Post by Tornado Desencadenado on Mar 1, 2017 15:34:37 GMT -5
Dead weight, that’s what it was; 120 pounds of anthropomorphic heavy duty nylon and sand sprawled in the middle of the ring. Despite this fact Tornado Desencadenado approached the grappling dummy with confidence. Wrapping his thick arms around its midsection, the young wrestler hefted it up. Still bent over, he pivoted, shifting his and the object’s mass so that he could then swing it across his body. With some fancy footwork he spun himself 180 degrees. The momentum allowed him to lift his burden higher up off the ground. One final half turn got TD close enough and the dummy high enough so he could fulfill his objective of hurling the MMAnnequin over the top rope and to the outside. The feat accomplished, Tornado allowed himself a slight, satisfied smile before rolling to the floor to retrieve his lifeless training partner. A voice from across the ring, dripping with Machismo, got his attention.
“Ooh, yeah: grandstanding and hotdogging.”
Tornado looked at a source, a tall athletic man wearing a shirt that identifying him as one of the gym’s staff. He shrugged before heaving the grappling dummy up to the apron.
“Leverage drills,” he said simply, trying to correct the other man’s assertion.
Jacory Richard shook his head and replied in his normal voice, “Not this. I’m talking about your ‘Lagniappe Championship Challenge’.”
“What was wrong with that?” The Fundamental Elemental asked while pulling himself back into the ring.
“Grandstanding and Hotdogging!” the personal trainer repeated with his previous inflection, “You haven’t even had your first match in Alpha Wrestling and you’ve given yourself a title and told them you’re putting it on the line in the show’s curtain jerker. Pretty ballsy move.”
“I thought it was a positive way to sell the Battle Royal,” TD explained. Grabbing the dummy by its arms he dragged across the canvass.
Richard shrugged at his childhood friend and current client, “Yeah, but some might not see it that way. To them it could come across as a desperate, delusional cry for attention.”
Tornado left the mannequin in the middle of the ring and moved to the side where Jacory stood, “I am desperate,” he conceded, resting his arms on the top cable, “AWE is the biggest company I’ve fought for, and I want my first real match to be memorable. It would be easy to get lost in the shuffle given the level of talent involved in the Battle Royal.”
“Has anyone said anything to you about your challenge?”
“Not directly,” The Spin Doctor answered, “Benny Stevens cut a promo saying I seem like a good guy, and then sort of congratulated me for beating Jack Hugg for the belt. He pointed out that the Lagniappe Title isn’t officially recognized by AWE.”
“Which it isn’t,” Jacory noted as he waved to one of his clients by the free weights.
Tornado answered, “Which is why it’s called the ‘Lagniappe Championship’. It’s supposed to be something extra to raise the stakes when people face me. That’s how I see it, anyway; as an open opportunity. The next holder can do whatever they want with it. They can sell it on eBay if that’s all the belt means to them.”
“You have an idea how much it’s worth?”
“No, but it’s not a replica. If I’m able to keep it after Massacre maybe I’ll get it appraised.”
There was a pause in the conversation. Jacory left to speak with the customer he had signaled earlier. When he returned Tornado was running the ropes, hopping over the grappling dummy on every circuit, until he performed a front forward roll on it, hooking its near arm and leg, and lifting it up into a fireman’s carry position. He then lurched over to the edge of the ring and dumped it outside.
“Now that’s some grandstanding and hotdogging,” Jacory said in a more appreciative tone.
“Heh. A little. There’s easier ways to eliminate someone in a Battle Royal,” TD admitted as he climbed over the ropes to again fetch the training dummy, “But the move could come in handy; you know: ‘the element of surprise’. I’m going need any advantage I can to win Sunday.”
“Who’s got you most worried?”
Tornado stopped to think, “I don’t know; hard to handicap a scrum like this. Christian Jones is the biggest guy, and size does matter in a Battle Royal. Aaron Pace is another powerhouse, and he’s got to be motivated to win this, since he’s Number One Contender for the Paramount Title. Not having a strong showing is going to hurt his credibility.”
Jacory stated the obvious, “Assuming he cares. Dude’s already got his title shot.”
“If he doesn’t care then he doesn’t deserve to be champion,” TD adjudged with some severity before moving on to rate the rest of his upcoming opposition, “Benny Stevens sees himself as in the top four of the Resilience Division, and he wants the rest of us to agree, so he’s another one I expect a real fight from. Dom Lawson might have more wrestling experience than the rest of us put together; and in a Battle Royal, where anything can happen, experience is an asset. Catherine Burchill is another one with good ring awareness and a reputation for being extremely ruthless and opportunistic.”
“Still haven’t answered my question.”
“I think Hubert Smalls and Jessie Roberts will be the toughest out if they work together. They beat the tag team champions at the last Massacre. It makes sense for them to stay partners and watch each other’s back for this match. Add in Hubert’s strength and Jessie’s striking ability to any possible alliance and I think they’d do well.”
His prediction complete, Tornado hoisted the grappling dummy onto his shoulder. His scheduled time in the ring it was nearly done. He’d put away the mannequin, hit the showers, and then head home to study more film of the seven men and women he’d be facing this Sunday; knowing full well between now and then his answer to Jacory’s question could change a half dozen times.
“Ooh, yeah: grandstanding and hotdogging.”
Tornado looked at a source, a tall athletic man wearing a shirt that identifying him as one of the gym’s staff. He shrugged before heaving the grappling dummy up to the apron.
“Leverage drills,” he said simply, trying to correct the other man’s assertion.
Jacory Richard shook his head and replied in his normal voice, “Not this. I’m talking about your ‘Lagniappe Championship Challenge’.”
“What was wrong with that?” The Fundamental Elemental asked while pulling himself back into the ring.
“Grandstanding and Hotdogging!” the personal trainer repeated with his previous inflection, “You haven’t even had your first match in Alpha Wrestling and you’ve given yourself a title and told them you’re putting it on the line in the show’s curtain jerker. Pretty ballsy move.”
“I thought it was a positive way to sell the Battle Royal,” TD explained. Grabbing the dummy by its arms he dragged across the canvass.
Richard shrugged at his childhood friend and current client, “Yeah, but some might not see it that way. To them it could come across as a desperate, delusional cry for attention.”
Tornado left the mannequin in the middle of the ring and moved to the side where Jacory stood, “I am desperate,” he conceded, resting his arms on the top cable, “AWE is the biggest company I’ve fought for, and I want my first real match to be memorable. It would be easy to get lost in the shuffle given the level of talent involved in the Battle Royal.”
“Has anyone said anything to you about your challenge?”
“Not directly,” The Spin Doctor answered, “Benny Stevens cut a promo saying I seem like a good guy, and then sort of congratulated me for beating Jack Hugg for the belt. He pointed out that the Lagniappe Title isn’t officially recognized by AWE.”
“Which it isn’t,” Jacory noted as he waved to one of his clients by the free weights.
Tornado answered, “Which is why it’s called the ‘Lagniappe Championship’. It’s supposed to be something extra to raise the stakes when people face me. That’s how I see it, anyway; as an open opportunity. The next holder can do whatever they want with it. They can sell it on eBay if that’s all the belt means to them.”
“You have an idea how much it’s worth?”
“No, but it’s not a replica. If I’m able to keep it after Massacre maybe I’ll get it appraised.”
There was a pause in the conversation. Jacory left to speak with the customer he had signaled earlier. When he returned Tornado was running the ropes, hopping over the grappling dummy on every circuit, until he performed a front forward roll on it, hooking its near arm and leg, and lifting it up into a fireman’s carry position. He then lurched over to the edge of the ring and dumped it outside.
“Now that’s some grandstanding and hotdogging,” Jacory said in a more appreciative tone.
“Heh. A little. There’s easier ways to eliminate someone in a Battle Royal,” TD admitted as he climbed over the ropes to again fetch the training dummy, “But the move could come in handy; you know: ‘the element of surprise’. I’m going need any advantage I can to win Sunday.”
“Who’s got you most worried?”
Tornado stopped to think, “I don’t know; hard to handicap a scrum like this. Christian Jones is the biggest guy, and size does matter in a Battle Royal. Aaron Pace is another powerhouse, and he’s got to be motivated to win this, since he’s Number One Contender for the Paramount Title. Not having a strong showing is going to hurt his credibility.”
Jacory stated the obvious, “Assuming he cares. Dude’s already got his title shot.”
“If he doesn’t care then he doesn’t deserve to be champion,” TD adjudged with some severity before moving on to rate the rest of his upcoming opposition, “Benny Stevens sees himself as in the top four of the Resilience Division, and he wants the rest of us to agree, so he’s another one I expect a real fight from. Dom Lawson might have more wrestling experience than the rest of us put together; and in a Battle Royal, where anything can happen, experience is an asset. Catherine Burchill is another one with good ring awareness and a reputation for being extremely ruthless and opportunistic.”
“Still haven’t answered my question.”
“I think Hubert Smalls and Jessie Roberts will be the toughest out if they work together. They beat the tag team champions at the last Massacre. It makes sense for them to stay partners and watch each other’s back for this match. Add in Hubert’s strength and Jessie’s striking ability to any possible alliance and I think they’d do well.”
His prediction complete, Tornado hoisted the grappling dummy onto his shoulder. His scheduled time in the ring it was nearly done. He’d put away the mannequin, hit the showers, and then head home to study more film of the seven men and women he’d be facing this Sunday; knowing full well between now and then his answer to Jacory’s question could change a half dozen times.