Post by Pax Stormcrow on Feb 26, 2018 0:22:34 GMT
Just after his match from last week, Pax and Witherspoon step through the curtains to backstage. They are in the middle of a heated argument in regards to Spoon's interference. Once safely backstage, Pax escalates it by shoving the bigger man into the wall.
"What is wrong with you! How many times do I have to tell you not to interfere! You hit him with a tire iron and cost me the match! The week before you let Angel Blake stroll down to the ring and get into it with AJ. Why do you even come down to ringside!"
Pax get's closer to the big man's face as his voice rises with the heat of his anger. For his part, Spoon just stares down at Pax with a deadly calm. He twists his neck to one side and there is a loud crack with the movement.
"Alright listen here Kid, because I am only gonna say this one time. But first, get your god damned hands off me cause I am perfectly willing to tell you while you lay in the back of an ambulance."
The two stare into each other's eyes, neither blinking. Slowly, Pax pulls his hands back and takes a single step back. His breathing has calmed down but the younger man is still obviously furious.
"Good. I interfered to help you..."
"Fat lot of good it did! You got me disqualified and..."
"And you wouldn't want to win that way. I get it. Your a fucking saint. That's beside the point."
"It is entirely the point!"
Spoon pinches his nose and sighs. His hand snaps out, grabbing the front of Pax's singlet. With a small grunt, he lifts his young protege into the air and slams his back into the wall. Spoon steps in close, slamming his left arm across Pax's right and pinning it against the wall. The two struggle for a moment. Pax is younger, but tired from his match up and his anger makes him lash out with out skill. Witherspoon, being the mountain of a creature that he is simply absorbs the blows.
"Look at you Stormcrow. You are flailing about like a god damned idiot on a playground. You aren't thinking. Hell, I saw you use a close fist out there. You aren't even using one now for Fuck's sake."
Pax stops his attempts to get free, still breathing heavily.
"I had things under control..."
"Barely. You were gonna get yourself disqualified or hospitalize that idiot. You can't afford the fine, or loosing this job. You can't afford the loss of face. I can, so I gave him a tap to the dome."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"OK, you got me there. I also did really want to hit him in his stupid face. I was going for his last good eye but the bastard jerked to the side."
Spoon drops Pax back to the ground and steps back. The two men stare at each other for a moment.
"So maybe you are right. I let my anger get out of control out there. But that's not the way I want to do things. Even if you thought you were helping me."
"I was."
"I think I might do better out on my own though."
Pax does not get the reaction he thought he would receive. Spoon just shakes his head with a laugh.
"No kid, you need me. Now more then ever."
Pax snorts and shakes his head.
"I don't think so Spoon. I thin..."
He stops as Spoon tosses him a wadded up piece of paper.
"Schedule for Danger Zone kid. You got a title match. So ya, you will need me for this."
He steps closer to Pax and looks down at him. Pax for his part is staring wide eyed at his name listed in a title match. He slowly looks up to his mentor.
"The only person in the world who is as insane, has pushed themselves through as much. The only person who has hurt as many people as horrible as Spike Kane? That's fuckin me. You know it. Only way you have a chance to beat a god is with a madman showing you how."
---------------------------
The camera flips on in the middle of a snow storm. Heavy flakes of snow fall all around Pax Stormcrow as he stands barefoot in the rapidly rising snow. His body is covered in bruising and welts, symbols of the training he has done to prepare himself for the trial that is coming for him.
"Members of the Imperial Wrestling Federation. Roster, managers, company men. Guys in the back doing all the hard work that helps us go out there week after week and do what we do. But most importantly, the fans."
He takes a deep breath of air, exhaling a cloud of mist that swirls around his head before getting blown away in the wind. Snow accumulates in his hair, giving it a white dusting before it melts away.
"I'm Sorry."
He let's out another breath before he lifts his head and looks into the camera.
"Last week I failed. Not because I lost a match. Not because I failed to plant a bigot into the mat where he belongs. No, I failed because I disrespected this sport, and that ring. I disrespected everyone here. I disrespected myself. I made mistakes in my match last week. I lost my temper and what was a match became a fight. All I can do is apologize, and do my best to make sure that doesn't happen again. I know that you can't wipe your bad deeds away. No amount of good works or kind words will change what you did. When you do bad, it marks you forever. Some people don't know that. They try to bury their head. They try to believe that they are a good person now, so that makes up for their past mistakes."
He let's out another breath and lifts his chin as he stares into the camera.
"But I know you don't think that, do ya Spike?"
---------------
Pax and Spoon are seated next to each other at a table. A TV in front of them is broadcasting footage from Spike Kane matches throughout the many years of his storied career. Both men have notebooks in front of them for notes.
"The man has done a lot of damage to himself through the years. He can take a hell of a beating. So this is going to be one hell of a match to put yourself through. He is way more used to the sort of hardcore match that is called for with the Invictus belt. He's your height, and you have only 4 lbs on him."
"So what you are saying is that this is gonna be a tough one?"
Witherspoon just stares at Pax with a mildly irritated expression. Pax just grins back at his mentor.
"So how do I beat him?"
"With a hammer, while he sleeps. In a match though? You aren't going to beat him Stormcrow. You gotta survive him. If you get lucky, you might actually win but don't think for a moment you will beat him."
The younger Pax frowns, tapping his pencil against his chin.
"So... what? Just go out there and hope I get lucky?"
"There are worse plans. But no, he does have some weaknesses to exploit. First of all, he's a powerhouse. But against someone like you that is a bit bigger? That will take a lot more effort. Probably more then he has gotten used too. Might give you a bit of an edge. He likes to suplex and I fell pretty confidant that you know how to get out of those better then just about anyone."
"Huh. That doesn't sound good for me..."
"One other thing..."
Spoon grabs the remote. He fast forwards through the footage to show another Spike match.
"Watch his hand. The right one."
They are silent as they watch the God of Extreme work. Pax sit's up slightly.
"He's favoring it..."
"Ya. He's had a train spike stabbed through it more then once. It's a good spot to focus."
Pax chews on his lip for a moment.
"I dunno Spoon..."
"Look, it's not a dirty tactic. It's a smart one. You need every edge going into this match. Now, we gotta teach you how to swing a chair."
"Oh, I am not gonna use any weapons."
"Fucking seriously?"
---------------
"Invictus. It's a powerful sounding word isn't it? It's Latin, and man if that language doesn't sound cool. They have a lot of really good one liners. It's an adjective. It means Unconquered, unsubdued. Invincible."
Pax gives a shake of his head, snow falling from his hair onto his shoulders. It has begun to gather on his eyebrows and in his eye lashes.
"Now, some people might be wondering what I am doing in this match. The Invictus title is challenged using Invictus rules. No disqualifications. Some might be wondering if I am going to be making a change. Will I use weapons? The Environment? Will I break on the ropes? Will the Wendigo in human flesh that is my manager interfere?"
He grins at the camera, letting out a short laugh.
"Come on guys. You know me! I'm Pax Stormcrow. Just because this match allows the breaking of rules, doesn't mean I am going too."
He winks at the camera and spreads his arms open.
"But what am I doing going for this title that glorifies the extreme? If I am not going to play by it's rules why bother? Because I will not be subdued. Two of my matches this month I have lost to disqualification. I want people to know that I won't take the easy way out. I will stand my ground while my opponent can use every weapon at their disposal to take me down. But I will not be subdued. I will prove my dedication to this Sport, this Art even when given the opportunity to abandon it. The power of my conviction is Invisible. My Spirit is Invictus and come Danger Zone, Spike will find out what so many have found to their peril."
He steps to the camera with a smile on his face He lifts his hand into the air, closing it into a fist.
"We are not a conquered People."
He stares intently into the camera.
"So Spike Kane. Come Danger Zone? Bring the God of Extreme. Bring me the Blood God. I want to test myself. I NEED to test myself. My Spirit and Skill vs. yours. I demand your best, so show it to me."
He lifts his left hand, flashing his fingers in a peace sign as the camera fades on the image of him standing in the snow with his right arm still raised in defiance.
"Peace Out."
"What is wrong with you! How many times do I have to tell you not to interfere! You hit him with a tire iron and cost me the match! The week before you let Angel Blake stroll down to the ring and get into it with AJ. Why do you even come down to ringside!"
Pax get's closer to the big man's face as his voice rises with the heat of his anger. For his part, Spoon just stares down at Pax with a deadly calm. He twists his neck to one side and there is a loud crack with the movement.
"Alright listen here Kid, because I am only gonna say this one time. But first, get your god damned hands off me cause I am perfectly willing to tell you while you lay in the back of an ambulance."
The two stare into each other's eyes, neither blinking. Slowly, Pax pulls his hands back and takes a single step back. His breathing has calmed down but the younger man is still obviously furious.
"Good. I interfered to help you..."
"Fat lot of good it did! You got me disqualified and..."
"And you wouldn't want to win that way. I get it. Your a fucking saint. That's beside the point."
"It is entirely the point!"
Spoon pinches his nose and sighs. His hand snaps out, grabbing the front of Pax's singlet. With a small grunt, he lifts his young protege into the air and slams his back into the wall. Spoon steps in close, slamming his left arm across Pax's right and pinning it against the wall. The two struggle for a moment. Pax is younger, but tired from his match up and his anger makes him lash out with out skill. Witherspoon, being the mountain of a creature that he is simply absorbs the blows.
"Look at you Stormcrow. You are flailing about like a god damned idiot on a playground. You aren't thinking. Hell, I saw you use a close fist out there. You aren't even using one now for Fuck's sake."
Pax stops his attempts to get free, still breathing heavily.
"I had things under control..."
"Barely. You were gonna get yourself disqualified or hospitalize that idiot. You can't afford the fine, or loosing this job. You can't afford the loss of face. I can, so I gave him a tap to the dome."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"OK, you got me there. I also did really want to hit him in his stupid face. I was going for his last good eye but the bastard jerked to the side."
Spoon drops Pax back to the ground and steps back. The two men stare at each other for a moment.
"So maybe you are right. I let my anger get out of control out there. But that's not the way I want to do things. Even if you thought you were helping me."
"I was."
"I think I might do better out on my own though."
Pax does not get the reaction he thought he would receive. Spoon just shakes his head with a laugh.
"No kid, you need me. Now more then ever."
Pax snorts and shakes his head.
"I don't think so Spoon. I thin..."
He stops as Spoon tosses him a wadded up piece of paper.
"Schedule for Danger Zone kid. You got a title match. So ya, you will need me for this."
He steps closer to Pax and looks down at him. Pax for his part is staring wide eyed at his name listed in a title match. He slowly looks up to his mentor.
"The only person in the world who is as insane, has pushed themselves through as much. The only person who has hurt as many people as horrible as Spike Kane? That's fuckin me. You know it. Only way you have a chance to beat a god is with a madman showing you how."
---------------------------
The camera flips on in the middle of a snow storm. Heavy flakes of snow fall all around Pax Stormcrow as he stands barefoot in the rapidly rising snow. His body is covered in bruising and welts, symbols of the training he has done to prepare himself for the trial that is coming for him.
"Members of the Imperial Wrestling Federation. Roster, managers, company men. Guys in the back doing all the hard work that helps us go out there week after week and do what we do. But most importantly, the fans."
He takes a deep breath of air, exhaling a cloud of mist that swirls around his head before getting blown away in the wind. Snow accumulates in his hair, giving it a white dusting before it melts away.
"I'm Sorry."
He let's out another breath before he lifts his head and looks into the camera.
"Last week I failed. Not because I lost a match. Not because I failed to plant a bigot into the mat where he belongs. No, I failed because I disrespected this sport, and that ring. I disrespected everyone here. I disrespected myself. I made mistakes in my match last week. I lost my temper and what was a match became a fight. All I can do is apologize, and do my best to make sure that doesn't happen again. I know that you can't wipe your bad deeds away. No amount of good works or kind words will change what you did. When you do bad, it marks you forever. Some people don't know that. They try to bury their head. They try to believe that they are a good person now, so that makes up for their past mistakes."
He let's out another breath and lifts his chin as he stares into the camera.
"But I know you don't think that, do ya Spike?"
---------------
Pax and Spoon are seated next to each other at a table. A TV in front of them is broadcasting footage from Spike Kane matches throughout the many years of his storied career. Both men have notebooks in front of them for notes.
"The man has done a lot of damage to himself through the years. He can take a hell of a beating. So this is going to be one hell of a match to put yourself through. He is way more used to the sort of hardcore match that is called for with the Invictus belt. He's your height, and you have only 4 lbs on him."
"So what you are saying is that this is gonna be a tough one?"
Witherspoon just stares at Pax with a mildly irritated expression. Pax just grins back at his mentor.
"So how do I beat him?"
"With a hammer, while he sleeps. In a match though? You aren't going to beat him Stormcrow. You gotta survive him. If you get lucky, you might actually win but don't think for a moment you will beat him."
The younger Pax frowns, tapping his pencil against his chin.
"So... what? Just go out there and hope I get lucky?"
"There are worse plans. But no, he does have some weaknesses to exploit. First of all, he's a powerhouse. But against someone like you that is a bit bigger? That will take a lot more effort. Probably more then he has gotten used too. Might give you a bit of an edge. He likes to suplex and I fell pretty confidant that you know how to get out of those better then just about anyone."
"Huh. That doesn't sound good for me..."
"One other thing..."
Spoon grabs the remote. He fast forwards through the footage to show another Spike match.
"Watch his hand. The right one."
They are silent as they watch the God of Extreme work. Pax sit's up slightly.
"He's favoring it..."
"Ya. He's had a train spike stabbed through it more then once. It's a good spot to focus."
Pax chews on his lip for a moment.
"I dunno Spoon..."
"Look, it's not a dirty tactic. It's a smart one. You need every edge going into this match. Now, we gotta teach you how to swing a chair."
"Oh, I am not gonna use any weapons."
"Fucking seriously?"
---------------
"Invictus. It's a powerful sounding word isn't it? It's Latin, and man if that language doesn't sound cool. They have a lot of really good one liners. It's an adjective. It means Unconquered, unsubdued. Invincible."
Pax gives a shake of his head, snow falling from his hair onto his shoulders. It has begun to gather on his eyebrows and in his eye lashes.
"Now, some people might be wondering what I am doing in this match. The Invictus title is challenged using Invictus rules. No disqualifications. Some might be wondering if I am going to be making a change. Will I use weapons? The Environment? Will I break on the ropes? Will the Wendigo in human flesh that is my manager interfere?"
He grins at the camera, letting out a short laugh.
"Come on guys. You know me! I'm Pax Stormcrow. Just because this match allows the breaking of rules, doesn't mean I am going too."
He winks at the camera and spreads his arms open.
"But what am I doing going for this title that glorifies the extreme? If I am not going to play by it's rules why bother? Because I will not be subdued. Two of my matches this month I have lost to disqualification. I want people to know that I won't take the easy way out. I will stand my ground while my opponent can use every weapon at their disposal to take me down. But I will not be subdued. I will prove my dedication to this Sport, this Art even when given the opportunity to abandon it. The power of my conviction is Invisible. My Spirit is Invictus and come Danger Zone, Spike will find out what so many have found to their peril."
He steps to the camera with a smile on his face He lifts his hand into the air, closing it into a fist.
"We are not a conquered People."
He stares intently into the camera.
"So Spike Kane. Come Danger Zone? Bring the God of Extreme. Bring me the Blood God. I want to test myself. I NEED to test myself. My Spirit and Skill vs. yours. I demand your best, so show it to me."
He lifts his left hand, flashing his fingers in a peace sign as the camera fades on the image of him standing in the snow with his right arm still raised in defiance.
"Peace Out."
Well howdy there pardner.