After being engrossed in his private one-on-one studying with Sensei Matthew at the Training Academy since Havoc, he’s barely kept up with any of the goings-on. So today, he’s taken a small break to catch up and have a rest day. Matt was just chilling in his apartment when he came across the announcement from Wisdom that she would not grant Maniac’s request for their rematch to be an Asylum Match. Whilst he had initially had reservations regarding the barbaric nature of certain elements of the match, the thought of being able to get his chance at redemption on Maniac had quickly melted away any misgivings he’d had. And so when Wisdom had made the announcement, he genuinely felt a wave of disappointment blast through him.
“Aw come on man!” he says out loud, throwing his hands up in frustration. “For f**k sake, guy’s gonna think they’re protecting me…”
As Matt then watched Maniac’s rebuttal to Wisdom, he rolled his eyes, mopping his face with his hands.
“I need to sort this, so I do.”
He gets up from his sofa, grabs the keys to his car and leaves to go to the HWA Training Academy over in Santa Monica.
An hour-and-a-half later
Matt walks through the doors of the Academy, power-walking through the atrium, bypassing the training rings and equipment. Various students are being put through their paces by some of the coaches as he makes his way to the elevator. looks up to the office floor where Butch and Wisdom work when they're in the building but can't quite see if anyone's there. He takes the elevator up and peers through the glass panes to see if either of HWA's co-owners are here. He curses himself when he sees that both offices are empty. Sense Matthew and Hans von Richtoven are nowhere to be seen either.
"Honestly, the one time I need one of them, and everyone's buggered off!"
Matt makes his way to the recording suite where state of the art-of-the-art promo recording equipment has been set-up. Primarily this is used for the more inexperienced students to practice their promos and get used to the entertainment si of things. There is a green screen and speakers that also allow for fake crowd noise to be pumped in so there is a close-to-accurate representation of what it's like being in a jam-packed arena. Matt enters the booth and gets to work on setting everything up. Thankfully, most of the set-up is repopulated and any recordings, once confirmed automatically upload to the HWA YouTube Channel. Matt knew he wasn't as tech-savvy as Sean and Jeremy were so he's grateful for this almost idiot-proof set-up. Matt composes himself in front of the generic background which just shows a black screen with the HWA logo emblazoned across it.
"Well, this certainly is a little awkward, isn't it, folks? Wisdom, I'm sorry to do things this way but it seems lately, neither you, nor Butch or even Sensei are anywhere to be found today. I get you're all busy, so you are but I need to address this now.
Lately, there's very little Maniac and I share except maybe an innate disdain for each other. But one other thing we do agree on this that we want to tear each other limb from limb. I know, given my normal nature and personality, you're surprised by my willingness to take Maniac up on his challenge but…”
Matt lowers his head slightly so the view of his still-stapled cut can be seen.
“... having your head cracked open like a soft-boiled egg in front of thousands of people tends to have an effect on a man's perspective."
Matt lifts his head back up to look at the camera.
"Look, if you and Butch don't give us this match, do you know how this looks on me? Like you're trying to protect me! From day one, all Maniac has done is accuse me of being you and Butch's little puppy who can't do or say anything unless he gets his masters' say so. I look weak, Wisdom and against a guy like Maniac, how am I meant to be taken seriously as a main event-level competitor when I'm not being given the opportunity to prove it?"
Matt stands from his seated position, the agitation and frustration evident as the tone of his voice changes.
"Wisdom, you know how much I respect and care about you and Butch, about Sensei Matthew and how much I value all the support you've given me over the years but you have to see how this from our perspective. We don't want a cage match we don't want falls count anywhere or just no DQ. Make the match unsanctioned! Let us sign some release form that means the HWA isn't responsible for what happens to either of us. I want this match, Wisdom...no, I need this match! You know I'm grateful for the opportunities you and Butch have both given me, HWA has been my family for the last eight years and I've never asked for anything so I'm asking you now…”
Matt holds his hands out in front of them, his palms and fingers clasped together as if he were begging.
"Please, give me this match, do whatever it takes, I don't care what city bylaws you have to get around or what the CBS Executives say, give me Maniac and give him to me inside the Asylum! As for you Maniac…”
Matt allows a subtle smirk to tug at the corners of his mouth and he points at the camera as if he were pointing directly at Maniac himself.
"…Fella, don't mistake this for anything other than me wanting to face you again in the most barbaric circumstances our sport can conjure up because it seems that's what it's gonna take for you and I to settle this little quarrel we've been I since the day the clock reset here in HWA. You're not winning any twisted little games with me mate and you're certainly not going to drive any wedge in the working relationships I have with Wisdom, with Butch and with Sensei Matthew. These are people who have honour, respect and devotion to the business of professional wrestling, to this company. All you care about is hanging out of that young lassie who’s old enough to be your daughter and how much damage you can de everyone around you. You're no pro wrestler Maniac, it may have some sort of official title on your contract that says so and you might write that down when you send in your tax returns every year but you're not one of us. You're nothing than a violent thug, a bully and you know what happens to bullies, Maniac? They always get their comeuppance, fella…always! I'll be seein' ya soon mate, sooner rather than later, you can count on that!"
Matt stops the recording with the remote next to him and hits upload to begin sending his recording straight to HWA's official YouTube channel. As soon as the upload progress bar reaches 100%, he walks out of the booth and out of sight a scene fades to black.
Message Thread
« Back to index