Post by EZRA on Mar 30, 2024 8:20:02 GMT -5
MAR 25
We join Ezra Wolf in his locker room after his battle with Gideon Thornfield. He’s just stepped out of the shower wrapped in a towel and is startled to find Jason Reeves standing in the locker room.
“We’re here with the current #1 Contender to the Chaos Championship, Ezra Wolf! The Red-Eyed Warrior looks to dethrone the current Champion, The Avenger, at Alchemy in a Scaffold Match! How are you preparing to take down a real-life superhero?!”
Jason leans his microphone towards Ezra to get a response.
“Uh… where the heck did you come from? Also, why are you yelling, bro? You’re like right next to me.”
Reeves doesn’t respond. He just continues holding the microphone out. Ezra tightens his towel then responds to his question.
“Okay. Whatever, bro. First off, no one actually knows if Vengy is a real-life superhero. Homeboy thought I was an actual werewolf, so the jury is still out on his mental state. He could just be a really dedicated cosplayer. Secondly, I’m preparing the same way I prepare for every match here. By training my ass off in the gym and in the ring. You don’t have to ‘get ready’ if you stay ready, my dude.”
“Great answer! Sorry, I’m still yelling, aren’t I?”
Ezra nods. Reeves clears his throat.
“Great answer. What makes this match different previous title matches you’ve been?”
“I feel like I have something to prove to myself, dude. I know I sound like a broken record but I’m tired of seeing the number two next to my name in the Chaos Title record books. That’s my main motivation for going after the championship.”
“You and the Avenger have squared off before with a title on the line. He was defense #4 when you were Conquest Champion. You came out on top in that exchange. Do you feel confident that the result will be the same?”
Ezra shakes his head ‘no’.
“I’d be a fool to think I’m facing the same guy. The Avenger took the belt from one of the most decorated competitors in UGWC history. Granted, she never wanted to be champion in the first place. But he still dethroned a legend in Lucy Wylde. Last time, I was the champion looking to keep his belt. And now the shoe is on the other foot, bro. Vengy acknowledges that he hasn’t been the best champion and he’s looking to prove his worth. He NEEDS this victory. Which means it’s going to be a dogfight.”
“With the match taking place on scaffolding above the ring, it begs the question. Are you afraid of heights?”
“My gut instinct answer is ‘hell no’. That’s not the full truth though, bro. It’s not really a fear of a heights. It’s a fear of the landing. Everybody knows that the ring isn’t a mattress. Falling from high above it could fuckin’ suck. To answer your question, I’m not afraid of heights. I’m just a bit nervous of them.”
“Alright. One final question since it looks like I caught you in the middle of something.”
Ezra rolls his eyes.
“Ya think?” he replies, gesturing at his towel.
Jason doesn’t answer, instead asking his last question.
“Do you think that The Avengers cape will give him an advantage in your match?”
“What the hell? Naw, bro. I don’t think it will. Have you ever seen The Incredibles? Capes are dangerous and would just get in the way. I could pull it over his head like a hockey fight. Or choke him out with it. If he fell off the scaffolding, it could get caught and then he’d be in a really bad situation. I think Vengy is smart enough to not wear his cape in this match. My memory isn’t the best but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t wear his cape when he wrestles.”
As he finishes answering the question, his phone buzzes on the bench next to him with the caller ID reading ‘NORA’.
“I gotta grab this, bro.”
Ezra turns to grab his phone and when he turns back, Jason is gone. A look of bewilderment comes across his face as the scene fades out.
The scene opens to a television in a dark room. It’s currently paused in the middle of Zane Scott’s promo going into his match with Trent Steel. A click is heard, and the clip begins to play.
“He respected and revered this championship with a passion that few who held it ever did. THAT is what made his run worthy of the history books, and what made him worthy of respect as Cross-Hemisphere Champion, and what makes him worthy of that same respect after he lost it. I’m not saying that Joe and I are friends, because that ain’t the truth by a longshot. But I respect him as a competitor, AND as a former Cross-Hemisphere Champion.”
Another click is heard and the video stops and rewinds briefly before starting off at the same point.
“He respected and revered this championship with a passion that few who held it ever did. THAT is what made his run worthy of the history books, and what made him worthy of respect as Cross-Hemisphere Champion, and what makes him worthy of that same respect after he lost it. I’m not saying that Joe and I are friends, because that ain’t the truth by a longshot. But I respect him as a competitor, AND as a former Cross-Hemisphere Champion.”
The video pauses and rewinds again. It starts up but from a different spot.
“But I respect him as a competitor, AND as a former Cross-Hemisphere Champion.
One final time, the video pauses. And rewinds.
”But I respect him.”
The promo continues as the lights suddenly turn on and we see Ezra Wolf seated in a chair in front of the television. He had the promo clip on his phone and had it playing on the television via Bluetooth. Nora had turned on the light in their spare room, not even realizing Ezra was in there. She had an armload of folded blankets and a bewildered look on her face.
“Ez, what are you doing in here in the dark?” she asks as she sets the blankets down on a shelf inside the closet.
“Watching some tape,” he replies as he blinks a few times, attempting to adjust to the sudden change in brightness. “Studying for Alchemy.”
“But” she says, gesturing at the television, “you’re fighting The Avenger, not Zane.”
“Fuel comes from lots of different places. That’s all.” Ezra says as he pauses the video, leaving Zane’s face frozen on the screen.
“Um. Okay? How long have you been back here?” She pauses for a moment. “You good?”
“Of course,” he says with a big grin. “Like I said, I’m just studying some tape. I know it seems a bit weird watching it in the dark. It just helps me absorb it better, love. No distractions.”
He gives her a reassuring kiss on the forehead as he gives her a hug. She pulls her head away so she can look him in the eyes.
“Yeah, it is a bit weird. But I’m not a wrestler so I guess I don’t fully understand. You’d tell me if you weren’t okay, right? Because last time you kept it to yourself, and it didn’t work out too well.”
“I’m good, Nora.”
“I’m suspicious.”
“That’s okay. I put you through the ringer and I have to earn your trust back. I understand.”
She leans back into his embrace and the scene fades with Ezra staring at the paused television.
In 2023, Ezra had encouraged Nora to work on her art instead of having a regular job. And she had been doing that until Ezra’s episode that ended up with him living in Chicago. Once the doctor had told her and Ezra that she couldn’t stay there, she decided to get a job to fill the space that had been left by Ezra’s temporary departure. Fortunately, the job she found had actually helped her with her art while also giving her steady money of her own. Once Ezra returned home, she had decided to keep the job she’d started at the art gallery. And that’s where we join the two of them.
Sort of.
To celebrate a new year in operation, the owners of the 7811 Gallery had decided to throw a party. And the spring weather in California afforded them the opportunity to do that outdoors. There’s some picnic tables covered in food, vendors selling their wares, and lots of kids running amuck.
“This is my boyfriend, Ezra.” Nora says, dragging her man by the end to meet the Blums, the owners and curators of 7811 Gallery. “He was temporarily staying in Chicago with a friend but he’s back now.”
“Ezra!” Deb Blum says, stepping forward and giving him a big hug. “We’ve heard SO MUCH about you.”
“Nice to meet you,” he says as she releases the hug just in time for Warren to come in with a firm handshake. “Nice to meet both of you.”
“To be honest, he’s not much of a people person.” Nora says with a smile. “But he’s very supportive. He’s the one that got me to quit my coffee shop job and focus more on my art.”
“It’s an amazing feeling to have a supportive partner,” Warren says as he reaches over and grips his wife’s hand. “Nora tells us you’re a professional wrestler?”
“Entertainment professional.” Ezra replies. “It’s similar but different.”
“How long have you been doing that?” Deb asks.
“A few years. I’ve been at my current promotion almost two years.”
The conversation continues with some unimportant chatter. Ezra begins looking off to the side while they’re talking and eventually the Blums bid farewell and go off to chat to other employees and friends that are attending the gathering. Nora turns to face Ezra with an irritated look on her face.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Because you couldn’t even keep eye contact with my BOSSES.”
“I.. uh.. I’m..” Ezra stammers a bit before pointing in the direction he kept glancing towards. “I’m sorry. THAT just caught my attention. I’ve never seen one in person before.”
Nora looks where he was pointing and sighs.
“Really?”
“Yes! Honest to goodness. I’ve never even been in one.”
She sighs again but this time with a smile.
“Go for it. But make sure you don’t trample anybody.”
“Really?!”
Nora gives him a nod and he excitedly gives her a kiss then takes off full speed and the camera turns so we can see the object of his attention: a mother-effin’ bounce house. He stops at the entrance and peeks his head inside. He then takes a few steps back, charges and dives headfirst into the bounce house. As luck would have it, the kids were currently occupied by an entertainer brought in by the Blums. He had the bounce house to himself as he jumped all over the place inside of it.
After a while, he quit bouncing and just laid down on the floor. Nora came over to check on him as his chest heaved from exertion.
“You alive in there?” she asked playfully.
He simply extended his arm and gave her a thumbs up.
“Well, you better hop up because there’s a swarm of kids headed that way.”
The screaming kids had apparently gotten bored with the entertainer after seeing how much fun Ezra was having. There was a stampede of tiny feet kicking up dirt as they ran. Ezra lifted his head to see how far away they were, and he realized he had just enough time to escape. He rolled towards the door and kind of slinked his way out of it and onto the grass just as the kids reached the bounce house. They kicked off their shoes and scurried inside as Ezra plopped onto the ground.
“That was a close one,” he said, getting to his feet.
“You didn’t want to share?” Nora asked, again with a smile.
“Naw. Cooties.”
“I swear I’m in love with a child.”
“Nora!” Ezra says as he recoils is faux disgust.
She slugs him in the arm.
“That is NOT what I meant!”
“Nuh-uh! No takesies-backsies!”
“Oh my God,” she says, putting her face in her hands out of embarrassment. She looks back up at Ezra. “You’ve never really been in a bounce house before? What’s that about?”
“Well, my mom was super broke when I was a kid. Which meant we never went anywhere that would have something like that. Then in my teen years, I was focusing on becoming a wrestler. And that didn’t end well. I just never had the chance to go nuts in one before. It almost felt… therapeutic.”
While he was talking, Nora’s expression changed from a confused smile to a worried frown.
“Dang, Ez. I didn’t think about it like that. It’s like you didn’t really have a childhood.”
Ezra notices her worry and comforts her by holding her hand.
“It’s not that deep. Don’t stress it, love. My backstory ain’t that grand but I like where my story is going from here. Things are going good. Especially since I get to spend it with you.”
“You’re a cheeseball.”
“Oh! Good timing. Let’s go get some food. Then maybe I’ll see how many kids I can fight at once in a bounce house!”
Nora slugs him in the arm again.
“I’m kidding! Although, I’m curious about how many kids I could beat up before they overwhelm me…”
“You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“This month has been eye-opening, my dudes. People that I had respect for have shown their true colors. And others that I thought had respect for me have conveniently left my name out of important conversations.”
We join Ezra back in the spare bedroom inside of his apartment. He sits in the same chair we saw him in previously but this time his back is to the television with a blank screen. He sits back in the chair with a stoic expression on his face.
“Last week, Zaniac talked about how he holds a level of respect for Joseph because of his run as Cross-Hemisphere Champion. And that strikes me as a bit odd considering, in his own words, Joseph’s run wasn’t historic by any means. Joseph didn’t respect that belt. He only went after it because he held disdain for me. It was low-hanging fruit for him since he had my number. He’d beaten me more than once before choosing me as his Global Challenge reward. And to the surprise of few, he beat me and claimed the title as his own.”
His expression changes to one of frustration and he sits up in the chair, his hands resting on his knees.
“Then this week, Zaniac lists off almost a dozen former Cross-Hemisphere Champions in an attempt to show its importance and he leaves my name off the list. Joseph held it for just over 100 days and only defended it ONCE, my dudes. Which was also against me. Dave Rydell has NEVER successfully defended it. And out of the people Zane named, only TWO held it longer than me. Moss Edwards and Tempest. Yet I get excluded? I doubt it was intentional. Because, although he finds me annoying, Zane and I have had a good relationship once I cut ties with Zeke.”
Ezra gets to his feet and begins pacing back and forth, his expression changing from frustration to confusion.
“Maybe I’m over-thinking this... Maybe he was just focusing on people that have been around for a long time…”
He knocks over the chair as his expression changes again from confusion to anger.
“Or MAYBE I’m still just seen as a joke, my dudes. Maybe people here in UGWC still don’t see me as a threat. They’re consistently saying shit like ‘you’re time will come but not yet’ or ‘you have potential to be a star but not yet’ or ‘you’re going to make history someday but not yet’. 140 days as champion in one of the most experienced and diverse rosters in wrestling. And that’s not making history? That’s not star material? That’s not somebody to take seriously?”
Ezra sighs then picks up the chair and puts it upright. He lets out an exhale to try and calm down before sitting back down in the chair, returning back to his stoic expression.
“And that brings me to Alchemy. I know, not much of a segue. And I’m fighting in a completely different division than the one I just rambled on about. I’ll be taking on the current Chaos Champion, The Avenger. A few weeks ago, he made a grand return to Synergy and made a bunch of promises about being here every week and being a fighting champion and blah blah blah.”
He starts to get angry again but shakes it off and lets out another exhale.
“Then what happened? You showed up the next week and got your ass handed to you. And then you disappeared again, Vengy. I hate to sound like the villain here, but you let down your fans. Maybe it would’ve been for the better if you vacated the championship and walked off into the sunset, bro.”
“I get the self-doubt and people refusing to take you seriously. But what are you doing to change that, bro? You show up after being gone for months just to make some false promises. Sebastian might be a prick, but he elevated that title. Only for you and his BFF to drag it through the mud. And I intend to bring it back out of the mud. I’ve stated before that I’m not trying to become the next Sebby. I want that title to break my own shitty record with it. And at Alchemy, I plan on doing just that. And then maybe people will start taking me seriously. And maybe someday, Vengy, they can start taking you seriously.”
Ezra stands up again and looks directly into the camera.
“But not yet.”
