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Keaton Saint and Olive Oakley
Topic Started: Feb 10 2013, 01:17 PM (116 Views)
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Tournament Deadline: Thursday, February 28th, 2013
 
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Keaton Saint in...
The Hard Way ft. Olive Oakley

The Big Ask


The call to arms was made, Visionary Wrestling were looking for the proverbial Titans of wrestling to see who would step up to the challenge and reach their equivalent of Mount Olympus. Keaton Saint was a name synonymous with inter-promotional events and as such was an early name to be associated with the prospective event.

An early name, but a late signee.

The twist to Clash of the Titans was the tag-team format. In a sport where alliances run dry after a short period of time and genuine friendships are all but impossible to make, Keaton found himself looking at a pool of talent filled with some of the best wrestlers in modern times. By extension, some of them had formed what could be seen as the best potential tag-teams of the modern era as well. Keaton didn't have an available partner, a gentlemen's agreement with TJ and Sally Talfourd led them to the conclusion that competing against each other would prove to create better wrestling rather than pairing up and using that advantage against the competition. Being a Pillar was about raising the bar for professional wrestling, not just for those that called themselves Pillars but for those they competed with. After all, the fans deserve the absolute best they can get.

Of course, this agreement was formed a while before Keaton had decided to put his name down as a Titan. He was now beginning to consider the poignancy of not being able to have a partner he could rely on, it wasn't something he held any particular regrets about but it was something he felt he would reflect on after the event had happened. One pairing that stood out to him was that of Doug E Fresh and Kurt Noble, anyone could tell you about the matches and the animosity between the two over the last year but that wasn't what stood out to Keaton. There was once a time where Kurt would've considered teaming with Fresh to be a nightmare scenario, but now that it was a reality Keaton could point to this and say for definite that Kurt Noble was no longer the same man. Two men that had hated each other with the fire of a thousand suns were now teaming and the scary part of all that was simple, they could rely on each other. If Keaton was right then that spelt doom for a lot of pairings in the tournament, the consequences of which would spread like a virus.

Whilst Keaton did not have a partner he knew he could rely on, he did have a reputation. It was something he had hoped that would cover some of the cracks in whatever newly formed partnership he would have for the tournament. considering that many of his opponents were the best in their respective fields he found it unlikely that his reputation and his name would carry itself, in the end Keaton would have to adapt to whatever conditions arose.

Adaptation was the foundation of what made Keaton the Patron Saint of Wrestling, he would have to prove it at Clash of the Titans.

The problem at hand wasn't his commitment but rather his lack of knowledge about the woman he had been paired with. Her name was Olive Oakley and that was about all Keaton or just about anyone knew of her. That made things difficult in another way since Keaton had no way to compare how good she was to the other wrestlers involved in the event. She was the definition of an unknown element in a tournament filled with dangerous and known elements. Was she a dud or would she be able to cause a reaction?

Keaton didn't know yet but neither did anyone else, perhaps that would come in handy when the first bell rung. the surprise of it would become smaller as time went on but even the tiniest of those could change the tide of a match. It was up to Keaton and Olive to channel that into the best form possible and use it to become the mightiest of Titans. It was about making war to spread peace, but was Keaton up to the task?

That was the big ask, whether Keaton could answer it was what the coming days would uncover.


==========

The Big O


"So what do we actually know of her?" Keaton asked as he began to examine the names involved in Clash of the Titans. However his finger and his thoughts were firmly pointed at the woman who would be his partner in the tournament.

"Five-two, big on hitting people and looks like she hit a few branches on the ugly tree." John was quick to respond, adding his own flavour on the end of the examination.

"You must really be lacking in information to be that catty."

"Hey it comes with the territory." John let out a slight laugh. "I mean I'm struggling to get anything useful here, she's hard to pin down."

"So, c'mon and help me out here. I get that she's new but surely you have something I can use?"

"I said I was struggling, not that I didn't get anything."

"Go on then." Keaton raised his eyebrows.

"She's put her name down for more than one of these inter-promo things, doesn't say whether she's shown up though." John continued to peruse his notes, he'd been called in by Keaton to advise him on the upcoming tournament but he found himself recollecting something about Olive Oakley that he had forgotten up until that point. The name did ring a bell and with good reason, John had attempted to scout Olive once in the past but had failed to set up a time to do it. He wondered how much that knowledge would have helped in the current situation.

"That's another problem."

"Indeed it is."

"You've got more though?" Keaton enquired.

"Of course, the facts aren't huge in number but they are there and they do tell a story."

"That she's new and wants to get her name out there, I get that."

"There's more than that." John cast his notes aside and began to speak with more expression."This is a woman who isn't afraid of putting herself out there against the best people going, whether that's bravery or stupidity--"

"--or both." Keaton interrupted.

"Or both, it doesn't matter. the fact of the matter is this is a woman who has no trepidation of the competition, you can't really get that with someone more experienced."

"but with the experienced wrestler you don't get the rookie mistakes."

"You still make those mistakes y'know." John sniped.

"Yeah but... Dammit."

"Exactly, look at the positives of this."

"I can adapt to having anyone in my corner." Keaton stated.

"I'm talking about her, not you." John said, correcting Keaton's initial thoughts.

"So show me your hand, what's she offering?"

"Honestly, and I'm not making an exact comparison here but this is you five years ago but shorter and with a sex change."

"Oh come on!" Keaton exclaimed.

"Seriously, just work with me here."

"I'm just saying I don't see how you could make the comparison."

"Well for starters the first thing you did when you started professionally was enter the biggest event you could, so call that a check."

"So that's one thing you have comparing me to a five foot two woman who you called ugly, cheers for that."

"Christ man, what's got you going?" John was taken aback by Keaton's comments but was more surprised by the tone of his voice.

"APW business, it doesn't relate to this though." Keaton sensed John wanted a deeper explanation but he wasn't willing to give it. It was true that the relation was small, even if there was any.

"Fair enough."

"Anyhow you've got one point, make it more and I'll believe you."

"Point number two is simple, she's coming in as a real fresh element." John paused as he looked at his notes. "Like I said before, nobody has any real idea of how good or bad she is, how she performs in the ring and what kind of thing motivates her."

"That makes two admittedly vague comparisons."

"Point three, and you'll like this one."

"I bet." Keaton scoffed.

"She's free of bias, granted that relates to what I just said but this is what I think makes her comparable to you from a few years back."

"She hasn't got the baggage."

"Exactly, you're cooped up dealing with the outcome of all the feuds you've had never really closing up. Her world is open with possibility just like yours was back then whilst right now, you're just trying to bring some closure to at least one thing in your life."

"That's painting a pretty bleak picture mate." Keaton stated, feeling that his comment was both fair and honest.

"Well stop me when I'm lying."

"Alright."

"You didn't join this just to compete for a title, what you're really doing here is trying to get a match out of Terry Marvin because you thought he was about to retire."

"And then I got duped along with the rest of the world." Keaton didn't want to think about that moment, he should've seen it coming but in hindsight everything seemed clearer.

"Doesn't matter, you came into this because you wanted to know where you stood right as he left the sport. He's clearly not retiring now but it doesn't mean you don't want to find out just how you compare, perhaps you still want revenge for everything that happened last year."

"It's not my place." Keaton smiled, but it was a plastic one.

"Bollocks to that mate, I know you well enough to know you still want to have that one important victory over him." John paused, considering whether to say anything further. "And it's not just him either, you want to face Sally as well."

"She never did any wrong by me."

"I'm not saying she has, but how long have you known her?"

"Just over three years now." Keaton reflected on that knowledge, it had been longer than he thought.

"Yeah I remember now, you've never really had the chance to find out where you stand in comparison with her despite all the times it was a possibility."

"It was possible but you know what happened."

"Fair enough, but that's why you're here isn't it?"

"Well." Keaton paused. "You're not wrong, you're not entirely right either."

"You've got more than past scores to settle."

"Don't we all?"

"Sure, but let me get back to the point."

"You said she didn't have the baggage."

"I did, and I stand by that." John pointed to Keaton's chest. "Unlike you, she's not chained down by the career you've had and she doesn't have an agenda because of it."

"Everyone has an agenda in this sport."

"Let me rephrase it then." John smirked. "She hasn't got a complicated agenda like most of the field of wrestlers in this. Kurt Noble's playing some form of chess but this Olive bird is playing Snap by comparison."

"So what's your point?"

"My point is this is a good thing, you're not dragged into someone else's battles and she's got your experience to draw from."

"You know, you say all of this and yet neither of us know if she's even a good wrestler."

"It's why I made a call."

"To her?"

"Yeah, and a promise." John paused as he waited for Keaton to realise what his words meant. "She's comparable to you from a few years back and that made me think of something."

"Philly? It's been ages."

"More like it's poetic considering things."

"When'd you schedule it."

"You've got a good couple of days yet, get down there and find your answers." John smiled. "Maybe you'll see how big this O really is."


==========

The Big Challenge


It had been a long time since Keaton had been inside the Philadelphia gym. It was a location that held more than a few memories, the most important one being how it was indirectly responsible for moulding him early in his career. Patricia Burrell was from Philadelphia and she embodied a lot of the spirit of the city, she lived it and she lived it fully. Her name wasn't one that would stand out to many people these days but her influence on Keaton was never forgotten.

It was why Keaton was in this specific gym despite his next booking being in Canada. It wasn't being in Philadelphia that made this matter, it was the connection it had to what he was in 2008. Saint had grown, but this was the place that had nurtured him at a key point in time. Had Patricia Burrell been from anywhere else then Keaton would have been conducting this in that location, it wasn't the specific place that mattered when it came to this. Keaton was really visiting the past, a past that contained a call and a promise.

Both of which would be delivered to the woman who had emerged from the double-doors with a laissez-faire expression. It was Olive Oakley, Keaton could sense it from her footsteps before he even laid eyes on her. There was no apprehension in them whatsoever, just as John had mentioned to him before. Olive didn't say a word, instead it fell to Keaton to open proceedings.

Keaton knew this wasn't about making an exact re-enactment of the past, he was less stoic then and prone to bursts of uncontrolled excess. But he knew what this meeting would entail long before it had been arranged. Keaton spoke and he said two things to Olive who took bold steps toward him with every passing second. It seemed that she knew what the outcome of this was going to be. Keaton stated his intent, he would not hold back. He turned to finally face the woman who would be his partner at Clash of the Titans and told her very simply that he would make her submit.

It was at that moment both Olive and Keaton attacked each other.

Olive was true to her roots and stuck to striking power, big hits and failing to give any ground away. Keaton was slightly taken aback by this as he had expected to be the aggressor and yet he was playing defensively against a woman who was punishing his insolence. Keaton's defence was solid however and dealt in the possibility that Olive would throw a stray punch or kick that he could take advantage of.

Olive wasn't a wild striker, that had been the surprising factor. As aggressive as she was, the attacks were methodical and had a science applied to them. Keaton continued waiting for his moment, trying to bait a mistake from Olive who was refusing to relent. It came eventually but not without effort, Keaton had feigned a sidestep which forced an error from Olive who put too much swing into her hook.

This was what Keaton capitalised on as he grabbed the arm and began to twist it into a hammerlock. Olive struggled for a moment and then recovered her stance enough to power out of the lock, she wasn't technical but her brutish approach worked wonders in the position she found herself in. Keaton found himself commending her escape as he progressed from it and tried to retrieve the advantage,

Keaton found himself regaining some ground as he took it upon himself to use a swift movement to deliver a fireman's carry into a takedown. The headlock that followed this put him in a stronger position than before, the pacing of the fight up to this point had been dictated by Olive who had been hyper-aggressive.With Keaton in control things began to slow down as he was more methodical with his technical holds than she ever was with the strikes.

Olive's brute tactics came into play again as she elbowed her way out of the predicament. It wasn't the ideal way to escape such a hold but it worked for the situation. Keaton had been used to the way other people escaped that hold so his positioning was all wrong as Olive regained the advantage and continued with her aggressive tactics. It was a continuous effort to defend and look out for an opening for Keaton as he began to realise that Olive complemented his style quite well. She was a battering ram and that sort of force would be the most effective part in taking down some doors to success.

Olive however made what could only be classified as a rookie mistake as she extended herself into a movement that her body wasn't prepared for. Keaton saw the immediate opening and went to work on Olive's right arm, neutralising one of her more effective weapons in the process. Now that Keaton was aware of her methods of escape he adjusted himself to be out of range of the expected strikes.

This was when Olive pulled a new move and began to forcefully lift Keaton onto her shoulders. Keaton still had the right arm locked but Olive had adjusted herself to shift Keaton's weight into something more manageable on her shoulders. An almost animalistic growl signified that she was about to do something dangerous which Keaton barely realised until she attempted to drop Keaton onto his back. Keaton landed awkwardly but still retained the lock, trying to assert himself in the process.

Olive grimaced but didn't hesitate to tell Keaton that she wasn't going to submit to his submission holds. During all of this, a stray thought entered Keaton's head. He had realised that up until that point, Olive had not spoken a word.

Maybe she had her own big challenge coming into this.

The stray thought was quickly swatted away as they continued to fight and wrestle each other. There was no exact time on how long it ended up lasting but Keaton had been fairly sure it wasn't so dark outside when they had started.

It was a good omen.


==========

The Hard Way


It doesn't matter how you term it, Clash of the Titans won't be an intimate event. It's grand, it is epic and we're all well aware of how important this could be for wrestling. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but the scope of it can sometimes take us away from what does matter. When you get a collection of talented wrestlers all under the same roof, anyone could be forgiven for concentrating more on the others involved rather than themselves.

The problem with that is that it tends to lead to a quick demise.

This isn't my first big event, nor is it my first big tournament. I am what would be called experienced, but that experience did not come easily. I've been in situations similar to this before and it took a lot of learning to understand that it wasn't about what you were facing, rather it was about what you could personally deliver. It was an important lesson but one that was learnt the hard way. I have been pinned, beaten more times than I'd like to mention but the outcome of all of that is growth. I am an experienced wrestler and that will remain true after the end of it all. What matters for Clash of the Titans is that I am aware of my own experience, I can channel it and I can shape it into an outcome that work for me and my partner.

The fact that my partner is someone new to me makes this all the more poignant, it's not difficult to see the benefits I could have had by pairing with someone who I knew implicitly. Had I come into the fold with someone like TJ then a lot of this wouldn't need to be said, people would know just be the basis of us both being Pillars of wrestling. But that would be too easy for both of us, what matters is that we commit and make a conscious effort to be better wrestlers and that is done through experience and adaptation. Olive Oakley is my partner for Clash of the Titans but beyond that she's also my way of showing the world of wrestling how I, and be extension we can perform in new circumstances. This isn't the easy way to do things, but it is the effective way. If you're the kind of person who wants the best wrestling in the world you must take one thing on board, you must be able to step outside your comfort zone and work in conditions that aren't as easy and cushy as the usual ones.

For me, this is a challenge for my own skills and that of my connection with my partner.

It's true that one of Olive's weaknesses in this is her lack of a connection to anyone in the tournament, but that's something I can let her speak on herself. I have faith in her to do just that because I've done all I can to understand just what she does bring to the table. Some teams in this are bonded tighter than others, but when it comes to being able to put your trust in your partner few come to the level that I do. I didn't ask Olive for a checklist of what she could do, I went and experienced it all. I didn't sit back and take the easy way out by finding out if she prefers to punch or kick, I TOOK those hits in order to understand just what she can bring in the ring. We've got the advantage, I know what Olive can do and few people can attest to that knowledge. The surprise factor still lives and it resides firmly in the corner of myself and the woman who you don't quite yet know.

Time will tell if you can adapt to what we deliver.

Clash of the Titans is just that, a clash. One event, one tournament that features of collision of wrestlers and wrestling styles from across the sport and it creates a big question as a result. Who has what it takes to survive the impact and who has what it takes to deliver the clash the fans are clamouring for? I'd like to think that with my experience and Olive's tenacity that we've got the right pairing and the right mesh of styles to show every fan out there just what it means when a team gets into the groove. This isn't an intimate event by any means, any personal dealings become footnotes to the core of what the tournament means. Progression, growth and adapting to the challenge. I'm not here to be one of the names, neither is Olive. We're here to succeed and what matters is that we know what we can achieve in the ring.

The list of people involved in this speaks for itself, you have teams like the Frontrunners and alliances like Kurt Noble teaming with Doug E Fresh. Those are big names, lit up like neon signs and yet all I need to do is remind the world that this isn't just about them, it's about us as well. What we are is Keaton Saint and Olive Oakley, and if that isn't enough for you then just wait for the bells to ring. This isn't about merchandising or making a quick buck on some proverbial once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, this is simply a connection and a pairing of two wrestlers who both know that having a fancy name doesn't change what matters. What matters is who wins the match, what matters is who becomes the champion and what matters is that Keaton Saint and Olive Oakley are the Titans left standing at the end.

This Saint will march to war with an Olive branch by his side there WILL be peace by the time it's over.

Get your trumpets ready, we are coming.
 
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