Subject: "SBK" Johnny Styles [vs.] Crimson Skull Wed Aug 22, 2012 1:14 pm
Roleplay here!
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: "SBK" Johnny Styles [vs.] Crimson Skull Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:57 am
† Boston, MA † † Friday August 17th 2012 †
Getting inside the ring for a training session was something I was still trying to get used to again. Back in the day, I used to do all my training at the Gold’s gym in Somerville but that placed went out of business a few years ago. I thought I would have to find a place that was a drive away, I even had Mickey Ward’s place in Lowell as a possible place to work out at.
Then I ran into former Heavyweight Boxing champion John ‘The Quitman’ Ruiz at dinner a few weeks back, about the same time I started on this last run tour. I remembered when John defeated Holyfield for the belt and became the first Puerto Rican Champion. He was from a small city just outside of Boston, and brought the entire state of Mass back on the boxing map
It’s not everyday I found myself a fan
He told me out the gym he just opened up, ironically he opened it in the same space Gold’s gym used to be. It had three rings and an octagon ring. He spent most his time these days training other kids, trying to give them a positive out look on life. Once John heard about my last tour, he quickly extended his hand and his gym for my training.
It was just like old times; just the place had a better paint job and was the home of another legend
John gave us a whole ring just to be used for us. The whole thing was made for boxing, but it made due for our training. I was already warming up in the ring; my dad even scored a local wrestler with dreams of making it to the prime time to spar against me.
I was practicing different ways I could get off the End Result. We worked on getting it off right before Stygian would go for the Bane Blade, we even did it a few times off the top ropes just in case of emergency. The kid I was sparing with was a perfect carbon copy of Stygian. He had the size, the speed, and the will to out perform me.
The kid went charged me with a clothesline that would have taken my head clean off, but I ducked at the last possible second turned him around and dropped him with a high superkick that managed to catch the bottom half of his jaw. The kid hit the matt hard, but got right back up. We went into a tie up, and my father was barking off moves I should be hitting in this position. But before I could even get anything off, the phone ring through out the gym, my brother Tails, who’s been watching the training all week picked it up. He seemed to be healing fine after the vicious attack dealt at the hands of Crimson Skull almost a month ago
Tails “Hey Bro, it’s Jessica”
John Mark Sr “No Distractions!”
† Johnny Styles † ‘Tell her I’ll call her back when I’m done’
Tails “She said its an emergency”
I rolled out the ring and picked up the phone. She kept the conversation short, but I could hear the urgency in her voice. She told me I had to get down to Makayla’s catholic school, that something happened and she didn’t have the details yet but she was already on her way.
I ran to my locker and grabbed a fresh shirt, and without saying a word to my dad, brother or anyone else in the gym took off like a bat outta hell racing to the school that was only 3 blocks away from the gym.
As soon as I got to the school, Jessica was already there. We were sent straight into the head mistress office and Makayla was already sitting there her head hung low. I was dumbfounded about the whole thing. Makayla was my youngest daughter with Jessica, but she was my golden child. She never acted out, was never called into the principles’ office, got good grades.
I was concerned with why we were being called in
Head Mistress “I apologize for calling you in today, you both look very busy.”
Jessica “How can we help sister?”
I kept my eyes on Makayla who was sitting next to me. She looked like she was on trail for murder, I really wanted to hear what the hell was going on here.
Head Mistress “Mrs. Gordon notice one of the girls in her trig class, was abnormally giggly. And when she went to talk to her, she noticed the smell of alcohol on her breath.”
† Johnny Styles † ‘I’m sorry?’
I really wasn’t sure where she was going with this
Head Mistress “When Mrs. Gordon asked the girl how she got the alcohol, she said Makayla had given it to her and several other class mates.”
Jessica “Oh…no Makayla would never do that”
† Johnny Styles † ‘There must be some sort of mistake’
Head Mistress “I had the same reaction, then we searched Makayla’s locker and we found this”
She pulled out a bottle of hairspray, and nothing was making sense to me. I honestly thought she was cracking up. I’ve been around a lot of drugs, but I never heard of getting wasted on hairspray
Jessica “Hairspray?”
Head Mistress “Watch”
She attempted to spray the hairspray but nothing came out. I really started to think this was a witch hunt or maybe the other girls were trying to set my baby girl up because of the recent publicity that was being drawn in with me wrestling again
Makayla “Must have jammed, too much sugar in the peach snobs must have clogged the nozzle”
I looked at her
† Johnny Styles † ‘What the hell?! Excuse me sister … What the hell is going on?’
Head Mistress “Excuse me Makayla, would you wait for us outside please”
She got up off the seat and grabbed her book bag and headed outside the office, I must had the world’s dumbest look on my face. I expected this kind of behavior with the other kids, but not from Makayla
Head Mistress “Mr. and Mrs. Mark, Makayla is a good girl with a good head on her shoulders. And this is extremely out of character from her. I must ask is there any problems at home?”
† Johnny Styles † ‘I haven’t been around much. Because I’ve been in training.”
Head Mistress “Normally we would suspend children for these actions, but I would like to give you two the opportunity to work this out yourselves.”
Jessica “It will be handled sister, don’t you worry”
We walked out of the office and found Makayla sitting on a bench in front of the office door. We came out like a united front.
Jessica “You wanted attention, you got it! What do you have to say?”
She didn’t say a word, she kept her head down picking at her finger nails
† Johnny Styles † ‘You’re mother asked you a question.’
She looked up, and by the look on her face I could already hear the smart ass remark
Makayla “So you guys are a team now?”
Jessica “Have you been drinking?”
Makayla “That’s your department mom.”
† Johnny Styles † ‘Don’t talk to your mother that way!’
Makayla “I’m not drinking, just selling”
Jessica “Since you got sent home, I want you to spend the rest of the day thinking about this nonsense”
† Johnny Styles † ‘Go wait in your mother’s car’
She got up, but Jessica quickly held her hand up
Jessica “No, wait … my car? I have to get back to the hospital!”
† Johnny Styles † ‘I could take her, but I got my physical!’
She slowly started to make her way down the hall
Makayla “Don’t worry about me guys, Ill just hitch a ride home”
† Johnny Styles † ‘That’s enough Makayla!’
I looked at Jessica
† Johnny Styles † ‘I’ll drop her off’
Jessica rushed off for the hospital leaving me and my daughter alone.
† Johnny Styles † ‘You gotta pull yourself together. You’re supposed to be my good girl’
Makayla “I’m just doing what I want, just like you’re doing what you want by getting back into the ring.”
This was not something I needed, Makayla lashing out because I’m fighting these last two matches? I guess I should have seen it coming.
In less then two weeks, hopefully things will get back to being somewhat normal. Wrestling would be behind me for good, and I could go back to being the father Makayla was used to.
It’s going to be the longest two weeks of my life
† Oklahoma City, Oklahoma † † Battle Grounds XLIX †
I haven’t seen my oldest son Alex for years, are relationship was always a rocky one. He blamed me for Samantha’s death, and for a while I blamed myself to. He was always a mama’s boy. He didn’t give a fuck about anything I had to say, as far as he was concerned if it wasn’t coming from Sam it wasn’t important. Even when it came to wrestling, he wanted nothing to do with me. Even changed his ring name, he was always fighting to make sure he was never in my shadow. I tired to be there for him, tried to make up for the mistakes I made in the past. Instead he found himself a different role model
Brenton Cyrus
To be honest, Alex and I haven’t really spoken since the ‘Live or Die’ match back in NLWF. Almost four years ago. He sold his sole to Brenton, I put everything in that ring to make sure he would survive and in the end he returned the favor with a slap to the face. He got everything he ever wanted from BC. He was put on the fast track to success, won countless championships, even ran NLWF. But he wasn’t ready for it all. He got everything to fast; I tried countless times to warn him of his mistakes
But he wouldn’t listen … Now his career is a forgotten memory tarnish and stained
So sitting in my lockeroom getting ready to face Stygian in what was going to be the last time I wrestled on Battle Grounds, you could imagine the shock on my face when he walked into the room. I looked up and could see how the past year has beaten him down. He looked defeated, as if he didn’t give a flying fuck how he looked these days.
I didn’t say a word, he grabbed my hat I wore during my entrances to the ring, and pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards and for the first time in years he looked me in the eye
Alex Mark “I’m sorry dad, for everything. I heard you was facing Stygian tonight and Skull Sunday, I had to tell you. I have no doubt you’re going to beat Stygian, but I just wish you didn’t have to wrestle. I shoulda helped you with some money. But truth is I’m even worse off then you.”
He looks down, and holds the hat tightly in his hands. He looks like an emotional wreck, like life has kicked him square in the balls
† Johnny Styles † ‘Maybe us falling out was for the best. If I can beat Stygian at least I’ll know I still got enough in the tank to finally lay Crimson Skull to rest.’
Alex Mark “I knew about the affair with Skull’s ex-wife. It’s one of the reasons why I pushed myself away from you. I hated you for putting Sam through that, it wasn’t until I fell from grace and repeated your steps that I realize you weren’t yourself. I’m sorry Dad’
† Johnny Styles † ‘I never hated you kid, It’s kinda funny I played this moment out in my head for the last three years. And I still can’t believe were in the same room together’
I donned a smirk, while running my hand through my hair. I was starting to feel like everything was coming together for the first time in my life.
Alex Mark “I’ve been watching you the last couple of weeks, you still got it old man”
I was glad he changed the subject; I still couldn’t believe he was there with me. But the last thing I wanted was to be an emotional wreck moments before stepping into the ring with Stygian. I didn’t have to tell him how much it was really good to see him there
† Johnny Styles † ‘I haven’t fought at this level in almost five years.’
Alex Mark “You think you haven’t been fighting? This past year alone all you’ve done is fight. Between the IRS, me, your demons, grand dad, Jessica and the girls. Come on, it’s been a shit show. But the thing is the closer you get to the ring tonight, all this bullshit is gonna disappear. Because you’re going home with nothing else left to prove to anyone!”[/b]
† Johnny Styles † ‘Thanks kid, you just took the weight of the entire world right off my back. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that. And coming from you, makes it that much better.’
An uneasy silence fell between us; I made the first move and got a hug from my son.
A hug that was four years in the waiting
My confidence soured to a new high at that very moment
We both moved away from each other, just as the stage hand knocked on the door. It was time for my last waltz on Battle Grounds. Alex stood right in front of me and said the same words I said to him right before that faithful night in NLWF
Alex Mark “No fear … Eye on the prize”
I heard the words of Johnny Cash ring out through the Chesapeake Energy Arena. I put the hat on my head and made one of the longest walks in my career…
† Oklahoma City, Oklahoma † † Battle Grounds: After the Main Event †
It was a great finish to a great match! Stygian gave me everything he had, and a few times I can honestly say I got lucky. Stygian gave me everything he had, and I respected him for it. We went out there and gave everyone a show they deserved.
We left it all out in the ring
After the match, there was no doubt in my mind in a few years Stygian will have eclipse my legacy. The kid doesn’t have a quit in him. And I was truly honored to have fought my last match against someone like Sty. We hit every move in are arsenal. We destroyed the entire arena looking for some sort of an edge.
But I was heading into From the Ashes with confidence and a victory over a guy where wins don’t happen to come by. Crimson Skull had a very disappointing performance, his match left the people wondering if maybe he finally ran out of gas. Where’s my victory had the whole world buzzing
I even had people asking me why I was finally retiring for good
It was the greatest comments I heard in my career! I was living a kind of high no substance could ever give me. I was fully looking forward to Sunday’s showdown against Crimson Skull. For the first time in almost five years, I believed I could get the money that was Crimson Skull off my back and retire with redemption under my belt
My father and I was packing up my gear, I was ecstatic about everything. But I could sense something on my father’s mind, but I didn’t want to risk coming down from such a high. So I left it alone, and enjoyed a victory that I worked my ass off for
I heard the door of my lockeroom open, but just kept my eyes on my old man. It was Jessica and she had this look on her face, one that I haven’t seen for a long time. She was feeding off the adrenaline just as I was. The entire week she was worried about if I had anything left, and I proved that I had even more then she even expected.
No one has ever survived everything Stygian had to offer, but me
Jessica “You looked great out there”
I turned around to face the love of my life.
† Johnny Styles † ‘I couldn’t have done it without you baby.’
I rushed to her and we embraced in a kiss that had so much passion, I almost forgot how it felt. We’ve been so worked up with worry, and concern for each other we lost that feeling towards each other.
† Johnny Styles † ‘I know this was just one fight, and Skull is on the horizon…’
She cut me off as my dad faded to a corner of the room, enjoying his glass of whiskey taking in all the love
Jessica “We can talk about that when we get home.”
I looked her in her eyes and told her how I felt
† Johnny Styles † ‘I love you’
We embraced in another kiss, and the lockeroom door opened up again, this time it was my son Alex coming into the room giddy like a school girl! It was the first time he was there in my corner during a main event fight. I was thrilled he came to talk to me before the fight, I was even more thrilled that he was here to celebrate with me
We hugged each other as soon as he got close enough for me to grab
Alex Mark “You did it”
The hug ended and he leaned over and gave Jessica a kiss on the cheek. Which put a even bigger smile on my face seeing them two finally getting closer to each other.
He looked at Jessica
Alex Mark “That was fun! Get him out of here”
† Johnny Styles † ‘Where we going?’
Alex Mark “Got the hotel to bump you guys up to there best sweet, it’s on me. Your welcome! Have fun kids!”
He walked out of the lockeroom, leaving Jessica with a flirty smile and me just glad everything worked out for once. Jessica and I were about to leave the lockeroom, when I turned and spotted my old man, looking lost in his thoughts
† Johnny Styles † ‘You ok?’
He guzzled the rest of his whiskey and grabbed my gym bag
John Mark Sr “Yea … lets go”
There was a ton of media standing out of my lockeroom, flashbulbs went off like crazy as soon as I opened the door. They all wanted to get a word with me. It was funny the last couple of weeks weren’t the greatest for me, I put on one great show against one of the insurgency’s best all of sudden everyone wanted to talk to me again
Paparazzi “Mrs. Styles, how did Johnny look out there tonight?’
She smiled as she looked at me
Jessica “He looked fantastic!”
We couldn’t get out of that arena fast enough; we went back to the hotel room and for the first time in weeks made love. I was exhausted after hitting Stygian with everything I had in the tank, but there was still enough left to satisfy Jessica. It was the first time in a long time we made love rather then just having sex.
There’s a big difference
But of course this ecstasy was only going to be for the moment
Because when we got back to Boston, it was back to the gym and back to preparing for a match that almost ended my career five years ago. My confidence was on high, I truly was as ready as I would ever be to enter the reaper’s house of horrors
I was fully ready for whatever Crimson Skull had to offer
Crimson Skull, the times for games are over. The reasons behind this epic clash between two greats don’t matter. For five long years, I’ve done nothing but dream about what I could have done different in are first trip to the Reaper’s house. Maybe I could have been faster, or smarter, maybe I should have tapped into whatever reserves I had left in the tank
Then I get a tingle in my back
That’s when I remember the months of rehab, the multiple surgeries I had to go through and the year I had to miss from the game. And doubt creeps into my head. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid of history repeating it’s self. But if my curtain call on Battle Grounds proved anything it’s I can take a ton of punishment and do what is needed to walk out with the victory. Where your last match on Battle Grounds was a disappointing one to say the least
I took everything Stygian dished out and walked out the winner, you were dropped with a one hitter quitter
Confidence is riding high in the Style house, where there is nothing but a cloud of doubt over your grave. I managed to kick out of the Bane Blade multiple times; the same move Stygian beat you with, weeks before. Stygian and I stole the show last week, something even in my old age I still manage to do.
Can you say the same?
Can you recall a match that left the crowed in awe since you returned? I’ve done nothing but get better, where you’ve done nothing but go through the motions. Since I returned to the Insurgency I’ve proved why I am a Hall of Famer. What have you proved Skull? Everyone knows you’re putting in a bid for the next Hall of Fame induction, to bad that dreams going to get shot down faster then Barry Bonds hopes of getting into the Baseball hall.
When you signed to the Insurgency, people didn’t shit themselves. They just saw a knock off of Death Angel
Despite never really doing much to get world wide notoriety, the word legend is still loosely associated with your name; you have all the makings of an oxymoron. Now if that didn’t sink in the first time Skull, I’m politely reminding you that in this sport you are nothing more than the ill conceived pet project of Johnny Hall.
The words sacrifice, determination, and effort have never been in your vocabulary, Skull. Everything you’ve ever achieved in this business was handed to you. Why do you think it took so long for every organization you’ve been apart of be noticed? If the man who claimed to truly be “The Crimson King” lived up to his name, why would every fed head from Joe Santiago to Johnny Hall look to sign me? Why would they feel the need to bring me in and put me over there star? Wouldn’t your “star power” along with the rest of long since departed peers in the BLWA have been enough? Isn’t that all it really should have taken for BLWA to become a world renowned organization? Rather then a six month wonder?!
Absoultly not, its obvious that your career needs my name attached to it a hell of a lot more than I ever needed you
Face the facts Skull, it’s one thing to be the big man on campus in some minor league operation and that’s all well and good. But being the face of a global entity is a whole other game. And you proved it time and again that you’re not cut out for the big time.
The spirit of competition is something you don’t have anymore, maybe you never had it to begin with. Like I’ve said and more importantly have proven, the biggest challenges of my career are a venerable who’s who of wrestling. While all you’ve got to show for is a list of “who’s that and who cares?” Save for a few rare moments of brilliance in your career which occurred not because of you, but in spite of you, you’ve have a mediocre run in your long, watered down career. You’re greatest rivals like Hallow Wicked, Von’Vicious and Kaos couldn’t even hold a candle to my least talented adversaries.
While the bums you made a “career” of beating got burned by the bright spotlight and were never heard from again
Crimson Skull, when the final chapter of our era is written in the history books of this sport, the reason why you’ll be a footnote and I’ll have a companion volume is simple. Being the best in this business isn’t just about slick catchphrases and how many T-shirts you can get your shyster friends to put your name on. There’s never been anything wrong with a little bit of the image Skull but you’ve always put it before the substance. And everyone that’s approached this sport by putting the image ahead of the substance ALWAYS fails in the long run, no matter how big, strong or talented they are. To be the best in this sport, to be the standard by which everyone else is measured, you have to live this thing 24/7 there is no time card in professional wrestling. The upper echelon of this sport is built on eternal soldiers and not weekend warriors
You may have the size; I’ll admit you even have some skill. But not even all the skill in the world can make up for the one thing that you lack, and that is the heart and guts to carry the load that being an icon of this sport demands. That’s why when the names Corey Casey, Death Angel, Stygian and myself are brought up, yours will be nowhere near that list. And the only way you can cope with that sad fact is to resort to empty threats and unoriginal trash talk that doesn’t work here in the big leagues. At the end of the day you can pick any corner of the globe but no matter where we go as long as there is a squared circle, it’s my world Skull. In the ring, I share no equal and don’t let the hype fool you bro, you’re far from having the home match advantage in this one. You may call this last waltz a battle of two legends, but let’s be honest I’m the one making you famous.
Just like I’ve been doing since the early days in JWF
What our rivalry has done for your profile in the past seven years is more than you’ve done for yourself in two decades. You can consider your license to issue death warrants revoked because where we’re going your status as judge, jury and executioner has no jurisdiction.
And your reprieve is over
Crimson Skull
Posts : 49 Join date : 2012-04-14 Age : 35 Location : Waverly Hills Sanitarium
Wrestler Stats IWF Record: 2-1-0 Alignment: Heel
Subject: Re: "SBK" Johnny Styles [vs.] Crimson Skull Sun Aug 26, 2012 10:37 am
Amber: Are you ready, babe?
Crimson Skull: As I’ll ever be, I guess.
The camera opens up to Amber dressed in a very fancy banquet-style dress. She’s finishing up checking herself in the mirror as a tall figure comes behind her. At first glance, one wouldn’t believe it to be Skull, but after the camera pans all the way around him, we actually see that it is Skull wearing a full tuxedo. His hair is pulled back behind his head in a tight pony tail. This is the very first time Skull has ever been seen in business or formal attire, and perhaps even the last.
I told you that all this wouldn’t be necessary. I’ve never been one for social gatherings.
Oh be quiet. You’ve been whining about it ever since I told you about it. I just spent a pretty penny on this dress, and I’ve finally convinced you to wear a tux, and plus this banquet is in your honor. It’s settled, we’re going and that’s that.
Time after time Skull has to sit and wonder just how a frail, beautiful creature such as Amber can command him and convince him of the things that he’s always been completely stubborn about all of his life. Each time he gets lost, staring into her eyes, which she usually catches him and blushes. Such an angelic creature he thinks to himself, most of the time. But once she’s angry, she’s got the fury of hell’s deepest pits.
So be it, then.
The camera takes one long last look at the two of them before it switches scenes to a large, fancy banquet hall in Lousiville, Kentucky; the hometown of Crimson Skull. A limo pulls around to the front of the building, where several photographers are gathered round. The camera flashes go off by the dozen as the usher walks his way to the rear doors of this limo. He opens the door and Amber is the first to exit the limo. She steps to the side and Skull pulls himself out of the tiny limo. His disgruntled expression is obvious upon first exiting the limo, then he is taken by surprise at the amount of paparazzi that have gathered at this event. He looks to Amber whose smile is from ear to ear. The usher directs them towards the door as the enter the building. Several people are walking the halls of the entrance area, but once they notice Skull, someone starts applauding. Pretty soon, all that are in this part of the building are applauding. Skull yet again looks to Amber almost in confusion.
Don’t act so surprised, I told you. This is your night.
Skull waves solemnly to a few people as they approach the doors to the banquet hall itself. Two men open the doors for them as Skull stops dead in his tracks. The room is packed. Filled from side to side, front to back. Skull’s jaw drops in pure shock at how many people have gathered for this event. Someone near the back rows turns and sees that Skull has entered the building. This person immediately stands up and starts applauding. The domino effect ripples through the crowd and pretty soon, every person in this building is giving a standing ovation for Skull. Amber pats him on the arm.
Like I said, your night.
Skull again is frozen in shock. Amber gives him a tug on the arm her hand is linked through, he gets the hint and starts slowly walking down the aisle to the front of the hall that has a small stage. Along the way he waves to those he knows, shakes hands with certain people, namely wrestlers from the past and present. Skull walks onto the stage and to the center table that has been placed there. Here, he is met by his longtime friend, Porter MacLeod. The two shake hands as the crowd is still applauding in the background.
Good to see that you made it.
Hell, you think I’d miss this? There’s an open bar! Plus, your little lass told me to do the inviting. She’s not been around long enough to know all the people that you’d want to be here for this kind of thing. Consider me the master of ceremonies.
Skull stares blankly at Porter being the master of ceremonies. This could either be a really bad thing, or really entertaining. The camera fades through a few moments, showing random people coming to the stage, speaking their piece about Crimson Skull, sharing stories of the road. Wrestlers like Hallow Wicked, Barelai Von’Vicious, Twilight Rayne, Mastermind, even Barney Green. Promoters like Johnny Hall, John Castro and others come and say their piece as well. The common factor among every speech is the respect they give Skull for what he has done for the business over the years. The camera slows back to real time, as Porter approaches the podium once more.
Porter: Well, I think we’ve heard enough from all these old-asses and has-beens don’t you?
The crowd laughs along with Porter.
Just a fair warning, I’m drunk as piss by now. Lesson number one, never invite Porter MacLeod to an open bar if you’re hoping that anyone else will get a drink. But, all jokes aside, I guess I could say a little something myself about ole’ Skully boy here. I’ve been in this business for many years. Started out when I was 16, and after 20 years on the road and in the ring I’ve met many people. But, in all those years, I’ve never met anyone quite like our man of the hour, Crimson Skull. We’ve been friends for what now, 15 years? Something like that. I had been main eventing in Europe and Japan. And for those of you who don’t know, I’m HUGE in Japan! Anyways, I finally came to the States, and this lad right here took me right in. Between him and Johnny Styles, I didn’t have any problem breaking it into the big time here. Inside the ring, we’ve been partners and we’ve been enemies. But outside the ring, I don’t believe I’ve ever told ya this before lad, but I don’t think I could have found a better mentor than Crimson Skull.
Porter steps away from the microphone for a minute and starts applauding, along with everyone in the crowd. He comes back to the microphone and makes a motion for the crowd to be quiet.
Overseas, I thought I was a pretty good wrestler already. I usually didn’t have any problem with winning quite a few matches. Until I met Vic here, I didn’t realize just how sloppy my technique was. He taught me just how to capitalize at any moment inside the ring. Before, I just went out there and fought like hell, win or lose. But after a few years of hanging around this lad inside and outside the ring, I began to polish my skills. And ya know, I’ve fought some of the biggest stars in this industry. I’ve fought men that were 7 feet plus, I’ve fought men that were over 400 pounds, I’ve fought luchadores, Hell, I’ve even fought midgets. But no one, and I mean no one comes close to being as good as this man right here!
The crowd applauds again.
I could go on and on about what this man has done for my career. I could even go on and on about what this man has done for the wrestling business in general, but everyone here knows exactly what he has done and how much he has contributed to this business. He is a certified legend in his own right. But instead, I’ll just let him come up and say a few words himself.
Oh, and I almost forgot. We did call Johnny Styles and see if he wanted to say a little bit about Skull himself, but he legit had other engagements to attend to. Seems like his daughter has been watching Porter MacLeod a little too much and hitting the sauce herself!
Crowd: Oooooooh.
Anyways, ladies and gentlemen. The one, the only, CRIMSON SKULL!
The crowd that has gathered here erupts into a roar of a cheer and thunderous applause and Crimson Skull stands up. Halfway across the stage, he shakes the hand of Porter MacLeod before approaching the podium. He gets to the podium and waves to the crowd, silently thanking them waiting for the cheer to die down. Finally, they settle allowing Skull to speak.
Wow. Just, wow. First, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming. Second, for those of you who came up here sharing stories and what else, I want to thank you for your kind words and your appreciation. Now, for those of you who have followed my career or know me personally, you know that this isn’t my type of thing. I am never present for social gatherings whatsoever. I don’t believe I’ve ever been on film or at any get together that wasn’t scripted for TV. All along, I could have blamed it on being better for my character, but in all honesty it’s just not in me to do these types of things. I was surprised whenever my presence was requested for this gathering, but I wasn’t told why up until a few hours ago. So this, this is a wonderful surprise to me. In all my 25 plus years in this business, I feel as if I have accomplished quite a bit inside the ring. I don’t have any regrets, and there isn’t an accolade out there that I’m yet to accomplish. But standing here, in front of all of you, I can see that I’ve accomplished more than I thought.
The crowd stirs another round of applause.
When I first walked in those doors in the back of this room, I couldn’t believe the amount of people that are here. I couldn’t believe that this amount of people have gathered here in my honor. It just completely baffles me that my career has touched that many people in order for you to be here today to celebrate my career with me. I had originally planned on just stepping up here, saying a few thank you, leaving you on some kind words of wisdom. But I was told by a dear “friend” that it would rude to do so.
Skull turns and glances at Amber who waves gently.
So, here I am. Not knowing exactly where I should start. So I guess the beginning would be just as good as any. All throughout the years, federation owners and chairmen have wanted to bill me and book me for what I appeared as, a circus freak, some monstrous giant hell-bent on death and destruction. But what many people do not realize is that the man they saw on camera, was the man behind the mask. There was a dark time in my life. Hell, who I am kidding. There was about 15 years of dark times in my life. The only thing I cared about was destroying everything that I didn’t agree with or anything that was in my way. I guess that is why my career has been as successful as it has been. I never gave up on what I set to do. I set out to be the best, and sometimes I achieved that goal. I’m not going to go out on a limb and I say that I am the best of all time, because that is an argument that will never be solved, but I can gratefully say that I am possibly one of the best. I wouldn’t say that about myself at all, but that’s all I’ve heard for the past few months since I decided to retire. But, I wouldn’t be anywhere near that if it weren’t for some of the legends, and some of the greats that I have had my epic battles with all throughout my career. But back to me retiring. I know there have been several that have said I’ve got plenty of years left in me to carry it out and finish out when I’m even 10 years older. But this point in my career I believe is good enough as any for me to retire. I said I would hang it up whenever I got to the point where I had no more drive to be at the very top. The past few months of my career haven’t been my most impressive matches, I can still hold my own against the best this industry has to offer today, but I just don’t have that will to go the extra mile to finish and win anything that I come up against. There is only one thing that I have that desire to do, and that is to have my last match before my retirement against Johnny Styles.
The crowd boos at the mention at the name.
Hang on, tonight I’m not going to get started on John. If you want to see what I have to say, you’ll view in on my next promo for From the Ashes. For now, we’re just going to wrap this up. I could probably have a few more years, but as I said I just have that drive anymore. I’ve heard it mentioned as the wrestler has lost their fire. And right now, I feel as if I have lost that fire. It’s got one good spark left to it, and I’m going to use it in the best way I know possible. So, again, I thank each and every one of you for coming out here tonight and showing your appreciation and your support, and hopefully we’ll see each other at the next big social gathering if I can be convinced to get out once in a while! Thank you.
Skull waves and bows before the crowd who is giving him yet another round of applause with a standing ovation. He walks back to where Amber is seated and takes the exit out the back of the stage that goes into the dining area.
Amber: Seems like you cut that one awfully short towards the end.
Yeah, I got tired of talking in front of all those people. It’s hard to do it for free and not getting paid to do it.
Amber giggles a little as they enter the dining area. People have already started to gather here. The camera fades on Skull and Amber taking their seat.
The camera reopens on a long, dark, carpeted hallway. One by one lights start coming on side by side upon the walls down this hallway, revealing what appears to be ghost box picture frames. All the way down this hallway, the lights keep turning on and at the end of the hallway is Crimson Skull. He slowly starts walking, barely moving at all when the camera zooms in upon him.
Crimson Skull: Does this place look familiar, John? It should. It is the Crimson Mansion of years ago when the Crimson Dynasty was the most dominant faction in the world. Granted, this isn’t the original. But it is a mansion of sorts, an old home that was far large enough to renovate into a new and improved Crimson Mansion. And this hall here. I call it my hall of fame. Every major opponent I have had in my long career was deserving enough to mention, and here they are, immortalized by photographs of the major events of their career and photographs of our epic rivalries. Although there are many that I can summarize, I won’t bother. I’ll only mention the ones that have any significance to what’s at hand. Such as Barelai Von’Vicious. Barelai was brought into this business by yours truly, as a protégé of mine so to speak. He was to be my son-in-law, but unforeseen events prevented that from happening. He was also my right hand in the Crimson Dynasty, and if memory serves correct he even bested you in several contests, John. At any rate, Barelai eventually set out on a final quest in his latter days in JWF. His goal was to finish Crimson Skull once and for all. Usually, the best rivalries and the best wars in this business are between best friends, a tale that will come to pass many times during this conversation about the others upon this wall. Barelai was a young and promising monster in this business, but it was I who cut his career short. He had planned on taking time away from the ring if he could not defeat his former mentor in myself, but an injury did that for him. Unfortunately, he never returned to the ring after that.
Skull waves his hand in front of the shadow box that is dedicated to the 7’5 monster Barelai Von’Vicious and the lights fade away leaving it in darkness in this section of the hallway. Skull takes a few more slow steps.
Besides the tale of best friends turned enemies, there is also another tale that is recurring about the majority of my foes upon this wall. They also had another goal in mind, to end the career of Crimson Skull. Obviously, no one has succeeded yet. But now, we come to someone who actually is a familiar face to some of the IWF crew. Robbie Hart. The late Robbie Hart was another great opponent. Even though our feud was very short, it was still something worth of mention. Any time that a rivalry is spilled over a title, it is supposed to raise the stakes just that much higher. Our rivalry did just that. Frank Hart had just won his first world title, and not even a month later I was named the number one contender. Any of you out there can remember, if you’ve even had it, the first World Title you’ve ever held. You defend it to the bitter end. Frank Hart believed that he was invulnerable, he also believed that he could be the one to put Crimson Skull down for good. But, sadly, in the end. He came nowhere near to accomplishing his goal, and received a career-threatening neck injury for his troubles.
Skull waves his hand in front of Robbie Hart’s photo and the light fades around it. Skull then starts walking again.
I could go on about the rest of these great opponents, but that’s not what you’re here to see. You’re here to see the war of words between Johnny Styles and myself.
Skull keeps walking until he is standing beside two photos. One is of Johnny Styles and the other is of Joe Santiago.
What is there to say to each other that hasn’t been said over the years, John? Years ago, we got to the point where we literally hated every fiber of each other’s being. We couldn’t be placed near each other in the lockerrooms, we had to take separate routes entirely to and from the ring, we just couldn’t even be near each other outside the ring. We grew past that over the years, and I thought that these five years would have left it to keep mending. But, I was completely wrong. Since I’ve returned, I asked nicely for you to give me my retiring match, but it took me going through hell to try and remind you just what exactly we can accomplish in that ring. You’re scared. You might have accepted the match in the end, but you’re still scared. You can put on whatever kind of front that you want to try and convince everyone that you’re cool as a cucumber about every bit of this, but I know you better than you know yourself sometimes and I can see straight through you. Ever since you have accepted this match, any time that you think of it you can feel that twinge in your back. You can feel the nerves start to sever on their own, because they too remember the pain that I put you through. We could have settled this in a standard match if you had accepted months ago, but no. In true Johnny Styles fashion, you had to go and try and make it every way possible for you to come out looking big and bad in the end. You had to go out there and disrespect me every chance that you got. Maybe that was me falling into your trap, because you know my biggest pet peeve of all is disrespect in general. But now that I think about it, it probably wasn’t your plan at all. You see, you’re a creature of habit John. Everything that you’ve done in the past 7 months has been a defense mechanism. Your defense mechanism is that mouth of yours. You can’t just let well enough alone, you have to spout off and run your damned mouth as disrespectful and as profanely as you possibly can. It’s typical of a smaller man who has a Napoleon complex. I’ll explain: Someone with a Napoleon complex is usually short in stature, or lacking average size in other body areas, sometimes both like in your case, and they have to feel as if they’re one of the big dogs. Anyone that is superior to them in any area, especially size, they have to do anything that they possibly can to prove that they’re just as good if not better. That’s been your problem ever since we faced off the first time years ago. You’ve never been able to realize that you cannot truly defeat me. Almost a decade ago, I set you in your place and I humbled you. It took you nearly losing the use of your lower body before you finally admitted defeat, but I humbled you all the same. You realized that you weren’t as capable of what you thought you were. You realized that you weren’t better than me like you always have thought you were. I’m not here stating that I am better than you, John. For a long time, I considered us equals. You have your strengths and I have mine, just the same as we have weaknesses. But all across the board the final two things that mattered were your resilience and my endurance. I know that you have memorized that last fateful encounter by heart, just as I have. So you remember it vividly as what I am about to tell. No matter what I threw out at you, you kept bouncing back. Again, it is how you earned the nickname the Strike Back Kid. You tried your best to beat me down with anything you could get your hands on, and you tried with every technical, submission, and finishing maneuver you’ve ever learned. When it came down to it, I outlasted you. But go back even further, at all of our encounters. It wasn’t just the final battle that I won, but a majority of every clash we ever had, I was the victor. When all of it came to a head, and I finally bested you in our year long rivalry, it broke you physically even more than what I had already emotionally dismantled you over the course of the year. You couldn’t face the facts that you were beaten by what you coined a “darkie.” You spent countless months in promos claiming that I was all smoke and mirrors, and there are times when you still do. But you finally found out the hard way that no mortal man can possess some of the powers that led me to defeating you. You couldn’t grasp the concept that I was actually more of a higher being than you. You tried to deny it and neglect the mention of it, calling me some sort of supernatural freak. Call it what you will, John. The truth still remains, you were weaker than me. Come to think of it, you’ve always been weak. I’ve never gave into the darker demons of the mortal flesh. The constant need to have multiple sex partners, the addictions to alcohol and drugs. I’ve always been able to cope and deal with life on my own terms, I never had to find a scapegoat that I could drown all of my sorrows and my fears inside of. It’s exactly why I was never mad at you for being in an affair with my ex-wife Tamara. I never grew angry with you, I merely pitied you. I pitied you because after I retired you the first time, you became a broken, bitter, depressing little man. You had to escape to the drugs and alcohol just so you could forget that you weren’t the best as you thought you were. The more you thought about it, the more you had to escape the fact that you realized that you were becoming so pitiful that you depended on those things. You drove away your family and your friends. Anyone that you were close to began to share that same pity. Most of them made excuses, said it was me that put you through all of this and left you in such a depressing shell of a human being. But you know the truth, you’ve always known the truth. There was no one to blame but yourself. You had to take the coward’s route to living with despair. You abused your prescription pain medication for your back problems, because you somehow thought that they would numb the emotional pain you felt when you woke up every day. How depressing and frustrating it must have been to have to wake up and realize that you were a pathetic excuse of a professional athlete, a pathetic excuse of a husband, and worst of all a pathetic excuse of a father. It’s no wonder that your family is going through the issues with your daughter that they are, it’s not hereditary, its habitual. Your daughter can remember what you used to resort to in troubled times, so as she’s aging and going through puberty she’s doing the same thing. She’s resorting to foreign substances that might help mask the pain. Do you really believe that she’s just selling, and not participating?
Skull sighs and shakes his head in shame.
I gave you chance after chance to be humble with me, John. But you shot down any chance you ever had. I can only assume that you saw that I had more resolve in what I would say to people, and that I did have some restrictions as to just how far I would go to make my point go across. I can only assume that you meant to take advantage of that, and abused it. So as you feel yourself slipping into that pathetic little shell that you dwelled in for so many years all alone, don’t start placing the blame elsewhere. You brought it upon yourself. You assume that I’m not what I used to be. You assume that I’ve grown weak over the years. The only thing that has changed about me is as I said before, I just don’t have that spark to keep taking me to the top. There isn’t a challenge out there that is worth me giving it my all anymore. Besides this match right here. You also assume that what I used to claim to be, the “Crimson King”, that I don’t even compare to being rightful to stake that claim. I hope that you’re prepared to stand behind your words. Because you’ve awoken something deep inside that hasn’t stirred for a very long time. I feel that fury, I feel that anger. I feel what kept me going straight to the top of every federation that I have ever been a part of coming back to me. Throughout my veins, I can feel the fire of the deepest and darkest pits of the lowest levels of hell coursing through my body. I can feel that desire burning deep in my heart of blackest hearts. I stand before you once again, the Crimson Devil. You’ve never seen evil more perfectly personified in the flesh than what stands before you right now. I am Death, I am Pestilence, Wrath, and Famine. I am evil incarnate. Simply stated, I am the incarnation of Hell on Earth. The fans and locker room of IWF in its entirety are about to witness something that they have never witnessed before. The side of Crimson Skull that put him in the history books as the most sadistic and evil son of a bitch that has ever graced the squared circle. I’ll admit, you have me at a disadvantage, you’ve got the home-field experience here in IWF. You could go out there and make up whatever tale that you want about me and the fans and locker room alike will be more apt to believe you over me. You’re trying to play that card even now. But deep down, you know the truth. It doesn’t really bother me that much that you’re just going out and trying to expose blatant lies about my career. You’re trying to undermine everything that I’ve ever done in my career just to boost your own morale with the fans.
Let’s talk about a few names that your threw into the picture. Names like Johnny Hall. You claim that I was some sort of pet project of Johnny Hall’s. Let’s go back and review that history for a minute.
I was the first person that Johnny Hall contacted when he first proposed the BLWA. The contract deal I signed, not many men would be willing to put that much money to a salary of a flagship promotion, unless they knew what they had signed. BLWA would never have gotten off the ground if it weren’t for me. I held great success there, nothing that I can mention from that federation would have been anywhere near my darkest times in my career that I would wish to forget. Without me, Johnny Hall would still be eyeballs in debt trying to figure out just where he went wrong. The legacy of Crimson Skull was set in stone far before Johnny Hall ever thought about running a major promotion for wrestling. People were talking about Crimson Skull long before Johnny Styles was ever thought of as a serious competitor. Do you remember that John? You were just the mid-card title holder that defended the most times against lackluster opponents that never really put up much of a competition to even men like Tom Sykes. Go ahead and blame it on Joe Santiago for holding you back, but in all actuality if Johnny Styles was the “icon” that he claims he always has been it wouldn’t have mattered. There are some things in this world you just can’t sit on and hold back, pure talent is one of those. You didn’t really start to shine until you started facing me. When you were toting around that mid-card belt, I was making a name for myself without even defending any titles at all. It was the epic rivalry between Kaos and Crimson Skull. Fans worldwide can go into google and type in Kaos and Crimson Skull rivaly, and they will see that it gained more notoriety than anything Johnny Styles did back in that time. But that’s just the thing John, you’re selfish. You want everyone to be thinking of and talking about you. But we’ll get to that later on. For now, we’re still debunking all of these empty claims you’ve stated against my career. Now, granted you were the first to hold the major world title between us back in JWF. But it was short-lived. I had my hands tied with other affairs because you might have been the champion of the company, but I was the face of it. A lot of people are misguided in the belief that the main champion is the face of their company. In another day and time back in the 70s and 80s, that may have been true. But here today, the face of the company is the one that is talked about and marketed most. In those days John, you might have been defending the title. But I was there taking on any newcomer that came into the federation looking to be the next big thing, I was there going through rivalry after rivalry with the top men in the federation. Nobody’s focus was on little Johnny Styles and his shiny gold belt. The focus was on who was going to step up against Crimson Skull next, who was going to be Crimson Skull’s next victim. In fact, Johnny Styles wasn’t a household name until Crimson Skull stepped into the world title picture. My first title win may have been in controversy, but nonetheless, after I won the title back not even a month after I lost it the first time you never succeeded in getting it back ever again. You tried and tried for a year, but you lost every time you got the chance. Back in that time, I was actually surprised that the world wasn’t tired of seeing me kick your ass all over every continent. I was surprised that the management saw anything in you that could have even held a candle to what I was capable of. But yet, you kept giving it your all and in the end you gave everything you had and it still wasn’t enough. You even sacrificed your career over it. You were out of the limelight for years, then you came back “better than ever”. But in your absence, my success still gained favor over countless federations. While you were at home popping pain meds like they were tic tacs, I was out there putting dozens of federations on the map as major contenders to be the face of wrestling in its entirety. I know it had to be painful to watch my success grow as the world forgot about Johnny Styles. In fact, I know it had to burn every ounce of pride you had inside of you to watch as all of that took place. Your jealousy burned through you completely. But, really. When I think back, you were always jealous of my career. You felt as if you did all the work and I got all the credit. In JWF, anyone that was around it at the time, or any fan from those years can tell you firmly that Crimson Skull was the face of that company. Whether it be a champion or not, I still was the main spotlight of that company. The reason my career even ended with that company is because the legacy of Crimson Skull outgrew the popularity of the fed owner himself. And if I was just some pet project of some half-ass federation owner, then I would have just been another flash in the pan that burned out in a few months. But you know better than that, John. Every single place I went, I was the top attraction. That jealousy just kept swelling up inside of you until you finally couldn’t handle the thought of me being better than you in every aspect imaginable. That’s why you went after my wife. You believed that there was one thing you could be better at than me. But even then, you just made more of a fool of yourself than you already had. There lied Johnny Styles. Drunk, stoned, and adulterous. What made it even worse for you, was barely anyone knew about the affair with my wife, yet your own marriage and your entire life fell apart while mine just kept staying in the spotlight and I kept garnering all the success. EVERYTHING you ever did back then to try and best me ended in complete and total failure. So go on, spread some more lies trying to make yourself appear better to today’s wrestling world. See if it happens. When all the fans have to do is just go back and review some history. And you know what they say, history has a tendency to repeat itself. Fans around the world can go back and relive the glory days of Crimson Skull, when he was successful and when he ruled the wrestling world. Then they can just be left to wonder where’s Johnny Styles? Oh, that’s right. He’s at his big fancy home in a wheelchair all alone, where he can barely make ends meet to pay the bills for his alimony, child support, drug charges, DUIs, and countless other lawsuits.
I can be man enough to admit, most of the wrestling world forgot about Crimson Skull. Because I didn’t make the right decision two years ago. When I signed onto NLWF, I should have stayed and fought just as I always did, but instead I let Joe Santiago trudge my legacy and my name through the mud by letting him ridicule me and embarrass me in front of the world. I gave up fighting, I gave up caring, and I just disappeared completely. Instead, I should have proven that I’m the one person in this world that you do not cross whatsoever and retired on a graceful note at the peak of my career. I left my legacy behind, and betrayed the fans of the wrestling world and also betrayed anyone who held pride in ever facing Crimson Skull. But after my two years in solitude I realized that I was no Johnny Styles. I couldn’t let everything I’ve worked so hard to take pride in just wash and wither away over time. I came back to try and earn back what I had before. There was some rejoicing from the fans of old, there was even some respect gained back from the veterans of this sport. But I didn’t come straight in expecting to be at the top of everything like I had been years ago. I started from the bottom and worked my way up, reminding the world that Crimson Skull may be old and rusty be he is not broken. The best respect isn’t demanded, it’s earned. I could have used my pull and my experience in this sport to start right back at the top, but I didn’t. I am a man of honor, that is why I had the decency to give men like Tom Sykes, the “here today gone tomorrow” kind of wrestlers the opportunity to even get in the ring with me. Something wrestlers that have had successful careers tend to think is that they are bigger than the sport. I’ve never once thought of myself to be that. I can proudly claim I’ve been bigger than some of the companies that I have worked for, but ultimately I’ve never though myself to be bigger than the sport. What I mean exactly by that is that some wrestlers believe that the world owes them something, believes that they should be able to get everything that they want just because they’re considered an icon or a legend. If I were to be granted the honor of being inducted in the wrestling Hall of Fame, I wouldn’t come back out of retirement trying to reinsert myself into the business by pushing to be a part of number one contender’s matches or to try and be champion yet again. I’ve paid my dues, I’ve had my time and it’s done if I’m in the Hall of Fame. That’s the reason for it, you’re done and you’re getting the respect you’ve earned over the years. When you get to the point to where you can’t stand being forgotten and you think that a company owes it to you to be a Hall of Famer AND a champion, you need to sit back a realize that you need to move on with your life and get a hobby.
It’s reasons like that make the things you said even more pathetic. You made the statement that the world would have thought I was some sort of rip off of Death Angel. How foolish could you be to even make that statement? How could anyone be the rip-off of a rip-off?
The difference between Death Angel and I is quite simple. I’m original, he’s not. My quotes aren’t pulled straight from the mouth of some other deadman on television or any other famous television wrestling persona for that matter, it’s purely authentic straight from the mind of Crimson Skull. I don’t have to try and make three completely different personas just so the wrestling world won’t forget me and might take me seriously just because I try to portray that I have some sort of multiple personality disorder. And if I am ever granted the honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame you won’t see me back out there trying to reintroduce myself to the wrestling world just because society has forgotten about me. The Hall of Fame immortalizes you, it’s an honor to be inducted and considered for it. It’s not something you just can act as if it’s another notch in your belt and think that you’re truly better than anyone else in the wrestling world. It signifies that your time has passed and it is time to pass the torch. Death Angel will realize it sooner or later whenever he starts to see that the world is getting tired of seeing the same old unoriginal script over and over far longer than they should have to because he’s going on far farther than he should with his career. I’m not one of those people, I realize that I can’t wrestle forever. I don’t want to be one of these wrestlers that are way past the age limit for it to be safe anymore to wrestle and society grows tired of seeing me. I’m retiring while I still have something that the world can respect out of my career.
But to change back to what wrestler really matters in the world now, John. Who are you to say that I haven’t lived this sport day in and day out? I’m not just some pretty playboy who can get by in the world by my good looks and good charm, I had to make something of myself. You took shortcuts and sleights of hands at every twist and turn in the road. If anything, I am the one who had to live this business with every day and respect what it has brought me in life, while you were too busy just reaping the benefits from the fame and the money, landing yourself in countless rehabs, divorces that can’t be counted on one hand alone, and whatever other dysfunctional life moment you’ve had. You can go on and try to play the victim in this, after all you are great at doing that pulling the “it’s not my fault card” when in all actuality everything bad that has happened to you in your life, you’ve deserved every second of it. I will admit, you’re a legend in this sport. It took me forever to admit that over the years, and I’ll explain why later, but now I can firmly and proudly admit that you are. The only thing that is pitiful about every bit of you being coined a legend is that you can’t for one possible second think about who helped get you to where you were. Sure, the fans are the main part of what made you a legend. But you neglect to mention the wrestlers along the way who truly made you what you are. You mention a few here and there, but you always fail to mention the big one. For some reason, all throughout your life, you could never admit that Crimson Skull helped make Johnny Styles. Because without me, you would have been stuck as the paper champion who used to be a great mid-card champion back in the day. Granted, you might have became a legend eventually, but I highly doubt you would have even lived to hear the people speak of you in such high regard. You would have wasted away in your drugs and booze. You should be thanking me every day for keeping you alive. Because without me, there would have been none of the hate to keep fueling you to become a better wrestler, a better person, father, and husband. I’ve stated it before and I’ll state it again, you are my greatest opponent. Because it was against you that I finally proved myself as an icon and a legend in this sport. It just took you the long road to get to the point of being called the same things. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have had the back injury that should have permanently ended your career that you miraculously came back from. Without me, you would have continued to defend your world title a decade ago against people who really wouldn’t have helped make your name go to the highlights of the wrestling world. If it weren’t for me, John you wouldn’t have fucked your life up half as bad as you did to come back from it and gain the positive eye of the world. Besides the fans, I made Johnny Styles.
Those words will never sink in with you, I know they won’t. Because even after all that you’ve been through, all these periods of spiritual and emotional enlightenment you’ve been through, you still blame me for everything bad that’s happened to you. You just can’t accept the blame for almost ruining your own career, and almost ruining your own life completely.
Skull waves his hand in front of the photo of Johnny Styles.
In the end, John. I too am left with a fear. I fear that you have become all too alike someone whom we both have hated for years. For years I’ve fought with the idea that maybe it’s just another one of your defense mechanisms that keep you from accepting blame for all the wrongs you’ve committed in your life. But in the back of my mind, there’s always that whisper. That maybe, you truly don’t believe you’ve done anything wrong. That no matter what it is, as long as it’s what you want and what you think, then it’s right. But the fear isn’t that you will turn into Joe Santiago, or that you’ve already turned into him. The fear is, that I have failed you.
I fear that I have failed you as a long forgotten friend, and an adversary in the ring. The way that I have failed is that I didn’t humble you as much as I needed to do so. I fear that I failed to show you the error in your ways, and that the damage is too far done to correct any of it. It may sound confusing, but I always have saw myself as your savior. I was never meant to be your judge, jury, or executioner. We haven’t even been equals. We have been the perfect adversary to each other since the beginning. You know exactly how I work. When I set my sights on someone, it’s to prove a point and its to set them in their place. But with you, I never accomplished that. You went down that dark path and shriveled away into nothing more than a depressing excuse for a man, and I fear that your years spent in that state made the damage too much to repair. I proved my point that you weren’t the greatest of all time and as untouchable that you thought you were. My intentions weren’t to prove that I was the greatest of all time, because I don’t think I’m anywhere near staking that claim. My intentions were to bring you off of your high horse and steer you away from the dark path you were heading. But again, I say I believe that damage has been done and there is no fixing it. You’ve made nice in front of the camera for a few years since I’ve been gone and away from you, but what scared me the most is that as soon as I was back in the picture, you resorted right back to doing what you did before. You resorted back into being the reincarnation of Joe Santiago. You could have been humble, you could have been respectful. I had hoped that if I was respectful and humble to you, then eventually you’d return the favor. Instead, you still try to twist the truth into being something of an alternate reality of what it really is. Maybe in your mind I’m not a big threat and I’ve never amounted to anything in the wrestling business. But here in the real world, it’s a completely different story. It makes you look foolish and completely self-centered. You can go on and try and say I’ve always been more of an image more than I have substance. But that’s the shoe-in for the hypocritical statement of all time. I’m not the one who denies every single thing that has happened in the past. I’ve stated it truth for truth to try and show the world that Johnny Styles isn’t the perfect little angel he paints the picture out to be. I’ve shown the world that Crimson Skull actually meant something to the wrestling world. I’ve shown every single person that you’ve tried to persuade that almost every single thing you’ve been saying about me for the past 7 months has been a lie. I had hoped that the two of us would just have had a standard rematch that would be talked about for centuries to come because it was between two men who completely respected each other. Instead, you forced my hand into making this the Reaper’s House of Horrors. A match where I can maybe get through that thick skull of yours and painfully remind you what you’ve done and where you’ve been. Maybe then I can get you to admit your fault and accept the blame. Maybe then you will admit that I Crimson Skull has always and will always be just as good and just as big of a name as Johnny Styles.
Skull slowly waves his hand across the photo of Joe Santiago and is left in complete darkness.
If it takes me putting my own life at risk to finally purge this poison that has clouded your mind, then so be it. I’ve been the martyr many times in my life. I’ve faced countless trials and tribulations that would have broken most men, just like they broke you many years ago John. I’ve done things that few men even dare to dream to accomplish inside the squared circle. I have lived a life based on a simple principle. No limits, no excuses, no regrets. And I certainly have had no regrets in anything that I’ve except for one thing. Saving Johnny Styles. I could go on a recite the famous tagline, I could go on and recite my famous quotes. But it’s all over now. There’s nothing left to say that matters anymore. It’s only going to come down to one thing, and that’s this match. It’s John’s last stand in the ring, as well as it is mine. Will everything that we’ve accomplished in our careers be polished off with a perfect ending to a story that will be told for years to come? Or will it simply be another start to another sad, sad story about the misfortune of the once-again broken Johnny Styles? Our time is at its end, and it’s going to be the classic tale of all time. Good versus Evil. Ironically I’m not going to be playing the part of Evil for once. I’m going to be battling the personal demons and all the Evil that has pent up inside of Johnny Styles over the decades and hopefully rid him of those ailments to where he too can look at me with the respect I’ve shown him for the past few years. No, at the end of it all, there won’t be another Johnny Styles victory or pity story of how he overcame the odds. The only story that will be left to tell is how after all these years, Johnny Styles finally became a man and faced his demons. I’ve came to terms with everything there is to possibly come to terms with in my life. Losing my wife, my father, any real semblance of a family I’ve ever had, and even letting my career be put to shame by a tyrannical egotistical narcissistic maniac. And I’m still here with a proud smile on my face and no burdens left to bear upon my shoulders, save one. I’ve accomplished everything that I possibly could have dreamed of inside this ring, and I’ve held nothing back over the years. I’ve seen it all, done it all, and said it all. But there’s only one thing I’ve got left to say to you John, and that is Thank You. Thank you for accepting this match to be my last opponent, and thank you for allowing it to be my greatest challenge by defeating not only you, but all of the hate that still resides inside of you. In all the great wars of the world, there have always been casualties. Sometimes, those casualties spread across nations, physically scarring them. There have been times when the nations that won the war have came back to help rebuild what they destroyed. To me, that is my last task left in this wrestling ring. Years ago, I destroyed everything that Johnny Styles believed in, and now…I’ve came back to help rebuild it.
I just hope it’s not too late.
The camera starts to static before it freezes on a message that appears in the static. “Long Live the Crimson King.”
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: "SBK" Johnny Styles [vs.] Crimson Skull Sun Aug 26, 2012 5:39 pm
† South Boston, MA † † August 21st 2012 †
I was meeting my father at a bar; it was the same bar that we meet after my very first world championship. Back then I was a lot younger, and the place was a hot spot in South Boston. I was still flying high over the big win over Stygian. Weeks leading up to that match was filled with nothing but disappointment.
I was sure I was going to be embarrassed against Sty
But I managed to do the unthinkable and walk out of my final match on Battle Grounds with a hard fought victory. I walked into the bar beaming from ear to ear. The whole place was almost like a shrine to my career. Every major victory was plastered on the walls; I even donated a few of my world championship belts to be hung up on the wall
My dad was sitting at the bar, and he had the complete opposite look on his face, his mug donned nothing but worry and concern. By looking at him, you would have thought I lost to Stygian. But as soon as I walked into the place he got up off his stool and we embraced in a hug
John Mark Sr “Hey, how’s it going Son”
†Johnny Styles † ‘I feel like a million bucks!’
John Mark Sr “That’s all?’
†Johnny Styles † ‘Were still in talks with the Insurgency team, were gonna put in a offer for the Crimson Skull fight’
We took are seats up against the bar
John Mark Sr “What’s the rush?”
†Johnny Styles † ‘The match is this Sunday night! What do you mean what’s the rush?’
John Mark Sr “This fights been on the table for the last five years, and it will still be there when you’re ready. No need to dive into all of this”
I was dumbfounded and confused about what he was telling me
† Johnny Styles † ‘Are you serious? I took everything Stygian threw at me, and walked out with a win! One of the biggest victories in my career’
John Mark Sr “I now, you won son. But we hurried into this, and one big victory is hardly a tune up. I want to go back and do this right! Five or six more fights until you really get your rhythm back. Lets face it, you were lucky this time”
†Johnny Styles † ‘Lucky? I took everything Stygian threw at me! Not a lot of guys can say that.’
John Mark Sr “I now, but lets face it Johnny your reactions were slow. They were off. There is no reason he should have hit the Bane Blade twice! I’m worried about you son.”
† Johnny Styles † ‘I’m not taking five or six more fights dad, Just one’
John Mark Sr “I didn’t like what I saw out there.”
†Johnny Styles † ‘I’m taking Crimson Skull next, and its happening this Sunday. I need this dad’
John Mark Sr “Then you’re going to do it on your own
He got up off the stool and threw down some cash for the bartender
John Mark Sr “Good luck son”
He walked out of the bar, and for a second I hung my head low. This wasn’t what I was expecting from this meeting. I went from being on cloud nine, to feeling like how I felt when Steel Angel dropped me in 4 seconds. I didn’t understand where this was coming from.
I jumped up off the stool and chased my father down the street. He didn’t drive, and in Southie you pretty much could walk anywhere you needed to go. He was walking with a purpose while smoking a cigar.
†Johnny Styles † ‘Dad everything is booked already. This match is going to happen this Sunday night! Jessica’s on board, Alex and I are good for the first time in years! We just need to start training now!’
John Mark Sr “Didn’t you hear anything I just said? I’m not training you! Tell your wife and brother not to even bother bugging me about it.”
He didn’t stop walking; I was begging him to train me walking the side streets of South Boston
† Johnny Styles † ‘The fight with Stygian didn’t even get me back to zero. I still owe all over the fucking place. This last match with Skull would take care of everything; we’ll be set for life. We just need to do this one last time’
John Mark Sr “It’s the wrong match”
† Johnny Styles † ‘I can beat him! I’ve done it before! Why are you doing this?’
He stopped in his tracks, and turned to look me in the face
[b]John Mark Sr “You really wanna know? No bullshit?”
† Johnny Styles † ‘Yea I really want to know’
John Mark Sr “If you fought Skull instead of Stygian at Battle Grounds, you would have gotten seriously hurt!”
† Johnny Styles † ‘But I didn’t, we agreed to put other people ahead of Skull. To get me ready for this Sunday night’
John Mark Sr “You going to let me finish?! You’re still rusty, and Skull has had a lot more matches to get him ready for this last dance. It’s just not going to work”
He started walking again, and I was right there next to him. I was determined to do everything I could to get him back on board. If the win last week proved anything its, I needed him in my corner
† Johnny Styles † ‘He’s been losing most of his matches, his body has been getting beat up these last few months’
John Mark Sr “His body hasn’t been getting beat up on, that’s the whole point! He has worked out any downside of his fight. He has a complete arsenal!”
† Johnny Styles † ‘What about my arsenal? What do I have to prove to you that I’m just as good?’
Again we stopped, and this time he got right into my face
John Mark Sr “You want to hear me say it? Alright, I’ll say it. I don’t think you’re capable of fighting at this level any more. I know it hurts to hear that but believe me it’s going to hurt a hell of a lot more inside the ring.”
† Johnny Styles † ‘You never think I can win. And then I prove you wrong. That’s our drill dad’
John Mark Sr “Not this time. I don’t want to fight with you son, I just can’t do this. You know for five years you’ve been my son. Not my fighter. And that’s how I was watching you in the ring against Stygian. As a father I can’t watch you get dropped on your head anymore. I don’t trust myself. I’m sorry Johnny”
He walked away from me and this time I didn’t chase him. I stood there watching him walk away from me, I heard him fighting back his tears through his words. For the first time all week, I was confused about what to do.
But there was no turning back
I needed this fight
Need to put the final stamp on my career
And I was going to do it alone
† Chicago, Illinois † † August 26th 2012 †
Doctor Michaels “You really shouldn’t be wrestling tonight, Mr. Styles”
I rolled my eyes backwards and offered my arm out for the shot. The needle punctured my skin awkwardly, causing me to let out a half hearted squeal that any teenage girl would have been proud of. I couldn’t bear to watch the liquid drain out of the syringe and into my arm though; I found that just slightly... creepy.
† Johnny Styles † “Are we done yet, Doc?”
I asked, covering my eyes with my right hand. Doctor Michaels pulled the needle away from my arm and took a moment to look at the patient I had been treating for the better part of six months; it was a shot to numb any pain that might creep back from the back injury. My complexion had faded to the point that I looked as if I had colored it in with chalk.
† Johnny Styles † “I said are we done yet, Doc?”
Doctor Michaels “Yes, Mr. Styles, we’re done.”
I rolled the arm of my sleeve down and jumped off the medical bed enthusiastically. I threw out a respectful hand in the direction of the doctor and nodded with intent.
† Johnny Styles † “You’ve been fantastic with me over these past few months, Doc. I realize that sometimes you must feel like you’re in a thankless job, but I wanted you to know that I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
Michaels cocked a wayward eyebrow in my direction.
Dr. Michaels “That sounds very final, Mr. Styles. Are you planning on going somewhere?”
† Johnny Styles † “Well, I’ve only been going through these checks in order to keep IWF management happy. They wouldn’t let me agree to return unless I was subject to constant supervision. From the Ashes is my final gig, you see. I’m retiring”
I said gloomily, I couldn’t really believe this was it. Faint droplets of water began to manifest in my eyes but were quickly batted to one side with a swift left hand.
† Johnny Styles † “It’s sad to really be saying goodbye... but it’s for the best. Sometimes you have to do the right thing; in this case that’s putting my career out of its misery.”
Dr. Michaels “Well, I’m sad to hear that, Mr. Styles. It’s a damn shame. My kids love watching you. Thank you for your kind words though. It does mean a lot to me. Just be careful out there tonight. It may be your last match but it doesn’t have to be your last breath as well.”
I smiled wearily as I thought about what was left to come. Even if I managed to make it through his encounter with Crimson Skull, I knew that a part of my soul would die with the sounding of the final bell at From the Ashes.
† The Lockeroom of From the Ashes † † August 26th 2012 †
The two of them sat there staring at me like I was already a corpse.
Scrutinizing his every movement, Jessica and his brother Tails both sat side by side sharing the same look of concern. They knew that his back was already starting to hurt him once again and had worsened dramatically over the past few weeks
But this was still the man that they had both grown to know and love.
Tails “Are you sure you’re alright to do this tonight, Champ?”
Tails said with a degree of desperation. Of course, he knew the answer to the question: I was far too stubborn to withdraw from such a high profile match, but, still, he had to ask.
† Johnny Styles † “You’ve been asking me this question every time I’ve stepped foot into the ring for the past three weeks”
I continued to lace my boots up; it was almost time to go to war
Jessica “We just worry, Johnny, that’s all”
Jessica wrapping her long blonde hair around her shoulder and moving to stroke my neck
† Johnny Styles † “Well, try not to, ok? The only concern I have at the moment is setting the record straight with Skull and giving these people something to remember. That alone brings a lot of pressure. I’ve got to say though, I’m just feeling pumped right now; no worries, no nothing.”
The thought of walking out in front of such an electric crowd for the final time forced goose bumps to sprout up on his arms. There was always something just that little bit more special about a Big event crowd; the roars seemed to stretch back for miles and the energy they gave off could have powered a nuclear plant.
Tails “I know how you must feel, Champ, I just wish it was me and you going out there for the final time, you know?”
† Johnny Styles † “Heh, there’s a part of me that’d gladly swap, Eric. But then there’s another side of me that says, fuck it, let’s do this one more time.”
The dressing room door opened abruptly as one of the stagehands walked in with a clip board. He was middle aged, bald and had an ear piece dangling off the side of his face. He beckoned to me with his right arm.
Stagehand “Time to go, buddy.”
I nodded.
Turning to Jessica and Eric, I offered them a look of finality. No further words needed to be spoken; the truth bled from my eyes with a grave sincerity. Pulling in a lungful of oxygen, I steadied myself and began to pace forwards towards the door, knowing that the end was close at hand.
Remember me I thought Remember what I’ve done
They gave their silent reply in kind.
My life has been a rollercoaster from start to finish. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have said that it was like a script from a film or something.
I was staying up late a few weeks ago and trawled across an internet site that promoted this rather geeky online game and the nerd within was strangely fascinated by it all. They called it “e-fedding”. Sounds gay, I know. Basically, though, there are thousands of guys across the world that like to pretend they’re fake wrestlers and create colorful characters through writing to live out their dreams. It sounded like a really strange concept at first, but after taking a few hours to engage with this strange role-playing hobby, it got me thinking...
What if we’re all just stuck in one giant e-fed?
Maybe I’m someone’s character... and maybe the guy who writes my character is someone else’s character...and so on.
This line of thinking kind of distorted my perspective on reality, but it made me think that the only thing that we can aspire to do in life is achieve artistic perfection.
We’re all walking down the same path in line and no one has ever really managed to ascertain what the true purpose of life is. Well, maybe, just maybe the purpose of life is simply to live as a human being through all our failings and all of our triumphs, growing as a result of overcoming whatever hurdles are placed in the way.
In turn, that made me think about Crimson Skull
Crimson Skull a guy that’s been there since the beginning for me, but I’ll always remember the days he was always a thorn in my side and all the times he left me as a mere mortal on the canvas. Then I remember the first time we meet inside the Reapers House of Horrors and he left me in the ring with a broken back. That match not only broke my back, but also broke my heart and it changed me as a person forever, but it also presented me with the greatest challenge of my career...
Take back your fucking honor, Johnny, said the voice in my head
It doesn’t matter that my career is coming to an end because this is all I have left to dream about. Once this match is done, I’m going to be at peace with the legacy that I leave. This is my final shot at vindication and will cement my status as one of the true all time greats. People have often said that I’m a hard guy to like because I can’t keep my ego in check, but it’s my constant desire to achieve artistic perfection that makes me come across as a bit of an asshole sometimes.
I’m not going to change that for anyone though.
I am who I am
Skull, when you look across that ring at me at From the Ashes, you’re going to be looking at a man that’s ready to die in more ways than one. I’ve got nothing more to give to anymore and that’s why I’m the most dangerous opponent that you’ve ever encountered; I don’t care what I have to put myself through to come on top in this match...
It’s going to happen.
There are some things in life that we simply can’t control. There are some things in life that were simply meant to be. One such thing is that my name will be forever associated with great victories and valiant tales of glory...
And it’s for that reason that I’m going to emerge as the final man to have his hand raised in our story
Yes, we’re brothers. Yes, our lives have been forever entwined, but.... yes, I want this a great deal more than you do, Skull
I’m ready to give this everything I’ve got. This will be my final match and I’m determined to sign off with style. As much as I love you, Skull, and admire everything you’ve done for me over the years, you’ve never had that same ethic to strive for perfection. This is just a game to you, but, to me, this is like the open book of my life. You’re not of that same mold.
You don’t have the same make up...
You’re not Johnny fucking Styles
And that is the sole reason why you’re going to lose tonight
The Grim Reaper is calling my name and the only thing that’s keeping me alive is the will I have to come out on top in this match. I’m a dead man walking but as long as I have a tongue in my mouth...
I will have the final say in this match.
Some things are just meant to be
I’m going to go out in Style
Because there isn’t anyone else whose career will ever
LoOoOoOoOK THIS GoOoOoOoOOoOod
Sponsored content
Subject: Re: "SBK" Johnny Styles [vs.] Crimson Skull
!["SBK" Johnny Styles [vs.] Crimson Skull Empty](https://2img.net/i/empty.gif)
Subject: "SBK" Johnny Styles [vs.] Crimson Skull !["SBK" Johnny Styles [vs.] Crimson Skull I_icon_minitime](https://2img.net/s/t/15/19/06/i_icon_minitime.gif){kind=icon}
Wed Aug 22, 2012 1:14 pm
!["SBK" Johnny Styles [vs.] Crimson Skull O_SUPERMAN-LOGO-chrome-psd6899](https://2img.net/h/cdn3.iofferphoto.com/img3/userprofile/siu/way/o_SUPERMAN-LOGO-chrome-psd6899.png){kind=logo}
