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X-treme Wrestling Federation »   » Archives » Leap of Faith 2020 PPV
Hard Times
Author Message
Centurion Offline
Active in XWF



XWF FanBase:
Traditionalists

(has an old school wrestling mentality; no nonsense; less appealing to some younger fans)


#1
07-25-2020, 01:21 PM

"You had a shot to win the Universal Title, and you failed. Let me restate that: you had your chance, long ago, to step up and prove yourself as worth a shit outside of the entry-level title that scrubs competed for and you muffed it." - Kyle Shane, 2014



Centurion: Why does everything have to be a surprise with you?

(Only a few days separate Centurion from the biggest match of his wrestling career, and he gets to go in with some weight lifted off his shoulders, as his relationship with his long time partner Miyoko Kawashima has officially been repaired.

We open up along the Mount Mitake Hiking Trail in Tokyo, Japan. There, we see Miyoko leading Centurion through the woods along the path. After a night of drinking, Centurion’s eyes are hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, and he is moving at a much slower pace than Miyoko is. It is early morning, and there does not appear to be any tourists or other hikers around at this time.)


Miyoko: Unpredictability is the spice of life, Andy! Embrace it.

Centurion: I’m trying, I really am. I’m just sweating sake out of every pour of my body right now.

Miyoko: I know. I can smell you.

(The two step out of the woods as a small, wooden inn - a respite for hikers who take the path – sits alongside the trail. The place seems relatively empty, except for a couple of workers who are walking in and out of the building, and one, solitary woman, with her back turned to the trail, sitting at a table.)

Miyoko: Coffee?

Centurion: The answer to that questions is always “yes”.

(Miyoko and Centurion walk up towards the inn, and as they do, Centurion takes his sunglasses off. He squints to look at the girl at the table – a familiar figure, but one he can not make out. Her hair is in pigtails with some sort of red marking on them, but he can’t quite pinpoint it.)

Centurion: Miyoko...do I know that girl?

Miyoko: I don’t know. Look next to her. Something look familiar to you?

(Centurion glances at the seat next to the girl, and he sees something that makes the whole thing clear to him...

...an Elmo doll.

Centurion’s eyes grow wide and he slightly gasps as the girl turns around to face him. Her eyes immediately lighten up and she jumps out of her seat to run at Centurion with her arms outstretched, looking for a hug.)


Girl: CENTY-KUN!!

[Image: rjIm7hZP_400x400.jpeg]

(The girl is XWF Hall of Famer and former tag team partner of Centurion, Tomoko Hanahara. Tomoko, who suffers from Dissociative Personality Disorder, has three distinct personalities that control her at all time – the base personality, Tomoko, who is quiet and generally overpowered by the other two; Tommy, a childlike, bubbly personality that carries around an Elmo doll that she speaks to and sees the good in the world, and Yui, the “evil” personality that is extremely unpredictable and was most present during the most dominating runs of Tomoko’s legendary career. This personality is clearly Tommy, the one that had the biggest connection to Centurion, and the one whom Centurion met prior to knowing the rest of the “system”.)

Tommy: Miyoko said she was bringing Tommy a present. Cent-kun is the present!

(Tommy crashes into Centurion and wraps him in a hug that can only be described as a death grip, almost knocking Centurion to the ground. Miyoko just laughs as she walks by the pair and toward the inn. Tommy bounces up and down with excitement.)

Tommy: Tommy hasn’t seen Centy-kun is so long! See Elmo, Tommy told you she would see Centy-kun again.

(Tommy glances over at the Elmo doll, who just sits at the table, unmoving. Centurion looks to say something, but he is unable to breathe as Tommy’s grip is too strong to break. After a few seconds, Tommy frowns.)

Tommy: Elmo, be nice to Centy-kun! There is no need for that kind of language.

(Tommy breaks the hold and Centurion takes a deep breath as he holds his sides. Tommy grabs Centurion by the hand and practically drags him over to the table.)

Tommy: Come! Sit with Tommy and Elmo! We want to hear stories of Centy-kun and his adventures.

(Tommy sits back down at the table, and Centurion sits down next to her. Tommy places her elbows down on the table and puts her hands under her chin as she looks at Centurion, waiting for him to tell her stories.)

Centurion: Alright, well...a lot of stuff has happened. But before we get into me, what about you? Why didn’t I get to see you at the Hall of Fame?

(Tommy gets a sad look on her face as she lowers her hands and presses her two pointer fingers together.)

Tommy: Yui said Tommy wasn’t allowed. She said it was not safe for Tommy. So Tomoko did all the talking. But, Tommy WANTED to talk to Centy-kun! And Tommy was happy that Centy-kun introduced us at the event, and said nice things about us. Tommy was happy to know that, um, Centy-kun was still Tommy’s friend.

Centurion: You’ll always be my friend, Tommy. And I’m sorry I haven’t gotten to talk to you much lately. My life is...well, I’ve gone through some things. But I never forgot about you. I never forgot about any of you.

(Centurion says the last sentence while looking at Miyoko, who is walking back to the table with two cups of coffee. She smiles, but it isn’t a wide smile. It’s more of a sad smile – a smile that acknowledges the pain that these folks have gone through over the past few years.

Tommy, meanwhile, just has a giant grin on her face as she goes back to putting her hands under her chin and listening intently to Centurion.)


Tommy: So where has Centy-kun been? Fighting the bad guys?

Centurion: Yeah...well, kind of. I was one of the bag guys for a while. Then I had to fight the bad guys in my head. But now I’m back to fighting the bad guys like I normally did.

(Tommy turns her head to the side in confusion. Centurion takes a sip of his coffee before looking back at Tommy, noticing her confusion.)

Centurion: ...nevermind. How have you been? You look like you’ve been doing really well.

Tommy: Yeah! We live on our own now! Tomoko has a job. Yui hasn’t been hurting us like she was before. We see a nice person every week who talks to us and makes sure we are doing alright. Tommy has not been happier!

(Centurion smiles as he hears the news. The idea of Tomoko Hanahara and the personalities that reside within living anything resembling a “normal” life would have been unthinkable, and yet, it appears as if they are living a life as close to normal as they can possibly be. This is what healing looks like, and if Tomoko can do it, then there is no excuse for Centurion.

As Centurion continues to look at Tommy, he can tell that she is starting to fade. She is fighting it, but her tired eyes show that she is not going to be sticking around in consciousness much longer.)


Centurion: I’m really happy for you, Tommy. And it was good to see you again. I want you to keep working on yourself, ok? Keep getting healthier and stronger.

Tommy: Ok. Um, Tommy has to go now. Will we see Centy-kun again?

Centurion: Of course. And soon. Very soon. I will make sure I won’t go this long between visits again.

Tommy: Yay.

(Tommy claps, but with very little energy. She spaces out as the personalities within Tomoko begin to switch. Both Centurion and Miyoko get a look of nervousness on their face, as what comes next could go one of two ways – either Tomoko comes out, and the three have a lovely “catch up” chat, or Yui comes out, and all bets are off.

After a few seconds, the body’s eyes open again, and it’s clear by the facial expression and the look in her eyes – it's Yui. Miyoko slides to the end of the table, ready to take off if things get out of hand. Centurion, meanwhile, is stuck looking face to face with the unpredictable personality.)


Yui: Hello Andy.

Centurion: Hi Yui. I missed you.

Yui: Don’t lie to me.

(Yui reaches up and pulls the bows out of her pigtails, allowing her hair to fall flat across her shoulders. She then reaches into her pocket and pulls out a choker with a cross on it. She places the bows on the table before attaching the choker to her neck. She glances over at Miyoko, who has one foot away from the table, ready to run.)

Yui: I see Miyoko is still jumpy around me.

Centurion: Yeah, well you did beat the shit out of her.

Yui: So did you.

(Centurion lets out an “oof”. She’s not wrong, and there isn’t much else Centurion can say about the topic. Yui reaches over and takes a sip of the coffee Miyoko brought, and immediately lets out a “blegh!” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a flask of mysterious liquor, which she pours into the coffee.)

Centurion: Tommy says you’re staying out of trouble.

Yui: You sound surprised.

Centurion: I am, given…you know…you.

Yui: Don’t get comfortable. I can still gut you like a fucking fish if I so chose. I just don’t have the passion anymore. After killing pretty much everyone in the WGWF – you’re student Jocelyn among them – I felt like I made my point. Besides, something strange was happening when I spent the nights getting into fights and doing horrible stuff to my body.

Centurion: What’s that?

Yui: I started waking up feeling like shit.

(Yui puts the flash back in her pocket and takes a sip of her coffee, this time flavored to her liking.)

Yui: It was one thing when Tommy or Tomoko had to feel the after effects of my actions, but when I had to start dealing with it, it was no longer fun. Plus, the recovery period lasted longer and longer. After my match at XX, it took me over a week to feel better.

Centurion: You know what that’s called? Getting old.

(Centurion takes a sip of his coffee as Yui scoffs.)

Yui: Speaking of, I see you’re still out there chasing your youth and making an ass out of yourself. You don’t really think you can win the Universal Title, do you?

Centurion: Well…I mean, kinda…

(Yui lets out a slight laugh.)

Yui: You’re Centurion! You’re the one that makes stars out of other people! You whole life has revolved around being a failure! You think, now that you’re an old fucking man, that’s going to somehow change?

(Centurion says nothing, as he takes another sip of his coffee. Miyoko is clearly uncomfortable with the conversation, but she does not wish to speak up, out of fear of getting on Yui’s bad side. Centurion takes a deep breath and sets his coffee back down on the table.)

Centurion: I don’t know. I have no idea what’s in store for me. I might be walking into my death here. But I know I’d rather go down swinging than not fight at all.

Yui: That’s because you’re a stubborn son of a bitch. You should have stayed retired, and you know that. Everyone fucking knows that! But you don’t know what to do without the cheers. You want to know why Fuzz has been far more successful than you? Because he has a killer instinct. He’s constantly trying to better himself. You’re only trying to keep your head above water. He wants to fly, and you just want to make sure you don’t sink.

Centurion: You’re wrong.

Yui: Am I? How many times have you “passed the torch”? How many careers have you attached your sail to? Us, Steve Jason, James Raven, Jocelyn Camden – You lived through other people because you couldn’t achieve that level of success yourself. And now, at your age, you want to put it all on the line, put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation to win something that is so far out of your grasp?

Centurion: Yui…it’s ok.

(Yui’s looks of frustration quickly turns to one of confusion.)

Yui: Huh?

Centurion: I know you’re trying to act like the bad ass you are, but I see it in you…you’re scared for me. Your entire existence revolved around being a prosecutor and protector for Tomoko, and now you found yourself in a stable situation, but your role never ends. You think I’m going to get severely hurt out there, and for the first time in your life…this actually worries you.

(Yui quickly grabs the cup of coffee and goes to drink it.)

Yui: I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.

Centurion: I don’t need you worrying about me, Yui. I want you to keep protecting Tommy. You’ve all been through so much, and you’re as needed and as valuable now as you’ve ever been. Just because you’re not getting into fights anymore doesn’t mean Tommy and Tomoko still don’t need you. Keep them safe.

(Yui stares daggers into Centurion, but she says nothing. She takes one final sip of her coffee before glancing at the table. She grabs the bows that were in Tommy’s hair and turns back toward Centurion. She grabs Centurion’s hands and opens them up, placing the bows into Centurion’s hands.)

Yui: Andy…kick his ass.

------Hard Times, Gonna Take You Down And Laugh Why You Cry------

Welcome back, Fuzz! Good to see you again! Glad you decided to come out and play. Take a look around, enjoy the moment…

…because I’m going to end you.

You want to know why you’re here, Fuzz? Is it because Shawn needed that extra “kick” in order to win this match? Is it because he’s about to relapse and fall back into his old ways? Or maybe you’re here to play mind games with me, and to spook me a little bit before our giant encounter? No, it’s none of that.

You’re here because Shawn hates you…and he knows I’m the only one that can destroy you.

You’re a relic, Fuzz. A manifestation of Shawn’s past. Everything in his life that has brought him down a dark and destructive path. And you even said yourself, while Shawn was behind the wheel, you never truly left. The evil that is Fuzz has not been eliminated, only suppressed and pushed back into the darkest recesses of Shawn’s mind. That’s why he’s not able to heal. That’s why he loses everyone closest to him. It’s not from lack of trying – it’s from you, ever present, telling Shawn that nice things can’t happen to him, and that the only way he can survive is by being you.

You can’t be suppressed. You must be destroyed – and that’s exactly what I’m here to do.

That’s why I kept knocking on that door, Fuzz. Because I knew it was only a matter of time before Shawn let you come out and play. From the start, I said Shawn Warstein, the man he is now, can’t beat me, and only the evil, wretched Fuzz can tap into something so purely evil that it ends me for good.

Here’s the thing about that, Fuzz – I lied. Shawn Warstein is a much better man, a much better wrestler, a much better EVERYTHING than you ever were. He knew that. That’s why he kept fighting it. He even said it several times in his own promos – that a Shawn Warstein with a clear mind is unstoppable. But after two weeks of verbal back and forth, Shawn had a decision to make – keep going down the path he’s going now, and hope you stay dormant for the rest of your life, or unleash the beast, knowing one good ass kicking will put him in a grave for good.

He chose the latter. In the long run, it’s the right choice. In the short term, though – it means he’s already handed me the Universal Title.

You claim every obstacle put in your way is attempting to stop your growth, but the only person stopping the growth of Shawn Warstein is you. Think of all the things that could be accomplished if you just simply…didn’t exist? Shawn Warstein without having to worry about whether or not he’s going to fall back into his own habits? A Shawn Warstein that accepts who he is as a man, and is able to tap into his own potential and use it against his enemies? Just IMAGINE the possibilities. If no one is able to step up now, I’d have to think they would close the whole damn place down if a mentally healthy Shawn Warstein was around, kicking ass.

That’s why you have to go, Fuzz. Not for me. Not for this company. But for him. And unleashing you is Shawn giving me permission to do unspeakable things to you.

And I know you’re sitting there, cool as a cucumber, just counting down the days to our encounter. Shawn claimed the same thing. He said he was cool and calm and was sleeping like a baby, and that he felt no pressure at all in regards to our match. That’s interesting, because if that was the case…then why are you here? Could it be…

…because I’ve gotten in your head? Maybe, just a little bit?

It truly is a nightmare scenario for you. Most of the time, when you face someone, they’re enter the match with one of two personalities – either they are completely afraid of the legend known as Fuzz and they’ve already crumbled under the pressure long before the bell even rings, or they’re so far up their own asses that they think nothing can hurt them, giving no respect to you and the skills you possess before being completely blindsided by what’s left in your tank. Those have been your opponents thus far.

But now? Now, you’re in the ring with someone who respects the work you’ve done, but knows exactly what he needs to do to beat you. No one else can say that. That’s why you want me to burn up and go away. That’s why you want me career to end. Because these young hot shots, they’ll never truly get it. They’ll never see you as a colleague. To them, you will always either be a god, or you’ll be a washed up legend. No in between.

But me? I’ve seen your highs and lows. I’ve seen you at the top of this federation, and I’ve also seen you completely crash and burn. That’s why you want to be the “last man standing” from our generation. It has nothing to do with moving on from the past, and everything to do with eliminating threats to your dominance. You’re not “carrying the flag for the old guys”. You don’t give a shit about the old guys. You sometimes claim to, in order to take shots at Vinnie or Theo, but in the end, none of this has anything to do with our era. In fact, I’d go as far as to say you’re ashamed of it.

Besides James Raven, who is in a world of his own, I am the only one that was here when you bombed so spectacularly as the owner of this place. It was a tough scene, and I completely understand why you would want to bury that forever. I’m not going to make fun of your personal struggles, but I bring it up to make a point – every time you see me, or you see someone else from our era, the only thing you can think of is the failures. We REMEMBER, and without us, there’s no one around to possibly hold it over your head.

But that’s not my fucking problem. It’s yours. And burying me won’t bury your memories. That shit will always be in there. Trust me – as someone with a past I’d rather forget, there is no escaping your mind. You can remove yourself from every single person who had seen you at your most vulnerable, but those thoughts will still be there. It’s not about getting rid of them. It’s about moving on from them. It’s about learning and healing and allowing yourself to be better in the face of it. No matter how hard you may try, you’ll never be able to destroy the past. You say I’m chasing ghosts. That may be, but at least I’m not running from them.

You can disparage me and downplay me all you want, Fuzz, but every action you have taken in the past year has been a direct result of me. I was the reason you came back. I was the reason you stuck around after that screwy finish in our first match. Fuck, I was the reason you fought for the Universal Title to begin with. You said it yourself –

Quote: “And since that day, I wanted to do one thing only. Shove all of my accomplishments down your off centered teeth.”

And now, you have the AUDACITY to claim I had absolutely nothing to do with your rise to success? Cut the bullshit. You may not like me and you may not even respect me, but don’t play me for a fucking fool. You’re a book, Fuzz – one that easily readable. You puff your chest out and talk like a badass, all to hide one very sad fact.

You have no self-esteem.

That’s why you constantly have to prove something to EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON you encounter. Every time someone is even slightly critical of you, you flip shit. If you’re compared to ANYONE, even if it’s the best of the best, you take that as an insult. Hell, if someone so much as vaguely mentions someone that is kind of like you on Twitter, you post five gifs in a row about how “done with this shit” you are. You do it all because you have absolutely no faith in yourself. Not really.

You want to end me, Fuzz, and you may very well do that tomorrow night. I may give you no choice. But there will come a time when the end of the road comes for you, too. And you desperately want to be at peace with it. Nothing would make you happier then to be able to walk away from this business forever, without having to look over your shoulder or worry about what comes next. That is what is ideal.

But you can’t do that. I know you can’t. You may have stopped using the junk, but you’re still addicted to the high. You need the adrenaline. Without it, you’re nothing. You’re just a man alone with his thoughts – thoughts that are scary and mean and want to rip you from this world. But there will come a time when you’re not going to have a choice. Your body won’t move as good anymore. Waking up in the morning gets a little harder. You get an ache on a part of your body that just won’t go away.

And when you get to that point, you’re going to have young assholes challenge you, telling you they are going to be the ones who “end your career”. They want to make a name for themselves by being the one wrestler to make sure you never step in the ring again. You become a target for a younger generation, and eventually, it’s not the titles that give you joy – it’s proving every single one of those little shits wrong. And the end will come, but you will hold on desperately and fight with every last ounce of energy you have until that fateful day arrives.

Look me in the eyes, Fuzz, and know this one simple fact – I am not ready to walk into the sunset. I have way too much to give to this business. And if I won’t let some young, up and comer take me down, I sure as hell am not going to let the ghost of a beat up junkie be the one who takes me down.

I know what you’re capable of, Fuzz. I know the evil you’re able to unleash on somebody in a wrestling ring. But you don’t know what I’m capable of. You’ve never seen it. No one in wrestling has ever seen it. Trust me, there is a darkness inside me I NEVER wanted to tap into in the ring. It’s a part of me I take meds and therapy for. It’s a part of me I have to fight every single night, so the man who walks down the ring, slapping the hands of fans and delivering smiles to people isn’t the one who wakes up in a cold sweat at two in the morning. It’s a part of me I inherited from my evil, criminal father and my psychotic, institutionalized mother.

It’s a part of me I have moved on from…but one I’m willing to unleash if it means bring an end to Fuzz.

Physically, I may be a bit beat up. Mentally, I’ve never been in a better place. You can’t say the same, can you? Darting all around the world, trying to keep your love life from falling apart, unable to control your emotions to the point where you let the one thing you’ve been trying to suppress come out. You’re a lot of things right now – you’re pissed. You’re emotional. You’re confused.

You’re vulnerable.

And perhaps that is what makes you maddest of all. You can sense your own vulnerability. You’re not used to this feeling – not recently, anyway. There’s no one in this federation who can get inside your head like I can. There is no one in this federation who can psychoanalyze you like I can. Most importantly, there is no one in this federation who can bring you to your absolutely limit like I can.

Chris Page? Robert Main? Fuck ‘em both. They can’t stack up to you and they know it. The reason you wanted this match so much with me isn’t to “prove to everyone” that I’m not in your league…it’s to prove to YOURSELF that I’m not in your league. Admit it – there is a part of you that’s not so sure. You can say all the words you want, but when you get back to your room and you get ready for bed, there is that part of you that’s like “but what if?” And you can pin me in captain’s matches and inside the White House and all this other goofy horseshit, but it’s not the same as a simple, one on one, balls to the wall wrestling match. And until you’re able to answer that “what if” that exists in your mind, you’ll never truly believe in yourself as the top champion of the XWF.

I don’t need a fucking fairytale, Fuzz. I know what a fairytale is. No matter what happens, this won’t be a fairytale. It will be ugly, and brutal, and there will be bloodshed, and someone is going to be beaten within an inch of their life. This isn’t about fairytales, Fuzz – it’s about destiny. My career was never destined to be one that ended without me climbing to the top of the mountain. There were dips and bumps and an entire rollercoaster of a career, but my destiny was ALWAYS to hold the Universal Title. There as a period of time when I gave up on that. But then I pushed forward. I became better. I became stronger. I became the best Centurion I have ever been.

Centurion in 2001 was not ready for the Universal Title. Centurion in 2006 was too immature for the Universal Title. Centurion in 2011 was too emotionally damaged to win the Universal Title. But Centurion in 2020 is beyond ready to make that final climb. Every single match and every single event over the past year has lead to this very moment. Beating you, winning the Hart Title, dropping the belt just shy of the record, you beating me at War Games – it’s all accumulated into this one event, this one day, this one match.

It had to be now

It had to be here.

It had to be you.

When this is all said and done, it will be the last anyone ever hears from you, Fuzz. You will be dead. Shawn Warstein will make peace with himself without having you in his head instructing him what to do. He needed someone to take the burden from him, Fuzz. He needed a savior.

And it had to be me.

Sleep tight now, Fuzz. Enjoy your last days inside the mind of Shawn Warstein. Gaze into your title as long as you can. After tomorrow night, it will be all over. There will be no more title. There will be no more rivalry with Centurion. And there will be no more you. I will finally achieve my destiny. My 19 year journey will accumulate with the biggest triumph of my career. And two people will leave that match happy – me for finally accomplishing the one thing that has eluded me my entire career, and Shawn Warstein for finally being free of you. And when the confetti is raining down, and I am hoisted on the shoulders of my friends and loved ones, and the entire XWF universe is chanting my name, and I am crying tears of joy for this historical moment, you will take your last breath, as you will finally meet your…


FINAL FANTASY!!!

[Image: UdLSPlv.png]
XWF Record - 212-95-9
XWF All Time Wins Record Holder
Official XWF Legend
3x XWF Anarchy Champion
3x XWF World Champion
8x XWF Canadian Champion (Record for most Canadian Title reigns)
1x XWF Hart Champion
6x XWF X-Treme Champion
5x XWF Tag Team Champion
2x XWF United States Champion
Inaugural XWF IDL Champion 
1x XWF King of Anarchy
1x XWF King of Massacre
1x XWF Stable Champion
XWF Star Of The Month - May 2007
XWF Star Of The Month - July 2009
XWF Star Of The Month - December 2019
XWF Star Of The Month - December 2021
XWF Holiday Battle Royal Winner - 2007

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