Post by Robert Daniels on Aug 26, 2020 8:51:08 GMT -5
Battleground Network Presents
MAINSTREAM WRESTLING 48
SUNDAY - 9/6/2020
MAINSTREAM WRESTLING STUDIO
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
MAINSTREAM WRESTLING IS LIVE FROM SEATTLE, WASHINGTON AND WE’RE INSIDE THE MAINSTREAM WRESTLING STUDIO!
MAINSTREAM WRESTLING 48
SUNDAY - 9/6/2020
MAINSTREAM WRESTLING STUDIO
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
MAINSTREAM WRESTLING IS LIVE FROM SEATTLE, WASHINGTON AND WE’RE INSIDE THE MAINSTREAM WRESTLING STUDIO!
BOOM! click-BOOM! BOOM!-click-click
BOOM! click-BOOM! BOOM!-click-click
After a few measures of percussive blasts accompanied by timed bursts of pyro, the main riff to “Shotgun” by Limp Bizkit kicks in and “The Revolution” A.J. Morales walks through the curtain wearing a Dallas Stars jacket over his Franchise T-shirt. He plays the Mainstream World Heavyweight title belt like a guitar, while the NVR R!ZE title belt sits strapped around his waist, and as the verse kicks in, he starts making his way down to the ring, still strumming along with his music.
GRAHAM STEVENS: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the ring...representing the Franchise...the Mainstream Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion! THE REVOLUTION! A! J! MO—RALES!
As the Revolution reaches the ring and heads up the steel steps, he straps the world title on diagonally across his chest so he can let himself into the squared circle more easily. Once he’s there, he calls for one of the ringside attendants to toss him a mic, which he catches with the right hand.
A.J. MORALES: Well...it took two and a half years, it took five title shots, but after all the ups and downs, I’m proud to finally stand in this ring AS THE NEEEEEW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WOOOOOORLD!
A.J. gives Graham Stevens a “How was that, huh?” sort of look, which Graham answers with a “so-so” hand gesture.
A.J. MORALES: Bueno...a’right, I lost my voice the night of that big Franchise celebration last month, so before it goes out on me again, lemme shoot from the hip for a second. When we had to get off the road and start doing these studio shows, I had a hard time adjusting. I mean, I’m so used to feeding off the noise and the energy of a live crowd, so to go from thousands of people all chanting my name to near-silence every week? I gotta admit, it kinda messed with my head. And I got sloppy, I got petty, I started taking it out on the people who got in my way...I don’t think I went full rudo, but I think I was kinda on the path to it, ‘cause without some crowd noise to reassure me, I couldn’t silence that voice in my head telling me that I’d choked too many times to be worth cheering in the first place.
He pauses for dramatic effect.
A.J. MORALES: But then that poll went up, asking the fans which Franchise player they wanted to see in that scramble match. And when the finals results came in, and I got the shot, I finally saw what I needed to see. Even if they can’t let fans into the studio, I know y’all have been with me in spirit the whole time.
A.J. starts staring a hole in the hardcam as he raises his fist towards it.
A.J. MORALES: So everybody watching this all around the world, if you’re one of mi gente, I want you to hold your fist out towards the screen, look into my eyes, and know that you—not Robb Daniels, not some network exec, YOU—gave me this opportunity. You got me signed to this roster, you fueled me every step of the way here, and you are the reason I’m finally holding the first world title I ever challenged for. This is just as much your moment as it is mine, and I can’t thank you enough for helping me get here.
Morales lowers the mic for a second and looks away from the camera, trying to hold back a rush of emotion. He takes a couple deep breaths to get himself back on track, and...
A.J. MORALES: But as long and arduous as that road was, I’ve already been a world champion twice before, so I know the real work begins tonight. Ten pounds of gold around your waist don’t mean a thing if you don’t defend it. And the guys with guaranteed title shots alone are a murderer’s row. We got the only three-time 4CW Champion ever, Jason Cashe. We got the guy with the greatest Mainstream world title reign in history, Jacob Hammerstein. And now we’ve also got Chris Constantine Jr., the guy who, not that long ago, had THREE world championships at the same time. But before I get to any of them, or I smack Cartier so hard her boy SILK feels it, or I yank Tedmund Montgomery’s arm out of his socket ‘till he yells “f#qk” on live TV and has to cancel himself, I gotta defend this against Chris Madison. And Chris, I know you’re probably liking your chances here, ‘cause I’ve never been able to beat you one-on-one. I’ll even admit, by the end of that U.S. title contender fight we had in Chicago earlier this year, you pretty much had my number. Y si es cuestión de confesar...if this fight comes down to experience, or ground game, or raw power, it’s yours to win.
Morales pushes a stray lock of his two-tone hair back out of his eyes.
A.J. MORALES: ¿Pero si crees que la victoria es inevitable? Lo siento, wey. Everybody that’s ever tried me thought the same thing. Plenty of them get their shots in, a few knock me down here and there, but if there’s one thing I’ve always been good at, it’s getting back up when people think I’m down for the count. And if I was able to push on through everything I had to deal with on the way to winning this? The hometown losses, the double-bookings, the luchas de apuestas and the 30-minute scrambles? Then you know I’m gonna fight like my life depends on it to make sure nobody here in the Jet City ever soars as high as me.
A.J. adjusts the belt slung over his shoulder as he gets a couple steps closer to the ropes.
A.J. MORALES: So tonight, Chris? You better bring everything you’ve got. You better pull out all the stops you haven’t had to pull yet on me, ‘cause I’ve been shutting out every distraction and studying every frame of game tape I could find on you. And unless you brace yourself for that, you’re gonna find out that even the most efficient War Machine falls to pieces against the force of a Worldwide Revolution.
A.J. spikes the mic on the canvas, then raises the World Heavyweight Championship belt as his music kicks back in. He keeps up that pose for a few seconds so we can really take it in, then gets out of the ring and starts walking backwards up the ramp, continuing to banter with the ringside cameras as they follow him.
MCKAYLA LEWIS: Well, some bold words from the new champ, but with the title reigns he’s had here in the past, there’s a pretty good chance he backs them up in tonight’s main event.
CHARLES HUDSON: Here’s my question, though—did you notice how he barely talked about the Franchise? How he didn’t even mention any of the others by name, or mention how they roped him into hitting Jason Cashe with a chair? Something tells me he’s got some in-group issues he needs to work out, ‘cause his game plan doesn’t align with the rest of the Franchise’s, he might have some major complications in this first title defense.