The Get Back
Oct 13, 2016 19:40:37 GMT -5
Post by Cordy on Oct 13, 2016 19:40:37 GMT -5
October 11th, 2016
Freeport, Long Island
Off Cam
“Do you think that I’ve gotten soft?” Cordelia asked with a genuine curiosity. Her entire career she’d been seen as something sort of a pitbull. As amicable of a person as she tended to be, there was always a tenacity and a ferocity that other people took note of in regards to her. Even dating back to her days in Sex Sells; Cindy Parker had been the sugar and Cordelia Stevenson had been the spice. There had always been a certain edginess to her that people respected. Although people were fully aware of the beautiful looks and the radiant smile, they were also just as conscious of the fiery hell cat lying underneath the playful demeanor that was just waiting to be antagonized to pounce.
Or at least they used to be.
Cordelia no longer sensed that level of awareness from her peers. It seemed that now more than ever they were only intent on testing her — on trying to bring out the proverbial darkness that she tried so hard to keep at bay. She was competitive but she wasn’t mean spirited. Yet so many people in the business weren’t smart enough to know how to differentiate the two. And she’d watched as those people were devoured, losing all sense of self and identity, no longer knowing who they were. But in the same breath they claimed it an awakening; an epiphany of sorts, and an enlightening exposure to who they really were.
But Cordelia knew the dangers of treading that fine line and failing to see the distinctions of who you were and who you felt you needed to be. Most were ensnared by the illusion. And once upon a time, Cordelia too had walked that path. Tempted by the darkness and longing to be freed of the constraints that she felt her morality proved to be. Jimmy Page had taken her there and she’d almost been lost: so blinded by the haze of rage and hatred that she’d almost lost herself entirely. Yet she could recant in very vivid detail how compelling that sense of freedom had been. As exhilarating as it was, something like that didn’t come without a heavy price.
A price she’d always felt was too steep for a mere illusion.
The question caused Gavin James to laugh although it had been a serious one on Cordelia’s end. “You? Gone soft?” He recited the words in such a way that the mere notion proved preposterous. Granted, Cordelia Stevenson did have her soft moments. Her compassion was the very thing that founded their odd friendship back in high school; but Cordelia Stevenson had never been a pushover. Gavin knew that better than anyone, especially when she’d stuck her neck out for him on such a consistent basis, standing up to her friends and all of the other popular kids and risking placing herself in the way of ridicule. He’d always teased that she was the bully of the bullies, and it was a moniker that she’d always lived up to. “That is absolutely the last word I would use to describe you.” He added with a shrug, wanting to point out the cold shoulder she’d given him not too long ago, but refraining from doing so.
The split of her parents had hit her hard. Anyone close to Cordelia could see that, and he’d tried his hardest to be there for her. So concerned for her well being, he often disregarded the signs that she constantly displayed and overlooked the one predominant message that her demeanor clearly gave -- that she’d simply wanted to be left alone. The constant badgering eventually took its toll and it caused her to snap on him, coldly dismissing him.
It stung.
More than even Gavin himself would have liked to admit, but it definitely provided clarity on just how much she meant to him. Still something he’d never fully expressed, but then again he’d never really tried to. The fear of rejection was real. The fear of things changing for the worse between them. The fear of him losing one of the closest friends he’d ever had.
It had been odd though, not speaking to her for that time. Time alone was what she’d wanted and it was what he’d given her; the chance to process everything at her own speed. He knew how Cordelia worked and he knew that in due time she’d come back around, and things would be right between them again. And sure enough he’d been right. She’d been so apologetic, regretful of it even… citing that she understood he’d only wanted to help. He hadn’t even let her finish her statement because he understood her disposition. And although he’d tried to be helpful, he could definitely see how his intentions could be deciphered as imposing. It was water under the bridge in his book however. He was just happy to have her back around.
“What made you ask that though?” It was his turn to be curious. “I mean, do you think you’ve gotten soft? It was a fair question. Most times with questions like that, Gavin realized it was more of a projection than anything.
Cordelia shrugged as she grabbed a pillow, placing it behind her head as she stretched out on the sofa. “I don’t know...” She answered honestly. The question was random in regards to the prior conversations they’d been having, but the thought itself had been something she’d been mulling for quite some time. “... why I asked it, I mean.” She caught herself, realizing there had been two parts to his statement and wanting to clarify what she’d meant. “I don’t think I’ve gotten soft. I’m still me.” She said, biting down on her lip in contemplation.
“Then what’s different?” He inquired with an arch of his brow.
She paused momentarily, trying to pinpoint the underlying cause of her concerns.
“People are actually trying me now.” She finally said, shifting her gaze over towards him. “They never really did that before. And I’m just wondering why that is. Why now?” She pondered aloud with a sigh.
That was something that Gavin truly had no answer for. In his eyes, Cordelia was dealing with the same things she’d always dealt with. “Is there really that much of a difference? I mean, you’ve always dealt with assholes, Cordelia. Your entire career you’ve dealt with Tony Carmine’s and Dom Harter’s.” He hesitated at the mentioning of the last name, thinking of how Cordelia had actually come to Dom’s rescue of all people. Well… maybe she had gotten a bit soft. The old Cordelia would have let him get his ass kicked and chalked it up to him getting his just desserts. Of course he wouldn’t point that out to her however.
“Yeah, running their mouths, that’s what they do Gav, but even still they didn’t dare have the nerve to attack me or… steal from me.” And there it was finally laid out. The thing that had been bothering Cordelia Stevenson the most.
She despised thieves with a passion and she hated those who felt they could just take something that belonged to someone else; that someone else had worked hard to obtain, without earning it. Yes, titles changed hands in their business all of the time and she had no qualms about that. If someone defeated her for a title then by all means, they’d have earned it — but The Usual Suspects hadn’t earned a damn thing. Instead they’d taken what they felt they deserved, the very things that Dan and Cordy had busted their asses to not only win but to retain. Cordelia felt violated in the worst of ways and it was infuriating.
But what made it worse was that they’d done it without fear of repercussion. They dangled her very possessions in front of her and Dan tauntingly, as if they wouldn’t do a damned thing about it. At what point had she ever given off the vibe that something like that was ok? It was an internal struggle she’d silently dealt with ever since that night in Anaheim. Dan’s passiveness towards the situation didn’t necessarily help her at all either. But he advised for her to be patient, not realizing just how thin her patience was running.
“To be fair, you never had anything to steal in FGA before now.” Gavin chimed in, his ill advised joke only getting him the glare of death in response. He raised his hands innocently. “I’m kidding! But look, I get it. This is new territory for you. It doesn’t mean that you’ve gotten soft or that you’re even giving that impression.” He shrugged as he leaned back in his seat. “It could be that you’re just dealing with a group of guys that seriously don’t care about their well being.” He surmised with another casual shrug.
Cordelia realized that maybe he had a point. If it hadn’t have been she and Dan that night, it would have been any other team. The Suspects seemed to have had their mind made up all along that they were going to be leaving Anaheim that night with the titles one way or another. Maybe the attack itself hadn’t been a personal one — but fuck if she wasn’t taking it very personal. Ever since she’d returned, she’d noticed that people were more keen on taking shots at her, her name constantly found itself in the mouths of others and the comments were hardly ever flattering. It was as if somehow she didn’t command the same respect that she once did, and she couldn’t help but to wonder just what had changed. Ever since Chris Q had taken that chair to her ankle… it was as if people looked at her differently; as if she were weak or something. That was definitely a misconception she was going to fix, and she was going to start that correction at Retribution.
“Maybe you’re right.” She finally said after a moment of contemplation and not bothering to divulge her other thoughts. “Maybe I’m looking too much into it, and thinking too much about it.” She concluded just to prevent Gavin from prying any deeper or making any further queries. “Maybe The Usual Suspects really do just have a death wish.”
She grew quiet for a second as she closed her eyes, it was the first time all day she’d really gotten a moment to wind down and relax.
“... but they’re going to learn a very, very valuable lesson.”
“And what’s that.” Gavin glanced over, smiling at how peaceful and serene Cordelia seemed to be there in his home. But a chill quickly ran up his spine when he heard the coolness in her reply.
“That I’m the wrong bitch to steal from.”
There was just something so sinister in the way that she said it that for a split second Gavin James found it hard to believe that those words, so… frigid, had come from the same woman resting so peacefully on his couch. But then he saw the smile that formed on her face, and he knew right then and there that there was nothing but evil intentions behind it.
-----
Many would say that Dan and I have put ourselves at a serious disadvantage here.
That just seems to be a common theme for us, doesn’t it? We’re constantly placing ourselves in predicaments where the proverbial deck is stacked against us, and one would assume it’s only a matter of time before that comes back to bite us in the ass, right? I mean, we did it at Above and Beyond, by not only granting The Next Level their rematch for the titles, but by including #RubyWay into the fray as well when they’d done absolutely nothing to deserve the honor or opportunity.
Ahhh the joys of being a fighting champion and never turning away a challenge.
And now, we’ve done it again by challenging The Usual Suspects to a ladder match; a match where rules simply do not exist; all but one.
Climb the ladder and grab the belts.
Some would say that this is something we were goaded into: that we were played like puppets into giving The Usual Suspects the very thing that they wanted all along. Some would say that our hubris has landed us in a very unfortunate situation that could very well lead to the end of our reign atop this company’s tag team division, and from the outside looking in, it’s easy to see why they’d make that assumption.
I mean, everyone knows that The Usual Suspects are all about the numbers game. To be honest it’s their greatest asset. Not to take anything away from their talents in the ring; Chris Tryon and Jason Marx are both remarkable competitors in their own right and they’ve proven that time and time again over the years. But we aren’t blind. We can all see that the catalyst behind their recent success is that slimy worm, Anthony Rother.
He always finds a way to get himself into the mix. Whether it be hopping onto the apron “catching pokemon” or inadvertently tripping my partner and causing a distraction… Rother has always made his presence known when it shouldn’t have been. He’s always proven to be the ace up their sleeve, and it’s easy to see how one could assume given the lack of rules in this match that he’d play an even bigger role.
But please understand that Dan and I weren’t goaded into anything. This shot at our titles? This match? It’s something that The Suspects earned a long time ago when they defeated Dan and I in Tucson. Whether we retained the belts at Above and Beyond or not, they’d practically punched their ticket one way or another. So the argument they provide, the reasoning that they give behind their actions is null and void. Maybe them stealing our titles was something they deemed an insurance policy, but all it did was allow them to play right into our hands.
Because take a look around guys, it was Status Quo that set the stage for this match.
It was us that laid down the terms and conditions. It wasn’t anything that you manipulated. It was the bait that we decided to dangle in front of them, and they fell for it hook, line and sinker. Despite Anthony Rother’s efforts at being some sort of criminal mastermind, it was they that gave into our every demand, and it was they that willingly agreed to walk into the fire. But even more than that, it was they that willingly sacrificed the one ace up their sleeve all in the name of greed. The very thing that makes Anthony Rother as dangerous as he is… is no longer in play here. The opportunism that he finds within the element of surprise, it’s been wiped off of the table entirely. No rules, that means we can incorporate Rother right from the very beginning by kicking his face in.
Surprise.
Retribution. - The act of punishing or taking vengeance for wrongdoing, sin, or injury.
To be quite honest with you, I couldn’t have thought of a better name for this event myself. It’s fitting. Not just because of the story of Chandler and Zero and what they’re going through; the history behind their match and how it’s all pretty much come full circle for them... but it’s fitting because of what Dan and I have in store for Marx, Tryon and Rother.
Because they crossed a line.
Taking our titles, hitting Peaches… these are all actions that have yet to receive the proper consequences, but they will. Believe me they will, and I am going to enjoy every second of administering the punishment. Admittedly, I feel that judgment should have been passed a long time ago but good ole Dan Herrera told me that patience was a virtue… that vengeance would be ours in due time and nothing… nothing would be sweeter than depriving you of the very things you covet the most: The FGA World Tag Team championships.
You feel as if fate is on your side. Ever since you’ve come back to this company, you’ve had but one thing on your mind and that was to relive your past glory and to once again find yourself atop of the proverbial mountain here. And for the most part, you guys have made good on your words. You’ve stormed through the competition, and you’ve even bested Dan and I. There isn’t a doubt in our minds that you’ve earned this shot boys. You’ve gotten the job done time and time again, albeit by shifty means… But the thing is… it isn’t our hubris that has landed us in an unfortunate situation.
It’s yours.
Your hubris will be your undoing.
And I hope you’ve enjoyed the time that you’ve had with our titles. I hope you’ve had fun trying them on and playing dress up and pretend like a bunch of prepubescent girls -- because at Retribution?
Playtime is over.
The land of make believe that you’ve faithfully lived in for these past couple of months? Yeah, that shit is getting lost like the city of Atlantis, flooded and forever buried under the realization that The Usual Suspects aren’t the best tag team in this company. Not by a long shot. And they never will be as long as Status Quo is around.
Anthony Rother told us to never forget Tucson… and it’s to his detriment that we never will. Because it’s exactly why we’ve taken every precaution to ensure that shit never happens again. You know how the old saying goes boys…
Fool me once, shame on you… fool me twice… well, shame on me.
That shame won’t be on us boys, but I’ll tell you what will be.
Our FGA World Tag Team Championships.
You don’t have to worry, cause they’re coooming, back to where they should have always staaaaaayeeeed…
… that was in my young MJ voice by the way.
Tucson wasn’t a fluke. I won’t dare discredit you and say that it was. But I’ll offer that same bit of advice to you that Rother gave us. Never forget it.
Because it will never, ever happen again.
The success you’ve had thus far has undoubtedly gone to your heads but that’s ok. Dan and I will have no problems putting you back in your place.
Second place.
Get familiar.
Freeport, Long Island
Off Cam
“Do you think that I’ve gotten soft?” Cordelia asked with a genuine curiosity. Her entire career she’d been seen as something sort of a pitbull. As amicable of a person as she tended to be, there was always a tenacity and a ferocity that other people took note of in regards to her. Even dating back to her days in Sex Sells; Cindy Parker had been the sugar and Cordelia Stevenson had been the spice. There had always been a certain edginess to her that people respected. Although people were fully aware of the beautiful looks and the radiant smile, they were also just as conscious of the fiery hell cat lying underneath the playful demeanor that was just waiting to be antagonized to pounce.
Or at least they used to be.
Cordelia no longer sensed that level of awareness from her peers. It seemed that now more than ever they were only intent on testing her — on trying to bring out the proverbial darkness that she tried so hard to keep at bay. She was competitive but she wasn’t mean spirited. Yet so many people in the business weren’t smart enough to know how to differentiate the two. And she’d watched as those people were devoured, losing all sense of self and identity, no longer knowing who they were. But in the same breath they claimed it an awakening; an epiphany of sorts, and an enlightening exposure to who they really were.
But Cordelia knew the dangers of treading that fine line and failing to see the distinctions of who you were and who you felt you needed to be. Most were ensnared by the illusion. And once upon a time, Cordelia too had walked that path. Tempted by the darkness and longing to be freed of the constraints that she felt her morality proved to be. Jimmy Page had taken her there and she’d almost been lost: so blinded by the haze of rage and hatred that she’d almost lost herself entirely. Yet she could recant in very vivid detail how compelling that sense of freedom had been. As exhilarating as it was, something like that didn’t come without a heavy price.
A price she’d always felt was too steep for a mere illusion.
The question caused Gavin James to laugh although it had been a serious one on Cordelia’s end. “You? Gone soft?” He recited the words in such a way that the mere notion proved preposterous. Granted, Cordelia Stevenson did have her soft moments. Her compassion was the very thing that founded their odd friendship back in high school; but Cordelia Stevenson had never been a pushover. Gavin knew that better than anyone, especially when she’d stuck her neck out for him on such a consistent basis, standing up to her friends and all of the other popular kids and risking placing herself in the way of ridicule. He’d always teased that she was the bully of the bullies, and it was a moniker that she’d always lived up to. “That is absolutely the last word I would use to describe you.” He added with a shrug, wanting to point out the cold shoulder she’d given him not too long ago, but refraining from doing so.
The split of her parents had hit her hard. Anyone close to Cordelia could see that, and he’d tried his hardest to be there for her. So concerned for her well being, he often disregarded the signs that she constantly displayed and overlooked the one predominant message that her demeanor clearly gave -- that she’d simply wanted to be left alone. The constant badgering eventually took its toll and it caused her to snap on him, coldly dismissing him.
It stung.
More than even Gavin himself would have liked to admit, but it definitely provided clarity on just how much she meant to him. Still something he’d never fully expressed, but then again he’d never really tried to. The fear of rejection was real. The fear of things changing for the worse between them. The fear of him losing one of the closest friends he’d ever had.
It had been odd though, not speaking to her for that time. Time alone was what she’d wanted and it was what he’d given her; the chance to process everything at her own speed. He knew how Cordelia worked and he knew that in due time she’d come back around, and things would be right between them again. And sure enough he’d been right. She’d been so apologetic, regretful of it even… citing that she understood he’d only wanted to help. He hadn’t even let her finish her statement because he understood her disposition. And although he’d tried to be helpful, he could definitely see how his intentions could be deciphered as imposing. It was water under the bridge in his book however. He was just happy to have her back around.
“What made you ask that though?” It was his turn to be curious. “I mean, do you think you’ve gotten soft? It was a fair question. Most times with questions like that, Gavin realized it was more of a projection than anything.
Cordelia shrugged as she grabbed a pillow, placing it behind her head as she stretched out on the sofa. “I don’t know...” She answered honestly. The question was random in regards to the prior conversations they’d been having, but the thought itself had been something she’d been mulling for quite some time. “... why I asked it, I mean.” She caught herself, realizing there had been two parts to his statement and wanting to clarify what she’d meant. “I don’t think I’ve gotten soft. I’m still me.” She said, biting down on her lip in contemplation.
“Then what’s different?” He inquired with an arch of his brow.
She paused momentarily, trying to pinpoint the underlying cause of her concerns.
“People are actually trying me now.” She finally said, shifting her gaze over towards him. “They never really did that before. And I’m just wondering why that is. Why now?” She pondered aloud with a sigh.
That was something that Gavin truly had no answer for. In his eyes, Cordelia was dealing with the same things she’d always dealt with. “Is there really that much of a difference? I mean, you’ve always dealt with assholes, Cordelia. Your entire career you’ve dealt with Tony Carmine’s and Dom Harter’s.” He hesitated at the mentioning of the last name, thinking of how Cordelia had actually come to Dom’s rescue of all people. Well… maybe she had gotten a bit soft. The old Cordelia would have let him get his ass kicked and chalked it up to him getting his just desserts. Of course he wouldn’t point that out to her however.
“Yeah, running their mouths, that’s what they do Gav, but even still they didn’t dare have the nerve to attack me or… steal from me.” And there it was finally laid out. The thing that had been bothering Cordelia Stevenson the most.
She despised thieves with a passion and she hated those who felt they could just take something that belonged to someone else; that someone else had worked hard to obtain, without earning it. Yes, titles changed hands in their business all of the time and she had no qualms about that. If someone defeated her for a title then by all means, they’d have earned it — but The Usual Suspects hadn’t earned a damn thing. Instead they’d taken what they felt they deserved, the very things that Dan and Cordy had busted their asses to not only win but to retain. Cordelia felt violated in the worst of ways and it was infuriating.
But what made it worse was that they’d done it without fear of repercussion. They dangled her very possessions in front of her and Dan tauntingly, as if they wouldn’t do a damned thing about it. At what point had she ever given off the vibe that something like that was ok? It was an internal struggle she’d silently dealt with ever since that night in Anaheim. Dan’s passiveness towards the situation didn’t necessarily help her at all either. But he advised for her to be patient, not realizing just how thin her patience was running.
“To be fair, you never had anything to steal in FGA before now.” Gavin chimed in, his ill advised joke only getting him the glare of death in response. He raised his hands innocently. “I’m kidding! But look, I get it. This is new territory for you. It doesn’t mean that you’ve gotten soft or that you’re even giving that impression.” He shrugged as he leaned back in his seat. “It could be that you’re just dealing with a group of guys that seriously don’t care about their well being.” He surmised with another casual shrug.
Cordelia realized that maybe he had a point. If it hadn’t have been she and Dan that night, it would have been any other team. The Suspects seemed to have had their mind made up all along that they were going to be leaving Anaheim that night with the titles one way or another. Maybe the attack itself hadn’t been a personal one — but fuck if she wasn’t taking it very personal. Ever since she’d returned, she’d noticed that people were more keen on taking shots at her, her name constantly found itself in the mouths of others and the comments were hardly ever flattering. It was as if somehow she didn’t command the same respect that she once did, and she couldn’t help but to wonder just what had changed. Ever since Chris Q had taken that chair to her ankle… it was as if people looked at her differently; as if she were weak or something. That was definitely a misconception she was going to fix, and she was going to start that correction at Retribution.
“Maybe you’re right.” She finally said after a moment of contemplation and not bothering to divulge her other thoughts. “Maybe I’m looking too much into it, and thinking too much about it.” She concluded just to prevent Gavin from prying any deeper or making any further queries. “Maybe The Usual Suspects really do just have a death wish.”
She grew quiet for a second as she closed her eyes, it was the first time all day she’d really gotten a moment to wind down and relax.
“... but they’re going to learn a very, very valuable lesson.”
“And what’s that.” Gavin glanced over, smiling at how peaceful and serene Cordelia seemed to be there in his home. But a chill quickly ran up his spine when he heard the coolness in her reply.
“That I’m the wrong bitch to steal from.”
There was just something so sinister in the way that she said it that for a split second Gavin James found it hard to believe that those words, so… frigid, had come from the same woman resting so peacefully on his couch. But then he saw the smile that formed on her face, and he knew right then and there that there was nothing but evil intentions behind it.
-----
Many would say that Dan and I have put ourselves at a serious disadvantage here.
That just seems to be a common theme for us, doesn’t it? We’re constantly placing ourselves in predicaments where the proverbial deck is stacked against us, and one would assume it’s only a matter of time before that comes back to bite us in the ass, right? I mean, we did it at Above and Beyond, by not only granting The Next Level their rematch for the titles, but by including #RubyWay into the fray as well when they’d done absolutely nothing to deserve the honor or opportunity.
Ahhh the joys of being a fighting champion and never turning away a challenge.
And now, we’ve done it again by challenging The Usual Suspects to a ladder match; a match where rules simply do not exist; all but one.
Climb the ladder and grab the belts.
Some would say that this is something we were goaded into: that we were played like puppets into giving The Usual Suspects the very thing that they wanted all along. Some would say that our hubris has landed us in a very unfortunate situation that could very well lead to the end of our reign atop this company’s tag team division, and from the outside looking in, it’s easy to see why they’d make that assumption.
I mean, everyone knows that The Usual Suspects are all about the numbers game. To be honest it’s their greatest asset. Not to take anything away from their talents in the ring; Chris Tryon and Jason Marx are both remarkable competitors in their own right and they’ve proven that time and time again over the years. But we aren’t blind. We can all see that the catalyst behind their recent success is that slimy worm, Anthony Rother.
He always finds a way to get himself into the mix. Whether it be hopping onto the apron “catching pokemon” or inadvertently tripping my partner and causing a distraction… Rother has always made his presence known when it shouldn’t have been. He’s always proven to be the ace up their sleeve, and it’s easy to see how one could assume given the lack of rules in this match that he’d play an even bigger role.
But please understand that Dan and I weren’t goaded into anything. This shot at our titles? This match? It’s something that The Suspects earned a long time ago when they defeated Dan and I in Tucson. Whether we retained the belts at Above and Beyond or not, they’d practically punched their ticket one way or another. So the argument they provide, the reasoning that they give behind their actions is null and void. Maybe them stealing our titles was something they deemed an insurance policy, but all it did was allow them to play right into our hands.
Because take a look around guys, it was Status Quo that set the stage for this match.
It was us that laid down the terms and conditions. It wasn’t anything that you manipulated. It was the bait that we decided to dangle in front of them, and they fell for it hook, line and sinker. Despite Anthony Rother’s efforts at being some sort of criminal mastermind, it was they that gave into our every demand, and it was they that willingly agreed to walk into the fire. But even more than that, it was they that willingly sacrificed the one ace up their sleeve all in the name of greed. The very thing that makes Anthony Rother as dangerous as he is… is no longer in play here. The opportunism that he finds within the element of surprise, it’s been wiped off of the table entirely. No rules, that means we can incorporate Rother right from the very beginning by kicking his face in.
Surprise.
Retribution. - The act of punishing or taking vengeance for wrongdoing, sin, or injury.
To be quite honest with you, I couldn’t have thought of a better name for this event myself. It’s fitting. Not just because of the story of Chandler and Zero and what they’re going through; the history behind their match and how it’s all pretty much come full circle for them... but it’s fitting because of what Dan and I have in store for Marx, Tryon and Rother.
Because they crossed a line.
Taking our titles, hitting Peaches… these are all actions that have yet to receive the proper consequences, but they will. Believe me they will, and I am going to enjoy every second of administering the punishment. Admittedly, I feel that judgment should have been passed a long time ago but good ole Dan Herrera told me that patience was a virtue… that vengeance would be ours in due time and nothing… nothing would be sweeter than depriving you of the very things you covet the most: The FGA World Tag Team championships.
You feel as if fate is on your side. Ever since you’ve come back to this company, you’ve had but one thing on your mind and that was to relive your past glory and to once again find yourself atop of the proverbial mountain here. And for the most part, you guys have made good on your words. You’ve stormed through the competition, and you’ve even bested Dan and I. There isn’t a doubt in our minds that you’ve earned this shot boys. You’ve gotten the job done time and time again, albeit by shifty means… But the thing is… it isn’t our hubris that has landed us in an unfortunate situation.
It’s yours.
Your hubris will be your undoing.
And I hope you’ve enjoyed the time that you’ve had with our titles. I hope you’ve had fun trying them on and playing dress up and pretend like a bunch of prepubescent girls -- because at Retribution?
Playtime is over.
The land of make believe that you’ve faithfully lived in for these past couple of months? Yeah, that shit is getting lost like the city of Atlantis, flooded and forever buried under the realization that The Usual Suspects aren’t the best tag team in this company. Not by a long shot. And they never will be as long as Status Quo is around.
Anthony Rother told us to never forget Tucson… and it’s to his detriment that we never will. Because it’s exactly why we’ve taken every precaution to ensure that shit never happens again. You know how the old saying goes boys…
Fool me once, shame on you… fool me twice… well, shame on me.
That shame won’t be on us boys, but I’ll tell you what will be.
Our FGA World Tag Team Championships.
You don’t have to worry, cause they’re coooming, back to where they should have always staaaaaayeeeed…
… that was in my young MJ voice by the way.
Tucson wasn’t a fluke. I won’t dare discredit you and say that it was. But I’ll offer that same bit of advice to you that Rother gave us. Never forget it.
Because it will never, ever happen again.
The success you’ve had thus far has undoubtedly gone to your heads but that’s ok. Dan and I will have no problems putting you back in your place.
Second place.
Get familiar.
