Post by Anastasia Hayden on Nov 18, 2020 5:04:01 GMT -5
This all felt familiar to her because it was familiar. Anastasia Hayden had lived this before. The landscape may have changed, but the soil underneath her feet hadn't. It was Guerrilla Warfare nearly a year ago when Anastasia left empty-handed and only had the promise of recapturing her lost idol known as the 4CW Championship in front of her. Only now, she managed to not just survive the actual Guerrilla Warfare monstrosity itself, but walked out covered in her blood and the blood of nineteen others with the guarantee for something greater. A guarantee that belonged to her and her only.
And while she had put her body on the line last month, it's Lights Out #41 where she'll put her half of the Battalion Championship on the line. It was this scenario last year where she failed Lisa Seldon. And just like her return to 4CW had been about redemption, this opportunity in front of her was yet another chance at it. The newly christened Union Unified Championship was lurking just beyond the horizon, but Anastasia couldn't make the same mistake. She made a promise to herself that she would capture the title she once envisioned herself holding years ago, but she had another promise to deliver on. And she wasn't going to make that same mistake.
As Anastasia's eyes opened, she stood with that silent, unforgiving glare piercing through as the relentless wind whipped past her. She never flinched. She had wasted her time before; not again. There was no beach behind her this time. No Lisa Seldon just off in the distance. This time, it was just Anastasia Hayden, her half of the Battalion Championship resting on her shoulder, and the cold words that left her mouth.
"Look at how far we've come. The longest reigning Union Battalion Champions, breaking the record previously set by...by us! The heart and soul of not just the Union Battleground tag team division, but of this entire company. While plenty of others have dipped their toes in just to capture the spotlight for a fleeting moment, we've dug our heels in, and we haven't surrendered an inch. There is no rest or taking time off for us in Union. We may stumble, but we never take a step back, we are always moving forward and as we get closer to holding onto these belts for nearly a year, that motto hasn't changed for one goddamn second."
"Once more, we've dug into the bowels of tag team wrestling; into the deep, dark depths where only a few survive, and what did we pull out of that abyss? None other than The Death Merchants. Now to tell you the truth, I wasn't even really aware these guys were a tag team, but desperate times, desperate measures, and I guess in our attempts to keep this tag division going, we're willing to take on any and everyone. That's what we've been about the moment we set foot inside a Union Battleground ring; with or without the belts, we're looking to bring this division to life. We haven't let you down yet, have we?"
A cheeky smile from Anastasia accompanying her rhetorical question; the lone beacon of light in the desolate wasteland of empty fields behind her. Though like the hopes of many, it's a smile that's quickly dashed away just as soon as it appeared.
"And if that means dragging people together, so be it, because we are the Hellcat Spangled Death Squad and we do not back down from any challenge or challenger. We will gladly face Santana and MDK, we do not care that they are this toxic manifestation of deathmatch wrestling personified because this is our element. This is our house. But to be honest with you, it really doesn't matter if this is a normal match or a deathmatch, we're still the best tag team to have ever graced Union with its presence, and every single match, it's home field advantage."
"Lisa is doing some dumb shit deathmatch tournament every other weekend and I just won the Guerrilla Warfare match, one of the most unforgiving matches in existence, and I did it on a whim. I did it because I wanted to. Yet, for as hard, as real, as ruthless as you two claim to be...where the fuck were you? These supermodels showed more moxie than you two. How fucking embarrassing. As far as I'm concerned, your reputations don't mean shit to me. It's just fluff. It's all fabrication, but unlike you two, we've shown just exactly what we're capable of here and everywhere else."
One very confident nod follows. Not that you'd expect anything less from her.
"We do what everyone else here is too chicken shit to do. We bet on ourselves. We lost these Battalion Championships once before and we could've just walked away, but we didn't, we took a chance to get them back not because it was owed to us, but because we knew we could win them back. So Lisa and I brushed ourselves off, went right back at The Zombies, and took what was and always will be rightfully ours. So I've got a question for Matt and Santana...what makes you two any different from all the other makeshift tag teams thrown together with this delusion that somehow you're going to be the ones to strike us down?"
"And don't get it twisted, just because I've got the Union Unified Championship on my horizon doesn't mean I'm looking past you two. No matter what I say here, it doesn't take away from the fact that you two are certifiably insane for the shit you do, but I know what happens when you get a little too cocky. When I do it to myself, that's fine because I know I'm going to make up for it, but I will not allow myself to let down Lisa Seldon. She has been the greatest partner I've known in this industry and she busts her ass way too much for me to just forget about her."
A very rare moment of defeat on Anastasia's face showed. Distant from the world and most of its inhabitants; there is a feeling of an eternal debt tied to Lisa, but given their success, it's a debt that Anastasia didn't mind repaying.
"These guys want to talk about being brutal, they're ruthless, relentless, but as far as I'm concerned, Lisa and I are the only ones in this match that have proven our definitions of brutality work. I've stood across your deathmatch gods, legends, icons, whatever the fuck you want to call them, and I've beaten them. I don't need any gimmick matches to prove just how fucking dangerous I am; I've got a record longer than Matt King's. I gotta say though, I respect the fact that you've convinced people into thinking you're someone that actually warrants fear."
"But I haven't seen shit from you, King. And that's the issue with you deathmatch losers. You do a great job talking a lot of shit, acting real hard, but once you're removed from that, who the fuck are you? What the fuck makes you so special? You've seen one deathmatch wrestler, you've seen them all. And nothing about you, Matthew King, stands out. You call people pussies and motherfuckers then you go on and lose to Lisa Seldon a million times. It's a tale as old as time itself. How many times can you say you're a badass motherfucker when all you do is lose?"
The question is one Anastasia finds herself asking way too many times. If there's anyone to know the line between arrogance and ignorance, it's Anastasia Hayden. And the bravado of 'The Grand Duchess' is as strong as ever; something she's earned.
"The novelty wears off real fast. And then you're replaced by the next deathmatch flavor of the month. Yet, you've still been blessed with this title opportunity, Matt. I guess you should thank Santana, since he's actually managed to go and do something, but don't get too jealous yet, because I already see the writing on the wall for Santana Johnson too. He came rolling onto the scene with a roar, making his presence felt...but now, silence. Don't get me wrong, he's still yelling into the void, but there's nothing behind it. It's schtick. He's screaming to anyone who will still listen and that window grows more and more narrow with each passing day, Santana."
"Why should I care what Santana Johnson has to say anymore? You have this opportunity to separate yourself from the pack, but you can't capitalize on it. But hey, that's okay, because right now, you've got the chance to dethrone the world's greatest tag team, can you capitalize on this? Can you and Matt King show that you're nothing more than novelty? I'd entertain the idea that you could, but realistically, we all know the answer. For as good as you two may be...we are and always will be better."
She states it so matter of factly. It's a statement dripping with a smugness that could make anyone want to fight her over, but that too is something she feels like she's earned as Anastasia glances over at the Battalion Championship on her shoulder.
"Now this is the part where I'd ask for you guys to give us a fight, prove to us that you not only deserve this title match, but that you deserve the actual titles...but I'm tired of wasting my time. Even when we lower the bar, there's no team out there who can get to our level. And on November 27th, that doesn't fucking change."
There's no punch being delivered here from Anastasia. Just a matter of truth. To her, they're a team worthy only of a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders; the result of this match already made up in her mind.
"Best of luck, kids."