Post by Mac on Jul 31, 2022 21:46:57 GMT -5
Leveled Up Pt 2
"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." – Henry Ford
{Unnamed Bar - Las Vegas NV - “Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes”}
Chris and I start to head toward the door when I hear the snapping of a pool stick. The sound came directly behind Chris. Chris had been whacked across the back with a pool stick with such force it broke across his back. I spun around to see a third party helping Rando and his boy up. Chris gathers himself as he turns around and removes his sportcoat and tosses it to the ground as the patrons surround the five men. Chris and I glance at each other. I inhale deeply, the battle would be upon us soon. The smell of blood and beer made me smile and like in the old days, an almost euphoric feeling came over me. No words are spoken because none are needed. We had been through countless wars, not together but we knew what to do.
“Funny how 3 jack asses turn into ten”, I said as I ducked a punch and then returned fire with an uppercut that sent the young man flying backward and into his fellows. One of the men cussed as Chris took the low road with a kick to the nuts and I laughed. “Yep,” Chris said matter of factly as he took another local down with a hard right hand. “How many of you clowns do we have to beat down?” I shouted at the men that stood around us. The three men rushed us again, and Chris and I seemed to sigh in stereo. “Well, I guess that’s our answer,” I quipped. It unfolded as you might imagine. Chis side-stepped his guy and I ducked under the laziest clothesline attempt from the other two that you have ever seen. I grabbed my two from behind and rammed them face first into the jukebox, while Chris punched his guy in the back of the head.
That is when the fight stopped as they considered their options. “God damn, you boys are dumber than shit.” I shook my head as Las Vegas’ finest came pouring into the bar. The police didn’t need testimony to know that we were the ones being assaulted and not the other way around. What we expected was for the police to come directly for us but instead, they stopped and talked to the bartender who calmly explained what he saw. Chris bent down and grabbed his sports coat from the floor. One officer headed over towards us finally, “Gentlemen, the bartender said he couldn’t be sure of who actually started the fight.” I smiled at the officer and waved at the bartender.
“Are we clear to leave then?”, Chris asked the officer. He nodded in return. The officer, “Mr. Bane, I know your reputation in Vegas, I also suspect you started this.” I didn’t allow my smile to slip. “Why officer, I don’t know what it is you speak of.” He smiled at me, “Knock it off Mac,” the officer chided me. After he walked away, Chris looked over at me and smiled, “It seems that you are very well known in Vegas.” I scratched my head, “Yeah, not in a good way. I’m known for starting fights and ending them. Trent would be proud,” I joked with Chris. “Trent Steele?” he asked. I nodded, “Trent and I go back a ways, he’s an asshole and good people all at the same time. If that makes sense.” He shook his head, “No, but I’ll take your word for it.” I laughed, “you and Trent are a lot alike in that way.” He looked at me with feigned shock and laughed, “fuck you, Mac.”
“Nah, I got better options at home.” I said with a wink and a smile, “And so do you.” We went to the bar to talk to the bartender, Ned. “Ned, how much do I owe you for the tab and the damage?” He looked at me, “It’s really hard to say about the damage.” I nodded, “Well, send me the invoice and I’ll cover it.” He slid the bar tab to me and I gave him my black AMEX card. With the primary bill being paid, “Let’s get out a here my friend, there are more bars on the way if you want.” He looked at me in amusement, “Any that you haven’t started a fight in?” I shrugged, “There’s at least one or two.” He shook his head in dismay, “All right, let’s fucking go!” I smiled and gently clapped him on the shoulder, knowing he was still in a great amount of pain from his match with Corey. He flinched only slightly as we turned to walk out and into the night for another round somewhere more peaceful.
Fade
{In-Studio - The Bane Home - Las Vegas NV “A formal introduction”}
I stand in front of the camera, the after-effects of my match with Knox firmly in my rearview mirror. I give the camera a wink and a smile before I get into the introduction.
Fresh faces, yeah, that’s not me but in the same respect, I’m not as well traveled as my partner Chris Page. Who despite everything I’ve told him, holds to his belief that he needs to prove himself to me. I can and do respect that, because I too need to prove myself, here. I’ve done it countless other places but some asshole always asks, yeah but what have you done here? They try to make light of our complete body of work, which is really not relevant to most and certainly not to Level Up. Trust me, the people that matter know who the fuck we are.
I smirk at my own comment, pausing only briefly I continue.
For those of you who don’t know me, I’ll try to keep this short. I am Mac Bane, a three-time world champion in Sin City Wrestling. A well-traveled and well-seasoned professional. The last time any of you saw me in a Level Up ring, you saw me help the Game Changers win a War Games match. The thing that most of you remember is me kicking the shit out of Larry Tact afterward. Some people consider what I did to be cowardly, I call it fighting fire with fire. When he attacked Kat weeks before, I asked him then, if he really thought it needed all four of the game changers to send a message to Raab. Crickets were the response. So, I did what I always do, I developed a plan. A plan based around his own arrogance, and it worked so unbelievably well, that it even surprised me. Raab, I know you have her back, make sure that this match goes cleanly.
The smile tugging at the corners of my mouth almost cause me to start laughing at the memory of how shocked they all were.
Time moved on and so did I. He never did but that’s on him, not me. Sometimes people don’t pay attention to what goes on around them. Young Miss Sky is one of those people. Like others before her, she will focus on Chris. When you don’t acknowledge the monster under the bed, you’re going to get got. I am that monster, make no mistake about it. Everything I do in that ring is important to me. The ring has helped to mold me over the years. In a way, it has defined me as a competitor, and my in-ring ability is second to none.
I smile openly now and hoist the SCW World title up on my shoulder.
Now, don’t get me wrong here, I haven’t watched her promo, it’s just my assumption. We find you highly amusing, however, inside the ring, now that’s a different story. You were extremely impressive against Buster, there’s no doubt about that. That’s about where it ends. I don’t consider either of you my friend or even my peers, you’re not on mine and Chris’ level and likely never will be. I’m not trying to be an asshole, I’m challenging you both to step up your game against us. I mean, if you don’t mind? If you don’t do that, you’ll just be added to a body count that’s stretched over two decades.
I roll my eyes and sneer at the thought.
The only thing I really know about your partner…what was that guy’s name….Arthur…no, that’s not it.
Then it comes to me and I snap my fingers.
Arturo! That’s it. You’ll have to pardon my lack of excitement over who you chose as a partner. The only thing I know about you is that you wear a mask, and you’re friends with that rip-off of a ripoff. Ziggy was his name I think. The Anti-technology cowboy with a Twitter account. Ziggy, that’s right.
I sigh and look up at the ceiling, trying again not to laugh at the sheer stupidity of that.
Moving on, I go out on a ledge and guess that you guys have never teamed together before. Chris and I have, not often mind you but we’ve been wrestling for a combined fifty years. Anything you try, we’ve seen it before and know how to counter it. I won’t even go into the disparity of size, why bother? Your combined weight is less than the fart I had after supper.
I shake my head and laugh at myself.
I crack myself up sometimes. Again, moving on, because you two won’t be. That’s not a bad thing, it will allow you both to focus on things that are more in line with your skill set.
I smirk at the camera.
Arturo can go back to ring set up and make mid-carders feel good about their status. Miss Sky can go back to….
I stop there and wag my finger back and forth at the camera.
Nope, not gonna do it. I cannot even bring myself to finish that. No man should ever go there. Ahem, she can go back to her mid-card status and maybe she gets to challenge Buster again, who knows?
I shake my head in dismay at what I almost did.
As for Chris and I, well, we’ll just be moving on to the next round. I would wish you two luck, but you should probably pray for divine intervention instead.
"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." – Henry Ford
{Unnamed Bar - Las Vegas NV - “Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes”}
Chris and I start to head toward the door when I hear the snapping of a pool stick. The sound came directly behind Chris. Chris had been whacked across the back with a pool stick with such force it broke across his back. I spun around to see a third party helping Rando and his boy up. Chris gathers himself as he turns around and removes his sportcoat and tosses it to the ground as the patrons surround the five men. Chris and I glance at each other. I inhale deeply, the battle would be upon us soon. The smell of blood and beer made me smile and like in the old days, an almost euphoric feeling came over me. No words are spoken because none are needed. We had been through countless wars, not together but we knew what to do.
“Funny how 3 jack asses turn into ten”, I said as I ducked a punch and then returned fire with an uppercut that sent the young man flying backward and into his fellows. One of the men cussed as Chris took the low road with a kick to the nuts and I laughed. “Yep,” Chris said matter of factly as he took another local down with a hard right hand. “How many of you clowns do we have to beat down?” I shouted at the men that stood around us. The three men rushed us again, and Chris and I seemed to sigh in stereo. “Well, I guess that’s our answer,” I quipped. It unfolded as you might imagine. Chis side-stepped his guy and I ducked under the laziest clothesline attempt from the other two that you have ever seen. I grabbed my two from behind and rammed them face first into the jukebox, while Chris punched his guy in the back of the head.
That is when the fight stopped as they considered their options. “God damn, you boys are dumber than shit.” I shook my head as Las Vegas’ finest came pouring into the bar. The police didn’t need testimony to know that we were the ones being assaulted and not the other way around. What we expected was for the police to come directly for us but instead, they stopped and talked to the bartender who calmly explained what he saw. Chris bent down and grabbed his sports coat from the floor. One officer headed over towards us finally, “Gentlemen, the bartender said he couldn’t be sure of who actually started the fight.” I smiled at the officer and waved at the bartender.
“Are we clear to leave then?”, Chris asked the officer. He nodded in return. The officer, “Mr. Bane, I know your reputation in Vegas, I also suspect you started this.” I didn’t allow my smile to slip. “Why officer, I don’t know what it is you speak of.” He smiled at me, “Knock it off Mac,” the officer chided me. After he walked away, Chris looked over at me and smiled, “It seems that you are very well known in Vegas.” I scratched my head, “Yeah, not in a good way. I’m known for starting fights and ending them. Trent would be proud,” I joked with Chris. “Trent Steele?” he asked. I nodded, “Trent and I go back a ways, he’s an asshole and good people all at the same time. If that makes sense.” He shook his head, “No, but I’ll take your word for it.” I laughed, “you and Trent are a lot alike in that way.” He looked at me with feigned shock and laughed, “fuck you, Mac.”
“Nah, I got better options at home.” I said with a wink and a smile, “And so do you.” We went to the bar to talk to the bartender, Ned. “Ned, how much do I owe you for the tab and the damage?” He looked at me, “It’s really hard to say about the damage.” I nodded, “Well, send me the invoice and I’ll cover it.” He slid the bar tab to me and I gave him my black AMEX card. With the primary bill being paid, “Let’s get out a here my friend, there are more bars on the way if you want.” He looked at me in amusement, “Any that you haven’t started a fight in?” I shrugged, “There’s at least one or two.” He shook his head in dismay, “All right, let’s fucking go!” I smiled and gently clapped him on the shoulder, knowing he was still in a great amount of pain from his match with Corey. He flinched only slightly as we turned to walk out and into the night for another round somewhere more peaceful.
Fade
{In-Studio - The Bane Home - Las Vegas NV “A formal introduction”}
I stand in front of the camera, the after-effects of my match with Knox firmly in my rearview mirror. I give the camera a wink and a smile before I get into the introduction.
Fresh faces, yeah, that’s not me but in the same respect, I’m not as well traveled as my partner Chris Page. Who despite everything I’ve told him, holds to his belief that he needs to prove himself to me. I can and do respect that, because I too need to prove myself, here. I’ve done it countless other places but some asshole always asks, yeah but what have you done here? They try to make light of our complete body of work, which is really not relevant to most and certainly not to Level Up. Trust me, the people that matter know who the fuck we are.
I smirk at my own comment, pausing only briefly I continue.
For those of you who don’t know me, I’ll try to keep this short. I am Mac Bane, a three-time world champion in Sin City Wrestling. A well-traveled and well-seasoned professional. The last time any of you saw me in a Level Up ring, you saw me help the Game Changers win a War Games match. The thing that most of you remember is me kicking the shit out of Larry Tact afterward. Some people consider what I did to be cowardly, I call it fighting fire with fire. When he attacked Kat weeks before, I asked him then, if he really thought it needed all four of the game changers to send a message to Raab. Crickets were the response. So, I did what I always do, I developed a plan. A plan based around his own arrogance, and it worked so unbelievably well, that it even surprised me. Raab, I know you have her back, make sure that this match goes cleanly.
The smile tugging at the corners of my mouth almost cause me to start laughing at the memory of how shocked they all were.
Time moved on and so did I. He never did but that’s on him, not me. Sometimes people don’t pay attention to what goes on around them. Young Miss Sky is one of those people. Like others before her, she will focus on Chris. When you don’t acknowledge the monster under the bed, you’re going to get got. I am that monster, make no mistake about it. Everything I do in that ring is important to me. The ring has helped to mold me over the years. In a way, it has defined me as a competitor, and my in-ring ability is second to none.
I smile openly now and hoist the SCW World title up on my shoulder.
Now, don’t get me wrong here, I haven’t watched her promo, it’s just my assumption. We find you highly amusing, however, inside the ring, now that’s a different story. You were extremely impressive against Buster, there’s no doubt about that. That’s about where it ends. I don’t consider either of you my friend or even my peers, you’re not on mine and Chris’ level and likely never will be. I’m not trying to be an asshole, I’m challenging you both to step up your game against us. I mean, if you don’t mind? If you don’t do that, you’ll just be added to a body count that’s stretched over two decades.
I roll my eyes and sneer at the thought.
The only thing I really know about your partner…what was that guy’s name….Arthur…no, that’s not it.
Then it comes to me and I snap my fingers.
Arturo! That’s it. You’ll have to pardon my lack of excitement over who you chose as a partner. The only thing I know about you is that you wear a mask, and you’re friends with that rip-off of a ripoff. Ziggy was his name I think. The Anti-technology cowboy with a Twitter account. Ziggy, that’s right.
I sigh and look up at the ceiling, trying again not to laugh at the sheer stupidity of that.
Moving on, I go out on a ledge and guess that you guys have never teamed together before. Chris and I have, not often mind you but we’ve been wrestling for a combined fifty years. Anything you try, we’ve seen it before and know how to counter it. I won’t even go into the disparity of size, why bother? Your combined weight is less than the fart I had after supper.
I shake my head and laugh at myself.
I crack myself up sometimes. Again, moving on, because you two won’t be. That’s not a bad thing, it will allow you both to focus on things that are more in line with your skill set.
I smirk at the camera.
Arturo can go back to ring set up and make mid-carders feel good about their status. Miss Sky can go back to….
I stop there and wag my finger back and forth at the camera.
Nope, not gonna do it. I cannot even bring myself to finish that. No man should ever go there. Ahem, she can go back to her mid-card status and maybe she gets to challenge Buster again, who knows?
I shake my head in dismay at what I almost did.
As for Chris and I, well, we’ll just be moving on to the next round. I would wish you two luck, but you should probably pray for divine intervention instead.
