Cautionary Tale (Kyle Kemp/Carter Shaw Collab)
Feb 6, 2021 15:49:16 GMT -5
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Post by Carter Shaw on Feb 6, 2021 15:49:16 GMT -5
It’s moments after Revolution went off the air and Kyle Kemp and the rest of The Following are sitting in their locker room. The Tag Team Titles rest on the laps of both Kemp and Dandy. Each man is holding a beer, taking a min to unwind before heading back to the compound. They take another look down and then at each other with a smile.
An unspoken sense of accomplishment rushed through both of them. That and relief. Kemp can’t even imagine what it would’ve been like if they would’ve lost. That would have been like letting the HR Department get away with viciously attacking Wesley. He doesn’t know if he could’ve handled that.
Kemp’s thoughts are interrupted by Dandy finally speaking.
We got it fuckin’ done.
Yes we did!
All four men hold up their beers and in unison say
For Wesley!
Smiles are exchanged all around as they enjoy their beers. Kemp wipes his mouth before speaking more seriously.
As much as I want to keep baking in the glory, we need to talk about BattleBowl.
It’s gonna suck not teamin’ with you but I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ what CJ and I can do.
CJ beams with a smile but Kemp puts up his hand.
I agree! But we have to discuss my situation. Carter Shaw. Not an ideal partner.
Chase grits his teeth.
To say the least. I say we just fuck him up!
All eyes go to Kemp who shakes his head.
No. We don’t “fuck” him up. I think we have him join us. I think we push him to leave Philidor.
In unison the other men begin to protest but Kemp puts up his hand.
I say this because Carter is someone we can use. Let’s be real. He’s being underutilized at Philidor. They only have him around because they’re scared of him. He has more potential than all of them put together!
They all started at Kemp with a little unease.
We all promised to make deserving people better human beings. Tell me how Carter Shaw isn’t deserving of a chance to be better.
Chase stand up and has a pained expression.
You’re right... we did promise that. But what about Wesley?
Wesley would want this. He would agree with what I said. He would want us to try to help Carter.
Dandy chugs the rest of his beer and smiles.
He’s right. He’s fuckin’ right. Give it a shot.
Kemp nods.
I’ll give it my best. I’ll go to Portland early and meet with him. Dandy, you get these guys back to the compound and check in on Wesley.
Kemp grabs his bag and walks to the door as the other three start to gather their things.
A cautionary tale. That best describes our Television Champion and one of the opponents that sits opposite of Carter Shaw and myself. Would you disagree Downfall? Look up and down the scars that line your body. Think of the memories of all of the money your arrogance cost yourself. Think about how you’ve bounced from independent promotion to independent promotion over the past fourteen years. The grind that you have been forced to endure and the wayward path you have struggled to walk. All of those experiences have caused you to grow weary of the grind that is professional wrestling and more importantly life itself. I look at you and I see exactly what could have happened to many if they chose to not join The Following.
Just look at the two of us for example. I’ve made the hard choices for my future and I’ve done things that many weren’t willing to do. Many have been critical of my professional wrestling career because I’ve taken the easy way out or I’ve “sold out” at times. I’ve had to make tough choices and I’ve learned one thing. Sometimes doing what’s right isn’t what’s best. Sometimes doing what you don’t want to do is what you have to do. It seems that you just have never been willing to make that choice. It’s always been about you and what can fill that ego. It makes me sad because if we would have met ten years ago I could have saved you. I could have saved you from fighting in converted gyms in Barbed Wire Deathmatches. I could have saved you from the feelings of self loathing that obviously run circles in your mind.
Emphasis on could have saved you.
It pains me to say it but I can’t save you Downfall. I can’t put on a mask and even say that it’s remotely a possibility. Frankly it’s just not in the cards. Just like all of the generic claims you made before you started here aren’t in the cards. You aren’t going to shake things up. You aren’t going to tear down the establishment. Hell you aren’t going to destabilize the infrastructure. I look back on that first promo and I see exactly what I see now. A battered man throwing out enough hot button terms to get everyone excited and gloss over the fact that there was a reason you were fighting in abandoned YMCA’s. Nice redirect Donald Tru...I mean Downfall.
The funny thing about redirects is that they almost never work. Why? Because you are usually still doing the same things that caused you to try to redirect us. That is definitely true for you Downfall. All your talk about change and tearing down the establishment were just cover ups because of the truth. The truth is that you’re all talk and no bite. Why else would a guy walk away from the main stage and bounce around from bingo hall to bingo hall? It’s because they can’t hack it. It’s because they would rather be a very big fish in an itty bitty pond.
Am I close Downfall? Or did I just nail it right there? You don’t have to answer that. In fact you just need to look at your partner if you really want to see that I’m right. Dionysus and you being partners is quite comical because you’ve been intertwined since you first stepped in here. You’ve fought more times than we can count and it feels like this is just another stop on the cycle that you’re on.
Confused? Let me explain. You and Dionysus have this thing where you link up and he makes you look good for a couple of weeks. It is just enough to allow management to think that you can be more here. That little thought gives them the bright idea to give you an opportunity. An opportunity that you promise you are going to take advantage of. You claim that this is the beginning and we are about to see something amazing! But then we just watch your downfall.
You lose. You look bad. They put you back with Dionysus. It’s quite sad if you haven’t noticed.
Just look at the first time. You used Dionysus to get a shot at the Pure Championship. Matthias Mintzel made you look foolish and management once again tossed you back down the card, realizing once again that you aren’t good enough.
The best thing about this constantly happening is that you aren’t any the wiser. You just take fighting Dionysus in stride. What makes it even better is that in your mind the Television Title is some kind of achievement that’s going to take you somewhere. You think that if you can hold onto it just long enough that you won’t tumble back down that card and you’re right! As long as you hold it you have a small shred of credibility.
Even if you didn’t deserve to win it in the first place.
Let’s be real Downfall. You have the Television Title because you got heaps of help in that cage match and because Ash Blake didn’t deem it necessary to really try. She saw that better things were coming and didn’t fight as hard as she wanted to. Even with that shitty effort she should have won. We all know it. We saw Keeton and Adrian causing Ash to not be able to climb down the cage. We saw them get in the way and you fell out the door of the cage and won.
What I’m trying to say is that your title reign is a fluke. It’s a sham! If Keeton and Adrian are a couple feet in either direction you lose the match and I’m not the only person that sees that. So does the rest of the Action Wrestling locker room, the managers and the officials. They all know that Downfall is nothing more than a paper champion. He hasn’t beaten anyone and they continue to throw you in there against guys that are below even your bottom tier level.
Twizted Insane? Does that really sound like a guy you should have been defending your belt against? I guess it’s hard when they're literally scraping the bottom of the barrel to find people that can make you look good. That’s why Dionysus got a Television Title shot nearly right after you picked up the belt. They quickly realized they needed to go back to the well and give you a confidence boost. That and they didn’t trust that you wouldn’t get beat in 30 seconds if you faced any real talent. And that same reasoning is why your partners for the BattleBowl.
Do you really think that it’s random that you are fighting alongside Dionysus? It’s not. Once again you were given someone that can make you look good. You were given the one guy that knows his role and will fight alongside you. It’s a joke to be honest and while Carter Shaw and I have our problems, it’s going to be a breeze. You may as well be a first round bye.
Your fantasy land that you live in it’s about to come crashing down. I can’t wait for you to make the bold choice to go back to the independents. It’s time for you to realize you are a minnow in shark infested waters. Enjoy the abandoned gyms kid. I’ll be winning the Havoc Rumble after winning the BattleBowl!
The patterned knock on the door caused Carter Shaw to look up from his small glass of whiskey on the table in front of him. He got up quickly from the chair, but walked slowly in approach to the door. The Philidor Lounge, always set up in an arena one week prior to a show, overlooked the Toyota Center; steel and wood ready to host Monday Night Clash.
Shaw opened the door to allow Kyle Kemp to enter. He did so with a smirk, extending a hand out to shake that took Shaw by surprise. He accepted reluctantly, Kemp picking up on the energy right away. No words were shared immediately, as Kemp walked into the room and took in the sight of the lounge.
Kemp: Nice place ya got here. Where’dya get it?
Shaw: Ha...Ha…
Kemp: You know, if your H.R. Department had been able to win those Tag Titles, this would be a regular Champions Lounge now, wouldn’t it?
Shaw: Maybe this meeting wasn’t such a good idea. I think we both know how capable the other is in that ring, is there anything really worth discussing here?
Kemp: If you didn’t think there was, you wouldn’t have agreed to it. I’m just kidding around, Shaw, relax. It’s not like you held my arms and made me watch my brother get seriously injured.
Both men exchange an awkward stare before Kemp instinctively approaches the desk from the side Shaw was sitting in, pausing his step and letting a laugh slip through his lips before turning around and sitting on the other side of the desk. Shaw joins him as the two lock eyes from across the grained wood.
Shaw: Look, I can’t say I’m sorry about Wesley but-
Kemp: Don’t worry, I know how it works. It’s not like you’re calling the shots anyway.
With a harsh clearing of the throat, Shaw’s frustration becomes audible.
Shaw: I know what you’re trying to do and I’ll tell you right now, it’s pointless. Let’s focus on working together so that we can get to Battlefield and all bets can be off.
Kemp: But what happens after Battlefield?
Shaw: Then we go back to how things were. You go your way and I go mine.
Kemp snickers before leaning back in his chair.
Kemp: How shortsighted of you. With that thinking, you’ll always be Ash’s puppet.
Shaw: What I have with Philidor is a sponsorship. A partnership. Benefits both parties, it’s symbiotic. You wouldn’t know much about that aspect of a deal…
Kemp rolls his eyes.
Kemp: I think I’ve got a few guys who would say otherwise. The Following benefits everyone.
Shaw: But yet, it’s you that gets to stand on top of the mountain at the end of the day and boast success. “I” won Trios. “I’m” a Tag Team Champion again. That’s probably how you look at Ash Blake, now that she’s the World Champion, huh?
Kemp: “I” don’t do that, Shaw. You’re projecting. My history speaks for itself. Look at what I’ve helped people accomplish. Look at how I’ve made them better.
Shaw: Wesley doesn’t seem in a “better” situation.
Kemp purses his lips and tilts his head before smiling.
Kemp: But do you know who is? Spencer Adams. He’s a Grand Slam winner. Teo ran the Cruiserweight division last year. John Rabid can be one of the most dominant wrestlers when he wants to be. And Dandy is hitting new heights being part of The Following. I make people better. That’s what “I” do.
Shaw: It’s easy to ‘hit new heights’ when you’re picked up from rock bottom. Are you done?
Shaw’s beginning to get a bit red in the face, not exactly receiving Kemp warmly. He bites at a nail a bit as Kemp leans back comfortably in his seat and sizes up his Battlebowl partner.
Kemp: I don’t know. Are you?
Shaw crosses his arms with a cocked eyebrow as Kemp continues.
Kemp: Because you’ve acted like you’re done ever since you won that.
Kemp points at the All In briefcase sitting on a ledge behind Shaw.
Kemp: The security blanket of that has made you weak. It’s made you think you’ve accomplished something. The truth is it’s ruined you. It’s made you a shell of your former self. That’s why you lost to Corey Black in the Wrestler of the Year tournament. That’s why you haven’t done anything since you won it. That’s what made you vulnerable to Ash Blake.
Kemp points around the room.
Kemp: That briefcase caused the driven man that won it into a man that thought he deserved more and that made it easy to put a few fancy toys and a couple nice meals in front of you and you sold out. You turned into this.
Kemp flips his hand at Shaw whose face is getting redder by the second.
Kemp: But where has it gotten you? Hell I thought that when you and Vayden lost to Dandy and I a few months ago for the number one contender spot for the Tag Titles. It’s only gotten worse and I bet you can’t look me in the eyes and tell me that you’re happy.
Kemp leans forward, seeing if Shaw raises his head to meet his gaze.
Kemp: Just what I thought. You and I both know you’re better than all this. All I’m asking for is a chance for you to change that to something you know to something you are. I don’t hold my people back. I ask them to thrive. I’m not Ash Blake. You want the World Title? Go get it! I’m just here to help you be the best Carter Shaw you can be. I’m asking you for a chance. What do you say?
Silence fills the room for a few moments. Shaw, while gritting teeth a bit, seems to be absorbing the words coming at him. He’s listening.
Shaw: I say...I say…
His loose facial expression tightens as he looks up to Kemp with squinted eyes.
Shaw: You don’t fuckin’ know me.
Kemp: Is that a no?
Shaw: Let’s just go out there on Monday and add one more ‘W’ notch to our belts, shall we?
Shaw speaks surprisingly calm, despite the demeanor. Kemp lets the vibe marinate a few seconds longer than expected before slowly getting up from his chair. He nods at Shaw before making his way towards the door.
Kemp: This was productive, let’s do it again sometime.
Shaw opened the door to allow Kyle Kemp to enter. He did so with a smirk, extending a hand out to shake that took Shaw by surprise. He accepted reluctantly, Kemp picking up on the energy right away. No words were shared immediately, as Kemp walked into the room and took in the sight of the lounge.
Kemp: Nice place ya got here. Where’dya get it?
Shaw: Ha...Ha…
Kemp: You know, if your H.R. Department had been able to win those Tag Titles, this would be a regular Champions Lounge now, wouldn’t it?
Shaw: Maybe this meeting wasn’t such a good idea. I think we both know how capable the other is in that ring, is there anything really worth discussing here?
Kemp: If you didn’t think there was, you wouldn’t have agreed to it. I’m just kidding around, Shaw, relax. It’s not like you held my arms and made me watch my brother get seriously injured.
Both men exchange an awkward stare before Kemp instinctively approaches the desk from the side Shaw was sitting in, pausing his step and letting a laugh slip through his lips before turning around and sitting on the other side of the desk. Shaw joins him as the two lock eyes from across the grained wood.
Shaw: Look, I can’t say I’m sorry about Wesley but-
Kemp: Don’t worry, I know how it works. It’s not like you’re calling the shots anyway.
With a harsh clearing of the throat, Shaw’s frustration becomes audible.
Shaw: I know what you’re trying to do and I’ll tell you right now, it’s pointless. Let’s focus on working together so that we can get to Battlefield and all bets can be off.
Kemp: But what happens after Battlefield?
Shaw: Then we go back to how things were. You go your way and I go mine.
Kemp snickers before leaning back in his chair.
Kemp: How shortsighted of you. With that thinking, you’ll always be Ash’s puppet.
Shaw: What I have with Philidor is a sponsorship. A partnership. Benefits both parties, it’s symbiotic. You wouldn’t know much about that aspect of a deal…
Kemp rolls his eyes.
Kemp: I think I’ve got a few guys who would say otherwise. The Following benefits everyone.
Shaw: But yet, it’s you that gets to stand on top of the mountain at the end of the day and boast success. “I” won Trios. “I’m” a Tag Team Champion again. That’s probably how you look at Ash Blake, now that she’s the World Champion, huh?
Kemp: “I” don’t do that, Shaw. You’re projecting. My history speaks for itself. Look at what I’ve helped people accomplish. Look at how I’ve made them better.
Shaw: Wesley doesn’t seem in a “better” situation.
Kemp purses his lips and tilts his head before smiling.
Kemp: But do you know who is? Spencer Adams. He’s a Grand Slam winner. Teo ran the Cruiserweight division last year. John Rabid can be one of the most dominant wrestlers when he wants to be. And Dandy is hitting new heights being part of The Following. I make people better. That’s what “I” do.
Shaw: It’s easy to ‘hit new heights’ when you’re picked up from rock bottom. Are you done?
Shaw’s beginning to get a bit red in the face, not exactly receiving Kemp warmly. He bites at a nail a bit as Kemp leans back comfortably in his seat and sizes up his Battlebowl partner.
Kemp: I don’t know. Are you?
Shaw crosses his arms with a cocked eyebrow as Kemp continues.
Kemp: Because you’ve acted like you’re done ever since you won that.
Kemp points at the All In briefcase sitting on a ledge behind Shaw.
Kemp: The security blanket of that has made you weak. It’s made you think you’ve accomplished something. The truth is it’s ruined you. It’s made you a shell of your former self. That’s why you lost to Corey Black in the Wrestler of the Year tournament. That’s why you haven’t done anything since you won it. That’s what made you vulnerable to Ash Blake.
Kemp points around the room.
Kemp: That briefcase caused the driven man that won it into a man that thought he deserved more and that made it easy to put a few fancy toys and a couple nice meals in front of you and you sold out. You turned into this.
Kemp flips his hand at Shaw whose face is getting redder by the second.
Kemp: But where has it gotten you? Hell I thought that when you and Vayden lost to Dandy and I a few months ago for the number one contender spot for the Tag Titles. It’s only gotten worse and I bet you can’t look me in the eyes and tell me that you’re happy.
Kemp leans forward, seeing if Shaw raises his head to meet his gaze.
Kemp: Just what I thought. You and I both know you’re better than all this. All I’m asking for is a chance for you to change that to something you know to something you are. I don’t hold my people back. I ask them to thrive. I’m not Ash Blake. You want the World Title? Go get it! I’m just here to help you be the best Carter Shaw you can be. I’m asking you for a chance. What do you say?
Silence fills the room for a few moments. Shaw, while gritting teeth a bit, seems to be absorbing the words coming at him. He’s listening.
Shaw: I say...I say…
His loose facial expression tightens as he looks up to Kemp with squinted eyes.
Shaw: You don’t fuckin’ know me.
Kemp: Is that a no?
Shaw: Let’s just go out there on Monday and add one more ‘W’ notch to our belts, shall we?
Shaw speaks surprisingly calm, despite the demeanor. Kemp lets the vibe marinate a few seconds longer than expected before slowly getting up from his chair. He nods at Shaw before making his way towards the door.
Kemp: This was productive, let’s do it again sometime.
BattleBowl. Almost one year ago, a name known in smaller circles from preliminary UFC cards and those betting on fights in Vegas, entered AW on a new venture. Learning the nuances of the sport, catering his fighting abilities and strong will to a new industry filled with different twists and turns.
That man’s name was Carter Shaw. That man is me.
Now alot has changed over the course of that year. I’m no longer the ‘no name’ showing up next to Lissie Hope asking “Hey guys, what IS Battlebowl?” No, my name has been associated with several different things over that timespan. Television Championship. Philidor Holdings. Mr. All-In. “That guy” that went on a tear, beating the likes of Dandy DiVito, Ryan Lockhart, Matthias Mintzel, Corey Bull, David Sanchez...to name a few.
I’ve not only gone from ‘no name’ to ‘a name’ in AW, I’d argue that I’ve gone from ‘a name’ to ‘THE name’. The name that sparks intrigue in every match I’m in. People excited to see who I can beat next, what the next ‘surprise accomplishment’ may be. I’m done with that shit being surprises. You should be too.
When you look at the names drawn to be side-by-side for this year’s OG BISHOP BattleBowl Memorial, you see such lovely odd pairings that make this tournament what it IS. Daemon and Baker, ooo. Hard-nosed, battle-loving guys who only take a pinfall on a ‘dying breath’. Spencer Adams and Howard Black? I can hear the collective internet orgasm from here. Dandy DiVito and CJ Phoenix? Random drawing, my ass. Kyle Kemp and Carter Shaw? Whoa, what?
There’s your double take.
That’s when you know a team has all the capabilities of going through the tournament like a wrecking ball; granted, if they can put differences aside. Kemp and I are professionals. We may be professionals at opposite sides of a Philidor/Following war, but professionals none-the-less.
How professional are Dionysus and Downfall going to be able to be? One week ago these two did battle AGAIN, this time with the stipulation of it being that last time the two will face off for an entire year. They’ve torn each other apart the last couple months. Street fights, wars waged, Dionysus putting back together a fractured mind and all he’s been handed is present-day reminders that he’s now Downfall’s whipping boy.
Dionysus’s AW tenure has aged, ironically, like a fine wine...that somebody forgot to put the cork back into 3 years ago.
In a chronic fit to keep his head above the always-rising waters of AW competition, and
Why don’t you make like a blind and deaf lady and walk into oncoming traffic until you finally manage to feel your surroundings. It’s a terrible metaphor but it’s a fitting reminder of just what your worth is here in AW. What your position is. Your role. You’re GONNA get rolled over, we know this. We’ve seen it so many times, that we’re too conditioned to it to bother looking away anymore. But hey, you’ve got a man beside you to kickstart this Battlebowl in Downfall that has made you the most relevant you’ve been to the AW television screen since the Disasterpiece Theatre vignettes... before the reveal of you flopped all of its hype. It’s fitting for you to go down like this, beside that very man. Another chapter for your autobiography about picking up your own broken pieces.
They just don’t seem to fit in to anything worth the time and effort to put together.
You’re Karlie Nash Lite. You just don’t manage to get the lucky break title reigns to give yourself a bit of a floatee while wading in the waters.
Dionysus latched on so hard to the AW ascension of the veteran Downfall, it’s actually an adorable story for them to end up getting “RANDOMLY” paired together this week after last week’s battle.
One more chance for us to watch Dionysus lose his ‘plan’ before his very eyes. Because after they lose to Kyle Kemp and myself, the rightful ascend and the rightful descend. Kemp and I will go on to chase another victory and get ourselves into final determination for the last spot in the Havoc Rumble...Downfall will continue to put his nose to the grindstone and defend that Television Championship I once held proudly on my shoulder.
And Dionysus? Well, you get to keep being our very own version of the Walmart greeter, introducing all the new names and faces to an AW ring by taking them on. Keep wearing that battle gear, boy, atleast you’ll LOOK like a gladiator.
Keep buying your own merchandise at the stand each week so you can claim sales, you waste of payroll.
OG Bishop was a gladiator. 3-time holder of that Television Championship that Downfall holds; that I’ve held. That I’ve had the honor of defending AGAINST O.G. Through all the tension, all the dislike...through all the unpredictability and chaos that takes place this Monday Night Clash in the ways only BattleBowl can deliver…
Monday Night, we all do battle in HIS honor. Rest In Peace, big man.
Philidor Holdings and The Following? There’s alot of battles still to be had. After H.R. and Dandy and Kemp going to war, after we WRECKED Wesley in the form of a physical message...somehow, someway…
Carter Shaw and Kyle Kemp will win some matches together. And that motivation I mentioned, that both of us, Dionysus and Downfall may share? We know Dionysus has let go of the disdain he had for Downfall, there’s no more genuine hatred there…
Kemp and myself?
We might just end up tearing through worlds together just to get to a world where we get to TAKE that FINAL prize from the other.
That’s not a cautionary tale. That's motivation.
Shaw sits in the Philidor Lounge, a day removed from having Kyle Kemp join him in the room. He sips on a small pour of Scotch, from a small bar cabinet located against the wall. He sits in a leather chair that looks like it was taken from an old library. In the room are fellow Philidor sponsored Jim Mud and Noris Cranley. Shaw rubs at his eyebrow as Cranley and Mud look at each other, having just been filled in with the abridged version of Shaw’s prior conversation in the room.
Noris: And whatcha thinking now?
Shaw: I’m thinking we’re gonna win on Monday.
Mud: You know what he means, Shaw. We know what Kyle Kemp tries to do.
Shaw: You think I don’t? I could smell the arrogance on his breath the moment he walked in. I let him speak his piece, I let him feel like the big man in the room. He preached, alright, right down to the ‘give me a chance to make you a better you’ motif. I’ll let him in my head. I’ll let him think he’s in. And when we win this week and stare down another battle to approach together?
He leans forward, finishing the Scotch in his hand and letting the empty glass clang onto the small end table beside him.
Shaw: I’m gonna buy the fuckin’ Following compound
Noris: And whatcha thinking now?
Shaw: I’m thinking we’re gonna win on Monday.
Mud: You know what he means, Shaw. We know what Kyle Kemp tries to do.
Shaw: You think I don’t? I could smell the arrogance on his breath the moment he walked in. I let him speak his piece, I let him feel like the big man in the room. He preached, alright, right down to the ‘give me a chance to make you a better you’ motif. I’ll let him in my head. I’ll let him think he’s in. And when we win this week and stare down another battle to approach together?
He leans forward, finishing the Scotch in his hand and letting the empty glass clang onto the small end table beside him.
Shaw: I’m gonna buy the fuckin’ Following compound