Out of the Black (with Video) | WFXXI RP

[Ace King]

This is how my RP was intended to be viewed, but again, because I didn't have the video ready in time to be uploaded, I didn't include it in my actual post, but it's in here.

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SPOILER: Click to show

{Ace King Answers The Web's Most Searched Questions - CLICK HERE TO VIEW}

Alright, we’re ready in THREE… TWO…

-BEEP-

“Hi, this is Ace King from EWC’s Friday Night Rampage, and to my astonishment, Wired actually got me in to answer The Internet’s Most Searched Questions!”

The title graphic cuts in, noting that this feature was shot on November 20, 2023, the day after PRIME’s season finale and before One Night Encounter.

“I still can’t believe you people got me to do this. I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing anything like this before!” he says to somebody off-screen, drawing laughter from the production crew as an assistant hands him the board containing the questions.

“OK…”

WHAT DID ACE KING DO IN HIS TIME AWAY FROM THE EWC?

“Wow, a softball right off the bat,” Ace deadpans. “Well, there was a lot of staring into various voids, a lot of wondering if I would ever want to be in the ring again, and a lot of contemplation of what I’d do to Jack Severn if I got the chance. I’ve got it now, so we’ll see what happens. Next.”

Another Google search screenshot pops up.

WHAT MOTIVATES ACE KING TO KEEP GOING AT THIS POINT IN HIS CAREER?

“You know, that’s another fair question,” the former Undisputed Champion acknowledges. “The best competitors to ever step foot in EWC transcend generations, and part of me feels like I sometimes get lost in that, so there’s constant motivation to get better. New opportunities on the horizon present new challenges as well, but before that, there’s the matter of unfinished business at Wrestlefest.”

After a few seconds, another title card pops up.

WHEN WILL ACE KING FINALLY RETIRE FOR GOOD?

“I wish I could hear the tone of the question,” Ace says with a laugh. “You could take this as someone thinking I’m in the way and should move on, or you wonder what I’ve still got left in the tank … I’d like to think I’m in the latter category since I’ve always said I don’t want to be in the way. If I still feel like I can fight and contend, I’ll be around. It’s been a bit bumpy since coming back, but I think the Rumble proved I can still hang with anyone, and we’ll see what 2024 brings. Anyway, moving on…”

One more fateful title card.

HOW WILL ACE KING BEAT JACK SEVERN AT WRESTLEFEST?

Ace slowly turns his head toward the camera, but the feed suddenly goes to black. Rewind.

HOW WILL ACE KING BEAT JACK SEVERN AT WRESTLEFEST?

Again, the feed goes black after Ace turns toward the camera.

After a few seconds, we hear a button pressed, and a lock screen flickers to life in the video’s place; it reads 3:49 p.m. on December 7, 2023, with a weather widget suggesting the phone’s owner is in Philadelphia.

“I probably had the answer a week ago.”

The lamenting, exasperated voice could only be Ace King’s as he shoves the phone into his pocket. He shakes his head as he sits on a park bench with the Delaware River flowing in the distance; a statue in the background gives Ace’s location away as Penn Treaty Park.

“Now? Who knows,” Ace admits, snapping his head back in frustration. “I don’t need a reminder of what happened in Japan a few days ago; I’m sure Jack will take care of that being the glory whore he is. Truthfully, the silence from my teammates since the match speaks louder than anything else. I know I’m a disappointment to the EWC, both team and corporation. Maybe I spoke myself into being the weak link, I don’t know… Maybe I’m better on my own.”

‘The Gambler’ allows a pained breath to escape his chest as he closes his eyes. He appears almost paralyzed for a solid minute as fellow park visitors look on out of morbid curiosity, though Ace gradually snaps out of it and lowers his head.

“But that plays into Jack’s hand, because he’s never alone, and never without options,” he continues, the internal conflict evident in his words. “Whether it’s the HeatPackers, Fudge Packers, whatever they’re called, or other members of The House, Jack has resources at his disposal. Alas, he’s needed them lest he be proven disposable, and if things get screwy? He might have friends, but I’m the biggest weapon in the match. He needed four low blows to get into position to black me out in Japan, right? He’s never understood the concept of having balls.”

Ace groans audibly as he gets himself properly seated on the bench again; the groan draws a few bemused eyes from onlookers.

“That’s how this whole thing started, right?” Ace explains with a shrug. “A year and a half ago at World Wide. A simple scouting mission ahead of the Invasion Series, nothing clandestine about it… But Jackoff knew he could put himself on the map at my expense, which he did, then built on it not long after to put me on the knife edge of retirement. In hindsight, we should applaud the man’s cunning… But it was very foolish of him to assume THIS MAN…”

Ace demonstratively points at himself, the sharp inflection in his tone enough to draw more attention.

“...that this man wouldn’t come back around and get his pound of flesh,” he sneers as his upper lip twitches. “If all Jack Severn wanted was somebody to fight, he needn’t have looked any bloody further, but instead? He felt he had to make an example of me as he found the first few beams he needed to start building his House, because all you’d hear from him was how he was going to make my life a living hell, or that he personally was going to keep me from ever being successful in EWC again. It’s almost a creepy vibe, isn’t it?”

Ace stands up slowly, the muted groan suggesting his privates are still feeling the effects of One Night Encounter as he strolls gingerly through the park.

“He knows what I’ll do once I get my hands on him,” he growls as his eyes narrow. “Validating fear is the enemy of obsession, after all. I’ve gotten my fair share of retribution over the years, and when people make things personal? That’s when I’m at my best, and Jack’s certainly crossed that line with his actions. Michael Corleone said it wasn’t personal and that it was only business, but for me? This is personal business.”

Ace’s glare crosses the Delaware to see New Jersey off in the distance before turning away.

“He fights with his mouth more often than his fists,” he states bluntly. “I said Gabi Vee was all talk with her Fighter Talk award years ago, but she doesn’t hold a candle to Jack, who lends credence to talk being cheap… He’s cashing this check in blood.”

Ace casually strolls toward the statue of William Penn in the back corner of the park.

“Legend has it that peace was brokered here centuries ago, but this city? It breathes violence,” he says with a smirk. “The Liberty Bell literally tolled IN THIS CITY to usher in an era of independence. One of the great fictional icons in sports history has a statue here because he knew how many times to get up to keep moving forward. Whether it’s the Broad Street Bullies or Fly Eagles Fly, this city has BLOODLUST… And if you need more proof, swap the last two letters in our brand and you’ll have the foundation for some of the heaviest, bloodiest wrestling this industry has ever offered… and its heartbeat is here, in Philadelphia.”

The smirk quickly fades away as Ace quickly pivots, his eyes filled with rage as tension grows within the park.

“There won’t be a Fairytale in Philadelphia for you, Jack,” he states through gritted teeth. “You may have put me out in Japan, but the brightest lights emerge from total darkness. You said I wouldn’t do anything in the Rumble, except I made it a lot further than you despite us starting together… outlasted the entire House, in fact. It also takes a special breed of asshole to turn me into Melody’s #1 fan, but I lived vicariously through her on the Prime finale. Now? I finally have my shot to make you suffer, because the Rumble was only the aperitif, and while I’ve fought my share of personal demons, I’m still the same monster that haunts even the most sinister competitors’ nightmares. Wrestlefest is where I’ll feast, and like anything, it’s best enjoyed slowly. It’s been a long time coming, Jack, but now the moment’s finally here: We might be Day 2 of Wrestlefest, but my evisceration of you will be spoken of for generations to come, and Severn? I’ll sever any thoughts you have of being a threat in EWC EVER AGAIN. Bet On It.”

With that, a seething Ace takes his leave from the park, the tension in the air broken as normal life resumes.