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Centurion · (04-28-2020)

(Centurion once again delivered on his promise - he was able to defeat Chris Chaos and Mastermind and defend the Hart Title, extending his reign over 210 days and inching him ever closer to his goal of 298 days, thus breaking the record for the single longest title reign in the XWF modern era.

Still, despite this accomplishment, Centurion can't find it in him to celebrate. Last week, with the help of his sister and his girlfriend, Centurion was able to recall an encounter with his father, Mavdris Cortinovis. It was there that Centurion discovered his father's connection with far right politics, on top of his criminal behavior and shady business deals. This has further rocked Centurion, who has attempted to make up not only for his own mistakes, but for the mistakes of his father, as well. He was on the right path, until another man with far right ties, Nathaniel Idenhaus, emerged to attack him.

We open up inside the home of Nellie Cortinovis in Wildwood, New Jersey. There, sitting at a table in the dining room, is Centurion and Allison, staring into a laptop. The screen in front of them just reflects their faces. Standing over them is Nellie, who is setting up a Zoom call for the older, technologically unsavvy Cortinovis twins.)

Centurion: Why are we using Zoom instead of Skype?

Nellie: Skype has a lot of internal issues. It's also known to mine data and personal information.

Centurion: And you're saying Zoom doesn't?

Nellie: I'm saying I haven't watched a YouTube video about it yet, and that's all that matters.

Centurion: Ok, well heads up, if a Russian cyber group wants access to your personal information, they can easily find it. Hell, you're an elected official! You've pretty much doxxed yourself!

Nellie: Shut up.

(Nellie completely disregards Centurion as she dials in the Zoom call. A room opens with just the faces of Centurion and Allison, and no one else has joined the meeting yet.)

Allison: You did tell them the right time, correct?

Centurion: Of course I told them the correct time! Why does everyone think I'm completely incompetent?

Allison: History, mostly.

(Before Centurion is able to respond, the sound of someone connecting to the meeting is heard, and a few seconds later, the face of Walter Crowe is shown on the computer screen.)

Centurion: Walter! You look...old.

Walter: Jokes on you, that was the look I was going for. How have things been? Has Allison been holding your hand and keeping you out of trouble?

Allison: I'm good, Walter, but I'm no miracle worker.

Walter: My suggestion is to put a little bell on him. That way you can hear him when he gets distracted and wanders away.

Allison: That's a good idea! I thought about getting one of those leashes that the parents put on their toddlers at the amusement park, but I figured he would just snap the harness...

Centurion: I'm right fucking here!

(Allison and Walter both laugh, leaving a less than amused Centurion darting his eyes back and forth between the two of them. The laughter only lasts a few seconds, though, as the sound of another person connecting to the chat is heard. On the other side of the call, we see a figure unfamiliar to the wrestling audience, but perhaps more familiar with those who are politically savvy.

[Image: J6EFjGL.jpg]

The person is Giorgos Kaminis, the former mayor of Athens, Greece, and a current member of the Hellenic Parliament. The moment he enters the call, he gets a bright smile on his face, and his colorful personality overtakes the room.)

Giorgos: Andrew! Walter! It is so good to see you again! Though I wish this would be person and under better circumstances. Are you staying safe in America?

Centurion: Hey Mayor! Yes, we're safe...relatively so. As you know, we don't have much in terms of leadership over here, so we're all kind of fending for ourselves.

Giorgos: Yes, yes, this is what happens when you elect a man who loves cocaine as president. How was that not disqualifying?

Walter: People didn't seem to know.

Giorgos: People didn't know? It was the worst kept secret in the world! Remember in Torino when we were at that conference, and he got up to "go to the bathroom" three times in a half hour? The man was coked out of his mind!

Centurion: You're talking about a voting population that's addicted to Coca Cola and Adderall. Besides, would you like me to go over the list of severe fuckheads you've elected in your country over the past two decades?

Giorgos: Point taken. And is that the beautiful Allison sitting next to you?

(Allison flashes a smile.)

Allison: Hi Mayor.

Giorgos: I always said, you clearly were blessed with the looks in the family. You were also given the brains, too. Andy...I do not know what he was given. A "charming personality" perhaps?

Centurion: You're always so kind to me.

Giorgos: I am as nice to you as Walter is. Speaking of, how may I help you boys today? I must say, when I received your message, I was somewhat worried. Normally everything we discuss is done through email.

Centurion: Yeah, but this is different. This is...

(Centurion looks off into space, trying to think of the words to use. He either doesn't know what to say, or he just flat out refuses to say it. Luckily, Allison is able to pick up the slack for him.)

Allison: This is personal, Mayor.

Giorgos: Personal? But of course. After all you've done for me, I am always willing to help you out. What do you need?

Centurion: Giorgos. I need...

(Again, Centurion is unable to get the words out. This time, Allison and Walter refuse to bail him out. After a few seconds of struggling, Centurion speaks up.)

Centurion: I need your help, not as the former mayor and not as my former business associate, but as a historian and expert in Greek politics. I need you to tell me everything you know...about our father.

(This time, it's Giorgos that looks a bit taken aback. He lets out a "ooo" as he sits back in his chair.)

Giorgos: You're opening up a deep wound there. Honestly, you're both lucky you never really got to know him. He was one bad mitéra gamiméno.

Centurion: I know, and there's a part of me that wishes I can keep it buried and never have to dig it back up, but that's impossible, Giorgos. I need to know just how bad things were - not the anecdotes and not what I can get from a simple Google search, but I need to know as much as possible from someone who actually knew him.

(Giorgos rubs his chin. He is clearly uncomfortable with the request. It is not lost on anyone in the call that the history of Mavdis Cortinovis must be bad enough that a high ranking political figure in Greece refuses to talk about him. The nice, sunny demeanor on Giorgos leaves, and he now looks very seriously into the camera.)

Giorgos: What you're about to find out...you're not going to like. And you can never go back to an age of ignorance on this. This will change your life, I can promise you that. Are you sure you want to know?

(Centurion looks over at Allison, who looks back at him. The two nod, and gesture over to Giorgos. Giorgos sighs.)

Giorgos: Alright. Well, in order to properly set the scene, I need to tell you about a group called The Golden Dawn.

------The Whole Crowd Goes Spaghetti-------

Well...if this isn't the most pointless exercise of all time.

Sure, I get it in theory. Put all the captains of the War Games match in one, have them fight it out, and the order of elimination determines the draft order. Under any normal year, this would be a great idea and an instant money maker, and the stakes would be incredibly high.

But here's the thing - the selections have already been made, at least for the first round. Fuzz is going to select Atara Themis. He has to - he won't get laid otherwise. Robert Main is going to select Chris Page. He has to - he won't get laid otherwise.

has already said he's taking Gilmour, which...no one is fighting over him, so have at it. And Hanari Carnes is likely to take Chris Chaos, or else that newly developed tag team is going to be over before it starts. That only leaves Red-X with an unknown selection, and he's going to be eliminated first anyway.

Oh, I guess that also leaves me as an unknown. Well, to be honest, I haven't decided who I'm taking yet. I will have to wait until all the names are revealed in order to make my selection. Point is, though - it doesn't matter if I pick first or fifth. My pick is going to be the same. It's not like I'm going to Atara or Page or Chaos or fucking Gilmour with my first pick.

So technically, we could just put the five of our names in a hat, and pull at random. We all pick five people, and Red-x gets whoever is left. There, first round selected.

Aye, but herein lies the difference maker. The winner of War Games will not be determined by the first pick. The difference will be made with the fourth pick. When all the top talent had been scopped up, and you're left with wrestlers who just plain suck, or who aren't around full time and therefore haven't shown their full potential. That's when your decision making as a captain is put to the test, and the order of the draft actually means something.

So fine, I guess we'll go ahead with this stupid match. It will at least give me a chance to face off against some of the bigger names in this company. This way I won't have every pretender to the throne trying to tell me who my reign is "boring" because I don't "face anybody".

First off, Red-x, go fuck yourself. You're a non starter. You literally exist to put the rest of us over. Have fun with whatever scraps we leave you.

And has anyone been given more by doing less than Hanari Carnes? He does absolutely nothing for month, then suddenly gets a Universal Title shot, a likely tag title shot, and a main event on Warfare all in the matter of a few weeks. Talk about overshooting your target. Hanari would make for an interesting challenger for Thunder Knuckles, but these big boy matches? It's a bit out of his league, don't you think?

I guess that's the rub of the "random draw"...please, like I believe THAT for a second. So you're telling me that, at random, the Universal, Hart, and one half of the Tag Champions were all selected to be captains? Sorry, I don't buy it. I appreciate the rub. Glad I'm a captain. But this was set up this way to ensure balance.

Which I completely understand, by the way. Could you imagine a team that included Shawn Warstein, both members of Cataclysm, and myself? It wouldn't be fair, and it would be damn near impossible to determine an MVP. So they spread out the good talent.

Doesn't really explain Red-x and Hanari Carnes, though. Maybe they were chosen because none of the bosses wanted to figure out which Blackwater Brother was going to disappoint them.

Regardless, this match comes down to three men - myself, Warstein, and Main. And to be fair, it should - we're the three best wrestlers on the roster. And yes, this is going to piss off a lot of people, but that is none of my concern. We're the three wrestlers that put in the work each and every week. And I can give you a list of reasons why I don't like Shawn, much like he can give you a list of reasons why he doesn't like me, but he will admit to the same thing...

...in private. In public, he's going to tell everyone that Atara is the greatest wrestler to walk into this company since he debuted. Again, because he has to. He earns nothing by giving me any praise, but giving Atara praise gives him more engagements on Twitter. Gotta keep the algorithm up.

As for Robert, well, his resume pretty much speaks for himself. First ballot Hall of Legends, if ballots for that thing existed. He dominated the Universal Title scene when I showed up, and now he's picking apart tag teams like they're twigs.

I don't know what he feels about me, though. If this was a few months ago, he'd be singing my praises. This new Robert Main, though...I doubt I'll get that same respect. Which is fine. All of these wrestlers at the top can act as tough as they want. I'll still be me. I'll still be honest. Shawn and Robert are fantastic wrestlers. They not only have skill, but longevity. They stack up against just about anyone from any era.

That doesn't mean I'm afraid of them, though. Not for a second. I don't look up to them - I look across at them. They're not my heroes, they're my peers. They're my rivals. Which is far more than I can say about Red-x and Hanari Carnes, who don't hold a candle.

I have plenty I can say about both these gentlemen...but that will happen at another time. I only have so much air time, and the things I have to say about Shawn and Robert can fill up an hour. I do ask this of both of them, though - please don't revert to the same old insults. You two are better than that. No "you never won a Universal Title" jabs. No "you're incredibly boring" bullshit. You two are among the best talkers in the business. I hope you can come with something better than the same insults I've heard for 20 years.

Oh, I didn't forget about you, Shane

. I was saving you for last.

I have wrestled more matches in the XWF than I can count. I won a lot. I also lost a lot. Very few loses, however, stick with me. Normally I am able to just push losses aside and forget about them. But once and a while, a loss will be so impactful to me that it never leaves my mind.

Losing the Canadian Title to Chasm, for example. Or the World Title to Brad Pierce. Or when I was the first person to step up to Kitten, only to lose and never get another shot at it. These things will be in my brain until I die.

Losing to you at XX is one of those matches. Sure, I can spin it a hundred different ways - Maverick, who hasn't wrestled in 15 years, was the one who was pinned. K-Money wrestled well above his pay grade. I was attacked prematch by Vita and Noah. All of these things, though, would just be excuses. You beat me,

. You have a win over me that will be a dark mark on my record until the day I die.

And while it tears me apart, I do have to say, it was somewhat helpful to me. I was ok resting on my laurels. I was fine with being a part time wrestler. But that loss...that fueled me to be something more. That fueled me to go on the best run of my career.

And to this day, I have not lost.

So thank you, Shane. Thank you for giving me the kick in the ass I needed to become one of the best wrestlers in the world once again. It's because of you that I will pass your former Black Circle member, Azrael Erebus, and become the longest reigning champ.

Thank you...and also fuck you. I hope you choke on a dick and die. At least you'll go out doing something you love. The hatred and contempt I have in my body is unequal. You represent every single thing I have tried to destroy in my career. Which you already know. You hold it over my head week after week. But don't worry, I'll eliminate your Stormfront soldier soon enough, and when I'm done...I'm eliminating you for good.

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