{Wrecking Ball}
”Here I am again on New Years Eve, sitting inside of a club, surrounded by hundreds of people, yet I’ve never felt so alone. This path to redemption has made me a much better person, and honestly, it wasn’t totally selfless. It made me feel better, but tonight puts me right back where I was two months ago. I feel miserable, but I’m not showin’ it as I dance to the music.”
“Do What U Want” plays over the sound system as the lights at Club LAX dance across the crowd, glistening off of the exposed skin of the club patrons. New Years Eve banners hang from the stage as well over the bar. A champagne fountain sits to the left of the dance floor, glowing a soft pink under the lights. We move directly onto the dance floor as we focus on Sin City Wrestling’s Heavyweight Champion, “The Italian Stallion” Giani DI Luca. He is in his usual club attire, meaning sagged jeans, exposing his Calvin Klein waist band due to his shirt hanging out of the back pocket as he moves to the music. By the looks of things, Giani is his usual self, smiling as he shows off his impressive physique. He has a pair of rosary beads hanging from his neck, swaying with his body. The ladies, and a surprising number of men, circle around Giani, trying to show off their best moves to catch his attention. They don’t realize that his eyes and his mind are a million miles away from there. The music switches over to “Wrecking Ball” and this doesn’t seem to help Giani’s mindset at all.
”As much as I can’t stand the Teddy Bear Rapist, Miley Cyrus, I’m feelin’ this song. If ya asked me tomorrow, I would deny it, but this on-again off-again thing with Dixie has been rough on me. Part of me wants to just give up and tell her to get lost. It tells me to go after the third Waters’ sister for the trifecta, Sorry ‘bout it Tommy Staggs… But yeah, that’s not what I’m about anymore. I owe it to myself to move on, but I just can’t right now. All the pressure for that New Years kiss is weighin’ on me.”
Hands come over Giani’s body as people try their best to cop a feel, anywhere they can. He barely seems to even notice it, even with the manly hands groping him. Everything is just a blur as he loses himself deeper and deeper in thought. Besides, the ego stroking isn’t anything new to him.
”I can’t seem to get her outta my head. I’ve pretty much always gone stag. The Bianca thing was the moment I decided I would stay that way. Maybe I got too caught up in this life-changin’ experience? Maybe I wasn’t ready for so many changes at once? I did change up almost everythin’ about me. Bitter asshole to life of the party. Vindictive to liberated. Victim to hero. Conceded to… well, we can’t change everythin’ all at once, right? My point is that maybe I wasn’t ready to become a one-woman kinda guy. There’s all these fine ladies surroundin’ me here tonight, but I can’t get my mind off’a one who can’t be bothered to return a freakin’ text. Seems like a Waters family trait…”
Giani continues to move like nothing is wrong. He falls into the song, and while slow, he finds a way to make it attractive, removing the attention from the hurt look in his eyes. A part of him is hopeful that she would walk through the sinfully decorated door. His eyes rest on it as he sways with the music. As long as the music continues on through the whole night, he could keep up his appearance just fine. After all, who would dare look into his sullen eyes with a glistening, chiseled chest like that? Giani’s eyes rest on the stage next to the DJ booth and he forces his way through the crowd, a look of determination painted over his face like an emotional mask.
”What did I do the last time I ran into this problem? I moved on to bigger and better things. I focused on my career, and I won the Sin City Wrestling Heavyweight Championship. Where is there to go from here? I’ve already defeated the best that this company has to offer. What do I focus my attention on? A new girl? Nah, I’m done with broads right now. They mess with my head too damn much. I feel so… so… trapped.”
Giani mumbles something under his breath to the cage dancer, center stage and she gives him a wink, slowing her dance. Giani gently opens the door and he climbs inside. Soon, the music transitions over to “Iron” by Calvin Harris. The lights flash over Giani as the crowd roars. Cage dancing definitely wasn’t Giani’s style, but he was seeking thrills tonight. He wraps his hands around the bars on the cage, giving them a fierce rattle before dropping his hips down, crouching on the ground before hopping up, and working the beat to death.
”Here it is, 11:30pm on New Years Eve, and I’m in the strangest place imaginable… alone, dateless, and in a cage. But that’s fine by me. I got some Euro House to dance to, and I’m gonna kill it. TMZ is here, so it’s time to make some headlines again. ‘Former reality TV star gone Wrestler breaks a hundred hearts in five minutes…’ I like it. After a little fun, and a lot of drinks, I can focus on my next challenge. Max Burke… Kain… a few names tossed around backstage. Bring it…”
Giani is working the cage unlike anyone before him, to the point that the stage is surrounded with screaming girls and a select few men, reaching their hands out like a One Direction concert. Giani just soaks it in, working his biceps and pectorals as his body glows in the black light, catching each and every rippling of his muscles as he lowers himself down to the level of the audience. However, as soon as he gets half way down, he sees a rather unexpected face. Spike Staggs stands in the newly formed clearing, simply staring at Giani. Spike waves a finger toward himself before finding a vacated table nearby. Giani rolls his eyes as he finishes working his crowd.
”Of course, Mr. Gloom N’ Doom’s gotta come and ruin the party right as it was gettin’ started… Go figure, eh? I guess when this song is over, I should go see what the hell he wants. I’m gonna take a wild guess that he wants to do some random trainin’ session at the gym down the road. That guy needs to learn to enjoy life and not leave his girl unattended on New Years Eve… Or not?”
Giani looks over to see a well built woman walking over toward Spike in a stylish winter jacket and some tight fitting jeans. Her fur lined hood covers her face, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s Vixen. As the music comes to and end, Giani plays to the crowd, taking a bow. As the bills come onto the stage, Giani simply leaves them for the kind woman who allowed him the opportunity to work off some steam. Giani walks down the steps and forces his way through the sea of gropes and screams. He slowly works his way over to Spike and Vixen at the table. He slams his hands down on the table and looks right into Spike’s eyes, almost ignoring Vixen entirely as he keeps it short and sweet.
Giani: What?
Spike looks taken aback by Giani’s reaction as he gently strokes his chin, an intrigued smile on his face as he almost flicks his tongue out in response. Giani rolls his eyes once again to make sure that Spike gets it. Giani growls and gets down lower toward Spike.
Giani: Whats’a matter, dawg? You didn’t hear me?
Spike: Listen up meat head… There is nothing wrong with my hearing. But you might want to rethink your nasty fucking attitude. It’s embarrassing, honestly.
Giani takes a deep breath, calming himself down slowly as he keeps his eyes on Spike. He sighs out as he notices Spike is gesturing toward Vixen. Giani gets a bit weirded out by what he thinks Spike might be suggesting.
Giani: I don’t know what ya gettin’ at bro, but I’m not down for that kinda action.
Spike: What? But…?
Giani: Look, I dunno if I sent some kinda message on Climax Control, but I don’t swing that way and…
Spike rests his head on the palm of his hand, shaking it uncomfortably. Before Spike can say anything “Vixen” brings her hood back to reveal that…
Dixie: Are you sure about that? It looked pretty damn passionate to me, Gi…
… it wasn’t Vixen at all. Instead, the one person Giani hadn’t been able to get out of his mind for the better part of a week now, had been standing in front of him all along, but he had been so blinded by his own self pity to see what was right in front of him. Dixie nods at Spike who winks in response, standing up from the table and departing. Giani almost goes into a cold sweat as he turns to see Dixie sitting there, not seeming very amused as she stares at him with her big, beautiful blue eyes.
Giani: Dixie… Uh, hi. Did ya forget how to text, or did ya learn the cold shoulder from Misty?
Dixie: No, actually I learned it the second I saw your lips against my sister’s… Funny how that works, isn’t it?
Giani sits down at the table, but he doesn’t say a word. He simply stares at her, trying to find the words to say what he needs to say. It doesn’t come to him, and he remains happy with the silence. Dixie mimics him for a moment, remaining silent over the music.
Giani: I guess it wouldn’t change nothin’ if I told ya I was sorry. Not that it matters, but I really am.
Giani trails off as he turns to look out into the audience. There is likely some other celebrity there who has stolen his thunder, but he decides not to focus on it too much. Instead, he focuses on NOT looking at Dixie.
Dixie: Yeah, it does matter. I guess I should apologize for not really knowing who I was dating. I chose to only see the good, and ignore the bad until it was shoved in my face a couple of times.
Giani: I mean no disrespect, but why exactly did ya come here if you was gonna just rub in my face that I got plenty of work to do on myself? Like I didn’t already know that… Like…
Dixie practically shoves the table out of the way as she plants her lips against his. Giani seems completely and utterly surprised as he succumbs to it, returning the favor as he pulls her in closer. It has become clear to him that they are a match made in Reality Television Heaven. The drama was what he had always lacked, but something about this seemed appealing to him. As soon as she releases her grip on him and leans back into her seat, Giani looks completely confused. He simply moves his lips, silently mouthing “What the…?”
Dixie: Look, just because I know that you aren’t perfect, that doesn’t mean that I don’t see the good in you. There is plenty of it, more than you give yourself credit for. I need to learn not to be so naïve. Misty, of all people, told me that I shouldn’t have been so surprised by the double lip lock display, and told me that I had better just run away now if I couldn’t handle the “Italian Stallion”. Guess what I chose to do?
Giani: Ah, it’s cool. I know I’m a lot to handle and…
Giani smirks as he sticks his tongue out at her. She smacks his arm playfully once, and on the second try, Giani grabs her arm and pulls her in for another romantic kiss. He doesn’t even notice the countdown had started until the count of four.
3!
He pauses, looking deep into her eyes as her lips quiver in anticipation. She wants to fight it, but she knows that she can’t. His warm breaths cause her to close her eyes and turn her head slightly to the side.
2!
Giani feels her breaths tickling his tongue as her lips tease their presence once more, and he all but begs for them. It doesn’t hit him that he has never done this New Years Eve tradition before, and it promises to reward him.
1!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
The confetti rains down over all of the club patrons as the horns blow. The loudest noise is Giani’s heart practically coming to a halt as their lips meet again, and again, and again. His heart kickstarts itself as he stands up, towering over Dixie. She wraps her arms around him, a smile spread across her face to match the one on Giani’s face, marking the best start of a year that he has had in his 25 years of life. The crowd goes wild around them as we slowly fade out.
*************************************************
”Redemption isn’t point B. It isn’t a straight line that one follows. It’s one crazy ass journey full of twists and turns. Like the old Traction Park, it’s an unpredictable ride, and ya almost promised to leave with an injury or two. But in the end, it’s worth it…”
***********************************************
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{Smack Down}
The screen remains black as “Smack Down” by Thousand Foot Krutch begins playing. It starts off with a bang as the lyrics roll across the screen. After about a minute of playing, the screen fades in to get a view of Staggs Dungeon, as seen through a web cam. After a few seconds, Giani comes onto the screen, a chipper sort of smile spread across his face. He does his infamous laugh as the music slowly fades out. The sound of a few key strokes are heard as Giani types for a second. He seems to check out his reflection in the screen, making sure that his hair is firmly in place. He picks at his teeth quickly, making sure that he is picture perfect. He leans back, taking a seat as he picks up a bottle of Smart Water, taking a sip from the cool, dew covered bottle. He places the label pointing toward the camera as he gets comfortable, showing off his “2014 Year of the Stallion” T-Shirt.
Giani: Hello again to all my loyal fans. This is ya SCW Heavyweight Champion… “The Italian Stallion”, “The Reflection of Perfection”… Giani Di Luca, comin’ atcha live from Staggs Dungeon. Of course I just got done trainin’ for my upcomin’ match, and I thought I would share some exclusive content with you, the fans. So here it goes, a wild trip inside my head as I prepare to face “The Freight Train of…” *chuckles* “”Pain”… Casey Williams.
Giani chuckles again at the mere mentioning of Casey William’s name. He shakes his head, giving pause for the audience to join in with the seemingly inside joke (inside his head, maybe?) After a moment, Giani takes another sip of water, followed by another, and another… an yet another.
Giani: Sorry, I’m just really parched. I mean, I could sit here and bore ya by drinkin’ a bottle of water, and sayin’ lame shit like “to boot”, but I’m too cool for that. I’m just gonna skip it, even though Smart Water is the way to, dare I say it… “Hydrate Responsibly…” I find it irresponsible to bore my fans, even though I get paid a nice chunk of change to promote Smart Water. Casey does it without endorsement. But that’s not my style, so here goes…
Giani sets the bottle down, carefully moving it around so that the label is in plain sight of the camera. Giani leans back in his chair, cupping his hands behind his head as he turns ever so slightly, gathering his thoughts as his eyes wander around the gym.
Giani: Let me start off by tellin’ ya a little story. See, once upon a time, there was this giant who thought that just cause of his size, he deserved more than his peers. He went into battle week in, and week out, and he lost… week in and week out. He bitched about it, he moaned about it, he even went as far as to cry about it, dawg… No joke. Instead of takin’ tips from his friends, he went on to suck more ass than the dude wearin’ the pink “Mustache Rides” T-Shirt in the front row of December 2 Dismember… Seriously, go watch the replay if ya don’t believe me.
Giani does a freeze frame pose as if giving a moment for the audience to rent the supercard on the internet. After just a few seconds, Giani busts out laughing.
Giani: I told ya! *Clears throat* Ahem… anyway, back to the story… This dude decided that, even though he brought everyone around him down, he was too good for the people that made him everythin’ that he was. It’s cool, it’s cool. I heard that person in the back covering up the word “hypocrite” with a cough. Don’t act all innocent. The thing is that he went on to suck even worse than he did before. He hid from the repercussions of his former peers. Matter of fact, the only one who got to send him off with a bing, bang, boom “Shuff-ff-fflin’: style was yours truly.
Giani gives his best boxing maneuvers that he can from a chair at such a sort distance. He does a little dance with it before resting his fist right in front of the camera, allowing a close up of the letters “NXT” written in black between his knuckles. He slowly retracts it as he focuses in on the camera.
Giani: I came in for the save of a lifetime, only to make my own impact. I did what Casey has never been able to do in his entire career. I made people pay attention to me. I brought all eyes on me, and I never let ‘em leave me. I didn’t need titles for attention. Titles came because of the attention. I let ya know what was up, and ya learned ya motherfuckin’ place after that, didn’t ya? Through the whole Team Wars, you was always well behind me, and ya knew it was where ya belonged. Ya was neutered, bro. Erik Staggs ripped ya balls off, and ya haven’t ever taken them back. They’re in a jar on his mantle.
Giani smirks as he looks away from the camera, having fun playing with his prey as evil intent shines through, but only for a split second. He looks back to the camera and his smile fades slightly as a look of pure determination comes over his face instead.
Giani: Ya runnin’ around, settin’ people’s houses on fire like it somehow makes ya a badass. Really, ya like a jealous ex girlfriend. Ya can’t take it that Simon Jones is way better than ya could ever dream of bein’. Casey, get over it… he’s just not that into you, bro… He’s done bein’ dragged down by you. After he whoops ya ass at My Bloody Valentine… available streamin’ on scwrestling.net on February 2nd… who are ya gonna ride off of their success? Nobody, kid. Ya gonna hafta set someone else’s house on fire, maybe wind up in a loony bin next to Kittie and Rage.
Giani takes a deep breath, pausing for a moment while looking back to the ring behind him in the background. He slowly looks back toward the camera, still as serious as ever.
Giani: I went off on a tangent, but the moral of the story is this, Casey… Ya never gonna beat me. For some reason, ya wanna make everyone hate ya, and let me just say this… Mission Accomplished. The problem is that I ain’t gonna take it easy on ya just cause this ain’t a title match. I’m gonna come out there and I’m gonna whoop some serious ass like I always do, because… well, it’s what I do. C’mon, kid. That’s how ya become a Heavyweight Champion, is by comin’ at it like it’s the biggest match of ya career.
Giani reaches over across the screen, showing off the NXT arm band on his right arm. He holds it there so that the camera focuses in on it for a while. He leaves it there for a moment before retracting it.
Giani: Spike Staggs said that once someone is NXT, they are always NXT. Apparently that applies, even to you. Go the Mickey Carroll way, and don’t flaunt it, Just get gone, dawg. Stay gone, Casey. I don’t wanna pretend that while I’m kickin’ ya ass, it’s in the name of good sportsmanship. I want the world to know that I can’t stand ya, and I want them to know that every left, right, kick, suplex, DDT, clothesline, and Jersey Turnpike that ya get is outta pure detest. I want them to know that I’m comin’ for blood. Instead of tryin’ to better ya situation, followin’ the path to redemption like me… ya choose to embarrass yas’elf, and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let ya embarrass NXT after we worked so hard to build it back up after every single blow it took over the last year. Maybe if ya lucky, I’ll break ya neck, and ya won’t even make it to My Bloody Valentine… again, streamin’ live on scwrestling.net on February 2nd… And Simon can get back to makin’ somethin’ outta his career again.
Giani leans back in his chair, relaxing his stance ever so slightly as he takes another drink from his Smart Water bottle, flipping the sports cap closed as he adjusts it in the view of the camera once more.
Giani: If ya got a problem with anythin’ I said here today, Casey, then do me a favor. Come at me, bro. Come at me with everythin’ ya got, kid. I wanna see some spark in ya. I wanna see that fire. I wanna see ya give it ya all. Prove me wrong, Casey. I dare ya. Give it one last go, and make me sweat. Make me regret sayin’ every one of those harsh truths, cause that’s the only way you will ever make somethin’ outta ya career. I know ya got it in ya, somewhere deep down. As the Heavyweight Champion, it’s my responsibility to make sure that the roster lives up to a certain level. I’m steppin’ outta the Main Event slot so that I can weed out the weak of this roster, and Casey? Right now, ya as weak as they come. Step it up, or get the fuck outta my ring. Fuhgeddaboudit!
With that, Giani picks up his bottle of Smart Water and he takes a big drink, savoring it for a moment before sliding it into his duffel bag quickly. “Smack Down: begins playing again in the background as Giani gets up from the chair. He pushes it in closer to the camera as he walks off into the background. He leaps up on the ropes of the ring, quickly getting inside. He loosens up as a faint shadow of someone standing across the ring from him is seen. He slowly stalks his way closer, getting into a tie up with the person, wrenching his arms against theirs as he muscles them toward a corner with every bit of his strength and out of view. The two men are heard struggling as we fade out with the music.
{I got my speakers on WRECKED!}
{fin}
