Post by Zasshu II on Apr 18, 2014 19:30:49 GMT
Eddie Black worked over a heavy bag in the local gym of whatever town he and the boys were holed up in for the weekend. His upper body glistened as the sweat dripped off him and hit the ground. He danced around the bag, his taped fists crashing against the surface of the bad hit after hit after hit. He moved again, his mind racing with thoughts of this weekend, their second tag team title defense in two reigns, last time they failed only to come back and win the belts back.
They couldn’t fail this time.
His fists hit harder and harder, his mind saw the faces of his opposition, the shit eating smirk of Ryan Shane and the smug look of complacency on his cousin Muru. The two of them would make for an interesting challenge, a challenge he knew his brother and he could overcome if they could just work together.
Eddie and Frank had never seen eye to eye and it seemed things were only getting more complicated as this time went on.
He shook the doubts from his mind, no uses wasting time doubting his brother, he knew he was a tough son of a bitch and there was no one he trusted more than Frank besides Rachel, the two most important people in his life.
The doors to the gym suddenly swung open and Malaki Toala walked in, he was dressed to train with his hair tied back over a black dri fit tank and under armour shorts. He looked toward Eddie and the two shared a nod before Malaki walked over to where Eddie was, he stopped hitting the bag and caught his breath before speaking.
”What’s up?”
”Not much, just getting some training in.”
You could tell something was weighing on Malaki’s mind as he stood there for a few moments just sort of looking into space. Finally he sighs and looks back to Eddie.
”Look, I don’t know if this is my business or not but I feel like I’ve got to say this.”
Eddie sort of tilts his head a little.
”Shoot.”
Malaki places his hands on his hips and looks Eddie right in the eye.
”I don’t trust your brother and I don’t think you should either.”
Eddie was taken aback.
”What?”
”Look, this may not be my place and I’m sure Joey would tell me to shut up about it but… When you were in Japan last month…”
”Spit it out.”
”He spent a lot of time with Rach, too much time, you know?”
You could tell by looking at him that Eddie wanted to knock the teeth out of Malaki’s mouth but he respected him too much to even call him a liar let alone hit him. Eventually he just nodded and Malaki walked away…
The IWF logo is our backdrop with a Skull and Cross Bones over the front of it in red, white and blue. Eddie and Frank, titles draped over their shoulders wearing matching “Future Redneck Millionaire” t-shirts.
”I’m getting real sick and damn tired of the way we’re being treated around here.”
”Ya damn right.”
”My brother and I we busted our asses to be here, just like everyone else on this goddamn roster but it seems like since day one each of the boys in the back have a beef with us.”
”Empire, Ragnarok and now Muru and that puissant cousin of his Ryan Shane.”
”Now I get it, for a while there we were the new guys, gotta put us through the ringer and see what we’re made of.”
Eddie smacks his tag belt.
”We’re the goddamn tag team champions of the World!”
”The only men in all of IWF to ever hold gold twice. Think about that shit for a second you hard headed sumbitches. Men like Spike Kane, Bob Pooler, Sephiroth du Lac have all been champions but not a single one of them have done what we’ve done. We ain’t ring legends, ain’t no dead federations with our names in the ashes.”
”We’re just a couple of southern boys with a never say die attitude and apparently a big ass target on our back.”
”A target Ryan Shane has been aiming for all month long, well guess what buddy, ya got out attention. Our FULL attention and more than that ya got a shot at taking these belts off our shoulders.”
”Assuming ya don’t crash and burn.”
”Cause my brother and I, we’ve been playing with kid gloves on, you know? Taking it easy on some of these chumps around here and I know my brother, he’s gonna give you the benefit of the doubt in this match but not me. I’m gonna step up into that ring and I’m gonna try to knock your goddamn heads off with a barbed wire wrapped steel chair just to see how far I can hit it!”
There’s something almost vicious in Frank’s eyes as Eddie shrugs.
”I’d of loved this to be a fair fight, I’d of loved to step in to the ring with you gentlemen and see what you’re made of. Loved too! I’m not a maniacal guy, I don’t make people bleed just to see how much comes out. I’m a wrestler, I do this because I love it but the two of you, mostly Shane and Muru by extension, ya went out of your way to piss me off!”
”Foaming at the mouth mad.”
”So like a war vet with flashbacks of the lives he’s taken, I’m gonna have to revisit some of my bloodier matches from Japan when I step into the ring this Sunday. See, just because I don’t like to spill blood and maim bodies doesn’t mean I’m above it. Ya pushed my damn buttons, pretty much every single last one and that puts you in a dangerous goddamn place. A place where I just wanna knock you the fuck out until you don’t get up again!”
”Me personally, I think Eddie’s being nice. Too nice. Cause I don’t wanna just knock your heads off. NUH UH! No, I wanna beat ya so bloody ya can’t even recognize your own reflection. I wanna bash you so hard over the head that bone dust leaks out your nose.”
”That’s pretty damn hard.”
”And yeah, I want you to take that comment the wrong way, I want you to realize just how personal you made things for me, us. I know a good chunk of people in this country don’t know what it means to work for something, to take pride in what you earn but Eddie and I? We do! We worked damn hard to hold these belts, the rest of you people shit on tag team wrestling while my brother and I hold it above all others because we take pride in it. A guy like Ryan Shane, he don’t care about this business or these titles, he cares about his damn self!”
Both brothers just shake their heads.
”Sad thing is, Muru even knows this. The man argues constantly about the way Shane handles himself out there but at the end of the day he’s got his boys back.”
”And we respect that.”
”Oh hell yeah we do, you’re family, of course you stand up for each other. Thing is, Muru doesn’t believe in the cause, the cause being Ryan Shane’s own goddamn ego.”
”I been to war, know what happens to a man who doesn’t believe in the cause? He dies.”
”Think about that for a second Muru, you’re stepping into a battle ground Sunday night, a war zone. Weapons of all shapes and sizes are gonna be utilized by us to keep what’s ours. These belts ain’t leaving our waists unless you manage to find the balls to leave us bleeding out in the ring. Now on your own? Fighting for yourself? Could you do it? Maybe, maybe you got that kill or be killed instinct, but standing out there by Ryan’s side knowing we’re coming for your head because of the sorry sack of shit next to you?”
”Dead.”
Just a dead pan glare from both of them.
”I hate being this serious, I do, see of the two of us I’m the fun loving brother. I wanna go to a show, kick back with some fans, maybe sling a few beers so the sheer fact that you got me out for blood should let you know just how pissed off I am and just how seriously I’m taking this match.”
”Look, a part of me wants to wish you the best of luck but honestly, luck ain’t gonna do shit for you once we get inside that ring.”
”Muru, turn to the man to your left and thank him for the ass whooping your about to receive.”
Frank scoffs and the two brothers walk off the set.
Frank watches from the locker room as Malaki walks away from Eddie, Eddie clearly red with anger. Frank balls both his fists before turning and slamming his hands up against the brick wall several times.
”Dammit!”
He didn’t know what he was more upset about that Malaki talked to Eddie about him or that there was something for the two of them to talk about. He turns and looked across the locker at the full length mirror, glaring hard at his reflection. For a second he didn’t really recognize the man looking back at him but he shook it off. Frank walked over to his bag and reached in pulling out his cell phone, he pulled up Rachel’s name and dialed.
”Hey Rach… Wait… Listen dammit!... WAIT!”
He looking angrily down at his phone as it read “Call Ended.”
”Everything ok?”
Frank spun around to see Eddie standing in the door way.
”Huh?”
”I heard ya yell.”
”Me? Nah, you must be hearing things.”
Frank stuffed his phone back in his bag and brushed passed Eddie on his way out into the gym. Eddie looked at the bag and thought… And then he turned and walked out into the gym. Fade.
They couldn’t fail this time.
His fists hit harder and harder, his mind saw the faces of his opposition, the shit eating smirk of Ryan Shane and the smug look of complacency on his cousin Muru. The two of them would make for an interesting challenge, a challenge he knew his brother and he could overcome if they could just work together.
Eddie and Frank had never seen eye to eye and it seemed things were only getting more complicated as this time went on.
He shook the doubts from his mind, no uses wasting time doubting his brother, he knew he was a tough son of a bitch and there was no one he trusted more than Frank besides Rachel, the two most important people in his life.
The doors to the gym suddenly swung open and Malaki Toala walked in, he was dressed to train with his hair tied back over a black dri fit tank and under armour shorts. He looked toward Eddie and the two shared a nod before Malaki walked over to where Eddie was, he stopped hitting the bag and caught his breath before speaking.
”What’s up?”
”Not much, just getting some training in.”
You could tell something was weighing on Malaki’s mind as he stood there for a few moments just sort of looking into space. Finally he sighs and looks back to Eddie.
”Look, I don’t know if this is my business or not but I feel like I’ve got to say this.”
Eddie sort of tilts his head a little.
”Shoot.”
Malaki places his hands on his hips and looks Eddie right in the eye.
”I don’t trust your brother and I don’t think you should either.”
Eddie was taken aback.
”What?”
”Look, this may not be my place and I’m sure Joey would tell me to shut up about it but… When you were in Japan last month…”
”Spit it out.”
”He spent a lot of time with Rach, too much time, you know?”
You could tell by looking at him that Eddie wanted to knock the teeth out of Malaki’s mouth but he respected him too much to even call him a liar let alone hit him. Eventually he just nodded and Malaki walked away…
The IWF logo is our backdrop with a Skull and Cross Bones over the front of it in red, white and blue. Eddie and Frank, titles draped over their shoulders wearing matching “Future Redneck Millionaire” t-shirts.
”I’m getting real sick and damn tired of the way we’re being treated around here.”
”Ya damn right.”
”My brother and I we busted our asses to be here, just like everyone else on this goddamn roster but it seems like since day one each of the boys in the back have a beef with us.”
”Empire, Ragnarok and now Muru and that puissant cousin of his Ryan Shane.”
”Now I get it, for a while there we were the new guys, gotta put us through the ringer and see what we’re made of.”
Eddie smacks his tag belt.
”We’re the goddamn tag team champions of the World!”
”The only men in all of IWF to ever hold gold twice. Think about that shit for a second you hard headed sumbitches. Men like Spike Kane, Bob Pooler, Sephiroth du Lac have all been champions but not a single one of them have done what we’ve done. We ain’t ring legends, ain’t no dead federations with our names in the ashes.”
”We’re just a couple of southern boys with a never say die attitude and apparently a big ass target on our back.”
”A target Ryan Shane has been aiming for all month long, well guess what buddy, ya got out attention. Our FULL attention and more than that ya got a shot at taking these belts off our shoulders.”
”Assuming ya don’t crash and burn.”
”Cause my brother and I, we’ve been playing with kid gloves on, you know? Taking it easy on some of these chumps around here and I know my brother, he’s gonna give you the benefit of the doubt in this match but not me. I’m gonna step up into that ring and I’m gonna try to knock your goddamn heads off with a barbed wire wrapped steel chair just to see how far I can hit it!”
There’s something almost vicious in Frank’s eyes as Eddie shrugs.
”I’d of loved this to be a fair fight, I’d of loved to step in to the ring with you gentlemen and see what you’re made of. Loved too! I’m not a maniacal guy, I don’t make people bleed just to see how much comes out. I’m a wrestler, I do this because I love it but the two of you, mostly Shane and Muru by extension, ya went out of your way to piss me off!”
”Foaming at the mouth mad.”
”So like a war vet with flashbacks of the lives he’s taken, I’m gonna have to revisit some of my bloodier matches from Japan when I step into the ring this Sunday. See, just because I don’t like to spill blood and maim bodies doesn’t mean I’m above it. Ya pushed my damn buttons, pretty much every single last one and that puts you in a dangerous goddamn place. A place where I just wanna knock you the fuck out until you don’t get up again!”
”Me personally, I think Eddie’s being nice. Too nice. Cause I don’t wanna just knock your heads off. NUH UH! No, I wanna beat ya so bloody ya can’t even recognize your own reflection. I wanna bash you so hard over the head that bone dust leaks out your nose.”
”That’s pretty damn hard.”
”And yeah, I want you to take that comment the wrong way, I want you to realize just how personal you made things for me, us. I know a good chunk of people in this country don’t know what it means to work for something, to take pride in what you earn but Eddie and I? We do! We worked damn hard to hold these belts, the rest of you people shit on tag team wrestling while my brother and I hold it above all others because we take pride in it. A guy like Ryan Shane, he don’t care about this business or these titles, he cares about his damn self!”
Both brothers just shake their heads.
”Sad thing is, Muru even knows this. The man argues constantly about the way Shane handles himself out there but at the end of the day he’s got his boys back.”
”And we respect that.”
”Oh hell yeah we do, you’re family, of course you stand up for each other. Thing is, Muru doesn’t believe in the cause, the cause being Ryan Shane’s own goddamn ego.”
”I been to war, know what happens to a man who doesn’t believe in the cause? He dies.”
”Think about that for a second Muru, you’re stepping into a battle ground Sunday night, a war zone. Weapons of all shapes and sizes are gonna be utilized by us to keep what’s ours. These belts ain’t leaving our waists unless you manage to find the balls to leave us bleeding out in the ring. Now on your own? Fighting for yourself? Could you do it? Maybe, maybe you got that kill or be killed instinct, but standing out there by Ryan’s side knowing we’re coming for your head because of the sorry sack of shit next to you?”
”Dead.”
Just a dead pan glare from both of them.
”I hate being this serious, I do, see of the two of us I’m the fun loving brother. I wanna go to a show, kick back with some fans, maybe sling a few beers so the sheer fact that you got me out for blood should let you know just how pissed off I am and just how seriously I’m taking this match.”
”Look, a part of me wants to wish you the best of luck but honestly, luck ain’t gonna do shit for you once we get inside that ring.”
”Muru, turn to the man to your left and thank him for the ass whooping your about to receive.”
Frank scoffs and the two brothers walk off the set.
Frank watches from the locker room as Malaki walks away from Eddie, Eddie clearly red with anger. Frank balls both his fists before turning and slamming his hands up against the brick wall several times.
”Dammit!”
He didn’t know what he was more upset about that Malaki talked to Eddie about him or that there was something for the two of them to talk about. He turns and looked across the locker at the full length mirror, glaring hard at his reflection. For a second he didn’t really recognize the man looking back at him but he shook it off. Frank walked over to his bag and reached in pulling out his cell phone, he pulled up Rachel’s name and dialed.
”Hey Rach… Wait… Listen dammit!... WAIT!”
He looking angrily down at his phone as it read “Call Ended.”
”Everything ok?”
Frank spun around to see Eddie standing in the door way.
”Huh?”
”I heard ya yell.”
”Me? Nah, you must be hearing things.”
Frank stuffed his phone back in his bag and brushed passed Eddie on his way out into the gym. Eddie looked at the bag and thought… And then he turned and walked out into the gym. Fade.
Well howdy there pardner.