more importantly…this is where we leave ‘Nobledrive's’ behind. This is where we go beyond good and evil.

“This is where I proved to APW that I can win the Undisputed Championship…and prove it to you CJ.

“I know the last month has been hard on you CJ. It feels like you’ve been surrounded by three enemies, instead of two enemies and a friend. You believe I’ve been gunning to take the title away from you, that I’m finally coming for the Undisputed title I helped you win. Well CJ…

“You’re correct…I am coming for you.

“I’d be lying if I said this match wasn’t about me proving that I’m better than you…that I can now defeat you. If our journey has taught us both anything, it’s that I’ve unsuccessfully tried to walk behind you like a damn duck, failing to fill in your foot-steps as you made them. I have the upmost respect for you. You are the kind of competitor that any promotion would love to have. You’re a fighter. You’re a Champion.

“You’re just not APW’s Champion.

"Supremacy, Destiny, Survive and Conquer…they’ve all shown the kind of Champion you are. There’s a reason why you couldn’t beat Jack Benevolence and Azrael Goeren on multiple occasions…it’s because you’re only fighting for you, and not for APW. Know that I speak so bluntly because you are like a friend, Hell, more than a relative to me…

“You are like a brother to me CJ…

“And that is why I have to burn your kingdom down…because your time as ‘King of APW’ is over.

“The challenges APW faces are not over…but it’s time for someone to lead APW who is willing to fight for it. I’ve performed at my very best when I was fighting for APW. That’s why I lost to Jack Benevolence in last year’s Extreme Tournament...because I fought only for me…and that is why I cannot lose to you CJ. This journey we’ve all taken together, it’s not just about us. It’s not about Good. It’s not about Evil.

“It’s about Action Packed Wrestling.

“The Shockwave that begin on August 28th is going to widen at Rasslemania. The four of us have crossed, allied, betrayed, questioned, fought for, and believed in one another…but when we collide on March 26th, we’re going to create an earthquake. The steps we’ve taken to get here, to Rasslemania, are going to be intensified ten-fold as the ground collapses beneath us. When we collide, only one of us is walking out the winner…and that’s the man that’s most willing to fight for what he believes in.

“APW needs that man to be me.

“You can tune out this Nobledrive out all you’d like. You can label me as some bitter, jealous outsider. You can dismiss me like I’m sure Johnny Rebel is going to do. You can lash out at me like I’m sure Blade is going to do. You can even lie to yourself like CJ Gates is going to do. To be honest, I don’t give a damn. Why…?

“Because I am already inside each of your heads. CJ Gates questions my motives now because I’m no longer this kid playing pretend Champion…I’m his equal. Johnny Rebel can no dismiss me because he’s seen that if he does, I will rise to his standards...and turn him into a liar. Blade can no longer lash out at me...because he’s seen what happens what I lash back. The three of you will NOT underestimate me…not this time. Not on March 26th.

“The threat I pose to CJ Gates’s Undisputed Championship is real. I’m no longer the stumbling, lost wrestler that I was when I last faced off against him and Rebel last. The difference between me and the three men standing before me is that I’ve changed. This is how I know that I can win Rasslemania: Because this journey, this challenge, Shockwave, One Night in Hell, Supremacy, Christmas Chaos, Destiny, Survive and Conquer, Blade, Rebel, CJ Gates…I’ve learned something from them all:

“Life isn’t just about me. It’s about protecting what you love…and I love Action Packed Wrestling. I will do anything to protect it.

“Johnny…Pete…CJ…if you want to beat me at Rasslemania, I suggest you follow one piece of advoce:

“Don’t stop believin’.

“The moment you forget that I walked the same path as you, I’ll remind you just how hard I fought to stand beside you...that means you Rebel. You have tried to bury me behind you as you climbed to the top of APW, but on March 26th, you are going to watch as a cripple matches you blow for blow. If you want to truly bury me Rebel…you’d better dig deep, pile it on me, and leave me to rot behind you. APW needs me to defend it from you…and this will be the night that I do so.

“The moment you forget how good of a wrestler I am, I’ll remind you that I have what it takes to win…that means you Blade. You are a good, powerful wrestler…but if you don’t come at me with everything, I’ll go on without you. I said that you deserved to be here. Don’t turn me into a liar…or you’ll find that this path is no longer for you.

“The moment you stop believing that I have the power to change APW for good, to defend APW with every breath I’ll take…I’ll remind you; even you CJ. You are the closest friend I have, but I will not hesitate to strike you down. You and I have covered up for another’s shortcomings since Shockwave…but on March 26th, we are finally going to be honest with another. It’s time to see which of us really deserves to be APW’s Champion. My friend…this will be the night where I show you how defeatable you really are.

“These last seven months have shown us who we really are. They've shown us our…

“Hatred.

“Fire.

“Domination.

“Authority.

“Brothethood.

“Good.

“Evil.

“But on March 26th, none of those will matter. We will leave the last seven months behind to focus on one thing and one thing only:

“The APW Undisputed Championship.

“On March 26th, in the Luca Oil Stadium, the winner is the man that can go beyond them all and become the APW Undisputed Champion. We will converge and divide at Rasslemania. We will write another page of our journey together…and we will learn who will lead APW. We will learn who believes in APW…and who doesn’t.

“So, my competitors, my friends, my enemies, the men I’ve walked fought and bled against since that first Shockwave…I’ve answered the question of who I am. In return, I have two questions for you to answer:

“In order to embody Undisputed Champion…can you be beyond good and evil? More importantly…

“Can you be beyond me?"