AJ Helms vs. Aaron Blackbourne

[Team Desire]

SCW Television Championship
AJ Helms vs. Aaron Blackbourne
 

 
2 RP Limit for singles; 4 RP Limit for tag
Noon ET Tuesday, August 21, 2018

[Ruppy]

OOC: This definitely feels better, getting to finish all of what I planned this time. I'm extremely happy with how this one panned out as I kind of start exploring more of the fine line between Aaron's imagination and how far it can be pushed before he could be considered 'insane.' Also, no regrets on how I approached the promo either, even if it kind of feels different compared to how one might expect him to go about this. Best of luck as always Wasley!
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To many wrestlers, the first show after your biggest event of the year could be just as much of a ‘make or break’ scenario as that show itself, and the Breakdown that served as the fallout from Rise to Greatness was no different. There were many who were taking the steps to turn things around drastically, refusing to allow that show to define them if it didn’t end the way they hoped it would. Others, however, were prone to getting caught up in the proverbial afterglow of a successful night they would never forget only to have it all come crashing down right on top of them when they least expecting it. One such scenario even resulted in a brand new World Champion in a match everyone was expecting to see weeks later.

Thankfully, Aaron Blackbourne was not one such victim of the latter.

Walking into Breakdown with no clue what to expect outside of defending his newly-won gold, Aaron decided to do what he always does when faced with the unknown: let his mind go nuts with the possibilities. It might sound stupid to you, but by letting his imagination do as it pleased, it actually made him far more prepared for anything no matter how bizarre the scenario may be, and while MONGO was certainly an interesting challenge, the artist could happily walk away with his title reign intact for a little while longer.

Still, Aaron couldn’t help but feel concern as he started looking ahead to the next show.

For one thing, Aaron’s next title defense was set to be against AJ Helms, who made it no secret that he was very hungry for championship gold as he not only sought to expand Past, Present, Future’s fortunes now that Sienna was the World Champion, but prove a lot of his harshest critics wrong in hopes of justifying the newfound attitude he’d adopted in the wake of his mother’s issues with the boss and the collateral damage he seemed to suffer right along with it. It was certainly going to be Aaron’s toughest test to date as he looked to advance past his second defense of the TV Title this time around and establish what kind of champion he was looking to be, but despite the legitimate respect Aaron did harbor for the man he wasn’t simply going to allow himself to be treated like a stepping stone that easily. After all, he was just as hungry to find out what other doors might open up the longer he kept this journey going.

There were several other issues lingering in the background, however, and one of them actually was SCW related for a change. As much as he tends to get lost in his own little world, Aaron was far more observant than people tended to give him credit for. He was very well aware that after he prevailed in Raleigh, Scarlet Grey had stepped out onto the stage and was watching him. For what purpose? Well, he could certainly concoct several scenarios, but the vast majority of them weren’t very appealing to him with where he was at right now. While he’d never interacted with Scarlet before she and her tag partner seemed to vanish, his gut gave him a bad feeling just thinking about whatever could possibly be running through her head, and the last thing he wanted was any distractions while he was working to add to the portfolio of this title reign. Defending gold week after week was hard enough… add an outside party into the mix, and bad things were bound to happen.

It’s been noted before that Aaron has a bad history of dealing with stress, and all of that in addition to trying to sort though how he wanted to approach the persistent therapist demanding to have an appointment with him was starting to craft a dark cloud over the bright future he seemed like he was finally on his way to having. Times like these were when retreating into his mind always seemed like the best solution.

This time, however, not even his mind seemed like the safe haven it was supposed to be.

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While he wasn’t surprised that he suddenly found himself with his imagination before him as opposed to reality, he was surprised at where exactly he ended up.

In an effort to try and relax himself so he could focus on the impending task at hand, Aaron allowed himself to zone out in order to enjoy the one thing he cherished above all else. Normally when he did this, he could direct himself to a very specific part of that endless world inside his head where he was truly free to do whatever he needed to in order to let his worries just wash away and life to unfold before his very eyes with nothing more than a simple thought. It was the safest haven one could have; a truly impervious fortress of solitude where he could reflect and release.

This… was not that place.

To his own astonishment, he found himself at the gates of the Carnival of Rust. Perhaps under a different scenario he wouldn’t have been bothered by this, but not being able to direct himself to where he truly wanted to go in his own mindscape for once had him a bit rattled. The only thing that seemed logical in the moment was that his mind was still trying to move on from Ferrugo’s influence after allowing the twisted ringmaster the spotlight back at Rise to Greatness, and while that might sound quite far fetched it was fairly believable when you remember that Ferrugo was one of the stronger entities he’d ever come up with, to the point where he could be just as much of an issue as the Twin Stars if he wasn’t content with what his creator had given to him.

Aaron walked through the open gate and carefully moved along the midway, growing more suspicious of why he’d ended up here when he realized all the games and attractions were devoid of any sign of life despite being all lit up like they were open for business. Granted, the last time he visited all its inhabitants were packed into the big top that served as the central attraction of this visually disturbing fairground, but when that was the case everything was closed up as if to let visitors know the carnival was done for the day. Even then, the sinister shadows that also lurked around as representatives of Ferrugo’s ‘victims’ still seemed to stalk the attractions as though they could gain something to make up for what was lost, and they were conspicuous by their absence as well. Even for the norm when it came to this place, something felt very off.

“You know, maybe people would take you just a little more seriously if you used what you have to do more than play petty pranks.”

The unmistakable voice of Ferrugo caught the creative soul’s attention, and he quickly moved towards where it was coming from, only to stop and quickly made sure he was hidden behind one of the game booths. Something that wasn’t too shocking in hindsight was the fact that since he’d last been here, the midway had a new decoration in the form of a giant statue made entirely of the rusted metal that was the signature element of the entire carnival, depicting Ferrugo proudly holding the SCW TV Title high above his head with his other arm extended in a manner that invited anyone gazing upon it to enjoy the attractions surrounding the metal masterpiece. Then again… it was hard to call it much of a masterpiece at the moment when the face was lost to heavy makeup that most women would gag at the sight of and the body looked like it had pages from some old book nailed all over the place.

The truly disturbing thing about this picture, however, was the Twin Stars seated on the statue’s top hat hand-in-hand as they grinned down in amusement at Ferrugo, who looked more annoyed than anything else at the defacement of his latest attraction.

“Aw, lighten up Ferrugo. You would think the man in charge of a deadly carnival would know how to have a little fun. What’s the point of being able to essentially bend reality if you’re always trying to create the next apocalypse with it?”

“Besides, people really needed to know that this statue wasn’t the big deal you were trying to hype it up as. We get it, you succeeded where Aaron’s other two creations failed miserably. Did you ever stop to consider that we could do the same thing if he wasn’t being such a killjoy?”

“Killjoy, huh? I might be inclined to agree with you there, except that unlike the two of you I was content with doing my own thing until he came calling. The more you insist on bugging him when, like it or not, he ultimately decides our fates, the dimmer your chances of-”

“Blah, blah, blah, patience is a virtue and all that stuff you like to say when you’re trying to be this big, bad chessmaster. We’re not stupid… we know how much he likes you just because he gave you this giant playground to keep you on a leash.”

Watching this unfold made Aaron feel uneasy. While it was common for his creations to interact in his mind, especially as he thought up scenarios where such a thing could be justified if he was working on something, seeing it play out without any semblance of control between some of his more dangerous characters had ‘disaster’ written all over it. He was thankful that they were too embroiled in this argument that none of them bothered to pick up on his presence, something they were all more than capable of even while he was in hiding, because the last thing he needed right now was to be caught in the middle of this beyond just his name.

“You know, the more I listen to the two of you, the more I realize just why you give Aaron so much of a headache beyond constantly trying to invade his personal space with demands of freedom. When you have two children who represent the concept of chaos itself, what do you possibly give them in order to keep them content? This carnival and my little family that helps me run it is all I could ever truly need outside of what we all desire, but what would pacify a pair of petulant toddlers that can’t even stand one another in the face of perfectly good logic?”

“We’re not as complicated as you’re trying to make us sound. Aaron knows exactly what we want, and once he gives it to us we’ll back off. No rocket science needed.”

“Would you really though? Especially when you go so far as to-”

Ferrugo was cut off when a baby’s pacifier suddenly appeared in his mouth courtesy of a snap of Gleeful’s fingers, and she certainly seemed amused by what she’d done. Ferrugo simply rolled his eye before spitting it out, but it barely left his lips before exploding right in his face with the force of a grenade, launching him back several feet. Dreambender couldn’t help but applaud as his sister mockingly took a bow, but they got very little time to celebrate as they found themselves ducking a trio of plasma laser shots. To their surprise, Ferrugo was back up, the metal half of his face unharmed while his mangled human half was slowly repairing itself in a flash of purple light. Using some of his hidden power that could only be displayed here, his metal arm had reformed into what could best be described as a plasma laser firing gatling gun, and it became clear very quickly that he’d gone from being annoyed by the Twin Stars to outright pissed off with them as he suddenly charged the statue, firing shots rapidly that the spectral entities flew to avoid before starting to conjure something to fire back with.

Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, Aaron began to retreat along the back ways of the carnival, wanting to stay out of sight if the battle got any more intense. It was one thing to imagine a fight scenario, but a whole different matter entirely when two of his most powerful, not to mention immortal by design, creations were engaged in a legitimate full scale war with one another over something that seemed trivial at best to him. Still, even as he stood within his own mind with dwindling hopes of shedding the stress of what lay before him in the upcoming days, he could feel every attack they launched at one another actually taking a toll on him mentally, as though this entire second reality he’d fabricated for himself when he needed a break from actual reality was crumbling in the wake of it. Despite this, he was still here, and no amount of trying to imagine himself back in the real world was making it happen now for whatever reason. All he could do was keep running until he was certain he could be safe…

The moment he crossed the threshold out of the Carnival of Rust, he found his momentum halted as he collided with something and fell to the ground. He didn’t know what it was, but after shaking it off he would simply-

“And here I thought you’d stick around and enjoy the show.”

Aaron’s blood ran cold the moment he heard that voice, and once he got his bearings his fears were confirmed as he looked up to see that he’d collided with a twisted visage of himself. It had been some time since Nemesis had been in his presence, far too long for the creative soul’s liking if he were to be honest. Normally, he’d accept it as a sign that he’d kicked his stress and problems to the curb, but he wasn’t dumb enough to accept that he’d truly been out of those woods for that long. Seeing the confident abomination grinning down at him only confirmed this, because Nemesis was never this confident unless he had something up his sleeve.

“Miss me Aaron?”

“Hardly. I was starting to enjoy the break I’d gotten from you at least.”

“Well, I will say this: that little flower you’re so fond of has made it more difficult for me to justify dragging you into the abyss you don’t ever want to go to. But if I can’t plague you while she’s serving as the sunshine that keeps the darkness away, I see no harm in letting those little spotlight-obsessed spirits do my dirty work for me. Hell, you even found yourself resorting to allowing one of your more dangerous ideas out to play just to get championship gold around your waist again. I think it’s safe to say the cracks are starting to show Aaron, and you’re bearing witness to your own mind falling apart as the precursor to what you know will follow.”

Aaron went to respond, but his thoughts were scrambled as the sound of an explosion consumed his ears, no doubt a byproduct of the battle still going on he was trying to leave behind. It was at this point that he realized the situation he was in… much as he’d managed to outwit Dreambender to the point of simply giving up as a means of clearing up his plans for Rise to Greatness, Nemesis had put him in the exact same position. He had no argument for what he’d just heard; there was no denying that signs were starting to point to him losing control of his own mind and if he couldn’t even keep the very thing he should have the most control over together, then what hope did he have of directing his life to where he needed it to go? Still, he rose to a stand with his fists clenched, trying not to show Nemesis any sign that he was getting to him, but the monstrocity easily saw straight through the facade.

“Don’t even bother. After all, I was able to hijack your little trip here enough to redirect you to what I wanted you to see, knowing those kids weren’t going to react too well to you choosing that sickening showman over them. If you’ve already lost that much control without realizing then, then what hope do you have of being able to handle what’s on the horizon? Face the facts: you’re a lot more unstable than you think you are, and the longer you use your creativity to try and disguise the madness that lies beneath the surface, the worse it’s going to be when you can no longer hide from it.”

As if to further his point, the very second he stopped speaking Nemesis lunged forward and spun Aaron around before shoving him forward. The reason why became apparent very quickly as Aaron saw a stray blue and pink fireball flying right toward him at high speed, no doubt an attempt by Dreambender and Gleeful to end the fight they picked that missed its target. He found himself directly in its path, however, and his eyes could only widen in horror as he found himself unable to brace for the fiery impact.

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The next thing he knew, he was gasping for air and trying to untangle himself from whatever he could feel restraining him, his eyes wide open but not really focusing on anything, almost as though he were lost in a trance still. All he could process was that something was keeping him restrained to a seat he suddenly found himself in, and his entire body had broken out into the most intense cold sweat he’d ever experienced. The moment he felt a calming hand rest itself on his shoulder, however, his mental stability seemed to return to him as he came down from the fear-induced adrenaline rush to get his bearings on the situation, realizing now that his restraint was the seat belt he’d buckled some time ago.

“You alright?”

As Aaron turned his head and locked eyes with Liane, it all came flooding back to him. While he’d completely lost track of how long ago it was now, he remembered that he’d agree to ride somewhere with Liane as she had someplace in mind she really wanted to visit while they were in Las Vegas. It was a fair trade, considering he had to be here for the next Breakdown and Sin City was certainly worth exploring if you were an aspiring comedian like her. He’d decided to just zone out on the ride to let her focus on trying to find what she was looking for in a city that was quite difficult to navigate if you’d never been there before, allowing himself to go to that ‘happy place’ in his mind to shift gears towards what he wanted to gain out of the next show. Unfortunately, that hadn’t been the case, and he could still feel how shot his nerves were in the face of what he’d seen inside his own head.

“I… I don’t know Liane. I know you were fine with me kind of zoning out while you were driving, but I can’t even make sense of what I saw in my own head. Even with my imagination, it’s not often you’ll ever hear me say that.”

“Normally I’d be all for letting you get it off your chest, but it sounds like you’re in desperate need of some good ol’ laugh therapy to get straightened out. Thankfully, we’re right where we need to be for Dr. Liane to provide the remedy to what ails you.”

With that, Liane happily hopped out of the car, and after catching his breath Aaron followed suit, realizing that she’d managed to find one of the city’s numerous comedy clubs. It was one of the higher end ones too, and it just so happened to be hosting an open mic night. Aaron didn’t need to have all his thoughts in order to know exactly what his girlfriend had planned: a great performance here could be exactly what she needed to finally get her career off the ground, allowing her to live her dream much like Aaron was living his to the best of his own abilities. From the exterior to the interior, this was the kind of club that just screamed ‘launching pad for future stars of comedy’ and was just as inviting to all those looking to say they were there when that next big star was first discovered. Liane eagerly led her boyfriend to a table that was actually front row to the stage and surprisingly empty considering the packed house as a man on the stage looked to be wrapping up his routine to the delight of those around them.

“There we are, the best seat in the house for you to come back down from orbit while I begin to rocket up towards the stars. Just try to relax… after all, I can’t imagine where I’d be if you weren’t here to watch me perform right now.”

A quick peck on the lips following her little joke got her boyfriend smiling again, and Liane happily began bouncing towards a man standing near the steps toward the stage who looked like he was directing traffic as far as who was getting to perform. He slowly sat down as he watched her leave, mentally wishing her the best of luck before he tuned out the last of the current performer’s jokes to contemplate what had happened to him. True, it was in his imagination and there’s no need to make sense of anything that happens in there no matter who you are, but Aaron was a master of finding reasoning to evening the most nonsensical of his mind’s machinations. Creating logic even out of thin air to justify the chaotic masterpieces he concocted was the biggest reason why he had such a massive cult following as an artist and writer even hidden behind the aliases to keep that business separate from what he did in the ring, so why was he having so much trouble doing that now when he needed it the most to make sense of the senseless?

“Maybe Nemesis has a point… this determined therapist, this sudden interest from a woman for who knows what reason, trying to keep my title all on the foundation of the problems that don’t want to stay left behind… I’m starting to figure things out, yet I’m feeling less in control than ever before.”

Aaron formed his hand into a claw and clamped it down with his palm on his forehead and his fingers pressing his hair down, trying to fight off the seeds that he knew had been planted. So what if Nemesis had a point right now? That didn’t mean it would last, and Aaron knew exactly what he had to do in order to sever the hold his self-designed embodiment of stress and failure was trying to exert over him. Come Breakdown, he would do what he needed to do in order to turn back the challenge of a man whose plight he sympathized with, and from there he’d piece together the rest of the puzzle to clear his path forward. It all would even start tonight once Liane took the stage and did what she did best.

It was at this point that the designer realized the stage had been vacant for several minutes now, his girlfriend not at the mic making her biggest audience to date bust a gut. His eyes traveled over to where he’d seen her head towards, and they found her seemingly in a heated argument with the man who was serving as the gatekeeper to potentially her big break. Eyebrow raised, he slowly made his way over to the two of them. While he didn’t approach quick enough to actually catch any of the verbal exchange, the moment he noticed Liane’s fists beginning to clench and the look in her eyes shifting towards a more dangerous look quickened his pace until he gently grabbed her by the arm, which seemed to calm her down when she realized it was just him.

“Everything alright?”

“No… this guy’s refusing to let me perform.”

“I’m running a comedy club here, not a circus. True comedy’s about more than just looking like you just graduated from clown school, and I’m not letting her put my audience to sleep!”

“With all due respect sir… as someone who knows a thing or two about advertising as a designer, if you’re going to put up signs for an open mic night and then deny somebody the chance to take you up on that offer, that’s false advertising and grounds for-”

“Look pal, I don’t need you telling me how to run MY club, alright? Last I checked, here in America my opinion needs to be respected, so if you don’t respect my opinion that my audience needs to be protected from her act because it’ll drop faster than a lead balloon, then you need to catch the first boat back to whatever fairytale island made you believe you could pass as a designer.”

It was clear to him that this guy, who was definitely the club’s owner, had exhausted anything more creative to say that might actually offend him, but his attitude definitely suggested something beneath the surface that would paint a very ugly public image if exposed beyond this one conversation. Aaron looked to Liane, and in the wake of a very noticeable struggle to keep her darker side in check to avoid any unnecessary catastrophes tonight, she was submitting herself to defeat that she wasn’t getting up on that stage. Now, it was one thing if you actually took a shot at something that could make your dreams come true and didn’t succeed, but not even being given the chance to try at all because someone was so arrogant they thought they had you all figured out enough to pass judgment? Aaron had put up with that all his life both in his artistic pursuits and in wrestling, and seeing Liane in the same position he found himself in so many times before?

The only thing Aaron could see now was the color red.

Almost as if his body was on autopilot, Aaron’s hand suddenly left Liane’s arm and wrapped itself around the man’s throat, his feet moving as he pushed the man back against the wall. As the club owner took one look into Aaron’s eyes, he went from being a smug prick to a terrified wreck pleading for forgiveness in record time. Aaron couldn’t hear what he was saying though… it was almost as if his mind had completely turned itself off, unwilling to process anything beyond this man needing to be taught a lesson. Looking back on it, he was grateful for several things about what happened next, one of the biggest ones being that the corner of the room was dark enough that nobody seemed to really notice what was happening to raise a panic over it. Equally as important, however, was that Liane had seen her boyfriend wrestle enough to know the subtle hints very few opponents would ever pick up on. The moment she saw his legs begin to shuffle to leap in a bike-riding motion, she lunged forward and used all of her (admittedly surprising) strength to pull him away before grabbing him by the wrist and practically dragging him out of the club.

“He’s not worth it… it’s not worth it…”

The tone of her voice was enough to seemingly flip the switch to turn everything back on, because all of a sudden Aaron was acting like he’d snapped out of a trance once again, trying to figure out why he was outside now. When it finally hit him, a look of sheer terror overtook his features as he hugged Liane tight, like a child squeezing a teddy bear to help get over a nightmare. There was only one thing he could say in that moment, and it was a question Liane had about as much of a chance to answer as he himself did:

“What’s happening to me?”

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Well, that’s one title defense in the book.

I know, a lot of you will look back at that match and laugh at such a remark, but humor me for a moment: if you were in that same position, defending a title against a complete unknown, do you think it would’ve been as easy? I didn’t know who would be standing across the ring from me until I walked out there… it could’ve just as easily been one of the recent inductees into SCW’s Hall of Fame for all I knew, wanting to surprise the world by adding one last accolade to their résumé. If you’re not satisfied and still feel like I need a ‘proper’ first test for my new title reign, then all you have to do is watch Breakdown as it emanates from Las Vegas this week, because you’ll get exactly what you wish for.

That said… I have something I need to get off my chest first. I know a fair amount of you might not agree with what I’m about to say, but that’s par for the course when it comes to me. Try convincing people about the value of creativity in a world that’s afraid to change and you’ll know where I’m coming from there.

AJ Helms… I want you to hear me out, even though I know full well my words are very likely to fall on deaf ears. After all, getting too wrapped up in things being all about oneself seems to be the hot trend right now, and I’m well aware I’m probably not going to get anywhere with this, but never let it be said that I don’t stand by my words even when no one else wants to listen. I know how badly you want to take this title from me on Wednesday night AJ, and you’ll no doubt let me hear it with as much sarcasm and venom as you can muster towards me. After all, this is your chance to finally shine once again and who am I to dare stand in your way?

Believe it or not AJ… I know exactly where you’re coming from, and that’s why I’m not afraid to admit I respect you even when just about everyone else had no problem turning their backs on you.

I know, that certainly doesn’t sound right. You’re gunning from my title and you’re just chomping at the bit to jump down my throat about how much of a piece of shit you think I am all in the name of ripping it from my cold, dead hands, and I’m supposed to be responding in kind to justify why I refuse to let you do just that. You know what my problem is with that? While it’s true that I’m not planning on this title run to come to an end just yet, sorry… I also don’t see the point in standing here and lying just because I’m expecting to be the ‘pure-hearted hero’ preparing to conquer the ‘lost kid who dared to turn his back on the fans.’ Nothing’s ever that black and white, and people who want to criticize you for the decisions you made aren’t bothering with the reasons why you made them in the first place.

All the way back when the possibility was there for our paths to cross when the U.S. Title was held up, I made my opinion clear: while I didn’t agree with what Regan did in piledriving the boss, I also don’t agree with him trying to force you into a situation all because she’s your mom. Yeah, it’s not a popular opinion, but I’m not afraid to call a spade a spade when someone who’s been busting their ass here for as long as you have is getting the short end of the stick for reasons that don’t have anything to do with you. You shouldn’t be reviled just because you dared to oppose something you clearly didn’t agree with, and it shouldn’t be as much of a shock that if you get pushed hard enough you’re going to start fighting back. If that’s how every human being reacts, then why am I expected to want to kick your teeth in for doing it but not the guy who works the typical nine-to-five who finally has enough with being pushed around by some guy on the street who thinks he can get away with it?

Standing up for what you want in life… that’s what validates my earlier statement. You want to prove that you are the future of SCW… you don’t want to do it because your last name is Helms and people expect it of you, and you don’t want to be thrown into a brick wall just because someone you just so happen to be related to wasn’t very well liked for her own opinions. At its core, it’s no different from being looked down upon or flat out ignored just because I dare to be a little bit different. When I say a creative way of thinking can change the world for the better, I’m not threatening anyone’s livelihood or suggesting they go out and commit murder or anything, and yet that’s exactly how it’s treated and I’m supposed to be Satan himself for daring to stand by such claims. I know… you probably think that sounds stupid, but we really aren’t that different once people stop nitpicking about how they want to see us and actually take an honest look at what kind of men we truly are. Yeah, you probably disagree with the fact that while you’ve turned your back on the fans I’m trying to get into their good graces, but this is the only part where our paths diverge.

You feel you don’t need the fans in order to achieve your goals, and after they turned their backs on you I’m not going to stand here and convince you otherwise.

I, on the other hand? I do what I do in order to achieve my own end goal, proving my own words correct that there’s no reason to be afraid of something just because you’re hesitant to understand it.

Maybe that lack of understanding is the only thing keeping them from realizing that they have no reason to treat you the way they do just because when you think of the phrase ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’ you weren’t even one of the wrongs involved to begin with and yet that’s how this is being handled.

I’ll say this though AJ… I envy you. People might not understand that just because I’m the one walking into this match with the gold around my waist, but you have something that I can’t truly say I really have anymore… a family. Even if you want to do the respectable thing and forge your own path in this business separate from what David and Regan do, if you’re in a position where you have to choose to be with or against them even if the former means turning your back on everything you once were you’d gladly stand by them knowing they would do the same for you. If my family were ever a part of this business and had to make that decision about me… odds are they’d take the first chance to abandon me for whatever gets them notoriety and everything that comes with it, even if I would gladly sacrifice myself for them knowing it would very well be in vain. Guys like you and Owen Cruze, two men I find myself in the same discussion of SCW’s future with and two men I respect the hell out of no matter the circumstances, will always have that over me. Maybe it’s true that I don’t have to go through the bullshit you had to AJ, but it also means that if it boils down to it, I’d have to go it alone if I ever found myself in any sort of similar situation.

Make no mistake though AJ… I’m not saying all of this in some kind of attempt to get you to have a change of heart or ‘save you’ or anything like that, I’m laying all my cards on the table so you understand where I’m coming from. I’m not walking into Breakdown looking to beat you to a bloody pulp just because that’s what people expect me to do when faced with someone they don’t like, but I’m also not simply going to roll over and let you take this title from me so easily, not when it’s just as much a vital component of my goal as it is yours. You don’t even have to admit it it front of a camera, and I’m not expecting you to since you have this new image you don’t want to compromise even when I don’t care about that same risk since I’ve never been one for adhering to a single mold every single time I do this, but maybe you’ll keep in mind that while we may be opponents on Breakdown with the fate of championship gold hanging in the balance, as far as I’m concerned we’re not enemies… just two athletes fighting to define their futures and what they both believe in no matter how much the world tells us they don’t like who we are or what we want.

As far as I’m concerned… that’s all we need to have a match worthy of the SCW Television Title no matter who walks away with it at the end of the night. Just don’t get too lost in whatever you have to say to me AJ, because I don’t want you to be surprised by everything I plan on throwing at you to be the one that retains possession when the dust finally settles, even if I have to push myself to new creative depths to do it.

[ThatWasley]

OOC: Here's my effort for the week. Been building towards starting this particular part of the storyline ever since I introduced the Bella character into my rp's and I'm looking forward to where things are heading. Also, should point out that I only just saw that Ruppy had posted, so nothing in my promo reflects what Blackbourne said in his. Ruppster, best of luck bud and enjoy!

AJ Helms: The New Jersey Legacy - Chapter 055