Post by jamesradford on Jan 27, 2017 19:30:20 GMT -5
The Van Andel Arena
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Right After Massacre….
MARSHALL DOUGLAS: Here is your winner… advancing to the finals of the Alpha Cup Tournament…. “Country Fine”… JAMES… RADDDDFOOOORRRD!!!
The PA system echoed throughout the halls of the arena, reaching as far back to the locker rooms and one Bobby Benson, who, still locked in a bathroom, shook his head in disbelief at the announcement. His client had just been named victorious in the semi-finals of a thirty-two man tournament, and he had made it to the finals without Bobby by his side. The wiry man banged his fist on the bathroom counter, and immediately recoiled, shaking his injured hand and cursing under his breath.
When he turned to look in the mirror, he barely recognized the image. His hair was disheveled, his clothing wrinkled and worn, and the vein in his forehead was still pulsing visibly against his skin. Most of this was due to being locked up in the bathroom against his will, but some of it had to be attributed to his efforts as of late to bring his client to bear. After all that he had said to James over the past few weeks, he could have never guessed that the man would take matters into his own hands. He just didn’t seem like the type.
But here he was, and out there was James, soaking up a clean victory over Zack Fantana, who up to this point was undefeated in AWE.
Bobby shook his head again.
“Now that cowboy prick is going to be insufferable.”
Painter’s Gap Moonshine
Jackson, Mississippi
1/26/2017
The scene opens up to James Radford sitting on a bar stool beside a large still made from copper, with several pipes leading up into the ceiling, and off into the next room. Underneath the still is a burner, and several barrels litter the site with various contents for making moonshine.
James has a wry smile on his face as he lifts a mason jar up to his lips and takes a sip, letting out a triumphant ‘Ahhh’ afterwards. He sets the mason jar out of the way, but not so far that he can’t easily retrieve it, before addressing the camera.
“Well, the stage is set. The players are in their respective corners. Everything we’ve all been working towards has come down to this event, to this moment. Executive Action.”
That smile of his gets even wider.
“And what a way to get here. Everything I've done with my career thus far has been called into question. I've Been told that I was no good, a wash out, someone who didn’t deserve to be here. I’ve had my honor called into question, my work ethic disavowed, and been flat out told that I wasn’t ever going to amount to anything on my own. And you know what I’m ashamed of the most? I almost believed them.”
James chuckles.
“If that wasn’t bad enough, Bobby Benson, my own damn manager, made it out like they were right. He interfered in my matches for no other reason than to make it out like I couldn’t do it without him. He had Hunter Storms crack me over the head with a steel chair to give me a win, but in reality, to send me a message. That was Bobby’s way of saying, I’m the one in charge here. I’m the one in control. I call the shots.”
James shakes his head in vexation.
“If I’m being honest, I guess I can see why someone might get that idea in their head when it comes to me. I’m a pretty nice guy, pretty simple, and not very quick to confrontation. I’ve come to find out, however, that in this industry nice usually equates to naïve. If so, then yeah, sure, I’m guilty.”
“I was raised to say what you mean, and to mean what you say. Be forthright, honest, and take pride in yourself when you’ve done good, and chastise yourself when you’ve done wrong. Be humble, and let your actions do your talking for you. Where I messed up is believing that most everyone else in the world had the same ideals as I do. Sure, I’m not stupid, I know that there are bad eggs out there, but I never took into account that maybe they were the majority, and that my kind are the minority. I also never banked on someone getting one over on me so completely.”
James shrugs, looking down at his feet.
“I fall into that category in life where I’m young enough to still have pretty lofty goals and ambition, but old enough that I’m supposed to be practical. What can I say folks, I’m still learning, but I’m a pretty quick study. I knew I had to prove myself, I had to get this specter off my back, and the best thing I could come up with is to beat Zack Fantana.”
That smile returns as he stares into the camera.
“See, no matter what anyone wants to say, Zack is the man around these parts. I don’t have to agree with his rhetoric to recognize that. With everything that has happened over the past several weeks, I knew that beating Fantana clean would give me legitimacy. It would give me the ammunition needed to move forward towards whoever won the other Semi-Final match. It would give me a chance to finally shake free of the claims against my reputation.”
“Who knows, I could be wrong. Zack might try and claim it was a fluke, and Anastasia might very well say that none of it matters, cause it’s all about the here and now, but I disagree with both those narratives. Cause there are no flukes in this business, just any given Sunday’s, and everything we’ve done in our careers matters cause those are the trials that brought us to this dance.”
James gives the camera confident wink.
“And what a dance partner I’ve been privileged to work with. Anastasia Hayden is a beast in the ring, putting her body on the line to get one-step closer to the Alpha Cup. She called us all out last week when she said that none of us had been through what she’s put herself through so far in this tournament, and you know what, I have to agree. So now, we’ve got a beaten down beleaguered Anastasia Hayden walking into a match against a James Radford that’s just finding his stride.”
Charming grin.
““But Ana’s no slouch. She’s no novice to the business. She knows what’s at stake, and I know that there’s no lengths she won’t go to in order to claim it. Just ask Caroline O’hara Burchill if you don’t believe me. Those two have been in a war since we all came over from PAW, and Ana put the final nail in the coffin of that feud when she bumped Caroline out of this tournament. It’s almost bitter sweet when you think of it, as this was one hell of a story, and now it’s over.”
"But we’ve got our own story to write, Ana. Neither one of us is going to get much of a chance to revel in our victories before putting pen to paper and pushing out the first chapter. Who knows, if it turns out like I think it will, we might just get a Pulitzer Prize.”
Soft chuckle.
“Of course, before we can get there, we have to do the customary summary you find on the back of the book. We got to talk all that trash, talk about how we’re going to tear each other apart. Put out a clear description of our purpose in that ring before we actually make it there, so that everyone is hyped in anticipation for the moment that ‘Country Fine’ takes on AWE’s ‘Most Valuable Player’. It’s a huge responsibility to shoulder, but I’m game if you are.”
James shifts on the stool, taking up his mason jar and taking another sip. He savors the taste for a moment, before turning back to the camera and holding the glass up for cheers.
“Here’s to us, Ana. Here’s to making history. Here’s to finding out who the real MVP is around these parts. And finally, here’s to what we’re going to do to one another at Executive Action! It’s not called the Alpha Cup for nothing.”
With that, James drains the mason jar of its contents as the scene fades to black.
Bobby sighed heavily before pushing open the double doors that would lead him into the distillery where James had just finished his promo. James looked up from his stool, and then shook his head in disbelief, crossing his arms over his chest. The cameraman continued packing up his gear, but kept a watchful eye on the two men.
“How did you find me?” James asked, turning his disappointed gaze onto his manager.
“Pretty easy, actually. I just followed the paperwork for the AWE cameraman over there. The front office is required to funnel all requests through me for approval.”
The grim expression that James gave him at that news told him that this wasn’t going to be easy.
“Listen, James, I realize that all of this has gotten a little out of hand, and I’m even willing to admit that a good bit of it was my fault, but we have to get on the same page for this Alpha Cup thing. And before you get all high and mighty on me, the definitive word there is ‘WE’. You and me. For better or worse, that’s the way it is.”
James nodded slowly while hopping off of his stool, and as he walked past Bobby Benson towards the door, only one reply came to mind.
“I guess WE’LL see.”