Post by Dan Hampton on May 31, 2008 13:08:47 GMT -6
The screen shows Dan Hampton standing, arms raised, over the wreckage of the soundboard and the fallen body of Dave Dudley.
--static--
Dan and Dave standing backstage, drinking beers and planning for the upcoming title match against Ice at July2Die.
--static--
Dan standing in the center of the ring as it fills with confetti from the ceiling and trash from the fans, holding the EWA World Title over a fallen Dudley.
--static--
Dan signing on the dotted line to star for ICW in 2006, a smiling Dudley standing a few feet away as flashbulbs go off and a round of applause goes up.
--static--
--off--
The camera pulls away from the screen. The room is now completely dark with the television off, save for the glow coming from the end of a cigarette. The figure takes a drag, momentarily intensifying the orange specter, before reaching over and turning on a light. The Anti-Anti-Hero, and newly christened "Golden One", Dan Hampton sits there, smoking a cigarette and clearly lost in thought. Finally, he turns towards the camera and speaks up.
Dan: It's kind of fitting that we're both here in ICW now Dave, isn't it? Only fitting that two warriors, born from the same mindset, if not the same mold, would find themselves back on the proving ground that sparked nearly all the controversy that turned us into the fighters we are today.
You see, I get it now. The LWN days, Derrick Flippin, it was all a plan to take over the wrestling world. When I first arrived, I was warned - chastised even!- against fraternizing with "those ICW clowns". And I listened. I toed the company line for quite some time, watching people get fired left and right over the stupidest crap I'd ever seen. I kept my mouth shut and swallowed whatever the Hoyas, Smackdowns, and ITRs of the world spoon-fed me.
Then I realized something. I was better than that. I was better than all of them. I was above the backstage politics, the backstabbing, and all the bullshit. You know who helped me realize that Dave?
You did.
We rose to the top in the EWA just by realizing that doing things our own way--the "hardcore" way, if you will--was the way to cut through the fat backstage. And what happened? Titles upon titles upon titles. More gold than the Aztec Empire, Dave.
Then, you threw it all away. You let them get to you, Dave. As much as you try and act like you were just too hardcore for them, you let them get to you. Every move you made to try and spite them was exactly what they expected from you; they were always three steps ahead of you. Instead of sticking with me and Andrew Leigh and continuing to strike down any and every challenge that came our way, you decided to branch out and do some Super Hero bullshit that just showed us how much further off the deep end you had gone.
I don't know what happened to you Dave. You--we--had the efed world in the palm of our hand and you let it slip away.
He opens a small fridge to the side of the couch and pulls out a longneck bottle of beer. Twists the cap, tosses the now-unlit cigarette in the ashtray, and takes a long draught before speaking again.
Dan: Now here we are, 7 years later. The truth about the forces behind the LWN and its offshoots is slowly leaking out, and you know what? I don't care. No matter who you tell me was running that, I still won the world title 5 times. I still carried the EWA for more than a year, while booking two other indie feds on the side.
You're obsessed Dave. You're a shell of the man that you were when we were at the top of the game. Maximus showed you in the ring last week. I further proved it to you at the top of the ramp. And I'll hammer the point home when it comes to our first round match in the Triple Terror Tournament.
But first? We have Thursday. We have to forget that we're going to be beating the shit out of each other in a week and a half, and focus on being a team. Just because Morrigan and Kayne haven't been around half as long as us doesn't mean they're not going to give us one hell of a fight.
He finishes the bottle of beer, looks down at the floor for a second, and takes a deep breath.
Dan: Morrigan...my sister. It seems like years since the last time I saw you, let alone wrestled in the same ring as you. Years since the days when we were running roughshod over the ICW Tag Team division. Years since...well, years since you were clean. Can't deny that I'm happy about that last fact changing.
But remember this: Blood might be thicker than water. But the last time I checked, gold was a shit ton thicker than blood. And if I'm being handed the opportunity to weaken both of my potential second-round opponents, well, let the good times roll.
It'll just be like fighting in the living room, before mom would come break it up, right...?
He smirks as he pulls another cigarette out of the pack, lights it up and takes a drag, and lets this motherfucker fade!to!black!
--static--
Dan and Dave standing backstage, drinking beers and planning for the upcoming title match against Ice at July2Die.
--static--
Dan standing in the center of the ring as it fills with confetti from the ceiling and trash from the fans, holding the EWA World Title over a fallen Dudley.
--static--
Dan signing on the dotted line to star for ICW in 2006, a smiling Dudley standing a few feet away as flashbulbs go off and a round of applause goes up.
--static--
--off--
The camera pulls away from the screen. The room is now completely dark with the television off, save for the glow coming from the end of a cigarette. The figure takes a drag, momentarily intensifying the orange specter, before reaching over and turning on a light. The Anti-Anti-Hero, and newly christened "Golden One", Dan Hampton sits there, smoking a cigarette and clearly lost in thought. Finally, he turns towards the camera and speaks up.
Dan: It's kind of fitting that we're both here in ICW now Dave, isn't it? Only fitting that two warriors, born from the same mindset, if not the same mold, would find themselves back on the proving ground that sparked nearly all the controversy that turned us into the fighters we are today.
You see, I get it now. The LWN days, Derrick Flippin, it was all a plan to take over the wrestling world. When I first arrived, I was warned - chastised even!- against fraternizing with "those ICW clowns". And I listened. I toed the company line for quite some time, watching people get fired left and right over the stupidest crap I'd ever seen. I kept my mouth shut and swallowed whatever the Hoyas, Smackdowns, and ITRs of the world spoon-fed me.
Then I realized something. I was better than that. I was better than all of them. I was above the backstage politics, the backstabbing, and all the bullshit. You know who helped me realize that Dave?
You did.
We rose to the top in the EWA just by realizing that doing things our own way--the "hardcore" way, if you will--was the way to cut through the fat backstage. And what happened? Titles upon titles upon titles. More gold than the Aztec Empire, Dave.
Then, you threw it all away. You let them get to you, Dave. As much as you try and act like you were just too hardcore for them, you let them get to you. Every move you made to try and spite them was exactly what they expected from you; they were always three steps ahead of you. Instead of sticking with me and Andrew Leigh and continuing to strike down any and every challenge that came our way, you decided to branch out and do some Super Hero bullshit that just showed us how much further off the deep end you had gone.
I don't know what happened to you Dave. You--we--had the efed world in the palm of our hand and you let it slip away.
He opens a small fridge to the side of the couch and pulls out a longneck bottle of beer. Twists the cap, tosses the now-unlit cigarette in the ashtray, and takes a long draught before speaking again.
Dan: Now here we are, 7 years later. The truth about the forces behind the LWN and its offshoots is slowly leaking out, and you know what? I don't care. No matter who you tell me was running that, I still won the world title 5 times. I still carried the EWA for more than a year, while booking two other indie feds on the side.
You're obsessed Dave. You're a shell of the man that you were when we were at the top of the game. Maximus showed you in the ring last week. I further proved it to you at the top of the ramp. And I'll hammer the point home when it comes to our first round match in the Triple Terror Tournament.
But first? We have Thursday. We have to forget that we're going to be beating the shit out of each other in a week and a half, and focus on being a team. Just because Morrigan and Kayne haven't been around half as long as us doesn't mean they're not going to give us one hell of a fight.
He finishes the bottle of beer, looks down at the floor for a second, and takes a deep breath.
Dan: Morrigan...my sister. It seems like years since the last time I saw you, let alone wrestled in the same ring as you. Years since the days when we were running roughshod over the ICW Tag Team division. Years since...well, years since you were clean. Can't deny that I'm happy about that last fact changing.
But remember this: Blood might be thicker than water. But the last time I checked, gold was a shit ton thicker than blood. And if I'm being handed the opportunity to weaken both of my potential second-round opponents, well, let the good times roll.
It'll just be like fighting in the living room, before mom would come break it up, right...?
He smirks as he pulls another cigarette out of the pack, lights it up and takes a drag, and lets this motherfucker fade!to!black!