The camera fades in from black, following a ruckus going on backstage. Sounds of crashing and slamming just a few feet ahead, just out of shot. Shouting can be heard in a familiar voice.
Voice: "No.... NO! NO! NO! NO!!!!"
The noises become louder, coming to an apex as a garbage can is thrown into frame, with trash flying everywhere backstage as multiple stage hands scurry away from the source of the noise.
Voice: "Nonsense! This is unbelievable! Beaten by a nobody! I didn't come here to be filler! I am here to save OCW!"
The camera follows behind, eventually running into the person responsible for all the noise.
A black, sweat covered tank top lies just before a dark dressing room door, along with many pieces of equipment.
The camera zooms in on a piece of arm gear, focusing on the word "Quartz" covering the elbow of the gear.
A large bird-like tattoo covers the back of a now distraught Quartz as he continues to kick and throw anything not nailed down in the back room.
Stage hands and talent alike look on and mock the frustrated rookie.
Quartz stops momentarily before the door and looks up at those still near him and his tantrum. After a brief moment, he begins to laugh slowly.
Suddenly, the laugh becomes hysterical as he pauses before the door. He throws the door open with force and walks in.
The force of the slam behind him causes the door to crack, leaving enough room for the camera to peer inside, listening.
Quartz: "I mean, who can blame me?! My own arrogance got the better of me. Wouldn't be the first time... Hahahahah!!... Who cares... Those clowns in the main office saw what I did to baby Sheik and Discount Marley. This isn't the end of my..."
Quartz stops his ridiculous monologue suddenly as he walks just out of camera shot.
Quartz: "No.. You again?? What do you want?!"
A silence fills the room as Quartz' question seemingly goes unanswered.
Quartz: "Shut up!! I'm tired of you! I wasn't interested in what you wanted to say before and I sure as hell am not interested now!"
Quartz: "What? You're out of your mind. You have nothing on me. I am the one who is going to bring this gah' forsaken fed out of the darkness. What do you think you have to do with any of this?"
Quartz: "....I've heard enough. I've never needed you and I still don't. I'm bigger now, I'm better now, and I always will be!"
Quartz: "....No! You stop living in delusion. Quartz is the future. You ruined my past. You ruined who I was! I won't be a victim anymore!"
Quartz: "I don't! I don't need you! I don't need anyone! Stop talking to me, you're nothing to me! Hahahahaha!"
Another crash is heard, seemingly a struggle inside the locker room before the light quickly clicks off, leading the camera to back away from the door.
Moments later, the door slowly creaks open and Quartz emerges with the same smug grin on his face, standing proudly and looking around, the place he stood mere moments before in anguish.
With his PRISTINE SUNGLASSES proudly placed on his head, he walks down the hall with the confidence of a man who had conquered the world...
Fade to Black
The camera pans to the announce team.
Baby need a nappy time?
HOW DARE YOU SIR! This is why Rookies don't last here because of BULLIES like you CHARLES! DISGRACEFUL!
Ligermask vs Blackbeard
The camera pans to the announce team.
By god!
Woah!
Live via OCW Stream...
Good evening ladies and gents.
Tonight, I stand still in admist of this dark room to broadcast my love to you in Hard 2 Obtain Definition.
Something only yours truly of The New Country can do.
No servants to appease me. No ducking. No hiding. I’m in the arena every gotdamn night whether I’m scheduled or not to show that somebody here still has Ambition.
I’m not someone who’s concerned about my safety. I’m in this very arena tonight!
You hear that?
For you it’s a sound that’s unfamiliar. But for me it’s always a harmonious sound of The OCW Universe cheer for The Light-Heavyweight-Champion. No matter my location.
Excuse me as the camera zooms out and pans around my own prodigious force.
Now….onto my legacy…
H2O: I would like to start off by giving a soul clap to the one is called The One Man Revolution, Bobby Minio.
I will clap so slow until I actually forget to do so. There one clap is good enough.
H2O: You’ve ended The Champs win streak since facing Pepe Le Pugh at Certified Greatness. He’s glad the opportunity he gave you made you eh…somewhat...uh relevant again (Shrugs).
Hope you liked that one Baby Pughie. The thought of him actually not liking it brings me joy like a kid watching fireworks.
H2O: Now run along and be a good little boy and tell your daddy how many Deadly Rhythms it actually took to bring H2O down.
H2O: Knowing who your Daddy is, he may still consider you a failure being that The Rhythm wasn’t that quite deadly.
I can see my colgate smile from here on the lense of that camera. Here’s a wink too.
That was actually my signal to get the camera man bring his focus back to my face.
H2O: Now onto more important matters….
H2O: Several weeks ago H2O issued a challenge to a certain individual. An individual at the time who was showing hard work and dedication to this business.
H2O: Since then the man from The…”Golden Era” hasn’t shown The Ambition The Lighheavyweight Champion was expecting.
Unfolding my arms was the signal for the camera man to bring focus on my title.
H2O: Perhaps Kassidy Hayes, Cort Marshall, myself and even Sentai Hare has frightened you.
H2O: The New Ambition Era has taken this company hostage and you sit there scared to take your voyage in The Ocean of Paradise.
H2O: Perhaps you may not know the stock of gold is high right now. Harvey told you where to find it. Road 2 Glory.
H2O: A pirates intelligence is always suspect. “I’l ladmit it leaves me perplexed me lad.”(Snickers)
I don’t know if that impersonation irritated Blackbeard more than it did my vocal cords. Remind me never to do that again for the sake of my voice.
The hell if it irritated Blackbeard.
Anyways….the camera zooms back out to capture my entire force before we fade.
H2O: Seems like this guy don’t want it. It’s what happens when you realize you’re a belly crawler in a sea of thieves.
This is the end of my broadcast. We’re done here.
The camera pans to the announce team.
Well then!
He is done!
Tonight’s episode of Riot is rocking the house, and the in-ring action takes a slight break for The Clarke Effect!
Stacy Clarke smiles brightly yet slightly vacantly at the camera as she introduces the show.
Stacy: Tonight on the Clarke Effect we have an interesting duo, a tag team not made from friendship, but necessity! Cort Marshall and Christian Shepherd have been at ground zero of the recent chaos in OCW, but they hope to come out of the wreckage as tag team champions. Gentlemen?
Cort and Shep walk on screen.
Stacy: Now let me just cut straight to the chase tonight; the question on everyone’s minds is, how do you hope to capture the titles against the Disciples of Pain or perhaps B2O? Both teams have been together for quite some time, and you two have to get used to working together over just a few weeks!
Cort: Don’t mince words, Stacy.
Stacy looks confused.
Stacy: Excuse me?
Cort: You know that isn’t the whole story. You know there’s something else you wanted to say.
Stacy: Well--
Cort cuts her off.
Cort: You wanted to say that everyone thinks without a 300 pound retard backing me up, I'm not a threat! You wanted to say that this big-mouthed patriotic clown is gonna get his ass beat because he can’t hold up his end of the deal!
Cort is getting in Stacy’s face as he rants, and Shepherd looks a bit nervous.
Cort: Well… you might be right.
Cort backs off.
Cort: But I’ll be damned if I don’t try. We didn’t become the country we are today by backing down from a fight. No. We became the country we are today because we took EVERY FIGHT available, even if there was nothing in it for us and it was a horrible idea!
Cort: But there is something this time. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s shining bright GOLD, baby!
Stacy looks a little taken aback.
Stacy: Well… you certainly have intensity. But it remains to be seen how well you two can work as a team.
Shepherd: I’m not gonna lie, Stacy, we aren’t 100% yet. But we’ve been doing a lot of practice, and we’re as ready as we can be.
Cort: That’s damn right. I’ve been putting Shep through my patented exercise routine that will either make you a man or die trying! And he hasn’t died yet, so that means he’s doing well!
Shepherd nods.
Shep: Billy Blanks it ain’t.
Cort: And he’s significantly less of a PR disaster! That role is best left to me anyways. Speaking of; I hate each and every one of you dirty, stinking, no good, baby-stealing, cheese-making, salad-tossing, MUSIC PIRATING--
Shep: Nuh-uh. Not going there. Next question.
There’s an awkward pause before Stacy reads the next question.
Stacy: Uhm… here’s an interesting one… Of the two top teams on Riot, which would you rather fight?
Cort and Shep look at each other. They would turn into thinking emojis if this was a hoot RP, but it isn’t, so reality stays within its boundaries and Cort answers.
Cort: Obviously, the DOP are first in line. They’re the ones me and Big Redacted took the titles from. But they’re also about as tactically smart as a box of rocks in a windstorm.
Shep: What is that even supposed to mean?
Cort: Shush, I’m talking.
Shepherd crosses his arms.
Cort: So as I was SAYING, it would be nice to compete with a more… technical team again.
Shep: Are you just saying that because they both beat you one-on-one?
Cort: No.
Stacy and Shepherd stare at him.
Cort: … Maybe. Shut up! Dimsmore is a new addition as well, and neither of us have fought him. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Stacy: And do either of you have any inside information on what OCW Commissioner Mr. Sensation plans to do with the titles?
Cort: Stacy. Come on. You’re at least slightly smarter than you look. Do you really think he’d tell me anything?
Shep: We don’t know what he wants to do, whether he’s going to give them back to the Disciples or hold them up in a match. Maybe even a best of. But I personally don’t care who it is. I’ve got something to prove and we’re going to do it in the ring.
Cort: Damn right… how do the kids say it these days? Our toast is ready to pop and we are feeling LIT!
Shep groans and Stacy cringes.
Shep: Please never do that again.
Cort: Only if you do DOUBLE THE LAPS next week, soldier!
Shep: On second thought, mangle whatever slang you want.
Cort smiles.
Cort: Thank you.
Stacy: And one final question specifically for you, Cort… if anyone could be the next president of the United States of America, who would you want it to be?
Cort squints directly into the camera as it zooms in.
Cort:Clint goddamn Eastwood.
Shep looks at Cort.
Shep: But he’s like… 87. Are you sure he won’t be dead?
Cort: Legends never die, kid. Now let’s go DAB on some exercises.
Shep: Ugh.
Shep and Cort head offscreen, but Cort pops back in to point at Stacy.
Cort: Oh! And we’re NOT Bad Company. We are A-W-O-L. Get the name right, you journalistically-bankrupt dumb blonde cu--
Shep (from offscreen): Cort! She doesn’t make the posters, man…
Cort: Sorry.
Cort heads back off-camera, and Stacy turns to face the audience and smiles.
Stacy: This has been another illuminating episode of The Clarke Effect! Those two are certainly men on a mission. Thank you for watching and enjoy the rest of the show.
