Clapping hands.

Excited sincere… muffled clapping hands. Covered by boxing gloves…

The lens zooms out from the hands...

Red Ring Ropes... Blue Turnbuckles... 

A shoulder. A chin.

A mangy Beard.

Mark Flynn...

On a stool.

Clapping.

"Wow Duke. You did it. You showed up."

"I'm impressed. I legitimately thought you'd keep ducking me in this big fight environment."

"But here you are, pulling out what you seem to think is good shit and taking swings like a child you lost his glasses against a registered sex offender."
 
“The gloves are off of Dukey! Let’s go!”
 
Flynn starts pawing in front of him, helplessly, eyes half closed as he giggles.
 
He leans back in his chair with a sigh.

"I'm not saying I'm underwhelmed with your trash talk, but I bet Helen Keller was better at conveying a logical point than you are."

"Hell, just have her beat her skull into the mic so she morse codes 'TRUST ME!' and she's conveying about the same message you're capable of, huh Dukey?"

"I love how I made fun of your stupid catchphrase in my piece against you and you proved too mentally deficient to not fall back on it."

"So... Predictable..."

Flynn shakes his head.

"Sorry, Duke but is this really the best you can do? Is this your big revolutionary way to take out Mark Flynn?"

Mark Flynn shakes his knees in mock terror.

"Oh no." He shares monotone. "I'm doomed. How could this Sun Tzu of the mike, this strategic genius beyond any kind of criticism or reproach possibly take on the modern new trash talking approach..."

"...of citing previous events..."
 
“I’m… I’m sorry, Duke. But really? Really?”

"Your big ace in the hole was the thing everyone else does. I know you're awful at trash talk, like actually abysmal, but goddamned at least have the decency to not write my trash talk for me."

“You wouldn’t be doing me any favors seeing your lack of natural skill at the sport.”

"Like, I realize that a lot of people claim going toe-to-toe with me is an educational experience."

"But, Jesus Christ, between Mr. Scooby Doo Mystery and you, turns out I show up to what I thought was going to be a fucking academic symposium."

"And turns out to be remedial English."

Flynn points his index into the air by the end.

"Rule Fucking 1 of Trash talking, class."

Flynn turns the finger to a gun and sticks to the side of his head.

"If you're not going to bring out your A game? Don't bother showing up."

"If someone is as shitty at trash talk as you are, just keep telling your incessant pointless story about how incompetent your employees are and how bad it makes you look as a Messiah or Angel of Darkness or Jesus’ emo brother or Regional Manager, whatever your stupid title is."

"Because all you did was specify just how far ahead of you I am."

"Do you hear the current, Duke? Do you the mindless flood switching sides? Bookies tearing their hair out as the plucky underdog becomes the sure loser? The audience watching unsurprised as this one pulls into the Flynn camp with a suitcase so it can't stay the next three nights undisturbed?"

"Sorry, but you're great 2-0 record against Mark Flynn?"

"I don't even have to pull the bullshit 'Vehicular Manslaughter' victim card you have stacked ten high in your pocket."

"You never pinned me. Never made me tap out. Hell, you never made me sweat in the combined 27 minutes we’ve been in the ring together."

"If you want to claim pinning Peter 'Elmer's Glue for Dinner' Gilmour is an achievement. Then congratulations."

"You actually are just Shane 's Tyler Decker."

"Seriously, Duke. Congratulations. You beat a mentally handicapped kid unconscious as I was walking away from the ring."

"Way to go."

“Honestly, Angelus did all the work beating up the handicapped kid. You just kind of swooped in at the end and clubbed him across the throat.”
 
“While I, the one that the people were booing, was being tackled by a corrupt group of officials so I couldn’t stop this lawsuit waiting to happen?”
 
“Funny, huh?”

"And that 5-on-5 elimination match? Are you really using that as your big second victory against your clear superior? Against Mark ‘FUCKING’ Flynn?"

"Not only did you get eliminated before I did."

"Twice."

"The entire Black Circle was eliminated before Donathan's squad was below 50% attendance. The only man you could clear out was Soldier, who I’ve already gone over, was three-on-one ambushed and you just happened to be standing at the end of the line."

"The only reason you won that abomination of a main event was that Mister The Hardy Boy(s/z) and Mystery of The Missing Point started to get twitchy. To be fair, he hadn't 'shocked the world!' with stupid shit in a good five minutes, so of course he was going to prove that he wasn’t loyal to Donathan just so people would keep talking about how nothing he does makes sense. You won because of personified STUPID LUCK.”

"Do you really think anyone takes the Black Circle seriously anymore? Four of you in the match and even with Fair Jean Madeleine as a referee you couldn't beat half of Donathan's pathetic squad? Do you really think the second weakest link in 's chain has a chance of beating me?"

"The reason you're going through my list of conquests and recognizing how pathetic my list of opponents is..."

"Is because I'm Mark."

"Fucking."

"Flynn."

"Every name above or below mine, when you put a versus in between them suddenly looks like shit."

"After all, check out how your stock has dropped since I started showing up."

Flynn shifts in his seat and leans in close.

"Listen to me, you pompous hack. If you really want to claim that you have the secret to beating me, you better Fucking deliver. This is my goddamned victory march. Beating you effortlessly is already a given, but your job is to make it look like I'm actually breaking a sweat. I’m the conquering hero and if this isn’t the most triumphant victory I’ve ever achieved, I will kick your fucking Adam’s apple until it stops popping back out."

"Just for one time in your miserable life. ONE SINGLE SOLITARY TIME. Try to make someone believe that the impossible might happen."

“Maybe twitter about it. Start a hashtag that says ‘Trust Me’ or start a slow clap for yourself that gets other people to join in….”

"Because right now. The only thing people are debating about..."

"Is whether this match will reach its Logical Conclusion..."

"Or if Flynn will drag it out… So Sebastian Duke will see The End."

"Trust me, Duke."

"You're fucked."

Flynn curls his lips into a disgusting grin.

Then turns serious.

"RULE NUMBER 2. Actually say something new. We all know you're a pathetic loser pretending to be something you're not. You don't need to go out of your way definitively proving that fact.

For instance, Mister Mystery ladies and germs!

C'mon give him a round of applause!

It's so nice to see you finally admit to yourself and the rest of the world that you've jumped the shark officially.

Now that you've admitted it to yourself and to the rest who put together this little intervention, maybe you can start wearing a Cosby sweater while you deliver your old tired mutilation material, you talentless hack.

Seriously, Mystery, didn't you used to be a psychopath straight from the gates of Hell who came back to drag us all down with you?

Now, your promos are slice-of-life three camera sitcom episodes as you and your wacky liberal roommate Sid Feder learn that life with erectile dysfunction can still have FUN in it.

Sorry, but this is the most pathetic attempt to take me down I've ever seen from a source I had such high hopes for.

Are you really making fun of the way I talk?

Like a First grade bully?

Are you going to start making fun of the way I dress better than you or how I make better grades than you or how about my arms aren't covered by love taps from Papa Feder?

Side question: have you ever said anything memorable enough for someone to parody your style?

I'm almost sorry to ask.

But can you just stop talking and skip to the part where you murder me? Just beat me to death so I can be spared from the cruel fate of having to listen to you. Because this is legitimately pathetic.

Didn't you used to be interesting, Mystery? Didn't it used to make sense that people listened to your drivel?

And before you once again start bitching about how MADISONALREADY SAID THAT!

Shouldn't you be more concerned about how great minds think alike?

Shouldn't there be a larger plan in mind about how you're going to make people scared of you?

Instead of directing all free thinkers to the first guy who was right?

Mystery?

You've been overworking yourself, huh buddy?

I'll tell you what.

Tomorrow. Try taking a break.

Sit in front of the tv, watch some of your Saturday morning cartoons. Wonder how Scooby Doo can run in the air like that.

Pick up some comfort food for your wet hole in the ground. Nibble on the smaller rats and stick your diseased gangrene dick into one of the slightly larger rats.

Indulge yourself a little bit.

Because the only thing more of this shit is going to prove?

Is how blatantly pathetic your attempts to outdo me are.

Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm getting ready to beat you in a wrestling ring.

Maybe you should have tried that at some point."

Flynn claps his gloves together.

"Food for thought."