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Post by Tristian King on Jul 4, 2023 10:23:31 GMT
Match Five
UK Championship
Standard Singles Match
winner of the battle royal vs Max Stone ©
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Post by Max Stone on Jul 14, 2023 6:02:14 GMT
YOU FEEL SO ALIVE
Some people say my love cannot be true Please believe me, my love, and I'll show you
Mike Fisher (on TV): I’m very impressed by what I saw tonight IIW fans and Scott, I can’t remember a debut so impressive in a long time.
Scott James (on TV): I have to agree, it’s pretty clear right now that this could be the beginning of the Stone Age! I will give you those things you thought unreal The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal
Alice Goldier: And the New IIW Hardcore Champion: MAXXXX STONNNNEEE!!! Follow me now and you will not regret Leaving the life you led before we met
Max Stone (voiceover): I realized I could thank the Hardcore Title for the memories and get rid of it because we were now moving onto our next phase.
Mike Fisher (on TV): Max Stone has just dropped the Hardcore title right over Stoner! Is he walking away from it? You are the first to have this love of mine Forever with me till the end of time
Willy Z: MAX STONE IS BACK!!
Stan: Back in the big leagues, baby!!
Max: It’s time for IIW to be welcomed into the Stone Age! I’M FUCKING BACK!!
Your love for me has just got to be real Before you know the way I'm going to feel I'm going to feel….
I'm going to feel…
Max Stone climbs the turnbuckle and holds the IIW United Kingdom Championship in the air then the image fades to Max pinning Adam the Monster with a stoic look on his face. The image pauses and…
I'm going to feel…
We find ourselves in the living room of the obnoxiously decorated luxury penthouse rental apartment that Max Stone has been living in. He's been up all night watching his IIW career on the TV. Maniac: Are you just going to keep staring at that? The Maniac, Max Stone's other half of his personality, appears across the room as Max stares at a stapled up packet of papers. Max: I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to sign it but I don't know. What do you think?Maniac: You hated my guts a few weeks ago yet you've stopped taking the pills that silence me and now you're asking for my advice?Max sighs and glances at the contract once more. Max: Guaranteed money… job security… international distribution. Max looks up at the T.V. right as the camera picks up a sign in the crowd that says "MONDAY NIGHT MAX." The shot then changes back to the ring where Max looks expressionless. Max: Does that guy look happy? Maniac: The zombie thing?Max: No. Me. The Maniac looks at the screen and laughs. Maniac: About as happy as a guy fighting a cartoon monster can, I suppose…Max: Would it be the right decision?Maniac: Do you still want to be the best wrestler in the world? Finish what we started together? Max thinks about it for an extended moment. The scene on the T.V. is showing the Japanese crowd all cheering as Max motions for a microphone. Max: I do…Max grabs a pen and goes to sign the contract but he suddenly stops. Max: Hey… when you told me you had nothing to do with taking over when Mom showed up back when Stef was around, you were telling the truth, weren't you?Maniac: Of course. Max: And when we were in Resnick, you're absolutely positive that wasn't you too?Maniac: I would have no reason to do that. I've grown tired of this conversation. Max: I believe you. Sorry it took so long. This has been a crazy ride hasn't it? Maniac: Sure has.LATER
Max is behind the wheel cruising down La Cienega Blvd in his native Los Angeles and feeling a sense of optimism that he felt around this time a year ago. And as if the stars themselves are aligning, "Changes" by David Bowie comes on the satellite radio to accompany the cavalcade of thoughts of impending decisions that have been occupying his mind. Max (singing along): Still don't know what I was looking for. As he approaches a stop light, Max takes notice of a brand new Silver Chevrolet Corvette next to him. Leaps and bounds nicer than the new one he bought in 2006 and held onto for 16 years. He becomes completely hypnotized by the thing, prompting him to reach over into his unzipped backpack sitting on the passenger's seat and pulling out his new IIW contract. He looks over the numbers and does some math in his head to try to estimate if this new offering could afford him such a luxury. Max then pulls out his phone and selects a contact. "Willy Z" appears on the display screen of the modest non-awesome Corvette car that he's currently driving. Willy Z: If it isn't Max God damn Stone! Where have you been stranger?Max: Wanna break some news on your podcast?
LATER
We catch up with Max in a very professional looking podcast studio that's been the new home of the Stan and Willy Z show. He talks into the microphone with the now star podcaster duo and they reminisce on how these guys brought Max Stone back into people's consciousness last Summer after falling into a long stretch of obscurity. The conversation then shifts to business and the news that Max wants to break here today. The joyful vibe characterized by banter exchanged between friends changes to one that's more serious. Max begins to speak..Max: Wrestling has been my entire life. Wrestling was the first, last, and only dream I've ever had. Wrestling in a competitive setting and forcing myself to do things I've never believed I was capable of doing has gotten me out of bed so many mornings. Wrestling has brought me my highest highs and it's brought me my lowest lows. One year ago I walked into Intense International Wrestling with a brand new lease on life having signed my first big wrestling contract in years. This was a new beginning for me and if I was going to get anywhere near the heights I had previously been, it meant that I was going to start at the bottom and work my way back up… as it should have been. You all know the journey I embarked on so let's just fast forward to Keys 2 Success.. the night that marked the end of my momentum here in the IIW. Max holds his U.K. title up to the camera to get a shot and then puts it back on the table. Max: That was the night I went to war with Fred Debonair and captured this championship. Chasing this title and going to battle against Fred brought out the best in me and I'd like to think it brought out the best in him too. Going for the U.K. title threw fuel on my competitive fire and when I held this belt high over my head in victory, I had a feeling that this was the start of a prosperous new era in the IIW… a feeling that lasted for about two days because none of this fit into the mission of the company. This was absolutely NOT part of the master plan. I learned the hard way that the success of Max Stone had to be slowed down because this show already belonged to the man who would steal the World Championship at the end of the night and the powers that be had set out to do everything in their power to keep him happy. Hell, the magazines with the word "CHAMP" and his photo were already printed days before the match even took place showing just how planned out this all was. Stan: But you have a Championship now. That should mean something to you, shouldn't it?Max: A championship that doesn't mean anything isn't a championship and I learned real quickly that this U.K. Championship doesn't mean shit because the company then decided that we had to immediately have the J Mont best friends tournament to crown the vacant International Championship and that's when I realized that all of us were here just to prop up one man's ego and keep him and his friends in the spotlight at the expense of everyone else. And you know what? I can't even blame him. If someone rolls out the red carpet for you and your buddies to line their pockets with cash and take up all the promotion time and energy, wouldn't you? Who would say no to the bountiful harvests brought to you on a silver platter? As soon as J Mont carried out the owner's master plan and stole the World Title he was fast tracked to, he put out the call to all the outsiders to come in and fight for the vacant International Title. And if IIW cares about anything, it's the outsiders and how they're perceived to those from the outside looking in. It's always about the outsiders they can pull in from another company while they take the people who are already here putting on incredible matches for granted. Don't believe me? Take a look at the bracket from that tournament. Outsiders on one side and IIW on the other. They did everything short of blatantly saying that one side is less than the other. If that weren't the case, why wouldn't you let the talent that's already here compete against the newcomers? This was the showcase of the outsiders and the IIW talent was just an afterthought. And since I was weighed down with the UK Title, that meant I wasn't eligible for this tournament. So you can imagine how great I felt about winning this burden when the company wasted not even a second telling everyone that a vacant title meant way more than the one I put my body through hell for… and the fun wouldn't stop there… Willy Z: The Legacy Title?Max: Yep… the Legacy title. A new International Champion is finally crowned and I start to think that maybe I can have some new competition around here with the people who did stick around… and then a brand new title is created out of thin air to give to a Mecca member… a consolation prize to the runner up of the outsiders showcase.. and it's given higher priority than the UK Title that I busted my ass every single fucking Monday to get. But please the outsiders, we must. Please J Mont and friends, we must. And that's when it became crystal clear that me having this title was just a way of keeping me buried in the mid card of Monday Night Mecca while the inmates ran the asylum. I wanted to fight Mac Bane. I wanted to fight Enigma. I wanted to fight Kim Pain. All these people who came in here with so much hype got me excited because it was more competition to sharpen my skills, but nope… I found myself just fighting oafs and monsters who didn't have a single win on their record because this is where the company wanted me. Out of the spotlight and away from all their shiny new toys because they were afraid of the inevitability that I would win and throw a wrench in their whole master plan. "How dare this guy Max Stone outshine any of us? We're established!"Stan: I suppose that makes sense now why you demanded some competition on the last Mayhem. Max: Is there even any competition left around here that I'm allowed to face? The only thing I've seen so far is some Wish version of J Mont making social media posts indicating his interest. Some guy who spells his name with a Z at the end and talks like a 13 year old who's all hopped up on Surge soda jacking his little pecker to his step dad's Playboys. Apparently this is the kind of talent that walks through the door when a company tells the world that this is the kind of shit that can make you a top guy. JoHNy, since I can't find anything about you actually being officially a part of this company, I had to do a little research and apparently you're a grown man? In his 40s, no less? Did you just wake up from a coma? Were you pulled out of a time capsule, "Johnny Stylez?" There was a time and place for a guy like you to prosper and that was MTV Spring Break in 1999 where dudes like yourself were covered in vomit and getting tequila poured up their assholes through a funnel. "SOAKKK SOMMME UPPP" is your catchphrase? Makes sense considering you're the wrestling equivalent of a mop that's been cleaning the sticky floors of your local porno theater since the Carter administration. I guess if "JoHnNy StYleZ" is lucky enough to win the battle royal, it would further validate everything I've said about only getting to defend this title against jobbers and cartoon characters. For your sake JoHNnY, I hope some others get to enter this thing too because I'd hate to just single you out. But who am I kidding? We all know it's going to be some Mecca member winning the battle royal and moving on to the title match because that's the master plan. Another meaningless title belt for each member of the Mecca to hold and cherish so J Mont stays happy and doesn't leave them at the altar like Chris Page did last year. Max takes a chug off a water bottle as he laughs. Max: Because that's what this is really all about, right? Broken hearted because Chris Page didn't love them anymore so they've used J Mont as a rebound to show Chris that they're taking care of his boy. Evident by the fact that Monday Night Mecca has turned into a WGWF Recap C show because in order to understand what's happening around here now, you have to watch Chris Page's show. Because fuck all the fans who tune into IIW, right? It's all about making the outsiders happy. It's always been about the CCPE and eventually the Mecca. But the thing about crafting an environment where only certain people can succeed is that those are the only people you'll have left once all the wise ones have gone away and they'll all be at each other's throats trying to grab a bunch of meaningless title belts. Think of all the talent that came and left because they saw the writing on the wall showing them that if they weren’t buddies with the decision makers then ultimately they didnt mean jack shit. Think of all the money and hype that could have been generated by pitting Max Stone vs. J Mont. It's a shame it never got to happen. Could have been a banger. Maybe if I go and sign with WGWF I could break through the glass ceiling here and get all the shine. Willy Z: Are you saying what I think you're saying? Max: What do you think I'm saying?Willy Z: "Could have been." You're making it sound like it can't happen. Max laughs and then reaches down to his backpack and pulls out a red folder. He opens the folder up and pulls out the IIW Contract. He hands the contract to Stan and starts skimming it. Stan: There's no signatures. Max: It took a hell of a lot of thought and consideration and I've concluded that I have gone as far as I'm going to go here and I need to find somewhere I can compete and challenge myself. A year was a good amount of time to figure out who I am and where I want to be in this industry. I could re-sign here, make decent cash, and essentially be a roster padder or I could bet on myself and become the top level star I know I can be. The next Monday Night Mecca will be my last and then my contract expires at the end of month and Max Stone will be a free agent. Willy Z: Woah, breaking news!!Max: Everyone knows the last couple of months have been brutal. Locked away in an asylum forced to deal with myself while mind altering drugs were pumped through my veins. Mix that with the IIW system making me almost believe that I was only as good as my place on the card and now you know why I need a fresh start. It's time to spread my wings and define my own success.We cut to Max, who is now behind the wheel of a substantially nicer car… his brand new Silver Chevrolet Corvette. Max (from the stereo): It's time to spread my wings and define my own success. "Holy shit this car is awesome," Max yells out loud as he thinks to himself that he's no longer going to let anything hold him back. Not the people who sign his checks, not the voice in his head telling him he's not good enough, not the Maniac… the Maniac that's sitting in the passenger's seat looking as if he approves of everything happening here. Max (to Maniac): We're not finished yet!Maniac: You're goddamn right. The Maniac presses some buttons on the stereo display screen and the audio switches to "Change (In the House of Flies)" by the Deftones already in progress. Max and the Maniac both start singing at the exact same time and harmonizing with each other. He hits the gas pedal and zooms down an open road.
You feel alive You feel alive
I've watched you change It's like you never had wings
Ahh ahhhh ahhh Ahhh ahhh ahhh Ahhhh ahhh ahh
Max starts feeling exceptionally drowsy and starts to nod off as the song is coming to an end. His head is lowering and he tries to fight it but to no avail..
Max is jolted awake and he immediately jumps to his feet. He's in his childhood living room and purple light is peeking in through the closed curtains.
Max: Are you KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?
Max walks over to the front door like he had done so many times before when it was time to take control back from the Maniac. It's locked. That goddamn Maniac once again has taken control without Max's permission….
Maniac: What the hell is happening?
Max turns around and looks at his dark alter ego in utter disbelief. They have never once appeared together in this mind space.
Max: What are you doing here?
Maniac: ...What are YOU doing here?
The Maniac runs up to the door and shakes the handle. It's locked for him too. Max runs over to the TV set and flicks the switch. The image slowly fades in and all that could be seen is two hands on the steering wheel. RED TV STATICY SNOW interrupts the scene and brings everything to a close.
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