Post by Kyle Travis on Jun 8, 2012 7:17:24 GMT -5
::It is one of the ACW’s most well known emblems. It is a European style broadsword sticking through the center of a crown with a Canadian maple in the center of the circlet. This is the emblem of the man known as “the Canadian Legend” and “The Once and Future King”. This is the emblem of Kyle Travis.::
::The emblem rests on a black background. The camera zooms out, revealing that the emblem sits on the back of a pair of black and gold tights. Holding those tights is a man who has not been seen in main stream wrestling for nearly a year. He is one of only four men to become a triple crown winner within the ACW and the second man to ever become a Grand Slam Champion. He is Kyle Travis.::
::The former ACW Tag Team, US, TV, Bare Knuckle, and World Champion seems almost the same as he did nearly a year ago. His hair has been slightly trimmed, and he appears clean shaven, but that focus, that look in his eyes has not faded. He is dressed in a pair of jeans and a white short sleeved collared polo shirt.::
::At the moment, Travis seems to sorting through a suitcase on a kitchen table. The case is open, revealing a pair of black boots, a pair of pants with knee and elbow pads on top, and a few shirts.::
“Eight months.”
::Travis glances up to the ceiling.::
“For eight long months the ring has been in storage. For eight months the arenas have been empty. For eight months the crowd has been silent. But now, on June 9th, 2012, that all ends.”
::He lowers that predatory gaze back to the tights. He folds them up and places them in the suitcase.::
“On June 9th, 2012, Shockwave returns to the air. Like a phoenix from the ashes, the ACW has come back. And once more, I am here to dominate this company. Why? Because now is my time. Now is my moment.”
“When I walked into the ACW on August 9th, 2009, I made it a goal to prove why I was a legend. I set out to show the world why I am a king. No one can deny that I accomplished that goal. I won every championship I went after in the ACW. I became the only two-time US Champion in ACW history, a Triple Crown Champion and Grand Slam Champion. Most of the time I have been in the ACW has been with a championship around my waist. I have virtually done it all. I could retire right now and retire with a career most can only dream of.”
::From the top of a chair, Travis picks up a second pair of tights. This pair bares the Canadian Flag, with “Canadian Legend” written on it. There is a red maple leaf on the thigh.::
“Yet, as much as I have accomplished and have done in this business, I want more. You see, I think it is safe to say that I have already qualified for the ACW Hall of Fame. But you know what? I want to make sure.”
::He folds the tights, placing them in the suitcase. He closes the bag and looks up.::
“I want to be so certain of the Hall of Fame spot, that when I finally decide to retire, my induction will be announced immediately after I make the decision.”
“Maybe it’s ego or maybe it’s just the drive to be the best in my chosen field, or it could be a combination of both, but I want to add to my legacy. And eight months off, eight months away from the grand stage has made me very hungry.”
“Now maybe it is a little hypocritical to say things like that after having taken eight months off from competing in a major promotion. Yes, I could have gone to any company that offered me a contract. In the eight months I have been off, I could have been wrestling somewhere else and probably be a champion by now. So why did I take eight months off?”
“Well there are two reasons really.”
::Travis lifts his left hand holds up two fingers. He lowers one.::
“The first is loyalty.”
::Placing his hand back on the suitcase, Travis smirks.::
“The irony of me talking about that is not lost on me But I am not talking about the fickly loyalty of tag team partners. No, I am talking about a loyalty one has to a company. I have said it many times that when I left the LAW/TWN crap I was in a dark place career wise. I had pretty much at that point lost the love of the business at that point because that place was all politics and no heart and was just being slandered across the board. ACW ignored that and gave me a chance. So until this company closes or I retire, I plan to stay in the ACW.”
::He remains smirking as he lifts his hand back up and holds up two fingers.::
“The second reason is simply because, I could afford to take time off.”
::Opening his hand, Travis gestures to the modern, decorated kitchen he stands in with granite counter tops, top of the line appliances. He walks out of the kitchen with his arm still pointed outward and into the living room. This room has a staircase leading to a balcony, which leads to the second floor. The living room itself is well decorated with a large flat screen television and home entertainment center, a very nice living room set with sofa and chairs, a glass coffee table and pictures on the wall, that show Travis and his family. This is clearly proof that Travis has made some money in his life.::
“I’ve made a lot of money in this business, invested well, saved a bit and have a few business ventures on the side for additional income. I did a few appearances here and there and wrestled a couple of matches in places like Japan and Mexico just to keep the ring rust off and keep myself in competitive shape. Mostly though, I just relaxing, letting myself heal, spending time with friends and family and doing the many things around the house I kept holding off due to being on the road most of the time. It’s nice to take that time off and recharge one’s batteries.”
“Those batteries are recharged and once more I am ready to step back between those ropes. I am ready to dominate the ACW. As I said over two years ago when I first came to the ACW, I have one goal. That goal is to be the very best in this company. Nothing has changed. I am once again ready to achieve that goal.”
::The scene shifts to complete blackness. No light is visible inside the darkness. Somewhere within the darkness, a creaking is heard. A sliver of light slowly starts to illuminate a staircase. Suddenly, the entire room is illuminated. The camera pans around. This place has not been seen on television for nearly a year, yet it is instantly recognizable despite appearing to be somewhat reorganized. The walls are lined with various magazine covers. There are two large picture frames on the wall, one that depicts the brutal end of Kyona Eph‘Pha‘Tha‘s career, while the other depicts the ending of Hiashi Shinsuma‘s career. Trophy cases sit on the floor, against these decorated walls. Each case contains trophies and replica championship belts with photos of the night they were won, sitting on stands that also list the match, the date, the event and venue of each victory. One case is all trophies. Another contains the championships Travis won in the CEW, OWO and AWE. Another contains the titles earned in the FUW, an indy fed Travis wrestled in for a few months and the OWO. The fourth case contains the championships won by Travis in the LAW. While it can be argued that the room is just one man’s self-aggrandizing tribute to his own ego, its owner maintains that he has earned the right to have that ego due to the legacy. Footsteps can be heard as Travis descends the stairs into the room.::
“Given all I accomplished since I joined the ACW, some may say I have done that already. When you get right down to it, I have done it all. But you want to know something? I want to do it again and this time, I want to do it better. “The Once and Future King” has returned to take his throne. And once more, he will rule that ring with a cold iron fist.”
::“The Canadian Legend” stands on the last step before the floor, looking into the room with a slight hint of nostalgia from a man who misses what he believes his calling. It is clear he has not been inside this room a lot in the last few months.::
“And that road back to the top of this company begins with you, Xavier Laroux.”
::Travis keeps looking at room from the bottom of the stairs. He takes a step, placing his left foot on the floor, then the right, still looking into the room.::
“So how did you spend your eight months off? Listen to grunge and hang out at Starbucks? Did you wrestle in one of those backyard type companies that think hitting each other with fluorescent lights or some other household item, or one run by some washed-up rap group because they couldn’t handle the real business so they had to open their own company? Or did you start a band and go touring as some wrestlers seem to do. I know you didn’t overdose, which is a good thing as that seems to be the leading cause of death in our line of work. Did you spend it with Lola in some sort of cliché couple‘s vacation or did you two have a fight and break up, which I would consider sad if I even gave a damn about your love life. Truth be told Xavier, I don’t really care how you spent your vacation.”
::Travis walks towards the center of the room. There is no hint of dust, no cobwebs, and each case has been polished. While it may not have been seen on television for nearly a year, the room has obviously not been abandoned.::
“As I said Xavier, this is a new day, and I fully intend to seize it. The question is not if you intend to seize it. No, the question is are you even capable of doing seizing the day. And honestly, based on your track record, you are not.”
::One of the cases, indeed the case Travis is walking towards is one of the most filled. This is the case he has placed the replicas of championships he has won in the ACW. The bottom of the case contains the Television Championship and the Tag Team Champion. The second shelf holds the United States Champion and Tag Team Championship. Alone on the top shelf is the ACW World Heavyweight Championship. Each title belt has a picture on a small stand with information about the where and when the belts were won.::
::Travis glances to the wall. The camera pans over to the cover of a wrestling magazine, which shows Travis holding the ACW Television Championship. The headline reads “The Return of the King!”.::
“Yes Xavier, you were the best rookie of 2011, but I don’t think anyone was really talking about how sensational the rookie class of 2011 was. Most of them lasted less than a month. I think a few were around for a month. It was pretty much between youi and Amy Zing and the only reason you won was due to your reign as the Bare Knuckle Championship that lasted like six months or so. The only reason you got the title shot, was because the ACW literally had no one else to try and go after the title they seemingly pulled out of their asses almost three months before. And you really didn’t beat anyone of value to get the shot. You won against the bottom of the barrel. I think maybe like one of them stuck around for longer then a month, while the others were gone the following Thursday.”
::The camera pans back to the trophy case, focusing on the replica of the Bare Knuckle Championship. The photo next to it depicts Travis wrestling Bubba Anthony inside a steel cage on the might of May 5th 2011, over a year ago.::
“To be honest, that six month championship reign wasn’t really all that impressive Xavier. Yes, you beat me to win it, but did you beat anyone else after that? I’ll answer that for you, no. You beat no one. You did nothing with that title except hold it. You didn’t go to Jack Marrow or Sarah D’Angelo or the Board of Directors and tell them that they needed to make that title more interesting. You didn’t make it desirable. You barely managed to make yourself a guy worth beating. Yeah, you got a shot at Brian Harris and won the US Championship, but Harris gave up his chance to be a main event star when he made the choice to live in Voland‘s shadow. Yeah, he beat Voland to retain the title, but he didn‘t kick him to the curb or step up. He stayed in the shadow and then just gave up and left.”
::Travis turns from the trophy case to look at the picture frame depicting his feud with Kyona. One photo depicts the two in the ring with Kyona locked in the Pridebreaker, another shows Travis assaulting Kyona’s best friend and the godmother of her child and one leaving Kyona in a pool of her own blood in a parking lot. Another photo depicts Travis assaulting Kyona’s younger brother, with him bashing her husband’s skull with a chair as the man’s head lays against the stairs. For those who know, this feud began had its start when Kyona turned on the LAW, then returned, lost to Travis (which is shown in one of the photos) then made excuses for the lost rather than admit or even recognize that she lost. She would return from the betrayal with all of it forgiven and forgotten by the fans and wrestlers in locker room, except for one.::
“I am going to let you in on a secret Xavier. The fans want to see me wrestle. They pay to see me wrestle because I am very good at what I do. But, the truth of the situation is that as much as they want to watch me wrestle, they want to see me lose. The reality is that they do not care who beats me, they just want to see me lose. They hate me that much that they will cheer whoever I step into the ring with.”
::The photos shown in the case are a series of photos depicting the feud’s most brutal moment, the night Travis violently beating Kyona with a crowbar and setting her on fire. It was an incident that forever marked him as one of the most violent, ruthless and hated men in the business.::
::The camera pans back to Travis, who is still looking at the belts in the case.::
“You are not that person Xavier. No one came after you because they WANTED to beat you. No one came after you because you had so pissed them off or insulted them that they felt compelled to beat you. You were just a guy with a title made because the ACW felt like pulling a belt out of their ass. Your opponents just wanted to beat you to win a title to justify our taking five seconds of interest in them before we all realized that they were huge wastes of roster space.”
“You spent your reign defending that joke of a belt against losers and curtain-jerkers, guys who would never amount to a damn thing. Yeah, you took one guy out of action, where as I‘ve made a career of doing that.. Every time you stepped up to a guy like Hyena, or Devon Mayhem, someone who had reached the main event level, you failed to get the job done. Don’t believe me? You beat me to win that Bare Knuckle Championship, but failed to do it again almost fix months later, which was two months after I had won the ACW World Championship. When it is your time to shine, you barely flicker.”
“Now I suppose you can counter that with Mike Voland recruiting you for the Church of Anarchy.”
::Again, the camera pans over to a part of the wall that holds photos of Travis belonging to various stables in his career. The camera focuses on the photos showing Travis in Old School and the short-lived Plague. The Old School photo shows the group of Kyle Travis, Bill Liden and Sang Réal, all dressed to compete, walking down the ramp. Plague photo shows Kyle Travis with Ernie K., Tessa, David Caid and Declan O'Farrell behind him, with Travis wearing a dress shirt and plants while the others are dressed in their ring gear.::
“I’ll be the first to admit my own history with stables in the ACW has been a rather less than spectacular. Old School was overshadowed by the mini-feud of The Corporation and Toxic Melody, while Plague was just derailed by injuries and releases. At least, Plague however, made an impact. What did the Church of Anarchy ever do? It was three guys and their girlfriends hanging out together. You were less of a stable, and more of a show on the CW. That wasn’t anarchy.”
::It is Travis’s cold, cruel laugh that brings the camera panning back to him. There is a sadistic smile on the face of “the Once and Future King”.::
“Xavier, you are not a rebel, you are not an anarchist. What you were was the new kid hanging out with the cool kids. Voland didn’t recruit you because he “saw” something in you. No, he recruited you so it wasn’t just him and Brian Harris. He recruited you to make Church of Anarchy look more intimidating than it really was. And when you think about it, Voalnd is hardly the role model to base your career off of. The man peaked when he won the ACW Title. All Voland did after that one win was hold down Brian Harris and attempt to stay relevant, an attempt he failed at I may add.”
::He runs his hands through his hair, lifting his head up with the motion, smiling. He seems amused by the topic he is presently talking about. He sighs, then lowers his head. His face still shows amusement, but it is less an entertained amused and more the look of someone amused by the pain and suffering of another. It is as if the end of Voland’s career entertained him.::
“No one feared the Church of Anarchy. No one was sweating Mike Voland for over a year and a half. At one point, yes, he was a star, but he didn’t so much go out in a blaze of glory as he went out with a flicker and then a fizzle. It was like watching an old horse or race dog still trying when the kinder thing to do would be put it out of its misery. He wasn’t a demon, he was one of those emo Goths who think they are bad ass because the worship Satan or dress like rejects from an Anne Rice novel. He can claim he ended Snake‘s career he wants, but he was too damn scared to do it like a face-to-face.”
::Travis shrugs.::
“But hey, if you want to emulate Voland, go ahead. It’ll just make it easier to beat you at Shockwave. I personally think you peaked already. But then again, you are everyone’s “favorite drug”. Of course you less extreme than say heroin or meth or crack and I think just about as tame as someone trying to get high on Flintstones Chewable Vitamins. Your fans are not addicts. They are idiots. You are not a leader of the new generation or the locker room Xavier. You are and always will be, a follower, the guy in the shadow of greater talents. First is was Voland, and now it will be me. ”
::The amused look on the face of the former ACW World Heavyweight Champion fades into that cold, sadistic look Travis has. The predatory glint in his eye returns.::
“There is a sense of inevitably about our upcoming match Xavier. In many ways, this is the rubber match between the two of us, as far as one-on-one matches go. You took the Bare Knuckle Championship from me, and I beat you at Struggle for Supremacy. And yet, it was that first victory over me that caused you to stagnate, where as I took that loss, beat the entire ACW roster and made my way to the ACW World Heavyweight Championship. Now, my victory over you ay Shockwave will take me back to that level.”
“I want the entire world to see you in the middle of the ring, in the Pridebreaker, screaming your surrender to me. I will prove to the entire world that this is my time, my moment. You will just join the pile of bodies that I will use to line the road I walk to the top of the ACW. My throne awaits Xavier. No one is preventing me from reclaiming it.”
“Do you really think you can beat me? Do you honestly think it’ll be any different than the last time we faced each other? Do you really think you’re suddenly going to pull it together and break out to the next level? You’re not Xavier. You are not good enough to be a main event player. You don’t have the drive or the desire. You find a comfort zone and just stay there. On the other hand, my drive and my desire are all focused on being the absolute best. Unlike you, I do not work to get the praises of people and then do enough to continue to earn that praise. I get that praise, ignore it, and achieve better than they all expected.”
::Travis turns from the case, and gestures out to the room with his left hand.::
“I am six foot two, two hundred thirty pounds. When I they said I was good, maybe one of the best new talents they had seen in years. They also said that I was no big enough to be a main eventer. Six times, I proved those critics wrong. I proved to the world that you do not have to be nearly seven feet tall and weigh over three hundred pounds to be a monster. Time and time again, I proved a monster just needed the will to act, the will to do things people should not do to other human beings, and the lack of compassion to feel bad about it afterwards. All of that has made me a legend Xavier.”
“When I first came to the ACW, I said to everyone in the locker room, the corporate office and the people watching either in the arena or on TV that I was in the ACW to make an impact and win championships. I did both on more than one occasion.”
::Travis gestures to the trophy case with the ACW titles inside he has been standing in front of for the last minutes.::
“Now?”
::Once again, Travis turns his attention back to the trophy case.::
“Well as I said Xavier, it is a new day, a new dawn for the ACW. My goal is still somewhat the same. I am still hear to win championships. I am still here to make an impact. The only thing that has changed is what that impact will be.”
::There is an intensity and drive in the voice of Travis that starts to rise as he speaks. His eyes are focused, like a predator’s about to strike. He is not smiling. He is not amused. His is focused on his next match and his next opponent.::
“You see Xavier, I have every single intention of replacing Snake as the greatest the ACW has ever known. The old guard’s time is over. It is the time for a new generation to rise up and make history in the ACW. I will lead that new generation. I will carve that history in the blood, sweat and tears of the people who steps into the ring against me. Unlike you Xavier, I earned the monikers people know me by. I did not come up with them because they sounded good. No, I earned them and proved why again and again. Once more, I will show the world why I am a legend, why I am a king.”
::That cold, cruel sadistic smirk appears on his face as he looks into the camera with those cold, cruel, sadistic predatory eyes. The camera zooms in just a bit for a close up of Travis’s face.::
“Carpe Diem Xavier, but, as I said, deep down in side, we both know you can’t. And I think we both know, you never will be good enough to. For me, Xavier, the day is beginning. But for you, the sun has already set.”
::Travis laughs. It is not an amused joyous laugh. It is not a fake laugh by someone who heard a bad joke but is trying to be kind. It is not a sarcastic laugh. No. This is the sadistic and cruel laugh of a sadistic and cruel wrestler.::
::The camera pans back over to the trophy case and fades out on the sadistic and cruel laugh of Kyle Travis.::
::The emblem rests on a black background. The camera zooms out, revealing that the emblem sits on the back of a pair of black and gold tights. Holding those tights is a man who has not been seen in main stream wrestling for nearly a year. He is one of only four men to become a triple crown winner within the ACW and the second man to ever become a Grand Slam Champion. He is Kyle Travis.::
::The former ACW Tag Team, US, TV, Bare Knuckle, and World Champion seems almost the same as he did nearly a year ago. His hair has been slightly trimmed, and he appears clean shaven, but that focus, that look in his eyes has not faded. He is dressed in a pair of jeans and a white short sleeved collared polo shirt.::
::At the moment, Travis seems to sorting through a suitcase on a kitchen table. The case is open, revealing a pair of black boots, a pair of pants with knee and elbow pads on top, and a few shirts.::
“Eight months.”
::Travis glances up to the ceiling.::
“For eight long months the ring has been in storage. For eight months the arenas have been empty. For eight months the crowd has been silent. But now, on June 9th, 2012, that all ends.”
::He lowers that predatory gaze back to the tights. He folds them up and places them in the suitcase.::
“On June 9th, 2012, Shockwave returns to the air. Like a phoenix from the ashes, the ACW has come back. And once more, I am here to dominate this company. Why? Because now is my time. Now is my moment.”
“When I walked into the ACW on August 9th, 2009, I made it a goal to prove why I was a legend. I set out to show the world why I am a king. No one can deny that I accomplished that goal. I won every championship I went after in the ACW. I became the only two-time US Champion in ACW history, a Triple Crown Champion and Grand Slam Champion. Most of the time I have been in the ACW has been with a championship around my waist. I have virtually done it all. I could retire right now and retire with a career most can only dream of.”
::From the top of a chair, Travis picks up a second pair of tights. This pair bares the Canadian Flag, with “Canadian Legend” written on it. There is a red maple leaf on the thigh.::
“Yet, as much as I have accomplished and have done in this business, I want more. You see, I think it is safe to say that I have already qualified for the ACW Hall of Fame. But you know what? I want to make sure.”
::He folds the tights, placing them in the suitcase. He closes the bag and looks up.::
“I want to be so certain of the Hall of Fame spot, that when I finally decide to retire, my induction will be announced immediately after I make the decision.”
“Maybe it’s ego or maybe it’s just the drive to be the best in my chosen field, or it could be a combination of both, but I want to add to my legacy. And eight months off, eight months away from the grand stage has made me very hungry.”
“Now maybe it is a little hypocritical to say things like that after having taken eight months off from competing in a major promotion. Yes, I could have gone to any company that offered me a contract. In the eight months I have been off, I could have been wrestling somewhere else and probably be a champion by now. So why did I take eight months off?”
“Well there are two reasons really.”
::Travis lifts his left hand holds up two fingers. He lowers one.::
“The first is loyalty.”
::Placing his hand back on the suitcase, Travis smirks.::
“The irony of me talking about that is not lost on me But I am not talking about the fickly loyalty of tag team partners. No, I am talking about a loyalty one has to a company. I have said it many times that when I left the LAW/TWN crap I was in a dark place career wise. I had pretty much at that point lost the love of the business at that point because that place was all politics and no heart and was just being slandered across the board. ACW ignored that and gave me a chance. So until this company closes or I retire, I plan to stay in the ACW.”
::He remains smirking as he lifts his hand back up and holds up two fingers.::
“The second reason is simply because, I could afford to take time off.”
::Opening his hand, Travis gestures to the modern, decorated kitchen he stands in with granite counter tops, top of the line appliances. He walks out of the kitchen with his arm still pointed outward and into the living room. This room has a staircase leading to a balcony, which leads to the second floor. The living room itself is well decorated with a large flat screen television and home entertainment center, a very nice living room set with sofa and chairs, a glass coffee table and pictures on the wall, that show Travis and his family. This is clearly proof that Travis has made some money in his life.::
“I’ve made a lot of money in this business, invested well, saved a bit and have a few business ventures on the side for additional income. I did a few appearances here and there and wrestled a couple of matches in places like Japan and Mexico just to keep the ring rust off and keep myself in competitive shape. Mostly though, I just relaxing, letting myself heal, spending time with friends and family and doing the many things around the house I kept holding off due to being on the road most of the time. It’s nice to take that time off and recharge one’s batteries.”
“Those batteries are recharged and once more I am ready to step back between those ropes. I am ready to dominate the ACW. As I said over two years ago when I first came to the ACW, I have one goal. That goal is to be the very best in this company. Nothing has changed. I am once again ready to achieve that goal.”
::The scene shifts to complete blackness. No light is visible inside the darkness. Somewhere within the darkness, a creaking is heard. A sliver of light slowly starts to illuminate a staircase. Suddenly, the entire room is illuminated. The camera pans around. This place has not been seen on television for nearly a year, yet it is instantly recognizable despite appearing to be somewhat reorganized. The walls are lined with various magazine covers. There are two large picture frames on the wall, one that depicts the brutal end of Kyona Eph‘Pha‘Tha‘s career, while the other depicts the ending of Hiashi Shinsuma‘s career. Trophy cases sit on the floor, against these decorated walls. Each case contains trophies and replica championship belts with photos of the night they were won, sitting on stands that also list the match, the date, the event and venue of each victory. One case is all trophies. Another contains the championships Travis won in the CEW, OWO and AWE. Another contains the titles earned in the FUW, an indy fed Travis wrestled in for a few months and the OWO. The fourth case contains the championships won by Travis in the LAW. While it can be argued that the room is just one man’s self-aggrandizing tribute to his own ego, its owner maintains that he has earned the right to have that ego due to the legacy. Footsteps can be heard as Travis descends the stairs into the room.::
“Given all I accomplished since I joined the ACW, some may say I have done that already. When you get right down to it, I have done it all. But you want to know something? I want to do it again and this time, I want to do it better. “The Once and Future King” has returned to take his throne. And once more, he will rule that ring with a cold iron fist.”
::“The Canadian Legend” stands on the last step before the floor, looking into the room with a slight hint of nostalgia from a man who misses what he believes his calling. It is clear he has not been inside this room a lot in the last few months.::
“And that road back to the top of this company begins with you, Xavier Laroux.”
::Travis keeps looking at room from the bottom of the stairs. He takes a step, placing his left foot on the floor, then the right, still looking into the room.::
“So how did you spend your eight months off? Listen to grunge and hang out at Starbucks? Did you wrestle in one of those backyard type companies that think hitting each other with fluorescent lights or some other household item, or one run by some washed-up rap group because they couldn’t handle the real business so they had to open their own company? Or did you start a band and go touring as some wrestlers seem to do. I know you didn’t overdose, which is a good thing as that seems to be the leading cause of death in our line of work. Did you spend it with Lola in some sort of cliché couple‘s vacation or did you two have a fight and break up, which I would consider sad if I even gave a damn about your love life. Truth be told Xavier, I don’t really care how you spent your vacation.”
::Travis walks towards the center of the room. There is no hint of dust, no cobwebs, and each case has been polished. While it may not have been seen on television for nearly a year, the room has obviously not been abandoned.::
“As I said Xavier, this is a new day, and I fully intend to seize it. The question is not if you intend to seize it. No, the question is are you even capable of doing seizing the day. And honestly, based on your track record, you are not.”
::One of the cases, indeed the case Travis is walking towards is one of the most filled. This is the case he has placed the replicas of championships he has won in the ACW. The bottom of the case contains the Television Championship and the Tag Team Champion. The second shelf holds the United States Champion and Tag Team Championship. Alone on the top shelf is the ACW World Heavyweight Championship. Each title belt has a picture on a small stand with information about the where and when the belts were won.::
::Travis glances to the wall. The camera pans over to the cover of a wrestling magazine, which shows Travis holding the ACW Television Championship. The headline reads “The Return of the King!”.::
“Yes Xavier, you were the best rookie of 2011, but I don’t think anyone was really talking about how sensational the rookie class of 2011 was. Most of them lasted less than a month. I think a few were around for a month. It was pretty much between youi and Amy Zing and the only reason you won was due to your reign as the Bare Knuckle Championship that lasted like six months or so. The only reason you got the title shot, was because the ACW literally had no one else to try and go after the title they seemingly pulled out of their asses almost three months before. And you really didn’t beat anyone of value to get the shot. You won against the bottom of the barrel. I think maybe like one of them stuck around for longer then a month, while the others were gone the following Thursday.”
::The camera pans back to the trophy case, focusing on the replica of the Bare Knuckle Championship. The photo next to it depicts Travis wrestling Bubba Anthony inside a steel cage on the might of May 5th 2011, over a year ago.::
“To be honest, that six month championship reign wasn’t really all that impressive Xavier. Yes, you beat me to win it, but did you beat anyone else after that? I’ll answer that for you, no. You beat no one. You did nothing with that title except hold it. You didn’t go to Jack Marrow or Sarah D’Angelo or the Board of Directors and tell them that they needed to make that title more interesting. You didn’t make it desirable. You barely managed to make yourself a guy worth beating. Yeah, you got a shot at Brian Harris and won the US Championship, but Harris gave up his chance to be a main event star when he made the choice to live in Voland‘s shadow. Yeah, he beat Voland to retain the title, but he didn‘t kick him to the curb or step up. He stayed in the shadow and then just gave up and left.”
::Travis turns from the trophy case to look at the picture frame depicting his feud with Kyona. One photo depicts the two in the ring with Kyona locked in the Pridebreaker, another shows Travis assaulting Kyona’s best friend and the godmother of her child and one leaving Kyona in a pool of her own blood in a parking lot. Another photo depicts Travis assaulting Kyona’s younger brother, with him bashing her husband’s skull with a chair as the man’s head lays against the stairs. For those who know, this feud began had its start when Kyona turned on the LAW, then returned, lost to Travis (which is shown in one of the photos) then made excuses for the lost rather than admit or even recognize that she lost. She would return from the betrayal with all of it forgiven and forgotten by the fans and wrestlers in locker room, except for one.::
“I am going to let you in on a secret Xavier. The fans want to see me wrestle. They pay to see me wrestle because I am very good at what I do. But, the truth of the situation is that as much as they want to watch me wrestle, they want to see me lose. The reality is that they do not care who beats me, they just want to see me lose. They hate me that much that they will cheer whoever I step into the ring with.”
::The photos shown in the case are a series of photos depicting the feud’s most brutal moment, the night Travis violently beating Kyona with a crowbar and setting her on fire. It was an incident that forever marked him as one of the most violent, ruthless and hated men in the business.::
::The camera pans back to Travis, who is still looking at the belts in the case.::
“You are not that person Xavier. No one came after you because they WANTED to beat you. No one came after you because you had so pissed them off or insulted them that they felt compelled to beat you. You were just a guy with a title made because the ACW felt like pulling a belt out of their ass. Your opponents just wanted to beat you to win a title to justify our taking five seconds of interest in them before we all realized that they were huge wastes of roster space.”
“You spent your reign defending that joke of a belt against losers and curtain-jerkers, guys who would never amount to a damn thing. Yeah, you took one guy out of action, where as I‘ve made a career of doing that.. Every time you stepped up to a guy like Hyena, or Devon Mayhem, someone who had reached the main event level, you failed to get the job done. Don’t believe me? You beat me to win that Bare Knuckle Championship, but failed to do it again almost fix months later, which was two months after I had won the ACW World Championship. When it is your time to shine, you barely flicker.”
“Now I suppose you can counter that with Mike Voland recruiting you for the Church of Anarchy.”
::Again, the camera pans over to a part of the wall that holds photos of Travis belonging to various stables in his career. The camera focuses on the photos showing Travis in Old School and the short-lived Plague. The Old School photo shows the group of Kyle Travis, Bill Liden and Sang Réal, all dressed to compete, walking down the ramp. Plague photo shows Kyle Travis with Ernie K., Tessa, David Caid and Declan O'Farrell behind him, with Travis wearing a dress shirt and plants while the others are dressed in their ring gear.::
“I’ll be the first to admit my own history with stables in the ACW has been a rather less than spectacular. Old School was overshadowed by the mini-feud of The Corporation and Toxic Melody, while Plague was just derailed by injuries and releases. At least, Plague however, made an impact. What did the Church of Anarchy ever do? It was three guys and their girlfriends hanging out together. You were less of a stable, and more of a show on the CW. That wasn’t anarchy.”
::It is Travis’s cold, cruel laugh that brings the camera panning back to him. There is a sadistic smile on the face of “the Once and Future King”.::
“Xavier, you are not a rebel, you are not an anarchist. What you were was the new kid hanging out with the cool kids. Voland didn’t recruit you because he “saw” something in you. No, he recruited you so it wasn’t just him and Brian Harris. He recruited you to make Church of Anarchy look more intimidating than it really was. And when you think about it, Voalnd is hardly the role model to base your career off of. The man peaked when he won the ACW Title. All Voland did after that one win was hold down Brian Harris and attempt to stay relevant, an attempt he failed at I may add.”
::He runs his hands through his hair, lifting his head up with the motion, smiling. He seems amused by the topic he is presently talking about. He sighs, then lowers his head. His face still shows amusement, but it is less an entertained amused and more the look of someone amused by the pain and suffering of another. It is as if the end of Voland’s career entertained him.::
“No one feared the Church of Anarchy. No one was sweating Mike Voland for over a year and a half. At one point, yes, he was a star, but he didn’t so much go out in a blaze of glory as he went out with a flicker and then a fizzle. It was like watching an old horse or race dog still trying when the kinder thing to do would be put it out of its misery. He wasn’t a demon, he was one of those emo Goths who think they are bad ass because the worship Satan or dress like rejects from an Anne Rice novel. He can claim he ended Snake‘s career he wants, but he was too damn scared to do it like a face-to-face.”
::Travis shrugs.::
“But hey, if you want to emulate Voland, go ahead. It’ll just make it easier to beat you at Shockwave. I personally think you peaked already. But then again, you are everyone’s “favorite drug”. Of course you less extreme than say heroin or meth or crack and I think just about as tame as someone trying to get high on Flintstones Chewable Vitamins. Your fans are not addicts. They are idiots. You are not a leader of the new generation or the locker room Xavier. You are and always will be, a follower, the guy in the shadow of greater talents. First is was Voland, and now it will be me. ”
::The amused look on the face of the former ACW World Heavyweight Champion fades into that cold, sadistic look Travis has. The predatory glint in his eye returns.::
“There is a sense of inevitably about our upcoming match Xavier. In many ways, this is the rubber match between the two of us, as far as one-on-one matches go. You took the Bare Knuckle Championship from me, and I beat you at Struggle for Supremacy. And yet, it was that first victory over me that caused you to stagnate, where as I took that loss, beat the entire ACW roster and made my way to the ACW World Heavyweight Championship. Now, my victory over you ay Shockwave will take me back to that level.”
“I want the entire world to see you in the middle of the ring, in the Pridebreaker, screaming your surrender to me. I will prove to the entire world that this is my time, my moment. You will just join the pile of bodies that I will use to line the road I walk to the top of the ACW. My throne awaits Xavier. No one is preventing me from reclaiming it.”
“Do you really think you can beat me? Do you honestly think it’ll be any different than the last time we faced each other? Do you really think you’re suddenly going to pull it together and break out to the next level? You’re not Xavier. You are not good enough to be a main event player. You don’t have the drive or the desire. You find a comfort zone and just stay there. On the other hand, my drive and my desire are all focused on being the absolute best. Unlike you, I do not work to get the praises of people and then do enough to continue to earn that praise. I get that praise, ignore it, and achieve better than they all expected.”
::Travis turns from the case, and gestures out to the room with his left hand.::
“I am six foot two, two hundred thirty pounds. When I they said I was good, maybe one of the best new talents they had seen in years. They also said that I was no big enough to be a main eventer. Six times, I proved those critics wrong. I proved to the world that you do not have to be nearly seven feet tall and weigh over three hundred pounds to be a monster. Time and time again, I proved a monster just needed the will to act, the will to do things people should not do to other human beings, and the lack of compassion to feel bad about it afterwards. All of that has made me a legend Xavier.”
“When I first came to the ACW, I said to everyone in the locker room, the corporate office and the people watching either in the arena or on TV that I was in the ACW to make an impact and win championships. I did both on more than one occasion.”
::Travis gestures to the trophy case with the ACW titles inside he has been standing in front of for the last minutes.::
“Now?”
::Once again, Travis turns his attention back to the trophy case.::
“Well as I said Xavier, it is a new day, a new dawn for the ACW. My goal is still somewhat the same. I am still hear to win championships. I am still here to make an impact. The only thing that has changed is what that impact will be.”
::There is an intensity and drive in the voice of Travis that starts to rise as he speaks. His eyes are focused, like a predator’s about to strike. He is not smiling. He is not amused. His is focused on his next match and his next opponent.::
“You see Xavier, I have every single intention of replacing Snake as the greatest the ACW has ever known. The old guard’s time is over. It is the time for a new generation to rise up and make history in the ACW. I will lead that new generation. I will carve that history in the blood, sweat and tears of the people who steps into the ring against me. Unlike you Xavier, I earned the monikers people know me by. I did not come up with them because they sounded good. No, I earned them and proved why again and again. Once more, I will show the world why I am a legend, why I am a king.”
::That cold, cruel sadistic smirk appears on his face as he looks into the camera with those cold, cruel, sadistic predatory eyes. The camera zooms in just a bit for a close up of Travis’s face.::
“Carpe Diem Xavier, but, as I said, deep down in side, we both know you can’t. And I think we both know, you never will be good enough to. For me, Xavier, the day is beginning. But for you, the sun has already set.”
::Travis laughs. It is not an amused joyous laugh. It is not a fake laugh by someone who heard a bad joke but is trying to be kind. It is not a sarcastic laugh. No. This is the sadistic and cruel laugh of a sadistic and cruel wrestler.::
::The camera pans back over to the trophy case and fades out on the sadistic and cruel laugh of Kyle Travis.::
