05-10-2019, 06:54 AM
05-14-2019, 08:34 PM
“It’s been… well… God only knows how long it’s been since I last stepped in an SCW ring as a competitor. I’ve never been the sentimental type, so that wasn’t exactly something that I had longed to keep track of. But, for argument’s sake, we’ll say it’s been…
A while.
Let’s go with that. It’s been a while since I last stepped inside an SCW ring, an opponent staring me down as though their very gaze would prompt me to submit. The exuberance of some opponents really tends to amuse me at times. They think the world is going to kowtow to their whims and their beliefs, as though everyone around them were non-player characters in a game of Dungeons and Dragons, and they were the sole focus of the world. It seems to be the latest craze. Everyone acts like they’re the centre of the universe. And there have been times I’ve been tempted with the idea of stepping back into the ring on a regular basis to remind them that this business doesn’t cater to any one person… that no one person is bigger than the entirety. But I don’t… because again, it’s bigger than any one person, and that includes me. But that doesn’t mean that an old dog can’t indulge in the itch should someone step so egregiously out of line that I find it necessary.
And that is where Xander Valentine comes in…”
May 8, 2019
Following SCW Breakdown
Dean Black had stepped into the office of Sasha D. following the conclusion of Breakdown, as was typical practice. Usually, this meeting between head of the company and the lead agent would revolve around the events of the show, what actions should be taken, and so on. But this meeting would have a different tone. Dean knew that the moment he stepped through the office door and saw the look on the young D. woman’s face.
Sasha: “Dean…”
Dean: “I know what you’re going to say.”
He did. Having worked as lead agent for SCW for as long as he have, Dean Black had worked closely with the previous man in charge, in the process getting to know the daughters as well - Sasha being the older, more mature of the two, and Katya being around the age of Dean’s own daughter, Adora. Perhaps it was that connection that allowed Dean the respect of the girls - to the point where Katya didn’t fire him during her reign of terror earlier in the year. But still, he could tell the worry that Sasha had in her voice, and knew then what she was going to say…
Sasha: “Okay…”
Dean: “And I want you to know that I know I don’t have to do this. I know that there is a lineup of people… active competitors… who want to kick Xander Valentine’s ass for what he did to your father and what he wants to do to SCW. I know that and I respect that, but there is no way I’m going to let someone else have to deal with this and derail their own careers.”
Sasha: “I understand that, I just…”
Dean stops her - probably the only person backstage with the power to cut off the woman in charge.
Dean: “I can’t do that, Sasha. I’ve seen so many people have to take a detour to where they want to be in their careers because they were stuck dealing with messes they should never have been asked to deal with in the first place. Besides, Xander did more than attack your father. He did more than tarnish the very idea that Tabula Rasa was supposed to be… the clean slate. He laid hands on me. He thought he was untouchable, and I want desperately to burst that bubble.”
Sasha: “He’s a dangerous man.”
Dean smirks.
Dean: “Sasha, do you remember when I joined SCW?”
Sasha shakes her head.
Dean: “I didn’t expect you to - you were only around 11 or 12 at the time. Xander Valentine may be dangerous, but I’ve never been one to shy away from danger, and I’m sure as hell not going to walk back here and be seen as a general if I’m not willing to stand against one now… ESPECIALLY if we ask someone else to stand in front of him.”
Sasha sighs, leaning forward on her desk.
Sasha: “No talking you out of this?”
Dean shakes his head. Sasha sighs, nodding hers.
Sasha: “Okay… then just promise me one thing, between you and me,”
Dean: “Okay…”
Sasha: “Give that son-of-a-bitch a spiked collar shot for me.”
Dean grins, nodding his head as he mentally prepares for the war of attrition to come in a week…
“Xander Valentine, I want you to know something. You and I have been a part of the same roster before. You, as a brash newcomer looking to make your mark, me as yesterday’s top dog looking to break those who sought my spot. A lot has changed since those days. You made yourself a part of the fabric of SCW. When people look at the best this company has produced, your work stands as a part of it. Hell, you’re a Hall of Famer. And while you and I were part of different eras of SCW’s history, it’s amazing that our paths hadn’t really crossed until this point, either in the ring or in my capacity as lead agent.
Interesting, isn’t it?
Once upon a time, when I signed my contract for this company, I came in with fire behind me. Within two weeks, I was one show’s World Champion. One month after the ink was dried on my contract, the SCW World Championship - merged at the end of the initial brand split - was around my waist. I dominated anyone who stepped before me… including two Hall of Fame wrestlers in The Canadian Bad Ass and the Canadian Heart Break Kid. I overcame the fabric of SCW in its infancy and etched my name in the annals of history. I did it not out of frivolity… I did it to leave a message to those who would follow me… that to be the BEST in SCW, you would have to endure damning hardships. You would have to stand and push your bodies to the absolute limits like I did to be the best. And from that moment, everyone who held that SCW World Championship has done exactly that… including you.
And that’s why I did it… so that people like me… people like you, Xander… would be the ones rising to the top. You and I are an awful lot alike. Sure, I’m a few years gone by, but you had better believe that I am still more than capable of taking the fight to you, to showing you that I can still push you to your limits. And if this was a regular match, I would be willing to push you that far in the interests of victory.
But Xander, let’s be perfectly honest with one another: This isn’t going to be a regular match, is it. It’s going to be a war… a fight between two men not interested in how this pads the stats or pushes us towards title contention. And really, that’s why it’s me you’re going to be facing at Breakdown and not anyone else. I know that there are members of the SCW roster who are disgusted with your actions, who want to face you and beat you just like I do. But I know that, for those people, it’s about more than your ass. For me, on the other hand, it’s one and done. It’s a match, yes… legally, there will be a referee in the ring and the match will end with a three-count or something else of the like. But Xander… I’m not interested in a win for my sake. I’m not interested in winning a wrestling match. I’m interested in punishing you for your arrogance, for your attacks on the D. family, and for daring to strike me.
Because I’m not afraid of you, Xander! I never have been, I never will be! I don’t care about your reputation or your capabilities. I’m coming like an old dog to a fight… I’m coming to put you into the Void. And once you’re down there, Xander. Once I’ve dropped you on your back and left you planted in the ring…
There will be no escape. I will take you apart and leave your body beaten and battered. That is my promise to you. At Breakdown, I’m making you pay for your sins. Story over… welcome to the end.”
A while.
Let’s go with that. It’s been a while since I last stepped inside an SCW ring, an opponent staring me down as though their very gaze would prompt me to submit. The exuberance of some opponents really tends to amuse me at times. They think the world is going to kowtow to their whims and their beliefs, as though everyone around them were non-player characters in a game of Dungeons and Dragons, and they were the sole focus of the world. It seems to be the latest craze. Everyone acts like they’re the centre of the universe. And there have been times I’ve been tempted with the idea of stepping back into the ring on a regular basis to remind them that this business doesn’t cater to any one person… that no one person is bigger than the entirety. But I don’t… because again, it’s bigger than any one person, and that includes me. But that doesn’t mean that an old dog can’t indulge in the itch should someone step so egregiously out of line that I find it necessary.
And that is where Xander Valentine comes in…”
May 8, 2019
Following SCW Breakdown
Dean Black had stepped into the office of Sasha D. following the conclusion of Breakdown, as was typical practice. Usually, this meeting between head of the company and the lead agent would revolve around the events of the show, what actions should be taken, and so on. But this meeting would have a different tone. Dean knew that the moment he stepped through the office door and saw the look on the young D. woman’s face.
Sasha: “Dean…”
Dean: “I know what you’re going to say.”
He did. Having worked as lead agent for SCW for as long as he have, Dean Black had worked closely with the previous man in charge, in the process getting to know the daughters as well - Sasha being the older, more mature of the two, and Katya being around the age of Dean’s own daughter, Adora. Perhaps it was that connection that allowed Dean the respect of the girls - to the point where Katya didn’t fire him during her reign of terror earlier in the year. But still, he could tell the worry that Sasha had in her voice, and knew then what she was going to say…
Sasha: “Okay…”
Dean: “And I want you to know that I know I don’t have to do this. I know that there is a lineup of people… active competitors… who want to kick Xander Valentine’s ass for what he did to your father and what he wants to do to SCW. I know that and I respect that, but there is no way I’m going to let someone else have to deal with this and derail their own careers.”
Sasha: “I understand that, I just…”
Dean stops her - probably the only person backstage with the power to cut off the woman in charge.
Dean: “I can’t do that, Sasha. I’ve seen so many people have to take a detour to where they want to be in their careers because they were stuck dealing with messes they should never have been asked to deal with in the first place. Besides, Xander did more than attack your father. He did more than tarnish the very idea that Tabula Rasa was supposed to be… the clean slate. He laid hands on me. He thought he was untouchable, and I want desperately to burst that bubble.”
Sasha: “He’s a dangerous man.”
Dean smirks.
Dean: “Sasha, do you remember when I joined SCW?”
Sasha shakes her head.
Dean: “I didn’t expect you to - you were only around 11 or 12 at the time. Xander Valentine may be dangerous, but I’ve never been one to shy away from danger, and I’m sure as hell not going to walk back here and be seen as a general if I’m not willing to stand against one now… ESPECIALLY if we ask someone else to stand in front of him.”
Sasha sighs, leaning forward on her desk.
Sasha: “No talking you out of this?”
Dean shakes his head. Sasha sighs, nodding hers.
Sasha: “Okay… then just promise me one thing, between you and me,”
Dean: “Okay…”
Sasha: “Give that son-of-a-bitch a spiked collar shot for me.”
Dean grins, nodding his head as he mentally prepares for the war of attrition to come in a week…
“Xander Valentine, I want you to know something. You and I have been a part of the same roster before. You, as a brash newcomer looking to make your mark, me as yesterday’s top dog looking to break those who sought my spot. A lot has changed since those days. You made yourself a part of the fabric of SCW. When people look at the best this company has produced, your work stands as a part of it. Hell, you’re a Hall of Famer. And while you and I were part of different eras of SCW’s history, it’s amazing that our paths hadn’t really crossed until this point, either in the ring or in my capacity as lead agent.
Interesting, isn’t it?
Once upon a time, when I signed my contract for this company, I came in with fire behind me. Within two weeks, I was one show’s World Champion. One month after the ink was dried on my contract, the SCW World Championship - merged at the end of the initial brand split - was around my waist. I dominated anyone who stepped before me… including two Hall of Fame wrestlers in The Canadian Bad Ass and the Canadian Heart Break Kid. I overcame the fabric of SCW in its infancy and etched my name in the annals of history. I did it not out of frivolity… I did it to leave a message to those who would follow me… that to be the BEST in SCW, you would have to endure damning hardships. You would have to stand and push your bodies to the absolute limits like I did to be the best. And from that moment, everyone who held that SCW World Championship has done exactly that… including you.
And that’s why I did it… so that people like me… people like you, Xander… would be the ones rising to the top. You and I are an awful lot alike. Sure, I’m a few years gone by, but you had better believe that I am still more than capable of taking the fight to you, to showing you that I can still push you to your limits. And if this was a regular match, I would be willing to push you that far in the interests of victory.
But Xander, let’s be perfectly honest with one another: This isn’t going to be a regular match, is it. It’s going to be a war… a fight between two men not interested in how this pads the stats or pushes us towards title contention. And really, that’s why it’s me you’re going to be facing at Breakdown and not anyone else. I know that there are members of the SCW roster who are disgusted with your actions, who want to face you and beat you just like I do. But I know that, for those people, it’s about more than your ass. For me, on the other hand, it’s one and done. It’s a match, yes… legally, there will be a referee in the ring and the match will end with a three-count or something else of the like. But Xander… I’m not interested in a win for my sake. I’m not interested in winning a wrestling match. I’m interested in punishing you for your arrogance, for your attacks on the D. family, and for daring to strike me.
Because I’m not afraid of you, Xander! I never have been, I never will be! I don’t care about your reputation or your capabilities. I’m coming like an old dog to a fight… I’m coming to put you into the Void. And once you’re down there, Xander. Once I’ve dropped you on your back and left you planted in the ring…
There will be no escape. I will take you apart and leave your body beaten and battered. That is my promise to you. At Breakdown, I’m making you pay for your sins. Story over… welcome to the end.”
05-14-2019, 10:10 PM