2-3-14 WAR - Travis Thompson vs Marcus Cage

[WXW GM James Gibbs]

1 post each. The deadline is Monday February 3rd at 11:59 PM (EST)
We are live from the Kohl Center - Madison, WI with a sold out crowd of 17,230.
Min 300 Max 4000

[Travis Thompson]

The scene opens up in a dark hallway, with just one flickering light, repeatedly fading in and out.



"This is where we set our scene," says an overlaying voice. "Where are we? Soon, you will know more than you would have hoped to ever know."



The camera pans out a little more, the light cascading over the hallway, dirt and grime smattered over the walls, as if the hallway hadn't been kept up in a long while.



And yet, empty.



Nothing but emptiness.



"This was, at one point, a place that I used to call home."



The camera zooms out a little more to see the standing figure of Travis Thompson, tracing his fingers against the moldy walls.



"This was my childhood home, if you would. Well, as much of a home as one could permit given the dire circumstances of my childhood."



He sighs as he pauses at one of the doors in the hallway.



"And this? This was my bedroom. I shared this room with Brian Walker and, together, we felt like we could conquer the world, despite the fact that people have a tendency to look down on orphans, or so we thought. We believed that if our parents didn't want us, then the world must share the same idealogy."



"And we learned everything here. Reading, writing, arithmetic, you name it. Never did we think that anything would ever come from these walls. No one ever did. We taught each other everything we thought we had to know about wrestling, mimicking our favorite stars that we would watch when we could. And then, when we were old enough to start living for ourselves, the two of us saved up enough money and enrolled in the Stu Hart dungeon. I thrived in that environment while Brian...well, Brian didn't make it."



He shakes his head as he opens the door to his old bedroom, seeing the two double beds parallel to each other, the sheets and balnkets old and dirty from years of misuse and nontreatment.



"See, Stu was very selective about the students he had in his school and Brian just didn't have the 'it' factor that he was looking for. And Brian couldn't stand that I was in there and he wasn't. He never could let go the anger he held towards me because of my continued training in the Dungeon. And, like that, the one man I saw as my brother...the one who was by my side through all the hard times, was done with me. He wanted nothing to do with me at that point."



"It was tough, having to deal with everything that I had to deal with and to go at it alone. There was no mother for support or father for advice. There was no best friend who tells you what you want to hear. There was just me and my training. After awhile of these days, between school and training afterwards, I grew tired of coming home to a hostile atmosphere, with accusing glances from Brian at every turn and silence that permeated whenever we were in the same room together. So I left."



"At this point, I was already done with school and my life consisted of the Dungeon. But I felt like I had enough training at this point. So I left the Dungeon and started my wrestling career, never to return to the orphanage again. Until today. And that's so I can let you, the WXW fans, know where I come from. These days, wrestlers are afraid to show weakness because they fear that others will think less of them for having those weaknesses. But me? I don't care how I'm perceived. I an an open book to the WXW audience. What you see is what you get with me. There is no beating around the bush."



He enters the room and plops down on his old bed, the dust and dinginess flicking into the air, the single beam of light that floods through the window illuminating the dust in the air.



"Last time the WXW fans saw me, I was achieving a victory on Monday Night War over Riley Huntley. And while I could sit here and brag about my past success, that's not why I am here. Hell, I had two weeks to do any of the bragging I wanted and yet I chose NOT to do that. Instead, I spent those two weeks to myself and my family, I took my wife and my son to the Adventureland amusement park last week and then, earlier this week, I took them to see the new Disney movie, Frozen. Which, by the way, isn't a bad movie. And, somewhere along the way, I managed to create myself one of those 'Twitter' accounts. Apparently, this is the way of the future and I'm still trying to get used to it all."



"Tweets are what they call them. But I digress. I have a tendency of doing that. This week, the WXW fans get the honor, nay the PRIVILEGE, to see myself go toe to toe with Marcus Cage. For those of you who don't know who Marcus Cage is, then you're definitely in for a treat. He may have been on of the greatest wrestlers to step foot in the ring, outside of myself of course. And I'm not here to try and boost up the name of my competitor. Obviously, I'm going to go all out and try to defeat him. Because we're both trying to prove a point this week. I have to prove to management and everyone else who doubts me that I'm just as good as I claim to be. It's one of those truths that you come to accept when you join a federation. Unless you're one of those names that trascend every wrestling promotion, you start at the bottom and make your way up."



"It's tough this week, though. Usually when I have a match, I take enjoyment out of picking apart my opponent and exposing their flaws. But, truth-be-told, I just respect Marcus Cage too much to do that to him. But, at the same time, I'm not going to sit here and talk up the man I have to compete against. I'm sure he'll do just a fantastic job at doing that himself. Because I've noticed, if there's one thing that Marcus Cage is good at, it's telling everyone else just how good he is. As big of a fan as I am of his, I don't think there's any bigger fan of him than himself. "



"And that's not a knock on his character by any means. I think everyone should be confident in their abilities. I know what UI'm capable of and I know that I'll be one hell of an opponent for Marcus Cage at War this week. It is quite aptly titled, don't you think, Marcus? War. We get to battle and we will steal the show. That's what I do and I know that's what you do. And when all the smoke clears, there will only be one man remaining in the ring, his arm raised by the referee in victory. And, as much as I respect you, Marcus, I am going to do everything in my ability to make sure that I'm the one with that hono.r I'll see you on Monday, Marcus."



He gets off of the bed and looks out the thin slat that is representative of a window, staring into the empty parking lot, only his car as the wind whistles by.



Empty.

[Marcus Cage]

The scene fades up in the hallway of an unfamiliar building. We hear noises like loud thumps and bumbs in the distance. Just as the camera is focusing on a notice board, the figure of Marcus Cage walks into frame. He stops and takes in a long, deep breath.

Marcus Cage: My opponent this week, Travis Thompson, took us all on a tour of his childhood home. He used the term home loosely, but it's where he lived none the less. He also told us of his time training in The Dungeon, and his friendship with his friend Brian, who was like a brother to him, and the falling out they had.

Marcus placed his hand on the wall, and leaned against the wall, not looking into the camera, but looking all around, as if seeing the place for the first time.

Marcus Cage: I'm not going to stand here and call him a liar. I don't have that right. I don't think he's making it up. I believe him when he told us about his past. He could have taken the route that so many others did, and just straight up insulted me. He could have put me down, and dragged my name through the mud, but he didn't. He spoke of respecting me, which caught me off guard, I won't lie. I wasn't expecting that. I was all ready to stand in front of this camera and lay out a typical, "I know you are, but what am I?" deal, but I too, respect Travis. It's not easy to just let people into ones past, especially if that past is less then desireable. But I hope you don't expect your past to be what we should judge you on. Unfortunately for you, the orphan struggling to get out and make it big in wrestling, is a common story these days.

He held up four fingers on his free hand.

Marcus Cage: The last company I was in, there were four who shared this story. FOUR, people who did the whole, "look at how tough my life was, pitty me please." And you know what, we ALL pittied them. You however, your story isn't as tragic. It's REAL. And I commend you for your courage. However, it inspired me as well. Since you brought us into your history, I feel it only fair to share mine with you.

Marcus pushed himself away from the wall, and walked to the end of the hallway. The camera panned around as the thumps and bumps became louder.

Marcus Cage: Ladies and gentlemen, THIS IS MY WORLD!

Around the corner, we come upon a huge open floor space, with weights, mats, and several small rings set up. In the center of the floor, was a large regulation wrestling ring, with several people running the ropes and taking shoulder blocks, with each man hitting the mat, causing a thump or bump to echo through the makeshift arena.

Marcus Cage: I know what you're thinking, and NO, it isn't an underground fight club. This was my father's old wrestling school. You see, I thought I would compare how similiar, yet different we are, Travis. We both dreamed of being someone in this business at a young age. We both trained hard to perfect our crafts. Now I know what you're saying, you grew up without having parents, I grew up WITH parents. This is true, but the attention and time my father put into this place... he wasn't always around. But both of us were boys, who were trying to find our place in this world, never thinking we would really find happiness, we have both lost friends along the way, yet... our history in this business, and fact that we both have found someone who helps make that pain a little more bearable. The fact that when you and I get into the ring this week, these people KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT that they are going to enjoy what they see.

Marcus walked over to a section of bleachers set up to seat many people for any show put on. Between the bleachers and the ring, was a steel barricade. He places his hands on the barricade and leaned on it, watching the work being done in the ring.

Marcus Cage: This isn't going to be a blowout like last nights Super Bowl. THAT was a joke. But you and I... we don't get into that ring unless we are ready to go the distance. The Broncos looked like they didn't show up. But this week, the fans will know that two warriors ARE there, and they are competeing for their own reasons, but for the shared passion of this business, and making sure those fans leave talking about what they saw.

Suddenly, a voice from in the ring called out to Marcus.

Vinny: YO! MARCUS!

Marcus Cage: Hey Vinny.

Vinny: Everyone, out of the ring. Take a seat we got a special treat for you today. "The High Voltage Superstar" and current WXW Superstar, Marcus Cage. We are in the presence of greatness in these parts.

The trainees looked dumbstruck and left in awe at Marcus.

Vinny: Come on and climb into the ring.

Marcus Cage: I'm good Vinny. I just came to check things out.

Vinny: What's the matter, are you chicken? You came all this way, and you won't step into the ring with your old teacher?

Marcus Cage: Well, since you put it that way.

He hopped over the barricade and slid into the ring.

Marcus Cage: So what do you want to do? Spar a bit? A couple hip tosses?

Vinny: I want you to tell them what happened.

Marcus Cage: Why?

Vinny: Some of them are rough around the edges, but have a LOT of potential. A few of them, think they are untouchable, and last week, we almost had one guy have to get sent to the hospital because they aren't being smart. They are in a rush and making mistakes.

Marcus Cage: And you think they may listen to me?

Vinny: Couldn't hurt to try.

Marcus Cage: Alright. Listen up guys. When I was a kid, I would hang out here with my dad. I got to meet all his wrestlers... we were called wrestlers back then, not superstars. Anyway, these men became like superheroes to me. I looked up to them, and wanted to emulate them. One day, while watching a wrestler named Duke Russell performing in the ring, my FAVORITE of all time back then, I noticed two men competeing from Mexico. They had flashy, colorful costumes, and moved around the ring so fast and graceful, they were jumping off the ropes, and diving outside the ring... I fell in love with that style. My dad didn't like it, not the luchadore and high flying style, but the fact that I wanted to be as great at it, as those I watched. You see, my dad was more into technical, submission, grounding. He was a traditionalist and didn't know how to deal with the style I chose to dedicate myself to.

Vinny: JASON! Pay attention.

Marcus Cage: When I was fifteen, I began to compete for my father. In this same building. Me and a few other guys who shared my love for the showy and flashy, styles we were perfecting, would go out and warm the crowd up before the "real" show began. After doing this for a year, I walked into my father's office and demanded that he showcase us more prominantely. I had noticed that people LOVED what we could do, and that the audience would diminish over the course of the year. To bring them back in the seats, he needed something new, and fresh to rekindle their enjoyment. He didn't go for it at first, but one day, I said I wasn't taking "NO" for an answer. So we got put right before the main event. Me and my best friend Adam. Now, I had been trying to work on a new move but hadn't perfected it. During the match, I had Adam down, and was on the top rope. In my youthful, arrogance, I attempted this unsafe, unperfected, untested move. And do you know what happened?

Students: You lost the match?

Marcus Cage: I WON THE DAMN MATCH... it wasn't until afterwards when I noticed Adam wasn't moving that it hit me. Like a getting hit by a mack truck. I couldn't breathe. My best friend Adam, was paralyzed from the waist down. He would never walk again. It was MY fault. I KNEW the move shouldn't have been performed, and went for it anyway. I ended my best friend's wrestling career when he was only 17 years old. It's NOT worth it. You are expected to know how to perform a move that you have practiced and know the mechanics. Yes, we all understand that accidents can still happen. But if you don't know HOW to do a move, you shouldn't PERFORM it.

Vinny: It doesn't end there though. Tell them what happened next.

Marcus Cage: Adams parents sued my father, and that put a lot of pressure on mine and my father's already strained relationship. We got into a HUGE fight, and said some things we shouldn't have.

Jason: Like what? What kinds of things did you say to each other?

Marcus Cage: I wished he wasn't my father, and he wished I wasn't his son. When I ran out of there, that was the last time I saw or spoke to my father again. Two years went by, and I had found myself with a contract to a professional promotion. I sent my mom 2 tickets to see my very first match. I wanted my dad to see that I had made it without him. I wanted to rub it in his face. But honestly, I just wanted to see him and tell him I was sorry. But I wouldn't get the chance. On their way to see the show, they were in a car accident and killed. My arrogance and stubborness cost my best friend his career, my relationship with my father, and my chance to say I'm sorry. For the longest time, I dwelled on it. My career almost came to an end because I couldn't handle the stress. But then something amazing happened.

Jason: What?

Marcus Cage: I met Candy. She helped me forget about all that pain I was feeling. She helped me come to terms with what happened. And since then, I've been able to move on, and live my life. But don't be mistaken, I still live with that EVERYDAY. Everytime I climb the top rope, I see Adam. Everytime I let my anger get the best of me, I see my dad. So I don't take life for granted anymore. Not that I ever did, but now I can enjoy life without guilt, and I can accept that bad things will happen, and I can't dwell on them. If you take ONE thing away from this little speech, I want you to remember that NO ONE is invincible, and that you have to trust your opponent, and they have to trust you. I'm facing a man this week by the name of Travis Thompson, and I trust him and he trusts me. THAT means our match will steal the show. It takes TWO men to perform a match. NOT one. So get that through your minds that if you want to have the best match, you gotta trust the other guy to carry his end.

Vinny: Thanks, Marcus!

Marcus Cage: Hope I helped.

He climbed out of the ring, and stood in front of a punching bag.

Marcus Cage: Might as well get a workout in before my match.

He began punching the bag, as the scene faded to black.