The Fall [X*Crown Promo 2]

[Cross Recoba]

[September 8th 2023]
[Lansky Ballroom, The Sands, Las Vegas, Nevada]

It was hard not to be impressed by the renovation of the Lansky Ballroom when you were on the ground. The screen above the entrance, greatly expanded, stood out in a sea of changes.

The entranceway had been laid several feet above the front row so that wrestlers walking down the aisle now felt like the fighters were coming from some higher place.

The announcer’s booth had been set into the floor replacing the previous incarnation that had to be removed between events. Recoba had made sure the booth was fixed in place, a minor pet hate was when he noticed it wasn’t in the exact same place every show.

“Take it in, gentlemen. The easy return on your investment is plain to see! Capacity has increased tenfold which means that with each sellout we’ll be seeing that reflected in the gate receipts.” There was more than a hint of pride in Recoba’s words, “I know a few of you were sceptical at the expense but now that you can see it for yourself, surely you can appreciate that we’re doing everything we can to make sure we reward those who had faith in us.”

Standing in the center of the ring, Recoba appeared to be in his element.

“As an investor, it’s your duty to us that if you win the X*Crown title…you wrestle on Tap Out!” The same lone dissenting voice had returned, dissatisfied with Cross’ answer minutes earlier.

Consensus by committee rarely works. Getting two people to agree was easy, and three was often followed by compromise but when you got to a dozen? There’ll always be at least one person who thinks they could lead in a better fashion.

Recoba prematurely thought he’d stomped out the dissenting voice in the hospitality boxes but life’s greatest gift was the surprises it threw up, welcome or otherwise.

“You’re not seeing the bigger picture here. I’ve assembled a roster that has proven names and up-and-comers. When I win the X*Crown, I’ll still want a strong showing from The Icons in the Qualifiers for End of Days. If I meet them in the final, I’ll defend that belt with no regard for being the man who signs their paychecks. But at every defence I make, in every company on the Network, Tap Out gets a halo effect alongside HKW when the name Cross Recoba is called.”

A pause as he waited to lay out the second half of his rationale.

“Resulting in better trainees, trainers, sponsors, and improving our bargaining power with the Network. Don’t forget, they have a stake in this place too and HKW might boast the X*Crown Champion but it’ll add weight to my voice in every negotiation with them! Now, unless anyone wants to follow up on this, can we head through the curtain and continue the tour!”

******

[September 25th 2023]
[The Sands, Las Vegas, Nevada]

The view from the balcony made the cardio Cross had decided to put himself through worthwhile. The Strip in all its glory provided a constantly moving view of human life and interaction that kept breaks from the rowing machine full of stimulus. Conversely, the raised side that faced the machine itself acted as a set of blinkers to keep Recoba focused on the task at hand: taking the X*Crown from Bloodied Fox and ending a run that had more in common with a military coup than a legitimate reign.

The XHF Box Office Smash wiped his brow with an HKW towel and set it down atop the machine before moving to a table where a bottle of still water sat in front of a laptop. Opening up the machine, Recoba quickly swept the fringe from his brow and sat down as the camera light turned to ‘record’.

“Fox, I know you’re seen as the ‘top dog’ on the Network because you hold the X*Crown but just how out of touch are you with what’s going on around you? Just how high is the pedestal that you put yourself on? We can gloss over the fact you missed the point that you’re campaigning for grassroots changes about LBGTQ+ legislation from the safety of a private jet and just get on with proceedings, don’t you think?”

Though I’m curious, do you take the jet to Extinction Rebellion events too?

“I listened to your promo earlier and it screamed out what your issue is…you can’t admit that your title reign is in danger.”

Recoba unscrewed the cap on the water and took a sip to let the statement breathe.

“It’s likely the same way you felt before Night of Champions when you had to face off against actual wrestlers instead of the almost part-time challengers you’ve favored. Florida Man, BEEF, Sawyer, Awesome…all of them wrestle regularly in actual companies. You decided to put your belt up against Death Trap and Lady Discipline who might well be credible contenders on paper but, like you, they rarely appear inside a ring.”

You still needed an assist though, didn’t you?

“I’ve wrestled in five companies this year alone, each time making my mark in them and putting on the match of the night. You’ve barely wrestled five matches in that walled garden you moonlight for! Besides, whenever I hear you talk about me in promos all it translates to in my mind is that you’re insecure that you couldn’t do what I did.”

I also end up getting déjà vu but there’s time for that, Fox, don’t worry.

“You can make your comparisons between Dillinger and Card all you like but one of us went out on his own while the other clings to a two-man security blanket.. You can say you don’t need it but even the companies you chose to appear in scream ‘safe option’. AWF? Pretty much had a monopoly on the X*Crown at one point in time. NLW? You waited a whole year to make the move and as for GUNS? It just screams of a man who needs something to define him…as a leech.”

Recoba took another drink of water before setting it down.

“What you call the minor leagues, Fox, is what it looks like when someone sees the opportunity in a company and makes it their own. Just look at what’s happened since I joined HKW! When I joined it was steeped in history but didn’t have name power and now that I’m atop of the mountain there, Fox? Steve Awesome and El Rey joined, you might recognize them as X*Crown Champions who did what you haven’t so far in your reign - defended it cleanly. That’s because I built up something that’s lacking in this run of yours…legitimacy. You can point to how I defended the title but outside of Tap Out, my match against Kalmin Watts at Night of Champions was the highest on the card for promotional matches. You call it small-time and yet I made people care about Kalmin Watts! Did anyone outside of the GUNS hardcore even watch your match against DT?”

But sure, HKW is small-time.

“That’s the problem with Bloodied Fox - X*Crown Champion, the fans might care about your rematch with Death Trap because of his name and they’ll watch the End of Days show even if you still hold that title just to hope someone unseats you but after that? Zoran if they’re lucky and you stop ducking him. It’s just the same thing over and over again. It’s why when you talked about ‘my connections’...again, Dakota and my finishing move…again, and how I beat Marty for the HKW Heavyweight title…again, I couldn’t do anything other than shrug…we’ve all seen and heard it before. As sure as you were going to bring up the same points again, we all know that SEIRIOS and Submaxiswear are going to turn up. You would have unleashed them against Tinto, Mister Rip n’ Terror, because it’s THE. SAME. THING. EVERY. TIME!”

You needed them even when you faced Jack Gaines.

“But you look down on me for what I’ve done with the HKW Heavyweight title and don’t see that I’m exactly what that belt you’re babysitting needs: fresh blood.”

The rhythm to Recoba’s words builds as he sinks his teeth into the promo.

“I created demand by myself without the need for lackeys, without the need for a backup plan because I’m my own insurance policy! You look at me like I haven’t learned anything in two years, as if the only person that can change is you and we’re all just there to make you look good. You’re the Hold ‘Em player who only looks at the cards he can see and ignores what someone else might have in their hand.”

Recoba smiles at the comparison.

“When that bell rings, I’m not doing it for the fans, I’m doing it for myself. If I become the first person to bring that X*Crown to HKW, I go down in history. If I step into Hardcore Halloween with that title around my waist, I drive eyeballs to a company that gets looked down on by people like you in the GUNS private sandbox and that means I push up my own value. If we’re being totally serious, HKW being front and center on the XHF site means I’ll sell more merchandise and you know what people never tire of? More money…especially for everyone involved!”

You could always appear at more birthday parties with your upcoming glut of free time.

“Try and argue that you’re not terrible for business, Fox. How many times will people keep paying their Network money if they know that on every big show, SEIRIOS puts down your opponent and you pin them? How many people are going to care when there’s no money left in being the guy to knock you off your perch? I’m no savior but I at least mix up how I work the gray areas of the game!”

LOLFOXWINS….

“You’ve done such a great job of making out that I’m no threat that really, what do you get for beating me? You’ve managed to paint yourself into a corner, Fox. Those memories of Fox doing nothing in NLW, being tricked into a shark cage by Zoran…they’ll all come flooding back if you don’t win in the Diamond Club.”

Can’t even go back to being an up-and-comer, not when you’ve held the X*Crown…shame.

“When that bell rings, I’m spoiled for choice for what’s going to drive me on to victory. I can be the first in a company’s history to hold the X*Crown and not the latest in a monotonous procession. I’ve got a stage to once again prove to people like you that I’m the XHF Box Office Smash for a reason and why forgetting it only leads to one conclusion… and the chance to get hold of the belt I set my eyes on from the moment I first appeared on the Network will spur me on…”

The smile drops from Cross’ face.

“But what I’m most looking forward to? Watching the look on your face as I lift you up off the mat and whisper ‘Up All Night in Dakota’ before I plant you head-first into the canvas!”

Cross grabbed the water bottle and rose from his seat as he stopped the recording, ready to get back to training for Saturday’s match.

*****

[September 8th 2023]
[Lansky Ballroom, The Sands, Las Vegas, Nevada]

The tour was now complete, Recoba had given each investor chips to gamble on his dime. As they made their way down the corridor back towards the casino floor, Cross heard the echo of one investor as they made their way to the tables.

“I’m with Cross, give him the rope to hang himself before we start calling the shots.”

Cross sighed internally: just got to hope that I’m on the right side of the deal and Fox ends up with the Dead Man’s Hand.

*****