Post by Owen Gonsalves on Jan 31, 2016 10:33:36 GMT -6
(OOC: The following is to be read after Patrick Jones's roleplay, for continuity's sake. Highly suggest reading that first when it's out before this. Thank you.)
Why me? Why was I the victim of conspiracy and tom-foolery from the powers that be? There are plenty of others in that locker room that are more of a danger than I, surely?
Why me? Why was I the victim of conspiracy and tom-foolery from the powers that be? There are plenty of others in that locker room that are more of a danger than I, surely?
Matt Robinson. He's been issued warnings...he's injured a handful of members on the roster from as simple as Ollie The Magic Bum to as important as Cameron Behringer.
Dathyn. Perhaps one of the more violent beings...why hasn't his matches been cancelled?
Look down that card...the opening contest is a Tables Match, look further down, there is a ladder match that is made to be the focal point of the show...and the other main event is between a technical mastermind who isn't as comfortable in a hardcore situation against a woman who has made more of a career than me off of it.
So why am I the victim? I have fought my inner demons and prevailed to get here, I have fought my own wife in verbal wars to be able to get the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico, I fought Scarlet Flint, Ace Watson, Artemis Kaiser...I proved I am not the man I once was.
Yet for some reason it's me who suffers. They call me a danger to the roster, yet they put two young girls in their second or third match in the company to face the tag team champions, one of whom is a self-proclaimed Psychopath, in a ladder match. And I thought my match that was supposed to happen against Zahara would be different...I really did.
And then they pulled that away from us...from me. Why? Because Zahara Matisse had been "stretched"...I take nothing away from her, nor do I blame her.
I blame them. They've brainwashed the wet behind the ears rookie and played politics to get their way. Maybe Bronx was right, maybe...just maybe my name is being used for ticket sales, maybe I'm being used to help draw a couple more numbers. Or maybe I'm just being taken as a joke, they think I'm a joke and the people think I'm a joke.
They have every right to. I'm looked at as a failure....but to quote Jacoby Shaddix, 'Am I a failure, if I got nothing to lose? No...I'm not a failure, I got something to prove...'.
Caguas was busy at this time of year, it's travelling time and not only that but VoW hitting the one city in Puerto Rico is a big deal to the city of a little over 140,000. Professional wrestling in Puerto Rico is huge, men brave enough travel and perfect their craft here in the harsh, Mexico-esque environment that the Puerto Rican wrestling scene offers.
But take away the shade behind it all and it remains to be a beautiful place, and right now, that's all I'm trying to soak in...but it's difficult to do when you have a virtual Puerto Rican wrestling legend following your every step.
"Do you smell that, kid? That thick, grimy, bitter scent that flows through the air?" My Uncle takes a quick whiff of the Puerto Rican air before exhaling rather orgasmically.
I half scoff, "Pretty sure that's the smell of that guy behind the food stall burning that chicken..." I chuckle, pointing over to a large Puerto Rican gentleman frantically trying to fix his blackening roast chicken while fanning away the dark grey smoke that engulfs the inside of his stall.
"No, stupid...That's the smell of...home. 3 and half years I spent here cumulatively, about 10 tours of this wonderful territory and 9 championships held. This was home, this smell...this smell is a beautiful scent that will always remind me of my time spent here."
"That's great and all but if the smell of an aggressively sweating fat man, burning garlic rubbed chicken reminds you of home then maybe it's time you buy a new house." It felt good every now and then to slap him with his own sense of humour, especially after the stunt he pulled, putting Noodle and myself on the same plane and weaselling his way into coming with me.
Goldie scoffs at my jab as we finally halt in front of the monumental statue that commemorate the indigenous women of Caguas, the Tainos. There's a glimmer in his eye as he stares up at the statue, dropping his large backpack on the floor as push down the handle in my suitcase (we haven't booked into our hotel yet, because sitting in a hotel room all day wasn't part of the "Puerto Rican experience" apparently!)
They were warriors from my research, dangerous women, maybe comparable to the two women I face at Double Jeopardy. Speaking of said show...
"Where's Jones? I thought he said he'd meet us here in about 2 hours..." I mutter, glancing up at the statue before rolling my sleeve up and scanning my watch.
12:32 PM. We landed in Caguas at 9:30 in the morning. Leave it to PJ to be an hour late to a simple meet-up. Looking up from my watch my Uncle is happily joining in on a selfie from a Gabriel Iglesias looking Latino gentleman.
"Usted es el hombre, hermano! You are the man, bro...I watched you when I was a little hombre man! True legend, bro!" The fan says before fist bumping my Uncle who nods, he gives me a half nod like I'm the young boy carrying his bags before catching up with the rest of his family ahead of him.
"My people, Owen...These are my people...Uh what were you saying anyway?" Caught up in the moment he slowly turns around and diverts his attention back to me.
"PJ...It's been an hour and there's no si-"
"Considering we'll be teaming to face one of VoW's more cohesive units...I'd expect you'd have a little more faith in me, Kangaroo Jack." That deep, sarcastic tone is like a nail slammed directly in my nerve as Goldie half smiles and points over at the man standing behind me.
"Found him, this shit is easier than finding Waldo." Goldward mutters as I can't help but wonder why I'm being punished the way I am...three of my matches in that last few months cancelled, and now I'm left to deal with two...for lack of a better term, assholes.
Choosing to ignore the senior asshole, I turn around to my tag partner for the week, "Nice of you to show up. Sangue, believe it or not, wants us to promote the match as best as we can possibly can. I'm sure you have some shit you need to get off your chest, as do I...We do that here in front of this monument, little bit of an inspirational backdrop."
Jones chuckles, "If we're gonna talk in front of a camera, can you at least act like you want to be my tag partner in this match?"
Truth be told, I don't think either of us were pleased that we were teaming with each other but you learn early on in the business, you make do with what you got. With an affirmative nod, I turn my attention to my suitcase, PJ takes his Kentucky Wildcats baseball cap and spins it backwards, proverbially flipping the switch into a mode more suited for our address to the public. Laying the suitcase flat, out comes a tripod and black padded case. I hand over the video recording gear to the almost certainly tipsy Uncle who fumbles with the camera case.
"Be of use..." There's a sense of harshness in my tone, my mind wanders elsewhere thinking about our opponents for Double Jeopardy. That moment where they caused a slight distraction in my main event against Ryder Blade, their weeks of intimidation vignettes that run through my head. I sat on that plane to this city, while my Uncle was snoring ever loudly and PJ himself was getting some shut eye, I was up watching every vignette they made for VoW...every little symbolic gesture pulled.
"Are you sure we can trust the aging old man who with a slight sip of Jack Daniels on a place, gets the case of Parkinsons and 'misses' the bowl when trying to piss to hold the camera?" There's an inside joke from that plane ride, it would've gotten me had I not been in thought, while packing away the suitcase again.
"I can hold a camera, asshole! You on the other hand? You couldn't even hold a candle to me when it comes to my career in this business, hell you're lucky I'm not Owen's tag team partner because I'd show you that you can't even hold a candle to me when it comes to talking on that stick either!" It's clear that PJ's shot hit a nerve as I finally regain my composure and divert my thoughts about my opponents to the sentence structure part of my brain.
"Alright, alright...Let's go, come on." I proclaim as PJ smirks and watches intently as my Uncle fumbles around with the camera before finally placing it onto the tripod, with a 3, 2, 1, he hits record.
- RECORDING
Owen Gonsalves: "Nothing but crimson ink in which they will issue their terms and conditions...Those were the words Joanna said when referring to us, those were just some of the words, PJ."
There's a deep breath, I'm amused by them...their attempts at intimidation, Pat still has that smirk on his face as he stares intently into the camera.
Owen Gonsalves: "Patrick, they said that had Joanna been the woman she is today...They'd be speaking of the late Patrick Jones, and that when it comes to facing powers like them...I'm a virgin."
From behind the camera I can hear my Uncle mumble out some feint words about there being no chance that I was a virgin...'just look at his wife'.
Owen Gonsalves: "I'm not going to lie on camera and say that two athletic, devastatingly, dangerous women climbing trees and speaking of how dangerous didn't impress me, because it did. Chaos Sworn, Emma Carlisle...Death Incarnate and Joanna Thade, the Warchild...You two are dangerous and you two will reign as champions in this company. That's a fact Patrick or myself can't deny."
PJ nods slowly agreeing with my words as I pause and take a moment to keep my train of thought going.
Owen Gonsalves: "But when it comes to picking us apart...when it comes down to doing your research, you girls slacked off...It was a lazy C- effort but I wouldn't blame you, we probably weren't on your radar before the Double Jeopardy card was announced. You have your eyes on The Requiem, Ryder Blade, Casanova English, Tyler Storm, Katie Moicelle...All the Champions and headliners in VoW, and rightfully so...Pat, allow me to speak for you here when I say this..."
"...We're not the biggest fish in this pond, we're fish in the pond, no doubt but we aren't the fish that rule, are we girls? We aren't the fish you were hoping nibbled at your bait. But you girls are okay with that...Why? Because we're the example fish...we're the fish you'll wave around for a while until something bigger nibbles onto your bait."
There's a slight spot of confusion as I sense my tag team partner has lost me and my direction but he'll pick up eventually.
Owen Gonsalves: "You girls have your eyes set on particular fish, you did your research, you know which part of the pond they're in and what time of the day they may come out to swim...but swimming around your hook are two fish you saw in the fishing magazine that one time a few years back. You'll take whatever you can get if it means you get to prove your point but what happens when you don't quite understand the fish you're tackling? You've spent your time planning and racking up as many fish as possible, what happens when the fish you didn't research enough about slips off your hook and swims to greater waters?"
"You keep your eyes firmly set on that ladder match and the Twin City Championships, you have a few glances at Owen G and PJ but what happens when the two average joes catch you off guard, take your rod and pull you into the water? Are you going to sink or swim, Warchild...Carlisle? What happens when you think you've got it allll figured out but forgot to figure out the two guys you didn't think you had to?"
The half laugh that comes from next to me tells me alone that my partner has caught up.
Owen Gonsalves: "I wonder how much of a devastating and powerful force you turn out to be after losing to a young upstart tag team in The Neon Babes and then lose to two guys who have nothing to lose..."
I feel a hand on my shoulder, tilting my head I see Pat wants a shot at taking over.
Patrick Jones: "Nothing to lose...nothing to lose...You see, my tag team partner for this week may have just dropped one of the shittiest metaphors I've ever heard but shit if it doesn't make sense. I wonder what would happen to the Warchild if after all that talk of talking about the late Patrick Jones, not only does Patrick Jones walk out alive and well but he walks with a win over Emma Carlisle and Joanna Thade...again. After all the noise you two have made, surely people are going to be interested to see how you two react to being beaten for the second show straight?"
Owen Gonsalves: "But we're getting ahead of ourselves, Pat...We don't have them beat yet. The same way they don't have us beat...The same way they don't know what they're walking into. Those bedtime stories you girls heard all about? They're exactly that, stories...fables of my past. The man you step in the ring with on February 2nd is far different from the man whose tales you heard all about, he's bigger, faster and stronger...I wouldn't be worried about missing that though, it seems as though management haven't gotten the memo either. But even though that's all in my past...I can't deny that past. I'm no virgin...I've faced powers like you girls before...Look around and you'll find them."
Blasts of my gruesome history with Cera and Hazard flash through my head as I take a pause for a moment, I hear Bronson cursing under his breath from behind the camera as if he knows the memories...the nightmares are overwhelming me. Cera. Hazard. Iser. Flint. Kaiser. Belasko. Pugh.
Patrick Jones: "Owen and even myself, we were boys among monsters once upon a time...We've both been through wars long before we cross paths with you. We've reached high points in our careers and low points in our careers...There's been main event moments, and there's been moments where we weren't even considered. You two have reputations to uphold and infamy constantly at stake, people fear you...but what have we got to fear? War? We've been through that far too many times to fear it? Death? We're in the wrong business if we fear death."
Soloke. Roberts. Shulmanu. Finelli. Serra. Joka. Cera. Hazard. Iser. Pugh.
Patrick Jones: "We've got nothing to lose but everything to prove, that's what is going to drive us to victory. We may not be the best of friends but we're smart enough to brave that storm...we've braved every storm before us and survived, this storm could be different or it could be the same as every other storm...and there's only one way to find out."
Jones. Warchild. Death Incarnate.
Owen Gonsalves: "Double Jeopardy WILL be remembered as the day war was declared on the VoW Locker Room...because Chaos Sworn will have screamed for vengeance and revenge after suffering defeat at the hands of Owen Gonsalves and Patrick Jones. We're going to kick your asses...I'm going to kick your asses and do it within the confines of that TV deal."
All the battles and wars...
Owen Gonsalves: "You know...In your little vignettes you did before the big reveal that Joanna is still the wicked witch of hell, you said something, something before my own match with Ryder Blade that stuck with me...You said that 'Chaos is coming, time to choose, what will you do, when you realise you lose.', isn't it ironic that the tables could very well be turned? What will you girls do on February 2nd at Double Jeopardy when you're laying on the mat..."
Patrick Jones: "...zoned out..."
Owen Gonsalves: "...and realise then and there that Patrick Jones and Owen Gonsalves....cannot be destroyed."
That's a wrap...One more war alongside a battle scarred man whose been through the wars Ive been through. It probably won't be as bloody as the Veronicas would want it to be but it's a war waged nonetheless.
~Fade~
