Backstage in the SNHU Arena, shortly after the Flashpoint broadcast had concluded, we come across Amanda Johnson making her way through the halls, microphone in hand and cameraman in tow, in search of her next interview subject. A voice from the distance brings her to a halt.
???: Amanda!
Her eyes narrow slightly as she turns to face the person the voice belongs to. A few moments later she’s standing face to face with Logan Alexander and Ashlyn De Luca fresh off their successful championship defense in the main event. Logan adjusts the championship on his shoulder as Amanda offers them a forced smile-- Ashlyn almost comically giving the interviewer a similar one back.
Amanda Johnson: Something I can help you with?
Logan Alexander: I just wanted to ask if you have some time available now.
Amanda narrows her eyes a bit, looking between the World Tag Team Champions.
Amanda Johnson: Possibly. I do have a job to do though. You know, asking questions of wrestlers who are willing to answer them.
Ashlyn De Luca: Oooh. Ow.
Logan winces slightly at the pointed critique of the Chaotics’ earlier behaviour.
Logan Alexander: Yeah… we deserve that one.
Ashlyn De Luca: Right? I mean, I thought we were tighter than that, but okay, Amanda. Damn. Sassy.
Logan at least appears apologetic as he continues.
Logan Alexander: We were just trying to stay focused earlier on what we had ahead of us for the main event tonight. We didn’t want to start getting bogged down in discussing Dan and Peaches when we needed to be prepared to deal with the members of Triple A. I’m not trying to excuse our behaviour as it was rude and dismissive towards you, I’m just explaining why it happened. I’d also like to apologize for it as well.
Ashlyn De Luca: Yeah. We were riding a wave of big dick energy and it got out of hand back there.
Amanda looks a little surprised by that.
Logan Alexander: You’re just doing your job and we are as well. I’d just like to try and maintain the professionalism between us going forward. If that requires me to eat crow on occasion, then I’ll do so.
He pauses for a moment.
Logan Alexander: I’m sorry for our brushoff earlier in the show.
Another pause, allowing that statement to just settle in.
Logan Alexander: Now, if you are willing of course, would it be possible to take some of your time to discuss recent events?
Amanda appears to take some time to consider this. She looks between the pair again and Ash simply nods a little, in solidarity with Logan.
Amanda Johnson: Alright. I think we can give this another try.
Ashlyn De Luca: Siiick.
Amanda Johnson: Let’s get right into it then. You guys just had an
amazing main event with AAA and you’re still our FGA World Tag Team Champions. What were you expecting from the pair heading into this and-- did they meet your expectations? Did they exceed them?
Ashlyn laughs a little, jerking a thumb toward Amanda as she turns to Logan.
Ashlyn De Luca: All this freedom and
now she wants to ask about Triple A.
Logan smirks slightly at Ashlyn.
Logan Alexander: That’s how it goes sometimes. It is a good place to start though.
He regards Amanda again.
Logan Alexander: I wouldn’t say that the match went as I had expected, so I’ll give Triple A credit on that count. They came out flying. They used their speed early on to take control of the ring. I did expect them to have a really strong opening. It’s the reason Ashlyn started the match against them and was in there for so long. She had a much better chance of keeping up with them for an extended period of time than I did. Once the tempo started to slow down, then I was able to get in there to do my thing.
Ashlyn De Luca: Plus, I’ve dealt with Ashley before. I know her very well, so while it might not have been
easy squaring up with her, it made more sense that way. And yeah, man, they were ruthless out there. If we weren’t the team we are… maybe we wouldn’t be standing here with these titles right now. Coulda gone south.
Logan Alexander: Once they were on the receiving end, I think they held up better than expected too. I give Antoinette lots of credit for hanging in against Perfect Chaos Theory as long as she did and to Ashley for being able to keep going to save her even with Ashlyn trying to bring her down.
Ashlyn nods begrudgingly.
Logan Alexander: After that point, they never really took control like they had to start things off. We’d outlasted their onslaught, we softened them up as the match progressed and in the end, the fight finished the way so many others have… C5…
Logan then looks over to Ashlyn.
Logan Alexander: ...and
still...
Ashlyn lifts her belt up a bit, clanking it against Logan’s before she turns to Amanda with a smirk.
Ashlyn De Luca: And probably always. Let’s be real.
Amanda Johnson: About that… you mentioned that you were best team on Flashpoint and possibly the best team in FGA-- do you think that includes teams like the winners of the 2018 Dynamic Duos tournament, Izzy Anders and Fujiko Mine?
Ashlyn gives a short, humorless laugh.
Ashlyn De Luca: I mean. You say it like we didn’t do the exact same thing a year ago.
Logan considers this possibility longer than Ashlyn does. Amanda turns an expectant look towards him.
Logan Alexander: Well… I would say they have made a very good showing in Dynamic Duos, and you can’t dismiss their talent and accomplishments as singles competitors either. But it’s hard to say just how that will stack up against our body of work recently and going back to last year as well. I have no doubts that we can beat them. I’d even be willing to take them on here or on Vertigo to see just what the results would be. We aren’t a team to ignore a serious challenge and we’re not so arrogant as to dismiss them like the team we dethroned last year did to us.
Amanda Johnson: Interesting you say that because some would argue that you guys have been dismissive toward the Polychromatic Lion Attack Squad despite the… callous attack… from a few weeks ago. It could be argued that you guys have kind of dismissed their credibility as a team, even with some of your comments before the main event tonight.
Ashlyn and Logan exchange a look before Ashlyn gives Amanda a look of confusion, throwing her hands up a bit.
Ashlyn De Luca: I mean. I don’t know if “dismissive” is an appropriate word… like-- it’s all true. Everything we said.
Logan Alexander: I mean, we could do a quick comparison. We never dismissed the Herreras or the Dogs going into our match or just assumed that we were winning hands down, mainly because we were dealing with our own issues. That didn’t stop Peaches from claiming for weeks leading into the title match that they’d be leaving with our titles. We
did criticize the way that the Herreras
earned their title match. We had to go out and win Dynamic Duos to get ours. They had to show up when Hadley was talking to the Dogs about the title match she promised them. The most important fact though is that regardless of the build up and the trash talking, we won both times. Hard to claim that we dismissed them unfairly when we went out and beat them clean in the ring.
Again.Ashlyn smirks as her partner says this. Amanda opens her mouth to say something, but Ashlyn holds a finger about an inch from the interviewer’s lips.
Ashlyn De Luca: This is fire. Don’t interrupt.
Logan Alexander: And I still stand by my comments about their worth as challengers for our titles. How many matches have Dan and Peaches won together in the lead up to Above and Beyond? Or how about since Final Frontier, since they’d been
picking themselves up by the bootstraps since then?
Ashlyn De Luca: Legit ridiculous that we have to retread this.
Logan Alexander: We’ve battled Smart Style nonstop for almost a year before we put them down after All Star Showdown. We’ve
proven our worth. We did so again at Above and Beyond at the expense of the Herreras. We did so again tonight. So Dan and Peaches can keep crying about how we
lie and twist words. The simple fact is that we tell the truth that they don’t want to hear.
Ashlyn shrugs a little.
Ashlyn De Luca: They want a title shot… for what reason, again? Because we beat them up?
She shakes her head, biting her lip.
Ashlyn De Luca: They’ll probably get it. Because they are
Herreras and Hadley will do whatever she can to cater to her family, but we all know how it's gonna end.
For emphasis, she moves a little closer to Amanda before speaking in a lower tone.
Ashlyn De Luca: We
all know how it's gonna end.
She sighs a little and glances toward Logan.
Ashlyn De Luca: We should roll out. Before it gets crowded again.
Logan looks to Ashlyn and nods.
Logan Alexander: Sure thing Mayor. I’ll just be a few moments more if it’s alright.
Ashlyn gives him a nod, pulling a set of keys from her pocket with her non-title-bearing hand as she departs the scene, giving Amanda Johnson an upnod before disappearing from frame. Logan looks back over at Amanda.
Logan Alexander: Yes. I’m sure that comes off as dismissive. I know this isn’t over either. Dan and Peaches want their pound of flesh and these titles? Well, they are welcome to try and get the first whenever they want, but if they try to disrespect what these titles stand for by trying to jump us before a title defense again, they are going to find out what a mistake that is. As for the titles…
He pauses to look over at the belt on his shoulder, then back to Amanda.
Logan Alexander: …they’ve got a long way to go to prove they are worthy of them.
He smiles slightly and nods to Amanda.
Logan Alexander: See you later.
With that, he turns away and hurries off after Ashlyn as the scene cuts.
