Post by Ryan Blade on Sept 8, 2013 20:52:00 GMT
{Open up a shot of Ryan Blade sitting at an outdoor table in a park, looking particularly melancholy. He sits with his chin resting in one hand, staring out into the distance, motionless. Things have really taken a turn for the dramatic recently in the young star's life. When he started out, it all seemed like it was going to be just a good time. Living on the road, living by his own rules, and taking a new adventure in life.
But life really has a way of making plans moot, doesn't it?
Our Man of Steel's stare is broken as his phone buzzes on the table. He looks down and grabs it, spying a text message. WIthout responding, Blade slides the phone back down onto the table and sees his girlfriend approaching.}
Chelsea. "Boy you've been awfully gloomy these last few weeks. Anything you want to talk about?"
Ryan Blade: "You know the situation, Chels. There's not really any reason to talk about it."
Chelsea. "It could make you feel better. I know I always end up feeling a lot better when I get to talk about my issues with somebody else. It's cathartic."
Ryan Blade: "I really don't have anything to talk about. I just need some time to digest everything that's going on. I'm not good with this emotional stuff, you know?"
Chelsea. "I mean... you are the guy who couldn't talk for two hours after seeing the Lion King on cable a few weeks back."
Ryan Blade: "Exactly. I have to process this stuff."
Chelsea. "It's been weeks since you found out."
Ryan Blade: "Cancer isn't something you can process quickly, Chels."
Chelsea. "Obviously."
Ryan Blade: "Neither is living with a bratty teenager who hates your guts... or having a mentor forced on you."
Chelsea. "Do you think maybe Cross could help you out with some sage advice in a time like this. I'm sure he's been through some hard stuff in his life, and since he's already there to mentor you..."
Ryan Blade: "No. No way. The last thing I need is somebody trying to be a father figure to me. Never had one before, and I don't need one now."
{Blade dismisses the advice, and truthfully, he doesn't feel like he needs the help. Who wants their co-workers prying into their personal life? If anything, Cross can give some advice on wrestling moves, which hotels to stay at in certain cities, and nothing more. Sure he lost his wife during childbirth, and sure he's faced the hardships of being a single parent, but he's never been through anything like this.
Yet the thought of his mother going through chemotherapy can't help but mess with his mind. How is anyone supposed to focus at a time like this. And with that obnoxious teen sister of Chelsea's constantly complaining about something? This has to be what hell is like. But guess who has to grin and bare it? Who has to take charge and be the rock of the family now? Oh god. What happens if the worst happens?}
Chelsea. "Ry- Ryan?"
{Blade snaps out of thought.}
Ryan Blade: "Huh?"
Chelsea. "Are you sure you're okay? You're starting to look a little pale."
Ryan Blade: "Yeah, yeah. I'm good, Chelsea. I promise. Truthfully, I really need to put all of this stuff in the back of my mind so I can focus on defending my title in a few weeks."
{Blade's been off his game the last few weeks, and losing to Mike Laszlo was just another slap in the face. What kind of a champion can't beat Mike freaking Laszlo of all people? The guy who was more worried about having fun than winning last week, beat the Man of Steel Champion. ....He made a mockery of Blade.
God damn it.
I guess it can't get any worse, can it? The man who was at the top of the wrestling world just weeks ago, now finds himself in his darkest personal time thus far in his young life.}
Ryan Blade: "On the brightside, I guess it couldn't get any worse."
Chelsea. "Oh it can always get worse. Remember that no matter how bad it seems, there's always someone worse off than you. And from where I'm sitting... you're a wrestling champion, one of the hottest stars in the industry... you've got the looks and the charisma... a mom who loves you and a brother who cares about you, and a pretty great girlfriend if I do say so myself."
Ryan Blade: "Of course all that stuff is great, but I can't help but wonder if it could all go away. It seems like I'm always one step away from screwing it all up. I mean, seriously... putting aside all the personal stuff for a second... I lost to MIke Laszlo cleanly, by pinfall last week. What do I do now?"
Chelsea. "You go out there on Monday and you kick that bottle blonde's ass."
Ryan Blade: "That's the plan. I'll kick Keeton's ass too if I have to. I just hope Cross can carry his own weight."
Chelsea. "I'm sure he'll be there for you. Cross is as good as they come."
{Blade ducks his head down a bit and goes back into thought. The last thing he should be worrying about right now is a tag team match on Sacrifice, but he can't help it. He got embarassed last week... he got punked out. At this point he can't afford to lose another match, and in life, he can't afford to lose anything, period. It's time to get this story back on track, and a win over Mike and Jake could do wonders to get Ryan back in the fighting spirit... and back in the win column.
One week without a win and it feels like an eternity.
He sighs. Oh, life.
You konw....Maybe Xavier Cross could be a big help afterall.}
______________________________________________________________________________________
Ryan Blade: "Thanks for being there for me
"So I guess I'm not invincible after all.
The secret's out, ladies and gentlemen. Ryan Blade can, and has been pinned. Alert the presses!
No, but seriously Laszlo. Congratulations on the biggest and only thing you've ever done with your career. You beat the man who nobody thought could be beat, and you proved all the doubters wrong. For one week you get to live on top of the mountain and finally get that 15 minutes of recognition you've been chasing for the past two or so years. I hope it was a great week, Mike. I hope you kissed babies and did store openings in strip malls... signed autographs and used 'Hey. I'm the guy who beat Ryan Blade.' as a pick-up line at all the bars.
Because that shit ends on Sunday.
Yeah, you may have beaten me last week, but what did you really accomplish? Your profile got raised a little bit, but you're still about 35 losses in the red here at IWF. That's great. Instead of being 3 and 40, you're 4 and 39.
And just when you thought people were going to start to care about you... You get to face me again.
See, that wasn't in your plan, was it Mikey? You thought you were going to get one over on the champ and then sneak away into the dead of night to brag about it for the rest of your life. Well that's not how this thing works. Oh no no no. You thought I was in the rear-view mirror, but here I am to make up for last week's embarassment and make everything right in the world again.
Because that's the way the world turns, Mike. Winners win, losers lose, and Mike Laszlo is and will always be a joke.
A lot of guys would take their first pinfall loss like that and humble themselves because of it. Guys like you and Alex Jones who are used to losing take that as an opportunity to try and switch it up and turn your careers around. Me? That loss was a necessary evil. See, I never really thought I was unbeatable, but I never thought some low-life scumbag like you would be the first to pin me. It's like Babe Ruth getting struck out by a little leaguer or Michael Jordan getting dunked on by some pimply-faced AAU player.
But it happened.
Truthfully, I'm glad it did. It was a wake-up call to me that any nobody could get lucky at any time and steal a win from me. That's what happens when you're the bar everyone's trying to reach... people give you their best shot every week, and that's what you did last week, Lassie. You gave me everything you had and you stole that win. But while you got the surprise win notched in your column, I've got a taste for you blood now.
It wasn't personal before. I didn't know you and I didn't care about you... but now I owe you a little payback. I owe you the taste of defeat that I tasted last week... I owe you the feeling of feeling helpless as I Choke Job the life out of you.
I owe you a lot of pain this week, Laszlo.... and a Blade always pays his debts.
Anyone can win at any time in Imperial Wrestling. I'm just going to make sure that Mike Laszlo never gets to feel that joy again. From here on out you've got the honor of having 'the first man to pin Ryan Blade' placed in front of your name whenever anyone talks about you. After Sacrifice this week, the description gets a little longer.
Mike Laszlo: The man who was king for a week, and died a coward's death the next.
It takes a real tough guy to kick a man when he's down, Mike. I'll make sure I return the favor.
It's almost a shame that Jake Keeton gets swept up into life with such a pathetic excuse for a partner this week. I've been in the ring with you before Jake, and quite honestly, I have nothing against you. I've always respected what you've done in this business, and I respect the fact that even after all these years, you still think of yourself as the toughest guy in the room. You may be pushing sixty years old, but in your mind, you're the biggest badass on the planet.
I do have a lot to learn from guys like you and Xavier Cross. Veterans in this business are like an open book for someone like me to read and learn from.
How does life in the business effect your personal relationships?
What about your mental health?
What are the trappings of fame?
And what was wrestling like during the second World War?
But at the same time, Keeton, I think there are some things you people can learn from me. See... you represent the past. You're the guy who has been to the top of the hill and is now fighting to get back there and stay relevant after all these years. Me? I'm what wrestling is going to be for the next fifteen or twenty years. You look at me and you see how things are going to be, and not how things were. It'd be easy for me to take notes from you, Keeton, and try and replicate everything you've done... to try and be another Jake Keeton. But I'm not here to be the next Jake Keeton... I'm here to be the first and only Ryan Blade.
You've still got a few tricks up your ol' sleeve don't you, Keetz? You're got your wiley veteran attitude. You've got your crafty moves and your gnarly elbow shot to get the job done. Hey, man... I'm not a 'hater'. You keep doing what you're doing for as long as you can, because once you can't do it anymore, you're done. And that little thought has to be weighing on your mind a bit, right? You've been in the game for a long time, and the thought has to be creeping into your mind that things could be coming to a close. I mean; how much longer can you be expecting to hang in the ring with guys like me? Guys half your age.
Yet that's exactly what the task ahead of you is on Sacrifice. You've got to hang with the hottest, fastest-rising wrestler in the business. You h have to go toe-to-toe with greatness and be better than the best. You've made a career out of doing things your own way, and that's respectable... but Sunday, you have to find a way to beat Ryan Blade
... good luck figuring that one out.
There's a big advantage I have over Jake Keeton this weekend, and that's the advantage of having a partner who can keep his head out of his own ass long enough to win. See, unlike Mike Laszlo, Xavier Cross knows what it's like to be a champion.... Xavier Cross knows what it takes to be the man around here. Keeton knows that feeling as well, but Laszlo still hasn't gotten close. I respect Jake Keeton about as much as possible, but Mike Laszlo? What has he done to earn my respect? It takes a lot more than running your mouth and grabbing a fluke win to make your name in wrestling. That's what I'm going right now. I'm making my name and this Man of Steel Division mean something. Xavier Cross is making the Heavyweight Division mean something... Jake Keeton is making the Cruiserweight Division mean something.
Mike Laszlo? He's not worth the effort it would take to bury him.
Whether I wanted it or not, Xavier Cross is my mentor, and this weekend, he's my tag team partner. We're in this together for at least one week, and there aren't many people I'd trust to have my back more than him. Because he knows what it's like to be a winner.
Maybe you'll get that feeling again someday, Laszlo....
....Jake will probably be dead from old age by then, but the the point still stands."
But life really has a way of making plans moot, doesn't it?
Our Man of Steel's stare is broken as his phone buzzes on the table. He looks down and grabs it, spying a text message. WIthout responding, Blade slides the phone back down onto the table and sees his girlfriend approaching.}
Chelsea. "Boy you've been awfully gloomy these last few weeks. Anything you want to talk about?"
Ryan Blade: "You know the situation, Chels. There's not really any reason to talk about it."
Chelsea. "It could make you feel better. I know I always end up feeling a lot better when I get to talk about my issues with somebody else. It's cathartic."
Ryan Blade: "I really don't have anything to talk about. I just need some time to digest everything that's going on. I'm not good with this emotional stuff, you know?"
Chelsea. "I mean... you are the guy who couldn't talk for two hours after seeing the Lion King on cable a few weeks back."
Ryan Blade: "Exactly. I have to process this stuff."
Chelsea. "It's been weeks since you found out."
Ryan Blade: "Cancer isn't something you can process quickly, Chels."
Chelsea. "Obviously."
Ryan Blade: "Neither is living with a bratty teenager who hates your guts... or having a mentor forced on you."
Chelsea. "Do you think maybe Cross could help you out with some sage advice in a time like this. I'm sure he's been through some hard stuff in his life, and since he's already there to mentor you..."
Ryan Blade: "No. No way. The last thing I need is somebody trying to be a father figure to me. Never had one before, and I don't need one now."
{Blade dismisses the advice, and truthfully, he doesn't feel like he needs the help. Who wants their co-workers prying into their personal life? If anything, Cross can give some advice on wrestling moves, which hotels to stay at in certain cities, and nothing more. Sure he lost his wife during childbirth, and sure he's faced the hardships of being a single parent, but he's never been through anything like this.
Yet the thought of his mother going through chemotherapy can't help but mess with his mind. How is anyone supposed to focus at a time like this. And with that obnoxious teen sister of Chelsea's constantly complaining about something? This has to be what hell is like. But guess who has to grin and bare it? Who has to take charge and be the rock of the family now? Oh god. What happens if the worst happens?}
Chelsea. "Ry- Ryan?"
{Blade snaps out of thought.}
Ryan Blade: "Huh?"
Chelsea. "Are you sure you're okay? You're starting to look a little pale."
Ryan Blade: "Yeah, yeah. I'm good, Chelsea. I promise. Truthfully, I really need to put all of this stuff in the back of my mind so I can focus on defending my title in a few weeks."
{Blade's been off his game the last few weeks, and losing to Mike Laszlo was just another slap in the face. What kind of a champion can't beat Mike freaking Laszlo of all people? The guy who was more worried about having fun than winning last week, beat the Man of Steel Champion. ....He made a mockery of Blade.
God damn it.
I guess it can't get any worse, can it? The man who was at the top of the wrestling world just weeks ago, now finds himself in his darkest personal time thus far in his young life.}
Ryan Blade: "On the brightside, I guess it couldn't get any worse."
Chelsea. "Oh it can always get worse. Remember that no matter how bad it seems, there's always someone worse off than you. And from where I'm sitting... you're a wrestling champion, one of the hottest stars in the industry... you've got the looks and the charisma... a mom who loves you and a brother who cares about you, and a pretty great girlfriend if I do say so myself."
Ryan Blade: "Of course all that stuff is great, but I can't help but wonder if it could all go away. It seems like I'm always one step away from screwing it all up. I mean, seriously... putting aside all the personal stuff for a second... I lost to MIke Laszlo cleanly, by pinfall last week. What do I do now?"
Chelsea. "You go out there on Monday and you kick that bottle blonde's ass."
Ryan Blade: "That's the plan. I'll kick Keeton's ass too if I have to. I just hope Cross can carry his own weight."
Chelsea. "I'm sure he'll be there for you. Cross is as good as they come."
{Blade ducks his head down a bit and goes back into thought. The last thing he should be worrying about right now is a tag team match on Sacrifice, but he can't help it. He got embarassed last week... he got punked out. At this point he can't afford to lose another match, and in life, he can't afford to lose anything, period. It's time to get this story back on track, and a win over Mike and Jake could do wonders to get Ryan back in the fighting spirit... and back in the win column.
One week without a win and it feels like an eternity.
He sighs. Oh, life.
You konw....Maybe Xavier Cross could be a big help afterall.}
______________________________________________________________________________________
Ryan Blade: "Thanks for being there for me
"So I guess I'm not invincible after all.
The secret's out, ladies and gentlemen. Ryan Blade can, and has been pinned. Alert the presses!
No, but seriously Laszlo. Congratulations on the biggest and only thing you've ever done with your career. You beat the man who nobody thought could be beat, and you proved all the doubters wrong. For one week you get to live on top of the mountain and finally get that 15 minutes of recognition you've been chasing for the past two or so years. I hope it was a great week, Mike. I hope you kissed babies and did store openings in strip malls... signed autographs and used 'Hey. I'm the guy who beat Ryan Blade.' as a pick-up line at all the bars.
Because that shit ends on Sunday.
Yeah, you may have beaten me last week, but what did you really accomplish? Your profile got raised a little bit, but you're still about 35 losses in the red here at IWF. That's great. Instead of being 3 and 40, you're 4 and 39.
And just when you thought people were going to start to care about you... You get to face me again.
See, that wasn't in your plan, was it Mikey? You thought you were going to get one over on the champ and then sneak away into the dead of night to brag about it for the rest of your life. Well that's not how this thing works. Oh no no no. You thought I was in the rear-view mirror, but here I am to make up for last week's embarassment and make everything right in the world again.
Because that's the way the world turns, Mike. Winners win, losers lose, and Mike Laszlo is and will always be a joke.
A lot of guys would take their first pinfall loss like that and humble themselves because of it. Guys like you and Alex Jones who are used to losing take that as an opportunity to try and switch it up and turn your careers around. Me? That loss was a necessary evil. See, I never really thought I was unbeatable, but I never thought some low-life scumbag like you would be the first to pin me. It's like Babe Ruth getting struck out by a little leaguer or Michael Jordan getting dunked on by some pimply-faced AAU player.
But it happened.
Truthfully, I'm glad it did. It was a wake-up call to me that any nobody could get lucky at any time and steal a win from me. That's what happens when you're the bar everyone's trying to reach... people give you their best shot every week, and that's what you did last week, Lassie. You gave me everything you had and you stole that win. But while you got the surprise win notched in your column, I've got a taste for you blood now.
It wasn't personal before. I didn't know you and I didn't care about you... but now I owe you a little payback. I owe you the taste of defeat that I tasted last week... I owe you the feeling of feeling helpless as I Choke Job the life out of you.
I owe you a lot of pain this week, Laszlo.... and a Blade always pays his debts.
Anyone can win at any time in Imperial Wrestling. I'm just going to make sure that Mike Laszlo never gets to feel that joy again. From here on out you've got the honor of having 'the first man to pin Ryan Blade' placed in front of your name whenever anyone talks about you. After Sacrifice this week, the description gets a little longer.
Mike Laszlo: The man who was king for a week, and died a coward's death the next.
It takes a real tough guy to kick a man when he's down, Mike. I'll make sure I return the favor.
It's almost a shame that Jake Keeton gets swept up into life with such a pathetic excuse for a partner this week. I've been in the ring with you before Jake, and quite honestly, I have nothing against you. I've always respected what you've done in this business, and I respect the fact that even after all these years, you still think of yourself as the toughest guy in the room. You may be pushing sixty years old, but in your mind, you're the biggest badass on the planet.
I do have a lot to learn from guys like you and Xavier Cross. Veterans in this business are like an open book for someone like me to read and learn from.
How does life in the business effect your personal relationships?
What about your mental health?
What are the trappings of fame?
And what was wrestling like during the second World War?
But at the same time, Keeton, I think there are some things you people can learn from me. See... you represent the past. You're the guy who has been to the top of the hill and is now fighting to get back there and stay relevant after all these years. Me? I'm what wrestling is going to be for the next fifteen or twenty years. You look at me and you see how things are going to be, and not how things were. It'd be easy for me to take notes from you, Keeton, and try and replicate everything you've done... to try and be another Jake Keeton. But I'm not here to be the next Jake Keeton... I'm here to be the first and only Ryan Blade.
You've still got a few tricks up your ol' sleeve don't you, Keetz? You're got your wiley veteran attitude. You've got your crafty moves and your gnarly elbow shot to get the job done. Hey, man... I'm not a 'hater'. You keep doing what you're doing for as long as you can, because once you can't do it anymore, you're done. And that little thought has to be weighing on your mind a bit, right? You've been in the game for a long time, and the thought has to be creeping into your mind that things could be coming to a close. I mean; how much longer can you be expecting to hang in the ring with guys like me? Guys half your age.
Yet that's exactly what the task ahead of you is on Sacrifice. You've got to hang with the hottest, fastest-rising wrestler in the business. You h have to go toe-to-toe with greatness and be better than the best. You've made a career out of doing things your own way, and that's respectable... but Sunday, you have to find a way to beat Ryan Blade
... good luck figuring that one out.
There's a big advantage I have over Jake Keeton this weekend, and that's the advantage of having a partner who can keep his head out of his own ass long enough to win. See, unlike Mike Laszlo, Xavier Cross knows what it's like to be a champion.... Xavier Cross knows what it takes to be the man around here. Keeton knows that feeling as well, but Laszlo still hasn't gotten close. I respect Jake Keeton about as much as possible, but Mike Laszlo? What has he done to earn my respect? It takes a lot more than running your mouth and grabbing a fluke win to make your name in wrestling. That's what I'm going right now. I'm making my name and this Man of Steel Division mean something. Xavier Cross is making the Heavyweight Division mean something... Jake Keeton is making the Cruiserweight Division mean something.
Mike Laszlo? He's not worth the effort it would take to bury him.
Whether I wanted it or not, Xavier Cross is my mentor, and this weekend, he's my tag team partner. We're in this together for at least one week, and there aren't many people I'd trust to have my back more than him. Because he knows what it's like to be a winner.
Maybe you'll get that feeling again someday, Laszlo....
....Jake will probably be dead from old age by then, but the the point still stands."
Well howdy there pardner.