Post by Lord Hastings on Jun 1, 2017 13:52:16 GMT -5
Moments after Synergy has ended, Donovan and Owen pass through the guerilla position on their way backstage, followed moments later by a hurried Hans Lieberjosch.
Lieberjosch: Lord Hastings!
Donovan stops and turns to face him.
Hastings: Dr. Lieberjosch.
The rest of the ringside staff and commentary team begin to pass through.
Lieberjosch: I need a word with you and your friend here about your recent actions.
Peterson: What’s the problem?
Vinegar: You need to watch your language!
Lieberjosch: Stuff it in your hat, Nick!
Nicholas Vinegar grumbles and makes his way towards catering.
Lieberjosch: Listen, about these cash-in teases.
Hastings: I have every right to do everything I’ve done.
Hans puts his hands up.
Lieberjosch: No, you do. Listen, I get it. You remember my series of articles on the state of Sports Entertainment in the modern era?
Donovan stares at him.
Lieberjosch: Article 139?
Donovan stares at him.
Lieberjosch: Making Statements and Getting Your Point Across?
Donovan stares at him.
Lieberjosch: 241? Leveraging Every Opportunity?
Donovan stares at him.
Lieberjosch: My point is, I get it. You decide you want to cash in on Eden for real at some point, I’m good with that. You’ve earned it, it’s your purse.
Hastings: I’m trying not to. She is making it rather difficult on me, forcing my hand. I have every intention of doing-
Lieberjosch: You can save it, I’m on board. The problem isn’t you.
Hans nods towards Owen.
Lieberjosch: It’s him, if and when you cash in.
Peterson: Me?
Hastings: Owen is a licensed official of UGWC. I can cash-in with any official of my choosing.
Lieberjosch: You can. But whatever official you choose will have to call subsequent match right down the middle, or it will the last match that official officiates for us.
Hans looks directly at Owen.
Lieberjosch: There is a reason we don’t assign you to Donovan’s matches, we don’t want to put you in that position.
Peterson: I know my responsibilities.
Hastings: It isn’t going to matter. I’m winning the Melee next week, and at WrestleStock you can assign whoever you want to my World Heavyweight Championship match.
Lieberjosch: I have no doubt.
Hans nods to Donovan.
Lieberjosch: Lord.
Hastings: Doctor.
Donovan stands on the balcony of his hotel room, looking out over the city of Boston.
The door slides open behind him, and Owen Peterson comes out and stands next to him. The first few moments pass in silence.
Hastings: You know there have been eleven of these things? It’s pretty impressive, when you think about it.
Peterson: You’ve been in six of them?
Hastings: Seven. No, you’re right. I defended the World Title in 2014, wasn’t in the Melee that year.
He glances at Owen.
Hastings: I’m not looking to have a Fear moment here or anything.
Peterson: Experience has to count for something.
Hastings: Mine hasn’t been very good, honestly. It’s really never been my thing. Too many unpredictable elements, a lot left to simple luck of the draw. Hell, last year I got taken out by Jason Tacker of all people, and I don’t think I even took anybody with me.
Peterson: I was embarrassed for you.
Hastings: Shut up.
They stand in silence for a few moments.
Hastings: You know Fear has won this thing from number three twice?
Peterson: He’s written a few essays on it.
Hastings: He’s a prick.
Donovan sighs.
Hastings: I hate this match. You can do all the preparation in the world, study all your opponents, load that ring up with all sorts of talent, and then at the end of the night you have somebody like Dredd standing tall and punching his ticket to WrestleStock. Look at this year. You tell me people like Lucy Wylde or Zane are nursing injuries but you know what? They slip in in the right spot, and that doesn’t matter. You think somebody like Dave Rydell doesn’t have a chance, and then he goes and pulls number twenty and all of his obstacles have already eliminated each other. I can stand here and say with confidence that I have righted the ship when it comes to Jessica Mathis, that the slim threat that she represented has been snuffed out, but when I’m in the ring and dealing with the likes of Vain and Killian and Gabby all at the same time, there is that opening for the likes of a Jessica Mathis to slip in and wreak havoc. You don’t have to beat somebody to eliminate them from the Massive Melee. You don’t need three seconds. You barely need one.
Peterson: So why not just let it pass by?
Hastings: Why not, right? That’s the Eden Morgan approach, isn’t it? Take a pass on the Global Challenge, let others do the hard work and then prey on the weak. No, I’ve promised myself I won’t do that, no matter how hard she tries to goad me into doing it.
Donovan thinks for a moment.
Hastings: You know, I’ll bet that is why she did it.
Peterson: Did what?
Hastings: All that “look at me” crap when she pulled that stunt of hers after I lost the contender series. I’m inclined to think Eden isn’t as stupid as she pretends to be. I think I was pretty clear at Seven Deadly Sins. Nevermind that most people can’t comprehend actions that are different than their own. Stealing the title is what Eden would have done. She had to know there would be a consequence, a response to her actions. She must have wanted me to come out last week and take it from her.
Peterson: Why would she want that?
Hastings: Maybe the pressure of being champion is too much for her. Maybe she knows she can’t handle it. Look at what has happened the last two times she held the title. Losing to Remi Monroe in her first title defense had to be disappointing. Getting it stolen by Killian mere moments after winning was unquestionably an embarrassment. Eden didn’t light the world on fire beating Mil Vidas for the World Title. She barely survived CJ Wylde. Now she has to deal with Jet Somers, and if I were Jet Somers, I might jump off this balcony, but beyond that I’d want to prove that Valhalla mess from a few years back was exactly the fluke that it probably was.
Peterson: You really think she’d rather lose to you than Jet? She hates you.
Hastings: But she needs an excuse. Eden Morgan couldn’t possibly just lose. There’s got to be an explanation, something to cry and whine about. Something to blame. If I cash in and rip the title away from her, she can stamp her feet and scream about how much she hates me and how terrible I am, but it doesn’t force her to look herself in the mirror and admit that she got beat, and that’s what she would have to do if Jet beats her, if Wylde had beaten her, if I had won the contender series or I win the melee and then I beat her. Eden Morgan, at her core, is an insecure brat.
Owen whistles for a single, lengthy note.
Peterson: So you need to win the Melee.
Hastings: I need to earn a shot. The nice thing about UGWC is there are plenty of opportunities. But yes, right now the Melee is the goal. Who knows, maybe all those things I said before could go against me could actually break my way. I’ll draw my number and make the best of it, do what I can, but make no mistake, there are many paths to the championship. I’ll walk one of them to the end.
He smirks.
Hastings: It’s inevitable.
Lieberjosch: Lord Hastings!
Donovan stops and turns to face him.
Hastings: Dr. Lieberjosch.
The rest of the ringside staff and commentary team begin to pass through.
Lieberjosch: I need a word with you and your friend here about your recent actions.
Peterson: What’s the problem?
Vinegar: You need to watch your language!
Lieberjosch: Stuff it in your hat, Nick!
Nicholas Vinegar grumbles and makes his way towards catering.
Lieberjosch: Listen, about these cash-in teases.
Hastings: I have every right to do everything I’ve done.
Hans puts his hands up.
Lieberjosch: No, you do. Listen, I get it. You remember my series of articles on the state of Sports Entertainment in the modern era?
Donovan stares at him.
Lieberjosch: Article 139?
Donovan stares at him.
Lieberjosch: Making Statements and Getting Your Point Across?
Donovan stares at him.
Lieberjosch: 241? Leveraging Every Opportunity?
Donovan stares at him.
Lieberjosch: My point is, I get it. You decide you want to cash in on Eden for real at some point, I’m good with that. You’ve earned it, it’s your purse.
Hastings: I’m trying not to. She is making it rather difficult on me, forcing my hand. I have every intention of doing-
Lieberjosch: You can save it, I’m on board. The problem isn’t you.
Hans nods towards Owen.
Lieberjosch: It’s him, if and when you cash in.
Peterson: Me?
Hastings: Owen is a licensed official of UGWC. I can cash-in with any official of my choosing.
Lieberjosch: You can. But whatever official you choose will have to call subsequent match right down the middle, or it will the last match that official officiates for us.
Hans looks directly at Owen.
Lieberjosch: There is a reason we don’t assign you to Donovan’s matches, we don’t want to put you in that position.
Peterson: I know my responsibilities.
Hastings: It isn’t going to matter. I’m winning the Melee next week, and at WrestleStock you can assign whoever you want to my World Heavyweight Championship match.
Lieberjosch: I have no doubt.
Hans nods to Donovan.
Lieberjosch: Lord.
Hastings: Doctor.
Donovan stands on the balcony of his hotel room, looking out over the city of Boston.
The door slides open behind him, and Owen Peterson comes out and stands next to him. The first few moments pass in silence.
Hastings: You know there have been eleven of these things? It’s pretty impressive, when you think about it.
Peterson: You’ve been in six of them?
Hastings: Seven. No, you’re right. I defended the World Title in 2014, wasn’t in the Melee that year.
He glances at Owen.
Hastings: I’m not looking to have a Fear moment here or anything.
Peterson: Experience has to count for something.
Hastings: Mine hasn’t been very good, honestly. It’s really never been my thing. Too many unpredictable elements, a lot left to simple luck of the draw. Hell, last year I got taken out by Jason Tacker of all people, and I don’t think I even took anybody with me.
Peterson: I was embarrassed for you.
Hastings: Shut up.
They stand in silence for a few moments.
Hastings: You know Fear has won this thing from number three twice?
Peterson: He’s written a few essays on it.
Hastings: He’s a prick.
Donovan sighs.
Hastings: I hate this match. You can do all the preparation in the world, study all your opponents, load that ring up with all sorts of talent, and then at the end of the night you have somebody like Dredd standing tall and punching his ticket to WrestleStock. Look at this year. You tell me people like Lucy Wylde or Zane are nursing injuries but you know what? They slip in in the right spot, and that doesn’t matter. You think somebody like Dave Rydell doesn’t have a chance, and then he goes and pulls number twenty and all of his obstacles have already eliminated each other. I can stand here and say with confidence that I have righted the ship when it comes to Jessica Mathis, that the slim threat that she represented has been snuffed out, but when I’m in the ring and dealing with the likes of Vain and Killian and Gabby all at the same time, there is that opening for the likes of a Jessica Mathis to slip in and wreak havoc. You don’t have to beat somebody to eliminate them from the Massive Melee. You don’t need three seconds. You barely need one.
Peterson: So why not just let it pass by?
Hastings: Why not, right? That’s the Eden Morgan approach, isn’t it? Take a pass on the Global Challenge, let others do the hard work and then prey on the weak. No, I’ve promised myself I won’t do that, no matter how hard she tries to goad me into doing it.
Donovan thinks for a moment.
Hastings: You know, I’ll bet that is why she did it.
Peterson: Did what?
Hastings: All that “look at me” crap when she pulled that stunt of hers after I lost the contender series. I’m inclined to think Eden isn’t as stupid as she pretends to be. I think I was pretty clear at Seven Deadly Sins. Nevermind that most people can’t comprehend actions that are different than their own. Stealing the title is what Eden would have done. She had to know there would be a consequence, a response to her actions. She must have wanted me to come out last week and take it from her.
Peterson: Why would she want that?
Hastings: Maybe the pressure of being champion is too much for her. Maybe she knows she can’t handle it. Look at what has happened the last two times she held the title. Losing to Remi Monroe in her first title defense had to be disappointing. Getting it stolen by Killian mere moments after winning was unquestionably an embarrassment. Eden didn’t light the world on fire beating Mil Vidas for the World Title. She barely survived CJ Wylde. Now she has to deal with Jet Somers, and if I were Jet Somers, I might jump off this balcony, but beyond that I’d want to prove that Valhalla mess from a few years back was exactly the fluke that it probably was.
Peterson: You really think she’d rather lose to you than Jet? She hates you.
Hastings: But she needs an excuse. Eden Morgan couldn’t possibly just lose. There’s got to be an explanation, something to cry and whine about. Something to blame. If I cash in and rip the title away from her, she can stamp her feet and scream about how much she hates me and how terrible I am, but it doesn’t force her to look herself in the mirror and admit that she got beat, and that’s what she would have to do if Jet beats her, if Wylde had beaten her, if I had won the contender series or I win the melee and then I beat her. Eden Morgan, at her core, is an insecure brat.
Owen whistles for a single, lengthy note.
Peterson: So you need to win the Melee.
Hastings: I need to earn a shot. The nice thing about UGWC is there are plenty of opportunities. But yes, right now the Melee is the goal. Who knows, maybe all those things I said before could go against me could actually break my way. I’ll draw my number and make the best of it, do what I can, but make no mistake, there are many paths to the championship. I’ll walk one of them to the end.
He smirks.
Hastings: It’s inevitable.
