Post by Deleted on May 6, 2017 9:42:30 GMT -5
New Skin
[Part 3 || My New Heart]
[Backstage at the Mobile Civic Center, the Union Battleground event has come to an end as Dillon Shaw exits his dressing room. He’s changed out of his wrestling gear and into his workout clothes. He’s carrying a duffel bag and walking the halls with grin on his face. Obviously impressed with himself, Dillon heads to the exit where he finds two of his friends, Nora and Julie, who Dillon had given tickets to. As soon as Dillon approaches them, the two girls grab him and pull him in for a hug. Dillon reluctantly hugs back, then tries to pull away after a few seconds.]
“Are you sure you can give me a ride to Georgia?”
“Are you sure you can give me a ride to Georgia?”
“Yeah, Dillon, it’s really not that far of a drive from where we are.”
[Nora smiles as she responds to Dillon. She has been a close friend since they were children. Nora jumped at the opportunity to drive to Alabama when Dillon called her with tickets. Now Nora has offered to drive to the location of the next Union Battleground event which takes place in Georgia. They walk through the parking lot before finding Julie’s Honda Civic. Dillon opens up the back door and throws his bag in. Dillon gets in the vehicle and leans back in his seat, pulling his hood over his eyes. Julie starts her car and they pull out from the arena parking lot.]
“Tonight was so much fun, Dillon! I still can’t believe you are doing this now.”
“You did so good! That guy didn’t stand a chance against you.”
“I could have told you that before the show, Nora. There was never any chance he was going to be able to compete with me.”
“Tonight was so much fun, Dillon! I still can’t believe you are doing this now.”
[Nora has turned around in her seat and she’s looking right at Dillon, who is clearly trying to close his eyes and rest.]
“I’m glad you two had a good time. I wasn’t able to secure more free tickets for the event, but I knew I wanted to have you here for my first one.”
“I’m glad you two had a good time. I wasn’t able to secure more free tickets for the event, but I knew I wanted to have you here for my first one.”
“You did so good! That guy didn’t stand a chance against you.”
“I could have told you that before the show, Nora. There was never any chance he was going to be able to compete with me.”
“You did get a little crazy though, Dillon. It looked like you were trying to hurt him instead of just win…”
“Come on, Julie, you don’t really believe Dillon was trying to hurt someone, do you?”
“I don’t know, Nora. That’s why I brought it up to Dillon...to see what he has to say for himself.”
[The three of them sit silent in the car for a few moments before Julie finally speaks up again.]
“So, Dillon, were you legitimately trying to hurt that other guy or not?”
“So, Dillon, were you legitimately trying to hurt that other guy or not?”
[The car is completely quiet again. Nobody speaks for what feels like ten minutes. Finally, Nora turns around and faces Dillon again.]
“Well, what do you have to say about that, Dillon?”
“Honestly, I’m pretty worn out. I’m just looking to catch some sleep on the drive. If it’s okay with you, I’d rather save the talking for another time.”
“Well, what do you have to say about that, Dillon?”
“Honestly, I’m pretty worn out. I’m just looking to catch some sleep on the drive. If it’s okay with you, I’d rather save the talking for another time.”
[Nora’s mouth opens slightly in shock at Dillon’s response. She turns around and faces forward in her seat once again. Now the entire car is awkwardly silent. Dillon pulls his hood even further down his face while he leans his head back, trying to fall asleep. Before he closes his eyes, he notices the awkward silence he has created by shutting down the conversation. Dillon smiles to himself as they continue to drive through the night.]
“Damn, that felt a hell of a lot better than I thought it would. There were clearly some in the crowd that didn’t appreciate my strategy, but nobody can deny how well it worked for me. I let Ryan Zane fall into a false sense of security, like he actually had me in a bad spot during the match. Then, when the opening presented itself, I dropped him on his head in the blink of an eye and then just about ripped his shoulder apart for the submission.”
“It wasn’t a very long fight in my eyes and it certainly isn’t what I’d call competitive. I told Zane and everyone else what I was capable of and how my debut was going to play out. I guess they all needed to see it happen to believe.”
“I heard some of the bullshit people were talking about me, saying I held the Core Consequence move too long and intentionally hurt Ryan Zane. Last time I checked, we aren’t playing tag here. If you can’t defend yourself at this level, then maybe you shouldn’t be here. Maybe this isn’t the company for you, because I don’t plan on changing a damn thing from my first showing. If anything I want to up the brutality just to satisfy the fans who come for blood.”
“I was proud of my performance and feel like I am only going to continue to ascend within Union Battleground. As the weeks and shows continue, I’ll move closer to the top until I am firmly established in the upper echelon of this company. At that point I won’t have to bother with the Ryan Zane’s of the world and will be expecting dangerous competition in every match. I’m salivating just thinking about it.”
“I don’t even know where to start when it comes to my opponents. This Hubert Smalls character comes off as creepy as hell to me. I know he’s gone through some weird shit that has obviously caused him some sort of traumatic experience, but he’s clearly not mentally strong enough to compete in a match like this. Especially against someone on my level. Even worse, I expect the crowd to boo me as I’m throwing Hubert all over the ring. I guess creepy has developed himself a little bit of a fan-base. Hope Hubert's fans can handle the sight of him getting outclassed and dominated by superior athletes.”
“Then there’s Jove Belane and I’m not going to lie, I kind of like this guy. It’s not going to stop me from making him look like an amatuer grappler, but I do see some talent with Jove. It seems like he tries a little too hard to be dark, mysterious, and cool. If he’s only around to score girls or get his bar tab covered, things are already looking desperate for Jove.”
“Unfortunately, it would appear that Jove’s main set back would be a lack of discipline and living a clean lifestyle. He comes with too much baggage and surrounds himself with the wrong people. If Jove spent more time taking care of himself, he might get into good enough shape to do something here. But from what I’ve seen, he lacks the basic focus that makes a champion. Maybe he will learn something from being in the ring with me. He might get so frustrated or banged up that it could be the last time we ever see him. That’s why I’m so curious to find out what Jove is really made of. The truth always reveals itself during competition.”
“Finally, you add my presence to this match. I suppose I represent the harsh reality that both men will inevitably realize while we are in the ring. I’m not looking for fan support like Smalls and I’m not trying to be the cool badass like Jove. I'm here to put on a clinic and dominant the Union Battleground roster. I represent winning. My only motives are victory and getting to the top. I don’t have time or interest in playing games or being the most popular guy in the back. Continue winning, earn title shots, then win gold. After that, the paydays will start rolling in. Then give me the opportunity to build up said title and I’ll be competing in huge matches every week and finally earning my worth.”
“For their sake, I hope my opponents have considered the importance of this battle and the significance it holds for all of us. We are all on the verge of breaking through and a victory in this match could be enough to push one of us over. If Hubert or Jove tries to take this away from me, I won’t hesitate to flip a switch and put someone out of action for a long time. All it takes is a few seconds before I catch a limb and rip it from your body. Nobody will take this away from me.”
"So as I am heading into this very important triple threat match, I feel like my transformation is complete. Ever since the night I signed with Union Battleground, when my “close” friends tried to throw me that ridiculous surprise party, I have been re-imagining myself. I have evolved so far past where I ever was as a college wrestler. I needed a new approach to competition and the changes I’ve made all reflect that. I think differently, speak differently, and my demeanor is completely different. Even though I feel like I have changed and evolved so much since signing with Union Battleground, the one constant you can rely on is that Dillon Shaw will always be….
Spectacular.”
“Damn, that felt a hell of a lot better than I thought it would. There were clearly some in the crowd that didn’t appreciate my strategy, but nobody can deny how well it worked for me. I let Ryan Zane fall into a false sense of security, like he actually had me in a bad spot during the match. Then, when the opening presented itself, I dropped him on his head in the blink of an eye and then just about ripped his shoulder apart for the submission.”
“It wasn’t a very long fight in my eyes and it certainly isn’t what I’d call competitive. I told Zane and everyone else what I was capable of and how my debut was going to play out. I guess they all needed to see it happen to believe.”
“I heard some of the bullshit people were talking about me, saying I held the Core Consequence move too long and intentionally hurt Ryan Zane. Last time I checked, we aren’t playing tag here. If you can’t defend yourself at this level, then maybe you shouldn’t be here. Maybe this isn’t the company for you, because I don’t plan on changing a damn thing from my first showing. If anything I want to up the brutality just to satisfy the fans who come for blood.”
“I was proud of my performance and feel like I am only going to continue to ascend within Union Battleground. As the weeks and shows continue, I’ll move closer to the top until I am firmly established in the upper echelon of this company. At that point I won’t have to bother with the Ryan Zane’s of the world and will be expecting dangerous competition in every match. I’m salivating just thinking about it.”
“I don’t even know where to start when it comes to my opponents. This Hubert Smalls character comes off as creepy as hell to me. I know he’s gone through some weird shit that has obviously caused him some sort of traumatic experience, but he’s clearly not mentally strong enough to compete in a match like this. Especially against someone on my level. Even worse, I expect the crowd to boo me as I’m throwing Hubert all over the ring. I guess creepy has developed himself a little bit of a fan-base. Hope Hubert's fans can handle the sight of him getting outclassed and dominated by superior athletes.”
“Then there’s Jove Belane and I’m not going to lie, I kind of like this guy. It’s not going to stop me from making him look like an amatuer grappler, but I do see some talent with Jove. It seems like he tries a little too hard to be dark, mysterious, and cool. If he’s only around to score girls or get his bar tab covered, things are already looking desperate for Jove.”
“Unfortunately, it would appear that Jove’s main set back would be a lack of discipline and living a clean lifestyle. He comes with too much baggage and surrounds himself with the wrong people. If Jove spent more time taking care of himself, he might get into good enough shape to do something here. But from what I’ve seen, he lacks the basic focus that makes a champion. Maybe he will learn something from being in the ring with me. He might get so frustrated or banged up that it could be the last time we ever see him. That’s why I’m so curious to find out what Jove is really made of. The truth always reveals itself during competition.”
“Finally, you add my presence to this match. I suppose I represent the harsh reality that both men will inevitably realize while we are in the ring. I’m not looking for fan support like Smalls and I’m not trying to be the cool badass like Jove. I'm here to put on a clinic and dominant the Union Battleground roster. I represent winning. My only motives are victory and getting to the top. I don’t have time or interest in playing games or being the most popular guy in the back. Continue winning, earn title shots, then win gold. After that, the paydays will start rolling in. Then give me the opportunity to build up said title and I’ll be competing in huge matches every week and finally earning my worth.”
“For their sake, I hope my opponents have considered the importance of this battle and the significance it holds for all of us. We are all on the verge of breaking through and a victory in this match could be enough to push one of us over. If Hubert or Jove tries to take this away from me, I won’t hesitate to flip a switch and put someone out of action for a long time. All it takes is a few seconds before I catch a limb and rip it from your body. Nobody will take this away from me.”
"So as I am heading into this very important triple threat match, I feel like my transformation is complete. Ever since the night I signed with Union Battleground, when my “close” friends tried to throw me that ridiculous surprise party, I have been re-imagining myself. I have evolved so far past where I ever was as a college wrestler. I needed a new approach to competition and the changes I’ve made all reflect that. I think differently, speak differently, and my demeanor is completely different. Even though I feel like I have changed and evolved so much since signing with Union Battleground, the one constant you can rely on is that Dillon Shaw will always be….
Spectacular.”