"God's Last Heartbeat." - Clash of The Icons
Jun 30, 2021 20:31:27 GMT -5
Ryan, terras, and 1 more like this
Post by Mav. on Jun 30, 2021 20:31:27 GMT -5
Not gonna waste my life
'Cause I've been fucked up
'Cause it doesn't matter
So waste my time
And god save all of us
And the walls, they'll shatter
YUNGBLUD -- “god save me, but don’t drown me out.”
THE PROLOGUE TO: THE LAST ICON STANDING.
The Best Kept Secret wasn’t a secret any more.
It had been a long time coming that The Prince would finally begin a break out within his career since his debut in July of 2017. Almost a year and a half to the day of his debut, Jason had toppled one of the monumental giants within the XHF Network and one that’s been scouted to be an ‘XHF Legend’ in his own right around this time. Jason was constantly looking, begging, and pleading for the validation that he needed to prove that he is ready for what’s to come. This was his moment and as of right now, there wasn’t a single person that could take it away from him. There just couldn’t have been anyone that’ll take this breakout moment away from Jason. There were so many goals to accomplish right after this. The AWF Prestige Championship. The XHF Tag Team Championships. The XHF X*Crown Championship. So many goals, so many chances.
The curtain opened up for the referees to bring Jason backstage as he once again collapsed down onto the floor after passing through, within the distance of inside the arena is the sounds of Inception playing out The Iconic Prince in victory, but even then--his body felt defeat. Wasting every ounce of momentum, adrenaline, and energy to deliver the final kicks to The Mad Titan. With Hannah standing by his side and pleading for Jason to stand back up to his feet, The Prince soon acknowledged and pushed the referees off so he could finally stand back up onto his own two feet.
With the referees soon taking their couple of steps back, The Prince laid there and took deep breaths before finally bringing himself up to his feet, using Hannah for leverage as he did. His legs were shaking, like he was almost about to collapse once more but Jason was able to keep his balance and keep himself standing on his own two feet. The pain from the Powerbomb to the outside of the ring was finally taking it’s course, it felt like a rib or two were at least broken or bruised. The wincing look on Jason’s face as he finally was able to stand back up and keep his posture straight was enough for him for all of his adrenaline to finally wear off.
Jason could feel the cracks happening within his neck after the fall, rolling his head around to try and temporarily fix the problem at hand, but with so much pain rushing through his body, he doesn’t even know what hurts more.
“You did it…” a voice is heard from behind him. Jason slowly turned around and found it to be his own mother, Anastasia. A large smile on her face as she charged over to Jason and wrapped her arms around him. “...you did what you wanted to do. I’m so, so proud of you Jason. I really am.”
The tears began to fall down from Jason’s face seeing his mother for the first time in what felt like forever, having her there to watch his monumental rise to fame was the cherry on top of everything, and making the feelgood moment mean something more. Hannah stood to the side and allowed Jason and his mother to embrace for the first time in a while, watching with a tear to her eyes in the heartfelt moment, before slowly walking off to grab some medical assistance nearby.
“I did what I said I would, mam. I told you I would have done it, didn’t I?” a question proposed to his mother as he slowly brought his arms around her, within her tight grasp he can feel his ribs being crushed once again but at his rate, Jason doesn’t care for how much pain he’s in. So long as he’s in the arms of his mother, he knows he feels safe at last once again. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but… I defeated God. I defeated the one thing that’s been towering over me for months. This is what I’ve been waiting for.” But even speaking it into existence, the mood soon changed within Jason, he wasn’t seeming to be his chirpy-self again. “...but he won in dominance.”
Though he began to doubt himself, Anastasia slowly pulled herself off of her son and looked up to him, a tear in her eye whilst trying her best to keep the smile on her face. Trying her best to keep the mood at a peaceful and joyful moment. “Hush now, you did amazing out there, Jason.”
“Thinking back on it now… something tells me otherwise and I don’t know why.”
“You’re letting yourself be doubted, you just won the biggest match in your entire career, nobody even thought you could do it, Jason! You did it by yourself! You proved everyone wrong!” said his mother, placing her hands on his shoulders. “I promise you that you don’t need to doubt yourself anymore. Now come on, let’s get you some help. I’m sure Jack or Bobby will be happy to see you when they get the chance-”
Anastasia had spoken it into existence because soon walking over was the former X*Crown Champion, Jack Diamond, ready and preparing for the main event match taking place in just a few moments. A concerned look on the profound ‘leader’ of The Icons as Jason soon began to slowly fall forward, in motion to collapse again but Jack was able to catch him before he did.
“Mav, come on. Let’s get you up and running again, alright?” Jack spoke as he grabbed onto the arm of Jason and pulled him back up to a vertical stance. “You did amazing out there tonight, one win for The Icons as they say, and now myself or Bobby will make more happen, okay?” Jason looked up to Jack and simply nodded his head. “Good man. We’ll see you after the match, bud.”
“Thanks, Jack,” she spoke with a whispering tone as she brought Jason past him and allowed Jack to head to the curtain. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”
“Hey, the doctors are awaiting you, Jace. Let’s go get you some help.”
Happily, he began to walk again and headed for the medical room within the arena. Though what Jason never expected was the events that would follow right afterward. The events that went on to change his whole direction for his goals.
Nine hundred and twenty-five days.
That’s how long it’s been, it’s been amazing really when you think about it. Throughout the past two years and six months, it’s been a wild ride for both of us. For me and for you. For one of us, they’ve reclaimed their name and became the ‘god’ that so many spoke into existence, claiming the AWF Prestige Championship and ruling the land with their following behind them. They became a force to be reckoned with. They became the oncoming storm that would rip through everyone and everything in their path and in their wake. For the other, they’d have a quite better change of direction. From defeating other XHF Legends afterward to becoming the XHF Tag Team Champions and ushering in the brand new era that everyone seems to know about to this day. Winning multiple World Championships inside and outside of the XHF Network, touring and bringing the presence to every single federation there is on the network. And even… becoming the XHF X*Crown Champion. I guess you could say one became successful whilst one became forgotten. These two and a half years have changed us for the better, and worse for some, but after all of the nine hundred and twenty-five days--I knew it’ll come down to this one final clash and how appropriate for it to be at the final show of where our careers truly began to rise.
The memories, the moments, the happiness and the sadness that this place has given me, I’ll never forget it one bit. I’ll never have a more amazing rag to riches story quite like how Ascension Wrestling Federation gave me. I’ll never forget when this place gave me a home after my first, the original, seemed to have been shut down due to bankruptcy. I remember them clearly when thinking about my first couple of matches here within AWF. They told me that one day I would have been the star I am today. They said that all of it would have been worth it when the time was right and when the time was right, I made sure I went all in on it. I remember being pulled aside by Felix Ziko right after I won the State of Ohio Championship and telling me how proud he was of what I became. I remember when he did the same thing for me when I won the XHF Tag Team Championships. I remember when he told me how proud of me he was when I became the XHF X*Crown Champion, telling me how happy he was to see the rise of Maverick to become a brand new star in the making. Those are memories I’ll never forget for however long I may walk this earth for.
It’s because of those memories that I always seem to be sucked right back into this company for something after I left it back in July of 2019. I always make a return or I always find a way to get myself involved. From my return to capture the X*Crown at A Very AWF Christmas 2019, to make my return to run through everyone and make it to the very final match of Fired Up 2020, to then having the one final match between myself and Seth Dillinger -- which will forever be the most memorable rivalry within this company -- and now. This match at the final show. The fourth ever Clash of The Icons event to take place and now, one that’ll be for the memory books in the XHF Network’s history books, it’s going to be a barnburner. I am excited for this, and yet sad to see things go down as they were, but I know it’s for the better.
Let’s take things down memory lane for a second again. When I first came here to this company, to this network of federations even, there was one name that escaped everyone’s lips and was spoken out of fear. The Mad Titan, they called him. Every time I heard that name being mentioned around the years of late 2017 and early 2018, they always talked about this mountain of a man who would wreak havoc on just about anyone and everyone. He was given the moniker of a god, and ruled like one too, for good reasons of course. For me, back then, I was remembering how terrifying this man sounded and it made me seem so terrified by this man I’ve never heard about or even shared the ring with. It left me trembling, wondering when I’d have to share the ring with him, if I did have to share the ring with him at any point and eventually… I did and even though I acted tough. I was petrified. Imagine me, only a year into professional wrestling and being a mere five feet and eleven inches, having to stand up and look up at someone that’s about seven feet tall in height.
For someone like me, I thought it’ll be impossible to tackle down such a monster like himself. I thought it would have been the most difficult task to do, and this was because people had faith in me. I barely had faith in myself, I couldn’t even look at him the same afterward. He was the one person that was deep in my head that I couldn’t get out no matter what I tried. It felt like an obsession.
And then, the night I defeated God.
He’s waited for this moment.
Since the night of A Very AWF Christmas in 2018, he’s been waiting for the moment that himself and Hyperion would have to meet in the ring for one final clash in what has been a back and forth war between the two. Throughout their tenures in AWF, it’s been all about Hyperion. Where Jason had to go to other places to find success, Hyperion did it himself in the Fired Up Tournament of 2019 and became the AWF Prestige Champion. The one title that has escaped Jason’s grasps over and over again at every point he’s tried to become the champion of AWF. If there was one thing he’s always been feeling against Hyperion since their previous battle back in 2018--it was jealousy and he wanted to kick his head off for it since. Much like how he did back at the first ever A Very AWF Christmas.
He could recall every single moment of that match. The series of punches that began the match off to a flying start, the quick dashing and weaving out of the way of every strike that The Mad Titan threw his way, the Biel Toss that threw him across the ring like he was a human ragdoll and even to the moment that everyone gasped in horror. The moment that he was sent flying out of the ring with a Powerbomb. Within his memory, he could remember the entire arena going silent, worrying about the health of the then Prince. Wondering if Hyperion had gone too far with his own antics. Wondering if he truly has gone mad with power. But he knew he had to keep fighting. He had to continue fighting no matter what condition his health was in.
That’s when everything came to fruition. The rising body of Maverick coming back from the proverbial dead to defeat The Mad Titan once and for all. Again, as he remembers back to the match itself, he could feel himself heavily breathing and staring down Hyperion, facing the opposite way of where Jason was standing in the corner. And then it happened, the Iconkick that followed. Then the second Iconkick that followed. Then the third Iconkick that followed. Then the fourth Iconkick that followed. Before one final adrenaline-filled Single Leg Dropkick ‘decapitated’ the self-proclaimed God. In his mind, he could hear the count from not just the referee but from the fans as well.
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
Hearing the bell ringing to end the match felt amazing. Hearing the roar from the crowd was amazing. All of the hard work and the power to put down Hyperion for good back in 2018, it felt like the impossible was achieved. The day that The Prince knocked down The Mad Titan. The day that God couldn’t keep himself standing. The day that-
“Sweetheart, is everything alright in here?”
Jason must have phased out for what might have been a couple of minutes, if not more, but hearing Savannah’s voice seemed to have knocked him out of focus in the past. She stood there in the doorway of his office within The King’s Penthouse, a concerned look on her face as she carefully watched Jason with a photograph in his hand. A single frame taken by a ringside photographer showing Jason delivering the Star Destroyer to Hyperion at the end of the match. Jason glanced over at Savannah and then down to the picture again, slowly growing a smile on his face as he continued to stare at the photograph in question.
“Oh, don’t mind me. Just reminiscing of the past, thinking about some old memories of mine, kind of thinking about what’s coming ahead for myself. I just like to look down at this photo from time to time and think about where I’ve come from. Where I’ve begun the rise to ascend into the heavens and become The King that I am today.” One final glance down at the picture before placing it back down onto the shelf where it once rested. “Though you’ve not known many of the details apart from what I’ve told you vaguely, it’s been a long journey from then until now. These two and a half years have been worth it.”
“Seems like a time when things were peaceful with you,” she calmly spoke as she stepped further into the room. “And I know you’re thinking about that match with him, it’s not hard to notice what’s on your mind. You wouldn’t be holding that exact picture without a reasoning behind it.”
Turning his head to face her and taking a few steps forward into her direction, Jason mockingly shrugged his shoulders and threw his hands up into the air, he knew he was caught red handed. The King wrapped his arms around her waist and looked into her eyes before leaning in and landing a kiss to her forehead.
“I’m sure you’d understand how serious this fight can get,” his soft-spoken tone seemed like a whisper to her ears. “When facing someone that’s close to a whole foot taller than you, and someone you’ve defeated in the past, you kind of have to remember the things you’ve done to get there. I might not have to do the same thing again, but in a match where there’s multiple falls between us, I have to find some kind of strategy to keep him down.”
“Just a suggestion… but don’t you think he’ll simply remember that route and use it to his advantage?” Savannah looked up to Jason but all that he could do was smile when looking down at her face. “But I know you’ve got something up your sleeve. Whatever it is, I want you to be safe. If the state of you after that match years ago were something to look back on, I would rather not be by your side when you’re like that.”
“And you won’t be. I promise.”
A promise kept, but unsure for how long he could keep it for. The King knew hell was coming and he was ready for whatever it was about to throw in his direction.
This is it, Hyperion.
The final battle between David and Golliath. The last clash between God and Immortal. The King and The Mad Titan facing to see who is truly the man who holds supremacy over the other. It’s been a long time coming between us two, and I’m sure you’ve heard the run down before of how our paths have taken twists and turns but never truly clashing with one another in a way like this match is. It’s amazing how I’ve waited two whole years for this moment to face you once again, a match I’ve been begging for the final rematch since A Very AWF Christmas that year came to a close. I felt like I became obsessed with the thought that I could defeat Hyperion once more, so I stopped asking, because whilst I was doing bigger things, you seemed to have been forgotten. A name within the history books, a forgotten soldier of war, and to think you’re meant to be a god after all. I guess it’s nice to know that things haven’t changed since then, James. Still considering yourself to be the Greek God of Hyperion. I guess they truly can’t teach an old dog some brand new tricks to learn.
It’s a shame really that you’ve become this uncertain God that seems to have lost his touch, lost his spark in this world, because I remember you being the most dominating and intimidating motherfucker that there is. People wrote stories about you, people couldn’t forget the name of Hyperion, they said that you were an XHF Legend and they said that you were the immovable object along with the unstoppable force. You had that much power at your fucking helm, Hyperion. Do you know how many people have tried their best to be like you, Hyperion? Do you know how many have come and gone to bring the same presence and the same aura about themselves quite like you, Hyperion? Everyone’s been doing their best to become the next God of the network and they’ve failed. You became the peak that everyone wanted to accomplish. It’s just a massive fucking shame that the peak became the stepping stone for so many people.
Two and a half years ago, I wouldn’t have expected you to be the stepping stone for anyone. I wouldn’t have expected you to make the fall off quite like how you did. I wouldn’t have expected the man who’s possessed himself to be this God-like figure would be laying down, seeing the view of the lights at almost every turn he’s made. Is that how God's act? Is that how we’re supposed to view these supposed Gods as? Easy to put down, not worth a fucking shit, plain and boring deities that walk the earth trying to bore us to death with their stories that only half are actually paying attention to. People seem to forget in this generation, nobody gives a shit about what land you’ve came across or who you’ve encountered in your time. Not a single person, I can guarantee, gives a single fucking shit about what Hyperion wants you to believe and what he spews out of his mouth.
And it’s not like you’re a demanding person, you do this and you do that. You’re a man who comes and goes as he pleases, one minute you’re here trying to win the World Championship and the next you’re gone because you fucked it up. It’s the same routine for you, it’s always been that way, and I’ve said it fucking years ago too. “I keep coming back, but I come back to prove my worth... You come back, just to remind people who you are and skip the queue to World Championships.” I’m sure you remember that line from two and a half years ago because I do. It’s what you did in 2018. It’s what you did in 2019. You tried it in 2020. It’s 2021 and it’s the same shit from you again and again and again. Ain’t that just amazing. For you to keep that up for nine hundred and twenty-five days, if not more, is some serious commitment to the whole brain damaged mindset of yours, James. It’s a round of applause for you, Hyperion, no means for disrespect at all because I personally know how many times you want to speak from your mind. You want to speak in the story of how you, the great Hyperion, was rebuilt for this match and how you’ve grown since the previous encounter.
List all of those accomplishments off for me there, Hyperion. You became the winner of Fired Up in 2019, you became the AWF Prestige Champion and even won Call to Arms last year. Those are amazing, I love that for you, Hype. You’re a star, an absolute god, but what about me? Five reigns as a World Champion since that match. One X*Crown Championship reign. Multiple and multiple and fucking multiple championship reigns that have came along since that day in Cedar Rapids. Shit, I even hold five championships from around the world right now. Fucking five of them. Whilst you’ve been stuck hovering around Ohio waiting for the right time to stumble in their offices and ask for a shot at the championship, I was being the fucking star in the making all around the world and in various amounts of promotions. I’m doing God-like things whilst you’ve been stuck sitting on your arse doing fuck all.
And to think that two and a half years ago, a God fell so a King could rise.
But God thought he could prevail in the eventual wars, thinking he’d make a better rise than the soon-to-be King was meant to have, and lucked out when every single time he’d have a chance ahead of him, he’d choke at the very end. Admit it, Hyperion, you could have only wished to be in the same circumstances that I’m in right now. You could have only imagined being in the same spot as I am. I’m at a higher peak than you and it hurts you, doesn’t it? It makes you fucking hurt knowing that I, Jason Long, am far fucking better than you could ever fucking be. I’m sure it fucking kills you knowing that you’ll have to admit that I’ve been the better success story than you could ever have fucking been. It must fucking kill you knowing that the boy you thought was a weakling became a God himself and now can stand on Mount Olympus with everyone else. He can stand toe to toe with Gods and fucking kill them all. Doesn’t that put the fear of fucking life into you, Hyperion?
It should. It really fucking should. Because you didn’t create a King, you created a killing machine that was born into the role of an almighty God, and that should absolutely terrify you because I know how to take one down as you know first hand. How would you think it makes me feel knowing I’ll make an example out of you again? I think pretty fucking amazing honestly. Though I’m sure you’ll come along here and tell me that ‘you created me, you made me to be who I am’ blah, blah, blah. No, Hyperion. You didn’t. I created myself. I created The King. I created the man you see today. I made myself become the man that everyone around the world knows. I made you the man that people could forget. I made you become the man they couldn’t trust anymore. I made you weak. I made you lose control. You are absolutely nothing like before and it’s because of me.
When you head into this match, do you expect yourself to come out on top or do you expect yourself to kill what you couldn’t all those years ago? Do you believe in yourself being stuck in the same position I was in all those years ago, trying to slay The King, or will you be the final reason I become God and take everything from you. You’ve got to remember who’s been asking for this for the past two and a half years, Hyperion. You’ve got to remember who’s been sitting here for nine hundred and twenty-five days waiting for the call that I’d have to face Hyperion again for the final time. I’ve never forgotten about you. I could never forget about you. The only reason you’re here with me is because when I got the call from Felix Ziko to appear on this show, he said I could pick whoever I wanted as an opponent. I said I just had to pick you. I told him I didn’t care about the stipulation. I told him I didn’t care how he put it. I told him that I’ll fucking end Hyperion for good when the bell rings to end the match.
I mean it when I fucking say that too, Hyperion. If I have to end your fucking life to finally put you down, I will. You’ve been running around for far too long and you just can’t seem to find a way to quit. You just won’t stay down and that’s a problem because when people have a problem to put others down, they call me in to fix the fucking problem. Haven’t you seen when they wanted The ReVenants to be stomped out? I fucking destroyed them and then some more with ease. Do you see what I did to Seth Dillinger? I put that man through one final war and now he’s in a vegetable state. I am this company’s fucking saviour. I saved this company more times than anything and I did everything I could to keep it afloat but at the end of the day, it couldn’t even save itself. I’m not a miracle worker, I’m the fucking King and all I do is prove inside of that ring why I am wrestling royalty.
So when the bell rings, Hyperion, I want you to know who the fuck you’re stepping in the ring with. Just in case you’ve forgotten or haven’t been paying attention in the last two years. I want you to understand that you’re stepping inside of the ring with someone that was, back then, scouted as the future and now became the present. I want you to understand that The Prince you once knew back then became a King and became the best of the fucking best that there ever is in this sport. I want you to understand that you are stepping in the ring with Jason Long, the man that ‘decapitated’ you at A Very AWF Christmas last year, but I’m not aiming for a proverbial kill shot. I won’t stop until I can hear the final beat of your heart. Until you take that final breath from your mouth. Until you cannot stand on your own two fucking feet anymore and it’ll be at that moment when I can finally become God.
I was destined for the role, you couldn’t hold the mantle anymore.
And on the final day of AWF, I will reign supreme as it’s always been foretold. I will stand in the ring above you and I will make sure that you do not walk out of the ring as the victor. If I’ve got to pin you once, twice, however many times it takes, I will happily do so. Who’ll stop me? Not you, anyway, you could never take me down because I am the fucking Immortal son of a bitch that won’t fucking stay down. Nine hundred and twenty-five days I’ve waited for this moment, Hyperion, and now I can finally end what I began. I can finally put an end to the nightmare and the name of the Godslayer lives on.
All fucking hail.
