"People...of Salem..."
The fans in attendance would begin to cheer at the sound of Salem's voice over the speaker system, the man in question stepping out from behind the curtain and onto the stage. He wore a pair of faded black jeans, torn at the knees. Though his hands were visibly wrapped, Salem sported a black hoodie that covered up his torso completely, hiding his trademark winged ankh that was blazed across his back. In one hand was a microphone. The other, a large glass jar full of coins with a taped-on paper note that said "Salem's Change Jar". Dropping to his knees on the center stage, Salem almost looked to be bowed in prayer...the hood of his jacket, pulled up over his brow while his black bangs obscured his face.
"...Give it up for YOUR FAVORITE SON!"
The crowd once again stood and cheered at Salem's request, prompting the man to spring up to his feet with a burst of energy that knocked his hood back, exposing the ecstatic expression on Salem's face as he soaked in the response from the audience. Making his way down the ramp, Salem spoke into the mic as he surveyed the crowd in the first few rows.
"Since I don't have anything else to do tonight...I figured we'd have a surprise episode of 'Salem Says' for all you people here tonight!" Salem beamed, nodding and smiling at the fans who patted him on the shoulder as he walked along the barricade. "And to make it special, I'm gonna make this episode "Fan Appreciation Night" - meaning one of you will get to host tonight's segment!"
The crowd burst into cheers at the surprise announcement, fans eagerly thrusting their hands up and out towards Salem as he passed them, the bronzed brawler having a hard time settling on a host.
"Who will it be...?" Salem said quietly, passing the enthusiastic fans with no sign of interest. Finally, Salem pointed a finger at a guy in the second row, who eagerly made his way over the barricade to thank Salem. The fan appeared to be in his early twenties, wearing a Talon t-shirt and a pair of Croft wrist-wraps. Nodding, Salem gestured for the gentleman to enter the ring, setting the mic down on the apron as he lifted up the skirt and tossed two chairs into the ring. Sliding in after, Salem would fold out the chairs and offer his guest a seat, the pair sitting close enough to pass the microphone back and forth.
"Hope you don't mind the set." Salem said with a laugh, the fan shaking his head lightheartedly. "I kinda just came out here, so we'll have to make this brief. What's your name?" Salem said, extending the mic over for the fan to speak into.
"Uhh, Justin." the fan replied eagerly as Salem pulled a set of notecards from the pocket in his hoodie, setting the jar of change down at his side.
"Well, Justin, here's how this is gonna work." Salem explained, handing the cards to his guest. "As the host, you're gonna ask me the questions that I'd normally be asking my guest. I went ahead and prepared some things so you wouldn't be working off-the-cuff, so just ask what I have there. Sound good?"
'Yeah, sure!" Justin replied, looking at the first question on the notecard while Salem held the mic. "So, just start? Okay. So, Salem...since your debut in WWF:G, you've talked a lot about change. However, we've yet to see you make good on your promise to make this company better. Why is that?"
Salem's eyes squinted for a moment, as though he'd been caught off-guard by the fan's question. Drawing the microphone to his lips, Salem chuckled nervously. "Well, uh, wow...didn't think you'd go straight there, but, alright. The problem is, people around here just don't seem to appreciate what good wrestling is about. I mean, I'd like to do more than just come out and talk, but I need the opportunity to show that I'm more than your average man."
Extending the mic, Salem allowed the fan to continue reading from the card.
"Okay, then...so, what's your plan for trying to restore order to this company, and deliver on your claim to bring this company to another level?"
Salem abruptly drew the mic back to his lips, leaning in with a firm stare at the fan as he spoke straight-lipped to him. "I plan to wake people up." he said, the fan flinching back a bit as Salem put emphasis on his words, nearly spitting them into the microphone. "People need to see that Salem Croft isn't just someone who talks. I can hold my own against the best in this company, and I deserve my chance to prove it."
Nodding, Justin would laugh a little as Salem tilted the mic back, clapping a few times at Salem's response. Rather than let the fan speak, however, Salem would furrow his brow and return the microphone to his lips.
"...Is something funny?" he said with a quiet, forceful tone. Justin immediately became nervous, shaking his head and muttering in protest. "Do you think that I do this to entertain you people?!"
Without warning or provocation, Salem would spring out from his chair, delivering a firm high knee to Justin's chin. The force of his attack was enough to send the fan's head ricocheting backward in recoil, tumbling backward out of his chair and onto the canvas. Sprawled out, Salem would hoist the helpless fan up to his feet before lifting Justin horizontally above his head, glaring at the crowd intensely while looking over at the steel chair he'd been sitting in.
Letting Justin go, Salem would catch Justin's neck in mid air, falling backward to drive the man's face into the propped-up seat of the steel seat. The impact bent the metal frame into a state of disuse, and left Justin's face bloody and lifeless. Snapping up to his feet with a kip-up, Salem would snatch the microphone and the jar of change from the mat as Security stormed the ring, attempting to seize Salem.
"I said it was 'Fan Appreciation Night'? Well, that fan now appreciates how serious I can be!" Salem roared, his face aflame. Despite the intensity to his eyes and voice, a smile was stretched across his lips as the burly guards grabbed Salem and dragged him out of the ring to only as much resistance as needed to continue speaking into the mic.
"I'm gonna burn this company down!" Salem bellowed, staring sadistically into the ring as he was dragged off the apron, medical assistants tending to the motionless fan left sprawled out across the bloody canvas. "You people cheer and laugh, you support this bitter mockery you call the 'status quo'! I'm going to show you a new kind of wrestler! I'm going to pull the veils from over your eyes, snap you out of your delusions, and give you a champion to be proud of! The 'Summer of Salem' has only just begun!"
With the fans in upheaval, medical personnel would strap Justin onto a gurney, his neck supported by a brace as they wheeled him through the backstage access tunnel and towards the parking lot, Salem letting out a final burst of laughter as he was dragged across the stage and behind the curtain.
The fans in attendance would begin to cheer at the sound of Salem's voice over the speaker system, the man in question stepping out from behind the curtain and onto the stage. He wore a pair of faded black jeans, torn at the knees. Though his hands were visibly wrapped, Salem sported a black hoodie that covered up his torso completely, hiding his trademark winged ankh that was blazed across his back. In one hand was a microphone. The other, a large glass jar full of coins with a taped-on paper note that said "Salem's Change Jar". Dropping to his knees on the center stage, Salem almost looked to be bowed in prayer...the hood of his jacket, pulled up over his brow while his black bangs obscured his face.
"...Give it up for YOUR FAVORITE SON!"
The crowd once again stood and cheered at Salem's request, prompting the man to spring up to his feet with a burst of energy that knocked his hood back, exposing the ecstatic expression on Salem's face as he soaked in the response from the audience. Making his way down the ramp, Salem spoke into the mic as he surveyed the crowd in the first few rows.
"Since I don't have anything else to do tonight...I figured we'd have a surprise episode of 'Salem Says' for all you people here tonight!" Salem beamed, nodding and smiling at the fans who patted him on the shoulder as he walked along the barricade. "And to make it special, I'm gonna make this episode "Fan Appreciation Night" - meaning one of you will get to host tonight's segment!"
The crowd burst into cheers at the surprise announcement, fans eagerly thrusting their hands up and out towards Salem as he passed them, the bronzed brawler having a hard time settling on a host.
"Who will it be...?" Salem said quietly, passing the enthusiastic fans with no sign of interest. Finally, Salem pointed a finger at a guy in the second row, who eagerly made his way over the barricade to thank Salem. The fan appeared to be in his early twenties, wearing a Talon t-shirt and a pair of Croft wrist-wraps. Nodding, Salem gestured for the gentleman to enter the ring, setting the mic down on the apron as he lifted up the skirt and tossed two chairs into the ring. Sliding in after, Salem would fold out the chairs and offer his guest a seat, the pair sitting close enough to pass the microphone back and forth.
"Hope you don't mind the set." Salem said with a laugh, the fan shaking his head lightheartedly. "I kinda just came out here, so we'll have to make this brief. What's your name?" Salem said, extending the mic over for the fan to speak into.
"Uhh, Justin." the fan replied eagerly as Salem pulled a set of notecards from the pocket in his hoodie, setting the jar of change down at his side.
"Well, Justin, here's how this is gonna work." Salem explained, handing the cards to his guest. "As the host, you're gonna ask me the questions that I'd normally be asking my guest. I went ahead and prepared some things so you wouldn't be working off-the-cuff, so just ask what I have there. Sound good?"
'Yeah, sure!" Justin replied, looking at the first question on the notecard while Salem held the mic. "So, just start? Okay. So, Salem...since your debut in WWF:G, you've talked a lot about change. However, we've yet to see you make good on your promise to make this company better. Why is that?"
Salem's eyes squinted for a moment, as though he'd been caught off-guard by the fan's question. Drawing the microphone to his lips, Salem chuckled nervously. "Well, uh, wow...didn't think you'd go straight there, but, alright. The problem is, people around here just don't seem to appreciate what good wrestling is about. I mean, I'd like to do more than just come out and talk, but I need the opportunity to show that I'm more than your average man."
Extending the mic, Salem allowed the fan to continue reading from the card.
"Okay, then...so, what's your plan for trying to restore order to this company, and deliver on your claim to bring this company to another level?"
Salem abruptly drew the mic back to his lips, leaning in with a firm stare at the fan as he spoke straight-lipped to him. "I plan to wake people up." he said, the fan flinching back a bit as Salem put emphasis on his words, nearly spitting them into the microphone. "People need to see that Salem Croft isn't just someone who talks. I can hold my own against the best in this company, and I deserve my chance to prove it."
Nodding, Justin would laugh a little as Salem tilted the mic back, clapping a few times at Salem's response. Rather than let the fan speak, however, Salem would furrow his brow and return the microphone to his lips.
"...Is something funny?" he said with a quiet, forceful tone. Justin immediately became nervous, shaking his head and muttering in protest. "Do you think that I do this to entertain you people?!"
Without warning or provocation, Salem would spring out from his chair, delivering a firm high knee to Justin's chin. The force of his attack was enough to send the fan's head ricocheting backward in recoil, tumbling backward out of his chair and onto the canvas. Sprawled out, Salem would hoist the helpless fan up to his feet before lifting Justin horizontally above his head, glaring at the crowd intensely while looking over at the steel chair he'd been sitting in.
Letting Justin go, Salem would catch Justin's neck in mid air, falling backward to drive the man's face into the propped-up seat of the steel seat. The impact bent the metal frame into a state of disuse, and left Justin's face bloody and lifeless. Snapping up to his feet with a kip-up, Salem would snatch the microphone and the jar of change from the mat as Security stormed the ring, attempting to seize Salem.
"I said it was 'Fan Appreciation Night'? Well, that fan now appreciates how serious I can be!" Salem roared, his face aflame. Despite the intensity to his eyes and voice, a smile was stretched across his lips as the burly guards grabbed Salem and dragged him out of the ring to only as much resistance as needed to continue speaking into the mic.
"I'm gonna burn this company down!" Salem bellowed, staring sadistically into the ring as he was dragged off the apron, medical assistants tending to the motionless fan left sprawled out across the bloody canvas. "You people cheer and laugh, you support this bitter mockery you call the 'status quo'! I'm going to show you a new kind of wrestler! I'm going to pull the veils from over your eyes, snap you out of your delusions, and give you a champion to be proud of! The 'Summer of Salem' has only just begun!"
With the fans in upheaval, medical personnel would strap Justin onto a gurney, his neck supported by a brace as they wheeled him through the backstage access tunnel and towards the parking lot, Salem letting out a final burst of laughter as he was dragged across the stage and behind the curtain.