Post by Joe Summers on Apr 4, 2024 23:34:49 GMT -5
“After what happened the last time I was in one of these matches, I’m not gonna make any special requests. And I’m definitely not gonna make any promises.”
Joe Summers rolled his eyes as he stood in front of a CPW camera. Joe typically had a “routine” in the weeks leading up to a big show. He’d find a way to end up on the Charisma Corner so that he and Claira could talk about the show - and more specifically, whatever Joe’s match was on the show. He’d meet with any and every fan that he possibly could, because whether people admitted or not, they were the lifeblood of CPW.
And then he’d spend some time to let people know that he was focused on the task at hand. Because even if Joe was making the fans happy - even if Joe was saying all of the right things in his ‘media’ appearances - Joe still needed to be a wrestler. He needed to prove he was the best in the world.
That was why even as Joe found himself not feeling every single step of his standard routine, he still scheduled a time to stand in front of a CPW camera so that he could speak his mind.
He needed to remind people that he truly was the best in the world.
“I still can’t believe that Brian did me dirty like that. I tell the whole world that I’m gonna prove myself by entering the match first. Pretty much every single one of my opponents acknowledges the fact that I said it. And what does he do?”
“Puts me in the middle of the damn match and makes me look like an asshole. If I hadn’t spent years backing up my words, that really could’ve sucked, let me tell you.”
Joe shook his head and chuckled. But then again, what else could he do?
“Of course, if there’s one thing that I’ve learned about Elimination Chamber matches over the years, it’s that…you can’t really prepare for ‘em. You just can’t! All of your plans have a funny way of falling apart when you’re trapped inside a structure like that with five other people. You get dropped on that steel at just the right angle, and it doesn’t really matter what you planned on doing. You’re gonna be improvising.”
He smirked.
“I’d be lying if I said this one wasn’t shaping up pretty nicely, though. We’ve got a nice little mix of wrestlers going on. You’ve got the violence focused ones in Nightmare and Disturbed. You’ve got Kelly and Frankie bringing some sheer determination to the chamber. And you’ve even got the person that no one thinks belongs in Miss Daisy Jones. Funny, right? The girl’s a current champ and absolutely no one is talking about how she’s gonna shock the world.”
Joe shrugged his shoulders calmly.
“Don’t worry, Daisy. I’ve been there before. Go back and look at how people were reacting to the fact that I was in the main event of Super Brawl II. There wasn’t a person in the world who thought that I belonged in that match. You had certified legends. You had people on the precipice of greatness. And then you had me.”
“I think I did okay for myself. I definitely proved that I belonged. And quite frankly, I don’t doubt that you’ll be capable of doing the same. It won’t be easy. It’ll probably end up being one of the hardest challenges of your career, if I’m being completely honest with you.”
“But more than anything else you’ve done so far, this is your chance to make a name for yourself. And don’t you forget it.”
He nodded his head slowly as he tried to gather his thoughts.
“Which is a lot different than what people like Frankie and Disturbed are dealing with right now. No one’s gonna talk more shit on the two of you than each other, but I know the two of you are wondering if you’ve even got what it takes to take that next step. Of course, that’s a little unfair to you, Disturbed. You’ve been at the top of the mountain before! And you’re not exactly struggling at the moment, considering you pinned me in the middle of the ring just a few weeks ago. Anyone who’s pretending that you don’t belong here is just lying to themselves, because you’re still one of the most dangerous men in the world.”
“And when we’re actually trapped in the ring with you, and have no choice but to face you head on?”
Joe’s eyes went wide as he whistled.
“And you, Frankie…you’re just waiting until you finally take that next step. You’re working, and scratching, and clawing. You’ve gotten opportunities. You’ve gotten plenty of opportunities. But that’s the part that nobody tells you, Frankie. Getting the opportunities isn’t always the hard part. Sure, people talk about smashing through ceilings and grabbing brass rings and all of that other good stuff. But once you’ve gotten close to the promised land? You’re probably getting another shot. Opportunities lead to more opportunities.”
“But they don’t guarantee success. Only you can do that. You put the world on notice. You’ve proven that you belong here. But what you haven’t done is show us that you’re good enough to finish the job. I know you think you are. And honestly? I think you are, too.”
“But what either one of us thinks doesn’t mean a damn thing at this point.”
Joe frowned as he shook his head.
“That’s a lot different than your journey thus far, Kelly. I don’t think anyone has come into CPW and seized the moment the way that you have! Seriously. You’re winning the Xtreme Chaos Championship in like…30% of your matches or something?”
He laughed.
“I’ve never really been a math guy, so don’t quote me on that. I’m just saying! It’s insane.”
Joe paused for a moment as he glanced down at the floor.
“You’re honest, though. You call it how it is, and you do whatever you need to do to win. But how does that work in a match like this? It’s different, Kelly. Those sneaky little opportunities that you’re great at taking advantage of? They’re harder to come by. You could end up in a situation where there are four people gunning for you.”
“Or maybe you’re in there alone, and just when you think you’ve got it figured out…someone like Disturbed enters the ring and decides he’s pissed at you. It could happen. You never really know who Disturbed is gonna be pissed at.”
Joe’s eyes narrowed as he glanced up at the camera.
“You’re fucking great, Kelly. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But this is gonna be your toughest challenge yet, and I just hope you’re ready to meet it.”
The former champ then went silent. He tapped his foot a few times before staring directly into the camera.
“And that just leaves you, Nightmare. The guy at the top of the mountain. The destroyer of worlds. The man who is going to bring an end to CPW’s never-ending summer, and replace it with the coldest winter imaginable. A guy who feeds on pain, misery, and suffering in ways that we couldn’t even begin to imagine.”
“We’ve got some history, Nightmare. And unlike someone like Kelly - who is great, but may need to change things up to thrive in a match like this…you’re in your element. An Elimination Chamber is basically made for someone like you. You’re dangerous, yeah…but you’re also one of the smartest and most talented wrestlers that I’ve ever been in the ring against. You’re REALLY, really good. Almost unbeatable at the top of your game. You’re gonna do everything in your power to make the rest of us suffer, and there’s nothing that we can do to change that. Even if you lose we’ll be lucky to leave the ring on our own, two feet.”
Joe smirked confidently.
“That’s what I like about you, Nightmare. I mean, I hate to admit it…but you’re always a challenge. You always keep things interesting. And while you’d love nothing more than to end me, let’s change the perspective a bit. Do you know how satisfying it would be to end you? Do you know how much I’d love to end CPW’s nightmare, and bring about some happier, sunnier dreams? These things go both ways, man. Either one of us can use the other to bring about some serious change. You don’t have to be the one that succeeds.”
“Because you’re the Xtreme Chaos Champion, yeah. But you’re in the ring with five damn good wrestlers.”
“Including the best wrestler in the world.”
“So I hope you’re ready. Because on Sunday night, we’re about to see just how good you really are.”
Joe then stepped away from the camera as the feed faded to black.
Joe Summers rolled his eyes as he stood in front of a CPW camera. Joe typically had a “routine” in the weeks leading up to a big show. He’d find a way to end up on the Charisma Corner so that he and Claira could talk about the show - and more specifically, whatever Joe’s match was on the show. He’d meet with any and every fan that he possibly could, because whether people admitted or not, they were the lifeblood of CPW.
And then he’d spend some time to let people know that he was focused on the task at hand. Because even if Joe was making the fans happy - even if Joe was saying all of the right things in his ‘media’ appearances - Joe still needed to be a wrestler. He needed to prove he was the best in the world.
That was why even as Joe found himself not feeling every single step of his standard routine, he still scheduled a time to stand in front of a CPW camera so that he could speak his mind.
He needed to remind people that he truly was the best in the world.
“I still can’t believe that Brian did me dirty like that. I tell the whole world that I’m gonna prove myself by entering the match first. Pretty much every single one of my opponents acknowledges the fact that I said it. And what does he do?”
“Puts me in the middle of the damn match and makes me look like an asshole. If I hadn’t spent years backing up my words, that really could’ve sucked, let me tell you.”
Joe shook his head and chuckled. But then again, what else could he do?
“Of course, if there’s one thing that I’ve learned about Elimination Chamber matches over the years, it’s that…you can’t really prepare for ‘em. You just can’t! All of your plans have a funny way of falling apart when you’re trapped inside a structure like that with five other people. You get dropped on that steel at just the right angle, and it doesn’t really matter what you planned on doing. You’re gonna be improvising.”
He smirked.
“I’d be lying if I said this one wasn’t shaping up pretty nicely, though. We’ve got a nice little mix of wrestlers going on. You’ve got the violence focused ones in Nightmare and Disturbed. You’ve got Kelly and Frankie bringing some sheer determination to the chamber. And you’ve even got the person that no one thinks belongs in Miss Daisy Jones. Funny, right? The girl’s a current champ and absolutely no one is talking about how she’s gonna shock the world.”
Joe shrugged his shoulders calmly.
“Don’t worry, Daisy. I’ve been there before. Go back and look at how people were reacting to the fact that I was in the main event of Super Brawl II. There wasn’t a person in the world who thought that I belonged in that match. You had certified legends. You had people on the precipice of greatness. And then you had me.”
“I think I did okay for myself. I definitely proved that I belonged. And quite frankly, I don’t doubt that you’ll be capable of doing the same. It won’t be easy. It’ll probably end up being one of the hardest challenges of your career, if I’m being completely honest with you.”
“But more than anything else you’ve done so far, this is your chance to make a name for yourself. And don’t you forget it.”
He nodded his head slowly as he tried to gather his thoughts.
“Which is a lot different than what people like Frankie and Disturbed are dealing with right now. No one’s gonna talk more shit on the two of you than each other, but I know the two of you are wondering if you’ve even got what it takes to take that next step. Of course, that’s a little unfair to you, Disturbed. You’ve been at the top of the mountain before! And you’re not exactly struggling at the moment, considering you pinned me in the middle of the ring just a few weeks ago. Anyone who’s pretending that you don’t belong here is just lying to themselves, because you’re still one of the most dangerous men in the world.”
“And when we’re actually trapped in the ring with you, and have no choice but to face you head on?”
Joe’s eyes went wide as he whistled.
“And you, Frankie…you’re just waiting until you finally take that next step. You’re working, and scratching, and clawing. You’ve gotten opportunities. You’ve gotten plenty of opportunities. But that’s the part that nobody tells you, Frankie. Getting the opportunities isn’t always the hard part. Sure, people talk about smashing through ceilings and grabbing brass rings and all of that other good stuff. But once you’ve gotten close to the promised land? You’re probably getting another shot. Opportunities lead to more opportunities.”
“But they don’t guarantee success. Only you can do that. You put the world on notice. You’ve proven that you belong here. But what you haven’t done is show us that you’re good enough to finish the job. I know you think you are. And honestly? I think you are, too.”
“But what either one of us thinks doesn’t mean a damn thing at this point.”
Joe frowned as he shook his head.
“That’s a lot different than your journey thus far, Kelly. I don’t think anyone has come into CPW and seized the moment the way that you have! Seriously. You’re winning the Xtreme Chaos Championship in like…30% of your matches or something?”
He laughed.
“I’ve never really been a math guy, so don’t quote me on that. I’m just saying! It’s insane.”
Joe paused for a moment as he glanced down at the floor.
“You’re honest, though. You call it how it is, and you do whatever you need to do to win. But how does that work in a match like this? It’s different, Kelly. Those sneaky little opportunities that you’re great at taking advantage of? They’re harder to come by. You could end up in a situation where there are four people gunning for you.”
“Or maybe you’re in there alone, and just when you think you’ve got it figured out…someone like Disturbed enters the ring and decides he’s pissed at you. It could happen. You never really know who Disturbed is gonna be pissed at.”
Joe’s eyes narrowed as he glanced up at the camera.
“You’re fucking great, Kelly. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But this is gonna be your toughest challenge yet, and I just hope you’re ready to meet it.”
The former champ then went silent. He tapped his foot a few times before staring directly into the camera.
“And that just leaves you, Nightmare. The guy at the top of the mountain. The destroyer of worlds. The man who is going to bring an end to CPW’s never-ending summer, and replace it with the coldest winter imaginable. A guy who feeds on pain, misery, and suffering in ways that we couldn’t even begin to imagine.”
“We’ve got some history, Nightmare. And unlike someone like Kelly - who is great, but may need to change things up to thrive in a match like this…you’re in your element. An Elimination Chamber is basically made for someone like you. You’re dangerous, yeah…but you’re also one of the smartest and most talented wrestlers that I’ve ever been in the ring against. You’re REALLY, really good. Almost unbeatable at the top of your game. You’re gonna do everything in your power to make the rest of us suffer, and there’s nothing that we can do to change that. Even if you lose we’ll be lucky to leave the ring on our own, two feet.”
Joe smirked confidently.
“That’s what I like about you, Nightmare. I mean, I hate to admit it…but you’re always a challenge. You always keep things interesting. And while you’d love nothing more than to end me, let’s change the perspective a bit. Do you know how satisfying it would be to end you? Do you know how much I’d love to end CPW’s nightmare, and bring about some happier, sunnier dreams? These things go both ways, man. Either one of us can use the other to bring about some serious change. You don’t have to be the one that succeeds.”
“Because you’re the Xtreme Chaos Champion, yeah. But you’re in the ring with five damn good wrestlers.”
“Including the best wrestler in the world.”
“So I hope you’re ready. Because on Sunday night, we’re about to see just how good you really are.”
Joe then stepped away from the camera as the feed faded to black.