After the Fire (EoD PPV RP 1)
Oct 23, 2020 17:04:42 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Robbie A, and 2 more like this
Post by Adrien on Oct 23, 2020 17:04:42 GMT -5
Why dream? We're breaking out of this machine
Let’s bathe the walls in gasoline and watch the fires go
We'll burn this house; we'll raze the fence that keeps us in
The cabinets and the medicine, beds like boxcars in a row
And when the wave comes sweeping
The cold blood sleeping in your veins, your veins
After the fire
The sun comes crashing
Through a cloud so black and full of rain, of rain
After the fire
I swear one day you will forget them locking us away, away
After the fire
Tuesday, October 20th, 2020
“Oww, oww, oww, oww…”
Adam Sanders winces as he lowers himself in a metal tub full of ice and water. He grits his teeth and closes his eyes as he submerges most of his body into the tub. This is not a view most see of Sanders, as he is rarely without a shirt. But he is right now after what happened at AWF Fright Night, the fourth week of the End of Days event. His torso and shoulders are covered in red patches from the burns from the Inferno match with PEPE MORALES.
“This is the… ugly side of the business. It’s not always those glory moments where you get to pose with the championship belt while confetti flies from above. It’s not always holding your arms up high as all the fans cheer for your victory. Those are endings that have to be earned through moments like this. You know this better than anyone, right, Swann?”
The Awkward One tries to regulate his breathing for the icy temperature that his body is currently feeling. There was one non-burn injury noticeable on Sanders’s body, the shallow stab wound on his chest.
“You have to endure nights that end like this to get to the ones where you get to hold up gold, shiny belts. I was taught to take every night as a learning experience. Whether I win or lose a match, if I’m not learning something, I’m not improving. I’m still young into my career and I’m still new here in the Network.
“But, you don’t have to be here long to know the legend of King Brad Swann.”
Sanders closes his eyes as the ice water floods his entire body with exception of his head.
“So, if we were to end the year right now in the second half of October, and begin voting for Wrestler of the Year, who would you have winning the award? Rob Arnold? Anthony Caffrey? Dylan Black? Honestly, I could see you winning it, Swann. Look at the tear you’ve been on. Look at the championships. Look at the moments that you’ve had. My last opponent felt the need to ask me where I was when Mike Lio lost his head, despite it happening before my first match here.
“I look at you, Swann, and I have to ask… what’s the match mean to you?”
Adam positions his arms on the exterior of the tub. The water begins dripping from his arms to the ceramic tile floor.
“You’re the top person in your company. FWA Professional Wrestling Champion, defeating Duncan Aries to be the king of that company, pun absolutely intended. You’ve held that Destiny Heavyweight Championship after ending Thomas Galloway. You’re even a former XHF European Champion. You are one of the top names in this company. I’d even say you are the top name in the entire Network to yet to hold the X*Crown.
“It wouldn’t surprise me to see it happen sooner rather than later. You’re too gifted, too driven, and too malicious not to accomplish that feat. It’s just a matter of time and opportunity for you.
“Yet here we are, the third-place match for End of Days. The prize? A shot at a secondary championship in your home company. You would have a chance at the Canadian Championship against Ryu Matsumura. In a company where you already have the highest honor, you would be competing for the… second-highest honor. Your goal was X*Crown, as you made perfectly clear that it was X*Crown or bust. You don’t need the Canadian Championship. You’re King Brad Swann. Silver means nothing to a man who lusts after gold.
“And who is your opponent, Swann? A relative newbie sitting in an ice tub to alleviate the pain from being set on fire in an inferno match. Someone who is only making his second-ever XHF Global Event appearance. Someone who has never won a championship in the Network. I’ve only had twelve matches since I got here, making this match against you the dreaded unlucky thirteen. What does beating me do for you, Swann?
“I mean, maybe it’s a matter of improving your win-loss for Network events. Maybe it’s about the pride of winning every match that you’re in, making sure everyone around the XHF knows that YOU are the monarch. Maybe this could just be something as simple as not wanting to be embarrassed by someone you could see as this generic nobody who… as I said before, just got stabbed and set on fire last time he was on television.
“This is more of a situation where you’re playing to not lose, not to win. And that isn’t always the best position to be in. That’s when upsets happen.”
Through all the pain he is in, Adam forces a smile upon his face. The smile doesn’t last very long as the pain rushes back to him.
“I know I’m the underdog. I know that you are this huge, huge name in this arena and I’m not. I’m aware of that, and it’s not something I’m going to ignore. I know how good you are. I know how dangerous you are. I know that I can make my fiancée upset two weeks in a row by letting you do something extreme to me like you’ve done to others, all the way up to trying to behead me.
“But this is a must-win. I have gone too far into End of Days to leave empty-handed. A shot at the Canadian Championship might mean nothing to you, but a shot at the United States Championship would be a sufficient consolation prize for me. Honestly, it could outright turn things around for me. And what’s more: this is my chance to show everyone in the network that I can hang with one of the best in the entire Network. Beating the possible Wrestler of the Year… that could turn my whole AWF and XHF career around.
“Yeah, I might still be new. Yeah, my run so far hasn’t gone exactly the way I’d hope it would, but you know what? Look where I am? I’m across the ring from King. Brad. Swann. Who thought I’d be this far in this tournament? Did you? Did you expect me to ever get far enough to be in the ring with you?"
A little company pride falls over Adam as he remembers some of what Swann said when he was scheduled to face Dakota, another AWF roster member.
“You told Dakota Jennings that she and the AWF will reap what we have sown. She reaped a victory. But you didn’t just make this about her. You made it about AWF. You indirectly made it about me. I didn’t end up victorious that night either. That’s why we are opponents, but that challenge you laid out was answered in a big way. Yeah, she had to crawl out of the cage in a bloody mess. She beat you by a couple of steps on a ladder.
“But in a game of inches, you missed it by that much.”
Adam Sanders has his thumb and index finger up to signify just how close their match was.
“I don’t have room to talk. I had victory right there in my grasp until this happened…”
Sanders uses the same hand to point at his stab wound. He’s careful not to touch it as it is still fairly tender.
“It looks like we are both trying to make sure that we aren’t remembered for the way we exited this tournament. And neither of us had a fun night after the bell rang. Your ankle looked bad and you spewed a bit of blood yourself. And here we are, turning around and fighting seven days later. Hey, I have to make an appearance in a couple of hours in a tag match for another company off-network.
“I should be good to go by the time the bell rings to signify the genesis of our match. I was fortunate, considering the circumstances. The fire was put out pretty quickly so my burns were minor. The stab wound was very shallow and didn’t hit anything vital. I had to cut my hair a bit shorter for a little bit. I don’t know what your physical condition will be when the lights come on, but I can’t afford to assume you will be a wounded animal. I have to prepare as if I am facing King Brad Swann at full health.”
Adam begins to raise his body carefully out of the ice water. The redness on his upper body has subsided a bit and the rest of his body looks a bit paler than normal due to the frigid temperatures of the water. Once the Awkward One is in a standing position, his bright red swim trunks are visible, dripping from water.
“I know you have this special display for Galloway and Lio’s heads. I know you wanted Caffrey for that other spot. I’m not important enough to be on display there, but I know that won’t stop you from trying to take my head off. I expect you to try. I know that sword is going to make an appearance. I know our match has no disqualifications. But there is a positive…
“I’m coming into this match knowing this is something I have to watch out for. I have the ability to use whatever means necessary to make sure that I not only walk out of this match alive but also the winner of the bout. I have to keep my head on a swivel so you don’t get to do that. Swann, you might be the greatest opponent I’ve had so far in my young career. You are the most dangerous and one of the most feared. But you are still someone who can be beaten. You can still lose a match. Dakota proved that. You are a man. You can be hurt. You can be injured. You can be knocked out. You are not invincible.”
Adam begins to dry himself off with a towel that was waiting for him off-camera. He is a bit gentler on his upper body.
“One match. That’s all I have to do to cement my name in the history of the XHF Network. One match. Beat King Brad Swann. It will be difficult. It will be treacherous. But it can be done. And it will be done…”
“ADAM MICHAEL SANDERS!!”
The moment he heard that voice, Adam freezes on the spot, and not due to the ice water. His eyes begin to widen.
“That was my full name, wasn’t it? Ohhhh, she doesn't sound happy.”
“YOUR OPPONENT BEHEADED PEOPLE?!”
“I was… really hoping she wouldn’t find out about that. That’s my fiancée…”
Sanders grits his teeth a bit as he realizes he might be in a bit of trouble.
“She’s still not happy with me even competing in that inferno match. Oh boy… I guess I’m going to have to convince her a lot more than I’m going to have to convince you, Swann, that I can leave this match in one piece. To the rest of you, wish me luck. Murderous Wrestling Monarch versus angry fiancée? I think I’d rather the monarch…”
Locked in, the days will end as the begin
With yellow moonlight on your skin
This madhouse, it's no home
Let's go home, get the matches, cut the phone
We were dancing with the ashes falling
We were singing by the open flame
Let it burn, tomorrow is another day
We were dancing with the ashes falling
We were singing by the open flame
Let it burn, tomorrow is another day
And when the wave comes sweeping
The cold blood sleeping in your veins, your veins
After the fire
The sun comes crashing
Through a cloud so black and full of rain, of rain
After the fire
I swear one day you will forget them locking us away, away
After the fire
I swear one day you will forget them locking us away, away
After the fire
