Roar (DT RP 2)

[Dave D-Flipz]

*The scene opens in a local mall in Memphis, TN. The atrium of the mall has a few large tables and security lines dotting its perimeter. Apparently it’s a Supremacy fan experience. There are small crowds around each of the tables as wrestlers meet with the fans and sign autographs and take pictures. We zoom in on one of the tables where there sits a man in an Armani suit with a signature bowler hat on and sunglasses pushed to the rim of his nose. MCCW star and End of Days briefcase holder Death Trap sits with a huge smile on his face as he interacts with fans.*

Older Fan: Will you and Gravedigger ever have one more match for old times’ sake?

: Heh ya know, I’d love to go one more time and see if either of us finally is clearly better but I think that ship has sailed. GD has no interest in getting back in the ring. Not like there’s much more for him to do in the industry after all.

*DT signs his stuff and the man strolls off to another booth. A younger fan, maybe 8 comes up*

Young fan: Are you excited to play with Legos?????!!!!!

: *DT grimaces* Mongo has a sick sense of humor you know. Normally I am a man who loves his construction toys, I have a Lego Star Destroyer in my house in Seattle. But this won’t be playing. Have you ever accidentally stepped on a Lego barefoot?

Young Fan: Oh no that hurts! So bad!

: Now imagine having to do it over and over, or having them stuck in you or landing on them. And I usually fight in boots but this match requires bare feet. Not exactly safe. I mean I’ve had far worse stuff but I doubt it’ll be fun. Also have you seen how old Zoran is? You know what old people feet smell like? Or Mike Lio who doesn’t look like he knows what a shower is. Imagine being Caffrey and using a leg submission as a finisher. *he shudders* Yeah I’m excited to win, I’m excited to impress all you fans but man it’s not gonna be a fun time.

Young Fan: EW STINKY FEET!!!

*The fan takes a picture with DT and runs off to another booth*

: Yeah all I have to worry about is Maverick’s booze breath. Seems like every promo cycle with the original Icons trio takes place in a bar … dudes must sweat liquor.

*A teenage fan, maybe late teens, comes up next and hands DT a photo of him winning the EOD briefcase to sign*

Fan: Man Maverick has gone all power mad. How do you shut up a guy like that?

: … You don’t. Maverick will run his mouth till the end of time. I know because I do too. It’s a trait some of us more egocentric wrestlers seem to develop. I’m not stupid, I know I had a reputation in the old XHF for being longwinded and giving some very circuitous promos that were really all about talking about me. It didn’t serve me well. But it’s hard to change and boy I still have that loud mouth. Then again, my claims are always reasonable. Even in a loss I can still be the highlight reel the fans remember. Anywhere on the card I can light it up and be … the main attraction. But Mav … man give him an ounce of success and he flies right into being a king and being immortal. That takes balls the size of moons.

Fan: You gonna kick his ass?

: Hard to say, again it’s a fourway but not an elimination match. You can’t get bogged down looking at one opponent. But if the chance presents itself … I will make him tap so hard his ancestors will feel it. I’ll make him cry so loud Bobby and Jack will hear him over at Prestige. I’ve already proven his vaunted resilience is no match for my own. He will tap long before I consider giving up. I dunno maybe that’s a bad thing. Like he said, I’m putting myself in harm’s way. Lord knows all us older wrestlers like to be safe and not get hurt … wrestling …

*DT and the fan laugh as he signs an autograph then security comes up to let him know time is up. DT stands up and makes sure to snap some pictures with the fans in the line who didn’t get to the front. DT then heads off to a different area of the mall.*

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*We open back up and DT is at a podium. In front of him is an XHF official. He introduces DT and then backs off as DT steps to the media podium.*

Reporter 1: Al Randall, wrestling observer. DT, you have been back for a while now, do you think you’ve finally gotten back into the form you had in your prime?

: Reasonable question. I think I was in prime form after that second match with Nelly Angel. Look I make no claims to being the best to walk the Earth. I know I always had a good but not perfect record. So losing to Yamaguchi … … the fucking bastard … and Justice and Raiden isn’t really too new for me. At my age you just roll with it. I have had a few clunkers in there that anyone my age and with my injury history might throw in from time to time. But I was one of the top 3 stars in MCCW this entire first year with them. And my win amount speaks for itself. The dominant way I’ve made all my foes tap out, the way the crowd has come to life in support. If End of Days didn’t prove I still got it and that I’ve got my form working for me again then I don’t know what I can do to prove it. Being in this match should tell you all you need to know. This is DT, no encumbrance, no injuries, no flights of fancy in the head. I’ve been working every week in and out in MCCW and you can bet I will be rested and ready for Supremacy and I will walk out the new XHF X*Crown Champion.

Reporter 2: Randy Black, cageside seats, with MCCW on hiatus how will you fulfill your contract obligations if you win the title?

: I haven’t thought about it. It’s not like there won’t be a line waiting to knock off the old man. But I will need to talk to Aleister Mayfield if I win and see what we can do. Maybe set up a special show at the end of February and March to defend the title before April and the rumble … and if that doesn’t work maybe I go to AWF for a show to let Mav have a rematch and then who knows for March? Maybe Draven cashes in the AXW title or maybe Mongo just throws someone at me. My focus right now is on taking the title in the first place. Can’t defend what isn’t yours. You can be sure though Yamaguchi isn’t coming near this title without EARNING his way to it. Fuck Eichi. He’s down to what 2 fingers on each hand now?

Reporter 3: Dylan Allen, webisjericho.com, what are your thoughts on Zoran Sainovic putting up some conspiracy theories about the XHF Network and its treatment of SWAT?

: Heh, look the guy is passionate and I like that. He’s been in the business a long time and he has made a career of being the guy who gets his clients what they want. In this case as commissioner, his job is to make SWAT look as good as possible. Honestly with the shows they put out it shouldn’t be a hard job. The place is jumping. I think a lot of people overlook them because they don’t do as much promotion before the shows, they let their crew mouth off more DURING the show and it puts some people off their style. But they are a quality promotion and I don’t take lightly the challenge any top star from SWAT puts to me. And this guy may be the best matchup against me personally. He is a thinker, he is crafty. He is not the best in the ring but he uses his skills to do what he needs to do. With Mav and Lio I know what I’m getting and honestly my style puts me at a huge advantage over a man without a plan or a guy whose whole strategy is to get punished and out last the other guys. But I don’t think there’s any grand conspiracy. We’ve seen as they come to interact with us they get more attention and clearly they can hang with the best. I think 2020 you will see SWAT surge and Zoran won’t have to worry about those Network awards.

*The network guy gives DT the wrap it up call and he turns back to the podium for one final thought*

: Thank you all for coming. I can promise you that this Sunday I will give you the show you all never knew you wanted. And while I fully expect to win, you can bet that even if I don’t people will talk about this match for months to come. Because as I always say … DT is … the Main Attraction. See you all at Supremacy.

*DT steps down from the podium and yields to the next Supremacy superstar Aiden Merric of AWF. Aiden begins talking about skinning people alive and hunting down the beasts of the orient.*

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*We open again with DT standing in a ring in the gym where the XHF stars are training for Supremacy. He steps to the ropes and looks at the camera with a microphone in hand*

: Five days. Five days until this media circus ends and I get to step into the ring, in the main event of a global show, one more time. I know it won’t be the last time, the rumble will be here after all. But I dunno how many more of these I have in me so I am damn sure going to make this one count. And unfortunately that means I am going to have to dash the hopes and dreams of Destiny Wrestling, Mike Lio, SWAT, and Zoran Sainovic. And it means that I will be forced to knock Maverick down a peg or two. Just as quickly as he removed the title from Bobby Barratt, I will have to do the same to him. It’s just the way it works kid. You step in the ring with three seasoned veterans with more experience and title history than you could ever dream of and you act as cocky as you are and you can bet you are in for a rude awakening.

*He backs up and walks to another set of ropes and a new camera. We transition over as DT approaches with his arms crossed.*

: Mav look, you are not immortal, you are not a king. You are just some guy who happens to have a ton of natural charisma and in-ring talent but not the ability to consistently put it together. You put on a hell of a show at the gauntlet and main event of AVAC for sure. But before that your only claim to fame was always finishing just short of successful. You outlasted Hyperion … impressive … but what about at End of Days when yo had the match won and couldn’t seal the deal? What about two draws and a loss to Seth Dillinger? What about Anthony Caffrey? What about Chris Card? You are a highlight reel of fail set to a really upbeat soundtrack so people identify with and root for you but always falling so short. I don’t think you finally winning was a fluke. No this is more an indictment of Bobby when he can’t prepare. You have the ability to make this win a habit in the future. But this isn’t the future, and this isn’t the past. This is now. And now you need to really take an honest look at your situation. You don’t even need to be pinned to lose the title. You are resilient yes … but what about old man Zoran? What about Mike Lio? If I contort them in the Death Trap do you think you can stop me before they inevitably tap out? Or maybe they break you down and I pick up the pieces. We already know you have your limits and I can make you tap.

*He pauses and cracks his neck and shakes out the cobwebs. He then flexes his arms for a minute.*

: Despite the warning I think you’ll find I know exactly what situation I am putting myself in. I’ve been doing it for a while in MCCW and at EOD now. You notice I’ve not had a flareup of that neck injury in over a decade. I’ve had no flashes of the head problems I exhibited when the network returned. No I’ve gotten consistent treatment and taken good care of myself so I appreciate the concern but you’ll find I am not the type to scare easily. You’ll see that I am not so easy to put off. I dare you to try and break my arm, a martial arts specialist known for his technical skill at escaping holds and counter attacking. You think I can’t work that weak willed attack into a submission of my own? Gogoplata, Seattle Stretch, hell you get in the wrong position I can swing that arm trap onto the Death Trap. See Mav I am not going into this blind. I am a seasoned strategist and I have a plan and a backup plan for every opponent and match type. You will need to do more than just wing it with me. I could have gone for the MCCW title again when it returns, but like you said … opportunity knocked. And this is even better. And I am never one to turn down a challenge and all the rewards that come with my success. I always bet on myself and my wrestling acumen.

*He turns and walks to the opposite side of the ring and bounces off the ropes and stretches before addressing the camera over the fourth set of ropes, across from where he started*

: Speaking of winging it, Mike Lio … what exactly is your plan for this event. I think it obvious that you are the odd man out in this match. Three men known for their resilience and ability and in two of our cases our strategies … and then there’s you. You don’t have the pedigree we do. You said it yourself that you prefer to wing it in matches. It may have worked against two loose cannons like Moe and Zombie … but we are all seasoned veterans. Flailing like a Wildman is not going to serve you in this match. You cannot come against multi-time world champion Death Trap and rely on pure power and strikes with no semblance of a plan. I will take you apart. Even lions can be put down. You just have to know how to do it. And frankly you don’t seem the type to last in a battle of attrition or to come up with some great plan to overcome the odds mid-match. There’s only so much you can do relying on power as seen by your performance in DW. World Champ … and losing to the dregs of the roster. You have some high highs but also some pitiful lows. Say what you will but there is something to the names Mav and I have lost to. Bobby Barratt, Raiden Ishimori, Chris Card, Eichi Yamaguchi, Seth Dillinger, Jason Justice … these are all TOP stars in the XHF. You don’t see the likes of us losing to guys like poor bedraggled Bernhardt Denzinger.

*he returns to the original entrypoint of this promo and leans on the ropes again.*

: And then there’s Zoran. I’ll admit, playing politics was never my jam. I tried to singlehandedly take down Mongo Corp in 2004 nd 2005. Didn’t really …… work. Sure I damaged them and pissed Mongo off and made life miserable for him … and myself. But it cost me that XHF World title. I don’t do politics well. But then … this isn’t about that anymore is it? You got your way into this match. You showed us all SWAT can hang. You you’re your message. And now it’s down to the current champion, you, Lio, and myself. Not exactly the crew you’d find if politics were really being played here now would it? This match though, xtreme in nature as it us, a true XHF original styled match? … This is my playground, a living breathing death trap. I’m glad you came out to play Zoran. I am. You are a true challenge, and you are going to make this even more interesting and fun for me. But in the ring … in the ring there will be no SWAT men to be at yoru beck and call, no person to manage in your stead, no backyard to play in. This is the big time after all, the main attraction. You got yourself into the main event of one of the biggest 4 shows of the year and congratulations. But you will find that even if your previous representatives were “weaker” or “losers” … in this case it doesn’t matter. Because I am the pinnacle, I am the top of the crop, I am a living legend. And it is time to renew that legend, time to add to the legacy. It’s time for me to come out with a roar and show everything I have learned over 20 years in the ring. Time to bring it all together and overcome resilience … heart … and politics.

*He stands in the center of the ring in that classic DT pose*

: Supremacy approaches gentlemen. Time to come out and play. The Main Attraction … is showing now. Let’s see that roar.

*Fade out*