Finally, looking further in, we see a long wooden 14th century chair. It is mostly remodeled and painted a bright and grim red, as the camera shimmers up to pure blackness. A familiar face appears in the view, but this face is not covered by face paint like normal. It is covered by a mask, the light reflecting the white glassy eyes of this individual as he laughs and cackles demonically. A viewer may come to wonder who this really is, or if this is in fact Michael Hardy as he stands up to walk into view of the camera.
This time, he is sporting a widely different attire than any of his previous outfits before. Here, he can be seen wearing a pair of black dark pants tucked into purple, clown-like boots and a black long trench coat with horns embroidered upon them. In his right hand, you can see the brimming colors of black and white as they are twirled and formed into a long rod. Most viewers would know what it represented... They know this umbrella is more than just a gimmick and more than just a ploy. It is a dear, old friend.
He looks like a man driven insane and prepared to go to war. As all viewers know, he has studied and re-studied the ACW World Champion Sean Jackson. His determination reflects fiercely in his eyes and his grin. So far, everything is going according to the plan in his mind - as his opponent tonight (or should he say opponents) are reacting in patterns he predicted. He is always one to keep sight of the bigger picture in mind, seeing advantages and openings where others see nothing...
For he sees in a world of shades of gray and nothing else. He has been driven to this point. He seeks to achieve his goal.
Michael Hardy moves his ghostly lips to speak.
Hardy: "This state of mind, I swore I would never go back to again. I swore I would never let him out. I swore I would never use it unless completely necessary. Some say I could have brought my old friend out to play, at Blaze of Glory III and become SCW Roulette Champion, but I choose not to let the darker part of me out. Sean, You and Vanessa think you have me figured out but there is more than meets the eye. An ACW World Championship match has been granted, the ultimate game of chess is on the line here tonight if you will. So many different outcomes that one has to take into account that a simply one battle with you will get the job done, we met in the Thunderdome at WeWA and you walked out still WWA World Champion".
"Fortunately for you it was not me you were facing it was Dan Benson. But what you didn’t know is that when you step in to the ring with me, you will simply learn a few things. One, what may be relatively straight forward under normal rules suddenly becomes muddled as we both know I can get extreme and barbaric, where the tactics of attack and defense rebel and flow constantly while you seek to hold what’s dear to you in Cairo, Egypt and what I seek to hold in my possession and that’s the ACW World Heavyweight Championship. Simply tonight, you and I play a little game of chess and while you try to beat everything laid in front of you. I seek to destroy what you hold dear and give back to these fans a fighting champion. I want to be the next ACW World Champion and there is no stopping me tonight".
Hardy walks back over to the table, where the chessboard lays and picks up the black King piece, holding it up to the camera with a thoughtful expression. Hardy suddenly cackles while rolling his neck.
Hardy: "As we all know you’re haunted by Vanessa and she has some hold on you, we merely must ask what if you fail her and this mere illusion is nothing more. This whole game called life hits in the back of your skull and you never get back up.
Hardy places the chess piece between his middle and index finger twirling it about in pure laughter as he lets it spin between his fingers. As if this time, he was in a different personality".
Hardy: "While strength of numbers is on your side, the chances of me becoming champion for these people are so much greater. Why you ask? While you seek to conquer and remain champion while having Vanessa do your dirty work for you, I defend what SCW stands for. I give the Creatures of Armageddon what they deserve and that’s a true champion. Take Drake Green for example".
Hardy begins to move some pieces around and places the chess piece between his fingers down on the board alongside his comrades.
Hardy: "He’s a man with a certain degree of experience, a man who was ACW Champion before and at one point and time the man who beat you for the empire title of some company most people have never bloody heard of. He in reality should have been champion at BOG III but as it where you slithered out still champion, still the snake or better yet the worm that feeds off Vanessa’s boot. While Drake unfortunely had to retire, it gave an opening for someone like me to fight the best SCW has to offer and that’s what I get tonight end of story. But deep down we both know that without Vanessa you would be the worm you are right now but in a more transitional champion like role".
"Kind of like stage fright actually if you think about. A real champion, doesn’t roam around calling himself champion. He puts the belt on the line each and every week and you, creatures can damn sure bet if I become champion tonight I will do just that".
Hardy pauses as he makes a few more moves on the chess board, one could assume he was periodically removing chess pieces and placing them aside.
Hardy: "One could argue such flaws could lead to weakness, but in time it could turn to strength, Far greater then you will ever know".
Hardy flashes a sinister smirk almost like a shark smelling blood in the water. Like a war general he’s noticed a fatal flaw in the enemy’s formation and technique and went to completely dissect it with the precision of a surgeon.
Hardy: "Drake Green didn’t deserve to be put into retirement just because he beat you. He was a hard worker and that's something you haven't known as of late".
Hardy taps the side of his head several times as his sinister grin only grew wider. It was almost as if he was seeing through the mind of his opponent
Hardy: "You sit there and claim how you don’t need to rely on any “corrupt ways” on getting to the top. You claimed a lot of stuff and look what you have become something you were meant to be a coward, a hypocrite, a bloody roach in need of dire squashing and you know what I’ll help you out if the opportunity arises and fortunately for you tonight is the night".
Hardy shakes his head and smiles..
Hardy: "Your heart is gone and your courage has ended. Tonight it is merely an illusion as you struggle to do damage to what doesn’t exist and that is my urge for pain. I live to be hurt. To use it to give back to these people what they have done for me, you cannot".
Hardy’s gaze suddenly grew cold and uncaring as his eyes pierced the camera and perhaps somewhere where it was if Sean Jackson was in the box of horrors as some people called the camera.
Hardy: "If Vanessa gets involved in our match or if you so choose to pull dirty bloody tactics, Then I will not be held responsible for what happens to her or you. If I have to make an example out of her to prove a point, then so be it. Tonight nothing will stop me and if I have to engage in extreme measures just to pull that championship out of your grasp and into to the people’s? So be it. See Vanessa doesn’t understand what she is merely walking into if she gets involved in our match, so do the right thing and spare yourself anymore heartache than necessary and keep her away from the ring".
We then cut back to the chess board again where the white chess pieces, representing Jackson are begin on the floor pecked by the crows as Hardy’s pieces are being picked up by the birds and dropped over again. Hardy begins to move the remaining chess pieces around on the table as he spoke. While the moves weren’t readily viewable by the camera his gazed reflected a man deep in thought running a variety of scenarios in his mind. He remained ever confident as paused for a moment; a wry smile slowly emerged on his face.
Hardy: "Is this the man who many call “Mental Rapist”, Just mental or a really a rapist. The world can never tell but yet they may never know. In all seriousness a glory hound just waiting to come out of his shell. But honestly, with a man of your reputation I honestly expected more, not cowering under some spiritual chick’s skirt".
"What caused you to become reclusive and have to stoop so low, what exactly drove you into this common wit and drove you mad? Perhaps the strain and pressure of being at the top of your game like you so richly have implied on more than one account. The only thing that I see is a mortal human being just waiting to get his own dose of medicine, his heroine if you will".
Hardy creepily smiles
Hardy: "You’re letting the future pass you by while you’re blissfully ignorant to the fact. You have no idea of what’s going to happen or when it will, but come this Sunday night I will be walking out the ACW World Champion, I will avenge the creatures you have so forgotteningly tormented. I will be SCW’s tranquility".
The camera then pans back to the chess board, this time as raven’s or crows one can never tell storm the board scattering pieces everywhere. Hardy stands over them unlatching the thread that binds his old friend as it opens up as he begins to twirl the umbrella in not one direction but as many as he can. While the birds have remained on the board in a defensive formation a majority of the time and pieces of the chess armies have been laid everywhere.
Hardy looks proudly upon their work much like an architect would upon accomplishing a monument. It was a culmination of everything finally coming together. While the board’s state did not yet see a single chess piece on the board the pieces were on the floor standing up in weird fashion.
Hardy: "As a man who enjoys the art of strategy and the truthfulness of mind games, I believe that come Climax Control. Alot of many things can happen. One, you lose the title that you hold so dear to this charismatic paradox, this renegade if you will. Two, your overconfidence will lead to your downfall. Three, Vanessa meets someone who just dying to meet her, isn’t that right old friend".
He stops for moment to stare at the rod like object twirled in black and white in his hand, before speaking again.
"And, Four you will know I fought you for the sake of these people and for SCW. These Creatures, Although docile yet angry may turmoil difference into your life as they all have their own demons to face. As a wise man once said, In essence each man is a house divided against itself and a house divided against itself cannot stand. Your house is about to fall while mine shall rise as we are all one entity and always changing never stopping".
“Invincibility only lies within, not by power and dirty tactics alone.”
"As far as the match between us for the ACW World championship goes we have a rising sun to set and by the time it rises again you will see a new champion, you will see as well as man who lost everything because he thought himself invincible but could not sacrifice the one thing that mattered to fight another day. Opportunity knocks, here in Cairo, Egypt and tonight Mr.Jackson you learn just first hand how impressive I can be".
"You learn that once I set my sights on you there is nothing you can do til I get these people what they want and that is change".
Hardy dances around the table as the birds begin to stir and flutter.
Hardy: "In the end the result is the same. As a game of Poker always has a Jokers Wild you will learn tonight is no different than I am that Joker that defends all the helpless and laughs to tell the tale"!!!!!!
He twirls the umbrella several times as the crows and ravens get more fluttered by the second spreading their adapt wings.
Hardy: "We Love, We Hate, We die forever late. That my friends… is Revolutionary. That my creatures is endless maliciousness. Creatures Flock on Battle Ready!!!!! We got us a championship to win in our own way!!!!".
Hardy twirls the umbrella over himself as the birds fly off the table picking up the fallen chess pieces off the ground flying out the door as the wind spookily blows the door back and forth as the camera’s zoom away as you can hear Hardy cackle loud and hard as screams can be heard in the night as the storybook closes. With that the scene abruptly fades to black.
