Post by Ghost Spike on Apr 23, 2017 15:46:36 GMT
It still amazes me how you all throw such things in my face. You throw Johnny Gillmen at me, days after my son dies, and the sick son of a bitch wails on me, and wails on me, but when I fight back? When I unleash the anger building inside me within the confines of a god damn wrestling ringā¦.Iām the bad guy?
I win this championship, I beat three other people, legitimately mind you, and I face every single person who has the balls to challenge me. I never duck a challenge, I never hide away from anyone who has the stones to step up to The Spiked One, The Blood God, the God of Xtremeā¦..The God of Steelā¦.
Yeah, there was that nonsense with Falcon, but if you were paying attention, Falcon claimed it was never about the Championship, and I was busy being a grieving father upset that yet another friend stabbed me in the back during my time of need over a fucking championshipā¦
ā¦..but Iām the bad guy.
It began to dawn on me, no matter what I did, no matter how much I put myself, my body, on the line. How much of myself I give to this fucking company, Iāll never get the goddamn respect I deserve, Iāll never get the treatment the likes of Lance Ryan did in nCwā¦..because you look at me, and you just see someone to hate. Someone to throw your heroes atā¦..
A bad guy to rally against.
An enemy to fight.
A God to slay.
So I lived up to my name. I gave you everything you ever asked for IWF. The monster you wished for, the Demon you never expected, the God you never wanted. They always say be careful what you wish for, well the proof is in the pudding, as they say. I stand before you now, a man who has run riot through this roster, taking on name after name, and breaking them. Now youāre reduced to throwing me into multiple matches per show to try and weaken meā¦
Fitting, that the night we crown our Iron Maiden, Spike Kane, once again becomes IWFās Iron Man.
This time though, you send a pittance to try and topple a God, a man who believes he can slay that which is Immortal. Funny Devlin, before you interrupted me a couple of weeks ago, and laid your hands on me? ā¦.I didnāt even know who the fuck you where, but you fancy yourself a Godslayer?
You can try Devlin, like the many before youā¦..the end result?
ā¦.will be exactly the same.
----
āThereās just something different about her.ā
Sheād called him out, stood up to him, right in his in face and spoke to him like nobody on the damned planet would ever dare to, and though a small part of him - that god damned voice in the back of his mind - was telling him to lay her out, break her right here and now, leave her in a broken pile of blood and bonesā¦..he didnāt. Pandora Freeman. The enigma, how fitting, that she wasā¦..could break through all the shields he put up, break down all the walls he built to protect himself, because deep down, underneath it all?
The God of Steel was just a man in pain.
Spike sat in his office, mulling over the events of the past few hours, he sat with his phone in his hand, barely paying attention as he thumbed over the latest internet sensation the mobile phone game āIWF Gladiatorsā while softly in the background āGhoulsā was playing on repeat, those with a tendency to listen to IWFās superstars entrance themes would recognise it as Pandoraās theme. However, Spike sat, almost completely in the dark, only a small lamp lighting up the room, that, and the glow from his cell phone as he slid gems across the screen matching them up and playing the game.
āAll will be well, she saidā¦..all will be well, she keeps saying it.ā
Maybe, just maybe, she wasnāt in this for herself like the countless people that had come before. Like the many people who had burned Spike. Like the many men and women who had hurt him, and twisted him into the man he had become. For, even though Spike had burned peopleā¦.a long time ago he was once so full of hope. He was once full of energy, a bright, happy go lucky superstar who just wanted to go out there and light up the crowdā¦.but this world, this business, has a way of corrupting people, it has a way of tarnishing even the best of people. Now people were looking towards him, and saying he was doing the same to her. His mind wandered, as only one whoās been in this for so long could as he completed a certain requirement in his game and went to another menu to ādrawā another IWF Superstar. He leaned into his phone as the box opened up to reveal āTodd Williams Means Business!ā
Spike Kane: Aww for fuck sake, not Todd again!
Spike drops his phone onto his desk in an almost ārage quitā before leaning forward and running his hand across his forehead. It takes Spike a moment to realise that the music has stopped. Almost with a jolt he turns and realises thereās someone standing in the doorway, with his arms folded.
āShit man, have you been living here?ā
With a sigh of relief Spike leans back into his office chair, picking up his cell phone he slides it into his pocket casually, as he eyes up his intruder.
Spike Kane: Yeah...I might have beenā¦
Itās only now that the camera reveals a small bed in the corner of the office, almost hidden behind some filing cabinets. The bed itself isnāt even made, the blanket strewn across it, and a pillow haphazardly crumbled against the wall.
Spike Kane: When I do actually sleep anywayā¦
The figure in the door moves away from the small stereo that was playing Pandoras theme but isnāt any longer and switches on the light for the office, engulfing the room in light. Spike cringes ever so slightly as Rob Diamond stands there wearing an Infamous hooded sweatshirt and a deep look of concern on his face.
Rob Diamond: Iām worried about you Mike.
Spike takes a deep breath and lets out a long sigh. He slowly gets to his feet and walks past Rob into the main room of his wrestling school, glancing to the portable stereo as he does so. Rob follows him, not in an aggressive way, but more supportive.
Spike Kane: I get it Rob. Youāre the one person whoās been there for me sinceā¦.yāknow, since it happened, butā¦.I just canāt be there. I canāt be in that house. I feel fucking awful. I feel like Hope is going to grow up knowing that her friend died, that sheās going to be scared for the rest of her lifeā¦
Rob steps forward and places a hand on Spikeās shoulder, looking right into his eyes.
Rob Diamond: It wasnāt your fault.
Almost in a flash Robās words triggered the memory of Pandora saying exactly the same words to Spike, and in his minds eye Robās hand on his shoulder was replaced with Panās on his chest, and inside, somewhere in his chest he felt a pang of pain, a pain he wasnāt used to feeling. Tears slowly tinged the corners of his eyes, as he lowered his head. He grabbed Rob and pulled him into him and hugged him.
Spike Kane: I love you Rob, I doā¦.but Iāve gotta get through thisā¦..my wayā¦.
The two men let go of each other, and Spike turned to head back towards his office. He stopped at the stereo and pressed play again, Panās theme began to play once more. Rob followed him and leaned on the doorframe, he smirked as he looked at his friend.
Rob Diamond: Heyā¦.soā¦.Pan, huh?
Spike flopped down into his chair, sliding his phone back out of his pocket and onto the desk in front of him, he cocked an eye brow at his best friend.
Spike Kane: What about her?
Rob smirked at Spike now, nodding his head a little, before tapping on the door frame. Maybe, just maybe, his friend would be OK after all.
Rob Diamond: Damn Spikeā¦..you got it bad manā¦
He chuckles out loud, as he flashes a quick wave to his friend before leaving the school. Spike turns back to his phone as the music kicks back in behind him. He opens up his text messages and scrolls down to one heād received from Pandora from a while ago.
[Pan]
āAll will be wellā
And we fade on the scene of a very torn man, trying to deal with a whirlwind of emotions going on inside his mind as he gears up for one of the biggest nights in his career.
---
Do you find it amusing Devlin?
That even with the deck stacked so heavily against me, youāre still the underdog? How little does that make you feel? How much does that sting your pride? The board of directors throw Andrew fucking Jacobsen into the mix to protect iddle widdle Devlin, for fear that the mighty God of Steel might end his career before it even takes off. Then of course, for Spike Kane to actually have something that he wants? He has to wrestle twice on the same nightā¦
Again.
After surviving longer than anyone else in the Roulette by quite a considerable margin, after the God of Steel match too by the wayā¦..the IWF calls on their Superman once againā¦..and then they actually expect their āCruiserweight Championā to be the one to end my reign of terror?
Donāt make me fucking laugh.
The thing is Devlin? In another time, another place? Iād probably have taken a liking to you. Thereās something about you, something about your whole attitude, yourā¦.almost chaotic feelā¦.I like it. Iām an agent of chaos if ever there was one. Had you shown your face when I was raising my Empire? Iād probably have taken you under my wing. Lord know youād have probably done more good than the goons Iād surrounded myself with at the time, hell even further back in Social Distortionā¦
Youād even fit in with InFamous.
Alas, it is not to be. Instead youāve decided to be the latest thorn in my side, throw your name in with the likes of Andrew Jacobsenā¦.and be just another body in the wake of my path of destruction. Tell me Devlin, do you really think that the boy scout is going to stop me from leaving you a broken and bloody mess? Do you honestly think that Andrew Jacobsen is going to be able to save you from the pain that awaits you within that steel cage? If Andrew knows what is good for him, heāll know his roleā¦.and keeps his hands to himself, if he wants to keep his championship opportunity at Night of Immortals, heāll call the match the way any normal official wouldā¦.and keep his fucking nose out of my businessā¦.but you Devlin?
You wanted the God of Steel.
Like IWF itself before you, I warned youā¦..be careful what you wish for.
You donāt know what it takes to be successful in this business, in this company. You have no idea the lengths Iāve gone to, to become the man I am today, the legend Iāve built, the legacy Iāve created. The people Iāve broken, the bridges Iāve burned. The pain Iāve put myself throughā¦..and you think Iām going to let a leech like you try and leapfrog off of that? Not for a second kid, itās just not going to happen. Iāve taken on bigger threats than you, for this very championship, men who, before I held this gold? Wouldnāt even think twice about coming after itā¦.
But now that Iāve made the Man of Steel Championship GREAT AGAIN?
All the worms come crawling out of the woodwork.
I know your game Devlin, you seek to profit off of my hard work. Fly under the radar, hit me when the deck is stacked, maybe use Andrew Jacobsen as some kind of distraction, but trust me when I tell you this kidā¦.if you want this gold? If you truly want to dethrone me as the greatest Man of Steel this company has ever, or will ever see? Youāre going to have to pry it from my cold, dead, fingersā¦.because nothing short of that is going to allow me to give up this beltā¦.I couldnāt give a fuck if you offered me the Imperial Championship in exchange, because compared to what Iāve done with this belt?
Itās worthless.
MY Championship is worth more than anything else.
Yet everyone keeps stepping up to me, challenging for my gold, trying to take the treasure from the Dragonās Hoard, but denying that they even want the treasure in the first place. LIES! Itās all bullshit, from every single one of you. Falcon, Andrew, and even you Devlin. You all fill your heads with noble deeds to try and justify your bullshit, to try and get past the fact that youāre trying to take the one last thing a grieving father hasā¦.
To wipe away your guilt.
Iām trying to save you Spike.
Iām trying to slay the monster.
Iām trying to stop you from going down this dark path.
MOTHER FUCKER I INVENTED THE DARK PATH!
Do you honestly think Iām going to sit here, and listen to another one of you throw more meaningless excuses at me? I am the GOD of Steel. I hold the Man of Steel Championship, and all any of you want, is my Gold, all any of you want is to take it from around my waist, and hold it high in the air. Be the one to claim the right to say āI stopped Spike Kaneā to be the one to shout from the rooftops āI ended the reign of terrorā itās no secret that my reign as Man of Steel has eclipsed both of Cable Arcanes reigns as Imperial Champion, and Noah Fields blips there tooā¦.I am the real champion in this company, I am the real standard bearerā¦
And every time, you each try to test yourselves against meā¦
ā¦.and fail.
Devlin Raine will be no different. There will be no fairy tail. No St. George slaying a Dragon. No Kratos slaughtering a God. Just another fallen hero lying at the feet of the one true champion this company can rely on, and always does rely on. Regardless of Andrews presence, regardless of the Board of Directors interference...the fact remains that when the final bell rings Devlin? Youāll realise why Iāve gained the reputation that I haveā¦.first hand.
Another broken hero.
While I remain.
STILL.
Your God of Steel.
All. Bloody. Hail.
Well howdy there pardner.