End Of... The Line [Rocco EoD 2.1]

[Steele]

The Bernard W Brown Community Center
Frederick, Maryland
After AWF Prestige XL

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Rocco Rose stands with his hands in his jeans pockets and stares at the ground as Charles Akiyama, AWF's long-time interviewer, stands beside him, fixing his tie.

ROCCO: You gonna be much longer fuckin’ preening yourself, Charlie? I ain’t got all night.

Rocco murmurs, almost under his breath – but intentionally loud enough for Charlie to hear him.

AKIYAMA: Oh, uh, sorry.

The reporter's apology has a nervous inflection, indicative of his two years' worth of bullying at the hands of AWF wrestlers. He quickly stops what he is doing, giving his blazer a cursory brush off.

Akiyama gives a cue to the camera crew, and Rocco's whole demeanor changes as if a switch had been flicked. He looks up at the camera, a huge grin spread across his face as he chews on a piece of gum. He looks almost giddy with excitement as he rocks from side to side on the balls of his feet, hands clasped in front of him.

AKIYAMA: Rocco Rose, Prestige XL just went off the air and tonight we saw something that we never thought we’d see coming in a million years – in two weeks' time you will team up with Bobby Barratt again to take on the XHF Tag-Team champions, The Cure. You’ve been nothing but critical of Bobby Barratt over the past couple of weeks since you last teamed at Fired Up, what made you change your mind and offer the olive branch?

ROCCO: Well you know what they say, Charlie – “keep your friends close and your enemies even closer”. I won’t deny that me and Bobby B don’t exactly see eye-to-eye, but I have to hold my hands up and admit that Bobby was a huge factor in our success at Fired Up.

AKIYAMA: That’s interesting. You said before that he was the reason you eventually gave up on the tournament, and knocked him out with-

A wave of Rocco’s hand and a shake of his head cuts Akiyama off.

ROCCO: All of that came from under a cloud, Charlie. I was frustrated, I was angry. I was... Yeah, I’ll say it, I was jealous. Bobby Barratt stepped back into this company and the fans welcomed him back with open arms and a standing ovation. At the time, I was pissed – I mean, who wouldn’t be? I came here and vowed to set the AWF on fire and nobody wants to give me the recognition I rightly deserve, but then Bobby shows up – after walking out on the company he and his Icons terrorised for over a year – and he’s treated like the second coming of Christ? Yeah, I was pissed alright.

Rocco pauses and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. He knows he needs to keep a cool head and not get distracted ranting against his new Tag-Team partner.

ROCCO: I carried that resentment into Fired Up and let my hot-headedness get the better of me. But now I’ve had a couple of weeks to reflect on it, I can see that I was in the wrong. Bobby is a great talent. He’s a former X*Crown champion, a former AWF Champion – why would I not want him on my side?

AKIYAMA: Prestige 41’s match is set to be a non-title affair but do you see yourself challenging for the XHF Tag-Team titles alongside Bobby in the future?

ROCCO: Absolutely. I think we should be getting a title match now, if I’m honest. We’ve already got two victories under our belt together. If we beat The Cure – no, WHEN we beat The Cure – then nobody can deny us that opportunity.

AKIYAMA: For sure. But Rocco, there’s a huge question mark hanging over the timing of this partnership. We're right in the middle of the End Of Days tournament, and your match against The Cure is scheduled to come just days after your second-round match against Sang-Hyung Lee. Aren’t you worried that you’re maybe trying to do too much? I know there are no titles on the line, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a marquee match.

Rocco once again shakes his head and dismisses Akiyama’s concerns with a hand-wave.

ROCCO: no, no, no. See I-

It is now Akiyama who interrupts Rocco, who gives a death glare to the interviewer. Akiyama stutters, but bravely soldiers on with his question.

AKIYAMA: I, uh, now I don’t mean any disrespect but, well – one might argue that you fell short in a very similar situation tonight against Esmur. With one eye on your upcoming EOD bout, you weren’t able to deliver a result against one half of the Nihilists. Focusing on The Cure could have a detrimental effect on your match with Lee.

ROCCO: What happened tonight against Esmur was a farce. I kicked out. Everybody saw it, the referee saw it, but evidently he can’t do his fucking job and stop the count when my shoulder is off the mat. That’s literally all he’s there for. So don’t you tell me I “fell short” when everybody knows I was robbed.

Rocco turns his attention to the camera.

ROCCO: Congratulations, Esmur. You stole a win. I hope you enjoy it, because the buzz won’t last. Very soon you’re gonna come crashing down to earth and if you’re lucky you’ll make it to the final of End Of Days and I’ll be the one to give you a reality check, punk. But even if you’re not lucky enough to face me in finals night, don’t you worry – when I’m X*Crown champion, I’ll be sure to pencil you in for a title shot, or maybe when me and Bobby win the Tag titles you can bring your little buddy Jibbins along, and I’ll beat the snot out of the BOTH of you. My point is – enjoy it while it lasts, because I’ll be back before you know it to kill your buzz.

AKIYAMA: If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you over the past couple of months, Rocco, it’s that you’re always confident of victory.

ROCCO: Oh believe me, Charlie, I’ve been a winner all my life. You might not know it yet, because I’m just getting warmed up, but you will soon.

AKIYAMA: Well there’s a lot of pressure on you to win at End Of Days, as the last two winners of the competition since the Network began have come from AWF. Your next challenge, as I’ve already mentioned, sees you take on Sang-Hyun Lee from AXW. With AXW announcing recently that they are to close their doors for good, the End Of Days tournament may well be their “last hurrah”, a chance for the company to go out with a bang and – for the likes of Lee – a chance to get their foot in the door and attract a big-money contract from another company in the Network. Lee is going to be highly-motivated heading into your matchup, do you think you have what it takes to knock him out of the tournament?

Rocco snorts derisively.

ROCCO: What the fuck kind of question is that, Charlie? You think I’m not motivated? You think I’m gonna stand here and tell you that I don’t think I can beat this guy? Shit, do you even know me? Of course I’m motivated! This is AWF Vs AXW: The Final Chapter. I’m gonna put right the wrong perpetrated by Jackson Steele at Blood Money when he turned his back on AWF to join AXW. I’m gonna show the world why AWF is the superior company. Lee is the perfect fit for this match.

Akiyama raises an eyebrow.

AKIYAMA: How so?

ROCCO: AXW prides itself on savagery. They’re a throwback to the days of “extreme” wrestling. The sort of wrestling where any edgelord with a pair of baggy cargo shorts and frosted tips could get in a rickety-ass ring in somebody’s backyard and beat the shit out of each other with light tubes. Lee sells himself on the fact that he once beat Kira Izumi in a death match. That’s it. That’s his biggest accomplishment. AWF has spent the last two years letting the wrestling sell tickets. Oh sure, maybe Terry Bradshaw might bomb a children's hospital or something to create a little drama but if you want real competition, you come to the AWF. And if anybody symbolises what the AWF is all about, it’s me.

I’ve spent over half my life doing what I do. From amateur wrestling in school, to representing the state, to the US Olympic team wanting me to go to London in 2012, to travelling all up and down the West Coast winning title after title after title in the Indies, all the way up to here. The big leagues. A-W-fucking-F. So when you ask me, “do I think I have what it takes to beat Sang-Hyung Lee?” – I don’t think I do, Charlie – I know I do.

Rocco turns back to the camera. He speaks passionately, almost furiously.

ROCCO: Sang-Hyun Lee, you've never wrestled me before, hell, you’ve never even wrestled somebody like me before – not even close – but when you do, you’re never gonna want to do it again, I assure you. You might have beaten Kira Izumi once in a death match in nineteen-dickety-two, but this ain’t nineteen-dickety-two any more and this ain’t gonna be no death match. This is gonna be a technical masterclass and I, Lee, am the professor. You may think you know technical wrestling but boy, I assure you that you don’t know dick.

You’re representing a company in its death throes and I’m gonna make sure you get the full AXW experience. After our match, nobody – and I mean NOBODY – is gonna wanna touch you with a ten-foot pole. You will, for all intents and purposes, cease to exist just like the company that pays your salary.

Charlie said that this could be your last chance to bring one last piece of glory to AXW, well I say that your last chance came and went in the first round against Jake Marston. Because this is where the dream dies. AXW's last appearance on the big stage but it’s not going to end with a bang, just a whimper and defeat and then – you fade with them into obscurity.

While I go on, all the way to the finals, all the way to winning End Of Days, the X*Crown, the XHF Tag-Team titles – you’ll be sitting at home on the couch with your “Heartbreaker” T-Shirt – available online at the XHF Merch store - and a TV dinner, telling your kids “that’s the guy who broke my heart and ended my career. You should look up to him, kids, don’t make the same mistakes I did...” and sobbing into your Chef Boyardee.

End Of Days, Lee. It’s a fitting title. For Anonymous Xtreme Wrestling and for yourself, it really is the end of the line.

Rocco stares into the camera with a look of burning intent, almost as if he is challenging the machine itself to fight him. After a few intense moments, he walks out of shot. Charles Akiyama turns to face the camera.

AKIYAMA: Well folks, Rocco Rose – apparently extremely fired up to represent AWF at the End Of Days tournament, and deliver one final blow to the ailing AXW via their representative, Sang-Hyung Lee. Along with his newfound partnership with Bobby Barratt, Rocco is fighting on two fronts as he eyes both the X*Crown and the XHF Tag-Team championship – only time will tell if-

Rocco suddenly walks back into frame and holds up a hand, silencing Akiyama.

ROCCO: I heard he eats dogs for breakfast. Dogs!

As quickly as he reappeared, Rocco leaves again, shaking his head disapprovingly. Akiyama can only stand there, mouth gaping, before composing himself enough to sign off.

AKIYAMA: Well I was worried he’d go there since Lee is Korean - and I thought we’d managed to avoid it. I thought wrong. Rocco Rose versus Sang-Hyung Lee – AWF Vs AXW for possibly the last time ever at End Of Days night three, ONLY on the XHF Network!

The scene fades to black with a bewildered Akiyama shaking his head.