Post by Alice Harris on Apr 8, 2016 18:29:40 GMT -5
"Contradictions are one of the core pillars of professional wrestling. It's one of the things our careers are built on. We vehemently stand against one thing yet we do it ourselves but disguise it in order to get one over everyone we compete against."
Alice's voice is cold, calm and collected as she emerges from the shadows. It's early evening and we're at the run down complex where Alice spends the majority of her free time. The sun has finally dipped below the horizon and the eerie dark night sky is creeping in, swallowing up the last traces of amber and gold.
"I am guilty of it myself... I vilified Rocky for having his whole methodology with regards to facing me as just being character assassination... Then I go and act like him to really put salt in the wound and hurt his ego in the same way he tries to hurt me... Only it doesn't hurt me... It just makes me sad how his pathetic brain cannot process things such as metaphors and comparisons... It's like everything is literal to him... So I had to stoop to his level to make a point and the point was made well and truly... With great comedic effect and if you believe the internet, people have made a drinking game out of it... Every time Rocky tries to degrade me, you take a shot!"
Walking towards the middle of the run down courtyard where an oil drum sits, Alice reaches into the pouch on her belt and pulls out a lighter.
"But back to my original point... Wrestling is built on contradictions and Spring Breakdown is the biggest one so far... Alice White's latest rebranding of NAW... The Home of Premier Wrestling.... And she allows a match like the Prison Yard to take place... A match solely designed to maim, injure, cripple and make or break careers... A match where nothing is off limits, where you can pretty much do what you want in order to achieve victory... A match which could very well spell the end for someone here...."
Alice slowly walks towards the oil drum. Flicking the lid of the lighter off, she rolls her thumb over the wheel, coaxing a flame from it before she tosses it into the drum. A roaring noise is heard as flames dance out of the drum, illuminating the surrounding area.
"A federation which prides itself on wrestling... But recently has had little of it... A place where power struggles, egos running wild, the uninformed and those who think they can take whatever they want... This is no longer about wrestling... This is about war... And once again, I am on the front lines..."
Taking her seat - an upturned shopping cart, Alice sits there and gazes into the flames.
"I am a loner, I always have been. Others are drawn to me and I am professional enough to co-operate with them... I have no loyalties to anyone here, only professional respect which is given out when people professionally respect me back.... My only allegiance is to the fans and that is where I will stay... I care little for the games... The Agents of Chaos, Bohannon's new faction... The Jeckel family, the creepy brother team of the Jasons... I just want to wrestle for the fans because they are the ones who make this all worth while... They are the ones who follow you... They are the ones who will always remember you... I'm not doing this for the money or the prestiege... No... I am doing this because it is what I love..."
Closing her eyes for a moment, Alice takes a deep breath before slowly exhaling.
"And now, I am being put into a situation where I could no longer be able to do the things which I love... I am being thrown into a match where anything goes... And in this match, there are five professionals, and one petulant man child with an axe to grind... And whilst I respect Corey, Noah, Bohannon and Edwards... Whilst I accept the fact they will do whatever it takes in order to survive this ordeal... I know that the final person in that match won't... He's being given a meal ticket to finally try and get one over me for real... He is being given a blank cheque on trying to ruin me, and I know the slimy son of a bitch is going to try and cash it...."
Alice, still with her eyes closed runs her hands through her hair, brushing it back behind her ears as she keeps them on her head for a moment.
"And like I said... People in the boardroom have the audacity to call this type of scenario they're putting us into wrestling? Ha! It's a fucking meat grinder and they know it... This is the suits way of removing those who don't fit their mould... This is basically their way of ending my run as Legacy Champion..."
Opening her eyes, Alice leans forwards a little, keeping her gaze on the fire.
"I will admit this right now... The odds are stacked against me in a way like they have never been stacked against me before... Elimination matches are always a risk, you never know what is going to happen, but when you add the chaotic nature of the match six of us are about to step into... It just goes full on crazy. One mis-step... One moment of my guard being lowered and bang... The title is taken away from me as my unconscious body gets dragged out of there whilst Rocky practically explodes with pent up frustration... I am under no illusion that I will be the main focus of everyone's attacks... You have the issues with Bohannon and Noah, sure they may try to kill each other in that very ring... But it's so simple and clear... Eliminate the champion, ensure a new one will be crowned... I've got the bullseye on my back and everyone in that match will have locked onto it..."
Sighing, the champion reaches for her belt and pulls out her knife. Looking at it in the warm glow of the flames, she runs her fingers along the face of it.
"But the question is this.... Have I resigned myself to defeat? Am I speaking the words of a woman who knows her time has come?"
Alice looks at her reflection in the blade. The way the flames illuminate the vicinity, it is almost as if there is a literal fire in her eyes.
"Hell.. No! I would never do that... The odds are against me, but they're against Noah, Corey, Bohannon, Edwards and Prince Man-Child... All of us have everything to play for, we all have our scores to settle, our beliefs to fight for, our stand to make and our point to prove... But everyone also knows that they at any moment could have it all taken away from them..."
Still staring into the knife, Alice speaks with a little more venom in her voice.
"I have my title on the line and possibly my career and physical wellbeing... Bohannon has his future and issues, Noah has his title credentials which should not be questioned at all but are being questioned on the line.... Edwards has his point to prove and Corey has the issue of getting back that which he lost to me... Rocky... His only concern is talking shit, not understanding anything slightly philosophical, thoughtful or metaphorical and making sure I lose to him specifically... We all have something to bring with us, we all have something to lose... But we all know, once we stand inside that man-made hell, our moral codes will go out the window..."
Alice throws the knife down into the floor before she stands up.
"I loathe hardcore matches... The fact someone needs a weapon to best their opponent... It's not wrestling, its not ability, it's pathetic... But I know, if given the chance, I will gladly break a chair across someone's skull if it meant I survived for another thirty seconds... I would be a contradiction, but like I originally said, it's what this business is built on...."
Walking round the fire, still keeping her gaze on it, Alice continues.
"I know that my time at the top is limited... But the limit isn't just on my ability anymore... The limit is now on the environment... As each minute passes in the run up to this hell, it is another minute closer to judgement... It is another minute closer to finding out if I really do have what it takes to prove I am the most dominant competitor in NAW... I go into this match with only one issue to lay to rest... And that is to silence Hollywood once and for all, and to prove without anything which can raise doubt or be turned against me, that I am superior to him in every way... Once that is out of the way, the only thing left is to survive by any means necessary... Noah... Corey, Bohannon, Edwards, I respect you all, forget what side of the battle we stand on, You are all tremendous athletes and I enjoy doing what I do with you all... But I ask of you... Do not stoop to the levels those in charge want... Do not go out of your way to end a career when you can just eliminate... Sending a message like that... It plays into Alice White's hand and look what happens when you do her dirty work for her... You get fucked over..."
Alice stands behind the barrel, still watching the flames.
"I was the poster girl for Alice White... The proof that ability comes in all shapes and sizes... I was that plucky, never say die underdog the fans want... I made waves in this place when I finally triumphed over Corey Bull... And now, look where it got me... The most wanted woman in NAW... A target painted on my back and my career hanging in the balance because of the ego's at play... The inmates aren't running the asylum anymore... Oh no... It's those who run it who should be confined in the asylum... They have lost their minds creating a hell like this, and what good will it bring? Only financial success.... Everyone loves a trainwreck, it's a natural thing... We are drawn to chaos, to destruction, to death and ugliness... And this Prision Yard match... It's just a trainwreck, but in professional wrestling as a setting..."
Turning her back to the barrel, Alice looks into the darkness.
"In nine days, everything will be on the line... One person will survive this ordeal... But at what cost... They won't be the same again once they leave that match victorious... And to be honest... If that is me... I already know what part of me is being left in that hell... I'm prepared to go against my own moral code and fight with everything I have and win by any means possible just to survive... I may hate myself for it, but in the long run... The reward of standing alone at the top, empirically proven that I am the most dominant athlete in NAW... It's worth it..."
Looking back over her shoulder at the flames, Alice smirks.
"I'm a loaded gun, and I have six bullets... One for each person in that match... The only question is... Who do I shoot first... Do I settle my score but become distracted... Or do I take out the serious competition, allowing me the luxury of not having to watch my back every time I carve out an advantage..."
Turning back again, away from the flames, Alice walks into the darkness.
"Make no mistake... This is war... And war is the biggest contradiction in existence..."