HD: Leon vs. Jumbo

[King Cucaracha 0]

"Sweet Home Chicago" hits and out struts Jumbo as HeldDOWN returns. The Japanese fans seem amused with the loveable big guy, with numerous shots of smiling clapping fans watching his walk to the ring.

BUFFER
The following contest is scheduled for one fall. First, from Chicago, Illinois... weighing four hundred, fourty pounds... JJJUUUUUUUUUUMMMMBBOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Jumbo makes his way around ringside and even gets a couple of young Japanese girls to DANCE along with him before he climbs into the ring.

COLE
Big Jumbo enjoying himself here in Tokyo, a big fan of the sushi I hear.

COACH
There's a surprise.

Jumbo struts around the ring some more and gets the crowd going.

COLE
Well Jumbo having some fun, but the fun is going to stop very soon I feel.


[COLOR=purple]"Oh (hey!), I've been travelin' on this road too long
Just tryin' to find my way back home
But the old me's dead and gone
Dead and gone
And oh (hey!), I've been travelin' on this road too long
Just tryin' to find my way back home
But the old me's dead and gone
Dead and gone, dead and gone..."[/COLOR]

The opening to "Dead And Gone" by T.I. fades into "Numb" by Linkin Park. The crowd stays mostly quiet except for a few, isolated screams from female fans as Leon Rodez emerges through the entrance way. Disheveled, Leon wears to the ring his usual ring-robe, only inside out, the black unpatterened lining far less attractive than the robe should be.

BUFFER
And his opponent. From Grand Rapids, Michigan... weighing two hundred, eighteen pounds... the former OAOAST Heavyweight Champion of the world... LLLEEEEEOOOOOONN... RRRRRROOOOOOODDEEEEEEZZZZZZ!!!

COLE
Over the past few months, this man once the most easy going and cheerful wrestlers you were ever likely to meet has suffered a crisis in confidence and has seemingly lost all faith in anything. He claims that "All I did was give, give, give and all people ever did was take, take, take" and that his friends and fans are "dead to me", saying "I've been plumbed so deep emotionally by them all that I've got nothing left." And last week, still raw from winning and losing the OAOAST World Title in the same night, he took out his frustrations on his former girlfriend Maggie and then his innocent niece Jade.

Leon stalks his way down the aisle eyes lowered fixed on the ring, as the song suddenly erupts and the lights flash back and forth from purple to white static.

[COLOR=purple][b][i]"I'VE BECOME SO NUMB
I CAN'T FEEL YOU THERE
BECOME SO TIRED
SO MUCH MORE AWARE!
I'M BECOMING THIS
ALL I WANT TO DO
IS BE MORE LIKE ME
AND BE LESS LIKE YOU!"[/b][/i][/COLOR]

Walking up the ring steps, Leon stops briefly and stares out into the crowd, taking a long breath before he enters the ring. His lowered eyes look over at Jumbo as he pulls off his inside out robe, throwing it carelessly under the bottom rope.

COACH
Well it's kind of hard to argue with Leon lately. We've been saying it for long enough, how many things have gone badly for Leon. I guess it was only a matter of time before something snapped.

COLE
Maybe Leon is going through a period of bad luck. But to take it all out on his closest friends and on his family the way he is, what good does that do?

COACH
You heard him yourself, he doesn't care anymore.


*DINGDINGDING!*

Leon sizes up his opponent, which is quite a size up. The bigman looks at his opponent with pity, as he skulks around the ring. As they move in Jumbo doesn't go for a lock-up and instead seems to be talking to his opponent, questioning where his head is at. Leon has no time for Jumbo's compassion though and CRACKS him across the face with a slap!

COLE
That's not too smart.

Jumbo is understandably mad and goes after Leon, who ducks through the ropes, growling at the referee to "GET HIM OFF ME".

COLE
And if Leon insists on being so sullen, he might not want to bring Jumbo down with him.

As Jumbo is moved back by the referee Rodez emerges from the ropes. Scowling, he moves in and locks up with the bigman, quickly delivering a knee to the gut before Jumbo's strength can show. With Jumbo doubled up, Leon delivers a forearm to the side of the head. And another. And a third. But Jumbo shrugs them off, shoving Leon away! Rolling through to his feet, Leon runs right back at Jumbo with a boot to his portly midsection and goes for an irish whip... but Jumbo won't budge! Regretting his move choice Leon tries again, but again has no success moving the 440 pounder.

COACH
If Jumbo don't want to go, Jumbo ain't going!

Resigned to defeat, another boot from Rodez breaks hold of Jumbo and he hits the ropes himself. A clothesline connects, but it doesn't budge big Jumbo! Leon tries again, a second clothesline not enough either! Into the ropes again, Leon clubs Jumbo with a third clothesline, but he's still on his feet. And Jumbo suddenly reverses on Leon, throwing him into the ropes and knocking him down with a shoulder tackle!

"YYEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Leon quickly rolls under the bottom rope to regroup with Jumbo hot on his trail. The referee gets in between the two, preventing Jumbo from attacking while Rodez is in the ropes. Which allows Leon to pop up and grab Jumbo, hanging his neck across the top rope!

COLE
Well that's a cheap move, the kind of cheap move Leon Rodez never used to resort to.

COACH
He's in there with someone twice his size, cut the guy some slack.

As Jumbo reels back, Leon climbs to the top rope and connects with a Missile Dropkick, finally enough to put Jumbo down! Leon goes for the cover...


1...



2...


POWER kickout!

Annoyed by that, Leon quickly mounts Jumbo and rains down with right hands!

"ONE!"
"TWO!"
"THREE!"
"FOUR!"

Breaking away before he can be disqualified, Leon comes off the ropes with an elbow drop. A second elbow. And a third, before glaring into the crowd brimming with frustration.

COACH
See, this is the kind of killer instinct we never saw outta Leon when he was the 'nice guy'. All the smiling and the entertaining, that's great. But this is what wins you matches, wins you titles.

COLE
Except Leon didn't seem to have a problem winning matches and titles with the smiling and the entertaining before. This isn't some conscious choice, this is the result of something inside Leon going wrong.

Jumbo picks himself up on the ropes and Leon is on him, clubbing away in a vain attempt to keep him from getting up. Jumbo does reach his feet, so Leon tries and succeeds in whipping him to the ropes. Putting everything he has behind a back elbow, Leon knocks Jumbo backwards, staggering back against the ropes he came from. As Jumbo falls to a knee Leon rushes over and stomps his opponent, until he lays across the middle rope. Turning away, usually you'd expect a jig at this point from Rodez. Instead, he scowls at the idea before turning back and standing on Jumbo's back, holding onto the top rope in order to choke him against the middle.

"ONE!"
"TWO!"
"THREE!"
"FOUR!"
"FI..."

Stepping down, Leon ignores the referee as he reprimands him. Getting a run-up he delivers a dropkick to Jumbo's back before he can get off the ropes, then goes for another cover...


1...



2...



No!

Members of the crowd shout their approval for Jumbo by shouting "JUMBO!" (seriously, that's what they do, watch some NOAH you philistines!), briefly distracting Leon.

COLE
It's still so strange, seeing an OAOAST crowd routing [i]against[/i] Leon Rodez.

Jumbo begins to get to his feet, kicked repeatedly by Leon as he tries to do so. The kicks won't keep the bigman down though and eventually he reaches up, grabbing Leon by the throat. The referee warns Jumbo about the choke, allowing Leon to break the hand away and nail Jumbo in the gut with a rolling sobat kick. With his back to Jumbo, Leon then turns the other way, spinning 180 and connecting with an enziguri!

COLE
Nice combination of kicks from Leon.

COACH
Nice if you're not on the receiving end.

Leon covers Jumbo...


1...



2...



Kickout!

Looking a little frustrated, Leon forces Jumbo with all his might so he's backed into a corner. Hanging Jumbo's arms over the ropes Leon fires off a flurry of right hands, weaking the bigman while he walks across the ring. Leon lines up his large target and charges in, taking off with his Superman Spear!

COACH
See, that's not the place to be attacking Jumbo. He's got plenty of padding there.

With Jumbo slumped over Rodez walks back across the ring, lining up again. As he charges this time though, Jumbo moves out of the way. Able to put the brakes on in time, Leon stops himself in the corner and charges Jumbo in the next corner... but Jumbo gets his knee up! Dazed, Leon stumbles backwards. Jumbo grabs him by the arm, whipping him into the corner and ENGULFING the fallen idol with an AVALANCHE in the corner!!

COLE
OH! Four hundred, fourty pounds, just SQUASHING Rodez!

A flattented Rodez stumbles out of the corner again and into Jumbo's arms, with a BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX!!


1...



2...



SHOULDER UP!

COLE
I would hate to think what state of mind Leon would be in if he loses here tonight! And he almost did right there!

Jumbo starts to get some confidence back and draws on the crowd as Leon gets back up. Off the ropes, Jumbo trundles forward and knocks Leon down with a hefty body attack. Another cover by Jumbo...


1...



2...



Kickout!

Calling out to the crowd, Jumbo looks ready to go for the kill.

COLE
Jumbo is feeling it here. We could be on the verge of a considerable upset, if Jumbo can knock off the former World Champion, here at his lowest ebb!

Jumbo grabs hold of Leon by the head, but Rodez breaks away and attacks the knee with a couple of kicks. A couple of forearms follow, before Leon hits the ropes. He ducks a clothesline from Jumbo, rolling through off the far ropes and looking for the clothesline... but meets Jumbo's boot in his chest! As Leon hits the mat Jumbo comes off the ropes and goes for the XL SPLASH...



...BUT LEON ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY!!!!

"OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

COACH
At least they're well trained for earthquakes here in Japan.

Winded, Jumbo gets to one knee before getting cracked in the back of the head with a dropkick! He's rolled over and as he gets to his knees again, Leon is waiting, aiming with a Rolling Sobat to the head and CONNECTING, scrambling Jumbo's brains!!! Leon quickly forces Jumbo down onto his shoulders and hooks what he can of the leg...


1...



2...



3!!!

*DINGDINGDING!*

BUFFER
Ladies and gentlemen, your winner of the match... LLEEEEOOOOONN... RRROOOOOODDEEEEEZZZZZZZ!!!

COLE
And with that deadly spinkick to the head, Leon Rodez picks up the victory over the 440 pound Jumbo.

Not in the mood for any celebrations, Leon warns the referee off with a cursory glare as he gets to his feet. He looks down at Jumbo as he's rolled from the ring. No hint of a smile or any kind of enjoyment. Just a blank stare, the same blank stare that he gives the crowd.



*BbwWbAhmotherfuckerLlIiiBbbEErRrAATtTeeyYyOUUurRrMmmMmMiIInNnDddDd!!*

"YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

COLE
Wait just a minute!

The crowd suddenly erupt as "Liberate" powers through the arena and again as BOHEMOTH marches through the entrance way! Unsuited, the tanktop and jeans combo from Bohemoth apparantly mean business~ as he makes his way down the aisle, eyes locked on Rodez. Leon, caught a little by surprise, stands with his hands on his hips and looking away as Bohemoth jogs up the ring steps and enters the ring, demanding a microphone.

COLE
Bohemoth apparantly looking for a showdown with his one time friend, after what happened last week.

As Bohemoth gets the microphone, Leon doesn't bother to wait around to hear what he has to say and starts to leave, which obviously doesn't sit well.

BOHEMOTH
HEY! Don't you go anywhere man, because I've got something to say!

Stopping halfway through the ropes, Leon slowly steps back inside, still not giving Bohemoth the courtesy of any eye contact.

BOHEMOTH
You know, I don't know what the hell is going on in your head lately. I don't know what's happening, to make you turn your back on Zack and on me the way you have. That's fine. I'm sure you've got your reasons, crazy as they might be. But I draw the line when you start going around and taking all this crap out on other people, innocent people. Especially when those people include Jade.

Leon finally looks over at Bohemoth at the mention of Jade's name, stood in a corner.

BOHEMOTH
Oh yeah. She told me what happened last week. And I'm sure as hell not going to sit back and accept that. I mean, come on man... that's your [i]niece[/i]. And you feel you can talk to her the way you did? Big man all of a sudden, taking your anger out on people who aren't gonna fight back. Well guess what, family or no family, when you mess with Jade, you mess with me. So if you've got something to say, how about you say it to my face if you've got the guts? Huh? How 'bout that?

Glancing up, Leon's face shows the hint of a smile as he takes the microphone away from Bohemoth, daring enough to stand right in his face as asked.

LEON
You're right about one thing. Jade [i]is[/i] my family. Which is why I think you aren't going to do a damn thing to me.

Raising his eyebrows as if to say "oh yeah?", Bohemoth sure looks ready to do something. Until Leon laughs under his breath.

LEON
You know what, 'Bo', save the tough man act. You don't scare me. Not one bit. The fact is, you're pathetic. Just like I once was. Look at you. All angry, pent up, on somebody's else's behalf. Always somebody's else's man. Standing in Zack's shadow, just like I was. Before that, standing in Wright's shadow. And now, fighting your girlfriend's battles. I always second guessed whether you really had a brain of your own in that head of yours and I guess we're finding out now, you don't. Well, I do have a mind of my own now. And my mind is telling me things that it should have months ago. If you, or Zack, or Jade don't like it, that's too bad. Sometimes you need to hear those things you don't want to listen to. I mean, we could go into the real story behind why a jacked up 32 year old man is sleeping with a tiny 19 year old girl and what that says about him...

Bohemoth's eyes widen, about ready to kill after that cheapshot. But somehow, he doesn't.

LEON
...but the fact is, you aren't worth a second of my time. I don't owe you an explanation. I don't owe you any gratitude. And I don't owe you an apology.

Leon turns his back on Bohemoth and goes to walk off, but stops, looking over his shoulder.

LEON
If you've got a problem with that, then go ahead and do your worst.

Leaving himself wide open to a sneak attack Leon stands and waits for Bohemoth to make a move. Those in the crowd that understand what's going on urge Bohemoth to take Leon out. But Bohemoth, strangely, can't bring himself to attack Leon and just stands fuming, glaring a hole in the back of his head.

LEON
That's what I thought.

Throwing the microphone back at Bohemoth's feet Leon leaves the ring, a contemptful look on his face as he walks off. Bohemoth stands in the middle of the ring still seething as he watches Leon leave.

COACH
Wow. Leon called Bo's bluff... and he's walking away in one piece.

COLE
Honestly, I don't think Leon really cares if Bohemoth did tear him apart. I don't think he'd have given Bohemoth the slightest opportunity if he was. But Bohemoth didn't take it, showing miraculous restraint considered what Leon had the nerve to say to him.

COACH
Oh, I don't think it's nerve. I think you're right first time, it's not hard to be brave when you don't care about anything or anyone.

Bohemoth continues to stand seething in the ring as we fade away.


[b]*COMMERCIALS*[/b]


Back from the commercials, Jade Rodez-Duncan cuts a worried figure having just watched what we saw on a monitor backstage. She paces around, apparantly waiting for Bohemoth to come back from the ring. But it's not Bohemoth who walks up behind her, but uncle Leon.

JADE
Leon... What was that about!? What's your problem, Bo's never done anything to you.

LEON
That'd make him about the only person here who hasn't then.

JADE
...Leon, you need to talk to somebody. Please. You're taking your anger out on everybody that cares about you, people who are trying to help you, don't do this again, please...

LEON
I heard what you said. To Bohemoth, that is.

Jade stops her pleading, surprised.

LEON
I hate to be the one to break it to you... but he's not going to keep that promise. Life doesn't work that way. You don't get what you really want in the end. Trust me, he WILL break your heart. And then... then you'll understand me. You'll understand everything.

Leon walks off, leaving Jade with that troubling thought.