Finally, The Cold Hard Truth

The camera cues in upon Crimson Skull sitting in a white padded room.
Some of the squares have been tattered and torn from the lunatics that have lived within its walls.
Others have dried, bloody fingernail scratches in them or dried blood painted on the walls.

Et tu, Carmino?

Skull chuckles softly before he begins speaking again.

Carmine, dear Carmine. You amaze me. Not in a good way either.
After the beating I gave you last time, you still go on as if you are untouchable.
Yet, deep down inside you know good and well you would not have walked away from that match at all had it not been for your dear friend Johnny Styles.
But, anyways that is all said and done.
This past week, I took Hostyle Jones for granted. He surprised me by beating me, but I congratulate him nonetheless.
It seems in my old age, I am beginning to be caught more and more off guard as time goes on.
This time however, the results are going to be different between Carmine and I.
Isolation.
Very fitting term, seeing as Carmine is trapped inside of a cage with no escape except for pinfall or submission. Neither of which he will gain over me.
This time, your trump card will be unplayable.
This time the catalyst that brought you to your last victory will have his hands bound by a stipulation, or you will lose your job.
Carmine, I do not see where you gain your constant arrogance from. It's certainly not from your appearance, because if you were aware of your appearance you would at least take time out to keep that wiry unibrow under control.
In fact, you shouldn't be arrogant you should be fearing for your life.
Your friend Johnny knows to take this as a serious moment, because he knows exactly how I am inside a stipulation match such as this one. A cage is merely one of my favorite hunting grounds.
He knows what I am capable of.
He knows that I could end your career in an instant.
Speaking of John, I am disappointed in you.
You call me arrogant and hypocritical when you should know well enough by now that this is nothing but mind games that I have been playing with you for months now.
I had to degrade your career and I had to degrade you in general to get through that stubborn mind of yours.
You see, you fell for it years ago and your falling for it again.
I planted that tiny seed of doubt inside the back of your mind and it is eating you alive. The reason I did so, is because I can see it in your eyes that you doubted yourself long before I ever started degrading you.
You've got that doubt that if you do decide to face me, you're not going to have what it takes to perform at your old level again.
You're afraid that your time has passed and that you are past your prime.
You're right.
But, so have I.
My time has passed as well, and you're not the only past your prime.
For months, I have not been able to perform at the level that I used to years ago, and you know that too, John.
You know as well as I do that had this have been 5 years ago, no one would be able to put a stop to me.
You've wondered why I've been targetting you for months now, and I will finally tell you why.
It's not because I need to prove some point, I've proven many points in my career with my dozens of title reigns and countless legendary matches.
It's not because I want to prove myself here in the IWF.
I'm merely in the IWF because you're here John.
Let me clarify. We're more alike than what you think. Our careers have been imortally intertwined for quite a long time.
We both started out at the same time, both of our rises to the top were at the same time, yet we had taken different paths.
Parallel yet completely different. You took the path of fame and stardom, I took the path of demolishing the opposition.
We were labeled mid card for life until we eventually met in the ring.
If I recollect correctly, we were either the second or third match of the night, and we were followed by four or five afterwards.
But the rest of the night didn't matter, because we stole the show.
Two legends were born that night.
Time after time again we were pitted to face off against each other because of just how amazing our match was.
Our rivalry was epic, and we damn near killed each other numerous times.
But, I don't need to give you this history lesson, you already know it.
I just want to refresh your memory.
Hopefully, that will make the fire burn inside of you once again, and we can put on a performance in that ring for this new generation and show them exactly who it was that paved the way for them to be here today.
But that's not the real reason I'm targetting you John. As I've said before, I am tired.
It is my time. My time to go.
I want an end to all of this, and I can't think of anyone more deserving than Johnny Styles, the man who helped build the career of the darkness that is Crimson Skull, that could end it.
Make no mistake about it, Johnny Styles did not make Crimson Skull, nor did Crimson Skull make Johnny Styles. We made each other, time and time again.
And now, it's time to end it.
Day after day, I am haunted by visions of the past. Countless victims I have slain over the years, thousands of souls I have trapped in Limbo. They are there to remind me of all my past sins, they are there to show me my greatest fears.
They've always been there, but they've never been able to take control of my mind. I've always been strong enough to overcome and ignore them, but now, I am growing weak and I do not have the strength to face them.
I just want it to all end, now.
I know you're hesitant about facing me. You doubt that you have what it takes to get in the ring again.
You're afraid of facing me, because you're afraid you'll be a mere shell of what you used to be years ago when last I faced you.
You're an idiot for thinking those things.
You know as well as I do that I bring out the best in my opponents, and I know your tank has just enough left in it to give me one more match.
So set aside all of your fears, John and get back in the ring. I gave you your first retirement years ago, now give me my final retirement.
If you continue to deny me, you know exactly what I am capable of, and you know I will stop at nothing until my needs are met.
Carmine is going to be the poor soul that has to take the assault from you denying to face me.
You're going to have to watch as your friend gets the mortal hell beaten out of him, and for what?
Because you won't agree to a match?

Skull stands up centering his emotions until finally the rage takes over as he pounds his fists against the walls of the room.

You will end it!
You will face me!
If you don't, I will take down every friend that you have in this business and I will torture them while you watch helplessly until you finally give in.
This has got to end!
I've spent a lifetime in a personal hell!
This is the path that I have chosen!
Nonger will I be a servant to Satan or act out as the hand of God, I am here by my own will to serve my own purposes.
I grow tired of endless traveling trying to find the meaning I am looking for, yet I know that the only meaning I can find is at the end of all things and the end of my career.

Skull walks out of this room and begins walking down the hallway. The camera fades and cuts in again only this time we see that the Waverly Hills Sanitarium has been set on fire. It's flames are roaring high into the midnight sky.
Just at the foot of the courtyard stands Crimson Skull admiring the flames.

To see this place go, invigorates me.
Slowly, I am letting go of all the things that have bound me to this mortal plane.
No longer do I have a master that I must serve and carry out their bidding.
No longer do I have the heartache of a love scorned, for I have finally carried out what was deserved upon my former queen, Tamara.
And finally, no longer do I walk the earth trying to find my place or my meaning.
The only way I can obtain some sense of meaning or purpose is in the afterlife.
My time here is drawing close to its end.
I've had an amazing career as a professional wrestler.
Johnny Styles, you have been witness to it in its entirety.
The time for insults and pointless bragging is over.
It's time to face the Reaper, John.
You and I have nearly cost each other their lives in the ring numerous times.
We've stood united against a Corporate Tyrant whose administration was so flawed that the only people who could prevail were the ones he created. Whether it be Joe Santiago, Brenton Cyrus, Nick Ridicule, Cyber Punk, or whichever of the many faces he is known by.
The two of us completely dismantled in a day, what we had helped him build over years.
Without us, there was no hope for that federation, we were the birth, life, and death of that federation.
That is not the case here, because I see that finally you have gained the respect that you deserved being listed as a Hall of Famer.
One day, I may join that list, who knows.
All I know now is that the ball is in your court, John.
You choose the fate of many when you make this choice to face me or not.
I stand here before you, to tell you that no one in this wrestling business has as much respect for you as I do. It may seem as though it is not true at times, but you should know that it is all mind games being played.
I also stand here before you to warn you, that if you continue to deny me this match, I can revert back to the old days. To where I can bring forth a dark plague over the entire federation of destruction and dismay.
Then, all will be blaming you for what has happened.
Do the right thing, John. Give me my end.
No more will there be fear, and no longer will anyone bow.
But from here on out, all will Remember the Reaper and Long live the King

Skull turns to walk away from the burning building. He takes two steps and then stops and turns back around.

In all of that, I almost forgot my opponent.
Carmine, I've said it before and I'll say it again, only this time I will put it into terms that you might understand.
You're not even in the same league as I am.
You can go out there and claim that all I am going to do is make excuses, but can you seriously look at yourself in the mirror and truly convince yourself that you would have came anywhere close to beating me had it not been for Johnny Styles?
I take that back, you've said it yourself multiple times. You've said that I damn near killed you and you were lucky to escape me.
Ironic, this time there is no escape.
I don't blame you for being worried, I don't blame you for being scared.
In fact, I apologize that you have to be the martyr for Johnny Styles to be able to give in and face me one last time.
Yet, you've cheated me and wronged me on more than one occasion, so I don't feel as bad for you.
In fact, in a way you sort of deserve it.
Pray to whatever deity that you consider holy, Carmine. Because this Sunday, you're going to need all the help you can get.
Johnny Styles can't help you this time.
This time, you little weasel, you've got nowhere to go. You've got a date with destiny, and it's going to be hell on earth for you.
I could go on and tell you all the wicked and despicable ways I plan on torturing you right in front of Johnny, but insteand I'm going to leave it to both of your imaginations.
You can call me kid all you want and you can pretend that you are the veteran here, but you know as well as I do that you career in the ring couldn't even hold a candle to mine.
Even at my worst I could still decimate you without a problem at all.
The only thing impressive about you is the size of you mouth, because it can talk a long way and say quite a few things.
But can you back them up? Can you walk the walk to go along with the talk you've been spewing out?
I highly doubt it. And you doubt it as well.
You're the one trying to compensate for something that you dont have. And that is talent.
Or a snowball's chance in Hell.
It's almost time Carmine, are you ready to face the Redeemer?
Can you smell the hot breath of the horses that lead Death's chariot galloping ever so closer to you, so that they may take you away and drag you down to hell?
You should have just stayed out of the way and stayed back in the administrative offices where you belong.
Maybe then you would have made a difference in the world, because you certainly haven't left your mark on the wrestling world.
You're right Carmine when you said you weren't going to be that stepping stone for me, because you're not.
You're going to be my metaphor.
You're going to be my reasoning why John should face me. Because if he does not, then the same fate that becomes you will become every single person he holds dear.
Hug your wife and children one last time Carmine, because it's going to be a few months before you're even going to be conscious again.

Skull's sadistic laughter bellows from deep within. He slowly turns to walk away, still laughing, as the crackling of the fire grows louder.
Pieces of the building have begun to fall inside the pyre that is this once esteemed establishment.
The camera keeps rolling until there is nothing left but ashes on the ground from the Waverly Hills Sanitarium.