HD: Rodez promo

[King Cucaracha 0]

You can tell it's a serious and sombre start, when HeldDOWN~! gets the cold opening. And that's exactly what we've got tonight as we open in the parking lot to see the OAOAST 24/7 Champion Leon Rodez entering the arena. Slapping the security guard on the shoulder and flashing a thumbs up on a good job, Leon hauls his bag behind him as he enters the arena and finds himself confronted by a microphone weilding Josh Matthews.

 

MATTHEWS

Leon, a momentous night in OAOAST history, can we get some comments from you on the hot topic of conversation, Zack Malibu?

 

RODEZ

I'm not sure it's my place to comment. But...you know, it's a real shame. Sure, he stepped over the line... way over the line. But Zack's a good person.

 

For a moment there's an awkward silence, which takes Leon a little by surprise. After all, interviewers are supposed to be talkative by their very nature. It's a weird night, see.

 

MATTHEWS

I doubt many would agree with that sentiment right now, but...

 

RODEZ

That's the problem, see. I've known his bad side and I've known his good side, we were Champions together and we were enemies and the fact is what he did was totally out of character for either one. Zack's no psycho. He's no threat to human life...(laughs to self)...I mean come on, he's a father now. He just...look, the guy was provoked and provoked. He's put up with so much crap from so many people and he's held back and held back but those Smartmark guys crossed the line. They didn't just step over it, they did it with a skip in their step. Zack's actions were a complete moment of madness. Breaking into his house and threatening his newborn baby and it's mother was pre-meditated and calculated. Cold blooded. And yet, it's so typical of everyone to turn a blind eye to that and jump on the popular bandwagon of making a scapegoat out of someone for one solitary mistake, no matter how much worthwhile they've done in the past. Months and months of the SWF guys making Zack's life a living hell and not one person in this company stood up for him. Not one...

 

Pausing for a moment, Leon hangs his head a little.

 

RODEZ

Not even me.

 

Leon looks back up, far more serious than you'd normally expect from him. Turning to Josh, Leon takes a deep, audible sigh before continuing.

 

RODEZ

What Zack did was wrong. I've got as long of a fuse and temper as anyone, so I can't really identify with him and how he reacted. But...well, I just hope it hasn't really come to this. Because if this really is the end of Zack Malibu in the OAOAST, then there's a lot of people that have failed him who are gonna look at themselves in the mirror tommorrow morning and feel pretty ashamed of themselves. And I'll be top of the list.

 

With a sorrowful look to Josh, Rodez walks off the set, perhaps forgetting that was supposed to be part one of the interview. But he's long gone by the time Josh really notices, so the crack interviewer, perhaps a little guilty himself, waves for a cut to the opening video package.