Post by Jack Diamond on Apr 24, 2018 19:34:16 GMT -5
Tuesday, July 25th – 12:01 am
The boos are almost deafening, yet they sound millions of miles away. The cold, unforgiving, steel of the ramp in the Cajundome presses tightly across Jack Diamond’s right cheek. This isn’t the best way to ring in your birthday. The noise starts to die down. Diamond is able to make it to his knees. The arena lights are now on, fans are filing out in droves although some linger to make sure their beloved World Champion is okay. What the hell happened? All the people Diamond typically had to worry about was in sight, Barratt and Shawn tucking their tails and jetting, The Fireborn Connection were in and around the ring, but still…steel. It sounded like a gun shot in his ears as what could only be a chair struck him in the back. Was it Mad Dog having another tantrum after losing a closely fought match? No, it couldn’t have been. He is a strange guy, but Diamond seen the look of respect in his eyes after the match. Who would have something to gain by leaving the champ lying as the TNT broadcast went off the air?
Diamond glances around the arena. No one is left ringside but a few crew members. The paramedics who were giving James Bryant medical attention must have gotten him to the back. No one seemed that worried about Diamond, after all it has become almost a routine that he finishes Monday Night Spectacle laid out. That has to change, he thinks to himself as he gingerly picks himself up to applause from those fans that are still left, he acknowledges them with a nod and saunters off to the back of the arena.
Tuesday, July 25th – 12:34 am
Alone in the locker room, our champion sits and contemplates. The door creeks open and Diamond doesn’t even open his eyes to look. Some would call it sulking, but this meditation tends to calm his mind when he is stressed. As the footsteps get closer, Diamond opens one eye and smiles.
Dakota: Happy Birthday to you… Happy Birthday to you… Happy Birthday, dear Jack… Happy Birthday to you!
Dakota walks up behind Jack, bending down and giving him a quick peck on the cheek before presenting him with a cupcake she had behind her back as she entered. He looks up at her incredulously. Somehow, even on his worst night in a while, she made him forget it in that moment, then his smile fades a bit.
Diamond: Who the hell hit me? Did you see it? I can’t find the damn tape anywhere…
Dakota: Take it easy sweetie, you shouldn’t fret so much on your birthday. You are thirty one now after all, you have to keep that blood pressure low.
Diamond side eyes her, she smiles down at him. Of course she is just messing with him, but is also serious. She has seen the serious side of Jack, the one that can easily become obsessed with those who are out to get him.
Dakota: Relax. The guy that hit you, he is a newcomer. I guess it’s the old cliché, “biggest dog in the yard” mentality. His name is The Killer Penguin or something like that.
Diamond: The Killer Penguin? What the hell is that? And he wants to attack the “biggest dog”? Well, he has bit off more than he can chew. It’s a shame his ICW career will end before it even gets started.
Dakota: Well, his name is GB Armstrong. Apparently he is a former olym-
Diamond: GB Armstrong? Yeah I’ve seen him before, he was an Olympic standout in wrestling until he broke his neck. Never did get to compete for the gold.
Diamond looks over beside him at his World Championship belt. He picks it up and places it over his shoulder and kind of pats the faceplate.
Diamond: I guess he thinks he is owed something because of that. Hungry for some gold. Well, he is sadly mistaken if he thinks he can walk in here and jump straight to the top because he won some silly amateur matches in New Zealand.
Dakota: Well, I spoke with Lucas a few moments ago before he left the arena. He’s already booked your match for next week and is giving you The Penguin.
Diamond: It’s too damn hot for a penguin to be walking around here…
Dakota looks at him blankly, the joke clearly lost on her. Diamond is smiling a goofy sort of smile.
Diamond: Really, nothing? Billy Madison?
Dakota: Never seen it…
Diamond: Geez woman, I am going to have to educate you. Anyways, Lucas is putting me in a match with GB. I hope he is ready, because I’m going to test just how fragile that stack of dimes he calls a neck is when I hit him with a stacked deck.
Dakota: That’s not all, Lucas seemed really upset with you coming out and talking the Connection down… didn’t really appreciate you calling him a clown. He added some stipulation to the match.
Diamond: Stipulations? What stipulations?
Dakota: Well, if you lose, The Penguin gets a shot at the world title on Spectacle after Midsummer Night’s Massacre.
Diamond: Well, that’s not going to happen. What happens when I beat Birdman?
Dakota: Well, you would guarantee yourself a rematch for your title on the Spectacle after Midsummer Night if Barratt ware to beat you. It would be a triple threat match with the opponent to be named later.
Diamond: If Barratt beats me? What the hell is Lucas playing at? I’m stepping in that Cell in two weeks and plan on taking Bobby to a hell he has only ever dreamt of. There is a reason why he took Shawn’s money and bought a customized Shooting Star title, it’s because the real belt belongs to me. I haven’t forgotten that either. When I am done grating his smug face up and down that cage to the point of it looking like he went head first into a meat grinder, he can dust of my title from whatever shack of a gym he has it stored in and return it to its rightful owner. One thing is for sure, he won’t be leaving that night with my world title.
Dakota: I love it when you get all worked up. We better go, though, before we get locked in this place. Besides, we have a big birthday bash to prepare for tomorrow evening!
Diamond looks at her, she continues to find a way to pull him back from the ledge. The Barratt rant is almost forgotten as he laughs at the thought of getting locked in the Cajundome. He finishes packing his stuff up and heads out towards the parking lot, hand-in-hand with Dakota Paige.
Tuesday, July 25th – 10:16 pm
The scene is crazy. Music is thumping throughout the building, confetti is flying and a light show dances around the walls of Platinum of Birmingham, a premier night club in the heart of Birmingham, Alabama where ICW goes live from next Monday night. There is a huge banner that reads “Platinum Meets Diamonds” and the crowd is raucous, all awaiting the arrival of the birthday boy himself, The Ace of Spades, Jack Diamond. The camera catches Dakota Paige, dressed in a beautiful red dress walking through the VIP section. She enters a dark back room, the only light coming from a television screen mounted on the wall. It is from Last night’s Spectacle. There is Diamond with a microphone in hand, then WHAM! Down goes Diamond. The video is quickly rewound. WHAM! Down goes Diamond. Again and Again.
Dakota: What in the world are you doing? The people are buzzing for you champ! This is YOUR day!
Jack, staring in front of the screen, wild-eyed, looks over to her. He rewinds the clip again and pauses it just before the chair strikes his back, the video clearly stopped shows The Killer Penguin, GB Armstrong swinging madly.
Diamond: There! There it is!
Dakota: There what is? Why are your torturing yourself?
Diamond: I needed to see his face. To get in his mind. What was he thinking? There it is! Look at those eyes. I know that look. It isn’t the look of opportunity. I had the look of opportunity when I made my debut in ICW interfering in a match to make a statement. No, that’s not the look I’m seeing here. What do you see?
Dakota rolls her eyes before walking over and looking at the screen, entertaining this game and trying hard to see what Jack does.
Dakota: I don’t know, his eyes are closed.
Diamond: Yes! His eyes are closed. That is the look of fear, the look of apprehension. That “oh-shit” moment when you know you are in over your head. He may have initially thought he could make a statement but in that moment, right before making contact, he realized he made the greatest mistake in his life. This Monday that debt will be paid. It won’t be one giant leap for that Armstrong, no-no-no. He steps into Diamond’s ring on Monday. All the wrestling and MMA training he has had in his days will fail him as he goes one on one with the best damn thing in ICW today. This Monday, GB stands for “Got Beat”
Diamond tosses the remote onto a nearby sofa and stares up at the screen. Dakota just shakes her head for a moment, amused at his passion. She walks up to him and puts her arm around his shoulder.
Dakota: That’s great, now that you figured out Da Vinci’s Code, why don’t we go unwind? It’s your damn birthday man! The Diamond Club is calling you…listen…
Diamond pauses for a minute, finally appreciating the atmosphere that Dakota has worked hard to provide him, and on the outside of the back room he hears it “DIAMOND… DIAMOND… DIAMOND…” He smiles and kisses her on the forehead.
Diamond: Thank you for sticking with me the last two weeks, and for setting all this up.
Dakota: Yeah-yeah, don’t mention it. Now, let’s give this rowdy Alabama crowd what they want! Come drink and dance with me Ace!
Diamond: Roll Tide…
Diamond and Dakota head out back into the VIP area of the club where they are announced over the PA system and the crowd goes insane. It is definitely an improvement to how Diamond’s birthday started out. If his face hits the floor tonight it will be from his own doing. With that said, who hits the floor this coming Monday? Can Diamond prove once again why he is the reigning World Champ and number one wrestler in Icon Championship Wrestling? Will the newcomer, The Killer Penguin, get the best of him and immediate jump into the world title picture? Why does he sound like a comic book villain? Is Rieter still upset Jack stepped in to end the Barratt beat down? So many questions surround Jack Diamond, but tonight is not about any of that. It’s about celebrating the birth of the most talked about superstar in all of wrestling. Jack leads Dakota across the dance floor, drinks in hand, as the crowd gathers around and in the foggy haze of the neon lights, the scene comes to an end.