XWA Christmas Kaos Segments

[Alex]

WHAT!?

[Alex]

Matthew Werner: What a match! And what a night we’re having so far at XWA Christmas Kaos!


The red hot XWA crowd cheers the end of another impressive contest, something which the BattleZone faithful have come to expect and respect about their beloved company of choice.


Matt Steel: You’re not wrong, Werner. Happy holidays again from all here at the XWA! What do we have coming next?


Matthew Werner: Up next we have a man with a lot of explaining to do. Sven Michaels is standing by.


Unfortunately for the XWA faithful, another thing they used to love about this great organization dramatically turned on them at XWA Genesis. Even worse, he’s here to wish them happy holidays here at Christmas Kaos. Worst of all, he’s backstage, ready to be interviewed. We go backstage.


Sven Michaels: Thanks guys. I’m here with self proclaimed XWA Heavyweight Champion, Rose, who is up against Tempest tonight on the back of an incredibly controversial win over MadDog at Genesis. First of all, merry Christmas, Rose.


Rose stands beside Sven, his expression unreadable. There’s a twinge of something there. Is it guilt? Regret? We can’t be sure. What we CAN be sure of, though, is that MadDog’s XWA Heavyweight title is proudly displayed over the shoulder of Rose. If there is any remorse for his actions, it obviously does not extend to his finally holding some gold, officially or not.


Rose: Thanks, Sven, good to see ya. Holly sick?


Sven Michaels ignores this.


Sven Michaels: Well, let’s get down to it. First of all, a lot of us backstage were surprised that you agreed to grant us this interview, given your words about the fans last week. If you don’t care about them, why do you feel the need to address them?


Rose: Well, Sven, I feel like I had some explaining to do. I know a lot of people were shocked at what happened at Genesis, and something about the whole thing felt wrong to me.


Sven Michaels: Wrong?


Rose: That’s right. Y’see, I came out and said some pretty harsh things, and I don’t think it’d be gentlemanly of me if I didn’t just y’know, be a man about all of this, maybe meet up with a couple people, explain myself. Just so we can all get on with things. As it happens, I did feel pretty awful about everything that happened. I did. Me and MadDog, we sat down after the show in a nice quiet bar. Dog had a couple beers, and I had a cranberry juice (I’m watching my intake, you understand) ... Anyway, we were sat down, all ready to toast and reflect on a job well done but... Something just wasn’t right. It felt empty.


Sven Michaels: Really?


Rose: Yes! Yes, it did. We just couldn’t bask in that after-plan glow. Something was just missing. And do you know what that was, Sven?


Sven Michaels: What was it?


Rose: The fans! It was the fans, Sven! I’d turned my back on them! I’d insulted them, I disrespected them, and as we all know, Sven, the last thing you wanna do is disrespect the fans, Sven. They make this great business. Even you know that, don’t you?


Sven Michaels: That’s true, yes.


By the way, during Rose’s last little bit, the aforementioned fans didn’t seem to quite know how to react. It all seemed a little…pandering. But there’s a little twinge of hope that Rose just maybe made a mistake. They are uncommonly silent as they wait to hear the rest of Rose’s explanation.


Rose: You’re damn right it’s true. So I thought to myself, what have I done? And I said to the big Dog, I said ‘Big Dog…what did we do?’ And like all good friends, which is what we are, by the way, he nodded and knew exactly what I meant. And we agreed, right there and then, that we had to put it right. So, ya know what we did?


Sven Michaels: What did you do?


Rose: We did the only thing we could to ease our consciences. We did wrong. We put it right. We got in a few more beers (plus a cranberry juice, of course, watching my intake, like I said) and we invited some of the great people of New York City to have a few drinks with us.


The crowd comes to life, cheering at the notion of Rose and MadDog doing the right thing and coming back to their side. And drinking.


Sven Michaels: Really? That’s awesome!


Rose: It’s not awesome, Sven. No, noooo. It’s our duty, as people who made a mistake, as gentlemen, to make amends. So we bought the fans drinks. But it wasn’t enough. We invited them to join us. STILL not enough? We apologised to them! Was that enough? HELL NO! We told them road stories! And guess what, Sven?


Sven Michaels: Not enough?


Rose: OF COURSE IT WASN’T ENOUGH! Not enough for THESE fans, nooo. No, we gave them the opportunity of a lifetime, Sven, to meet their heroes, to get the personal treatment, to share a bit of the lives that they’ll never have, and just bask in the glow of two of the greatest wrestlers ever to put on a damn pair of boots and THEY WANTED MORE. Of course they did…they’re fans. Ohh, they wanted autographs, and they wanted pictures. “Gee, thanks guys. This has been great and all, but we’re gonna need proof! No one’ll ever believe that we met Rose and MadDog, we’ll need proof. We need to share your spotlight. We need to show that we’re friends with you.”


Rose starts laughing to himself, burying his head in his arm to try and stifle it. It is completely devoid of humour.


Rose: Oh, XWA fans…you poor people. You people think that you can be friends with us? You think that Rose and MadDog are your buddies? Please. I’m far too busy being the greatest in the world, beating jackass after jackass on my way to the top to give any of you the time of day. Oh, me and MadDog had a good laugh at that one, didn’t we, Big Dog?


MadDog steps into shot, having apparently been just out of the way throughout. He is smiling indulgently as he nods his head, agreeing with Rose.


Rose: Yeah, it was a hoot. I mean, he started laughing, and of course I started laughing, and they started laughing. Oh, we were all cracking up. Good times, good times, eh, Big Dog?


MadDog is barely containing his laughter.


Rose: Oh, man. Oh, you wanna tell ‘em what happened next?


MadDog holds up a hand, inviting Rose to carry on, as he’s telling the story so well.


Rose: Ah, alright then. Well, we were laughing, and they were laughing, and it was all merry. And then we all got up, we had to leave. And they were clamouring for their pictures and autographs and that just made me laugh harder. And then, just to make it like, one of the greatest evenings ever (you’ll laugh at this bit, I know I did…) the Big Dog here, he’s shaking hands, and then he just pulls one of them in and kicks him square in the gut!


Both MadDog and Rose burst into laughter at the memory, leaving a bemused Sven Michaels standing there looking a little sickened. The crowd, sickened or not, are pissed as hell at the thought of what Rose and MadDog do to poor fans. Rose, though, would claim that they’re pissed at themselves for falling for another of Rose’s tricks.


Rose: Oh, man! Ohhh! Rose wipes a fake tear from his eye Man, I was laughing so hard, I barely managed to run up and knee the bastard in the head. And we all know how much I love to knee people in the head.


Sven Michaels: As horrible as that is... is that what you have in store for Tempest tonight?


Rose: Oh, but of COURSE, Sven. I mean, Tempest is no slouch, we all know that. But let’s face it, I was better than him last time we squared off. And that was back when I was only half as good as I am now. Oh yeah, I beat him and I’ll do the same tonight. I’d even put my XWA Heavyweight title on the line, but... Well, what’s he really done to deserve that?


Sven Michaels: To win a meaningless belt? I dunno.


Rose: Oh, Sven. If we weren’t such good friends I’d snap your spine in two. But no, I have no worries about Tempest tonight, and you’ll see why a little later tonight. Y’see, the MadDog and myself…we’re more than just a team. Sure, we have each other’s backs, but there’s so much more to us than that. This right here is about more than friendship, respect, and making our way to the top. This, right here, this is an epoch here in XWA. This is where things are gonna start changing. This is where everything starts happening and revolution begins. And it’s all about us. MadDog and I, we ARE the Epoch. And Tempest…well, been there, done that. Tempest is another old stepping stone on the way to greatness. I’m sure he’ll put up a fight. Who knows? He may even come close. But there’s no stopping this. This is inevitable. And it’s coming sooner than you think. See ya.


Rose beckons to MadDog and the two of them leave, Rose quietly discussing strategy as they go, leaving Sven Michaels to wonder the same thing the fans are wondering. Just what the hell is going to happen here?

[Alex]

A hallway scene backstage, where a few wrestlers, a couple roadies, and Keri Thames can be seen standing outside a lockerroom door. They are obviously uncertain and upset, and seem hesitant to enter the room. An anguished roar echoes through the door, followed by the sounds of something heavy slamming into a wall and some smashing, and finally glass breaking. A few of those outside the door flinch, but most of them give each other knowning and saddened glances.


Matthew Werner: Ladies and Gentlemen, I simply don't know how to explain what I'm about to explain, other than to just go ahead and say it straight...just after the start of the show, Tempest's brother, Martin Hart was rushed by ambulance to a Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan...and sadly, not long afterwards, passed away. Tragically, word did not reach us here in the XWA of the emergency until literally moments after Tempest had entered the ring to face Rose and MadDog.


Another roar that sounds more animalistic than human and more sounds of carnage eminate from the room.


Matthew Werner: Michael Hart, the man known to most of our fans as Tempest, wasn't able to be told of the passing of his twin until after his match, and at that point, he secluded himself in his dressing room, where he has been ever since. For anyone unaware, his brother, Martin Hart, a former XWA competitor himself, had been diagnosed with pulminary cancer a little more than a year ago, and had been, by all reports, doing well. He'd been receiving chemotherapy treatments and was thought to be in remission.


Keri Thames opens the door slowly, obviously concerned.


Keri Thames: Michael...?


Tempest: Leave me ALLOONNE! GET the F*CK OOOUUUUUTT!!!!!


Michael Hart charges the door, roaring like a wildman, his cheeks streaked with tears. Keri backs away rapidly and while Tempest quickly slams the door shut, a quick glimpse can be seen of the dressing room which is in shambles. A sofa has been overturned, a framed picture lies broken and smashed on the floor and a small bookshelf has been literally thrown through a window.



Matthew Werner: ... Our hearts and thoughts go out to both him and his family in this time of grief.


A dark screen shows on the display with a small bit of text as XWA Christmas Kaos comes to a close.


Martin Hart
1982-2010