Post by dylanblack on Aug 5, 2023 14:28:34 GMT -6
The camera shows a press conference full of a group of men in suits. Cameras go off as we hear a news reporter narrate.
ROB POWERS
Good evening Cleveland. Tonight’s top story: local mega hotel and casino, The Diamond Lounge, gets its third owner in under a year.
The AXW Undisputed champion is in a sharp black suit. He signs a piece of paper as his advocate Marcus stands behind him. He smiles from ear-to-ear as he playfully throws the pen into the crowd when he’s finished.
POWERS
Anonymous Xtreme Wrestling star Anthony Caffrey officially announced the sale of the Diamond Lounge at a press conference today. The sales is reportedly in the millions.
The camera shifts to reveal another figure XHF fans know well: Mongo the Destroyer.
POWERS
Xtreme Hotels, led by a man known as “Mongo”, has purchased the property. The lounge will be rebranded to Xtreme Hotels: Cleveland, becoming the fourth hotel in Mongo’s portfolio.
The XHF owner and Anthony Caffrey shake hands before the feed is turned off.
The camera pans back to reveal the Wrestling Emperor, standing in one of the last signals of his empire: the presidential suite. His possessions have been removed. It is a dark night as he looks over the Cleveland skyline, drink in his hand. He is interrupted by a familiar voice.
MARCUS
ROB POWERS
Good evening Cleveland. Tonight’s top story: local mega hotel and casino, The Diamond Lounge, gets its third owner in under a year.
The AXW Undisputed champion is in a sharp black suit. He signs a piece of paper as his advocate Marcus stands behind him. He smiles from ear-to-ear as he playfully throws the pen into the crowd when he’s finished.
POWERS
Anonymous Xtreme Wrestling star Anthony Caffrey officially announced the sale of the Diamond Lounge at a press conference today. The sales is reportedly in the millions.
The camera shifts to reveal another figure XHF fans know well: Mongo the Destroyer.
POWERS
Xtreme Hotels, led by a man known as “Mongo”, has purchased the property. The lounge will be rebranded to Xtreme Hotels: Cleveland, becoming the fourth hotel in Mongo’s portfolio.
The XHF owner and Anthony Caffrey shake hands before the feed is turned off.
The camera pans back to reveal the Wrestling Emperor, standing in one of the last signals of his empire: the presidential suite. His possessions have been removed. It is a dark night as he looks over the Cleveland skyline, drink in his hand. He is interrupted by a familiar voice.
MARCUS
Heyyyyyy! It’s the champ! How ya doin’, Tony? I got you a gift.
Marcus goes digging through his satchel to pull out a bottle of Don Julio. He immediately begins pouring drinks. Caffrey is not amused.
CAFFREY
I will never be a Tony, Marcus. No drinks.
Marcus stops and points at Caffrey’s glass.
CAFFREY
This? This is a Coke.
Caffrey looks at his beverage. We can see the bags under his eyes.
CAFFREY
I’m sober. If I kept up my pattern of drinking, I’ll turn into a sad alcoholic like Rob Arnold.
Marcus realizes something’s up.
MARCUS
This… this isn’t a friendly meeting, is it?
CAFFREY
Don’t come to me with bullshit, Marcus. You’ve been bullshitting me for months now.
Marcus’ smile quickly erodes as silence fills the room. Caffrey tries to lightens up.
CAFFREY
But hey, you got what you wanted, man! Did you think I skipped over how much you made off of this deal? You made bank! Good for you. Being Mongo’s man pays off!
Caffrey’s unexpected lightheartedness allows Marcus a chance to smile as well.
CAFFREY
But friendly? C’mon. Apparently, our friendship’s about as real as Vincent Draven and Drago’s. Say what you want about the AVA, but Dunne and I were a band of brothers.
He laughs sarcastically. Under his happy tone, you can hear the real hurt in words. Marcus is unsure of how to react.
MARCUS
I don’t know what you want me to say---
CAFFREY
You don’t need to say anything, man. You got what you wanted. Just don’t come in here smilin’ and fuckin’ dancin’ like you’re Rob Arnold killing a company and getting a world title match. If I wanted to hear bullshit, I’d listen to Rob Arnold and Draven.
Caffrey extends out an arm as he nurses his drink, inviting Marcus to sit.
MARCUS
Are you… are you alright? You just became a millionaire. I expected a celebration.
Caffrey nods. He lets out a big sigh. The emperor looks around his empty castle.
CAFFREY
Money’s money, Marcus. Securing the bag is something that I’m proud of. I’m set for life, and that’s something I will forever be grateful for. But I didn’t come back to make a fat stack of money. I could’ve kept hosting my talk-show in Philly if I wanted to make money.
He seems worn down and tired.
CAFFREY
This… closing…
His voice trails off. He tries to regroup, but finds himself lost in a rush of thoughts. One thought sticks out in his mind.
CAFFREY
The fourth and fifth stage of grief… just… just… they never get easier, do they?
MARCUS
You just get better at dealing with it.
Caffrey nods. He takes a few deep breaths and looks back up.
CAFFREY
Look, I came back to be The Best. V knew I had it in me, and a year later, there’s no denying it. But there’s all these small people. Small people go to work, log their hours, and leave. I get the feeling AXW crowds are made up of a lot of small people. These are people who could never aspire for a bigger life for themselves, couldn’t dream of it. They show up, go to work, and go home and be miserable because they don’t have my work ethic or skill.
Caffrey lets us into his twisted mind. Even in misery, he feels superior.
CAFFREY
And when they turn on AXW for a distraction from their miserable lives and see me, being everything they can’t?
Caffrey shrugs.
CAFFREY
They boo. They pack arenas all over the world to boo, and to watch me lose. And when I don’t lose? Well...
Caffrey scratches his head.
CAFFREY
Well, Vincent Draven would like everyone to believe that because I kept winning, people stopped watching. Imagine that. What did Draven want me to do? Take a dive? Did he want me to just let Blake Luthor and his two hands of doom be champion?
He leaves the question open, proving his point.
MARCUS
Well, he was---
Caffrey cuts in with a biting sarcasm that is a little more contemplative than usual. His words could easily be finished off with a “but fuck me, right?” at any time.
CAFFREY
Marcus, you’re gonna tell me the guy who showed up week after week, only taking time off when he was suspended or when his back hurt too much from carrying the roster, was the reason this place failed? You’re gonna tell me the guy who main-evented every show and beat every challenger was the reason? You’re telling me the guy who held one of the biggest events of the year with thousands of fans coming out to watch me get my ass kicked was the reason? Really?
Caffrey is skeptical of whether Marcus really means it.
MARCUS
Don’t put words in my mouth. That was Draven. Don’t shoot the messenger.
He backs off.
CAFFREY
I’m not shooting anybody. But I’m tellin’ ya, either the blood he’s sucking is affecting his brain somehow, or Draven’s really fucking naive.
Caffrey empties his glass into his throat. He gets up and heads towards a sink.
CAFFREY
How is Draven going to catch me slipping if he’s dumb enough to buy his own bullshit? It’s one thing to rip down an opponent to get in their head, but for fucks’ sake, it’s gotta be based in some kind of truth to be effective.
He fills up his glass. There is no booze tonight, just soda and water.
CAFFREY
I mean, now I have Rob Arnold to deal with, and he’s saying I wasn’t a good champion. While he was bitchin’ into a bottle somewhere, waxing poetic about something that happened over a year ago, I was carrying this company.
He walks back to the table.
CAFFREY
Rob wants to talk about himself as a real champion, as if anyone would remember him if he didn’t have the AXW machine telling everyone why they should blow him.
Caffrey looks into the camera.
CAFFREY
Seriously, Rob lost the championship over a year ago. The way he talks about his reign, you’d think he’d have big bright yellow letters in front of him, still calling himself the champion, as if he had never lost. He's only here because he barked at some asshole in between shots about how he still has what it takes, even though he’s a washed-up old man whose opinion no one ever asked for.
Caffrey adds another “ever” for emphasis before looking back at Marcus.
CAFFREY
It’s not like he had a great reign. Yeah, it put AXW on the map. I’ll give him that. He showed up in other companies, but apparently that’s a crime now, as you’ve seen by the world shitting itself during my AWF appearance, and by his own words. I’ve been to Destiny Wrestling, AWF, and in global shows many times. Back then, it made Rob a good champion. Now? Now it makes me a greedy asshole.
He lets the silence punctuate his point. There is a layer of anger underneath everything he’s saying, but he doesn't yell.
CAFFREY
Tell me Marcus, was I supposed to Japan? Or was I supposed to go to one of the other shithole companies that haven’t shown they’re worth my time?
Marcus starts fiercely shaking his head.
MARCUS
You know people will get mad at you if you---
CAFFREY
Don’t patronize them. Everybody watches like, two shows, tops. You should know that by looking at the fucking AXW ratings.
Even Marcus has to bite his tongue in the face of the truth.
CAFFREY
Bobby, Seth, and even Subject #42 are all more memorable X-Crown Champions than Rob, and all Subject says is “RAGH”. Rob is an answer to a trivia question that walks around like he’s an institution. His second biggest accomplishment, getting “past the whole Rumble”?
The air quotes come out.
The air quotes come out.
CAFFREY
He came in at the end! Beating 75 guys isn’t that impressive when 58 guys have already been eliminated. I went from being entrant #8 of fifty to being in the final four. I showed the world why I’m the Sixty Minute Man by going almost two and a half hours. And as much as I hate giving Draven even an ounce of credit, mostly because I thoroughly enjoy watching him get mad, especially after I already told him why his shot is of the cotton candy variety...
Caffrey smirks.
CAFFREY
Even Draven lasted over two hours in the Fired Up Battle Royale. Naive, lacks the confidence as he’s admitted he’s not going to beat me already, but hey, the kid’s got stamina.
He shrugs.
CAFFREY
I fully predict that, if this match goes longer than fifteen minutes, Draven and I will be slugging it out while Rob Arnold lays in the corner, corroding with a combination of sweat and ring rust.
He removes his glasses and rubs his eyes, looking down.
CAFFREY
The hypocrisy is driving me crazy. Rob isn’t here to kiss babies. He’s trying to reclaim glory with one last shot at the X-Crown. He can emptily try to claim the moral high ground, that he’s doing it because he just loves AXW, but we all know he’s full of shit. Really, both of them are just pretending to be ambassadors of goodwill and poster-boys of AXW when, in reality, they’re both just arrogant jackasses and neither of them could dare call themselves Mr. AXW.
He points in at himself.
CAFFREY
What, is Draven really not going to show with a posse of guys to screw Rob and I over? Is Rob going to pretend he suddenly doesn’t have a giant ego that could give mine a run for its money?
He shakes his head no.
CAFFREY
Marcus, I’ve been a top of the list competitor since the day I arrived, and I will be for years to come. But hypocrites like Draven and Rob will always twist things to fit their agenda of bullshit. After I beat them with pure talent and ability above anything he could ever put out in the ring, I can guarantee you Draven will go bitch to his group of moody second-place finishers, and Rob Arnold will bitch about something stupid, like how he got pinned because I’m listed first on the match card.
He grabs his AXW Undisputed Championship off a nearby table.
CAFFREY
And I’ll be standing tall and holding this baby, one more time.
Caffrey takes a long hard stare into the championship. He clearly wasn’t expecting to get a little emotional at the phrase “one more time”.
CAFFREY
You know, people think I’m disrespectful. Especially about the history. But the thing is...
He throws the championship over his shoulder and bangs on it, as he’s always done.
CAFFREY
I am the history.
We see a small smile on Caffrey’s face as he nods to himself. He pulls out his phone
CAFFREY
Siri, how many days ago was December 21st?
SIRI
It was two hundred ninety-four days ago.
He puts his phone away.
CAFFREY
That’s only about eighteen times as long as James Raymond’s reign.
He smirks.
CAFFREY
In six days, that number will be three hundred. It is impossible to tell a proper history of AXW without mentioning my dominating reign. People have tried to erase me from the history, but as the saying goes, history is written by the victors. At Lay Rest to the Wicked, AXW will close, and the history will finally be completed. The last thing people will see is the emperor holding up the biggest prize in his empire.
He holds the belt up and smiles, before stopping.
CAFFREY
But…
He puts a finger up.
CAFFREY
ut for AXW to truly become history worth talking about, for it to be worth retelling, for it to become something that outlasts all of us, there’s one more thing.
His smile is gone as he drops the finger.
CAFFREY
Someone has to cash in.
Caffrey tongues the inside of his mouth, knowing what’s coming.
CAFFREY
And they have to win.
Marcus interjects.
MARCUS
I mean, the Undisputed Championship goes into the X-Crown regardless if you win or lose…
Caffrey strongly disagrees.
CAFFREY
It’s not just about winning. It’s one last triumphant middle finger to the world. Fuck everything else, this was Anonymous Xtreme Wrestling, and this is who we were. AXW started in the underground and ended in The Legion, packed arenas every damn show. We may have started as an alternative, but Goddamn, we certainly finished as the “A” show.
He adds a caveat.
CAFFREY
Granted, it was the “AC” show…
He laughs.
CAFFREY
...but you get my point.
Slowly, his smile returns as he looks towards the future.
MARCUS
You’ve already planned this, haven’t you?
CAFFREY
It hit me about an hour before I called Mongo to cash in.
Caffrey turns to fully address the camera.
CAFFREY
At Lay Rest to the Wicked, I will defend my championship one last time against Rob Arnold and Vincent Draven. And when I win… when I win…
Caffrey looks down, knowing what he’s about to say. It seems to make him nervous for a few seconds, but then he looks up. He’s ready.
CAFFREY
May 2020. Philadelphia. Lincoln Financial Field. Anthony Caffrey cashes in the AXW Undisputed Championship against the winner of the 2020 XHF Rumble.
His sinister smile returns.
CAFFREY
Battle of the Best, number two.
He puts two fingers up.
CAFFREY
And this time?
He bangs on his championship.
CAFFREY
This time I’m going to remember the ending.
Caffrey laughs and smiles as the camera fades to black.