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Centurion · (11-28-2020)

(In order to move forward with a new life, you have to take care of the loose ends on your previous life.

That is what Centurion is attempting to do now. The story of his father, Mavdris Cortinovis, is officially over. Following the disbandment of Golden Dawn, the alt-right political party of Greece that Mavdris helped fund, as well as the arrest and conviction of many of his former colleagues, the only thing that remains of the international criminal's legacy are his two children.

And they are currently in the process of burning his lasting memories.

We open up at a campground in an undisclosed location. There, we see Centurion and Allison standing in front of of fire. They have several boxes of documents next to them, and they are tossing file folders and other flammable items into the fire. The boxes are just cardboard Bankers boxes, but the files inside have "Classified" written in Greek on them. They aren't even looking at the files as they continuously toss them into the fire.

As the two throw their files in silence, the silhouette of Walter Crowe can be seen walking in behind the twins with a box of his own.)

Walter: Hey, if we're burning some useless crap, mind if I toss in some of my own?

Centurion: Sure. What do you have there?

(Walter sets the box down and opens it. Inside is a variety of different Donald Trump campaign merchandise - flyers, mailers, signs, hats - all crammed into the box, filling it to the point where the box is starting to puff out and lose its structural integrity. Centurion and Allison both look wide eyed at the box.)

Centurion: What the hell?! Were you hosting a GOP fundraiser at your house or something?

Walter: Hardly. This was all stuff that was sent to my house from the campaign. Turns out, when you're a registered Independent, every campaign tries to buy your love. I have a box just as full of Biden stuff still at the house.

Allison: ...you're a registered Independent?

Walter: Actually, I'm a registered member of the Reform Party.

Centurion: Still?

Walter: Yeah. I have no desire to change. I don't really care about the primaries, if I'm honest. And as one of the last remaining members of the party, I'm constantly getting phone calls from folks who want me to run for office. I might just do it someday.

Allison: Yeah, well whatever you do, don't run for Wildwood Crest School Board, or else Nellie may kill you.

(Walter laughs as he takes out some Trump signs and tosses them into the fire. The signs go up quickly, and all three take a second to admire the artistry they see before them.)

Centurion: It's cathartic, in a way. I know what we're going here tonight isn't going to erase these horrible men from history...but it does feel like we are erasing them from our lives.

Allison: It's a sign of growth. Personal growth. The damning legacy of our father was one of the things that kept you from being able to move on. Finding out about him and his beliefs - you've carried it with you for so long. Knowing that his movement is burned to the ground, and that all those that helped prop him up for so long are in jail is the closure that you need.

Centurion: True...well, except for one more thing.

Allison: Andy, no…

(Allison cuts Centurion off before he can say any more. Allison grabs Centurion by the hand and turns him toward her. Meanwhile, Walter continues to toss items into the fire.)

Allison: Don't put this pressure on yourself. Nathaniel Idenhaus has nothing to do with your father. Have your closure.

Centurion: You seem concerned. What, do you think I'm going to lose?

Allison: I think you CAN lose if you think this match is more than what it is. The only way you lose is if you put yourself on tilt. If you go in relaxed and at peace, you won't have any problems.

Centurion: I get what you're saying...but even you have to admit that the similarities are striking.

Allison: What similarities? Our father was an evil mastermind. He warped the brains of those around him, and used his money and power to build his influence. He spread his fascist ideology around the world, which allowed several political parties with evil intentions to actually build themselves up and poison the democracies of several countries. Nathaniel is a wrestler. He's a man who had delusions of being the next Fuhrer. He said some horrible shit to wrestling audiences….but that's it. He never had power. He never had influence. He's just...a guy.

Centurion: A guy who became a champion several times over because I wasn't around to stop him.

Allison: Andy…

Centurion: No!

(Centurion takes a handful of documents out of the box and tosses them into the fire before walking away. Allison follows as Centurion rants.)

Centurion: NAZI is the anthisis of all those people who poisoned the XWF for years. Other wrestlers may have been more successful, but none of them have ever been so blatantly evil. The fact that he was even successful at ALL shows how bad things have gotten. And it's not just professional wrestling. This alt-right, racist, wack job mentality has spread throughout all industries. It's become normalized. The fact that I'm fight this guy at ALL and it's not a major national story should tell you exactly what's going on.

Allison: Yes, but it's not your responsibility to fight every fascist in the world. You can't be responsible for taking out every person with a shitty opinion.

Centurion: No, but if I CAN, if I have the ability to do so, then I have the moral responsibility to do so. The fact that NAZI signed to the XWF isn't something I could change. But if I had been here five years ago, I could have taken him out before he ever gained any level of success.

Allison: So what are you going to do? Fight until your 70 just to make sure these folks never climb up the ranks?

Centurion: If I have to? Yes!

(Allison looks at Centurion, and for the first time, she understands what is going on in Centurion's head. While he may have closure with his father, and he may have closure with his former business partner, he'll never have closure over the political movement they gave rise to. Centurion is willing to give his life in order to end this hardcore ideology...and Allison is ready to get on board.)

Allison: Ok.

Centurion: ...ok?

Allison: Ok. If this is your new project, then not only am I not going to stop you, but I'm going to help you. There are certainly worse reasons to fight. What are you going to need for your match on Sunday?

Centurion: ... nothing. I'm going to bury this fool.

------Step In Front Of A Runaway Train-------

Doesn't it bother you, Nate?

Where we are on the card? The amount of attention we've gotten for this match? Doesn't it bother you in the least?

Think about it. We've been building toward this contest for months. You first attacked me back in April. We were supposed to fight several times throughout the summer, only for things to get pushed back. So it can't be blamed on lack of build.

You also can't blame it on me. This is my first match in the XWF since Relentless. The last two pay per views I've wrestled at, I was in the main event. My pay per view matches in UGWC? Main events. As Hart Champion, I was main eventing all the time. And if I so chose, I could have entered the Battle Royal and main evented again.

No, it's you. It's all you. The general public doesn't really care about you. The XWF management completely forgot you existed. The only person on the planet who gives an ounce of a shit about you...is me.

So you're welcome for that, at least. I couldn't get you into the big match, but I at least got you on the main card. Without me, I doubt you'd even make the flight out here.

"But if you're the only one who cares, aren't you actually helping him?" Yes, I know that is the prevailing thought. It comes from the old adage that ignoring someone makes them go away. It's this idea that, if we don't shine a light on terrible people, they will fade away and won't harm anyone. If I decided not to challenge Nate, he could have just gone back into hiding for the next several months. Isn't that what I want?

Well, yes and no. I want him gone, don't get me wrong. But I don't want him to be forgotten. I want everyone to remember the scum Nathaniel Idenhaus is and the things he had said and done over the years. Closing our eyes and ignoring it does not help the folks who have been victimized by this ideology. Learning from our past is the only way we can prevent ourselves from repeating it.

Not only that, but I did not want NAZI to go away on his own terms. He was able to do whatever he wanted to whomever he wanted. He doesn't also get to decide he's done, and just fade into the background like nothing happened.

I've connected Idenhaus to recent events a lot lately, so allow me to do it once more. Allowing Idenhaus to just fade away is the same as your neighbor with the Trump flags and the posters quoting Q Anon conspiracies suddenly taking it all down after the election and going "hey, we can be friends, right?" It's what folks of this ideology do. They villainize people, then try to make you look like the bad guy when you fight back. It's called "Gaslighting"...which could be the name of Idenhaus' finishing move, to be honest.

You think I'm "obsessed" with "proving" that your a Nazi. I don't have to prove shit. Your own words and actions have proved it already. Like I said before, just declaring that it's no longer "who you are" isn't good enough. So you dropped your two middle names and stopped goose stepping in the streets. What, is that supposed to make it better? You're the "good guy" all of a sudden?

And you were the one who brought up your son. I'm going to be honest, I didn't even know you HAD a son. You mentioned it in hopes I would attack him. You were trying to bait me into a situation where we both look like dickheads. "Sure, Nate attacked him in a casino, but Centurion went after his son!" Next time, try not to be so obvious with that kind of thing. I wish nothing but the best for your son. I hope he has a good mother to look up to as a role model.

People may not care about our match right now, Nate. They are talking about the Battle Royal, or the matches for the Shooting Star Championship that are sure to be intriguing. They'll be talking about Robert Main and how he's going from double champion to only competing in one match in the course of a couple days. They'll be talking about Charlie Nickles and Johnny Legend, a match that has sneaky potential to be match of the night. They won't be talking about us…

...at first. But at the end of the night, our match will be the talk of the show. And it won't be for its competitive nature. It won't be because we put on a hell of a show. It won't be because it was a technical masterpiece. No, people are going to be talking about how much of a brutal beating this was. They're going to say that they didn't know a human being could lose that much blood and still survive. They're going to talk about that moment when I hung you from the top rope. They're going to assume they had witnessed a murder, or at the very least, wonder if I'm going to be brought up on charges.

And when that is over? Then you can fuck off. You can go away forever. You can enjoy your anonymity. Luckily, I'll be giving you a new face, so you don't have to worry about being recognized on the street. You want to truly move on from your past? This is how it's done. Not by bowing and waving, but by grovelling and begging for mercy. Hey, maybe I'll bring the victims and families of victims you've tormented over the years. They can be in your corner, holding the towel. If they think you've had enough of a beating, then I'll stop. If those you wished death upon can look you in the eyes and pity you, THEN it will be enough. THEN you will have moved on. Until then, you will feel every horrible thing I do to you.

"Behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him." Enjoy the time you have left on this mortal realm, NAZI. Because Sunday night is going to be the longest night of your life. Don't look at me as the man who wants revenge for an attack at a casino. Look at me as your judgement. I'm coming, Nate…

And Hell's Coming With Me.

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