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X-treme Wrestling Federation »   » Archives » War Games 2020 PPV Board
Moving On From Betrayal
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Tula Kealiʻi Offline
Registered but either hasn't added self to a roster yet or doesn't RP



XWF FanBase:
The IWC

(gets varying reactions in the arenas, but will be worshiped like a god and defended until the end by internet fans; literally has thousands of online dorks logging on to complain anytime they lose a match or don't get pushed right)


#1
05-27-2020, 04:28 PM

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to grab some smokes."

These words are said by countless deadbeat dad's across the world. It's the last thing some children hear before the patriarch of the family leaves forever. It gives them an out to leave the house without question, only to never return.

It was also the last thing Robbie Bourbon said to us.

I don't know what happened. None of us know. He drove several hours just to make sure he made his presence known, and he didn't even stick around for dinner. I don't know if the prospect of training with Centurion and I just didn't appeal to him or what, but it was kind of a dick move.

I can tell it is bothering Centurion. Not that he is sad or betrayed, but he is pissed. I doubt he wanted to take Robbie with his first pick, but he put faith in what Robbie was saying, and the strength he saw out of him in their matches together, and in the end, it turned out to be a failure.

Perhaps that is the great equalizer of all. Failure. Since I started speaking with Centurion, he has been cool and calm with nothing effecting him. Over the past two weeks, however, his personality has completely changed. His loss in the captains match has hurt his confidence, and being paired on the opposite side of the ring against Shawn Warstein, the Universal Champion and one of Centurion's biggest rivals, has allowed the nerves to creep into his system. He wants this. No - he NEEDS this. To him, this is validation. And Robbie walking out on him and this team has just added more doubt into the back of his mind.

Either way, we have to move on, and Centurion's sister Allison has done a great job keeping both of us focused. There is a lot of pressure on Centurion. He will never say it, but it's apparent. He's nervous, but he's also a 20 year veteran in the same room as a rookie, and he refuses to show even an ounce of vulnerability. Which I understand completely.

Today is "tape" day. Allison and Walter have us watching promotional videos of those participating in the War Games festivities. Currently, we are watching a video by Jenny Myst, the self crowned "queen" of the XWF despite neither a bloodline nor a coup that has allowed for such a title. As she rambles on about Centurion, we take notes.

Jenny Myst - said Cent was just there. No word on Tula.

I look down my notes, and there is a common thread among the promos we have watched thus far today.

Doug Whitford - called Centurion boring, Tula a failure.
Chris Page - called Centurion and Tula boring.
Michael Graves - called Centurion "ok" but "boring". No word on Tula.
Big D - talked about last year's WarGames. Called Tula a quarterback from the University of Alabama.

I tap my pen against the notebook as I scan over the notes we have taken thus far. Centurion did warn me that many of these promos would become repetitive, but this is ridiculous.

As Myst continues her diatribe, a phone on the table begins to vibrate. It's Centurion's phone, which has been ringing almost all day. He looks at the phone and sees the name - Theo Pryce. He slides it over to Allison.


"Take care of this."

Centurion says this, not in a demanding way, but in a confident way. I can tell he trusts his sister, and Allison gets a look, almost a sense of pride, in being able to manage her brother's career.

As she walks away, we continue to watch Jenny's promo. She's done talking about our team, and is now talking about the Universal Champion, Shawn Warstein.


"You may be the best we have right now, but you're far from the best."

This line breaks my brain. I know I'm new to pro wrestling, but this just seems like an incredibly dumb sentence, regardless of the context. I glace over at Centurion, seeing if maybe he can shed some light on this peculiar statement.

"No, you're not going crazy. That made no sense."

"I thought so."

As Jenny finishes up, Allison walks back towards us. Her face does not have an expression of someone who just received good news. Centurion knows it, too, as he immediately closes his notebook and turns to Allison with his arms folded.

"So, Calvary is confirmed out. So is Robbie. Apparently he completely withdrew from the event."

"What the hell? Did the fucker have a heart attack or something?"

"No idea."

"Alright, well I knew we were going to get at least one replacement since Calvary was killed on live television. So now I guess we're getting two replacements."

"See...there's the bad news. Not enough people signed up to be alternates. So...Theo decided to just trim your team and Warstein's team, making it a three on three."

I'm shocked, but I have no words to say. The implications of this are beyond words. Regardless of the teams being equal in the first round, we enter the main event with a massive disadvantage.

"Are you fucking serious? So, what you're saying is, we're fucked."

"I'm saying you're at a severe disadvantage. You're not completely fucked."

"Feels like we're completely fucked. Tula?"

"If we're not fucked, we're at least fucked adjacent."

"It just means you can't suffer any losses in your first round match. It's completely doable, but you need to be on the same page. No mistakes, no miscommunication. 100% focus."

Centurion sighs. He knows what this means. I know what this means. And it's not going to be fun.

"I gotta go talk to Chris."

[Image: 5c426312bede9.image.jpg?resize=400%2C266]

Is it just me, or does it seem like the general rules of time no longer apply in 2020?

One week ago, I spoke to you all about the upcoming WarGames matches. I said my piece, turned the camera off...and apparently all hell broke loose.

Wrestlers dropping out, others being added, and a 5 vs 5 War Games match suddenly only having six wrestlers in it. This place is insane. They say you have to take things "day by day", but around here, you have to take things hour by hour.

First of all, I'm sad I won't get the opportunity to wrestle Vanessa Gibson. I would have loved to battle her. After talking as tough as she has in the past, we could have had a lot of fun. Maybe next time, when she decides to bat her little eye lashes at Atticus White, and he gives her another shot. Even the most hardcore feminists aren't above using their sex appeal to achieve some benefit.

I'd also like to take this time to welcome Ms. Direction to the festivities. I'm so glad she decided to make it. After what she did to Ruby a few weeks ago, she has yet to come face to face with anyone who could make her pay for her crimes. It was supposed to be Vita Valenteen, but poor girl got 86'd before she had the opportunity. So she's just been sitting around, goading people on and telling them to join the B.O.B, the stable she decided to form with Michael Graves and the THUGS.

Oh, how I would love nothing more than to be the one who eliminates her. To be able to look at her shocked eyes as she comes to the realization that, after all that talk and all that hype, she couldn't get the job done against me. That same look the Themis Sisters had when Ruby and I beat them on Anarchy. The same look Shawn Warstein and his team are going to have when our team moves on without losing a single wrestler.

See you in the main event, Direction! I can almost guarantee you will be there, thanks to the team you're lined up against. Mastermind? Liam Roberts? Michael Graves? That's not what I would call a "strong team". Throw in the fact that you're either going to get Red-x or Boris...so Boris...and you have a team destined to lose. In fact, it says a whole lot when adding Boris would be an improvement to your team.

So you'll be there, Direction, but it won't be because you put on some wonderful performance. You'll be there thanks to a horrible opposing team. Maybe you'll pull Jenny Myst across the finish line with you. That would be a wonderful two for one special for me.

Before I can get Jenny and Direction to tap out, though, we need to get past the first match, and I couldn't be any more excited. Going into this week, I thought the only thing motivating me in the first match of War Games was going to be facing the Universal Champion, and the prospect of moving on in the festivities. Thanks to a couple of folks who like to talk shit, however, that motivation has changed.

You don't know anything about me, Doug, and don't act like you do. You know the parts of my life that I have chosen to share. If you want to piece together some kind of profile from that, be my guest, but I guarentee you'll be wrong.

And since you're out here trying to tell the world what I'm like, why don't you share anything about yourself? It was easy for you to tell me how you "never failed at two different careers", but I see zero proof of that. You have yet to succeed at one. Oh, but I need to "wait and see" I'm sure. You're going to be the next great superstar. Just like everybody else.

By the way, I didn't leave the Army to take care of my father. I left the Army because I served for ten years and I was done busting my ass in a land I had no connection to. But hey, you believe whatever you want. If you wish to believe I somehow chickened out, after ten years, and that I failed to make it as an MMA fighter because I'm bland, then whatever. We're all entitled to our opinion. Much like my opinion of you, which is that you're nothing more than the latest shock value trend - someone who says whatever he can to get a rise out of people because he thinks it's funny, regardless of whether or not it's factually accurate. You're Logan Paul and Trisha Paytas, but with less of a following.

And then there's Big D, who thinks he's being clever by confusing me with Tua Tagovailoa. Yes, I get it, Hawaiian names are different and confusing. I know they can be difficult to grasp, but here's the thing - Hawaiian names are steeped in culture and tradition, and White names are...well, not.

It does make sense that you would make jokes, D, considering you ARE a joke. There isn't a single person alive who think you're going to make it past the first round, not to mention win this whole thing. I know you have this storybook ending in your mind - a return to the ring, capped off with a major victory at one of the biggest events of the year. Unfortunately for you, this is not a storybook. This is real life, and in real life, you walked away from the business because you couldn't cut it anymore.

I have a question for Shawn Warstein - are you happy with your team? Or if you had the opportunity to draft again, would you do it? This isn't me judging, it's an actual question. I can't imagine taking two mystery competitors and finding out they're Doug Whitford and Big D.

Second question, Shawn - do you TRUST either of your partners? Think about how this business works. It's less about merit and more about narrative. If Doug Whitford or Big D turns on you mid match, they would get a Universal Title shot almost immediately. The fans would want to see it, which would cause ownership to put it together, and you're too full of pride to accept the challenge. If I was either Doug or D, and I knew I had no chance at being a survivor at the end of the event, I would take my shot at you.

I guess, theoretically, Centurion could have the same issue, but Chris Chaos has already had his shot at him. It would benefit him far more to help get Centurion over the finish line and redeem himself. As for me - well, I would get a title shot if I just asked, but going after the Hart Title is low on m priority list.

I know this will come as a surprise to my biggest critics, but I'm not an idiot. I know the odds on favorite to win this whole thing is Robert Main's team. They have the consistent unit. They are working together as one, as opposed to some of the other teams in this contest. And they are likely to go into the main event with four wrestlers, while our team only starts with three. We have our backs against the wall from the very beginning. In fact, I'd say most people expect our team to not even make it out of the first round.

Honestly...I think this is a good thing.

Everyone knows that there's a special motivation that comes with being an underdog. I'm not breaking any new ground there. But there's another part of the dynamic that isn't talked about much - the complacency of being the favorite. Shawn Warstein and his team are already planning on being in the main event. They're looking right past us. The only question is whether or not Warstein gets to eliminate Centurion like he wants to.

And I'm sure Robert Main is already asking his team - minus Low Mo - what they want as a reward from bringing home the victory. He has his tag team partner, an actually noticed Television Champion, and a Russian mobster that might have been the biggest steal in the draft. If I wasn't in this match, I'd bet a couple bucks on Main's team being the ones who stand tall at the end of the evening.

But you look at our team, and you see three folks you don't want to underestimate. Chris Chaos is as motivated as he's ever been. His back is against the wall, and he needs a strong performance to return to relevance. He is going to throw everything he has at Shawn Warstein and his team in order to show there's still some magic left. Centurion is a legend who has held the Hart Title for over 200 days, and yet everyone is discrediting him and his accomplishments. It's a rare situation when someone like him has the opportunity to prove himself in a scenario where he's an underdog, but that's what he finds himself in now.

And me? Well, no one knows who I am, and that gives me power over everyone. Think of everything I can accomplish this weekend? First and foremost, I can eliminate the Universal Champion and vault my way up the rankings. I could show Big D that is would have been better for him to stay retired. I could shut Doug Whitford the hell up and end his career before it even starts. And that's just the opening match! If I take out Ms. Direction or Michael Graves, I put a massive dent into B.O.B. Eliminate Jenny Myst, and I'm suddenly in a program with "the queen". Take out Shane or Hired Gun, and I avenge all the wrong they have done to this company. But there's one prospect that gets me the most excited.

Thunder Knuckles. Yes, if I take out the Television Champion, I'll get a shot at the title. I don't know if I'll end up as a survivor at the end of this tournament. It's possible I won't. But I do know I'll get the opportunity to face off against Thunder Knuckles, and that's an opportunity I refuse to let slip through my fingers. Motivated or not, I know I can beat him, and taking him out, while simultaneously helping push my team to victory is exactly the opportunity I look forward to.

War isn't a game. I know first hand. It's brutal and violent and leads to destruction. Despite what you may have read in your history books, no one truly "wins" a war - you just survive. You give a piece of yourself, and the person with the most pieces left at the end gets to be called the "winner", despite the pain and anguish they went through. Consider me a weak link all you want. Think I don't belong in this event, or that I'm not a threat to winning it all. That's fine. But out of the 28 people competing this weekend, only one of us has truly gone to war and come out the other side.

[Image: tenor-3-1.gif]
9-10-0
2x Anarchy Champion
1x and current XWF Micronesian Champion
XWF Star Of The Month - October 2020
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[-] The following 4 users Like Tula Kealiʻi's post:
Alexei Medved (05-27-2020), Robert "The Omega" Main (05-27-2020), Shawn Warstein (05-27-2020), Theo Pryce (05-31-2020)




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