As the scene opens, Eddie Lyons sits behind a table, with five cards laid face down in front of him. He lets the camera linger, getting shots of his face, and a scan of the cards on the table in front of him. After a few moments, he begins speaking.
“I could sit here and whine about my loss to Kris Ryans” he began, “But anyone who knows anything about me knows that isn’t my style. Anyone who pays attention to Eddie Lyons knows that he’ll just pick himself up by his bootstraps, stiffen up that upper lip and move forward, head held high knowing he did all he could, and it simply just wasn’t his night. All he can do is look forward to the Aces Wild Gauntlet and see what the cards have in store for him next time, which he of course hopes are in his favor."
He looks down at the cards, and turns on over, a simple 3 of diamonds, but the picture is of a bulldog. Eddie nods.
“Ah yes.” he began. “The bulldog. As tough as they are loud. Take nothing away, they can be quite fearsome indeed. But often times, we find that the bark of the bulldog is worse than it’s bite, and perhaps that bulldog isn’t as tough as his mouth thinks he is. As they grow older, thet get slower, weaker, lazier and more stubborn. The bulldog has the potential to be dangerous if not kept in check, but I see it unlikely for the bulldog to survive against some of the other contenders.”
He pushes the bulldog card forward, and then flips another. A jack of clubs, but it’s the picture that really stands out, it’s of a wombat. Eddie grins
“Now see, this is the wombat.” he continues “Now this is a tough little bastard. This is one you want to watch out for, where the bulldog is as ugly as they are mean, these little bastards appear sweet and innocent, and then that’s where they get ya. You should not underestimate the prowess of a wombat because they can and will wreck your shit if you do. A couple of the other contenders may appear stronger, yet the wombat should still be taken with caution and care. But one should ask, does this wombat have the experience to really take down some of the arguably tougher contenders?”
He pushes the wombat card forward next to the bulldog one and flips the next, a Joker, but it’s a picture of a rat. Eddie laughs to himself.
“The rat. A survivor if anything.” he said, “There always seems to be one around somewhere doesn’t there? The pest that just never seems to go away. No matter how many times the little bastard gets crushed, beat, smashed. It always comes back almost like nothing happened, just being a general pest and a nuisance. When it really comes down to it tho, that’s all the rat is. A pest and all it’s here to do is be an annoyance to the rest of the contenders.”
He pushes the rat card forward, next to the other two as he flips the fourth card, the nine of clovers, bearing a picture of a wolf. He nods with a look of respect on his face.
“Now, the mighty wolf, now this is a true competitor, proven time and time again to be among the most dangerous.” Eddie said “Alone or with a pack, you do not want to cross the wolf. Because the wolf can and will rip you to shreds without a thought. They are as intelligent as they are cunning, and if you let them sink their teeth into you, you might as well just call it a day. All you can do is try and outhink or overpower it, but that’s easier said than done. The wolf, truly lone of the tougher more rounded contenders of this little skirmish.”
He pushes the wolf card forward next to the others, as he flips over the fifth and final card to reveal the Ace of Spades, with a picture of a lion.
“Now we have of course, the lion.” he grinned. “The king of the jungle and known to be one of the most ferocious beasts alive. The lion carries itself with pride, honor and loyalty while remaining as dangerous as they come. The lion also practices patience,and are known to be resilient. Often a symbol of courage the lion never enters a battle unprepared, and poses a danger for any opponent, large and small alike. The other contenders would be wise to pay attention to the mighty lion.”
He pushes the lion card forward, and looks over them.
“The lion. The wolf. The rat. The wombat and the bulldog.” he said, “Only one can reign supreme. Only the toughest will survive, and as resilient as they might be the rat remains nothing more than a simple pest. It’ll never go away, but it won’t be able to win the skirmish.”
Eddie flicks the rat card off the table, and looks to the bulldog.
“Unfortunately while a tough bastard at times, the bulldog just isn’t quite up to snuff here.” Eddie continued, “I’m sure it’ll bark loudly, and might get a few bites in here and there but at the end of the day it won’t be enough, and the bulldog will be sent away with it’s tail between it’s legs.”
Eddie flicks the bulldog card off the table, and looks at the remaining three.
“So we have a wombat, a wolf and a lion.” he said, “Now, the wombat is tougher than it looks. It could very well surprise everyone, and catch the more experienced wolf and lion off guard. They would be wise to be cautious. Still it may come down to a lack of experience, which will crush the wombats dreams of victory.”
Eddie flicks the wombat off the table.
“Now these two are known rulers of their domains” he said, “Both loyal to their packs, or their prides. Both ferocious and tough as all hell. But there can only be one. Now, some may say that the wolf is better served with their pack, rather than being solo hunters. Perhaps the wolf would be stronger if he had his brethren with him. But the same could be said about the lion, is he better served with his pride? It’s sure to be a fight, but when the smoke settles even the wolf won’t be able to secure the victory.”
Eddie flicks the wolf from the table, and move the lion to the center.
“That leaves only the lion.” he said, “The ace in the hole. The lion who is coming off a loss of his own and hungry to establish his dominance. The lion is coming for blood, looking to catch a rebound after suffering a losing battle. It will be the lion who takes the victory this time, and he will go on to dance with the peacock in all it’s flamboyant glory where he will pluck each and every of it’s feathers and become the new Internet Champion.”
The camera lingers on the lion card for a few moments, as the scene slowly fades out.
__________
Eddie sat there in his hotel room with Sabrina watching his promo, and he just wasn’t sure how effective it was. Did he even get his points across? Was it stupid? Often these were the words that echoed in the mind of Eddie Lyons. Truth be told, much like Rodrigo Afonso, he really didn’t like talking. He was a man of action, and when the bell rang he was always ready to go.
“You sure it’s not stupid?” he asked Sabrina, “I mean LJ isn’t even Australian, and I represented him with a Wombat. Maybe Aiden should have been the wombat…”
“You did fine.” said Sabrina, “And the cards I made for you looked really cool on camera. Besides, it doesn’t matter what you say. It matters what you do in the ring.”
“Oh, what I say matters more than you think.” said Eddie, “It’s not so much about dressing your opponent down. That tactic may work for some, but really it’s about trying to psyche them out, and maybe get under their skin a little depending on how much you like the person. But generally you want to show your confidence, intimidate them with words, so maybe you throw them off their game a little.”
Sabrina nodded, “Yeah I guess that makes sense.” she said.
“I just feel like I sound stupid sometimes.” he said, “Like, I never know what to say. I just want to compete, and sure some guys get under my skin a little more and maybe I can get more fired up at them. But a guy like Aiden? Or LJ? Why would I say anything bad about those guys you know? Like, Aiden is a cool dude and tough as nails. LJ is newer but shows a positive attitude, and is someone I can respect, much like his brother Miles.”
Eddie shrugged.
“What about those other guys?” asked Sabrina, “I think you said the bulldog was that Bill Barnhart guy, and the rat was some guy named Justin?”
Eddie nodded and smiled, he could see Sabrina was slowly learning about his career and the people involved in it, for good or bad.
“Yeah. but what more can be said you know?” he shrugged, “If I haven’t said it, someone else has. Bill is a guy whose best days are behind him, and Justin is…well Justin. I don’t know if that guy is ever going to really get it. It might sound a bit arrogant, but I think everyone knows, even Bill and Justin themselves that the real fight is between myself, Aiden and LJ.”
“And my lion is going to be the winner.” said Sabrina kissing Eddie on the cheek.
“Then I’ll have to face HBC” Eddie replied, “And he’s great too. I have no reason to talk bad about a guy like that either. I know Victoria would likely have some words about him, but I’m not Victoria, and I honestly think Carter is a pretty cool guy…..HB Carter of course, not Kevin.”
‘The guy in the mask who spit in your face right?” Sabrina replied, with a frown. “I don’t like him.”
“Well, he doesn’t have the mask anymore but yeah.” Eddie said, “The guy’s a real prick, he knows it too and that makes it worse. He’ll get his one day I’m sure. Might even be me that gives it to him. Can’t worry much about him now though, I need to catch this rebound, otherwise I don’t know where I’ll land for Violent Conduct, if I land at all.”
“You’ll land.” Sabrina said, “So maybe the world championship isn’t in the cards for you yet, but the internet championship could be, and in my opinion it will be. I don’t know this HB Carter but I’m sure you can beat him.”
Eddie smiled, Sabrina was ever so supportive as usual.
“Thanks Sabrina.” he said.
“You worry too much sometimes Eddie Lyons.” she said, “Just, be yourself. Speak how you feel. If you don’t want to be mean like Victoria then don’t. Just tell them how you feel, and when it comes time for the match, show them how much more you want it than they do.”
“You know…” Eddie nodded, “You’re right. I just need to keep being me. It got me this far, and while there’s been ups and downs I can say with great pride that I always started true to myself and took no shortcuts. I don’t intend to start now. I’m gonna do it..I’m still gonna bring home a championship, but it’s going to be the Internet Championship.”
“Damn right.” Sabrina smiled.
“Hey, fire up the camera..” he said, “I got some more to say.”
Sabrina nodded, and began setting up the camera on a tripod, as Eddie prepared to share some more words before sending his promotional package to SCW staff.
__________
Eddie sits in thought on the edge of his hotel bed as the cameras turn on, he looks to the camera, letting them linger for a moment before nodding, and speaking.
“So it looks like fate might have a different path for me.” said Eddie, “Perhaps I was never meant to beat Kris Ryans. Perhaps that was just my moment to show that I belong at that level, and I think I did a pretty good job of it, despite coming up short. Now, I’ve been gifted a chance at another opportunity to have gold around my waist, another opportunity to move up. Maybe the world championship was too much of a leap for Eddie Lyons at the moment, but the Internet Championship is the perfect stepping stone to get to that moment someday.”
Eddie nods, he does want to be World Champion, but understands patience is key, and that when his time does come, it will be perfect.
“Do you think you’ll ever get that moment Justin?” he continued, as he began addressing his opponents, “I mean even Bill Barnhart can win something, sometimes. He’s even beaten me once. But you? All you do is talk Justin. You don;’t have the ability to back up anything you say, and just repeat yourself over and over talking about how you’re going to make them bleed, or how miserable you’ll make them. But the only way you make anyone miserable is by forcing them to listen to you drone on and on each and every week, but never actually do much of anything. You’re gonna say the same ol’ shit this time too. Your gonna make me bleed right? Make LJ miserable? Make Aiden a shell of his former self? Gonna make Bill hurt in places he never thought imaginable? No. You’ll do none of that, you’ll lose like you do time and time again, and you’ll come back next time having learned nothing and spouting the same tired old jargon at whomever you get to face next, they’ll beat you and the cycle will continue to repeat over and over, just like the tired words you speak.”
He exhales, as he keeps his eyes on the camera.
“Now Bill, you know you’re not much better.” said Eddie, “But you at least can pick up some wins here and there, you at least have been a champion before. So somewhere in there is a man who can get the job done. But as of late, that hasn’t really been the case has it? Been real up and down for you and Bea hasn’t it? You think it might be time to realize that perhaps the Bulldogs best days are behind him? That maybe he’s not ready to go against the new era? You got hungrier guys like myself, Aiden or LJ and you can’t hang anymore? I’d say it’s time to go in a new direction. You’re a former champion Bill, a multiple time champion even! So the talent is there somewhere, just not in this iteration. What you need is to find a new side of Bill Barnhart, and unleash him. Maybe them you’ll be able to refuel your career like Kris Ryans.”
He rubs his palms together, as he pauses before continuing to the next.
“LJ Kasey.” Eddie said with a smile, “You, in my opinion are the biggest wildcard in this match. You remind me of myself in a way too. You just want to fight your way up like I do, like Aiden does. I know the Kasey’s are some of the toughest SOB’s out there, look how well your brother did as Internet Champion. You want that now, you want to continue to build the Kasey name. Show that Miles isn’t the only one. You’re well on route to do so too, but now. Now isn’t going to be your time. I’ve been fighting that same fight for over a year. I want to continue the Lyons legacy, the one started by my father and uncles. I don’t doubt your ability and I fully expect you to surprise me. But I’m full of surprises too LJ, and Aiden is as tenacious as they come. I suspect most belive that Aiden or myself are coming out with the victory here. However I don’t think anyone should be overlooking you LJ. I know I’m not going to. You have all the tools to win this match, and even defeat your brother in law. It’s just not your time right now. Right now, it’s my time and I won’t let anyone get in my way."
He exhales again, pausing for a moment.
“That brings me to you Aiden, my friend.” he said “We always tear it down don’t we? You ended my Roulette Championship reign, I rebounded and defeated you in Proving Grounds. Now we find ourselves here, facing off once again for a chance at a championship. I honestly can’t say too much that I didn’t the last few times Aiden. I mean everything still stands. I’m gonna kick you in the head, you’re gonna kick me in the head. I’ll chop you, you’ll chop me. LJ will probably remind us he's there. We’d be wise to keep an eye on him as well. But you weren’t born yesterday Aiden. You know what’s coming for you. So let’s just do what we do, tear the house down again. We’ll make a fool of Bill Barnhart, while Justin will make a fool of himself. But the three MEN in this match are going to beat the fucking shit out of each other. Only one will survive the gauntlet. I don’t care if I enter first or last, I will go through each of you, and I will walk out with my hand raised and it will be Eddie Lyons who faces HB Carter at Violent Conduct. I’ll see you at Climax Control boys, and you better be fucking ready cause Eddie Lyons sure as hell is.”
He looks into the cameras, confidence flaring in his eyes, as confident grin on his face as it fades out to black.
