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 Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:08 am
The arena lights quickly turned to black inbetween matches, and the only lights seen in the stadium for now were flashes from cameras or phones. This darkness would continue for moments as the crowd stood somewhat silent in confusion. However, this 'peaceful' silence would be interrupted by an old face's new theme, and a few members of the IWC in the audience would mark out due to this man's history in the business. Laser lights sporadically flashed and changed colors around the titantron to the guitar riffs.
"Misirlou" - d**k Dale & the Del Tones
A spot light hit the curtain and who other than Andrew James Warner would emerge from it. He looked around the arena in awe; it had been five years since his downward spiral that left him thinking he was never going to step foot in a ring again. Today was the contradiction AJ had hoped for. Warner gave his trademark smirk and walked down to the ramp without any taunts or flashy moves (mostly due to the fact that most Little Jimmies didn't have a clue who he was). He slapped any outreached hands on the way to the ring and rolled into the squared circle under the bottom rope. Warner walked to the side of the ring in front of him to look towards the crowd and give a fat smile, into which a few individually loud cheers could be heard. The music cut and the lights came back on to their usual settings. He asked for a microphone and received one shortly, now facing the camera with the same smile he had before. It took him a while to speak; through the silence dozens of fans could be heard chanting 'Thank you A-J!' Warner raised the mic to his lips and he began his speech.
"There is a quote by the late author and philosopher Aldous Huxley. He said that, 'Experience is not what happens to you... it's what you do with what happens to you.'..." AJ looked down and slightly laughed away from the microphone as the average crowd stood confused. Many people who had seen Warner perform were clapping. "Five years ago, I was defending elite championships in some of the most prestigious businesses in the world of wrestling. & then... you know, something strange happened. I wasn't one to wear my emotions on my sleeve," AJ said with a laugh smiling again, scratching the back of his head, as his fans cheered loudly at his sarcasm, and a few casual fans joined. "But my brother, the only fan I had from start to finish, had passed away... and as a heel, as a heel I did my damned best not only to perform in front of all of you fans, but despite that, I did my damned best to make you all hate me." The crowd was silent as they grew interest in this man's story progressing.
"So I didn't have any fans besides the internet, the only fan I had that I interacted with everyday, was my brother... and when he passed I felt as if I had nobody, and it was too late to change my ways with the fans. So I found a new friend." AJ pulled an empty prescription bottle out of the inside of his jacket and the camera zoomed in on the label that read 'hydrocodone.' "This is called Vicodin... it's a painkiller, it's an opiate, and lemme tell you something, I'm not the first guy from that lockerrom, or any lockerroom, to get hooked." The crowd spoke amongst themselves about what they had just saw and Warner had a look of shame read on his face as he looked down towards the bottle. "Those contracts I received? What do you THINK they went towards? A better home for my kids? A healthy marriage? A new car? No, I spent it on something I thought was BETTER than those." AJ's facial expression turned from shameful to regret and disappointment.
"Oh and I trained during all of this, but I was too high off my Canadian a** to know what the hell I was doing!" Some of the crowd cheered towards drug use as they were drug users themselves, but they were overwhelmed by disappointed boos and casual crowd noise. "So now promoters aren't calling me, I'M the guy showing up on their doorstep asking for a chance. & you know what THOSE promoters said?" AJ wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as he was getting worked up at this point. "They said, 'AJ, I'm sorry! But you're too controversial.' Or they called me washed up, or they said they didn't want someone to show up one day and never be seen again, or they said my gimmick was too generic. My gimmick was BEING, MYSELF." The crowd cheered at this and clapped but Warner would speak again quickly. "But do you know... what each one of those promoters said to me? Do you know what they emphasized in their business suits and their sh*tty tones?..." Warner looked to the camera angrily and spoke with a louder tone. "'GET OFF THE PILLS, YOU CRACK HEAD.'"
The crowd booed the promoters but began cheering again when AJ threw the empty pill bottle out of the ring and onto the ramp as an act of symbolism. Warner had the mic away from his mouth and smiled as the crowd, now in unison, joined the few people that started the 'Thank you A-J!' chants. This was one of the realest promos most of them had ever seen. "So I stopped trying to beg promoters, and it was my mission and my mission only to make promoters start begging for ME!" The crowd cheered again and AJ was back on the microphone. "And now, I am in the top company with the best pure athletes in this profession. I got one last shot... one last shot to prove myself worthy for all you fans and all the people backstage that think this is the same old bulls**t. I don't ask for title shots, I don't ask for movie roles, all I ask for is someone to walk through that curtain, look me in the eyes and tell me, 'you can't do it.' & I'm not a man of faith, but whoever comes out better be, because if you don't have a force greater than ME on your side, YOU'LL be the one begging for mercy!"
The crowd cheered as AJ walked back to the corner and awaited the pompous superstar who would attempt to prove him wrong.
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:33 pm
The arena remained in a hush until a theme would finally broke the silence.THE WORLD IS AFTER ME! The music paused for only a moment as a wheel of fireworks went off around the titantron followed by a huge explosion.THE WHOLE WORLD IS AFTER ME!Fans jumped to their feet and cheers erupted throughout the arena as Cyrus' theme, After Me, blasted into the ears of the audience. The Dream stepped out on stage, pausing to soak in the cheers of the all the Dreamers in the audience. Cyrus looked dead at Warner with a smile. This is who The Dream was looking for, a man he hadn't stepped into the ring with in years.
Microphone in hand, Cyrus raised it to his lips to speak. "AJ Warner.." He paused with a smirk as the Warner fans let out cheers. "I hope you're not expecting a 'you can't do it' from me. That's the last thing someone like me would say. Instead, I'll ask, how do you intend to do it." Cyrus paused a moment but immediately started up again. " Do you still have the strength to keep up with the new faces in professional wrestling? Do you have the spirit to push forward?"
The Dream took a few steps towards the ring. "Are you going to prove, not to me, but to the fans that the absolute best of AJ Warner has truly yet to come?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:46 pm
AJ Warner looked up at a familiar face he once knew in previous wrestling federations. He smirked until it had seemed Cyrus was questioning his current in-ring abilities. "The AJ Warner of old was passionate... the AJ Warner of old wanted to win, but the AJ Warner of old... was ignorant." The crowd cheered, seeing that Warner had moved on from his heelish antics and was ready for a new start in the wrestling business. "You see, Cyrus, I felt as though my job was safe, I felt like nothing could stop me... you heard my life story, nothing is safe any more. Not me, not you... not even my brother." Warner looked down to the ground and regained his composure quickly with a couple deep breaths as the crowd was silent. "Today I fight to win but there's a difference. The AJ Warner of new fights for honor. The current AJ Warner fights for courage... and without my 'screw the world' mentality, I am now able to respect these fans, respect my opponents who share the same philosophy in victory or defeat, and respect this business for what it is." The crowd gave a loud pop and started a 'WE LOVE WRESTLING!' chant. AJ walked towards the ropes and reached the microphone out towards the audience with a smile. "I will give this business my ALL, to represent the honor, courage, blood, sweat, tears, and passion that come with it." The crowd cheered at Warner's passionate reply and they, as well as AJ, awaited a response from Cyrus.
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:06 pm
The Dream looked down and nodded at Warner's response. Cyrus raised his mic once again to speak. "You give yourself too little credit AJ. The AJ of old was a free spirit, and though he was a b*****d, the fans still loved watching him kick a**!" The Dream stopped as cheers erupted. "Sure, you were an a**hole to them. But instead of the fans, target that ******** the world attitude towards every one of these new guys who think they're hot s**t and give them a boot the a**!" Cyrus suddenly exploded on the mic. "You're AJ Warner dammit! Not some washed up old Marine! If that mentality really has gotten to you, The Bad Chyld, then real attitude is lost in this industry."
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:11 pm
Warner laughed and looked down to the ground shaking his head with a smile, as the fans who knew AJ before gave a loud cheer to everything Cyrus said. This was the Bad Chyld: a man who thrived himself on giving his middle finger to the world, a man who put his body on the line in brutal matches with a sense of immortality. The way Warner once saw it, the more pain he put himself through, his opponent would be feeling worse. "Listen Cyrus, things have ch-"
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:29 pm
"No! If anything has changed it's the opponents! This whole company needs it's a** kicked and your the only man who has the attitude and spirit to do it!" Cyrus spoke nearly jumping at every step, letting everything out. "These pricks think they have a right to tell everyone they're the best, when they don't give a damn about the fans and do just whatever the hell they please. This has turned into a place where disrespect isn't just shown, but is stomped into you as soon as you turn your back, we don't need a some good guy, we need a guy who's even worse to show them just who in the hell they're dealing with!"
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:39 pm
Warner looked back and fourth between each side of the audience wondering what to do. He seemed like he was looking for answers from the fans but eventually he looked to Cyrus, and after a long pause, he raised the mic to his lips. "F*** THOSE GUYS!" The crowd went wild as Warner held back the smile from the pop and kept talking. "There may not be many of us veterans left, but I'll be damned... I'LL BE DAMNED IF ANY ******** EVEN TRIES TO REACH THE BAR WE'VE SET!" In-between chants of 'Thank you Cy-rus!' were chants of 'Thank you A-J!', yet they were not competing with one another. The wrestling fans of old felt as though they were experiencing a truly magical moment. "I can sit here and try to be humble and show myself as more calm, but nobody... NOBODY is going to show me anything I can't put an end to!" The crowd popped again and Warner paced back and fourth quickly to his left and right. "NOBODY IS GONNA DISRESPECT ME! I'VE BEEN AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN!" The crowd cheered lightly but Warner approached Cyrus and jammed an index finger in his chest. "NOBODY WILL DISRESPECT YOU! YOU PUT THIS COMPANY ON YOUR BACK!" The arena roared for their favorite babyface but silenced as AJ got in Cyrus's face. "So let's teach them how it is. What do you say?" Warner extended his hand as the crowd was marking out at this point.
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:53 pm
Cyrus paused as AJ nearly knocked him over when AJ jammed his finger in The Dream's chest. Shaken by the reaction Cyrus hesitated for only a moment before the intensity kicked in again. Cyrus threw his hand forward and shook The Bad Chyld's hand and he raised the mic. "To that, I say to them, Sweet Dreams-" The Dream suddenly stopped. "No those guys have been living in that Dream for too long!"
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 6:04 pm
AJ raised the mic to his lips and smirked, trying to not sound as corny as he could when the idea sprung into his head. "To THOSE guys... this new era is gonna seem like an eternity of Bad Dreams." The crowd gave a huge pop as AJ dropped his mic and raised Cyrus's hand, pointing to him with the other as if to show victory. This wasn't AJ's moment, this wasn't even Cyrus's. This was the moment that everyone in that locker room was put on notice. AJ's theme was played to close the promo and in-ring segment. Many true fans of pure wrestling and historians of the business were on their feet for what the future had in store had for the team of Cyrus Leone and AJ Warner.
"Misirlou" - d**k Dale & the Del Tones
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