Post by EZRA on Apr 20, 2012 3:10:27 GMT -5
“Are you actually reading that?” Scarlet says, as she walks into the kitchen.
“Yes.” Ezra said, as he flips the page in the newspaper.
Scarlet strips the paper from his hands. “Reading rots your brain.”
She scoops up his empty bowl and tosses it into the sink. She smiles and rips something from the paper.
“Here you go. Go be a teenager and cause some destruction.” She stretches her arm toward him with a piece of paper held in her fingers.
“Ni-ice.”
Marek gets to his feet inside the gym he’d rented. It was after hours so their wasn’t the usual crowd of meatheads invading his space with heavy breathing and inappropriate grunting. Just him and his thoughts.
He was dripping in sweat and took a drink of his water bottle.
“What now?” he says into the darkness. “This whole tournament just seems to have been a waste of my purse money. I seem to have just created more drama and kept the titles on the champions. Now I head to No Holds Barred with my new partner and we face a team who is on top of their game. They seem to not have a weakness. They seem to be unbeatable. If they are matched in skill, they devise a game to take attention off of them.”
He sets his bottle back on the ground and stretches his neck out a bit.
“They find themselves outmatched, they act like cowardly animals and strike when it is beneficial instead of fighting head on. Walking into No Holds Barred, everyone thinks that I have wasted my money and will simply fall short. I refuse to become another casualty.”
Marek exhales sharply and turns his attention to a heavy bag. He unloads a few 1-2 combos before backing up. He quickly lunges with a front kick, causing the chain to groan with the punishment.
“You did not answer my question.”
Up until this point, it was safe to assume that he was alone but if you look closely, on the side of the gym opposite of Marek, there is a wall of glass. We can see a shadowy figure standing on the other side of the heavy bag.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for tuning in to The Circle this morning. Stay tuned because later on we will be having an interview with former UGWC Cross-Hemisphere Champion, Ezekiel Pax.”
“Who the fuck writes her script?” Ezekiel exclaimed toward the producer on set. “Did she really have to say that? ‘Former UGWC blah-blah-blah’.”
“I don’t see what the problem is. You ARE a former UGWC Cross-Hemisphere Champion. You don’t currently possess any belts so I figured it would be good to focus on the past positives instead of the present negatives.”
Ezekiel pinches his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose.
“Take the Aussie out of your mouth and explain to me exactly what that means.”
The producer puts her arm over Ezekiel’s shoulders.
“What it means, hun, is that instead of dwelling on the fact that you’re in a slump, we decided to focus on a highlight of your career.”
Ezekiel brushes her arm off of him and takes a step away from her.
“Creepy. Anyways, ‘hun’, I have a way better accomplishment than former champion. How about the guy who came the closest to dethroning the unstoppable Global Champion?”
The producer shakes her head. “That’s much too long of an introduction. Why does it matter how you’re introduced anyways? You’re still going to be getting the same sort of spotlight as anyone else.”
“Listen, Pam. I’m not here for the spotlight. I’m here because, apparently, I’m a young marketable face for UGWC and they think that if I agree to appear on your little show, it’ll give them a bigger fan base. Pshh. I’m the ‘bad guy’ and I still have a fuckin’ fan club.”
Pam puts her hand over Ezekiel’s mouth. “Shhhh.. we’re a family oriented program. We can’t have you doing that around here.”
After Pam removes her hand, Ezekiel makes a biting motion at her.
“I’ll do it. I’ll fu..riggin’ bite your hand off.”
Due to Scarlet kicking him out of the house, Ezra found himself in enemy territory. Scarlet tore a ‘Free Session’ coupon out of the paper and Ezra didn’t realize until he was out the front door that the ‘Free Session’ was for the Dragon Cave. He exhaled as he stood outside the door, trying to gain the nerve to walk into the the rival gym. He reached for the door and headed inside.
“What could it hurt?” he asked himself.
Ezra ignores the receptionist and casually begins to give himself a tour of the facilities. His eyes immediately focus on the the pair of rings settled inside. He ran his hand along the apron before reaching up toward the top rope when he was stopped in his tracks.
“Can I help you with something?”
Ezra turned around to see Rico ‘The Flying Ant’ Rodriguez standing there with arms crossed. Ezra digs his hands into the pocket of his shorts and pulls out the ‘Free Session’ coupon. He holds it up between his thumb and index finger.
“Just here for the free session.”
A smile spreads across the usually angry face of Rico. He unfolds his arms and extends his arm, pointing at the ring.
“By all means. Step right up, homes.”
Ezra turns back toward the ring and slides in as Rico climbs onto the apron and through the ropes.
“So, ‘homes’, what exactly does this free session entail?” Ezra says, shedding his shirt and tossing it to the side.
As Ezra turns his attention back toward Rico, he receives a wicked chop to the chest.
“What the hell?” he says, moving back toward the corner.
Rico leans back onto the ropes.
“Your lesson is to expect the unexpected, homes.”
Ezra steps from the corner and cautiously walks toward Rico. When Ezra is a few feet away, Rico dives at Ezra, tackling him to the ground. Rico locks in a Key Lock.
“Listen, homes. This is called a Key Lock. It’s a good move to neutralize your opponent.”
Rico transitions into an Anaconda Vice.
“This is called the Anaconda Vice. Your ‘Lord’ uses a similar version as his finisher.”
Rico lets go of the hold and rolls backward, placing himself at Ezra’s feet. Before he has anytime to react, Ezra finds himself locked in single leg Boston Crab.
“In a move like this, homes, your best bet is to crawl to the ropes.”
After realizing Ezra is just screaming in pain and not moving toward the ropes, Rico cinches the move in tighter.
“Crawl, homes!”
Ezra begins inching closer to the ropes and right before he reaches them, Rico lets go, pulls him to the center of the ring and locks in a Camel Clutch.
“This move was invented by Gory Guerrero, homes. Descanse en paz.”
Rico lets go and gets to his feet. Ezra uses the rope to stand up and looks at Rico.
“What the hell, man?! I didn’t sign up for this!” he exclaims as he turns to leave the ring.
“Bebé llorón.” Rico says as he executes a school boy roll up on Ezra. Ezra kicks out gets to his feet. He lowers his shoulder toward Rico’s midsection. As he connects, Rico grips Ezra around the midsection and uses the momentum to essentially monkey flip his aggressor into the corner. Ezra connects with the turnbuckle and his legs get tangled on the top rope so he’s now hanging upside down.
“Anger gets you nowhere, homes. Look at the predicament you’re in.”
Rico jumps into the air and drives both feet into the gut of Ezra with enough force that his legs become untangled.
Ezra gets to all fours, turns and crawls from the corner. Rico grabs Ezra’s arm rolls him into a La Magistral cradle. Rico lets go immediately and Ezra, again, clambers to his feet and charges Rico, who simply ducks and back body drops Ezra over the top rope.
The town car arrived toward the entrance of the famous Sydney Opera House.
“Gentlemen, we’ll give you a few moments before we begin the tour of Australia’s most famous landmark. And we’ll cap it off with a press conference.” said Dexter Vines from the passenger seat.
The doors opened and Marek stepped out, followed by his partner, Chris Peterson.
“Is this really necessary?” he said, stretching his back after a presumably long ride.
Chris nods. “It’s part of the ‘glitz’, Marek. I don’t like anymore than you do. I’d rather be at the gym working with The Lords team. It’s a ragtag crew if I’ve ever seen one. Minus The Lord and his Mistress.”
“Ezra shows promise. Do not count him out. If any participant on that team is a weak link, it is Paul Cockatoo. He is as interesting as another John Russo return.”
“Did you just make a joke? I didn’t even think you had a sense of humor.”
A small smile appears on Marek’s face.
“Don’t do that. It’s weird.”
A sudden whistle breaks up the exchange between Marek and Chris. They turn their attention to the source as Dexter waves at them to follow him inside the opera house. Once inside, Dexter disappears with one of the guides and leaves Marek and Chris in the green room.
“I do not get it. What is so special about this place?”
A broad smile spread across the face of the guide.
“Planning for the Sydney Opera House began in the late 1940s, when Eugene Goossens, the Director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, lobbied for a suitable venue for large theatrical productions. The normal venue for such productions, the Sydney Town Hall, was not considered large enough.”
Chris looked at Marek like ‘What the fuck?’ before looking back at the guide.
“Uh.. Thanks for that...”
The guide points to his name tag.
“..Jake. Alright then. Anything else you’d like to tell us?”
Jake nods with excitement.
“The Sydney Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. It is one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centers in the world.”
Chris shakes his head as Marek sighs. Dexter walks back into the green room.
“Are we ready for the tour?” he says, looking at Chris and Marek.
“Well, Jake here has already started so let’s get this going.” Chris says.
Dexter and the two guides head toward the door as Marek and Chris linger behind.
“Did you have to do useless things such as this when you were challenging for the belts?” Marek asks.
Chris shakes his head ‘no’.
“Then why do we have to do this?”
“We’re two of the biggest names in the company. The Consortium will do anything to get their name out further. Even if it means subjecting us to meaningless tours. The only thing sort of exciting happening here today is a special edition of The Piercing Truth.”
“Who knew that a news show would get so much attention. Maybe we should give that a shot.”
“No. Leave that to the professionals. People like us. We do our talking in the ring.”
Marek nods in agreement.
“I could not agree more.”
Dexter comes back into the room to break up their conversation.
“Guys. The tour? C’mon.”
Some generic music plays as a generic tribute video starts up on the screen showing Ezekiel in various stages of his career while a voice-over is heard.
“He’s a multi-time champion in the United Global Wrestling Council and one of the fastest rising stars in wrestling and he’s only been in the sport for 4 years. His fan base is worldwide, ranging from children to adults regardless of whether he is kissing babies or kicking butt. He will be fighting Remi Monroe at No Holds Barred: Down Under. Please give a warm welcome to EZEKIEL PAX!”
Ezekiel walks out onto the stage and the two hosts, Yumi and Gorgi, stand to greet him before all 3 sit down.
“Thanks for coming on the show, Zeke.” Yumi says as she sits back in her chair.
Zeke nods in her direction. “Thanks for having me.”
Ezekiel takes a sip from the mug placed in front of him.
“So, Ezekiel, is this your first time coming to Australia?”
“Nope. Been here before, just not with the UGWC. Being an Entertainment Professional has brought me all over the world but my first time in Australia occurred on a visit when I was kid. It’s a great place and very glad to be here again.”
“Zeke, is it okay if I call you that?” Yumi asks.
Ezekiel nods.
“A few of my friends think you are an amazing in-ring competitor. They’ve been following your career since GIW. Technically, you’re the bad guy. Do you still garner cheers these days inside the UGWC Arena?”
“On occasion, you’ll here a smattering of cheers from the crowd but mostly it’s boos and I embrace that. I’m not out to impress anyone. I don’t just brush off the cheers though. I know I have loyal fans that don’t follow the rest of the sheep who just boo me because it’s the mainstream thing to do.”
“Well,” Gorgi says “There’s footage that proves some fans still hold you in high regard. Check this out.”
The big screen behind them turns black before being lit up with footage that took place after In Your Hands 2011.
“Grainy footage that could only belong to a cellphone video camera. It’s a few moments after In Your Hands went off the air. Ezekiel is beginning to stir and he rolls onto his stomach, using the ropes to get to his feet. He stumbles towards the center of the ring and falls down to one knee, holding his head. A few boos are tossed his way before he manages to get to his feet. He holds his head still and exhales a couple times as he gathers his bearings.
The simple sight of seeing the 5 foot 10 frame of Ezekiel Pax get to his feet after getting nearly beaten to death by the 6 foot 9 is almost too much for the spectators to continue booing. A few cheers emit from the crowd, followed by a smattering of applause. The positive reaction begins to spread like a contagion as more and more people begin to clap. It grows until a large portion of the audience is now delivering a standing ovation to the Red-Eyed Warrior. He gets his bearings and sighs as he looks out into the crowd. He gives a solemn nod of acknowledgement before leaving the ring. JK and Marek get to his sides and the three walk up the ramp as the video cuts off.”
When the scene fades back to Ezekiel, he sighs and sits back in his chair.
“Damn. That was almost a year ago. Things are a lot different now, ladies. In the words of Jet Somers, I am possibly the most vile and egotistical man this company has ever seen.”
“But it hasn’t always been that way, has it?” Gorgi says, before taking a sip from her mug. “As a team with Marek Daisuke, the two of you had your own fan club. You were the harbinger of justice in UGWC. Helping fellow competitors inside and outside of the ring. Do you regret any of your actions up to this point?”
Ezekiel shakes his head before sitting forward in his chair.
“I’ve said this many times. I do what I want in UGWC and I have no regrets. I’ve been having one hell of a career. I’m focused. Right now, I’m just going down the list of those that have gotten in my way, held me back, or cheated me and things are going good.”
“We’ve heard about this list,” says Yumi, “and it’s interesting in the least. It’s like a hit list, right?”
“Yes.”
“And the person you’re fighting at No Holds Barred is on the list?”
“Yes. But he’s on the bottom. I’m not part of the creative control of the company so I just have to follow orders.”
“After teaming with Marek as part of War & Peace, has it been easy adjusting to a career as a singles competitor?”
“It was difficult at first but I think I proved last Summer that I have what it takes and can hold my own as a singles competitor. I was so very close to holding all 3 major singles titles in a 90 day period. I don’t think anyone else can say that.”
Gorgi nods in agreement at Ezekiel accomplishments.
“And you still claim that Moss Edwards was the person responsible for stopping that from happening, correct?”
Ezekiel reacts in surprise to the question.
“Yes! Of course he is responsible. The guy shot me with a friggin’ bean bag gun. He’s on the list, ladies. He’ll get his.”
“At No Holds Barred, you’re set to face Remi Monroe. How did things start between the two of you?”
Ezekiel crosses his arms and puts his hand on his chin as he thinks about it for a second.
“It started back in January. I had just singlehandedly defeated Red Fusion and JK in a triple threat match when Remi and his sidekick decided to stick their nose in my business. They came down to the ring and assaulted myself and Marek for no reason. Remi and Vaughn brought it upon themselves to become the new.. what was the term you used earlier? ‘Harbingers of Justice’? They decided to become ..that.. and fight against the evil forces of UGWC like it was the newest Star Wars sequel.”
Yumi looks at Ezekiel with a confused look.
“If my memory serves correctly, you and your partner were assaulting a fallen competitor after the match. Remi and Vaughn were saving him.”
“Tomato, to-mah-to. The only thing that matters is that they interfered in my business and at No Holds Barred, I will strike back with a fiery vengeance and FURIOUS anger. The mother fu---”
Yumi covers Ezekiel’s mouth of instead and suddenly recoils.
“I warned your producer.”
Gorgi’s jaw drops in shock and she quickly regains control of herself.
“Well, this has been a fun look into the mind Ezekiel Pax. Let’s give him a round of applause and wish him luck this Sunday!”
The hosts stand up and clap for Ezekiel, as does the crowd. He simple sighs and walks off stage.
The scene opens to inside of the Sydney Opera House where the press conference is about to begin. Marek, Chris, Dexter, and other various officials sit on a long table with microphones placed in front of them all. A sea of reporters is opposite of them as we get underway.
Dexter gets to his feet to welcome everyone.
“Thank you for joining us, ladies and gentlemen. In just a few days, UGWC’s annual extravaganza, No Holds Barred, will take place and one of the highlights on the card is the Co-Op Championship Match featuring the Champions, The Piercing Weapons. And opposite the ring will be the newly formed team of Marek Daisuke and Chris Peterson!”
The two men stand up as well as the crowd buzzes with excitement. The three of them sit back down and Dexter signals for the questions to begin. Marek points at a reporter in the crowd.
“My question is for Marek. At Horizons, you showed great skill and ability by winning that match. Was creating this tournament on your mind from the start?”
Marek shakes his head no.
“At first, I had no idea what I was going to do when I won. It felt like I was thrown into the match because I had no other creative plan at the moment. The entire break went by and I still had no idea what to do. After thinking about it, I knew I wanted to do something with the Co-Op Titles and after Ezekiel turned down my offer at teaming together, I knew I had to go back to the drawing board.”
The reporters go nuts again and Chris points out at one.
“This question is also for Marek. After Ezekiel turned you down, was Chris your immediate choice? If so, wasn’t it risky putting him into the tournament?”
“I did not know who to choose right off the bat. I knew that Chris enjoyed his time as Co-Op Champion and was not against going for the titles again. The team of Calypso and Chris was a result of circumstance and Chris has proven himself as a great tag team competitor. He was a logical choice when it came to someone who would be loyal to this team. As far as the tournament goes, it was a risk but when Red Fusion was drawn as his partner, I knew everything would be fine. Red Fusion is a flaky competitor and when he no-showed, Chris and myself planned for Paul to take his place and if they happened to win, I would reverse the decision since it was my tournament.”
Alas, reporters go nuts again. Marek points out one to ask a question.
“My question is for Chris. Did you feel bad for abandoning Calypso to join up with Marek, someone who has attacked Donovan Hastings before?”
“I didn’t abandon Calypso. She was consulted beforehand and was okay with the idea. She wanted to be in the War Games match to back the Lord so she had no issue with my teaming with Marek. And him attacking the Lord is in the past. It was during a time when the Lord and Ezekiel were feuding. If you’ve been watching lately, that’s obviously not an issue. Also, Marek has sworn loyalty to the Lord. He’s a member of the Dungeon of Pain.”
La de da. Reporters. Nuts. Yep. Chris points out someone to ask a question.
“My question is also for Chris. When you fought with Calypso in the Triple Threat tag match, you had doubts going in to the match. You claimed that TPW may have had your number. Do you have the same doubts in this match?”
“Definitely not. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Calypso and myself came short but it was never because we doubted ourselves. She’s a great competitor and everyone will see that once again when the Lords Team wins at No Holds Barred. Marek is an accomplished competitor with Ezekiel and by himself. We will show that The Piercing Weapons have had a great ride but it’s over. The only numbers anyone will care about is 23-4-2012. The night that the Lords Enforcers broke the Piercing Weapons.”
The doors to the Dragon Cave open and Ezra stumbles out, looking like he just had a rough one night stand and is beginning his Walk of Shame. He almost immediately runs into Tate.
“Whoa, Ezra. What happened to you?”
Ezra shakes off the cobwebs.
“Free. Session. What the hell are you doing at the Dragon Cave?”
“I was just walking by. Where you headed?”
“To get food and just sit somewhere without being pummeled.”
“Umm.. Can I come?”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever.”
The two start walking down the street away from the Dragon Cave.
“Ezra..”
“What?”
“I was told that you used to be fat. How’d you lose the weight?”
“Training. Strict training. And no donuts.”
“But but but.. that’s so hard. They’re so good.”
Ezra doesn’t reply and just continues walking. His legs are extremely tired from the free session and he decides to take a break and sits on a bench.
“What are you doing?” Tate asks, nudging Ezra on the shoulder.
“Taking a break, man. I’m fuckin’ tired.”
“Let’s keep walking. It’s good exercise.” Tate says, nudging Ezra again.
“Just give me a sec...”
Tate interrupts him by nudging him again and Ezra gets to his feet.
“Jesus, bro. Give it a rest.”
They continue walking down the sidewalk as Tate smiles.
“Ezra...”
“What?”
“Why didn’t the Lord choose for me to be on his team? I’ve been getting better...”
“Probably because you barely finished the run and came back with donut powder on your clothes. And because you get tired just thinking too hard. You wouldn’t even last in a singles match, let alone a War Games match. Have you ever seen one of those things?”
The two continue walking and Ezra stops to enter a burger joint. He stands in line by the counter as Tate trails him.
“What are you doing?”
Ezra sighs before answering. “Getting food, man. I’m starving.”
“Okay.”
The line moves and Ezra steps up to order some grub and Tate texts someone on his phone. A few moments later, Ezra gets his tray and takes a seat.
“Why can’t we walk and eat? I got you a bag?”
Ezra sighs and tosses the food in the bag, grabs it and heads back to the sidewalk. He reaches into the bag, grabbing some fries and gets ready to stuff his face...
“Shouldn’t you have gotten a salad? You were just talking about eating healthier.”
“I weigh half as much as you, dude. I can eat what I want. You’re the size of a house. Shut the fuck up.”
Ezra goes to take a bite of his fries...
“But what if your metabolism suddenly slows down like mine did? I’m not fat. Just big-boned. My grandma says I’m husky.”
“Yeah? Well my grandma minds her own fuckin’ business and lets me eat whatever I went.
Again, he tries to eat but to no avail.
“My grandma lets me eat whatever I want. She said I’m a growing boy and need nutrients and vitamins.”
“Can you even name ONE vitamin?”
“Duh.. Vitamin C. and D.”
“What about Vitamin F?”
“Never heard of that one.”
“No? It stands for fuck off and let me eat my food!”
Ezra shoves the now cold fries in his mouth and crosses the street.
“Yes.” Ezra said, as he flips the page in the newspaper.
Scarlet strips the paper from his hands. “Reading rots your brain.”
She scoops up his empty bowl and tosses it into the sink. She smiles and rips something from the paper.
“Here you go. Go be a teenager and cause some destruction.” She stretches her arm toward him with a piece of paper held in her fingers.
“Ni-ice.”
*static*
Marek gets to his feet inside the gym he’d rented. It was after hours so their wasn’t the usual crowd of meatheads invading his space with heavy breathing and inappropriate grunting. Just him and his thoughts.
He was dripping in sweat and took a drink of his water bottle.
“What now?” he says into the darkness. “This whole tournament just seems to have been a waste of my purse money. I seem to have just created more drama and kept the titles on the champions. Now I head to No Holds Barred with my new partner and we face a team who is on top of their game. They seem to not have a weakness. They seem to be unbeatable. If they are matched in skill, they devise a game to take attention off of them.”
He sets his bottle back on the ground and stretches his neck out a bit.
“They find themselves outmatched, they act like cowardly animals and strike when it is beneficial instead of fighting head on. Walking into No Holds Barred, everyone thinks that I have wasted my money and will simply fall short. I refuse to become another casualty.”
Marek exhales sharply and turns his attention to a heavy bag. He unloads a few 1-2 combos before backing up. He quickly lunges with a front kick, causing the chain to groan with the punishment.
“You did not answer my question.”
Up until this point, it was safe to assume that he was alone but if you look closely, on the side of the gym opposite of Marek, there is a wall of glass. We can see a shadowy figure standing on the other side of the heavy bag.
*static*
[/center]“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for tuning in to The Circle this morning. Stay tuned because later on we will be having an interview with former UGWC Cross-Hemisphere Champion, Ezekiel Pax.”
*static*
“Who the fuck writes her script?” Ezekiel exclaimed toward the producer on set. “Did she really have to say that? ‘Former UGWC blah-blah-blah’.”
“I don’t see what the problem is. You ARE a former UGWC Cross-Hemisphere Champion. You don’t currently possess any belts so I figured it would be good to focus on the past positives instead of the present negatives.”
Ezekiel pinches his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose.
“Take the Aussie out of your mouth and explain to me exactly what that means.”
The producer puts her arm over Ezekiel’s shoulders.
“What it means, hun, is that instead of dwelling on the fact that you’re in a slump, we decided to focus on a highlight of your career.”
Ezekiel brushes her arm off of him and takes a step away from her.
“Creepy. Anyways, ‘hun’, I have a way better accomplishment than former champion. How about the guy who came the closest to dethroning the unstoppable Global Champion?”
The producer shakes her head. “That’s much too long of an introduction. Why does it matter how you’re introduced anyways? You’re still going to be getting the same sort of spotlight as anyone else.”
“Listen, Pam. I’m not here for the spotlight. I’m here because, apparently, I’m a young marketable face for UGWC and they think that if I agree to appear on your little show, it’ll give them a bigger fan base. Pshh. I’m the ‘bad guy’ and I still have a fuckin’ fan club.”
Pam puts her hand over Ezekiel’s mouth. “Shhhh.. we’re a family oriented program. We can’t have you doing that around here.”
After Pam removes her hand, Ezekiel makes a biting motion at her.
“I’ll do it. I’ll fu..riggin’ bite your hand off.”
*static*
Due to Scarlet kicking him out of the house, Ezra found himself in enemy territory. Scarlet tore a ‘Free Session’ coupon out of the paper and Ezra didn’t realize until he was out the front door that the ‘Free Session’ was for the Dragon Cave. He exhaled as he stood outside the door, trying to gain the nerve to walk into the the rival gym. He reached for the door and headed inside.
“What could it hurt?” he asked himself.
Ezra ignores the receptionist and casually begins to give himself a tour of the facilities. His eyes immediately focus on the the pair of rings settled inside. He ran his hand along the apron before reaching up toward the top rope when he was stopped in his tracks.
“Can I help you with something?”
Ezra turned around to see Rico ‘The Flying Ant’ Rodriguez standing there with arms crossed. Ezra digs his hands into the pocket of his shorts and pulls out the ‘Free Session’ coupon. He holds it up between his thumb and index finger.
“Just here for the free session.”
A smile spreads across the usually angry face of Rico. He unfolds his arms and extends his arm, pointing at the ring.
“By all means. Step right up, homes.”
Ezra turns back toward the ring and slides in as Rico climbs onto the apron and through the ropes.
“So, ‘homes’, what exactly does this free session entail?” Ezra says, shedding his shirt and tossing it to the side.
As Ezra turns his attention back toward Rico, he receives a wicked chop to the chest.
“What the hell?” he says, moving back toward the corner.
Rico leans back onto the ropes.
“Your lesson is to expect the unexpected, homes.”
Ezra steps from the corner and cautiously walks toward Rico. When Ezra is a few feet away, Rico dives at Ezra, tackling him to the ground. Rico locks in a Key Lock.
“Listen, homes. This is called a Key Lock. It’s a good move to neutralize your opponent.”
Rico transitions into an Anaconda Vice.
“This is called the Anaconda Vice. Your ‘Lord’ uses a similar version as his finisher.”
Rico lets go of the hold and rolls backward, placing himself at Ezra’s feet. Before he has anytime to react, Ezra finds himself locked in single leg Boston Crab.
“In a move like this, homes, your best bet is to crawl to the ropes.”
After realizing Ezra is just screaming in pain and not moving toward the ropes, Rico cinches the move in tighter.
“Crawl, homes!”
Ezra begins inching closer to the ropes and right before he reaches them, Rico lets go, pulls him to the center of the ring and locks in a Camel Clutch.
“This move was invented by Gory Guerrero, homes. Descanse en paz.”
Rico lets go and gets to his feet. Ezra uses the rope to stand up and looks at Rico.
“What the hell, man?! I didn’t sign up for this!” he exclaims as he turns to leave the ring.
“Bebé llorón.” Rico says as he executes a school boy roll up on Ezra. Ezra kicks out gets to his feet. He lowers his shoulder toward Rico’s midsection. As he connects, Rico grips Ezra around the midsection and uses the momentum to essentially monkey flip his aggressor into the corner. Ezra connects with the turnbuckle and his legs get tangled on the top rope so he’s now hanging upside down.
“Anger gets you nowhere, homes. Look at the predicament you’re in.”
Rico jumps into the air and drives both feet into the gut of Ezra with enough force that his legs become untangled.
Ezra gets to all fours, turns and crawls from the corner. Rico grabs Ezra’s arm rolls him into a La Magistral cradle. Rico lets go immediately and Ezra, again, clambers to his feet and charges Rico, who simply ducks and back body drops Ezra over the top rope.
*static*
The town car arrived toward the entrance of the famous Sydney Opera House.
“Gentlemen, we’ll give you a few moments before we begin the tour of Australia’s most famous landmark. And we’ll cap it off with a press conference.” said Dexter Vines from the passenger seat.
The doors opened and Marek stepped out, followed by his partner, Chris Peterson.
“Is this really necessary?” he said, stretching his back after a presumably long ride.
Chris nods. “It’s part of the ‘glitz’, Marek. I don’t like anymore than you do. I’d rather be at the gym working with The Lords team. It’s a ragtag crew if I’ve ever seen one. Minus The Lord and his Mistress.”
“Ezra shows promise. Do not count him out. If any participant on that team is a weak link, it is Paul Cockatoo. He is as interesting as another John Russo return.”
“Did you just make a joke? I didn’t even think you had a sense of humor.”
A small smile appears on Marek’s face.
“Don’t do that. It’s weird.”
A sudden whistle breaks up the exchange between Marek and Chris. They turn their attention to the source as Dexter waves at them to follow him inside the opera house. Once inside, Dexter disappears with one of the guides and leaves Marek and Chris in the green room.
“I do not get it. What is so special about this place?”
A broad smile spread across the face of the guide.
“Planning for the Sydney Opera House began in the late 1940s, when Eugene Goossens, the Director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, lobbied for a suitable venue for large theatrical productions. The normal venue for such productions, the Sydney Town Hall, was not considered large enough.”
Chris looked at Marek like ‘What the fuck?’ before looking back at the guide.
“Uh.. Thanks for that...”
The guide points to his name tag.
“..Jake. Alright then. Anything else you’d like to tell us?”
Jake nods with excitement.
“The Sydney Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. It is one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centers in the world.”
Chris shakes his head as Marek sighs. Dexter walks back into the green room.
“Are we ready for the tour?” he says, looking at Chris and Marek.
“Well, Jake here has already started so let’s get this going.” Chris says.
Dexter and the two guides head toward the door as Marek and Chris linger behind.
“Did you have to do useless things such as this when you were challenging for the belts?” Marek asks.
Chris shakes his head ‘no’.
“Then why do we have to do this?”
“We’re two of the biggest names in the company. The Consortium will do anything to get their name out further. Even if it means subjecting us to meaningless tours. The only thing sort of exciting happening here today is a special edition of The Piercing Truth.”
“Who knew that a news show would get so much attention. Maybe we should give that a shot.”
“No. Leave that to the professionals. People like us. We do our talking in the ring.”
Marek nods in agreement.
“I could not agree more.”
Dexter comes back into the room to break up their conversation.
“Guys. The tour? C’mon.”
*static*
[/center]Some generic music plays as a generic tribute video starts up on the screen showing Ezekiel in various stages of his career while a voice-over is heard.
“He’s a multi-time champion in the United Global Wrestling Council and one of the fastest rising stars in wrestling and he’s only been in the sport for 4 years. His fan base is worldwide, ranging from children to adults regardless of whether he is kissing babies or kicking butt. He will be fighting Remi Monroe at No Holds Barred: Down Under. Please give a warm welcome to EZEKIEL PAX!”
Ezekiel walks out onto the stage and the two hosts, Yumi and Gorgi, stand to greet him before all 3 sit down.
“Thanks for coming on the show, Zeke.” Yumi says as she sits back in her chair.
Zeke nods in her direction. “Thanks for having me.”
Ezekiel takes a sip from the mug placed in front of him.
“So, Ezekiel, is this your first time coming to Australia?”
“Nope. Been here before, just not with the UGWC. Being an Entertainment Professional has brought me all over the world but my first time in Australia occurred on a visit when I was kid. It’s a great place and very glad to be here again.”
“Zeke, is it okay if I call you that?” Yumi asks.
Ezekiel nods.
“A few of my friends think you are an amazing in-ring competitor. They’ve been following your career since GIW. Technically, you’re the bad guy. Do you still garner cheers these days inside the UGWC Arena?”
“On occasion, you’ll here a smattering of cheers from the crowd but mostly it’s boos and I embrace that. I’m not out to impress anyone. I don’t just brush off the cheers though. I know I have loyal fans that don’t follow the rest of the sheep who just boo me because it’s the mainstream thing to do.”
“Well,” Gorgi says “There’s footage that proves some fans still hold you in high regard. Check this out.”
The big screen behind them turns black before being lit up with footage that took place after In Your Hands 2011.
“Grainy footage that could only belong to a cellphone video camera. It’s a few moments after In Your Hands went off the air. Ezekiel is beginning to stir and he rolls onto his stomach, using the ropes to get to his feet. He stumbles towards the center of the ring and falls down to one knee, holding his head. A few boos are tossed his way before he manages to get to his feet. He holds his head still and exhales a couple times as he gathers his bearings.
The simple sight of seeing the 5 foot 10 frame of Ezekiel Pax get to his feet after getting nearly beaten to death by the 6 foot 9 is almost too much for the spectators to continue booing. A few cheers emit from the crowd, followed by a smattering of applause. The positive reaction begins to spread like a contagion as more and more people begin to clap. It grows until a large portion of the audience is now delivering a standing ovation to the Red-Eyed Warrior. He gets his bearings and sighs as he looks out into the crowd. He gives a solemn nod of acknowledgement before leaving the ring. JK and Marek get to his sides and the three walk up the ramp as the video cuts off.”
When the scene fades back to Ezekiel, he sighs and sits back in his chair.
“Damn. That was almost a year ago. Things are a lot different now, ladies. In the words of Jet Somers, I am possibly the most vile and egotistical man this company has ever seen.”
“But it hasn’t always been that way, has it?” Gorgi says, before taking a sip from her mug. “As a team with Marek Daisuke, the two of you had your own fan club. You were the harbinger of justice in UGWC. Helping fellow competitors inside and outside of the ring. Do you regret any of your actions up to this point?”
Ezekiel shakes his head before sitting forward in his chair.
“I’ve said this many times. I do what I want in UGWC and I have no regrets. I’ve been having one hell of a career. I’m focused. Right now, I’m just going down the list of those that have gotten in my way, held me back, or cheated me and things are going good.”
“We’ve heard about this list,” says Yumi, “and it’s interesting in the least. It’s like a hit list, right?”
“Yes.”
“And the person you’re fighting at No Holds Barred is on the list?”
“Yes. But he’s on the bottom. I’m not part of the creative control of the company so I just have to follow orders.”
“After teaming with Marek as part of War & Peace, has it been easy adjusting to a career as a singles competitor?”
“It was difficult at first but I think I proved last Summer that I have what it takes and can hold my own as a singles competitor. I was so very close to holding all 3 major singles titles in a 90 day period. I don’t think anyone else can say that.”
Gorgi nods in agreement at Ezekiel accomplishments.
“And you still claim that Moss Edwards was the person responsible for stopping that from happening, correct?”
Ezekiel reacts in surprise to the question.
“Yes! Of course he is responsible. The guy shot me with a friggin’ bean bag gun. He’s on the list, ladies. He’ll get his.”
“At No Holds Barred, you’re set to face Remi Monroe. How did things start between the two of you?”
Ezekiel crosses his arms and puts his hand on his chin as he thinks about it for a second.
“It started back in January. I had just singlehandedly defeated Red Fusion and JK in a triple threat match when Remi and his sidekick decided to stick their nose in my business. They came down to the ring and assaulted myself and Marek for no reason. Remi and Vaughn brought it upon themselves to become the new.. what was the term you used earlier? ‘Harbingers of Justice’? They decided to become ..that.. and fight against the evil forces of UGWC like it was the newest Star Wars sequel.”
Yumi looks at Ezekiel with a confused look.
“If my memory serves correctly, you and your partner were assaulting a fallen competitor after the match. Remi and Vaughn were saving him.”
“Tomato, to-mah-to. The only thing that matters is that they interfered in my business and at No Holds Barred, I will strike back with a fiery vengeance and FURIOUS anger. The mother fu---”
Yumi covers Ezekiel’s mouth of instead and suddenly recoils.
“I warned your producer.”
Gorgi’s jaw drops in shock and she quickly regains control of herself.
“Well, this has been a fun look into the mind Ezekiel Pax. Let’s give him a round of applause and wish him luck this Sunday!”
The hosts stand up and clap for Ezekiel, as does the crowd. He simple sighs and walks off stage.
*static*
The scene opens to inside of the Sydney Opera House where the press conference is about to begin. Marek, Chris, Dexter, and other various officials sit on a long table with microphones placed in front of them all. A sea of reporters is opposite of them as we get underway.
Dexter gets to his feet to welcome everyone.
“Thank you for joining us, ladies and gentlemen. In just a few days, UGWC’s annual extravaganza, No Holds Barred, will take place and one of the highlights on the card is the Co-Op Championship Match featuring the Champions, The Piercing Weapons. And opposite the ring will be the newly formed team of Marek Daisuke and Chris Peterson!”
The two men stand up as well as the crowd buzzes with excitement. The three of them sit back down and Dexter signals for the questions to begin. Marek points at a reporter in the crowd.
“My question is for Marek. At Horizons, you showed great skill and ability by winning that match. Was creating this tournament on your mind from the start?”
Marek shakes his head no.
“At first, I had no idea what I was going to do when I won. It felt like I was thrown into the match because I had no other creative plan at the moment. The entire break went by and I still had no idea what to do. After thinking about it, I knew I wanted to do something with the Co-Op Titles and after Ezekiel turned down my offer at teaming together, I knew I had to go back to the drawing board.”
The reporters go nuts again and Chris points out at one.
“This question is also for Marek. After Ezekiel turned you down, was Chris your immediate choice? If so, wasn’t it risky putting him into the tournament?”
“I did not know who to choose right off the bat. I knew that Chris enjoyed his time as Co-Op Champion and was not against going for the titles again. The team of Calypso and Chris was a result of circumstance and Chris has proven himself as a great tag team competitor. He was a logical choice when it came to someone who would be loyal to this team. As far as the tournament goes, it was a risk but when Red Fusion was drawn as his partner, I knew everything would be fine. Red Fusion is a flaky competitor and when he no-showed, Chris and myself planned for Paul to take his place and if they happened to win, I would reverse the decision since it was my tournament.”
Alas, reporters go nuts again. Marek points out one to ask a question.
“My question is for Chris. Did you feel bad for abandoning Calypso to join up with Marek, someone who has attacked Donovan Hastings before?”
“I didn’t abandon Calypso. She was consulted beforehand and was okay with the idea. She wanted to be in the War Games match to back the Lord so she had no issue with my teaming with Marek. And him attacking the Lord is in the past. It was during a time when the Lord and Ezekiel were feuding. If you’ve been watching lately, that’s obviously not an issue. Also, Marek has sworn loyalty to the Lord. He’s a member of the Dungeon of Pain.”
La de da. Reporters. Nuts. Yep. Chris points out someone to ask a question.
“My question is also for Chris. When you fought with Calypso in the Triple Threat tag match, you had doubts going in to the match. You claimed that TPW may have had your number. Do you have the same doubts in this match?”
“Definitely not. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Calypso and myself came short but it was never because we doubted ourselves. She’s a great competitor and everyone will see that once again when the Lords Team wins at No Holds Barred. Marek is an accomplished competitor with Ezekiel and by himself. We will show that The Piercing Weapons have had a great ride but it’s over. The only numbers anyone will care about is 23-4-2012. The night that the Lords Enforcers broke the Piercing Weapons.”
*static*
[/center]The doors to the Dragon Cave open and Ezra stumbles out, looking like he just had a rough one night stand and is beginning his Walk of Shame. He almost immediately runs into Tate.
“Whoa, Ezra. What happened to you?”
Ezra shakes off the cobwebs.
“Free. Session. What the hell are you doing at the Dragon Cave?”
“I was just walking by. Where you headed?”
“To get food and just sit somewhere without being pummeled.”
“Umm.. Can I come?”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever.”
The two start walking down the street away from the Dragon Cave.
“Ezra..”
“What?”
“I was told that you used to be fat. How’d you lose the weight?”
“Training. Strict training. And no donuts.”
“But but but.. that’s so hard. They’re so good.”
Ezra doesn’t reply and just continues walking. His legs are extremely tired from the free session and he decides to take a break and sits on a bench.
“What are you doing?” Tate asks, nudging Ezra on the shoulder.
“Taking a break, man. I’m fuckin’ tired.”
“Let’s keep walking. It’s good exercise.” Tate says, nudging Ezra again.
“Just give me a sec...”
Tate interrupts him by nudging him again and Ezra gets to his feet.
“Jesus, bro. Give it a rest.”
They continue walking down the sidewalk as Tate smiles.
“Ezra...”
“What?”
“Why didn’t the Lord choose for me to be on his team? I’ve been getting better...”
“Probably because you barely finished the run and came back with donut powder on your clothes. And because you get tired just thinking too hard. You wouldn’t even last in a singles match, let alone a War Games match. Have you ever seen one of those things?”
The two continue walking and Ezra stops to enter a burger joint. He stands in line by the counter as Tate trails him.
“What are you doing?”
Ezra sighs before answering. “Getting food, man. I’m starving.”
“Okay.”
The line moves and Ezra steps up to order some grub and Tate texts someone on his phone. A few moments later, Ezra gets his tray and takes a seat.
“Why can’t we walk and eat? I got you a bag?”
Ezra sighs and tosses the food in the bag, grabs it and heads back to the sidewalk. He reaches into the bag, grabbing some fries and gets ready to stuff his face...
“Shouldn’t you have gotten a salad? You were just talking about eating healthier.”
“I weigh half as much as you, dude. I can eat what I want. You’re the size of a house. Shut the fuck up.”
Ezra goes to take a bite of his fries...
“But what if your metabolism suddenly slows down like mine did? I’m not fat. Just big-boned. My grandma says I’m husky.”
“Yeah? Well my grandma minds her own fuckin’ business and lets me eat whatever I went.
Again, he tries to eat but to no avail.
“My grandma lets me eat whatever I want. She said I’m a growing boy and need nutrients and vitamins.”
“Can you even name ONE vitamin?”
“Duh.. Vitamin C. and D.”
“What about Vitamin F?”
“Never heard of that one.”
“No? It stands for fuck off and let me eat my food!”
Ezra shoves the now cold fries in his mouth and crosses the street.
*static*
[/center]
x2
