Post by Anton Chase on May 28, 2018 6:42:42 GMT -5
{The scene opens up in a hotel room, we see that Anton Chase is standing outside on the balcony looking over the city of San Juan Puerto Rico. Anton dressed in blue jeans and a black short-sleeved t-shirt.}
"You know last week I thought I had my match in the bag. I thought I had my opponent down and out. But somehow and somewhere my opponent last week EL Landerson. Got a victory over me. He got a fluke win over me and that is what it's all about that it was a FLUKE win. Nothing more and nothing less. So EL Landerson congratulations is in order my friend and I hope you bask in this victory for a long time because it will never happen again."
{The camera faces Anton from the side}
"It will never happen again. So were here in beautiful Puerto Rico and my opponent this week on Lights Out is Alyssa Daniels. Alyssa Daniels is nothing more than a tough chick one of the toughest in the business today and It's not me being disrespectful it's the truth in how I see it. I see how the build up to this match is already taking shape. I see the comments online and I see all the comments fans say, that I'm over the hill. That I should retire and let the new stars take the stage. That I should hang up my boots because I can't get the job done. I can't even get the job done over EL Landerson. That is what fans are saying. Well to hell with them. I'll retire when I damn well ready to."
{Anton pauses}
"I'll retire when I have accomplished what's on my list. I have a bucket list and I will achieve it. I have already been a champion in another company and I will be a champion in Union Battleground. Even if I have to rebuild from the bottom. I've done it before and I can do it again."
{Anton smiles}
"But I won't have too. I won't have to rebuild my legacy as some may think. Because when I win this week at Lights out I will show them all that I still have what it takes. And that all starts by beating one of the toughest chicks today Alyssa Daniels."
{Anton turns his head to the camera}
"So Alyssa you and I go one-on-one for another time. Another chance to see who's better. Last time if I recall you won. This time however I have more to prove. This time I have a lot to prove not to just the fans but to myself. I intend on leaving Lights Out with a win. I have studied you from our past meeting. I have studied all your matches since. I've gone back to being a student of the game and studying my opponents. Not just taking things for granted. So I've sat and I've watched your tactics."
{Anton pauses}
"And as much as you're one of the toughest strikers in the business - you do have flaws. Flaws in which I will exploit to the fullest of my ability. So you can go into this match head strong and full of strikes and try and land them on me but it won't work. It will hit you in the face knowing that I've got your game covered. But you won't know mine."
{Anton smiles back into the camera}
"It's going to be fun for me knowing the look in your eyes that you believe that you're going to walk into this match and already expect to win with my recent short-comings. It's going to be fun for me to watch your head bounce from pillar-to-post and to watch you get thrown around like a ragdoll. That's what I plan on doing. I will show exactly what I'm truly capable off in order to prove to everyone that I deserve to be in the championship title contendership. Not EL Landerson not yourself Alyssa Daniels but me and only me."
{Anton pauses while standing on his balcony}
"Alyssa Daniels I've shown you some respect but I'm not here for yours. I don't care. I care about picking up wins against whoever my opponent is. And you're going to be another body I run throw to get what I want. No matter how hard you try and no matter how many kicks and strikes you land I will walk out of Lights Out with the victory, just know that."
Post by Alyssa Daniels on May 28, 2018 22:42:43 GMT -5
“What does it mean to be a Wrestling God?”
The camera focuses on a blank board. At the top of the board, a single word is pinned: EVIDENCE. Alyssa Daniels steps into the frame, her index finger on her chin and a contemplative expression on her face. She reads the word and begins to nod. She reaches out of the frame and retrieves a picture and a pin. She places the picture on the board directly below the aforementioned word and pins it there. The picture is a studio photo of a posing Anton Chase. She examines the picture for a moment before lifting her right hand up palm up.
“Is it this?”
She shakes her head in thought, not necessarily in response to her own query.
“The case can be made. Surface scan, we’re looking at a thirty-five year old man with a lengthy title history. Thirteen different championships, eighteen reigns in total. That’s how people in this sport measure success, right? The resume looks good. Case closed, you say? Not quite.”
She retrieves another picture and pins it to the left of Chase’s photo. She then takes the cap off of a red marker and draws an arrow from the photo to the new picture. The new picture is simple: 6-11.
“A season and a half, and this is what he has to show for it. His debut back in January of twenty-seventeen showed the world so much promise. In a first round match in the Union Championship tournament, he put on one heck of a performance in his victory over Adrien Pierce. Considering his pedigree and his performance, he had to be one of the favorites to become the first Union Battleground Champion. That is, until he ran into Emery Layton at the next show. To be clear, there’s no shame losing to Emery. She held the Trench War Championship for what felt like an eternity until recently, and that wasn’t by accident. She also won the Crown of the King Cobra tournament amidst tough competition. And that was his only loss in his first five matches. Now, I’m no math professor but if we’re keeping track, that’s four and one.”
She points to the picture.
“Six and eleven. Do some subtraction and see that, since then, he’s been two and ten. But this is what we’re led to believe that a Wrestling God looks like? Come on now. How arrogant can one man be to parade around using a moniker that just doesn’t fit?”
Alyssa pins up a new picture: the Trench War Championship. She smirks as she considers it.
“Still, despite his underwhelming history here at the Battleground, he receives two Trench War Championship opportunities against two different champions. Sure, his first opportunity against Emery has a big question mark, but how many times does one who stumbles over his own arrogance get these great opportunities? He doesn’t enter Guerrilla Warfare, he sits on the sidelines for Coup de Grace, the biggest event of the year, and waltzes back in to a championship opportunity. Keep in mind, Trixie won the right to fight for that championship, not Anton. I suppose that’s the power of a name, isn’t it? ‘The Wrestling God’ sounds a whole lot better than ‘The Benchwarmer.’ Still, it got him opportunities he didn’t deserve. He just doesn’t know how to capitalize on those opportunities.”
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, attempting to calm herself.
“Look, I’m not just tearing any random person down because of their choices. It’s not coming from a religious standpoint. I’m just sick of seeing someone run their mouth like he does, telling every opponent that he’s some kind of God only to get himself embarrassed. He rags on ‘rookies’ like Danny Colt and El Landerson, then doesn’t follow through. You get the feeling that he’s at that point in his career where he just shows up to get a paycheck, to live off of past glories. He’s no longer that eighteen-time champion. He’s no longer the ‘Wrestling God.’ He’s now the ‘Wrestling Relic’ - a shadow of his former self.”
After looking at the image of Anton Chase for a few seconds, Alyssa reaches for and tears down the picture of Chase. She crumples the paper and tosses it to the side.
“I have too much respect for this sport to let people like Anton Chase make a mockery of it. He wants to get paid for showing up to Lights Out? Fine. I’m going to make him earn every single penny of his contract. I’m sure Anton could use that same ‘rookie’ rhetoric on me but I am much more than that. I was a student of this sport long before I ever stepped into a ring. And if you look at my short career so far, it shows. No one in Union Battleground has been able to best me in single combat yet. When the fans cheer, they aren’t doing it because they have to. They can see the detailed approach I take with my craft. They can feel the passion I bring each and every fight. They see in me the hope that they too can achieve greatness in their lives as long as they’re willing to work for it, to appreciate every single inch they have to claw to get where they need to be. They see much more in me than they could ever see in some Wrestling God.”
She points the finger at herself, her expression showing defiance.
“They see a human being. They see themselves. They see what it means to truly care about every second spent in that ring.”
Her hand drops as she looks back to the board.
Six and eleven.
“Complacency may be earning you a paycheck now, Anton, but I’m going to make you feel every bit of my preparation and diligence. You will never hear me claim to be a God. I’m just like all those fans that will be in attendance. And like them, I’m capable of doing some extraordinary things. So feel free to spew your ‘better than you’ balderdash but realize that this won’t just be another day and another dollar for you. This will be your entire career encapsulated in one moment. Everything you’ve done is wiped away, leaving just that kid who used wrestling as a way to escape the pain of losing both parents. After this match, you will look back and wonder why you’re still here.”
Scowl.
“For your sake, I hope you find a damn good answer for that question.”
With that, she steps away. The camera now shows only images of mediocrity and missed opportunities.
It shows the evidence of what a Wrestling God clearly isn’t.
