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After Breakdown ended, and the dust settled, the world saw a reality that many never thought they would see. Jake Starr's reign as the longest tenured Adrenaline Champion would be coming to an end in just mere days. It's a realization that, whether people liked Jake or not, feels wrong. For so many years of SCW's history Jake Starr was able to boast about how great he was, and how much he revolutionzed a championship that had fallen into obscurity, and now that right has gone by the wayside.
All he has is his Supreme Championship. That accolade is something that many would lean on as their greatest accomplishment, but for Jake, it's something that he shares with many. He's voiced his feelings that, while he's proud of being one of a handful who have captured the elusive "Supreme Championship" in SCW, it isn't just his. In Jake's mind, he has always yearned for that right to say something was just his, and with the Adenaline Championship reign, he had it. When he walked into that arena, nobody wanted to win more. Red Rayne won, and the world knows she didn't want it more. The streak wasn't even in the forefront of her mind, yet it is now hers. In Jake's mind, she doesn't appreciate it, and never will like him. As Jake walked to the back, fans didn't boo him. They didn't jeer. They didn't cheer. There was just a stunned silence as fans watched him leave the ringside area with a look on his face that they empathized with. He wasn't the Social Misfit. He wasn't the hateful, mean, man, who had been seen in that ring. He was someone who had just had his heart and soul ripped from him, and he was empty. Fans saw someone who had nothing, and had no direction. For Jake, he wanted out of there faster than any other time he's ever suffered a loss. This wasn't about losing a match, this was about losing such a integral piece of what has made him famous in Supreme Championship Wrestling. His head was slumped and deep down he could feel a sense of failure coursing through his body. Reaching the backstage area, Jake made a conscious effort to simply avoid eye contact. Many backstage felt a sense of uneasiness seeing Jake walk through, knowing how much it meant to him, even with how much of a douche he's been to many of them in recent times. Jake couldn't show anger. Jake couldn't show frustration. He just felt emotionless and virtually dead as he walked to his locker room. He didn't want to talk to anyone because he wouldn't know what to say. He didn't want to see whatever look they might be giving him, not knowing how it would emotionally effect him. He just wanted to be out of view, and try to rationalize what is left for him to even fight for or defend in this organization. After walking into his locker room, he pulls up a chair in front of his locker and slumps his head down. The emotion begins to pour out of Jake as he covers his face, and just begins to let it sink in that, for all intents and purposes, it's over, and he's simply nobody important anymore. He takes a towel, and throws it over his head as he looks down, and just sits in silence. There are no words he could tell himself to make it better. The sound of the three count echoes in his head, and knowing Rayne has something she doesn't even appreciate makes him wonder what SCW is coming to, and if it's even worth fighting for anymore. Time after time, things don't go his way, and excuses are made to defend the ideas and decisions behind them. It makes Jake feel that the current "crop" of talent in SCW makes the organization less competitive than it once was. The "highest echelon" of talent is so thin, in his mind, that the product has become, simply, a constant rerun of The Golden Girls, and everything he's always fought for has been relegated to a moot point in a history book nobody pays attention to anymore. He also wonders if the reality is what it seems. Is he truly just another irrelevant member of the roster, relegated to matches that ultimately mean nothing, or are geared for specific people to "get over?" Is he really just another "warm body" in a crop of mediocrity? If this is the case, it is hard for Jake to grasp as he's never felt this way before. His entire SCW career has been predicated on the notion that he is one of the best guys who has ALWAYS had something to hang his hat on, but now, deep down, nothing that he has matters to anyone anymore. He knows that whatever he says, however he tries to spin it, it's immediately going to be brushed off as sounding like a person who is desperate and trying to sound relevant. It'll just sound like another name on the roster trying to sound like they matter. This depression has Jake considering whether or not SCW or this business is worth his time and effort anymore. It's not out a sob story, and he's not begging for someone to pity him, it's just how he feels. As he sits there moping, he hears a knock at the door of his locker room. Jake has no interest in anyone who may want to talk to him, so he ignores it, hoping whoever is there will just go away. Unfortunately the knocking happens again, but for the second time, he completely ignores the beckon. Instead of the person knocking a third time, they elect to just walk in, and shut the door softly behind them. Jake can see the shadow of the person approaching them, but the figure doesn't say a word, and neither does Jake. Jake sees the figure stop right in front of him, and by looking at the giant shoes in front of him, he immediately recognizes the figure, and knows who is in the room with him. It is none other than his "Brother in Blood," and his oldest friend in the professional wrestling industry, Bane. Bane stands, hovering over Jake with his seven-plus foot tall frame, in silence. Jake's body and demeanor show that the depression is growing inside him. Seeing this gives Bane a flashback to their OWF days, recollecting a moment that almost identically mimicked what he was seeing in front of him then. He knows that with Jake seeing him there, and being like he is, Jake feels the same way, too. Bane had hoped Jake would be willing to open up to him, but after several minutes of silence, he realizes Jake isn't going to say a word. He knows he has to be the one to try and break through this shell of a man he sees before him. Bane: This scene feels too familiar, huh? Jake pulls the towel further around his face, trying to shroud himself and his emotions, but remains silent.
... Do you remember that night? Jake again doesn't move, and this lack of a response makes Bane realize that Jake probably won't be participating in much of the conversation. He tries, one more time, to get a response out of him.
... You know... Back in the OWF? Bane doesn't know if the movement is voluntary or Jake just shifting his weight, but Jake seems to nod slightly.
... I'll take that as a yes. But we're right back there, and this is just like that night. I remember it well. You were sitting in the locker room, and you were in this same pose. Your world had just fucking collapsed on you. Your own friend, your own partner in DX, Arch Angel, had walked out of the arena with the World Title. You came back to the locker room, and you thought about how EVERYTHING that you had EVER was over, and you had NOTHING left to fight for. That night, you told everyone and their dog that you had nothing left, and nothing to be happy about. You looked us all in the eye and said your world just crumbled around you, and ultimately you wanted Arch Angel to hand you the title back out of pity. You were desperate... You were mentally broken... You had won the World Championship, been to the top of the mountain, but when you lost it, you became a SHELL of the man that you once were. You didn't have the will to carry on for ANY reason. It was the end times of your days in the OWF, that go round. Triple H's time was over because you saw NOTHING left for yourself. And you now what you did? You did something that, as your friend, I saw become a staple move for when shit didn't go your way... You BAILED! You decided to end the reign of Triple H in the OWF, and you bailed on the place. You stewed, and then magically reappeared with a new name, a new persona, a new gimmick, new everything! Bobby Denton magically was born because of the La Verdad fiasco, and you were a new man. BRAND NEW, right? No, you were the same person because that persona was short lived too. Once X-Terminator got into your head, you bailed and searched for ANOTHER new identity... You felt you had failed again, and the world was at an end. So you wanted a rebirth... AGAIN! This time around, though, something kind of strange happened. You decided to be a giant blue Smurf, and go to UHW, which at the time was the top organization in the world. You completely lifted a gimmick from a Timothy Zahn book. Thrawn was brought to pro wrestling, and he demolished everyone in UHW. He won the World Championship. Nobody expected Jake Starr, dressed in blue paint, to go in and destroy the place from the top down. It was a personally flip nobody saw coming because just a little less than a year earlier, you were depressed. Your world was ending. You went from a shell of a man, to a new man, to a newer man with a World Championship because you thought blue body paint would mask your inner struggles. And you know I'm right... For a period you enjoyed it, but you were never happy. You enjoyed the wins, and the championships, but you were happy as some giant, blue, character, created by someone else... Bane shifts his weight to his other leg.
... So you got tired of that gimmick again. UHW guys started beating you, and LOW AND FUCKING BEHOLD, Jake Starr's world collapsed around him again. You lost the World Championship, and everything was in the dumps. Shit hit the fan... And you BAILED AGAIN! Bane throws his arms out to each side.
Then what happened, Jake? Yep... THE CYCLE REPEATED! You went and shaved your head, washed off the body paint, and adopted a new persona. The only difference was that for the first time ever, you actually embraced a little piece of who you actually were. You called yourself "The Social Misfit" for the first time ever. You weren't Jake Starr, you were having this creative name of Justin Halesz, but you were somewhat honest with yourself, and you were "The Social Misfit." You started to break out a little of who I knew you were. You let the arrogance out, but you were still lying about your identity. And you had some good runs with him, but it wasn't who you were MEANT to be. That's why you took that four year hiatus. That's why you left the business. You were blacklisted, yeah, but you were never happy. You QUIT because you just were miserable in what you were doing, and you felt like your world had just ended YET AGAIN! Bane's voice had been getting amped up, but now begins to soften back down.
But you finally had that epiphany. You finally had that moment where you quit worrying about being Jeff's son, and trying to forge an identity that wasn't yours, to embracing the fact that Jake Starr IS who you are. You came to SCW, all with the desire of putting Jake Starr on the fucking map. You were yourself. You were happy. You had EVERYTHING you ever wanted. You were Jake FUCKING Starr! You were THE Social Misfit. You were who you were MEANT to be... But for some reason you decided that it would be a good idea, and nobody in our little circle gets this, and you started to change things. You started acting differently. You started thinking you should change theme songs, retool your entrance, adjust your look, have a weapon, have people walk you to the ring, you just started to try and reinvent Jake Starr by making copies of the previous guy, and adding another facet. Every time I turned the TV on, you looked like another variation. Another copy. Another "version." And with each copy, something about who you actually ARE became less and less sharp. And you would start to realize something felt off, and you would try to go back to that master copy. The problem is, you have forgotten what that master copy was like. You've forgotten how to truly just be YOU, and instead have this fragmented, disjointed, shell of a man that you used to be... Bane sees Jake raise his hand and rub his eyes, although his face is still obscured by the towel.
... It's lead us to now, Jake. Your world has collapsed again. You sit here contemplating bailing again. You sit here wanting to just run away, and find a new home... Bane rips the towel of of Jake's head and throws it down. Bane's voice again amps up.
... But you're not getting to this time. You see Jake, there is something you don't realize about this time around the block. You don't realize that NOBODY gives a flying SHIT about you losing tonight. Not ONE PERSON in this organization gives a FUCK that you aren't going to have the longest Adrenaline Championship reign anymore... Jake slowly looks up, making eye contact with his friend for the first time. Bane sees a look of disbelief in Jake's eye.
... Oh? You don't believe me? Jake growls, bringing a smirk to Bane's face.
... Then humor me on this one, Jake! If everyone cares like you do, why didn't SCW even know the streak was getting close to being broken then? No matter how much you may want to argue with me about it, they didn't not care because of some personal vendetta against you. It was because that championship is COMPLETELY irrelevant in SCW again. NOBODY cares about the streak. You even said so yourself. Rayne didn't even know it was coming up, and just thought you had resorted to going for her title. NOBODY WAS PAYING ATTENTION! THAT IS WHY THE ONLY PERSON THIS MATTERS TO, IS YOU! Tomorrow, not ONE FUCKING NEWSPAPER, DIRT SHEET, OR BLOG, will be talking about this, unless YOU make a big deal about it. The fact is, Jake, every time you have turned around and thought that the world around you was crumbling in on you, you rose like a fucking Phoenix and did something to remind everyone how truly relevant you are. This time around, it's no different. You're going to turn back the clock, but you're going to do it as YOU. You're not going to try and reinvent the wheel. You're not going to change Jake Starr into some other version. You're going to do some fucking SOUL SEARCHING, and truly come to grips with who you are. For fuck's sake, man, that's why we were all worried about you. We didn't care if you were a good or bad guy. We've never cared about that shit. All we cared about was you trying to find some random rebirth of yourself, and losing a piece here and there each time. So we want you to find yourself, not recreate yourself. Go find that master copy for once. Embrace it. Be proud of who it is. Don't let others tell you how to and not to be. Just quit trying to be something you're not, and be yourself, man... Jake sighs, and looks back down. Bane sighs as well.
... Ok or you can just continue to be a little, whiny, bitch, then! This comment immediately brings Jake to his feet, and his lip quivering in anger. Seeing this emotion makes Bane grin.
... It's your choice... I personally think it's time you remind people who you REALLY are again. Quit trying to force it, and just do it... From out of the shadows of the showers, a figure appears. This figure is quickly seen by both as Eric "Agent oo6" Rommel. Jake looks into Eric's eyes, and Eric has just one thing to tell Jake.
Eric "Agent oo6" Rommel: ... Now go be a fucking asshole again... Jake sucks air through his teeth, and looks both men in the eye one more time. He grabs his bag, and growls as he storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Bane takes a couple steps over toward Eric, and his eyes slowly turn from having watched Jake leave, to the instigator of the infamous "La Verdad" coup of the original OWF.
Bane: Why are you here? Eric looks Bane in the eye.
Eric "Agent oo6" Rommel: Don't play dumb, Jude... We both know why we are BOTH here... Bane nods slightly.
Bane: You think we got through to him? Eric shrugs.
Eric "Agent oo6" Rommel: Fuck if I know... If he goes out there and is a complete dick, then at least we know he listened to something we said. As far as finding himself, like you said, it's his choice... Bane sighs.
Bane: I just hope he doesn't run... We both know what he has left in the tank... Eric "Agent oo6" Rommel: Yeah... But it doesn't matter if we know it. He has to fucking believe it... The scene ends with the two continuing to discuss their thoughts and concerns on Jake, and wondering how, exactly, he would react. The uncertainty has the pair worried that maybe they didn't get through to him at all, but instead just made him madder, or even worse, made him think it was time for another "reinvention." Regardless, they know all they can do is wait.
Jake Starr: A wise man once told me to be myself. That same wise man also told me that maybe, just maybe, I have been being disingenuous to myself for some time now. That man also challenged me to show the world, once again, who I really am. That didn't mean being nice. It didn't mean slapping hands. It meant simply being Jake Starr. It meant stepping up and being brutally honest about what I thought, and how I feel about everything that just happened. So if you're curious about what I'm thinking now, go ahead and listen closely... And if you don't like hearing the truth, and the reality that you're living in, then you can fuck off, and change the damn channel. Jake pauses.
... Ok so those of you that decided to stick around, let me begin by saying, why? Why did you bother to hang around and listen to someone who is, inevitably, going to be told that he isn't good enough, or interesting enough? Why are you watching someone who isn't the "complete package?" Why are you watching someone who is constantly told behind the scenes that his shit-talking is better than most, if not EVERYONE, in SCW, but isn't interesting enough outside of the ring? Why are you wasting the precious time in your life listening to a guy who is ultimately going to be considered a disappointment? I'm genuinely curious... See, since 2015 began, and primarily since I decided to go about things in my own way, I have been told that I am just not interesting enough outside the ring to get the benefit of the doubt. I always get told, basically, "oh you were good, but insert excuse here." There is ALWAYS a but of why I am not the "complete package," but it has never made sense to me. It has never made sense that the guy who talks better on camera, in front of the people who PAY TO WATCH THIS FUCKING PRODUCT, doesn't get the benefit of the doubt over people who somehow are capable of avoiding cameras outside of the SCW locker room. When did this business become something that people had to imagine what was happening behind the scenes? When did the fans, the viewers, the "universe," everyone, have to go "I wonder who is more interesting when the cameras go off?" When did hyping your match not matter? I ask this because I am a person who is fucking boring outside of this business. I am a guy with a wife and daughter, and let's be real, my wife and kid are the same as everyone else's. We don't have marital problems. We don't have these accusations of cheating. I haven't fucked half of the women on the roster like some people here have, all to gain something interesting to have happen outside of this business. So that makes me less of a "worthy adversary" than some here? Fuck off people... Nobody here feels like I do, nor do they realize how much this all means to me. Every time I cut one of these Goddamn promos I do so because I'm passionate about this business. But the problem is, I talk about something I actually CARE about, I am then told I didn't act like enough of the "bad guy?" Really? I have to force some shallow, half-assed, crap to get some heat, when I actually care about something? I'm not allowed to be passionate about something? Didn't Greg Cherry come out there and "care" more than I did in 2010? Wasn't he "more passionate?" I'm told I sounded like "too good." I am told that I didn't fit the mold, and it just was too odd. I'm sorry assholes, just because I'm not liked it doesn't mean I don't get to care about something that actually MATTERS to me. No matter how much of a pile of crap SCW looks at the Adrenaline Championship itself, it means something to me. So I go out there and show JUST HOW MUCH it means, even though it's a soiled piece of toilet paper in the eyes of the suits, and it's not good enough? Gee... Thanks! You see, SCW doesn't give a FUCK about the Adrenaline Championship anymore. It is a MEANINGLESS championship to the suits. How do I know this? How can I defend that point of view? There are a NUMBER of ways to justify this accusation... Number one... SCW didn't bother to realize how close Red Rayne was to my streak. They had a chance to hype up a match between she and I, and make it mean something. They had a chance to tell the world what it actually meant, but unfortunately, nobody knew about it but me. Nobody realized that the match could be something special, but kind of turned into just another match. Number two... I don't see an Adrenaline Championship match on the Rise to Greatness card, do you? The BIGGEST SPECTACLE OF THE YEAR has one of the titles completely absent from its card? How does that make ANY sense? How do champions not HAVE to defend their titles at the ONE EVENT that SCW considers its biggest night of the year? How does it not force champions to show the world that they can actually WIN when it counts most? Why not make champions SHOW UP and PROVE they are worthy? Why protect them? Why CODDLE them? Why allow them to be EXCUSED from having to prove they're actually a champion, unless you don't care about the championship itself? This kind of shit pisses me off because if I were in her role, guess who would be booked already? Guess who would have been tasked, no matter how full his plate may have been otherwise, with defending his championship? Jake points at himself.
THIS GUY! And I would have done it proudly. I wouldn't have found reasons to skip out on it. I wouldn't have let the suits omit me from the chance to prove myself on the BIGGEST STAGE of them all. But I'm just an incomplete package... What do I know? I know that going into Rise to Greatness I am in a match that really only has one point... It's to put Tommy Valentine over. It's to help his ascension because myself, Evans, and Wiseman, we all have NOTHING going for us. We have this feud that was manufactured, and then Valentine is injected because he, as one of the hotter superstars, needs to put in somewhere. So why not have him come in, clean out the three of us, and then be able to continue doing whatever it is he's doing? This match doesn't have anything in it for me. As much as I love to win at Rise to Greatness, Jake Starr isn't the same man this year. Jake Starr isn't the man who has the undefeated streak to defend. He doesn't have his Adrenaline Championship streak to defend. He doesn't have anything to gain by winning. I'm a mediocre piece of shit on this roster, and nobody would argue it... Will I go out there and try? Probably... Would I like to win? Sure... But what does it get me? Momentum? My chance at momentum came and went. I had a chance to go out there and bring the Adrenaline Championship to Rise to Greatness. SCW had the chance to have every champion show up and prove themselves, but unfortunately, I just couldn't cut it, right? So I'm instead just in a match where win or lose, I don't change my status. I don't become a major player. I don't get thrust into something that becomes memorable. I simply get a win in the ole win column. For some, it is worth it. For some, it matters. In recent history I've been BEGGING and PLEADING to be somewhere that mattered. I've wanted to find my happiness. I've found things that have pissed me off, and figured if I eliminated them from the world it'd make me happy, but it hasn't. I'm still not happy. I am still pissed. I am still upset. I hate seeing SCW in such a sad state, but unfortunately I don't see it changing. I don't see actually being able to TALK better than your opponent receiving the attention it once did. I simply see this trend continuing. So what will I do? Am I threatening to quit if I don't get my way? Jake cocks an eyebrow.
No... But the truth is, things are getting sad around here, and EVERYONE knows it. People are trying to stand out by being more and more outrageous than the other. That's how you rise above the rest, right? You do something retarded to stand out, right? So why shouldn't I do the same? Why shouldn't I magically force some comedy routine? Why shouldn't I go back and watch all of my old Jake Starr promos and try to recreate them? Because it wouldn't be me! It would be more disingenuous actions from me toward the rest of the world. It would be fake. It would be contrived. So instead I'm coming out here and just being honest. The odds of me winning against Evans, Wiseman, and Valentine are pretty much slim to none. The odds of being able to say I win another high profile match in SCW are out the window because I'm just "not there" like some people. So I figure I'll do the ONE THING I have been able to do better than anyone... And that's tear those walls down, and show the world something it's not used to seeing... I'm showing everyone what goes on when the cameras are off. Jake's depressed demeanor slowly turns into a smirk.
Isn't that what you all wanted, people? You wanted to see who was interesting behind the scenes? I'm showing you. I'm exposing it to the world. Everyone in SCW is placating me, and the rest of the people watching, by saying we have to IMAGINE what happens when these camera shut off, and you know what, you all are a bunch of dicks to think we're followers like that. We're not mindless minders. We have the ability to see what is REALLY in front of us. What's in front of us right now is a load of bullshit. I'm told what I can and can't talk about, then I'm told it's not interesting enough? Fuck off! You don't get to criticize Jake Starr when you're the one restricting him. I called everyone out on their BS time and time again, and it's not stopping now. Everyone has wondered how I have felt... Here's your chance. I think it's a load of fucking CRAP! Time and time again I prove myself, and time and time I'm told how great I step up and talk shit, but then I'm never given the motivation to try harder. I'm never given the same preferential treatment as others. So now I figure why not just go out there and tell the world what is staring them in the face? This is about other people OVER Jake Starr! If it isn't SCW has NEVER tried to man up and prove otherwise. They have elected to further my conspiracy theory, and going into Rise to Greatness, I see more proof of my belief. Rayne not in the title match... Valentine in my match... The same fucking cast in the main event... Yeah... This is something we have all seen before. Certain people have gotten the treatment over others. I'm not saying Valentine isn't talented... He should be in a bigger match that matters. He shouldn't be with three completely mediocre talents to put him over, unless SCW wants him to have something perceived as an easy path to victory. Rayne, if she were actually a REAL CHAMPION, would have stepped up and asked for a match. Instead... Let's be honest... She is just too busy to be bothered with such a menial championship. So when I lose, I don't care. If I can steal a win, great. This is what Jake Starr does. He calls the bullshit where he sees it. People aren't going to like what I have to say. People are going to call me names, and try to ridicule me for being upset. I don't care. I am here to state the obvious. I am here to tell you all that me talking shit will NEVER FUCKING STOP. You people think you can change me, and make me question who I am, I tell you each to question yourselves. Think about what business this is. Think about what actually SELLS these matches. Think about what actually BRINGS fans to these shows. It isn't their imagination. It isn't their assumptions of what happens off camera. It's these promos... It's the vignettes... It's the HYPE! At Rise to Greatness, we will see if SCW can finally begin to see the error of its ways. We will see if this depressing Golden Girls, TV Land, rerun can actually make people interested, or if it'll continue to fall flat. We will see how they decide to give me the finger for telling it like it is, AND ACTUALLY CARING... Will they call me a sore loser? It doesn't matter... I am calling it like I see it. I am going to show up, and do my thing. People will not like it. People will not feel good about what I do. I don't care. You wanted me to sound like a "bad guy," then guess what, you got it. You people are putting together a match nobody gives a fuck about, so why not enjoy calling it like I see it? Why not enjoy making my opponents realize I don't give a fuck anymore? Why not try to take their enjoyment of this match away from them like it was stolen from me? Jake Starr holds grudges... Jake Starr seeks vengeance... It's because Jake Starr actually CARES... It's sad that nobody else knows what passion is anymore... Is that bad enough for you? Jake facewashes the camera as the scene goes to black. Fin |
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