Promo: Harbinger

[Guest Ash Ketchum]

“Craven-san...”

 

“SHUT UP!!!”

 

The scene is in Michael Craven’s locker room. The 4-time Hardcore Champion is minus his belt after a crushing defeat to Judge Mental. He is currently sitting down, arguging with his manager, Mr. Nagasaki.

 

“Why you so mad?” Nagasaki asks.

 

“Oh, let’s see... I LOST, DAMMIT!!!! I LOST MY TITLE!!!!” Craven angrily screams. He’s lucky is wife isn’t here. or else he’d be getting a big slap across the face right now. Nagasaki desperately tries to calm him down.

 

“Snap out of it. You lose because Judge better than you tonight-”

 

“HE IS NOT BETTER THAN ME!!!!” Craven screams at his manager. “He got lucky, that’s all. He does have talent... but I know I should have beat him.”

 

All goes silent for a few seconds. Obviously Michael Craven is not happy.

 

“Craven-san, you get another shot... no worry...” Nagasaki tries to desperately reassure his student.

 

“I don’t know, Nagasaki... I don’t know...”

 

Nagasaki sighs as he turns around to grab his wrestler’s stuff. Craven hides his face in his hands before he slams his fist down onto the bench he sits on and lets out a cry of anger, bitterly weeping due to his loss.

 

 

--------------

 

We cut ahead about a half hour, where Craven stands, dressed in street clothes, a duffel bag of his gear over his shoulder. He looks back into the room and sighs. Another long day, another loss... another title reign interrupted, by one of Flesher’s disciples, none of the less. In the background, a haunting chorus of strings play, followed in a few seconds by a couple of taps of the drums. Craven, meanwhile, looks hopelessly into the room and sighs deeply as he turns to leave, headed on the road once more to another locale for another match.

 

Empty spaces... what are we living for

Abandoned places... I guess we know the score

On and on

Does anybody know what we are looking for...

 

Craven exits the room, slamming the door behind him. His expressionless face turns upward, duffel bag carried over his shoulder while we hear the sounds of a cymbal roll crescendoing in the background as he steps off...

 

Another hero, another mindless crime

Behind the curtain in the pantomime

Hold the line

Does anybody want to take it anymore...

 

Craven’s face doesn’t change as he looks up, noticing a TV replaying the show, right at the point of the Hardcore Title match’s end. Several SWF employees and injured wrestlers sit around it, watching, conversing with approval at the match so far, and his eyes swell with tears as he watches Judge make him tap... and the employees begin to cheer for Judge.

 

The show must go on!!!

 

The show must go on!!!

 

“He deserved it. That little bitch is a disgrace to this fed! King should just fire his ass!” flows from the mouth of former SWF Hardcore Champion Jay Dawg.

 

“Break the motherfucker’s fuckin’ back!” SWF employee and former wrestler Neilsen of the Jungle screams at the TV as Craven walks past. None of them even bother looking up and noticing Craven walking past them.

 

Inside my heart is breaking

My make-up may be flaking

But my smile... still stays on...

 

His head turns away as he walks by, and he sighs, trying not to cry. But instead, his teeth are clenched in anger. He continues his walk, making a quick right around the corner and nearly knocking Bobby Riley with a cup of coffee to the ground.

 

“Geez... what’s buggin’ him?” Riley wonders before he takes a sip of his coffee and spits it out. “DAMN! THAT’S STRONG!!!!”

 

------

 

Cut to a shot of the parking lot, where the doors to the arena are opened up by Craven as he fumbles for his keys. Finally grabbing them, he hits the unlock button and locates his car, making his way towards it with a heavy heart. His wife is back at the hotel waiting for him, and so is little Holly. It’s best not to keep them waiting any longer.

 

Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance

Another heartache, another failed romance

On and on

Does anybody know what we are living for...

 

Craven reaches his Black Viper GTS with blue racing stripes. “Tampa Bay Lightning colors”, he thinks to himself as he vainly attempts to get his mind of his loss. ”They’re not doing that bad this year, and Khabiboulin’s doing pretty well this year, too.” That is, until...

 

I guess I'm learning

I must be warmer now

I'll soon be turning... round the corner now

Outside the dawn is breaking

But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free...

 

He looks up, noticing the night sky. It’s a full moon tonight, as as he peers at the moon, a large bird flies off from the roof and past the illuminated moon, leaving a ghostly silhouette behind. A hawk or raven, perhaps? It doesn’t really matter... except to Craven. He stands there and ponders it for a second.

 

The show must go on!!!!

The show must go on... yeah!!!!

Ooh, inside my heart is breaking

My make-up may be flaking

But my smile still stays on

 

He shakes his mind of the image, or tries to, but instead finds out why the image attracted him as he shlams the door on his car after entering it and buckles himself in.

 

“That’s it... that’s it! I’ve figured it out perfectly! Mental is the mouse... fast, quick... smart... but totally oblivious to the obvious. And I’m the hawk... unsuspecting, deadly... always a threat... and in the end... the hawk wins... the hawk kills the mouse...”

 

My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies

Fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die

I can fly!!!! My friends!

 

He fires the engine on his Viper up and listens to the engine rev, and finally it all comes to him. He realizes what he has to do.

 

The show must go on - yeah!!!

The show must go on!!!

I'll face it with a grin

I'm never giving in

On with the show

 

“I must prove Judge wrong... I must prove them all wrong... show them who the fuck I am... make them respect me... I will... I must show them!!!”

 

I'll top the bill...

 

“I will win the Clusterfuck...”

 

I'll overkill...

 

“I’ll get my Hardcore Title back...”

 

I have to find the will to carry on...

 

“Hell, I’ll win EVERY TITLE, one by one!" He laughs to himself, almost sounding... evil. "But most of all...”

 

On with the show!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I will get to the top and own it all. And that’s a guarantee.”

 

The show must go onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!

 

The Viper pulls out of its parking spot, and as soon as he’s clear, Craven guns it, headed off to his wife, his daughter, and headed in a new direction...

 

 

 

Who knows where it will take him... who knows...

 

 

 

 

 

 

~TO BE CONTINUED~

[Guest Powerplay]

Not bad, especially if this gets you beyond the Hardcore Gamers Title and differentiate him from Ash. That's what is really needed at the moment, and this could be the right step in a fresher direction.

[Guest Grand Slam]

Good promo Craven.

 

A little character change is a good thing (says the guy living the same gimmick for going on two and a half years) and including one of my favorite songs just nails it for me.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

I agree with the other guys. You need to either embrace the Ash character or make a clean break. And part of making that break is ditching all the trappings, such as the hardcore title and Nagasaki. I am still unsure of whether you can pull of such a different character, but you certainly making the effort.

[Guest Goodear]

But I can see where Craven would want to shred those trappings a little slowly. Like, if Ash just came out one day and was all, "Okay, my name is now Michael Craven and I'm mean and everything you know about me is wrong" it really would just be a new character and not the development of an existing one. By slowly evolving and getting away from all the Pokemon stuff, it feels a bit more organic (although it does seem to be dragging just a bit).