Post by Kai Morgan on Oct 2, 2022 1:38:40 GMT
And now...Zion Wrestling Presents...Invasion: London!
We open up to a crowded Wembley Stadium, with large pyro going off in every nook and cranny of the large venue as we pan over to the announce table!
Winter Mae: Finally...after months of waiting, Zion finally takes the fight overseas! Welcome to the first of a two night extravaganza! Welcome....to Invasion: London! From Monday Night Mayhem, I am Winter Mae, joined by my colleague,Trick Morrison!
Trick Morrison: So much action, we couldn't fit it into one night! We're opening up with the Zion Wrestling Championship and we're keeping it at 100 miles per hour from there! Let's go!
A prerecorded scene features Minka Carter standing in front of a grave that looks like it was just filled up. She’s looking at it with amusement. No bitterness, no anger, just amusement. The look on her face indicates confidence to go along with said amusement and before long, the camera pans to be at her back. Surprisingly, however, the grave doesn’t say “Sakamoto”, it says “Minka Carter”. Minka walks in front of the grave and sits cross legged right in front of it before she begins to express her thoughts.
Minka Carter: I’m going to cut right to the chase on this. I don’t care if my match, probably the biggest one in my ZION career to be quite frank, is the main event of the show, the opener of the show, the 5th match on the card… it doesn’t matter! History DOES get made tonight as I become the first Gateway Champion to successfully cash in on a world title shot. That’s something that I am CONFIDENT in! I don’t care if the other brand’s world title match is going on last, because the world title match that people are going to talk about the most is MINE! They are going to talk about how I brought Mayhem BACK to the forefront of this company! That’s what they are going to talk about. I’m going to set the bar that nobody is going to clear! That’s what will happen! Now, as far as why I am sitting in front of a grave with my name on it… well…
Minka pauses for one hell of a laugh.
Minka Carter: It’s a representation of the INSECURITIES of the current world champion! You see, ever since I spoke up about her for the first time, all Sakamoto has tried to do is bury me… try to pass me off like I’m just another wrestler, just another challenger, just another ‘one of them’ in the ZION locker room. She has, more or less, committed PREMATURE BURIAL after PREMATURE BURIAL acting like her shit doesn’t stink which, that’s exactly the symptom of someone that got to the top way too fast. But don’t worry, this isn’t something that is unique to YOU specifically… because you see it happen in professional wrestling all the time: some new thing hits the scene, gets to the top quicker than anyone and then they act like they’re invincible. But you’re not…
No… what you are is a fragile, insipid, weak minded champion that has been THREATENED by me since the moment I first said a word about you and the moment I spoke the truth about you. The thing is… it was NEVER personal… at least not until last Monday…
You just happened to be the one holding the title when my ninety days were coming due with the Gateway Championship! If it were anyone else, like the champion before you, like Thea Ezrili, or if it was someone like Morgana Summers… hell, it doesn’t MATTER who it was that held the title, I would’ve gone after them because at the end of the day, to ME, it’s the TITLE… not the person holding it, in my situation. Why wait and keep that title? So I can risk losing the opportunity? Every step of the way though, you’ve gone out of your way to try to minimize me, to try to act like I don’t matter, to try to act like you’re better than me, like you’re smarter than me…
You’ve tried flexing SO HARD… why? Because you’re THREATENED by me that’s why! A champion that has a stronger nerve doesn’t lose it as easily as you did. If it was in any way PERSONAL between you and me, I would’ve gone out and cost you your title and your match against Diamond Steele. I didn’t… because again… who held the title? It didn’t mean anything to me!
Ah, but who tries to dig a premature grave deeper and deeper every week? That wasn’t me. That was you! Who’s the one that goes out there and feels the need to cost someone a match and to try and take all momentum just days before this clash? That wasn’t me. You’re intimidated by me and why wouldn’t you be?
After all, I’m only one of the most successful Gateway Champions Zion’s ever had.
I mean, I MIGHT be worried myself knowing what I was up against… knowing that they have backup if needed… and by the way, this whole thing between you and I? You haven’t seen the Violence Corporation interfere or get involved because I know I don’t need them to beat you. But still… it has to have crossed your mind… or not because you’ve never bothered to mention them…
Tunnel vision, gotta love it!
I MIGHT be worried about going up against a force like the Violence Corporation with NO BACKUP at all… especially if NOBODY gives a crap about me… and that’s the thing with you, Sakamoto. You’re going up against a dominant force, with or without the Violence Corporation, and you’re going at it ALONE because deep down, you KNOW that nobody in that Mayhem locker room gives a shit about you and that CUTS YOU deep inside… and if it doesn’t, you’re a fucking liar.
I’ve LEARNED from a LOT of shit, from Destiny earlier this year, the failures against Legion, just to name the worst, most brutal losses I’ve had in this company…
I’ve learned from a LOT of the BULLSHIT I endured in companies I’ve been in before… including one company that basically said ‘we don’t want you as our champion because we don’t.’
You? What have YOU learned?
Nothing.
You haven’t learned anything because in Zion, you’ve yet to face adversity at all. You had your moment of glory, but you couldn’t have picked a worse time to have it and now you’re going to pay for it as the ONE WOMAN DYNASTY FINALLY ACHIEVES HER LONG AWAITED DESTINY IN THIS COMPANY!
And when it’s all over? You’ll realize that the grave you were digging for weeks wasn’t mine… it was YOURS!
Minka has a chuckle to herself as she stands up and walks away from the grave. Following that, the scene cuts out.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I am a devourer.
The voice is more than familiar at this point. However, the scenery isn’t it.
Our eyes are treated to an opulent man made garden. Trees of all types of variety stretch their branches to the heavens. Flowers of every color encase a gray cobblestone trail that runs the length of the area. A small group of cardinals is spotted fluttering to and fro perennials.
QUEEN Sakamoto: Normal people go about their lives ensnared in shackles. They become slaves to the world’s perceptions. Their actions are predicated on the wills and words of others. And eventually, their self autonomy becomes non-existent. What a pitiful life to lead.
A figure manifests far off in the distance. Its stride is gradual and constant. But something oh so very curious occurs with every step that being takes―
QUEEN Sakamoto: The world has had concepts of what I was supposed to be since I crawled out of the womb. And had I listened to the countless voices ringing in my ears? I would have been crippled and debilitated. However, I became privy of something crucial very early in my life. I realized that all the assumptions and viewpoints weren’t stronger than my resolve and appetite for splendor.
The earth beneath its feet is drained of its vibrancy with each pace. In fact, everything behind the figure has taken on a dull and muted sepia tone. The healthy plants begin to droop and wither. The supple soil is depleted of moisture. Decay spreads throughout the roots.
What’s more telling is that a tiny smile creeps across the figure’s face in the midst of it all.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I scoffed at those chains. Instead of living in meager servitude, I elected to conquer. And that pursuit of conquest has led me here, to Zion Wrestling.
Her tattered romper comes to a standstill as she halts in front of the camera.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I have taken from every single soul that I have faced in this company. Zara’s stock was on the rise before she encountered me. Her championship aspirations remained unfulfilled due to a previous match. Defeating me would have certainly put her right back in line. But I gladly snatched that opportunity away from herself. Ashamed and disgraced, she then sought comfort from a group in order to hide her inadequacy. Faye from the next person that I took from. To say I am not fond of her is no secret. But her story? It is one that brings hope to all. She was downtrodden. Adversity smacked her face at every turn. However, her hope didn’t fade into the abyss. And when her time finally came? She refused to shy away from the moment. She won the Zion Wrestling Championship. The desire of her heart was filled. She was on Cloud Nine. Well, that is until I shoved her and sent her spiraling back towards the earth.
QUEEN pauses for a moment.
QUEEN Sakamoto: Then came Diamond Steele. She appears to be a woman who has been plagued by roadblocks. People have tormented her for the sport of it. Surely capturing the championship would have parted the seas for her, just a bit. But I stood in her path. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t seal the deal. She couldn’t keep me down. And then our questionable general manager’s plan backfired and forced Diamond to wallow in agony.
She slowly shakes her head.
QUEEN Sakamoto: What marvelous triumphs! But you, Minka? You are the pièce de résistance. Whether or not they chose to admit it, all those women have been accustomed to the notion of failure. They have come up short countless times by their own accords and also by the accords of others. More often than not, they have not been in control of their own destiny’s here―
QUEEN Sakamoto: But you’re distinguished from them, Minka. You shun humility as if it were a dirty scoundrel on the street. Your confidence is misplaced. Hubris seeps from every pore of your body. Those other women? I left them broken. Nevertheless, each of them still clung to a nugget of humanity. But you became a disfigured and heinous being long before I entered into this company. I’m uncertain if there even is any humanity left inside of you. That’s what makes you different from them.
Silence lingers in the air for a moment.
QUEEN Sakamoto: The words that I utter should not bother you. You claim to be the most spoken about person in Zion. You purport to be the grandest wrestler of them all. Well then, you must pay the price for your superiority. If you truly are a higher being, then your loss has to be greater than theirs as well.
QUEEN lifts up her right hand and extends two fingers.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I’ve already taken two things away from you. The first was the Gateway Championship. The second was your sense of control.
There’s a brief pause.
QUEEN Sakamoto: The Gateway Championship affords a person the ability to compose their own narrative. All they must do is survive that ninety day period. It is a daunting task, certainly. But one shall be adored upon completion. And of course, there is the prospect of going on to do something far greater once that period has ended.
QUEEN Sakamoto: You were oh so very close to the last day, weren’t you Minka? You could practically taste it. You desired all the glory. You craved the adoration. And I stole that honor away from you. Sure, your end game was granted. You still get the chance to challenge for the Zion Wrestling Championship. But all the extra intangibles that come from cashing in the Gateway Championship? The dominion that you’ve acquired during your stay here at Zion? They will cease to exist in this match.
A moment of silence passes once again.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I intend for this bout to change the course of your stay here in Zion Wrestling. You are going to remember your encounter with me until the very day that your lungs stop drawing breath. The image of the woman who would not bow down to your every demand shall be ingrained in your brain. But so will the pain of not winning the Zion Wrestling Championship! The misery of loss―that is everlasting. Even if you do manage to win the championship down the line, that sweet taste of victory will be soured. The anguish will eat away at you until your body is rotting in the ground.
QUEEN clasps her hands together and holds them up. She brandishes a quick smile.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I told you that I was going to leave you in ruin. Those words were neither a cruel joke or a petty threat. I meant them with all of my heart. Deep down, you probably thought that people would love you again if you happened to win the Zion Wrestling Championship. Or perhaps you wanted to hoist it up out of spite. I do not know, nor do I care. I am going to ravage those innermost dreams. And like this very garden, you will be left with nothing but death and disrepair.
The Zion Wrestling Champion snaps her fingers a few moments later. The enter scene splinters into millions of cubes. Those cubes swiftly dissipate and fade into nothingness.
We open up to a crowded Wembley Stadium, with large pyro going off in every nook and cranny of the large venue as we pan over to the announce table!
Winter Mae: Finally...after months of waiting, Zion finally takes the fight overseas! Welcome to the first of a two night extravaganza! Welcome....to Invasion: London! From Monday Night Mayhem, I am Winter Mae, joined by my colleague,Trick Morrison!
Trick Morrison: So much action, we couldn't fit it into one night! We're opening up with the Zion Wrestling Championship and we're keeping it at 100 miles per hour from there! Let's go!
A prerecorded scene features Minka Carter standing in front of a grave that looks like it was just filled up. She’s looking at it with amusement. No bitterness, no anger, just amusement. The look on her face indicates confidence to go along with said amusement and before long, the camera pans to be at her back. Surprisingly, however, the grave doesn’t say “Sakamoto”, it says “Minka Carter”. Minka walks in front of the grave and sits cross legged right in front of it before she begins to express her thoughts.
Minka Carter: I’m going to cut right to the chase on this. I don’t care if my match, probably the biggest one in my ZION career to be quite frank, is the main event of the show, the opener of the show, the 5th match on the card… it doesn’t matter! History DOES get made tonight as I become the first Gateway Champion to successfully cash in on a world title shot. That’s something that I am CONFIDENT in! I don’t care if the other brand’s world title match is going on last, because the world title match that people are going to talk about the most is MINE! They are going to talk about how I brought Mayhem BACK to the forefront of this company! That’s what they are going to talk about. I’m going to set the bar that nobody is going to clear! That’s what will happen! Now, as far as why I am sitting in front of a grave with my name on it… well…
Minka pauses for one hell of a laugh.
Minka Carter: It’s a representation of the INSECURITIES of the current world champion! You see, ever since I spoke up about her for the first time, all Sakamoto has tried to do is bury me… try to pass me off like I’m just another wrestler, just another challenger, just another ‘one of them’ in the ZION locker room. She has, more or less, committed PREMATURE BURIAL after PREMATURE BURIAL acting like her shit doesn’t stink which, that’s exactly the symptom of someone that got to the top way too fast. But don’t worry, this isn’t something that is unique to YOU specifically… because you see it happen in professional wrestling all the time: some new thing hits the scene, gets to the top quicker than anyone and then they act like they’re invincible. But you’re not…
No… what you are is a fragile, insipid, weak minded champion that has been THREATENED by me since the moment I first said a word about you and the moment I spoke the truth about you. The thing is… it was NEVER personal… at least not until last Monday…
You just happened to be the one holding the title when my ninety days were coming due with the Gateway Championship! If it were anyone else, like the champion before you, like Thea Ezrili, or if it was someone like Morgana Summers… hell, it doesn’t MATTER who it was that held the title, I would’ve gone after them because at the end of the day, to ME, it’s the TITLE… not the person holding it, in my situation. Why wait and keep that title? So I can risk losing the opportunity? Every step of the way though, you’ve gone out of your way to try to minimize me, to try to act like I don’t matter, to try to act like you’re better than me, like you’re smarter than me…
You’ve tried flexing SO HARD… why? Because you’re THREATENED by me that’s why! A champion that has a stronger nerve doesn’t lose it as easily as you did. If it was in any way PERSONAL between you and me, I would’ve gone out and cost you your title and your match against Diamond Steele. I didn’t… because again… who held the title? It didn’t mean anything to me!
Ah, but who tries to dig a premature grave deeper and deeper every week? That wasn’t me. That was you! Who’s the one that goes out there and feels the need to cost someone a match and to try and take all momentum just days before this clash? That wasn’t me. You’re intimidated by me and why wouldn’t you be?
After all, I’m only one of the most successful Gateway Champions Zion’s ever had.
I mean, I MIGHT be worried myself knowing what I was up against… knowing that they have backup if needed… and by the way, this whole thing between you and I? You haven’t seen the Violence Corporation interfere or get involved because I know I don’t need them to beat you. But still… it has to have crossed your mind… or not because you’ve never bothered to mention them…
Tunnel vision, gotta love it!
I MIGHT be worried about going up against a force like the Violence Corporation with NO BACKUP at all… especially if NOBODY gives a crap about me… and that’s the thing with you, Sakamoto. You’re going up against a dominant force, with or without the Violence Corporation, and you’re going at it ALONE because deep down, you KNOW that nobody in that Mayhem locker room gives a shit about you and that CUTS YOU deep inside… and if it doesn’t, you’re a fucking liar.
I’ve LEARNED from a LOT of shit, from Destiny earlier this year, the failures against Legion, just to name the worst, most brutal losses I’ve had in this company…
I’ve learned from a LOT of the BULLSHIT I endured in companies I’ve been in before… including one company that basically said ‘we don’t want you as our champion because we don’t.’
You? What have YOU learned?
Nothing.
You haven’t learned anything because in Zion, you’ve yet to face adversity at all. You had your moment of glory, but you couldn’t have picked a worse time to have it and now you’re going to pay for it as the ONE WOMAN DYNASTY FINALLY ACHIEVES HER LONG AWAITED DESTINY IN THIS COMPANY!
And when it’s all over? You’ll realize that the grave you were digging for weeks wasn’t mine… it was YOURS!
Minka has a chuckle to herself as she stands up and walks away from the grave. Following that, the scene cuts out.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I am a devourer.
The voice is more than familiar at this point. However, the scenery isn’t it.
Our eyes are treated to an opulent man made garden. Trees of all types of variety stretch their branches to the heavens. Flowers of every color encase a gray cobblestone trail that runs the length of the area. A small group of cardinals is spotted fluttering to and fro perennials.
QUEEN Sakamoto: Normal people go about their lives ensnared in shackles. They become slaves to the world’s perceptions. Their actions are predicated on the wills and words of others. And eventually, their self autonomy becomes non-existent. What a pitiful life to lead.
A figure manifests far off in the distance. Its stride is gradual and constant. But something oh so very curious occurs with every step that being takes―
QUEEN Sakamoto: The world has had concepts of what I was supposed to be since I crawled out of the womb. And had I listened to the countless voices ringing in my ears? I would have been crippled and debilitated. However, I became privy of something crucial very early in my life. I realized that all the assumptions and viewpoints weren’t stronger than my resolve and appetite for splendor.
The earth beneath its feet is drained of its vibrancy with each pace. In fact, everything behind the figure has taken on a dull and muted sepia tone. The healthy plants begin to droop and wither. The supple soil is depleted of moisture. Decay spreads throughout the roots.
What’s more telling is that a tiny smile creeps across the figure’s face in the midst of it all.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I scoffed at those chains. Instead of living in meager servitude, I elected to conquer. And that pursuit of conquest has led me here, to Zion Wrestling.
Her tattered romper comes to a standstill as she halts in front of the camera.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I have taken from every single soul that I have faced in this company. Zara’s stock was on the rise before she encountered me. Her championship aspirations remained unfulfilled due to a previous match. Defeating me would have certainly put her right back in line. But I gladly snatched that opportunity away from herself. Ashamed and disgraced, she then sought comfort from a group in order to hide her inadequacy. Faye from the next person that I took from. To say I am not fond of her is no secret. But her story? It is one that brings hope to all. She was downtrodden. Adversity smacked her face at every turn. However, her hope didn’t fade into the abyss. And when her time finally came? She refused to shy away from the moment. She won the Zion Wrestling Championship. The desire of her heart was filled. She was on Cloud Nine. Well, that is until I shoved her and sent her spiraling back towards the earth.
QUEEN pauses for a moment.
QUEEN Sakamoto: Then came Diamond Steele. She appears to be a woman who has been plagued by roadblocks. People have tormented her for the sport of it. Surely capturing the championship would have parted the seas for her, just a bit. But I stood in her path. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t seal the deal. She couldn’t keep me down. And then our questionable general manager’s plan backfired and forced Diamond to wallow in agony.
She slowly shakes her head.
QUEEN Sakamoto: What marvelous triumphs! But you, Minka? You are the pièce de résistance. Whether or not they chose to admit it, all those women have been accustomed to the notion of failure. They have come up short countless times by their own accords and also by the accords of others. More often than not, they have not been in control of their own destiny’s here―
QUEEN Sakamoto: But you’re distinguished from them, Minka. You shun humility as if it were a dirty scoundrel on the street. Your confidence is misplaced. Hubris seeps from every pore of your body. Those other women? I left them broken. Nevertheless, each of them still clung to a nugget of humanity. But you became a disfigured and heinous being long before I entered into this company. I’m uncertain if there even is any humanity left inside of you. That’s what makes you different from them.
Silence lingers in the air for a moment.
QUEEN Sakamoto: The words that I utter should not bother you. You claim to be the most spoken about person in Zion. You purport to be the grandest wrestler of them all. Well then, you must pay the price for your superiority. If you truly are a higher being, then your loss has to be greater than theirs as well.
QUEEN lifts up her right hand and extends two fingers.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I’ve already taken two things away from you. The first was the Gateway Championship. The second was your sense of control.
There’s a brief pause.
QUEEN Sakamoto: The Gateway Championship affords a person the ability to compose their own narrative. All they must do is survive that ninety day period. It is a daunting task, certainly. But one shall be adored upon completion. And of course, there is the prospect of going on to do something far greater once that period has ended.
QUEEN Sakamoto: You were oh so very close to the last day, weren’t you Minka? You could practically taste it. You desired all the glory. You craved the adoration. And I stole that honor away from you. Sure, your end game was granted. You still get the chance to challenge for the Zion Wrestling Championship. But all the extra intangibles that come from cashing in the Gateway Championship? The dominion that you’ve acquired during your stay here at Zion? They will cease to exist in this match.
A moment of silence passes once again.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I intend for this bout to change the course of your stay here in Zion Wrestling. You are going to remember your encounter with me until the very day that your lungs stop drawing breath. The image of the woman who would not bow down to your every demand shall be ingrained in your brain. But so will the pain of not winning the Zion Wrestling Championship! The misery of loss―that is everlasting. Even if you do manage to win the championship down the line, that sweet taste of victory will be soured. The anguish will eat away at you until your body is rotting in the ground.
QUEEN clasps her hands together and holds them up. She brandishes a quick smile.
QUEEN Sakamoto: I told you that I was going to leave you in ruin. Those words were neither a cruel joke or a petty threat. I meant them with all of my heart. Deep down, you probably thought that people would love you again if you happened to win the Zion Wrestling Championship. Or perhaps you wanted to hoist it up out of spite. I do not know, nor do I care. I am going to ravage those innermost dreams. And like this very garden, you will be left with nothing but death and disrepair.
The Zion Wrestling Champion snaps her fingers a few moments later. The enter scene splinters into millions of cubes. Those cubes swiftly dissipate and fade into nothingness.