The Phoenix Ashes: REbirth
Jun 23, 2023 6:20:08 GMT -5
Downfall, Serenity Holmes, and 1 more like this
Post by Gerard Angelo on Jun 23, 2023 6:20:08 GMT -5
Anthony Angelo sat in his office located on floor 99 of the building affectionately known as AngTower, He leaned back and rubbed his eyes, the weariness of looking over contracts starting to get to him as he burned the midnight oil. He wondered if all the stress of the upcoming merger and his wife is due to give birth any day now really affected him. For the past few months, his mind had been foggy. He couldn’t remember anything bits and pieces over that time since he visited Winthrope’s lab. Tony kept having recurring nightmares where he was trapped in a glass prison while he was treated like a science experiment. Every doctor and shrink he visited couldn’t find any underlying problems so it was just chalked up to stress. Tony was just told to rest. Like he could rest at a time like this.
Tony got up and walked over to the bookcase against the wall. One shelf was completely dedicated to various bottles of scotch. He grabbed a glass and a bottle of ten-year-old single malt, pouring a generous serving. Tony swirled the glass before sipping it, turning to look out the window at the bustling nightlife of the city below. He sighed. Maybe he was just stressed. Aside from the business aspects, Katia was two weeks past her due date. They were going to induce her next week if the baby was still a holdout. He took another sip of scotch.
Suddenly a pain like a knife being jabbed into his head came on and Tony dropped his glass, scotch splattering across the window and staining the carpet. He gripped the side of his head as the pain intensified, forcing him down to a knee. His view of the city became blurry before darkness.
I didn’t want to fight you here, Dandy.
This should’ve been my Evolution to main event. All the pieces were there.
I spent the first twelve years of my life growing up in New Jersey before my family moved to California. Jersey helped mold me. It made me an asshole, which helped me survive in this cutthroat business. Main eventing the biggest wrestling event ever in New Jersey should’ve been me.
I was comfortable on that course until the world title was stolen. You know, the one I took from you, Winston. Even after I was screwed out of a fair rematch time and time again, I sucked it up and went into the most brutal match in professional wrestling, Havoc, and I was about to punch my ticket to Evolution. Only to get screwed out of it by everyone’s favorite fuck up, Lissie Hope.
It should’ve been me.
I, the man who nearly won Havoc, watched as matches for the greatest show in wrestling were made without mention of me. Gerard FUCKING Angelo, the guy who carried this company to record numbers for half a calendar year was going to be left off the card. I watched as people who treat Action Wrestling like a side hustle, people who threaten to quit every other week when things don’t go their way, be given high-profile match after high-profile match like it was free Slurpee day at 7-11.
Maybe I should go moonlight at some garbage Indie fed. Will I get better treatment around here? Perhaps I should threaten to quit. Will that get me noticed?
But I digress.
Doctor Winthrope tapped away hastily at his computer, the Chinese takeout next to him on the desk growing colder by the second. It didn’t cross the doctor’s mind. The clicking of the keyboard filled the room, his slender fingers dancing over the keys as he reviewed various research his team was doing on the cloning process. The doctor sighed. The men on his team were amongst some of the most brilliant in their respective fields of science. Winthrope would know, he had hand-picked them all. They were all giants among the scientific community so it frustrated him that they were so small-minded. They were raising once again the ethics of cloning.
Ethics. He spat at the word. Was it ethical to not save lives when you could? If you could save someone from a chronic illness, would you let them die? He could end the pain and suffering of disease. Hell, he could end pain and suffering. That was his vision. Never again would loved ones be lost to acts of God. He would be God. Death would be nothing but a minor inconvenience. He had the keys to immortality at his fingertips. Sure there were a few kinks to work out when you need to transfer an entire human’s consciousness but this was Nobel Prize-winning work.
The death of Death.
He just needed to keep the funding going. A good poker player always kept a trump card. Mister Angelo would have no choice but to keep the Phoenix Project going.
As I went to take matters into my own hands because Pasternak is as good at his job as Marjorie Taylor Greene, I threw out an open challenge, hoping for someone new and fresh to come at the best in the world. Instead, I got the ugliest ghost from my past. Enter Dandy DiVito.
You’re like a fucking pimple on prom night, Dandy. Ruining everything. I wanted a new challenge because, in case you forgot, I’ve already beaten you.
I beat the best version of you. I beat the guy that everyone single one of these fucks around here that call themselves the best, couldn’t beat. I dismantled Empire Business. I ended the historic reign. I broke you, Dandy. I left you a pathetic mess who was getting Home Alone pranked by the two brats in Affluenza.
Despite all this, you contend that my victory almost a year ago, was a fluke. So you just cavalierly throw your entire career on the line just for me to accept this match.
The disrespect is insane here. From you and the company. So I’ve come to a decision here, Dandy. I’m going to take the last six months of frustration out on you, Sunday. Not only am I going to beat and end your career, I’m going to embarrass you. I’m going to make an example out of arguably the greatest Action Wrestling star in history.
I’ll give you your flowers. You turned being a scumbag into a Hall of Famer career. That’s why I hope you enjoyed this week and took the time to bask in the moment. I want you to reflect on your career and see if you’re satisfied with it.
Because it’s over for you at Evolution. I’ll gladly end your career but you need to know this is all on you. You wanted to fight me so fucking bad because you think I ruined your chance at getting added to the EVO main event? Please, you’re more delusional than the crybabies that quit this place when they lose.
I think you forgot who the fuck I am. In fact, I know you did because so did I. I went back and dug deep inside myself and found myself. I found the guy who exploded onto the scene here in ADub. The guy who a year and a half into his tenure here already has a hall-of-fame resume. The guy who has never been pinned to lose a title. And now I have to remind the rest of these fucking bums running their mouths around here that couldn’t hold my fucking jock. I became the biggest star in the fucking business by being who I am unapologetically.
I didn’t need the company to force me down everyone’s throat to be a star. I walked into this place and everyone said, “Yeah, that’s the guy” whether they wanna admit it or not.
But all of that doesn’t matter now. I have to focus on you, Dandy. The fucking cockroach that won’t fucking die. It’s high time someone finally stepped on you and twisted their heel. I’m going to finish the job I started eleven months ago at Heatwave, finish the job Park couldn’t do, and end you. Send you back to Florida where you won’t be the only person whose smile looks like a bag of broken potato chips. Maybe you can finally make it as a mumble rapper after I break your goddamned jaw. I don’t like you at all, Winnie. I respect you as a guy who will do anything to win but as a person, I think you need to take a long walk off a short pier.
Katia held her lower back as she moved through the living room, literally throwing herself onto the couch as she took a deep breath. She ran a manicured hand over her pregnant belly, reminiscing about when it was flat and toned, gracing the covers of magazines. She needed this baby out. It was a blessing but it was far too long and she was looking forward to meeting her child. She pulled her phone from the waistband of her yoga pants, one of the few items of clothing that still fit her. A glance down unlocked the phone with facial recognition and she scrolled through various apps, checking likes and mentions. This life of being home all the time was a radical change for a woman used to traveling the world for her job but she hated to admit she was bored as it made her feel guilty.
Katia rotated through a few apps on her phone, getting lost in the scrolling when she started to feel wetness creeping over her inner thighs. She looked down and saw the crotch of her pink yoga pants damp. Her water broke. The Russian model tried to stay calm as she dialed her husband, listening to the phone ring as she waited for him to pick up.
No answer.
She tried again, muttering in Russian for Tony to pick up but again it went to voicemail. She cursed. She kept calling but Tony never picked up. She tossed her phone down, frustrated. He knew she would pop at any second. Why wasn’t he answering?
Katia picked her phone up again and tried a different number.
I know I have my work cut out for me on Sunday. You’re like Machine Gun Kelly. We always hope it’s finally the last time we see you but you always come back with another stupid album. But if I have to be Eminem and come in with another fucking Killshot, then I’m coming to Evolution to put a bullet between your eyes. You won’t even be the first person I’ve retired this year. Remember your little buddy Kidsgrove? I unceremoniously sent his ass home. I embarrassed him so bad Zooey has to pay the bills by doing commercials for shitty, off-brand, hotels. Maybe after the Jersey crowd serenades you with the classic “Na Na Na Na” you can look up old Sammy and you guys can reminisce about the good old days before Gerard Angelo showed up and took the trash out. Maybe you can go reconnect with Yaz and spend time with CJ’s baby like the good little cuck you are. I don’t care what you do really ‘cause you’re gonna be out of the company and out of my life.
I’ll do you a solid though, Dandy. I’ll slap the shit out of you so bad that your father will actually give a fuck about you. Yeah, yeah, it’s the pot calling the kettle black but I don’t really give a fuck at this point. You can brag about everything you’ve done in the company, the people you made, the titles you’ve won. Record reign after record reign. Yeah, we fucking get it. That’s why you’re going into the Hall of Fame. There’s still one thing you haven’t done: beat me. You can run down your resume all you want Dandy but let me tell you something. Get real close to the TV so even you can understand, meth-mouth. I’ve only been beaten four times here and your name ain’t on that list. I finally get why you wanted, no, needed to face me at Evolution.
I’m your white whale.
You think beating me is gonna reset the timeline. That’s why you threw your career on the line. It stinks of desperation. You got me here. You harpooned me. But now I’m going to drag you down into the icy depths of irrelevance, never to be seen again, Ahab.
Sunday, it ends. The streak, your career. All of it. I’m going to show you again why I’m the man without peer. Evolution doesn’t end with Dandy DiVito moving on to bigger and better things.
Because that’s not a Hollywood Ending.
The barbell bounced as it hit the ground, rolling forward on the plates. Gerard wiped his brow with the back of his wrist, taking in a deep breath. He had been basically living in his home gym since he got back from Clash Tuesday morning. He had to make sure he beat Dandy at Evolution. The crackhead would never let him live it down if he didn’t. His nether region was still sore from the kick below the belt. It served as motivation for when he wanted a break. Gerry had faced timed with Jonathon a few days ago to go over a game plan based on the one from Heatwave. He was just waiting for the call to discuss strategy before he headed to the airstrip so he could fly into Liberty International.
As if on cue he heard his phone ring. He turned and snatched it off the weight bench. It wasn’t Jonathan this time. Gerard rolled his eyes and hit the green icon.
“Hey Katia, I can’t talk right now. I’m waiting for a…”
He was cut off by a hurried barrage of words from the other end.
“Whoa, whoa, just calm down. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Gerard hung up the phone and snatched his t-shirt off the weight rack. He might be a father.
Tony got up and walked over to the bookcase against the wall. One shelf was completely dedicated to various bottles of scotch. He grabbed a glass and a bottle of ten-year-old single malt, pouring a generous serving. Tony swirled the glass before sipping it, turning to look out the window at the bustling nightlife of the city below. He sighed. Maybe he was just stressed. Aside from the business aspects, Katia was two weeks past her due date. They were going to induce her next week if the baby was still a holdout. He took another sip of scotch.
Suddenly a pain like a knife being jabbed into his head came on and Tony dropped his glass, scotch splattering across the window and staining the carpet. He gripped the side of his head as the pain intensified, forcing him down to a knee. His view of the city became blurry before darkness.
I didn’t want to fight you here, Dandy.
This should’ve been my Evolution to main event. All the pieces were there.
I spent the first twelve years of my life growing up in New Jersey before my family moved to California. Jersey helped mold me. It made me an asshole, which helped me survive in this cutthroat business. Main eventing the biggest wrestling event ever in New Jersey should’ve been me.
I was comfortable on that course until the world title was stolen. You know, the one I took from you, Winston. Even after I was screwed out of a fair rematch time and time again, I sucked it up and went into the most brutal match in professional wrestling, Havoc, and I was about to punch my ticket to Evolution. Only to get screwed out of it by everyone’s favorite fuck up, Lissie Hope.
It should’ve been me.
I, the man who nearly won Havoc, watched as matches for the greatest show in wrestling were made without mention of me. Gerard FUCKING Angelo, the guy who carried this company to record numbers for half a calendar year was going to be left off the card. I watched as people who treat Action Wrestling like a side hustle, people who threaten to quit every other week when things don’t go their way, be given high-profile match after high-profile match like it was free Slurpee day at 7-11.
Maybe I should go moonlight at some garbage Indie fed. Will I get better treatment around here? Perhaps I should threaten to quit. Will that get me noticed?
But I digress.
Doctor Winthrope tapped away hastily at his computer, the Chinese takeout next to him on the desk growing colder by the second. It didn’t cross the doctor’s mind. The clicking of the keyboard filled the room, his slender fingers dancing over the keys as he reviewed various research his team was doing on the cloning process. The doctor sighed. The men on his team were amongst some of the most brilliant in their respective fields of science. Winthrope would know, he had hand-picked them all. They were all giants among the scientific community so it frustrated him that they were so small-minded. They were raising once again the ethics of cloning.
Ethics. He spat at the word. Was it ethical to not save lives when you could? If you could save someone from a chronic illness, would you let them die? He could end the pain and suffering of disease. Hell, he could end pain and suffering. That was his vision. Never again would loved ones be lost to acts of God. He would be God. Death would be nothing but a minor inconvenience. He had the keys to immortality at his fingertips. Sure there were a few kinks to work out when you need to transfer an entire human’s consciousness but this was Nobel Prize-winning work.
The death of Death.
He just needed to keep the funding going. A good poker player always kept a trump card. Mister Angelo would have no choice but to keep the Phoenix Project going.
As I went to take matters into my own hands because Pasternak is as good at his job as Marjorie Taylor Greene, I threw out an open challenge, hoping for someone new and fresh to come at the best in the world. Instead, I got the ugliest ghost from my past. Enter Dandy DiVito.
You’re like a fucking pimple on prom night, Dandy. Ruining everything. I wanted a new challenge because, in case you forgot, I’ve already beaten you.
I beat the best version of you. I beat the guy that everyone single one of these fucks around here that call themselves the best, couldn’t beat. I dismantled Empire Business. I ended the historic reign. I broke you, Dandy. I left you a pathetic mess who was getting Home Alone pranked by the two brats in Affluenza.
Despite all this, you contend that my victory almost a year ago, was a fluke. So you just cavalierly throw your entire career on the line just for me to accept this match.
The disrespect is insane here. From you and the company. So I’ve come to a decision here, Dandy. I’m going to take the last six months of frustration out on you, Sunday. Not only am I going to beat and end your career, I’m going to embarrass you. I’m going to make an example out of arguably the greatest Action Wrestling star in history.
I’ll give you your flowers. You turned being a scumbag into a Hall of Famer career. That’s why I hope you enjoyed this week and took the time to bask in the moment. I want you to reflect on your career and see if you’re satisfied with it.
Because it’s over for you at Evolution. I’ll gladly end your career but you need to know this is all on you. You wanted to fight me so fucking bad because you think I ruined your chance at getting added to the EVO main event? Please, you’re more delusional than the crybabies that quit this place when they lose.
I think you forgot who the fuck I am. In fact, I know you did because so did I. I went back and dug deep inside myself and found myself. I found the guy who exploded onto the scene here in ADub. The guy who a year and a half into his tenure here already has a hall-of-fame resume. The guy who has never been pinned to lose a title. And now I have to remind the rest of these fucking bums running their mouths around here that couldn’t hold my fucking jock. I became the biggest star in the fucking business by being who I am unapologetically.
I didn’t need the company to force me down everyone’s throat to be a star. I walked into this place and everyone said, “Yeah, that’s the guy” whether they wanna admit it or not.
But all of that doesn’t matter now. I have to focus on you, Dandy. The fucking cockroach that won’t fucking die. It’s high time someone finally stepped on you and twisted their heel. I’m going to finish the job I started eleven months ago at Heatwave, finish the job Park couldn’t do, and end you. Send you back to Florida where you won’t be the only person whose smile looks like a bag of broken potato chips. Maybe you can finally make it as a mumble rapper after I break your goddamned jaw. I don’t like you at all, Winnie. I respect you as a guy who will do anything to win but as a person, I think you need to take a long walk off a short pier.
Katia held her lower back as she moved through the living room, literally throwing herself onto the couch as she took a deep breath. She ran a manicured hand over her pregnant belly, reminiscing about when it was flat and toned, gracing the covers of magazines. She needed this baby out. It was a blessing but it was far too long and she was looking forward to meeting her child. She pulled her phone from the waistband of her yoga pants, one of the few items of clothing that still fit her. A glance down unlocked the phone with facial recognition and she scrolled through various apps, checking likes and mentions. This life of being home all the time was a radical change for a woman used to traveling the world for her job but she hated to admit she was bored as it made her feel guilty.
Katia rotated through a few apps on her phone, getting lost in the scrolling when she started to feel wetness creeping over her inner thighs. She looked down and saw the crotch of her pink yoga pants damp. Her water broke. The Russian model tried to stay calm as she dialed her husband, listening to the phone ring as she waited for him to pick up.
No answer.
She tried again, muttering in Russian for Tony to pick up but again it went to voicemail. She cursed. She kept calling but Tony never picked up. She tossed her phone down, frustrated. He knew she would pop at any second. Why wasn’t he answering?
Katia picked her phone up again and tried a different number.
I know I have my work cut out for me on Sunday. You’re like Machine Gun Kelly. We always hope it’s finally the last time we see you but you always come back with another stupid album. But if I have to be Eminem and come in with another fucking Killshot, then I’m coming to Evolution to put a bullet between your eyes. You won’t even be the first person I’ve retired this year. Remember your little buddy Kidsgrove? I unceremoniously sent his ass home. I embarrassed him so bad Zooey has to pay the bills by doing commercials for shitty, off-brand, hotels. Maybe after the Jersey crowd serenades you with the classic “Na Na Na Na” you can look up old Sammy and you guys can reminisce about the good old days before Gerard Angelo showed up and took the trash out. Maybe you can go reconnect with Yaz and spend time with CJ’s baby like the good little cuck you are. I don’t care what you do really ‘cause you’re gonna be out of the company and out of my life.
I’ll do you a solid though, Dandy. I’ll slap the shit out of you so bad that your father will actually give a fuck about you. Yeah, yeah, it’s the pot calling the kettle black but I don’t really give a fuck at this point. You can brag about everything you’ve done in the company, the people you made, the titles you’ve won. Record reign after record reign. Yeah, we fucking get it. That’s why you’re going into the Hall of Fame. There’s still one thing you haven’t done: beat me. You can run down your resume all you want Dandy but let me tell you something. Get real close to the TV so even you can understand, meth-mouth. I’ve only been beaten four times here and your name ain’t on that list. I finally get why you wanted, no, needed to face me at Evolution.
I’m your white whale.
You think beating me is gonna reset the timeline. That’s why you threw your career on the line. It stinks of desperation. You got me here. You harpooned me. But now I’m going to drag you down into the icy depths of irrelevance, never to be seen again, Ahab.
Sunday, it ends. The streak, your career. All of it. I’m going to show you again why I’m the man without peer. Evolution doesn’t end with Dandy DiVito moving on to bigger and better things.
Because that’s not a Hollywood Ending.
The barbell bounced as it hit the ground, rolling forward on the plates. Gerard wiped his brow with the back of his wrist, taking in a deep breath. He had been basically living in his home gym since he got back from Clash Tuesday morning. He had to make sure he beat Dandy at Evolution. The crackhead would never let him live it down if he didn’t. His nether region was still sore from the kick below the belt. It served as motivation for when he wanted a break. Gerry had faced timed with Jonathon a few days ago to go over a game plan based on the one from Heatwave. He was just waiting for the call to discuss strategy before he headed to the airstrip so he could fly into Liberty International.
As if on cue he heard his phone ring. He turned and snatched it off the weight bench. It wasn’t Jonathan this time. Gerard rolled his eyes and hit the green icon.
“Hey Katia, I can’t talk right now. I’m waiting for a…”
He was cut off by a hurried barrage of words from the other end.
“Whoa, whoa, just calm down. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Gerard hung up the phone and snatched his t-shirt off the weight rack. He might be a father.