Post by Adrien on Apr 20, 2022 9:17:49 GMT -5
“You know, that wasn’t nearly as exciting as I had hoped it would be…”
Adam Sanders closes a door behind him as his disappointed face confirms his opening sentence. The door’s plaque reads “GameStop Shareholders Meeting” in big white letters.
“It’s a shame that such a large company in the gaming industry is mostly owned by…”
The Awkward One shudders.
“Cheez, I think it would be better off if people like you and me had a say in how the gaming world evolves. Those people don’t have their finger on the pulse of what makes a video game good. Those guys are just in there, talking about how high they can make the GME go on the New York Stock Exchange and talking about other stocks on subreddits.
“You and I have a lot in common, Cheez. We’re both considered underdogs in most of our matches. We enjoy a video game with a great story and some fun mechanics. We both learned a lot from our respective mentors… you with Wellington Dunne and me with Adrien Cochrane. I’m a bit older than you and honestly… I see myself a few years ago whenever I look at you.
“But let me tell you someone I’m not, Cheez… I’m not someone who tries to win by deception as you did to my manager, Eddie Walker, in that Scrabble tournament. I’m not someone who hides from other wrestlers as you hid from Scott Fargo. After all, I did get in a ring with Zoran Sainovic a second time, and both times ended badly for me… but I still did it.”
Sanders places his hand on the scar left behind by Zoran.
“And don’t think I don’t know this is a trap set up by you, Cheez. In a standard singles match, I know that I’m the favorite to come out on top. You know that too. I also know that this particular match is set up for you to use underhanded tactics to try to take advantage of. I’m sure you’re going to find all sorts of things in an arcade to use as a weapon from skee balls to air hockey tables. I’m sure you’re going to make me feel déjà vu when my head goes through an arcade screen ala Anthony Caffrey’s attack on Adrien Cochrane.
“But I’m not going down alone. Hell no!
“I know I can throw you across that damn room and will. I’ll shove you through a basketball hoop upside down and kick you until you beg me to stop. I’ll rip off any piece of equipment I can and smack you with it, from steering wheels to the metal poles with the foosball players still attached to them. You might be a clever kid, but that’s all you got. But I got a secret for you, Cheez…
“I’m clever too. I know how to play the game. And I’m also a lot stronger than you physically.”
The former AWF Prestige Champion points back at the room full of GameStop shareholders.
“See these guys? They don’t know the thrill of going to a place like we will be going to with a fist full of quarters. They don’t know about spending hours on a pinball machine or trying to beat someone’s high score on Pac-Man. They don’t know about the subtle touch you have to put on that skee ball to get it right in that one hundred-point circle without it bouncing into the twenty-point circle. And I think when you issued this challenge, you weren’t expecting someone else who would be privy to those memories. You were hoping for some bozo like those clowns.
“But instead, you got me… the Awkward One. Someone who is just as much of a gamer as you are. If you don’t believe me, look up what I call my flying clothesline. Ask Tasmin about how fast I completed the Pokédex in Brilliant Diamond when it came out. Or even Legends: Arceus. Fact is: this isn’t only your domain. It’s mine. And I’m not going to sit around and let you try to pull a fast one on me. When that bell rings… I guess it would be back at the Lakefront Arena while we’re on the screen or something… either way, when that bell rings, it’s going to be me declared as the winner of this match.
“And I’ll do anything… ANYTHING I have to do to make that happen.”
Adam Sanders closes a door behind him as his disappointed face confirms his opening sentence. The door’s plaque reads “GameStop Shareholders Meeting” in big white letters.
“It’s a shame that such a large company in the gaming industry is mostly owned by…”
The Awkward One shudders.
“Cheez, I think it would be better off if people like you and me had a say in how the gaming world evolves. Those people don’t have their finger on the pulse of what makes a video game good. Those guys are just in there, talking about how high they can make the GME go on the New York Stock Exchange and talking about other stocks on subreddits.
“You and I have a lot in common, Cheez. We’re both considered underdogs in most of our matches. We enjoy a video game with a great story and some fun mechanics. We both learned a lot from our respective mentors… you with Wellington Dunne and me with Adrien Cochrane. I’m a bit older than you and honestly… I see myself a few years ago whenever I look at you.
“But let me tell you someone I’m not, Cheez… I’m not someone who tries to win by deception as you did to my manager, Eddie Walker, in that Scrabble tournament. I’m not someone who hides from other wrestlers as you hid from Scott Fargo. After all, I did get in a ring with Zoran Sainovic a second time, and both times ended badly for me… but I still did it.”
Sanders places his hand on the scar left behind by Zoran.
“And don’t think I don’t know this is a trap set up by you, Cheez. In a standard singles match, I know that I’m the favorite to come out on top. You know that too. I also know that this particular match is set up for you to use underhanded tactics to try to take advantage of. I’m sure you’re going to find all sorts of things in an arcade to use as a weapon from skee balls to air hockey tables. I’m sure you’re going to make me feel déjà vu when my head goes through an arcade screen ala Anthony Caffrey’s attack on Adrien Cochrane.
“But I’m not going down alone. Hell no!
“I know I can throw you across that damn room and will. I’ll shove you through a basketball hoop upside down and kick you until you beg me to stop. I’ll rip off any piece of equipment I can and smack you with it, from steering wheels to the metal poles with the foosball players still attached to them. You might be a clever kid, but that’s all you got. But I got a secret for you, Cheez…
“I’m clever too. I know how to play the game. And I’m also a lot stronger than you physically.”
The former AWF Prestige Champion points back at the room full of GameStop shareholders.
“See these guys? They don’t know the thrill of going to a place like we will be going to with a fist full of quarters. They don’t know about spending hours on a pinball machine or trying to beat someone’s high score on Pac-Man. They don’t know about the subtle touch you have to put on that skee ball to get it right in that one hundred-point circle without it bouncing into the twenty-point circle. And I think when you issued this challenge, you weren’t expecting someone else who would be privy to those memories. You were hoping for some bozo like those clowns.
“But instead, you got me… the Awkward One. Someone who is just as much of a gamer as you are. If you don’t believe me, look up what I call my flying clothesline. Ask Tasmin about how fast I completed the Pokédex in Brilliant Diamond when it came out. Or even Legends: Arceus. Fact is: this isn’t only your domain. It’s mine. And I’m not going to sit around and let you try to pull a fast one on me. When that bell rings… I guess it would be back at the Lakefront Arena while we’re on the screen or something… either way, when that bell rings, it’s going to be me declared as the winner of this match.
“And I’ll do anything… ANYTHING I have to do to make that happen.”