Chapter 1: What’s at stake.
There can be no doubt, if Wrassle[dot]Net does not capitalize on the proceeds of this year’s Bar Room Brawl, the industry as you know it will never be the same. Whereas some outsiders believed that wrassling was indeed recession-proof, last year’s overall attendance throughout its federations proved otherwise. The executive committee will tell you that this has less to do with the quality or venues of its product, but more with the inability of the regular fan to continue to justify spending his/her money on anything other than day to day necessities.
During the course of 2009, due to not wanting to face foreclosure, the decision was made that if the value of the in-ring product was to remain acceptable, changes would need to occur. In doing this “restructuring”, only the TWF and the UWF survived as regionals, and the UCE and NGPW were forced to merge into one. While this was thought to save between 10-15% of the overall cost, it became clear that the industry as a whole could no longer afford to sustain itself.
It was hoped that with the re-emergence of SHOW, one of it’s more celebrated federations, perhaps many of its forgotten superstars would return to help regain its splendour. But alas, many months after the reorganization occurred, no such thing had happened. The only National Federation in Wrassle[dot]Net is hardly a shadow of its former self, and it’s only a matter of time before the “Powers that Be” begin to take action.
Shortly after Clive Windsor reveals his idea to the rest of the Executive Committee, he abruptly turns his back on the barking of Philly Fats, then heads off to get the “wheels in motion”. Behind him, still unsure if this idea has any merit, Burnt struggles with how inept his newest event coordinator has become. Shaking his head, he stares over towards Icehawg and complains.
“This’ll never work!! How are we going to sell a video game when there aren’t any big names to sell??!! This might have worked when Stryfe, or Genocide still had interest, but just look at this line-up!! Who the hell is Electric Shadow??? This is ridiculous!!”Grumbling with a mouth full of Blumpdog, the former USOB Champion brushes off the crumbs on his lap and interrupts.“Burnt, what choice do we have?? It’s not like we still have a large array of talent to choose from anymore.” He says before taking another bite. “Just look at the One, he’d never have gotten past round one if this was five years ago.”
“Well how about you get off your fat ass and go make us some money then?!! What the hell do you do around here anyway??? I should have cut your food budget instead of the AWA last year!!” Burnt yells out, both frustrated and angered over the financial situation that Wrassle[dot]Net is facing. Then, still shaking his head, he walks away from the former UCE commissioner and towards Stuntman, who is busy typing on his computer.
“You’d better not be surfing for porn again Calhoun!! We’ve got more important matters to address than what animal Psycho Steve is fondling today! So get off that thing, and help us figure a way out of this mess!!” he yells out while beginning to pace the room. Then, seeing the expression on Icehawg’s face, he relaxes a little and walks over to the cupboard.
“Burnt, you’ve got to calm down. We all know what’s at stake here, and none of us want to lose our shirts with this tournament. But what choice do we have? Doing nothing isn’t going to help us, and at least Clive is trying to be proactive!” he tells his long time friend while himself questioning whether or not this is a good time to get out of the business. Just then, Stuntman stands up off his desk and walks in between them with a piece of paper in hand.
“Guys, I was just reading through some statistics on the net regarding Clive’s idea, and to be honest with you, I’m not sure it’s that bad. In 2008, the video game industry made over 11.7 Billion dollars!! That translates into more money in one year than we’ve made in over a decade!! If we do this right, you know it could be just what the doctor ordered!!” he exclaims hoping to somehow pull Burnt out of this little frenzy he appears to be entering. Then, only after grabbing the paper and reviewing it’s figures, Burnt smirks a little, before finally speaking out himself.
“ Alright, granted there seems to be a market here for us to make some cash, but still, we have to make sure that this is done right. Do any of you really think that we’ll be able to market any of these contestants?”
“Actually, from what I can tell, I think Clive just wants these eight nincompoops to demonstrate ‘technique’ in their matches. It shouldn’t be that hard for Windsor to get that done, at least it shouldn’t be. Fats blurbs out while continuing to munch on his food.
And while Burnt realizes this is true, he still wonders if there’s anything else that can be done to guarantee success. He looks over towards his colleagues, then surprisingly informs them that he himself will be travelling to Calgary to make sure this works out. After all he thinks, this might be Wrassle[dot]Net’s last hope.
After having a few days to digest Clive’s latest idea, the long time Wrassle chief finally arrives at the CWA training ground. It was here he thought that the industry would find new personas to attract the masses, but after watching the supposed talent break through the ranks of this teaching organization, he realizes that the business simply can’t wait that long.
The actual Bar Room Brawl is not scheduled to begin for another two days, however he knows that the competitors have been asked to show up early so that they be fitted for their special bodysuits that they’ll be wearing. He knows that to the fans in attendance, seeing the wrasslers dressed up in this sort of ‘geek gear’ won’t be very appealing, but in the long run he’s hoping that this will be beneficial.
Entering into the CWA Sportsplex, he already begins to question how this plan could possibly work. With this building not really being able to house more than few hundred fans, how could the competitors possibly be able to build the adrenaline to do what they normally would? Some of these guys after all, are routine representatives at the USOB arena, a place that houses tens of thousands of people each and every month. Once Windsor is done fitting the wrasslers with the suits, you could be sure that he’ll be receiving an earful of hell from one of his only superiors.
Turning around one of the few hallway corners, Burnt begins to hear the instructions being delivered from his Event Coordinator. Predictably, he hears complaining from the wrasslers who would prefer a more traditional match up, but in the end, the stern voice of one Clive Windsor informs them that this is the …
Hearing this, and knowing how his presence can sometimes intimidate the younger generation, Burnt brushes through the ‘conference’ room doors and makes himself known. Once inside, he can’t help but be stunned by what’s in front of him. Not that there seems to be anything out of the ordinary taking place, but rather the calibre of athlete taking part in this event. He looked at Clive Windsor briefly, not knowing what to say. Albeit he’d been given warning as to what he should expect, he still had trouble believing that one of these eight people would be the next Bar Room Brawl Champion.
“It’s all gone to the dogs…” he says out loud wanting each and every one of them to hear. Then grabbing Windsor by the collar of his shirt, he pulls him into the corner and begins to give it to him. “What the hell is going on here Clive? How are we supposed to give the fans their moneys worth when the best person competing is a man clearly years above his prime?? Jesus, who are these people? And what the hell am I supposed to tell the shareholders after this event dwindles their pockets into nothing?!?!”
Annoyed with having his ideas questioned in front of the ‘talent’, Clive quickly brushes Burnt’s hands off his shirt, and stands himself up. “Look, I understand that you might be unimpressed with the layout of the event, but I assure you, this is for the best. The CWA Sportsplex has been equipped with the very best broadcast equipment, and I’m certain that these matches will go down as being legendary!! I mean what 13 year old boy wouldn’t want to watch the matches that supplied all the awesome movements his avatar uses on the Wrassle[dot]Net game?? Trust me, the PPV ratings we get out of this will far exceed what limited imagination you have!! There is a new era of Wrassling coming Burnt, and it’s time you realized that your ‘old’ ways just won’t do it anymore!!” Clive yells, trying to prove his authority in front of the contestants. Then walking past the man who is hardly ever spoken to in such a manner, Windsor glances towards the people to which he was explaining the event to, and notices that one of them has left.
“Ok, where did Metal go? He was hear a minute ago, what happened, someone must have seen something!” he asks knowing that it’s impossible for anyone to leave this room without at least one person noticing. Then behind him, very annoyed with the condescension that was just shown to him, Burnt steps forward and very disrespectfully whispers in the Event Coordinator’s ear. “Your little ‘event’ hasn’t even begun yet, and people are already walking out. For your sake Clive, you’d better get your act together, because if you can’t, you’re through”
Then, as he’s leaving the room, Burnt turns around angrily and yells to his ‘money makers’ “And to the rest of you, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll have the fight of your life on Sunday!!”
With that he slams the door, and leaves Windsor and his ‘mess’ behind him. He, now more than ever, is in disbelief with how his company is unfolding. With all the money that he’s made over the years, it could all come to an end Sunday when finally this event shows how little credibility Wrassle[dot]Net still has.
Frustrated not only with Clive, but also with the fact that most of the big names have left the business, Burnt storms back down the corridor and begins to pray for a miracle. Surely he thinks, there must be someone who can help him begin the rebuilding of this industry? There has to be someone who can step above this ridiculous video game idea, and bring about ratings worthy of the Bar Room Brawl?
Just then, as he’s about to arrive at the Sportsplex exit, he notices one Vince Gravel laying on a nearby bench, sound asleep. Seeing him like this does nothing to raise his hopes, and it does everything to make his blood boil. He walks over quickly, and with one swift right foot, wakes the TWF Guts and Glory Champion out from his slumber.
“Don’t you have something better to do that sleep on the job? We’re paying you good money to make ratings, not to lay around like some sack of s***!!” he yells, while Metal slowly gathers back his awareness. Now Burnt and he have never really shared a close relationship, but all the same, they both know that the other has been around for a very long time. Staring down at him, he notices that his youth seems to be ebbing away through his eyes, that his once magnificent athletic build is now littered with scars and age alike. Metal, a former National Heavyweight Champion, is much like SHOW, and as far as Burnt can tell, simply a shadow of his former self.
“Keep it.” Metal snorts back, wondering why Burnt has bothered to wake him. Confused with the response, the long time EC member steps back, and he can’t help himself from asking. “Keep what? What the hell are you talking about?”
“The money, I couldn’t give a **** about it. If that’s all your concerned about, then just don’t ****ing pay me. See what I care…” Vince replies, not at all worried with the possible ramifications for speaking to Burnt like that.
Taking a long hard look into one of the longest surviving wrasslers, Burnt can’t help but wonder why, if not for the money, he continues to do what he does. How could someone continuously put his body on the line for no financial gain at all? “Then why do you still do it Vince? How is it, at your age, you still have the stamina to go out there day in-day out, and put everything on the line?”
Metal, now nearly fully awake, sits himself up and stares at Burnt as though he were some kind of idiot. “Because I can, because it’s what I’m good at, because it’s what I need to do to stay sane. I do this because there’s nothing else in the world that would allow me to tear into a person’s mind and body with little to no consequences. But mostly, I do this because I just really like to hurt people. The reason why I’m not in that room with everyone else is because nothing they can tell me will change what I do Sunday. So I have to put on some rubber suit, who the **** cares? The bottom line is, I’m going to walk down to that ring, and I’m going to handle Malice like he was nothing but some party whore. I’m going to beat on him until I’m tired of his ridiculous gothic flesh, and while the crowd sings a chorus of jeer, I’ll leave him broken like a ball of wool, moaning and wanting nothing but the desire that I’d have killed him! That’s why I do this Burnt, because I get off watching other people suffer.”
Somewhat taken back by the old fashion honesty, Burnt takes a few seconds to think about this. Could it be that the answer to all of his problems was right in front of him? Is it possible that this once mighty wrassler could possibly reclaim that old glory, and lead Wrassle[dot]Net back to the way it once was? Normally, he wouldn’t even hesitate to answer ‘no’ to those questions, but with the personalities that are currently signed up for this event, he may be his only chance.
“Vince, what if I told you that this event might be your last real chance at that. Your last chance to ravage a man with the sound of hate in your ears. The truth is Metal, if this event isn’t a huge success, it’s very unlikely that the executive committee would have any other choice but to close more doors. We just can’t afford to continue losing money with events that simply do not live up to expectations. Vince, what I’m trying to tell you is that on Sunday, no matter what anyone else tells you, your goal can’t be only to impress some nerd on a laptop, it has to be to impress the entire world! Trust me, Wrassle[dot]Net needs something extreme to happen, something that will get people talking…”
After hearing that little spiel, Metal can’t help but smirk. To him, Burnt’s words were basically permission to murder, and on Sunday, he planned just that.
Chapter 2: Getting ready.
The lead up to round one of the Bar Room Brawl was mostly uneventful, having little to no interaction between the respective opponents, and even less excitement for this particular scenario. Each wrassler, having already prepared in their own unique way, have returned to the CWA Sportsplex and are now being fitted with their own specially designed bodysuit. Burnt, still not happy with the choice of contestants, has already retired to Chain Reaction’s office, and along with Icehawg, is hoping that this event will prove that he’s nothing more than an pessimist. After all, if he’s wrong, then maybe Wrassle[dot]Net’s finances can be turned around.
Having already put on the electronic recorder of his body movements, the “Dark One” has surrounded himself in a room that emanates with a stench of musty pipes, and drains that date back fifty years. The entire room felt as though it were sunk in perpetual gloom, like a block of darkness hanging there to be carved. It’s covered with tobacco, cold, and absence; it’s an area of the building where Malice feels most at home.
Just recently having signed a contract with SHOW, this young USOB Champion has now fully established himself as a member of the Network, yet somehow, perhaps because of his nature, he remains most at ease when he’s alone. All the glamour and wealth that his stablemates can offer almost deter from his private nature, and it could be argued, take away from the credibility that his persona cries out for.
Far away from the Network Suites, he perhaps is having reminders of what it’s like to not be privy to all the special benefits he’s offered in Hollywood. He simply sits on the cracked cement floor and reflects. Tonight, he’s very aware of who he’s up against, and no matter what any of his comrades may have advised him, he knows that Vince Gravel is a person not to be taken lightly.
Nearby, braving through a narrow corridor that leads down to the boiler room, Cedrick Caesar is searching for the newest Wrassle[dot]Net Champion. Having heard rumours of conspiracy, he feels there’s little choice but to at least inform the would be victim before anything serious occurs. With the darkness enveloping the room, he’s using his voice as his main means to gain the ‘Dark One’s’ attention.
Within a few moments, the effort shows fruition as Malice emerges from ‘nowhere’ and responds. “What is it you need…Caesar?” A little stunned by the sudden appearance, Cedrick steps back and shakes away any alarms. “Malice, I’ve been told to inform you that you might be in danger. With now being in the TWF with Metal, Brute has told me that he’s heard whispers that Vince has been in contact with someone in a position of great power, and that there is a plan to end your life.”
Smiling, the “Dark One” approaches the former NGPW commissioner and places a hand on his shoulder. Normally the cold hand would send shivers down a person’s spine, but with this all encompassing body suit, all Cedrick feels, is little nipple like spots. “I have defeated Vince Gravel before, and I shall do so again. Thank you for your concern Caesar, but I will be able to take care of ‘Metal’ without having to place my life in much danger.”
Not totally satisfied with the answer, but also not wanting to question Malice’s skill, Cedrick Caesar simply wishes him luck, then turns around and heads back the way he came. After he leaves, Malice can’t help but wonder how Brute does it. Not only was the Network Suite already prepared for him when he first arrived in Hollywood, but even now, in the CWA Sportsplex boiler room, the ‘Badass’ finds ways of giving him aid.
What turns his curiosity even more, is why he would warn him of such a thing? Why would Brute Bernard, one of the most celebrated athletes in the history of the sport, worry about what one Vince Gravel would do? And even more interesting, who is this person in a position of great power, who would want to help him? Although perplexing, none of these questions could be answered in time, for soon he would be called away and into action.
High above him, standing within the walls of one of the more modest CWA lockerrooms, Vince Gravel readies himself for this match. Now in his mind’s eye, he’ll just do as he always has, which is basically tear his opponent limb from limb; but as he stares into the mirror, his body tells him something different. He stares at his grey hair, and at the lines that age his face, and he begins to wish he were ten years younger. In a matter of minutes, he would once again be entering a war, and a war he knew, could be among his last.
While self-doubts continue to plague his thoughts, the once dominant Metal paces back and forth picturing what he’ll do. While his body has withered with time, his mind still captures that same demeanour of hate that has always been staple of his personality. He knows that if this were to come down to sheer will power, there are very few left in this industry who can measure up to him. He’ll do whatever it takes, no matter what anyone thinks of him. Then, just as he begins to psych himself to the point of battle, he hears a light knocking on his door. Startled, he turns around and stares coldly towards one of the CWA faithful.
“What the **** do you want? Don’t you have some bitch kid who wants his face on the camera? Why the **** are you bothering me?” Metal demands wanting to know why one I.P. Freely has entered his domain. The CWA backstage interviewer, more nervous than usual, slowly approaches before finally answering.
“Mr. Gravel, I’m sorry to disturb you. It’s just that I was sent down here with instructions to grant you an interview, and well, to tell you that they’re watching you, and expecting that you’ll do the ‘right’ thing.” Freely says, not really knowing what the ‘right thing’ means. Then noticing that maybe Vince doesn’t want to rip his head off, he relaxes a little and.. “And, is there anything you want the fans paying to watch this event to hear? I’m sure you have some thoughts on our newest USOB Champion, don’t you? I mean historically, you’ve always had an opinion to share.”
With his mind more focused on his wasting body, Vince Gravel knows that he must at least seem to be the force he once was. He has to ‘hit’ this prematch interview with as much charisma as possible. So with that in mind, his hate-filled eyes step forward, and he glares into the camera. As he does this, it’s as though he aged five years in a matter of seconds.
“Do I have an opinion of Malice? Sure I do, and it’s that he’s a farce. People say that this dip**** is some sort of ‘dark’, evil man, that will rupture you with some incredible kind of ferocity. Well to me, ‘evil’ is not the right word, but rather ‘moronic’ is more appropriate. Evil presupposes a moral decision, intention, and some forethought. A moron is a lout, who doesn’t stop to think or reason. He’ll act on instinct, like an animal, convinced that his actions are going to be remembered. The problem is, the only thing sanctimonious about the ‘Dark One’, is how proud he seems to be constantly ****ing up. A man of his nature who had any intelligence, would never be aligned with the Network. He would never need to be. He could survive on his own skill set, instead of becoming complacent in a group. Malice, more than anything else, does not have the skill to maintain his own personality.” Metal states, not at all worried with how the fans will react to the criticism he offers to the USOB.
Knowing that Gravel has finished his little spiel, Freely pulls back his microphone and places it in his back pocket. Just standing there, without his ‘tool’ in hand, the CWA employee feels a little awkward, yet he knows that there is still one thing to do.“Mr. Gravel, while I was sent here to make sure that your thoughts were heard, I was also told that I needed to deliver you some information. Now I’m not aware of what this is all about, but I was given this envelope and was told to make sure that I delivered it to you personally. I hope this helps.”
Handing him the small piece of information, I.P.Freely turns back around and exit’s the lockerroom. Now, once again all by his lonesome, Metal sits back and opens the envelope. It reads..
[Metal, just in case you find yourself in a position to not be able to accomplish what you intended, I’ve made sure you’ll have some help. Under the Easternmost turnbuckle, underneath the padding, I’ve placed a knife. I hope you understand what needs to be done with it. Burnt.]
Vince Gravel smirks, it looks like tonight is going to be a good night.
Chapter 3: The Match.
Standing in the middle of the ring, sporting a grin reaching from ear to ear, the youngest EC member Clive Windsor raises a microphone. Delaying his introduction so that the few hundred fans in attendance can properly cheer him on, the Event Co-ordinator glances up towards Chain Reaction’s office balcony, and sees Burnt and Icehawg standing still as though they were Korean politicians.
“Alright everyone, we’re about to begin the Bar Room Brawl of 2010, but before we do, I’d like to tell you that this year’s event will be much more than just the traditional match ups that you’ve gotten used to. Aside from having two great athlete pit against each other for one of the most glorified Championships in the entire industry, we will also be using these matches as a staging point for one of the most exciting new features that Wrassle[dot]Net has ever offered!”Clive declares, while the crowd continues to cheer him on.
“Although the purpose of these matches is still to be the one left standing in the end, each contestant was also told that they should be using their full artillery of manoeuvres to do so. And while all our brave combatants continue to strike each other with incredible skill, all of their body movements will be recorded by these men down at ring side” he says pointing towards the line up of computer-jocks sitting just in front of the guard rail.
“And to do this, each one of the wrasslers has been specially dressed with an electronic bodysuit that shall insure that their individual techniques are immortalized into our new game. So without further ado, let me step aside to join Philly Fats at the announcers table, and have our first contestants introduced!!”
Backstage, standing next to his old commissioner, Spinner, Vince Gravel stares through the curtains and towards the ring. He realizes that he’s supposed to put on some big show, but instead of being focused on that, he simply wants to dominate.
Then from the other side of the curtain, his introduction begins. “Introducing first, wearing the crimson coloured body suit, from Ottawa, Ontario, standing 5’10 inches tall and weighing in at 198lbs…. The former CWA National Heavyweight Champion of the world…Vince ‘Metal’ Gravel!!!”
“It’s time, get out there Vince, and make me proud!” Spinner says to him before his music begins to sound. Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine” is basically torn up by the terrible sound system, yet, without hesitation, Metal emerges.
“And there he is folks, a legend to almost anyone who’s ever been a fan of the sport!! What do you think Fats, is this not the perfect man to have your video game avatar mimic??” Clive says from his announcer’s table.
Sitting beside him, almost completely uninterested in Gravel, Fats continues to shove handfuls of Blumpdogs into his mouth. Hearing Clive’s comments though, he almost spits it all out. “You’ve got to be kidding me? Metal? He’s a joke now, just as he was ten years ago!!”
To a chorus of jeer, the current TWF Guts and Glory Champion enters the ring, then casually walks towards the Easternmost turnbuckle, he climbs it and takes a seat. Staring down towards the backstage entrance, he listens as the ring announcer once again makes his introductions.
“And coming to you now, wearing the black bodysuit, standing 6’3 inches tall and weighing in at 235 lbs, from Columbus Ohio…the current USOB Champion, Elvis Michael “Malice” Miller!!” he says as Black Sabbath’s “Crazy Train” is massacred in the P.A. system. Then not surprisingly, with his face painted as per usual, the man clad in black emerges through the curtains. Staring him down from inside the ring, Metal watches as his opponent casually makes his way down the short ramp. It’s only a mere matter of moments now before this match is set to begin, and from Gravel’s point of view, it’s now or never.
“Here we go Fats!! The first match in a series that will set the stage for what will become my crowning achievement!! And now that I see both of these men in the ring together, I can’t help but notice how much height, weight, and age Metal is giving up...” Windsor says before being cut off by the ever chewing Philly Fats.
“Not to mention skill, Metal is giving up that in there too.” he says before continuing his Blumpdog.
“Maybe so, but the fact remains that Vince Gravel is a true heel, and that alone can get him through this fight. Also, if I may be so bold, his unethical moves such as low blows, eye gouges, and choking will be great for the game!!” Clive retorts.
“If you say so.” Fats grumbles with a mouthful.
Inside the ring, both men remain in their respective corner when finally, the bell ring. The referee, immediately stepping back from the center of the ring, watches as they both rush towards the middle and lock up. As both men use all their strength to try to establish position for their next attack, it quickly becomes evident that Malice is indeed the stronger of the two. Overpowering the much older Metal, he grabs his wrist and whips him quickly off the ropes, waiting for him as he runs back towards him.
Knowing that Vince Gravel will be off balance from the spring he just received from the ropes, Malice hurries forward and brings him down with a perfectly executed drop-toe-hold! Metal, unable to prepare himself in time for the fall, collapses face first, and is immediately stunned when his head bounces off the mat.
Just to the outside of the ring, the group of men with laptops stare into the data that they’re receiving, and smile. The bodysuits are working perfectly! They’re capturing every detail of both men’s actions, and by measuring Metal’s heart rate, they realize that they’ll be able to tell just how much damage each move is inflicting.
“I never would have thought that Malice would be able to gain such an early footing here. This is very interesting.” Clive says, while Michael Miller begins to mount Gravel’s back.
Already in full control, the “Dark One” waits for Gravel to gather himself back up to his feet for his next attack. Still taken back by Malice’s quick start, Metal staggers back and forth unable to gather himself for what’s coming next. Being an expert in Martial Arts, Malice demonstrates perfect skill when erupting out of the turnbuckle into a summersault, then finally kicking up with his neck and hands so that the heels of his feet connect underneath Metal’s jaw.
Following through with his attack, the USOB watches as his opponent is sent flying backwards through the air, then back onto the mat. Amazingly though, even with his head nearly being knocked off, Vince Gravel still pushes down with his elbows, and at least tries to bring himself back up.
While only halfway back to a standing position, Malice once again goes to the attack, this time lifting his kicking leg high in the air, then crashing it back down so that his heel connects with the back of Metal’s head. Although the impact is severe, Metal only falls to one knee before once more he’s ravaged by the much younger man. Grabbing Metal’s neck with both hands, the “Dark One” flips around, then pulls him down hard, so that the back of his head crashes abruptly into the mat.
“Now this is what I’m talking about!! The skill set that a person like Malice can bring to the table is exactly what Wrassle[dot]Net the game is looking for!! This is what I call excitement Fats, and I’m loving every moment of it” Windsor explains, proud of what he’s seeing in the ring.
“Maybe so,”he burps “But if this keeps up, the only thing you’ll be getting from Metal is how to receive an ass kicking!” Fats replies, very unimpressed with this match so far.
And while all the information continues to be recorded, Malice again watches as Metal brings himself back to his feet. He wonders how this is possible, he doesn’t understand how a man who’s his age could possibly still be standing after that series of head kicks. Then, wanting to set a quick precedence for this tournament, he rushes forward and attempts to finish him off. Wishing to do so with his signature move, “Extreme Malicity”, he spins around mere feet away from Vince, then lifts his leg high and uses the momentum from the spin to enact a perfect knock out on Gravel’s temple.
Perhaps it’s luck, or maybe even the reason why Metal has been able to survive for over a decade of combat, but somehow his intuition tells him to drop and it couldn’t have been a moment too soon!! Feeling the wind from that kick inches above his head, Metal takes this opportunity to slam his fist hard into the “Dark One’s” groin. Watching how his heart rate changes, the ‘movement recorders’ can’t help but wince.
Finally having an opportunity for some offence, the TWF Champion grabs the back of Malice’s head, then pushes it down to his already raising knee. From Metal’s point of view, the idea here is to slow the USOB down, to not to let him use his high flying feet to control this match, and to use every trick in the book to bring him down!
With his head pounding as though he were watching a discussion between Stuntman and Psycho Steve, Metal breathes heavily as he pushes forward towards his would-be victim. He has to even the odds, and if that means literally sawing off one of Malice’s legs, then that’s exactly what he’ll do. Observing which one of his legs is weight-bearing, Gravel attacks it with a sweeping inside kick to the knee, hoping that it’ll make him buckle.
Grunting at the pain, Miller attempts to defend himself by going on the offence; he intercepts Metal’s next kick by moving to the side at the right moment, then quickly jabbing his knee into Gravel’s thigh. The ‘Charlie horse’ affect, maybe more so than the head kicks before, sends pain surging through the bodysuit, and Metal himself limping into the corner.
“There we go Fats, that’s a little back and forth action for you!” Clive says, almost sounding like he wants to prove a point.
“Yeah…but Gravel’s already exhausted.” Fats says before pausing for a bite. “This match is almost over, trust me.”
Watching as Metal retreats into the corner turnbuckle, Malice realizes that indeed, he’s physically overmatching him. He moves forward engulfing any space of escape, and with one foot pointing in entirely the opposite direction, he once again lifts that kicking leg towards Gravel’s face. It’s perfect connection, and Metal is down…
Chapter 4: The end.
Still standing as though he were some immortal statue, Burnt stares down towards the ring and pauses for air. Metal can’t be pinned like this!! Then, albeit relieved, he’s shocked when one of Gravel’s shoulders raises off the matt. There’s still hope that this plan works, and who knows, if Metal can actually back all those big words of his, maybe this could even be something for the history books. So while he continues to observe, one Cedrick Caesar comes walking up behind him.
“Burnt, I did what you asked. Still not sure why did it, but it’s done anyway.” Cedrick says, not totally sure what’s going on.
Hearing this, Burnt turns around and questions the once proud NGPW commissioner “I assume to told Malice that Brute was the informant?”
“As you told me, yes I did.”
“Good, now assuming you told these ‘computer geeks’ to keep the data rolling until something ’big’ happens, you’ve done a good job for once.” Burnt says before turning back around to the action. Behind him, still puzzled with the jobs Burnt has relegated to him, Caesar casually walks up onto the balcony and stares down himself.
What he sees is one man in total control. If nothing else he thinks, this match will serve as a wake up call for the over-aged wrassler known as Metal. How he thinks he can still compete against physically overwhelming beasts such as Malice is an absolute mystery to him. So while the “Dark One” continues to power Gravel back and forth in the ring, he realizes that it’s only a matter of time before this match comes to an end.
“From what I can tell, the only thing ‘big’ that’s going to come out of this is maybe the physical recording of the end of Vince “Metal” Gravel’s career.” Cedrick says, not knowing what’s planned to occur.
Then thinking that this could possibly be another set up for his finisher, he watches as Malice grabs Metal by the wrist and swings him forcefully into the turnbuckle. He’s going to again attempt his ‘finisher’, and once and for all, put the TWF Superstar out of his misery.
As the kick is about come full circle out of that roundhouse motion, Malice is stunned when the broken down Vince Gravel quickly grabs his jugular, and with a slight twist and tug….offers him temporary death!!
“You were saying Cedrick? That was a “Coffin Nail”, a move designed to literally drain the air out of a persons lungs, leaving him absolutely helpless.” Burnt says, still watching Metal down below.
Tired, and with his head pounding beyond normal human recognition, Metal drags the “Dark One” to the center of the ring, then just to please Windsor and his gimmick, begins the motions for his old ‘finisher’. After rolling Malice onto his stomach, he kneels down on his spine, places his right arm around Malice’s neck and his left around one of his legs. Now forcing his two hands to pull both of Miller’s ends closer together, he interlocks his fingers and straightens himself up.
Clutching his ‘Titanium Stretch’ tightly to the barely conscious USOB, the laptops outside the ring record how it must feel to have a spine nearly bent in half. Above them, watching as the referee slowly lets Malice’s hand drop for the third time, Burnt begins to smile. It’s almost time he thinks, and this will be a moment that no one ever forgets.
Down at the announcers table, Clive Windsor is in splendorous shock. Not only did this match provide a great onslaught of attacks from Malice, but it also measured Metal’s resiliency, and of course both of his finishers. Wanting to congratulate the winner, he waits for the referee to finally ring the bell, then he stands up and heads towards the ring. Inside, tired, bruised and battered, Vince Gravel staggers into the Easternmost turnbuckle and collapses face first into it.
While Clive enters the ring, he smiles over towards the hired computer people, and approaches Metal. Hearing him now only feet away, Vince turns around quickly wielding a long blade, and a look that would kill.
“What the hell are you doing Vince?? You won the match!! Hey, let go of me!!” Clive yells as he’s grabbed by the neck and forced into the center of the ring. Then with the knife set to cut Windsor’s throat, Metal yells out.
“You want ratings Burnt…well every news agency in the world will be wanting live action of this!!!”
But as he glares up towards the balcony, he sees that Burnt is already giving orders to someone below. Metal looks around and watches as dozens of men in the crowd emerge pointing tazers. He’s been betrayed!! This was never about creating ratings, this was about insurance that Clive would have all the information that these bodysuits could provide.
He feels the surge of electricity first in his back, then dropping the knife and letting Clive go, his stomach is zapped, and then his legs. Unable to control himself, he begins to convulse uncontrollably back and forth in the center of the ring. There would be no need to record his screams, the echo would be in the minds of those in attendance for the rest of their lives. He falls, victorious, but betrayed.
On his back, moments before blackness, he stares up towards Burnt and swears revenge. This isn’t over he thinks, and he’s the last man he should have used like this. He’s out…
Stepping away quickly, and knowing that this kind of information would be ‘game changing’ , Clive Windsor runs towards the edge of the ring and yells down.“Tell me you recorded that!! Please tell me that we’ll be able to use that kind of thing in our game!! Come on!!”
All it took was a thumbs up from one of the men behind the laptop, and Clive’s day was made. Then, very pleased with what he’s already been able to accomplish, he looks up to Burnt and sees him wink. Apparently, this was all part of his plan.
Chapter 5: Round 1 Aftermath
The hours that followed his round one victory over Malice were anything but celebratory. Having been stunned repeatedly throughout his body by various tazers, the once proud Metal laid helplessly on a hospital gurney. It has been said that multiple shocks from one of these weapons is the equivalent of playing a game of Russian roulette. Evidence shows that some people will be unable to breathe for a lengthy period of time, and in severe cases, suffer irreversible brain damage because of it.
Having done all they can to stabilize him, the doctors agree that although he would need a few weeks rest, Metal would not suffer from any long lasting effects. Leaving him behind, they close the door, and head down the hall. Inside, still unable to regain consciousness, Vince Gravel lays like a corpse, broken and betrayed.
While the doctors are satisfied with having insured that Metal will be able to retain his way of life, they take a seat in the cafeteria, and sip at their recently purchased coffees.
“Why do they do it? The way they put their bodies at risk is absolutely ridiculous, and for what? It’s not like anyone actually watches that garbage anymore!” the first attending doctor says, while lifting his cup to his mouth.
“And to think, the only reason he’s still breathing is because he was wearing that bodysuit. I guess we should count our blessings, shouldn’t we? Anyhow, if he stays off his feet for the next little while, the burn marks should heal, and he should be back to normal.” he continues.
“Yeah well, knowing the type of lifestyle these ‘people’ lead, we’ll probably be seeing him again before we know it. And even if it’s not him, it’ll just be some other ‘athlete’ who thinks that he can’t be hurt.” the main physician replies.
Not far away, sipping a coffee of his own, the former CWA commissioner stands eavesdropping on their conversation. Knowing that his former franchise employee was still breathing, he approaches them, and without asking, takes a seat at their table.
“I hear that you’re the ones who treated Vince Gravel?”
“Yes, and who’s asking? Are you a member of his family? What’s your interest in him, because I’m telling you right now if you intend on putting him back in a ring, that’s out of the question. Any prolonged physical exertion could potentially lead to fatal results, and I won’t be responsible for that!!” one of the doctors tells him, while still frustrated with having to heal something that was so unnecessary.
Spinner told them that he was the closest that Vince had to a family, and if they had received news that a blood relative was interested in seeing him, that they should immediately attach security to his room. During his career, Metal had betrayed nearly anyone who had ever cared for him, and now, hospitalized, he knew that he would be his only visitor.
“He’s in the last room on the left. Last we checked though, he was still out cold. If you think that sitting next to him will make him heal faster, then by all means. I’m not about to stop you.” Spinner was told, before standing up. He thanked them and began towards Metal’s room.
Opening the door slowly, the proud member of the EC enters and without turning the lights on, stares down at the still unmoved Vince Gravel. When finding a person who’s in as bad shape as he, you can’t help but get a little sentimental, and Spinner is no different. Where most people would see Vince as a person who lives his life filled with hate, he see’s what he wants to: a person who would give up that very same life to help the industry he loves.
From his pocket, Spinner removes a letter personally addressed to him from Clive Windsor, and places it on Metal’s chest. Although he understood that the doctors said that he should not be active for the next couple of weeks, Vince Gravel, in only a matter of days, would have no choice but to once again put his life on the line. This time though, it would be the fight of his life.
“You idiot, Wrassle[dot]Net doesn’t need a ‘killer’, it needs hope.” Spinner says, while Vince remains sound asleep.
While Metal continues to sleep, across the city, Clive Windsor has barged into Chain’s office and is wanting a word with his superior. It was only a couple of hours ago that he had a knife to his throat, and in his minds eye, Burnt was behind this. So both angered that his life was in danger, and that his event was being meddled with, the ECO enters without giving warning.
“Burnt, what the hell was that?? I could have been killed out there!! You think that just because you don’t like what I’m doing, you can put my life at risk!? What would have happened if those tazers hit him a second later?”
Burnt, finally finding some composure after his round one doubts, turns his back on Windsor and stares blankly out the window. “I gave Spinner a letter that I said was signed by you, and in that letter it says that Metal will be competing against Obese next round. So, before you make me want to fire you, I want you to leave and think of a way to make sure that bastard pays. Do you understand what I mean Windsor? Or should I find someone who will?
Having been his commissioner in UCE, Clive realizes that Metal will indeed be vengeful for having been attacked, and now perhaps Burnt was trying to insure his own protection. Staring at the back of his head, Windsor responds calmly, with an almost defeated tone in his voice. “Burnt, I know you don’t approve of everything I do, but already telling me who’s fighting who is not helping. And as far as me insuring that Obese takes care of Metal? Well that’s not my job. So unless you have anything else you want to forewarn me about, I expect that you’ll stop you’re meddling and let me plan the rest of the event.”
“You go do that, but remember, I want Obese and Metal, and I want the latter to pay” Burnt says very condescendingly, while knowing that Clive was leaving the room. He got what he wanted in round one, and now not wanting to risk being attacked, he’s once again forced his hand with Obese. After all, there isn’t anyone better for the job!! Obese, unlike most in the industry, both has the physical dominance, and the mental ferocity to destroy his opponents, and more than that, this was actually something he liked to do!
Chapter 6: Chicago
Putting aside Burnt’s threats, Clive Windsor has once again put a plan in place to make Wrassle[dot]Net-The Game a successful venture. After having some of the industries best athletes record their manoeuvres, his efforts have now shifted to the venues, and more specifically, to the backstage areas in which a person would be able to play this game. Having sent the remaining four contestants the location, and airfare to arrive there, he places his head on his desk and hopes this all works out.
Now although he’s not entirely comfortable being present in what shall be the first semi-final match up, he knows that not being here would do nothing to help his job security. Now he hasn’t told Nikki, or for that matter the UWF what is about to happen, but all the same, if there’s going to be any sort of interference from them, he wants to be able to stop it. Sitting at Nikki’s desk, and with his head still sunk, he waits for the first contestant to arrive.
The flight bound from Hollywood arrived with most of the passengers swearing relief. It seems even having entertainment like the “Showgirls” movie couldn’t prevent some sort of ruckus from taking place aboard that plane. More than that, the flight attendants fridge had been raided, and most of the prepared meals forcefully taken. Exiting the terminal with a very forceful walk, the “Two Ton Terror” quickly searches his surroundings for the man he’d called from the air.
“There you are!! Come over here you little dweeb, I want my prematch meal!!” Obese yells out, after noticing his limo driver.
The young man, no more than twenty, nervously trembles forward holding out a box full of food. It was only about twenty minutes ago when he was phoned by this monster with clear instructions on what he needed to do. One dozen Big Macs, four Angus Burgers, seven supersized fries, and five large Cokes.
“Good man! This should get me to the arena!!” the near 600 lbs monster tells him, while patting him on the back with enough force to send the young man to his knees.
“Tell me, has that bitch from Australia showed up yet??”
With a massive sting coming from his back, the limo driver pulls himself back up off his knees and responds “No sir, his flight has experienced turbulence.”
“That’s too bad, I could have got this over with right here!”
Apart from the occasional degradation, and the constant sound of chewing, the limo driver had no trouble in bringing the SHOW representative to the Bernard Bastion, and even less trouble watching him exit the vehicle. Leaving his McDonalds’ garbage on the floor or on the backseat, Obese stands up out of the vehicle, stretches his huge arms to the side, then walks into the building.
Once inside, he sees those same game programmers that he had slammed JT Davison into, and amazingly, it looked like they were waiting for him. Unlike last time though, there were no bodysuits or anything like that, this time the most expensive piece of equipment they had was a camera. Walking to the four, he first observes if there is any food with them, then noticing that in fact there isn’t, leaves them and heads towards Eden’s BlueBird snack bar. Asking them if they’re going to follow him, the first three respond “yes”, and the fourth simply nods.
Upon arrival, the ‘video game crew’ is shocked to realize that this is less of a snack bar, and more of an indoor chip stand. Somehow, under the rule of Eden, a school bus was driven into the main hall and converted into a place that sells greasy food and cheap soft drinks. Apparently not bothered with the lack of healthy food, Obese pushes ahead and sticks his huge head into the window.
“Eden!! Oh Eden, where are you??!!” he yells, knowing that the former UWF commissioner is likely behind the counter.
Not quickly, but surely, the 65 year old Eden emerges from the other side of the bus stunned.
“Nobody told me that you coming? *Cough* Mon Dieu, I am not preparer!!” she exclaims, before lighting a cigarette.
“That’s not a problem, I was told to be as disrespectful as I can while I’m here!!” Obese yells, before forcefully letting himself in, then promptly destroying any place that he thinks would hold something edible. Which as it turns out, is basically the entire bus!
So with the camera crew taping astutely, the entire BlueBird snack bar rocks back and forth with both the “Two Ton Terror” and Eden inside. Moments later, the old woman comes rolling out the back, and Obese follows with a couple burgers in this mouth, and a few more in his hands. Then, still eating, he places his back against the side of the bus, and begins to push. First, it sways only a little, but continuing with this motion, it becomes obvious that it’s only a matter of time before it tips.
With Eden yelling profanities in two languages, she can do nothing but watch as her snack bar collapses on it’s side with a thunderous noise. That noise being Obese’s burp of course.
“That felt good, where can I find Nikki? I think I’m going to ‘make myself at home’ while I wait for that bitch to show up!” Obese yells, directing the question to Eden.
Then, from down the hall towards the entrance, Obese’s attention is rattled when he hears the voice of his opponent.
“Don’t tell me you’re starting without me!!? I expected a fat ass like you to have more class!” Metal yells, knowing that this battle is about to begin.
With a grin the size of Texas on his face, the 580 lbs behemoth turns his back on Eden, and starts that monstrous jog towards Gravel. Knowing that his best advantage is to wear Obese down, Metal shoots him the finger, smirks slightly, then heads down the corridor that leads to the lockerrooms. Knowing that Obese will be annoyed with having to chase him, he speeds up the pace slightly and lets him watch as he enters into the common room kitchen.
Once inside, two people who he recognizes as Psycho Steve Thomas and who he thinks is his girlfriend, are busy cooking themselves some dinner. Noticing his presence, Steve turns around shielding Amy and begins to shout.
“What the hell is this all about? Hey wait, Metal?? What are you doing here??”
“I’m about to beat on a massive pile of ****, that’s what I’m doing here!!” Metal exclaims, grabbing a burning frying pan off of the stove, and turning around.
Not at all considering that Steve would be thinking that he wasn’t speaking of him, he isn’t expecting it when he receives a forearm to the back of the neck that sends him flying into the kitchen wall. After falling to his knees, Vince turns around and stares at him in disbelief.
“Who are you calling a pile of **** now, Metal??” Steve says, proud of his actions.
Popping his head through the door frame, the “Two Ton Terror” smirks at Psycho Steve, then to Metal on the floor. “Yeah Metal, who are you calling a pile of ****?”
The only words to come out of Steve’s mouth before he walks back towards Amy are, and I quote “Oh crap!!”
His first reaction is to squirm away from his giant attacker, but instead what he does is hide the frying pan behind his back and let Obese pick him up off the ground. Now with both of his hands occupied with lifting him, Vince pulls the burning piece of metal out from behind him, then quickly forces it into Obese’s face.
Amy isn’t sure what’s going to bother her more, the sound of Obese screaming, or the sound of him pulling off a layer of skin from his face with that frying pan. Either way though, Steve led her out of that kitchen before anything else could rattle her mind, and that left Vince with a very angry giant to deal with….
Chapter 7: Executive Argument
Having arrived to the Bernard Bastion only moments before the action had begun, Spinner quickly marches through the entrance hall on his way to Nikki’s office. Realizing that because none of the wrasslers here had any idea that this match was about to take place, his presence would set off alarms. However, once seeing the carnage that was once the BlueBird Snackbar, he realizes that already, he may be too late.
“What happened here? Eden??”
Pacing back and forth in front of her broken establishment, the former UWF commissioner responds angrily. “Quoi?? Why are you here now? *Cough* And pourquoi wasn’t I told about this match? I could have had the securite!”
Knowing that the idea here was not to have a traditional match, but rather to show off the old vocational school for what it actually is on a day to day basis, Spinner simply walks forward and tells her.
“Look, I know saying that this has caught you off guard is an understatement, but I’m telling you Eden, if you don’t begin to warn the others, all the hard work you’ve done here will be for nothing!!”
Knowing that Spinner has never really been a person to hold back his punches, Eden’s expression changes from anger to panic. In her mind, there’s no way that she’ll let anything happen to the ‘Bastion’, and she’ll do whatever it takes to make sure of that.
“I will do, quoi I can*Cough* .”she says, between puffs.
Satisfied that Eden will at least contact of few of the wrassler here in the building, Spinner once again begins his pursuit towards Nikki’s office. He’s very aware of the fact that the local ‘Bombshell’ event took place yesterday, and that most of the wrasslers would either be at home resting, or in a hospital recovering. What he doesn’t quite grasp though, is why Windsor would make this a ‘no holds barred’ type match?
In the letter Burnt had given him almost a week before, he knew that Vince would be facing Obese, but why in this scenario? The answer given to him that this was solely to show off the venues wasn’t sitting well. There was something else at foot here. He knew after all, that the industry as a whole was having financial difficulties, so why then would Clive knowingly place the infrastructure at risk?
Then it occurred to him, this was to make a statement. This was to show to everyone else in the business what would happen to someone who held a blade up to an EC’s neck. This was punishment, and Obese was nothing more than a tool being used to enact it. He picked up his phone, and quickly dialled the appropriate numbers.
“Nikki, get your ass here now. I need your help with something.”
“Oh hi Spinner!! You know I’m in Chicago right? It’ll take a long time for me to get to Canada!! What’s so important?” Nikki replies.
Sighing, Spinner is more specific, “Nikki, I’m in the Bernard Bastion. Just get down here, you’re building is about to be destroyed!!”
After hanging up the phone, he realizes that he’s only a few steps away from the office in which he knows Windsor is hiding. Opening the door, he sees the ECO slumping at the desk, glued to a nearby monitor.
“Are you liking what you’re seeing?”
Startled by Spinner’s presence, Clive jumps up a little and smiles. “Have a seat, so far I’m getting everything I wanted out of these two!”
“Clive, what the hell is going on here?! There’s no referee, no announcers, and from what I can tell, no way of stepping in, in case something gets out of hand!” Spinner responds, while still hovering around the desk.
“So what if there’s no referee? When one of them can’t get back up, I guess that’s when this match will be over. But until then, I want as much destruction as possible!! If I’m going to give this video game all the information it needs, then the footage being recorded of the Bernard Bastion being obliterated is very beneficial!” Clive tells him, with his eyes still locked on the action.
“So you’re telling me that you didn’t make this a backstage brawl with the intention of punishing Metal? Do you honestly expect me to believe that?”
“Well he did hold a knife to my throat, so it’s not like I’d be feeling sympathy for him if something were to happen. But honestly, that wasn’t the reason for this. Icehawg and Fats thought that the game needed this kind of thing, and well I knew that at least Burnt would be happy seeing Gravel torn apart. Besides, Metal can take care of himself, so don’t worry about it” Windsor answers, not at all caring whether or not Spinner believes him.
“Do you know that after he beat Malice, he spent the night unconscious in a hospital room? You think that after being tazered like that, you can just get up and be alright? Christ Clive, Vince is here fighting Obese for some ridiculous video game, when the doctors told him that he’s basically a ticking time bomb to have a heart attack!! You think he was going to kill you with that knife? He’s never killed anyone in his life!! The only thing he wanted was ratings, and thanks to him, you had them!! Now look, I don’t care what you have to do, but I swear to God , if this match pushes him over the edge, I will be holding you personally responsible!” Spinner yells at him, frustrated with how this is all happening.
Finally taking his eyes off the television, Clive Windsor stares up towards his fellow EC, and shakes his head. He knows that although it’s true that Icehawg and Fats did want backstage action, he also knows that at least subconsciously, he made it like this so that he wouldn’t lose his job. “Spinner, what do you want me to do? It’s not like I can step in and do something. If I did, I’d be interfering with my own event.”
“Maybe you can’t, but I can.” Spinner says, while already lifting his cell to his ear….
Chapter 8: The fight for his life
Peeling off the frying pan from his face, the 580 lbs behemoth screams out in agony. The smell from his burnt flesh consumes him, and in a matter of seconds, he flies into a rage. Swinging his arms wildly at the cupboards, the counters, and whatever else is between he and Vince Gravel, Obese advances. Across from him, somehow still composed in the face of this monster, Metal turns his back and searches for some sort of weapon.
What he finds is a boiling pot of water that Psycho Steve was using, and lifting it, he turns back around and is about to use it when he feels an enormous kick to the side of his rib cage. Falling down from the sheer ferocity of the blow, he drops the pot beside him, and is again picked up by the “Two Ton Terror”
“You stupid little ****!! Who the hell do you think you are??!!” Obese yells while in full control over Gravel. With one hand he lifts the TWF Champion as though he was about to perform a choke slam, and smashes Vince’s entire head through the ceiling.
“I’ve always heard you were hard headed!!”
Then pulling him back down, he notices that the element that was heating the frying pan is still red hot. With a smile, and a wink to the ‘video game crew’, he lifts Metal as though he were a rag doll, and smashes his back into the top of the stove. Yelling in pain, Vince tries to free himself, but with the force that Obese is pushing down on his chest, he knows he won’t be able to.
Staring up at a grimace that would scare away the worst kind of man, Metal fights through the pain when all of a sudden he’s stunned when his vision goes black for half a second. He never lost consciousness, but never the less, he knew that no matter what the physical cost would be, he needed to free himself. So reaching up with his right hand, and still suffering miserably, he thumbs Obese in the eye, and uses his finger nails to pull at his already burnt cheek.
“You son of a bitch!! You’re a dead man!!” Obese yells while letting go of the pressure he had on Vince.
Turning as fast as he can to his side, Metal pulls himself up off the stove and away from Obese. He needed to get out of here fast he thought, there’s no way he could take on a monster like this in such closed quarters. So with Obese stunned with blurred vision, Vince escapes from the kitchen, and using the help of the walls as leverage, starts walking towards the entrance area.
“Why are you running away old man??!! You’re not afraid are you??!!” the “Two Ton Terror” cries out, while watching Metal stagger down the corridor.
With the ‘video game crew’ never more than a few feet behind him, Obese exits the kitchen and once again begins that monstrous chase. Bashing his fists into the walls for pleasure, and to intimidate the ‘locals’, he slowly begins to make up ground on Gravel…who for some reason or another he notices, is leaning face first into a wall.
“What’s wrong Metal, are you out of breath?”
Although he recognized the pain from the element fairly distinctively, Metal was also overtaken by a second, more sinister nuisance. Having trouble catching his breath, and feeling an enormous squeezing on his heart, he leans forward against the wall, and can do nothing but pray that whatever this is, it passes fast.
Dealing with the pain as best as he can, Metal looks out through the corner of his eye, and notices that Obese is quickly gaining ground. His only chance he thought, was to play possum. With that as his plan, he waits until his near 600 lbs attacker is within striking distance, then with one sharp elbow, hammers him in the chest.
The only reaction he got, was laughter.
“You’ve got to be kidding!!? Is that the best you got???”
Grabbing Gravel’s right arm, Obese swings him around and whips him back first back into the corridor wall. Metal falls down about six inches, and barely about to keep himself standing, is crushed when the “Two Ton Terror” runs into him, and smothers him with his entire 580 lbs frame. On the floor, breathing rapidly, yet unable to catch that same breath, Vince is unable to protect himself when Obese lifts him once again, then suplexes him on to his back. He knows what’s going to happen now, but barely able to keep himself awake, he can do little to prevent it. The “Black Cloud Splash”.
“I’m going to love the sound of your bones breaking Vinny!!”
Metal once said that luck was nothing more than the scars of fate, and as Eden yelled out Obese’s name, he knew that he had it on his side.
“There he is, *Cough* he’s the one who destroyed the Bluebird!!” she cries out vengefully.
Behind her, two of the UWF’s finest are ready to make a name for themselves. Although no one here was informed of what was going to happen, that doesn’t mean that now that it has, they couldn’t use this opportunity to get noticed.
Electric Shadow, who in round one lost to Swingblade, but earned the respect of many around the industry, stares up at Obese’s scared face. Beside him, seemingly lost, his tag partner Madison Ross stands smiling. It’s almost as though she hadn’t the slightest idea who was standing in front of her, and what kind of threat she was facing.
“You’ve got to be kidding me Eden? With all the losers in the UWF, you bring these two??!!” Obese screams while picking Vince up by the scruff of his neck. Then just as Shadow is about to move forward, Obese throws Metal’s limp body as hard as he can, nailing both he and Madison simultaneously.
Gravel’s forehead collides with Shadow’s face, and one of his hips smashes into Ross’ chest, as his momentum carries all three of them down. Eden behind them, begins to retreat when Obese leans forward grabbing Gravel by his hair.
“If you thought those two would stop me, you don’t know who you’re dealing with!!”
As he pulls Vince up to nearly to nearly eye level, the massive man begins to hear Madison Ross stir behind him.
“Ross, you never learn do you?”
Only, when he tosses Gravel aside he doesn’t see that same happy expression that Madison was sporting only a moment ago. This time, it’s more aggressive, maybe even more ‘manly’ than before.
“Ross? Oh she’s not here anymore. But I am!!” Madison’s alter ego ‘Josh’ tells him before beginning ‘his’ assault . As though ‘he’ were protecting ‘his’ girlfriend from another man in a bar, ‘he’ swings ‘his’ fists wildly with a surprising amount of strength. Taken back by the hostile attack, Obese is stunned with a round house right that catches him square in the nose.
Savagely moving forward, Josh continues ‘his’ antagonistic attack throwing his fists uncontrollably. Having been surprised with that initial punch to the face, Obese takes a few steps back and tries to regroup himself. Blow after blow rain down upon the giant, but what Josh makes up for in bravery, he loses in power, as the 115 lbs ‘man’ really can’t punish the 580 lbs behemoth like ‘he’ thinks.
In one swift series of moves, Obese yells down and grabs Josh by the shoulders, lifting ‘him’ up quickly and headbutting ‘him’ in the face. Then, still holding on to ‘him’, he places his right arm between ‘his’ legs and begins to shift his body to perform yet another suplex. This time, he would let his entire massive frame fall down with it, and he’d make sure that by doing so, Josh and his partner would no longer be a problem.
With Eden in shock, and the ‘video game crew’ still recording everything that’s happening, Obese jumps up into the air, twists his entire body around so that he’d drop stomach first, and lands on Electric Shadow, with Josh in between. Laughing at his handiwork, the “Two Ton Terror” gets up, searches for Metal, and notices that he’s already escaping down the hall.
Having the two UWF stars grab Obese’s attention, Metal had a head start, and began to stagger down the hall with his vision acting like a throb light. With only about five seconds of normal sight between one second ‘blackouts’, Vince tries hard to control his rapid breathing as he makes his way back through the entrance way and into another hallway. Although his time in the UWF under Eden gave him a little familiarity with the “Bernard Bastion”, at the moment he hasn’t the slightest idea where he is. All he knows right now is that he’s in a bad place, with an even worse problem chasing him.
Then at the end of the hall, he notices a woman holding a small dog walking away from him. Seeing how quickly she’s gaining ground on him, he knows that Obese won’t be far behind. He’s slowed, and now if he couldn’t think of a way out, his career might be over. So with his chest feeling like it’s being compressed, he looks around quickly and notices a shelving unit on the wall, with UWF trophies being showcased behind a pane of glass. Behind him, he can hear Obese already arriving.
“Are we playing ‘hide and seek’ now Metal?? You coward!”
Vince Gravel turns around, leans back against the trophy shelf, and watches as the “Two Ton Terror” approaches. He knows what he’s about to do won’t stop him, but all the same, his will forbids him to give up. Just as Obese is about to attack, Metal lifts both of his hands over his head, grabs the top of the shelf, and then with all his might, pulls forward yanking the entire trophy case off the wall and launches it at his would be attacker.
Collapsing to the floor, Vince looks up between the ‘black spots’ and sees that luckily, Obese was close enough for the shelf to break over his stomach and upper legs.. Small shards of glass were now protruding from his thighs, and blood was already dripping down Obese’s legs.
“You’ll….you’ll have to kill me.” Gravel mutters back to him, once again forcing himself up to his feet. No longer having the benefit of a head start, Metal turns into the first room he sees, hoping that he’ll find some sort of wrassler brave enough to help him..
Chapter 9: Breaking Point.
Not having noticed any signs of destruction, and carrying her pocket dog Pinky, the UWF commissioner enters into her office basically oblivious to anything around her. Once inside, she sees Clive watching her television with a concerned expression on his face, and Spinner standing beside him looking terribly troubled himself. Then wanting to know what’s going on, she steps in front of her desk, and stares a the monitor.
“Hey, I know that place!! That’s right outside my office!! When did this match happen??”
Looking at her in disbelief, both members of the EC back away from her, confusing her and at the same time, getting away from the door. She stares at them for a second, bewildered and a little hurt.
“What is it? Do I smell?”
Just then, walking through the office door, Metal comes in grasping for air, as though he were constantly out of breath. Looking up and seeing where he was, the only words that come out of his mouth are “Oh…****..”. Growling at him, the animal that some would argue is the true ‘brains’ of the UWF, perhaps knows what’s coming, and wiggles her way free of Nikki’s grasp. Running for the door, Nikki panics and begins to follow her.
Where Pinky was able to go between Obese’s legs unnoticed, Nikki wasn’t so lucky. The “Two Ton Terror” entered the room already with both fists above his head ready to strike, and with Nikki already in between he and Metal, she would have been the one to receive the blow. However, perhaps out of instinct, or maybe just a will to survive, Gravel pushes her down and with her body now beneath him, grabs both of Obese’s wrists as they were about to nail him.
Falling to one knee, Metal knows he doesn’t have the power to keep Obese from falling on him. It’s only a matter of seconds now before the entire 580 lbs of brutality comes tumbling down upon him and the innocent woman at his feet.
With an audience that includes the ‘video game crew’, and members of the EC, Metal fights through not only his weakening heart, but also Obese’s crazed frame of mind. He closes his eyes so not to be distracted from the constant ‘blackouts’, and nods his head towards the ground. If he was going to lose, it would be fighting.
“After I’m done crushing you, I’m going to feed your body to that dog!’ Obese yells, before everything changes.
Behind him, entering through the door with crutches in his left hand, and a sledgehammer in his right, JT Davison nods at Spinner then hammers the giant in the back of the head. Letting go of the pressure, Obese stands straight, dizzied by the blow, before yet again, Davison nails him!! It’s like an interior earthquake waiting to happen, as the SHOW giant is knocked out on his feet. He staggers back and forth for a few seconds, then with a third blow from that hammer, the injured JT sends him tumbling down toward the ‘video game crew’, causing all four of them to fall back against the wall.
With Obese laying at their feet, JT smiles at them, then as though only to revenge what the near 600 pounder did to him in round one, asks...
“Now how is THAT for a match ending??”
Not knowing exactly who had saved him, Metal opens his eyes, then tries to stand before finally collapsing back against Nikki’s desk. He could feel his heart pound, his breath weakened, and his mind slurred with trying to stay conscious. He knew there was no more fight in him, and was thankful Obese had been dealt with. And although he was victorious, he knew luck played a larger role than he would have liked.
After running back in the room, Pinky quickly ran to her owner and began to lick her face. Within seconds, Nikki was back to her feet and smiling at Davison.
“That was really nice of you to show up like that JT!! I didn’t know you cared for me so much”
JT looked at her, and shook his head.
“Just be thankful Spinner phoned me, otherwise, this would have turned out a lot different.”
Near the far end of the office, Spinner stares at Clive with that expression that asks if he’s happy what he’s done. Clive smirks back arrogantly, knowing that because of this, the UWF would go down in video game history. He’d deal with Burnt and Metal’s punishment at later time, now he just wanted to make sure that he didn’t forget any loose ends for this game.
Hours later, in the Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Spinner and Nikki enter into Metal’s room. With a bouquet of flowers in her hand, Nikki comes over and takes a seat next to Vince’s bed.
“What the hell is this?” Metal asks
“You saved my life!! That was really nice of you!!” Nikki replies.
The truth is, the entire match was more or less a blur to him. He honestly had no idea what happened, and even less of an idea of how he won. He just stares at Nikki dumbfounded and responds.
“You sure? That doesn’t sound like something I would do”
Spinner moves up closer and pats Vince on the shoulder, “No it doesn’t, but maybe it should.”
Chapter 10: Brisbane
The long flight back from Chicago had given Vince Gravel a lot to think about. It’s been said that idle time is nothing more than a mirror into ones soul, and perhaps, this was why Metal seemed so distraught. Defeating Obese had been lucky, this was true, and although in doing so he was able to move on in this competition, he did not feel fulfilled.
Not withstanding the pressures of being in this tournament, Vince had also made an effort to better the TWF. Day after day he would be the first one to ensure that the no matter what, the hard working fans in Brisbane felt that they got their moneys worth. He did this, while others around him perhaps felt that they were entitled to the riches that Wrassle[dot]Net was offering. As the flight landed, the TWF Champion was feeling anything but triumphant.
The days that followed in Australia were punishing to it’s fans, and although he realized that it was them, and not the roster that created the atmosphere, he knew that something drastic needed to occur. Engineering the destruction of the Convention and Exhibition Center, he had hoped for some sort of retaliation from his fellow wrasslers, but alas, no such thing had happened. He had even handcuffed himself to a post completely vulnerable to attack, yet still, no one could have been bothered.
The most terrible event to occur was Slick Powers stripping him of his Championships, and by that time, they had become meaningless to him anyway.
Even with the lack of response from his peers, the worst insult was yet to come, as upon arrival to assess the damage, Clive Windsor had actually thanked him. As though he were nothing more than a pawn being pushed around on a board, he was told that he had acted as a catalyst in what was surely something that needed to be done. The TWF would move to the United States, leaving behind nothing but memories of a scared federation that could no longer be salvaged.
Days turned into nights all too quickly in the following week, and Metal’s mood had not at all improved. It was true that to some, most notably Spinner, he had done some great deed in his round two victory; yet in his minds eye, the industry as a whole was not better off because of it. And although his health had improved since coming back from Chicago, his mind perhaps was losing hope that any of this remained relevant.
Standing in the parking lot staring at the rubble that was once the TWF home, Vince Gravel is truly lost. He knows that good or bad, the industry as a whole was about to change, and he wasn’t sure if there would be room for him once it had.
Then as though robbing him of his solitude, a familiar voice echoes from behind him. Sighing briefly, he turns around and meets his gun totting stable partner, Marcelus Gates. The man known to his friends as Lucca Brassi was still young, and although very talented, couldn’t possibly fathom what Metal was going through. He smirked at Gravel, then tapping his cell phone, spoke up.
“That was some guy named Spinner, says you ain’ done with him yet. You be needed in SHOW!! Clive been messin’ up with that game, and now you got fix what he been ****in’ up.”
Metal smirked slightly, then stared hard into the young mans eyes, realizing that maybe there was still hope. What he saw in Brassi was what was missing in SHOW, and he knew that going there, he would see nothing but exhausted fans and worn out superstars. Having been in the industry for a as long as he has, he was one of very few people that could tell you what being in a National meant, and he knew that many in SHOW had forgotten what that was.
“Have you ever been to Hollywood Marcelus?”
With a smile spread from ear to ear, Gates had answered the question. In a matter of days, the tandem leaders of No Leaf Clover would enter the SHOW Palace, and one way or the other, bring this event to a close. Watching Marcelus’ enthusiasm perhaps took his mind away from the distain he was feeling, and as the duo left the devastation which was once an arena, Metal knew Hollywood might be his last hope for finding fulfillment.
The next morning, wanting some clarification about how this match would play out, Vince decided to pay the ECO a visit. Staying at a nearby hotel, Clive Windsor was hesitant at first to accept the visit, but after considering how Gravel had always done things in front of the ‘big lights’, he knew that nothing would happen. After opening the door to him, Windsor stepped back and took a seat on a nearby chair, where he resumed his work.
Walking in alone, Metal immediately begins to smell that life-eating stench of nicotine. Knowing that Clive has never really been one to light up, and that the “Tormented Soul” can’t seem to stop, he knew that he and Windsor were not alone.
“I was wondering who had brought him here, I guess I should have known that his arrival was a little coincidental with yours.”
Walking out from behind the door, Cyanide casually brushes off Gravel’s presence and takes his place beside the man who had hired him. With that, Clive turns his body so that he could watch Metal’s expression, and smiles.
“Vince, you had a knife to my throat in round one!! What did you expect? Did you think I would just come here and let you have your way with me? That just wasn’t going to happen!! And besides, you were about two minutes away from having a heart attack against Obese. If I didn’t hire him to fill in for you, you might have been killed before I could finish using you for Wrassle[dot]Net the game!!
Of course what he said was true, Vince Gravel had indeed had health problems during his fight with Obese, and yes, his time away from the ring had very much helped him recover. But was Clive behind this?? The realization that Windsor brought in the one man who actually scared him as protection was one thing, but to also make sure that he would not be further injured before the finals? That was another.
“You hired him to make sure I was healthy enough to help you finish your game?”
“That, and to make sure you didn’t try to kill me again!! I still don’t know what you were thinking when you did that, but yes, I did hire him. Now I’ve already had Aurora tell Ellie what I need from her, and seeing how I was already in the TWF, I decided to tell you myself. You and her are going to be in a multi-gimmick type match, where every five minutes, the gimmick changes. You’ll be watched closely by the same group of ‘computer geeks’ that you were before, and with this, we should finally have enough information to start production of our game!! Super! Now go have fun!” Clive responded.
Having been waived off by the EC member, Metal nods his head and leaves. Not only did he not like the fact that he was helped by Clive, he hated that Cyanide was the person doing it. With a taste of disdain in his mouth, he walks away knowing in a few days, he would again be a pawn in an EC plan.
Chapter 11: The SHOW Palace
Where it’s said that no one person could ever become larger than SHOW, it was quickly becoming clear that many on it’s roster were not currently living up to it. The month of March was one of it’s weakest months in history, and with less and less people interested in attending Wrassle[dot]Net’s only National federation, the ticket sales were starting to take a severe beating.
In her office, just before she is to make her entrance as a special guest referee, the often depressed Aurora is engaged in a fairly heated argument with none other than the two head honchos themselves, Burnt and Icehawg. Thinking that the Finest Fighter PPV would perhaps lighten their moods, the SHOW commissioner was not entirely prepared for what they had to say.
“You don’t seem to understand Aurora, these numbers are outrageous!! Hell even the TWF has made us more money this month!!! You’re the person in charge of what supposed to be our biggest money maker, and last I checked, there were less that five people on your roster who were actually showing up on a regular basis. It’s bull****, and you’d better be doing something about it!” Burnt exclaimed, pissed off about a great many things.
Frustrated with not only the people to which she employs, but also with the fact that she really can’t say that much in her own defence, Aurora retreats to the window and stares down towards the ring. Inside of it, Ellie Murphy and Whiplash are readying themselves to battle it out, and honestly, she was at a loss to what more the EC wanted.
“Look down at the ring, Ellie is about to give it her all try to win the Rising Star Championship!! How can you question SHOW’s willingness to please, when there’s an example right there of a person putting everything on the line!! She has chance at the Bar Room Brawl in a matter of about an hour, and STILL she’s out there doing her best!”
Walking up to join her, both members of the EC stare out through the office window at the combatants below. Although what she’s said is true about Ellie, there remains a larger question about SHOW’s success. Interjecting before Burnt could again unleash a verbal thrashing, Icehawg places his hand on her shoulder and speaks out.
“Aurora listen, it’s not that we have something against you, it’s just that Wrassle[dot]Net as a whole isn’t doing that well. I mean just look at the BRB match you were talking about. I basically forced Clive into making this a multi-gimmick match! You think I like the idea of the video game match types being based on five minute examples? It’s ridiculous!! But that’s what we have to deal with, and it’s frustrating. And as far as the match were about to see? I’m just glad that both competitors showed up, I mean how many disqualifications have there been in the Finest Fighter tournament up to date?”
Again not really knowing how to defend herself, Aurora is at a loss. She just stares into Icehawg’s face bewildered at how her roster has acted this month. Honestly, she had no idea what to say, and thankfully, thanks to Clive Windsor she wouldn’t have to. Entering through her office doors, sporting a smirk of confidence, the ECO had garnered Burnt’s full attention.
“Well if it isn’t the man who hasn’t stopped screwing things up since the start of the month! Just think about it Ice, if it wasn’t for the rest of the EC, this entire video game idea would likely still be in phase one!!” Burnt begins with, making sure Clive hears every word of it.
Doing little else other than nodding his head, Windsor walks past the fuming Burnt and right up to Aurora. He can tell by the look on her face that she’s been getting nailed by them, and knowing how it feels, he can only be a little sympathetic.
“Don’t worry about it, I have a good feeling about what were about to see. And beside’s, Burnt’s just pissed off because he’s losing money… he tells her, before being promptly interrupted.
“Clive, who the hell are you to talk??!! You’re independently wealthy, and unlike us, you could walk away basically unscathed!! You might be part of the Executive Committee, but don’t you ever forget, that we’re the ones who built this place!! We have everything invested in it, and everything affects us!! Why won’t you people understand that?? It’s your jobs to push everyone in your federations or events to be the best that they can. We closed three federations last year, and were about to move out of Australia!! How much do you think we lost on that Clive?? How much???” Burnt yells out, angered by Clive’s ignorance.
As he watched Burnt say this, he saw for the first time that this was more than just a video game, and more than just his job on the line, this was Burnt and Icehawg’s ‘baby’ basically starving out from underneath them. Beside him, thinking this was a good opportunity to escape, Aurora leaves her office and begins her walk towards the ring.
Chapter 12: Ellie Murphy
While in the stands, there’s about twenty five thousand fans watching the action, behind the scenes, there’s at least one person who is hard at work. Being only a guest interviewer for the month of March, and not a regular employee, William Daniels was finding this particular job to be far more draining than expected. Sure he liked the idea of once again being part of the spotlight, but some of the egos he had to deal with? Well they were something else!!
Walking up to Ellie’s lockerroom door, he remembered how his interview went after round two. She basically threatened to knock his head off with a bat!! Ellie Murphy, a beautiful young lady with an ass to die for, wanted to kick the crap out of a man nearing his death bed!! That kind of abuse was certainly not something he signed up for when Aurora had contacted him about this ‘opportunity’.
He knocks on her door, hoping that she’s in a good mood after her match with Whiplash, and praying that she doesn’t have a bat with her again! A few seconds go by before the door begins to open, and he finds the only female wrassler in SHOW pacing back and forth in her room. Lifting his eyebrows at Murphy, he notices that along with her, there’s also four of the video game designers in the room.
“Um, hi there Ellie. Care for a few words before your big match? I know this ones important to you, and well…” William starts with before being cut off by the last remaining SHOW representative.
“Just shut up for a second would you? I have to listen to this, keep going would you Number one!” Ellie tells him.
Having followed this tournament beginning with Obese and JT Davison’s first round match, the four ‘video game geeks’ once again begin to explain how this match is going to take place. Number one doing all of the talking, number two and three fixing up their cameras, and number four just nodding his head.
“Ok what’s going to happen out there is first, you and Metal are going to have like a lumberjack submission match! Yeah, you have to make him tap before five minutes are up, and the SHOW roster is going to make sure you can’t leave the ring!! Then if you can’t beat him that way, then a bunch of tables, ladders and chairs are going to get thrown into the ring! You’re going to have five more minutes to get a briefcase that’s going to be lowered. Great! easy right? Ok, and assuming you can’t get that done, well this is going to be a cage match next, and the first one out wins!! That is assuming you can get out in five minutes right? I know you will! But just in case you don’t, well then we drop a roof on the top of that cage, and you gotta beat him old school!! And that time, no more five minutes, just a fight til it’s over!!” Number one tells her excitedly, having hardly taken a breath.
William’s eyes double in size as he hears what Number one had said. Not only was it intense, but he also said it all in about five seconds flat. Incredible people he thought, just incredible.
“Ok, so that’s it? All I got to do is beat him in one of those gimmick matches and the BRB is mine? No problem!” Ellie exclaims, supremely confident in her abilities.
The four ‘video game geeks’ stare at each other satisfied that they’ve properly been able to explain the gimmicks, before finally letting Mr. Daniels have his interview. Smirking to the side of her mouth, Ellie then walks over to the guest interviewer and begins before a question was ever asked.
“To make this simple, there’s no way that I’m losing out there tonight. Metal is old, he’s broken, and he’s way out of his league. I’m willing to do whatever it takes out there tonight, and no matter what, I won’t give up! Tonight Hollywood, the Bitch is back!! And I’m back with a vengeance!! All month long I’ve had to be away representing all of you in this tournament, and now that I’m back home, I guarantee victory! Metal is a washed up has-been that is only here because that idiot JT Davison gave Obese a cheap shot last round. He’s in no shape to compete against me, and while he may think he has what it takes to be in the SHOW Palace, tonight I’m going to prove that he’s simply does NOT!!” she says boldly into the camera.
Happy with how little work he had to do to get Ellie to express herself, William smiles then begins to shut off his camera.
“Thanks a million Miss Murphy, I wasn’t able to get an interview with that guy from the TWF. He just waved me off like he didn’t have anything important to say. I thought it was odd, but then again, I’m new right?”
Hearing this, Ellie gives Daniel’s this odd look , before asking some obvious questions.
“Wait, Metal refused an interview? When did you see him? Hey geeks, when are you supposed to talk to him?”
Number one looks at her as though she was the only person in the building that didn’t know, and replies. “Um Miss Murphy, we went to Metal first. He was with some really nasty looking African American, and some other guy who looked really important. He said he didn’t care about the gimmicks, and that he would meet you in the ring. If I’m not mistaken, he should be making his entrance right now…”
A little shocked that Vince Gravel gave up his prematch rights, Ellie walks over to her television that has a constant feed of what’s going on in the building, and watches. Sure she knew that although Number one was never privy to seeing her match against Marcelus, he would be one of the men that was referred to. But the really important guy? Who could that be? Then, as the curtains began to pull apart from each other, she saw him.
“Spinner? What’s he doing with Metal??”
Chapter 13: Welcome to the Machine
Knowing that SHOW was a stronghold of the Network, a stable that he personally insured would not claim the BRB, it was decided that they should arrive at the SHOW Palace only minutes before he was set to take the ring. Standing at the backstage entrance, Spinner begins to worry that the man he helped in round two would not be showing up. Fifteen minutes before the match was set to begin, Vince Gravel and Marcelus Gates walk through the doors.
“So this is it? Gotta say Metal, I ain’ feelin’ like I’d be tired of this place to quick” Brassi tells his tag team partner as he makes his first impressions. Then, seeing the man dressed in a suit standing there waiting for them, he continues. “And who dat?? My piece is just waitin to come out!! Just say the word!”
“Relax, he’s a friend. In fact, you could say that he’s the biggest influence on my wrassle career.” Metal tells him while stepping ahead to meet his old commissioner. Shaking hands, Vince smirks knowing he owes this man this opportunity.
“Thanks for making that call in Chicago man, I never really had the opportunity to thank you. Although, with the state of affairs, I wonder if anyone is even going to be watching this tonight.”
Spinner smiles arrogantly, he was never a man to accept failure, and he had thought that he had properly trained Metal so many years ago to think the same.
“Don’t worry about what I did for you, I assume that you’re healthy? Ahh, that doesn’t even matter, you’ll pull through. And as far as people not watching? Well how about you make sure that they do!! Vince, I can promise you this, Nikki will be watching. You saved her life whether you like it or not, and trust me when I say this, you earned a fan in doing so! Anyway, we got to get going, so we’ll catch up after the match, alright?”
Agreeing, the two members of No Leaf Clover begin to walk towards the backstage entrance. Along the way, they brush aside the interview opportunities and gimmick explanations, until finally reaching their destination. With better equipment than the TWF was able to offer, Gates is amazed with how Spinner is able to manipulate the control panel, making sure everything would be ready.
“What can I say? I’m the backstage guy at the USOB.” Spinner brags.
Smirking slightly, Vince stands composed behind the curtain until finally he hears his music. “Welcome to the Machine” by Pink Floyd. The curtains spread, and all three men begin to walk down the ramp where they notice that already, the entire SHOW roster minus Ellie Murphy is waiting for them.
Down at the announcer’s table, Ben Stonewall and Stuntman Colt Calhoun stare up at the ramp, watching intently as the trio begins it’s way down.
“That HAS to be intimidating, having every wrassler on the roster waiting for you as you make your way towards the ring. Hey, is that Spinner?? What the hell??” Stuntman says, noticing his fellow EC member.
“Uh yeah, I think it is. Very interesting. Hope he’s bringing some sort of excitement with him.” Stonewall replies.
“Well I don’t mind, like I always say, two EC members are better than one!! Wow, would you look at the glare Metal is receiving from the Network!! It’s a good thing looks can’t kill you, or that man would be SOOO dead.” Calhoun says while beginning to be excited about this gimmick match.
Letting Spinner have his leave to join SCC and Stonewall at the announcer’s table, Metal enters the ring after telling Marcelus to be careful.
“Ain’ you need to worry about me! I’m right at home here! You just make sure I getta piece of that bitch, I owe her a piece of my fist if you know what I mean!!” Gates tells him while taking his place among the SHOW superstars.
Now waiting alone in the ring, Vince Gravel stares past the threats of those in SHOW, and towards the entrance. Soon this would begin, and Clive Windsor would have all the information that his video game would need. After a few minutes of waiting, those same four geeks that followed him in round two make their presence near the ring, and Ellie’s music begins to sound.
“I am Loco” by Ill Nino blares through the ears of all those in attendance, then before long, Ellie Murphy comes barging through the curtains herself. Her face is filled with determination, the kind that has belonged to Metal throughout his career. She is possessed that same kind of hate that he is so famous for, and tonight, even though she was of the opposite sex, it would be like fighting a mirror.
She enters the ring, and stares at him. In her point of view, he was nothing. She was a cold hearted bitch that was going to trample all over his body, suffocating him at any point she could. Ellie Murphy was absolutely focussed on winning, and Metal was nothing more than her last obstacle.
While the two combatants glare at each other from opposite ends of the ring, one Penny Roux enters through ropes to begin her introduction. With a very professional demeanour, she raises the microphone up to her mouth and…“Welcome all to the final match up in the 2010 Bar Room Brawl! Tonight, the two remaining fighters will be pit against each other in a revolving gimmick scenario. Down at ring side,” *pointing to the game developers* “there is a crew of professionals ready to takes notes and footage of everything that they’ll need to finally finish Wrassle[dot]Net the game!! As you can tell, there’s a five minute timer up on the jumbotron, and every time the clock hits zero, the gimmick will change! What makes this interesting is that the only way to win will be by specifically doing what is required of that particular match type. So without further ado, lets begin!! While all the entire roster of SHOW is at ringside, the only way to win in this first five minutes, will be by forcing the other person to tap out! Ok, ring the bell!!’
She exit’s the ring in a hurry, before the bell finally rings. Both Metal and Murphy circle around the ring for a few seconds before finally locking up in the center of it. Being a woman, you would think that perhaps Murphy would be lacking physically, and that this could be somewhat one sided. But from Gravel’s point of view, she was a paid wrassler, and thus was deserving of the same sort of effort that any man would receive from him.
So while both of their arms are locked up with the others, Gravel attempts to lift himself up onto his tepee-toes to get that extra leverage. With more pressure being pushed down on her, Murphy is forced to lose ground, and this opens an opportunity for Metal. With a swift knee to her abdomen, he forces the ravishing young lady to double over, only to be met with a sharp elbow to the back of her neck.
“Doesn’t look like Metal is going to have a problem beating on a woman, does it?” Ben says, watching Vince take the early advantage.
“Metal will do whatever it takes to get the job done, trust me on that guys!” Spinner retorts, while Gravel begins to swing Murphy into the ropes.
“Here’s just hoping we get to see all the match types Spinner! I wouldn’t want this match to be a let down, otherwise Clive might have some questions to answer.” SCC retorts.
Being sent off the ropes, Ellie comes running back hard into a perfectly executed elbow-clothesline to the jaw. Her back bounces off the mat while Metal backs away, and tries to garner some momentum himself. With swift movement, he speeds into side of the ring ready to get a slingshot off the ropes, when he’s tripped by none other than his second round opponent Obese!!
“I’m not done with you yet you little bitch!!” The “Two Ton Terror” yells at him while still holding onto Gravel’s ankle and yanking out of the ring. Having no way to keep balance while Obese is holding him, Metal falls to the floor, only keeping himself from smashing his face with his hands. Then with an echo that is heard through the SHOW Palace, Malice nails Metal in the flat of the back with a steal chair!!
As the pain runs through Vince’s body, his arms are no longer capable of keeping him from falling, but even still, he doesn’t touch floor. The 580 behemoth picks him up around the waist, and with his arms locked tightly to his side, Metal can’t protect himself as Obese jumps up and smashes Gravel’s back into the ring steps.
Dropping him like a bad habit, Obese smiles down at the man who robbed him of his chance in this match, then yells up at Murphy. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll do more than just beat him, you’ll destroy him!”
With that, Malice forces Metal back into the ring, where now, he was in no position to defend himself. Looking up at the clock and seeing that there was a little less than two minutes left, Murphy proceeds to end this quickly! As the TWF representatives lays helplessly on his back, Ellie grabs Metal’s left hand, then wrapping her legs around that same arm, drops down on her beautiful ass, and begins to place torque on Metal’s wrist.
“Urgh…damn it!! ARGH!!” Metal yells out, not at all expecting this to happen so quickly.
Leaning back so that her back was now basically flush with the mat, Murphy pulls on Gravel’s wrist with all of her might. She could feel it begin to give in, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before he tapped out. This was it!!
“Just give in you has-been!! This is over! You can’t beat me!!” she yells over at him.
Staring up at the clock, trying desperately to ignore the pain, Metal watches as the thirty second mark passes by. He had to fight through this, no matter what!! He would not give in!!
With a sound that is heard up the first ten first rows of seats, Metal’s wrist cracks, leaving Murphy still clutching his limp hand in shock. How could he have fought through that kind of pain??? How?? The bell rings!!
“I can tell you one thing, Metal had better have some high stamina stats in this game Clive’s making!” Stuntman says very impressed with Gravel’s resiliency.
“No doubt, but I don’t think Murphy will be impressed.” Stonewall comes back with, as he watches the tables, chairs and ladders being thrown into the ring.
Letting go of Metal’s broken wrist, Ellie evaluates the situation and comes to the conclusion that this might be a good time to finish this off. As the briefcase is lowered by a single wire, she grabs one of the ladders that was just thrown into the ring, and places it just beneath it.
While in great physical distress, Gravel lays clutching his the pain, while he watches Ellie begin her ascent. He knew he had to somehow make up ground here! He had no choice!! He had to fight through the pain!! Standing up with his broken bone placed tightly against his stomach, he clumsily runs over to the ladder, and just as Ellie was about to grab the Championship, he smashes his back into it!!
The ladder comes crashing down with Ellie basically unable to protect herself. Her back hit’s the top rope, and with gravity giving her more push once she hits it, the rope falls underneath the second rope, before coming back up and locking her in between. Now with Ellie’s body trapped in the ropes, Metal took a moment to breath. A high pace match was never his strong suit, and he knew before he could begin climbing that ladder, he’d have to make sure Murphy had nothing left. So walking over to a nearby steel chair, he grabs it, then returns to smash her in the face.
Sure the blow lacked the impact that it would if he could still use both of his hands, but still, he’d hoped that it would be enough. He then proceeded to replace the ladder underneath the briefcase, and he started to climb it himself. Using his forearm instead of his left hand for balance, and his back still throbbing thanks to Obese, the ladder seems a long way up.
“I have to be honest, Metal doesn’t look like he has much gas in the tank. He should have been up that ladder by now!! Maybe what I said about his stamina isn’t as accurate as I first though!!” Calhoun says from the announcer’s table.
“Don’t worry about him, he’ll be fine.” Spinner tells him.
While nearing the top, he turns around seeing that Murphy has managed to wiggle herself free. Metal sighs knowing that if he didn’t let his wrist break, this would never have been an issue. He had to get the case now, and he had to do it fast!! Doubling his effort, Gravel reaches the top step just as Ellie began to climb the other side.
Trying to keep balance, he reaches up towards victory with his right hand, with only his feet still firmly placed on the ladder. Inches would be all he needed. He climbs up higher, now standing on the very top, he can feel it, he can almost taste the Bar Room Brawl Championship!!
“You wish old man!!” Ellie yells at him, now nearing the top of the two sided ladder herself.
With a sharp punch to his gut, Metal somehow keeps his balance, then returns the favour with a right hand to her forehead. Stunned a little by the strong fist from above, Ellie again pounds at Metal’s stomach, but is again smashed in the face. Then before she could deliver another blow, Metal jumps up and nails her in the face with both feet at once, while his ass lands on the top of the ladder!!
“That’s what I’m talking about!! Tell me that’s not absolute determination Ben!! That was amazing!” Spinner exclaims, proud of Metal’s resiliency.
“I have to admit, that wasn’t bad. And now that Murphy crashed back to down to the mat, this could be all over!” Ben says, nodding his head.
“I don’t know, there’s only five seconds remaining for him to get the briefcase!!” Stuntman yells out, while Metal begins to reach upwards again.
From Aurora’s office, Burnt was watching the action unfold. For the first time in a while, his mood began to change as the crowd’s cheering got louder. As the clock ticked down from five seconds, Metal would only need to grab a hold of that briefcase and everything would be over. Then just as he was about to firmly seize what he had worked for, one of Gravel’s feet loses grip, and he falls down to the next step. He tries again, but the clock hits zero and the briefcase is pulled back up from where it came just as he was about to grab hold of it!
“That’s got to suck! He was SO close!” Ben says, while smiling at Spinner.
“It’s not over yet!” Spinner tells him while a steel cage is lowered around the ring.
Relieved that the clock had run out on him, Murphy stands back up to her feet, and begins to sway the ladder back and forth. With Metal at the top, and completely vulnerable, he can do little else but watch as Ellie pushes against the ladder. Then with one final shove, the ladder begins to tip, and Metal holds on with his one good hand.
“Oh my God!! Metal was so high on that ladder, that he fell right into the steel cage, and THEN onto the floor. Wow, I think his head hit the steel before anything else. Is he knocked out??” Calhoun says loudly, trying to hear himself over the roaring crowd.
Standing up to assess the damage, Spinner doesn’t know what to say.
Chapter 14: Marcelus Gates
Watching his partner being ravaged inside the ring was not easy for Lucca Brassi. Sure he had come here knowing that this might happen, but still, he didn’t like the idea of one woman being able to say she knocked No Leaf Clover out of the competition. As the ladder tipped over, and Metal’s head bounced off the steel cage that was in front of him, he knew he had to do something. After all, his partner was basically knocked out with no way of helping himself, what else could he do?
“Ain’ no way that bitch beatin him!” he mutters as he walks over to the area of the cage where Ellie had begun to climb from the inside.
With the crowd booming with excitement, Gates found a new kind of determination to get this done. With one hand over the other, he began to scale the steel knowing that there was no way he would let his partner down!! With only a few feet before Ellie could topple down the other side, he pushes up faster than he ever thought possible until finally reaching a point where he could stop her.
“I told ya you ain’ done with me” he yells at her only to get her attention.
Ellie Murphy is sitting on top of the cage, with one foot on either side! Brassi was inches beneath her and she could do nothing but kick down at his face. But Gates didn’t care about pain! He just kept moving forward showing that savage determination that Metal had seen in his eyes days before. He would not be stopped!! He ignored the teeth that were kicked out of his mouth, the blood spewing out from his eyes, he just kept climbing!!
“Wow!! Who is that guy??!!” Ben asks, also seeing the drive that this none-SHOW wrassler was putting on display.
“His name is Lucca Brassi, and trust me, he won’t be a stranger here for long!!” Spinner says, relieved that Gates was doing his thing.
Now at the top, Marcelus took a seat across from Murphy. He leaned forward yelling, and grabbed her hair to try and push her back down to the ring. Ellie wouldn’t have it though, she grabbed hold of the top bar of the cage with her right hand, and began to punch Gates in the face with her left!! What was amazing to her was that just like Metal, Gates wouldn’t give in!! He just kept tugging at her, forcing her to back away from victory!! He would not let her win!!!
“Ya ain’ know who I am do ya?? I’m Lucca ****in’ Brassi!!”
Then, she saw it, tucked in behind his pants was his pistol. She grabs it with her left hand, and smashes him in the top of the head with the handle. He wasn’t letting go? How can this be?? She hit him again, but he just pulled harder!! What??
Just then, the clock ran out again, and the roof for the cage began to be lowered. Brassi, offering Ellie a blood filled smile, holds on to her tightly as it finally arrives inches away from them. Then not wanting to be crushed, and knowing that Gates would never let her escape, she lets herself fall back down to the ring!! Gates had done what he set out to do!!
“Brassi is about to be crushed!! Oh my God, he jumped!!” Stuntman yells as loud as he can, now unable to have his voice heard above the applause.
Victorious, Marcelus topples down to the cement floor below, inches away from Beano’s feet. The REAL Face of Faces leans over, curious about the young African American, and holds up his head.
“It’s ok, Beano is here now! Try some Pepsi Max, I know it will help you!!” Beano tells him, while forcing some of the drink down Brassi’s throat.
Inside the ring, both Ellie Murphy and Vince Gravel were down, and now the only way to win, was to pin the other!!
Chapter 15: The Bar Room Brawl Champion
Trapped inside the steel cage, both competitors were down and barely moving. It didn’t matter how much time was left on the jumbotron anymore, one of them needed to pin the other. While the fans were yelling loudly with a united voice, Burnt stared down finally being pleased with what he was seeing.
“WE WANT A CHAMPION! WE WANT A CHAMPION!!” the SHOW Palace was screaming!!
As though he were waking up from a haze, Vince Gravel used the cage to pull himself back to his feet.. He looked around the ring dizzily for his opponent, and there she was, herself getting back up. Knowing that luck had played too large of a role for him already in this tournament, he set himself up in the center of the ring and watched as she approached him.
He could not fall again, for he knew that if he did, there would be no help for him and he would most certainly lose. Then as though he were staring at her with a dozen beers in his mind, he throws a right hand towards her face, missing her completely. Then trying to regroup, he feels the sting of a woman scorned as Ellie smashes him in the jaw.
His entire body moves back, but he does not go down!! He takes notice of where that punch came from, and again attempts another blow. This one lands!! And now she’s falling back! He tries to hit her again, but Murphy comes back with another right hand of her own!!
“This is what I’m talking about!! Two opponents giving it their all!! At any moment either one of them could collapse and still be proud of what they’ve done!!” Burnt tells Aurora, now very pleased with how this match is going.
“And what makes it great, is they’ve been able to go through every gimmick that I set up, so now it doesn’t matter who wins.” Clive tells him in response.
“Oh it matters Clive, just listen to the fans!” Icehawg tells him, still intently fixed on the action below.
Metal and Murphy continue to exchange extreme right hands, with neither one of them giving in. Then knowing she couldn’t take much more of this, Ellie pushes forward and grabs Metal face, readying herself to for a quick DDT. But with her being so close, she opened up a prime opportunity for Gravel, as he began the motions to end this.
Stabbing his right hand at her throat, he grabs a hold of her jugular, then with a slight twist before the tug, he robs Murphy’s lungs of air with a ‘Coffin Nail’. She falls helpless to his feet, and Vince topples down onto her stomach. With a few simple slaps to the mat, the pin count reached three. Vince Gravel was the Bar Room Brawl Champion!!
Still laying on top of her, the exhausted Metal didn’t notice the cage being lifted back up to the rafters, or Beano carrying Gates into the ring. He simply laid there for a second and listened to the crowd. His thoughts were drowned out by their applause, his mind shocked by the appreciation. He never would have thought this possible. Only a week ago, he had done the extreme and no one seemed to care. Pushing down with his one good hand, he got himself back to his feet and stared out to the side of the ring. He saw the approval of the EC, the uproar of excitement in the stands, and even the roster nodding in approval.
Hell, he even had a golf clap from Obese!!
Then, just standing there amazed by how they were cheering him, he paused. They weren’t cheering him for his hate, or for a career of dominance. They weren’t cheering him on because he was some sort of superstar that had always been applauded. They were cheering him on, because tonight, he delivered!! He, along with Ellie Murphy put on a show that these fans would never forget. He had become a hero because of his willpower, and willingness to do what it takes!
As Murphy finally regained consciousness, Gravel walked up to her, and attempted to lift her left arm so that she might understand what he was feeling. No, not because he wanted to gloat, but because he wanted her to know that she was a part of this.
“Screw off! Don’t touch me!” Ellie told him instead, before angrily leaving the ring.
He stared at her for a moment before finally looking over to Spinner. The EC member was proudly standing in applause with a facial expression that told Metal that he was pleased that he finally understood. Wrassle[dot]Net never needed a “killer”, but rather it needed hope. A hope, that tonight, Metal provided.
In Aurora’s office, Burnt walked up the SHOW commissioner and told her. “You make sure that those two men never leave this place!! That’s the kind of grit our National Federation needs!!
Aurora nods approvingly before watching Burnt walk over to Clive. He doesn’t say anything to him, but instead smiles. Maybe that was all Clive needed to see to understand that the rest of the EC were pleased with how this turned out. He had got everything he wanted for Wrassle[dot]Net-The Game, and more than that, he’d provided the industry with a BRB Champion that they could be proud of. A BRB Champion, with conviction.
Inside the ring, the first time in a long time, Vince Gravel was fulfilled.
THE END