Post by Duke & Ava on Apr 5, 2024 10:24:13 GMT -5
The scene fades in slowly, Duke & Ava are perched on their thrones atop Mount Olympus high above the clouds. A thick mist billows around their feet. Their Triple Crown Dual Pandemonium belts are resting atop their shoulders. Duke looks with a sly grin to Ava and says the following:
“So they really think this is going to be their moment, huh?”
Ava shrugs dispassionately.
“I guess so…”
They both laugh for a moment before they return their gaze back down the mountain.
“So you're saying you weren’t worried that Stephen distracting you at Mayhem would lead to you losing to his brother?”
Duke laughs again.
“No… I can't say that I was.”
Duke shifts his weight in the throne.
“This is a big match for the Ripper Boys. Perhaps one of the biggest moments of their careers. What do you say, Ava? A talent like us comes once every hundred years or so? We're far more rare than even a solar eclipse. So I understand if Ripper are excited, hell… Win or lose. This is a huge opportunity for them. As my friend Axl used to say, this is a brush with greatness for them.”
Ava rolls her eyes.
“Oh, Duke. You have an obsession with the glory days of CPW… you are like a relic to an era gone by. A better era perhaps, but an era that is gone all the same.”
“I disagree Ava, sure, those decades may be long gone and it has already been decided what will be in those history books, but that era is far from gone. Or perhaps, I am eternal. But you only look to the fact that both I and Joe Summers, Denni Summers, are still doing it, we're still on top. To see that suggests that that era is long from being dead. Hell… even Redline is back and he's seeking the Air Raid title. Though, Redline failing this Sunday would be on brand for him. So as much as things change, some things stay exactly the same. Us being at the top of our game only solidifies that hypothesis.”
Ava smirks.
“I can only imagine what Ripper will have to say about us before our match and some of it might be based on truth. Even ugly truth. But the truth, as I see it, is I don't give a damn what they have to say about us. When that bell rings we're going to do whatever it takes to hold on to these belts for a little while longer. And when we drop you on your heads, we're going to trigger an earthquake like in New York earlier today.”
“Damn, that was a good line, babe. Wish I thought of it.”
Ava kisses him on the cheek.
“That's why we make a good team.”
Duke nods.
“Fuckin’ A!”
“B and C, and we're about to take Ryan and Stephen Ashworth to school at Damnation and A Day XXII. Professor Duke and I don’t grade on a curve either. Our fail/pass rate is one of the hardest to overcome in the world. But don’t get discouraged, just being in the ring with us is its own reward unto itself.”
“With all seriousness though, Ripper Boys aren’t bad. In fact, there are some of the best CPW has to offer and with any luck, they will go on to have a long and successful career, but not without a fair share of ups and downs. It’s just that, well… They are stepping into the ring against a pair of gods coming down off of their mount and we are going to show them how the gods kill.”
Ava looks on lovingly as her husband speaks. She nods and then turns to the camera.
“Now, we could go on forever if you let us, but we’ll keep this short and sweet. Ryan and Stephen, I hope you are ready to give it your all this Sunday. I hope you are prepared to land and burn the boats, because after this… there won’t be any going back.”
“So they really think this is going to be their moment, huh?”
Ava shrugs dispassionately.
“I guess so…”
They both laugh for a moment before they return their gaze back down the mountain.
“So you're saying you weren’t worried that Stephen distracting you at Mayhem would lead to you losing to his brother?”
Duke laughs again.
“No… I can't say that I was.”
Duke shifts his weight in the throne.
“This is a big match for the Ripper Boys. Perhaps one of the biggest moments of their careers. What do you say, Ava? A talent like us comes once every hundred years or so? We're far more rare than even a solar eclipse. So I understand if Ripper are excited, hell… Win or lose. This is a huge opportunity for them. As my friend Axl used to say, this is a brush with greatness for them.”
Ava rolls her eyes.
“Oh, Duke. You have an obsession with the glory days of CPW… you are like a relic to an era gone by. A better era perhaps, but an era that is gone all the same.”
“I disagree Ava, sure, those decades may be long gone and it has already been decided what will be in those history books, but that era is far from gone. Or perhaps, I am eternal. But you only look to the fact that both I and Joe Summers, Denni Summers, are still doing it, we're still on top. To see that suggests that that era is long from being dead. Hell… even Redline is back and he's seeking the Air Raid title. Though, Redline failing this Sunday would be on brand for him. So as much as things change, some things stay exactly the same. Us being at the top of our game only solidifies that hypothesis.”
Ava smirks.
“I can only imagine what Ripper will have to say about us before our match and some of it might be based on truth. Even ugly truth. But the truth, as I see it, is I don't give a damn what they have to say about us. When that bell rings we're going to do whatever it takes to hold on to these belts for a little while longer. And when we drop you on your heads, we're going to trigger an earthquake like in New York earlier today.”
“Damn, that was a good line, babe. Wish I thought of it.”
Ava kisses him on the cheek.
“That's why we make a good team.”
Duke nods.
“Fuckin’ A!”
“B and C, and we're about to take Ryan and Stephen Ashworth to school at Damnation and A Day XXII. Professor Duke and I don’t grade on a curve either. Our fail/pass rate is one of the hardest to overcome in the world. But don’t get discouraged, just being in the ring with us is its own reward unto itself.”
“With all seriousness though, Ripper Boys aren’t bad. In fact, there are some of the best CPW has to offer and with any luck, they will go on to have a long and successful career, but not without a fair share of ups and downs. It’s just that, well… They are stepping into the ring against a pair of gods coming down off of their mount and we are going to show them how the gods kill.”
Ava looks on lovingly as her husband speaks. She nods and then turns to the camera.
“Now, we could go on forever if you let us, but we’ll keep this short and sweet. Ryan and Stephen, I hope you are ready to give it your all this Sunday. I hope you are prepared to land and burn the boats, because after this… there won’t be any going back.”