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X-treme Wrestling Federation »   » Archives » Relentless Day 2 RP Boards 2022
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Ned Kaye Offline
per cogitabat, per facis
TITLE - Tag Champion



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
09-16-2022, 10:53 PM



June 22nd, 2012


There was a deep aroma that filled the air around Ned's head. The kind of musk you expect at cheap bars and embedded inside of decade old mattresses. It wasn't an ideal venue for a big debut, but it was something. He yawned, catching the faint scent of the few shots of whiskey Ned had gulped down the night prior, his head still buzzing as a few of the other, more popular and actually established indie locals wrestled in front of the meager crowd. One of them was an upstart that Ned hadn't quite cared for. He was a little older than Ned, but he managed to captivate audiences fairly effortlessly. He went by the in-ring name of AnarChrist, but everybody backstage just called him James. His movements were strained, each motion desperate for the crowd's interest, a strategy that proved less than ideal against the veteran currently wrenching on James' neck. The older guy went by The Trooper, but he had actually been a bigger deal way back in the day, resigned to the school gym shows where guys like Ned were bound to spend nearly a decade of their career starting out. There was a bittersweet knowledge to having The Trooper there. Sure, he helped add a level of legitimacy to the affair, but he stood out there, cranking James' neck back as a grim reminder of the common fate of all professional wrestlers.

The future that befalls most people. To do what you love in relative silence for barely enough change to cover the parking meter outside.

Ned stared down at his hands, his gaze averting from the match that appeared to be on its way towards concluding in the ring, just barely past the curtain he sat behind. Emotions rushed him all at once, the effects of this journey on his somewhat frail body tingling through every nerve as his warm breath wafted over his fingers, a vacant stare in his eyes. He was right here. This was the first step to standing alongside his heroes. In joining the federation he grew up watching with Dad. All he had to do was keep at it and maybe someday he would finally join the XWF. Maybe even nab a championship or two. But it required today going well. And not just today, but subsequent and numerous weeks and months and years later. The pressure of it all caused Ned to freeze. He didn't even hear the three-count, only the obtrusive ring of the cheap bell. The ring-announcer yelled out to the crowd, the speaker system in the gym not being worth a damn, and proclaimed the victor, but it was all empty sounding speech. Like listening to a foreign language you know not a word of. Moments later, the winner of the match walked past the curtain, a cigarette already in his mouth as he slumped down into one of the cheap, plastic chairs across from Ned, taking a long drag as he stared off to the side. Ned continued to focus on his hands, barely holding everything together. It all seemed to be a fragile house of cards and each breath was a soft wind that sought to let it tumble to the ground. Kaye didn't move or speak. He merely gazed and hoped desperately that he could hold on long enough for something okay to happen. He had promised Lily that he would at least see this all through, but the pressure began to mount further and further until the internal turmoil was on the edge of bursting. He could still walk off here. All of this was just a foolish childhood fantasy. He wasn't a real wrestler. He wasn't ever supposed to go into this kind of athletic. That's what came out of everybody's mouth, it seemed. He was just about to glance up at the exit door when a gruff, near coughing voice shout out from opposite him.

“First time, huh?”

Ned peered upward, his mind's spiral of negative thought interrupted by the inquiry.

“Yeah.... how could you tell?”

“Look, kid, it's not like your poster face was hidin' much in the first place. 'Sides, everyone gets cold feet the first time outside of psychos and idiots.”

With a shrug, Ned attempted to look back down at his hands, maybe return where he had left off, but the veteran had no intention of letting him do such a thing.

“What I'm tryin' to say is that you're gonna be fine. Just chin up.”

He took another puff off of his cig, pulling the carton from underneath his leg and offering one to the newbie.

“I don't smoke, but thanks.”

“Well, consider startin'. You need something to take the edge off now and then.”

“Yeah,” Ned dryly responded, not sure what else to say.

“You know, when it's over you'll wonder what got you all wound up beforehand. You just find focus and step on out there. It ain't hard at all.”

Almost cutting him off, Ned responded in a pointed tone.

“Yeah, how do you do it then?”

“Do what?”

“Go out there knowing what's at stake?”

The Trooper hesitated for a second, putting his cigarette out on the heel of his boot, inspecting the younger man's attire, his ring gear unscratched and fresh as its wearer appeared. He stood up and looked down at Ned, sighing slightly.

“I just do, kid. Because if I don't have this, I don't have shit.”

He stepped away from Ned, clearing his throat as he did. Soon the promoter would be here and give Ned a pep talk or something. Soon, he'd be facing his first challenge. But for a moment longer, he stared at his hands, his nerves a little eased.

He had worked his entire life to get here to be a professional wrestler. He was a professional wrestler. It was time to act like one.



September 1st, 2022


Darcy Ellis exhaled her face buried in her hands. She had become so accustomed to negative news that good news was difficult to accept. But there the doctor was, standing before her, his words slow and deliberate, but the message clear: her sister's cancer was in remission. A glimmer of hope in a life filled with twilight. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she worked to contain herself, emotion overflowing after such a bizarre few months. It was like a years long weight had finally begun to lift off her shoulders. Ned sat beside her, staying quiet and giving her time to absorb everything as the doctor left the room. She dried her eyes messily with the sleeve of her shirt as Kaye offered her a tissue. Hesitating for but a moment, she nabbed the tissue from his grasp and began work on calming down.

“Y'know... hospitals charge you up the ass for tissue boxes.”

“I think I can take the hit, to be honest,” Ned responded, a hint of snark in his soft tone.

“Well, we can't all be TV stars who take payment in cocaine and concussions, so maybe be a little fiscally conscious. For my sake.”

Her words were the same old Darcy, but each breath was heavy and shaky. She wasn't doing very well at hiding her overwhelming relief, but Ned leaned forward somewhat, patting her shoulder.

“Hey. It's okay. I know you like to be ironic and jokey, but this... this is big. Enjoy this.”

She nodded, shaking her head slightly as she chuckled softly, “You are so stupidly sweet and sincere that its actually kind of annoying.”

“I tried being a bitter asshole, but I guess annoyingly sincere is more my comfort zone.”

Ned put on a bright smile for her, but she could tell that something was bothering him. His face might have said one thing, but his eyes spoke a solemn soliloquy.

“You've been spending all this time making sure I'm alright... what about you?”

“I'm... fine.”

“Are you just saying that to try and get me off your back? Because we both know you're fighting a losing battle there.”

“No, it's just...”

Kaye took a deep breath, avoiding her eye contact while the words left his mouth.

“Usually when something happens to me or someone even near me... it ends badly. But... I get to see you be happy and enjoy how everything feels and... I wish I could relate. The last friend I had who had a serious problem like this had to take me into therapy while I was drunker than I've ever been.”

“You mean Steven Cooper?”

Ned's ears nearly perked at the sound of the man's name. It had been a long time since he'd even heard it mentioned in passing.

“Yeah...”

“Do you know what happened to him? Like... did he just toss your body into the most apocalyptic version of therapy ever and then dip?”

“I suppose you could say that. We haven't really talked since. I mean, what the hell am I supposed to say.”

Darcy shrugged, feeling more composed finally as she tossed the tissue away and brainstormed an apology.

“Well, “sorry for involving you in my destructive meltdown where I got you a job so I could avoid consequences” might be a good start.”

Ned turned to look at her, taken aback by her curtness.

“It's a start, I didn't say it was perfect!”

“It's a probably better I just let him do his own thing, if he's even still around at this point.”

“But you obviously want to check up on him and make sure he's okay.”

“Yeah, I do!” Ned raised his voice a little exasperated before adding in a near whisper, “...sorry.”

“Then what's the holdup? You're not exactly gaining time by waiting, no offense.”

“Because I'm scared, Darcy. Is that what you wanted? Yeah, I'm glad that I'm apart of The Trilogy and that I'm moving on and getting better, but I remember what it felt like to be the leader of Avalanche. To abuse all that power over others just because I was having a mental health crisis and I... I don't even know what I'd do.”

“Ned, nobody goes forward by throwing the stuff behind them away or pushing it out of view. If you want to feel better about it, you need to face it head on. You think I'm happy after all of The Chameleon experiments? You don't think I go everyday of my life absolutely haunted by what I let myself be apart of? But I'm not gonna become more at piece with it by ignoring that it was there. It happened. I had a hand in it. But if I want to get better. I have to-”

“-just do it.”

Darcy's face turned a slight shade of pink as Ned cut her off, completely guessing what she was going to say as she sat there in silence for a moment, trying to find a good follow-up.

“Yes... s-something like that.”






“Many things define us as people. As human beings. As wrestlers. But something we often forget is how the roads to what we are isn't only paved by us.”

“Our stories are inherently collaborative, regardless of the endless hubris of some of the louder voices in the crowd. But that's nothing new. There are always going to be those who claim they got somewhere on their own, without a single, solitary person assisting them in getting there. What's odd to me, Peter, is that you share so many elements with these individuals, but you are not one of them. You know the role Chris Page played in your career, but it doesn't stop you from acting as pompous and ignorant as a Chris Chaos from time-to-time. And why shouldn't you? You're the Supercontinental Champion. You're a highlight on every Warfare. You're respected by many.”

“Is that why you kicked me in the balls when I, and my partners, were about to beat your little ragtag group of Page's second priorities? Can you imagine how bad it would be for your ego if you had to dare to lose on someone else's terms like you were about to? I've never bought your exterior, Vaughn, because the only thing to buy is a bootleg James Raven. Speaking of Raven, he is one of those people who have helped me down the path I currently walk. Along with Theo Pryce, Cashe, Kido, Robert, Thias, Eobard, D. Shit, even Jim and Dick Powers of all people. I remember everyone who got me here. To the XWF. To this title shot. Sure, it was me who put in the work time and time again, but I never lost track of how lucky I am.”

“How many of those kinds of people in your life can you name, Vaughn? Bonus points if you don't mention your current employer or coworkers. I'm doubtful you'd remember the name of your mother unless she had given you money in the last month. I've seen the way you treat your allies, hell, I got a front row seat to it and all I saw was someone who thought they were going to win a 3-on-1 on their own. You treat the people around you like trash. Scratch that, I bet you give refuse the honor being recycled every now and then. You don't feel like it's an honor to have your name to be under the XWF logo on posters, you think it's a privilege for the XWF logo to get to be graced by the presence of your name. You know why I didn't attack you when I called you out for our match here at the biggest PPV of this storied company of the year? Do you even have a hint of why that might be? Because I refuse to reward your bullshit behavior. You wanted to push my button and piss me off, Peter? You should have realized for one second who you were dealing with. I don't need to cave your face in a few weeks before a match to win. I don't need your terms. Your history might be an opportunist masturbatory romp through various companies until you arrived at the capital of pleasing yourself to the sound of a cash register known as CCP Inc., but mine is about finding my course of action. My way of doing things and following through. You're just following orders.”

“You are as uninspired as you are backhanded, simply following in the shadow of bastards far more conniving than you. Because while some are assholes by nature, you're just one because it made good business sense at the time. You don't have a code because a code would confine your ability to fit whatever container the people cutting your checks want to put you in. You couldn't be Relentless because your entire life is relenting, Peter. And you made a helluva career out of it. That's why I know you're not scared of me, per say, but you are very much afraid of what I represent: that your way can only get you so far. That behind every close victory is a man warming that belt up for the waist he took a cheap jab at. And you're right to be afraid. I'm not one of these easy going pins that CCP Inc wants for you. I'm the real deal. I'm what you, a corporate suit in a wrestling ring can never be.”

“I'm a goddamn professional wrestler. The XWF saved my life. It was always my dream, always my goal. You don't have the passion that I have, nor do you have the will. Where you see dollar signs, I see my place, a world where I belong and where my friends can pull me through. No one's in your corner, Vaughn. Your allies wouldn't bother to bury you unless your corpse walked to the hole on its own. It's time to look towards here and now. So, keep that belt waxed and shiny.”

“It deserves to glimmer on the night I get it out of your grubby hands.”

"You can't run from yourself."
[Image: riNkNZw.png]
XWF
Wins | Losses | Draws
52 | 37 | 4


Indie Darling Eternal

#33 on The XWF Top 50(2021)
1x Tag Team Champion[with Isaiah King](Current)
2x [Image: CbviDqC.png] (Former)
1x X-Treme Champion(Former)
The Final Supercontinental Champion
1x Television Champion(Former)
Star of the Month - April 2019 | March 2021 | December 2022
RP of the Month - March 2021 (Void of the Mind)
Winner - Leap Of Faith Rafter Match 2019
1x 24/7 Briefcase Holder
Winner - War Games 2023(With Mark Flynn, Isaiah King, & Crash Rodriguez as G00D-B01)


All Time Career(Interfed)
Wins | Losses | Draws
52 | 38 | 4
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