Post by DRAUGR on Mar 14, 2024 21:56:54 GMT -5
Our adventure begins at the CoolWear Complex in Bayside, New York. We are taken to the office of the matriarch of Devil’s Gate, Sara Pettis. A section of the space is being set up for recording promotional material for Action Wrestling, now that Ms. Pettis has a more lively schedule with the company.
“Thank you for everything, Mitch. I truly appreciate it.”
“Happy to help, Ms. Pettis.”
“Please, call me Sara. Ms. Pettis was my… grandmother? Eeehhh. That joke doesn’t land the same.”
They share a chuckle before he leaves for another installation elsewhere in town. Sara goes in front of the greenscreen backdrop, and she presses record on a remote.
“Testing. Testing. Blah blah blah. Okay, edit this stuff out after, duh. You got this, Sara.”
She shakes off the proverbial cobwebs before starting.
“Muru, Muru, Muru. It's been a long, long time since we met. I'm sure you don't remember, because your time with Action Wrestling was surprisingly short. We met in February of 2020, in catering during Monday Night Clash. I had not signed with the company yet, but I traveled often with my husband - the late, great Raging Dead. I remember the meeting very well, actually. It was right after your second match. I recognized you from the week before, when you lost to Rion Hearts in your debut. So, when we met, it was right after you lost to Alex Scott.”
“I'll preface this by saying losing to Alex Scott is a black cloud on a career. Later on, when we were on CruiserClash, I faced - and defeated - Alex Scott more times than I can clearly recall. They were all a repetitive haze, to be honest. So, to watch your match against him four years ago, and to see how… quickly and… definitively he defeated you… wow. Honestly, my condolences. The fact that you even came back here, four years removed from that embarrassing loss is… wow.”
“I digress. I was in catering watching your match, and Billy had just uttered words that will never fade from my memory, “And I don't think we'll ever see Muru again. You hate to see it.” Minutes later, you staggered into catering, and everyone avoided looking you in the eyes. Even back then, nobody saw any redeemable qualities in Alex Scott. So, everyone avoided you like the plague. Everyone… but me. I understood crippling defeat. I had recently been miraculously cleared after a career-ending neck injury… so I empathized with your strife.”
“I introduced myself and offered my sympathies. It didn't seem like it registered to you that I was even there. At that moment, we both knew your career was over. You went off into the night and were never seen again. You probably didn't know, but four months later, you were rated a seventy in AW2K20… along with the likes of Chase Jackson, OG Bishop, Scott Slayer, Sierra Silver, and that vile scumbag Frank Lowe. Oh, I also scored a seventy-eight!”
“No, no, I don't just store weird stats like that. When I saw your name across from the mighty DRAUGR advertised for next month, I loaded up the game because I vaguely remember beating you in an Ironman Match when I played as Jaice Wilds. Can you believe he was rated at forty-nine - the lowest in the game - and now he's challenging for the World Championship? What a difference four years can make. Had your spirit not been crushed by being beaten by Alex Scott, perhaps you could have amounted to something in Action Wrestling.”
“Better late than never, right? You're here now, Muru. You finally made it to the big leagues… again. I've been around this business since the day I was born, and Action Wrestling truly is the greatest show on earth. You should be lucky that you even got a second chance, four years after such a detrimental loss. You're brave to show your face around here… and your second run might actually be shorter than your first. The mighty DRAUGR has been chosen as your welcoming committee, and he is not in the best of moods lately.”
“You don't know this about him, but he doesn't take defeat valiantly. When he lost to Jessie Lee at Holiday Bash, he flipped a car over. When he lost to Jody Madrox at Final Chapter and ended up in the hospital, he powerbombed a nurse. When he lost to Tatiana Jolee this past week, he vowed to murder his next opponent. That's what I think he said, at least. He was speaking… Icelandic… probably. It’s hard to tell sometimes. The passion in his voice was clear. Rest assured, Muru. I don’t think he’ll actually murder. He’s just hell-bent on righting some of the wrongs he’s felt as of late.”
“I’m going to be straight with you, Muru. I don’t like your chances here. Returning after four years to see if you can still hang is a noble endeavor. You want to have one last good run before hanging up the boots, and nobody understands that more than me. Action Wrestling gave me the second chance I didn’t think was possible. Though I didn’t achieve everything I set out to do, I wouldn’t change any of my time here. I have to say... I only regret not winning the Cruiserweight Championship. Never say never. Right?"
She winks at the camera. Before she can continue, the mighty DRAUGR bursts into her office in a vengeful rage. Instead of stopping the recording, Sara turns the hard cam toward him.
“Þetta er kjaftæði! Ég er endir alls! Ég er maðurinn úr tíma! Ég býr yfir styrk umfram styrk! Ég ætti EKKI að eyða tíma mínum í annan tilgangslausan skrúbb! Hversu ÞORFA þeir að gera lítið úr hinum volduga DRAUGR með því að setja mig í leik með þessum ENGINN! Ég ætla að KREMJA öndunarpípuna hans þegar ég kæfi sálina úr honum! Ekki einu sinni GUÐIR munu geta bjargað honum frá REIÐI minni!”
Endirinn.