Legacy 7: Bastard Reactions
Sept 19, 2022 9:17:43 GMT -5
Frank Windsor and "The High Roller" Wesley Crane like this
Post by robriot on Sept 19, 2022 9:17:43 GMT -5
Archie Rude is not stupid. He's conniving, scurrilous, underhand and amoral, but he's not stupid. However, what he's about to do would be judged as stupid in the eyes of most people. He's standing outside the Bastards' locker room, no more than thirty minutes after the end of Wrestle:UK Legacy 7. You don't need to be a psychologist to know what the mood in that room is like. In fact, you'd have to be deaf not to realise. Rude hasn't spoken yet, but the sound of banging, crashing and shouting emanating from behind the door confirms that all is not well.
Despite all of this, Archie Rude is Archie Rude, and he’s going to get what he came for. He takes a deep breath, fixes a rictus grin on his face, and knocks on the door loud enough to be heard within. The noise on the other side of the door stops, after which there’s some low muttering before Frank Windsor opens the door aggressively, almost tearing it off its hinges.
Rude swallows. Of the three options that could have opened the door to him, the unpredictable Windsor was the one he wanted the least.
Rude: Um, Frank. Any chance of a quick word for…
Windsor: FUCKING HELL, no.
Windsor slams the door shut hard in Rude's face. Rude recoils an inch or two but quickly recomposes himself. There's a camera rolling, and he's not going to allow himself to be left looking like a chump. He bangs on the door again, and after a few moments, it re-opens, but it's not Windsor this time. It's the battered, bruised, bloodied face of Billy Fowler. He looks like he's just crawled out of hell. Even the parts of his face that aren't red with blood are red with rage.
Fowler: You want a reaction, Archie? You want to know how I feel about losing to Havok again? You want to know how my body feels right now? How about I show you how it feels? How about I drag you in this room and show you, blow by blow and broken bone by broken bone, how it feels?
Rude: I’d be against that.
Fowler: That’s a real shame, because I insist.
Fowler grabs Rude by the throat. Archie’s eyes almost pop out of his head instantly, but Windsor snatches Fowler from behind and pulls him away, back inside the room.
Windsor: Easy, big man. Getting us fucking suspended isn't going to help anyone.
Fowler: Like I give a fuck. Let me at him!
Windsor: Fuck me, you get {Mongo Edit: Nah we don't say that anymore} strength when you’re angry! Stand still!
Windsor attempts to wrangle Fowler onto the floor, and the two Bastards collapse onto each other in a mess of tangled limbs as Fowler attempts to break free. As Rude (and the camera) watch the chaos, they fail to notice Rob Riot appear from behind the door.
Riot: Ignoring me, Archie?
Rude, uncharacteristically, jumps. A guy like Riot shouldn’t be able to sneak up on him, and yet he did. Juxtaposed with the noise of Windsor trying to subdue Fowler, there’s something about Riot’s quiet tone that comes across as sinister.
Rude: Of course, not Rob, would I ever?
Riot: If it suited you, yes. But that's OK. People have been ignoring me a lot recently, but that's about to stop. Do you want a reaction? I'll give you a reaction. Put that camera on me.
Almost reluctantly, the cameraman pulls the lens away from Windsor’s ongoing attempt to restrain the enraged Fowler and focuses on Riot, who’s brandishing his W:UK Tag Team Championship belt at the camera.
Riot: I told you, Donzig. I told you what would happen if you sent your henchmen for these titles. I said we'd send them back to you beaten and broken, and that's exactly what happened. I also challenged you. I told you that if you want these titles, you're going to have to come and claim them yourself. Did you do that? Did you even acknowledge me? Of course you didn't. You're too busy playing dress-up for your thrown-together marquee matches and proclaiming yourself as the King in the North. Not for the first time, I'm going to have to remind you that this isn't Game of Thrones. This is reality, and the reality is that you won't personally come after these titles because you dare not. You know the same would happen to you as has happened to everybody else. They all come, they all fight, and they all fall at the feet of the Bastards. One year as champions and counting. One year of hell for every other tag team in the business. This is the reign that never ends, but the fact remains that we're missing a championship in this dressing room.
Rude: Yeah, that's all great, but I was hoping we could talk about the surprise appearance of Sean Bean at the end of…
Riot shoots him a glare.
Rude: …or not. Please continue.
Riot: We're missing a championship in this dressing room. Now, Mr Blood and all the other guys on the board are probably patting themselves on the back right now and congratulating themselves on booking a fantastic blow-out match between Billy Fowler and Eddie Havok. Once they've finished with the back-slapping, they'll start to think about who's next. I'll save you the time. We're next. Havok, if you think this is over because you beat Billy Fowler tonight, you're out of your mind. W:UK is the Bastards promotion, and this is the Bastards channel. That world title belongs to us. Now, when Fowler's back in the right frame of mind….
There’s a loud crash and a grunt from somewhere behind Riot. He looks back over his shoulder, as does the camera. Windsor has Fowler tied up in a full nelson, but in an attempt to escape, Fowler’s fallen through a table and taken Windsor with him.
Windsor: A little help here? The big guy's gonna run through the wall in a second; we're gonna need a fucking tranquilliser gun!
Riot: I’ll be right there.
He returns his attention to Rude and the camera.
Riot: …when Fowler's back in the right frame of mind, he's going to come for that title again. But even if he doesn't get you, Eddie, another Bastard will. Maybe Windsor will come and settle the score. Or maybe, just maybe, you'll find yourself one on one with the only Bastard you've never beaten. Because I'll tell you what, Archie, and Mr Blood, and the whole damn world, I'm pretty sick and damn tired of having to remind people who I am. I'm proud to be a tag team champion, but I'm a multi-time world champion, and I'm done sitting on the sidelines in the singles division. Eddie, I challenge…
Rude interrupts him.
Rude: Just before you do that…
Riot stares at Rude incredulously.
Rude:…you might want to know that you’ve been booked against Eron Hunter for the Commonwealth Championship at Legacy 8.
A pause. Riot weighs up the news and nods thoughtfully - but stays silent.
Rude: Um. Your reaction?
Riot looks like he’s about to speak, but another almighty crash behind him reminds him that Windsor is fighting a losing battle trying to keep Fowler under control.
Riot: You know, Frankie probably saved your life when he pulled Fowler off you. Do yourself a favour. Count your blessings, and fuck off.
The door is slammed shut in Rude’s face for a second and final time as Riot heads back inside to help Windsor restore order, leaving Rude to stand and roll his eyes in the corridor.
Rude: Charming. Just charming. For Wrestle:UK, this is Archie Rude sending it back to the studio!
Despite all of this, Archie Rude is Archie Rude, and he’s going to get what he came for. He takes a deep breath, fixes a rictus grin on his face, and knocks on the door loud enough to be heard within. The noise on the other side of the door stops, after which there’s some low muttering before Frank Windsor opens the door aggressively, almost tearing it off its hinges.
Rude swallows. Of the three options that could have opened the door to him, the unpredictable Windsor was the one he wanted the least.
Rude: Um, Frank. Any chance of a quick word for…
Windsor: FUCKING HELL, no.
Windsor slams the door shut hard in Rude's face. Rude recoils an inch or two but quickly recomposes himself. There's a camera rolling, and he's not going to allow himself to be left looking like a chump. He bangs on the door again, and after a few moments, it re-opens, but it's not Windsor this time. It's the battered, bruised, bloodied face of Billy Fowler. He looks like he's just crawled out of hell. Even the parts of his face that aren't red with blood are red with rage.
Fowler: You want a reaction, Archie? You want to know how I feel about losing to Havok again? You want to know how my body feels right now? How about I show you how it feels? How about I drag you in this room and show you, blow by blow and broken bone by broken bone, how it feels?
Rude: I’d be against that.
Fowler: That’s a real shame, because I insist.
Fowler grabs Rude by the throat. Archie’s eyes almost pop out of his head instantly, but Windsor snatches Fowler from behind and pulls him away, back inside the room.
Windsor: Easy, big man. Getting us fucking suspended isn't going to help anyone.
Fowler: Like I give a fuck. Let me at him!
Windsor: Fuck me, you get {Mongo Edit: Nah we don't say that anymore} strength when you’re angry! Stand still!
Windsor attempts to wrangle Fowler onto the floor, and the two Bastards collapse onto each other in a mess of tangled limbs as Fowler attempts to break free. As Rude (and the camera) watch the chaos, they fail to notice Rob Riot appear from behind the door.
Riot: Ignoring me, Archie?
Rude, uncharacteristically, jumps. A guy like Riot shouldn’t be able to sneak up on him, and yet he did. Juxtaposed with the noise of Windsor trying to subdue Fowler, there’s something about Riot’s quiet tone that comes across as sinister.
Rude: Of course, not Rob, would I ever?
Riot: If it suited you, yes. But that's OK. People have been ignoring me a lot recently, but that's about to stop. Do you want a reaction? I'll give you a reaction. Put that camera on me.
Almost reluctantly, the cameraman pulls the lens away from Windsor’s ongoing attempt to restrain the enraged Fowler and focuses on Riot, who’s brandishing his W:UK Tag Team Championship belt at the camera.
Riot: I told you, Donzig. I told you what would happen if you sent your henchmen for these titles. I said we'd send them back to you beaten and broken, and that's exactly what happened. I also challenged you. I told you that if you want these titles, you're going to have to come and claim them yourself. Did you do that? Did you even acknowledge me? Of course you didn't. You're too busy playing dress-up for your thrown-together marquee matches and proclaiming yourself as the King in the North. Not for the first time, I'm going to have to remind you that this isn't Game of Thrones. This is reality, and the reality is that you won't personally come after these titles because you dare not. You know the same would happen to you as has happened to everybody else. They all come, they all fight, and they all fall at the feet of the Bastards. One year as champions and counting. One year of hell for every other tag team in the business. This is the reign that never ends, but the fact remains that we're missing a championship in this dressing room.
Rude: Yeah, that's all great, but I was hoping we could talk about the surprise appearance of Sean Bean at the end of…
Riot shoots him a glare.
Rude: …or not. Please continue.
Riot: We're missing a championship in this dressing room. Now, Mr Blood and all the other guys on the board are probably patting themselves on the back right now and congratulating themselves on booking a fantastic blow-out match between Billy Fowler and Eddie Havok. Once they've finished with the back-slapping, they'll start to think about who's next. I'll save you the time. We're next. Havok, if you think this is over because you beat Billy Fowler tonight, you're out of your mind. W:UK is the Bastards promotion, and this is the Bastards channel. That world title belongs to us. Now, when Fowler's back in the right frame of mind….
There’s a loud crash and a grunt from somewhere behind Riot. He looks back over his shoulder, as does the camera. Windsor has Fowler tied up in a full nelson, but in an attempt to escape, Fowler’s fallen through a table and taken Windsor with him.
Windsor: A little help here? The big guy's gonna run through the wall in a second; we're gonna need a fucking tranquilliser gun!
Riot: I’ll be right there.
He returns his attention to Rude and the camera.
Riot: …when Fowler's back in the right frame of mind, he's going to come for that title again. But even if he doesn't get you, Eddie, another Bastard will. Maybe Windsor will come and settle the score. Or maybe, just maybe, you'll find yourself one on one with the only Bastard you've never beaten. Because I'll tell you what, Archie, and Mr Blood, and the whole damn world, I'm pretty sick and damn tired of having to remind people who I am. I'm proud to be a tag team champion, but I'm a multi-time world champion, and I'm done sitting on the sidelines in the singles division. Eddie, I challenge…
Rude interrupts him.
Rude: Just before you do that…
Riot stares at Rude incredulously.
Rude:…you might want to know that you’ve been booked against Eron Hunter for the Commonwealth Championship at Legacy 8.
A pause. Riot weighs up the news and nods thoughtfully - but stays silent.
Rude: Um. Your reaction?
Riot looks like he’s about to speak, but another almighty crash behind him reminds him that Windsor is fighting a losing battle trying to keep Fowler under control.
Riot: You know, Frankie probably saved your life when he pulled Fowler off you. Do yourself a favour. Count your blessings, and fuck off.
The door is slammed shut in Rude’s face for a second and final time as Riot heads back inside to help Windsor restore order, leaving Rude to stand and roll his eyes in the corridor.
Rude: Charming. Just charming. For Wrestle:UK, this is Archie Rude sending it back to the studio!