Heart & Soul "Trouble Sleeping" (Rumble)

[Deleted]

The lights from a passing truck shine through "The Family Mans" bedroom window causing him to open his eyes as he lays there trying to get some sleep. He slowly sit's up on the bed as not to wake his wife Amanda as she lays there sleeping so peacefully. Danny Ray wipes his eyes as he tries to look at the clock on the wall, but his eyes feel so heavy, he's not been sleeping very well lately, the time reads 3:41 am. Thoughts of his match with The guns, The Borgs and most recently finding out he will be facing "The Prodigy" Bobby Barratt and the Icons for his Prestige Class Championship in the near future has his mind and head all over the place.



Danny Ray stand up and heads back into the living room but not until after doing a quick check on the children as he passes their rooms. While he walks into the kitchen to get to the living room he grabs an ice cold Sunny D out of the fridge. A couple more cars pass by the house as the lights can be seen shining through the living room windows. Danny Ray decides to log back onto his laptop and sign into the XHF Networks website. While the site comes up, he starts to rub his head almost pulling at his hair you can see a distant yet ominous look come over his face, in his eyes. He quickly clicks on the live feed button as to leave a video message.



Danny Ray - " Guns, I have been watching your little promos and your rhetoric for the last few weeks. You think because you walk around with the belts that you're better than everyone else. I have been thinking about the comments from you Mueller especially you Venom about my cousin Austin. See you make light of the fact he fought and survived Colon cancer, and it pisses me off. "



The Family Man starts to get agitated as he begins to rock back in forth a bit as he speaks.



Danny Ray - " See I'm not one to hold grudges or to go looking for a fight, but when it comes to my family, to my lively hood I am not one you want to cross. I have been thinking about everything you have said and I can't get it out of my mind just how arrogant you two are how completely heartless, soulless you two are. Now don't get me wrong see this has been building for quite a while as I have had some ignorant people throughout the past couple months want to run their mouths about me, my family, and things they just don't know about. "



Danny Ray - " Now, is the time to shut you all up! There's going to be consequences for your mockery for your complete lack of respect. You have faced The Borgs before so you know what to expect, hell you have faced some of the best in the business I will give you that but you have never faced me, you have never faced Austin. See we are not just some common joe tag team. We are fighters, we are hungry for the tag team belts, for the respect that comes with being a champion, for the guaranteed lively hood that comes with being a champion. But most of all for the redemption it will give me and the future it gives Austin. "



The curtains behind Danny Ray starts to blow all over the place as the wind picks up from an incoming storm. Every second that passes Danny Ray seems to be getting more and more agitated, as he begins to pull harder at his hair, smacking the sides of his head as he starts to talk more erratic.



Danny Ray - " Guns let me give you a bit of advice you shouldn't talk shit to people you don't really know, see all you have done is piss off a man who has nothing to lose in this business and everything to gain. As you are probably laying in your king size bed laying on satin or silk sheets next to whoever you're with tonight. I'm here hear stewing over everything that's happened to me every little snobby, egotistical comment you, Randy Angel, Bobby Barratt and whoever else that think they are so much better than me and my cousin has said. "



Danny Ray - " I'm not asking for handout's, I'm not asking for you all to lay down and just let me have the titles, unlike most people nowadays I work for everything I have ever had, ever wanted or needed. I support my family the best I can and come to our match at The Rumble for the Global Tag team championships I will show you just how dangerous a person can be when backed in a corner, just how far a man will go when pushed too far. "



A light in the far end of the house comes on as Danny Ray begins to get a bit loud, he quickly glances over to the light to see who it is. It's Tiffany Rose holding her blanket as she's standing in the hallway asking for daddy. The Family Man jumps up and heads over to her quickly picking her up holding her close to him as he comes back over to the couch and sits down. Ashe rocks Tiffany Rose trying to get her back to sleep he continues his video message.



Danny Ray - " I want you to take a good look at this face, see this pure, innocent and beautiful little face. Look at it damn it see this is why I will win, why I must win. You have no idea what I will do, what I will release upon you or anyone else that interferes in my ability to take care of this little girl and her siblings her mother and anyone else that I love. "





Danny Ray - " I am not making threats so don't get me wrong, I am simply letting you know what will happen. So instead of talking shit to me or about me, about my cousin Austin why don't you go to a gym train because come Madrid, Spain, you will be known as the former Global Tag team champions. Now it's extremely late and I need to get my little girl back to bed, I need to get my head straight and get an hour or two sleep before I begin another day of training for our match and taking care of my family. "



The Family Man stands up with his little girl in his arms as she rests her head on his shoulder he bends over looking into the camera and simply says one last thing before shutting off the laptop.



Danny Ray - " Family First!! "

[Venom 🕷]

Oh Danny, what an ugly baby you have.

What? Did you expect to pop up with a photo of your child and it to back me off? Did you expect me to care? I don't give a shit about your kid. To me it is just a bag of flesh created from the inferior genes that you possess. Just a dirty child that would be better off on the streets fighting for its life in a trash can than it would be with you and your whore of a wife.

Too far? I hope so Danny, because then maybe you'll show me something real.

Because so far I've talked about your dead baby, your whore of a wife, your cancer survivor cousin and now your dirty baby and all you have shown me is fake insanity in front of a furnace, a shitty letter, and this fake rage.

SHOW ME SOMETHING REAL!

Show me who you really are. Show me the man the man that is behind the fake persona you put on. Show me the man who uses his family to get himself over with the crowd. Show me emotion. What you're showing me know is just more fake bullshit and I'm tired of it. If I wanted fake shit I wouldn't be boycotting the shitty company you work for. I'd get a full dose of it before the first break.

Get real Danny, or get lost.

Venom is running, he's not getting anywhere, but he's running. His eyes are closed and his headphones are on. He's shirtless running on a treadmill in an empty quiet gym in Spain. He' rented out this gym to prepare himself, and his team, for their matches at the Rumble. The music can't be heard, nothing can be heard but his footsteps dropping one after the other on the belt of the treadmill. He's in the zone. Sweat flying off of his body with each step. He's running now, but he's not running away from anything, but towards something, glory.

You think you know what you're in for Danny. You think you know what Mueller and myself are bringing. I'm sure you've watched the tape and like everyone else you don't see much. You think that's all we got. What you don't see, though, Danny is that we are so talented, so good in that ring, that we only do what is needed to win. No one in this incarnation of the XHF has any idea what we can do.

No, don't bother going back and looking at our old matches on the Network. You won't find anything that will help you there. It's been almost ten years and we've changed, we've evolved. We're better and different than anything you've seen before and there is no way to prepare for it. Not because you don't have the capability to prepare for it, you don't but alas, but because there is no one on this earth that knows each other better than we know each other. There's no one on this earth that fit together the way we fit together. Everything I lack Mueller makes up for, and vice versa. You have no chance Danny. Your cousin, he doesn't stand a chance either. 

It's simple Danny. You can keep pretending. You can keep studying. You can keep thinking you've got a chance. You can keep faking anger, but you don't stand a chance.

So either get real, or give up.

This was over before it started, Danny.

Say good bye to your family, because when I'm finished with you in Spain, when you fail, you wont want to show your face home again.

[Curtis D. Kanyon]

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-Begin Transmission-

*We open in on Evil Borg and Heavy-metal Borg watching the latest goings on in the XHF Universe on a television screen. The back of the screen is to the viewer because the Borgs are not monsters who watch TV at weird angles like some wrestlers where you can see the screen and their faces at the same time. Anyway, they are once again eating popcorn out of a bowl being held by Mecha Gold-bear II.*

: This is gold! Venom is so sick and sadistic! I can’t believe it! I need that evil back! I need that anger back! I mean, right now, I’m appalled that he would say such things to sweet Daniel! But I know that they are the best evil things to say and I wish I were the one to say them, but I’m not, and that makes me feel sad, which is an emotion that I am not used to because I’m usually so full of eeeeevil!

: “Feeling down n’ dirty, feeling kinda mean. I’ve been from one to another extreme!”

: I know right! We must demolish and destroy the Venom! We also need to distract Commissioner Mueller so he doesn’t do an automatic rematch again once we win the titles and I gain my eeeeeevilness back.

*Heavy-metal nods in approval.*

: But seeing Daniel and what he does, it warms my heart…and I hate it. But I need to embrace the… ugh… the good… so I may then use that to retain my evil. We’ve barely touched upon Daniel and his buddy, other than that they are total weiners, and they still are. I mean, no one in …THE AFTERWARD… are as sweet and loving as they! And I can’t wait to regain my evil nature to destroy him and Grant! But I am stuck doing… ew… the right thing. Due to no one being good in …THE AFTERWARD… I do not have the proper vernacular with which to retort this man. So I have added this time period’s dictionaries of Webster and Urban in Mecha Gold-bear II’s database in order to translate my words properly. Mecha Gold-bear II, activiate speech analysis program.

: Running Present Time Speech Analysis… Ready to translate meanings master Evil.

: I must say these nice things, cover your ears friend!

*Heavy-metal covers said ears by putting his hands on the front of his face. Because that’s where his ears are, obviously.*

: Danny, it is wonderful that you are helping your friend who had butt cancer--

: Correction, colon cancer.

: Yes. The bond that must have made between the two of you is truly extraordinary. I mean, not as much of a connection as two men who travel through time together to stop a band of goody two shoe wieners. Hey, Daniel has a lot in common with the Trons! This makes me dislike him more. But no! I must continue niceties. Daniel, it is great that you are a man who spreads his seed everywhere--

: Correction, Family Man.

: Right, I guess that’s a naive way to put that. But I’m also glad that Daniel continues to keep his body right with what he consumes. It is great that he loves the D—

: Correction, Sunny D.

: Is that what it’s called in this time? In …THE AFTERWARD… our advertisements don’t have time to use any names. It is all shorthand and saves more time for more commercials. I should pass this along to the XHF to boost ad revenue. Anyway, thank you Daniel for mentioning that we Borgs are among the best tag teams--

: Correction, Danny mentioned you, and then said the best tag teams. Thus separating you from the group.

: What? That is mean! Which is great. I should remember that. I can’t believe that due to my loss of evil, I was burned by Daniel Ray! That should not stand. I mean, how many XHF tag team title reigns does he have? We are automatically a higher level of tag team due to having held the titles more than them. That’s not an evil statement, that is just fact. But Daniel must be commended, because he did not ask for hand outs, he earned this tag team title match--

: Correction, Heart & Soul requested this match, no contendership was earned.

: Are you serious? We are owed a return match, and these guys just asked for it? And he tricked me into thinking he earned it! Why am I so gullible without my evilness? Okay, so maybe Daniel isn’t as nice as I had hoped. But he does have an adorable daughter--

: Correction, super adorable. I would like to hug her and keep her as my pet.

: Well, if Venom does as he says to Daniel, you probably could? We’ll see if wife Ashley takes Borg credits that will be worth a lot of money in …THE AFTERWARD… as we are short on current currency. Although, if she belongs to his mantra of “family first”—

: Correction, Danny is leaving his family behind to reach fame and glory in Madrid, thousands of miles away. As a father, he should be within close proximity should an emergency occur. Also, he is taking Grant away from hospitals which know of his plight, leaving him to explain his medical issues to doctors who do not speak his language first, should an emergency for him arise.

: Oh my God, God-like diety, or Spaghetti Monster for Atheists! Daniel may be even more evil than I thought! Heavy-metal, open your ears!

*Evil Borg pulls Heavy’s arms away from his face and Heavy looks up.*

: Daniel Ray is actually evil too!

: “Well, I’m hot blooded, check it and see! I got a fever of a hundred and three!”

: Damnit! Yes! Venom is evil, Danny is evil, Mueller is tired of moving, and Grant is weak and frail. How is it that the Borgs have become the good guys going into this match?

: OOOOOOP!

: You are right! We can use my goodness to low them into a sense of security, and you use your evilness to steal the win! For once, you are a genius!

: Correction, Heavy Metal Borg has a higher IQ than Evil Borg, with a score of—

: MECHA GOLD-BEAR II! STOP ANALYZING SPEECH!

: Speech analysis program is now closed.

: WHOOOP?

: We must succeed Heavy, that is all that matters!

-End Transmission-

[Deleted]

Danny Ray - " Venom, your a real piece of shit, you want to get real, you want to make this personal, you want to talk about my family my beautiful little girl? Then let's get personal if you were so great then why are you living off of a reputation made over ten years ago and hasn't been relevant since. See since you have been 'Back' you haven't really done much of anything. You claim your so good you only do what's needed to win, why don't you get real for a minute and stop fronting it's getting old. See me and Austin are the first REAL challengers you have had since coming back to this version of the XHF Network as you put it.  "

Danny Ray - " See you called my daughter just a bag of flesh, for that you will pay when I get my hands on you. You keep saying...

"Show me who you really are. Show me the man the man that is behind the fake persona you put on. Show me the man who uses his family to get himself over with the crowd. Show me emotion. What you're showing me know is just more fake bullshit and I'm tired of it. If I wanted fake shit I wouldn't be boycotting the shitty company you work for. I'd get a full dose of it before the first break."

...Now, just because I refuse to be a conceded prick like you, doesn't make me fake, but I will let you know a little something you haven't seen the full me yet and when we meet at The Rumble you will get more than you can handle. Because I know more about you than you think... For one you're insecure about our match how do I know that simple you keep wanting to attack me and my family trying to make sure I get emotional or back out because you hurt my feelings, laughable.  Secondly, you had to add the team of The Borgs to our match so you would have an excuse when you lose your belts or so you can have help, haven't quite figured that completely out yet. Then let's talk about how you claim to be all great and crap you are and how the company I work for is a shitty company. Yet you had to go start your own company because you couldn't hack it in a real one like AWF. "

Danny Ray - " So all you have managed to do is show your hand not only to me, my partner Austin, The Borgs but hell the whole XHF Network and if you manage to retain it will be the first time you have earned it since returning to XHF. Now Have a Nice Day. "

[jamesmueller]

We open up to a webcam video feed of a dark bedroom, slightly lit by the screen of the computer and an alarm clock with red LED numbers reading "4:20 AM." Suddenly, James Mueller's face fills the video feed. His eyes adjust to the brightness, he's clearly not wearing a shirt and perhaps even less, and he lets out a long audible yawn. He sits down in front of the camera and starts clicking around while talking to himself.

"Is this thing working? ...What is this? Hello?"

James eyes the camera a little bit, taps the camera, and then continues to click around. His eyebrows suddenly raise as he's surprised.

"OH! Hey, we're live. I had to dig this out of a box in the kitchen of all places, right next to the potato masher."

Mueller manually adjusts the camera with his hands until he gets it where he likes it.

"There we go.... Alright, sorry about that boys, it's been a long night and an even longer move to the new place. Things seem to be pretty sorted now, at least. I just need to unpack and then I can finally focus on more important matters... Like my advertising paychecks."

Mueller places a can of Coca-Cola down, label facing the webcam.

"Oh, and of course, preparing for the Greatest Royal Rumble in W-... Preparing! For the XHF Rumble! And defending our tag team championships with the incomparable Venom. I was going to 'prepare' some more tonight by getting some much needed sleep, but I got an alert on my phone about a certain somebody, making certain videos for the internet.... Somebody's been a busy busy boy, and I thought I would just log in to say a few words..."

Mueller coughs into his fist and grabs some notes he was taking while watching his opponents videos.

"I'm of course, talking about The Borgs.. First of all, how fucking dare you? I don't know if they appreciate the concept of time in... THE AFTERWARD... but it's four in the god damn morning, guys. Some of us have lives. Some of us live in reality. Some of us have been moving for the last two fucking weeks and all of their interns, that were going to help, have been mauled to death by Goldbear II or died during productions of GUN Shows. This isn't the appropriate time to be addressing the human race, so unless you're a rookie thinking about another dude's butt tumor, you need to get on our schedule. Leave your god damn transmissions for the timeslots between 10am and 10pm, when it's fucking reasonable for us to be awake."

Mueller's tired, damn it.

"Ok, ok... I'm sorry. I know it's not your fault, Borgs. I know that you're only responding to someone else who doesn't seem to understand that people's lives can't just stop and start at their convenience. Some people-"

Mueller waves his hands at himself

"-HAVE SHIT TO DO. God damn it, VENOM! I just want to get settled, I need to get my stuff unpacked. You know how many pairs of underwear I have unpacked right now? NOT ENOUGH, is the correct answer, V. You know how long I've worn the pair that's on me right now? TOO GOD DAMN LONG, is the correct answer, V. Instead of letting me get my shit together, you're calling me and you're texting me and you're emailing me and you're sending smoke signals to me about how I need to hit the gym, how I need to hit the books, how I need to lawyer up and delete facebook, and how I need to take this match more seriously. Venom, my dude, I just dragged two bags the size and weight of two human bodies up a flight of stairs from the basement. I'm getting my work in, V, don't you worry no more my man."

Mueller flexes his right arm a bit and then sighs.

"I don't know... It's alright, man, I'm not actually upset. I get it, actually, this is a big match, this is a triple threat for the tag team championships and I absolutely understand that I need to take this seriously. I just need you to not worry to the point that you stop sending me messages at 3:45am, V. I don't give a shit if Cancer boy's lover is posting the same tired-ass threats to us on pornhub at 3:30 in the morning. Let him! Let him tell us how he doesn't like it when we don't appreciate his buddy surviving cancer. I really couldn't care less what Danny Ray has to say about us while he's half asleep."

Mueller looks a bit annoyed. It's late (early?), he's tired, but here he is.

"If Danny wants to beg us to lay down for him at the Rumble, that's his problem. If Danny wants to repeat Fast and the Furious quotes at us about how family comes first, that's his problem. If Danny wants to post pictures of what alcohol fetal syndrome looks like, that's his problem.... If Danny wants to call us conceded pricks, assholes, pieces of shit..."

Mueller shrugs, unimpressed.

"Whatever he wants to call us, that's his problem. We've been called worse in Yelp reviews."

Mueller shakes his head before taking a quick sip of his coke.

"However.. If Danny wants a fight. If Danny wants to see true competition. If Danny wants to see what a pair of real champions look like, a pair of champions that have earned their titles and earned their reputations and earned their legendary status and EARNED their money AND EARNED their swag AND EARNED their god damn faces on the Mt Rushmore of professional wrestling.... If he wants to see what a pair of friends, that aren't family members or from a weird space dimension clan of weird fucks, can do to a pair of teams that are straight from the Disney Channel... Then that's his problem."

Mueller puts his hand on the camera

"And his problem will be in Madrid, and they're called The Guns."

Mueller turns off the camera.