Post by Lex Sense on Aug 18, 2013 5:00:37 GMT
How should I address you, Joe?
I feel as though whatever I say, it will simply go in one ear and out the other.
In a short amount of time, you came back from extinction and rose to the top of a manure pile that continues to stink right under your feet.
Now you stand in your lofty heavens, living it up and carrying a title you legitimately won but don't deserve to keep.
I could tell you how your time as champion will be short.
Maybe even insult your family to get under your skin.
I can speak about your victory over me being a fluke.
Comment about your rise from mediocrity to slightly above mediocre as though it were stuff of legends.
I could simply tear you down only to rebuild you in whatever image I desire.
Or I could do all of these things.
This week I plan to be sincere, old friend.
I will speak to you as an equal and explicitly explain why you stand no chance against me at Legacy.
Not because I am your better, though that is a fact.
Lex Sense will triumph over Joe Everyman because you just don't have it in you to continue.
There is no fight in you, only glimpses of heart.
A heart that will soon stop beating, or shining as you pointed out, in my hands.
I am not looking to make a statement this week, Joe.
I am looking to start a war and it begins with your hollowed out carcass handing me the Imperial Title.
Your reign as champion will regrettably be a forgettable one.
You have done nothing to stand out since winning that illustrious award.
You've merely been going through the motions, enjoying the moment with certain knowledge that it is fleeting.
The light of your heart is dwindling.
You are a cancerous tumor that must be removed before it is too late.
You beat me once, Joe, and with that victory you became a plague of complacency that is slowly spreading.
I was confident and underestimated you but this week that wrong will be righted.
This week I'm going to believe the hype.
I am going to believe in Joe.
I will see in you a man capable of continuing on as the best Imperial has to offer.
I will look upon the face of that man that delayed my plans and then bury it in my boot.
There is no tournament to tire me.
No partner to fail me.
There is only you and I and as we all know...
In this type of exercise...
I will always outlast you.
{A round table sits in the middle of the room surrounded by eight chairs. Only two are occupied as Sense sits on one end while Xander sits on the other. Sense appears to be engraving the finishing touches on the table, symbols that probably mean something to them but mean nothing to you. Xander appears impatient, fidgeting around in his seat while Sense blows away sawdust, smoothing out his woodwork before noticing Xander's movements.}
Lex Sense: Are you not comfortable?
Xander Famualro: I'm bored. Let's go train or watch tape or do anything other than sit here.
Lex Sense: There is plenty of time for that. We must discuss the next course of action.
Xander Famularo: Why? We already know how this ends.
{Sense scoffs to himself, nodding his head in agreement as he put down his engraving tools to stare at his brother in arms.}
Lex Sense: Knowing how something ends does not mean we can't enjoy the journey.
Xander Famularo: Oh, I'm enjoying myself just fine. I just don't have time for theatrics.
Lex Sense: There is nothing theatrical about this.
Xander Famularo: We're in a room underground in some abandoned warehouse, sitting at a roundtable like we're the goddamn Knights of Justice... It is a bit theatrical.
{Sense finds humor in Xander's observation but declines to speak against it. He was right after all. Instead Lex chose to explain how he sees it. Though even he had to admit he did have a flair for the dramatic but it was also a necessity.}
Lex Sense: It is necessary for us to have a comfortable spot to meet and discuss the future of IWF. This place is hidden from prying eyes and what is said here will remain between us. We can't be together at all times but on the days when we must meet, I prefer privacy.
Xander Famularo: People are going to think this is a cult.
Lex Sense: Let them think what they want. They've yet to figure out anything anyway. They will know only what we wish for them to know.
{Both men come to a silent agreement but Xander still appears impatient. A banging of the door brings both men to stand to their feet. Sense walks over and opens the door, a crooked smile forming on his face as he waves their guests in.}
Lex Sense: Welcome to the party.
{The footsteps of people stepping into the room can be heard but the scene fades to black before identities can be revealed.}
This profession of ours is not one that I chose as a young boy watching superstars before me.
My career as a professional wrestler came late into my life, chosen for me by outsiders.
It took a long while for me to snap out of that revery and see the road that stood before me.
A road that I would now kill to maintain.
While I wasn't like you, Joe, looking to stake my claim in a business as part of the every man, woman and child that fill the seats to root for the hero...
I still wanted to be recognized.
I wanted the respect that came from building something from nothing.
A respect that could only succeed by those that work hard to keep an audience enthralled.
While you look for cheers, mate.
I look for blood, taking the world back to a time when gladiators fought for their right to live rather than the chance to wear a shiny belt.
Do not get me wrong.
The Imperial Title is one hell of a token. It is the culmination of years bleeding, sweating and tearing for the sake of this sport. I expected to be the first and I will not be lying if I said that you preventing that did not cut me deep. However, unlike you, I do not think you stole it from me.
I believe you earned it.
To say anything otherwise would be disrespecting yourself but more importantly disrespecting me. I fought hard that night. I gave it my all but a minor miscalculation ensured that the wrong man be the victor. I don't hold a grudge against you for this. We can't win forever regardless of what some delusional bastards say to deceive themselves. It was a shock to see your arm raised over mine but it didn't kill my career.
I still stand tall.
No shame to be had.
Not embarrassed one bit.
For the moment, the world got to witness a miracle and that fledgling of a sight to behold has since dwindled into nothing. Your lackluster reign as champion has tainted this company with a virus known as complacency. It is like telling everyone that it is okay to half ass all they want as long as they put in their full effort when the world is watching. It's an absurd ideal that comes from the mindset of the lazy.
Yet here you stand, Joe.
The embodiment of minimalism being rewarded.
You wait until something is on the line before deciding to actually show. I don't work like that. Day in and day out I put everything on the line for the entertainment of others. I give the blood thirsty crowd all that they wish and fill their bellies full with a sour violence that will never expire. It doesn't matter who I face, whether champion or pee-on, I leave it all in that ring without excuse or remorse. You have shown the world that you can win when your heart shines as bright as you claim it does but since then what has happened?
You have fallen back to the same old Joe we all knew you would.
It must be nice to be you right at this moment. You are our Imperial Champion so now the same men that put you down as nothing but a joke have come back around like the hypocrites they are claiming to be your friends. The many fans that turned their back on you have become reborn in the faith of Everyman. You are now asked to do signings and live the life of a king and I can see how that has affected you. Rumors of alcoholic binges and of course we are supposed to forget your little car accident while intoxicated. Only I remember everything. I remember why nobody should believe in Joe and slowly but surely you are showing the world what I already knew.
You don't have what it takes for immortality.
{The roundtable is now surrounded save for a few empty chairs. Sense stands before them, Xander sitting across from him. All members of this clandestine meeting are hooded and refrain from having their faces where the camera can film them. Sense waits for a moment before pulling out a bottle of wine, pouring glass after glass of red and setting them before him.}
Lex Sense: Xander believes this to be a little too much. Some of you might as well but I assure you it is barely enough. In the coming weeks we are going to become close. A close knit circle of acquaintances who share a similar vision for the future of IWF.
{After all glasses have been filled, Sense distributes them to each member of this newly forged society.}
Lex Sense: As you can see, some seats remain empty but those seats will be filled soon enough. Xander and I have taken charge of this formation but we don't want any of you to believe that we are leaders of any kind. For this to succeed we must be equals. A rag tag group of individuals that stand together for a single purpose. We are of one mind and one body but with multiple arms that extend into infinite reaches.
{Sense raises his glass into the air and waits for those attending to follow suit. With all glasses raised, Sense smirks and toasts.}
Lex Sense: To the future!
{The crowd repeats the phrase in unison while Xander is a little hesitant, finally doing so only after Sense's eyes lock with his.}
Lex Sense: Now let's get down to business.
Xander Famularo: Which means you get the fuck out.
{Xander rises and stands before the camera. The man behind the filming is clearly intimidated as he rushes out of the room. The sound of ominous laughter heard only until the door is slammed shut.}
The history books will always relay your greatest achievement. There wont be an asterisk next to the match as it will simply state Joe beat Lex. That night has been recorded for your viewing pleasure and nobody will blame you if you waste your life away drinking while you reliving that very moment over and over again. Especially after I rip that Imperial Title from off of your hands and put you back down several notches back to your place, a place you are most comfortable next to names like Mike Machado and Brad Kane. This little fantasy you have lived for the past month is coming to an end and with it a realization that nobody ever truly liked or respected you. They simply accepted you because their jealousy would rather want a nothing like you holding the belt rather than a someone like me.
They would rather have an every man than what makes sense.
And that is the saddest fact of all.
I feel as though whatever I say, it will simply go in one ear and out the other.
In a short amount of time, you came back from extinction and rose to the top of a manure pile that continues to stink right under your feet.
Now you stand in your lofty heavens, living it up and carrying a title you legitimately won but don't deserve to keep.
I could tell you how your time as champion will be short.
Maybe even insult your family to get under your skin.
I can speak about your victory over me being a fluke.
Comment about your rise from mediocrity to slightly above mediocre as though it were stuff of legends.
I could simply tear you down only to rebuild you in whatever image I desire.
Or I could do all of these things.
This week I plan to be sincere, old friend.
I will speak to you as an equal and explicitly explain why you stand no chance against me at Legacy.
Not because I am your better, though that is a fact.
Lex Sense will triumph over Joe Everyman because you just don't have it in you to continue.
There is no fight in you, only glimpses of heart.
A heart that will soon stop beating, or shining as you pointed out, in my hands.
I am not looking to make a statement this week, Joe.
I am looking to start a war and it begins with your hollowed out carcass handing me the Imperial Title.
Your reign as champion will regrettably be a forgettable one.
You have done nothing to stand out since winning that illustrious award.
You've merely been going through the motions, enjoying the moment with certain knowledge that it is fleeting.
The light of your heart is dwindling.
You are a cancerous tumor that must be removed before it is too late.
You beat me once, Joe, and with that victory you became a plague of complacency that is slowly spreading.
I was confident and underestimated you but this week that wrong will be righted.
This week I'm going to believe the hype.
I am going to believe in Joe.
I will see in you a man capable of continuing on as the best Imperial has to offer.
I will look upon the face of that man that delayed my plans and then bury it in my boot.
There is no tournament to tire me.
No partner to fail me.
There is only you and I and as we all know...
In this type of exercise...
I will always outlast you.
{A round table sits in the middle of the room surrounded by eight chairs. Only two are occupied as Sense sits on one end while Xander sits on the other. Sense appears to be engraving the finishing touches on the table, symbols that probably mean something to them but mean nothing to you. Xander appears impatient, fidgeting around in his seat while Sense blows away sawdust, smoothing out his woodwork before noticing Xander's movements.}
Lex Sense: Are you not comfortable?
Xander Famualro: I'm bored. Let's go train or watch tape or do anything other than sit here.
Lex Sense: There is plenty of time for that. We must discuss the next course of action.
Xander Famularo: Why? We already know how this ends.
{Sense scoffs to himself, nodding his head in agreement as he put down his engraving tools to stare at his brother in arms.}
Lex Sense: Knowing how something ends does not mean we can't enjoy the journey.
Xander Famularo: Oh, I'm enjoying myself just fine. I just don't have time for theatrics.
Lex Sense: There is nothing theatrical about this.
Xander Famularo: We're in a room underground in some abandoned warehouse, sitting at a roundtable like we're the goddamn Knights of Justice... It is a bit theatrical.
{Sense finds humor in Xander's observation but declines to speak against it. He was right after all. Instead Lex chose to explain how he sees it. Though even he had to admit he did have a flair for the dramatic but it was also a necessity.}
Lex Sense: It is necessary for us to have a comfortable spot to meet and discuss the future of IWF. This place is hidden from prying eyes and what is said here will remain between us. We can't be together at all times but on the days when we must meet, I prefer privacy.
Xander Famularo: People are going to think this is a cult.
Lex Sense: Let them think what they want. They've yet to figure out anything anyway. They will know only what we wish for them to know.
{Both men come to a silent agreement but Xander still appears impatient. A banging of the door brings both men to stand to their feet. Sense walks over and opens the door, a crooked smile forming on his face as he waves their guests in.}
Lex Sense: Welcome to the party.
{The footsteps of people stepping into the room can be heard but the scene fades to black before identities can be revealed.}
This profession of ours is not one that I chose as a young boy watching superstars before me.
My career as a professional wrestler came late into my life, chosen for me by outsiders.
It took a long while for me to snap out of that revery and see the road that stood before me.
A road that I would now kill to maintain.
While I wasn't like you, Joe, looking to stake my claim in a business as part of the every man, woman and child that fill the seats to root for the hero...
I still wanted to be recognized.
I wanted the respect that came from building something from nothing.
A respect that could only succeed by those that work hard to keep an audience enthralled.
While you look for cheers, mate.
I look for blood, taking the world back to a time when gladiators fought for their right to live rather than the chance to wear a shiny belt.
Do not get me wrong.
The Imperial Title is one hell of a token. It is the culmination of years bleeding, sweating and tearing for the sake of this sport. I expected to be the first and I will not be lying if I said that you preventing that did not cut me deep. However, unlike you, I do not think you stole it from me.
I believe you earned it.
To say anything otherwise would be disrespecting yourself but more importantly disrespecting me. I fought hard that night. I gave it my all but a minor miscalculation ensured that the wrong man be the victor. I don't hold a grudge against you for this. We can't win forever regardless of what some delusional bastards say to deceive themselves. It was a shock to see your arm raised over mine but it didn't kill my career.
I still stand tall.
No shame to be had.
Not embarrassed one bit.
For the moment, the world got to witness a miracle and that fledgling of a sight to behold has since dwindled into nothing. Your lackluster reign as champion has tainted this company with a virus known as complacency. It is like telling everyone that it is okay to half ass all they want as long as they put in their full effort when the world is watching. It's an absurd ideal that comes from the mindset of the lazy.
Yet here you stand, Joe.
The embodiment of minimalism being rewarded.
You wait until something is on the line before deciding to actually show. I don't work like that. Day in and day out I put everything on the line for the entertainment of others. I give the blood thirsty crowd all that they wish and fill their bellies full with a sour violence that will never expire. It doesn't matter who I face, whether champion or pee-on, I leave it all in that ring without excuse or remorse. You have shown the world that you can win when your heart shines as bright as you claim it does but since then what has happened?
You have fallen back to the same old Joe we all knew you would.
It must be nice to be you right at this moment. You are our Imperial Champion so now the same men that put you down as nothing but a joke have come back around like the hypocrites they are claiming to be your friends. The many fans that turned their back on you have become reborn in the faith of Everyman. You are now asked to do signings and live the life of a king and I can see how that has affected you. Rumors of alcoholic binges and of course we are supposed to forget your little car accident while intoxicated. Only I remember everything. I remember why nobody should believe in Joe and slowly but surely you are showing the world what I already knew.
You don't have what it takes for immortality.
{The roundtable is now surrounded save for a few empty chairs. Sense stands before them, Xander sitting across from him. All members of this clandestine meeting are hooded and refrain from having their faces where the camera can film them. Sense waits for a moment before pulling out a bottle of wine, pouring glass after glass of red and setting them before him.}
Lex Sense: Xander believes this to be a little too much. Some of you might as well but I assure you it is barely enough. In the coming weeks we are going to become close. A close knit circle of acquaintances who share a similar vision for the future of IWF.
{After all glasses have been filled, Sense distributes them to each member of this newly forged society.}
Lex Sense: As you can see, some seats remain empty but those seats will be filled soon enough. Xander and I have taken charge of this formation but we don't want any of you to believe that we are leaders of any kind. For this to succeed we must be equals. A rag tag group of individuals that stand together for a single purpose. We are of one mind and one body but with multiple arms that extend into infinite reaches.
{Sense raises his glass into the air and waits for those attending to follow suit. With all glasses raised, Sense smirks and toasts.}
Lex Sense: To the future!
{The crowd repeats the phrase in unison while Xander is a little hesitant, finally doing so only after Sense's eyes lock with his.}
Lex Sense: Now let's get down to business.
Xander Famularo: Which means you get the fuck out.
{Xander rises and stands before the camera. The man behind the filming is clearly intimidated as he rushes out of the room. The sound of ominous laughter heard only until the door is slammed shut.}
The history books will always relay your greatest achievement. There wont be an asterisk next to the match as it will simply state Joe beat Lex. That night has been recorded for your viewing pleasure and nobody will blame you if you waste your life away drinking while you reliving that very moment over and over again. Especially after I rip that Imperial Title from off of your hands and put you back down several notches back to your place, a place you are most comfortable next to names like Mike Machado and Brad Kane. This little fantasy you have lived for the past month is coming to an end and with it a realization that nobody ever truly liked or respected you. They simply accepted you because their jealousy would rather want a nothing like you holding the belt rather than a someone like me.
They would rather have an every man than what makes sense.
And that is the saddest fact of all.
Well howdy there pardner.