[Mark Ward]

 Post all roleplays for this match here.
One RP per week

Good luck!

[Caleb Storms]

 â€œWhere’s your crown king nothing?”

Caleb lost the match to the Modern Day Crusader but now he gets a chance at revenge at High Stakes VII but they aren’t the only competitors in this match as the match also features Aaron Issacs, “Big Tiger” Jeremiah Hardin, Samuel Devereux and Josh Woodrum and on top of all that it was the second ever King for a Day Match where the winner would give the bosses a day off and book one Climax Control in the New Year, needless to say Caleb wasn’t expecting this when he signed his SCW contract but winning a big match like this would be a big boost to his career, can he win?

Colonial Tramcar Restaurant Tour of Melbourne, Australia
Monday the 16th of October 2017, 18:00pm

Well, this just became about more than tying up my win-loss record in SCW.

Last night I slipped up and lost my match against the Modern-Day Crusader, I’m not about to sit here across from my beautiful girlfriend and argue that point but I’m not going to dwell on that, especially when I have a second match against the Modern-Day Crusader right around the corner at High Stakes VII as we are two of the six men competing in the King for a Day Ladder Match at the last Supercard of the year.

As for the others? Josh Woodrum, Samuel Devereux, “Big Tiger” Jeremiah Hardin and Aaron Issacs are also in the match and to say that the prize for winning this match is a big one is an understatement as the winner will get to book one Climax Control in 2018, I only just signed on to the company and they throw me in this match?! Hell going into the show I thought I was going to be put in the opening match as the fourth guy against Marcus Collins, Newmann and Dante Shaw but nope!

I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate the opportunity this match presents me, I’m just surprised that my name was even up for consideration! Still there is one thing I’m dead set against.

“I’m not doing it Katie.” I commented as I took a sip from my drink, me and Katie are on a Colonial Tramcar Restaurant Tour of Melbourne mostly to see the sites without needing to fill up the rental car and because TripAdvisor recommended it for romantic nights out. “I’m not using the King for a Day stipulation to book myself in a title match if I win the Ladder Match!”

“Why not?” Katie asked as she folded her arms, this was apparently a fine dining place so we looked very out of place in our rock and metal gear but to be honest? The day Katie wears a dress is the day that pigs fly and I don’t have any suits so we had to make do. “I mean, you get to book a whole Climax Control if you win, why not use that to your advantage?”

“Maybe because I’d rather earn my title shots?” I asked before I took a sip from my drink. “And I still need to win the match first, it’s well and good planning stuff like that but it’s all for naught if I lose the ladder match!”

“Don’t sell yourself short Caleb.” Katie responded with a grin before one of the waiters came over to take our orders, we only had two things to choose from on the menu, Beef Tenderloin or Chicken and I chose the beef whilst Katie chose the chicken. “Sure, Jeremiah and Samuel have been in SCW longer than most of the guys in the ladder match and you are the smallest guy in this match but this is a ladder match, I can’t believe I’m saying this to my boyfriend but size doesn’t matter, at least not in that match!”

“I don’t know, Josh would probably have the easiest time reaching for the King for a Day Contract with his long arms.” I responded before briefly shuddering. “And I shudder to think of what a porn producer would do if he oversaw a Climax Control episode.” I added before taking another sip from my drink.

“Well for one thing, the show’s title would be appropriate.” Katie responded with a grin and I nearly spat out my drink when I realized what she meant.

“Katie, you do realize that you just made a sex joke in a fine dining restaurant, right?” I asked once I regained my composure and Katie laughed.

“What are they going to do? Throw me out of a moving train?” Katie pointed out and I couldn’t help but agree with her point, “Okay, let’s change the subject before they actually do that, we just covered Josh but what about the other competitors?”

“Well I want to avenge my loss against Modern Day Crusader for one thing.” I responded as I rested my hands on the table. “Jeremiah’s a former Tag Team and World Champion so he concerns me the most alongside Samuel and Aaron Issacs is in the same boat as me and Crusader as the only rookies in the match but if I can come from behind, beat them off and win the contract then I’ll be satisfied by the end of the night.”

“And you just chastised me for making jokes about sex in a fine dining restaurant.” Katie teased me and I shook my head in response, mostly because I didn’t really have an answer for that and the food arrived soon afterwards swiftly changing the subject, the food was good and by the time we were finished we were ready to get off the train, once I paid for the meal off course. “So, what’s the plan once we get off? You do your promo and I wait in the rental car?”

“Sounds good.” I responded once I checked the time on my phone, by my watch the ride was about to come to an end and sure enough we could feel the train slowing down. “Next week we’re sticking to bars and grills, felt weird discussing wrestling in a fine dining environment and the fact that we stood out like sore thumbs in our outfits didn’t help.”

“It was your idea to come here in the first place!” Katie protested before nodding in agreement. “But you’re right, as good as the food was we are underdressed for this place, I’m still surprised that they let us on!”

“And to think, my dad wanted me to get a desk job.” I joked getting a laugh out of Katie as the train came to a stop and we got off, Katie went on ahead of me towards our rental car and I found a nice quiet spot to do my promo.

“When I signed up for SCW at Violent Conduct last month I figured that I’d have a quiet time on this tour and maybe have a random match on the High Stakes VII card, what I didn’t expect was to be thrown into a six man ladder match against two guys who I’ve faced already, two veterans and a rookie who I haven’t faced up to this point but here I am in the King for a Day Ladder Match against Josh Woodrum, Modern Day Crusader, Aaron Issacs, Samuel Devereux and “Big Tiger” Jeremiah Hardin where the winner gets to book a Climax Control episode!”

I’m still trying to wrap my head around that!

“Not only that but this will be my first ever ladder match on my first Supercard as an official member of the SCW roster so yeah, no pressure on this guy! I already have some ideas for what matches I’d book for that Climax Control but first, as I already said, I have to beat five other guys before I can even consider putting those ideas to paper and since he’s still fresh in my mind after he beat me in our match last night at Climax Control it only makes sense that I kick things off with the Modern-Day Crusader, doesn’t it?”

Yep, and that’s why I’m starting with him!

“Look, I’m not going to stand here and make excuses for my loss to you last night Crusader, we had a great match but in the end the moment when you countered my 450 Splash by getting your knees up was the beginning of the end for me in that match but at High Stakes VII? It’s all about redemption for me as we face off again in this ladder match and I’ll be sure to not make the same mistakes again, for one thing said mistakes might involve me jumping off a ladder and that would hurt a lot more!”

But I digress.

“As I just said Crusader, you got the win over me last night but when we meet in the ring at High Stakes VII it’ll be a whole different board game as we fight four other guys to see who gets to be the King for a Day, now I know that you, being the conspiracy theorist that you are, must hate the notion of you being a king almost like you’re a traitor to your fellow conspiracy nuts but me? I look forward to it and winning the ladder match at High Stakes VII.”

Next up is Josh!

“Now we go from the guy who beat me to gain his first victory in SCW to the guy who I beat to gain my first win in SCW on the third show of the tour, time flies, doesn’t it Josh? You bounced back from your defeat at my hands last night against Marcus Collins but considering that you are the biggest guy in the match somehow I doubt you’ll be doing any high-flying moves unless you want the ring to collapse from under you off course but I beat you once Josh and I can beat you again, right?”

Not that simple.

“If only it was that simple but the fact is Josh that because you’re the biggest guy in this match that also means you’re the most dangerous, you might not be the first person I imagine leaping from the ladder for a dive to the outside but you are the first person I imagine throwing around smaller guys like me and the other competitors in this match but, whilst I’m sure you’re not used to hearing this when looking at your porn accolades, size doesn’t matter and you’ll be extra slow getting up that ladder giving me the chance I need to win the match!”

Next up is Aaron!

“I’d say that I wish that all the guys I’ve faced in my SCW career were in this match but I’ve only competed in three matches in my SCW Career so far and the guy I faced in my debut seems to have dropped off the face of the earth and isn’t anywhere to be seen on the High Stakes VII card so go figure! Anyway, Aaron you’re not on my chopping block and you’re the only new guy in this match who I haven’t faced before, so does “Jet City’s Finest” worry me? A bit but not much!”

He’s just another face in the crowd.

“Like me, Crusader and Woodrum you’ve been impressive since arriving on the scene here in SCW Aaron but you’ve yet to face me but like me you lost your debut match only to bounce back and win against Jeremiah but that’s where the comparisons end Aaron because you might think your hot stuff but that’s just arrogance whilst I know I’m great in the ring but I don’t brag about it! Besides if you do go around calling yourself hot stuff then I’m sure Mark would like a word with you after I win the ladder match!”

Next up is Samuel.

“What? Were you expecting me to use the Jeremiah mention to transition into my trash talk for him? Nah, I’m saving him for last because next up on the chopping block is Samuel Devereux of the Angel Clan, a group that has several questions running through my head about them like how is Sam’s daughter one year old and yet has the body of a full grown woman and the mental capacity to wrestle but I’m sure the answer would just confuse me even more so I’m just going to say this, Sam, you and Jeremiah are the only two veterans in this match and that’s why I saved you guys for last.”

You can probably guess why.

“The reason why is because you two are the guys who worry me the most in this match because you both have a lot more experience in the ring than I have but I’m not about to let that stop me from getting my first Supercard win in SCW and what a match to get that win in! Sam, I’m sure you have plenty of veteran tricks up your sleeve for a match like this one but what good will those do you when I’m diving at you and the others from atop a ladder? Not much good and don’t be surprised when the guy with the least amount of experience in this match gets to book a future edition of Climax Control!”

Finally, is Jeremiah!

“Big Tiger” Jeremiah Hardin, former Tag Team Champion and former World Champion, those facts I just listed are the reason why you worry me the most out of the five other competitors in this match because you know what it takes to be a champion in SCW where four of the other competitors in this match haven’t even had their first title match in SCW myself included! But as I said to Samuel just now I’m not letting that stop me from achieving glory in this match!”

As I shouldn’t!

“But the fact is Jeremiah that whilst you are a former champion you’ve fallen hard since your days as champion ended and your recent loss to Aaron Issacs didn’t help matters, did it? You might be hoping to use this ladder match to get back in the spotlight but it’s time that someone new stepped into the spotlight and I’m not talking about Crusader, Josh, Aaron or even Samuel, no I’m talking about me and when I win this ladder match the world will know my name and know that it’s one to look out for!”

It’s that simple.

“Crusader, Aaron and Josh are in the same boat as me being rookies with something to prove whilst Samuel and Jeremiah serve as the designated veterans in this match and whilst I’m not a gambling man I’m willing to bet that the odds are against me winning this match for one simple reason, out of the six competitors I’m the guy with the least experience which showed in my defeat at Crusader’s hands last night at Climax Control but I’m not going to let my inexperience stop me from making my mark in SCW!”

And with that I decided to wrap things up.

“You know, I stopped listening to Metallica after the Black Album came out but when I found out about this match one song sprung to mind and it’s off the Load album, namely the song “King Nothing” because it gave me the inspiration for this question to the other competitors in this match, where’s your crown king nothing? Oh that’s right, you haven’t been crowned yet and once the dust settles Crusader, Josh, Aaron, Samuel and Jeremiah will be left without crowns whilst I get crowned king for a day because the rest of you got blown away by “The Metal Storm” Caleb Storms!”

I walked off towards the rental car as the scene fades.

[Crusader]

 Frustrated over a lack of progress, The Modern Day Crusader kicked at what appeared to be a stick.  The stick violently curled and struck.  Displaying the uncanny quickness a man can only adapt while living off the grid for decades, The Modern Day Crusader evaded a fang filled strike.  In retaliation, he thrust his right foot downward, stomping on the bellicose creature’s neck.  Its tail writhed.  It tried to break free, but The Modern Day Crusader’s leather sandal covered right foot was too strong.

“Hand me a Machete, crusader,” he asked, staring down at the reptile.  A crusader obliged, handing over the sharpened separator.  With a downward strike The Modern Day Crusader separated the serpent’s head from its body.  â€œThere, evil, satanic beast…meet your demise!”

Crusader 1 furiously flipped through a book.  â€œI thought I told you, Crusader 1, the Book of Truth is the only source material we carry on these journeys,” The Modern Day Crusader chided.

“Sorry, sir, but I believe that snake…yes, I’m sure of it now.  That snake is extremely poisonous – capable of killing a man with one strike!”  Crusader 1, obviously scared toward a breaking point due to the near fatal encounter, displayed the shaking picture of the serpent in question.

The Modern Day Crusader narrowed his eyes, leaning forward, “Well, it’s a good thing I killed it then, isn’t it?  C’mon, crusaders, onward we march, toward the bottom of this dreadful rock.  I believe we have a date with destiny!”

The Modern Day Crusader was, of course, referencing his next in ring encounter set to take place at High Stakes.  High Stakes, a mega event promoted by SCW, featured each and every one of the promotion’s top tiered talents.  All the major titles would be defended.  It was a night designed for the euphoria of glory and the depression of defeat.  The Modern Day Crusader found himself one of many vying for ethereal light.

“King for a Day, sir,” Crusader 1 said the name, aloud, for the fifth consecutive time.

“I sure don’t like the sound of this, Crusader 1.  For I am but a messenger of the people.  I am the antithesis of monarchy.  A proud card carrying member of the proletariat set out to show the bourgeoisie how ordinary they truly are!”  The Modern Day Crusader paused, taking a drink of water.  He wiped some excess fluid from his beard and spoke, “I am no king.”

The sun set.  The moon rose.  Day turned to night.  The dimmed atmosphere brought about slumber.  Most of the crusaders, including The Modern Day Crusader, were sound asleep around a smoldering fire.  A few unlucky crusaders, the ones who no doubt drew the short straw, stood watch.  

Several thousand feet away, the unmistakable pounding of gigantic, flat, hopping feet sounded.  A multitude of wallabies hopped through the forest, with the moonlight acting as a natural guide.  They hopped with determination.  They sought vengeance.  In their minds, The Modern Day Crusader was cut from the same cloth as Harvey Weinstein.  He deserved justice.

The sun rose.  The Modern Day Crusader rolled around, struggling in his sleep.  Crusader 1 rushed to wake their leader.  His eyes shot open.  He thrust forward, into a seated position.

“What is it, sir?”

The Modern Day Crusader looked around before breathing a sigh of relief, “Nothing, Crusader 1.  Just a fantastical nightmare.  I imagined a world in which The Modern Day Crusader did not exist.”

“Oh, yea, that sounds pretty bad,” Crusader 1 feigned fear.

“The worst!” a random crusader yelled, perhaps hoping to curry favor.  

Crusader 1 helped their leader to his feet.  â€œAnything to report from last night’s watchmen?”

“Nothing, all clear,” Crusader 1 responded.

“Excellent.  We’ve still got a few days yet before the next match.  How about we find some legitimate kangaroos?”

“If that’s what you’d prefer, sir.  But I think we might make an even bigger impact by winning inside the ring.”

“True, Crusader 1…but we won last week.  We don’t need to win every week.  That would hedge toward a monopoly.  Monopolies destroy society, they crush the middle class…they are a terrible detriment to mankind.”

“Two wins would hardly be considered a monopoly, sir.”

“All monopolies start somewhere, Crusader 1.”

Crusadier 1 lowered his head, “Fair enough, sir.  But would you mind humoring me for a moment while I at least speak the names of your opponents?”

“Ugh, fine…but afterwards we must find some kangaroos.  The hidden cameras in their pouches has got to be uncovered for the sake of mankind.  Think about it…first a successful trial of cameras in kangaroo pouches…then what?  A camera in every dog’s asshole?  We cannot have that kind of deception, Crusader 1!”

Crusader 1 winced at the bold, likely false prediction.  He swallowed hard, “Yessir.  You are correct, we cannot have that…definitely not, that.”

A sheet of paper with penciled scribblings appeared from Crusader 1’s pocket.  He began to read, the names.  â€œAlright, Aaron Isaacs…six foot one, two hundred thirty-two pounds…Caucasian.  I don’t have much else on him, honestly, sir.”

“Aaron Isaacs…a lot of A’s in that name, don’t you think, Crusader 1?”

“Uh, sure, sir…there are certainly more a’s in that name than any other letter.”

“Makes a guy wonder, you know?  Why so many a’s?  What’s this man…or rather, his parents getting at?  Is he apart of some type of occult?  We need to research the letter a, get to the root of this man’s nefarious intentions.”

“Umm, okay, you certainly extracted a lot more from his name than I expected.  Let’s see…who’s next…ah, yea, some guy named ‘Big Tiger’ Jeremiah Hardin. He’s six feet, six inches and weighs in at a healthy two hundred, forty five pounds.  Youngish caucasian, male who is a former Rouellette champion.”

“Ah, so we already know he has a vice for gambling.”

“I suppose so, sir.  Although, had you defeated Crimson, you might have held that very same title.”

“True, Crusader 1, but I am the exception, rather than the rule.  This man is, no doubt, a degenerate gambler.  What was his nickname, again?  Jeremiah Hardin?”

“Uh, no, that’s his actual name.  His nickname is Big Tiger.”

“Ah, my mistake,” The Modern Day Crusader chuckled.  â€œBut why Big Tiger?  Aren’t all tigers big?  Rather superfluous, don’t you think?”

“There could be miniature tigers out there, I’d imagine.”

“Yes, they are called cats.  Is this man called The Big Cat?  I think not.  He’s the big tiger.  That’s like someone calling themselves The Big Elephant.  Redundant…sounds like overcompensation, if you ask me.”

“So he’s not apart of anything nefarious?”

“Not that I can see…aside from his terrible gambling addiction.”

“Ohhhkay…moving on, we’ve got Caleb Storms.”

“Storms or Storm?”

“It appears he’s officially settled on Storms.”

“Good, glad to see one match with the Crusader set his mind straight.  There may be hope for this man yet…I mean, not in our match, of course.  But afterwards, perhaps.”

“Right…next up is Samuel Devereux.  Six foot, six man weighing in at, well, 245…identical stats to the Big,” Crusader 1 paused upon receiving a look from The Modern Day Crusader.  He cleared his throat, “Excuse me, from The Tiger, Jeremiah Hardin.  It doesn’t appear Mr. Devereux has achieved much acclaim in his SCW career.”

“Samuel Devereux…very Cajun sounding name, don’t you think?”

“Yea, or French, sir”

“My goodness…do you really believe this man to be French?  If so, he could be a problem.  Those Frenchmen are sneaky and smelly.”

“Well, good news sir,” Crusader 1’s face lit up, “he’s from Denmark!”

“Denmark?!  Whoever heard of a Devereux from Denmark?  This man is obviously a plant.  He’s a creation meant to deceive.  HE, my fellow crusaders, is the one to watch out for.”  The Modern Day Crusader paused and spat at the ground, “A Devereux from Denmark…give me a BREAK!”

“Right…so that just leaves…”

“There’s MORE?”

“Yessir, it’s a pretty big match.  Lots of wrestlers…”

“Well, alright then…just more truth that can be told.”

“Indeed, sir.  The final competitor is Josh Woodrum.  He stands at six feet, five inches and weighs at a hefty two hundred seventy pounds.  He’s the largest man in the match.”

“Woodrum, huh?”

“Yessir.”

“Wood-RUM, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Sounds to me like this man loves the bottle.  The demon rum is no doubt coursing through his veins.”  The Modern Day Crusader looked toward a tree, “Tell me something, Crusader 1…can rum be extracted from wood?”

“I…I’m not sure, sir.”

“Well, find out.  This Josh fellow may be running an illegal rum distillery.  He might be killing our wonderful tree population in an effort to raze society with his demon spirits.”

“I’ll look that up…but, in the meantime, those are your fellow competitors for the right to be named King for a Day in a ladder match at High Stakes.”

“I have to say, Crusader 1, I don’t like the sounds of this.  First off, King for a Day…you already know how I feel about that moniker.  Second, High Stakes?  What is that referencing?  What sort of stakes are we talking about?  I’d like to know!  And, finally, a ladder match…is this akin to climbing the ladder toward elitism?”

“I don’t think it’s that metaphorical, sir.  I believe a literal ladder will be in the ring that you will literally climb to retrieve an object.”

“Well then, let us hope it is a metallic ladder and not a wooden one.  Otherwise that Josh fellow might try to create rum mid match!”  The Modern Day Crusader laughed at his lame joke.  The other crusaders followed suit.

The crusaders traveled a decent amount of land before encountering some foot prints.  The Modern Day Crusader knelt by the imprints and dragged his finger down the middle.  He brought his index finger to his nose and took a sniff, “Just as I thought…Kangaroo prints.  We’re getting close, crusaders!”

They continued along their path.  Somehow, despite Crusader 1’s efforts, they had diverted their course away from High Stakes.  The King for a Night match had taken a backseat to the hopeful discovery of cameras inside the pouches of kangaroos.

A heavily foliaged area was upon them.  The Modern Day Crusader motioned for his fellow crusaders to linger.  He whispered, “I’d bet all my home grown tomatoes that there are kangaroos on the other side of that brush!  I’ll lead the way, crusaders!”

He approached the brush and dove right in, separating leaves and limps.  His crusaders lingered, as instructed.  Their leader vanished.  A few punishing thuds were heard.  The looked to one another.

Crusader 1 was the first to act, “Oh no!  That did not sound good!”

He sprinted forward and peeled back the foliage.  A decent sized drop off was found on the other side.  The Modern Day Crusader, on his back, groaned from below.

“We’re on our way, sir!” Crusader 1 yelled down.  Frantically, the crusaders found a very safe decline to rush down, before reaching their fallen leader.

“Are you okay, sir?” Crusader 1 asked.

“Ughhh,” The Modern Day Crusader moaned, “dastardly kangaroos!  They tricked me!”

Crusader 1 looked around as if to say he didn’t necessarily buy into that narrative.  Extending a hand, he helped their fearless leader to his feet.  The Modern Day Crusader leaned back, allowing several pops to loosen his frame.  â€œThis is worse than I thought, crusaders.  Not only are these kangaroos hopping around with secret cameras…they are also being mentally manipulated into trickery.”

“You really think so?” a random crusader asked.

“I KNOW so.  They suckered me in like a lemon.  The government has no doubt placed IQ enhancing chips within these kangaroos brains.  They are controlling them much like a child controls a video game.  We have got to solve this quandary.”

The crusaders dared not question the order.

Meanwhile, several miles away, the wallabies continued their angry pursuit of Harvey Modern Day Crusader Weinstein.  Hopping over bushes, between trees and through brush, they furiously pounded the Australian dirt, readying for WAR.

Back at camp crusader, The Modern Day Crusader was reciting a section from the Book of Truth.  The crusaders, all circled around a fire, stare up in wonder.  

The Modern Day Crusader claps the book shut.  â€œAnd that, my young crusaders, is why you never attend state fairs.”

“It all makes sense now,” one of the crusaders responded.  The rest nodded along.

Crusader 1, off in the distance, kept busy, preparing their things for travel.  He seemed uneasy, as though a certain weight lingered about.  The Modern Day Crusader noticed his withdrawn demeanor.

“Everything okay, Crusader 1?”

“Yea, I’m fine…I just feel like we need to keep moving.”

“Relax, it’s been a tiresome day.  After that fall we took earlier, a rest is much warranted.”

Crusader 1 shook his head.  Nobody else suffered that fall…but, when you follow a man such as The Modern Day Crusader, accepting responsibility within his blunders just comes with the territory.

“Okay, but I think we should have three guards keeping watch this evening.  I can just sense danger looming.”

“You have always had an active mind, Crusader 1.  It is a tremendous attribute.  Keep questioning things…that’s the way to true enlightenment!”

The Modern Day Crusader paused and looked around.  He spotted three fine looking crusaders.  â€œYou three, on watch tonight.  The rest of us will sleep soundly knowing that three good, strong crusaders will be our eyes and our ears this long, cold, dark, Australian evening.”

Crusader 1 chimed in, “I’ll hang around with them for awhile.  Just in case.”

“Good man, Crusader 1, good man,” The Modern Day Crusader said while giving Crusader 1 a pat on the back.  He took a seat near the fire and scratched his balls.  He leaned back and fell asleep sounder than a newborn baby.

[Roux]

 The scene comes to life looking out at Aaron Isaacs. Once again the production value is low. He was still not comfortable having camera crews come to listen to him talk, so he had opted to record all of his promos himself. Today is no different, as the fans see Aaron in front of a laptop screen, wearing a Jet City hoodie. There is a smile on his face, and he offers the screen a wave.

"I know I have been kind of quiet as of late, but things have been a little hectic. Back on Climax Control I picked up my first win, and against someone that held the top title in this company earlier this year. After coming up just a little short in my debut, it was nice to get moving in the right direction. As most of you know though, the night of celebrating kind of got cut short with Kris getting knocked out to end the show. I can of had to put off feeling good about my win until we got back to the states. This King for a Day match got announced somewhere in the time between, so getting back in the swing of things has taken a little time."

He shrugs, his smile widening.

"There are a few things about this match and scare the hell out of me to be completely honest with you guys. I mean I'm not exactly built for climbing ladders. That thing about the bigger the people are, the harder they fall is true. I like to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground. I'm sure there everyone in the match that feels the same way too. Woodrum is a bigger guy than I am. I'm sure being shoved off the top of a ladder, going over the top rope, and landing out on the floor as a 270 pound guy doesn't sound pleasant. It's not like any of us are going to be zipping up to the top very quickly either. We are going to have to tear each other apart until basically only one of us is standing. That is going to be the only way that everyone is going to have enough time to make it up to the top of one."

His eyes wander away from the camera, and he shakes his head back and forth just thinking about all of the painful possibilities. A particularly bad shiver down his spine causes his whole body to move awkwardly.

"I'm not exactly thrilled about the idea of being hit over and over again with one of these ladders either. Sam Devereux is some kind of super human, but I have heard stories from Kris about how hard this guy can hit after their recent encounters. The idea of someone his size picking up a ladder and using it as a weapon is downright terrifying. With that long reach, if he is wielding a ladder we could all end up messed up."

The words seem to bring up something that he had nearly forgotten to mention. He sits up in his chair, and leans towards the camera.

"And speaking of messed up! Jeremiah Hardin was not looking too hot after our match. I mean we went at each other as hard as we could. Being in the ring with a guy like that was unreal. There is absolutely no quit in him. He wanted to win that match, but like I said beforehand, he fell victim to looking past me. He was talking about titles, when he should have been talking about the new guy that came in from Jet City. I took everything that he had in his arsenal and he could not put me away. I beat him square, and he knows it. The fans knew it, and I'm not even afraid to say that I think we had the best match on Climax Control. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, right?"

He brings his hands together in front of his chest, and laces all of his fingers together except for his index fingers. He raises them up against his lips, almost like he wants to stop himself from mentioning what he wants to. He loses the battle with himself, and lowers his hands.

"But how well is he even holding up right now? We saw the back problems showing. He was not looking too hot by the time the match was over, and I am honestly surprised to see him booked at High Stakes at all. Even worse, he is going to have to climb a ladder if he wants to win this thing. If he is walking into this match more hurt than he is letting on, the guy is not going to end up walking back out at all. We are going to have to cart the guy out, and I am just not sure that anybody that bought a ticket wants to see that happen."

He tries to shake the thought away, not wanting to dwell on it.

"I go from usually being the biggest guy around to being one of the smallest guys in this match. It has to come down to me of Caleb Storms, right? We are the ones that aren't quite tipping the scales as much as these others. Compared to Josh, we are small and agile. I think I have a one up on Storms though. As mismatched as I might be for this whole thing, I am surrounded by people that can help me learn what I need to learn. People that have won these kind of matches in Sin City."

He points at the logo on his shirt.

"I train at Jet City, which is built for speed and flying through the air. That was why I came back here to prep for this match. There isn't another person north of two hundred pounds training in this building. Every single person builds a skill set around being a wrecking ball and using the environment against a bigger opponent. Instead of trying to overcome that in our sessions this week, I have been asking everyone how they do it. I have been trying to find out how to think like I am the smallest guy in the match. Everyone else will probably waste time trying to come up with the funniest insult to post on social media, and I am figuring out how to neutralize all of these men one at a time."

He smiles, and sits back in his chair again.

"I know a lot of you have to be asking why I would even bother with it. I mean, I have to change up my whole style of fighting and strategy. I have to gameplan for five other people, and we are all going to be in the ring at the same time. There is a good chance that one of us leaves with permanent damage from one of these ladders, and you know someone is taking that long fall from the very top, all the way to the outside of the ring. What could possibly be worth risking it all?"

His tone changes slightly. Almost in the blink of an eye, he seems more calm than he has been. The match seemed to have him nervous, but when focused on the prize of it all, it did not seem so bad. His eyes almost sparkle with excitement.

"A chance to book a whole show? A chance to control everything that happens from start to finish. You give power like that to the wrong person, and things can go off the rails really fast. You put power like that in the hands of someone like me, and maybe I can do a whole lot of good around here. The people that usually do that kind of thing around here keep handing opportunities to the same people over and over again. With the right King, on the right Day, fans that find themselves at the show could see things that they have never seen before. It wouldn't have to be about self-promotion. It wouldn't have to be about trading favors, or promoting your friends while dumping on your enemies. In the right hands, everything in SCW could change in a new and exciting way. In one night, you could plot a new course for the entire company. That is a lot of power to put in someone's hands."

His smile fades a little, and his eyes narrow on the camera.

"I'm not sure that everyone in this match would do the right thing if given the chance to be selfish. We have seen how title hungry Jeremiah Hardin is. I would not put it past Sam Devereux to bend things in his favor if given a night where nobody could keep him in check. I almost feel obligated to make sure that the right person wins this match, so that the fans don't suffer due to the winner. If that means that I have to climb a ladder, then bring it on. If that means that I have to get maimed, then so be it. I am going to ensure that I am the one on the top of that ladder at the end of the match. There is way too much hanging in the balance for it to be anyone else."

He winks at the camera, and reaches out, hovering his finger above the button to kill the feed.

"I will try not to let you guys down."

[Caleb Storms]

 SCW RP 2 King for a Day Match AKA “Madness Reigns in the Hall of the Mountain King!”

It was the week of High Stakes VII, the last SCW Supercard of the year which promised to be a big event for everyone involved including the six men in the King for a Day Match three of whom were making their Supercard debuts this Sunday, Aaron  Issacs, the Modern Day Crusader, Josh Woodrum, Samuel Devereux, Jeremiah Hardin and the focus of this promo Caleb Storms were all set to do battle for the right to book one Climax Control episode in the New Year and so far Crusader, Issacs and Caleb have all made their voices heard leaving the other half of the competitors silent, can Caleb win despite the stiff competition?

Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne, Australia
October 24, 2017, 18:00pm

How did I manage to go from a restaurant on a train that doubled as a date with Katie to a trip to the zoo? Easy, I got bored during the train ride and the zoo sounded a lot more exciting.

Okay, it was that and I needed a break from all things SCW (unfortunately forgetting that I had scheduled promo time for today in the process) and whilst me and Katie have been doing our annual slasher movie marathon in the run up to Halloween these past two weeks (last one we watched was Cabin in the Woods) this seemed like a nice change of pace, besides its not like half of my opponents haven’t been active, because they haven’t.

So far, the only promos for the King for a Day match to make to air are mine, Crusader’s and Aaron Issacs’ but aside from us? There hasn’t been a peep from Samuel Devereux (or his Angel Clan Teammates for that matter, unless you still count Jessie Salco as a member), Josh Woodrum or Jeremiah Hardin and the show’s only a few days away to boot so I’m just as confused as the fans, granted a lot can happen in a few days but still!

Still if they are this disinterested in a match then it’s good news for me because that means that my chances of winning this ladder match have gone up a bit, it’s still a one in three chance of me winning this thing, as I said before, Crusader and Issacs have made their voices heard but still!

“So, have you given it any thought?” Katie asked breaking my concentration as we checked out the lion enclosure at the zoo, there were three lions that we could see from our angle, two female and one male, and they were acting as bored as a typical zoo animal, anyway I glanced up at Katie who turned to me waiting for an answer.

“Thought to what?” I asked as I turned my attention away from the lions for a moment. “Where we’re going to eat when we get out of the zoo or what slasher film to watch on Netflix next?”

“I think you know what I’m talking about Caleb.” Katie responded with a grin as we started walking towards the next enclosure which, according to the sign, was the gorilla enclosure. “It’s the who reason why you have a cameraman following us about.”

“Oh, you mean using my King for a Day Status to give myself a title shot?” I asked and Katie nodded before we reached the enclosure, I swear if she yells out “dicks out for Harambe” I’m throwing the nearest child into the enclosure! “You do remember that I have to win the King for a Day Ladder Match first, right?”

“Which you totally will!” Katie responded with a reassuring grin as we watched the gorillas mooch about their enclosure. “Almost as quick as me saying “di……”

“Katie, that joke was funny for exactly five seconds, after that it just became annoying.” I interrupted her and Katie pouted before I motioned towards some of the other visitors. “Besides, there are kids about!”

“Oh, come on, can you honestly tell me that, with how prolific porn is on the internet, they haven’t seen at least one dick?” Katie whispered and I shook my head in response. “And besides, you’re the guy walking around with the Consuming Impulse shirt on!”

“Only because I forgot to pack my Testimony of the Ancients shirt!” I responded as I shook my head, we were both referring to a pair of classic Death Metal albums by the Dutch band Pestilence though the latter is very different in terms of sound a lyrical content than the former. “Back to the match, we both know that it won’t be that easy even if the only guys who have aired promos for it are me, Crusader and Issacs.”

“I know but come on, you’re a high flyer in a Ladder Match, that match was practically tailor made for you and your wrestling style.” Katie responded before spotting something. “Speaking of wrestling, I think you have some autograph seekers.” Katie added and I glanced over my shoulder in the direction that she was looking and saw two guys in their late teens who, like me and Katie, where decked out in metalhead gear and had notepads and pens in their hands.

“Hey, you’re Caleb Storms, right?” The taller of the two guys asked and I nodded in response before they handed out their notepad which I could see was filled with the signatures of several other SCW talents. “We’ve been trying to get autographs from everyone on the SCW roster before High Stakes VII since you guys arrived in Melbourne, can we get your autograph?”

“Sure.” I nodded in response before taking their pens. “I just need your names.”

“He’s Jason and I’m Emil.” The shorter of the two responded in what sounded like a Polish Accent and I signed their autographs before handing it back. “Thanks a lot, I flew in from Poland just to attend this show with Jason here and I can’t wait!”

“They don’t have a wrestling scene in Poland?” I asked and Emil shook his head.

“No company ever tours there, I thought SCW would tour there during the World Tour they did in 2015 but alas, it wasn’t to be.” Emil responded before they started to walk off. “Thanks again man!”

“No problem!” I called out to them and they walked off towards another enclosure at which point I turned my attention back to Katie. “I’m surprised SCW never toured Poland.”

“Does Poland even have any decent sized arenas for SCW?” Katie asked and I did try to think of some but I couldn’t, Katie stretched her right leg out a bit before eyeing a nearby bench. “Speaking of SCW, my legs are killing me so if you want to do your promo whilst I rest up on that bench, go ahead!” Katie added before walking over to the bench in question and I had to admit that a break was sounding good right about now but I decided to do my promo first.

“You know what? I’m disappointed, when my promo aired last Monday I was expecting that all my opponents would reply by the end of the week but what happened instead? Half of the participants are off doing god knows what where no SCW cameras can find them, though considering what Josh does on the side that might be a good thing, and the other half, me included, are the only ones who have promoted the King for a Day Ladder Match so here’s what I’m going to do, the three guys who haven’t spoken up? I won’t bother addressing them individually, instead I’m going to lump them all in to one package and give Crusader and Issacs the time they deserve, don’t like it? Maybe you should’ve spoken up!”

But I digress, let’s get these three out of the way.

“And considering that it was Jeremiah and Samuel who had me worried going into this match this leaves me especially disappointed and Josh? You were quick to reply to my promo when we faced off a few weeks ago so why so quiet? Since you’re a porn director, don’t answer that question! As for Jeremiah, I expected more from a former World and Tag Team Champion but nope, you’ve been so quiet that most people would think that you disappeared off the face of the earth, and as for you Sam, The Angel Clan must be up to some weird shit considering that the female members have been quiet as well but if you think that the weird shit will help you win, it won’t!”

Next up is Crusader!

“In a way I’m kinda glad that at least one of my past opponents have made their voice heard and ironically it’s SCW’s resident conspiracy theorist the Modern Day Crusader who has made his voice heard despite conspiracy theorists being all “anti-authority” and what not, I don’t know what you’d do with your King for a Day powers Crusader but then again neither will the rest of the world because you won’t be winning this match, I’m aiming to redeem myself from my loss to you and this is a perfect place to do just that!”

And finally, is Issacs.

“Man, this promo went by a lot quicker since I didn’t have three other guys to dedicate promos to, anyway Aaron you’ve shown that you can talk a good game and back it up in the ring but can you do it in a match type that, to my knowledge, you’ve never competed in? Granted this is my first ladder match as well but I’m motivated to win and I’m not going to let Jet City’s Finest get in my way of becoming the King for a Day!”

And with that I decided to wrap things up.

“Madness reigns in the Hall of the Mountain King! That line is from one of my favorite songs, “Hall of the Mountain King” by Savatage and the way this match is shaping up it’s bound to get mad in that ring on Sunday night! Yeah, I know I’m stretching for references to songs with “king” in the title to reference but there are surprisingly few such songs much like how surprisingly few sent in promos to promote this match! Josh, Sam and Jeremiah, I don’t know where you guys have disappeared to but I don’t mind either way, Aaron, Crusader, I can at least expect a good fight from you guys especially after my match against Crusader a few weeks ago but you guys had better brace yourselves because there’s a metal storm brewing and you’ll be blown away by “The Metal Storm” Caleb Storms, soon to be King for a Day!”

I joined my girlfriend on the bench as the scene fades.

[Crusader]

 â€œI’m sick of snake!”

It was a familiar cry echoed by the majority of crusaders.  For days they had dined on whatever they could find.  Considering they were ensconced within the Australian underbrush, snake became the commonplace meal.  Snakes were everywhere.  And by everywhere…I mean everywhere.

“Look out!”  A crusader would yell, warning a fellow crusader before stepping onto a potentially deadly serpent.  But, just as that crusader had given verbal warning, he, too found himself within inches of a similar clash.  The snakes, they were indeed everywhere.

As were the spiders.  But, I mean, seriously…who wants to eat a spider?  Caleb Storms, perhaps.

Citing a need for plentiful rest before the biggest match of his career, The Modern Day Crusader languished about their current camp site.  Crusader 1, staring down at a basket full of dead snakes, groaned.  A wave of hypnotic smells tickled his nose.  His head turned, he spotted the bright lights of commercial eateries.

“Do we have any money?”

“I believe so, Crusader 1, in case of emergency!”

A crusader with thick spectacles reached into a homemade fanny pack.  It was clearly fashioned from the skin of some medium sized mammal.  There was no zipper, only crudely formed string used to tie it shut.  Upon undoing the string, he reached in and unearthed several rumpled, damp Australian dollars.

“Terrific!”  

Crusader 1 yanked the money away and quickly conjured up a plan.  The other crusaders hungrily nodded, agreeing with ease.  Before long, a group of three were cleaned in the most efficient manner possible.  They were armed with the Australian currency and sent to carry out a furtive deed.

The Modern Day Crusader tussled.  He snorted, rubbing the bottom of his nose.  The rest of the crusaders paused, becoming ornamental.  Once his consciousness was no longer in doubt, they resumed their plotting.  Blood was plastered across a few of their machetes.  The dead snakes were cast aside.  A fire was built and quickly smoldered, making it look much older than its actual age.

“Arrghhhhaaaahhhh…”  The Modern Day Crusader had regained consciousness.  He stretched his arms, one of his shoulders loosened with a quick pop.  He sat up, his hair pointing in every direction.  His eyes were wide with bags underneath.  His tongue lipped his lips while his mouth smacked a time or two, replacing the old saliva with new.

He sniffed.  The aroma floating through camp seemed to invigorate the man.

“What is this I smell?  Some new snake recipe?”

“No sir!  Chicken!”

Crusader 1 pulled some chicken from inside a pot, placing it on a wooden plate.  He handed it over to The Modern Day Crusader.  The Modern Day Crusader looked down at the chicken, he gave it an investigative whiff.  He nodded, tacitly, “This is, indeed, chicken.”

He took a bite.  â€œWho made this?”

Every other crusader turned toward Crusader 1.  Crusader 1 paused, choosing his next words carefully, in case The Modern Day Crusader was suspect.  â€œI did, sir, it’s an original recipe.”

“Hmm…”  The Modern Day Crusader pinched another piece of chicken together with his index and thumb, placing it into his mouth.  He chewed and swallowed.  â€œThis original recipe is tremendous, Crusader 1.  I demand we use it every time we snare a chicken!”  He looked around happily, “Crusaders, dig in!!”

Beyond relieved, the crusaders took turns diving into the pot.  A real feast, the best they’d had in weeks, was underway.

Indolence typically follows an overabundance of nourishment.  The crusaders were no exception.  An excessive time devoted to napping followed their voracious meal.  The Modern Day Crusader, having enjoyed a splendid 11 and a quarter hours of overnight slumber remained somewhat awake, although far from lucid.  Crusader 1, the ubiquitous watchman of the group maintained his consciousness while awaiting a few others to rise, providing much needed alleviation.

“So an entire group of chickens ran into camp?”

The Modern Day Crusader was astonished at the unprecedented luck.

“More or less,” Crusader 1 remained laconic and vague.

The Modern Day Crusader smiled while wiggling his body into a more comfortable position against a fallen tree.  He folded his hands across his belly with contentment.  â€œYou see, Crusader 1, when you’re living right, luck will be yours.”

“Apparently so…now if we can win that King for a Day, perhaps we can require all the wrestlers to read the Book of Truth.”  It was a solid idea.  Crusader 1 had no doubt been giving the potential King for a Day powers a ton more thought than the potential king.

“No, absolutely not.”  The Modern Day Crusader sat up.  His entire focus was laid upon the potentiality of obtaining this King for a Day status.  â€œWe will not make anybody do anything for that would be hypocritical.  Nothing is worse than a hypocrite, Crusader 1 – aside from Mormons.  Those people are the worst.”

“Mormonism aside, you’re going to have to accept some portion of the stigma, if you win.  It’s an honor recognizing you in ring achievement on a grand stage.  Surely you can bend the nefarious narrative.”

“Perhaps,” The Modern Day Crusader paused, thinking to himself.  His index finger tapped an unknown beat against his cheek, “Perhaps we can make lemonade out of this potential lime.”

“Lemon.”

“No, lime.  I hate lemons.”

“Then you should probably say limeade, sir.”

“Seriously?  Who drinks limeade?  Stop being ridiculous, Crusader 1.”

“Apologies, sir.  Let’s cast overly sour fruit aside and, instead, look toward your opponents…”

“I have a great idea!”

“What’s that, sir?”

“Let’s compare my opponents to fruit…might enable me to gain a firmer grasp in preparation for the big match on Sunday.  High Stakes, right?”

“Yes, the event is called high stakes.”

“How apropos…king for a day could be terrible in the hands of the wrong man.  The more I think about it, the more I realize I must win to prevent a man with evil intent imposing his will upon SCW.”

“Good call, sir.  So, about the fruit analogies…”

“Yes, yes, let’s get to it!”

“Okay, so, Aaron Isaacs…what fruit would he be?”

“Hmm, a curveball right off the bat, I say.  Well done, Crusader 1, keeping me on my toes!”  The Modern Day Crusader looked into the sky, as though it offered an answer.  He spoke with his eyes locked on a murky constellation, “The man is an apricot.”

“Apricot?  That’s interesting…why an apricot, sir?”

“Because of the excessive amount of a’s in his name.  It was either apricot or apple and, well, I don’t see the man being some metaphor for Adam and Eve…do you?”

“No sir, I do not.”

“Great, now let’s move on!”

“Big Tiger Jeremiah Hardin…”

“Grape.”

“A grape, sir?”

“Yes, a grape.  There are always too many grapes, in my opinion.  They are superfluous, just like the ‘big’ in front of tiger.  What’s the purpose?  It’s too much!”

“Green or purple grape, sir?”

“Hmm, that is an excellent question.  I’d say purple because raisins are typically dark, are they not?”

“They are.”

“And once I’m done with this Big Tiger fellow at High Stakes he’s going to resemble a raisin, more so than a grape.”

“Suck him dry?”

“Whatever it takes, Crusader 1!”

The Modern Day Crusader, unaware of Crusader 1’s humor, puffed out his chest with authority, very proud of his analogy.  Crusader 1 decided to leave the issue alone.  Nobody else was around to catch the potential innuendo.  He moved on, “Caleb Storms.”

“Ah, him…again.  My arch nemesis it would seem!  The man is a grapefruit.”

“Because he’s so sour?”

“Somewhat, sure…but I was thinking more along the lines of an acquired taste.  Far from the main attraction, there is some value in a Caleb Storms.  He’s an acquired taste.  At first glance, the man seems abhorrent.  A person would wonder why anyone would pick this man.  However, after time and exposure, a certain inclination toward this man’s flavor could be acquired.”

“So we’ve got sucking a man dry and acquiring a man’s flavor…I’m not sure this fruit thing was a great idea.”

“Regardless, Crusader 1…we started a task, we must finish!  Keep going!”

“Alrighty then…Samuel Devereux…what fruit might he be?

“Hmm, a man of sheer mystery…the name is obviously a fake, is it not?  I think we established this previously.  His heritage and name do not line up.  I’d call him a tomato.”

“Ah, going with the old tomato in the fruit category, an age old argument, sir.  Very bold, sir…very bold.”

“I am a bold man.  Whenever I used to type on those dreadful machines called computers, I always typed in BOLD.  Anyway, back to Devereux.  He is clearly the tomato.  A fruit masquerading as a vegetable.”

“Or a vegetable masquerading as a fruit, some might say…”

“Some…idiots, ha!  Tomatoes are fruits by the very definition.  As far as Devereux goes, I will turn the man into salsa by the end of our match!”

“Might need some spices and vegetables to complete that task, sir.”

“Given our recent luck with chickens, it’s not without the realm of possibility we might run into an abundance of the necessary materials, Crusader 1.”

“True…true.  Okay, that just leaves Josh Woodrum.”

“Pineapple, for sure.”

“Wow, that was fast.”

“Yes, well my favorite rum drinks always include pineapple.  They go together like salami and pornography.”

“Ohkay, then.”

“It will be a farmer’s market on Sunday, Crusader 1 and I will be in charge of the produce section.  One by one I will weed out the rotten items of fruit until nothing but fresh, edible produce is left available for purchase.  All five of my opponents will be cast aside in the name of integrity as I prevent the title of king from falling into the wrong, rotten hands.”

Crusader 1 seemed content.  And, as if cued, the two men relaxed their posture, closed their eyes and searched for respite.

Creatures hopping through the jungle, yet again.  The determined wallabies continued their pursuit.  It appears as though a wrong turn was taken earlier in the afternoon.  An error that had been corrected the moment it came to light.  Back on track, the angry wallabies hopped along with murderous intent.  A vicious revenge would be theirs.

Marching along, the crusaders seemed to be feeling the ill sided effects of greasy, heavily processed foods being digested by a system accustomed to organic, natural offerings.  Another stop was forced upon them as a random crusader had to hop into the bushes for some bowel alleviation.

The Modern Day Crusader chewed down on an apple, in doing so, he said, under his breath, “Take that, Isaacs.”  

Crusader 1’s stomach made an uncomfortable noise.

“You okay, Crusader 1?”

“I’ll be fine, sir.  That chicken isn’t really agreeing with me.”

“It would appear it’s arguing with several others as well.  What is in that original recipe of yours?”

“A little bit of this, a little bit of that.”

“Next time you should try a little less of this and a little more of that.”

“Noted, sir.”

The wallabies halted.  The leader bent over and sniffed around some discarded red and white striped boxes.  These boxes were found to be filled with chicken skeletons, peeled to the bone.  A man with glasses and white facial hair adorned the packaging.  Some might have referred to him as a colonel.  The head wallaby stood with confidence.  He made whatever sound wallabies make and continued on, realizing how close they were.

The unending green and brown scenery bred contempt, frustration.  The crusaders were tired of trekking across an entire continent.  Sure, they had a covered wagon, but that only held a handful of crusaders.  The rest were forced to travel on foot.  

Some believed their recent taste of fast food created other urgings.  Urgings for modernization.  A car, for instance, could have entered into their minds as not such a bad travel alternative.  It appears as though whatever hangs out within Pandora’s Box may have been unleashed.

“Halt!” The Modern Day Crusader echoed from within the wagon’s covering.  Everyone came to a stop.  Several were annoyed, desiring to knock out as much of the journey as possible while daylight remained.  â€œI think I saw a kangaroo!”

Several heads turned in various directions, attempting to spot the supposed creature.  The Modern Day Crusader emerged from within the covering and stood upon the Australian ground.  Looking around, he spat at the ground while narrowing his eyes.  â€œYes, the beast is around here somewhere.  C’mon, crusaders, let’s search it out!  Our mission’s completion is nigh!”

And, so, the crusaders did as they were told.  They scoured the surrounding forest for any sign of kangaroo.

The wallabies were honing in.  It wouldn’t be long now.  The lead wallaby thrust his nose into the air, taking a whiff.  Determination flashed in his eyes for he’d narrowed the scent.  The Modern Day Crusader was nearby.  It wouldn’t be long.

“There!” a voice broke through nature’s symphony.  â€œThere’s a kangaroo!  I told you they were over there!”

The Modern Day Crusader, overjoyed, turned toward Crusader 1.  His joy waned with each passing silent second.  He began to question his discovery.  â€œThat IS a kangaroo, isn’t it?”

Crusader 1 leaned forward for a closer inspection.  The other crusaders, sensing something afoot, slid in behind them.  They, too, ducked and dodged their way around branches for a snapshot.  A quiet roar of approval hovered over the group.  A sense of success permeated.

Crusader 1, “Yep, that’s a kangaroo.”

The Modern Day Crusader did a silent fist pump.  â€œOkay,” he whispered, “now we need to corner it and shove our hand into its pouch.  No doubt a camera will be found.”

Crusader 1 sighed, perhaps feeling a sense of remorse over their wallaby encounter.  But, he was married to their current crusade and, thus, would not object.  His eyes met those of his leader’s and, with that, he gave a nod.

The crusaders dispersed, creating a circle around the kangaroo.  The kangaroo was chilling in a small clearing, surrounded by bushes.  It made visual identification of the crusaders impossible.  Once the perimeter had been set, the crusader directly opposite of The Modern Day Crusader threw a nod to his left and then to his right.  Both side followed suit until The Modern Day Crusader received two nods.

“Alright, let’s do this, Brutus.”

The Modern Day Crusader counted down from three.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Th…WHAT THE HELL!”

The wallabies broke through the brush behind them and bounded toward the crusaders.  The Modern Day Crusader fell through the bushes, into the clearing.  The rest of his crusaders hopped into the clearing as well, for faux protection.

The unsuspecting kangaroo watched the discombobulation with interest, rather than fear.  The crusaders, including their leader, almost did a crab walk, narrowing their circle into a pile of crusaders, all back to back.  

The wallabies entered into the clearing like a blood thirsty gang.  They weren’t hopping.  They were merely walking, stalking their soon to be victims.  This caught the kangaroo’s attention and, most notably, his ire.

There was something in his eyes.  Something that said, “I won’t be putting up with these white trash wannabes!”

The kangaroo let out a shrill!  It filled the atmosphere.  The wallabies staggered back, caught off guard.  Within moments, a rush of kangaroos hopped into the clearing and an all-out brawl was on between the kangaroos and the wallabies.

It became clear, very quickly, this brawl would not be for the faint of heart.  Blood was spilled instantly.  The kangaroos were going for the kill.  The wallabies, albeit strong willed, were out marsupialed.

“Sir!” Crusader 1 grabbed their leader by the ring of his t-shirt.  â€œWe’ve got to get out of here, now’s our chance!”

The Modern Day Crusader, somewhat awed by what was taking place, snapped back into the realism of the moment.  He nodded and gave the order, “Crusaders, let’s roll out!”

The crusaders didn’t need to be told twice.  They leapt from the clearing and sprinted for the covered wagon.  A wagon which usually held a maximum capacity of six managed to carry all the crusaders on that fateful afternoon.  Fear is a funny thing.

“And the age old battle between wallabies and kangaroos continued this afternoon as an impromptu brawl took place.  At the end of what some are calling ‘The Pre-Halloween Marsupial Massacre’ the kangaroo clan reigned supreme yet again as many wallabies were fatally done in.  When will this holy war of sorts end?  It is a question that apparently has no answer.  Anyway, here’s some footage taken from an unknown source of the battle!”

Grainy footage is shown.  It’s at the exact height one would expect to find a grown kangaroo’s pouch.

“I KNEW IT!” The Modern Day Crusader yelled while staring down at the footage playing on the lone cellular device allowed within the group.  

[Roux]

 â€Disappointed”
ON-camera

”I find myself going into High Stakes disappointed...”

The scene opens up with the audience looking down at Aaron. He is on his back on the floor of his hotel room, staring up at the ceiling. He has a tennis ball in his right hand, and he tosses it up into the air. It passes the camera, and we can hear it hit the ceiling before coming back down into Aaron’s left hand. He spins it around, in his palm and tosses it across his chest to his throwing hand again.

“It seems like too many people in this business are just in it to listen to themselves talk. They don’t pay attention to the words that their opponents say. They might not even know more about them than their name. People focus on jokes, or history, or sometimes straight up nonsense. These promos are meant to insult, confuse, or otherwise allow these people a chance to get in their opponent’s head. When it is does right, I guess there is some kind of benefit to it. However, if you want to learn how to do it wrong, just check out Modern Day Crusader and Caleb Storms.”

He laughs, but there does not sound like there is any joy in it. He tries to shake it off, and tosses the ball up again. Just like the first time we hear the familiar bounce off of the ceiling, and it comes down into his left hand perfectly.

”It’s almost better that Woodrum, Hardin and Sam didn’t say anything at all. If their alternative was to parade themselves around as a joke like both Caleb and Crusader did, then staying quiet was the better option. I mean what could Sam Devereux even have to say for himself. The guy came back to SCW, made big promises, lost to Kris a couple times, and has fallen off the radar since. Caleb will tell you that Sam is someone that we need to worry about because he is a veteran, but I’m looking at this empty list of his accomplishments and can’t find anything to be worried about.”

He tosses the ball again. This time when it hits the ceiling, the thud is louder than it is before, a clear indication that Aaron was at least a little annoyed.

”And then there is “The Big Tiger” Jeremiah Hardin…. Again, the Caleb and Crusader spent a lot of time on the guy. They listed off his accomplishments. They celebrated him as a veteran. Everyone thinks that Jeremiah Hardin is going to be this huge wrecking force in this match. I’m not trying to be mean, or condescending, when I say this, but which Jeremiah Hardin are they talking about? Are they talking about the guy that looks impressive and unstoppable on paper, or are they talking about the guy that was hobbled and possibly injured after what I was told was one of the best matches on Climax Control in recent memory.”

He tosses the ball back and forth between his hands, not sending it up and over the camera again.

”It’s not even so much that Caleb is handing out all of this praise for Hardin going into this match. The worst thing is, when addressing me, he says that he is not worried much. I am just another rookie that is bouncing back. I guess he does not quite grasp the difference between us. I didn’t bounce back against a fellow rookie, I bounced back against that guy that has earned all your praise. I fought against Jeremiah Hardin, in what had to be his best effort in a while, and managed to come away with a victory. I don’t know what else I can do to demonstrate to you guys that your biggest threat in this match is not one of the veterans. It is the rookie from Jet City that has already proven that a veteran of this company, a former heavyweight champion, could not measure up to.”

He tosses the ball again, and this time the sound it makes when it touches the ceiling is much more akin to that of the first couple of throws.

”...and I’m not even sure that you could call my win against Hardin bouncing back from anything. I didn’t win my debut in this company, but I definitely wasn’t pinned. Crimson took advantage of Marcus Collins being down and out. I didn’t lose that match, I was a bystander to the finish. The one person in this match that I’ve previously shared a ring with, I beat. It is that simple. Caleb cannot explain away dropping a match against Crusader. I saw that swinging neckbreaker, Caleb. I watched Crusader pin you in the center of the ring. You lost. And now you have the audacity to say that two people who have done nothing but lose lately are more of a threat to you? Do you see how that is disappointing?”

He shakes his head and tosses the ball again. It taps the ceiling gently and comes back down into his hand.

”On top of it all you seem to have me all wrong. I’m not some arrogant, young start up. I don’t think that I am the greatest wrestler on this roster, let alone in this business. I’m just getting started and I have a lot to learn. If you watch my promo from last week you can tell that I am nervous about this match. I’m worried about being as big as I am and falling off the top of the ladder. I’m worried about Josh Woodrum, the biggest guy in this match, swinging a ladder like a baseball bat. I’m worried about the time that it takes to climb that ladder. I’m worried about being that high above the ring. I’m worried about falling on my face in my first ever supercard appearance. Does that sound like arrogance to you? Does that sound like overconfidence?”

He laughs, and shakes his head.

”...and don’t think I forgot about you over there Crusader. I caught your… whatever that was. I saw you run down names and try to draw conclusions about the person based on nothing. I saw how lazy you intend to be concerning this match. I saw that you didn’t really want it. That makes sense to me though. Why would you want to win this match? Why would a man of the people, the polar opposite of anything resembling a king, want to win this match to become a king, for a day? It goes against everything that you represent to compete in this match, let alone win it. It is as good of an explanation as any for why you don’t appear to be taking it seriously. Maybe you’re okay with the prize of this match being in the hands of someone that might want to do more harm than good with what they win. Maybe you saw my name across from yours, and realized that the prize was already in good hands, should I win. Then again, maybe not. I can’t even try to wrap my mind around the way things work in your head. I can offer a little reassurance though. I can promise you that I’m not up to anything nefarious, despite how many A’s are in my name. All I want to do is go out and do something that I enjoy doing. ”

Aaron spins on the ground, and the camera follows him to a seated position. With his back against the wall, he pushes forward, and gets back up to his feet. The smile on his face is something still fairly new to fans. His speech was not as hostile, or serious as most of the others on the roster.

”Should I win, I want to book a show that the people in the arena want to see. At the end of the day, maybe I’m the only one in this match that wouldn’t be selfish with that kind of power. I’m the guy that realizes that my opinion, and my words do not matter. The only thing that does matter in this business is what I can do inside the ring. King for a Day doesn’t change that. It’s not about me. It’s not about any of us. Management in SCW get told over and over again that they are making mistakes. This King for a Day prize is not something to selfishly capitalize on, it is a platform to show that things can work differently. It is a chance to give people that come to the show something that they have not seen before, instead of the same thing over and over again.”

He winds his index finger in a loop a few times, as he finishes, instead of reiterating it verbally.

”I think it’s time to break the cycle and see something fresh. Is it tempting to say that I want to win this and book myself in a championship match? Of course. Would it not be amazing to book all of the champions in the company to defend, and line up their challengers by who I liked the most? Is there a certain appeal to having the power to make punishing stipulations on matches just to see enemies get hurt? That is kind of the point of the match though, right? All of those things are supposed to make you want to do anything to win. Well I want to win, but not for any of those reasons. I want to win so that when people think back to the show I put together, they remember it as one of the greatest Climax Control’s in company history.”

He shrugs his shoulders with a smile.

”Anything less would be disappointing.”

Fade.

[JoshWoodrum]

 King for a day? Oh imagine what that would be like? Me, as a King?

We open on Josh Woodrum, dressed in a custom made million dollar suit. He has a smile on his face as he begins.

JOSH: Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages, and all of my Josh-A-Maniacs, please listen up. This Sunday, live on PPV, your's truly is in one of the most dangerous matches of all time, a ladder match, and I don't have just one man to beat, but Five. Five men, five of the best in the world, plus me, the best of the best, all competing to be a King.

King. Well, to my legions of fans, I am already a king, I am the "Monarch of Mayhem". But let us take a quick second, shall we, to understand what being a King for a day means. I get to run the ship. Imagine that. Me, a man with billions of dollars, and a bevy of busty beauties at my disposal, running the SCW for a day?

Blowjobs for the fans? Free DVDs? Or maybe I do something more serious, maybe I go after one of the big prizes. Maybe the Internet title, or the World title? Maybe I hook up with a partner and take the tag belts? Oh you see, the possibilities are endless. And that excites me. Excites me greatly.

So let's look at my so called, competition, shall we?

First up we have Aaron Issacs. Now, Mr. Issacs, goes into High Stakes, the sports premier event, disappointed. Well Aaron, remember my child, what that disappointment smells like, remember its taste. Because after High Stakes, you will wrapped in its cold embrace once again. You won't win this match, but you will see one wish come true, it will be the best Climax Control in history.

Next up, we have, Modern Day Crusader. A Modern Day Crusader huh? Well, I'm gonna stop your little crusade right in its tracks brother. Comparing me to a pineapple? A pineapple? Naw son, I'm more like a plantain, if you catch my drift. Crusader, I promise you this my friend, when this PPV is over, you're gonna be nothing more than a little footnote in the legacy of the soon to be king, Josh Woodrum.

Moving on, lets look at, Samuel Devereux.  Samuel, so far you've been silent. And honestly that's a good thing. I hate listening to the drivel that spews out of that ugly face of yours. I think Sunday night I'm gonna make sure to ram a ladder right into your face, and split it open, just because I don't like you.

Then theirs Jeremiah Hardin. The so called "Big Tiger". More like Paper Tiger. Where ya at big boy? Nowhere to be found. That's all fine and dandy, show up Sunday or don't, if you do it's a swift ass kicking, and if you don't you save yourself the embarrassment of having a ladder shoved up your backside. You're another person in this match I don't like.

And speaking of people I don't like, Caleb Storms, you're last. Storms, a few weeks ago you got lucky and did the impossible, you beat me. Remember that moment, revel in it. Because Sunday night, live for the world to see, I am going to hurt you. Destroy you, break you, make you bleed. And when it I am done, I am gonna take that little gal pal you run around with, and me and Amanda are gonna fuck her five ways to Sunday.

And after I'm done, I'll bring the used up little whore back to your place, and you can be her little cuck. Hows that sound, bitch?

You see, you five men, all are in my way, and when you get in my way, this old force, this demon, this eternal beast that lives inside of me, that goes by the name, JoshBottom, she gets hungry. And when she's hungry, she has to be fed. So Sunday night she will feast, oh yes, she'll feast.

You see boys, the outcome for this ladder match is already written in stone. Spoiler: Woodrum Wins. I am going to break the bodies, minds, and spirits of five warriors, I am going to increase the reach and power of Josh-A-Mania, and I will become your new King.

And as you all bow to me, and my queen Amanda, you will realize what's been right in front of you all along. Ya see boys, Josh Woodrum is the best of the best, pass any test, on a a righteous quest, beat your ass from pillar to post, and coast to coast, the ruler of the ring, soon to be King, punk ass beating, porn star pleasing, fire breathing, dragon!

And as I raise my throne above the stars, you five will proclaim me, 100%
SIMPLY IMPRESSIVE!!!

With that we fade out.