Casualties of War

[ChrisMadison]

FGA Video Diary: Series 2 - Volume #10
April 12th, 2017
Long Island, New York

[•REC]

Failure. In an industry when your criticized by wins, losses, accolades, and championships, failure is always a bitter pill to have to swallow. Throughout his long-tenured career, it was a rare occasion when Chris Madison failed to achieve the goals he set forth for himself. He was a winner; and when he came up short, he always made the proper adjustments needed to avenge his shortcomings. Only The Strong Survive was around the corner, and Chris had been gifted an opportunity to once again avenge a failure. In order to do so he'd have to find a way to overcome the FGA Pride Champion, Molly Reid, and all of her cheap tricks. A tall order on its own based solely on her talent, but factor in the willingness to do anything in order to ensure that the championship belt doesn't leave her waist and the challenge becomes even more daunting.

Chris sat in one of the back rooms at the Warehouse, his wrestling school and training facility, while surrounded by his closest friends. They all huddled around him and watched intently as video package played on the large flat screen television that was mounted on the wall. Highlights from their Pride Championship match at Grapple Kingdom rolled as Chris keenly kept his eyes affixed to the screen despite the whispers and murmurs from the group around him. The most vocal of the group, as usual, Chris's manager, Frankie Morrison.

"I don't know why you subject yourself to this garbage," he groaned as he stood in the back of the room posted up against a wall with his arms folded over one another.

"We learn from our losses. I may not like it, I may not agree with the way it happened, but Molly Reid beat me. I need to make sure that I do everything in my power to not let that happen again," he explained without ever taking his eyes off of the screen.

The highlight package cuts to the closing moments of the match and instantly Frankie Morrison grew agitated by it. "We know how this garbage ends. An instant classic ruined by Molly's unwillingness to accept that you're the better wrestler," he huffed.

Chris rocks forward and zones in on the video playing on the television. The room grew silent as the end of the match played out. Madison ducks a Molly Kick and secures a rear waist lock. He dips down and lifts her onto his shoulders, looking for the End Game Electric Chair German Suplex. Molly fights out of it with twelve-to-six elbow strikes to the top of Chris's head. She manages to wiggle free and slides down his back and rolls him up with a school boy. Molly slips forward and a hand reaches the waistline of Madison's shorts, grabbing onto it tightly as the official counts to three.

"Bullshit! How can she expect anyone to believe that she was losing her positioning and accidently grabbed your shorts," Frankie groaned. "Does she defy the laws of gravity? If she's leaning forward and felt she was going to slip, her hand should have slipped down not up, and planted into the mat!"

Chris leaned back in his chair and grabbed the remote control from his lap. He pointed it up towards the television and turned it off. He sat for a moment, letting that ending replay in his head. "We all know these excuses she keeps spewing are complete bullshit. At this point we're beyond that. Facts are facts; and no matter how it's spun, Molly Reid beat me at Grapple Kingdom. Shame on me for letting my guard down and letting myself get into that position. I was fooled. I didn't think she'd stoop that low, especially with how much we tossed out the word respect. Only the Strong Survive is going to be different knowing exactly who Molly Reid is and what she's willing to do in that ring," he explained.

"I'm sure she'll," Morrison started before an abrupt interruption from his no-nonsense client.

"Honestly Frankie, I don't even want to hear it," he snapped. "Leading up to this match you did your thing; you ran your mouth and got under her skin. But right now, the time for talking is over. She wants to go down as one of the best Pride Champions FGA has ever seen? She's going to have find a way to overcome this huge obstacle standing in her way! She's going to have to figure out how to out-wrestle one of the few people in this industry that's outright more talented than she is!"

Frankie shook his head and began making his way to the door. "Still giving her more credit than she deserves," he asked as he reach out to the door handle.

"No, she deserves it," he responded much to Frankie dismay. "I don't like the way she's won a handful of matches as of late. Been very vocal about it... But it's mostly because I look at Molly Reid and I see a talented young woman who could take this industry over! She doesn't need to use cheap tricks to get over on others. Her god-given natural ability alone puts her in the conversation of the best out there. She just needs to understand that even the best fail in this business. We all have to deal with losses, title reigns come to an end; it's how you rebound from those failures that make you great..."

Frankie chuckled as he pulled the door open. The crowded room started to file out, leaving Chris Madison to himself. "I don't get it. Her you are singing the praises of a woman who cheated you out of a championship, who refuses to own up her vile antics, who has taken to every media platform possible to voice her displeasure for you and the fact that she has to defend her belt for a second time," he griped. "She doesn't deserve your respect!"

"That's the funny thing about respect; no one deserves it, respect is earned. Molly's résumé speaks for itself. And despite what's gone on between us these last few months, I still respect the competitor that has been buried under this charade," Chris declared as he reached up towards his face and scratched at his scruffy beard.

"Well you're a better man than me," Frankie sighed before walking out of the video room.

Chris let out a sigh of his own as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on top of his knees while pressing the palms of his hands together. He bowed his head and sat in silence for a moment as FGA camera's continued to roll.

"At Only the Strong Survive, I'm being gifted with two great opportunities to forever etch my name in FGA lore: a Pride Championship match against Molly Reid, and a spot in the Gold Rush Rumble. Unfortunately for me, for some reason that I just can't seem to place my finger on, I haven't had the best luck when it comes to big spots during my FGA tenures. Over and over I find myself in championship opportunities but coming up empty. Just the kind of lack of success that could drive a man mad..."

"Throughout my career winning has come natural to me. I have poured my blood, sweat, and tears inside of that ring for about seventeen years, traveling all across the globe while amassing a list of accolades that would take longer to read off than most people's careers last. But for some reason, my success hasn't translated to a FGA ring. No matter the prize, for some reason, I just can't get over that hump. So why is Only The Strong Survive going to be any different?"

"I don't think I could convince anyone that it will be...."

"If you look at the lineup, given my track record, I wouldn't expect anyone to sit there and think, 'damn... Chris Madison is going to have one hell of a night'! This Gold Rush Rumble that's going to give someone an Undisputed Championship match at All-Star Showdown VI is littered with world class talent! Names that i'd kill just to get some one on one matches with. It's impossible to look at that lineup and say with absolute confidence that so-and-so is going to run roughshod through the other twenty-nine competitors and lock up that championship match at All-Star Showdown. Legendary FGA names like Chris Bond, Chandler Scott, Dom Harter, Jimmy Page, Dan Herrera, Johnny Karma... Up and comers that have forced themselves into the conversation like, Molly Reid, Evan Envi, Mark Storm, Owen Gonsalves... It's a crapshoot picking out a guaranteed winner out of this field. Nearly anyone of the thirty could be argued as deserving. No matter how my earlier match with Molly Reid plays out, whether I'm walking in empty handed or as the new FGA Pride Champion, I'm going into this warzone anticipating leaving every ounce of fight that I have left in me, inside that squared circle. There is no greater prize in this industry than the FGA Undisputed Championship. Every company could make their argument, but only FGA has been rolling this consistently strong for this long. That belt that Cordy Stevenson carries around signifies, arguably, the best in this business! Whether its Cordy or Izzy Anders, whoever is bringing that belt with them to All-Star Showdown VI, will have a fight like none they've faced before. Only the strong WILL survive the Gold Rush Rumble. And being that close, feeling the Undisputed Championship within reach, whoever wins, isn't just going to roll over and lay down for anyone!"

"Before I could ever get there, I have business to finish with a certain pride champion..."

"Best case scenario, I beat Molly Reid to become the new FGA Pride Champion and go on to win the Gold Rush Rumble, setting up a champion versus champion match at All-Star Showdown VI. First I have to get over that hump and claim that championship that suits me and my style of wrestling so well... Easier said than done. This past year, Molly Reid has really broken away from the pack and took a step into the limelight. She has forced herself upon wrestling fans and made them embrace her as one of the elite. Not only is she an amazing talent, but at Grapple Kingdom, she showed a willingness to do whatever she needs to do in order to retain her first of many FGA championships. She's beatable. I feel as if I have a good sense of what she brings to the table. We've faced off a couple times, been on both sides of tag team contests. It's safe to say that I know her pretty well. One thing I've noticed though is that she continually is getting better. Week after week, improving on her imperfections in that ring. From first facing her in a tag match during the Wild Card Lottery tournament, to teaming with her against Izzy Anders and Savannah Taylor, to trading wins in singles matches, Molly Reid has gotten better every time she stepped through the ropes. At Only The Strong Survive, I know I am going to face the best Molly Reid that I've ever seen!"

"But that's fine by me!"

"I welcome the challenge!"

"I know my days in this industry are numbered. I want nothing more than to face the best this business has to offer while proving that this old dog still has a wicked bite. Molly Reid and I could sit here and endlessly trade wins back and forth, but only one of us can carry that FGA Pride Championship around with the integrity that it's meant to represent. I love this sport. I love the competition. I love asserting my dominance over whomever thinks they could hold a candle to me. I will do this until my body completely gives out on me! That belt that Molly carries around, it represents the pure, raw, competitive nature of professional wrestling. I am the embodiment of just that. At Grapple Kingdom I was this close..."

Chris holds his hand up pinching his index finger and thumb close together, leaving a very small gap in between.

"But at Only the Strong Survive, I'm going to snatch that championship away from Molly and deal her a harsh dose of reality; drag her ass down from cloud nine and teach her a thing or two about humility! Since winning that belt she has become a desperate, wretched, shell of what the fans have come to love. She can pass the buck all she wants, with every passing show she loses more and more support from the FGA faithful that stood behind her when no one else wanted to give her a shot."

"But that's life..."

"Some people taste a little success and quickly forget what helped them get to where they're at. Molly just needs a harsh reminder that without the fans unwavering support, she may never have found herself in a position to take that Pride Championship off of Fujiko Mine's hands! They supported her when no one else gave her the time of day! Maybe that helpless feeling of losing everything that you've worked your ass off for will serve as a reality check and help her return to that charismatic ball of lightning that mesmerized the FGA faithful."

"Or, I could destroy her and everything that she loves; casualties of a bitter war that never needed to get this far out of hand!"

Madison stares at the camera man in front of him momentarily before the feed cuts to black.