Post by Jonny Cedrone on Nov 26, 2023 20:00:38 GMT -5
The scene picks up after the Battle Royal last week on Monday Night Clash. As Jonny and Gloria Cedrone come through the Gorilla Position from the arena, Jonny picks up a folding steel chair and tosses it across the room barely missing a couple of stagehands. Their response was a fitting, “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” but they get no answer from Jonny as he storms out of the area and into the back.
“JONNY! I know you don’t like the man but, really?! You coulda killed those two men!”
Jonny stops dead in his tracks, which takes Gloria by surprise, and turns his attention to his wife.
“Anybody. Anybody else! Why him?!”
“Baby! Face it! You two were the best ones in the entire match! It was bound to happen!”
Jonny takes pause for a moment to ponder what Gloria just said.
“Right. You were the two best fighters in that match! The two of you won! Face it! Accept it! Move on!”
Jonny shakes his head a little in confusion and disbelief.
“Yeah honey. Ya gotta move on.”
“Do you remember what happened on October 13th?”
“You and Angelo lost the Tag Team Titles.”
“November 30th? You get the opportunity to win them back sweetheart.”
You can visibly see the calmness pour over Jonny’s demeanor.
“You said it yourself; it didn’t matter who it was going to be that was left standing with you tonight. You’re going to Turmoil and you’re going to right that wrong that happened on Friday the 13th. You’re going to win back those Tag Team Championships!”
Jonny stares off into the abyss for a moment, then looks at his wife, nods his head in agreement, flashes a smile then exits the camera view leaving Gloria standing there as she breathes a sigh of relief and exits the camera view herself.
The scene fades to black.
The scene picks back up after Clash goes off the air. Odin walks into the locker room in his everyday attire: Dark blue jeans, grey button up shirt, and brown leather shoes. Cedrone is there, tending to his bag and making last-minute preparations before heading out with Gloria by his side. Odin waits in the doorway for Cedrone to finish. Once Cedrone grabs his bag and turns, Odin addresses him.
“You got a minute?” he asks, scratching the side of his nose.
“Yeah,” says Cedrone with a nod before addressing Gloria. “Gloria, why don’t you take off on ahead.” Gloria makes her way out of the room as Odin politely moves out of her way. Cedrone takes another minute of eternity then grabs his bags and walks towards Odin. The two walk down the hall and continue the conversation.
“Can I trust you,” Odin asks. This causes Cedrone to raise an eyebrow and contrast his face.
“Can YOU trust ME?! Are you serious?! The question is: Can I trust you?!” Cedrone keeps walking as Odin stops to answer.
“No. You can’t.” Replies Odin causing Cedrone to stop in his tracks. “What I mean is that you shouldn’t. At least don’t get comfortable with the idea of trust. Everyone who tags with me thinks they’re safe. Then they make idiot mistakes. Then I Ragnarok them. Think what you want about me - cool - trust me - I think worse about you.”
Jonny stares into Odin’s eyes with a look of great disbelief that he’s saying what he’s saying. He knew he couldn’t trust him.
“So you can trust me to do the work. Or, we squash the whole thing right here.”
Cedrone pauses to think for a second before speaking without looking back, keeping his eyes on Gloria as she walks through the hall toward the parking lot. Before Jonny had the chance to respond, Odin cuts him off…
“If you’re serious about this. Let’s get a few things straight. Firstly, I’m in charge. Secondly, stay out of my way and Third - don’t fuck this up. You got that?”
Jonny’s anger is starting rise as Jonny goes to respond sarcastically…
“Yeeeeah I -”
“Let me rephrase. I don’t fucking care if you do or don’t. If you ever get confused in that big dumb head of yours then just remember the rules.”
Jonny’s lips purse because he knows that nothing good can happen if he says something or reacts out of the anger that he’s feeling at the moment but Odin recognizes the anger.
“Your anger doesn’t scare me Meathead but I won’t you to hold onto that anger for Turmoil. Just make sure you use it right or I’LL be the one that kicks your ass!”
“I’ll see you next week…‘partner’.”
The two go their separate ways. Odin goes one way and Jonny catches up with Gloria. She looks up at Jonny with a grin at first but sees the anger on his face. Her face turns to concern.
“Oh God, what happened?!”
“Oh we just had a friendly conversation.”
“And?”
“We’re screwed.”
The scene fades out as the Cedrones exit the building.
The scene fades back in as we’re at an autograph signing at a Maryland Championship Wrestling event in Joppa, MD. Fans are there in droves as the promoter stands at one end of the table and introduces Jonny Cedrone to a thunderous roar! After a few moments, Jonny comes into the camera shot. With a huge smile he waves at all of the fans and shakes the hand of the promoter before receiving the microphone from him. The fans calm down enough to hear what he has to say.
“I want to start this off by thanking each and every one of you for coming out here this evening! It means a great deal to me to have all of you show up and share your love and support with me! I also wanna say that it’s a great honor to be here in this building supporting such a great organization! Maryland Championship Wrestling has produced some of the greatest athletes that’s ever laced up a pair of wrestling boots and have gone on to wonderful heights in the business, and they continue to grow such talent! MCW is a fantastic asset for the wrestling business and they’ll continue to do so for years and years to come!”
The fans give a huge pop!
“As y’all know, I grew up roughly twenty miles east of here in a little town called Havre de Grace. What you didn’t know is that any time MCW came home here in Joppatowne or if they travelled up to Churchville, or wherever they went in Harford County, I was right there to watch the action! I was right there to soak in all of the talent that MCW had to showcase and it helped spark my desire to get into the business!”
The fans give another pop!
“As y’all are well aware, on November 30th Action Wrestling has a little pay-per-view entitled Turmoil. I’m sure all of you know what Turmoil is and what it’s all about but for those who may not know, Turmoil is a tournament to crown Action Wrestling’s Wrestler of the Year. The tournament starts like three weeks before the pay-per-view and at the event, the final match in the tournament happens. I was lucky enough to be involved in the tournament this year and just as I thought I had momentum on my side, I was eliminated by one person that I can’t stand in this company: Downfall.”
A loud chorus of boos echo throughout the building.
“Just wait. There’s more!”
“For so many reasons, I wanted to knock Downfall out of the tournament but the main reason is because the last two years, he’s been featured in the finals. I just wanted to shut him up and bruise his ego. The man thinks he’s God’s gift to professional wrestling. I didn’t want him to make it to the finals for the third year in a row and eliminate him early on in the tournament.”
“Fate wasn’t on my side for that one. The man not only eliminated me but the bastard made it to the finals AND he’s getting a World Championship opportunity outta the deal!”
Another loud chorus of boos.
“It is what it is. All I can say is that my chips are all-in on Tatiana!”
“With that opportunity lost, another one came, and it came in the form of redemption. Friday, October 13th I was responsible for losing the Tag Team Championships for Gerard and myself. I let my partner down. I let myself down. I let all of you down and I lost the Tag Team Titles for my team.”
“The week after Downfall eliminated me from the tournament, I was involved in a Battle Royal to crown the number one contenders to the Tag Team Championships. The last two standing will go onto Turmoil and challenge The New Brotherhood for their Tag Team Titles.”
“Seven people walked into that Battle Royal but only two could come out the winners.”
“The two left standing? Myself and…another person I can’t stand in this company and out of the other six people that could be going into war with me…Odin Balfore.”
The fans rain down with another chorus of boos.
“Trust me. I know exactly where you’re coming from!”
“But despite our differences throughout our time together in this company, despite the wars that we’ve been through against one another, despite the fact that we can’t stand one another…there’s one thing that mean more to us than our disdain for one another…and that’s winning.”
The fans cheer at the thought of Jonny being on the winning end.
“If anyone were to ever say that Odin Balfore and I will not only be Tag Team partners but have the opportunity to become Tag Team Champions together, I’d have to recommend them to my psychiatrist because they obviously are in desperate need.”
“Winning the Tag Team Gold won’t be the first for either one of us, though it’ll be our first together. Any time he’s won Tag Gold here, his partner always had to carry his deadweight to Championship glory! I am fully aware that I’m going to have to be the one to carry this team to Gold too and I’m more than up to the challenge!”
“The New Brotherhood are good at their craft! They put Gerard and myself through absolute Hell in order to take the Championships away. I just hope they realize that it’s time for me to bring the Hell to them and take the Championships back and put them right where they belong!”
The fans erupt in cheers!
“Balfore, since I’m the Team Captain, all you gotta do is stand there on the ring apron, take the tag whenever I get tired of beating up on those guys, have your fun and enjoy the ride as the new Tag Team Champion!”
The crowd erupts in cheers as Jonny hands the microphone back over to the promoter who tries to restore some semblance of order before the autograph signing commences. Jonny slaps the hands of some of the fans up front before taking his place behind the table, getting ready for a long line for autographs. The scene fades to black.
The scene opens to Odin and Jonny in the gym of the ACE hotel. Both men on different sides of the room doing completely different routines. Odin has his phone out, recording his thoughts as he goes through some yoga and stretches.
“A 24-hour access gym in the ACE hotel ain’t a good look for everyone else; I’m a man who lives in the gym 24/7. Call that 25/9. Divide that over some chumps’ will to fucking live. Right now Kevin Bishop is in dreamland, resting easy because he knows the truth of the matter - that's the easiest part of his day.
He still has to wake up as Kevin Bishop. Brush his teeth as Kevin Bishop. Order his kid's meal: Fruity Pebbles and clown face eggs as Kevin Bishop and get Ragnarok’d tonight as Kevin Bishop.
Remember Kevy B: Bed sheets keep you warm but that ain’t gone keep you safe.
At 3am, I’m doing hack squats and yoga. Get limber. Get loose.”
Odin looked over at Cedrone who’s on the other side of the room on some free weights. There might not be no trust, but if they’re gonna do this right - they’re gonna do this right. From here, they’ll go to Gold Gym when it opens at 5.
“It’s not about the spooky campfire shit that Kevy B been on since day zero. It’s about the culture.
Kevin Bishop encapsulated is a man who praises the Black Friday mark-up deals. Praises the mid-grade test for his low-option Corolla. What Odin calls a bad wrestling year, Bishop hails as a world-beating master-class. The gap in talent is astounding but not surprising.
Bishop is ego obsessed with being a tyrant to fucking losers and peons. The dude couldn't train a goldfish to swim but he wants to take weak pathetic boys and mold them into weaker, more pathetic men.
Cypher is just the latest in that long, labored list of inconsequential lackeys, lapping up every languishing breath his lungs can muster without laughing unironically. Cypher’s association is all that needs to be known to know that this man ain’t worth the 10.3 months it took his mama to gestate abject failure.
However, it does make all the sense in the fucking world.
Kevy B, stop this shit right now when it’s correct cuz it’s been a hunnit, always.
Fucking always.
Kevin “Infinite” Bishop has been and always will be a fucking scam. That's what the infinite refers to. The fucking scam. The Tik Tok trend of Placeeboo-X, is guaranteed to make ya junk bigger and the bitches flock to you like milk and honey.
Ask me how well that's worked. Once again, we’re in the hotel gym working out at 3am while the tag champs are asleep. At least Cedrone, for all his faults, is right there with me doin the hard shit.
Game would recognize game, Bishop - if you ever fucking had any. You always been too full of yourself to be embraced by the group or embrace it yourself.
But you a freebird. A simple man. Ain’t no fortunate son.
You ain’t ever gotten better. You aint ever put the work in. All you ever done was coach a new mark out of three grand to take hotdog bookings on Elon Musk’s ‘X.’
Sweet Dreams.
Out here there be monsters.
And other such ominous threats.
But you know this ain’t a threat. Its real talk.
Tell ya bottom boy to decode these fucking nuts cuz if he sticks with you - he’s gone have plenty of practice.”
Jonny slides some weights on the barbell. Three 45 pound plates and one 25 pound plate on each side. 365 lbs! Jonny walks around to the front of the bench and takes his seat. Someone walks by and asks if he needs a spotter. Jonny politely declines and thanks them. He lies back and finds the right position and gets in the right mindset and starts repping the bar off of his chest. Up and down once. Up and down twice. Up and down three times. Four times. Five times. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten! Jonny racks the bar and sits up, looking dead into a camera.
“No rest for the weary. No rest for the wicked. No rest for the hungry. And if you look over there, Jonny points over his shoulder towards Odin you’ll see that whether there’s trust between the two of us or not, we both know what it takes to get what you want.”
“Hard work.”
“While our opponents are, I’m assuming, up in their room sleeping, we’re down here doing what we gotta do in order to win those Championships. Now I’m sure y’all are saying to yourself, ”It takes more than training your muscles to win in a Tag Team contest.” and you’re right. It takes at least a semblance of a cohesive unit but in the place of that, all you need are two people who have that drive and that hunger to be the best.”
“Friends or not, Balfore and I have that hunger and we have that drive!”
“Not unlike our opponents.”
“As a matter of fact there aren’t a whole lot of differences between us and The New Brotherhood. We’re all willing to do whatever it takes to achieve our goals. We’ll put our bodies through whatever kind of Hell we have to in order to get what we want.”
“There’s simply no stopping us.”
Odin’s voice comes booming across the gym, interrupting Jonny, “Stop bein’ a pussy Cedrone!”
Jonny gives a glance over his shoulder.
“See what I’m stuck with?”
Odin gets up from his stretches and comes over to the bench press. He looks at the weight on the bar and scoffs at Cedrone.
“You call that a workout?”
“I call that a warm up.”
“Let’s get some real weight on there.”
Odin takes off the two 25 pound plates and slams on two 45 pound weights on each side - 495 pounds - comes to the front of the bench and moves Cedrone out of the way.
“Ya need a spotter?”
“Fuck off.”
Jonny raises his arms and backs away. Odin pushes the bar off the rack and starts his reps. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Odin racks the bar.
“Now that’s a rep.”
“Not bad.”
“Not bad? Get the fuck outta here! You couldn’t do that on your best day!”
“Ha.”
Odin stands up from the bench. Jonny goes to the rack of plates and finds two 2.5 pound plates and slaps one on each side, making it a round 500 pound lift.
“Cute.”
Jonny sits down on the bench and lies back.
“Need a spotter? I don’t need you hurtin’ yourself before I can use you to get the Tag Titles.”
Jonny scoffs at Balfore’s offer and comment, pushes the bar off the rack and lowers it to his chest. He pushes out fifteen reps this time and racks it.
“Pffft. Child’s play.”
The scene fades to black as the two team partners have a bout of “whatever you can do I can do better.” When the scene comes back for the final time, we’re at the press conference for Turmoil. Attending the press conference are the participants in some of the biggest matches at Turmoil. The Final Match of the Turmoil Tournament which happens to be the World Championship match as well between Downfall and Tatiana Jolee. The Cage Match between TFK and Doc Holiday. The All-In Briefcase match between the briefcase holder Gerard Angelo, Teo Blaze and Dake Ken Jr. The United States Champion The Sitcom and his challenger Vespentine and the participants of the Tag Team Championship match, The New Brotherhood, Odin Balfore and Jonny Cedrone.
Standing at the podium emceeing the event is the ever-beautiful Jade Riley. She smiles as adjusts her paperwork on the podium as you can hear all of the cameras going off. All of the flashbulbs on all of the cameras illuminate the pressroom.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the press conference for the 2023 edition of Action Wrestling’s Turmoil!”
“For the sixth year in a row, Action Wrestling is crowning its Turmoil Wrestler of the Year. After a rigorous three weeks of tournament, the anticipation culminates right here in Los Angeles at Turmoil!”
“This year, for the third consecutive year, Downfall is involved in the finals as he takes on the newly crowned World Champion, Tatiana Jolee! This year, the winner walks away, not only as the Turmoil Wrestler of the Year but also as the World Champion!”
“Bad blood boils as TFK and Doc Holiday look to end their feud in the most grueling match ever created, the steel cage! There have been many steel cages throughout the history of this industry, but it’s doubtful if any of them come close to what we’re about to witness as these two men battle it out. Blood will be shed and years can and probably will be trimmed off of their careers.”
“The United States Championship is one of the most coveted and most sought-after Championships in the wrestling business. As the AW United States Champion, you are considered one of the greatest this business has to offer. Two fantastic athletes will go to war over the US Championship as Sitcom defends his Championship against Vespentine!”
“The All-In Briefcase is a hot commodity because when you’re holding that briefcase, you’re holding the entire world in your hand. Right now Gerard Angelo is holding it and I’m sure is ca…”
Jade looks to her right and sees Odin Balfore towering over her. Before she pisses her dress, she takes her cue and walks away from the podium, allowing Odin the opportunity to speak. Odin swipes at his nose and clears his throat to make a point.
“Look. Let’s get this straight. I don’t care about Vespertine, Angelo, Sitcom - none of it. Later on, me and Jonny are gonna walk into Turmoil, knock that goofy King Brotherhood schmuck on his ass, put the fear of God into the latest reject project boy, and walk out as Tag Team Champions.”
Jonny stands up and checks on Jade to make sure she’s alright before standing by the side of his partner at the podium.
“You wanna talk about that - we’ll talk about that. I got history with Bishop, he’s cursing the day he was born that he’s gotta fight me again. After this, He’ll fuck off the APW feeder feds with whoever else don’t want to be in AW and it’s one less scrub that I gotta deal with this time next year. We won the Battle Royal - we’re collecting tag gold. For damn sure, Cypher aint gonna stand in my fucking way. I’m ending 2023 with gold on my waist.”
“And with that message being sent loud and clear let’s make this statement loud enough for the entire world to hear! Balfore and I are not friends. We’re not buds. But what we have in common is thirst.”
“We have the thirst for violence. We have the thirst for blood. We have the thirst for Gold!”
“Balfore and I have been to war many times and each time we put each other through absolute Hell. This time, in a change of pace, we go through Hell as one!”
“Brotherhood, October 13th will live in infamy as the date that I let everyone down. November 30th will NOT have the same outcome! Bring everything you’ve got because Balfore and I are going to bring you that much more! You will NOT be the same after this fight my friends, that I can promise you!”
“Cipher, you already look like you’ve seen things and have been through things that no human has the right to ever experience.”
“Bishop, I know that you and Balfore have a past but it sounds to me that you enjoy living in that past. Which is fine, you do you, but Odin and I, we choose to live in the present. And that present spells the end of your reign of terror and the beginning of a new one.”
“As my partner said just moments ago, he’s not closing out 2023 without Gold around his waist and neither am I!”
“The Brotherhood took the Tag Titles from Angelo and me. They beat us down like we owed them money!”
“This is personal!”
“Ladies and gentlemen, standing before you, as of tonight, are the new AW Tag Team Champions! May God have mercy on all of the souls in Action Wrestling because we sure as hell won’t!”
Jonny and Balfore exit the podium, stage right. Nervously, Jade makes her way back to the podium as the scene fades to black.
“JONNY! I know you don’t like the man but, really?! You coulda killed those two men!”
Jonny stops dead in his tracks, which takes Gloria by surprise, and turns his attention to his wife.
“Anybody. Anybody else! Why him?!”
“Baby! Face it! You two were the best ones in the entire match! It was bound to happen!”
Jonny takes pause for a moment to ponder what Gloria just said.
“Right. You were the two best fighters in that match! The two of you won! Face it! Accept it! Move on!”
Jonny shakes his head a little in confusion and disbelief.
“Yeah honey. Ya gotta move on.”
“Do you remember what happened on October 13th?”
“You and Angelo lost the Tag Team Titles.”
“November 30th? You get the opportunity to win them back sweetheart.”
You can visibly see the calmness pour over Jonny’s demeanor.
“You said it yourself; it didn’t matter who it was going to be that was left standing with you tonight. You’re going to Turmoil and you’re going to right that wrong that happened on Friday the 13th. You’re going to win back those Tag Team Championships!”
Jonny stares off into the abyss for a moment, then looks at his wife, nods his head in agreement, flashes a smile then exits the camera view leaving Gloria standing there as she breathes a sigh of relief and exits the camera view herself.
The scene fades to black.
The scene picks back up after Clash goes off the air. Odin walks into the locker room in his everyday attire: Dark blue jeans, grey button up shirt, and brown leather shoes. Cedrone is there, tending to his bag and making last-minute preparations before heading out with Gloria by his side. Odin waits in the doorway for Cedrone to finish. Once Cedrone grabs his bag and turns, Odin addresses him.
“You got a minute?” he asks, scratching the side of his nose.
“Yeah,” says Cedrone with a nod before addressing Gloria. “Gloria, why don’t you take off on ahead.” Gloria makes her way out of the room as Odin politely moves out of her way. Cedrone takes another minute of eternity then grabs his bags and walks towards Odin. The two walk down the hall and continue the conversation.
“Can I trust you,” Odin asks. This causes Cedrone to raise an eyebrow and contrast his face.
“Can YOU trust ME?! Are you serious?! The question is: Can I trust you?!” Cedrone keeps walking as Odin stops to answer.
“No. You can’t.” Replies Odin causing Cedrone to stop in his tracks. “What I mean is that you shouldn’t. At least don’t get comfortable with the idea of trust. Everyone who tags with me thinks they’re safe. Then they make idiot mistakes. Then I Ragnarok them. Think what you want about me - cool - trust me - I think worse about you.”
Jonny stares into Odin’s eyes with a look of great disbelief that he’s saying what he’s saying. He knew he couldn’t trust him.
“So you can trust me to do the work. Or, we squash the whole thing right here.”
Cedrone pauses to think for a second before speaking without looking back, keeping his eyes on Gloria as she walks through the hall toward the parking lot. Before Jonny had the chance to respond, Odin cuts him off…
“If you’re serious about this. Let’s get a few things straight. Firstly, I’m in charge. Secondly, stay out of my way and Third - don’t fuck this up. You got that?”
Jonny’s anger is starting rise as Jonny goes to respond sarcastically…
“Yeeeeah I -”
“Let me rephrase. I don’t fucking care if you do or don’t. If you ever get confused in that big dumb head of yours then just remember the rules.”
Jonny’s lips purse because he knows that nothing good can happen if he says something or reacts out of the anger that he’s feeling at the moment but Odin recognizes the anger.
“Your anger doesn’t scare me Meathead but I won’t you to hold onto that anger for Turmoil. Just make sure you use it right or I’LL be the one that kicks your ass!”
“I’ll see you next week…‘partner’.”
The two go their separate ways. Odin goes one way and Jonny catches up with Gloria. She looks up at Jonny with a grin at first but sees the anger on his face. Her face turns to concern.
“Oh God, what happened?!”
“Oh we just had a friendly conversation.”
“And?”
“We’re screwed.”
The scene fades out as the Cedrones exit the building.
The scene fades back in as we’re at an autograph signing at a Maryland Championship Wrestling event in Joppa, MD. Fans are there in droves as the promoter stands at one end of the table and introduces Jonny Cedrone to a thunderous roar! After a few moments, Jonny comes into the camera shot. With a huge smile he waves at all of the fans and shakes the hand of the promoter before receiving the microphone from him. The fans calm down enough to hear what he has to say.
“I want to start this off by thanking each and every one of you for coming out here this evening! It means a great deal to me to have all of you show up and share your love and support with me! I also wanna say that it’s a great honor to be here in this building supporting such a great organization! Maryland Championship Wrestling has produced some of the greatest athletes that’s ever laced up a pair of wrestling boots and have gone on to wonderful heights in the business, and they continue to grow such talent! MCW is a fantastic asset for the wrestling business and they’ll continue to do so for years and years to come!”
The fans give a huge pop!
“As y’all know, I grew up roughly twenty miles east of here in a little town called Havre de Grace. What you didn’t know is that any time MCW came home here in Joppatowne or if they travelled up to Churchville, or wherever they went in Harford County, I was right there to watch the action! I was right there to soak in all of the talent that MCW had to showcase and it helped spark my desire to get into the business!”
The fans give another pop!
“As y’all are well aware, on November 30th Action Wrestling has a little pay-per-view entitled Turmoil. I’m sure all of you know what Turmoil is and what it’s all about but for those who may not know, Turmoil is a tournament to crown Action Wrestling’s Wrestler of the Year. The tournament starts like three weeks before the pay-per-view and at the event, the final match in the tournament happens. I was lucky enough to be involved in the tournament this year and just as I thought I had momentum on my side, I was eliminated by one person that I can’t stand in this company: Downfall.”
A loud chorus of boos echo throughout the building.
“Just wait. There’s more!”
“For so many reasons, I wanted to knock Downfall out of the tournament but the main reason is because the last two years, he’s been featured in the finals. I just wanted to shut him up and bruise his ego. The man thinks he’s God’s gift to professional wrestling. I didn’t want him to make it to the finals for the third year in a row and eliminate him early on in the tournament.”
“Fate wasn’t on my side for that one. The man not only eliminated me but the bastard made it to the finals AND he’s getting a World Championship opportunity outta the deal!”
Another loud chorus of boos.
“It is what it is. All I can say is that my chips are all-in on Tatiana!”
“With that opportunity lost, another one came, and it came in the form of redemption. Friday, October 13th I was responsible for losing the Tag Team Championships for Gerard and myself. I let my partner down. I let myself down. I let all of you down and I lost the Tag Team Titles for my team.”
“The week after Downfall eliminated me from the tournament, I was involved in a Battle Royal to crown the number one contenders to the Tag Team Championships. The last two standing will go onto Turmoil and challenge The New Brotherhood for their Tag Team Titles.”
“Seven people walked into that Battle Royal but only two could come out the winners.”
“The two left standing? Myself and…another person I can’t stand in this company and out of the other six people that could be going into war with me…Odin Balfore.”
The fans rain down with another chorus of boos.
“Trust me. I know exactly where you’re coming from!”
“But despite our differences throughout our time together in this company, despite the wars that we’ve been through against one another, despite the fact that we can’t stand one another…there’s one thing that mean more to us than our disdain for one another…and that’s winning.”
The fans cheer at the thought of Jonny being on the winning end.
“If anyone were to ever say that Odin Balfore and I will not only be Tag Team partners but have the opportunity to become Tag Team Champions together, I’d have to recommend them to my psychiatrist because they obviously are in desperate need.”
“Winning the Tag Team Gold won’t be the first for either one of us, though it’ll be our first together. Any time he’s won Tag Gold here, his partner always had to carry his deadweight to Championship glory! I am fully aware that I’m going to have to be the one to carry this team to Gold too and I’m more than up to the challenge!”
“The New Brotherhood are good at their craft! They put Gerard and myself through absolute Hell in order to take the Championships away. I just hope they realize that it’s time for me to bring the Hell to them and take the Championships back and put them right where they belong!”
The fans erupt in cheers!
“Balfore, since I’m the Team Captain, all you gotta do is stand there on the ring apron, take the tag whenever I get tired of beating up on those guys, have your fun and enjoy the ride as the new Tag Team Champion!”
The crowd erupts in cheers as Jonny hands the microphone back over to the promoter who tries to restore some semblance of order before the autograph signing commences. Jonny slaps the hands of some of the fans up front before taking his place behind the table, getting ready for a long line for autographs. The scene fades to black.
The scene opens to Odin and Jonny in the gym of the ACE hotel. Both men on different sides of the room doing completely different routines. Odin has his phone out, recording his thoughts as he goes through some yoga and stretches.
“A 24-hour access gym in the ACE hotel ain’t a good look for everyone else; I’m a man who lives in the gym 24/7. Call that 25/9. Divide that over some chumps’ will to fucking live. Right now Kevin Bishop is in dreamland, resting easy because he knows the truth of the matter - that's the easiest part of his day.
He still has to wake up as Kevin Bishop. Brush his teeth as Kevin Bishop. Order his kid's meal: Fruity Pebbles and clown face eggs as Kevin Bishop and get Ragnarok’d tonight as Kevin Bishop.
Remember Kevy B: Bed sheets keep you warm but that ain’t gone keep you safe.
At 3am, I’m doing hack squats and yoga. Get limber. Get loose.”
Odin looked over at Cedrone who’s on the other side of the room on some free weights. There might not be no trust, but if they’re gonna do this right - they’re gonna do this right. From here, they’ll go to Gold Gym when it opens at 5.
“It’s not about the spooky campfire shit that Kevy B been on since day zero. It’s about the culture.
Kevin Bishop encapsulated is a man who praises the Black Friday mark-up deals. Praises the mid-grade test for his low-option Corolla. What Odin calls a bad wrestling year, Bishop hails as a world-beating master-class. The gap in talent is astounding but not surprising.
Bishop is ego obsessed with being a tyrant to fucking losers and peons. The dude couldn't train a goldfish to swim but he wants to take weak pathetic boys and mold them into weaker, more pathetic men.
Cypher is just the latest in that long, labored list of inconsequential lackeys, lapping up every languishing breath his lungs can muster without laughing unironically. Cypher’s association is all that needs to be known to know that this man ain’t worth the 10.3 months it took his mama to gestate abject failure.
However, it does make all the sense in the fucking world.
Kevy B, stop this shit right now when it’s correct cuz it’s been a hunnit, always.
Fucking always.
Kevin “Infinite” Bishop has been and always will be a fucking scam. That's what the infinite refers to. The fucking scam. The Tik Tok trend of Placeeboo-X, is guaranteed to make ya junk bigger and the bitches flock to you like milk and honey.
Ask me how well that's worked. Once again, we’re in the hotel gym working out at 3am while the tag champs are asleep. At least Cedrone, for all his faults, is right there with me doin the hard shit.
Game would recognize game, Bishop - if you ever fucking had any. You always been too full of yourself to be embraced by the group or embrace it yourself.
But you a freebird. A simple man. Ain’t no fortunate son.
You ain’t ever gotten better. You aint ever put the work in. All you ever done was coach a new mark out of three grand to take hotdog bookings on Elon Musk’s ‘X.’
Sweet Dreams.
Out here there be monsters.
And other such ominous threats.
But you know this ain’t a threat. Its real talk.
Tell ya bottom boy to decode these fucking nuts cuz if he sticks with you - he’s gone have plenty of practice.”
Jonny slides some weights on the barbell. Three 45 pound plates and one 25 pound plate on each side. 365 lbs! Jonny walks around to the front of the bench and takes his seat. Someone walks by and asks if he needs a spotter. Jonny politely declines and thanks them. He lies back and finds the right position and gets in the right mindset and starts repping the bar off of his chest. Up and down once. Up and down twice. Up and down three times. Four times. Five times. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten! Jonny racks the bar and sits up, looking dead into a camera.
“No rest for the weary. No rest for the wicked. No rest for the hungry. And if you look over there, Jonny points over his shoulder towards Odin you’ll see that whether there’s trust between the two of us or not, we both know what it takes to get what you want.”
“Hard work.”
“While our opponents are, I’m assuming, up in their room sleeping, we’re down here doing what we gotta do in order to win those Championships. Now I’m sure y’all are saying to yourself, ”It takes more than training your muscles to win in a Tag Team contest.” and you’re right. It takes at least a semblance of a cohesive unit but in the place of that, all you need are two people who have that drive and that hunger to be the best.”
“Friends or not, Balfore and I have that hunger and we have that drive!”
“Not unlike our opponents.”
“As a matter of fact there aren’t a whole lot of differences between us and The New Brotherhood. We’re all willing to do whatever it takes to achieve our goals. We’ll put our bodies through whatever kind of Hell we have to in order to get what we want.”
“There’s simply no stopping us.”
Odin’s voice comes booming across the gym, interrupting Jonny, “Stop bein’ a pussy Cedrone!”
Jonny gives a glance over his shoulder.
“See what I’m stuck with?”
Odin gets up from his stretches and comes over to the bench press. He looks at the weight on the bar and scoffs at Cedrone.
“You call that a workout?”
“I call that a warm up.”
“Let’s get some real weight on there.”
Odin takes off the two 25 pound plates and slams on two 45 pound weights on each side - 495 pounds - comes to the front of the bench and moves Cedrone out of the way.
“Ya need a spotter?”
“Fuck off.”
Jonny raises his arms and backs away. Odin pushes the bar off the rack and starts his reps. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Odin racks the bar.
“Now that’s a rep.”
“Not bad.”
“Not bad? Get the fuck outta here! You couldn’t do that on your best day!”
“Ha.”
Odin stands up from the bench. Jonny goes to the rack of plates and finds two 2.5 pound plates and slaps one on each side, making it a round 500 pound lift.
“Cute.”
Jonny sits down on the bench and lies back.
“Need a spotter? I don’t need you hurtin’ yourself before I can use you to get the Tag Titles.”
Jonny scoffs at Balfore’s offer and comment, pushes the bar off the rack and lowers it to his chest. He pushes out fifteen reps this time and racks it.
“Pffft. Child’s play.”
The scene fades to black as the two team partners have a bout of “whatever you can do I can do better.” When the scene comes back for the final time, we’re at the press conference for Turmoil. Attending the press conference are the participants in some of the biggest matches at Turmoil. The Final Match of the Turmoil Tournament which happens to be the World Championship match as well between Downfall and Tatiana Jolee. The Cage Match between TFK and Doc Holiday. The All-In Briefcase match between the briefcase holder Gerard Angelo, Teo Blaze and Dake Ken Jr. The United States Champion The Sitcom and his challenger Vespentine and the participants of the Tag Team Championship match, The New Brotherhood, Odin Balfore and Jonny Cedrone.
Standing at the podium emceeing the event is the ever-beautiful Jade Riley. She smiles as adjusts her paperwork on the podium as you can hear all of the cameras going off. All of the flashbulbs on all of the cameras illuminate the pressroom.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the press conference for the 2023 edition of Action Wrestling’s Turmoil!”
“For the sixth year in a row, Action Wrestling is crowning its Turmoil Wrestler of the Year. After a rigorous three weeks of tournament, the anticipation culminates right here in Los Angeles at Turmoil!”
“This year, for the third consecutive year, Downfall is involved in the finals as he takes on the newly crowned World Champion, Tatiana Jolee! This year, the winner walks away, not only as the Turmoil Wrestler of the Year but also as the World Champion!”
“Bad blood boils as TFK and Doc Holiday look to end their feud in the most grueling match ever created, the steel cage! There have been many steel cages throughout the history of this industry, but it’s doubtful if any of them come close to what we’re about to witness as these two men battle it out. Blood will be shed and years can and probably will be trimmed off of their careers.”
“The United States Championship is one of the most coveted and most sought-after Championships in the wrestling business. As the AW United States Champion, you are considered one of the greatest this business has to offer. Two fantastic athletes will go to war over the US Championship as Sitcom defends his Championship against Vespentine!”
“The All-In Briefcase is a hot commodity because when you’re holding that briefcase, you’re holding the entire world in your hand. Right now Gerard Angelo is holding it and I’m sure is ca…”
Jade looks to her right and sees Odin Balfore towering over her. Before she pisses her dress, she takes her cue and walks away from the podium, allowing Odin the opportunity to speak. Odin swipes at his nose and clears his throat to make a point.
“Look. Let’s get this straight. I don’t care about Vespertine, Angelo, Sitcom - none of it. Later on, me and Jonny are gonna walk into Turmoil, knock that goofy King Brotherhood schmuck on his ass, put the fear of God into the latest reject project boy, and walk out as Tag Team Champions.”
Jonny stands up and checks on Jade to make sure she’s alright before standing by the side of his partner at the podium.
“You wanna talk about that - we’ll talk about that. I got history with Bishop, he’s cursing the day he was born that he’s gotta fight me again. After this, He’ll fuck off the APW feeder feds with whoever else don’t want to be in AW and it’s one less scrub that I gotta deal with this time next year. We won the Battle Royal - we’re collecting tag gold. For damn sure, Cypher aint gonna stand in my fucking way. I’m ending 2023 with gold on my waist.”
“And with that message being sent loud and clear let’s make this statement loud enough for the entire world to hear! Balfore and I are not friends. We’re not buds. But what we have in common is thirst.”
“We have the thirst for violence. We have the thirst for blood. We have the thirst for Gold!”
“Balfore and I have been to war many times and each time we put each other through absolute Hell. This time, in a change of pace, we go through Hell as one!”
“Brotherhood, October 13th will live in infamy as the date that I let everyone down. November 30th will NOT have the same outcome! Bring everything you’ve got because Balfore and I are going to bring you that much more! You will NOT be the same after this fight my friends, that I can promise you!”
“Cipher, you already look like you’ve seen things and have been through things that no human has the right to ever experience.”
“Bishop, I know that you and Balfore have a past but it sounds to me that you enjoy living in that past. Which is fine, you do you, but Odin and I, we choose to live in the present. And that present spells the end of your reign of terror and the beginning of a new one.”
“As my partner said just moments ago, he’s not closing out 2023 without Gold around his waist and neither am I!”
“The Brotherhood took the Tag Titles from Angelo and me. They beat us down like we owed them money!”
“This is personal!”
“Ladies and gentlemen, standing before you, as of tonight, are the new AW Tag Team Champions! May God have mercy on all of the souls in Action Wrestling because we sure as hell won’t!”
Jonny and Balfore exit the podium, stage right. Nervously, Jade makes her way back to the podium as the scene fades to black.