Post by jamesradford on Feb 2, 2017 16:53:10 GMT -5
Indiana Farmer's Coliseum
Indianapolis, Indiana
2/2/2017
Indianapolis, Indiana
2/2/2017
The scene opens up to James Radford sitting on the edge of the AWE ring that has been erected dead center of the Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum. The Executive Action banners already hang from the rafters, but the stage and tron are still under construction. He is wearing a white wife beater, a pair of well-worn blue jeans, and his customary Stetson cowboy hat when he addresses the camera with a serious eye.
“A coward, Ana, really? Listen at her get all gussied up and lash out with that forked tongue. A tongue that knows its fair share of fables and tales, I’m sure. See, you don’t get anywhere in this business if you aren’t willing to spin some yarn, and that bullshit Anastasia Hayden keeps spewing out of her mouth just proves it.”
James smirks.
“You see, Ana is going to try her damnedest to make it out like none of this matters to her. Like it’s beneath her. Well if it’s so god damn petty, if this whole promotion is just one big joke, a sham that you don’t take seriously, then why do you care so much about embarrassing it? Why do you go to such painstaking lengths to prove yourself to everyone else around you if you don’t have anything to prove?”
“You call me a falsehood, a pretender, a joke. Hell, Ana, you called me worthless. If that were coming from someone who didn’t so often tell me how none of this matters to her I might actually take offense, but as it is, your opinion is about as important as Zack Fantana’s was before I put him on his ass. And since we’re all running around here sharing our feelings and opinions, I might as well divulge mine as well.”
James slips off the edge of the ring, and fully engages the camera.
“Anastasia Hayden, I think you’re a liar. You work too damn hard trying to convince the fans, your opponents, and the AWE staff that you don’t care. That the titles don’t matter to you, and that the Alpha Cup is just a worthless thing to be thrown away. You say it’s all about the fight, but then contradict yourself with how little this all means. You try and devalue everyone and everything to make it seem like you’re above it all, but the truth is…..
James smiles now, but there is no mirth in the image.
“The truth is you’re just trying to convince yourself. That way if you fail then it’s no big deal. The problem with that logic is that your actions don’t match up with your words. I’d even go so far as to say you’re out here trying harder than anyone else to climb the ladder of success so that you can cement your name in history. Pretending that Legacy isn’t important to you isn’t impressive, Mrs. Hayden, it’s just foolish. It’s an outright lie, and I intend to prove it by taking that Alpha Cup away from you.”
Soft chuckle with a hand run across the brim of his hat.
“See, you can pretend like that trophy doesn’t mean anything to you, but I know the truth. It means just as much to you as it does to me, which is why you’ve fought so hard to claim it. Of course it’s about ‘The Fight’, Ana. It always has been. And why do we fight? You want us to believe it’s because of some ulterior purpose other than winning and becoming a success in this company, as if somehow that will make you seem above it all….superior in some way. Well there’s nothing worse than a high faluting bitch who thinks that her shit don’t stink because of delusions of grandeur.”
A wink, followed by the tip of the hat.
“You said it yourself, all that stuff in the past is irrelevant. Our previous opponents are no longer a factor, the path towards one another clear. This isn’t just one more fight though. Hell no, this is for everything. You’ve been a champion before, you know what it’s like to be on top, which is how I know that’s where you want to be again. As for me, however, I can’t lay claim to such accolades. This is my first time up to bat, and I am fully aware that it may be my only chance.”
James bows his head, and rubs the back of his neck.
“If I lose this, I don’t know what happens to me. Sure, I’ll get back up, brush myself off, come back swinging for another day, but what you describe is nothing like me at all. If I come up short, I’ll be devastated, cause for me this is it. It’s the only destination, the center of my universe. Call me desperate, call me pathetic, hell, call me a coward. I don’t really care. I know who I am, and don’t need to get my validation from some hard luck woman. Besides, I figure we’ll have plenty of time on Sunday to determine exactly what and who I am.”
“But for right now, this is it. My entire being, my essence, is focused on Executive Action. I’m not doing this for revenge, I’m not doing this cause I feel forced into it, and I’m certainly not doing this because I don’t care. I’m doing it cause it’s the only damn thing I care about. As for what you’ve got planned for me, all I can say is bring it on. This promotion is past due to see me in my prime, and if it’s all out carnage you want, then by God, I’ll oblige!”
James shakes his head, and takes in the camera with serious eyes.
“I’m at a point now in my career where the stakes have never been higher, and though I may not be able to take anything away from your ability, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to try and take that Alpha Cup away from you. And just as I’m sure this match is the most important of my career, I’m just as sure that I’m going to walk out of it changed. I think sometimes in life there are events that force that change upon you whether you’re ready for it or not, and the measure of who you are is by how you handle that change.”
“This Sunday, I’m walking into Executive Action to solidify my spot here in the AWE, because unlike you, I do have something to prove. I have to make sure that my legitimacy as a contender in this promotion isn’t questionable, and I have to redeem what’s left of my name. So dismiss me if you must, Ana, but you’ll excuse the hell out of me if I keep my focus trained squarely on you. Cause you are all that stands between this worthless coward and his destiny.”
James winks one more time before the camera fades to black.
As James was about to make his way towards the locker area the sound of clapping from the front row brought him to a halt. He looked over to spy Bobby Benson sitting in one of the ringside chairs, his demeanor mocking and insincere. James took it in with a shake of his head as Bobby got to his feet, and stepped towards his client.
“I have to say, James, you can be pretty convincing when you want to be. But we both know that you won’t do what it may ‘actually’ take to defeat Anastasia Hayden. It goes against your misguided sense of honor.”
James teeth ground together to refrain from feeding into the obnoxious little man, and he nodded his head in false acquiesce.
“Well, Bobby, I guess that’s why I have you, ain’t it?”
Bobby’s eyes lit up like diamonds, and a coy smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“Careful, son, or I might see that as an invitation.”
“Who says it’s not? We’re past the wine and dine stage of this relationship, and might as well have skipped the part where we’d been together so long we were boring. So let’s just get right down to it. You’re going to be with me at ringside on Sunday, and I expect you to do what it is you do. I can’t expect anything different. That would be like asking a tiger to change its stripes. What I can expect is for you to show enough restraint to keep us from losing that Alpha Cup based on your unwarranted shenanigans.”
Bobby’s jaw set as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Fair enough. But if things start going downhill and I see an opportunity, then you should know I’m going to take it. I don’t have the same qualms about getting one over on people that you do.”
James smirked then, a dangerous glint in his eye.
“Bobby, I meant what I said last week. I’m a pretty nice guy, but I’m also pretty quick on the up take, and I'm certainly only going to be pushed so far. And quite frankly, you don’t know enough about me and what I’ve been through to know what I’m capable of. You’re just like all of those folks in the locker room and out in this crowd. You only know what I’ve shown you. Test me on that…”
James leaned in close so the he could look the man in the eyes.
“...and I'll show you exactly who the fuck I can be.”
James chuckled grimly before turning away to leave Bobby Benson to ruminate over what that dark message could mean.