Building Blocks For Battleground (COMBINED ANGIE/DAVE PROMO)
Oct 27, 2018 18:22:09 GMT -5
Roxy Cotton likes this
Post by Dave Rydell on Oct 27, 2018 18:22:09 GMT -5
Building blocks for Battleground
Part 1: Backstage, following Synergy
“Dave, wait up!”
Angelica ran after her fellow Co-Op Champion, her long legs carrying her through the bowels of the arena in pursuit of Dave Rydell.
Easier said than done. A fuming Rydell is stomping towards the exit at near breakneck speed, one half of the Co-op Championships draped over his shoulders. His footsteps echo throughout the hallways as he walks past technicians and TV equipment, past catering tables and ringside crew. Angie ups her own tempo to make sure he doesn’t get away, because despite her earlier plea to ‘Wait up’, her fellow champion has no intention of slowing down, it seems.
After closing some distance, he is within arm’s reach. She extends her hand and the very moment her fingers touch his shoulders, he turns around so quickly that Angelica recoils, taking a step backwards.
“WHAT??” he screams at the top of his lungs, his roar alerting almost everybody in the arena. Angelica holds her hands up apologetically.
The expression on his face scares her. He looks furious. But in all honesty? Angelica isn’t all too happy either, and she changes the position of her hands, placing them on her hips like an angry kindergarten teacher.
“Dave! No need to shout at me, you know!”
“Oh, I disagree,” he replies, shaking his head. His beard is quivering in anger as he stares back at her, for once not taken aback by her inherent cutesieness. “There clearly is a need to shout. It seems like it’s the only way to get through to you.”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”
Dave scoffs, adapting a slightly higher pitched voice to try and mimic Angelica. It’s a poor expression, but that was the point. “What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t play coy. Barely a peep from you for weeks, but NOW you’re chasing me, aren’t you? NOW I’m important enough. All it took was me dropping the peroxide princess on her face for you to take notice! Tell me, would we even be in the same room right now if I hadn’t done that? We have a title defense coming up, and you seem to be content to rock up at the arena like everything’s unicorns and rainbows!”
Angelica’s eyes wander slightly at the mention of unicorns and rainbows, but resists the urge to start humming the My Little Pony theme song. Instead, she shakes her head, purging her brain of all things cutesy, and looks back at Dave.
“I really, really, REALLY wish you wouldn’t have done that, tee bee aitch! You could’ve come to me, you know, to talk? You act like I’m not taking our title reign seriously, but…”
“YOU’RE NOT!!” he screams so loud that Angelica instinctively takes another step back. Dave holds up his title. “This? This means everything to me! Because it’s a slap in the face of everybody who’s ever told me I don’t have what it takes anymore! A kick in the dick of everybody who said I’ve turned into a joke! But of course you can’t relate. Little Miss Perfect…”
“Five foot ten isn’t little…” Angelica intervenes, but Dave shushes her.
“Shut it. Little Miss Perfect, adored by the masses, everything she touches turns to gold… Well, I won’t be overlooked Angelica, and either you get your shit together and show me you’re serious about winning this title match…” He pauses and takes a deep breath. Angelica cocks her head and inquires further.
“...yes?”
Dave looks back at her. “Or you stay the hell out of my way and let me deal with your two friends all by myself. It seems I may have no choice either way. So when you start taking this seriously, get back to me. If not, don’t even bother.”
Dave turns on his heel and leaves Angelica behind, who was stung by Dave’s last comment. This wasn’t right! Her cute powers of persuasion usually worked on everybody! She balls her hands up into fists and stomps her foot on the floor.
“I take my wrestling very seriously, mister!” she shouts after him, but her words did nothing to slow him down. “But if you want to pretend like I don’t care instead of just trying to be a decent human being and getting along with other people, then you can just continue to be a… STUPID PERSON!!!”
It was the worst insult Angelica could come up with, but Dave doesn’t seem phased. He keeps storming off until he slams the door shut behind him so hard it nearly flies out of its hinges. Angelica sighs and leans her back against the wall.
Was Dave right? Had she really been that disrespectful? She didn’t THINK so, but it was true that she could’ve put in more effort. But what was she supposed to do? Last week she’d been nothing but a pawn in one of Hastings’ games, and before that she’d been preoccupied with trying to beat Alan Wallace! What exactly did he expect?
Maybe he just needs someone to give him respect. Or even better, show him they care.
Maybe he just needs a friend.
The little voice in her head wasn’t wrong. And now, she felt bad. This whole situation could’ve been avoided. Maybe if Angie had put in more of an effort, Dave wouldn’t have felt the need to take measures quite this drastic? It was impossible to know now. In any case, he was an angry man, driven to an extreme because even his Co-op Champion couldn’t give him basic respect. She could’ve de-escalated this situation before it had even started.
No, Dave was right. And she owed him a big-time apology.
No, more than an apology. She had to make him realize that she DID care. Because she DID! And to do that, she was going to be his friend.
------------------
Part 2: At Dave Rydell’s home, two days after Synergy
Angelica showed up on Dave’s doorstep. She was in awe at the beauty of the house he has. The wrap around porch with the swing by the corner; the light blue on the walls and white window trim. It didn’t seem like a house that Dave Rydell would own. It seemed… Cozy and hospitable? Not something she would’ve associated with her taggie.
Slightly nervous, she pressed the doorbell. She hadn’t announced she was coming. But this was something that needed to be done. As soon as the door opened, she saw her taggie, standing there in a cutoff t-shirt and sweatpants on. Sweat poured from his face and he pulled off his headphones. Clearly he’d been working out. He looked directly at her and furrowed his eyebrows.
“Look, before you go off…” she said hesitantly. The choice of words wasn’t the best one as she saw him raising an eyebrow. “... I just wanted to say you were right. And I want to make it up to you. I want to become one team, one unit, one force of unstoppable Co-op Champions! And I’m here to… what’s that Start Rack expression… make it sow? As if they can sow in space… Anyway, you wanted me to show up when I decided to take this seriously. Here I am.”
A silence fell between them. Dave seemed to be thinking, but Angelica was anxious and needed an answer. She leaned forward slightly.
“Global Penny for your thoughts?”
Dave sighed, and reluctantly spoke. “It was big of you to come here like this. It really was. And while I appreciate it, I’m still skeptical. It should not have taken me going out there and dropping one of your closest friends to get your attention. It put a light on me that, well frankly I don’t care how it made me look...but it put you in a bad way. And normally, I wouldn’t give a shit about it...I do. I hate that I do. I promised myself I’d never get to that point again. That point where I cared so much about the other person who held these belts. But I do. And I owe you an explanation.”
Dave paused, wiped the sweat off his brow and stepped onto the porch. He motioned to the chairs that sit near the front door and the two sit down.
“When I saw what we accomplished in our first match together I knew we had something special. I knew that we could take this tag division by storm. Or...co-op division, whatever you want to call it. But what have we done since we got them? We fought each other at Outlast. We didn’t speak for three fucking weeks. I tried. I reached out. You know this. I told you that you had until Monday to make the next move and you didn’t. So I did it for you and look what happened? I could go apologize to them on your behalf, but it won’t matter. The damage is done. Me being the instigator I am, haven’t helped matters one bit. Regardless, we are a team and I want to see this continue. I’m not about to let our partnership end at Battleground. So we need to come together and be a team...not just be one...we need to BE ONE!”
Angie looked on and went to speak but Dave held his hand up. He stroked his beard and looked right back at her.
“I said earlier I didn’t want to care who my partner was anymore. That comes from being paired with the likes of Donovan Hastings, Martin Graber...who did his own thing to fuck me over...and my partners from the LWF. With you, it’s different. You made an impact on me that I can’t explain, but I’m not ready to let it go. That is why I’m willing to sit here and show you a human side of me that not a lot of people get to see. I’m being up front, honest, open, and completely vulnerable with you right now. So understand that if this trust is betrayed...well, you already know what I’m capable of.”
Angie found herself nodding along with Dave’s story. She was surprised. Pleasantly, even. It was nice to see that there was something more about him than just anger. He’d seen a lot of betrayal in his life and Angie felt guilty for not having sense it sooner. All his life violence had been the only answer, so no wonder he reacted in the way he did after fearing she might betray him as well, just like so many others have. She still did in no way or shape condone him blindsiding Roxy like that, but she understood. Without condoning or condemning, she understood.
Angie jumped up from the couch as sprightly as she could and gave Rydell a playful tap on the shoulder, trying to lighten the mood.
“Thanks for sharing, Mister Grumpy, but don’t fret or fear! I’ve never betrayed someone in my life and I’m not about to start now, even if we’re facing two of my bestest friends in the whole wide world. I’m just going to pretend like I’m facing two strangers in that ring out there… Two strangers who I share an unbreakable bond with, but still… My kicks will be just as snappy, and my chokes and submissions will be just as ew-y!”
Rydell looked up at the five foot ten (or was it ELEVEN??) blonde who seemed so dead set on making amends. Eventually, his shell cracked, if only a little bit and he let a smile creep across his face.
“Ew-y… Sure,” he whispered. He then got up as well.
“Look,” Angelica said as they finally stood face to face. “What we need is to let each other in.”
“...and by that you mean…?”
“Ew, don’t be getting any idea’s, mister!”
“I wasn’t…”
“What I meant was that we need to get to know each other better.”
“And we do that by…?”
“I said, don’t be getting any idea’s! No, just see what the other does in their spare time, understand what makes the other one tick, and stuff. Know what I mean? And I know just the thing!”
She rummaged through her purse and retrieved a flyer that she stuffed in his hands. Dave looked at it and frowned, before looking back at Angie.
“The Rose Kitty Cafe?”
“Totes!” Angie squee’d in glee before rapidly clappingher hands. “I own it, it’s sponsored in part by my other company. People can enjoy tea and cake with the loveliest kittens in the world on their lap! It’s so totes amazeballs! We should hang out there, like some sort of teambuilding, and afterwards you can take me somewhere that means a lot to you!”
Dave pondered this for a moment, and then shrugged.
“Fine. Why not. If you think it’ll help.”
“Obvs!”
He folded up the flier and nodded towards his door. “So hey, before we go, I’d be a rude host to not at east offer you a drink. Wanna come inside for a bit?”
Angelica checked her wrist, only to notice that she wasn’t wearing a watch. She then picked her phone from her purse to check the time.
“Wellllll, why not? My plane doesn’t leave for a couple more hours. Do you have appletini’s?”
“I got beer. That okay?”
“Oh, it’ll do. After all, it’s already past eleven.”
------------------
Part 3: At the Rose Kitty Cafe (Portland, OR)
“Angelica… this is ridiculous!”
Dave Rydell stood in the middle of the cafe, wearing an employee’s obligatory fluffy kitten sweater and cat apron, bound together in such a way that the wearer looked like he had a tail. The cap, obvs with cat ears, completed a look. But even with these garments, the rough and tough Dave Rydell looked so incredibly out of place in this cutesie environment that it was almost comical.
Well, not almost. Angie giggled as Dave rolled his eyes. The massive amount of cats in the cafe didn’t seem to mind though, as they rubbed their fur past his pants, leaving traces of ginger, black, white, and almost every other color imaginable. There was no background music. The purr of the cats did the trick and was a more soothing white noise than any radio station or Spotify playlist could ever hope to provide. The clientele was mostly female, but they were of all ages. From little girls picking up kittens and playing with them with one of the many toys provided, to grandmothers stroking elderly cats on their laps as they enjoyed an afternoon tea and cake.
“I disagree,” Angie said, bumping him on the shoulder. “You’ve never looked better, in fact! Oh, I think they’re looking to order Dave, best get to it!”
“I am a professional wrestler! I am the Virus Of Life! I hand out asskickings for a living!”
“Hey, language! And not today, you don’t!” Angie crouched down and picked up a ginger tabby. She stroked it a couple of times and handed it over to Rydell, who seemed hesitant. “This is Ginger. Original, right? I came up with the name all by myself! She’s 8 years old and was dropped off here because her former owner moved to an apartment that had a ‘no-pet-policy’. Her favorite food is salmon sticks and she loves it when you scratch her under her chin. Go ahead!”
Rydell gingerly (PUNS!) took the cat in his arms, and Ginger rested her head on his shoulder, leaning into his beard as some sort of pillow.
“She likes you!” Angie exclaimed. “That’s great! She’s up for adoption, you know! All cats here are available for anyone who can give them a warm and loving home. Anyway, best get to ordering.”
Dave Rydell went to it. With as much professionalism as he could muster in this environment, he took down the family’s order of three slices of pumpkin pie, a diet coke and a pot of black tea. The little girl in the party tried to pet Ginger and Rydell carefully let the cat go. It jumped on the girl’s lap, who squealed in ecstatic delight as Ginger curled herself up into a ball and made the girl’s lap her bed. Dave passed the order on to the kitchen, but he found his eyes remained trained on the family, who seemed to be having the time of their life. The parents had a massive smile plastered across their faces as they watched their daughter having so much fun.
“Nice, isn’t it?” Angie asked him. Dave couldn’t do anything but nod in agreement.
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“You know why I took you here, right?” she asked. Dave shrugged.
“I think so.”
“I wanted you to see for yourself. I wanted you to see how much you can accomplish with little acts of kindness. To make you see how much they can solve, and that it doesn’t help to be angry or violent all the time. Look at these people! They’re happy. They’re exactly where they want to be in life. And there are no raised voices, no anger, no tears, except for that one allergic lady who keeps coming in here… There’s only happiness. See how easy it is?”
“I can appreciate the sentiment, Angelica,” Dave answered. “But we won’t defeat the Clear Connection by handing them a cat.”
“Well, nobvs. But this isn't about in-ring aggression. This is about achieving inner peace. Calm of mind. Which is something I think you sorely need, pal. Now you know why I’m so laid back and casual most of the time. And why I adore these little fuzzballs so much! They’re happiness on four legs. I love spending time here and spreading some of that happiness around. That way, no matter how grueling and vicious the action inside the ring gets, I can come here and calm down. Remind myself that in spite of everything, life is bright and beautiful.”
Angelica smiled and Dave seemed to think about what she said.
“I mean, you understand that, right?”
Dave smiled for a moment. “I’m more of a dog person, honestly. But these little fur balls are...how do you say...totes adorbs? But yes, I do understand. At the end of the day, if we are at least on this of the ground, life can be beautiful.” Dave pauses and looks on at the joy happening around him.
“You know, I’m really glad we did this. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things that they weren’t open to before. One being the simple joys in life. And if it’s all the same to you, I will issue a formal apology to Roxy. Should I have done what I did? Probably not. On the flipside, I needed to get your attention and at the time, that was the only way I saw how. But, I will admit, I was wrong.”
“Thank you.”
Nothing more needed to be said, for now, as the odd pairing stood in silence for a moment, believing they achieved somewhat of a breakthrough. The rest of the day, they spent putting smiles on people’s faces.
------------------
Part 4: Department of Veterans Affairs - Richmond, Virginia
“This...is what you do?” Angelica said humbly as her and Dave walked through the halls of the Hunter Holmes McGuire V.A. Hospital. Passing many old veterans and new ones as well. Dave sauntered, greeting many of the people he sees during his time there. He introduces Angie to a few of the old timers that he sees on a regular basis. She is in absolute awe with their stories and life experience, making her think back of the time she volunteered at an old people’s home. Sure, she’d had won championships all over the world in a relatively short time. She was, after all, only nineteen years of age. But no matter how much it appeared she’d done already, nobody was as powerful as Father Time, and the experience he granted people. Many of these people seemed… scarred Emotionally as well as physically, carrying themselves with as much pride and dignity as their situation allowed. It couldn’t have been easy, Angelica realized, but none of them ever thought about giving up. It was admirable. This? This was true strength. Standing up in the face of adversity, and refusing to let life kick you down, no matter what cruelty it threw at you. Eventually, they find an empty office and take a seat at the desk.
“This is it,” Dave said. “I help out here. It’s my way to give back to those who gave more than I did. There are a lot of great and amazing people here.”
Angie just stares at Dave, shocked. She didn’t see this coming. He didn’t seem like the giving type, yet it was clear this mattered a lot to him. “But why?”, she asked.
“Truthfully? I made it out alive with minor injuries compared to what some of these guys have sacrificed. Where we go today, you’re going to need to put on your big girl pants. Your world is about to change forever”, he replied, seeming very intent and passionate. She looked right at him and asked, “Why would I need those? Where are we going?”
Dave pulled out a flier and handed it to her. It was for the amputee rehab facility. Her jaw dropped.
“These are the real ones right here. I mean, everyone in this building are real ones. But these guys and gals...I owe it to them. One of my best friends who saved my life is here. Because of him, I’m alive. And because he saved me, he has one leg and 8 fingers. So we are going to see him and all of his friends. The salt of the earth, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. After that, we are going to go have lunch with some of the staff in the cafeteria. And we will close the day with a meet and greet. We’ve got some big fans here. Which is why I took the liberty of scheduling us for a sit down with all of our fans here, some photo opportunities, and a Q&A session. If you aren’t on board, no big deal. But I figured it would be a good opportunity for us to mingle with them and a chance for you to get to know some of these fine people.” After he said all of that, Dave looked to Angie for a reply.
Angelica bit her bottom lip. War… war scared her. People often described their in-ring antics as ‘going to war’, but these people had gone through the real deal. Injuries happened inside a ring, but rarely if ever so severe as this. She looked at Dave as they made their way towards their appointments, admiring his steadfastness and the respect he held for these veterans. It was good to see this side of him. Whereas their time at the Kitty Cafe was all about putting smiles on people’s faces, this was something else entirely. This was about making people forget about the horrors they’d faced, if only for a short while. And they did it by putting themselves up as heroes, when in truth? They were nothing but glorified actors who pretended they were larger than life. But it gave these people some measure of solace, and wasn’t that worth it? She sure liked to think so. In the end, it was all about doing what you could. And Dave? Dave did his part, no matter how hard it was. Because he put others before himself.
“I’d be honored to meet them,” Angelica eventually replied truthfully. “It’ll be… humbling. In the best possible way.”
“No doubt,” Dave answered. He grinned and stood up from the desk, before noticing how nervous Angelica was. This time, he gave her a playful bump on the shoulder. “Hey, relax! They’ll love you, I’m sure of it! Not every day they meet a global megastar like you.”
“You sure??”
Dave nodded and extended his hand. “I’m sure. Do you trust me?”
Angie grabbed his hand.
------------------
Part 5 - Battleground
Angie and Dave stood backstage at Battleground. After everything they’d gone through this past week, they didn’t just look like two people holding a pair of belts. They looked like a team. They looked like the champions they were supposed to be. No need for a backstage interviewer. This was coming straight from ‘Angell’, and it was the Vaughnemous One who broke the silence..
“So, much has been said about this match. ‘Angie, what does it feel like having to face two of your tobvs best buddies? Why are you hanging with Dave Rydell? Are you going to roll over for your fellow CoolKids?’
These questions are easy to answer, but it wasn’t always like that. Until recently, the very thought of having to do bodily harm to people I love, even in a professional environment, was something that kept me up at night. Plagued and riddled with guilt, I’d stare at my bedroom ceiling wondering how they would ever forgive me if I ended up beating them. It made me insecure, made me uncertain of whether I have what it takes to be successful in this business. Because it’s cutthroat from start to finish, no matter how much you love, adore or respect your colleagues. It took me a long time to understand that, and an even longer time to accept that. So what does it feel like having to face two of my tobvs best buddies? Right now, I can say that it feels amazing! Because both Roxy and Kenzi were instrumental in making me realize that inside the ring, you have to put friendships aside and simply go for that W, no matter what it takes… as long as it’s legal, obvs. In a way, without their help I might not even be in the right mindset for this match, but when I saw how quickly Kenzi can change her tone from an asskicking in-ring machine to a loving, caring friend, it made me realize that none of it is personal… and that true respect is often given in the form of a no-punches-pulled-beatdown. And believe you me, there are few people I respect more than Kenzi Grey and Roxy Cotton.
As for ‘Why am I hanging with Dave Rydell? Well, fate and coincidence brought us together. From the last stretches of a seemingly random battle royal an unlikely team was forged, one that nobody thought would ever stand the test of time. Maybe wouldn’t even stand a single test to begin with! But Dave and I proved everybody wrong when we beat Team Kickass, a team I consider one of the most formidable pairings you could ever hope to see inside a squared circle. I was just as surprised as everybody, tee bee aitch. Dave Rydell and me? We seemingly had nothing in common. He wasn’t someone I considered a friend. He was a colleague. An opponent. A fellow member of a very talented roster. I didn’t consider him any more likely a tag team partner than, say, Jet Somers, Gabriel Baal, Maggie Lockheart, or any other wrestler who cashes in their Coalition paycheck each month.
But then I realized. You don’t need to have anything in common. You just need to understand and accept each other. You need to embrace those differences and let them complement each other, rather than focus on the negatives. After all, what do I have in common with Roxy? Not much, yet we are bff’s. What do I have in common with Sarah?”
Angelica’s train of thought stopped her a while, but she quickly regained her composure. Dave looked at her from the side, wondering why she took this moment to stumble over her words. But her hesitation was gone in a flash.
“Sarah was brought up like royalty, while I had to scrape by in a simple Vancouver home. What do I have in common with Kenzi? She’s a multi-media megastar while I used to be an insecure, camera shy nobody. But we all evolved, and learned to accept each other, with all our defects. Sorry for stealing your line there, Kem, but it’s true. Our differences made us stronger, not weaker. And that’s why I don’t need to have much of anything in common with Dave. Because we understand each other. We know each other’s worth. And because of that, I know we can be successful even in the face of mass skepticism.
As for ‘am I going to roll over for my fellow CoolKids? Dave, I believe you know the answer to this?”
She looked over to her taggie, who rolled his eyes but also couldn’t resist smirking, delivering the line Angie had fed him earlier.
“NABS!” he belted out and Angelica smiled.
“Abs nabs! If I did that, I may as well retire right now and save all the fans the trouble of forking over their hard earned money! No, we’re going in this with a game plan! Because I KNOW these girls. See, the thing about Kenzi Grey? She is the Queen of Overcomplication. Sometimes, she should adhere to the KISS-rule. Keep It Simple Silly!”
Dave put a finger up, wondering for a moment if he should correct her, but then lowered his hand, deciding against it.
“Kenzi’s motto is: ‘Why do things the easy way when you can do them the hard way? I guess that’s abs admirable, like her abs that Sar won’t shut up about; but instead of walking around a mountain to get to your destination safely and timely, she combats the mountain and tries to plant her flag on the mountaintop, even if it costs her her life and she never ends up where she’s supposed to. Admirable… but unnecessary, and not always the best solution to a problem. She doesn’t like to play it safe. She loves danger and risk, even if she doesn’t realize it. She’s in love with the thrill of the unexpected, and she loves the journey more than she loves the destination. But it’s at the destination where the prizes are handed out, and she all too often stumbles on the way. I have no doubt in my mind that Kenzi could be twice as successful as she has been, because she’s just THAT good. But I know her. I know her game, I know her style, and I know what to expect. She will go hard and hold nothing back, but I’m not going to end up six foot deep. This will not be a repeat of Wrestlestock.
By the Dubs, love you so much, Kenz!”
Angie winked at the camera, her bright smile making it clear that there was zero irony or sarcasm behind that statement.
“Speaking of lovelovelove, my totes bestie Roxy might be one of the most reviled women in wrestling, but let’s be honest here, it’s mostly because people are jelly as flame! She’s so purty and confident and so loving and kind-hearted when she wants to be, even if she doesn’t want people to know this of her. And you know what? That’s her biggest flaw. She’s a good person, but she loved being hated. She loves kicking up dust for no reason and then blame others for the sand in her cleavage. In short, Roxy’s favorite pastime is digging her own grave.
Now, I know that sounds rude, but it’s true! She doesn’t let a lot of people in. Well, emotionally I mean, obvs. Not that she lets a lot of people in physically! I think…”
Angie ponders that statement for a second, pulls up her nose and shakes her head.
“N-E-Ways, what I meant to say is that she’s a lot like Dave in that regard. Tough shell to crack, but once you do, whatever you discover isn’t unpleasant at all! Roxy doesn’t want anyone to see her at her most vulnerable. Again, much like Dave. She doesn’t want anyone to pity her, or feel sorry for her, even if she does demand everyone’s attention. I feel bad for Roxy, because I know that not a lot of people truly appreciate her in the way she deserves to be appreciated; but I also realize much of that is her own fault.
‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.’
You know that saying, right? Well, Roxy doesn’t believe in that, at all. Much like Kenzi loves danger, Roxy loves conflict. I don’t think those are the same things, but they both serve to their detriment. Kenzi is adored by the masses but stumbles over her desire to overcomplicate. Roxy is reviled by the masses, but doesn’t mind taking the easy road. Together, they can be a true Deus Ex Machina or the AntiChrist, depending on how you look at it. And I guess that’s why they work so well together as a team, even if there are many voices who question why Kenzi would even consider hanging out with this bubblegum blonde bombshell we both adore so much.
But I know their flaws as well as I know their plenty virtues. Call it insider trading, but I will take advantage of it. WE will take advantage of it. Isn’t that right, Dave?”
She looked over at her tag team partner who had mostly remained silent up until now. Dave soaked in everything Angie just said. He looked at her with a quick glance and then to the camera.
“First and foremost, I’m taking a huge hit on my pride right now. Everyone knows how prideful I can be. Roxy, I am sorry. You did nothing wrong. You bested me a couple weeks ago, and kudos to you. I did what I did to get Angie’s attention. It worked, but at what cost? A future alliance? Not worth it. So I am incredibly sorry.” Dave pauses, gathered his thoughts, and continued. “With that out of the way, we look forward to an incredible match with incredible talents. From the bottom of my heart, I truly respect every bit of work that everyone on the roster produces. I have nothing but excellent things to say about everyone...with the exception of maybe, Konrad Raab. I mean, what a joke, amiright?!” Dave gives a nervous chuckle looking at Angie, who just rolls her eyes and pretends he isn’t there.
“What? Ugh. Okay, fine. You know, I’ve been asked many times, why am I working so hard on this partnership? What do I even think of Angie Vaughn? Why haven’t I ditched this to pursue my dream of winning the World Title? The answers are simple. We hit that battle royal with one goal in mind. Winning. And as luck would have it, we became a team. We battled relentlessly to win these belts, and we aren’t going to be some one hit wonder. We are going to be reigning, defending Champions.” Dave paused again, smirking. “Champion is defined as ‘a person who has defeated or surpassed all rivals in a competition, especially in sports.’ But in this business we are constantly tested by rivals. We are constantly being pushed into situations to prove that we are still worthy of holding these belts. Sure, when we won we surpassed the holders of these titles. Now? We are being tested with a new challenge. The challenge of Roxy Cotton and Kenzi Grey. Did I have reservations that Angie would not want to tarnish the relationship, respect, and trust she built with her ‘bffs’? Sure. I absolutely doubted that. Anyone in their right mind would. But now? I see a way to coexist. Friendly competition for one of the richest prizes in the industry.
The reason I am working so hard on this partnership is because you cannot make it in this business by yourself. You cannot make it alone. I know I’ve stated multiple times that I fight for me, and no one else. That still holds true. In this instance, I do have a partner and gold is on the line. I want to keep on being a Champion. So while I am fighting for myself in this match, I am; by association; fighting for Angie Vaughn. She has worked her ass off in this industry and paid her dues. So why am I trying so hard to make this work? Because I fucking respect her! I respect the shit out of her and will stop at nothing to keep this alive.”
Dave takes a minute, pats Angie on the shoulder and continues. “I am still dead set on winning the World Title. In due time. But right now, the mission...much like anything else I’ve ever done...the mission is Battleground. The mission is to retain the UGWC Co-Operative Championships. Stopping at nothing to keep them is the mission. I know I can play dirty. I know I can be unfair. The fact is, life isn’t fair. And Angie, I know that isn’t in your wheelhouse, but leave that to me. If it calls for it because we are about to lose what we worked our asses off for, I will do it. I’ve had to get my hands dirty on multiple occassions. Much like many of our past Champions of any division. Everyone has or will get their hands dirty.
So I say this to our opponents. Roxy, Kenzi...respect me, hate me. I truly do not care what your opinion of me is. Just know I will fight tooth and nail to get this win over you. I will stop at nothing to keep these belts. I will do absolutely anything and everything to be victorious. The only question I have for the both of you is...are you ready?”
End.
x1
x1
x1
x1
x1