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 Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2024 12:16 am
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On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha
You can listen to the engine moanin' out his one note song
You can think about the woman or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wanderin' the way they always do
When you're ridin' sixteen hours and there's nothin' there to do
And you don't feel much like ridin', you just wish the trip was through
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
On the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
The Royal Rumble had barely just moved on from its opening pyro and hype package for tonight's Avari Fusion vs Bison Mbadi title match when a little surprise played: Metallica's "Turn the Page". It was mostly a surprise because the fans packed into St Petersberg, Floria's Tropicana Field never for a moment suspected Hiro Shin-Mozas would be cleared to leave a hospital, let alone show up to work. However, the die-hards knew...the former Royal Rumble winner would never miss tonight. The song continued a little bit longer before Hiro would appear out on stage. He had a noticible limp, his arm rebandaged with thicker substances, and he was badly bruised on the right side of his face. The match with Rex Kobra had ended horrifically, a chokeslam from the top of the cage that left Hiro out cold, probably concussed -- and to this point, unseen by the public. The Ethnic Enigma moved down the ramp methodically, simple due to how difficult it was to keep his equilibrium. He looked around at the crowd as he got to ringside, many cheering while others a bit quiet due to the sheer shock of seeing him. He didn't stare for too long, the lights and all the faces were making him a bit dizzy. He made his way up the stairs, quite slowly even still, and slipped into the ring. He trudged across to a crew member with a microphone, and as his music stopped, he seemed to want to get to his point quickly -- shooting the mic to his mouth.
There was just one problem. |
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2024 6:06 pm
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Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2024 12:41 pm
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Hiro let the microphone slump down his side and lowered his head as the booing hit him like a truck. He cocked his head to the right and saw Cartwright and the Butler appear on the stage, and through the owner's poor impression, Hiro could feel himself being drained. It was one thing putting his body through the beatings it was taken...it was another to have to take on the mental stress of dealing with an a*****e. The fans though, made it a little easier. Hiro would step back a bit to give Cartwright centerstage, though as he began to undress him...Hiro's teeth would grind. He would step back further to the ropes and grip the top with his good hand tightly. Cartwright would go over their past, and then get to the point of asking Hiro to defend his job. The Ethnic Enigma shook his head and rubbed his eyes with his wrist, stepping up to the owner of the company.
"Cartwright...You and I go way back, as you were just saying. I owe a lot of my career to you, when I didn't have much control over my emotions -- you at least helped mold the negativity into success in some regards, right down to when I won the World Heavyweight Championship from you. Your words now, they don't hurt...and that's because I know you. I know who you are, that you're a down-and-dirty kind of guy who's capable of cutting every corner when he doesn't even have to...a world champion, a hall of famer, in the discussion for the greatest of all time in this business. You've done more than I ever will and your impact is nothing short of world-changing. Cartwright, I respect the performer you are...I respect the way you've managed to keep WWF:G afloat through all this time, signing me and giving me somewhere to fight again."
Hiro would rub the back of his head, take a few labored steps around Cartwright, looking him up and down. Hiro narrowly avoids stumbling into the Butler, his footing starting to betray him. He stops getting close into the Englishmen's personal space.
"I don't even take offense to the way you're talking about me right now...but threatening my job is where I'm starting to lose some of those emotionall balance. You know how hard I worked to get cleared again, to be able to come back into WWF:G and put on a show everytime I come out here -- to make YOU merch money, to help sell tickets for YOUR company...to help get money in those pockets of yours. You come out here and tell me you're sick of me, remind me of what I once was -- and then are indirectly threatening my job, Cartwright. Let me remind you of something -- for a few, very glorious months...Mick Foley was in charge because you couldn't be here due to the ramifications of a beat down by Trent's hand. You needed so much time to recover, and yet here I AM, still standing before you. I've been set on fire, chokeslammed down fifteen feet, busted open over and over again, had my body sliced apart and have confronted every last demon I've had and KEPT COMING BACK FOR MORE! There is a psychotic serial killer out there that I know one day will finally come back for me and finish what he'd started long ago...and yet, here I am, Cartwright. I'm on the road again just like James Hetfield said when I was making my way to the ring. I get up on that damn stage no matter how many times I lose CHASING THE FEELING that I have a chance at winning another match. That's why I'm still here, broken, and on the precipice of self-destruction. Because I, unlike you I suppose, have the bug in me to keep on keeping on. The will to go on burns in me hotter than it ever has."
Hiro paused momentarily to allow the fans to cheer wildly, they were getting behind his impassioned speech here -- a hate for Cartwright and a love for the Ethnic Engima being a clear visual both to the eyes and ears. It was clear the Butler was a little annoyed by the crowd, but Cartwright? Oh, Cartwright.
"You know, Carty...I've been hoping to have an audience with you again like this for a while now. So before I let you respond to me with all you've got built up -- I wanna let you know I forgive you. Just like I've forgiven everyone else. You were a big part of what cost me my World Heavyweight Championship against Freakshow. You were bought by the Midnight Marauders that night, but I hold no will over it. You did what you felt you had to do...and at the end of the day, I got that title back and kept it until my body couldn't work anymore. I can hang my hat on the fact that it took a life-threatening injury and about six guys working together to bring me down when I was at the top -- and meanwhile, for you, all it takes is an angry employee and some upset grapes. As far as I'm concerned, Cartwright, between you and me now, I AM the last man standing."
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Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2024 1:27 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 12:25 am
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Hiro cringed as Cartwright continued to berate him, but no more worse than when he challenged him to a fight. Hiro looked down at his arm, and back out at the roaring crowd. He shook his head as he looked down -- not sure if the fans really understood how badly was hurt, or if they even cared. There was no bitter feelings about it out from the Ethnic Enigma though, he was so used to the nature of the business at this point. Hiro stared at his arm for a moment, the clicking feeling in his ears whenever his head shifted even a centimeter ever so prevelent. He raised the microphone to his mouth again, sweat starting to build up at his brow.
"Cartwright...you and I haven't competed against one another since I cashed in that money in the bank on you, did you know that? Nine years ago now, nearly a decade. My body...it's not doing too good. It's battered, bruised, and broken -- and yet, you say you want a fight, and the hair on the back of my neck can't help but stand up straighter than I'm actually capable of right now. I'm by no means cleared to compete tonight, but you're the boss, and you can pull some strings, right? Cartwright vs Hiro Shin-Mozas, one last time, tonight in St. Pete in front of the greatest fans on the planet. Go ahead, book it Cart. I'll earn something from you, one way or another -- because tonight I WILL BE THE LAST MAN STANDING!"
Hiro tossed the microphone to the ground and aimed a super kick right at the Butler, to a roar from the crowd! Perhaps Cartwright wasn't expecting that sort of reaction from the ailing veteran before him -- and Hiro wasn't really expecting to do that either!
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Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2024 3:34 pm
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