PROMO: The Rise and Fall of the Urban Decay

[Guest Korgath]

You're in a cinema. The lights go out. Against a dark background, the following words emerge.

 

The Rise and Fall of the Urban Decay

 

Now sit back and relax. Once upon a time...

 

July 3rd, 2003. SJL Crimson.

 

Before the start of the show, “The Arsenal” Scott Solomon emerges from the back to cut the following promo:

 

Solomon flips his mic on as the crowd settles down.

 

"Thank you for that rousing introduction, Baton Rouge! I knew you had to be good for something."

 

The crowd once again boos loudly at Solomon. A "SCOTTY SUX" chant starts up.

 

"Thank you. Thank you. Good to see my fans are all in attendance tonight. I'm out here for a simple reason here tonight. I'm sick and tired of the bull *BEEP* that the S. J. L. has put me through since my debut here. I've been screwed out of the European title twice, and my request for a World title shot following my defeat of Hollywood Spike Jenkins fell on deaf ears. I decided to take matters in to my own hands.

 

"Tonight, I'm scheduled in a farce of a match with Viktor Tarakanov. I respect Viktor, the guy's a good Communist and all that. But the stipulation for the match is what bothers me. If I win I get a European Title shot. Seems cool, right? Well, if Viktor beats me, which I guess is what Commissioner Raynor's looking for, tonight, he gets a shot at Charlie Matthews's World Championship.

 

"What, am I not good enough for the World Title? Is that what you're trying to say Raynor? Well, you want to know what I have to say? SCREW YOU!

 

"Tonight, here in Baton Rouge, a new revolution in wrestling begins. A revolution that will shake the very core of S. J. L. A revolution aimed at stopping the screw jobs of men like Chris Raynor. Tonight, a Dark Empire is born!!!!

 

"And the S. J. L. will die if we aren't obeyed."

 

Unfortunately, the “Dark Empire” Solomon is hinting at never emerges, as Viktor Tarakanov goes on to be victorious in his bid for the European title.

 

July 8th, 2003. SJL Metal.

 

Unperturbed by his earlier loss, “The Arsenal” Scott Solomon waited till a match with “The Sinner” John Duran. The match was going well, until…

 

Duran gets to his feet and taunts the crowd for a moment, before turning his attention back to Solomon. The fans are riled up as Scott begins to get to his feet, "The Sinner" seeming to have something demented in store for Solomon. Scott gets to his feet with his back turned to Duran, slowly turning around to face John and finding himself with a big meaty right hand clamped around his throat. The crowd continues to boo frantically, but Duran will have none of it. With little effort, Duran lifts Solomon off the ground and into the air, cutting off the air to Solomon's windpipe for a moment before taking a 90 degree turn and tossing Scott to the mat. Solomon's trip down to the mat is not a pleasant one, and the landing is less than graceful. As Solomon is driven into the mat and feels the effects of the chokeslam, Duran calls for the end and the Ultimate Sin!

 

Axis: This is astounding! Just like that, the tables have turned and it seems that Duran is going to go for the kill, right here!

 

King: What did I tell you, Axis? You just have to have faith in the man!

 

Duran lets the chokeslam sink in for a moment before reaching down and once again bringing Solomon to his feet, before inserting a boot into the gut of "The Arsenal," doubling Scott over in the middle of the ring. This allows John to put him in a standing headscissors, much to the dislike of the fans. Duran taunts some of the crowd behind Axis and King for a moment, his back turned to the SmarkTron. Duran bends down to lock his hands around the torso of Solomon, but "The Sinner" doesn't see someone coming up from behind him.

 

THUMP

 

Axis: What the...?

 

King: ...hell is going on?

 

Duran falls down to the mat in a heap, and Solomon backs away and comes back to a vertical base. Kivell immediately runs over, calling for the bell.

 

DING DING DING

 

King: Is that...

 

Axis: It's Dominic Korgath!

 

The crowd is shocked into silence, and then slowly shifts to boos.

 

Axis: Korgath just planted a punch right into the back of Duran's head!

 

Solomon gives a thumbs down sign, signaling something to Korgath. Korgath seems to comprehend, bouncing off the ropes nearest the SmarkTron and leaping up into the air, getting a few camera flashes as the big man comes down fast.

 

CRASH

 

Korgath absolutely crushes Duran under his three hundred and fifty pound frame, as Duran is out like a light.

 

Axis: What is Korgath doing with Solomon? Is this what Scott was talking about on Crimson? John Duran wins by disqualification, ladies and gentlemen, but he won't be able to celebrate...these two men...

 

King: What have they done to Duran?

 

Axis: I just don't understand what's going on here!

 

Korgath and Solomon shake hands, the crowd booing at the new alliance as we fade out.

 

July 14th, 2003. SJL Wrathpalooza II.

 

It was a night of champions.

 

English Dragon retains the Television Title against Todd Royal.

 

Scott Solomon wins the European title from Leo Breslin.

 

And a very special night for a certain person.

 

John Duran ANNIHILATES Spike Jenkins. And then…

 

*DING DING DING*

 

“He did it!” shouts Axis, “Charlie Matthews has retained the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrathapalooza!”

 

Funyon walks onto the field to make the official announcement, but the crowd nearly drowns him out as he begins.

 

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE WINNER OF THIS CONTEST, AND STIIIIIIIIIIIIL ESSSSSS JAAAAAAY ELLLLLLLLL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WOOOOOOOOORRRLD, CHARLIE “GRAPPLER” MAAAAAAAAAATTHEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

 

Charlie rolls onto his back, exhausted in victory as Crow walks over to him and helps him up off of the field. “Natural Born Chaos” begins to play across the Metrodome and the fans give a warm standing ovation. Soapdish hands Grappler the World Championship belt and he holds it high above his head, acknowledging all the fans cheering for him. Slowly but surely, Va’aiga rises to his feet. He walks over to the winning duo and spins them around, and they look ready to fight once again.

 

Va’aiga extends his hands to the Champion and to Crow.

 

 

They’re accepted. For tonight.

 

Grappler then walks over to the still fallen Aecas, and then grabs him by the hand, pulling him up to his feet. The two embrace in a MANLY~ hug, and then hold each other’s arms in the air the Minneapolis crowd gives them another standing ovation.

 

“What a moment!” says Axis, “And what a night! Ladies and gentlemen, we-“

 

“WHAT THE HELL!?” begins Suicide King, as the camera pans back to the field…to see DOMINIC KORGATH swinging his iron staff…RIGHT INTO THE BACK OF THE HEAD OF CROW!

 

*THWACK*

 

The Antichrist Superstar slumps to the ground, as the other three men turn around to see what just happened!

 

**DOUBLE BOOM!!!!!!!~!**

 

As Va’aiga and Aecas try to advance at Korgath, they’re blindsided as ENGLISH DRAGON and SCOTT SOLOMON slam Va’aiga and Aecas in the side of the head, respectively, using CINDER BLOCKS!!

 

“Holy Shit!”

 

”Holy Shit!”

 

Va’aiga and Aecas simply crumple to the ground from the explosion of the cinder blocks against their heads. Grappler is now fully aware of what’s going on, but as he drops his belt and clenches his fists, ready to fight, the three men surround him, slowly inching closer. The crowd begins a loud “Grappler!” chant, and without further ado…

 

“He’s cornered, three-on-one!” says Suicide King, gleefully, “There is NO WAY he can fight these odds!”

 

“But,” shoots in Axis, “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!”

 

With cat-like quickness, Matthews charges forward, sending a stinging right cross into the face of English Dragon, taking him down! Solomon runs at him but eats a back fist, and Korgath is hit with a kick to the midsection. The buzz in the Metrodome grows louder, as Grappler turns around…

 

*BOOM*

 

…into a sledgehammer swing to the face, dropping him to the field, out cold. The other three men rise to their feet and gather around the fallen Grappler, as the man with the sledgehammer makes his face visible to the camera for the first time.

 

 

 

 

JOHN DURAN.

 

 

 

“Oh my God,” begins Axis, “…this can’t be.”

 

 

The Sinner stares down at the fallen Champion, no emotion in his eyes. The four men gather together, surveying the damage they’ve done.

 

“What is the purpose,” continues Axis, “of this onslaught?! What do these four men have in common?!”

 

“Who cares?” asks Suicide King, “look at the carnage they’ve caused! They just took out two top SJL superstars, not to mention two SWF wrestlers! These guys are a force to be reckoned with!”

 

The fifty five thousand Minneapolis fans begin throwing garbage onto the field, trying to hit any of the four superstars with full cups, food, and balls.

 

“Well, whoever they are,” says Axis, “it’s a shame they had to put a damper on quite possibly the most fun, entertaining SJL show of all time. Ladies and gentlemen, Wrathapalooza II was full of fun, surprises, twists, and unique wrestling. Thank you all for letting us into your living rooms. For Suicide King, I’m Axis, good night. DAMN YOU, John Duran.”

 

Solomon, Dragon, Korgath, and the Sinner begin walking to the back, but John Duran turns around one more time, mouthing two words to Grappler, Aecas, and everyone watching Wrathapalooza around the world.

 

URBAN

 

 

DECAY

 

It had begun.

 

July 17th, 2003. SJL Crimson.

 

The show begins with Commissioner Chris Raynor addressing the horrific events at Wrathpalooza.

 

YEA!

 

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!

 

The fans leap to their feet and roar in approval as "Electra Made Me Blind" blasts throughout the Gund.

 

"No! This isn't his time to speak!" King protests, to no avail.

 

"You're right, King, we're not expecting our new commissioner Chris Raynor out here to begin the show, we were expecting the Urban Decay."

 

Raynor doesn't seem very happy, keeping a rather straight face but acknowledging the fans with the slapping of their hands, donning the suit once again. Raynor hops up onto the apron and enters the ring, asking Funyon for his microphone and getting it.

 

"I'm going to get right to the point," Raynor begins.

 

"Wow, no cheap pop, what a shocker," King interjects, rolling his eyes.

 

"Sunday night, I made it clear that John Duran was not to get anywhere near Charlie Matthews in Minneapolis." Raynor pauses, deep in thought, before continuing. "So Duran gets four of his buddies to beat down the SJL champion at the end of the show." Raynor seems to be getting a little bit more tempered as he goes along. "Well, damnit, that kind of crap isn't going to happen while I'm in charge. That's why I'm calling out the Urban Decay, right here, right now, to come down to the ring in Cleveland, Ohio--"

 

"Oops, spoke too soon," King says calmly as the crowd roars at the mention of their hometown.

 

"And we'll settle this right here, right now!" Raynor finishes, lowering the microphone to his side and awaiting the entrance of the Urban Decay.

 

"ON THE LEFT!"

 

The rap/rock beats of "March of Death" by Zack de la Rocha ring through the arena as the crowd looks to the entrance way. Five figures step through the curtain, and they are the Urban Decay. John Duran, Scott Solomon, Dominic Korgath, English Dragon, and Chris Trepanier all make their way to the ring. Duran is leading the pack down the aisle, as he extends his arms up towards the sky and gives the Ohio crowd two big middle fingers. All five members enter the ring, and Raynor seems ready and willing to whoop all of them.

 

"Well, now's your chance, Duran. Explain your actions and maybe I won't suspend you and all of your buddies." The crowd cheers at the thought of those five not being in the fed, especially John Duran, as Raynor tosses the stick to Duran, and John snatches it, waiting a moment before beginning.

 

"I only have one thing to say, Commish, and that is there is no greater satisfaction than smashing Charlie Matthews in the face with a sledgehammer." A smile crosses Duran's face as he says these words. Raynor seems to have heard enough, however, and steps up in John's face.

 

"You think that's funny?" Raynor half asks and half yells. "Do you think you've accomplished anything by using a weapon on a man who's beaten you cleanly in four matches?" Duran's smile fades as he hears these words. English Dragon senses that Duran is about to snap and keeps him back before "The Sinner" can attack. Raynor continues. "Let me tell you what I thought of what you did. I thought it was the most despicable, careless, and violent thing you could ever do to another human being."

 

The crowd cheers in their approval of Raynor's comments, but Raynor doesn't appear to be finished, putting a hand up to hold back the cheers so he can continue. "And most importantly..."

 

"...I LOVED IT."

 

"WHAT?" Axis asks, stunned. A wide smile forms on Raynor's face, and Duran does the same, extending his hand to Raynor. Raynor returns the hand with his, and the two men shake hands. The crowd is in shock for a moment, but then turn to loud boos as both Chris and Duran begin to laugh.

 

"This is great!" King exclaims, "I didn't know the bastard had it in him!"

 

"So now you all get it, don't you?" Duran asks the crowd, maintaining the wide smile on his face. "There was no restraining order. It was all lies. And you all believed it. Most importantly, Matthews believed it."

 

"Raynor, that son of a bitch." Axis bitingly says. "He turned his back on the fans that he earned back."

 

"The Commissioner realized that we have a serious problem in the SJL, and that is Charlie Matthews. That's why the Urban Decay was formed." Duran turns to his stable mates, giving them the proper spotlight. "Together, we are going to put an end to what the 'Grappler' has started, once and for all. What I couldn't do alone, combined we will break Matthews down until there is nothing left, and then we will eliminate him from the SJL."

 

Duran walks over to Solomon and Korgath. "Scott and Dominic." Both give an greeting nod to Duran. "Not too long ago, I was getting my ass kicked by you Korgath, and you too, Solomon. I like that. You weren't afraid to unleash an attack on me. Why should you be? Korgath, you are one big mofo, and let's just say I'm glad that you picked the right side. English Dragon," Duran points to him to acknowledge him, "you are one of the best talents the SJL has right now, and you have the potential to go far. It's a shame that without us, you'd go unnoticed. Everyone will get their due in the Urban Decay, and I guarantee that."

 

The crowd jeers at the thought of this, and Duran glares at the crowd for a moment before continuing. "Especially you, Chris. I'm sure you remember our match together. You damn near broke my leg. When I was thinking of who to bring to this group, who to add, you immediately came to mind. A man with your technical expertise should not be overlooked. When the five of us are together, we will become unstoppable. Chris, you and I are going to go head to head with those punks Manson and Viktor, and we're going to take our title shots. Slowly, yet surely, we WILL take over the SJL."

 

All four of the members nod in agreement, knowing what greatness lies ahead.

 

"Finally, Charlie, I advise you enjoy your time away from here. Because when you come back...you're a marked man."

 

Duran tosses the microphone blindly away, not even close to Funyon, and the Urban Decay line up in the middle of the ring and raise their arms in unison, along with Raynor before walking back towards the backstage area.

 

"I'm speechless," Axis says after a moment, in shock. "We trusted Raynor, and he turned his back on us."

 

"Maybe Chris isn't so bad after all," King adds, smiling. "It's good to be evil, Axis."

 

So Chris Raynor allied himself with the Urban Decay. However, things don’t exactly go the way they planned.

 

On that same night, Craig McLennan and Bloodshed defeated Scott Solomon and Dominic Korgath.

 

Later, in the main event, Chris Trepanier and John Duran were bested by the team of Manson and Viktor Tarakanov.

 

It was NOT a good start.

 

July 22nd, 2003. SJL Metal.

 

The Urban Decay continues its losing streak as English Dragon drops the TV title to Todd Royal.

 

In a worse upset, Aecas triumphed over BOTH Chris Trepanier and Dominic Korgath in a handicapped match.

 

However, John Duran did lay his claim on World Champion Charlie Matthews after a match where Duran played special enforcer. The stable leader totally destroyed the Champion and Suicide King proclaimed the Urban Decay as the dominant force in the SJL.

 

But for how long?

 

July 27th, 2003. SJL Wrath

 

Commissioner Chris Raynor gets rid of “The Grappler” and vacates his title, putting it up in a triple-threat with Manson, Aecas and John Duran!

 

The Urban Decay garners their first win with English Dragon and Dominic Korgath beating the crap out of Tim Dillon and Danny Conklin.

 

However, Scott Solomon loses a chance to regain his European Title when he is defeated by Bloodshed.

 

Fortunately, the day is saved by John Duran, who wins the vacant World Title. A short, but eventful reign follows.

 

July 31st, 2003. SJL Crimson

 

The Urban Decay finally look to have dominated the scene as the team of John Duran, Scott Solomon and Dominic Korgath reign victorious over Danny Conklin, Leo Breslin and Manson.

 

August 5th, 2003. SJL Metal.

 

August comes around and suddenly there’s dissension within the ranks of the Urban Decay.

 

Chris Trepanier loses to a fired-up Jay Morrison, while Dominic Korgath and Scott Solomon both boycott a European Title Contenders’ Match.

 

Commissioner Chris Raynor is NOT happy.

 

August 10th, 2003. SJL Crimson.

 

The Urban Decay band together to win a 5-man prism match.

 

English Dragon is victorious over Aecas.

 

But then, John Duran loses his World Title to Viktor Tarakanov!

 

Without the leadership of Duran, the rest of the Urban Decay falls.

 

 

Scott Solomon - M.I.A.

 

 

Chris Trepanier - M.I.A.

 

 

English Dragon - GONE!

 

 

Dominic Korgath...

 

"ENOUGH!!!!"

 

A huge fist breaks through the film, tearing it, ripping it up. A harsh, cold, disembodied voice resounds off the walls of the theatre.

 

"John Duran. How dare you call the Urban Decay a distant memory? Sure, you led us for about a month, and then what? You left to carry on your own agenda, your own self-centred mission! You left us, like children lost in the woods, like sheep without a shepherd, like peons without a god.

 

"And English Dragon, you never did care much for us either, did you? Too good for weaklings like us? Too enamoured with your own hunt for gold? Too busy assfucking your goddamn butler? Like Duran, you too would leave me alone? Would you?

 

"The Urban Decay is NOT dead. I am NOT dead. I will lead a new Decay, and before you know it Duran, before you can blink twice Dragon, the Decay will have caught up with you. I will have caught up with you.

 

"Me. Dominic Korgath. D-K."

 

The camera pans out, till the demon mask of Korgath comes into focus and fills the screen.

[Guest Insanityman]

It was entertaining, I'm not a big fan of insults that degrade into "assfucking" (sounds like insults "posses" my age use) but it gets the point across. I feel rather bad for not getting around to this sooner- but it was a nice read and a good way of reminding us of everything that went down.

[Guest Korgath]

I didn't like having to resort to stuff like that. Really. But when the guy has a butler enforcer even though his own stable has another big guy already... well, you get the idea.

 

Thanks for the comments, IL.

[Justice 0]

Indeed, I'll agree this is a nice way to wrap this stable up instead of it just disappearing like so many other JL stables seem apt to do. Primo job, Korgath, you continue to impress, and it seems to have started a little cross-fed feud with John Duran. Nice .