Post by Claire Hawkins on Mar 13, 2022 2:44:50 GMT -5
"Tell me, little ones, when is it that men become desperate?"
"When they fail once or twice?"
"Perhaps when they feel threatened?"
"Nay, dear ones, the moment that two fully grown men become desperate is when they are forced to face that which their egos cannot handle; the reality that everything they are means NOTHING. When faced with this truth they become desperate - frantic- to prove to the world that they are in fact SOMETHING. Yet, even with all the false bravado and childish playground antics, they cannot deny their inability when they are forced to look at themselves within the fiery mirrors of pure competition."
"Take the elder statesman of Professional Wrestling, Chris Page, for instance. The man has built his entire reputation around the redundant and overplayed notion of being a self-proclaimed game-changer; of being a fifty-some-odd-year-old that still has the ability to outwork any person in a squared circle. However, the overly prideful man's ego and reputation took a massive blow once everyone's favorite example of wasted potential and talent managed to defeat Mister Page upon the Tara Fenix Charity cruise. Yet, the embarrassment didn't cease there as Page's reputation took another hit once he was unable to make his match with Keeton at Revolution Five even remotely watchable. In fact, according to the fine men and women that work at the Capital One Arena, many considered it quite the opportune time to make a run to the bathroom."
"A truly game-changing moment, wouldn't you say?"
"Now, through accidental means, Page finds himself involved in this CBS Championship match and I cannot help but call bullshit. Not for his inclusion, but over the fact that he is truly egotistical enough to actually think that anyone with a quarter of a brain cell believes him; there are no such things as accidents in wrestling. No, he knew full well what he was doing when he decided to interrupt a man that he considers to be leagues beneath him when he could have just requested his own time to talk about whatever shady open contract he was trying to push. He knew full well what he was engaging in before he stepped out from behind that curtain He knew, and despite his proclamation that championships no longer mean anything to him, he forced himself into the CBS Championship match in a desperate bid to not only correct his past failings in drawing any meaningful ratings with his matches against Keeton but to also find his bid of ACTUAL relevancy here in Action Wrestling; a place where nobody gives two shits who or what Chris Page is or ever was."
"Now we find ourselves here where a game-changer has become just another part of the game in which his desperation with cause him to fail and fragility of his ego shall be revealed once he understands that outworking someone means nothing when they are able to outlast him; which wouldn't be the first time I suspect."
"Outwork."
"Outlast."
"I prevail.”
Pacing.
Pacing.
Was the child going to pace every single time that she stepped into the ring with someone that the unpredictable masses considered to be some kind of a legend in the industry? She could appreciate the willingness and hunger to dive in the history of the sport in which he was training, but holy fucking shit was it annoying. In fact, she was near to her breaking point as was and held visions of choking the ever-loving hell out of him dancing within her crimson eyes. Except young Cole Harms took no notice of the danger he was in, but Matt Draven saw; saw, and knew full well what might happen.
Matt: "Take it, easy kid. You're gonna wear a hole right through the hotel floor and that's a bill I ain't wantin' to look at."
Cole: "How can I? It's Chris freakin' Page that's showing up at Battlebowl! The man's a certified legend on par with Corey Black and Odin Balfore! How can I not be-"
Claire: "What? Excited?"
With an icy tone in her voice that was cold enough to freeze Cole in his track, the young man finally understood just how much his fawning had become an irritant.
Cole: "Y-yeah. That."
Claire: "Well, Mister Harms, I can tell you that Page is no different than any sad pathetic little man with a superiority complex. He will talk his shit, fail to realize that whatever it is he has to bring to the ring isn't enough, and he will be left a beaten and bruised mess. Understand?"
Cole: "Y-yes, but he IS Chris Page and I don't think that it'll be nearly as easy as you're makin' it out to be."
Claire: "Of course not, you bloody idiot. NOTHING in the squared circle is ever easy and having to fight harder than your opponents is simply a part of the game. Even for the so-called talented, there are no shortcuts and no quarter to be found in that ring, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to allow such an obvious piece of human filth to take the CBS Championship from me; especially when it means that the division will mean LESS than nothing if manages to get a hold of the belt."
Matt: "What about Roman? Seems like he's takin' a liking to attack you from behind."
Claire: "Gunn? Oh, the miserable fuck will get what's coming to him and I can promise you that it won't be in the way of being champion. No, the arrogant shithead has a massive dose of karma heading in his direction and I'm going to be the bitch that administers the career-ending dosage."
Matt: "He really got under your skin, huh?"
Claire: "He wants to act like a big shot when he hasn't done a damn thing? He can get the same damn thing that Rampage, Donovan Rayne, and Jason Cain got; a hard taste of reality!"
Cole: "Um...who's Roman Gunn?"
"Roman Gunn, where do I begin?"
"Despite his ear bleeding perpetual reminders of the obvious lie of being undefeated and being a major component of the Action Wrestling machine, he has never managed to show the world anything that would ever come close to affirming his outlandish claims. His greatest claim to any sort of fame was when he had a replica of the United States Championship crafted so that he might feel an ounce of what it felt like to truly hold such a prestigious championship. Yet, once CJ Phoenix's attention was finally drawn to his childish stupidity, Roman tucked his tail between his legs and became just another punching bag in such a manner that even Casey Holiday would feel embarrassed."
"Which brings us to now."
"As a man, Gunn is desperate to prove that he has what it takes to actually win a match when it matters; that he isn't some punching bag with an unearned ego. The CBS Championship is only a vehicle in which to force people into acknowledging his miserably pathetic existence as both a professional wrestler and as a human being. Things that he shouldn't have to work for, but has to due to him being completely and wholly inept when it comes to anything other than cheap schoolyard bullying tactics and weak post-match attacks; something which I have never forgotten."
"Roman Gunn, a waste of potential on the level of J.C. Keeton."
"A shame, truly."
"Yet, at the end of it all, these two desperate men will never understand what it takes to perpetually be put down for no other reason than that you were the one the completely revived and made history in a division that people already spat upon and looked down upon. They will never understand what it is like to constantly have to quote-unquote prove yourself as anything more than a stepping stone for such ignorant fucks that it makes one want to vomit. They'll never get it through their thick ego-protected skulls that having to scratch and claw your way to something means more than all the so-called talent in the fucking world; that being a world champion doesn't amount to shit in the long run."
"They'll never understand what it is to be ME."
"Yet, I'll MAKE them understand; understand what it takes to dig down deeper than they ever thought they would have to and make them understand that I am NOT one to be fucked with or dismissed. I'll make them understand that this Championship isn't something that can be used as some cheap prop in someone's cheaper collection or as something lesser than the rest of the Championships in Action Wrestling. I will make them aware that it isn't me with their back against the wall of loss and failure; of desperation. At Battlebowl I shall give these two desperate men what they so desperately desire as I tear their nonsensical dreams of being CBS Champion out from underneath them; acknowledgment."
"Acknowledgement of their failure."
"Quoth the Witch forevermore."
"When they fail once or twice?"
"Perhaps when they feel threatened?"
"Nay, dear ones, the moment that two fully grown men become desperate is when they are forced to face that which their egos cannot handle; the reality that everything they are means NOTHING. When faced with this truth they become desperate - frantic- to prove to the world that they are in fact SOMETHING. Yet, even with all the false bravado and childish playground antics, they cannot deny their inability when they are forced to look at themselves within the fiery mirrors of pure competition."
"Take the elder statesman of Professional Wrestling, Chris Page, for instance. The man has built his entire reputation around the redundant and overplayed notion of being a self-proclaimed game-changer; of being a fifty-some-odd-year-old that still has the ability to outwork any person in a squared circle. However, the overly prideful man's ego and reputation took a massive blow once everyone's favorite example of wasted potential and talent managed to defeat Mister Page upon the Tara Fenix Charity cruise. Yet, the embarrassment didn't cease there as Page's reputation took another hit once he was unable to make his match with Keeton at Revolution Five even remotely watchable. In fact, according to the fine men and women that work at the Capital One Arena, many considered it quite the opportune time to make a run to the bathroom."
"A truly game-changing moment, wouldn't you say?"
"Now, through accidental means, Page finds himself involved in this CBS Championship match and I cannot help but call bullshit. Not for his inclusion, but over the fact that he is truly egotistical enough to actually think that anyone with a quarter of a brain cell believes him; there are no such things as accidents in wrestling. No, he knew full well what he was doing when he decided to interrupt a man that he considers to be leagues beneath him when he could have just requested his own time to talk about whatever shady open contract he was trying to push. He knew full well what he was engaging in before he stepped out from behind that curtain He knew, and despite his proclamation that championships no longer mean anything to him, he forced himself into the CBS Championship match in a desperate bid to not only correct his past failings in drawing any meaningful ratings with his matches against Keeton but to also find his bid of ACTUAL relevancy here in Action Wrestling; a place where nobody gives two shits who or what Chris Page is or ever was."
"Now we find ourselves here where a game-changer has become just another part of the game in which his desperation with cause him to fail and fragility of his ego shall be revealed once he understands that outworking someone means nothing when they are able to outlast him; which wouldn't be the first time I suspect."
"Outwork."
"Outlast."
"I prevail.”
Pacing.
Pacing.
Was the child going to pace every single time that she stepped into the ring with someone that the unpredictable masses considered to be some kind of a legend in the industry? She could appreciate the willingness and hunger to dive in the history of the sport in which he was training, but holy fucking shit was it annoying. In fact, she was near to her breaking point as was and held visions of choking the ever-loving hell out of him dancing within her crimson eyes. Except young Cole Harms took no notice of the danger he was in, but Matt Draven saw; saw, and knew full well what might happen.
Matt: "Take it, easy kid. You're gonna wear a hole right through the hotel floor and that's a bill I ain't wantin' to look at."
Cole: "How can I? It's Chris freakin' Page that's showing up at Battlebowl! The man's a certified legend on par with Corey Black and Odin Balfore! How can I not be-"
Claire: "What? Excited?"
With an icy tone in her voice that was cold enough to freeze Cole in his track, the young man finally understood just how much his fawning had become an irritant.
Cole: "Y-yeah. That."
Claire: "Well, Mister Harms, I can tell you that Page is no different than any sad pathetic little man with a superiority complex. He will talk his shit, fail to realize that whatever it is he has to bring to the ring isn't enough, and he will be left a beaten and bruised mess. Understand?"
Cole: "Y-yes, but he IS Chris Page and I don't think that it'll be nearly as easy as you're makin' it out to be."
Claire: "Of course not, you bloody idiot. NOTHING in the squared circle is ever easy and having to fight harder than your opponents is simply a part of the game. Even for the so-called talented, there are no shortcuts and no quarter to be found in that ring, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to allow such an obvious piece of human filth to take the CBS Championship from me; especially when it means that the division will mean LESS than nothing if manages to get a hold of the belt."
Matt: "What about Roman? Seems like he's takin' a liking to attack you from behind."
Claire: "Gunn? Oh, the miserable fuck will get what's coming to him and I can promise you that it won't be in the way of being champion. No, the arrogant shithead has a massive dose of karma heading in his direction and I'm going to be the bitch that administers the career-ending dosage."
Matt: "He really got under your skin, huh?"
Claire: "He wants to act like a big shot when he hasn't done a damn thing? He can get the same damn thing that Rampage, Donovan Rayne, and Jason Cain got; a hard taste of reality!"
Cole: "Um...who's Roman Gunn?"
"Roman Gunn, where do I begin?"
"Despite his ear bleeding perpetual reminders of the obvious lie of being undefeated and being a major component of the Action Wrestling machine, he has never managed to show the world anything that would ever come close to affirming his outlandish claims. His greatest claim to any sort of fame was when he had a replica of the United States Championship crafted so that he might feel an ounce of what it felt like to truly hold such a prestigious championship. Yet, once CJ Phoenix's attention was finally drawn to his childish stupidity, Roman tucked his tail between his legs and became just another punching bag in such a manner that even Casey Holiday would feel embarrassed."
"Which brings us to now."
"As a man, Gunn is desperate to prove that he has what it takes to actually win a match when it matters; that he isn't some punching bag with an unearned ego. The CBS Championship is only a vehicle in which to force people into acknowledging his miserably pathetic existence as both a professional wrestler and as a human being. Things that he shouldn't have to work for, but has to due to him being completely and wholly inept when it comes to anything other than cheap schoolyard bullying tactics and weak post-match attacks; something which I have never forgotten."
"Roman Gunn, a waste of potential on the level of J.C. Keeton."
"A shame, truly."
"Yet, at the end of it all, these two desperate men will never understand what it takes to perpetually be put down for no other reason than that you were the one the completely revived and made history in a division that people already spat upon and looked down upon. They will never understand what it is like to constantly have to quote-unquote prove yourself as anything more than a stepping stone for such ignorant fucks that it makes one want to vomit. They'll never get it through their thick ego-protected skulls that having to scratch and claw your way to something means more than all the so-called talent in the fucking world; that being a world champion doesn't amount to shit in the long run."
"They'll never understand what it is to be ME."
"Yet, I'll MAKE them understand; understand what it takes to dig down deeper than they ever thought they would have to and make them understand that I am NOT one to be fucked with or dismissed. I'll make them understand that this Championship isn't something that can be used as some cheap prop in someone's cheaper collection or as something lesser than the rest of the Championships in Action Wrestling. I will make them aware that it isn't me with their back against the wall of loss and failure; of desperation. At Battlebowl I shall give these two desperate men what they so desperately desire as I tear their nonsensical dreams of being CBS Champion out from underneath them; acknowledgment."
"Acknowledgement of their failure."
"Quoth the Witch forevermore."