[LONDON FINAL] (2) Ravager vs. (4) Jonathan Marx

[TH]

At the O2 Arena in London, England

Ravager defeated:
Ronaldodinho
Cameron Cruise
Larry Tact

Marx defeated:
Eric Thompson
The Wraith
Lindsay Troy

Match is one fall to a finish, no time limit. All regular rules apply. RP deadline is Thursday, May 15th at 11:59:59 PM EDT, give or take a second.

 

[Ravager]

Ravager, backstage after his win over Larry Tact...

And so I keep moving, despite every obstacle that gets in my way. Larry, I know it probably means very little to you right now, but you earned my respect tonight. Sorry you had to go, but it's not like I'm going to lose a lot of sleep over it. We both know how this game is played. One winner. One loser. Simple. And now it comes to this. The London Final. Winner goes on to the Final Four. And who is my opponent, but Jonathan Marx. Upset winner over Lindsay Troy. But really, it's not an upset. At this point in the tournament, any wrestler can beat anyone else. The seeds may have played more of a role in the first round, but right now we know who the best of the best really are. So Jonathan, I look forward to facing you. I'm fully expecting to get the fight of my life. And you better be prepared to get the same. Because I am not content to only get this far in the Invitational. I have been trying for two years to win a TEAM tournament. My first CoC I didn't even come close. My first Invitational I ran into a phenom named Fusenhoff. Last CoC, a man named Nova tossed me over the top rope and ended my dreams. This year? Things will be different. No more "underdogs". I will not be surprised by anyone. Not even you Jonathan. You seem to be a funny guy, but you're not going to get under my skin. And you won't get into my head. Not when I have a shot at the Champion of Champions title looming in the distance. Not when I have a chance to avenge my loss to Fusenhoff in a later round. Not when I'm the only NAPW wreslter left in this tournament. I have a lot to look forward to. A lot to strive for. But it'll all mean nothing if I don't beat you. So be prepared Jonathan. Be prepared to be taken to Hell and back as I continue my path of destruction. It will not be pretty. It will not be fun. It may not even be quick and painless.

But it will end with my hand raised in victory. It will end with me standing over your battered body. It will end for you, this round Jonathan.

Nothing personal. Just business.

Fade to Black[/I

 

[Ravager]

We fade in on a podium. The logo for the TEAM Invitational is on the wall behind the podium. Ravager, with the TEAM Challenge title in hand, steps up to speak.

Ladies and gentlemen. For the last year I have defended the TEAM Challenge title with pride, taking on every opponent TEAM deemed worthy of fighting me. And while I look forward to defending this title again. And again. And again, I will have to disappoint the fans who show up to the next Supershow expecting me to defend this belt in a creatively stipulated match.

You see, if I show up for the next Supershow ready to defend this title, it'll mean that I failed to win my match in the TEAM Invitational.

It'll mean I'll have lost yet another TEAM tournament.

It'll mean the last month has been for nothing.

It'll mean Jonathan Marx is better than me. And as good as he's proven himself to be so far, I don't think he's that good. Not when he's facing a man who is willing to sacrifice everything to get to the top. A man who treats every match like it's a Pay per View main event. A man who will obsess over every mistake until he corrects them. For every loss I've suffered in TEAM, I've managed to turn around and come back stronger. Last year I was upset. This year? There will be no more surprises. Jonathan. You may have beaten the number one seed in the London Bracket. But you haven't beaten me. And that's all that matters. Rankings, stats, numbers mean Jack at this point. All that matters is who wants to win the most. Me? I hate losing so much that I'll go to the ends of the Earth just to get a win back. Are you willing to go that far Jonathan? Do you have the same will to win as me? Cruise thought he did. So did Tact. To be honest, I don't know what Ronaldodinho was thinking, other than "ouch, my head hurts from that brainbuster". Thing is, everybody thought they had more heart and desire than me. And now they get to watch at home, while I go to London to face you. I've never fought in London. I want to make a big impression.

Guess who I'll use to make that impression?

The Final Four, and eventually the Invational trophy, are what drives me. For me to get them, I'm going to have to run you down, Jonathan. Destiny has forced you to cross the wrong path. It won't be pretty. It won't be fun. It'll be all business.

Nothing personal Jonathan.

Ravager holds up the Challenge title.

And don't worry. Once the Invitational is over, I look forward to year two of my Challenge title reign.

You haven't seen anything yet.

Fade to black.

 

[PaulNJ21]

Ravanger Needs A Hug


::Marx is sitting down behind the table of soup kitchen he regularly donates his time to with his arms crossed::

JONATHAN MARX: Poor chap, it is with my deepest condolences that I inform you that you are going to lose, as you put in your own words, “yet another TEAM tournament.” Make no mistake, I’m not one of those people who takes great joy in the misery of others and I feel deeply for your plight of having worked so hard, yet you repeatedly keep on running into walls that will not give.

I’m not a heartless man. After all, as much as I respect Lindsay Troy as a wrestler, it took a lot for me to put aside the fact that she was a woman and go in there and give her my all. You see, unlike most of the people in this tournament, I am first and always a gentlemen. Maybe after all this is done, we can open up a good bottle of scotch and smoke a few choice Cuban cigars.

That being said, when I am in the ring, as a man who has made his mission to win the TIT tournament and has raised $800,000 to help the distressing national epidemic of small chested women with a D cup and smaller, I have to take advantage of all weaknesses in my opponent, both physical and mental and yours are glaring.

You are preoccupied with the thought at a chance at being the Champion of Champion. You are worried about letting the fans down at the next Supershow. You are worried about whether if you give me your all, that you won’t have enough left to defend the TEAM Challenge Title. You have all the focus of a kid hopped up on way too much sugar.

All I care about is winning the TIT tournament. I left my baggage at the door when I signed up because I knew that I have to be focused to win the tournament and at anytime in this tournament, anyone can beat anyone regardless of seeding and the moment you let yourself get distracted, all it takes is three seconds and you are gone.

What makes things worse for you is this match will be in London, where I’ve wrestled before and beaten an Englishman named Adam Benjamin for his title and brought home the gold. As for my heart and dedication, you may want to ask my friend Larry Tact about the crusade I fought to right the wrong against him and take back the title that was stolen from around his waist and the lengths I went to set things right. I am a good man, I am a gentleman, but sometimes the end justifies the means.

It is nothing personal Revenger, but this is the TIT tournament, you either have to get stacked or go home. So let me offer a contrition for what will happen in London in advance…

Ravanger, I’m sorry, I love you.

FTB

 

[Ravager]

Re: Ravanger Needs A Hug

Love me? You barely know me... I mean I'm flattered and all, but, you really think that'll make the difference when we face off Jonathan?

Fade in on a rooftop in Edmonton. Whyte Avenue. Ravager used to spend a lot of time up here to reflect, but lately he hasn't had a reason to.

Until now.

Elite Eight.

Win or go home.

It's very simple for me Jonathan. Everything I want? A shot at the Champion of Champions? Respect? More of the best opponents in the World? They all come from winning the Team Invitational. I may be looking to the future, but really, who doesn't? You can try and focus on one thing and one thing only, but all the "what if's" start to enter into your head.

What if I make it to the Final Four? Who will my opponent be?

What if I make it to the finals? Will Fusenhoff be around so I can avenge last year's loss?

What if I win the whole thing and get my title shot? Will Nova still be Champion of Champions, so I can get get some payback for him tossing me at the Tournament of Champions?

I think about these things a lot. But really, all that matters is the gentleman who will face me in London. I'm sure you'll have no problem giving your all against me. If you did have any problems, you wouldn't have made it as far as you have. I don't worry about your heart and dedication. You wouldn't have lasted through your first match if you weren't willing to put your body on the line night after night for this sport. I worry about other things. Letting my guard down. Believing in my own hype. Jet lag. Bad airplane food. Taking a wrong turn in London and being late for our match. Having a heart attack in the ring and collapsing, allowing you to pin me.

Really, worry is for fools. You're not letting anything bother you right now. You're focused on winning the Invitational.

Believe me when I say, that winning the Invitational means the World to me. It opens up every door that has been closed to me in the past. It moves all those brick walls out of my way. It takes me even farther than the Challenge Championship has brought me. I left my baggage at the door Jonathan. You'll get everything I have and more. And when I'm done with you, I'll have more than enough for my next opponent in the tournament. And whoever makes it to the finals. And whoever gets the next Challenge Championship shot. And the next one after that. And the next one after that.

And I'll have plenty left for whoever is Champion of Champions. That's what a gentleman does.

He brings enough for everyone.

See you soon Mister Marx.

I hope you're as ready as you think..

Fade to Black.

 

[PaulNJ21]

::Marx is sitting in a coffee shop by the window, with his business manager and long time from Brandon Jacobs, looking out at the rain::

BRANDON JACOBS: Have you come up with a reply to the emo Dinobot yet?

JONATHAN MARX: I’m totally dumbfounded, I feel like I’m Richard Lewis’ shrink or like someone cast me down in the original Odd Couple movie as Oscar trying to save Felix’s sanity.

BRANDON JACOBS: This could all simply be an act. He has beaten Cameron Cruise and Larry Tact after all.

JONATHAN MARX: I hope it is, I don’t want him jumping off a bridge after I defeat him. That would be a serious downer on my tournament win. I could see it now, “Won the 2008 TIT Tournament, prevented the epidemic of flat chest women from over taking the country, drove Ravanger to an early grave…”

BRANDON JACOBS: I hope you are not planning on taking it easy on him because of all this.

JONATHAN MARX: No, I’m a third generation wrestler, who has faced my share of monsters, mentors, masters, and women. Having to deal with all this drama is all second nature to me. I don’t let myself be ravaged by self doubts. I’m not a Tony Stark like figure battling the demons from within. The only war I rage is the one on time.

BRANDON JACOBS: Time?

JONATHAN MARX: Growing up, I witnessed my mother’s battle with Parkinson which she ultimately lost despite having fought valiantly. One thing that she always stressed though is to live your life to the fullest and leave no regrets behind. For the most part, she was able to do that which is why I have always taken the words Jim Henson said to heart, "When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better place for my having been there." It has been my good fortune to able to do that battling the good fight for old school wrestling, but there is even more left to accomplish to leave wrestling better for the next generation.

BRANDON JACOBS: That certainly isn’t the “me” attitude so many wrestlers from this generation seem to have these days.

JONATHAN MARX: Ravanger seems so obsessed with all of his own drama instead of working for a common good. It is time to show Ravanger what true true team work is all about.

FTB

 

[Ravager]

I like you Jonathan. You're a funny guy. Too bad I can't kill you last. Because you're standing in my way of the Final Four...

Fade in on Ravager, walking down Whyte Avenue. The street is bustling with activity, but Ravager has one focus for the moment.

"The common good".

Ravager chuckles.

Funny how the common good seems to involve you winning the TEAM Invitational. Making the wrestling World better one match at a time?

That's what I live for Jonathan. Every match I'm in, whether it opens the show or is the main event, I make sure is one for the ages. Every opponent, no matter what stage of his career, gets my full focus. I don't slack off for anyone. I don't downplay anyone's abilites. That's respect Jonathan. I have it for you, even if you and your little friend think you can goad me with petty name calling. I respect the fact that you've fought your way this far in the tournament. But you're acting like a win for you is a win for wrestling. For all the boys in the back. For all the fans.

But really, you want the same thing I do.

Titles.

Respect.

Money.

All "charitable causes" aside, you're in this for you. And I can't begrudge you for that. That would make me a hypocrite. And I'd rather be known as something else:

TEAM Invitational Winner.

And you know the only way that's going to happen, Jonathan. It will involve me not behaving like a gentleman. Respect, common good, charity? You want all that?

Go to church.

You want the match of your life? You've got it. I'll be happy to give it to you. I just hope you're the gentlemen you claim to be, so you can hide your disappointment after the match. Because I am going to be less than charitable with you Jonathan.

Nothing personal. Just business.

Ravager smirks as he keeps walking down the avenue.

Fade to black.

 

[PaulNJ21]

Hello, Dali!


::Marx stands with his arms behind his back staring at the The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, the camera films him speaking from behind::

JONATHAN MARX: My perspective in life has always been a bit off which is why I was taken back when you referred to me essentially as being normal.

::starts to break up with laughter and tries to stop self, but fails miserably and breaks up. Marx turns around to face the camera.::

I am sorry, but that is the best laugh I had all week. I respect you Ravanger, you seem like a good man, an educated man, but you have no idea what you are getting into or who I am. I’m a bit of a wildcard and if you followed half the stuff I’ve said and done in my career, the last thing you would ever call me is normal. I’m eccentric. All geniuses are a bit. Maybe even a little bit mad…

Being a gentleman though, let me clear up a few of your misconceptions about me. First off, I’m not in it for the money. As a third generation wrestler from a line of wrestlers who believed it isn’t what you make, but what you save, even before I became a wrestler, I was set for life so money has never been a motivating factor for me. I was educated in the finest schools, navigated the globe as a world traveler to better understand the world we live in, and trained in pro wrestling and MMA under the best teachers in the world.

As for respect and titles, for me, those aren’t individualistic goals. I have proven in the past how much I’m willing to sacrifice time and time again to bring a second golden age of wrestling. If I was condemned to a lifetime of opening matches without winning a singles title, if it meant making the wrestling world a better place, I would walk away in a heartbeat. While I love this business and on some level, it would break my heart, as a third generation wrestler with this sport in my blood and that ring as my church, having raised heaven and hell in order to restore this sport to greatness for generations to come, as a team player, I would end my crusade and simply walk away. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy. In order to make real changes in this world, you have to be the man on top that sets the pace for the rest of the sport and be an example of for future generations to come. At times, I’ve had to sacrifice my own respect as a means to an end, but I’d be willing to do it again because I love this sport more than myself.

As for the claim that I don’t have any respect for you, when I get you in the ring in London, I’m going to slap you in the face so hard your teeth are going to hurt for a week. Unlike you, I’ve done my homework and I’ve been watching your matches and I have respect for what you do IN THAT RING, but what I don’t have respect for is you acting like some emo Dinobot talking publicly about your own self doubts. As a gentleman, I’ve done my best to hold off on going off on a Dr. Coxian like rant when you acted like more of a woman than Lindsay Troy on her worst day and most likely, it was when she was forced into conversing with Duchess, going off on your own personal pity party.

I want you at your best, man up for Christ sake Nancy boy, this is the TIT tournament, it is time to get stacked or go home!

FTB

 

[Ravager]

Re: Hello, Dali!

Go home? ...

We fade in on a hotel room. Ravager gathering his things before heading out for his match.

You know, for a while there I didn't really know where home was.

It wasn't Brooklyn. Sure, that's where I was born. Doesn't mean it was home.

Once the NAPW started, I called Edmonton "home". It's where I live, even when I was out of the company for four months. But I don't really spend enough time there to call it home.

I always seem to find myself in places like this. Hotel rooms that all seem to look alike, no matter what city your in, what country you're in, what continent you're in. There's a Bible in the nightstand, the sheets smell funny, and there's never anything good on TV. This is where I spend the bulk of my life. But this isn't home either. There is only one place I can truly call "home".

We cut to a wrestling ring. Ravager stands in the centre. The building is empty. It's hours before the show. Ravager is alone for now.

Here is where I can cut loose. Here is where I earn the most respect. Not with words. Not with a quick wit or a cheap laugh. But with action. That's what the fans pay to see. And that's what I give them night in and night out. I don't have to worry about offending anyone when I'm in here. I don't have to be concerned about what anyone thinks of me. Because anyone who is standing in this ring with me, is usually fighting for their life.

I try to be humble. I try to show respect. And it gets mistaken for self pity. Weakness. That's a shame. Because, Jonathan, you'll be coming in here thinking you have a mental advantage, when really, you've got a multi time champion. A hard hitter, and an all business ass kicker. I have been on top before, setting the standard in NAPW as champion. Setting the standard here as Challenge champion. I know of sacrifice. I've been pushed out of this business once already, and it nearly killed me...

Because it means being kicked out of my home.

I'm surprised you had any doubts about me being ready to man up. I've been ready for this match since it was announced. I've been ready for the Invitational since I was eliminated last year.
I was ready for you before you even signed on for this match Jonathan. I may not have known you were going to be my opponent, but I knew there would be five wrestlers standing in my way of victory, and I'd have to be prepared to give my all to defeat them.

I'm already home, Jonathan. I look forward to inviting you in. Just be forewarned:

I'm not the most hospitable host.

Nothing personal.

Fade to black.

 

[PaulNJ21]

RavangerFinnegans Wake (1939)

::Marx walks into a church, he makes his way down the aisle into the pew and he kneels and begins to pray::

JONATHAN MARX: God, I know that I don’t come here as often as I should. But I try to make up for it by living my life in a manner that would make both you and my mother proud. Today I don’t come here to pray for myself, because for all my troubles, you have blessed me with family and friends that are always there to guide me through even my toughest times. Today, I come to ask for ask for a favor, my opponent Ravanger is plagued with self doubts and seems to be in a constant state of misery. I ask you in wake of my victory to help him overcome his own internal sadness and find happiness and help him to develop a stronger backbone where he isn’t constantly plagued with these troubling thoughts. Through conversing with him, I’ve found him to be a good man and someone who could help with my efforts to restore a second golden age of wrestling once I reach the top of the mountain and win the Team Invitational Tournament. All he needs is that belief in himself and some encouragement that a better days is on the horizon to become one of the alltime greats. Watch over him in our match and make sure I don’t go too far, he is truly a good soul. Through your salvation and the good book of old school wrestling, may he finally find peace.

In name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

::As Marx sits in his pew in silence after the prayer, the image of Michael Manson appears behind him and puts his hand on his shoulder and nods, “Let it be so.” ::

FTB