Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2011 19:15:49 GMT -6
Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose
To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude,
And in the calmest and most stillest night,
With all appliances and means to boot,
Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down!
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude,
And in the calmest and most stillest night,
With all appliances and means to boot,
Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down!
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
Tsk, Alex I thought better of you than to start your rebuttal of me with a pot shot at my morals. You and I both know you can do better than that.
Why did I wave those numbers in Leonard’s face to get my shot at you? Does it trample all over my quite bold morals? After all, I’ve criticized Leonard Fox and the rest of the parasites backstage for their politicking and unscrupulous backstabbing right?
The reason I exploited Leonard Fox’s rather blatant vices is because I know that to break the system, I have to play by the rules of the system. Odious and repugnant as he may be, Adolf Hitler rose to prominence by bending Weimar Germany to his will via the electoral system provided. Julius Caesar destroyed the Roman Republic by playing by their rules until he had no choice but to cross the Rubicon and enforce his power upon the archaic Senators who defiled the rights of men. Now I will follow in the footsteps of others and break this stranglehold from within.
Do I enjoy exploiting the system I despise? Emulating the men that I loathe with every fiber of my being?
Pauses
No. But I understand this business inside and out and I know that the only way to break this company is to play by the rules set in place by the….. “esteemed” Leonard Fox and his Board of Agreeable Sycophants and Clingers On. The defiant rebel is perhaps an amenable character, whose self-sacrifice cannot help but warm the hearts of every man, woman and child across the globe but his mission is a foolish one, for he’ll never truly accomplish his goals.
Rising against the system is an ideological fallacy, it sounds like a good idea but in the end it rarely achieves anything but creating a tinge of nostalgia and romanticism. Destroying the system from within, however, is guaranteed to boost a man’s chances of success and that is why I will exploit the “status quo” of NCW to achieve my goals.
Is it noble?
No.
Is it admirable?
Again, perhaps not.
But is it worth it to achieve change?
It is more than just “worth it”.
By playing Leonard’s games I’ve achieved more in one meeting than other men have in their entire careers. In ten minutes I guaranteed a legitimate “authorized” shot at the NCW National Title compared to the weeks and months pursuing that waste of space Todd Williams to finally rid the world of an unworthy champion and catapult my name onto everyone’s lips. Whilst I may disagree with the method a man can gain a title shot around here, in the end it will have been a worthwhile sacrifice to make for the greater good.
I respect you Alex and I respect what you have done for the NCW National Title. Venom took that belt and he built a dynasty, dragging it up from the doldrums to make it means something in this business and you took it from him. So many men came and went before you, but they left with nothing whilst you left with the gold. I was impressed at the time and I’m still impressed now, you did what so many others failed to do and you carried on the good work Venom did in building that championship from the ground up. That is why I have my eyes set on you Alex and that is why I swallowed my pride and danced to Leonard’s tune for a brief moment…
You and Venom have built something that I want. Your combined talents have created a belt that, when it is wrapped around your waist, confirms your place towards the top of the food chain. A week ago you said that to bring about change in this company you need to keep on winning and be the best and when I look at the National Title I see an opportunity to accelerate my ascension to the head of the table. By taking that belt from around your waist and draping it over my own mid-drift I’ll make another statement that cannot be ignored by the hierarchy that infects this business.
When I beat you this Sunday Alex, I will make the next step on my path to greatness and take another leap forward towards removing the cancer that decays the very soul of NCW. That belt is the key to my advancement….
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The gyms booms deeply with the sound of strike after strike, each swing of Roberto’s clenched fist rattling the chains that hoist the punching bag into the air, dangling invitingly for each volley. The sweat drips profusely down Roberto’s face, settling momentarily on his chest and shoulder before rolling down his torso to his training garb. Hannah paces to his left, ignorant of her client’s wild blows which increase in intensity with each strike, a phone in her hand and a notepad in the other. Leaning over the side of the ring a few feet away Hannah begins jotting down a few details before delivering the necessary pleasantries and ending the call.
Hannah Reed : Well, that’s the hotel arranged. You weren’t lying when you said they weren’t cheap.
Roberto merely nods his head in acknowledgment, continuing to focus himself on throwing more punches and kicks to the bag before him.
Hannah Reed : You’re also due to give a few more interviews at the Fans Access before Sunday. Do you want me to confirm you presence?
Again Roberto merely nods his head and continues his assault
Hannah Reed : A man of few words….
Roberto suddenly launches a final few blows, much harder than the rest before stopping, his breath running fast as he pants with fatigue. He turns and catches a bottle of water that Hannah tosses in his general direction and promptly takes a swig of the contents. A few moments pass before Roberto sits down in a nearby chair, grabbing a nearby towel which he uses to dry his face.
Roberto Verona : I really ought to take more time to train alone, these constant sparring sessions can only achieve so much.
Hannah Reed : Mind over matter huh?
Roberto smiles and nods.
Roberto Verona : Exactly. The fact is, Alex Jones has far more in his arsenal than a few mock matches can prepare me for. The key to victory will be the mental battle inside that ring and who is the sharpest on the night.
Hannah Reed : Well, you know how best to prepare Roberto, I wouldn’t try and tell you otherwise.
Roberto Verona : A wise choice Miss Reed. Did you manage to get us a better locker room?
Hannah grins smugly.
Hannah Reed : What do you think? I got us one of the best, it took a bit of bargaining but hey, it is what I am good at.
Roberto Verona : I knew there was a good reason to have you around. Listen, I think I am done here. What time is it?
Hannah raises her wrist, staring briefly at her watch
Hannah Reed : Just gone 5:10PM, why?
Roberto Verona : If we are quick enough I can take a look around Madison Square Garden, I need to drink in my surroundings so that I know every little detail come Sunday. I don’t want to feel like a fish out of water when I step out there.
Hannah shrugs.
Hannah Reed : Whatever floats your boat, can we at least get a bite to eat on the way?
Roberto rolls his eyes.
Roberto Verona : All those phones call made you hungry huh?
Hannah Reed : Oh no Roberto, it’s just watching you work out took so much out of me.
Hannah smiles mockingly, causing Roberto laugh.
Roberto Verona : If you insist, we’ll drop by somewhere. Just hurry up, I don’t want to get there too late, it’s a long day tomorrow.
Roberto leans down and shoves the towel back inside his gym bag before rising to his feet and throwing the strap over his shoulder as Hannah follows him shortly after, the pair swiftly exiting through a set of doors and out of sight.
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The war of the Young Guns and Flashbang is over. The only casualties it seems are Andrew Jacobsen’s career and Jimmy Zane’s sanity. Oh, and let’s not forget the eternal victim Todd Williams.
I can’t claim to have shed a tear at the demise of my union with Lex, Jimmy and Andrew. Jacobsen may have proven something to you Alex but he only managed to prove to me that he was the failure I always thought he was. When the going got tough, he’d already booked his one way flight right out of here regardless of how it affected the rest of us. There is only one reason for the death of the Young Guns and that is Andrew’s complete lack of a spine.
I fulfilled my end of the deal, I was X-Champion for two months, remaining unbeaten in the process, whilst Lex and Jimmy wrapped up the Tag Team titles. What did Jacobsen ever achieve? Two narrow defeats to you Alex? No offence but defeats are nothing to be proud of. He pissed on the legacy that Venom and Charlie Velez left behind with his ineptitude and he fiddled as the Young Guns burned.
You were right to put your money on me being the one real threat the Young Guns posed Alex, and this Sunday you will realize you were right to do so. Lex Sense is a monster, but that is all he is. He can tear anybody apart that this business has to offer but he associates himself with terminal failures; just look at his last two tag team partners. As long as he aligns himself with talent abortions like Joe Everyman and Jimmy InZane he’ll never fulfill his gigantic potential.
As for Jimmy himself? His arrogance will only get him so far and at the moment that is one step closer to me putting my kneecap through his skull. He picked up an impressive win last week and apparently gained a personality but if he seriously thinks that he can just throw around challenges left, right and center for the National Title he is more deluded than I ever imagined. If, heaven forbid, you do manage to beat me this weekend then he is the last man who deserves to take a shot at your belt.
But Zane or no Zane this weekend you’ll face your fiercest test to date for that belt you hold. You and I both know that when push comes to shove I am rarely found lying flat on my face. I’m the biggest threat to your crown and you know as well as I do that come Sunday I have more chance than anybody else in this company of tearing that belt away from you because I am one of the best this business has to offer.
That is not to say you have no positive qualities at all Jones. Todd wasn’t the master of his own mind and it made plotting his downfall child’s play, in fact once I had earned my shot at his title it was merely a matter of time before I would take it and the rest is, as they say, history.
You on the other hand, pose an entirely different challenge altogether. Inside that ring you’re one of the best there is, you can do things that your opponent least expects and you can turn defeat into victory within the blink of an eye.
You’re more than capable of pushing me to my limits and without claiming to have a crystal ball, I imagine that is exactly what you intend to do. I know that you will not simply lay down and die, I know that you will keep throwing fists until your muscles can throw no more and I know that you will not give up your belt unless I beat you to a pulp.
This is exactly why I ‘m looking forward to this weekend Alex and this is exactly why it should have been you and I facing off across that ring for the past three months all along.
You’re the best that Flashbang had to offer and I without doubt am the best that the Young Guns had to display in return. In Andrew Jacobsen you had a man who was looking to prove himself by defeating you, in me you have a man who has proven everything he needs to and is only looking to deprive you of that title rather than to build himself a reputation.
You know Alex that when I step inside that ring this weekend I only have one intention and that is to leave Madison Square Garden as the new NCW National Champion and I’ll accept nothing less than a victory.
If you beat me Alex, I will hold my hands up just as I did with Xander and not search everywhere for a convenient excuse to explain myself. I know you have it in you, but I have confidence in myself to get the job done and that is what has seen me lose so few times since I became an established force in NCW.
I know I have every single attribute I need to become the new National champion and I will accept nothing less than a victory from myself, and it is this drive that will give me the edge this weekend.
Leonard Fox may want two of his problems to erase one another, but this weekend the only names on people’s lips will be Alex Jones and Roberto Verona. All that is absolute is that when this week is over, he will rue the day he pushed that contract under my nose…
Viva La Révolution.