The One vs. Beard

[supremecw]

The One vs. Beard
Rise to Greatness XIX Pre-Show

2 RP Limit
Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Saturday, July 30, 2022

[TheOne]

GENESIS: Chapter Six

For several years, my life had pretty much remained a status quo.  I began to actually enjoy my time at The Compound because everyone there was in the same boat.  We all had the same outlook on life, and really just used our time in our area to do whatever it was we enjoyed.  We saw less and less of The One, which also added to the much needed relief of not being under constant ridicule, but the fear of him showing up unannounced was always there.  What had developed with his presence being lessened by his "new found role" was that our own "community" had created a bit of a hierarchy, and at the helm of security was my mentor and I.  The only difference between The One and us was, nobody feared us.  Our rules were simple... Don't be stupid, and don't attract The One.

Our idea wasn't to be feared or revered.  Our goal was simply make sure nobody got hurt, and nobody became a target.  We knew that anything that would attract the one and create one target, would ultimately create multiple targets.  We had seen kids come and go as families had come and gone.  We had seen kids reach an age where they could escape being "forced" to be here.  We had a system for us that worked, and we liked it.  We all had our friends, and we all did our own thing.  Nobody was in fear, but everyone knew that we were going to handle things "in house" before anyone knew what was going on...

Or so we thought...

While we thought everyone was happy, apparently there were those who didn't like that we had come up with our own "system of government," not under the thumb of The One, and whoever that person was had cued him in.  He had begun to pay kids to spy on us all, and find out what we were doing and what he wasn't aware of.  Weeks of bribery had led him to finding out what we were keeping from him and the fact that he was being kept out of the loop.  His desire to find out all of the details before reacting was the reason we didn't know any of it was happening.  The problem was, when we found out, not only were we blindsided, but we were faced with a man seeking revenge against children he sees as usurping his authority...

As each of the kids in their area of The Compound just go about their night as they normally would, the two "leaders" of the kids group stick to their typical regimen of training, and ironing out any minor issues or squabbles that flare up.  This area where the two practice and train is near the rear, alarmed, emergency, exit.  And out of nowhere, it busts open, cuing the alarm to be sounded, as The One storms in.  He looks right at the "leaders," and yells over the alarm.

"The One": YOU TWO FUCKERS STAY RIGHT THERE...

The One walks to the electrical room and puts in the code to disable the alarm to the emergency door.  He then starts storming back toward the way he entered.

"The One": EVERYONE BETTER GET THEIR ASSES OVER HERE, AND GET OVER HERE FAST!

Everyone is shaken by the sound of the alarm, and even more shaken when they hear the bellowing voice of The One echoing through the building.  They slowly come out of their respective nooks and crannies in droves, walking back toward the back door and the two "leaders."  As the one reaches the back door he rips it shut and turns toward all of the kids with a seething look in his eyes.

"The One": I WARNED YOU ALL... I fucking WARNED YOU AT THE BEGINNING!  You DO NOT EMBARASS ME when it comes to The Oracle, and what is this BULLSHIT I hear?!  You KIDS have your own "leaders?"  You report to whom?

He points at the two "leaders."

"The One": ... Them?  THEM?!  You HONESTLY think they have ANY control here?  I HAVE ALL OF THE FUCKING CONTROL, and yet... Heh... You go to these two shits... Fine... Fine... You guys want to let them rule you, well just you all wait and watch what I do to them, their families, and their HISTORY here, and you'll realize they are no leaders of yours.  In fact they are nothing more than fucking NUISANCES!

The One approaches the eldest of the two "leaders."

"The One": ... Really?  You're someone who wants to have some kind of "power" around here?  You want to be in charge of these ingrate children who, if I had my way, would be confined to a room with food and not allowed to speak while they were here?  Instead, The Prophets have seen fit to give you ALL of this, and you squander it away because you want to feel like this building is your own "Compound?"  News flash you little shit... This is MY COMPOUND!  I RUN IT!  The Prophets, yeah, they may OWN it, but I RUN IT!  I am called THE ONE for a reason!  Because I am THE ONE IN CHARGE!

The One holds his hands out and takes a deep breath as if "calming himself down."

"The One": Now... I get that mistakes happen.  And I think you all realize you made a GRAVE one, here.  And while you should fear me, I understand The Prophets want to attract more money, and in turn, means I get more money.  So I think it's time we entertain ideas of how YOU ALL are going to fix this, and appease me, and not make me feel so insulted by your insubordination.

There is immediately silence from everyone, fearful of saying anything.

"The One": ... Anyone...?

It was now my mentor's fuse was lit.  I could see it in her eyes.  We were called out and we were put on the spot as the bad guys, with all of those we had EARNED the respect of looking at us in silence.  I didn't know how to respond.  I never thought there would be a moment we would actually be in trouble for something as simple as keeping ourselves out of the way of The One.  But apparently, in his mind, we were trying to run the show over his head.  Whether or not that was my mentor's idea, or not, I don't know.  I know she had plans of taking The Compound down, but over the years it became less of a talking point for her.  All she focused on was saying that she and I needed to get better and do better.  I always assumed it was due to her wanting to motivate me to become as strong as her.  But it was as The One had walked in front of everyone, and finally reached the two of us, that my mentor stepped up to the plate like nobody expected...

Mentor: I HEREBY CHALLENGE THE ONE FOR SUPREMACY!

There is an audible gasp from the oldest kids in The Compound.  As the youngest of the "leaders" my eyes go wide, not quite knowing what this means.  The One, freezes, and his eyes immediately squint from a patronizing curiosity of the rest of the kids, as he turns his head toward my mentor.

"The One": Choose your FUCKING words wisely... WHAT... DID... YOU... JUST... SAY...?!

My mentor walks up to him and looks up at the taller man, but puts no gap between them.

Mentor: You heard me... I hereby challenge The One for supremacy!

The One steps back away from her.  He looks around and realizes what was said was done in front of too many witnesses for him to try and pretend it didn't happen.  He keeps looking around, and grits his teeth before taking a deep breath.

"The One": ... As The One, I hereby acknowledge your challenge and shall relay it to The Prophets, and the challenge will be met by me in front of the patrons of The Compound...

The One immediately turns and pushes his way through the kids and begins to walk toward the normal exit.  As he reaches it, he turns and looks directly at my mentor.

"The One": I will send the cart to retrieve you when your demise will commence...

My mentor wastes no time in responding.

Mentor: YOUR TIME IS OVER!

The One stares her down before slamming the door behind him, and leaving.

Her words shook everyone to their core.  We had all heard the rumors of someone challenging The One, but never once did we think it would be one of our own.  But my mentor did it.  And everyone looked at her, surprised as hell, jaws on the floor, shocked that she finally did what everyone had assumed she would one day attempt.  After a few moments of just shock and awe, everyone began to quietly dispurse, returning to what they were doing before the commotion began.  I looked at her, and she just glared at the door that The One left out of, and said no words.  I knew better than to ask or say anything myself, either.  What I did know, is this was her moment.  This was the time she had been preparing for all of these years, and all I could do was hope.

After, what seemed like an eternity, the front entrance slowly opened, and an individual walked in and called for "the challenger."  My mentor was sitting, staring, and waiting for the call, wasting no time to get up and head straight for the person calling her.  She is offered one more chance to refute her desires, but she repeats her claim to challenge The One... And then she's gone.

I'm left there with no clue of what is happening, no idea of how this is all panning out.  How does it work?  What is the challenge?  How does anyone decide who is and is not the "winner?"  How does one take "supremacy" over The One?  All of these questions would race through my head, making me wonder what was next, and when I would know.  Again, time stood still.  What seemed like an eternity was more or less an hour, and a subtle commotion was heard through the walls, in the distance.  Oohs, ahs, wows, every exclamation imaginable was able to be discerned.  Then finally, a cheer... To me, this signaled hope.  This signaled the chance that maybe, just maybe, the tyranny was over, and within minutes of that ovation, I see the door to our facility swing open, and I get my answer...

As the door swings open, everyone looks.  Gingerly, in walks The One.  He is bloodied.  He is bruised, but he is still standing.  He walks right over to the remaining "leader" of the children, and bends down to look her in the eyes.  He wipes some blood off of his lips, and grins.

"The One": Your little friend... Let her be your lesson that you don't cross me...

He pulls out a cell phone and shows a picture of her, beaten and bloodied, and unnaturally laying on the ground.  The One smirks again.

"The One": She just met her ultimate demise, at MY hands...

The One stands up, and bellows through the facility.

"The One": If anyone... ANYONE gets a bright idea like her, I'll send you to the same place I just sent her.  And I promise it's a place she won't be seen again... Also if anyone gets any ideas, let it be known, I won't tolerate it.  So from now on, a lot of these privileges you have are GONE!

He looks back at the last remaining "leader" and spits his blood from his mouth on her shoes.  He turns and walks away toward the exit before instructing a team to enter and to begin removing anything that could ever be used to "take him out."  This included all of the training equipment the two girls would use, much of the sports equipment, and locking down the use of being able to use the internet to only "approved" sites, creating a very totalitarian-esque situation for the kids to be housed in, and leaving the last of the "army" that the girl envisioned creating with nobody to turn to, as she was now, once again, seen as an outcast and a risk to be seen engaging with.

It was now, I knew what I had to do.  No longer was I the mentored, but I was the lone wolf... And the lone wolf who would one day seek revenge for the falling of her mentor...


---------------------------------


{PROMO}

The One sits alone, per usual, in a dimly lit part of town.  She sits on a bench with her vape pen in her hand, leaning back and just watching people walk by across the street.  Without being prompted, she immediately begins to speak to the camera, knowing its beside her watching.

If there was any doubt in the minds of the masses, that a new chapter was being written in Supreme Championship Wrestling, let Breakdown be the moment in which everyone opened their eyes and saw the truth.  As I have said since the day I first hinted at my coming to SCW, I was coming to rewrite the future.  The past is history.  It is fact.  It is what it is and whether anyone likes any chapter written before, they can't go back and rewrite it.  Every era in this company had its day to shine bright, and its day to ultimately fall dim and expire.  Breakdown was the expiration date of ALL of the past history of SCW.

You see, nobody expected me to win.  Nobody expected this nobody with no experience to beat a living legend, a stalwart, and an up and comer in one match.  Nobody expected to see me pin Katie Steward's shoulders to the mat.  Nobody expected me to then make her SCREAM and beg for mercy.  But she did.  Katie laid there.  Helpless.  Alone.  Begging.  But she did.  An icon being taken from "Queen" to helpless peon by a nobody.

When has that really been seen before in SCW?

And don't get me wrong.  As I said, I respect Katie Steward, and everything she has shown herself to be in SCW.  She's never strayed from who she is, and unlike many who begin to feel entitled with a taste of success, her entitlement is just built into her DNA.  So the honesty she brings to that entitlement doesn't disturb me as much as others.  But like I also said... She would never turn the page on her own career.  She would never look past the good parts.  She would never allow herself to see what the ending looked like, and I turned that page the minute I had her screaming for mercy.  It was time she see her future.  And don't get me wrong... This has nothing to do with age.  This has nothing to do with her being "too old," but it has everything to do with the fact that she represents a time where she still acts as if it is still existing.  She has not allowed herself to realize it was not those first days of SCW.  Instead she lived in this mindset where it was always about her, and always "her Queendom" to rule over.  And for that, she had to realize that she, like many, were going to have to change, or accept that time has passed them by.

Now you may sit and ask, why do I say this?  Why do I say that, now, moments after I surprised the world by taking out three people who represented three different eras of SCW, do I decide the moment a new era begins?  And the truth is, you should ask that.  You should question everything.  You should wonder what is and isn't real, but you should base your findings on what you do and don't see.  That's where you should see things changing around you.  You should see attitudes, names, faces, successes, and expectations all changing around you minute by minute because this isn't the SCW of the past.  This is the SCW of the future.  And someone had to be the one who stirred the pot and brought that fact to light to everyone.  Someone had to be the bad guy who began to destroy things back to the foundation so it could be built back up...

And ideally, that was where Beard had come in...

You see, everyone is wondering why Jake Starr looked at Beard and put him directly in his crosshairs.  To a lot of people he was someone who was odd to be targeted by someone wanting to bring SCW back to glory.  But if anyone had actually taken the time to consider WHO Beard was when this all began, and WHAT he represented, they would see.  Supreme Championship Wrestling, in its history, has always been the proving ground for ANYONE to come in and try their best.  It didn't matter if you were a somebody, or a nobody, you could have a fair shake here.  SCW began with that mentality.  And many of the legends who build the initial bedrock of this organization were, in fact, nobodies in this industry, but they formed that foundation.  They were what made SCW different from everywhere else.  SCW wasn't a place of favoritism.  SCW wasn't a place where it was just a few people who succeeded.  It was the place where people made themselves into something BIGGER...

But then... In my opinion... It lost its identity...

SCW, while maintaining the IDEA of being the place where people could come, you had to start fitting into a mold, or you had to find the "formula" to succeed.  The foundation that held the organization up was being danced upon by those who had been able to make the place what it never wanted to be.  And people came along and tried to stop that.  People tried, and even for significant periods, grounded the mentality once again, but there were just those voices that seemed to be louder and make a bigger racket that forced SCW to become what it was supposed to never be.

But that was when I looked, and I saw some hope...

I saw some glimmers of a real potential change, to bring SCW back to its foundation and build it up once again...

I saw Beard...

The One takes a puff of her vape, and blows the smoke out of her nose.

You see, at a glance, Beard wasn't someone who fit the mold that was having success in SCW.  He wasn't one of those annoying voices telling others they didn't get a seat at the table.  But he was slowly making some ripples in the water, and then I see him do something that made me think that maybe... Just maybe... He could be a catalyst to something special.  He wins the SCW Television Championship, and honestly shocks a lot of people.  I won't lie, I was one of them.  He was a guy who had never been one to turn heads, and now he had etched his name into the history books as a champion in SCW.

Kudos, right?

Much to my dismay, Beard's own foundation wasn't there to support him because what I saw was someone win a championship, and when he knew he was in the crosshairs of many, he crumbled.  He was someone who embodied everything SCW was founded on, something that I saw as a necessity for the future, and someone I wanted to challenge me so I could go out there and feel like I was proving something, but he just crumbled under the pressure.  He couldn't handle being in that echelon and honestly, it disappointed me.  So my brain went from looking at him as someone with potential, to someone who needed to be shown what SCW was made for, and will be going forward.  Because he could have rebuilt what SCW was based on.  He could have been a pillar of the future.  He was a champion who was homegrown in a company that has been recycling the same old same old for years now.  But he buckled.  He couldn't stand the pressure and that's when I knew that if I was going to show the world MY VISION for SCW, I had to, first, make him realize he had to step back up to the plate and fight for what could one day be his.

So like I said... I started sending messages...

I started, basically, daring him...

And while it took him a while to understand his role in this, he finally took the bait and began trying to come down and assert himself as a protective presence.  But at Breakdown, he finally manned up.  He finally stepped up.  He finally NUTTED up.  He finally tried to assert himself TOWARD ME by shoving me to the ground and not just trying to intimidate like a little wannabe grizzly bear.  Finally he had grown up enough to stand up to me, and try and show that he wasn't going to allow these others to be put in harms way... Finally the Beard I saw out there wanting to be a somebody stepped up after three times seeing people be choked out.  Three times it took... So while I applaud him finally stepping up, he's quite the dense brute...

The One smirks before turning to look at the camera.

... And that Beardy, is where you're going to crumble, and SCREAM just like the women you came to save...

Beardy, I had high hopes for you.  I believed in you.  I saw someone who represented what SCW was founded on.  The person nobody knew rising through the ranks to become a somebody.  The person that nobody WANTED to believe in.  And then you just cratered and fell from grace.  You just went back to being, well, there.  You weren't a face in the crowd.  You weren't someone like Konrad Raab who was known but for a while was kind of just a body in the locker room, before he broke out.  You were literally just there.  And I wanted to see if I was completely wrong in what I saw in you but when you shoved me down, when you showed you could still have a fire lit under your ass, then I realized that the Beard who won the Television Champion does exist, but he just needs to be enticed.

So I goaded you, and goaded you, and I got what I wanted.  I wanted to know that I was right about you because you and I will write the first chapter in the new beginning of Supreme Championship Wrestling at Rise to Greatness.  For some, the "pre-show" is an insult, but for me, it's the first impression of whether or not this chapter, this "era" is going to be anything special.  It is the BEGINNING of what will define SCW going forward.

It's why I said that Rise to Greatness wasn't a culmination, but a launching point.

We kick off what is going to be a night that people talk about for ages.  Whether or not I consider it the "biggest match in our careers" or not is irrelevant.  I consider it the beginning of a night that shapes the landscape of a long time to come in this organization, and one that you and I have the opportunity to write the first words to.  We get to be that "Genesis" of what SCW will be headlined by, led by, and REPRESENTED BY, for the foreseeable future.  Beardy, you have a chance, win or lose, to show the world who you are, again.  You have your chance to reboot your career.  You have your opportunity to show that the Television Title wasn't some flash in the pan moment for you, but a hint of what is to come.  And you have the opportunity to do it alongside the person who believes she is the catalyst to this era of change being as prominent in this industry as ever before.  This is our chance to shine.

You want to buy into the idea of gold representing success, you step up against The One.  You step up against the woman who called you out, out of the blue, and has subsequently made your life hell ever since, eliminating you at Taking Hold of the Flame, and making so many people who you know and have relationships with scream in pain before they go into sleepy land, you show the world you're ready for another serious look.  For me, beating you isn't about rising my name up into any rankings, but instead beginning the process of patching cracks in SCW's foundation with the type of people who built it to begin with.  The people who poured their blood, sweat, and tears, out for this company to make it what it was, before being cast aside by people with bigger megaphones.  I want to rejuvenate the foundation of this company with the ashes of those who would have flourished back then, so it can remember who it is, and be the one who allows that foundation to heat up... Burst info flames, and rise like a Phoenix, to create an SCW that the entitled assholes of the past won't recognize or be able to even think they could walk back into.

Why?

Because today's world has too much of that, and it's time to begin to cut bait.  It's time to take out the trash one by one and allow those deserving the opportunity to have another chance at being special.  Beard... You were picked for a reason.  You had a certain "it" factor about you that represents something that nobody seems to care about anymore.  And those are the people I want the biggest moments with.  Those are the people I want to help define this company with, while subsequently taking the trash out.  So Beard... While I may have been too subtle to get through to you, and relied on choking your friends out, let me be extra clear, here.  I'm writing this chapter.  I'm defining this era.  People who I decide to include in the historical moments are ones I believe will help shape its future.  Nobody is going to stop me, and that includes you.  I hope to God I've lit that fire inside you more than just one shove.  I hope you bring the fire that led you to becoming a champion.  Because one day you could do that again.  Truth is, we both could be champions one day.  But for now, be happy you're part of this moment.  The first words in a new chapter, a new era, and a new beginning that will define the future for us all, will be as easy to remember as "In the beginning," but for SCW simply be...

"THE truth... THE ONE..."

As The One takes another puff on her vape, the scene slowly fades to black as she looks off into the distance.