Post by Trey Bouchet on Oct 17, 2021 13:03:16 GMT -5
Stay of Plexecution
During the October 11 Monday Night Clash:
An eerie hum fills the earholes of the tens of thousands in attendance. The ActionTron5000 lights up with violent and possibly satanic images. The hum morphs into “Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer” by Behemoth and Metzger, Kancer, Dwade and Kuraim emerge from the smoke filled stage.
Billy: DEVIL'S GATE IS HERE!
The lights spookily flicker and start to illuminate the arena. The quartet slowly stalk towards the ring, looking like a pack of hungry wolves.
Billy: DEVIL'S GATE IS HERE!
The lights spookily flicker and start to illuminate the arena. The quartet slowly stalk towards the ring, looking like a pack of hungry wolves.
From their vantage point in the ring Catherine Van Owen and Trey Bouchet consider their approaching opponents.
“We should jump them,” Cat adjudged.
Trey’s eyes darted over to his ad hoc ally for the evening, “They got us outnumbered.”
“All the more reason to hit first. Those goons aren’t here for moral support,” she said of Dwade and Kuraim.
Trey knew CeeVee was right, but continued playing Devil’s advocate, “If we instigate things, we could get disqualified. Or at the very least have the match thrown out.”
“Nah. Ref ain’t goin to disappoint the fans like that. He knows they want to see us kick Devil’s Gate ass. And even if he does, I don’t care. Do you?”
“Not really. It’s about setting the tone. Being proactive.”
The young woman grinned devilishly, “Yep. There’s a new sheriff in town,” she assumed a gunfighter’s stance, pantomiming hitching up her theoretical belt and holster and plexpectorating a wad of tobacco off to the side.
“Time to think outside the box, Trey.”
The Suplexpert nodded grimly. As the Devil’s Gate mob reached the apron Cat gave a war whoop and launched herself towards the ropes with Trey a step behind.
*******
After the show, Trey went straight back to his hotel, a Day’s Inn outside Des Moines International Airport and collapsed on his bed. He didn’t feel like going out and celebrating their victory. He wanted to talk to the person whose opinion meant more to him than anyone’s: his bethrowed.
“How you feeling?” Fabunni Poindexter asked from her end of the line.
“Great. It was a good win. Cat was a great partner.”
“Your mom adores her.”
“Yep. She’s cool. Great talent and attitude. She’s going to be a real asset to the fed. All these recent hires are forcing the rest of us to step up our game.”
Fabunni circled the conversation back to what concerned her, “Metzger really took it to you tonight.”
Trey’s smile evened out, “Yeah, I know. But at least I got my licks in. Well, lick. Did you see how much air I got on that Long Shot?”
“Didn’t think those stubby trotters had it in them.”
“Heh. Yeah.”
They were silent for a bit. Fabunni filled the void with a declaration.
“You’re going to beat that guy, Trey. The past is the past. Focus on what’s coming.”
“I know, Boo. I got this. But, I got to talk to you about the future. I got a plan; for Todd, for my career, and I can’t do it without your approval.”
“Why would you need my approval?”
Trey sat up, “Because it’s going to cost.”
******
“Hey, Todd. What’s good?”
Trey Bouchet perches atop a corner post in an empty ring, his short legs resting on the second cables that branch out from either side. He’s got on a pair of dungarees and his own merch: a “This Suplex Pins Fascists” tee he debuted right before Timebomb. Subtitles appear translating his greeting to his upcoming opponent’s native German, and continue throughout.
“Plexcited for Sunday? I am. We both need this. I’ve given reasons earlier but I’ll reiterate here just to make them plexplicit as to what it’s not:
“This is not a grudge match.”
“Yeah, you kicked my ass at Elimination Chamber. Congrats. I had all the momentum going into it: the underdog the fans were behind. Then the bell rang, and you quickly closed the book on my Cinderella story before almost co-opting it as your own. Second place finish? Against that field? That was impressive.”
“I had a chance to make good the following week. You and I were booked in Clash’s Main Event. I’m sure most were plexpecting me to put up a good fight; maybe even pull off the ‘David vs. Goliath’ upset and send the fans home happy.”
“Instead you went apeshit and beat the holy fuck out of me. I had to be stretchered out of the ring. You terrorized Deb Monroe into retirement, and even put fear into JBac, and that’s not a guy who scares easy.”
“You nearly killed me, Todd. You did drive me from this company. You emotionally scarred my friends; my family. I should have every reason to hate you; and a motive to want to pay you back. But I don’t.”
“Because this is not a grudge match."
“It’s about pride. It’s about doing a job right. And, believe it or not, Todd; it’s about helping you.”
“You’re an easy guy to hate, Todd. You’re a stone cold killer who has no problem letting others do your dirty work. Almost every match you’re in gets decided by shenanigans. There’s Dwade and Kuraim, and once upon a time there was Twiztid Insane helping you. Devil’s Gate even had Jeremy White on it’s payroll deciding your matches.”
“Being a thug and a cheat isn’t going to endear you to anyone. Even my mom wanted you dead, which, considering what you did to her baby boy, is understandable. But see, Todd, when I sat her down and plexplained her to you, when I told her what happened to your mother right before your eyes, and how you didn’t have the same support I did, I do, you know what she told me?”
“I’ll pray for him.”
“That’s the difference between us, Todd. It’s what makes me blessed and you someone that- despite all the shitty things you’ve done- I have sympathy for. I’ve always had good people around to help. My family that raised me. My boo Fabunni who keeps me balanced, talking me up when I’m down and reeling me in when I go off on my tangents. Friends and allies in this business who will fight for me even if it isn’t in their best interests. You don’t. Yeah, Devil’s Gate helps you win matches, but they aren’t plexactly helping you are they? You are a sick man who needs serious therapy and/or medication for your violent tendencies. The last place for you is a wrestling ring. Unfortunately, because you’re so good at hurting people, others are willing to ignore what’s best for you.”
“You’re being used, Todd.”
“Dr. Royce is using you to promote his institution and his methods of treatment.”
“Pete Harper used you to try and murder Frank Lowe for his role in the death of Nathan Gust.”
“Hell, I’ll come right out and say it: to a plextent Action Wrestling uses you in the same way they use every other psychopathic predator that wanders into our locker room. You. WALTER. James Nightingale (Rest In Peace). There is a certain segment of this audience that gets off watching monsters wreak havoc, and some don’t care who gets squashed along the way.”
“So yeah, Todd; you don’t have helpers, you have enablers, therefore it falls on other people to do the right thing. That includes those of us on the roster willing to fight you, and in my case fight for you.”
“That’s what our match is ultimately about, Todd.”
“See, pinning you at Plexecution isn’t really going to change you. No one really learns from a beating, do they? Sure, you can get a bully to back off when you stand up to them, but all that does is get them to look elsewhere for another victim. And I’m not interested in making you someone else’s problem, Todd. I’m here to fix a shitty situation.”
“Back before Timebomb, when I had my sights set on trying to stop Philidor, I knew you had to beat them in the ring. Their backers had spent a lot of money on Carter, on Lissie, on Ash; and they wanted a strong return on those investments. My thinking was you outwrestle them, and make the bean counters running things start to doubt whether they should keep sponsoring them. The Philidorks are all about the bottom line; put their little pet project in the red, and odds are they cut their losses and run.”
“I wanted to be the opportunity cost to Philidor Holdings’s business model.”
“Same thing applies here, Todd. Maybe even more so. Sure, Devil’s Gate isn’t a nest of vulture capitalists looking to profit off the success of the Action Wrestling brand, but they are an institution with an agenda, and to succeed they need you to do well.”
“And lately, Todd, you have not been performing to plexpectations.”
“Timebomb was your high point, even if you didn’t win the Elimination Chamber. You looked like the Plext Big Thing; maybe even the guy who could dethrone Ash Blake and bring the Adub World Title home to Castle Rock and truly be ‘The Maine Event’. Instead you got lost in an interminable scrum for the US Title, going back and forth with Harvey Marx, Sam Kidsgrove, and Max Daemon. All three guys were jockeying to be your Number One Contender, with Kids especially vocal in calling you out. Not one of your challengers decidedly made their case in ring and so a four way was booked for Evolution, which quickly became a five way when Graham Baker was added to the mix.”
“Baker took your belt. I can’t fault you for that. The odds were against you. But where you started to stumble, Todd, was after. You had a chance to get your title back at Glory, only to get knocked out of the tournament by Sam. You traded wins with Lissie Hope, but when the time came to really demonstrate your viciousness at XIII in the Barbed Wire Double Hell Deathmatch Baker beat you again. It’s been downhill ever since. The Gate Crashers realized they were better off on their own and made their plexit. Your crew did a little ‘subtraction by addition’ arithmetic when Kancer joined, who promptly started disrespecting you and your benefactors by crowing he should be running things. Even the Backbreaker Fight Club took your lunch. It’s just been failure after failure and for a monster like yourself that’s the worst possible thing. It’s tough for your type to come back from being plexposed like you have. This might be your last chance, which is why I have to make sure I put you down. I got to forget the fact you’ve had my number every time we’ve faced. I got to be ready for whatever bullshit your minions got planned, because if I, your biggest victim, can pin you, Todd, Devil’s Gate might finally decide to give up on you as an plexperiment.”
“I won’t though. Win or lose, Todd, I’m not giving up.”
“Before our tag match last week Catherine Van Owen made a good point: it’s time to think outside the box when it comes to the bad actors in this sport. That doesn’t just mean driving them away. That’s short term. A long term way to fix things is to fix the broken people who make up our ranks. You, for plexample. I’m looking into your situation Todd; well, not me personally. I got people on retainer. Doctors, lawyers, plexcetera. Kind of plexpensive, given current circumstances- but if I want to be more than wrestling’s ‘funny suplex guy’ I need to give more of myself than just sweat and blood. I need to give money, and time, and most importantly empathy.”
“You’ll be receiving all that from me, Todd, and it’s why I’ll win. You’ve been able to stop me before, when I was at my worst.”
“At Plexecution, you’ll be getting my best.”