Post by Ryan Blade on Sept 29, 2013 22:11:01 GMT
Note.... This isn't my best. I screwed around and waited too long and ran out of time. Apologies to the beautiful Ed.
{The scene opens with a shot of Ryan Blade sitting on the apron of a ring inside of a cozy little gym. He sits and waits, fidgeting with the ring rope as he becomes more and more anxious. The kid has had so much going on in his life lately, that it makes a rare moment peace by himself seem unnatural. As his mind drifts off into thoughts about his mother’s situation, a voice can be heard from off-screen, breaking the silence.}
Xavier Cross: “Glad to see you’re here, kid.”
Ryan Blade: “Yeah, yeah. You’ve only been harassing me to come down for what… a month? You’re like my mom, guilting me to come visit.”
{Cross responds in a mocking, joking tone.}
Xavier Cross: “You never call anymore. Are you eating?”
Ryan Blade: “Shut up.”
{Cross laughs.}
Xavier Cross: “Hey man. For real though? I’m glad you finally decided to come down to the ol’ Cross gym. It’s kind of hard to mentor someone who can’t be bothered to be a mentee.”
Ryan Blade: “Yeah, well, it’s not like I have a ton of free time these days, Cross. The life of a champion is a busy one.”
{Blade says, pulling his Man of Steel Championship into frame. He doesn’t leave home without it. Cross chuckles.}
Xavier Cross: “You don’t have to tell me, kid. Remember, we’re both champions here.”
{He pauses and changes his expression a bit.}
Xavier Cross: “But I know you’ve got that unfortunate situation with your mom weighing on you as well. I can’t even imagine what that’s like.”
Ryan Blade: “I’d rather not talk about it, if it’s all the same to you.”
Xavier Cross: “Ahh. Okay. Sorry for bringing it up.”
{It is hard to go a hour… a minute… maybe even a second without thinking about the grim life that is cancer. You try to be optimistic, and so far things are going well, but in the back of your mind, the thought of what could really happen festers. What it takes a turn for the worst? How does someone recover from losing a mother? And is it selfish to even think like that?
But what if everything turns out in the best way possible? Cancer gets defeated, Chelsea and her family issues fix themselves, and Blade continues to dominate in IWF?
Damn. What if none of that happens?
Life is fickle. One minute you’re riding high, and the next it could all go away. This is why Blade can’t waste the opportunity in front of him this weekend to take out one of the best the business has to offer. The thoughts of the task lingering in front of him this weekend bring Blade back to reality.}
Ryan Blade: “So you’ve wrestled Rob Diamond before, right?”
Xavier Cross: “A ton of times. Good dude.”
Ryan Blade: “Any secrets to beating him?”
Xavier Cross: “There’s no secret to beating any opponent really. Just go into the ring and leave it all in there. Diamond’s good, but you’re good too kid. Anything can happen.”
{Blade hops down from the ring apron.}
Ryan Blade: “Wow, Yoda. That was some sage advice. Anymore clichéd answers you want to give me? Perhaps all I need to do is by myself and I’ll win?”
Xavier Cross: “I mean… it’s not a bad strategy.”
Ryan Blade: “You’re the worst mentor ever.”
{Blade looks annoyed and starts to walk away. As he gets further away, Cross calls out…}
Xavier Cross: “The best man will win!
….
Success is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration!”
{As Blade exits the gym, the heavy door slams behind him, leaving Cross in the room by himself.}
Xavier Cross: “…I really need to stop reading those self-help books.”
_______________________________________________________________________________
“Another week, another pay-per-view, and another win. Mike Laszlo came in Sunday night expecting to be the man who finally ripped the belt out of my hands, and just like everybody that came before him, I was just a little bit better. Or… a lot better. See, Laszlo… I didn’t get this belt because I can talk. I know running your mouth has earned you title match after title match already in IWF, but when it comes to winning the belt, your mouth can’t get the job done.
….That sounded way more sexual than I thought it would.
I went out there again at Extreme Endurance and proved that I deserve to wear this belt around my waist, and I proved yet again that you don’t belong in my league, or anywhere near championship gold.
But good luck in you inevitable tag team title match at the next pay-per-view.
And now my attention turns to this week, and a much bigger fish to fry: Former World Champion, Hall-of-Famer, and bonafide wrestling megastar: Rob Diamond. You and your tag team partner are the only two guys in the entire company who can even make any kind of argument against my spot as most dominant man in IWF, and for that fact, I think we’ve both got a lot to prove.
I have to step into the ring on Monday and show the world that I can hang with the legends. I mean… it’s not like I’ve already beaten the first Imperial Champion twice… and beaten an NCW Hall-of-Famer… twice, right?
Oh wait, that totally happened.
I know you’re different from guys like Joe Everyman and Davey Ortega. While they’ve got their accomplishments and resume to back them up, even they can’t come close to what you’ve done. You’ve got the sustained success that they could only dream of. World Champion in NCW… dominant Tag Team Champion in IWF.
Key word, ‘Tag’ and ‘Team’.
That’s where you’ve got a lot to prove, yourself, Rob. Everyone knows what you did in the past, but in the present? I see a guy who is getting all his success with someone in his corner. Could an argument be made that Spike Kane is carrying you? Can I say that having the man who is currently wearing the top prize in the business around his waist may be the reason you’ve had so much success in IWF? I could, but I won’t.
Planting the seeds is enough for me.
All it takes is that one little piece of doubt in your mind that maybe you’re not as good as your partner could be enough to tear you apart, but I know it won’t. I’ve seen enough of promos to know exactly how confident in yourself you are, Diamond. You think you’re the best thing since sliced bread... the greatest to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots. In your head you’ve got all the tools to beat Spike Kane if the situation ever came up, and beating Ryan Blade? That’s a certainty.
But here’s the thing… I think the same thing. I’ve got the gold, just like you. I’ve got the results, just like you. And just like you, I know I’m the best IWF has to offer.
So one of us has to be lying.
I see this opportunity in front of me. I know exactly what this match could mean for a rookie like me. Even though I’ve done it all already in IWF, it’s still not every day you get to go toe-to-toe with someone with the laundry list of accomplishments that you have. The magnitude of the whole situation would be enough to get to any other man, and maybe I should be nervous… maybe I should be worried.
But I’m not.
Call it stupidity or call it ignorance, but I’m not afraid of you, Rob.
Did you expect me to be?
Because at the end of the day, I’m not just any other rookie. I’m the Man of Steel Champion… THE most dominant singles champion IWF has seen in its’ short existence. I’m the man who is going to pass you by before you can even see it coming.”
{The scene opens with a shot of Ryan Blade sitting on the apron of a ring inside of a cozy little gym. He sits and waits, fidgeting with the ring rope as he becomes more and more anxious. The kid has had so much going on in his life lately, that it makes a rare moment peace by himself seem unnatural. As his mind drifts off into thoughts about his mother’s situation, a voice can be heard from off-screen, breaking the silence.}
Xavier Cross: “Glad to see you’re here, kid.”
Ryan Blade: “Yeah, yeah. You’ve only been harassing me to come down for what… a month? You’re like my mom, guilting me to come visit.”
{Cross responds in a mocking, joking tone.}
Xavier Cross: “You never call anymore. Are you eating?”
Ryan Blade: “Shut up.”
{Cross laughs.}
Xavier Cross: “Hey man. For real though? I’m glad you finally decided to come down to the ol’ Cross gym. It’s kind of hard to mentor someone who can’t be bothered to be a mentee.”
Ryan Blade: “Yeah, well, it’s not like I have a ton of free time these days, Cross. The life of a champion is a busy one.”
{Blade says, pulling his Man of Steel Championship into frame. He doesn’t leave home without it. Cross chuckles.}
Xavier Cross: “You don’t have to tell me, kid. Remember, we’re both champions here.”
{He pauses and changes his expression a bit.}
Xavier Cross: “But I know you’ve got that unfortunate situation with your mom weighing on you as well. I can’t even imagine what that’s like.”
Ryan Blade: “I’d rather not talk about it, if it’s all the same to you.”
Xavier Cross: “Ahh. Okay. Sorry for bringing it up.”
{It is hard to go a hour… a minute… maybe even a second without thinking about the grim life that is cancer. You try to be optimistic, and so far things are going well, but in the back of your mind, the thought of what could really happen festers. What it takes a turn for the worst? How does someone recover from losing a mother? And is it selfish to even think like that?
But what if everything turns out in the best way possible? Cancer gets defeated, Chelsea and her family issues fix themselves, and Blade continues to dominate in IWF?
Damn. What if none of that happens?
Life is fickle. One minute you’re riding high, and the next it could all go away. This is why Blade can’t waste the opportunity in front of him this weekend to take out one of the best the business has to offer. The thoughts of the task lingering in front of him this weekend bring Blade back to reality.}
Ryan Blade: “So you’ve wrestled Rob Diamond before, right?”
Xavier Cross: “A ton of times. Good dude.”
Ryan Blade: “Any secrets to beating him?”
Xavier Cross: “There’s no secret to beating any opponent really. Just go into the ring and leave it all in there. Diamond’s good, but you’re good too kid. Anything can happen.”
{Blade hops down from the ring apron.}
Ryan Blade: “Wow, Yoda. That was some sage advice. Anymore clichéd answers you want to give me? Perhaps all I need to do is by myself and I’ll win?”
Xavier Cross: “I mean… it’s not a bad strategy.”
Ryan Blade: “You’re the worst mentor ever.”
{Blade looks annoyed and starts to walk away. As he gets further away, Cross calls out…}
Xavier Cross: “The best man will win!
….
Success is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration!”
{As Blade exits the gym, the heavy door slams behind him, leaving Cross in the room by himself.}
Xavier Cross: “…I really need to stop reading those self-help books.”
_______________________________________________________________________________
“Another week, another pay-per-view, and another win. Mike Laszlo came in Sunday night expecting to be the man who finally ripped the belt out of my hands, and just like everybody that came before him, I was just a little bit better. Or… a lot better. See, Laszlo… I didn’t get this belt because I can talk. I know running your mouth has earned you title match after title match already in IWF, but when it comes to winning the belt, your mouth can’t get the job done.
….That sounded way more sexual than I thought it would.
I went out there again at Extreme Endurance and proved that I deserve to wear this belt around my waist, and I proved yet again that you don’t belong in my league, or anywhere near championship gold.
But good luck in you inevitable tag team title match at the next pay-per-view.
And now my attention turns to this week, and a much bigger fish to fry: Former World Champion, Hall-of-Famer, and bonafide wrestling megastar: Rob Diamond. You and your tag team partner are the only two guys in the entire company who can even make any kind of argument against my spot as most dominant man in IWF, and for that fact, I think we’ve both got a lot to prove.
I have to step into the ring on Monday and show the world that I can hang with the legends. I mean… it’s not like I’ve already beaten the first Imperial Champion twice… and beaten an NCW Hall-of-Famer… twice, right?
Oh wait, that totally happened.
I know you’re different from guys like Joe Everyman and Davey Ortega. While they’ve got their accomplishments and resume to back them up, even they can’t come close to what you’ve done. You’ve got the sustained success that they could only dream of. World Champion in NCW… dominant Tag Team Champion in IWF.
Key word, ‘Tag’ and ‘Team’.
That’s where you’ve got a lot to prove, yourself, Rob. Everyone knows what you did in the past, but in the present? I see a guy who is getting all his success with someone in his corner. Could an argument be made that Spike Kane is carrying you? Can I say that having the man who is currently wearing the top prize in the business around his waist may be the reason you’ve had so much success in IWF? I could, but I won’t.
Planting the seeds is enough for me.
All it takes is that one little piece of doubt in your mind that maybe you’re not as good as your partner could be enough to tear you apart, but I know it won’t. I’ve seen enough of promos to know exactly how confident in yourself you are, Diamond. You think you’re the best thing since sliced bread... the greatest to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots. In your head you’ve got all the tools to beat Spike Kane if the situation ever came up, and beating Ryan Blade? That’s a certainty.
But here’s the thing… I think the same thing. I’ve got the gold, just like you. I’ve got the results, just like you. And just like you, I know I’m the best IWF has to offer.
So one of us has to be lying.
I see this opportunity in front of me. I know exactly what this match could mean for a rookie like me. Even though I’ve done it all already in IWF, it’s still not every day you get to go toe-to-toe with someone with the laundry list of accomplishments that you have. The magnitude of the whole situation would be enough to get to any other man, and maybe I should be nervous… maybe I should be worried.
But I’m not.
Call it stupidity or call it ignorance, but I’m not afraid of you, Rob.
Did you expect me to be?
Because at the end of the day, I’m not just any other rookie. I’m the Man of Steel Champion… THE most dominant singles champion IWF has seen in its’ short existence. I’m the man who is going to pass you by before you can even see it coming.”