The Twisted (EOD W2 RP)
Oct 8, 2021 4:17:35 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Dave D-Flipz, and 1 more like this
Post by Thespian on Oct 8, 2021 4:17:35 GMT -5
CURE Insurance Arena, October 3rd, 2021.
The opening contest has just ended. The crowd is giving a standing ovation as one wrestler barely pushes themselves upright. The other wrestler stays limp on the floor, still unconscious from the finishing sequence. The winner stands tall, barely, with one arm raised by the referee officiating the match… and the other reaching up to hold over his cheek.
[“Fuck. The kid really has a natural talent their age.”]
[“I genuinely cannot feel my cheek from that slap still. Or my head for that matter.”]
[“Wonder if they’re doing alright.”]
The crowd continues to cheer for the two wrestlers in the middle of the ring. Theo’s arm drops as the referee leaves the ring for the next match. The masked wrestler takes a knee next to the silent kid as Sam slowly gathers their bearings. As they do, the first thing they come conscious to is the masked wrestler looming ominously over them. Sam stares up at him, briefly confused, before that trademark stare takes over once more. The stare is cold, perhaps even colder now. Through those eyes, the Thespian could see it all. Frustration. Distrust. And yet, despite that, he would offer a hand up to the young wrestler out of respect and courtesy.
[“You fought your ass off and impressed so many people here tonight. Let me help you up at least; give you the credit you deserve.”]
With the Thespian’s eyes covered by the skinsuit, it is hard for him to convey his own emotions through eye-contact. Instead, he does his best to relax his posture and body language. However, Sam’s eyes never break from where Theo’s would be; they continue to stare directly into the man’s soul for a long period of time. Sam pushes himself off of the mat as Theo gives him the room to, but eye-contact never wavers still.
Theo instead offers a handshake out of respect. Sam’s gaze continues to hold still.
The arena soon grows silent as every person in attendance begins to feel the intensity of the stare-down.
Eventually, a wrestler relents.
Theo paces himself towards the staging arena with his eyes still locked onto Sam’s. The masked wrestler, perhaps a bit paranoid in his own right after giving his opponent time to recover, did not want his back to face Sam what-so-ever. Theo slips from the ring and takes his steps backwards towards backstage. Sam stays in the ring, ever-glaring until the Thespian is out of sight.
Theo may have won the match on paper, but it seems that Sam still leaves tonight as an indomitable-seeming individual.
---
Theo and his Interpreter, Idrissa, sit across from one another inside of a nearby Wendy’s. Since the two keep their masked costumes on at all times within the wrestling world, they could easily be themselves outside of it for the most part. The two share relatively similar characteristics: light skin with maybe a couple tinted shades mixed in, as well as long dark hair and eyes.
Where they differ majorly is that Idrissa prefers to keep some facial hair about him, and Theo keeps a clean shave. The other thing to note is that, while Idrissa wears normal casual clothing, Theo prefers to wear a long-sleeved turtle-neck shirt to cover up the scars that line his arms and, more importantly, his throat. Just as well, the Thespian has bandages wrapped around his hands, of which are still recovering after a recent stunt promo.
Theo digs into his own cheap meal for the evening as Idrissa scrolls through his phone for more information about the End of Days tournament; namely, he is doing preliminary research on the Thespian’s next opponent.
“They have you in the first singles match again.”
Theo pauses in his meal for just a brief moment, with fries in his right hand.
“Should you win… it will be the same for the third week, too. They have you opening the singles tournament until the very end.”
His eyes roll slightly before he raises up his left hand to wave that fact off, and get his friend to get to what’s more important. Idrissa obliges:
“You are against… Steve Awesome, the “Face of the Franchise.” Barely taller and heavier than you. Technical wrestler, so just keep his limbs worn out. Non-selected representative from Northern Pro Wrestling. He is their current main champion, holding the NPW Openweight Championship since last month after beating… Donzig, Edward Zepp, and… ‘D’?”
Theo stops his meal again, and this pause lasts a little bit longer. The mute brushes off his hands before signing over to Idrissa properly.
“‘D’? Just the letter ‘D’?”
“Yes, that… is all it seems to say. He was the former champion going into the match.”
[“Damn. Did not think that son of a bitch was still wrestling. But… he lost?”]
Theo ruminates for a moment before shaking the thoughts from his head. He signs to his partner one more time.
“That’s fine. It just means this isn’t an opponent we can afford to mess around with. After a bit of rest tonight, we get to work.”
---
A projector clicks on and blasts a white light over a wrestling ring and the blank wall behind it, save for a shadow. Within that ring sits the Thespian, in his normal wrestling attire as he casts that shadow against the white wall. However, instead of the skinsuit he wears to the ring, Theo opts to wear a black luchador mask once again to show off his eyes and mouth, nothing more. His hands stay folded in his lap as his Interpreter, Idrissa, begins to speak.
“Steve Awesome. Let us first congratulate you on not only making it to the second round of the End of Days tournament, but arguably more importantly, winning the NPW Openweight Championship last month!”
Theo’s hands raise up and begin to clap very softly. Much like the wrestler himself, his hands did not make a sound. After a couple sarcastic ‘claps,’ his hands fold into his lap again. The wrestler stares into the lens of the camera as the light from the projector blasts directly into his eyes. He is unwavering as Idrissa continues.
“And here you are, going from the Main Event in both End of Days, and NPW... to facing me in the opening match for the single’s tournament. I wonder if that thought bothers you. Such a… high class wrestler, such as yourself, being booted down the card for your efforts. Such is life, though. I’ve busted my ass over the last month, and look where I am. Here with you.”
Theo’s shoulders raise up to shrug… before he mimics a sigh out with his face to the floor. Idrissa kindly gives his own sigh, in kind.
“But, do you know what that means, Steve? It means I have absolutely nothing else to lose at this point.”
The man’s posture straightens up as he flashes the camera a toothy grin.
“People have already been betting on how long I’ll last in this tournament. Half the people have voted that I would lose in the first round. The other half? Told me I would lose to you.”
Theo would imitate a laugh, but Idrissa continues to speak on his behalf:
“I frankly do not know what is more insulting; the fact that half the people on the network thought I’d lose to a CHILD, no offense Sam, you’re still fucking terrifying, or that they would be the only person I defeat in this tournament. Not a single person thinks I’ll go the distance.”
The laughing act stops. The grin melts into a neutral frown once again.
“But you know what, maybe that’s on me. I entered this tournament with a piss-poor excuse for a promo, typed up in the closing hours of auditions. I only got into this tournament as a filler, and the first opponent they gave me was someone who they thought would eat me alive. Mute versus mute; they probably got their rocks off laughing at who would actually win.”
His eyes slant in as his face begins to resemble a slight scowl.
“What about you, though, Steve? How does it feel to have lasted the first round? I bet it feels good to have outlasted the man your company selected to represent them, while you had to audition for your spot, just like me.”
Theo raises up both of his hands with fingers held up: four on his left, and three on his right.
“Every federation on the XHF Network hand-picked competitors to represent them in the End of Days tournament.”
He tucks away his left hand to leave the three-fingered left upright. As Idrissa recounts, Theo’s fingers begin to close, one-by-one.
“Of those seven selected, three have already fallen: NPW, CAR, and NLW.”
Once the last finger curls into his palm, Theo waits a moment… before opening the empty hand with another shrug. A smile curls over his lips, but that determined glint in his eyes never falters.
“As for myself? I feel ecstatic, personally. I know I have not been a part of NLW for long, but it feels wonderful to know that I lasted longer than a man named AL JABRONI.”
That open palm stretches forward towards the camera, towards Steve, in invitation.
“However, now, the pressure is on you to perform… not that such a handsome man like you can’t perform under pressure, right?”
There is a hint of teasing in Idrissa’s voice as Theo winks into the lens. All but his index finger curls into his palm. The leftover index begins to curl suggestively… beckoning Steve in as if they were lovers.
“However, no more jokes. I hope you’re ready, because when we’re in that ring, I’m going to give you the D.”
The finger curls for the final time as the man simply brandishes a fist. A pause… before Theo’s body imitates a chuckle, and shakes his head.
“Forgive me, that one deserves a little context. ‘D’ and I used to be good… acquaintances back in my former life, Steve. To see you take his championship… disappointed me. Hurt me, even. I mentioned to Sam before that I planned on taking out my revenge on whichever finalist was on the other side of that bracket… but you’ll make a good warm-up.”
The projector flashes a video behind the Thespian now: videos of the wrestler ‘D’ hitting his finisher, the Twisted Truth Rolling Cutter, on Steve Awesome at August on the Atlantic. However, the video flashes again immediately after to show the Thespian hitting his own proper finisher, the “Take a Bow” Inverted Suplex, on Sam Sawyer from his round one match. The videos begin to flicker back-and-forth between the two before the projector shuts off for a couple seconds.
When it comes back on, it acts as a light once more… However, the Thespian is not sitting anymore. Instead, he holds what looks like Steve Awesome in the Dragon Sleeper, as if to set-up for Take A Bow. He raises “Steve” up to the apex of the suplex… before kicking his own leg out and TWISTING both himself and the poor man down to the mat with a sickening slam. Theo repositions over the fallen impersonator and hooks the leg for a pin. Those determined eyes do not dare break or blink in the face of the camera lens.
“A Twisted Bow. Fitting for your twisted ego. I may have started this journey as a filler, but I’m determined to make it to the end now. I’m going to humble you, Steve. You and yours may have fucked off to another network, but I am determined to stay here and become THIS network’s next champion. I’m going to beat and break you until you, and everyone else, from there to here, sees me for the champion I will become.”
“Because that’s what is awesome. Not you.”
The projector clicks off for the final time, sending the gym into darkness.
The opening contest has just ended. The crowd is giving a standing ovation as one wrestler barely pushes themselves upright. The other wrestler stays limp on the floor, still unconscious from the finishing sequence. The winner stands tall, barely, with one arm raised by the referee officiating the match… and the other reaching up to hold over his cheek.
[“Fuck. The kid really has a natural talent their age.”]
[“I genuinely cannot feel my cheek from that slap still. Or my head for that matter.”]
[“Wonder if they’re doing alright.”]
The crowd continues to cheer for the two wrestlers in the middle of the ring. Theo’s arm drops as the referee leaves the ring for the next match. The masked wrestler takes a knee next to the silent kid as Sam slowly gathers their bearings. As they do, the first thing they come conscious to is the masked wrestler looming ominously over them. Sam stares up at him, briefly confused, before that trademark stare takes over once more. The stare is cold, perhaps even colder now. Through those eyes, the Thespian could see it all. Frustration. Distrust. And yet, despite that, he would offer a hand up to the young wrestler out of respect and courtesy.
[“You fought your ass off and impressed so many people here tonight. Let me help you up at least; give you the credit you deserve.”]
With the Thespian’s eyes covered by the skinsuit, it is hard for him to convey his own emotions through eye-contact. Instead, he does his best to relax his posture and body language. However, Sam’s eyes never break from where Theo’s would be; they continue to stare directly into the man’s soul for a long period of time. Sam pushes himself off of the mat as Theo gives him the room to, but eye-contact never wavers still.
Theo instead offers a handshake out of respect. Sam’s gaze continues to hold still.
The arena soon grows silent as every person in attendance begins to feel the intensity of the stare-down.
Eventually, a wrestler relents.
Theo paces himself towards the staging arena with his eyes still locked onto Sam’s. The masked wrestler, perhaps a bit paranoid in his own right after giving his opponent time to recover, did not want his back to face Sam what-so-ever. Theo slips from the ring and takes his steps backwards towards backstage. Sam stays in the ring, ever-glaring until the Thespian is out of sight.
Theo may have won the match on paper, but it seems that Sam still leaves tonight as an indomitable-seeming individual.
---
Theo and his Interpreter, Idrissa, sit across from one another inside of a nearby Wendy’s. Since the two keep their masked costumes on at all times within the wrestling world, they could easily be themselves outside of it for the most part. The two share relatively similar characteristics: light skin with maybe a couple tinted shades mixed in, as well as long dark hair and eyes.
Where they differ majorly is that Idrissa prefers to keep some facial hair about him, and Theo keeps a clean shave. The other thing to note is that, while Idrissa wears normal casual clothing, Theo prefers to wear a long-sleeved turtle-neck shirt to cover up the scars that line his arms and, more importantly, his throat. Just as well, the Thespian has bandages wrapped around his hands, of which are still recovering after a recent stunt promo.
Theo digs into his own cheap meal for the evening as Idrissa scrolls through his phone for more information about the End of Days tournament; namely, he is doing preliminary research on the Thespian’s next opponent.
“They have you in the first singles match again.”
Theo pauses in his meal for just a brief moment, with fries in his right hand.
“Should you win… it will be the same for the third week, too. They have you opening the singles tournament until the very end.”
His eyes roll slightly before he raises up his left hand to wave that fact off, and get his friend to get to what’s more important. Idrissa obliges:
“You are against… Steve Awesome, the “Face of the Franchise.” Barely taller and heavier than you. Technical wrestler, so just keep his limbs worn out. Non-selected representative from Northern Pro Wrestling. He is their current main champion, holding the NPW Openweight Championship since last month after beating… Donzig, Edward Zepp, and… ‘D’?”
Theo stops his meal again, and this pause lasts a little bit longer. The mute brushes off his hands before signing over to Idrissa properly.
“‘D’? Just the letter ‘D’?”
“Yes, that… is all it seems to say. He was the former champion going into the match.”
[“Damn. Did not think that son of a bitch was still wrestling. But… he lost?”]
Theo ruminates for a moment before shaking the thoughts from his head. He signs to his partner one more time.
“That’s fine. It just means this isn’t an opponent we can afford to mess around with. After a bit of rest tonight, we get to work.”
---
A projector clicks on and blasts a white light over a wrestling ring and the blank wall behind it, save for a shadow. Within that ring sits the Thespian, in his normal wrestling attire as he casts that shadow against the white wall. However, instead of the skinsuit he wears to the ring, Theo opts to wear a black luchador mask once again to show off his eyes and mouth, nothing more. His hands stay folded in his lap as his Interpreter, Idrissa, begins to speak.
“Steve Awesome. Let us first congratulate you on not only making it to the second round of the End of Days tournament, but arguably more importantly, winning the NPW Openweight Championship last month!”
Theo’s hands raise up and begin to clap very softly. Much like the wrestler himself, his hands did not make a sound. After a couple sarcastic ‘claps,’ his hands fold into his lap again. The wrestler stares into the lens of the camera as the light from the projector blasts directly into his eyes. He is unwavering as Idrissa continues.
“And here you are, going from the Main Event in both End of Days, and NPW... to facing me in the opening match for the single’s tournament. I wonder if that thought bothers you. Such a… high class wrestler, such as yourself, being booted down the card for your efforts. Such is life, though. I’ve busted my ass over the last month, and look where I am. Here with you.”
Theo’s shoulders raise up to shrug… before he mimics a sigh out with his face to the floor. Idrissa kindly gives his own sigh, in kind.
“But, do you know what that means, Steve? It means I have absolutely nothing else to lose at this point.”
The man’s posture straightens up as he flashes the camera a toothy grin.
“People have already been betting on how long I’ll last in this tournament. Half the people have voted that I would lose in the first round. The other half? Told me I would lose to you.”
Theo would imitate a laugh, but Idrissa continues to speak on his behalf:
“I frankly do not know what is more insulting; the fact that half the people on the network thought I’d lose to a CHILD, no offense Sam, you’re still fucking terrifying, or that they would be the only person I defeat in this tournament. Not a single person thinks I’ll go the distance.”
The laughing act stops. The grin melts into a neutral frown once again.
“But you know what, maybe that’s on me. I entered this tournament with a piss-poor excuse for a promo, typed up in the closing hours of auditions. I only got into this tournament as a filler, and the first opponent they gave me was someone who they thought would eat me alive. Mute versus mute; they probably got their rocks off laughing at who would actually win.”
His eyes slant in as his face begins to resemble a slight scowl.
“What about you, though, Steve? How does it feel to have lasted the first round? I bet it feels good to have outlasted the man your company selected to represent them, while you had to audition for your spot, just like me.”
Theo raises up both of his hands with fingers held up: four on his left, and three on his right.
“Every federation on the XHF Network hand-picked competitors to represent them in the End of Days tournament.”
He tucks away his left hand to leave the three-fingered left upright. As Idrissa recounts, Theo’s fingers begin to close, one-by-one.
“Of those seven selected, three have already fallen: NPW, CAR, and NLW.”
Once the last finger curls into his palm, Theo waits a moment… before opening the empty hand with another shrug. A smile curls over his lips, but that determined glint in his eyes never falters.
“As for myself? I feel ecstatic, personally. I know I have not been a part of NLW for long, but it feels wonderful to know that I lasted longer than a man named AL JABRONI.”
That open palm stretches forward towards the camera, towards Steve, in invitation.
“However, now, the pressure is on you to perform… not that such a handsome man like you can’t perform under pressure, right?”
There is a hint of teasing in Idrissa’s voice as Theo winks into the lens. All but his index finger curls into his palm. The leftover index begins to curl suggestively… beckoning Steve in as if they were lovers.
“However, no more jokes. I hope you’re ready, because when we’re in that ring, I’m going to give you the D.”
The finger curls for the final time as the man simply brandishes a fist. A pause… before Theo’s body imitates a chuckle, and shakes his head.
“Forgive me, that one deserves a little context. ‘D’ and I used to be good… acquaintances back in my former life, Steve. To see you take his championship… disappointed me. Hurt me, even. I mentioned to Sam before that I planned on taking out my revenge on whichever finalist was on the other side of that bracket… but you’ll make a good warm-up.”
The projector flashes a video behind the Thespian now: videos of the wrestler ‘D’ hitting his finisher, the Twisted Truth Rolling Cutter, on Steve Awesome at August on the Atlantic. However, the video flashes again immediately after to show the Thespian hitting his own proper finisher, the “Take a Bow” Inverted Suplex, on Sam Sawyer from his round one match. The videos begin to flicker back-and-forth between the two before the projector shuts off for a couple seconds.
When it comes back on, it acts as a light once more… However, the Thespian is not sitting anymore. Instead, he holds what looks like Steve Awesome in the Dragon Sleeper, as if to set-up for Take A Bow. He raises “Steve” up to the apex of the suplex… before kicking his own leg out and TWISTING both himself and the poor man down to the mat with a sickening slam. Theo repositions over the fallen impersonator and hooks the leg for a pin. Those determined eyes do not dare break or blink in the face of the camera lens.
“A Twisted Bow. Fitting for your twisted ego. I may have started this journey as a filler, but I’m determined to make it to the end now. I’m going to humble you, Steve. You and yours may have fucked off to another network, but I am determined to stay here and become THIS network’s next champion. I’m going to beat and break you until you, and everyone else, from there to here, sees me for the champion I will become.”
“Because that’s what is awesome. Not you.”
The projector clicks off for the final time, sending the gym into darkness.