HD: Maddix promo

[King Cucaracha 0]

MATTHEWS
Right now, I'm joined by the former 24/7 Champion Landon Maddix and Megan Skye...

Clearly, Landon doesn't appreciate the (other) f-bomb from Matthews and glares around at him, which goes unnoticed by the nerdy reporter as Megan quickly calms her man down.

MATTHEWS
...hoping to get the big scoop on the big announcement, coming out of last week's show. Landon, it's officially signed for World Without End, you and a partner of your choosing against the former OAOAST Tag Team Champions of the world, The Global Party Exchange. All that's left now is for you to announce who the partner is. So...

MADDIX
It's Michael Stephens.

Josh, bless him, seems a little confused. Maybe that's because he expected a little banter before the announcement, maybe because the name Michael Stephens means nothing to him whatsoever.

MATTHEWS
Uhm...I'm sorry, who?

MADDIX
Heh. See, that's why I question why you're even here Josh Matthews. An OAOAST reporter, with little to no knowledge of the outside world, interviewing a multi-federation megastar. Ill advised, if you ask me. See, I could reel off a list of names from my SWF roladex and you'd be clueless. I could say I was going to team up with El Luchadore Magnifico. Or Dace Night. Or, perhaps even the enigmatic Exploding Chicken.

MATTHEWS
Exploding Chicken? The guy who referee Miami Mayhem, that's your partner?

MADDIX
...I forgot you know him. Look, the point is, I could say any number of names from my laundry list of SWF buddies... they love me over there, god bless 'em... and not you, nor The GPX, would have any idea what they're in for. Fact is, my SWF Tag Team Championship partner and current World and Cruiserweight Champion, Michael Stephens, will NOT be my partner. I couldn't convince him to sully himself by coming over here, sadly. But that's okay. Really, I don't want an SWF superstar as my partner. Their opinion is slightly tilted against the OAOAST.

To show that he's thinking, Landon scratches his chin.

MADDIX
Come to think of it, that's why I've had such a problem choosing a partner in the first place. It seems the boys in the locker room may have slightly misunderstood some of what I said when I arrived here in the OAOAST and are a little... 'slow'... to warm to me.

MATTHEWS
You said that compared to the SWF, the OAOAST locker room is (unfurls a piece of paper) "like a group of, to steal a phrase, "glorified stuntmen", [i]playing[/i] at wrestling."

MADDIX
Well researched.

MATTHEWS
Thank you.

MADDIX
Now, if you remember, I also said that I'm not here to 'kill this company'. I'm here to BE this company. I am the Saviour Of The OAOAST! Not to neccessarily rid the locker room of those people as to convert them. Which makes my choice that bit harder. See, without the support of the OAOAST locker room, I was left with limited options. Limited options of who I could trust. People I knew. People who shared a common bond with me. And then, last week, that list of options limited itself to one. So, I'm left with no other choice to name my partner as... a member of The Wildcards, of which I have no affiliation I might add... 


...Todd Cortez everyone! Come on in buddy.

Slow on the uptake, apparantly, Josh now realises why Todd Cortez was standing off screen and waiting for his cue to step into camera shot. Not making eye contact with either Megan or Maddix, Cortez positions himself the other side of Matthews and folds his arms, looking every bit anything but the tag partner of Landon.

MADDIX
See, I'm not a Wildcard and some of what they do is evil and stuff, yadda yadda, but the fact is Todd Cortez is the only man in this godforsaken place I'd even contemplate teaming with under my own will. You talk about The GPX being former OAOAST Tag Team Champions. Well, me and Todd here, we're former SWF Tag Team Champions. We are every inch the team the boyband badboys claim to be. We ar...WHAT!? What is it!?

Landon notices Josh's confused looks back and forth and finally has had enough.

MATTHEWS
Well... it's just... don't you two... hate each other?

CORTEZ
That's tru...

MADDIX
Hate is such a strong word, Josh! Sure, myself and my streetwise partner have had some minor creative differences in the past...

MATTHEWS
You two won Feud Of The Year in the SWF just one year ago.

CORTEZ
And I won that fe...

MADDIX
How can you know that and not know who Michael Stephens is!? (groans) Look, me and Todd aren't the best of friends, that's no secret. But I'm not one to hold a grudge.

To the side, Cortez rolls his eyes. If there were ever a line that was specifically not intended to come out of the mouth of Landon Maddix, it would either be that, or maybe "Ego, what ego?". Tough call.

MADDIX
Maybe we're not good friends. Maybe a little too much water has passed under the bridge for us to really 'get along'. But we have a common bond. An SWF bond. We also, admittedly, have a history together, some bad, but some very good. We were a great team once in a while. And you don't just lose that ability to team naturally with someone. Todd Cortez is no stranger to The GPX and I am confident that together, we can collect ourselves enough to put the past to the side and in the name of our seperate 'missions' in the OAOAST, get together and put The GPX down at World Without End. Maybe for Cortez it's about some crazy bloodlust, trying to take the OAOAST over for... whatever crazy reasons he may have.

Cortez rolls his eyes again.

MADDIX
Unlike my urban gangsta compatriot beside me, I'm not here to ruin this company and single people out for abuse for no reason. With me, The GPX brought it on themselves. My problem wasn't with them, it was with Jade Rodez and her own personal pep squad. This issue had nothing to do with The Global Party Exchange to begin with. Infact, my only crime against them was helping them to victory one week on this very show. But as much as I don't share my former SWF buddies' stance, I'm certainly no pushover. So The GPX want to be ungrateful? They want a fight? So be it. Outsider or not, I'm not going to lay down and be trodden on like some...

CORTEZ
Some cockroach?

MADDIX
...some cockroach! I'm no cockroach, I'm "La Cucaracha"! I'm Landon Maddix! And Global Party Exchange, I've just declared Martial Law on your asses!! C'mon, we're done here.

Landon signals openly for anyone to follow him and Megan does so. Curiously, or maybe not so curiously, Cortez takes one look at The Next Generation, sighing under his breath as he skulks off in the other direction. All leaving Josh Matthews, alone, save for his microphone and camera.

MATTHEWS
Todd Cortez and Landon Maddix. A little disfunctional, by the looks of things, but tag team partners at World Without End. Back to ringside.