Post by EZRA on Sept 9, 2022 7:08:10 GMT -5
Outside of the UGWC Arena, Shortly After the Event Has Ended
Ezra Wade and Ezekiel Pax, aka American Ultra, had failed in their goal of dethroning the current UGWC Co-Op Champions. Baltimore Elite were in the midst of a record-breaking reign which meant it wasn’t completely surprising when Kyra and Ken retained their titles. Ezra and Zeke put up a hell of a fight and the two seemed to be in good spirits as they meet up at their rental car.
“How are you doing?” Ezekiel asked as he popped the trunk on the vehicle. He grabs Ezra’s bag and tosses it in, followed by his own.
“I’m good, bro. We’ll get’em next time.” Ezra says as he gets in the car.
Ezekiel sighs before opening the driver door. He peaks his head in and says, “Get out, Ezra.”
Ezra does what he’s told and gets out of the car with a puzzled expression on his face.
“What’s up?”
Zeke closes the door and rubs his forehead for a moment.
“I told you before Run of the Mill that this,” he motions at the two of them “was a one-time deal. There won’t be a next time.”
“Oh c’mon! We both know that was bullshit.” Ezra says with a smirk.
“I’m serious, Ezra. I have no reason to go on a chase for those belts. And while people like Ken Davison want to wrestle for 30 years to chase the glory, I don’t need to. Or want to. He can run his mouth about me being old yet by the looks of him he’s got a decade or so on me. My active career was half as long as his yet how many Hall of Fames is he in? Fuck that prick. He has no idea what he’s even talking about. Referencing ‘American Ultra’ like we didn’t purposely name our team after it. He’s the kind of guy who got voted Prom King through pity votes and gladly accepted the win. Plus, there’s plenty of other people you can team with if you really want the Co-Op belts. I’m not doing it.”
Ezra’s smirk has shifted into somewhat of an annoyed look.
“No way. You’re for real? One and done? You know how dope it would be for us to win those belts together?”
“Yeah. It would be awesome. But it can wait. Why chase these two? Are they actually worth it? They won a match in a division that seems like it’s actively dying. Congratu-fuckin-lations. It doesn’t matter. If Donny or Phrixus held those belts it’d be worth it to strike up some old history. Not right now. I’ve done enough in UGWC to be able to pick my fights. Move on to something more worth your time.”
“Right now, any opportunity to win some gold is worth my time. I don’t care who it is against, bro. We were close to winning tonight. And all we need is some more time to build up chemistry and we can take the belts off those idiots.”
Ezekiel shakes his head ‘no’.
“Fuck that, Zeke! We---”
“EZRA!” Zeke shouts, interrupting his protégé by slamming his hand on the roof of the car. “This conversation is over. I’ve already made up my mind. My goal when I returned here wasn’t to chase anything. It was to help you live out your dream because I’ve already lived out mine. Now grow the fuck up, smoke a joint, then get in the car.”
Before Ezra can even respond, Ezekiel has closed the door and is back in the car. We can hear some music get cranked up as Ezra pulls a joint from his jacket pocket and lights it up.
“My bad,” is all he can manage after exhaling as the scene fades to black.
Ezra was startled awake by the alarm on his phone going off. He reached over and silenced it only for it to go off again a few seconds later. That was when he realized it wasn’t his alarm. Someone was calling him. His initial thought was ‘who is calling me in the middle of the night?’ not noticing that the clock on his phone clearly showed it was actually in the early afternoon. After contemplating hitting the red button that would mute the phone call, he decided to hit the green one and see who was calling.
“Hello….” He said, sounding groggy as ever.
“Oh. Am I waking you, Sleeping Beauty? You know it’s nearly 3pm, right?” we hear Ezekiel say from the other end of the phone.
Ezra pulled his phone from his ear to see the face of it then he placed it back next to his ear.
“I guess it is. I’m allowed to sleep in occasionally. My opponent for Synergy hasn’t even been announced yet. We can work on a game plan once that happens.”
“That’s actually why I’m calling. They just sent out next week's matches. You should check it out. Let’s just say ‘I told you so’.”
“Just tell me, dude. Then I can go back to bed.”
“Utilize the computer you’re holding in your hand and check your messages.”
Ezra sighs and grunts as he sits himself up on the edge of his bed. He hits the ‘HOME’ button on his phone, and it moves the call screen to the background. Then he swipes down so the Notifications screen pops up and he clicks ‘UGWC Staff/Synergy Announcements’. His eyes grow wide as he sees that he is facing Phrixus Deimos for the currently vacant Conquest Championship. His expression changes to annoyance as he puts the phone back to his ear.
“What do you mean ‘I told you so’?” he asks.
“You were so twisted up inside about me not wanting to team up again for now. And I told you to move on to something more worth your time. And now you are. This is big. And now you can stop annoying me about staying semi-retired.”
“Fair enough, bro. It’s good timing too. Phrixus is probably all torn up about losing the Cross-Hemisphere Championship. And to Miss Vee of all people. I’m undefeated against her and she managed to beat Deimos, so I like my odds.”
“I doubt Phrixus has ever felt ‘torn up’ about anything, let alone a single loss. Don’t let your guard down. Good ol’ Phrixie is many things, but an easy target is definitely not one of them. Now, get ready and meet me at the gym in an hour. See you there, Ez.”
Two things went through Ezra’s mind as he hung up the phone.
One – There was no way he was going to let this opportunity go to waste a 2nd time.
Two – No one has ever called him ‘Ez’ except his mom. For some reason, it seemed to mean just as much when it came from Ezekiel. It caught him off guard and he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it.
He played those two thoughts over and over again in his head as he gathered up his stuff and headed for the bathroom. Even though he was headed to workout, a shower was going to be his first objective before heading out.
During his burgeoning career in UGWC, Ezra Wolf had mentioned sounding like a broken record when it came to his opponents so far. Wrestling former UGWC Grand Slam Champions, record-breaking Co-Op Champions, going toe-to-toe with the current (at the time) UGWC Global Champion, and fighting the literal embodiment of the Bogeyman. He was nowhere near undefeated here, but he had gained the respect of the some of his colleagues as well as staff and commentators.
While earning respect may not matter to some, it mattered immensely to Ezra. Some would cast him aside and say things like ‘he stole his nickname’ and ‘he’s generic’ without noticing that his nickname was bestowed upon him like a crown by his mentor. He didn’t steal anything. They would ignore the obvious reference to the movie that his brief tag team with Ezekiel was named after. A movie that is basically ‘Jason Bourne with weed’ may not be for everyone but it was something Ezra enjoyed.
And they say potheads are space-y. Jesus Ken.
Alas, respect is a two-way street, and he held no respect for Baltimore Elite even after facing them at Run of the Mill. Someone he did respect was his upcoming opponent for the 379th episode of Synergy. Phrixus Deimos had earned respect from his peers in spades and seemingly never demanded it. He was a force to be reckoned with in whatever company he chose to participate in. Ezra didn’t know much about LWF before it merged with GIW so he couldn’t speak on that very much. He was familiar with the Embodiment of Fear and his work inside UGWC. You can respect someone and still want to punch them in the face to achieve your goals.
Ezekiel had told Ezra that Phrixus wouldn’t be torn up about losing the Cross-Hemisphere Championship, but Ezra didn’t seem as sure about that. He knew that at one point Deimos had come out of retirement simply to re-establish the CH Title’s legacy. He had grown tired of the caliber of men and women who held that belt in his absence. And recently he seemed to begin that mission once again only to lose it in his first defense against an opponent that had lucked their way into ANOTHER title shot. Deimos had defeated Ragdoll when Miss Vee was previously unsuccessful in that venture. It almost seemed like an afterthought that Deimos would walk into Run of the Mill as the champion and leave with the same status.
That was not to be. Now his prized possession was in the undeserving hands of Miss Vee. And Deimos suddenly found himself in a match for a championship he didn’t hold nearly as dear. And Ezra would use this to his advantage. He wasn’t sure how much Deimos cared for the Conquest Championship although he knew how much HE cared for the belt. He had failed to take it from Rogan McClean. Rogan had collected the five wins necessary to trade the belt in for a Global Title match. And the current holder of the Global Championship ripped it from the solid grasp that Rogan’s own girlfriend had on the belt. Any apprehensions of facing his love had melted away and we could very well see a new Global Champion after Synergy.
On the same night that the previous champion could cash in on his opportunity, Ezra would have the chance to right his previous wrong and walk away with the Conquest Championship. Life was all about second chances. And he was going to make the most of this one or die trying. Because when it came to his career in UGWC, he had two choices.
Ezra Wade and Ezekiel Pax, aka American Ultra, had failed in their goal of dethroning the current UGWC Co-Op Champions. Baltimore Elite were in the midst of a record-breaking reign which meant it wasn’t completely surprising when Kyra and Ken retained their titles. Ezra and Zeke put up a hell of a fight and the two seemed to be in good spirits as they meet up at their rental car.
“How are you doing?” Ezekiel asked as he popped the trunk on the vehicle. He grabs Ezra’s bag and tosses it in, followed by his own.
“I’m good, bro. We’ll get’em next time.” Ezra says as he gets in the car.
Ezekiel sighs before opening the driver door. He peaks his head in and says, “Get out, Ezra.”
Ezra does what he’s told and gets out of the car with a puzzled expression on his face.
“What’s up?”
Zeke closes the door and rubs his forehead for a moment.
“I told you before Run of the Mill that this,” he motions at the two of them “was a one-time deal. There won’t be a next time.”
“Oh c’mon! We both know that was bullshit.” Ezra says with a smirk.
“I’m serious, Ezra. I have no reason to go on a chase for those belts. And while people like Ken Davison want to wrestle for 30 years to chase the glory, I don’t need to. Or want to. He can run his mouth about me being old yet by the looks of him he’s got a decade or so on me. My active career was half as long as his yet how many Hall of Fames is he in? Fuck that prick. He has no idea what he’s even talking about. Referencing ‘American Ultra’ like we didn’t purposely name our team after it. He’s the kind of guy who got voted Prom King through pity votes and gladly accepted the win. Plus, there’s plenty of other people you can team with if you really want the Co-Op belts. I’m not doing it.”
Ezra’s smirk has shifted into somewhat of an annoyed look.
“No way. You’re for real? One and done? You know how dope it would be for us to win those belts together?”
“Yeah. It would be awesome. But it can wait. Why chase these two? Are they actually worth it? They won a match in a division that seems like it’s actively dying. Congratu-fuckin-lations. It doesn’t matter. If Donny or Phrixus held those belts it’d be worth it to strike up some old history. Not right now. I’ve done enough in UGWC to be able to pick my fights. Move on to something more worth your time.”
“Right now, any opportunity to win some gold is worth my time. I don’t care who it is against, bro. We were close to winning tonight. And all we need is some more time to build up chemistry and we can take the belts off those idiots.”
Ezekiel shakes his head ‘no’.
“Fuck that, Zeke! We---”
“EZRA!” Zeke shouts, interrupting his protégé by slamming his hand on the roof of the car. “This conversation is over. I’ve already made up my mind. My goal when I returned here wasn’t to chase anything. It was to help you live out your dream because I’ve already lived out mine. Now grow the fuck up, smoke a joint, then get in the car.”
Before Ezra can even respond, Ezekiel has closed the door and is back in the car. We can hear some music get cranked up as Ezra pulls a joint from his jacket pocket and lights it up.
“My bad,” is all he can manage after exhaling as the scene fades to black.
Don't be so concerned about the size of your next step, the direction is what matters! – Joseph Simmons
Ezra was startled awake by the alarm on his phone going off. He reached over and silenced it only for it to go off again a few seconds later. That was when he realized it wasn’t his alarm. Someone was calling him. His initial thought was ‘who is calling me in the middle of the night?’ not noticing that the clock on his phone clearly showed it was actually in the early afternoon. After contemplating hitting the red button that would mute the phone call, he decided to hit the green one and see who was calling.
“Hello….” He said, sounding groggy as ever.
“Oh. Am I waking you, Sleeping Beauty? You know it’s nearly 3pm, right?” we hear Ezekiel say from the other end of the phone.
Ezra pulled his phone from his ear to see the face of it then he placed it back next to his ear.
“I guess it is. I’m allowed to sleep in occasionally. My opponent for Synergy hasn’t even been announced yet. We can work on a game plan once that happens.”
“That’s actually why I’m calling. They just sent out next week's matches. You should check it out. Let’s just say ‘I told you so’.”
“Just tell me, dude. Then I can go back to bed.”
“Utilize the computer you’re holding in your hand and check your messages.”
Ezra sighs and grunts as he sits himself up on the edge of his bed. He hits the ‘HOME’ button on his phone, and it moves the call screen to the background. Then he swipes down so the Notifications screen pops up and he clicks ‘UGWC Staff/Synergy Announcements’. His eyes grow wide as he sees that he is facing Phrixus Deimos for the currently vacant Conquest Championship. His expression changes to annoyance as he puts the phone back to his ear.
“What do you mean ‘I told you so’?” he asks.
“You were so twisted up inside about me not wanting to team up again for now. And I told you to move on to something more worth your time. And now you are. This is big. And now you can stop annoying me about staying semi-retired.”
“Fair enough, bro. It’s good timing too. Phrixus is probably all torn up about losing the Cross-Hemisphere Championship. And to Miss Vee of all people. I’m undefeated against her and she managed to beat Deimos, so I like my odds.”
“I doubt Phrixus has ever felt ‘torn up’ about anything, let alone a single loss. Don’t let your guard down. Good ol’ Phrixie is many things, but an easy target is definitely not one of them. Now, get ready and meet me at the gym in an hour. See you there, Ez.”
Two things went through Ezra’s mind as he hung up the phone.
One – There was no way he was going to let this opportunity go to waste a 2nd time.
Two – No one has ever called him ‘Ez’ except his mom. For some reason, it seemed to mean just as much when it came from Ezekiel. It caught him off guard and he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it.
He played those two thoughts over and over again in his head as he gathered up his stuff and headed for the bathroom. Even though he was headed to workout, a shower was going to be his first objective before heading out.
A second chance doesn’t mean anything if you didn’t learn from your first. – Anurag Prakash Ray
During his burgeoning career in UGWC, Ezra Wolf had mentioned sounding like a broken record when it came to his opponents so far. Wrestling former UGWC Grand Slam Champions, record-breaking Co-Op Champions, going toe-to-toe with the current (at the time) UGWC Global Champion, and fighting the literal embodiment of the Bogeyman. He was nowhere near undefeated here, but he had gained the respect of the some of his colleagues as well as staff and commentators.
While earning respect may not matter to some, it mattered immensely to Ezra. Some would cast him aside and say things like ‘he stole his nickname’ and ‘he’s generic’ without noticing that his nickname was bestowed upon him like a crown by his mentor. He didn’t steal anything. They would ignore the obvious reference to the movie that his brief tag team with Ezekiel was named after. A movie that is basically ‘Jason Bourne with weed’ may not be for everyone but it was something Ezra enjoyed.
And they say potheads are space-y. Jesus Ken.
Alas, respect is a two-way street, and he held no respect for Baltimore Elite even after facing them at Run of the Mill. Someone he did respect was his upcoming opponent for the 379th episode of Synergy. Phrixus Deimos had earned respect from his peers in spades and seemingly never demanded it. He was a force to be reckoned with in whatever company he chose to participate in. Ezra didn’t know much about LWF before it merged with GIW so he couldn’t speak on that very much. He was familiar with the Embodiment of Fear and his work inside UGWC. You can respect someone and still want to punch them in the face to achieve your goals.
Ezekiel had told Ezra that Phrixus wouldn’t be torn up about losing the Cross-Hemisphere Championship, but Ezra didn’t seem as sure about that. He knew that at one point Deimos had come out of retirement simply to re-establish the CH Title’s legacy. He had grown tired of the caliber of men and women who held that belt in his absence. And recently he seemed to begin that mission once again only to lose it in his first defense against an opponent that had lucked their way into ANOTHER title shot. Deimos had defeated Ragdoll when Miss Vee was previously unsuccessful in that venture. It almost seemed like an afterthought that Deimos would walk into Run of the Mill as the champion and leave with the same status.
That was not to be. Now his prized possession was in the undeserving hands of Miss Vee. And Deimos suddenly found himself in a match for a championship he didn’t hold nearly as dear. And Ezra would use this to his advantage. He wasn’t sure how much Deimos cared for the Conquest Championship although he knew how much HE cared for the belt. He had failed to take it from Rogan McClean. Rogan had collected the five wins necessary to trade the belt in for a Global Title match. And the current holder of the Global Championship ripped it from the solid grasp that Rogan’s own girlfriend had on the belt. Any apprehensions of facing his love had melted away and we could very well see a new Global Champion after Synergy.
On the same night that the previous champion could cash in on his opportunity, Ezra would have the chance to right his previous wrong and walk away with the Conquest Championship. Life was all about second chances. And he was going to make the most of this one or die trying. Because when it came to his career in UGWC, he had two choices.
GREATNESS. OR DEATH.