Post by Jack Severn on Oct 23, 2024 22:45:29 GMT -6
October 25th, 2024 | Time Square Studios in New York City, New York
-- Off Camera –
“Jack? You’re up in 5.”
“You can call me James, we’re not in front of cameras,” Jack Severn corrects the Production Assistant backstage. Jack leans back in his makeup chair, getting some last minute touch-ups from the makeup artist.
“It’s just easier if I call you Jack. It’s what everybody knows you by.”
Jack grits his teeth. “...Sure thing.”
The Catalyst stares into the mirror, gazing at perhaps his own soul. All the wrongdoings, all the pain and suffering he’s caused… He can barely look at himself now.
Not without seeing the face of his trainer, at least.
Jack closes his eyes and takes a breath. He whispers to himself.
“It’s now or never. Your fourth straight Rumble… Make it mean something. Make everything worth it.”
He opens his eyes.
“Be the man he wanted you to be. That he always knew you could be. You will win the EWC Rumble… and you will become the EWC Undisputed Champion at WrestleFest.”
Jack lets that affirmation hang for a bit, contemplating the words. Wondering if he even actually believes them.
For years Jack Severn has craved the Undisputed Championship…
But can James Stevens be the one to win it?
“Jack, you’re up in 10… 9… 8…”
The Production Assistant snaps Jack out of his deep thought. Jack stands up, gets his microphone adjusted, and walks out onto the stage for…
– On Camera –
“Good Morning America! This Monday, right here in New York, is the Extreme Wrestling Corporation’s 21st EWC Rumble event, where 20 superstars fight in an over the top rope style match for a shot at taking on the EWC Undisputed Champion at WrestleFest later this year! To tell us more about the show, you all know him as one of the EWC’s biggest scoundrels, it’s Jack Severn!!!”
Jack walks onto the stage of a talk show set-up to a mix of cheers and boos, and he smiles and waves to the audience before taking a seat next to the man who gave him his intro, George Stephanopoulos. Also seated with them are co-anchors Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, and Lara Spencer. George shakes Jack’s hand and begins firing off the first question.
“So Jack, what can you tell us here at GMA about the EWC Rumble?”
Jack chuckles dryly. “Well George, it’s perhaps the highest stakes event in the world of wrestling. It’s a ticket right to the main event of WrestleFest, and taking on the Undisputed Champion. There’s no higher honor you can get in this industry than winning the Undisputed Championship in the WrestleFest main event, and that all starts by winning the Rumble match.”
Robin interjects. “So is that why you’re entering? To achieve this high honor?”
Jack nods. “It might be a bit more complicated than that, but that’s the gist, yes. I’ve never challenged for the Undisputed Championship one on one, but both times I’ve faced the Undisputed Champion at the time in non title action… I’ve come damn close to winning. Sally Talfourd had to use basically every trick in the book to beat me, and JoJo Rush could only force a draw when he knew I had him beat. I just know if I get one more crack at the Undisputed Champion, whoever it may be, I can win. I may not be as decorated as many of the people in this match, but I’ve spent years steadily improving as a wrestler, and now finally with my heart in the right place, and the people behind me… There is no better time for me to win the Rumble and capture that Undisputed Championship than right now.”
Michael takes Jack’s answer in, but leans in curiously, wanting him to add more. “And who do you want that Undisputed Champion to be? As I understand it, it could be either the current champion Lad Morales, or your old friend JoJo Rush.”
Jack presses his fingers together and clicks his tongue. “I want to fight the best the EWC has to offer. If that ends up being Lad Morales, and it very well might be, then I am prepared to face him. He’s had one hell of a rookie year, and is honestly better than most of us backstage probably were in our first year. He’s better than I was in my first year, I can say that for sure. So he’s only going to continue to get better. But the only way I can truly test myself is by going against the younger talent and seeing if I got what it takes to hang with them. Lad is a phenomenal wrestler, but I’m going to be that much better if I face him. And if it ends up being JoJo I face at WrestleFest… Then let’s just say it is going to be the most personal WrestleFest main event you will have ever seen. Alastor Gray, he… he ruined me. Professionally, personally, he just broke me in every place he could, because it was the only way he could control me. And he’s been doing the same thing to JoJo, a man who is willing to kill to get what he wants. Alastor thinks he commands a beast now, and I want nothing more than to show him that he doesn’t actually control shit. I would love to rip that championship away from JoJo, who I know I can beat, and watch as Alastor loses control over the last golden goose he’s got. So do I have a preference for who wins the Fight Pit match at the Rumble? Not really, but I just hope the winner knows they’re in for the fight of their life against me. This is everything to me.”
Lara smiles in respect. “You seem pretty confident there, Jack. How sure can you be that you’re going to win? This is your fourth straight year entering the Rumble, and it’s not like you’ve exactly had the best performances in the match. In fact last year I believe was the first time you ever eliminated a single person. So what’s different this year?”
Jack shifts uncomfortably in his chair. “Wow, you’ve really done your research. Yes, I don’t have a stellar record in the Rumble, but the difference this year is my attitude. I’m a changed man, Lara. I no longer fight for personal gain, or self gratification. I fight for what’s right, and I fight for these people.” Jack points out to the audience. “Everybody who supports me… they deserve the best Jack Severn they can get. I’m not going to take shortcuts, or make excuses. I’m just going to go out there and wrestle better than I ever have before, because that’s what it’s going to take to beat 19 of the EWC’s best. I have no greater motivation now that I have nothing left to lose. If I don’t win this, I… I don’t know where I go from there. I have the Indy Championship match guaranteed at WrestleFest, and I’ll be focusing on that, but as far as Undisputed Championship dreams go… they’d be as good as dead. I’d consider a loss here a sign that maybe I should put my focus into something smaller. But I’m winning that Indy Championship back, Rumble winner or not. It’s just… being Indysputed would be the icing on the cake, so to speak. I’m sure the current Indy Champion is smiling at my phrasing here. Now, if you want exact strategy on how I plan on tackling the Rumble… I can’t give away all of my secrets, Lara. But I can tell you that I’ve been training in Chicago. A… friend, let’s call her, hooked me up with a ring to practice being thrown over the top rope in. As you probably know, I don’t have the best luck in matches where the objective is to throw me over something, be it the top rope, or a ledge, or a balcony, or what have you. I’ve lost three Rumbles, I’ve lost a Thunder battle royal, I drew in the Green Monster Plunge, I lost the Insanity Cage, and I lost the Troubled Waters match. Getting thrown over something is essentially my kryptonite at this point. So to prevent that, I’ve been finding all sorts of creative ways to stay in the ring, or to hang onto the ropes.”
George raises an eyebrow. “You haven’t practiced throwing anybody else over?”
Jack smirks confidently at the question. “Why would I? I only have to throw one person over to win, and I’ve already done that. I don’t have to rack up the eliminations… I just have to last until the end. I may be above taking shortcuts now, but I still believe in working smarter, not harder. Or hell, why not both. I’m going to work smarter AND harder than everybody else on Monday.”
Robin motions to the screen behind them, which displays the field of opponents for the Rumble. “Well, speaking of everybody else, Jack, what do you think of your opponents in the Rumble? I mean, you do have 19 of them.”
Jack nods in agreement and motions to the first grouping of wrestlers on the graphic. “Right off the bat, I see two complete mysteries here. Now unless ‘Vacant’ is entering this match twice, I can only imagine the possibilities of who these two could be. Maybe Yaya Banana? Peach Gelato? One could hope. Or maybe it’s someone more decorated, like my GOOD FRIEND Melody Malone. I do wonder where she’s been lately. They really could be anybody, so that’s why I’m preparing to fight everybody. I can’t get my head wrapped up in the mind games of who these two are. Whether they be new debuts or two of the greatest of all time, the result will be the same. If either of them are in the final 2 with me, I am going to Silence them.”
He points to the next group. “Then there’s all the people who, and I know this might be some of the old Jack coming out, frankly shouldn’t be in this match in the first place. There’s the Skyes, Chelsea, Sunny, and Ace, who all haven’t done anything to truly make their mark on the EWC this year. Sunny was the first ever NextGen champion, but what has she done since? Be one of the first people eliminated at Parabellum? Chelsea is practically everybody on this roster’s bitch, and… don’t even get me started on Ace Sky. Sure he sent Melinda Rhodes packing, but he’s simply not Undisputed Champion material, much like Nika Kosov, who also hasn’t done much to impress this season. That nickname stealing son of a bitch Phoenix Winterborn could have a chance… if this was years ago, but I think it’s safe to say he’s past his ‘Prime’ now. Rick Rampage, or Rick Paramount as maybe he should’ve named himself, came in hot, but he’s shown himself to be nothing more than a joke. How many losses has he had in the past few months? He might just show up drunk and eliminate himself accidentally anyway.”
The Catalyst moves on, gesturing to another section of the graphic. “ZERO is a big motherfucker, but he’s got flaws in his game. If a smaller guy like Amis Shelton can manage to beat him for his Television Championship, then I see no reason why someone like me can’t eliminate him. He’s got beef with Mercenary, though, another one of the larger competitors, so maybe I’ll just let them eliminate each other. It’ll be easier that way. But if I do get in a one on one fight with the Fighting Spirit Champion, I can promise him that I will show more fighting spirit in my goddamn pinky than he’s got in his entire body! The Television Champion himself talks a lot of shit, but how many tries did it take for him to win gold this year? After getting embarrassed by that pirate over on Brawl, who I’ve beaten already, by the way, Amis moved to Rampage because he can’t win anywhere else. Well he’s in for a rude awakening when he faces the best damn competitor in Prime, and the entire EWC. Then there’s the four heavy hitter favorites from Paramount, the International Champion El Pablo, the Dynasty Champion Ibuki Ito, Xavier Reid, and ol’ Marcu Double Dollar Sign T. John. I’ve shared the ring with all four of them before, and I can say they certainly are some of the best here, but do they have the motivation that I have? This isn’t personal for them. Well, maybe it is for Reid, but maybe he should settle down, considering he’s like a billion and 1 to JoJo. All these people care about is glory… But I care about this because I NEED this. This is redemption for me. I may have not been campaigning for this for months like Marcu has, but I’m also not making the mistake of entering from #1 again after last year…”
Jack shudders before moving on to the final part of the graphic. “So that brings me to the four biggest targets I have in this match. Hell, they’re probably the four people looking to eliminate me specifically the most. Ace King, I know I’ve said a lot of bad things about him in the past… but I got my revenge. I harbor no more ill will towards him. He’s a fuckin’ legend through and through… but he’s a legend that I’ve beaten twice. I am better than Ace King, and that is a fact. Then there’s Candy, the woman who took my Indy Championship. Now that I’m free of the distractions of The House, I want nothing more than to get my revenge, and perhaps even preview my title match at WrestleFest, by dumping her over the top rope just like she threw me overboard back in July. There’s also my old rival, the Hardcore Champion Narumi Tsutsumi. My white whale. The woman I can never seem to beat. I am forever linked to her, and her to me. But it seems that as I’ve changed, so has she. Like Candy, she’s got a grueling hardcore match scheduled before the Rumble, and I know she’ll be desperate to win. But that desperation will cost her. Finally, there’s Cosmo Goldworthy, the United States Champion. A man I both have extreme respect for, and very little respect for. If given the opportunity, I will eliminate him for what he’s done to me. I fucking promise.”
Michael gulps. “Well, that was, uh… intense. Any last words for the GMA audience?”
Jack looks dead into the camera. “This Monday, I will give you my heart. I will give you my soul. My blood, my sweat, and my tears.
And I will win the EWC Rumble.”
We cut to commercial as the segment ends.
FIN.
