Post by Ace King on Mar 20, 2017 18:08:22 GMT -6
(Writer's Note: I thought I'd submitted this to PRIME well in advance, but I guess I completely forgot! My bad, Kyra Johnson !)
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The Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg is slowly emptying, but EWC’s Prime commentary team is still in position.
Leurox: What a show we’ve had, and Prime is certainly making its mark in the wrestling world!
Reeve: And what makes Prime so interesting is that they could worry about themselves tonight since they’re in different countries.
Leurox: Right you are; it’s a no excuse environment, to be sure-
“THE ACE OF SPADES! THE ACE OF SPADES!”
Leurox and Reeve: WHAT?!?!?!
Sure enough, the opening notes to Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ rip through the Coca Cola Dome, and every Johannesburg fan’s head immediately pivots toward the entrance. As the guitar kicks in, the man himself steps out onto the stage with a smirk.
Damon Reid: Ladies and gentlemen, PLEASE WELCOME… From Friday Night Rampage… He is THE GAMBLER... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGG!!!
The shocked South African audience explodes with cheers as King surveys the crowd before making his way down to the ring, his arms outstretched as some fans line the barricades, while others blow loudly into the vuvuzelas they smuggled into the building.
Leurox: We’ve seen plenty of satellite messages since the show debuted, but aside from President Mac, I think Ace King might be the first active Brawl or Rampage competitor to appear on PRIME live and in living colour!
Reeve: I don’t think anybody could have seen this coming, but the bigger question here is why?
Leurox: Ace has certainly known for wearing his heart on his sleeve since he made his EWC debut back in October, but could he possibly have a trick up said sleeve tonight?
Reeve: I hope the trick is to mute his microphone; he probably should be getting ready for StrangleMania.
Leurox: Come on now, we’re supposed to live in an era of free speech!
Reeve: Even free’s too much for me sometimes.
‘The Gambler’ picks up a microphone and water bottle from ringside, then rolls into the ring under the bottom rope as ‘Ace of Spades’ dies down, though the vuvuzelas persist. King bows his head before raising the microphone to his mouth, though the smirk is still present on his face.
Ace King: Were you expecting somebody else?
King barely has the words out of his mouth before the crowd roars in approval, chanting ‘ACE! ACE! ACE!’ as he raises his head to look out at the ecstatic Johannesburg audience.
Ace King: The great thing about being in this business is getting to go places you never thought you’d see; this is my first time in any part of Africa, and I have to tell you, it’s been fun so far.
Predictably, King is immediately serenaded by the brigade of vuvuzelas again, impressively drowning out a very loud South African crowd.
Ace King: Now, while I’ve never been to Africa, I certainly understand the law of the jungle; survival of the fittest, kill or be killed, eat or be eaten… Which leads me to addressing one Griffin Hawkins.
King has the crowd’s attention now; they cheer for the StrangleMania Undisputed Championship challenger, and Ace nods along, though he doesn’t look as enthusiastic about it.
Ace King: We see eye to eye on most things, Griff, but if I could offer just a little bit of advice... If you’re not too busy thinking about Undisputed Championship and Hall of Fame aspirations, I’d encourage you to take just a moment and look behind you.
The Johannesburg crowd is a bit puzzled by the question; King takes a drink of his water as he paces back and forth in the ring, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him.
Ace King: You see, unless you’re off daydreaming about shredding with Slash again, you likely heard about StrangleMania’s going to have itself a Money in the Bank match to determine a new contender for the United States Championship you hold so dear.
The crowd pops for the reminder of the match; Ace pauses for a moment so they can cheer before he continues.
Ace King: It’s going to feature a who’s who of Rampage competitors, including a very game Jessica Tendonin…
The crowd cheers the mention of the ‘Paraguayan Sensation’, and Ace offers a polite clap before speaking up again.
Ace King: The current Television Champion, “Machine Gun” Megan Gunn…
The mention of Gunn is accompanied by a pretty even split of support within the audience.
Ace King: ...The Who? of the Who’s Who, Latoya Hixx!
The crowd laughs at the remark; ‘The Gambler’ just shrugs his shoulders and cocks an eyebrow before continuing on, leaning forward against the ring ropes.
Ace King: ...Aaaaaaaaaaand some other guy from Las Vegas, who just happens to be standing in this ring before these fine people of Johannesburg tonight.
The crowd cheers loudly, and vuvuzelas blow uncontrollably to create a soccer stadium-like atmosphere after King’s reference to the host venue. Ace takes another drink of water, then puts his hands up to try and quiet the crowd so he can continue.
Ace King: Not that you wouldn’t already, but I’d suggest you pay serious attention to that match, because it’s going to be a war of attrition that could very well be a show-stealer... But let me make one thing crystal clear: WHEN I win it…
The declaration sends the crowd into a bit of frenzy; most cheer it, but others boo as they have their own preference to who will emerge victorious.
Ace King: WHEN I win and become your next United States Championship contender, I hope you’re going to take it seriously. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m one of two people who’s beaten you straight-up in the last year-plus… And yet, I find myself having to fight for a one-on-one opportunity at your championship, even though I’ve done what nobody else in the match has done.
The crowd rallies behind ‘The Gambler’, sensing and understand some of his frustration.
Leurox: He has a point; other than Luke Wolfe, Ace is the only other person to beat Griffin Hawkins since his previous Television Championship reign began, having done so at Rampage 406 in front of a pro-Hawkins crowd in Calgary.
Reeve: You also have to remember Hawkins may have fallen victim to a Luke Wolfe distraction more than Ace’s skill.
Leurox: Ace didn’t ask for that.
Reeve: And I didn’t ask to him to be here tonight, but we can’t all get what we want, can we?
King continues to pace around the ring while the fans voice their support.
Ace King: So while you’re ascending your figurative stairway to EWC heaven… Just know I’ll be watching very closely, and WHEN I win the Money in the Bank match… My crosshairs will be squarely on your back. I’m expecting nothing less than your best when that happens, because I know you bring it when it matters… But just like the first time we went one-on-one, it won’t be enough.
King flips the microphone as ‘Ace of Spades’ starts playing again, with fans cheering loudly and vuvuzelas blowing even louder.
Leurox: There’s a statement made loud and clear by ‘The Gambler’ tonight; well the worth the trans-atlantic flight.
Reeve: I hope he knows what he’s gotten himself into here.
Ace rolls out of the ring and chats with a few fans before heading backstage; a camera stays with him as he interacts with a couple crew members. He continues on after a few seconds, but then stops dead in his tracks and raises an eyebrow.
The camera pulls out to reveal ‘Miss Dallas’ Kyra Johnson standing there, looking less than pleased after dropping her match a few minutes earlier; the crowd reacts accordingly. After a few seconds of silence, Johnson reaches back and connects with a bitch slap to King’s jaw, followed by a kick to the groin.
Both shots are heard loud and clear, and the crowd voices its heavy displeasure. Ace has to take a knee after the kick, still holding his jaw after the slap. Kyra steps in and looks down on him.
Kyra Johnson: This is MY show, do you understand?
With that, Kyra struts away; Ace slowly regains his bearings, trying to figure out what just happened as the feed goes black.
=====
The Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg is slowly emptying, but EWC’s Prime commentary team is still in position.
Leurox: What a show we’ve had, and Prime is certainly making its mark in the wrestling world!
Reeve: And what makes Prime so interesting is that they could worry about themselves tonight since they’re in different countries.
Leurox: Right you are; it’s a no excuse environment, to be sure-
“THE ACE OF SPADES! THE ACE OF SPADES!”
Leurox and Reeve: WHAT?!?!?!
Sure enough, the opening notes to Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ rip through the Coca Cola Dome, and every Johannesburg fan’s head immediately pivots toward the entrance. As the guitar kicks in, the man himself steps out onto the stage with a smirk.
Damon Reid: Ladies and gentlemen, PLEASE WELCOME… From Friday Night Rampage… He is THE GAMBLER... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGG!!!
The shocked South African audience explodes with cheers as King surveys the crowd before making his way down to the ring, his arms outstretched as some fans line the barricades, while others blow loudly into the vuvuzelas they smuggled into the building.
Leurox: We’ve seen plenty of satellite messages since the show debuted, but aside from President Mac, I think Ace King might be the first active Brawl or Rampage competitor to appear on PRIME live and in living colour!
Reeve: I don’t think anybody could have seen this coming, but the bigger question here is why?
Leurox: Ace has certainly known for wearing his heart on his sleeve since he made his EWC debut back in October, but could he possibly have a trick up said sleeve tonight?
Reeve: I hope the trick is to mute his microphone; he probably should be getting ready for StrangleMania.
Leurox: Come on now, we’re supposed to live in an era of free speech!
Reeve: Even free’s too much for me sometimes.
‘The Gambler’ picks up a microphone and water bottle from ringside, then rolls into the ring under the bottom rope as ‘Ace of Spades’ dies down, though the vuvuzelas persist. King bows his head before raising the microphone to his mouth, though the smirk is still present on his face.
Ace King: Were you expecting somebody else?
King barely has the words out of his mouth before the crowd roars in approval, chanting ‘ACE! ACE! ACE!’ as he raises his head to look out at the ecstatic Johannesburg audience.
Ace King: The great thing about being in this business is getting to go places you never thought you’d see; this is my first time in any part of Africa, and I have to tell you, it’s been fun so far.
Predictably, King is immediately serenaded by the brigade of vuvuzelas again, impressively drowning out a very loud South African crowd.
Ace King: Now, while I’ve never been to Africa, I certainly understand the law of the jungle; survival of the fittest, kill or be killed, eat or be eaten… Which leads me to addressing one Griffin Hawkins.
King has the crowd’s attention now; they cheer for the StrangleMania Undisputed Championship challenger, and Ace nods along, though he doesn’t look as enthusiastic about it.
Ace King: We see eye to eye on most things, Griff, but if I could offer just a little bit of advice... If you’re not too busy thinking about Undisputed Championship and Hall of Fame aspirations, I’d encourage you to take just a moment and look behind you.
The Johannesburg crowd is a bit puzzled by the question; King takes a drink of his water as he paces back and forth in the ring, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him.
Ace King: You see, unless you’re off daydreaming about shredding with Slash again, you likely heard about StrangleMania’s going to have itself a Money in the Bank match to determine a new contender for the United States Championship you hold so dear.
The crowd pops for the reminder of the match; Ace pauses for a moment so they can cheer before he continues.
Ace King: It’s going to feature a who’s who of Rampage competitors, including a very game Jessica Tendonin…
The crowd cheers the mention of the ‘Paraguayan Sensation’, and Ace offers a polite clap before speaking up again.
Ace King: The current Television Champion, “Machine Gun” Megan Gunn…
The mention of Gunn is accompanied by a pretty even split of support within the audience.
Ace King: ...The Who? of the Who’s Who, Latoya Hixx!
The crowd laughs at the remark; ‘The Gambler’ just shrugs his shoulders and cocks an eyebrow before continuing on, leaning forward against the ring ropes.
Ace King: ...Aaaaaaaaaaand some other guy from Las Vegas, who just happens to be standing in this ring before these fine people of Johannesburg tonight.
The crowd cheers loudly, and vuvuzelas blow uncontrollably to create a soccer stadium-like atmosphere after King’s reference to the host venue. Ace takes another drink of water, then puts his hands up to try and quiet the crowd so he can continue.
Ace King: Not that you wouldn’t already, but I’d suggest you pay serious attention to that match, because it’s going to be a war of attrition that could very well be a show-stealer... But let me make one thing crystal clear: WHEN I win it…
The declaration sends the crowd into a bit of frenzy; most cheer it, but others boo as they have their own preference to who will emerge victorious.
Ace King: WHEN I win and become your next United States Championship contender, I hope you’re going to take it seriously. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m one of two people who’s beaten you straight-up in the last year-plus… And yet, I find myself having to fight for a one-on-one opportunity at your championship, even though I’ve done what nobody else in the match has done.
The crowd rallies behind ‘The Gambler’, sensing and understand some of his frustration.
Leurox: He has a point; other than Luke Wolfe, Ace is the only other person to beat Griffin Hawkins since his previous Television Championship reign began, having done so at Rampage 406 in front of a pro-Hawkins crowd in Calgary.
Reeve: You also have to remember Hawkins may have fallen victim to a Luke Wolfe distraction more than Ace’s skill.
Leurox: Ace didn’t ask for that.
Reeve: And I didn’t ask to him to be here tonight, but we can’t all get what we want, can we?
King continues to pace around the ring while the fans voice their support.
Ace King: So while you’re ascending your figurative stairway to EWC heaven… Just know I’ll be watching very closely, and WHEN I win the Money in the Bank match… My crosshairs will be squarely on your back. I’m expecting nothing less than your best when that happens, because I know you bring it when it matters… But just like the first time we went one-on-one, it won’t be enough.
King flips the microphone as ‘Ace of Spades’ starts playing again, with fans cheering loudly and vuvuzelas blowing even louder.
Leurox: There’s a statement made loud and clear by ‘The Gambler’ tonight; well the worth the trans-atlantic flight.
Reeve: I hope he knows what he’s gotten himself into here.
Ace rolls out of the ring and chats with a few fans before heading backstage; a camera stays with him as he interacts with a couple crew members. He continues on after a few seconds, but then stops dead in his tracks and raises an eyebrow.
The camera pulls out to reveal ‘Miss Dallas’ Kyra Johnson standing there, looking less than pleased after dropping her match a few minutes earlier; the crowd reacts accordingly. After a few seconds of silence, Johnson reaches back and connects with a bitch slap to King’s jaw, followed by a kick to the groin.
Both shots are heard loud and clear, and the crowd voices its heavy displeasure. Ace has to take a knee after the kick, still holding his jaw after the slap. Kyra steps in and looks down on him.
Kyra Johnson: This is MY show, do you understand?
With that, Kyra struts away; Ace slowly regains his bearings, trying to figure out what just happened as the feed goes black.
