Promo: Control?

[The Amazing Rando 0]

Ground Zero….Las Vegas…..

 

Marcus Ward lifts Nick Blum off the canvas and carries him toward a large orange ladder, opened up in the middle of the ring….

 

"Oh my...what is he planning. He's intertwining Nick Blum in the ladder, his legs are scisorred between the one rail, the other rail is between his head and arm, his back is twisted and resting on one of the steel rungs. What is his plan?!" the words of the Longdogger echo as the audience stares down in horror and fascination.

 

Marcus Ward signals one more time before turning and gripping Nick "The Hitlist" Blum in Total Control. A Human Torture Rack, intertwined in a ladder, all the pressure being forced on a steel ladder.

 

….on a steel ladder…

 

"That's a twisted and brutal way try and force this submission...though it certainly is deserving of the Hardcore title..." observes Longdogger Pete.

 

…twisted and brutal…

 

Riley roars, "There's no escape for BLUM! He's all wrapped in the ladder so has no leverage, and Ward isn't going to get tired because he isn't supporting any weight, just racking him on the ladder. It's the human ladder rack!!!!"

 

…no escape…

 

Blum screams and screams, clutching for something his body twisting and slamming and grinding on the unforgiving steel of the ladder. Ward tightens his grips on the head and legs, wringing the submission right out of Blum, who quickly shouts to the ref that he's had enough.

 

 

…had enough…

 

 

DING! DING! DING!

 

 

 

Hateful boos erupt and grow only louder as Marcus Ward is handed his newly won title. Ward simply taps his head with forefinger and then swiftly kicks over the ladder that has Nick Blum intertwined in it, ignoring the officials attempting to untangle his battered body.

 

 

……….

 

The images from Ground Zero fade away on the image of Marcus Ward…Hardcore Champion…before changing to a lone set of eyes, closed. Suddenly, they snap open and turn to slits of rage as the camera zooms out to show them belonging to none other than Devon Walters. The brothers are somewhere between the Nation’s Capital and the City of Brotherly Love.

 

How quaint.

 

Sitting next to him, his brother stares at the concrete, his voice low…

 

“I know. I know.”

 

Matthew raises up his head, running his hand through his hair as his eyes glue themselves to the lens in front of him.

 

“Mr. Blum, rest assured that what is about to happen isn’t about you. Oh no. We saw your body crash into the canvas, wrapped and warped in steel. We saw you scream as you gave up your chance to become a champion. Was it worth it, Mr. Blum? Was it worth the pain, the suffering…was it worth all of that…to still be a loser?

 

…Sorry about my attitude, but it just doesn’t seem worth it. Not for that. Your career could have been ended in an instant because of what Mr. Ward did to you. Sadly, though you knew that the consequences of your actions could lead to your own downfall, you went ahead anyway…for a chance at glory. You put it all on the line to be called a champion….

 

…and you failed miserably.”

 

Matthew rubs his hands together and squints as the sunlight momentarily strikes his eyes.

 

“You failed, Mr. Blum. But you only failed in victory…Mr. Ward, although victorious, failed on so many levels that I was left with a sick taste in my mouth. You nearly break a man’s knee…and then another man’s neck and back. For what? Total Control? What, exactly, do you have control of, Mr. Ward? You have control of a small leather belt with gold plates on it. Wow. Color me impressed.” Matthew’s dry sarcasm draws a small smile from his brother, “But what else? Are you in control of your transportation? You could be driving, sure, but one nail in the road, one stupid animal…and………..it’s over. Are you in control of the government that tells you what is right and what is wrong? Are you in control of the businesses that could buy and sell you in an instant? Or maybe it’s more cryptic than that…maybe he’s in control of his destiny! That’s it!” Matthew raises his finger in mock eureka, “Maybe he’s in control of his destiny!”

 

Devon nods, agreeing, but Matthew's tone quickly changes.

 

“I don’t think so, Mr. Ward. If you were in control of your destiny, then maybe, just maybe, you wouldn’t be standing across the ring from my brother in just a few days. Maybe, just maybe, if you were in control of your destiny….total control….you would see that once you reach the top, there is no place to go but down.

 

…Think about that. Look into the mirror tonight…look into that shiny championship belt…and ask yourself what you are in control of…chances are, it’s going to be far less than you think. Chances are, you are going to be very disappointed, and even more so when you find yourself carrying more than that championship belt on your shoulder. And as it lays across your shoulders, it won’t be screaming and screaming, twisted and wrapped around a ladder in total control…no no…Mr. Ward…it will be in control of you.”

 

Matthew almost laughs to himself as the camera zooms in on the older Walters brother’s face.

 

“And whether you like it or not….that is karma.”