B17: I should be out here to congratulate Wrex, and to wish him luck as he and I prepare to battle once again, almost an exact year from the day when he tried to cash in.
B17:
But Instead I’m forced to face a reality that I thought ended at Certified Greatness. I thought that with the defeat of Code Jackman, I could turn a page in a chapter of violence and destruction. Instead I turn the page only to find that the devil came calling.
B17 pauses and considers his next words.
B17: Two weeks ago The Roadhouse was burned to the ground. A charred and ruined pile of rubble is all that remains. Thankfully no one was hurt.
B17:
Blaine finds herself without a life that she has led for the past two years. I have found myself without a home. Hard working people lost their jobs last week.
The crowd remains silent, waiting to see what will unfold.
B17: What Aries did...real men don’t do. But there seems something off about it. I can’t allow myself to become distracted because for an odd nagging reason I can’t see a coward like Aries doing this without knowing that he has...someone to protect him. But…
B17 takes a deep breath for continuing.
B17: Wrex! It feels like this game of chess that we’ve been playing for over a damn year...it feels like maybe you’re playing with some blood on your hands...why don’t you come out here. I have...some questions for you.
Gojira fills the building as the CCW champion comes out to the stage, dropping his belt to the ground in front of him he takes a mic that’s brought over from a backstage hand. He seems contempt having this conversation from a distance.
Wrex: Has it been that long already? A whole year.. Amazing what time can do, here I stand holding the CCW ”Championship” and here you are, challenging again. Guess some things don’t change.
B17: Was it you?
Wrex: Really B? We’ve resorted to the blame game now? Why would I care about some bar, why would I care about that fat load of craps sister, why would I care about that concussion bound morons wife, why would I care about you? What would that do for me? Nothing.
B17: I can’t help but to notice that “some bar” belongs to a women that wants to fight you. I can’t help but to notice that sister belongs to a man that was challenging you.
B17:
I can’t help but to notice that wife is married to a man that despises you. I can’t help but to notice that my home was destroyed not long after winning the number one contendership. I can’t help but to notice that everyone who has beef with you falls victim to some horrible tragedy.
Wrex: Bingo, coincidences? This is your proof? Coincidences that helped me in the long run, nothing more. Maybe that little piece of ego left behind by the Bingo I remember oh so well gave you the idea that this is all some build up, my way of chipping away at you to you finally broke.
Wrex:
Newsflash Bingo, this was never about you. What happened at that bar was never about you, Arith, Karissa, Blaine. That had nothing to do with you.
Wrex: Sigh But here we are, once again. Nearly a year to the date we first did this.. I was younger, you were.. More colourful and this belt actually looked presentable. But nevertheless, here we are.
B17: Here we are. Me, hoping that the man standing before me is still the man he used to be and you hoping that I’m not the man I used to be.
Wrex: I hope you aren’t, cause you’re going to need a lot more than that this time around. Believe it or not, In some dark twisted way I respect you. I respect you for what you did, that’s why I never involved you in any of this.
Wrex:
But that doesn’t matter anymore, three years of hell are nearly over and you.. You’re the roadblock standing between me and him. And I won't let you steal this from me again.
Both men stare each other down.
B17: Someone has to pay for what happened…
Wrex: Haven’t you already paid enough?
Kassidy Hayes walks around the ring expressionless. He peers around to the OCW universe, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
The crowd lay stunned at Kassidy Hayes showing up with no facepaint or Kasstianity emblems for the first time in a long time.
He looks over at the timekeeper begrudgingly but resists. Kassidy rests his hand on his chin and allows the crowd to sit in total confusion at his presence.
The crowd pops up at something. Kassidy looks around for the reasoning of the small pop, eventually focusing in on the top of the ramp. The camera follows his gaze to see a frantic and panicked looking Quartz… standing at the top of the ramp.
Quartz is shouting into the ring at Kassidy, inaudibly. He power walks down the ramp, seemingly ignoring the surrounding crowd, showing concern for his TTT stablemate.
Still shouting at Kassidy in the ring, he walks around to the time-keepers area and gathers two microphones.
Quartz rolls into the ring and stares Kassidy Alexander Hayes in the eyes. The two share a few words off mix as Quartz finally raises the mic to his face.
Quartz: Kassidy Hayes. I’ve known you since I arrived in OCW. I know your current state wasn’t ideal, but I never thought you’d actually show up out here… Like this.
Quartz: You were - and ARE - the longest reigning OCW World Champion in history. You were an inspiration for me to accept Jaysin Sensation’s offer to me last year. Watching you in that chamber… One of the only competent participants…
Quartz: Now we’re here. Now you’re out here…
Quartz looks Kass up and down
Quartz: Naked. You’re not yourself and I urge you Kassidy Hayes… I urge you to re-think this.
The crowd, still stunned and confused, key in on Kassidy Hayes, who is now looking around the arena. Finally, after several tense moments, he lifts the microphone to his face.
Kassidy: I feel like in a way we have been here before; this time, unfortunately for me, it is much more serious than it was last time.
Kassidy: My neck has been in a bad way after that house show, in the past I missed a Summercide and had a small hiatus due to booking issues with a opponent but I have never had a doctor look me in the eyes and tell me that I may never be able to wrestle again.
Kass looks Quartz in the eyes before breaking his world with the news...
Kassidy: I was told that the other day.
The OCW universe groans in shock as the two members of TTT stand face to face in the ring.
Quartz: Kass… I know you. I know more than these idiot fans. I know more than people in the back.
Quartz: C’mon.
Kass does not answer… but instead just shakes his head disappointedly at Quartz.
Quartz: Kass… I know there is no one more disappointed than you that you won’t be competing at this years Wrestlution, in whatever guaranteed spectacle of a match you had planned….
Quartz: No one has taken on more challenges, no one in the history of wearing the OCW World Heavyweight Championship has taken on the challenges that you took on and succeeded, that you so eagerly took on.
Kassidy: There’s one thing about me that I’ve always tried to hold with me through my career.
Kassidy: … and that is I can’t do anything halfway. I come here and hear all the fans chant H2O’s name. They chant for P3.
Kass ponders his words for a moment.
Kassidy: One thing's for sure, you're going to have all of that in the future. That's what I want for the OCW fans. In spite of, uh, what people may think about me, what I've always wanted for all these people is, is for them to have a good time and to enjoy themselves.
Kassidy: I've always tried to be the one to provide it… Whether it was on the good side or the bad side, mostly on the bad side, but what was always important to me was the performance, so that these people…
Kassidy: Each time they reached in their pocket, they paid to get a OCW ticket, they didn't regret it because they knew that if they saw my name on the card, they knew it was going to be a match to remember.
Kassidy: but that hasn’t been true as of late… and that’s part of the reason why I am going away. I haven’t been able to deliver in this ring in the most meaningful way that I can.
Quartz head drops in disappointment. He looks dejected as he turns his head to the turnbuckle. The crowd has fallen into a deaf silence… The man they once hated has shocked their world with this news.
Kassidy: Over the last couple weeks there's been a lot of talk of people, uh, having bad attitudes, poor in ring work, and a lot revolving around the OCW Championship. All I know today… Is that one thing that's not going to revolve around that Championship, for a long time, is going to be Kassidy Hayes.
Kassidy: If I can't come back and perform at the level I performed at, before... I can't, I can't perform. I can't come out here and just go half-ass anymore like I have been.
Kassidy: The schedule over the last year I took on because I didn't feel like I could say no. I wanted to do everything. I wanted to enjoy my life as the OCW Champion. I wanted to, I wanted to party at Capo’s and I wanted to compete in The Chamber and I wanted to have a religion and I wanted to do autograph sessions and I wanted to have concert sermons and I got to do every bit of that. If nothing else, I have all of that to take with me.
Quartz has since turned around, leaning back on a turnbuckle, mostly for support, due to the nature of the announcement he’s hearing right now.
Kassidy: Right now? We’re in the middle of a shift in mindset of OCW where winning is most important, but I don’t care about the outcome of the match, I care about the performance. Right now? Heart is the most important thing in OCW…
Kassidy: Unfortunately, all I've got right now for you is a lot of sorrow, a lot of tears, and a lot of emotion. I don't have any heart for anybody.
Kassidy: I know that over the, uh, the last several months I've lost a lot of things and one of them has been my smile. And, and I know it doesn't mean a whole lot to everybody else, but it means a lot to me.
Kass begins to tear up,
Kassidy: I have to go back and I have to find my smile because somewhere along the line I lost it and I don't care, really, I don't care if it's unpopular, and I don't care if, uh, people want to make fun of me because I'm an emotional guy.
Kassidy: ...But, um, this is all I've ever wanted to do and uh, over the last year I got to do it and whether you like me or not, I just want to tell you that, uh, last year was the most wonderful year of my life.
Kassidy: ...If I never do get to do it again, it'll be okay because I got to live one full year as being the number one guy in this business and it was the single greatest year of my life. And I have Jaysin Sensation to thank, and I have Mugen to thank, and I have my dad Ryu to thank, and I have everybody here to thank, and it means a lot to me and, uh, I'm gonna go home now.
Kassidy Hayes, his head still up, looking out at the OCW crowd, wipes away his tears. The OCW Universe has abandoned their hate for Kass. Their hate for TTT. Their hate for Kasstianity… All of their hate has evaporated.
Everyone is on their feet. Cheering and clapping for Kassidy Hayes, when all of a sudden a very familiar theme song starts echoing throughout the arena.
Valkyrie shows up on stage. She's holding a microphone in her hand.
Valkyrie: Sorry to interrupt. Our Hero invited me back to Riot for one night only while we negotiate the terms of my reinstatement.
Valkyrie: Don't get me wrong, Kassidy. I hate you. I hate everything about you.
Valkyrie: I hate your stupid cult. I hate your silly haircut. I hate your TTT friends. I hate your goddamn smile. I hate that weird feeling I get in my stomach every time I'm looking at you.
Valkyrie: But let's be honest. People come and go all the time, here in OCW. They have their moments, then get buried and leave. They are red hot one day, completely forgotten the next.
Valkyrie: But you, you've always managed to stay on top of the Riot food chain for over a year. You carried this show for an entire season, believe it or not. Nobody in recent history has accomplished what you have accomplished.
Valkyrie: A neck injury? A lost smile? Yeah. Whatever. You want to take a break, you want to recharge your batteries and that's fine. But I'm here tonight to issue a challenge.
The crowd starts buzzing
Valkyrie: They say you need two people to tango. We haven't had intergender matches for quite some time here on Riot… but in OCW, a good dancing partner is all you need. So, whenever you come back, if you want to steal the show with someone who is well hydrated… you know where to find me.
Valkyrie drops the mic and smirks as the camera closes up on her. She then turns around and disappears through the curtains. Kassidy Hayes smirks back in Valkyries direction and takes one final look around the arena.
Kassidy: Thank you, OCW.
Kass and Quartz share a final hug in the ring, the crowd still applauding, showing respect for the leader of Kasstianity in the emotional moment.
