Post by Angel Blake on Oct 29, 2023 20:12:49 GMT
You find yourself in a very familiar place.
The middle of a professional wrestling ring.
You look all around you at the sea of empty seats soon to be filled with the asses of screaming fans. You feel at home in this ring, like this is where you were always meant to be. You begin to run the ropes, preparing yourself for the grueling challenge that lies ahead of you tonight. You remember a time when the steel cables used to sting and bruise your flesh but now? Now it’s just part of the price you pay for the honor to step between those ropes.
”Nick Danger…”
You stop. His voice booms all around you from the PA system inside of the arena. He speaks from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
”Unlike most people in this company, Nick, I respect you…”
Your eyes become tiny slits as your head fills with doubt. This is a man who doesn’t even know the definition of sincere. He’s heinous, vindictive, a sociopath who gets off on the pain of others. He doesn’t respect anyone or anything.
”For three years you have struggled to make a name for yourself here. Some look at those three years as proof you are a failure. But not me, Nick. Not me. In those three years you have gone from being the guy who fights and loses to newcomers to the warm up match for the big names to a big name in your own right. A former champion with wins over some of the biggest names in our industry today…”
“I respect that…”
“How many have come and gone since your arrival, Nick? How many men were pushed ahead of you only to suddenly drop off into the abyss? How many people were billed as the next big thing over Nick Danger only to vanish into thin air when things got too hard? More than either one of us can remember and through all that, you’re still here. You’re still fighting. You’re still making that name for yourself…”
You tilt your head. You’re not used to praise from your peers, certainly not from someone like him. You look around the arena again trying to figure out where he is speaking from and wondering if this is all a ploy to weaken you up before later tonight.
”The Rising Ace…”
That’s you, the real future of this company, not men like Caleb or Knox or RAM, you.
”It’s an appropriate moniker. Many of my compatriots don’t remember what it was like to be young. They don’t remember their first two, three, five or ten years in professional wrestling. They don’t remember how hard they struggled against other companies top names except to tell the tales of the times they defeated them…”
“But they lost too…”
“They lost a lot…”
“As I did when I first got into this business. I didn’t start out as GOD. I didn’t step into the ring in my first match and immediately became the biggest star the professional wrestling world has ever known. I worked for it. I worked hard for it. I worked for years upon years. My first ten years were spent struggling to be recognized and the next ten years were spent defending that recognition…”
“Some would have you believe they’ve always existed as God’s gift to professional wrestling and those people would by lying, Nick. They struggled. They fought. They lost more than they won. And those of us like myself who’ve reached the lofty heights of world wide notoriety only did so because they refused to give up…”
“Like you…”
You’re still suspicious but appreciate the history lesson. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy becoming the future but you welcomed the challenge.
”I recognize your determination, your drive, your desire to become one of the elite athletes in this profession. You have what it takes to become what you dream of becoming, Nick, I promise you…”
You knew that or at least you agreed with the sentiment. You’ve already been through so much, things that would and have driven others away. But still you stay and fight.
”Our profession isn’t easy, Nick but you know that already. People like my sons and wife will tell you that people like you will never make it. That you’re too kind hearted. Too nice. Too good to really make it in this business. They will tell you that the only way to get ahead is to hurt people, to cheat people, to become something dark and sinister like them…”
“But it isn’t true, Nick…”
“You don’t need to sink to our level to become something great. You’ve already proved you can be a champion without succumbing to darkness. You’ve already shown people like RAM where the easy choice leads…”
“Failure…”
“The path you walk is harder than others. You will be tested, threatened, attacked and violently judged for your moral compass but at the end of that path is true greatness. If you make it, if you can keep on this path you will be remembered for your work ethic, your determination. The fans will look up to you as a role model, someone to aspire to be like, remembered as one of the all time greats…”
“Unlike myself…”
The Imperitron behind you suddenly comes alive with static. You spin on your heels, prepared for the inevitable sneak attack but he still isn’t here. You look up at the large static filled screen. Slowly his visage can be made out, the dark silhouette, the pale painted face and that terrible smile.
”No matter what I do I will always be remembered for the atrocities I’ve committed. The world will never let me forget. Which brings me to the end of my preamble. The point being that I respect who you are because it is someone I will never be…”
“But it is someone I will try to be…”
“Still, I have that darkness in me, like an oil stain on the pavement, impossible to wash clean. I have those same dark desires, those carnal needs. Everything inside of me is screaming to utterly eviscerate you for even thinking you could be at my level…”
“But I’m resisting those urges, Nick…”
“Because I don’t want to destroy you. I don’t want to maim and permanently injure you. I want to wrestle you, I want to defeat you in the middle of that ring and earn my place in the Extinction Event. I want to walk the righteous path towards true greatness and it starts with you…”
You see the sincerity in his black eyes but you still don’t believe it. He’s a monster, always has been and if you give him the opportunity? He will bite your head off.
”Sixty minutes. That’s how long this match is destined to last. The Iron Man match is unlike any other in professional wrestling. It tests your endurance, your stamina, your conviction. It tests your mental faculties. The Iron Man match is about more than winning or losing. A single pinfall or submission is meaningless. It’s cumulative. Who can outlast the other? Who is more driven than the other?”
“Who is better?”
“The Iron Man match is a test of wills and from what I’ve seen over the last three years? Your will is incredible. You’ve outlasted supposed legends, Nick, men and women who the professional wrestling world lauds as some of the best to ever do it…”
“But they aren’t here anymore…”
“You are…”
“And so am I…”
“So who is better?”
“Danger…”
“Or God…”
You know the answer. You’ve always known the answer. You look up at his pale image with sheer determination. Halloween Hell, you finally Rise.
”We will find out at Halloween Hell…”
“But I will tell you this…”
“The Extinction Event…”
“Is my match…”
“Survival of the Fittest…”
“Is my show…”
“And the World Television Championship?”
“Is the Championship that I want…”
“To redefine myself around…”
“It is how I will change the way I am remembered…”
The Imperitron flickers and he vanishes. This is it. He’s finally coming for you.
”That change starts with you…”
“By outlasting you…”
“Out wrestling you…”
“And not only defeating but surviving you…”
“Survival of the Fittest…”
“And there is none more fit than I…”
The arena lights go dark. His ghastly image flashes before you and then nothing. Darkness. Moments pass and the lights return. You are alone in the arena once more left to ponder everything he just said.
The middle of a professional wrestling ring.
You look all around you at the sea of empty seats soon to be filled with the asses of screaming fans. You feel at home in this ring, like this is where you were always meant to be. You begin to run the ropes, preparing yourself for the grueling challenge that lies ahead of you tonight. You remember a time when the steel cables used to sting and bruise your flesh but now? Now it’s just part of the price you pay for the honor to step between those ropes.
”Nick Danger…”
You stop. His voice booms all around you from the PA system inside of the arena. He speaks from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
”Unlike most people in this company, Nick, I respect you…”
Your eyes become tiny slits as your head fills with doubt. This is a man who doesn’t even know the definition of sincere. He’s heinous, vindictive, a sociopath who gets off on the pain of others. He doesn’t respect anyone or anything.
”For three years you have struggled to make a name for yourself here. Some look at those three years as proof you are a failure. But not me, Nick. Not me. In those three years you have gone from being the guy who fights and loses to newcomers to the warm up match for the big names to a big name in your own right. A former champion with wins over some of the biggest names in our industry today…”
“I respect that…”
“How many have come and gone since your arrival, Nick? How many men were pushed ahead of you only to suddenly drop off into the abyss? How many people were billed as the next big thing over Nick Danger only to vanish into thin air when things got too hard? More than either one of us can remember and through all that, you’re still here. You’re still fighting. You’re still making that name for yourself…”
You tilt your head. You’re not used to praise from your peers, certainly not from someone like him. You look around the arena again trying to figure out where he is speaking from and wondering if this is all a ploy to weaken you up before later tonight.
”The Rising Ace…”
That’s you, the real future of this company, not men like Caleb or Knox or RAM, you.
”It’s an appropriate moniker. Many of my compatriots don’t remember what it was like to be young. They don’t remember their first two, three, five or ten years in professional wrestling. They don’t remember how hard they struggled against other companies top names except to tell the tales of the times they defeated them…”
“But they lost too…”
“They lost a lot…”
“As I did when I first got into this business. I didn’t start out as GOD. I didn’t step into the ring in my first match and immediately became the biggest star the professional wrestling world has ever known. I worked for it. I worked hard for it. I worked for years upon years. My first ten years were spent struggling to be recognized and the next ten years were spent defending that recognition…”
“Some would have you believe they’ve always existed as God’s gift to professional wrestling and those people would by lying, Nick. They struggled. They fought. They lost more than they won. And those of us like myself who’ve reached the lofty heights of world wide notoriety only did so because they refused to give up…”
“Like you…”
You’re still suspicious but appreciate the history lesson. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy becoming the future but you welcomed the challenge.
”I recognize your determination, your drive, your desire to become one of the elite athletes in this profession. You have what it takes to become what you dream of becoming, Nick, I promise you…”
You knew that or at least you agreed with the sentiment. You’ve already been through so much, things that would and have driven others away. But still you stay and fight.
”Our profession isn’t easy, Nick but you know that already. People like my sons and wife will tell you that people like you will never make it. That you’re too kind hearted. Too nice. Too good to really make it in this business. They will tell you that the only way to get ahead is to hurt people, to cheat people, to become something dark and sinister like them…”
“But it isn’t true, Nick…”
“You don’t need to sink to our level to become something great. You’ve already proved you can be a champion without succumbing to darkness. You’ve already shown people like RAM where the easy choice leads…”
“Failure…”
“The path you walk is harder than others. You will be tested, threatened, attacked and violently judged for your moral compass but at the end of that path is true greatness. If you make it, if you can keep on this path you will be remembered for your work ethic, your determination. The fans will look up to you as a role model, someone to aspire to be like, remembered as one of the all time greats…”
“Unlike myself…”
The Imperitron behind you suddenly comes alive with static. You spin on your heels, prepared for the inevitable sneak attack but he still isn’t here. You look up at the large static filled screen. Slowly his visage can be made out, the dark silhouette, the pale painted face and that terrible smile.
”No matter what I do I will always be remembered for the atrocities I’ve committed. The world will never let me forget. Which brings me to the end of my preamble. The point being that I respect who you are because it is someone I will never be…”
“But it is someone I will try to be…”
“Still, I have that darkness in me, like an oil stain on the pavement, impossible to wash clean. I have those same dark desires, those carnal needs. Everything inside of me is screaming to utterly eviscerate you for even thinking you could be at my level…”
“But I’m resisting those urges, Nick…”
“Because I don’t want to destroy you. I don’t want to maim and permanently injure you. I want to wrestle you, I want to defeat you in the middle of that ring and earn my place in the Extinction Event. I want to walk the righteous path towards true greatness and it starts with you…”
You see the sincerity in his black eyes but you still don’t believe it. He’s a monster, always has been and if you give him the opportunity? He will bite your head off.
”Sixty minutes. That’s how long this match is destined to last. The Iron Man match is unlike any other in professional wrestling. It tests your endurance, your stamina, your conviction. It tests your mental faculties. The Iron Man match is about more than winning or losing. A single pinfall or submission is meaningless. It’s cumulative. Who can outlast the other? Who is more driven than the other?”
“Who is better?”
“The Iron Man match is a test of wills and from what I’ve seen over the last three years? Your will is incredible. You’ve outlasted supposed legends, Nick, men and women who the professional wrestling world lauds as some of the best to ever do it…”
“But they aren’t here anymore…”
“You are…”
“And so am I…”
“So who is better?”
“Danger…”
“Or God…”
You know the answer. You’ve always known the answer. You look up at his pale image with sheer determination. Halloween Hell, you finally Rise.
”We will find out at Halloween Hell…”
“But I will tell you this…”
“The Extinction Event…”
“Is my match…”
“Survival of the Fittest…”
“Is my show…”
“And the World Television Championship?”
“Is the Championship that I want…”
“To redefine myself around…”
“It is how I will change the way I am remembered…”
The Imperitron flickers and he vanishes. This is it. He’s finally coming for you.
”That change starts with you…”
“By outlasting you…”
“Out wrestling you…”
“And not only defeating but surviving you…”
“Survival of the Fittest…”
“And there is none more fit than I…”
The arena lights go dark. His ghastly image flashes before you and then nothing. Darkness. Moments pass and the lights return. You are alone in the arena once more left to ponder everything he just said.
Well howdy there pardner.