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Centurion · (08-12-2019)

Here is a story that has turned rather grim
About a man named Andy whose luck was quite slim
He lost all his money
No one to call “honey”
And now he’s stuck sleeping in a gym – A. Distler, 2019

(In his day, Centurion was known as a jet setter.

New York, Paris, Cairo, Beijing, Perth – if there was a wrestling ring and a good show, Centurion would wrestle there. Of course, it helps when you have a private jet. There’s no waiting in customs, going through security, any of that nonsense when all you have to do it take a limo directly to your plane. It’s a luxury very few can afford…including current day Centurion.

We open up inside the C&C Inc. training facility, the current home and gym for Centurion. It’s morning, approximately 7 AM. Centurion emerges from his office-turned-bedroom in workout clothes, ready for his training for the day. Against the opposite wall of the gym stands Walter Crowe. He has a piece of paper in one hand with a cup of coffee in the other. Centurion makes a slight nod over to him, and Walter sets down his cup before pouring one for Centurion.

As Centurion reaches the table, Walter reaches out with the coffee and hands it over to Centurion. Centurion gives another nod as he takes it from him. The two stand in silence for a few seconds, as Centurion takes a sip of his coffee. Walter, however, stares a hole in Centurion, with a look of annoyance. He looks back down at his paper before finally speaking.)

Walter: So, uh…question. Did you sign up for a match on Warfare…in Ireland?

(Centurion glances over at Walter, giving an “oh, shit” look in his eyes.)

Centurion: …maybe

(Immediately, Walter begins smacking the paper against Centurion’s head. Centurion quickly sets his coffee back down on the table and tries to get his hands up to protect himself against the blows. This causes Walter to stop.)

Walter: What the hell is wrong with you?!

Centurion: What? What’s the big deal? I figured I was going to be locked up with this tag team tournament thing so I wanted to be able to face some newer competition while I still have some free time. Besides, I love Ireland. Any excuse I have to go, I’m going to take.

Walter: You have the tag team tournament, where you’re being targeted by pretty much every team in the industry. You’re teaming with Lux, who has made a ton of enemies including, by the way, your own stable mate Robert Main. You’re also being tracked by the man who stole your company out from under you, you’re attempting to repair your relationship with your daughter, we’re in the process of trying to get your house back, and you decide NOW is the right time to take an unnecessary trip to Ireland?!

Centurion: …well it sounds bad when you say it.

Walter: ALSO, who is booking your flights, hmm? Who is making your hotel arrangements? Are you taking care of all that?

Centurion: Well…

Walter: No. The answer is no. I’m the one who does that. So maybe when you’re looking at being booked for shows, especially those out of the country, you may want to let your manager know and not try to keep it a secret from him? Unless your thought was to pass out in a pub for a week straight.

Centurion: The thought had crossed my mind.

(Walter just sighs and shoves the paper into Centurion’s chest. He picks up his coffee and walks away as Centurion grabs the paper and lifts it up. It is the card for the next Warfare.

Centurion
Vs
"Notorious" Ned Kaye

Centurion shrugs his shoulders and sets the paper down on the table while picking up his coffee. He follows Walter, who is heading towards the ring.)

Walter: How’s the knee?

Centurion: Knee’s great. Held up fine against Fuzz. I feel like I have all my strength back in it.

(Centurion gets to the ring and sits on the ring apron-the hardest part of the ring, if you weren’t aware-and pills his pant leg up past his knee. Walter grabs a chair and sits down in front of him, inspecting his knee. The swelling has done down, and there doesn’t appear to be any bruising. Other than some scaring from previous surgeries, it looks like a normal knee.)

Walter: You dodged a bullet.

Centurion: You summed up my career in four words.

Walter: No, if I were to sum up your career in four words, it would be “somehow always failing upward.”

Centurion: Ouch! Even for you, that’s low.

Walter: You’ve heard worse.

(Centurion pulls his pant leg back down and rolls into the ring. He starts running the ropes as Walter paces outside the ring. Back and forth Centurion goes, focusing primarily on his cardio and endurance, as Walter studies him.)

Walter: And what happens if you win against Kaye?

Centurion: (still running, panting) That’s the goal, isn’t it?

Walter: Didn’t you read the conditions of your match? If you win, you get added to a Hart Title number one contenders match. Meaning you’ll have to fly BACK to the UK in the middle of your run for the tag belts.

(As Walter says this, Centurion stops running. He just stands in the middle of the ring, looking down at Walter, slightly confused.)

Centurion: Really? Why the hell would they do that?

Walter: Probably because Ned Kaye is already getting a shot at the Hart Title, and therefore if someone beats him, they at least deserve a chance to fight for the belt themselves. That’s what I’m guessing.

Centurion: Oh. Well…sweet.

Walter: Not “sweet!” You’re going to stretch yourself way too damn thin if you try to go after two belts at the same time, not to mention the injury risk you run. Plus, all this travel back and forth is going to be hell on your body.

Centurion: I’ve done worse, Walter. When I was in C2W, I would go back and forth from Virginia to Cairo almost weekly.

Walter: You’re not 25 anymore! All that traveling is going to destroy you.

Centurion: Pashaw!

(Centurion rolls out of the ring and walks up to Walter.)

Centurion: You keep acting like I’m your age. I’m perfectly healthy. If my body can’t handle flying back and forth to Europe, then I probably shouldn’t be in the ring. I came back to test my metal, not to limp around helplessly.

Walter: You’re going to die in that ring.

Centurion: Maybe. It wouldn’t be the worst way to go – down like a warrior. In the words of your friend and mine, Ric, “I’ll either die in the ring, or on top of a wild woman.”

Walter: If those are your only two options, then you’re definitely dying in the ring.

------Pack It Up, Pack It In------

18 years of a rivalry, and how does it end? With a controversary.

This is the kind of bullshit that makes outsiders not want to sign with the XWF. There should have been a definitive ending to my match with Fuzz after all we’ve been through.

That being said, Fuzz is a 20 year veteran in this industry. He knows what can and can not be considered a submission. While he may have been “slapping his hands in frustration”, he should have known better. Don’t give the referee any chance to assume you’re giving up.

But I guess this means I’m not done with Fuzz or his assistant Noah Jackson yet. That’s fine. While I wanted to be done with Fuzz forever, I also happen to enjoy the emotional breakdown he seems to have every week. He hopes that one day, he’ll put me in the ground and he can go back to being a big name superstar, but those days are gone. Hey, maybe Noah Jackson can lead him to a tag title...someday. Just a little hard work and improvement, then by God, Fuzz could actually accomplish a few things.

That’s a problem for Future Centurion, though. Current Centurion has two very important matches on his place, both of which would lead to a championship, something I have not held in years. On Savage, I will be teaming up with Lux in the first round of the tag team title tournament, On Warfare, meanwhile…I get another match with Ned Kaye.

Now, I say that because technically it is true, but there are two very important caveats I need to make. The first is that our first match was a triple threat, that neither of us won. The second is the fact that I faced Ned Kaye in one of his first matches in the XWF, when he was just an indie wrestler with a dream. Things have changed pretty significantly since then.

In my match against Big D, I mentioned to him about doing things “the right way”. Ned Kaye is the perfect example. He came in, challenged some big stars, got knocked down, but continue to fight anyway. He eventually settled in, got some wins under his belt, and now he’s the Hart Title number one contender, as well as a 24/7 briefcase holder. Well done indeed.

Ned also happens to have become friends with members of Apex Prophecy, including myself, though we’re both also professionals. I came to the XWF to test my skills against the best of this generation, and Ned Kaye came to the XWF to face the greatest talent and move up the ranks of professional wrestling. We both live for this level of competition.

So I can’t bash Ned Kaye for his skill level, and I can’t say I hate the guy and want to tear him apart, so why am I even here, right? After all, this is a sport where you have to literally try to kill the other person in order to be interesting, right? That seems to be the common criticism I receive from outside observers. I’m not “violent enough” or “interesting enough”, which I assume means people hate me because I’m not some brooding vampire wannabe who tells stories of being a thousand years old and murdering random folks off the street with zero repercussions. Seriously, haven’t y’all figured out by now that being “unique” and “edgy” has actually become cliché at this point? You’re not “unique” if you’re following the same path as everyone else.

How is Centurion Vs Ned Kaye going to be interesting? I don’t know, how about having a great fucking match? What a concept. Two good wrestlers getting into the ring and battling it out to see who is better. I would say “like we used to do in the old days”, but my career doesn’t go back that far. I started my career in Shane

’s CCWF, where “wrestling” wasn’t really a thing and everyone had to try and stab each other with old, rusty knives that were kept in

’s rape dungeon.

Ok, enough with the ass kissing. My kindness should not be mistaken for weakness. While I have respect Ned Kaye and all he has accomplished thus far, I will still go at him like every other competitor I have faced in that ring. I will give him my best, because he will do the same to me, and when I’m out there putting in my best work, I am as good as any top contender in this federation.

You know why I’m so excited for this match, and why I’m going to go at Ned Kaye with all I’ve got? Because when I just said that I was a top contender, there were many in the back who chuckled. The least kept secret in the XWF is that, despite all the victories, all the championships, and all the accolades I have racked up in my nearly 20 year career, there is still a large contingent of people who have no respect for me. Most of them are wrestlers who have started in the last five years, and so all their accomplishments have happened when I wasn’t around. Now they wrestle once every three months, but they still talk a lot of shit about how great they are and how I’ve “soiled my legacy”.

What are you fighting for, Ned? What do you have to gain from this match, other than the opportunity to say you “beat Centurion”? You already have a Hart Title shot. You already have the briefcase. No matter what happens in this match, people’s perception of you will not change. That’s not to say I think you’ll take it easy, or won’t prepare for this match. That’s not your style. But I do know, subconsciously, it’s really hard to be at your best when you don’t see the benefit in victory.

I also know what it’s like to be new, and thinking I have it all figured out. You have people telling you how good you are. You’re standing across from a legend who may be a little slower and a little beat up. You don’t take it quite as seriously, because you’re fairly certain your skills are good enough to carry you to victory. You go online, and all the smart marks are putting all their money on you.

My advice to you, Ned, should you choose to take it – don’t listen to them. Don’t think you’re getting an easy win on Warfare. Part of the reason I’m saying that is selfish – not only do I have hope that you’re going to be a big star some day, but I also don’t want you to come up with some bullshit excuse as to why you lost to me. Seems to be a recurring trend when I humble people – they don’t like to accept their losses. It was fine when I first came back and everyone thought I would flame out in a few weeks, but now that I’m several months into my comeback and I keep racking up victories, I’m getting a little tired of hearing everyone talk about my wins being “flukes”.

I doubt you’ll do that, Ned. You have your head put on straight. You understand the business. You know that wins and losses come and go, and the key to a successful career is bouncing back from the mistakes. If you look at all the rejects that have been minimally successful only to burn out, it’s because they didn’t know what to do when they lost. It demoralized them. They spent all that time talking about how great they were and how awful their opponents were that they actually believed it, and losing sucked all the life out of them.

I’m looking forward to this, Ned. I know we’re going to tear the house down. I know we’re going to be the match of the night, and possibly the match of the night. And I know, after some back and forth, after we’ve beaten each other down, we will walk to the back and share a beer and talk about how awesome that match was…that is, after you meet your…

FINAL FANTASY!

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