Post by Ace Watson on Sept 25, 2016 21:06:46 GMT -6
He knew she would not be happy with him. He knew she’d be disappointed. He knew people were laughing at him, commenting on the fact he tapped out, belittling his title reign. He had seen the comments on social media, he had tried to resist replying, but he could not. He tried to justify why he had had to submit in his match against Zahara Matisse, he told them a lie. He told them he had felt a minor injury earlier in the match and the hold the magician put him in was making it worse, but none of that was true.
He had seen those comments, but he had not seen Bianca Davis yet. Bianca was Zahara’s next opponent in Perfect 10 Wrestling, in the first round of the “Killer Queen” tournament. Bianca had promised him a reward should he have beaten Zahara. Bianca wanted him to rough her up for her, To make her job easier when she faced her. But he had failed.
He stood at the front door to the home in Malibu, California he had shared with Bianca for over a year. Knowing she would be disappointed in him. He opened the door with his right hand, the left holding onto the strap of his gym bag containing all of his things which was slung over his shoulder. Stepping in, he heard the TV playing in the living room, it sounded like some reality show judging by the voices and what they were saying. Maybe she would be too distracted right now with watching her show to be mad at him.
Closing the door behind him, he walked through the hallway. Then through the living area, behind the sofa Bianca sat on. Before making it all the way past, Bianca spoke.
“How did it go?”
He stopped. She hadn’t watched it. Maybe there was a chance he could avoid talking about it for now. “Okay…”
Bianca kept her eyes on the screen. “D’you win?”
His eyes met the ground. “No.” He heard her sigh. There was a pause, then Bianca reached for the remote and paused the TV. She turned to look at him, a displeased look on her face.
“I hope you hurt her at least, I don’t want that freak at full strength.”
He nodded slightly, “I got my moves in… just didn’t get the result in the end.” He kept his eyes on the floor.
“That’s not what I mean, Ace.”
Her words stung. “She’s not gonna be at a hundred percent… She’ll be weakened a bit…”
“Good. I don’t want to sweat when I beat her.” Bianca said, still looking at Ace with the same unimpressed look.”The Queen should look amazing when she deals with savages.”
He keeps his eyes on the floor, feeling her blue eyes burning into him. His voice got quieter. “I’m sure you’ll do what I couldn’t…”
She scoffs. “No offence baby but, duh, you know how ruthless I am.”
He kept his eyes on the ground for a few more moments, before looking up slightly, almost meeting eye contact with the “Queen B.”
“... I’m still champion though, it was a non-title match.” He clutched his grip harder on his bag, where the Zero Gravity Championship was.
“Good.” She said bluntly. That stung too.
“I’ll probably be defending it at the next pay-per-view… I don’t know who my opponent will be yet… But whoever it is, they won’t beat me.”
“Whatever Ace, you know I know you won’t let me down.”
It sounded more like some kind of threat than something that was meant to be reassuring. His eyes fell to the floor again. “Yeah…”
“Like, you know you want to take this out on your next opponent, ‘cause it will prove to me that you’re hungry.”
He nods. “I do. I will. They won’t be getting off lightly.”
“Good because I don’t tolerate losers or loser attitudes.”
Bianca turned around and went to unpause the TV. “I’m sorry, B…” He said.
She hits the play button. “Whatever. It’s fine.”
He wanted to say more. But he didn’t. He walked away, feeling like he had suffered a defeat all over again.
He sits in an empty nightclub venue, the events of the 100 Days as Zero Gravity Champion Party yet to go down. It would be a good night, but first, he had things to say.
“I’d like to start off by acknowledging the fact that yes, I lost to Matisse. Yes I tapped out. Moving on.”
“This match at Breakthrough 52 sees me teaming up with Jessica E Mathis to face Matt Slater and Valerie Beasley. Now instantly I’m at a disadvantage here. My teammate literally wants to fight me. She’ll want to try to make me look as bad as possible in this match. And after she’ll probably try to attack me or something to make an example out of me. Which of course I won’t let happen.”
“And, you can compare that to our opponents, two people who know each other very well, probably better than they’d like you to think, who have trained for hours on end together. They have a very noticeable advantage heading into this tag team match.”
“Which is why I hope Mathis sees that working properly with me is her best option. She needs to forget how much she wants my Zero Gravity Championship and remember that the only way she’ll ever get a shot at it is by winning. Which she has failed to do since arriving in VoW.”
“But me being a good tag team partner, despite having wrestled a grand total of zero tag team matches since arriving here in this company, am willing to carry our team to victory. If I have to do all the work, so be it. I do know, however, that you, Mathis, can be good. I can spot potential when I see it. So I know I won’t have to do that, unless Mathis’ focus is elsewhere.”
He pauses for a moment, then scratches his beard.
“And now I guess I should talk about my opponents. Two people I have never faced before, but two people I know how to beat. But before I get onto tactics…
Valerie Beasley. It wasn’t too long ago she questioned my ability to become the Zero Gravity Champion. She told me I could not beat Katie and that she was a much better candidate for a shot than I was. But, look how that turned out. I am the Zero Gravity Champion and have been for one hundred days, while Valerie Beasley disappeared from the company and everyone’s minds.”
“But now she’s back!”
He looks around, as if he’s observing a crowd.
“And the crowd goes mild. Nobody cared when they heard the news of her return. And nobody will care for her when me and Mathis leave her beaten and defeated in the ring.”
“Of course, except for Matt Slater, for reasons he stated himself, way before I could ever say them. Guilty conscience, Matthew?”
“Now, Matthew, in your video you spent a lot of time making your thoughts known on respect and oppourtunities in this business. But you did so while making a lot of assumptions and a lot of accusations.”
“Okay. You said, Slater, that I had been cheating and going against the rules. Now, when actually was the last time I “cheated?” Last time I checked taking advantage of someone else’s move being done to an opponent in a triple threat match was not against the rules. And doing a move on an opponent while their back is turned to you is not cheating. And it isn't even frowned upon. It's literally something every wrestler does. Same with seizing a chance in a triple threat match. It's just what happens in this business. You know this Slater. Don't go claiming it as cheating just to fit your chosen narrative for me.”
“And really? You think Mathis going against me, her tag team partner, would make her admirable and respected? That's not how tag teams work! It's not respectable to stab your tag team partner in the back, it's not admirable to betray them! If I did it to Jessica you wouldn't be respecting or admiring me, you'd be condemning me! You'd call for my head! You and seventy-five percent of the roster would tell me “no champion should behave like that!” and want me stripped of the belt immediately. Because that's all you and your “friends” are. Hypocrites.”
“Those same friends that post tweets to those never ending hashtags constantly. Those hashtags that you admitted annoyed you. And yes, you commented on my new hashtag WatsonChampionWednesday. Now, I thought you were smart enough to tell my intentions with that hashtag, but apparently not. My intention was not to make the focus on me, which may be hard to believe, it was to put people off of using the WCW tag because it may look like they're supporting me. Which is enough to make some people feel sick, apparently. I wasn't expecting people to actually take part, and I wasn't expecting to have to explain the joke to anyone.”
“Actually, there is something I'd like to clear up. I don't go into the ring with the plan to “steal a win” or use any “back door methods” to victory. They are nearly options, choices. Choices that may appear by chance. I have my gameplans, but I'm willing to abandon them should another chance arise. I'm not going to turn down a shot at victory just because it doesn't fit my ring-ethics. My ultimate goal is winning. And if I have to take a few “shortcuts” now and then, so be it. If a chance comes up to do the same at Breakthrough 52, I'm not going to turn it down. At the end of the day, it's the result everyone remembers. And they'll remember the Zero Gravity Champion Ace Watson and Jessica E Mathis beating Matt Slater and Valerie Beasley. Because after all, I’m building a legacy, and I'm doing it my way.”
The scene fades to black…
He had seen those comments, but he had not seen Bianca Davis yet. Bianca was Zahara’s next opponent in Perfect 10 Wrestling, in the first round of the “Killer Queen” tournament. Bianca had promised him a reward should he have beaten Zahara. Bianca wanted him to rough her up for her, To make her job easier when she faced her. But he had failed.
He stood at the front door to the home in Malibu, California he had shared with Bianca for over a year. Knowing she would be disappointed in him. He opened the door with his right hand, the left holding onto the strap of his gym bag containing all of his things which was slung over his shoulder. Stepping in, he heard the TV playing in the living room, it sounded like some reality show judging by the voices and what they were saying. Maybe she would be too distracted right now with watching her show to be mad at him.
Closing the door behind him, he walked through the hallway. Then through the living area, behind the sofa Bianca sat on. Before making it all the way past, Bianca spoke.
“How did it go?”
He stopped. She hadn’t watched it. Maybe there was a chance he could avoid talking about it for now. “Okay…”
Bianca kept her eyes on the screen. “D’you win?”
His eyes met the ground. “No.” He heard her sigh. There was a pause, then Bianca reached for the remote and paused the TV. She turned to look at him, a displeased look on her face.
“I hope you hurt her at least, I don’t want that freak at full strength.”
He nodded slightly, “I got my moves in… just didn’t get the result in the end.” He kept his eyes on the floor.
“That’s not what I mean, Ace.”
Her words stung. “She’s not gonna be at a hundred percent… She’ll be weakened a bit…”
“Good. I don’t want to sweat when I beat her.” Bianca said, still looking at Ace with the same unimpressed look.”The Queen should look amazing when she deals with savages.”
He keeps his eyes on the floor, feeling her blue eyes burning into him. His voice got quieter. “I’m sure you’ll do what I couldn’t…”
She scoffs. “No offence baby but, duh, you know how ruthless I am.”
He kept his eyes on the ground for a few more moments, before looking up slightly, almost meeting eye contact with the “Queen B.”
“... I’m still champion though, it was a non-title match.” He clutched his grip harder on his bag, where the Zero Gravity Championship was.
“Good.” She said bluntly. That stung too.
“I’ll probably be defending it at the next pay-per-view… I don’t know who my opponent will be yet… But whoever it is, they won’t beat me.”
“Whatever Ace, you know I know you won’t let me down.”
It sounded more like some kind of threat than something that was meant to be reassuring. His eyes fell to the floor again. “Yeah…”
“Like, you know you want to take this out on your next opponent, ‘cause it will prove to me that you’re hungry.”
He nods. “I do. I will. They won’t be getting off lightly.”
“Good because I don’t tolerate losers or loser attitudes.”
Bianca turned around and went to unpause the TV. “I’m sorry, B…” He said.
She hits the play button. “Whatever. It’s fine.”
He wanted to say more. But he didn’t. He walked away, feeling like he had suffered a defeat all over again.
He sits in an empty nightclub venue, the events of the 100 Days as Zero Gravity Champion Party yet to go down. It would be a good night, but first, he had things to say.
“I’d like to start off by acknowledging the fact that yes, I lost to Matisse. Yes I tapped out. Moving on.”
“This match at Breakthrough 52 sees me teaming up with Jessica E Mathis to face Matt Slater and Valerie Beasley. Now instantly I’m at a disadvantage here. My teammate literally wants to fight me. She’ll want to try to make me look as bad as possible in this match. And after she’ll probably try to attack me or something to make an example out of me. Which of course I won’t let happen.”
“And, you can compare that to our opponents, two people who know each other very well, probably better than they’d like you to think, who have trained for hours on end together. They have a very noticeable advantage heading into this tag team match.”
“Which is why I hope Mathis sees that working properly with me is her best option. She needs to forget how much she wants my Zero Gravity Championship and remember that the only way she’ll ever get a shot at it is by winning. Which she has failed to do since arriving in VoW.”
“But me being a good tag team partner, despite having wrestled a grand total of zero tag team matches since arriving here in this company, am willing to carry our team to victory. If I have to do all the work, so be it. I do know, however, that you, Mathis, can be good. I can spot potential when I see it. So I know I won’t have to do that, unless Mathis’ focus is elsewhere.”
He pauses for a moment, then scratches his beard.
“And now I guess I should talk about my opponents. Two people I have never faced before, but two people I know how to beat. But before I get onto tactics…
Valerie Beasley. It wasn’t too long ago she questioned my ability to become the Zero Gravity Champion. She told me I could not beat Katie and that she was a much better candidate for a shot than I was. But, look how that turned out. I am the Zero Gravity Champion and have been for one hundred days, while Valerie Beasley disappeared from the company and everyone’s minds.”
“But now she’s back!”
He looks around, as if he’s observing a crowd.
“And the crowd goes mild. Nobody cared when they heard the news of her return. And nobody will care for her when me and Mathis leave her beaten and defeated in the ring.”
“Of course, except for Matt Slater, for reasons he stated himself, way before I could ever say them. Guilty conscience, Matthew?”
“Now, Matthew, in your video you spent a lot of time making your thoughts known on respect and oppourtunities in this business. But you did so while making a lot of assumptions and a lot of accusations.”
“Okay. You said, Slater, that I had been cheating and going against the rules. Now, when actually was the last time I “cheated?” Last time I checked taking advantage of someone else’s move being done to an opponent in a triple threat match was not against the rules. And doing a move on an opponent while their back is turned to you is not cheating. And it isn't even frowned upon. It's literally something every wrestler does. Same with seizing a chance in a triple threat match. It's just what happens in this business. You know this Slater. Don't go claiming it as cheating just to fit your chosen narrative for me.”
“And really? You think Mathis going against me, her tag team partner, would make her admirable and respected? That's not how tag teams work! It's not respectable to stab your tag team partner in the back, it's not admirable to betray them! If I did it to Jessica you wouldn't be respecting or admiring me, you'd be condemning me! You'd call for my head! You and seventy-five percent of the roster would tell me “no champion should behave like that!” and want me stripped of the belt immediately. Because that's all you and your “friends” are. Hypocrites.”
“Those same friends that post tweets to those never ending hashtags constantly. Those hashtags that you admitted annoyed you. And yes, you commented on my new hashtag WatsonChampionWednesday. Now, I thought you were smart enough to tell my intentions with that hashtag, but apparently not. My intention was not to make the focus on me, which may be hard to believe, it was to put people off of using the WCW tag because it may look like they're supporting me. Which is enough to make some people feel sick, apparently. I wasn't expecting people to actually take part, and I wasn't expecting to have to explain the joke to anyone.”
“Actually, there is something I'd like to clear up. I don't go into the ring with the plan to “steal a win” or use any “back door methods” to victory. They are nearly options, choices. Choices that may appear by chance. I have my gameplans, but I'm willing to abandon them should another chance arise. I'm not going to turn down a shot at victory just because it doesn't fit my ring-ethics. My ultimate goal is winning. And if I have to take a few “shortcuts” now and then, so be it. If a chance comes up to do the same at Breakthrough 52, I'm not going to turn it down. At the end of the day, it's the result everyone remembers. And they'll remember the Zero Gravity Champion Ace Watson and Jessica E Mathis beating Matt Slater and Valerie Beasley. Because after all, I’m building a legacy, and I'm doing it my way.”
The scene fades to black…
