Post by ____ on Sept 25, 2010 22:56:17 GMT -5
The faithful members of the Kingdom are out in full force on a crisp Sunday afternoon. With bell time not for another three hours, fifty people are crowded around the parking lot waiting for their favourite wrestlers to arrive on the scene. As the blue Ford Focus rolls into the lot, the crowd gathers around it as Chris Hart, the Kingdom of Pride Valiant Champion has arrived on the scene. As he gets out of the car, he is not alone as the passenger door opens up as well.
Fan - “Oh, my, God! It's Justin Bieber!
Though it is not the teen pop sensation, the resemblance is striking. Instead, it is the new phenom coming out of the Canadian wrestling scene, James Hart. Chris turns and smiles at him with a small shrug as a number of the younger girls have gathered around James, while the autograph hounds swarm Chris.
Fan - “Is it true tonight is going to be your last night?”
The question directed at Chris catches him off guard as he turns and looks at the questioning fan.
Chris - “Where would you get that idea?”
Fan - “It's been all the buzz around here today. People are saying that you're no longer having fun with wrestling and the pressures. They're saying that ever since you joined Kingdom of Pride that wrestling has become more and more of a 'job' than a past time.”
Chris - “I'm not quitting tonight. Kingdom of Pride has benefitted me so much personally, and besides that I'm the champion, if I quit what sort of message does that send to the rest of the guys in the back?”
There's a resounding murmur of agreement from the fans. Chris signs a few more autographs before stepping through them as James does as well. The two duck into the Cookeville Community Center as the younger Hart turns to Chris.
James - “You deal with that everyday?”
Chris - “Yep, and you were wondering why I'm thinking of getting away from it for a while.”
James - “Yeah, I can see how it takes a lot out of you. Uneasy the head that wears the crown.”
Chris - “It's not that really, Kurt and I were tag team champions for a long time and the media, fans and responsibilities never bothered me.”
James - “Then why now?”
Chris - “You saw how many people were up there, that's normal, the diehards are always there. It's different after the show though. Half the guys just walk by, don't talk to the fans, don't sign autograps and everything so when I leave it's almost like I'm forced to sign for 'everyone' because no one else has. There are nights I'm signing autographs until well after midnight, then have to be up early for some radio project because no one else is willing to go the distance.”
James - “Why don't other people do that though? I thought it was part of being a wrestler, you need to get out and get people interested in the 'fight.'”
Chris - “It is however there's nothing obligating them too. It speaks to what I was telling you about on the phone before you came out here. That there's a big shift in from what we, back in Calgary, expect out of our wrestlers and what really happens. There's a reason everyone wants to get you under contract and it's not just because of your talent in the ring. It's because you come from the school of selling tickets. Ultimately, wrestling is a business driven by the bottom line.”
James - “Yeah.”
James and Chris carry down the hall, heading towards the locker rooms before they are intercepted by Alex Avice. He gives Chris a subtle nod before turning to James Hart.
Alex - “So the rumours are true.”
Chris - “Beg pardon?”
Alex - “About your brother coming to Kingdom of Pride.”
James - “Naw, I'm simply here for a visit and to go to the Grand Ole Opry.”
Alex looks at James with a dejected look on his face.
James - “It's alright though, it might happen in the future, though I'm not going to make any promises.”
Alex smiles at James before turning to Chris.
Alex - “Can I get a few words on your match with Obscene then before we go to air.”
Chris turns and gives a slight smirk to James before turning back to Avice.
Chris - “Not today Alex.”
Alex looks at Chris dejected, but this only 'causes a smile to come 'cross the face of James.
James - “I'll give you a few words though. I've been watching wrestling all my life, same as Chris. I remember when I was about fourteen years old and it seemed as if many people thought of Obscene as one of the best wrestlers in the world. We used to watch Kingdom of Pride together, Chris and I, on the internet and some of the things Obscene did amazed me. I'm not afraid to admit that in a way, his style influenced my own.
That was four years ago Alex and there's a new king at the top of the mountain, my brother. Time after time he's busted his ass for this company. He's gone out to the ring and put on a show for the fans who put up their hard earned money to come here. No matter what has happened around the Kingdom, there's always one man that Kurt Noble and Jeremy Sterling know will come out and produce, the Valiant Champion, Chris Hart.
Obscene though, fits in with Kingdom of Pride though, at least the current incarnation. This used to be the greatest wrestling country south of the Mason-Dixon line, but now it's nothin' Alex, and I know you can see it. Christian Kane uses his fame from before, secures a contract on that reputation and when things don't go his way, he takes his ball and goes home. Adam Abel, same deal, Storm, Sir Watson Carter, the list goes on and on Alex, these guys are all taking advantage of Jeremy and Kyle, using what they once did to get their foot in the door, and then simply standing their instead of coming in.
From a fan of Kingdom of Pride, a true fan of wrestling, it's embarrassing to watch. As a wrestler though, I'm even more embarassed because it's their actions that give all of us a bad rap. As stunt junkies wrestling in Bingo Halls for pennies and rednecks. They don't care about the Kingdom and they ruined it.
Sure Kurt and Jeremy removed the cancerous limb but complacency has already set in and that's my problem with Obscene, he shows up, wrestles and then leaves. He doesn't care about The Kingdom, he doesn't care you or me, and he most certainly doesn't care about reaching the top. The fact of the matter is that tonight he has the opportunity of a life time against my brother, yet he's not here all hyped. He's not at the Cookeville Community Center because there's nowhere else he'd rather be today.
Chris has already said that when you don't care about getting to the top, it's time to hang it up. After tonight, Chris is going to give not only Obscene, but Kyle and Jeremy the proof that the Kingdom is better off without him. That even if it means shutting down this promotion once more, that it's better for each and every person who has ever had a vested interest in Kingdom of Pride to remember for what it was at it's peak than the bastardized version it could become.
Many people will recall Barbaro from a few years ago, looking poised to win the Triple Crown before he broke his legs. That's what I'd equate Kingdom of Pride too Alex. You can try as many operations as you want but eventually he ended up being Euthanized. That day's going to come Alex and it's going to be a damn shame because so many people, including my brother, have put so much effort into this.”
Alex - I ...
Alex doesn't finish his sentence as Chris Hart has already vanished and James Hart is taking his leave as well. James turns into the communal locker room and as he drops out of sight, the scene ends.
Fan - “Oh, my, God! It's Justin Bieber!
Though it is not the teen pop sensation, the resemblance is striking. Instead, it is the new phenom coming out of the Canadian wrestling scene, James Hart. Chris turns and smiles at him with a small shrug as a number of the younger girls have gathered around James, while the autograph hounds swarm Chris.
Fan - “Is it true tonight is going to be your last night?”
The question directed at Chris catches him off guard as he turns and looks at the questioning fan.
Chris - “Where would you get that idea?”
Fan - “It's been all the buzz around here today. People are saying that you're no longer having fun with wrestling and the pressures. They're saying that ever since you joined Kingdom of Pride that wrestling has become more and more of a 'job' than a past time.”
Chris - “I'm not quitting tonight. Kingdom of Pride has benefitted me so much personally, and besides that I'm the champion, if I quit what sort of message does that send to the rest of the guys in the back?”
There's a resounding murmur of agreement from the fans. Chris signs a few more autographs before stepping through them as James does as well. The two duck into the Cookeville Community Center as the younger Hart turns to Chris.
James - “You deal with that everyday?”
Chris - “Yep, and you were wondering why I'm thinking of getting away from it for a while.”
James - “Yeah, I can see how it takes a lot out of you. Uneasy the head that wears the crown.”
Chris - “It's not that really, Kurt and I were tag team champions for a long time and the media, fans and responsibilities never bothered me.”
James - “Then why now?”
Chris - “You saw how many people were up there, that's normal, the diehards are always there. It's different after the show though. Half the guys just walk by, don't talk to the fans, don't sign autograps and everything so when I leave it's almost like I'm forced to sign for 'everyone' because no one else has. There are nights I'm signing autographs until well after midnight, then have to be up early for some radio project because no one else is willing to go the distance.”
James - “Why don't other people do that though? I thought it was part of being a wrestler, you need to get out and get people interested in the 'fight.'”
Chris - “It is however there's nothing obligating them too. It speaks to what I was telling you about on the phone before you came out here. That there's a big shift in from what we, back in Calgary, expect out of our wrestlers and what really happens. There's a reason everyone wants to get you under contract and it's not just because of your talent in the ring. It's because you come from the school of selling tickets. Ultimately, wrestling is a business driven by the bottom line.”
James - “Yeah.”
James and Chris carry down the hall, heading towards the locker rooms before they are intercepted by Alex Avice. He gives Chris a subtle nod before turning to James Hart.
Alex - “So the rumours are true.”
Chris - “Beg pardon?”
Alex - “About your brother coming to Kingdom of Pride.”
James - “Naw, I'm simply here for a visit and to go to the Grand Ole Opry.”
Alex looks at James with a dejected look on his face.
James - “It's alright though, it might happen in the future, though I'm not going to make any promises.”
Alex smiles at James before turning to Chris.
Alex - “Can I get a few words on your match with Obscene then before we go to air.”
Chris turns and gives a slight smirk to James before turning back to Avice.
Chris - “Not today Alex.”
Alex looks at Chris dejected, but this only 'causes a smile to come 'cross the face of James.
James - “I'll give you a few words though. I've been watching wrestling all my life, same as Chris. I remember when I was about fourteen years old and it seemed as if many people thought of Obscene as one of the best wrestlers in the world. We used to watch Kingdom of Pride together, Chris and I, on the internet and some of the things Obscene did amazed me. I'm not afraid to admit that in a way, his style influenced my own.
That was four years ago Alex and there's a new king at the top of the mountain, my brother. Time after time he's busted his ass for this company. He's gone out to the ring and put on a show for the fans who put up their hard earned money to come here. No matter what has happened around the Kingdom, there's always one man that Kurt Noble and Jeremy Sterling know will come out and produce, the Valiant Champion, Chris Hart.
Obscene though, fits in with Kingdom of Pride though, at least the current incarnation. This used to be the greatest wrestling country south of the Mason-Dixon line, but now it's nothin' Alex, and I know you can see it. Christian Kane uses his fame from before, secures a contract on that reputation and when things don't go his way, he takes his ball and goes home. Adam Abel, same deal, Storm, Sir Watson Carter, the list goes on and on Alex, these guys are all taking advantage of Jeremy and Kyle, using what they once did to get their foot in the door, and then simply standing their instead of coming in.
From a fan of Kingdom of Pride, a true fan of wrestling, it's embarrassing to watch. As a wrestler though, I'm even more embarassed because it's their actions that give all of us a bad rap. As stunt junkies wrestling in Bingo Halls for pennies and rednecks. They don't care about the Kingdom and they ruined it.
Sure Kurt and Jeremy removed the cancerous limb but complacency has already set in and that's my problem with Obscene, he shows up, wrestles and then leaves. He doesn't care about The Kingdom, he doesn't care you or me, and he most certainly doesn't care about reaching the top. The fact of the matter is that tonight he has the opportunity of a life time against my brother, yet he's not here all hyped. He's not at the Cookeville Community Center because there's nowhere else he'd rather be today.
Chris has already said that when you don't care about getting to the top, it's time to hang it up. After tonight, Chris is going to give not only Obscene, but Kyle and Jeremy the proof that the Kingdom is better off without him. That even if it means shutting down this promotion once more, that it's better for each and every person who has ever had a vested interest in Kingdom of Pride to remember for what it was at it's peak than the bastardized version it could become.
Many people will recall Barbaro from a few years ago, looking poised to win the Triple Crown before he broke his legs. That's what I'd equate Kingdom of Pride too Alex. You can try as many operations as you want but eventually he ended up being Euthanized. That day's going to come Alex and it's going to be a damn shame because so many people, including my brother, have put so much effort into this.”
Alex - I ...
Alex doesn't finish his sentence as Chris Hart has already vanished and James Hart is taking his leave as well. James turns into the communal locker room and as he drops out of sight, the scene ends.
