The Final Four
Fade in: to a NEW backdrop, where Larry Tact sits on a steel chair. He has on a blue muscle shirt and doo rag, black leather pants, boots, and fingerless gloves. Despite being somewhat bruised from the Street Fight at the last Raucous, Tact's face says it all. He means business.
Tact: And after all was said and done, all the mystery opponents brought in, all the naysayers and big talkers put in their places....we've come to the final four. The Battle Bowl Mania Finals. It's no longer just about surviving as a team, or thinking only 'one round at a time.' There are no more rounds. There are no more teams. It's four men, going all-out for the biggest prize in New ERA of Wrestling....the World Heavyweight Championship!
Tact's lips form a small grin.
Tact: But rather than BORE all of you with talking about my wrestling skills, and how versatile I have been in this tournament, or how El Arco Iris and I have been the best damn wrestling team in this promotion...I'm going to try looking ahead rather than back to the past. Cuz all of that other stuff? A.I. and I showed how good we were, individually and as a team, in our previous matches here. So Marx...File....what level of talent we bring to the ring should be crystal clear to you. Of course, you could deny it....but that won't do any good, I assure you.
Tact leans back in the chair.
Tact: But the thing to concentrate on now, is the future. The future of each one of us, and the future of the NEW as a promotion. There's no doubting that only one of us can walk out of this the World Heavyweight Champion. And that person will have more than just a gold belt on their hands when they leave. They'll have the microscope on them...the attention of the whole promotion will pass over the new Champion, at one point or another, once he is crowned. In this match, we will all set examples of how we think we can take this place for our own. What we think is the way to success. There's no doubt that it will be a crazy match...four wrestlers competing at the same time in one ring never has been an organized task to manage. But that's the pressure a Champion will need to deal with, the scutiny that they will be put under once they win. And the way that pressure is handled, whoever handles it best, will be the New ERA World Champion by night's end.
Tact nods his head.
Tact: I know I'm ready and capable of handling that pressure, the 'weight of a Champion.' But what about the rest of you? Peter File, what do you think people would say if you won this match? I mean, it'd get publicity, I guess...but what good would it really do for the promotion? You're nothing but a man without a real purpose. You don't come in looking to succeed...just to play games, mind games with your opponents, and then attempt to subject them to humiliation in the ring. It's sickening. It's exactly what New Era doesn't need as the image of its World Champion. But that won't be the case, because as I showed in our match last Raucous, you just couldn't match up to me. You took your beating like a man, which is more than I would have expected. But you got beaten, as well, which is nothing to be overlooked. I did it then, and not much has changed between then and now, except that I've had time to study our match and recuperate a bit, whereas you've probably been spending your time 'satisfying your needs' with Lily and the harem. For you, that's a recipe for disaster. For me, it's a recipe for continued success.
Tact nods again.
Tact: Then there's Johnathan Marx....
Tact pauses for a bit, rubbing his chin with a hand.
Tact: An 'old school' die hard. Possibly the most highly publicized wrestler on the circuit for the past year. But realistically, publicity is a media engine, and we all know the media can exaggerate a good thing to make it something much greater. Not to discredit you, Marx....but I'm not sure what it is that makes you that great. I've seen you in action plenty of times, in multiple promotions. Your work is good when the time comes to put up. You remind me of a man that I believe you've had the...'pleasure' of seeing perform in the ring, in NFW. I think you know who I'm referring to. And even I have to admit, he's one of the top technicians on the circuit right now. Yeah...Christian Sands is a rising star. But the fact remains that this is NEW, and the two of us? We've both got legacies to pave, yet. The problem is, only one of us can continue laying the bricks here, and while you're good, Marx...the critics are about to be proven wrong....again. I may not be as exposed to the wrestling media as you are, but I prefer it that way. What's the point of building up an image that isn't true to form? I'd rather show people just what I bring to the table when they come to face me. So step up to the plate, Marx. Let me hear from the 'gentleman' himself, what all the fuss is about.
Tact grins a bit more widely momentarily, but then returns to an even expression.
Tact: Then there's the third and last of my opponents. A.I....El Arco Iris....man, we've had a nice run. But you knew this was bound to happen. You knew all along we would have to face each other if we made it this far. So while it's been a....unique experience working with you, now it's time to see how we fair individually. Judging by what you had against Marx, I couldn't help but see a different Arco Iris than the one who I teamed with. I guess there are some differences between teaming and singles competition, but it's about adjustment right now. You've got to have yourself focused and ready for this match, because you aren't facing bullies in the ring. You aren't facing wife beaters or alcoholics or child mo....the point is, you're facing wrestlers who can take you out of the match at any time. We're the top line here, there's no further up to go. And while one person will stay up at the top, three will have nowhere to go but downward. I won't be one of those three going down, Iris. You know I don't hold back, and I give nothing but my all. So while it's a respectable thing to be helping outside the ring...this time, right now, you've got to forget that. Because otherwise....well, take it from someone who knows...what you hold dear can be used against you in this industry. You wouldn't believe some of the things that I've gone through, but believe me, I wouldn't put it past some of the guys here to try ruining your shot by doing the same to you. People get jealous, they get angry, bitter, and want to screw you over and out of your chance to win the top prize. So while your efforts are commendable, you have to know when to put them aside for your own good. If you don't, you may just find that moment of choice coming to you, and I won't be able to wait for you to choose which way to go, Iris. I'll take you out of this match. Nothing personal, but I don't waste opportunities.
Tact leans forward in the steel chair and crosses his arms over his knees.
Tact: There's only one person who has it all together right now, and that's me. I've proven I can succeed, both in a team and on my own. I've proven that I don't need acts of vulgarity to get wins in a match. I can stick to one style or switch up, adapting to win. I've got the skills to pull a win out of the jaws of defeat, turning things around in a moment's time, we've all seen that. And above all...I have the heart of a Champion. I don't care what magazines or tabloids say, only what I believe in myself. There's no opponent I can't defeat, because I will always find a way, and then it's just a matter of applying. And I've shown I can do that, as well. So when you come to the ring against me, expect no less than a top quality opponent. The challenge that you never heard of, and won't want to remember afterward. But the only thing that you need to remember....is the humbling that I instill in your minds....when you are tactilized.....and I am raising the New Era World Championship in my hands.
Tact gets up from the chair, smirks, and walks off. Fade out.
