The Fire Extinguished

Mere minutes after Axle Vengeance released his introductory video to the general public, everyone was abuzz about the former UECW champion and the havoc that he certainly would cause now on IWF television. Many speculated that perhaps Corey Casey brought in Axle for the sake of getting into Remington's head once more - after all, these two were great rivals for a time on UECW programming, and what better way to get into the mind of Alex than to bring in a man like Axle Vengeance, not to mention the sudden arrival of another rival in Ashe Corvin. Was it coincidence? Or was there a deeper darker sinister plan in the works?

His piece had been finalized, but it didn't take much longer before the latest special of 'IWF - Divas In Distress" was interrupted by Alexander Remington himself. He was shown standing in the middle of a hospital room, his back pressed against the far wall as he stared coldly at the camera before him. Why Alex was in a hospital in the first place was a mystery, as BattleGrounds had yet to come on the air, but he stood fully dressed in a neatly-pressed lavender button-down shirt and black slacks; a purple-striped tie covering the buttons; coat hanging over his shoulder as it looked like he was just getting dressed and getting ready to leave the building. But something had caught his eye, and he didn't want to waste any time to respond to such a diatribe.

Alexander Remington:Why am I here? In this place? Well, I will save that for another time when I am allowed to speak on the matters of BattleGrounds, but rest assured, I am doing well, and I will be back in plenty of time to give Parker Wayde exactly what's coming to him at New Year's Evil. But alas, the more things change, the more they stay the same, and flipping through the channels, I couldn't help but notice that a resurrection of sorts has taken place, and it appears the target is once again set right in the middle of my forehead.

Alex cracked a smile, casually resting his coat on the back of the chair beside the hospital bed, rolling his eyes as though he had seen it all before and now he was having to relive a history that he thought he had disposed of.

Alexander Remington: Axle fucking Vengeance, how in the hell are you, my friend? You know, the last time I saw you, you were running your mouth about how you were going to take me down and rid the UECW universe of Alexander Remington, only to hear that you yet again went back to the bottle and the pills, and ran away from your problems yet again. And the time before that? Well I think we both know what happened there. You put your UECW career on the line against me in a three-tiered cage match, and you lost. You not only lost your career that day, but you lost your pride and you lost all dignity and respect both from yourself but from your peers and each and every person who used to stand to their feet and chant HFF over and over again until their voices went mute. So spare me having to listen to you go on and on about how you're the 'motherfucking' greatest, and tell the world what this comeback of sorts is really about.

Alexander Remington: Jealousy. Envy. And maybe a bit of redemption thrown on the side. Your career used to be thriving, when you had Ace Static to hold your hand, but the second he went off the deep end, you lost your promise. You lost all credibility you ever had in your pathetic excuse of a career, and you could only remind people about your glorious past as a member of Hollywood's Fucking Finest for so long before people simply said, "Who cares?" You want so bad to be relevant again, because you miss the roar of a crowd as your music hits; you long for the thousands of fans standing in the fucking cold as you sign autographs for them for hours upon hours. And in the back of your mind, you know that you didn't lose that because of injustices done to you in UECW. You didn't lose that recognition because Ace Static, like you time and time again, went off the deep end and caved in to his lack of a backbone to drugs and alcohol. No, you lost it all because you simply couldn't evolve with the times. Axle Vengeance was a great man in a time of mediocrity, but once someone like me came on to the scene, the entirety of your career came to a screeching halt.

Alex scoffed with disgust. He had no pity for Axle Vengeance. He shook his head slowly with a roll of his eyes, continuing.

Alexander Remington: You got tired of fighting for a few hundred bucks per appearance at the local bingo halls, so when Corey Casey called you up and told you that you could resurrect your career, for the first time in a long time, you felt wanted. Appreciated. Needed. You woke your girl up in the middle of the night and you said, "Ashley, Ashley, look at me. I'm needed again!" And then you turned to your little baby boy, and you finally had a smile, because you knew that your own son wouldn't look at you growing up as a disappointment. As a has-been loser. As a dead-beat father. Oh right, know thy enemy right? You couldn't tolerate the way they looked at you when daddy came home. You couldn't live to look at your own self in the mirror, and so what better way to grab the last drop of pride left in your pathetic existance than to ride on the coattails of the man who violently cast you out of this industry once before?

Alex, himself, was not immune to the drink, however, not to the extent that Axle at least once was. So taking a momentary respite from his diatribe, he poured himself a glass of his favorite liquor, pressing the glass to his lips as he allowed himself just a few sips of that refreshing beverage.

Alexander Remington: But let's get something straight. Corey Casey did not call you and offer you a contract because he thinks you're special. Corey Casey got in touch with you simply because he thought it might get to me. And maybe five years ago, he would have been right, but the man I see before me is nothing special. You rip me because of the name of Hawkington - a name that I admit is idiotic and something I told Hawkins he should have never spoken aloud, but a name that just, well, stuck - but you continue to clench the name of Hollywood's Fucking Finest tightly in your fist because you know that it is the last time you were relevant in this business.

Alexander Remington: But I'll give you your chance. I guess that's what you deserve at least. I mean, I'd be bitter too if the man that IWF promotes most deliberately was the man that rid me from this industry not once, but twice now. And after New Year's Evil, when I beat Parker Wayde within an inch of his life and become IWF's new champion, you'll have your opportunity to rise from the ashes and be the man that Ashley and little Aiden can be proud of. And I'll have the pleasure of putting the final nail in Axle Vengeance's proverbial coffin.

Cracking one last smile and taking one last taste of his beverage, Alexander slipped on his coat and adjusted his tie, giving himself one last proud look in the mirror before walking out of the hospital room; scene fading to black.