Post by kaster on Jan 22, 2024 4:28:07 GMT
WHAM!
The punching bag rocks violently from the impact. A rattling of chains overwhelms the initial noise.
WHAM!
Another blow, equally as powerful. The carried momentum from the previous punch makes the bag sway even more.
WHAM!
He imagines the hulking frame of Stephen Terrella falling down to the mat. The face that irked him down to the core is bloodied and bruised. A crowd roars in approval of what they’ve just seen. Charlie kneels down and keeps punching, every blow making his fists more slippery. He yells as the buzzing noise of the crowd both eggs him on and annoys him greatly. Wait… that buzzing isn’t the crowd-
Pulling back from the ground, he looks down at his knuckles. They are raw and bleeding, no doubt from the beating he gave to the hard floor. The pain hasn’t arrived yet, but the feeling of a phone in his pocket snaps him to attention. A crimson hand reaches into Van Ruth’s pocket and grabs the phone.
“Hello?”
“Yuh! What’s up, V Ruth?”
“...Cash?”
“The one and only, ya heard? Hey, I saw you at the show the other week, bro. I just wanted to thank you for checking it out. Crowd isn’t normally as packed but… I had a couple associates come by to help out the house.”
“What, you paid off some tickets?”
“Gotta do what I can! This little indie gig ain’t making the dollars and cents like they need to. Hell, they ain’t paying me, I’m paying them!”
A small cackle comes out of the phone’s speaker. Van Ruth awkwardly joins in on the laughter before the line goes silent.
“So what’s up with you, bro? I saw that match you had on TV last week. Sounds like y’all got fucked over big time.”
“Yeah… it’s no big deal. We’re going to get them sooner than later. Right now, I’m hitting the gym for a match with Nick Danger.”
“Really? Ain’t you beat him a while back?”
“I did. He puts up a good fight. Great wrestler, just couldn’t keep up with me that day.”
“I don’t know many guys that could keep up with you on any day! Where’s your boy, is he with you?”
“Nah… Ty’s using the time off to cool down after we lost last week. I don’t blame him. Those three are really starting to piss us off.”
“Makes sense. Why don’t y’all do something about it, though? They just playing games and making you lose these matches. You need to hit ‘em back. Hard.”
“Cash, it’s not really any of your-”
“Any of my business? Yo, you are too busy getting held up in singles matches and ain’t busy enough chasing after those tag belts! You and Tyson gotta be making plans and putting yourselves out there. I know you got that dog in you. Does your boy have what it takes too?”
Charlie frowns a bit at Cash’s insinuation.
“Of course he does. We’ve been through the ringer as a team. I’d say he’s had a lot worse luck than I’ve had. Nobody in the world wants to get those championships more than Ty.”
“Aight, man. I ain’t trying to get between y’all, but you gotta figure something out.”
“Thanks for the advice, Cash. I’ll get back to you later.”
“Hold up! I was gonna ask you something when I called.”
“Okay… go ahead.”
“Y’all got tryouts anytime soon?”
“I don’t know. We usually host tryouts throughout the year. Why don’t you look on their website or something?”
“Nah, ‘cause I need somebody to put in a good word for me. All about those connections, right? I could pay you to come with me!”
“I’m fine on the money, thanks. When were you thinking of trying out?”
“Y’all got that big show in a few weeks, right? Metamorphosis or something? I bet you there’s gonna be hella people out there. I ain’t big on New Yorkers, but I could smoke any of those fools in a tryout!”
“Be my guest. I’m not going to stop you from doing what you need to do.”
“All I need to do is get some of your people to sit down and witness what you saw at the show. Then, I’ll be right there with you. Who knows? Maybe I can help y’all with that business… y’know, even though it ain’t mine.”
“Whatever you say, Cash. I think you-”
“In fact, maybe I’ll hit that big Terrella guy up and let him know I stand on business. He’s a gambling man, right? I could flush out any casino he goes to and let him know what’s good. Or maybe I can hit up that sidepiece of his and show her what a real man-”
“Cash. You worry about actually getting your foot in the door first. Look, if I get some time free during pay-per-view weekend, I can come and see your tryout. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds like a deal. Don’t let ‘em forget what them three letters mean! Come back with a W, Charlie. For me.”
“I’ll remember that, Cash. I’ll talk to you later.”
He hangs up the phone. Now, his knuckles start to sting. The blood has begun to dry up and crust over his hands. Van Ruth sighs and grabs a towel, beginning to wipe off some of the blood. His hands hurt like hell now, all because he lost his cool. The Cash situation is something else entirely. What is this kid thinking?
Glancing down at the towel, he reminds himself of the war at Survival of the Fittest. They made him bleed. They made his partner bleed. They humiliated them not once now, but twice. Those championships seemed to be further and further away. That terrible trio were the gatekeepers. He and Tyson would have to crash through those gates in order to reach their true goal.
“You need to hit ‘em back. Hard.”
Oh, he’ll hit them hard. Harder than they think. He walks over to the punching bag and sizes it up. He couldn’t give a damn if his knuckles bled. Blood had been spilt long before that. And it will happen again.
WHAM!
A while after Van Ruth is done working out, the camera comes to him sitting on a weightlifting bench. He sips from his water bottle and gives a nod to the camera.
“So here we are again. You and I, Nick. I have to say, you did a number on me the last time we fought. But you underestimated me. That’s why you lost. People keep giving you advice, Nick. I think it’s time you actually take some. Be the man you think you are. Be the wrestler that everyone knows you can be. Be the opponent that I want in the ring. If you can manage all that, then maybe you’ll do better this time. You were less than a second away from pinning me, but you couldn’t get the job done. I know this might feel like deja vu and in some ways, it is. I don’t know why we have to fight again, Nick, and I’m not sure if you think this is some sort of redemption. All I know is that I have to go all out again so that I can show the fans that I mean business. When I compete in singles, I represent both myself and Tyson. I represent Kings of Flight loud and proud, so I want to show the fans that we mean business.”
Charlie holds the bloody towel in his hands before slinging it over his shoulder.
“Last week was a screwjob. Terrella, Portia and the Widow made a mockery out of tag team wrestling. I’m sick of waiting around and biding time until the next match, so I’ll be making sure that we have their attention.”
He points at the towel.
“We have given our literal blood, sweat and tears for the fans. They support us through everything. As long as people keep chanting our name, as long as everyone stands in support of us, we will never be beaten. Savage by Nature can never put us down for good. You can try to put us out of action and rig a match so that we can’t win, but there is NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP US! Fuck Stephen Terrella, fuck the Black Widow and fuck Portia. I cannot let it go until they get what they deserve. They want to play games and we want them in the ring. One more time. And I’ve got an idea that might please both sides. You just have to grab Terrella’s balls out of Portia’s purse and then meet us face-to-face. No fighting, no blood, just one proposition. That’s all I ask.”
Van Ruth briefly looks down at his hands. Scabs are starting to form across his knuckles.
“As for this week, I expect a big fight from you, Danger. Every time you go out there, you give it a hundred percent. I respect that. Your heart might be bigger than anyone else in IWF. But heart… heart is something that has to be used to its fullest. Either you get one over on me or I prove that your heart isn’t in the right place. I know it sounds like I’m looking past you right now, but I always stay focused when I’m competing. Can you say the same? Looking at your track record, hell, looking at our last match, I don’t think you can. Don’t mistake my respect for stupidity. I know how dangerous Nick Danger can be. The question is, do you know how dangerous he can be? That’s something we both find out. Don’t disappoint, Nick.”
The camera zooms in on the blood-stained towel before abruptly cutting out.
The punching bag rocks violently from the impact. A rattling of chains overwhelms the initial noise.
WHAM!
Another blow, equally as powerful. The carried momentum from the previous punch makes the bag sway even more.
WHAM!
He imagines the hulking frame of Stephen Terrella falling down to the mat. The face that irked him down to the core is bloodied and bruised. A crowd roars in approval of what they’ve just seen. Charlie kneels down and keeps punching, every blow making his fists more slippery. He yells as the buzzing noise of the crowd both eggs him on and annoys him greatly. Wait… that buzzing isn’t the crowd-
Pulling back from the ground, he looks down at his knuckles. They are raw and bleeding, no doubt from the beating he gave to the hard floor. The pain hasn’t arrived yet, but the feeling of a phone in his pocket snaps him to attention. A crimson hand reaches into Van Ruth’s pocket and grabs the phone.
“Hello?”
“Yuh! What’s up, V Ruth?”
“...Cash?”
“The one and only, ya heard? Hey, I saw you at the show the other week, bro. I just wanted to thank you for checking it out. Crowd isn’t normally as packed but… I had a couple associates come by to help out the house.”
“What, you paid off some tickets?”
“Gotta do what I can! This little indie gig ain’t making the dollars and cents like they need to. Hell, they ain’t paying me, I’m paying them!”
A small cackle comes out of the phone’s speaker. Van Ruth awkwardly joins in on the laughter before the line goes silent.
“So what’s up with you, bro? I saw that match you had on TV last week. Sounds like y’all got fucked over big time.”
“Yeah… it’s no big deal. We’re going to get them sooner than later. Right now, I’m hitting the gym for a match with Nick Danger.”
“Really? Ain’t you beat him a while back?”
“I did. He puts up a good fight. Great wrestler, just couldn’t keep up with me that day.”
“I don’t know many guys that could keep up with you on any day! Where’s your boy, is he with you?”
“Nah… Ty’s using the time off to cool down after we lost last week. I don’t blame him. Those three are really starting to piss us off.”
“Makes sense. Why don’t y’all do something about it, though? They just playing games and making you lose these matches. You need to hit ‘em back. Hard.”
“Cash, it’s not really any of your-”
“Any of my business? Yo, you are too busy getting held up in singles matches and ain’t busy enough chasing after those tag belts! You and Tyson gotta be making plans and putting yourselves out there. I know you got that dog in you. Does your boy have what it takes too?”
Charlie frowns a bit at Cash’s insinuation.
“Of course he does. We’ve been through the ringer as a team. I’d say he’s had a lot worse luck than I’ve had. Nobody in the world wants to get those championships more than Ty.”
“Aight, man. I ain’t trying to get between y’all, but you gotta figure something out.”
“Thanks for the advice, Cash. I’ll get back to you later.”
“Hold up! I was gonna ask you something when I called.”
“Okay… go ahead.”
“Y’all got tryouts anytime soon?”
“I don’t know. We usually host tryouts throughout the year. Why don’t you look on their website or something?”
“Nah, ‘cause I need somebody to put in a good word for me. All about those connections, right? I could pay you to come with me!”
“I’m fine on the money, thanks. When were you thinking of trying out?”
“Y’all got that big show in a few weeks, right? Metamorphosis or something? I bet you there’s gonna be hella people out there. I ain’t big on New Yorkers, but I could smoke any of those fools in a tryout!”
“Be my guest. I’m not going to stop you from doing what you need to do.”
“All I need to do is get some of your people to sit down and witness what you saw at the show. Then, I’ll be right there with you. Who knows? Maybe I can help y’all with that business… y’know, even though it ain’t mine.”
“Whatever you say, Cash. I think you-”
“In fact, maybe I’ll hit that big Terrella guy up and let him know I stand on business. He’s a gambling man, right? I could flush out any casino he goes to and let him know what’s good. Or maybe I can hit up that sidepiece of his and show her what a real man-”
“Cash. You worry about actually getting your foot in the door first. Look, if I get some time free during pay-per-view weekend, I can come and see your tryout. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds like a deal. Don’t let ‘em forget what them three letters mean! Come back with a W, Charlie. For me.”
“I’ll remember that, Cash. I’ll talk to you later.”
He hangs up the phone. Now, his knuckles start to sting. The blood has begun to dry up and crust over his hands. Van Ruth sighs and grabs a towel, beginning to wipe off some of the blood. His hands hurt like hell now, all because he lost his cool. The Cash situation is something else entirely. What is this kid thinking?
Glancing down at the towel, he reminds himself of the war at Survival of the Fittest. They made him bleed. They made his partner bleed. They humiliated them not once now, but twice. Those championships seemed to be further and further away. That terrible trio were the gatekeepers. He and Tyson would have to crash through those gates in order to reach their true goal.
“You need to hit ‘em back. Hard.”
Oh, he’ll hit them hard. Harder than they think. He walks over to the punching bag and sizes it up. He couldn’t give a damn if his knuckles bled. Blood had been spilt long before that. And it will happen again.
WHAM!
A while after Van Ruth is done working out, the camera comes to him sitting on a weightlifting bench. He sips from his water bottle and gives a nod to the camera.
“So here we are again. You and I, Nick. I have to say, you did a number on me the last time we fought. But you underestimated me. That’s why you lost. People keep giving you advice, Nick. I think it’s time you actually take some. Be the man you think you are. Be the wrestler that everyone knows you can be. Be the opponent that I want in the ring. If you can manage all that, then maybe you’ll do better this time. You were less than a second away from pinning me, but you couldn’t get the job done. I know this might feel like deja vu and in some ways, it is. I don’t know why we have to fight again, Nick, and I’m not sure if you think this is some sort of redemption. All I know is that I have to go all out again so that I can show the fans that I mean business. When I compete in singles, I represent both myself and Tyson. I represent Kings of Flight loud and proud, so I want to show the fans that we mean business.”
Charlie holds the bloody towel in his hands before slinging it over his shoulder.
“Last week was a screwjob. Terrella, Portia and the Widow made a mockery out of tag team wrestling. I’m sick of waiting around and biding time until the next match, so I’ll be making sure that we have their attention.”
He points at the towel.
“We have given our literal blood, sweat and tears for the fans. They support us through everything. As long as people keep chanting our name, as long as everyone stands in support of us, we will never be beaten. Savage by Nature can never put us down for good. You can try to put us out of action and rig a match so that we can’t win, but there is NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP US! Fuck Stephen Terrella, fuck the Black Widow and fuck Portia. I cannot let it go until they get what they deserve. They want to play games and we want them in the ring. One more time. And I’ve got an idea that might please both sides. You just have to grab Terrella’s balls out of Portia’s purse and then meet us face-to-face. No fighting, no blood, just one proposition. That’s all I ask.”
Van Ruth briefly looks down at his hands. Scabs are starting to form across his knuckles.
“As for this week, I expect a big fight from you, Danger. Every time you go out there, you give it a hundred percent. I respect that. Your heart might be bigger than anyone else in IWF. But heart… heart is something that has to be used to its fullest. Either you get one over on me or I prove that your heart isn’t in the right place. I know it sounds like I’m looking past you right now, but I always stay focused when I’m competing. Can you say the same? Looking at your track record, hell, looking at our last match, I don’t think you can. Don’t mistake my respect for stupidity. I know how dangerous Nick Danger can be. The question is, do you know how dangerous he can be? That’s something we both find out. Don’t disappoint, Nick.”
The camera zooms in on the blood-stained towel before abruptly cutting out.
Well howdy there pardner.