Post by Dave D-Flipz on Mar 3, 2022 10:59:08 GMT -5
"Remember hereafter…"
*August 2005. A series of debates. A rallying cry against the corrupt commissioner and his band of minions. A wildly unstable man, and family. A … godawful leopard print button-down. Ugh. The debates of Death Trap and Chris Kanyon. A simpler time in the XHF. A less wholesome time. A menagerie of colorful characters and shows twice a week. Don’t miss that. A time where everything we did was cringy. The first time Death Trap and Curtis Kanyon crossed paths.*
Death Trap (voiceover): Xtreme Impact … Death Trap versus Chris Kanyon in a Doomsday Cage match. Chris and I had a storied feud throughout my entire time in XHF. We met like nine times in the ring over the years. He never beat me.
*We see Kanyon crashing against the glass cell, his entire team had been sent to the back at the outset of the match. Death Trap lines up his shot and charges for a shining wizard against the cell. Chris ducks and Curtis comes from nowhere and crashes THROUGH the triple thick glass spearing the life out of DT. Both men lay unconscious, blood spewing from the head of Curtis.*
Death Trap (voiceover): I never saw it coming. Foolish to think the idiots would play fair. I was out like a light. Heavy glass and a near 300 pound man crushing my entire body to the floor. I knew that night that this beast of a man would be a problem. I made a note on watching the replay … since I didn’t remember the end of the match afterwards … concussions are a bitch … I will not forget this event. I still somehow won but … at what cost?
"Remember hereafter…"
*Night of Champions 11, July 2020. Death Trap walks into the night again as the XHF X*Crown Champion. Fifteen years since he last held the belt. Six fighters stand in his way. Old rivals and new. Faces like the talented striker Ryan Young, the expert technician Gordon Carlson, the joshi star Yuki Sakaraba, XHF Legend Rob Arnold, XHF Legend Rat Bastard, and some unknown man with a mechanical hand … Dylan “Not a Viper” Black.*
"Remember hereafter …"
*The match progresses. Yuki Sakaraba eventually taps out to the Death Trap. The fight continues. Death Trap catches the mechanical hand to avoid another concussion. And what follows is …*
Death Trap (voiceover): The most violent act I have ever accidentally committed. I had no clue how shoddy the construction was. I guess it made sense, up until this point Dylan was a rising star, a former tag champ. And let’s be fair, all his paychecks from then probably got stolen by that fucktard Viper. I almost feel bad for the kid. Almost. Still … I never intended to do what I did. I made a note to never lose focus again. To never put myself in the situation I did. I may have eliminated Dylan, but I distracted myself and blew it. My title reign gone in a moment to Rob Arnold, the smug bastard.
*The end of the match plays and DT is defeated by a stomp to the head. Lucky to escape without another serious concussion.*
Death Trap (voiceover): It’s little moments. Learning experiences. Things to take away and file in the memory forever. We are but the some of our collected experience. We are defined by the things we do. I tore a man’s hand off. I never want to see that again. Nevermind the fact that he now only has one human limb left and a missing robot arm. Who the fuck steals a man’s arm?
"Remember hereafter …"
Dr. Chaos: Shouldn’t you be watching tape of your opponents instead of yourself?
Death Trap: It’s part of the process Chaos. I need to remember the lessons I learned, or I’m lost. I am a legend because of my meticulous attention to detail and focus. When it slips … well I find myself tapping out to Anthony the bitch.
Sarah: BOSS Y’ALL!
Dr. Chaos: She makes a good point, can we NOT poke the bear? I’d like to avoid his newfound malice being directed at us. He might unleash … THEM … on us.
Death Trap: Are you still afraid of MAJ-
*Chaos slams her hand over his mouth*
Dr. Chaos: DON’T SAY THE NAME!!!
*She relents*
Dr. Chaos: Well if you wanted to be a narcissist and see tape of yourself you could ask me, I have TONS of footage.
Death Trap: What?
Dr. Chaos: What?
*We are inside the Top of the Class locker room and DT has been watching his old matches with the two men. Two men who were involved in incidents he vowed to remember for the rest of his days. Mistress Discipline enters the room from the hallway with a bottle of seltzer and some cheese and crackers from catering.*
Mistress Discipline: Are you still watching those old tapes? What exactly is the purpose of watching matches you already won?
Death Trap: It’s not about learning, it’s about jogging the memory. I have history with both of these guys. And they have one thing in common.
Dr. Chaos: Low intelligence?
Sarah: INSANE Y’ALL!
Mistress Discipline: They are both unabashedly violent individuals. Something which is in direct opposition to how you operate in the ring.
*DT puts his finger on his nose*
Death Trap: If we are being honest, I’ve fought in hundreds of super violent matches and Mongo’s crazy gimmicks. But it’s not where I am most comfortable. I am a technician. I bring the pace of the match down to my level and I exert my will on other competitors. Using my knowledge of martial arts and submissions to overwhelm smaller foes and outmaneuver larger foes. And I’ve beaten both of these guys before. But they’ve evolved since then. Kanyon is mostly insane, a fusion of that DDK persona both he and Chris have displayed with his own uber-violent self. Dylan is a pillar of violence, and not even fully human anymore.
Mistress Discipline: And you need to be on your game to compete with them?
Death Trap: Pretty much. Keep in mind that thanks to Donzig I’ve been on the shelf for a few months before last show. And thanks to Soutter and Armand, my body was brutalized the entirety of my run in SWAT. If Radu hadn’t saved me that tag match, I’d probably have died. I don’t do hardcore well these days. Especially with my history.
Dr. Chaos: What’s a few blows to the head among friends?
*They both look at her, glaring.*
Dr. Chaos: Yeah, yeah, I know, shut up Rat Trap.
*DT cocks an eyebrow.*
Death Trap: You been invading my DVD collection again?
Sarah: MAXIMIZE!
Mistress Discipline: Dylan is NOT a transformer. I do not even understand the appeal of those things.
Death Trap: Sarah, why don’t you grab these two fine ladies and take them to watch some more Beast Wars! It’ll be fun and allow me to work! I’m sure you’re in line for some fun episodes!
Sarah: CODE OF HERO!
*Sarah forcibly drags away the two ladies with the strength only a teenager about to watch TV can exert. DT’s face drops as he realizes what episode she just set up to watch.*
Death Trap: Oh … oh no.
"Remember hereafter…"
"Remember hereafter … The end of a chapter …"
*DT sits alone in the locker room now, the room is dark and the glow of the TV is the only illumination. He turns his head to the camera, set up to the side of the TV so it looks directly at the former X*Crown champion.*
Death Trap: There was a time, a time Curtis would remember, when I called myself the Master of Puppets. I treated every other wrestler like a plaything, and I controlled the strings. I directed the flow of the match. That was long ago. There are few who would still ascribe to me being a master of anything these days. SWAT did a lot to expand my recognition to more fans around the world. It showed that even at my age, I’m still not long in the tooth. I’ve still got the ability to compete in the worst elements. I was not X*Crown champ on a fluke. It wasn’t just Caffrey being a bad wrestler or Timeless intervening. I earned that match and that title. And it was my own shortcomings that had me fall just short against Rob Arnold.
*He looks back at the screen as we hear a 1, 2, 3. Then a bell rings.*
Death Trap: But I closed the book on that old version of me long ago. The version that got speared through the glass cell is long gone. I don’t have that false sense of paranoia anymore. I am not going to go out of my way to make people hate me. That version of me had a lot of issues, inferiority complexes. Sure I still am a bitch for attention. I think my moniker gives that away. I still crave that spotlight. But I am going to earn that attention by being myself. Not some worked up version, neck veins throbbing with rage, stress taking years off my life. I’ve accomplished enough in my career that I don’t need to worry about stressing ever again. But then again …
"Remember hereafter …"
*He ponders for a moment.*
Death Trap: So have both of you. All three of us are X*Crown champions. Kanyon brought attention to a little known place like TGK and became president, Dylan had the longest reign in history, and I have the honor of having won it fifteen years apart. Longevity is a blessing. And anyone who watched MCCW could tell you about my endurance and stamina. What I lack … is that violent edge. That sick, twisted part of the brain that tells you to fuck shit up. You both have that. I do not. I never have and never will. It isn’t in my genetic coding. But then, when you have mastered other forms of combat, other forms of self-control … violent urges like that are just interruptions, distractions. Siren songs luring you to an easy way of rising. And traps that will lead to your downfall.
*DT leans back in his rolling chair and gets comfortable.*
Death Trap: Still … I will need to focus. I need to be the best of me if I am to overcome this challenge. Both of you in the ring at once, both of you out for violence and blood. I intend to take everything I learned about the two of you in our battles and apply it here. I’ve been gone for months, out in SWAT, on the shelf. Stewing on things and getting back into shape. It’s time to close the chapter on the DT that tries to save the world. A fool’s errand. There was no saving that place. Instead, I must focus on my role as the veteran training the new generation. Like a master training his dojo. Sensei. … Nah. Let’s be real I’ve always been partial to the term master. In the sense it implies Mastery. Master class championship wrestling is where I returned to this place. My mastery of the dragon sleeper is unrivaled. Yes … it is time to once again focus on controlling the ring and dominating the field. I have to reawaken that dormant part of me. To survive the violence to come. I must awaken the master.
*He clicks off the TV and sits there in the darkness. We hear him shifting in his seat as he thinks*
"Finding your way, discovering what has been all along …
Remember hereafter, the end of a chapter … awaken the master."
Remember hereafter, the end of a chapter … awaken the master."
*Chaos storms into the room where DT sleeps in the rolling chair in front of his TV. She kicks the chair and spins it around wildly as DT wakes up with a jolt then holds on for dear life.*
Dr. Chaos: WHAT ARE YOU HAVING MY DAUGHTER WATCH!?
*Sarah has tears in her eyes, having obviously watched Code of Hero and Transmutate. Mistress is comforting her.*
Death Trap: YOU STOLE MY DVDs! YOU LET HER WATCH IT!
*Chaos stops spinning him and wheels him into the hallway.*
Mistress Discipline: That was entirely inappropriate for her to watch. I have so many questions.
*Chaos slams the door in his face as he tries to come back in.*
"Awaken … the master?"
