[Start Video Feed]
((Yada yada, the lights go out. I'm sorry, but that's literally the most boring part to write for me.))
The titantron buzzed with life as the arena went completely silent. On the screen was the slow-motion image of Chrono Clepsydra pressing down on the control panel near the stage, followed by the scene of Matt Shanahan exploding into flames.
"I purposely set up the entire chain of events that led to not only destroy it, but in addition to Matt Shanahan.. My friend... My brother..." The words played over as the image of Chrono standing inside the ring with his WWE:E Championship, the match where neither Shanahan nor Nuke Fusion made an appearance.
"No, this is me saying that come the next PPV event... I will challenge Matt Shanahan in my final match..." Chrono went on, but his words and image were suddenly cut off. The screen was replaced a desolate landscape, the lifeless lands burning with a hot blaze in scatter areas. In the middle of the land was a wrestling ring, holding above it the infamous suspended structure known as the Falco's Nest. For a split second, the feed was interrupted by the visual a burning face, a high-pitched scream resonating through the arena before the titantron returned to Chrono.
"That brings me to you Matt... You are a false pretender, You were a great competitor, and then you fell from grace..." His words echoed as the screen faded once more, returning to the one of the desolate firelands. Inside the ring now was a single ladder, with a burnt figure that almost looked skeletal with most of it's flesh seared off to expose charred bones.
"But the difference between all of the rest and Matt Shanahan is... He doesn't rise above the rest. He burns them to the ground, and brings them to his level..." The strange man's words from the PPV's video feed faintly followed at Chrono's while the man continued to just barely climb up the ladder, struggling through the pain.
"Then you came back, changed yourself... Then fizzled..." Clepsydra's voice once again broke through, his words sharper than a knife. The man on the ladder finally managed to reach the top, his hand grasping at the championship hanging just spare inches out of his reach; the WWE:E Championship, just as scorched as he was. "I've seen him destroy careers for lesser reasons, and your's... Your's couldn't be more at risk...."
"You claim you want to come back and make a name for yourself, cement your legacy?" The man seemed to give up grabbing the title belt from the hook, falling down to rest against the top rung of the ladder. After a long moment, he finally pushed himself up and shot both hands straight into the air, just managing to grab the belt with his fingertips. He yanked and pulled at it until it released from the hook, officially in his grasp as he fell from the ladder and onto the mat below; he was completely unresponsive, dead. "Your betrayal and attempt to end his career will backfire in the worst way that this industry has ever seen..."
"What I hold here this championship is the Evolution that you seek.. That legacy you wish to claim..The Evolution of your career..." The man in the ring finally showed some feeble attempt at moving, just to hug the blackened title belt to his chest. A dim light flashed from his torso as he did, the burnt and charred flesh slowly mending to form some resemblance of a man. He wasted no time waiting, and before the fans could blink, he managed to get up to his feet and hobble to the far right corner of the ring. He carefully put the title belt on his shoulder and began to climb up the side of the scaffolding to the cell above; all the while, his flesh was slowly mending, skin overtaking where the healing was complete. "A Phoenix will rise from the ashes reborn after exploding into flames. To go through that hell and return as the same man... Only a God could pull off such a feat..."
"None the less.. Matthew.. We are going to go back in time.. Back to the good old days.. International Championship Wrestling.." The man continued to climb until he was working his way up the side of the 30-foot tall cage wall. His pace was slow and hesitant. His healing body was shaking, almost as if he was about to let go. But he didn't dare. "He is not a Phoenix. He is a God. He will not forget... He will not forgive."
"Do you remember that? Do you remember holding both world titles there?" The scene was interrupted by quick video feeds. The first was of the ICW logo and it's evolution over time. The next was of a younger Matt Shanahan standing in the ring with the ICW World Heavyweight Championship held over his head. The last was of him resting against a turnbuckle, a bloodied mess and hugging the ICW Championship to his gut. "You may be a God as well and you may have been successful in every endeavor so far in your career..."
"Of course you do.. It's time to bring back a classic match from ICW... The Falco's Nest Match..." The man finally got to the top of the cage and climbed over the edge, teetering on the top for just a moment before falling and landing within the nest-like structure. He hit the caged bottom hard, bouncing from impact and once again unresponsive. "But... You won't escape this time. There is no victor in the end..."
"Because when I beat you within an inch of your life, I want to demolish you in the place that made YOU famous, the match that made YOU famous." Finally, another sign of life came from the exhausted figure as he began to crawl over to the ladder in the center of the cage, the charred title belt still hanging on his arm. The burnt and mangled flesh had healed to the point that tattoos and scars could be made out across his figure; tattoos that Matt Shanahan once possessed. Scars that he had earned in his many bouts with champions and competitors over time. "There is only broken bodies, with your's at the bottom of the pile..."
"It is nothing personal brother, it is merely a formality... Because I've fought every legend... I've saved you for last..." His hands reached for the bottom rung of the ladder to pull himself up to a kneeling position. He sighed heavily and began to make his way up the rungs at a snail's pace. Brief images of Matt Shanahan doing the same in the first ever Falco's Nest match followed, before the ladder was pushed over and he was sent toppling to the steel mesh below. The figure never stopped climbing though; no one was there to push him over. "And I pray for you, Mr. Clepsydra. I do... For once Shanahan gets his hands on you, there is no hope..."
"You could say I saved the best for last... The best is me... I am the best... You will see brother..." Those words seemed to actually be heard by the ascending man, as he suddenly stopped in the middle of the ladder. Sinews and muscles tensed and relaxed, as if he were trying to remain calm. The healing of the flesh was almost complete, with slicked back black hair resting on top. He growled and began to stepped up the steel rungs once more, a small amount of life added to his steps. A surge of energy pulsed through him as he reached the top, hanging the title belt onto the dangling hook.
A flash of bright light exploded from the belt as he did so, enveloping the entire scene. The fires and dead landscape was replaced with an empty, abandoned ICW arena. A single spotlight shone down on the spot where the ring was, exposing the dusty and rusted Falco's Nest above it. The spotlight halted on the figure sitting atop the nest's ladder with a bowed head. Black jeans were the only clothing this man wore, exposing his tattooed and scarred flesh to the light. The title belt that hung above his head wasn't a charred piece of leather. No, it was the new WWE:E Championship, shining as it did the day Chrono revealed it to the world. `After a long moment of silence, the man lifted his head to stare at the camera, a fire in the back of his black eyes. The was Matt Shanahan, a man that many thought to have met his demise to The God of Time. His face showed no emotion, but his eyes were full of rage. The God of Punks was alive, and he was ready.
"... There is no hope... Not even for a God."
[End Video Feed]
((Yada yada, the lights go out. I'm sorry, but that's literally the most boring part to write for me.))
The titantron buzzed with life as the arena went completely silent. On the screen was the slow-motion image of Chrono Clepsydra pressing down on the control panel near the stage, followed by the scene of Matt Shanahan exploding into flames.
"I purposely set up the entire chain of events that led to not only destroy it, but in addition to Matt Shanahan.. My friend... My brother..." The words played over as the image of Chrono standing inside the ring with his WWE:E Championship, the match where neither Shanahan nor Nuke Fusion made an appearance.
"No, this is me saying that come the next PPV event... I will challenge Matt Shanahan in my final match..." Chrono went on, but his words and image were suddenly cut off. The screen was replaced a desolate landscape, the lifeless lands burning with a hot blaze in scatter areas. In the middle of the land was a wrestling ring, holding above it the infamous suspended structure known as the Falco's Nest. For a split second, the feed was interrupted by the visual a burning face, a high-pitched scream resonating through the arena before the titantron returned to Chrono.
"That brings me to you Matt... You are a false pretender, You were a great competitor, and then you fell from grace..." His words echoed as the screen faded once more, returning to the one of the desolate firelands. Inside the ring now was a single ladder, with a burnt figure that almost looked skeletal with most of it's flesh seared off to expose charred bones.
"But the difference between all of the rest and Matt Shanahan is... He doesn't rise above the rest. He burns them to the ground, and brings them to his level..." The strange man's words from the PPV's video feed faintly followed at Chrono's while the man continued to just barely climb up the ladder, struggling through the pain.
"Then you came back, changed yourself... Then fizzled..." Clepsydra's voice once again broke through, his words sharper than a knife. The man on the ladder finally managed to reach the top, his hand grasping at the championship hanging just spare inches out of his reach; the WWE:E Championship, just as scorched as he was. "I've seen him destroy careers for lesser reasons, and your's... Your's couldn't be more at risk...."
"You claim you want to come back and make a name for yourself, cement your legacy?" The man seemed to give up grabbing the title belt from the hook, falling down to rest against the top rung of the ladder. After a long moment, he finally pushed himself up and shot both hands straight into the air, just managing to grab the belt with his fingertips. He yanked and pulled at it until it released from the hook, officially in his grasp as he fell from the ladder and onto the mat below; he was completely unresponsive, dead. "Your betrayal and attempt to end his career will backfire in the worst way that this industry has ever seen..."
"What I hold here this championship is the Evolution that you seek.. That legacy you wish to claim..The Evolution of your career..." The man in the ring finally showed some feeble attempt at moving, just to hug the blackened title belt to his chest. A dim light flashed from his torso as he did, the burnt and charred flesh slowly mending to form some resemblance of a man. He wasted no time waiting, and before the fans could blink, he managed to get up to his feet and hobble to the far right corner of the ring. He carefully put the title belt on his shoulder and began to climb up the side of the scaffolding to the cell above; all the while, his flesh was slowly mending, skin overtaking where the healing was complete. "A Phoenix will rise from the ashes reborn after exploding into flames. To go through that hell and return as the same man... Only a God could pull off such a feat..."
"None the less.. Matthew.. We are going to go back in time.. Back to the good old days.. International Championship Wrestling.." The man continued to climb until he was working his way up the side of the 30-foot tall cage wall. His pace was slow and hesitant. His healing body was shaking, almost as if he was about to let go. But he didn't dare. "He is not a Phoenix. He is a God. He will not forget... He will not forgive."
"Do you remember that? Do you remember holding both world titles there?" The scene was interrupted by quick video feeds. The first was of the ICW logo and it's evolution over time. The next was of a younger Matt Shanahan standing in the ring with the ICW World Heavyweight Championship held over his head. The last was of him resting against a turnbuckle, a bloodied mess and hugging the ICW Championship to his gut. "You may be a God as well and you may have been successful in every endeavor so far in your career..."
"Of course you do.. It's time to bring back a classic match from ICW... The Falco's Nest Match..." The man finally got to the top of the cage and climbed over the edge, teetering on the top for just a moment before falling and landing within the nest-like structure. He hit the caged bottom hard, bouncing from impact and once again unresponsive. "But... You won't escape this time. There is no victor in the end..."
"Because when I beat you within an inch of your life, I want to demolish you in the place that made YOU famous, the match that made YOU famous." Finally, another sign of life came from the exhausted figure as he began to crawl over to the ladder in the center of the cage, the charred title belt still hanging on his arm. The burnt and mangled flesh had healed to the point that tattoos and scars could be made out across his figure; tattoos that Matt Shanahan once possessed. Scars that he had earned in his many bouts with champions and competitors over time. "There is only broken bodies, with your's at the bottom of the pile..."
"It is nothing personal brother, it is merely a formality... Because I've fought every legend... I've saved you for last..." His hands reached for the bottom rung of the ladder to pull himself up to a kneeling position. He sighed heavily and began to make his way up the rungs at a snail's pace. Brief images of Matt Shanahan doing the same in the first ever Falco's Nest match followed, before the ladder was pushed over and he was sent toppling to the steel mesh below. The figure never stopped climbing though; no one was there to push him over. "And I pray for you, Mr. Clepsydra. I do... For once Shanahan gets his hands on you, there is no hope..."
"You could say I saved the best for last... The best is me... I am the best... You will see brother..." Those words seemed to actually be heard by the ascending man, as he suddenly stopped in the middle of the ladder. Sinews and muscles tensed and relaxed, as if he were trying to remain calm. The healing of the flesh was almost complete, with slicked back black hair resting on top. He growled and began to stepped up the steel rungs once more, a small amount of life added to his steps. A surge of energy pulsed through him as he reached the top, hanging the title belt onto the dangling hook.
A flash of bright light exploded from the belt as he did so, enveloping the entire scene. The fires and dead landscape was replaced with an empty, abandoned ICW arena. A single spotlight shone down on the spot where the ring was, exposing the dusty and rusted Falco's Nest above it. The spotlight halted on the figure sitting atop the nest's ladder with a bowed head. Black jeans were the only clothing this man wore, exposing his tattooed and scarred flesh to the light. The title belt that hung above his head wasn't a charred piece of leather. No, it was the new WWE:E Championship, shining as it did the day Chrono revealed it to the world. `After a long moment of silence, the man lifted his head to stare at the camera, a fire in the back of his black eyes. The was Matt Shanahan, a man that many thought to have met his demise to The God of Time. His face showed no emotion, but his eyes were full of rage. The God of Punks was alive, and he was ready.
"... There is no hope... Not even for a God."
[End Video Feed]
