Year of Wine and Roses: Angry Orchard
Apr 13, 2022 1:54:01 GMT -5
Lissie Hope ♥, Downfall, and 3 more like this
Post by Dionysus on Apr 13, 2022 1:54:01 GMT -5
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 You know, the longer I look at that logo, the more comfortable I feel. Yes, it is once again that wonderful time of year. Friend against friend. Foe against foe. Alliances forged and destroyed in a matter of mere seconds. A match in which one split second decision can mean reaching the precipice...or falling to your doom. ... Yeah, I figured that was a bit heavy for my standards, wasn't it? 'Course, I also had to look back at what I said last year. Battlements...fire...something snarky about Pasternak I bet...Nevermind, I guess that is me, in a nutshell. Things are definitely different for me this time around than where I was last year, though. I was struggling to find my place here, even going so far as to desperately cling onto the least coveted number one position in this match. This strange determination seemed to catch the eye of one seriously-doubting-his-current-moral-standing-with-literally-a-serial-killer Daniel Fehl, where even a heated rivalry could not stop us from uniting together in what I consider my holy ground. From there, it has been smooth sailing; Daniel and I worked out our differences, found common ground, and became a dominating tag team in a field where...unfortunately, the numbers had dwindled. I had seen this landscape for what it was; a desolate wasteland where the powers that be chose to horde rather than spread the wealth aplenty. It was only a matter of when, not if, that would eventually bring the Tag Team Championship to The Vanguard. And for these past two-hundred and twenty six days we have spearheaded a revolution in the tag team division. Dangerous Gentlemen. Bentley Unlimited. Grindhouse. Affluenza. The Illicit Fanfic that was Dandy DiVito and Carter Shaw. All teams that sought to challenge us, and each we were able to successfully repel. And our prospects for future defenses...well, lets save that for later, shall we? As I said, last year I didn't know where I fit in the grand scheme of this match. Maybe I would stumble at the first hurdle and get tossed aside absentmindedly, as I'm sure a few people in this match would've just loved to see. And yet there I was, holding my own against the new generation, the veteran competitors, the legends and hall of famers, all while having the endurance to stay as the first entrant. Sure, I lost. But did I not say I was not a good bet? I still get emails from people telling me I owe them for that match. I did warn people. But that is just the nature of the beast, innit? Havoc has just so much going on and it being literally unpredictable makes it all the more exciting, more...fun. A lot of people will tell you that Evolution is the pinnacle of our federation, and while I want to agree, I definitely think Havoc has something special that Evolution cannot compete with. At Evolution, you expect the most must-see matches, blood feuds reaching a fever pitch, titles passing hands, legends returning to the landscape they helped to shape just to see how far things have come since their time. ...Granted, for a federation only four or five years old, that may be viewed by some as a small passage of time. It doesn't remove its importance, however. But Havoc? Anyone and everyone can appear in the match, to leave their mark, to reset the clock on their career and shape their destiny into something greater. Hell, it worked out nicely for me.  Sure, for a lot of people, this isn't all that impressive. "Ooo, you won a team-focused belt, you couldn't hack it as a singles competitor, huh?" "Well you still didn't get the TV Title." "Your beard looks gross." I've always held the belief that titles are only as good for a career as the champion makes them. Winning a title is one thing. Defending a title is another. But shaping a division while at its peak? That is what makes a real champion. And I took that energy and branched out beyond these walls, all while considering Action Wrestling my dysfunctional-but-endearing-in-its-own-way home. And with the success that followed, I decided to strike a deal with management to finally clear out some clutter from my contract. Although, looking at it now and where I've gone since then, its been a bumpy road. A deal is only as good as the offer you're willing to make on it, and the Year of Wine and Roses hasn't exactly panned out the way I had envisioned it. That little voice chimes in from time to time. You know the one; the imposter whispering those sweet nothings in your ear about your own self-worth and what you haven't been able to do, so you must suck the big goose egg. It has definitely been easier to turn out those demons. But sometimes...you can't help but sit there and listen to them. Maybe I AM washed up. A wannabe that never will be. Maybe this tag title, this whole Vanguard business...maybe this was all I was meant to do. Maybe... ... ... ...Maybe I should shut the fuck up. I came this far to not have to do this whole fuckin' self doubt bullshit all over again. Look, I've had every last person tell me where they think I belong in this business, whether it was kicked out the door with my tail between my legs, or barring that just sitting at the bottom of any roster like a good little boy. And time and time again, I continue to defy them by knowing what my own worth is in the ring. I am the architect behind one of the greatest tag teams in Action Wrestling's history, a team that has had seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against us, and yet we defended the ramparts. No one person can do that. Downfall is good, but not good enough to carry a team all on his own. And its high time that you fuckers started seeing that. Two-hundred and sixty-six fuckin' days. Aside from Dandy's tag run, that surpasses every title record out there. I guess I could thank Pasternak's incompetent ass for deliberately not booking title defenses, but what good would that do? The Vanguard has brought main event relevance to the tag team division, so much so that every dick, tom, and jane in this company has a partner or ally of some kind. Angelo has the Grindhouse thumbmen, Jill is busy carrying Regan's bags, Lissie and Addy brought the band back together, and Max has...alcohol, I guess? But really it boils down to this question: how irrelevant are teams now that most everyone is a part of some team or another? Did The Hollywood Elite do that? What about The Man Made Gods? We all fuckin' know The Following were too busy fighting amongst themselves to actually do anything meaningful there, just another ego stroke for Dandy over there to add to his growing pile of wank rags and- ...Oh look, its Chris Page doin' his Chris Page thing. ...Neato? Now where was I... Oh right, reminding you assholes what I've done. Doesn't it seem weird for me to be bragging about any of this? Why does it fucking matter in the long run? To you, it probably doesn't, and that's fine. But to me, it is a measured accomplishment, a recognition that I have received that proves I'm worth having around. Something I know you've been having a hard time dealing with, huh Lissie? Must suck always having your title reigns and your legacy continuously tarnished by everybody, right? Yet here I am, the one person you manage to do that to on a regular basis, yet you have the gall, and I mean the absolute gall, to call me an opportunist when Johnny "put it all out on the line for the cause." Lissie, wouldn't you think that I would've been the one to get into Wrestler of the Year and not him if that were the case? Or how about him being literally handed a title opportunity at the same time I was? For someone standing on the side of the angels, you seem to be conveniently acting like you weren't standing on the other side of that battle line with the other demons at the gates. It took the week after for you to show them how you really felt. And if I'm going to be completely honest and blunt with you about that? ...It actually made me happy to see. That's right, Lissie; despite all the venom we've spat at each other, much of which I probably can't take back at this point, I was still happy to see you break away from those dangerous people. I knew the risks you were taking when you joined with them, but you wouldn't hear someone like me out about it. Its why I told you that I was glad you thought this was the best path. Who knows; I could've been completely wrong about the situation. The fact was, however, despite everything, there wasn't any asking for help. And herein lies the crux of the matter with you, the core of your being: Aside from maybe Addy, you draw yourself to people who are more than willing to take advantage of your weakness. Often times, like with Philidor, it is with people you don't even need. You ARE a strong person in spite of your constant objections otherwise. It is why my barbs won't ever hurt you; you know what its like to go through hell and back. Not many people can say that with confidence. Its that resilience that draws people to you and your story...so why the fuck are you placing your faith on a kid who spat in your eye and sided with the woman who nearly ruined your life? Without so much as an explanation? I'm questioning the motives of the guy I went to war WITH; you're believing the guy you went to war AGAINST. We are not the same here. Johnny, I still don't really know what the hell you have against me. I thought we had worked all this out all those months ago when I thought you were nothing more than a loud-mouthed pissant with a bad dye job. You know as well as I do that our perception of each other changed after that; sure, we weren't exactly friends, but there was at least respect. You went from being the upstart to "the future of this business" in my eyes. We stayed out of each others' way for the most part after that, for better or worse I suppose that's for you to decide. Until one day you came up to me, when you could've picked anyone aside from this "nobody" in front of you, to stand with you against the dark tide that was Philidor. There's still a part of me that thinks it was due to you wanting Downfall and wanting me around to keep him in check, but you could've also left me well enough alone. Sure, he probably still doesn't like you, but that's his hang-up, not mine. Just like your hatred of me is your hang-up, not mine. I think I figured it out. Its convenient for you to have me under your boot. A guy you've beaten, a guy you constantly tell to shut up, a guy that is easily an emotional punching bag for you to vent your own personal frustrations on. The only problem is, this punching bag can fight back just as defiantly as you can. Every time you tell me to shut up, I only come back shouting louder. Every barb made about my character, I simply shrug off. Seriously, Johnny, what can you even fuckin' say to me that I haven't heard a thousand times before, and still manage to brush off like dandruff at a high school dance? See, I'm not some incredibly clever person who can fake a personality just to win points with people. What you see is what you get. The real genuine article. So when I present myself as kind, that's exactly what you get; a kind soul with a snarky attitude but is otherwise doing his own thing. And for whatever reason you have, which I'm not even going to bother questioning because it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks at this stage, you've decided to play with fire and align yourself with a symptom to the greater problems within Action Wrestling. Most people don't keep their tumors as pets, Johnny; yet here you are, managing to find not only a convenient jar to keep it in, but also finding yourself aligned with quite possibly your greatest rival, someone you couldn't quite beat without some assistance. Sounds like a familiar story, no? Its all poetic, really. Congratulations, Johnny Bacchus; you saved the soul of Action Wrestling at the cost of your own. It still doesn't excuse the try-hards like Corey Black who will use the opportunity to absolve themselves of their own dirty dealings, but that's the nature of this business, isn't it? There is no one who is genuinely out there for the greater good, right? Only selfish motives in this dojo. Yet the one person who best understands all this, the corruption, the decay, the rot, he's been affected by this the most. I was one of few people who knew what was going on with Philidor, yet no one bothered to hear me out. Torture knew, Pasternak knew, and they've continued to punish me for it ever since. Why else would they continually book The Vanguard in such a way that "conveniently" made interim champions? Why else have I otherwise been left off bookings without so much as a notice? Why else did the rest of Team Action Wrestling get rewarded with Wrestler of the Year slots and not me? They took the fuckin' dirty money, and when things went south for Philidor they ditched the cash, leaving the ruins of that deal to us plain as day; Shaw is in shambles, Lissie in a perpetual state of recovery, and Ash Blake...is no worse off as a result. Action Wrestling management found a convenient time to back out of a shady deal with an equally shady company. But sure, I'M the opportunist. I'M the bad guy. Duh, its so obvious, right? I'M PHILIDOR, EVERYBODY!!! ...Please don't put much thought into that statement. I sure as fuck didn't. But that's how stupid this all is. And yet you continue to fight the same battles, crusade against the same causes, while everyone else decides to pass you by and look toward the greater threat in front of them. Sure, earlier on I talked about the good in Havoc. It gives everyone a platform to show what they can do, right? The signs were there, we all just chose to ignore them. We continue to play ignorant at our own peril. I'm done with that shit. I'm done with people looking to take advantage of us. All of us. I'm done with people looking at me and seeing a nobody. Or worse, seeing me as nothing more than Downfall's sidekick. I am the Lord of the Vine. I am the Master of Revels. I am Dionysus. AND YOU'RE STUCK. WITH. ME. |
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