As the One Man Revolution, Bobby Minio paces around the ring, he takes an extra moment to soak in what may be the most positive crowd reaction he’s received in his time in the OCW.
He forces a smile, though only half of his lips curl, as he nods softly to himself. The cheers begin to drown out the boos, and gradually a rabid “MIN-I-O, MIN-I-O” chant begins to spread throughout the arena.
He mouths the words “Thank you” into the air before turning and gesturing to ringside. A crew member hustles over, providing Minio with a microphone, which incenses the crowd even further.
Minio gives it a second to work itself out, and as the crowd lowers, he begins to raise the mic up toward his face, inciting another response from the audience. After a moment, they finally let him begin to speak.
Bobby Minio: Thank you all… Truly.
The crowd cheers again, a few sporadic “You deserve it!” chants begin to boom over the overall buzz.
Bobby Minio: I really don’t. Okay, maybe. Maybe I do.
The fans pop as a response to that hint of credit.
Bobby Minio: I’ve got to be honest with you all, I truly don’t know. I don’t. My entire career… I’ve struggled. I don’t just mean, struggled the way you’ve seen me struggle here in the ring. I’ve… it’s been a long road to this point.
He begins to pace again as he speaks, getting lost in his thoughts and words.
Bobby Minio: I’ve suffered… I’ve suffered from the weight of doubts, doubts that, at points, would drown out anything I could think of in my head that said otherwise.
Bobby Minio: I’ve struggled with imposter syndrome, feeling as though I didn’t belong, and I couldn’t contend and keep up, and all along the way, the voice of every critic, every detractor, it amplified those messages within my head, and within my heart.
The crowd has fallen silent now, listening to Minio’s every word.
Bobby Minio: Even before I made it to the OCW, it’s been an uphill battle, I’ve fought injuries that have ended other careers, I’ve lost friends, family, partners, lovers, opportunities, respect, I’ve lost it all, and I’ve had to rebuild it all, multiple times.
Bobby Minio: Over time, I began to rely on self medication. I drank, smoked and screwed away these negative feelings and they still hung in there, hanging over my head, sometimes muted, sometimes louder than others, always there.
He shakes his head, continuing to pace and look down at the microphone as he speaks into it.
Bobby Minio: My friends… my so called friends here, that were supposed to have my back, they left me hanging, time and time again they left me hanging and that did not help those voices, that self criticism that I couldn’t make it. I couldn’t be more than I was… The mouthpiece. The sharp wit. The pest. The joke.
Bobby Minio: Mugen, he’s so far off the reservation that he’s on his own trip but, that didn’t come with the consideration of inviting a brother along, and Pugh…
Bobby Minio:
Pugh’s head is so far up his own ass that he could pop out of his own mouth and look like the creature from Alien
Bobby Minio:
Worst of all, I think if you were to ask him, he’d truly believe that he was instrumental into getting me to this point but if anything, he held me back from this moment. Even when he was in my corner he was holding me back.
He finally stops, his body facing the hard camera side of the arena, his eyes still down at the microphone.
Bobby Minio: All of that, that destruction inside my mind, and the self destructive ways that I would manifest those feelings, it nearly killed me.
Bobby Minio:
I went on a bender that lasted months, blowing through company reserves of cash and placing myself into indentured servitude to this company as I work to pay off those debts.
Bobby Minio:
It’s led to some of my most embarrassing moments with an OCW timestamp in the bottom corner, and it’s led to repeated disappointment.
His eyes raise up, locking into the camera as it zooms to place his upper bust into frame.
Bobby Minio: ...and now all of that is OVER.
Bobby Minio: I know a lot of people expected me to come out here and be boastful, and prideful, and rattle off like I normally do. They expected me to list my assets, talk about how prideful I was about my ability to verbally shred any man, woman or deity that has cashed an OCW paycheck. Well the fact is, that wasn’t pride, that was a crutch.
Bobby Minio: That was a pillar that held the roof up while everything inside buckled. That was something I relied on because the rest of me was simply, not there, nor was it ever.
Bobby Minio: I stumbled into the doors of this company and immediately into a fued with one of the company’s most respected legends, Matsuda, who ate me alive.
Bobby Minio:
He beat me, he burned me, he buried me, he did everything possible to curb my progress. I was “rescued” into the arms of C4, a hyperbolic ego chamber designed to promote one bleach haired half wit, where the men who were supposed to vault me up worked harder to hold me down.
Bobby Minio: Every opportunity I was given was simply punishment, for being too loud and too damned honest, to constantly remind me where I belonged, and where I belonged in their eyes was at the bottom, and goddamnit they did it so much, so often, that I began to believe them.
Bobby Minio:
Well I don’t believe them anymore. I believe in myself. I believe in Bobby Minio, the same man that Momma Minio believed in when she would hold me as a younging and tell me that I was going to be the greatest man alive.
Minio steps back, lowering his shoulder to let the Pride Championship slide into his hand.
Bobby Minio: This title, this is… this is great. This is a self affirmation that I’ve needed for a… for a very long time, that’s for damn sure… but this?
He lays the title belt down on the mat in front of him, taking a moment to appreciate the championship before fixing his posture and staring back into the camera.
Bobby Minio: This isn’t the real pride that I’ve gained here or earned. That pride?
Minio raps his fist against his chest, his law clenched as his gaze burns a hole through the camera.
Bobby Minio: That Pride Championship is in here, and even if I lose this strap along the way… even when my name is buried on a never ending list of future champions, my face long erased from the website holding that belt… that pride, will never leave me. Not ever again.
The crowd roars as Minio’s monologue ends. He bites down onto his lip and squints into the crowd as the bolts holding the roof onto the building strain against the sound from the fans. Minio slides down out of the ring, shaking a few hands at rindside closest to where he had hopped down.
He turns, grabbing the title belt and slinging it back over his shoulder, clapping the face of the belt with his palm and nodding to himself again.
He begins to walk up the ramp, nodding at the fans along the railing and silently thanking them as he walks, before the camera cuts back to ringside.
The camera pans to the announce team.
Thats Our
The Xtron Flickers On!
The scene opens with two imposing figures stepping out of a Rolls Royce parked outside the arena in a relatively empty car park.
The two men are revealed to be security guards, and are followed out of the vehicle by Antonio Everrett and Doc Green, who are dressed smartly for their arrival to Super Turmoil. Antonio turns to face the security guards.
Antonio: Alright lads, you’ve done a fantastic job staring at us in the car while getting to the arena, but honestly, is it really necessary for you two to follow us into the arena? I’m sure myself and Doc can find our own way, and if those two twats want to attack us again we’ll be ready this time.
Security Guard #1: Sorry, Mr. Sensation’s orders. We’re not allowed to leave you two until you get to his office.
Doc looks confused.
Doc: Wait, he wants to see us? He should want to see those dickheads who assaulted us at The Clash, not us.
Security Guard #2: Look, we’ve been told to escort you to his office, so that’s what we’re gonna do. If you have any questions about that, you can ask him when we get there.
Antonio: Alright fine, look Doc, if they do try to attack us, at least we’ll have an audience to watch them cry like babies when they realise we’re taking those titles off them tonight.
Doc: I suppose you’re right, let’s bloody go.
The two rookies exchange their handshake before being escorted by the security guards towards Mr. Sensation’s office, but are cut off in the hallway by Our Hero himself.
Our Hero: Just the guys I wanted to see!.
Our Hero: Look, I’ve just spoken to our doctor, he said he’s gonna do some check ups on you but he’ll probably be able to clear you to compete.
Our Hero:
But, if you two want to fight for those titles some other time when you’re in better shape then I can move this match to another date.
Doc looks at Antonio, shoots a grin and looks back at Our Hero.
Doc: Now, while we do appreciate the offer, I think I speak for both Ant and I when I say we’re more than ready to fight those dick-.
Antonio: Mr. Sensation we are more than happy to have our match tonight, I don’t think we’ve ever been more motivated to win, especially on a night like this.
Our Hero: You two are crazy, maybe that’s why I like you two You can have your match, just make sure you go see the doctor, I don’t want any more lawsuits. Like I told Cort Marshall at the Clash I will not be personally liable if you two get hurt!
Antonio: Doc and I will be okay I’m certain. Now if you’ll excuse us we have some titles to win.
Doc and Antonio make their way down the hallway, wheeling their gear behind them.
The camera pans to the announce team.
Them kids got some gusto!
But will it be enough?
Scene opens to AC Cobra sitting in a dark room, intently staring at a laptop screen, snaking on a bag of Doritos and a diet Mountain Dew. On the screen you can see a well endowed Twitch streamer, a big grin and cheese residue forms on Cobra’s face.
Golden: You know we have a match right?
Tre Golden appears in the room a flips the light switch,Cobra immediately flinches.
AC Cobra: My eyes! The sun, it burns! It burns!
Golden: Cobra man? What is this, you’re sitting here in the Dark watching, some bs! It’s rotting your brain homie.
Golden: We have a match in mere minutes, and you’re sitting here in sweat pants and a white beater, do you even know where your gear is?
Cobra: Yeah, it’s somewhere in my bag with my pizza rolls & flesh light.
Cobra walks over to his locker and a cascade of empty Dew bottles rain down as he opens it, he reaches down and grabs his gear from the bottom and dusts it off. He raises the gear to show Golden.
Cobra: See?
Golden: Cobra man, I’m disappointed in you, you got talent and experience you should be a multiple time World Champion, but you sitting in here wasting all of your time.
Golden: Doesn’t it bother you that you could’ve pinned the Current World Champion? Homie it doesn’t even look like you care about winning against me tonight.
Golden: I’m making my way to Minio and That Pride Championship, Do you even have any Goals?
Cobra: I have goals! Buy Bitcoin, play overwatch, more Dew!
Tre face palms.
Cobra: Re watching Dawson Creek, finding out who killed Tupac *Tre cuts AC off*
Golden: Wanna make a bet? Tonight, let’s do something that will benefit both of us. You win, I’ll indulge in your gaming nonsense. I win, & we doing grown man stuff. We’re doing grown man stuff starting with these *Tre touches Cobra chest*
Cobra covers his chest being ashamed of his breast.
Golden: We’re working out, not that glorified jog session you normally do. We’re whipping you into shape & getting you together. You’re in a rut & I’m here to get you out what do you say?
Cobra: I’ll accept your offer.
The two shake hands as the scene fades.
The camera pans to the announce team.
Intersting wager!
Oh yes!
A.C. COBRA vs TRE GOLDEN
The camera pans to the announce team.
Well no!
Put up or shutup!
Terra Daturas fills the camera as it slowly zooms out from her smiling face. The crowd cheers to see the unique vegan underdog.
She’s carrying a leafy-looking bag, almost certainly made of hemp, first getting to the arena.
Terra makes some deliberate turns before arriving at a door labeled “JUSTIN JEHST” and knocking. After nobody answers, her lips pucker disappointedly.
Terra puts her head down and once again knocks, hoping to speak to her friend Elsa Holmberg before her long-time-coming match with Alyssa Winters. Unfortunately, there is again no answer and Terra is startled from behind by a less than excited voice.
Alyssa Winters: Hey you!
Terra takes a big deep breath and secures her bag onto her back, placing her arms through each strap. She closes her eyes and turns around to see her rival for later in the evening.
Alyssa Winters: Always looking for a shoulder to cry on, huh?
Terra: Ms. Winters.
Terra nods her head at Alyssa and tries to be polite. Alyssa is leaning back on a wall opposite the door with her arms crossed.
Alyssa Winters: I hope you stocked up in trinkents, healing potions and oils like Hippies do...
Alyssa Winters: ...because you are going to need them after tonight.
Terra smiles at the insult and removes her bag, reaching her hand into one of the smaller pockets. She pulls out a small bottle of what looks like a hair-care product and hands it to Alyssa.
Terra:Donum. For you.
Alyssa Winters looks down at the bottle and then back up at Terra, continually shocked at her random acts of kindness in the face of vitriol.
Alyssa Winters: The hell is this?
Terra: It’s my favorite hair conditioner. It contains 100% cruelty free ingredients and it smells like casia. Very nice.
Alyssa Winters: What is your problem? You’re the one that scheduled the match! Are you trying to get into my head, you chubby weirdo?
Terra smiles again, with her hand still extended…
Terra: No, Ms. Winters. I arranged this contest, but I still feel terrible about striking you out of turn a few weeks ago. That type of violence is not what I’m here for… This won’t replace your cellular phone that I destroyed, but it’s much better for our grace and the environment.
Alyssa makes a cringed face, rolling her eyes at Terra’s response.
Alyssa Winters: God, do you ever think anything that you don’t say?
Alyssa reluctantly picks up the conditioner, as Terra nods her head.
Terra: Tonight should be fun and competitive. I will enjoy our competition and I hope you do as well.
Terra looks at the ground and peeks back up to Alyssa.
Terra: I know you don’t like hugs, so I hope you enjoy that instead.
Alyssa looks down at the conditioner in her hand, as the self proclaimed “guardian” of mother Earth continues back down the hallway, leaving her opponent for tonight befuddled.
