House of Cards

[Chandler Scott]

As we head towards the tail end of 2016, it looks like Johnny Karma is still trying to round up a few good men to finally deliver the death blow to The New Kings. Now I know that Karma and I don’t have the greatest of history. But I figured that things between he and I had been patched up recently. If Karma was looking for someone to go war with him, then why hasn’t he looked in the direction of yours truly, a man that knows a certain something about going to war for FGA?

I understand I haven’t been there in the trenches with him since the very beginning. But between rehabbing injuries, dealing with Jimmy Page’s bullshit, the Frontier Lions Cup and Zero McHannon’s fuckery, I’ve been pretty preoccupied. But now that all of those events are behind me, you would think that if Karma was still looking for a solid hand, I would be his guy. Instead, he enlists in the services of… Dom Harter?!?!?!

Dom Harter?

The guy who once upon a time made it his mission to bring this place down? That’s who he asks for help?

Dom Harter?

The guy that’s a walking sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen?

Dom Harter?

The guy who thinks his idea of “turning over a new leaf” is doubling down on his douchebaggery?

I mean, I know Karma hasn’t always been the sharpest knife in the drawer, but c’mon. Then again, he’s the same guy that willingly goes out there to get stomped into the ground every week by the New Kings. So I’m not exactly surprised by yet another questionable choice of his. Plus think about, Karma would have to swallow a lot of pride to come to me of all people for help. I’m the same guy that’s kept him away from his ultimate goal- the World Championship - on two separate occasions. The man knows better than any just how great I am. But I also know just how much those losses probably still sting. So coming to that same man for help is probably too bitter of a pill for him to swallow.

So instead, I’ll go about it like this... I’ll do him a solid. I’ll set the table this Saturday on Vertigo. FGA has been kind enough to give myself and Johnny Cannon the spotlight. And I’m going to do what I always do best when given the main event picture and that’s perform at the highest of levels. But this one is going to be a little different. This one’s a little personal. See, I’ve been hip to what’s been going on all year. I’ve let a lot of the stuff that’s come out of Cannon’s mouth slide over these past few months. But not now. Now it’s time to bring all of that back to the forefront. Since The British Mamba can’t find his tongue when it comes to addressing me directly, I’ll have to come to him.

Cannon thinks he’s better than me?

He thinks he can take me?

We’ll see how confident he’s sounding after I check his ass in the middle of the ring with the whole word watching.

---

“I got to take him off of here! That's right.
I got to take him off of here!
Because there's only one, and that's me! You understand?
‘For all of that fightin', you understand?
The sucka think he good. The sucka think he can whoop me. And I knew he can't whoop me, I…
Aye boy, the n*gga whole style is chump. You understand?
Just let me get mines first.
Then after I get mines, y'all can do what ya wanna do.”
Wolfe in “The Education of Sonny Carson”

---

Our scene opens to nothing but white. After a few seconds, the camera zooms out to reveal a close up of a card: a 7 of Clubs. The card is held between the thumb and index finger of someone of caucasian descent. As the camera pans slowly, we see the card being leaned up against another white surface. When we zoom out, we see the hand belongs to none other than Chandler Scott. As Chandler squints his eyes, he carefully finishes putting the card in its place on what seems to be the start of a card house. And a pretty good one, at that. It’s two levels high and about a foot wide. There’s also a door on the side facing the camera lens. Chandler sits down behind his card house so that we can see his face and begins to speak.

For many, this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But for those that aren’t fans of the holidays, they hate this section of the calendar with a passion. The hustle & bustle, the packed stores, and the pressure to find the perfect gift at the perfect price can definitely cause a spike in one’s blood pressure. As the patrons look to wrap up their holiday shopping, FGA looks to wrap up another successful calendar year. Final Frontier, the final event of 2016, is right around the corner. But before we get to that, we stop in Boston, Massachusetts for the final Vertigo of the year. And how fitting is it that the last Vertigo of the year is being headlined by two men that made nothing but headlines in 2016? But more important than that, how fitting is it that this edition of Vertigo is being headlined by the guy that thinks he’s the reason for all of this company’s success… versus the guy who actually is the reason for a lot of its success? This final Vertigo is being main evented by the guy that laid down the foundation and helped build FGA… versus the guy that tried to rule over FGA with an iron fist.

Chandler starts taking cards and placing them on top of the house, adding an extra floor to it. Most are facing down except a ten and seven of spades.

But we could even go one step further, couldn't we, Cannon? On one hand, this match features the man whose name is synonymous with the FGA World Championship. On the other hand, you have the man that claims he's the real FGA World Champion. Which is hilarious, since you lost that title nearly four months ago. But hey, why let those things called “FACTS” get in the way, right? You still calling yourself champion after all this time is almost as pathetic as someone hopping from promotion to promotion and defending a championship that isn't even his. Of course, we don't know of anyone that's desperate enough to do that dumb shit, right?

Oh wait.

I’ve never had a problem with you, Cannon.

Chandler flicks his wrist and pulls out five cards. They are a six ten straight, but they aren’t set up that way. He lays them out starting with the ten and moving in descending order.

While everyone else was giving you and every other EXODUS immigrant that came after you a dismissive wave upon your arrival, I didn’t. You see, I recognized your skill way back then. Sure, I knew about all the accomplishments and accolades. But anyone can go to any dime a dozen company and win a bunch of awards. The only thing that matters is if you have the skillset to measure up to the best competition in the world. And I knew way back then when you signed last Summer that you still had it in you. You were the guy that possessed the razor-sharp elbows that could split a man’s head wide open. You possessed those granite-like knees that could break a man’s ribs with a single blow. So I always gave you the respect that was due and so did you. Sure, you got a little slick with the tongue every now and then. But other than that, you always paid homage to yours truly with such comments like:

“Looks like I’ll finally get to see the hype around @gochandlergo. Long overdue”

“@gochandlergo is the smartest money/easiest bet I’ve ever made”

And my personal favorite…

“@gochandlergo I don't say this often, but you've got my respect after that one. Exceptional performance. The hype is justified.”

Taking a pair of fours, Chandler places them on their sides, and puts a Jack of Clubs on top, making a small tower.

Back when I was on top of this promotion while you were barely treading water in the Pride Division, it seemed like everything was copesthetic between you and I. We even teamed up during the inaugural main event of Vertigo, a match in which I led our team to victory. But as soon as I was sidelined due to injuries, that’s when the script got flipped. That’s when the situation between you and I turned sour. That’s when The Last Real Man let his real feelings shot. Conveniently during my absence is when The British Mamba finally began to move up the ladder. And as he climbed that ladder rung by rung, his confidence grew. Suddenly, he got a little swagger in his step. He was strutting down the halls like a virgin that finally got his dick wet. He thought he was the man! And that’s when we starting hearing comments about how “Chandler isn’t this… Chandler isn’t that… Chandler doesn’t want to get in the ring with me.” But funny enough, none of these comments were ever said to directly to my face. All of this tough guy posturing was never done in front of me. Instead, this and other verbal shots were thrown my way from the comfort of his keyboard. But I never said anything verbally until now because to be quite honest, it wasn’t worth dignifying with a response. You see, any troll can log onto the internet and talk shit. That’s nothing impressive. But talking that same amount of trash to my face? That actually says something. So I wonder, Cannon, while you and Goodrich were out here giving 40 minute monologues, why didn’t you ever make time to call out yours truly? With the amount of times we’ve been booked on the same show since my return, I’ve got to wonder why you never felt the need to step up and Say Something Stupid to my face? Were you that arrogant to dismiss me? Or were you smart enough to realize that if you ever, ever tried to disrespect me to my face, I show the entire world who The Last Real Man really was?

On either side of the stack he just made, Chandler makes two more pillars using all the fives and nines.

829 days.

After placing a floor on top of the three pillars, Chandler takes three kings and a Queen and makes a large and stunning tower in the middle. The faces of the cards looking out, their designs giving color and grace to the whole deal.

That’s the amount of days between your trips to the top of the mountain.

829 days.

That’s the amount of time between you losing the EXODUS World Championship… and winning the FGA World Championship.

After 829 days, over two years, The British Mamba finally returned to the pinnacle of pro wrestling. Of course, it’s no wonder it took you 829 days to get back to the top because just like last time, as soon as you won the title, you lost it.

Taking the two jokers, he carefully places them so they are like flying buttresses coming off the side of the King tower. For those who don’t’ know, they look like wings, the top of each card starting at top of the tower and at an angle flowing down to the floor a few inches away. Both jokers are deliberately made so that they are faces up, their faces away from the kings, almost like they were fleeing.

Of course, you’re probably wondering to yourself who the hell I am to talk to you about World Championships in 2016. Afterall, you’ve beaten a certain someone for a World Title while I haven’t. And yes it’s true, as much as it pains me to admit it, my recent pursuit of the World Championship flopped about as badly as your movie career did. But the difference between you and I is that I can accept the loss. It would’ve been easy for me to play the injury card last year or make up a bunch of excuses this year. You?

He makes a swooping gesture with his hands to show off and make the house of cards look impressive. After making some oohs and ahhs he scoffs and nods his head side to side.

You never passed up an opportunity to pass the buck. You never passed up a moment to throw Tony Carmine under the bus. It was always “Tony got pinned”, “Tony dropped the ball”, “I was never beaten.” But never once did you fault the man in the mirror. You were always quick to point the finger at your fellow King, but never at yourself. Never once did you accept responsibility and take the blame. [/colo]

Chandler hovers his hand over the house.

But I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. It turns out you’re only a Real Man in name only.

Because you know what a real man wouldn’t do? Spend the last three-four months bitching about a still being the champion of a title he lost months ago. A real man wouldn’t claim that the front office is conspiring against him. A real man wouldn’t spend months on end bitching about a title shot. And to be honest, I can’t exactly blame them for not caving into your requests. I’m pretty sure that you attacking an official, attacking two fans and deliberately putting your opponents on the shelf probably has something to do with you not being rewarded. But there I go using those things called “FACTS” and “LOGIC” again, two things that you clearly know nothing about these days.

His other hand places one last card facing the camera, an Ace of Hearts. It sits comfortably, leaning against the king tower.

This Saturday, you have the opportunity to make a huge statement, Cannon. Sure, you can beat the Evangelistas and Chris Bonds of the world into submission. Sure, you can attack a bunch of no names on the roster. But there's a huge difference between doing that against them and doing that against someone like me. The question is, are you up to the challenge Cannon? I know you say you are. But saying and doing are two totally different things. You've got the opportunity of a lifetime. But I just don't think you've got it in you. So let me tell you what's gonna happen on Saturday.

This Saturday, everyone will watch as Big Bank takes Little Bank.

This Saturday, everyone will watch as Chandler Reigns Supreme.

This Saturday, Cannon, everyone will watch as the Ace of FGA... trumps the King.

Chandler swipes at the bottom with one hand swooping across the entire base, making all the cards and chips scatter into a giant mess. We tilt up and get an aerial view to see all the cards face down, except one. In the center facing up is the Ace of Harts. The camera focuses for several seconds until we fade to the Roaring Hammer logo.