Post by Charlie Velez on Dec 30, 2010 12:52:17 GMT -6
The scene is different than what we usually see. Instead of the city of Chicago, we’re in the streets of New York. The streets are covered in snow due to the horrible blizzard that occurred Christmas weekend, with the streets to this day still stuck in that mess. There is an older gentleman in front of his house, shovel in his hand, trying to shovel out all of the snow. The camera pans back a bit, to see a limo across the street. We see in the backseat that it’s Charlie Velez, bundled up for the cold weather. He’s holding a piece of paper in his hand, checking that the address is the one that’s on the paper. He nods his head, and puts the paper back in his coat pocket, before staring at the man outside.
Just looking at the man takes him to what happened backstage at Collision…
…
December 26th, 2010. Fargo, North Dakota.
“Hey Zelda!”
It’s Luke Stevens, known to the nCw world as Destructor!. He’s running in the back, trying to get Zelda Knite’s attention before her match. She hears him, acknowledging the masked superstar.
“Hey Luke, what’s up?”
“I just want to say good luck out there, I’m pulling for you.”
Zelda just smiles, and Luke nods his head. The smile on his face slowly disappears though, as Charlie Velez walks up from behind Zelda.
“Is everything alright here?”
“Uh-yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah everythingisalright here…”
Luke Stevens is a nervous wreck. For the few people who actually saw his promo a few weeks ago, Destructor! didn’t have too many nice things to say about Charlie Velez, so he’s on edge. Zelda notices and laughs.
“It’s alright Charlie. Have you ever met Luke before?”
Luke tries to hide behind Zelda, but Charlie just shakes his head in embarrassment for the kid.
“I know who he is. Listen, you have a match out there. Make us proud.”
Zelda smiles and walks off, leaving Luke Stevens and Charlie Velez alone. Luke slowly begins to walk off, whistling his way off, but he’s stopped by Charlie Velez.
“Destruction’s kid, right?”
This actually grabs Luke’s attention, who stops walking away and actually walks up to Charlie Velez.
“Yeah, that’s me. You know my dad?”
“Do I know your dad? Of course I do. Who do you think trained me? He was…well, a mentor of mine. Had a lot of respect for him growing up. How is he anyway?”
“I…I guess you don’t know, huh? I haven’t seen him in years. Seventeen years, to be exact.”
Charlie just stops, staring at the young man, shocked by the answer. Does Charlie Velez stay current with nCw storylines? Probably not, so we shouldn’t be too shocked. He tries to change the subject quickly.
“So, how do you know Zelda?”
“Oh…uh, well we work together. Just one day we were hanging out in the back, became friends. She’s really cool. Hey listen, not to sound rude and change the subject, but since you’re like a billionaire and all do you think you can help me find him?”
“Who?”
“My father.”
Charlie just stares at Luke Stevens; he looks like a little kid on Christmas, asking his parents if he can finally open the presents.
“Listen Luke, I haven’t heard from him in years. I don’t think…”
Charlie stops, because looking at Luke Stevens reaction would make anybody feel terrible. He stands there, head lowered, looking like he’s about to cry. Charlie just puts a hand on his shoulder, and lowers his head to be face to face with Luke.
“I’ll try my best.”
…
Charlie Velez walks out of his limo, and begins to walk up to the man shoveling the snow. The man lifts his head up. He looks older, battered. It looks like life, just beat him down to the ground. He’s able to form a smile on his face though, quietly laughing to himself.
“Charlie Velez…it’s been forever.”
“Charles Lowman…”
Charles Lowman.
Also known as XHF Superstar, Destruction.
Destructor!’s father.
“I like that you’re still pulling for me Dave.
That even you, out of all people, know that this is my destiny. My road to success is one that everybody knows, and wants to follow.
I like that I’ve gotten that through your skull.
I don’t blame you not wanting to be the one that finally falls and be the one I take the crown from. Nobody wants to be the one that falls Dave. Falling hurts, falling is hard, when we fall…it’s hard to come back.
But it has to be somebody.
You don’t determine when this ends, Dave. You can beat me as many times as you want, but as long as I’m still standing, as long as I’m breathing…this will not end until I have that World Championship. You’re an honorable champion, you make a note of telling me this every time we cross paths. You want to point out how your will can never be broken, how you’re basically ‘perfect’ in every sense of the word. You’re the man who tries so hard to be good that it makes me sick, Dave. You do things because you think it’s right, because you know that there is somebody always watching, sitting there…waiting for you to fail.
You know that man is me.
I sit down on my couch and wait for you to fail Dave. I sat, and I noticed that nothing was happening, I noticed that you were perfect in every sense of the word. Instead of getting mad, I decided to do something about it. I might not have beaten you Dave, but let’s be honest, are you perfect now? You might boast a perfect record…but are you the perfect man? I took you down…I took you down to our level. The level of the rest of us, the level of man that will do anything to win. Look at who you have by your side, look at who you’re with. Would the honorable, perfect Dave Holland be associated with them before? The perfect Dave Holland would have walked away, saying he doesn’t need help.
Instead he stands there, saying he never asked for it. But stands there…as a unit with these men.
Dave Holland, I might not have beaten you in the ring.
But I brought you down to our level, I’ve made it clear that you’re not the perfect man you want everybody to be.
And I consider that a win.”
Inside the Lowman household Charlie Velez sits on the couch. It’s not a particularly nice house; stacks of newspapers are all around, an old tube television, and rather old furniture. To be blunt, it’s not something that Charlie Velez would be caught in. In comes Charles Lowman, holding two bottles of beer.
“Here, have one.”
“It’s not even noon yet…”
“So? Good thing to wake up to.”
Charlie just smiles, taking the beer from his hand. He doesn’t drink it, he just holds it. Lowman just drinks one down, before wiping the rest off his lips.
“So what brought you here man? It’s been…what, six years since I last saw you?”
“About that, yeah.”
“So how have things been man? Still making money?”
“You can say that. I actually just opened up a new branch around the block from here.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. Should be great for the jobless bums around here…hey listen, you still wrestling man? Still in the XHF?”
“XHF closed down two years ago.”
Lowman just stops, mouth open in shock.
“Really? You’re telling me that Mongo lost control of the company?”
“Well, I bought a few shares of it…but things just fell through. Never really could capture that past glory. I’m still wrestling though, in this new company, New Championship Wrestling. Actually what I came to talk to you about…”
Charlie adjusts his seating, getting a better view of his former mentor.
“These past couple of months…I’ve been given World title shots. I never got one before, and well…to be honest, I haven’t been too successful. I’ve actually fallen short at winning. I just, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong man. I just keep…”
“Failing?”
“Yeah. I keep failing. The thing is I just don’t know what’s going to happen if I lose again, if I can’t beat Dave Holland for the third time…I just might…I don’t know.”
“Listen Charlie. You have a whole world of talent, you’re special. But being champion isn’t just about holding that belt, it’s about being doing the best you can be, about being…awesome. You think I just walked in and won the whole thing?”
“See Charles, this is what I don’t understand…
How can a drunken, broken down son of a bitch be called a former World Champion and not me?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure you didn’t ask for Angel to help you out. You can request matches against me, but you didn’t ask Angel to be the special guest referee. I get it Dave, you’re only honorable and perfect when you want to be. The bad things that happen around you…well, hey, it wasn’t you. The ‘face of the year’ would never do anything like that, right? Somebody like you, who is hungry for the approval of the fans would never take the advantage. Let’s be honest Dave Holland, you’re just like the rest of us. You want to win, at all costs. Respect…heh, it’s just a word to people like us.
The only thing any of us really respect is ourselves.
The times are changing, Dave. This is not going to be a company where Angel and Falcon are the face, they’re gonna have to pass that torch to somebody else. No longer will this company be the company of people like Dave Holland or Adam Knite. There is a new wave coming. New faces that were ‘forced’ to learn respect. The Ander Carvetti’s, the Venom’s, the Johnny Holliday’s…and I’m leading that pact. The company is changing, the old guard is not going to be here for longer. The company needs for us to take control, to be the champions that we know we can be. It’s not about getting away with anything I wanted…
It’s about getting what we deserve.
Do you think I care what the fans, or the wrestlers in the back want? If it was up to the fans Bad Luck Chuck would be World Champion and The Cat Lady would be the number one contender. If it was up to the wrestlers…hell, they’d probably just pick themselves to be the World Champion. I don’t care what they want, Dave. I care about what I want, I care about what the wrestling industry wants. The fans might not care, the wrestlers in the back might not care, but the industry has been waiting for me to be champ for the longest time.
I’ve been wrestling’s hidden gem for years Dave.
Who cares what I’ve done this month. It was apparently impressive enough for you to grant me a World title shot, so that doesn’t mean much does it? But it doesn’t matter what I’ve done this one month, just look at my body of work. You know I deserve it Dave, you’ve watched me for a long time and you know that Charlie Velez is the face of wrestling.
It’s only a matter of time.”
Lowman just stares at Charlie Velez, who has taken off his sunglasses to stare Lowman in the eyes.
“You have a lot of balls to come here and insult me.”
“I just don’t get it. You’ve always been a prick to me when I was coming up, you never gave me a chance to shine. You…you held me down.”
“Bull****!”
Lowman slams the beer on the table next to him. The glass doesn’t shatter, as Lowman stands up.
“I was hard on you because you were a little asshole who thought he deserved to be number one! You came into MY business, a business I sacrificed everything for thinking that it would be easy. But what has it been Charlie, seven, eight years? And you’re still sitting around wondering why you don’t have ****. You know why you don’t have it yet Charlie?”
Lowman leans forward, getting in Charlie’s face.
“Because you’re not good enough.”
Charlie just smiles, standing up. Lowman looks ready to fight, but Charlie just shakes his head.
“Hearing that Charles…that’s all I needed to hear. I just need to make sure you feel that way because let’s be honest…you’re not the most reliable source. I mean, what do you know about being successful? Look around Charles, you were once a great wrestler, the best I ever saw…but now you’re here in this dump, collecting old newspapers and drinking all day. Charles, when I came into this industry I looked up to you like you were a hero, I thought you were Superman. But now I look at you and you know what I feel?”
Charlie leans forward, Lowman falling back into his seat.
“Pity.”
Charlie puts his sunglasses back on, and begins to walk out. Charles Lowman, the once famous wrestler, just sits there in his seat thinking of how things have gone in his life. Charlie stops at the door and turns around.
“Luke Stevens. Your son. He’s been looking for you for months. I know where he is, he wants to meet his father. If you want to see him, just come with me.”
Lowman just sits there, his hand under his chin. He’s trying to stop the tears from coming out of his eyes, Charlie standing at the door. Lowman doesn’t move, and Charlie Velez just opens the door and leaves. Lowman just sits there, the tears coming down.
Charlie just walks to his limo, leaving the scene.
“War…
When times of war, people say, and do things they might not mean. Whether there are weapons, or the main reason for war, it changes during the time. My mind has always been set Dave, I have always had one thing on my mind when I entered this war. That’s not to lose. I might have stumbled, and I might have been defeated in a few small battles, but this war isn’t over and it won’t be until I’m satisfied. Dave Holland, the winds of change are blowing in this direction, the direction of a new World Heavyweight champion.
The winds blow in my direction because they know I am the man to take the nCw into this new decade, to take it into the new year, in the new direction that it needs to go in. I am Charlie Velez, and I have promised to become the champion that the wrestling industry needs. Not the nCw fans, not the champion that the wrestlers in the back need. They industry needs me to be its champion, because I am the voice of reason, the voice of a new generation. If you don’t like it Dave, I will make you like it. If you don’t want to accept it…you will be forced to accept it.
Not because you want it to.
But because you have to.
It was just all…part of the plan.
Thank Me Later.”
It’s much later that day, Charlie Velez in his limo. He looks out his window, and he thinks, he wonders if what Charles Lowman said was true. The answer to that question might not be known until this Sunday…but there is another question he has to answer. He picks up his phone and calls somebody.
“Hey Zelda…this is Charlie. When you get this message…tell that Luke Stevens kid he can stick around with us for a bit. Maybe a ‘Young Gun in Training’ or something.”
He hangs up the phone right away, and continues to stare out the window. He doesn’t know where the limo is taking him…
He just knows where he wants to be.
Just looking at the man takes him to what happened backstage at Collision…
…
December 26th, 2010. Fargo, North Dakota.
“Hey Zelda!”
It’s Luke Stevens, known to the nCw world as Destructor!. He’s running in the back, trying to get Zelda Knite’s attention before her match. She hears him, acknowledging the masked superstar.
“Hey Luke, what’s up?”
“I just want to say good luck out there, I’m pulling for you.”
Zelda just smiles, and Luke nods his head. The smile on his face slowly disappears though, as Charlie Velez walks up from behind Zelda.
“Is everything alright here?”
“Uh-yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah everythingisalright here…”
Luke Stevens is a nervous wreck. For the few people who actually saw his promo a few weeks ago, Destructor! didn’t have too many nice things to say about Charlie Velez, so he’s on edge. Zelda notices and laughs.
“It’s alright Charlie. Have you ever met Luke before?”
Luke tries to hide behind Zelda, but Charlie just shakes his head in embarrassment for the kid.
“I know who he is. Listen, you have a match out there. Make us proud.”
Zelda smiles and walks off, leaving Luke Stevens and Charlie Velez alone. Luke slowly begins to walk off, whistling his way off, but he’s stopped by Charlie Velez.
“Destruction’s kid, right?”
This actually grabs Luke’s attention, who stops walking away and actually walks up to Charlie Velez.
“Yeah, that’s me. You know my dad?”
“Do I know your dad? Of course I do. Who do you think trained me? He was…well, a mentor of mine. Had a lot of respect for him growing up. How is he anyway?”
“I…I guess you don’t know, huh? I haven’t seen him in years. Seventeen years, to be exact.”
Charlie just stops, staring at the young man, shocked by the answer. Does Charlie Velez stay current with nCw storylines? Probably not, so we shouldn’t be too shocked. He tries to change the subject quickly.
“So, how do you know Zelda?”
“Oh…uh, well we work together. Just one day we were hanging out in the back, became friends. She’s really cool. Hey listen, not to sound rude and change the subject, but since you’re like a billionaire and all do you think you can help me find him?”
“Who?”
“My father.”
Charlie just stares at Luke Stevens; he looks like a little kid on Christmas, asking his parents if he can finally open the presents.
“Listen Luke, I haven’t heard from him in years. I don’t think…”
Charlie stops, because looking at Luke Stevens reaction would make anybody feel terrible. He stands there, head lowered, looking like he’s about to cry. Charlie just puts a hand on his shoulder, and lowers his head to be face to face with Luke.
“I’ll try my best.”
…
Charlie Velez walks out of his limo, and begins to walk up to the man shoveling the snow. The man lifts his head up. He looks older, battered. It looks like life, just beat him down to the ground. He’s able to form a smile on his face though, quietly laughing to himself.
“Charlie Velez…it’s been forever.”
“Charles Lowman…”
Charles Lowman.
Also known as XHF Superstar, Destruction.
Destructor!’s father.
“I like that you’re still pulling for me Dave.
That even you, out of all people, know that this is my destiny. My road to success is one that everybody knows, and wants to follow.
I like that I’ve gotten that through your skull.
I don’t blame you not wanting to be the one that finally falls and be the one I take the crown from. Nobody wants to be the one that falls Dave. Falling hurts, falling is hard, when we fall…it’s hard to come back.
But it has to be somebody.
You don’t determine when this ends, Dave. You can beat me as many times as you want, but as long as I’m still standing, as long as I’m breathing…this will not end until I have that World Championship. You’re an honorable champion, you make a note of telling me this every time we cross paths. You want to point out how your will can never be broken, how you’re basically ‘perfect’ in every sense of the word. You’re the man who tries so hard to be good that it makes me sick, Dave. You do things because you think it’s right, because you know that there is somebody always watching, sitting there…waiting for you to fail.
You know that man is me.
I sit down on my couch and wait for you to fail Dave. I sat, and I noticed that nothing was happening, I noticed that you were perfect in every sense of the word. Instead of getting mad, I decided to do something about it. I might not have beaten you Dave, but let’s be honest, are you perfect now? You might boast a perfect record…but are you the perfect man? I took you down…I took you down to our level. The level of the rest of us, the level of man that will do anything to win. Look at who you have by your side, look at who you’re with. Would the honorable, perfect Dave Holland be associated with them before? The perfect Dave Holland would have walked away, saying he doesn’t need help.
Instead he stands there, saying he never asked for it. But stands there…as a unit with these men.
Dave Holland, I might not have beaten you in the ring.
But I brought you down to our level, I’ve made it clear that you’re not the perfect man you want everybody to be.
And I consider that a win.”
Inside the Lowman household Charlie Velez sits on the couch. It’s not a particularly nice house; stacks of newspapers are all around, an old tube television, and rather old furniture. To be blunt, it’s not something that Charlie Velez would be caught in. In comes Charles Lowman, holding two bottles of beer.
“Here, have one.”
“It’s not even noon yet…”
“So? Good thing to wake up to.”
Charlie just smiles, taking the beer from his hand. He doesn’t drink it, he just holds it. Lowman just drinks one down, before wiping the rest off his lips.
“So what brought you here man? It’s been…what, six years since I last saw you?”
“About that, yeah.”
“So how have things been man? Still making money?”
“You can say that. I actually just opened up a new branch around the block from here.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. Should be great for the jobless bums around here…hey listen, you still wrestling man? Still in the XHF?”
“XHF closed down two years ago.”
Lowman just stops, mouth open in shock.
“Really? You’re telling me that Mongo lost control of the company?”
“Well, I bought a few shares of it…but things just fell through. Never really could capture that past glory. I’m still wrestling though, in this new company, New Championship Wrestling. Actually what I came to talk to you about…”
Charlie adjusts his seating, getting a better view of his former mentor.
“These past couple of months…I’ve been given World title shots. I never got one before, and well…to be honest, I haven’t been too successful. I’ve actually fallen short at winning. I just, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong man. I just keep…”
“Failing?”
“Yeah. I keep failing. The thing is I just don’t know what’s going to happen if I lose again, if I can’t beat Dave Holland for the third time…I just might…I don’t know.”
“Listen Charlie. You have a whole world of talent, you’re special. But being champion isn’t just about holding that belt, it’s about being doing the best you can be, about being…awesome. You think I just walked in and won the whole thing?”
“See Charles, this is what I don’t understand…
How can a drunken, broken down son of a bitch be called a former World Champion and not me?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure you didn’t ask for Angel to help you out. You can request matches against me, but you didn’t ask Angel to be the special guest referee. I get it Dave, you’re only honorable and perfect when you want to be. The bad things that happen around you…well, hey, it wasn’t you. The ‘face of the year’ would never do anything like that, right? Somebody like you, who is hungry for the approval of the fans would never take the advantage. Let’s be honest Dave Holland, you’re just like the rest of us. You want to win, at all costs. Respect…heh, it’s just a word to people like us.
The only thing any of us really respect is ourselves.
The times are changing, Dave. This is not going to be a company where Angel and Falcon are the face, they’re gonna have to pass that torch to somebody else. No longer will this company be the company of people like Dave Holland or Adam Knite. There is a new wave coming. New faces that were ‘forced’ to learn respect. The Ander Carvetti’s, the Venom’s, the Johnny Holliday’s…and I’m leading that pact. The company is changing, the old guard is not going to be here for longer. The company needs for us to take control, to be the champions that we know we can be. It’s not about getting away with anything I wanted…
It’s about getting what we deserve.
Do you think I care what the fans, or the wrestlers in the back want? If it was up to the fans Bad Luck Chuck would be World Champion and The Cat Lady would be the number one contender. If it was up to the wrestlers…hell, they’d probably just pick themselves to be the World Champion. I don’t care what they want, Dave. I care about what I want, I care about what the wrestling industry wants. The fans might not care, the wrestlers in the back might not care, but the industry has been waiting for me to be champ for the longest time.
I’ve been wrestling’s hidden gem for years Dave.
Who cares what I’ve done this month. It was apparently impressive enough for you to grant me a World title shot, so that doesn’t mean much does it? But it doesn’t matter what I’ve done this one month, just look at my body of work. You know I deserve it Dave, you’ve watched me for a long time and you know that Charlie Velez is the face of wrestling.
It’s only a matter of time.”
Lowman just stares at Charlie Velez, who has taken off his sunglasses to stare Lowman in the eyes.
“You have a lot of balls to come here and insult me.”
“I just don’t get it. You’ve always been a prick to me when I was coming up, you never gave me a chance to shine. You…you held me down.”
“Bull****!”
Lowman slams the beer on the table next to him. The glass doesn’t shatter, as Lowman stands up.
“I was hard on you because you were a little asshole who thought he deserved to be number one! You came into MY business, a business I sacrificed everything for thinking that it would be easy. But what has it been Charlie, seven, eight years? And you’re still sitting around wondering why you don’t have ****. You know why you don’t have it yet Charlie?”
Lowman leans forward, getting in Charlie’s face.
“Because you’re not good enough.”
Charlie just smiles, standing up. Lowman looks ready to fight, but Charlie just shakes his head.
“Hearing that Charles…that’s all I needed to hear. I just need to make sure you feel that way because let’s be honest…you’re not the most reliable source. I mean, what do you know about being successful? Look around Charles, you were once a great wrestler, the best I ever saw…but now you’re here in this dump, collecting old newspapers and drinking all day. Charles, when I came into this industry I looked up to you like you were a hero, I thought you were Superman. But now I look at you and you know what I feel?”
Charlie leans forward, Lowman falling back into his seat.
“Pity.”
Charlie puts his sunglasses back on, and begins to walk out. Charles Lowman, the once famous wrestler, just sits there in his seat thinking of how things have gone in his life. Charlie stops at the door and turns around.
“Luke Stevens. Your son. He’s been looking for you for months. I know where he is, he wants to meet his father. If you want to see him, just come with me.”
Lowman just sits there, his hand under his chin. He’s trying to stop the tears from coming out of his eyes, Charlie standing at the door. Lowman doesn’t move, and Charlie Velez just opens the door and leaves. Lowman just sits there, the tears coming down.
Charlie just walks to his limo, leaving the scene.
“War…
When times of war, people say, and do things they might not mean. Whether there are weapons, or the main reason for war, it changes during the time. My mind has always been set Dave, I have always had one thing on my mind when I entered this war. That’s not to lose. I might have stumbled, and I might have been defeated in a few small battles, but this war isn’t over and it won’t be until I’m satisfied. Dave Holland, the winds of change are blowing in this direction, the direction of a new World Heavyweight champion.
The winds blow in my direction because they know I am the man to take the nCw into this new decade, to take it into the new year, in the new direction that it needs to go in. I am Charlie Velez, and I have promised to become the champion that the wrestling industry needs. Not the nCw fans, not the champion that the wrestlers in the back need. They industry needs me to be its champion, because I am the voice of reason, the voice of a new generation. If you don’t like it Dave, I will make you like it. If you don’t want to accept it…you will be forced to accept it.
Not because you want it to.
But because you have to.
It was just all…part of the plan.
Thank Me Later.”
It’s much later that day, Charlie Velez in his limo. He looks out his window, and he thinks, he wonders if what Charles Lowman said was true. The answer to that question might not be known until this Sunday…but there is another question he has to answer. He picks up his phone and calls somebody.
“Hey Zelda…this is Charlie. When you get this message…tell that Luke Stevens kid he can stick around with us for a bit. Maybe a ‘Young Gun in Training’ or something.”
He hangs up the phone right away, and continues to stare out the window. He doesn’t know where the limo is taking him…
He just knows where he wants to be.