Selena Frost & Owen Cruze vs. Giovanni Aries & Damian Angel

[Team Desire]

Selena Frost & Owen Cruze vs. Giovanni Aries & Damian Angel
 
 
 
2 RP Limit for singles; 4 RP Limit for tag
Deadline: Noon ET Tuesday, March 26, 2019

[Corner G]

OOC I never fail to be amazed at just what I'm able to put together from my work desk. This one is no exception. Good luck, gents.



The scene opens up inside an idyllic barbershop. The sunlight beams in while the barber, a man apparently in his fifties, works on the customer sitting in the chair. Said customer’s gaze is focused straight ahead, watching the outside world go by. Mothers with their children in strollers, high-powered businessmen rushing from one appointment to another, and other such images fly in front of his face… the voice of Damian Angel can be heard.
 
Damian: “Sometimes, it is all you can do to go back to basics.”
 
The barber brings an electric shaver to the customer’s head, bringing it back across his scalp, tossing the removed strands of hair aside.
 
Damian: “Retribution was more than a war to determine the fate of Supreme Championship Wrestling. It was an event that altered careers, shaped new paths, and illuminated certain… weaknesses.”
 
Damian chuckles. More hair is razed off the head of the customer, cast aside.
 
Damian: “In one moment, I stood face to face with Kennedy Street. The words we exchanged will remain between the two of us until such a point as I deem it… necessary… to share. But I could sense her apprehension… her concern… as she watched me climb into the rings. And now, I see the judgments passed around following the result. Owen Cruze securing victory for the daughter, Sasha, to claim power in SCW… oh, the celebrations, the jubilation, muted by the fact that her father found himself flat on his back immediately following that victory, his face the same crimson mask that I wore in the match. It appears that Tactical Warfare was not the only means from which blood was to be shed. Oh no… what we dealt with throughout three-quarters of an hour was just as effective as running down a non-competitor with an automobile.”
 
The customer, who we now can reason is Damian Angel himself, brings his head to his forehead. Damian responds to his touch with a simple sound – the mixture of strain and ecstasy from the pain and memory of it.
 
Damian: “Yes… I shall carry the scars of warfare for my remaining days. But more than that, I shall carry the memories. Seeing my blood smeared upon Regan Street’s forehead after I drove my open wound into her head… the sensations of Syren’s chair striking me in the temple… Ikiro’s teeth tearing into my flesh… yes…”
 
Damian’s joy can be heard as more hair is shaved away, this time from Damian’s beard.
 
Damian: “The memories of the war shall not be soon forgotten. But what this whole situation had really done for me was so much more. Through “forced” therapy and discovery of Wonderland in Eden, I uncovered myself. Stripping away the grandeur and the presentation, I found me again. I suppose in a sense, I owe Katya D. for that. Perhaps there had always been this deep-seeded psychological need to go back to basics. To strip away Har Megiddo. To bring myself back to what made me the most feared man in Supreme Championship Wrestling. To remind them all of who I am…”
 
The barber steps away, wiping the shaving cream from his straight razor as Damian turns in the chair. His blue eyes pierce the scene as his once-trademark sneer forms on his face.
 
Damian: “The Devil Himself.”
 
The scene fades…
 
THE RENAISSANCE OF RUIN
Chapter One – Of Angels and Devils
 
The end of SCW Retribution was undoubtedly one of the biggest moments in company history. In a hard-fought war, four teams laid it all on the line to determine which vision – which person – would find themselves in control of the company as it hurtles towards it’s 16th edition of Rise to Greatness. Damian Angel found himself in the thick of the battle, teaming with Giovanni Aries and the SCW World Tag Team Champions Angelica Jones and James Evans – collectively known as Redemption – serving Team Wonderland. While his one partner, the man who was responsible for the christening of said team, this match was a part of an ongoing war between humanity and the hated Lizard Kingdom. For Damian, it was an equivalency between his Wonderland and Eden, the fabled paradise that God deemed man unworthy of. It was a move that Damian had agreed with, because human nature was always going to see paradise corrupted by the petty, selfish whims of individuals. It was something SCW had seen itself in the past – CHBK, Syren, Katya D.… they had all shown that human nature would succumb to the desire for one’s own standing, putting themselves above the collective. But it was not only the usual suspects who had succumbed to this. Damian had looked deep into the souls of his opponents – every one of them – and could see what they had truly wanted. In the end, he deemed none of them worthy of it, although Sasha D.’s consortium of Kennedy Street, Regan Street, Selena Frost, and Owen Cruze were the tandem to ultimately find success. Still, he knew that there existed opportunity even in defeat, and would look to exploit it.
 
By finding another Angel.
 
Damian had always known that Sienna Swann would never agree to meet with him individually. The mere optics of one who calls herself an “Angel” meeting with the Devil Himself necessitated distance. Still for Damian, the matter wasn’t about when he could meet with Sienna, but how he could twist things behind the scenes, seeking to enact his own plan. He had faced all the questions he could manage – why would the Beauty Factory allow themselves a debt to the Devil? For Damian, the answer was always simple: Their demonstrated vanity would permit them to seek any advantage that may present itself. That was something Damian could exploit. But who was lost in the shuffle? Who was it that might lend even the slightest of openings? Moreover, who fit that description while simultaneously lacking the knowledge of who Damian Angel is. He was handcuffed by the fact that those within the Beauty Factory were well aware of his nature. He had to look to a tangent.
 
And then he found her.
 
Enter Diana Tremblay, a former professional wrestler in her own right, had once been close with Sienna Swann. It was rumoured that the former had been the initial person to be referred to as “Heaven on Earth”. This was, of course, something that amused Damian… these people had little concept of what Heaven actually entailed, but here we were. It was rather easy for Damian to earn a modicum of trust from the former Champion. All he had to do was save her life – after, of course, he arranged for it to be jeopardized – and she would open up. They all do. As are scene opens up, Damian remains pressed down on top of an unconscious would-be attacker. But this is not Damian Angel as we know him – this is a man who appears almost… normal? Clad in blue jeans and a heavy metal t-shirt, he is a far cry from the chaotic maven of SCW.
 
Damian: “Are you okay?”
 
Diana, a woman of radiant beauty with her own pair of piercing blue eyes, nods her head, huddled against a wall. The man who has since been incapacitated had first attempted to rob her before pushing further. He was able to overcome her efforts to fight back, but he wasn’t able to overcome a striking blow to the back of the head courtesy of the Devil Himself. In reality, he was never meant to.
 
Damian: “Good… if you want to call 911, I will remain with this asshole until the police arrive.”
 
Diana: “Okay… okay, thank you!”
 
She moved away from the scene. Damian, seeing her out of earshot, leaned over to relay a message to the “attacker”.
 
Damian: “Remember… you will be greatly rewarded for this.”
 
The man struggles, but it was all for show. He had no intent of escaping or fighting back. He had given himself to a cause, the cause of the Devil Himself, and would happily fulfill his obligations. It wasn’t long before the woman returned, the police came and took this man away, leaving Damian alone with her.
 
Damian: “I am just glad you are okay, ma’am.”
 
Even in his current character, Damian simply could not use contractions, but he was confident his verbal tick would ultimately be overlooked.
 
Diana: “I don’t know what happened… he just came out of nowhere. I don’t know, but thank God you were there to help when you did.”
 
Damian grins.
 
Damian: “God has nothing to do with this, Miss…”
 
Diana: “Tremblay… Diana Tremblay. And you are…?”
 
Damian: “Damon… Damon Angelescu.”
 
With a name like “Damian Angel”, you would think he wouldn’t have been able to pull out such a name with immediacy. You would be wrong.
 
Diana: “Well, thank you Damon… I think I owe you my life.”
 
Damian grins. It felt god for him to get out of his shell again… in a manner of speaking.
 
Damian: “You owe me no such thing… maybe just a dinner.”
 
Diana grins. Damian sees this as a positive response, knowing that this woman had once been close to Sienna Swann and, if he plays his cards right, he could have the Angel in his own back pocket.
 
Diana: “Well, a girl has got to eat.”
 
Damian knew the wheels were in motion. Soon a deal would be in place and he would have an advantageous position. Were Sienna to get her deserved rematch for the World Championship, this was a connection he could definitely see himself exploiting. He smiles…
 
Damian: “Good…”
 
The scene cuts away…
 
[REC.]
DAMIAN ANGEL and GIOVANNI ARIES vs. OWEN CRUZE and SELENA FROST
 
“Retribution… did not go as I had hoped. Yes, the Devil Himself has hopes… has dreams… has aspirations… has goals. Retribution did not placate those. It only served to delay them. See, I have clarity now. I have it in my mind where I am going. I know the road I must travel to get what I desire, and have committed myself to that road. I suppose to some, the defeat of Katya D.’s team would be a cause for celebration. Dark Fantasy had exploited her, had been given a taste of power under her for a month, and now must continue with the knowledge that they do not get to control Supreme Championship Wrestling any longer. The Beauty Factory had also felt the same searing sensation of defeat, with their vision for SCW being forever relegated to the shelf, never to see the light of day. It was Sasha’s team that tasted victory… that were able to raise their arms in celebration after Owen Cruze pinned the World Champion to secure the victory. And though I doubt there was any champagne flowing following this victory on account of the patriarch’s medical condition, the feeling of victory like still lingers with those who earned it.
 
Bravo, Owen… Bravo, Selena… you have both been rewarded for your efforts with a contest against myself and Giovanni Aries on Breakdown.
 
That may not seem like a reward, because on the surface it is not. On paper, this is an opportunity for the Wonderland… for Eden… to exact a small measure of retaliation following our non-involvement in the fall that earned Sasha dominion over the company. And I am certain that you will expect to be able to ride the momentum of your victory into Breakdown and make a rather… simple… go of it. I would caution you against such foolish beliefs, because all it takes is but three seconds to grind that momentum to a halt. We are not running like some others would. We are standing in place, prepared to face armies.
 
But the reward… Selena… Owen… you have both been placed in a spotlight that you are ill-prepared for. Selena, as United States Champion… a Supreme Champion at that… I find it peculiar that you would choose a moralistic position in the fate of SCW. This company as it is has given you everything. You have been very well-fed throughout your tenure. Why you would think standing against the Wonderland knowing what you know about SCW… unless you too have been blinded by the gold. Accolades can diminish one’s own perception, Selena. Perhaps it is time you be relieved of your burdensome Championship. Perhaps it is time you look around through eyes not tinted by the allure of Championship success, so that you too might see the world around you for what it is. Perhaps you need a reminder of how things are, rather than the evergreen ways that you see today.
 
And Owen… I suppose this is an opportunity to properly be introduced. You have quite the spotlight on you at the moment… that spotlight is cumbersome, is it not? The expectations of your familial legacy are but one facet of what you can see weighing you down, tethering you to the ground beneath your feet. But now you have the distinction of being the one… the one… responsible for handing SCW to Sasha D.. Sure, your partners deserve credit as well, and credit they shall receive. But you, Owen… you struck the fatal blow. You are the one who put Syren down for the count and gave the victory to your team. And while you are jubilant now, celebrating your team’s good fortune, is that a responsibility you are prepared to shoulder from here on out? Because whatever Sasha does… whatever she becomes… remember that her power rests on your actions. And while she may seem level-headed and rational at the moment, there is one saying that is spoken through the annals of time and proven true every single time…
 
Absolute power corrupts absolutely!
 
Owen, I hope you have the mental fortitude to weather whatever storms may come to pass. I hope you are strong enough for when Sasha’s true colours come to the forefront. And they will… oh, how they will! They always do. It is human nature.
 
Breakdown is not going to be the celebration that you expect of it. It is not going to be a night where the mighty are rewarded for their service and the rest are left to wonder what is left, waiting for our share of the bounty that has been laid out, certain it shall not come. Breakdown is going to amount less to waiting and more to taking. I am ready to take my spot back. I am ready to show the hero of Tactical Warfare, and the one in whom we BELIEVE… that their position, their glory, is always hanging by the thinnest of threads. And I, the Devil Himself, am coming to cut that thread.
 
Be ready… for I shall not yield.”

[Giovanni Aries]

Spark Of The Wonderland Revolution: Perception

[Owen]

Here's my effort, continuing the story onwards

Good luck guys

Owen #34