09-25-2018, 08:05 AM
OOC: Unfortunately, due to being ill the past few days and trying to sleep it off I didn't have as much time as I'd have liked to do more, so this is a shoot only effort for Thirteen. I swear I'll get him truly back in gear once Fatal Fortunes is done.
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“I would ask if you guys have missed me, but I think we all know how everyone would respond to that.
Don't worry, I'm not going to have some sort of meltdown just because I disappeared for a while and no one seemed to notice until I chose to resurface. Even with all my years of experience, I can always count on the inevitability that the vast majority of those around me will let me stick to the shadows and fly under the radar until I find myself with an opportunity that was ‘supposed to be theirs’ among other baseless claims. It's just one of the things you pick up on when you've been doing this for a while, along with the ability to read certain individuals to know exactly what kind of game they're going to play and how you can use that to get what you want out of a situation. Consider that one reason why my return has been focused on unraveling the mystery behind this masked individual and ripping away that proverbial safety blanket my old ‘friend’ Syren continues to hide behind until she gets her way.
That, and the fact that I'm not exactly going to let this man think he can get away with costing me an opportunity at the World Title without repercussion.
You see, SCW is full of men and women who are just desperate for one thing or another. Most want to have that spotlight they feel they deserve, or to put championship gold around their waists or simply have everyone's respect and admiration. The unfortunate truth is that these are not things they can receive as easily as they think, and that has nothing to do with Mr. D and his family or the Board of Directors or anything more than the very nature of the world we live in. After all, human beings are, by nature, greedy creatures that will never be satisfied even if you could hand any one of them absolute power on a silver platter. They always desire more, and when they don't get it they expect everyone around them to drop what they're doing and fix this ‘injustice.’ Of course, this doesn't happen as each of those individuals is expecting you to do the exact same thing for them, creating a vicious but fragile cycle that only ever ends with one person getting that temporary moment of glory before it all starts anew.
The more people hide behind their veil of ignorance expecting everyone else to bend over backwards for them, the more the truths get lost in the shuffle.
I'll at least say this about Syren: she has some respect for herself, even if it's hard to see behind the paradise she wants but believes others are keeping her away from. Years ago, when she defended the World Title against me one-on-one and we were denied a proper finish, I knew she would never be willing to accept that. Granted, I wasn't fully expecting the path she did decide to take in regards to that, but she was still willing to fight in a vain attempt to silence all her critics even though it came back to permanently scar her psyche. Even back at Rise to Greatness, I could feel the fear when she found herself trapped in the same hold that lost her the top prize in SCW so very long ago, and would have put her out again if not for Sienna Swann.
In case you're curious, my self-imposed exile had nothing to do with Sienna's claims that she's ‘erased the past’ when she's come nowhere close. Doing so implies that she did so much damage to me that I finally decided I cannot physically keep going in this business, and I'm afraid this is a feat Sienna is simply incapable of. This does, however, highlight just how fragile Sienna's ego truly is when compared to even that of Syren: unlike my longtime rival, Sienna will simply take any victory she can get and claim there's nothing more for her to prove. Never mind the fact that she proved nothing in regards to me when she never actually pinned me, or that she simply benefitted from Syren's outside attempt to turn the tide in her favor; as far as she's concerned, she's beaten me and put an end to me and will never look back, and as long as she has her little support system to kiss her ass and praise what is simply not built to last, she can hide pretty deep inside her own head to avoid actually having to deal with business left unfinished.
Of course, this means that when this angel's time is finally up, her fall from grace will be one she will never be able to recover from, especially when introduced to the difficult reality she claims to be a part of in regards to SCW constantly trying to move forward.
Of course, that leaves the million dollar question then... why the silence for so long? It's true that falling short at Rise to Greatness, regardless of the circumstances surrounding it, was quite a harsh blow, but when you've been doing this for as long as I have now these failed opportunities simply fade away as you persevere. Needless to say... I was given the time off to think some things over. After all, Mr. D has been going on and on about ‘anchors’ for quite some time now to either light a fire under veterans' asses or have an excuse to get rid of them, and I'm not so blind to believe my name isn't on that list. Like it or not, that World Title reign of mine from six years ago was the last time I've held any sort of championship gold in SCW or otherwise, and while I'm not in desperate need of any more gold to add to the legacy my name already carries that will rival some of the biggest names to ever grace a wrestling ring throughout history, he views that as a sign that I might not have it anymore and shouldn't continue to be a part of this roster. When you add to the fact that I doubt Sasha has forgiven me for my actions all those years ago like her father seems to have, and that's two very powerful names in SCW that want my time here to expire.
Unfortunately, if I proved anything all those years ago when I turned this entire company upside-down to the point where it still hasn't fully recovered, it's that I'm not so easy to get rid of no matter what you think you have against me.
This ultimately brings me to my return to competition, and it happens to coincide with the always chaotic event known as Fatal Fortunes. For the next two weeks, no one will have any control over their destinies and will be left completely in the dark until mere moments before they're told they have to head out to the ring. In the time I've been with this company, I've either been left out of the proceedings altogether or somehow ended up with a title opportunity of some kind, and while I'm not going to stand here and make claims of any guarantees that one champion on this roster right now will need to hold on to their championship gold tight when they hear my music, there are several men and women standing on those pedestals right now that do not want that trend to continue. After all, Heaven forbid if they actually have to try and back up their claims of superiority against me once more knowing that with something prestigious on the line, anything less than absolute victory will leave that door wide open to a more ‘undesirable’ scenario down the line.
Of course, maybe I won't find myself challenging for a title this time around. Maybe I can get this masked man I've been hunting inside of a steel cage or have him forced to be attached to me to deny him any hope of running away this time so we can finally see who was so desperate they would sell their soul to be Syren's little bitch until her temper tantrum over not being World Champion is resolved. Perhaps I can simply cut straight to the part where I continue Syren's downward spiral as she falls further and further away from the only thing that keeps her mentally stable in this company. Maybe I could even find myself facing some cocky up-and-comer to prove this ‘anchor’ is still more than capable of causing the ill-prepared to sink well beyond their depths for getting too far ahead of themselves. The possibilities are endless, and while I'll be contending with the unknown all the way up until you hear my music, there is one fact that will always persevere.
No matter how much SCW falls apart in the face of a generation that cares more for getting their way by any means necessary, my place in history will never be erased no matter what anybody claims. And if they think it's going to be that easy to do away with the likes of me, then perhaps it's time I stop playing this game of judge, jury and executioner and simply go back to dissecting anyone who gets in my way and building an undeniable case that cannot be overlooked. After all, no matter how much things may change on the surface, they will always stay the same at their very core.”
-------------------------------------------------
“I would ask if you guys have missed me, but I think we all know how everyone would respond to that.
Don't worry, I'm not going to have some sort of meltdown just because I disappeared for a while and no one seemed to notice until I chose to resurface. Even with all my years of experience, I can always count on the inevitability that the vast majority of those around me will let me stick to the shadows and fly under the radar until I find myself with an opportunity that was ‘supposed to be theirs’ among other baseless claims. It's just one of the things you pick up on when you've been doing this for a while, along with the ability to read certain individuals to know exactly what kind of game they're going to play and how you can use that to get what you want out of a situation. Consider that one reason why my return has been focused on unraveling the mystery behind this masked individual and ripping away that proverbial safety blanket my old ‘friend’ Syren continues to hide behind until she gets her way.
That, and the fact that I'm not exactly going to let this man think he can get away with costing me an opportunity at the World Title without repercussion.
You see, SCW is full of men and women who are just desperate for one thing or another. Most want to have that spotlight they feel they deserve, or to put championship gold around their waists or simply have everyone's respect and admiration. The unfortunate truth is that these are not things they can receive as easily as they think, and that has nothing to do with Mr. D and his family or the Board of Directors or anything more than the very nature of the world we live in. After all, human beings are, by nature, greedy creatures that will never be satisfied even if you could hand any one of them absolute power on a silver platter. They always desire more, and when they don't get it they expect everyone around them to drop what they're doing and fix this ‘injustice.’ Of course, this doesn't happen as each of those individuals is expecting you to do the exact same thing for them, creating a vicious but fragile cycle that only ever ends with one person getting that temporary moment of glory before it all starts anew.
The more people hide behind their veil of ignorance expecting everyone else to bend over backwards for them, the more the truths get lost in the shuffle.
I'll at least say this about Syren: she has some respect for herself, even if it's hard to see behind the paradise she wants but believes others are keeping her away from. Years ago, when she defended the World Title against me one-on-one and we were denied a proper finish, I knew she would never be willing to accept that. Granted, I wasn't fully expecting the path she did decide to take in regards to that, but she was still willing to fight in a vain attempt to silence all her critics even though it came back to permanently scar her psyche. Even back at Rise to Greatness, I could feel the fear when she found herself trapped in the same hold that lost her the top prize in SCW so very long ago, and would have put her out again if not for Sienna Swann.
In case you're curious, my self-imposed exile had nothing to do with Sienna's claims that she's ‘erased the past’ when she's come nowhere close. Doing so implies that she did so much damage to me that I finally decided I cannot physically keep going in this business, and I'm afraid this is a feat Sienna is simply incapable of. This does, however, highlight just how fragile Sienna's ego truly is when compared to even that of Syren: unlike my longtime rival, Sienna will simply take any victory she can get and claim there's nothing more for her to prove. Never mind the fact that she proved nothing in regards to me when she never actually pinned me, or that she simply benefitted from Syren's outside attempt to turn the tide in her favor; as far as she's concerned, she's beaten me and put an end to me and will never look back, and as long as she has her little support system to kiss her ass and praise what is simply not built to last, she can hide pretty deep inside her own head to avoid actually having to deal with business left unfinished.
Of course, this means that when this angel's time is finally up, her fall from grace will be one she will never be able to recover from, especially when introduced to the difficult reality she claims to be a part of in regards to SCW constantly trying to move forward.
Of course, that leaves the million dollar question then... why the silence for so long? It's true that falling short at Rise to Greatness, regardless of the circumstances surrounding it, was quite a harsh blow, but when you've been doing this for as long as I have now these failed opportunities simply fade away as you persevere. Needless to say... I was given the time off to think some things over. After all, Mr. D has been going on and on about ‘anchors’ for quite some time now to either light a fire under veterans' asses or have an excuse to get rid of them, and I'm not so blind to believe my name isn't on that list. Like it or not, that World Title reign of mine from six years ago was the last time I've held any sort of championship gold in SCW or otherwise, and while I'm not in desperate need of any more gold to add to the legacy my name already carries that will rival some of the biggest names to ever grace a wrestling ring throughout history, he views that as a sign that I might not have it anymore and shouldn't continue to be a part of this roster. When you add to the fact that I doubt Sasha has forgiven me for my actions all those years ago like her father seems to have, and that's two very powerful names in SCW that want my time here to expire.
Unfortunately, if I proved anything all those years ago when I turned this entire company upside-down to the point where it still hasn't fully recovered, it's that I'm not so easy to get rid of no matter what you think you have against me.
This ultimately brings me to my return to competition, and it happens to coincide with the always chaotic event known as Fatal Fortunes. For the next two weeks, no one will have any control over their destinies and will be left completely in the dark until mere moments before they're told they have to head out to the ring. In the time I've been with this company, I've either been left out of the proceedings altogether or somehow ended up with a title opportunity of some kind, and while I'm not going to stand here and make claims of any guarantees that one champion on this roster right now will need to hold on to their championship gold tight when they hear my music, there are several men and women standing on those pedestals right now that do not want that trend to continue. After all, Heaven forbid if they actually have to try and back up their claims of superiority against me once more knowing that with something prestigious on the line, anything less than absolute victory will leave that door wide open to a more ‘undesirable’ scenario down the line.
Of course, maybe I won't find myself challenging for a title this time around. Maybe I can get this masked man I've been hunting inside of a steel cage or have him forced to be attached to me to deny him any hope of running away this time so we can finally see who was so desperate they would sell their soul to be Syren's little bitch until her temper tantrum over not being World Champion is resolved. Perhaps I can simply cut straight to the part where I continue Syren's downward spiral as she falls further and further away from the only thing that keeps her mentally stable in this company. Maybe I could even find myself facing some cocky up-and-comer to prove this ‘anchor’ is still more than capable of causing the ill-prepared to sink well beyond their depths for getting too far ahead of themselves. The possibilities are endless, and while I'll be contending with the unknown all the way up until you hear my music, there is one fact that will always persevere.
No matter how much SCW falls apart in the face of a generation that cares more for getting their way by any means necessary, my place in history will never be erased no matter what anybody claims. And if they think it's going to be that easy to do away with the likes of me, then perhaps it's time I stop playing this game of judge, jury and executioner and simply go back to dissecting anyone who gets in my way and building an undeniable case that cannot be overlooked. After all, no matter how much things may change on the surface, they will always stay the same at their very core.”