Promo: Bloody & Bruised and so what?

[Bruce Blank 0]

(As this is supposed to take place during the Cortez / JJJ match Bruce makes no references to his Lockdown booking as it wasn't technically known at the time)

 

The following segment is taped backstage during Storm – in fact if you paid really close attention to the background noise you could hear the entrance music from the main event.

 

Ben Hardy is backstage where he’s caught up with Bruce Blank is in his dressing room. Bruce hasn’t had a chance to change yet so he’s still wearing the Crimson Skull outfit he wore during his match. There are still several small slivers of mirror lodged in his jaw from where he was whipped into the Men’s room mirror. The gash in his forehead from the shot with the International title is still bleeding a bit although it has slowed down compared to earlier. Someone has wrapped what looks like a towel around his left forearm to stop the bleeding from the lacerations he received as he was thrown through the lobby window and his hair and clothes are still sticky from the soda that was spilled when he was thrown over the side and through a concession stand table. He’s a picture that’s more out of a horror movie than a wrestling show, but he’s smiling (revealing that he had a tooth knocked out at some point too) and he’s holding the Hardcore title in one hand.

 

“If you think I look like shit then you should see the other guys” Bruce comments as Ben Hardy just stares at the Hardcore champion.

 

Bruce ignores Ben and instead turns his attention to the camera.

 

“You see this?” Bruce holds up the Hardcore title, the bloody handprint on the center plate really underlines the philosophy of the title. “This is my holy grail, my grand prize, my world cup, my Super Bowl trophy. This says that I am the baddest mother f**ker in the world! This says that I’m not afraid to bleed! This says that I like to hurt people!!”

 

Bruce tries to contains a maniacal chuckle as he looks at the Hardcore title. “You can keep your other titles – all that says is that El Luchadore Moronico or Jay Hawkeye can wrestle all purdy. Well big whoop! But this, THIS!!” Bruce holds up the Hardcore title once more. “this means that I’m the most dangerous, hardcore, extreme, psychopathic ULTRA VIOLENT!! Person you’ll ever have the displeasure of knowing!!”

 

Bruce wipes some of the blood off his face and flicks it at the camera lens before he continues. “I’m Freddy, Jason and Leatherface all rolled into one – just consider me the star of the “Texas Nightmare on Friday the 13th” cause that’s what you’ll face when I put the title on the line! I ain’t ducking anyone – I’m a fighting champion, I’ll fight anyone, anywhere!!”

 

“But this title cannot be defended on Lockdown with it’s family friendly rules. Nor does Smarkdown recognize the validity of your title” Ben points out

 

“Benny, Benny, Benny” Bruce says while shaking his head “This title means that there are no rules! I don’t do stuff by the book, I tore the book up and wiped my ass on it! It’s the wimps that run Lockdown and Smarkdown that are afraid the Bruce Blank would steal the show week in and week out if they let me cut loose.”

 

“What about the Nightmare Express Bruce”?

 

“What about?” Bruce replies. “It’s 110% fine and well, we may not wrestle as a team show after show after show – but do you think it’s a disadvantage for the team to have the Hardcore champion on it? Is it a disadvantage to have the man who’s brought the Hardcore matches to a whole new ultra violent level on the team? Do you think Marcus Ward sits in the locker room and goes “God Damn Bruce just beat the shit out of 3 guys all over this damn building – I don’t want him as my partner?”

 

Ben just shakes his head as Bruce pokes him in the chest with each question.

 

“So we lost to the team that are now champions – it happens, we all lose. It’s now we bounce back from a loss that’s significant and this week I bounced back like a freaking super ball!! Maddix, Hawke if you think we’ve forgotten about you then you’re WRONG!”

 

“Speaking of bouncing – Crimson Skull bounced the title off your head tonight” Ben says taking pleasure in pointing it out

 

“So he didn’t appreciate losing, I don’t like it either. But the thing you do is you pick yourself up and you turn the violence up to 11! On Smarkdown I lost to Jimmy the Doom, it happens from time to time. I didn’t run away, I didn’t hide and sulk – I got back up and I beat the snot out of Jimmy tonight!! Now Skull if you want the opportunity to beat the snot out of me, well come on out – I ain’t hard to find, big guys like me tend to stick out!” Bruce says as he flexes his huge arms

 

“Storm, Lockdown, Smarkdown, Pay Per View – whatever it may be! You step up against the Hardcore champion 1 on 1 and I’ll drag you through a nightmare you’ll never forget!! That goes for anyone out there as well, I ain’t hiding – I’ve been here for 9 shows straight, I’ve been in that ring for each and every single show! No one else here can claim to have been in the ring busting skulls for the last 9 consecutive shows and I’m just getting started!”

 

Ben is about to say something when Bruce pushes him out of the way and gets up close to the camera to say one last thing in his calm “indoor voice”

 

“You think you’ve seen the best of Bruce Blank? You ain’t seen nothing yet. You think you’ve seen me at my most violent? YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET!!”

 

Bruce pushes the camera guy to the side and then walks off in search of a medic to remove the glass shards and mirror slivers from his face and arm.