Post by kaster on May 27, 2023 6:12:45 GMT
In the conference room located inside the MGM Grand, dozens of wrestling journalists and reporters gather for a scrum surrounding IWF’s Night of the Immortals. As the people settle in, one man comes onto the stage with a smile as big as his ego. Gold sunglasses, a white suit and, of course, the IWF World Television Championship are on display for the eyes and cameras of the viewing audience. It’s not long before Cannin has a microphone in his hand. The champion looks sharp as he sits down and smacks his gum.
“Here for The Wrestling Viewer, you’re going into your first ever Iron Man match against Nick Danger. It’s your first Night of the Immortals, I’d just like to know what’s going through your head leading up to your match tomorrow.”
“First off, if anyone here thinks that I’m fuckin’ nervous about this being my first Night of the Immortals, you should get back to your basements and keep watching clips on Twitter. I was made for these events. I work the big money pay-per-views and I intend to keep winning at them. It doesn’t matter if we’re in Japan, Britain, Vegas or fuckin’ Honduras. I will deliver every single time I step between those ropes, especially if I get a fat paycheck at the end. And to address your little factoid about this being my first ever Iron Man, I couldn’t give less of a shit. See, the difference between Nick Danger and myself is that I am a wrestler and Nick is a performer. I do not get in the ring so that people can have their compilations of all my moves or so idiots online can splooge themselves over my flips and dives. I don’t kill my body every time I wrestle because wrestlers can actually manage to do their career for a long time. Performers like Nick Danger will have their heyday before they die, get injured or retire at the ripe age of 30. An Iron Man match suits me to an absolute tee. Have I ever gone 45 minutes in a match? No. Am I confident that I could? Absolutely. While Nick is gasping for air and reaching out for water bottles, I’ll be running laps around the ring. I’ve conditioned myself for this match and I am more than ready to walk out of Las Vegas with my title in my hands. Next question.”
“Hi, I’m here for smarkdown.com, there’s been a lot of talk surrounding the animosity between yourself and Nick Danger. Do you have any exact reasons why Nick Danger has been such a target for you thus far?”
“Lady, if I wanted to sit here and talk about how much Nick Danger irritates me, we’d be here until the pay-per-view starts. If you want me to get to the root of my problem with Nick Danger right now, it has to do with this idea that he deserves this title shot. I’ve never seen someone so adamant about earning something over almost winning. You don’t almost win. What I’ve learned is that, in this sport, you can’t get by on mediocrity. What Nick Danger does is something that frustrates me to no end. I see so much potential in this guy and I know for an undeniable fact that everyone else sees it too. The problem is that he’s always one step behind. That potential that we see goes unused. When I think of Nick Danger, I don’t think about a Rising Ace. I think about a fallen prospect. He can argue all he wants about how he had me beat one time in that triple threat, but he didn’t get the job done. You know, if the roles were reversed, there would be no hesitation. It’s that difference in knowing when to pull the trigger that makes me better than him. You can be a second-generation wrestler, a third-generation wrestler, hell, you could come out of the balls of the greatest wrestler ever! That does not mean you yourself are a good wrestler. Family does not define a legacy and I think a lot of people in this company could learn a thing or two about that. I never got to tell my old man that his boy, the little screw-up, had made it to the top. You know why? Because I know he watches every single week and it eats him up inside to know that he was wrong. I didn’t get into this business because of family, I got here in spite of it. Nick Danger can’t say the same. He’s a little nepo baby coming from the Danger heritage, but a name is only as good as the people who carry it. All he’s proven since coming here is that he was never worthy of carrying his father and his grandfather’s name. So, to answer your question, my problem with Nick Danger is that he’s someone who could, who should be on my level, but he simply isn’t. Next! You, hawaiian shirt that looks like he just got off the Vegas strip.”
“I’m here with International Wrestling Newsletter, you and Nick have had two one-on-one encounters in the past and you’ve won on both occasions. Obviously, you are looking to keep your unpinned and unsubmitted streak going. Are you expecting a clean sweep in the Iron Man match?”
“Never say never. The way I see it, if I don’t lose this match, which I won’t, then my streak stays intact. People like to argue semantics with win-loss records, but the facts are facts. I have not been pinned or submitted in the year of 2023 and I plan to keep it that way. It’s funny that you mentioned our matches in the past, because I actually have a bit of a memento to show all of you.”
Reaching down under the table, he pulls out the blood-soaked barbed wire chair from the unsanctioned match at Legacy. A slight hush falls over the room as the chair plonks onto the tabletop.
“This right here is the chair that I used to beat Nick Danger at Legacy last year. Drove his head right into it and I think you can even see the indent of his skull right around the center. This serves as a reminder of what I’m capable of doing to him. He should know better than anybody that I am willing to do anything to win. I have beaten him twice and I want to have the final say in this little trilogy of ours. He was my first real opponent in this company and I actually want to take this time to thank Nick Danger. He’s given me the platform to elevate my stardom. By beating his ass over and over again, I’ve gotten to take my game to a whole new level. So thank you, Nick, for giving me the ability to show why I am that much better than you. I couldn’t have done it without you, bud. And one more thing… if you intend to use your friend Zack as some sort of fucked up sympathy bait, you’ll have to find somebody else to use it on. I don’t give a shit if you call me a coward, because you have to hide behind so many names and people in order to feel immortal. A real man, an iron man if you will, only needs his name and his ability to make himself immortal. Tomorrow won’t be your night, Nick. I hope you realize that when the clock runs out and you become just another number in the reign of the greatest IWF World Television Champion of all time. Now, if you excuse me… wait, what do you want? You, in the back, you want one more?”
“Uh, yeah… I’m with the Dirty Wrestling Sheet website. There’s been some rumors that your contract negotiations with IWF have been a little tenuous. Some say that your contract is expected to expire some time this summer. Care to elaborate on any of that?”
“Oh? I see what this is. You’re trying to make a big fuss about something that’s my fuckin’ business. Well, if you want me to take part in the rumor mill, here you go. By this summer, I will be the IWF World Heavyweight Champion. That is an undeniable fact. It’s time for change, ladies and gentlemen. That change starts here. I’ll see all of you dumbfucks tomorrow, because I know you bought tickets to see The Future.”
Looking a tad perturbed, Cannin grabs his championship and heads out of the room. All that remains is the bloody chair, a symbol of the everlasting war between the two rivals.
It is only a matter of time before the lights will go brighter than ever before.
The future has to be now.