| Sally Talfourd and Rex Evans | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 10 2013, 01:09 PM (163 Views) | |
| Bobbie Hearst | Feb 10 2013, 01:09 PM Post #1 |
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One Rp per team member. Tournament Deadline: Thursday, February 28th, 2013 |
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| SalTal | Mar 2 2013, 10:10 AM Post #2 |
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=============== 3/3/13 =============== ”So, I got us matching ponchos!” Sally looks up with a beaming smile, then back down to the bag on her lap. She starts rumaging through the bag and pulls out two plastic packages. ”I hear the weather is pretty horrible where we’re headed. And nothing screams ‘tag team’ lie matching ponchos!” Rex, with a cocked eyebrow, looks at his manager, then back to Sally. ”Uhhh, Sally, they are going to take us right into the arena. There’s no walking involved. No stops, just ... straight to the arena.” ”Oh, yeah. Right. I should have ...” Sally looks at the ponchos in her hand, then back to Rex. Then to the manager and back to the ponchos. ”I don’t know how to do this.” ”Well, I think you just put your head through the only hole in it and then slide it over ...” Nathan Gust - manager to the stars - pipes in. ”No no, I mean, this.” Sally gestures all around her. It’s not every day you find yourself being transported in a prison van, guarded by two gun-wielding men. Oh, you didn’t notice them? Yeah, they’e sitting either end of the van. ”I know how to put a poncho on.” ”Look, Sally. This is going to work out, I know it. That match we just completed? The iron man match? We did exactly what we wanted. We proved that we’ve got the foundations to make the best team in this tournament.” Rex goes to lean forward, to try and take a hold of Sally (in a nice way, not a homicidal criminal way), but his shackles prevent him from moving all that much. “Ugh. Just ... don’t worry about how to do this. Just think about how you do what you do best.” Sally smiles, dumps the ponchos in the bag again, then reaches forward and rests a hand on Rex’s. ”You know exactly what to say, don’t you.” ”Sometimes. Not all the time ... remember the past few days?” Rex grins, Sally has to hold in a laugh. ”No touching!” The guard snaps, taking notice of Sally’s hand. Sally holds her hand up in defense, still trying to hold in that laugh that’s just begging to come out. ”Two days ago? What happened?” =============== 1/3/13 =============== ”If I knew that was going to end as a draw ...” Sally comes up behind Rex, throwing an arm around his shoulders, ” ... we could have just skipped the whole thing!” ”I’m sure I told you I had what it takes. I remember that visit. I remember what you said. And I remember I told you I had what it takes.” Rex doesn’t exactly shrug the shoulder off, but when it’s just lingered on a little too long, he takes her by the wrist and removes the arm. ”You know that it’s not that I doubted you ...” ”You just wanted to see it for yourself?” ”Exactly. That’s a great way of putting it!” sally pats Rex on the back. The two have been walking this whole time, and now they are in change room territory. Sally stops at the women’s locker room, holds the door ajar for a moment, Rex lingering as well for their last exchange. ”You seem to have a knack with words, don’t you?” ”Maybe. I don’t really know. I’ve never measured myself with words.” Rex looks to walk off, stands around a little awkwardly, but does’t know exactly how to get out of this. ”Well, need to get ready to go back to prison. I’m sure the hotel is waiting for you too.” ”Hotel ... maybe a restaurant ... who knows what I’ll get up to.” Sally winks at Rex, then lets out a little laugh. Aaaaand now she’s worried Rex thinks she’s flirting with him. She starts to contain herself, pulling herself in, but when she sees that Rex looks a little uncomfortable, she all of a sudden enjoys the idea. ”Yeah, well, it’ll be fine whatever it is. Just, don’t go getting hurt. You need to be ready for the weekend. I don’t want to be carrying you in the match.” ”I don’t weigh that much! I’d be easy to carry. You could try it now if you want!” Sally steps up to Rex, looking to see if he actually wants to carry her. Rex doesn’t take the bait. ”I’m fine. I’ve carried many people before. I can’t imagine you’d feel much different.” ”What!? You imagine carrying me?” ”I mean, you don’t look much different to anyone else I’ve carried.” ”I look like a man???” ”No, I mean ... you don’t look like you weigh an amount I couldn’t carry.” ”Oh, I see.” Sally, who understood what he meant from the start, gives a smile and wink. ”How much do you think I weigh?” ”I’m not going to ...” ”No! Please, have a guess.” She lingers a hand on his forearm. ”It’s just some fun.” Don’t take the bait, Rex. Don’t take the bait! He lets out a sigh, then gives Sally a one-over. “Well ...” No! He’s taken the bait! “... 180?” Sally looks offended! She looks shocked! She steps back and shuts the door on Rex. He stands there, bewildered. What’s happened? Being in prison, you lose the finer details of dealing with women. Of course, dealing with Sally who is trying to mess with your head is nigh on impossible anyway. ”What’s going on here?” The slamming door is enough to bring around the police guard who are here to bundle Rex off later. Seeing no problems, he gestures to the end of the hallway where another guard waits at a private change room so that Rex can wash up and get ready to go back. “Let’s go.” =============== 2/3/13 =============== ”Matt! Get your ass into gear!” Sally hollers at another hotel door. Yes, another day. Another hotel. And another case of Matt holding things up. ”I swear, if you’re not out here by the time I count to three, I’m going without you! One ... two ...” ”I’m here!” Matt bursts out the door, half-way dressed. His shirt has one button done up, a tie looped around his neck but caught on one ear, a suit jacket pulled up one arm, and him hopping forward as he tries to get his last shoe on. ”Could you really not wait?” ”Well, I don’t know: Do you really need this job?” ”... yes.” Matt hangs his head in shame, then quickly starts to get himself together. But ally isn’t waiting: The two of them start towards the elevator. Sally pushes the button, Matt does up his buttons. ”Did you call Gust last night and make sure Rex got back alright?” ”Yeah, he said everything went smooth. Cleared up a few things with him and that.” ”Cleared up ... what do you mean?” ”Nothing.” ”Sally? What did you need to clear up?” ”Oh look! The elevator’s here.” Both of them step onto the elevator, Matt eying off Sally as he fixes his buttons. ”Are all the plans ready? Is Robert waiting?” ”Ready and waiting. I believe he’s got a local wrestler in to put you through his routine today. It’s a shame we couldn’t get Rex out for the day for training.” ”A shame, but not a problem. We’ve had an hour-long match together this week, Survive and Conquer, and all the preparation that’s gone on before today. I think one day of training away from each other will be OK.” ”And is there something in particular you’re doing today? Robert made it sound like he had to write up a whole new schedule.” ”Yes, actually. I want him to work on short, quick bursts. That’s one of the good things about tag teaming: You can get a rest. Not, like, a chance to sit and pause everything. But, instead, a chance to step out of the ring, out of the action, and give your partner control. Now, while I can sustain myself and survive through long matches, I want to make sure that I’m good enough for a tag match. And that means quick burst, a flurry of action, some working over ... then handing it over to Rex. Then he does the same, and hands it back to me.” The elevator stops with two elderly people shuffling in. The doors nearly snap them, that’s how slow they’re moving. They come to stand between Sally and Matt, oblivious to the fact that they are there. They look to continue their conversation, but it’s awkward now. ”Ground floor?” ”Yep.” That awful elevator music continues to play. Eventually, the agonising ages pass and the elevator comes to a stop, the doors ping open, and everyone shuffles out now. ”Ugh, I hate that.” ”Tell me about it.” Sally holds up a hand as Matt gets ready to, literally, tell Sally about it. ”It’s just a saying. Let’s get a cab and get to this place that he’s found. I’m sure it’s up to his usual standards: Dark, dim, and dull.” ”He doesn’t really go for the new and maintained places, does he?” ”I guess he wants everything to be ‘old school’, not just his wrestlers.” The two burst into the daylight out the front of the hotel. The weather is starting to warm up (not much, but it’s better than the north east!), and the sun just makes everything look better. =============== 2/3/13 =============== We find Sally and Matt walking out from what looks to be a pretty run-down building (warehouse would be a better description), Sally looking the worse of the two at the moment (a stark contrast to when we last saw them, with Matt being all half-dressed and what-not). Sally looks sweaty, out of energy, and out of steam. ”So, Rob’s got you ready?” ”As ready as I’ll be,” Sally slings a dufflebag over her shoulder, ”He’s a good trainer. We should send him to Rex, if we can organise it.” ”Why?” ”Well, Robert has taught me everything I know. If he can rub off on Rex, teach him some of the tricks that I know, we’d be a much stronger team. We’d be able to gel even better than we already can.” ”Not a bad idea,” Matt digs around in his pocket, pulls out his phone, ”I’ll get onto it now. Can you hold the cab?” ”Yeah, sure.” Matt makes a quick turn, walking down the sidewalk as Sally comes upon the cab. The driver is resting up on the hood, like one of those classic 1960’s films, smoking. He sees Sally coming, raises his eyebrows, and starts to get back to the driver’s door. ”Don’t rush, Matt’s going to be a while on the phone.” ”No problem ma’am.” He goes back to resting on the hood, staring down the street. Each drag he takes on the cigarette then blows out drifts away with the breeze that’s picked up. Sally comes and sits/stands next to him. He reaches into his jacket, takes out the box of smokes, and offers it to Sally. Sally holds up a hand to him. ”No, than-you. Never been much of a smoker.” ”Suit yourself,” He buries the box back in the pocket, then looks over at Sally, and then at the buuilding, ”There’s better gyms than that round here.” ”Oh, thanks. I know, it’s just ... my trainer likes this style of gym.” ”What style’s that? Bad?” ”Old school.” ”Old school ...” The driver’s voice drifts off, as if it’s being taken by a memory that’s coming back to him. After a moment’s thought, he then looks Sally over again, ”I know who you are. Talfourd - that wrestler that’s been on my TV all week.” Sally laughs, brushes her hair out of her face then looks down at her feet, a little embarrassed. ”Yeah, that would be me. Sorry about all those ads; I guess they thought I had a face that could sell tickets.” ”Nah, don’t be sorry. They made a good choice.” The cabbie winks at Sally, who looks all embarrassed again. ”For a big show? A big match?” ”A big tournament actually. A tag team one - me and my partner are part of a big bunch of us, all looking to be the first title holders of a new company’s. It’s exciting, no doubt about it!” ”You going to win?” ”Hard to say. There’s lots of teams in it that are more experienced than us. There’s also pairings of some very talented wrestlers too. All-in-all ... I have no idea if we’re going to win! Hahaha.” Sally finishes up with a good ol’ laugh, the cabbie even letting out a chuckle. He takes a deep drag on the cigarette before stubbing it out on the bottom of his shoe. Instead of flicking it to the curb and being a litter bug, he wanders over to the driver’s door and drops the butt into the car’s ashtray. ”All done!” Matt rushes back to the cab, “I had to provide a few incentives, but Rob’s going to organise at least a sit-down visit with Rex. They’ll probably only be able to talk about things, but he knows you better than anyone. He’ll be able to tell Rex anything he needs to know.” ”Great work Matt!” Sally wanders around to the back door. She looks at how proud Matt is of his achievement. He probably doesn’t actually realise just how much this will actually help things. In a ‘spur of the moment’ Sally gives him kiss on the cheek. ”Great work.” Matt beams a smile, gently rubs his cheek as he watches Sally step into the cab. He is dazed for a moment, then catches the cabbie grinning at him. Matt shakes it off, looks all professional in a snap, and then gives a stern nod to the driver. The driver scoffs, then both men climb in to get things rolling. =============== 2/3/13 =============== ”I know ... he can be a little rough ... but did he ... ok, good. We’ll be by early tomorrow to see Rex, and then travel in with him ... yeah, we know the van won’t leave until an hour before arrival time. We just think it’s important that the cap off another day with each other, is all.” Matt gives a thumbs up to Sally, who nods. ”Right, see you then Nate.” ”Rex’s manager was OK with all that?” ”Yeah. They were fine.” ”And Robert’s visit?” ”It had just finished. They said he was literally walking out the door as we called. Nate said he was a little terse, a little rough at times, but that what he had to say ... Rex was really pleased he had come along.” ”Good. It makes it hard when your partner is in lock-up for every hour he’s not at the show,” Sally looks a little disappointed, a little frustrated, ”But, if we do everything we can, we’ll be in a better place.” Sally and Matt, now sitting down for their after-dinner drinks in the hotel bar, look like they are in their element. Both are dressed smart-casual, sitting in armchairs, resting back after a hard day’s work. They mull their thoughts and ideas over each sip of their drink - Sally a glass of red win (pinot noir, of course), and Matt a tumbler of cognac. ”Remember the cab driver today?” ”Mmhm.” ”He asked me if Rex and I were going to win this tournament.” ”So? I’ve asked you that at least a dozen times already.” Sally puts her glass down, bringing her full attention back to Matt. “I know, just, getting asked by a total stranger, I couldn’t give hum the same sort of answer. I wanted to be honest with him ...” ”So what did you tell him?” She shrugs. ”I told him I didn’t know. When I thought about it, on the spot, I just didn’t know.” ”Why? Why don’t you know?” ”Have you seen the list of teams in this? Noble and Fresh? The Sindicate? PERSEVERANCE? EMPIRE? Divinity? I don’t know if I’d be able to beat them with someone I’d been tagging a year with!” ”It’s not about in-ring experience. You know that.” ”I know, I know. Each match is its own match. But ... man, there are some really god teams in this thing. Individually, I wouldn’t be worried much. I’m on a good streak at the moment. I’m feeling fresh, alive, ready for any match. I mean, I feel as though I could take on, and win, against any one of the competitors in this thing. But a tag match? A tag match is so much more. It’s more than just a match that I have control over. It’s now a battle for control with a partner against two more people. If anything decides a match lie a tag match, it’s control. Which team can control the ring, can control the action, can control the match? Control, Matt, is the name of the game for the tournament.” ”And?” ”And there’s just too much out of my control already.” ”And the other teams have the control, do they?” ”Well, no. Not exactly.” ”Then it doesn’t matter. You and Rex stand as good a chance of getting control of the match as anyone else,” Sally really starts to take notice of Matt, edging forward in her seating, leaning towards him. This, however, scares Matt - scares him because he might be doing the right thing. And ... he stumbles. “You’ve just got to go and, well, control things. Do, wrestling, and ... stuff” Sally lets out a little laugh, then takes up her glass again. “I wish I had my partner to talk to.” =============== 3/3/13 =============== ”I could have used you last night.” Sally, wet, races up to a cuffed Rex, taking him into a hug. He looks a little shocked, a little worried. The guards, who were busy with the van, quickly move in to take charge of the situation. ”Ma’am, you need to refrain from touching the prisoner until he’s been given clearance.” Sally looks over the guard with a “Are you kidding me?” look, then smiles at Rex. ”Really, I could have used you last night.” ”Uhhh ... thanks? I think?” Rex stumbles through what appears to be some sort of double-meaning statement. Sally realises what she’s said and lets out a long laugh. “Oh! Hahaha, I can see why ... that you think ... oh my!” Sally sneaks a pat on the cheek. “”No, I mean, I could have used you for talking. Matt and I were talking about the tournament and other teams and ... talking strategy with Matt is just a waste of time.” Rex, relieved, nods in agreement. He knows just as well as any wrestler that managers have their limitations. As the awkward silence starts to ensue, he looks Sally over. ”You’re all wet?” Sally looks herself over, then starts to try and brush all the water off. She tries to ring out the end of her hair. ”Oh, yeah. It’s raining outside. We’d better be careful - don’t want to catch a cold! Or slip over. Best to stay dry. Speaking of which, I got us a pair of ...” Sally goes to reach in the satchel bag she’s carrying. No handbag and purse for her. But before she can find whatever it is she’s about to give Rex (I suspect a poncho, the guards are over to get things moving. ”Ok, ladies and prisoners, we’re going to get the ball rolling. Prisoner Evans, you know the drill; we’ve done this dozens of times. Miss Talfourd, because you’ll be riding with the prisoner, we need to search your bag, and one of our female officers will be patting you down before you’re cleared to ride in the back.” The guard reaches out for Sally’s bag, and she obliges. The guard rummages through her things, before handing it back. ”The officer for the pat-down will be by shortly.” ”I hope she’s pretty,” Sally mumbles. The officer takes no notice, Rex gives her a strange look. Sally notices, then smiles at him. “For your sake. Locked up all this time, you could use the show!” Sally gives her partner a cheeky wink. ”Sally, about last time we spoke,” Sally turned to Rex, looking a little worried at the tone of his voice, ”I didn’t mean to say you were fat or comment on your weight or ... whatever you interpreted from that.” Sally’s face is blank. It’s like she has no clue what Rex is talking about. Then ... it dawns on her. A sudden realisation. She then has to hold in a laugh. ”Oh, that. Well, I was deeply offended, Rex. How could you ...” Sally breaks, and she starts laughing and laughing and laughing. Rex initially doesn’t get it, but then, slowly but surely, realises what’s happened. ”Damn it. You know I lost sleep over that?” ”Hahaha ... oh, I’m sorry hun. It was just a play-thing.” ”Well, I hope it made you happy.” ”Oh, it did. Right now it did.” ”Remember it,” Sally starts to slow down the laughing. A sly grin creeps across Rex’s face. “Remember it, because when I get my revenge, you won’t be laughing.” ”Revenge? What revenge?” Sally looks a little worried. ”Alright, Sally, you need to go round to the squard car where there’s an officer waiting to pat you down. Evans, we’re going to laod you up.” Sally looks pleadingly at Rex, but he just shrugs, smiles, and heads off with the guards. =============== The Happy Ending =============== Tag team wrestling. What’s more traditional, more old school, more interesting that a good ol’ tag team match? Nothing, I tell you. Absolutely nothing. Tag team wrestling is as essential to this business as any other type. This is where the biggest names have got their start. This is where the greatest feuds have formed. This is where the most exciting, most dazzling, most exceptional matches have ever been seen. Tag team wrestling is the spirit of everything we do in the ring. Oh sure, singles matches are great too. But there, you get one-on-one. Tag team matches/ Two-on-two. You get twice as many wrestlers, twice as much action, twice as much entertainment. Tag team wrestling it’s ... it’s ... it’s just everything that I’m in this business for. And this time, I’ve found a partner to suit. So many times have I been paired up with, or paired myself with, talent who I can’t find success with. Whether it’s that they can’t gel with me, I can’t gel with them, or there’s a weakness to the other’s greatness ... I’ve never really found true success. There was one person I could tag with, years and years ago, and be confident that we would conquer anything and anyone thrown our way. But, that was long ago and she’s out of this business. But I still remember the feelings I felt before a match I would work with her. The overriding confidence, the true sense of ability, the belief in the success that we could attain. I felt as though that, as I said, we’d be able to overcome everything that was put in front of us. And I’m feeling that again with Rex. I’m feeling all the right things with my boy Rex here. Because, together, we’re setting ourselves up for a real shot at greatness. Of course, there’s the pre-tournament jitters that everyone goes through. The “wow, there’s some really great teams” and the “I wonder if we will be able to cut it” lines that you always here. But, as we get closer and closer to the match, they start to fade away for ideas of strategy and success. It’s no coincidence that Rex and I have come together to form the hottest tag team in the industry right now. We went from being rivals to opponents to partners in the length of time it took some of these teams to even realise that they needed to start preparing for the tournament. We first met in APW’s Survive and Conquer. Rex was the longest-standing competitor, the stand-out if ever there was one. And, as we all got nearer to the end, he looked like he was going to be able to take it all the way. But, in a rare moment of weakness - after working his way through more than an hour against 99 other megastars - he was eliminated. But no one remembers that - everyone remembers the career-defining performance he put in for himself, for the fans, and for the win. He ended up finishing third, while I walked out in second place. I lasted longer than Rex, though that might just be cause I was a fresher competitor. I’d come in late in the peace and lasted right up to the very end against a one Terry Marvin (see: The Sindicate). I was pleased and proud of my effort, I have to tell you. But ... I was more pleased that I got to watch, experience, and come in contact with Rex on that night. he impressed me more than I impressed myself. And I knew, I just knew, that if I could work with him again in any capacity then I would jump at the opportunity. A few days later, after recovering in the hospital from the sickening end to the match, I was shown the Clash of the Titans sign-up. My mind started to think about potential partners, but every time I came across a name that I only thought I could work with, I always came back to a name that I knew I could work with. Rex Evans. Cut a long story short, we meet and decide we need a match to earn each other’s trust. because a tag team without trust is not a tag team at all. We slate ourselves in as opponents in an iron man match. A match to show off our wrestling abilities, our endurance, but also our hunger for a win. I knew that Rex could be hunger for a win in the spotlight (see: Survive and Conquer), but I wanted to know if he was hungry for a win with me. If he could impress and if I could impress, then I knew that we would be able to form the sort of team that can win tournaments. If neither of us could impress, then we were doomed to failure. I walked out more impressed than I’d ever been. Rex will tell you the same about me. And here we are: The Frontrunners. Why the Frontrunners, you might ask? Because we’re not the runners-up anymore. We’re not the people that come second and third, but the people who come first. We’ve made a promise to each other that this tournament is all or nothing (emphasis on the ‘all’). We want the win more than anyone here. We want to define 2013 as the year of the Frontrunner, not the year of the Runners-up. We’re here to win. We both learned what it feels like to pull out the short straw. And, frankly, it sucks. It’s a bittersweet taste, coming in second. On the one hand, you can be happy that you proved yourself better than everyone except one other person or one other team. But on the other hand, you’re still not the winner. That’s a situation we’re going to be avoiding in Clash. We’re not running for second. We’re not running just to ‘do our best’. We’re running for first, and that’s all we’re prepared to accept. Now, I know that every other team is going to say the same thing: That they want to win too. But, for a moment, think of the credentials that we have going on here. In 2013, what have any of these other teams achieved in any big-time shows? If we hark back to last year, the team of Noble and Fresh ... it seems a lot like Rex and me doesn’t it? A runner up teaming with a winner? It’s a match made out of circumstances. And while Showcase Zero set the excitement meters off when the team was announced ... are they still the most exciting team? I mean, yeah, Experts Champion and his runner up is an exciting team. But this year, there’s already been a big event: Survive and Conquer. And you’ve got the fall-out form that to contend with. You’ve got the winner from it teaming with a legend of the business. The Sindicate is, perhaps, the next strongest team in all this. Marvin and Level ... what can be said about that pairing that hasn’t been said time and time again back in their home of APW? They dominate there, they are no doubt planning on dominating here. Is it worth going through each and every team? I don’t want to treat my fans like they are idiots. They know the teams better than I can tell them anything. Stall and Specter? They performed just as well as the majority in Survive and Conquer, and they’ve got some legendary status attached to themselves as well. The vast number of APW and CRW talent that has come in to show their worth ... they are bred tough and strong and capable at those two companies. Any team marching under those letters will be tough to beat on any day. NEW and PW and all those companies that have people representing them ... they’ve got a fighting chance of getting into the results as well. But I come back to this: What team has a better performing pair of megastars from 2013 in it right now? Noble and Fresh? They are 2012’s news. APW? CRW? They were recognised for their achievements in 2012 too. I mean, even Marvin who won Survive and Conquer is paired with Level who hasn’t done anything since he lost to me at APW’s Rasslemania in 2012. Come on, ladies and gentlemen, let’s face it: Rex and I, the Frontrunners, have done more in 2013 to set the business alight than anyone else. You’re getting the two hottest megastars coming together to form the hottest tag team this tournament has. And when you look beyond just the glitz and glamour, you know what else you find? A great combination of wrestlers. I synergy and harmony between two people that only comes around once in a blue moon. You have two perfectly-matched styles, two perfectly-matched mind, and two perfectly-matched outlooks that the team’s fundamentals are bound to be stronger than any other team in this. We are both amongst the best wrestlers in the world - based purely on skill and ability and technical finesse. We are both students of the sport, and nothing less. We live and breath wrestling. Rex ... well, Rex has a lot of time on his hands. And you know what he does with that time? Well, he’ll tell you that he thinks through his last match and mentally prepares for his next. He’ll tell you that he trains and trains hard for his matches with all his time to focus on his readiness. Me? In between matches, I like to wrestle more matches. And in between those matches, I’ll be either training or preparing. How is preparing any different to training? Simple. I’ll watch tapes, I’ll rematch my matches. I’ll go through an entire yearly catalogue if I can. I love to prepare. And preparation if not just for the body, it’s also for the mind. I love it as much as training. Exercise the brain. Stretch the brain. Test the brain. That’s the greatest test of a wrestler in this business of ours: How strong is your brain. Because, 9 times out of 10, mind will always win. And, with the Frontrunners, we have two of the greatest minds to ever step into the ring. I know, Im very modest, but truly, I have rarely met someone as ring-aware, as self-aware, as match-aware as Rex. How can a man go from near to the start to near to the finish and not be one of the best minds in this business? And then you’ve got a a partner for the guy who has managed to climb to the top of one of the most competitive companies in the business (before I left, mind you). Aren’t we putting together an almost lethal level of wrestling smarts? I think the Frontrunners might well be made illegal after this tournaments, that’s just the l level of in-ring smarts we’re talking about here. And combine that with the level of natural talent we’ve got going on, and what are we missing? I mean, we’ve got just about everything we need to make a great team. The only thing missing is the experience, I’ll grant you that. I give you that fact that we are debuting the team here. But you know what? By the end of this match, we’ll have one match under our belt. And then, at the end of the second round, we’ll have another. And then another, and another. By the end of the tournament - when we’ve won it - we’ll have enough experience to put every team we come across on notice. So, there’s no losing for us. I mean, sure, we could lose a match. Like I’ve said, there’s some serious talent in this. But, there’s two of the hottest stars together to making a team here that are in it for the long haul. There’s a number of ways we could be bumped out of this tournament. The big names, the headliners will be eager to get wins like us. But, in the long run of things, we’re walking out winners because there’s no going backwards for us. We’re a new team, we’re an exciting team, and we’re giving the fans what they want. The fans want to see the best. They want to see the best matches and the best teams. We’re giving them that. The Frontrunners are going to deliver for the fans. We’re going to give them one hell of a match. We’re going to put them on the edge of their seats and keep them there to the end of this tournament. The fans want to see wrestling, we’re giving them that, that’s for sure. The fans want to be excited? We’re going to give them that. The fans want to see some deserving wrestlers win this thing Well, we’re damn sure going to try and do that this year. |
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| Tritch | Mar 2 2013, 02:55 PM Post #3 |
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“Stopping for gas and food, altogether it will take us about,” he pauses to crunch the numbers in his head. “I’d say thirteen hours.” I do the math in my head; with an hour difference in time zones, if we leave right now we’ll get to the airport around noon. Perfect timing, as long as everything goes according to plan. We can hop on the plane in Cheyenne and make it to Coon Rapids by five. I nod at Hank Fisher, one of my police escorts, before walking back into the hospital room. “Talon, we’ve got to get on the road,” he opens his eyes groggily from beneath the twenty-four stitches across his forehead. “You going to be alright?” He nods warily at me, and I look to his little sister who has a tear in her eye. She walks over to me and I lift my handcuffed arms up so she can squeeze under them, hugging me tightly. I kiss her on the forehead and she looks up to me, another tear dropping. “I’ll see you in Minnesota, okay?” She nods reluctantly, kissing me on the lips. “Take care of your brother, he’s got a big match tomorrow.” She doesn’t let go as I try to back away. I think she is nervous about Sally, though I’ve assured her she has nothing to worry about. Preexisting trust issues thanks to Logan. “Have a safe flight,” I call out as I leave the room, walking down the hallway with Hank and Rick grasping my arms. Several patients murmur as we make our way through the halls, and I simply smile and nod to set them at ease. Ironically, they don’t look nervous about my being in handcuffs. Instead, they almost look in awe. But it isn’t until I step out of the Las Vegas hospital that I realize why. Vegas is a wrestling city. The three of us come to an abrupt halt at the top of the wheelchair ramp, looking out into a sea of people clapping and cheering. Suddenly a ‘that was awesome’ chant rings up from the crowd, and the front row begins bowing. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before, and I do all that I can to contain my motions. “Thank you,” I say to one of the fans as the crowd begins to part, Hank and Rick ushering me through the masses toward the truck. Several people pat me on the back as I go, thanking me for an amazing match, and after a few minutes I am in the back of the truck being uncuffed by a smirking Nathan Gust; my trainer, manager, and best friend. “Did you see that shit?” “Oh, I saw it,” I am still in disbelief as the truck fires up, and I can here loud thuds on the walls of the truck as fans are still trying to pat me on the back even though I am inside an armored vehicle. “They must have found out I was at the hospital. That was insane.” “Get some rest champ. I’ve arranged an hour of training in Cheyenne before the plane takes off,” he hands me a sheet of paper. “Sally wants you to have a sit down with her trainer, so you can get to know her style a little better. “I like it. Just have to make sure we get there on time,” my eyes suddenly become heavy, and everything I put my body through tonight starts to surface. The pain clearly registered on my face as Nate quickly snatches the paper away and turns off the interior light. “Now seriously, get some rest,” and it doesn’t take long for me to pass out. March 2nd, 2013 – Cheyenne Regional Airport; Cheyenne, Wyoming Just had a meeting with Rob, Sally’s trainer. Interesting guy, but he gave me a lot of insight into my new partner. It’s given me a new picture, and I like what I see. She is talented, everyone knows that. But after last night, I know first hand just HOW talented. Tonight, I march into Coon Rapids with PERSEVERANCE by my side and we will trample all over Terry Marvin and his two partners. I’m sick and tired of letting Marvin have the glory. I’m tired of being a runner-up, and the time for that shit is over. Tomorrow, Sally and I walk in underdogs. Not because we aren’t talented, we are two of the hottest athletes to come out of 2013. I’ve got a world title shot this month, and we both came in second and third place respectively in Survive & Conquer. No one can debate that we have talent. But we don’t have experience in tag team combat, at least not together. There are teams walking into Arlington with years of having each other’s back, with tons of matches under their belt, and ample amounts of trust. But after last night, I will never trust nor respect another person as much as Sally Talfourd. She has my back, and I have hers. And when we walk into the Cowboy’s Stadium tomorrow night, we’re going to show experienced teams like EMPIRE and PERSEVERANCE and The Sindicate, that we don’t give a fuck about their experience. I set down the pencil and close my journal, looking up just in time to see Hank come out of the bathroom. He walks over to us sitting around a table; myself, Nathan Gust, and Richard Darby, my other police escort. “Alright, Rick. You sure you’ll be okay to drive this thing to Coon Rapids?” Hank looks at him questioningly. It’s a twenty-four hour drive from the MGM Grand to Coon Rapids Arena, and since we left at eleven last night we wouldn’t have made it in time for the show. Hank, Nate and I are hopping on a plane and Rick has to drive the rest of the way himself. Hank drove it all the way from New York to Vegas by himself, so it’s Rick’s turn. He nods, shaking hands with Hank and Nate before giving me a small hug and patting me on the back. He turns to walk away, and the three of us make our way toward customs, my least favorite part of airports. Handcuffs make it a bitch. March 3rd, Coon Rapids Arena; Coon Rapids, Minnesota My entire body is in pain. But I haven’t seen the inside of my cell in almost four days, and that’s what makes this all worth it. People advised me that I was going to burn myself out, that I was going to kill myself. But I didn’t sign up for all of these events because I wanted glory, because I wanted to plaster my face all over the world. Those things are just a secondary plus. I signed up for these to get away from prison; to get away from thoughts, to get away from the everyday war the doesn’t cease, to get away from the responsibility of having people’s lives rest on your shoulders, to get away from the constant looking over your shoulder, the constant death threats and stares, the constant mental abuse. Prison isn’t like what they show in the movies. Sure, people get raped, people get shanked. But there isn’t a true underdog story where someone escapes the prison, or topples the warden, or gets the leg up on the main boss. Every day is a struggle, and you have to fight for your spot on top, you have to make them fear you or they will come after you. And everyone is coming after me. Well, me and the alliance of misfits and mob bosses I’ve assembled. You see I’m trying to change prison; I’m trying to break down the walls of discrimination and hatred and end the ever-present war that is the American prison system. And everyone is coming after us because of it. Guess you could compare that to Clash of the Titans. In several hours, I walk into Cowboy Stadium on the arm of Sally Talfourd, a woman I just met a little over a month ago. It took only a few short weeks for us to respect each other, for us to have undying trust in one another. But when we walk into that tournament tonight, our backs will be against a wall just like alliance in prison. Because everyone will be coming after us. She’s a former APW Undisputed Champion, and she beat the three-time True Expert to win it. I’m the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship of the promotion named ‘Best Up and Coming’ of 2012. Respectively, we came in the number two and number three spots in this year’s Survive & Conquer. I lasted longer than two hours, and eliminated seven people from the match. Terry had to throw Sally off the cell just to beat her. We are the best this industry has to offer, and the other teams in this tournament know that. But just like I’m not lying down in prison and becoming somebody’s bitch, I’m not going to rollover and let anyone stop us from claiming what is rightfully ours. We will walk into Arlington with one goal in mind, and that is to become the first ever Visionary Wrestling Incorporated Tag Team Champions. The time of being runner-ups is over. The Frontrunners are here. “Nate, you think you could type this up and release it on the promo database?” He looks at me awkwardly, taking the paper and leaning against the arm of the bench. We’re sitting outside the arena, Rick standing over my shoulder, waiting for Hank to pull around with the truck. “You wrote a fucking promo?” His tone is utter disbelief. It isn’t like me to write promos, or record them. It started out as just another journal entry, but I feel like the fans deserve to hear something from me before the event. He looks up after finishing reading it and nods, sliding it into his briefcase. “So, I got us matching ponchos,” my direction moves to my left, where Sally Talfourd sits on the bench as well. I can’t help but laugh as she actually produces to matching ponchos from her bag. She smiles at me, but I can tell she is nervous. “I hear the weather is pretty horrible where we’re headed. And nothing screams ‘tag team’ like matching ponchos.” I hide my smirk, turning to Nate and smiling at him, then looking back at her. “Uhh, Sally, they are going to take us right into the arena,” Sally has no idea that my escorts and I have become good friends, and that everything is extremely informal. But I owe her for a trick she played on me in Vegas, so I’m taking this chance. “There’s no walking involved. No stops, just… straight to the arena.” “Oh yeah, right. I should have-“ She looks at the ponchos before looking back at me with a drooping expression, and then at Nate and then back at the ponchos. “I don’t know how to do this.” “Well,” Nate stands up, setting his briefcase on the bench and turning toward her pantomiming how to put on a poncho. “I think you just put your head through the only hole in it, and then slide it over.” “No, no,” Nate laughs, and so do I. Hopefully she doesn’t think we’re mocking her. “I mean this! I know how to put a poncho on.” She stands, motioning around her before leaning against a light post and not speaking. I gather my thoughts on how to cheer her up, even though I know I’m about to fuck with her when Hank gets here. “Look, Sally,” I stand, following her in my handcuffs and positioning myself right in front of her, placing my hands on her shoulder. “This is going to work out, I know it. That match we just completed? The Iron Man Match? We did exactly what we wanted. We proved that we’ve got the foundations to make the best team in this tournament.” Pausing and staring into her eyes, as she looks back longingly for me to say the right thing. I groan, shaking my head and returning to the bench. “Just, don’t worry about how to do this,” she turns, hooked on my words. “Just think about how you do what you do best.” “You-“ she walks back to the bench, sitting down next to me and resting a hand on mine. “You know exactly what to say don’t you?” Setting aside the impending prank, we stare into each other’s eyes for a beat, and I see a person that I have wholly placed my trust in, and someone who has reciprocated that completely. I see someone who will walk into a burning building for me, and someone I would jump off a bridge for. I see someone who is quickly becoming my best friend. “Sometimes. Not all the time,” I let grin fade into my expression. “Remember two days ago?” “No touching!” Rick snaps, and his acting almost startles me. He nailed it perfectly. We’ve become so close I sometimes forget he used to be an actual cop. Sally thrusts her hands up awkwardly, holding in a laugh at the subject I just brought up. “Two days ago?” I recollect on the prank she pulled on me, the reason for the prank I’m pulling now. I ignore Nate however, as Hank pulls up with the truck. Moments later, Nate and I are laughing in the back of the truck and Sally is sitting in the corner with her arms crossed. “That wasn’t fair,” she tries to hid it, but I can see a smile creeping into her expression. “I told you I didn’t know how to do this!” Hank and Rick walked her through all kinds of unnecessary processing, just to tell her that none of it was necessary and open the back of the truck where I was in street clothes and un-cuffed. The terms of my long distance traveling are pretty lenient, and there are really only three rules. One, I must be under police supervision at all times. Enter Hank and Rick. Two, I must constantly be in handcuffs at all times except in the truck, in the arena, and locked in my hotel rooms. And the third is obvious, no alcohol or drug consumption, and that’s a result of my sentencing. “Well it’s good to know that you have a sense of humor,” she uncrosses her arms, sliding next to me as Gust sets up his laptop to play tape. “And it’s good to know that we can hang out pretty unimpeded on these little shindigs.” She smiles, and I playfully wrap my arm around her and shake her in a hug causing us all to laugh. Gust pulls up video footage of one of the teams neither of us recognized, Neon Pegasus, as the truck fires up and starts the fifteen hour journey to Arlington. |
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3:40 AM Jul 11