Post by Mike Laszlo on Jul 4, 2016 4:33:51 GMT
The Heir To The Throne Tournament has a special spot in my heart. Two years ago, I stepped into that ring as the underdog in a match against the favorite to win it all, Renee Pleasant. He had forty points, head and shoulders above the rest. Meanwhile I was squandering around at the bottom with fifteen points...no claim at the top whatsoever.
Then…
**JULY 21, 2014…**
{9....
Ana reaches Bob Pooler and with a smile, stands beside him, crossing her arms over her chest as Laszlo walks over to the ropes, staring down at Renee.
10!}
Vasco Diaz: And Mike Laszlo makes it to the final of the Heir to the Throne
Terri Monasco: And once again his advancement is in part, thanks to Angel and his gang....
{As the bell is rung and the crowd bring up a mixed reaction, Ana grabs Pooler’s arm and thrusts it, with hers, into the air. She laughs as she glances over her shoulder to the still blocked dressing room, then looks to the ring and stares straight into the eyes of Mike Laszlo.}
They thought they knew what they were doing, helping me along so Angel would have a clear path to victory…
**JULY 27, 2014...LINEAGE**
{Mike staggers to his feet and begs Cross to stand up, he does and Mike spins him around and lifts him up for MALICIOUS INTENT! Laszlo covers and ONE! TWO! THREE!!!}
Vasco Dias: Mike Laszlo has done it! He’s won the Heir to the Throne and a shot at Angel next month!
Terri Morasco: That match was awesome! Cross and Laszlo put on a real show tonight and I think proved that IWF is truly the best wrestling in the world!
Vasco Dias: Absolutely! And Mike Laszlo may very well be the best in the world!
I had won the very tournament the two of us are kicking off at Bloody Assizes. It was my time to be thrust into the spotlight, to challenge for the Imperial Championship…
**NOVEMBER 23, 2014...SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST**
{Angel looks upset now as he slowly pulls Laszlo to his feet. He goes to send him into the corner but Laszlo gets his boot up and back elbows Angel to the face. Laszlo spins around with a discus lariat and pulls Angel right into the MALICIOUS INTENT!!!!}
Vasco Dias: THAT HAS TO BE IT!
{Laszlo doesn't cover him, instead he brings him to the middle of the ring and locks him into the ENTANGLEMENT!!!}
Vasco Dias: I don't believe it, Laszlo is going for the submission finish with the Entanglement! Could we see Angel tap out for the first time ever!?
Terri Morasco: I have no idea!
{Laszlo wrenches him with everything he's got and lets out a loud yell as the crowd chants tap. Verona checks on Angel again and again as he refuses to give up but the pain is getting to him.}
Vasco Dias: Angel literally has nowhere to go!
Terri Morasco: I can't believe I'm seeing this!
{Angel can't escape and Laszlo isn't letting go. Angel screams at the top of his lungs as Laszlo yells "TAP!!!!"}
Vasco Dias: I think he's going to give up!
{ANGEL CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE AND HE TAPS OUT!!!!}
Vasco Dias: OH MY GOD!!!!
Terri Morasco: I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!
{Laszlo lets go and drops to his knees as Verona holds his hand up, he can't believe it as the entire crowd loses it's mind and begins to cheer wildly. Angel rolls away and drops out of the ring as Verona retrieves the belt.}
Alison Valance: Your winner and NEW IWF WORLD CHAMPION!!!!! MIKE LASZLO!!!!!
After months of scrutiny and false finishes, it came to fruition. Those words spoken by Alison Valance, words I never thought I’d hear after being pushed back time and time again.
I look up from my seated position in a locker room somewhere in the UK at some random gym. The lights were off as I sat there alone, a hood draped over my head. As my eyes peered into your soul from just beneath the overhang of the hood a smirk was evident on my face.
But I did.
I heard those words Keeton and they ring loud and clear today just as they did then. Those words drive me; they fuel me to become that great again. It’s why I held on to the Joker In The Pack for over a year. It’s why I concocted a plan that would see me challenge for that title on the grandest stage we have in wrestling today.
It’s why I was so pissed off that the plan wasn’t realized. It’s why I was pissed off that I was told I had to qualify for this very tournament in the first place.
I reach up, removing the hood from over my head, slowly pulling it backward. I rested my elbows on my knees as my one hand dangled down, the other laying out a scenario before your very eyes.
That’s why all of this…
The attack on you…
The further attack on you…
And anything that came after, I can honestly look you in the eyes and tell you that none of it is personal...it’s all just business. I don’t walk around acting like I’m better than you to get under your skin, because your reaction is meaningless. I walk around not acting, just being better than you.
Anytime I’ve had a microphone or some on air time, and I looked straight ahead as if looking you in your eyes, and told you your father was a mediocre piece of garbage, it wasn’t to get a rise out of you...because again...I don’t care what you think...I simply tell the truth.
And in the end, the facts dictate how this match will end up.
I take in a deep breath, slowly exhaling, ready to explain said facts.
We stand across the ring from each other, each with our own purpose. You to make a name, me to enhance mine. You’re a rookie, the son of a supposed legend…
I’m a former Imperial Champion.
I am the only man to make Angel tapout in the center of the ring, and in doing so, won the Extinction Event at Survival of the Fittest.
I won the Heir to the Throne two years ago.
I’m a former Man of Steel Champion.
Unlike your father, I’m what you truly inspire to be JC...I am a living legend. I’ve done things you can only hope for. I’ve done things you never will. I have forged a legacy while others have basked in the glory of a single flash in the pan, all the while, I was the one who has been here since day one.
Now I look to add to that legacy. I look to be the only man to win the Heir to the Throne twice...and in doing so, earn my shot...my one on one opportunity at whoever the champion is. Then...I make history again by becoming the first EVER two time Imperial Champion.
Unfortunately for you...you’ll just be like Xavier Cross two years ago...a mere footnote in my rise back to the top.
I stand up from the chair and walk off out of the picture.
====================
Title: Right Where I Want Him
Location: Anfield, Liverpool, England
Time: Sacrifice after being pushed up the ramp by security.
As the scene opens, Alexis and I come through the curtain with a handful of security escorting us back.
Mike Laszlo: Get the hell away from me before I smack that mustache off your face.
I see one of the guards take Alexis by the arm.
Alexis Caffrey: HEY!
I swat his arm away.
Mike Laszlo: You touch her again and they’ll have to SURGICALLY REMOVE THAT ARM FROM YOUR ASS!!
He backs away as the two of us head down the corridor of the arena. Once a safe distance away from the security, I smack a water bottle off the edge of the catering table nearby.
Mike Laszlo: That little prick. Who the hell does he think he is. WHO THE HELL DOES SHE THINK SHE IS!? That stupid bitch doesn’t even work here and she’s putting her hands on you?
Alexis Caffrey: She got hers...the little skank. I showed her what a real Diamond looks like.
Mike Laszlo: You did indeed.
I pull her in with a quick embrace, kissing her on the forehead before letting her go.
Mike Laszlo: Keeton though. That son of a bitch thinks he has things all figured out. He thinks his old man, who is nothing more but a doormat in this company, has the right advice for him to beat me….ME!?
She puts her hands up on my chest.
Alexis Caffrey: Relax baby. You have this punk right where you want him. He’s over confident. He’s thinking he has the whole world in the palm of his hands. Little does he know that you’re the one who runs things in that ring. You tell him where to stand and when to shut the hell up and lay down...and you do it with force.
I nod. Her encouraging words fueling me forward.
Mike Laszlo: Oh I could see it in his eyes...he’s worried. He puts on the brave face for that little hooker who jumped the barrier. He tries hard to convince the people in that audience that he has what it takes to beat the big bad. It’s the same look I had when I was in the Heir to the Throne two years ago.
Alexis Caffrey: I remember.
Mike Laszlo: Even when things seemed hopeless against Angel; even when the roadblocks grew bigger and bigger, I had to smile for the crowd. I had to show them I was in it so that they would back my play.
I smirk...remembering those times.
Mike Laszlo: It’s what he wants now. It’s what he needs in his mind. He needs the roar of that crowd. He needs to know that they have his back...and it makes me laugh. He’ll get his at Bloody Assizes...I won’t be stopped.
I grab hold of the door and hold it open as the two of us disappear into our locker room.
====================
I know what you need JC…
I’ve been there before.
The scene opens up and you see me and Alexis standing outside Wembley Stadium. I’m on a balcony leading into the second level, overlooking the entrance area to the lower level. The area is blocked off to onlookers who stand on the other side of the fencing with cameras in hand, snapping their photos as I point in their direction.
You need these people JC. You need them to adore you, praise you, sit on your every last word and believe it as gospel. It’s the same as every rookie who walks through that door with their eyes wide.
I turn my finger from the people into the camera.
You though were supposed to have an advantage. You had a generation before you to go through the trials and tribulations; to make the mistakes so that you could learn from them without committing them yourself. You had a leg up on guys like me who had to bust my ass to get here on my own merits.
I hold my hands out to the side.
And yet, this will all still prove to be too big of a stage for you. This will be the moment where you’re supposed to take all that advice daddy gave you and turn it into the biggest, most momentous occasion in your career to date. This is your chance to take on a former champion, a soon to be Hall of Famer in the eyes of many, and stake your claim as belonging in this industry...in this illustrious company.
I shrug my shoulders.
But you won’t.
You’ll pull the same crap as the Keeton before you, and when the lights get big on the biggest stage there possibly can be...you’ll choke it away. After all...it’s a family tradition.
Daddy couldn’t teach you about success...because he didn’t have much of it himself when he jumped out of the ponds he was swimming in and into the ocean of the IWF.
There’s a reason your father and I never faced each other in this ring...because he was afraid. He knew that I would embarrass him the likes of which he’s never been embarrassed before...and that’s saying a lot. He knew that I would wrestle circles around him until I deemed it the proper time to put his has been ass out of his misery once and for all.
I point back into the camera.
You don’t have that luxury. You’ve been taken from the comfort of home and you’ve been thrust into the fiery depths of hell the likes of which you’ve never seen, and probably won’t see again because there’s nobody on this planet as good as me.
You’ll walk down that ramp at Bloody Assizes. You’ll hear the idiots in the stands cheer you on, encourage you, and deep down in your heart, you’ll feel good. You’ll be pumped up, ready to go, adrenaline coursing through your body. You’ll be huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf, and then you’ll hear “Cult of Personality” hit those speakers. The cheers will turn to boos, and you’ll see me walk out onto that stage and shrug off every single one of them.
You’ll see the confidence ooze from my pores, and in the back of your mind you’ll be saying to yourself, “What the hell have I gotten into?”.
The nerves will hit. You’ll feel your stomach twisting into knots, and you’ll freeze. I’ll enter that ring, look you in your eyes as you wear the false mask of bravado, hoping it hides the fear in you feel throughout your body by that time and I’ll laugh. Your confidence will be gone while mine soars. Your nerves will be killing you from the inside out while I am calm, cool, and collected.
Then the bell will ring.
I motion as if ringing a bell.
And you will feel the wrath of a man possessed.
You will feel each blow of a man who knows he is better than you.
I will torque and pull your limbs into ways they’re simply not meant to bend, each squirm, each jolt of unforgiving pain, reminding you of who you’re in that ring with...one of, and in my mind, THE best in this business today.
The pain will be unbearable, and like I would have your old man, I’ll put you out of your misery and out of my life once and for all. I will have taught you all I can teach, and I will move on to better things.
I go to turn and leave, only to turn back and hold my index finger in the air.
There is one good thing that comes out of this for you JC...the lesson...is free.
I’ll see you at Bloody Assizes, and when I’m done...maybe you’ll actually learn something, and you can thank me later.
I turn and my wife and I head through the doors of the arena, the door clicking as the scene abruptly cuts out.
Then…
**JULY 21, 2014…**
{9....
Ana reaches Bob Pooler and with a smile, stands beside him, crossing her arms over her chest as Laszlo walks over to the ropes, staring down at Renee.
10!}
Vasco Diaz: And Mike Laszlo makes it to the final of the Heir to the Throne
Terri Monasco: And once again his advancement is in part, thanks to Angel and his gang....
{As the bell is rung and the crowd bring up a mixed reaction, Ana grabs Pooler’s arm and thrusts it, with hers, into the air. She laughs as she glances over her shoulder to the still blocked dressing room, then looks to the ring and stares straight into the eyes of Mike Laszlo.}
They thought they knew what they were doing, helping me along so Angel would have a clear path to victory…
**JULY 27, 2014...LINEAGE**
{Mike staggers to his feet and begs Cross to stand up, he does and Mike spins him around and lifts him up for MALICIOUS INTENT! Laszlo covers and ONE! TWO! THREE!!!}
Vasco Dias: Mike Laszlo has done it! He’s won the Heir to the Throne and a shot at Angel next month!
Terri Morasco: That match was awesome! Cross and Laszlo put on a real show tonight and I think proved that IWF is truly the best wrestling in the world!
Vasco Dias: Absolutely! And Mike Laszlo may very well be the best in the world!
I had won the very tournament the two of us are kicking off at Bloody Assizes. It was my time to be thrust into the spotlight, to challenge for the Imperial Championship…
**NOVEMBER 23, 2014...SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST**
{Angel looks upset now as he slowly pulls Laszlo to his feet. He goes to send him into the corner but Laszlo gets his boot up and back elbows Angel to the face. Laszlo spins around with a discus lariat and pulls Angel right into the MALICIOUS INTENT!!!!}
Vasco Dias: THAT HAS TO BE IT!
{Laszlo doesn't cover him, instead he brings him to the middle of the ring and locks him into the ENTANGLEMENT!!!}
Vasco Dias: I don't believe it, Laszlo is going for the submission finish with the Entanglement! Could we see Angel tap out for the first time ever!?
Terri Morasco: I have no idea!
{Laszlo wrenches him with everything he's got and lets out a loud yell as the crowd chants tap. Verona checks on Angel again and again as he refuses to give up but the pain is getting to him.}
Vasco Dias: Angel literally has nowhere to go!
Terri Morasco: I can't believe I'm seeing this!
{Angel can't escape and Laszlo isn't letting go. Angel screams at the top of his lungs as Laszlo yells "TAP!!!!"}
Vasco Dias: I think he's going to give up!
{ANGEL CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE AND HE TAPS OUT!!!!}
Vasco Dias: OH MY GOD!!!!
Terri Morasco: I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!
{Laszlo lets go and drops to his knees as Verona holds his hand up, he can't believe it as the entire crowd loses it's mind and begins to cheer wildly. Angel rolls away and drops out of the ring as Verona retrieves the belt.}
Alison Valance: Your winner and NEW IWF WORLD CHAMPION!!!!! MIKE LASZLO!!!!!
After months of scrutiny and false finishes, it came to fruition. Those words spoken by Alison Valance, words I never thought I’d hear after being pushed back time and time again.
I look up from my seated position in a locker room somewhere in the UK at some random gym. The lights were off as I sat there alone, a hood draped over my head. As my eyes peered into your soul from just beneath the overhang of the hood a smirk was evident on my face.
But I did.
I heard those words Keeton and they ring loud and clear today just as they did then. Those words drive me; they fuel me to become that great again. It’s why I held on to the Joker In The Pack for over a year. It’s why I concocted a plan that would see me challenge for that title on the grandest stage we have in wrestling today.
It’s why I was so pissed off that the plan wasn’t realized. It’s why I was pissed off that I was told I had to qualify for this very tournament in the first place.
I reach up, removing the hood from over my head, slowly pulling it backward. I rested my elbows on my knees as my one hand dangled down, the other laying out a scenario before your very eyes.
That’s why all of this…
The attack on you…
The further attack on you…
And anything that came after, I can honestly look you in the eyes and tell you that none of it is personal...it’s all just business. I don’t walk around acting like I’m better than you to get under your skin, because your reaction is meaningless. I walk around not acting, just being better than you.
Anytime I’ve had a microphone or some on air time, and I looked straight ahead as if looking you in your eyes, and told you your father was a mediocre piece of garbage, it wasn’t to get a rise out of you...because again...I don’t care what you think...I simply tell the truth.
And in the end, the facts dictate how this match will end up.
I take in a deep breath, slowly exhaling, ready to explain said facts.
We stand across the ring from each other, each with our own purpose. You to make a name, me to enhance mine. You’re a rookie, the son of a supposed legend…
I’m a former Imperial Champion.
I am the only man to make Angel tapout in the center of the ring, and in doing so, won the Extinction Event at Survival of the Fittest.
I won the Heir to the Throne two years ago.
I’m a former Man of Steel Champion.
Unlike your father, I’m what you truly inspire to be JC...I am a living legend. I’ve done things you can only hope for. I’ve done things you never will. I have forged a legacy while others have basked in the glory of a single flash in the pan, all the while, I was the one who has been here since day one.
Now I look to add to that legacy. I look to be the only man to win the Heir to the Throne twice...and in doing so, earn my shot...my one on one opportunity at whoever the champion is. Then...I make history again by becoming the first EVER two time Imperial Champion.
Unfortunately for you...you’ll just be like Xavier Cross two years ago...a mere footnote in my rise back to the top.
I stand up from the chair and walk off out of the picture.
====================
Title: Right Where I Want Him
Location: Anfield, Liverpool, England
Time: Sacrifice after being pushed up the ramp by security.
As the scene opens, Alexis and I come through the curtain with a handful of security escorting us back.
Mike Laszlo: Get the hell away from me before I smack that mustache off your face.
I see one of the guards take Alexis by the arm.
Alexis Caffrey: HEY!
I swat his arm away.
Mike Laszlo: You touch her again and they’ll have to SURGICALLY REMOVE THAT ARM FROM YOUR ASS!!
He backs away as the two of us head down the corridor of the arena. Once a safe distance away from the security, I smack a water bottle off the edge of the catering table nearby.
Mike Laszlo: That little prick. Who the hell does he think he is. WHO THE HELL DOES SHE THINK SHE IS!? That stupid bitch doesn’t even work here and she’s putting her hands on you?
Alexis Caffrey: She got hers...the little skank. I showed her what a real Diamond looks like.
Mike Laszlo: You did indeed.
I pull her in with a quick embrace, kissing her on the forehead before letting her go.
Mike Laszlo: Keeton though. That son of a bitch thinks he has things all figured out. He thinks his old man, who is nothing more but a doormat in this company, has the right advice for him to beat me….ME!?
She puts her hands up on my chest.
Alexis Caffrey: Relax baby. You have this punk right where you want him. He’s over confident. He’s thinking he has the whole world in the palm of his hands. Little does he know that you’re the one who runs things in that ring. You tell him where to stand and when to shut the hell up and lay down...and you do it with force.
I nod. Her encouraging words fueling me forward.
Mike Laszlo: Oh I could see it in his eyes...he’s worried. He puts on the brave face for that little hooker who jumped the barrier. He tries hard to convince the people in that audience that he has what it takes to beat the big bad. It’s the same look I had when I was in the Heir to the Throne two years ago.
Alexis Caffrey: I remember.
Mike Laszlo: Even when things seemed hopeless against Angel; even when the roadblocks grew bigger and bigger, I had to smile for the crowd. I had to show them I was in it so that they would back my play.
I smirk...remembering those times.
Mike Laszlo: It’s what he wants now. It’s what he needs in his mind. He needs the roar of that crowd. He needs to know that they have his back...and it makes me laugh. He’ll get his at Bloody Assizes...I won’t be stopped.
I grab hold of the door and hold it open as the two of us disappear into our locker room.
====================
I know what you need JC…
I’ve been there before.
The scene opens up and you see me and Alexis standing outside Wembley Stadium. I’m on a balcony leading into the second level, overlooking the entrance area to the lower level. The area is blocked off to onlookers who stand on the other side of the fencing with cameras in hand, snapping their photos as I point in their direction.
You need these people JC. You need them to adore you, praise you, sit on your every last word and believe it as gospel. It’s the same as every rookie who walks through that door with their eyes wide.
I turn my finger from the people into the camera.
You though were supposed to have an advantage. You had a generation before you to go through the trials and tribulations; to make the mistakes so that you could learn from them without committing them yourself. You had a leg up on guys like me who had to bust my ass to get here on my own merits.
I hold my hands out to the side.
And yet, this will all still prove to be too big of a stage for you. This will be the moment where you’re supposed to take all that advice daddy gave you and turn it into the biggest, most momentous occasion in your career to date. This is your chance to take on a former champion, a soon to be Hall of Famer in the eyes of many, and stake your claim as belonging in this industry...in this illustrious company.
I shrug my shoulders.
But you won’t.
You’ll pull the same crap as the Keeton before you, and when the lights get big on the biggest stage there possibly can be...you’ll choke it away. After all...it’s a family tradition.
Daddy couldn’t teach you about success...because he didn’t have much of it himself when he jumped out of the ponds he was swimming in and into the ocean of the IWF.
There’s a reason your father and I never faced each other in this ring...because he was afraid. He knew that I would embarrass him the likes of which he’s never been embarrassed before...and that’s saying a lot. He knew that I would wrestle circles around him until I deemed it the proper time to put his has been ass out of his misery once and for all.
I point back into the camera.
You don’t have that luxury. You’ve been taken from the comfort of home and you’ve been thrust into the fiery depths of hell the likes of which you’ve never seen, and probably won’t see again because there’s nobody on this planet as good as me.
You’ll walk down that ramp at Bloody Assizes. You’ll hear the idiots in the stands cheer you on, encourage you, and deep down in your heart, you’ll feel good. You’ll be pumped up, ready to go, adrenaline coursing through your body. You’ll be huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf, and then you’ll hear “Cult of Personality” hit those speakers. The cheers will turn to boos, and you’ll see me walk out onto that stage and shrug off every single one of them.
You’ll see the confidence ooze from my pores, and in the back of your mind you’ll be saying to yourself, “What the hell have I gotten into?”.
The nerves will hit. You’ll feel your stomach twisting into knots, and you’ll freeze. I’ll enter that ring, look you in your eyes as you wear the false mask of bravado, hoping it hides the fear in you feel throughout your body by that time and I’ll laugh. Your confidence will be gone while mine soars. Your nerves will be killing you from the inside out while I am calm, cool, and collected.
Then the bell will ring.
I motion as if ringing a bell.
And you will feel the wrath of a man possessed.
You will feel each blow of a man who knows he is better than you.
I will torque and pull your limbs into ways they’re simply not meant to bend, each squirm, each jolt of unforgiving pain, reminding you of who you’re in that ring with...one of, and in my mind, THE best in this business today.
The pain will be unbearable, and like I would have your old man, I’ll put you out of your misery and out of my life once and for all. I will have taught you all I can teach, and I will move on to better things.
I go to turn and leave, only to turn back and hold my index finger in the air.
There is one good thing that comes out of this for you JC...the lesson...is free.
I’ll see you at Bloody Assizes, and when I’m done...maybe you’ll actually learn something, and you can thank me later.
I turn and my wife and I head through the doors of the arena, the door clicking as the scene abruptly cuts out.
Well howdy there pardner.