Take Your Tyrant
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Midwinter's eve falls hard upon the tyrant throne
Migrant birds to warmer lands have flown
As the tyrant ails, throw caution to the gales
Take but heart my friend, you're not alone
- Tyr "Take Your Tyrant"
[Two weeks ago]
[The winds have been roaring in Albuquerque since Max began his 30 day suspension. The thought of biding his time in Albuquerque until the suspension's end has been a bitter pill for Max to swallow and he has tried to take it in stride. However, the toll that has been taken on his mind as of late has become a mounting problem. Max sits on the porch of his rural home in the mountains. Joining him at his request is his trainer and council, Master Kurosawa. Instead of his traditional garb, Kurosawa is wearing khaki shorts, a pair of Croc's, and a Lobos Basketball t-shirt.]
Max: I am done.
[As Max says this, he bows his head and contemplates that sentence. "I am done" is something he never thought he would be saying this early into his final run. Kurosawa sees his plight and smiles.]
Kurosawa: This isn't the first time you have had doubts about your professional future, my friend.
Max: With my father dying and Morrigan making my career a joke, I just don't see the point anymore.
Kurosawa: The point?
[There is a flash of anger in Kurosawa's voice as he slowly rises and walks towards the end of the deck, taking in the splendor of the mountains.]
Kurosawa: I'm 75 years old now Malcolm. I have been in more battles than I care to recall. Do you know when I had my last exhibition match?
[Max doesn't reply, but simply looks up at his sensei.]
Kurosawa: Three years ago. At 72, I won my match by breaking the arm of a young warrior.
[Max smiles at this.]
Max: You never told me about that.
[Kurosawa laughs, rubbing his arm at the thought of breaking that poor man's arm as if having sympathy pains for him.]
Kurosawa: Even now, I get that fire inside. There is nothing I would love more than to spend the rest of my years on this Earth testing my skills and improving myself in all facets.
[He turns to face Max. His face has lost all evidence of fun.]
Kurosawa: If you don't fight for yourself, no one will do it for you, Max. It is the warrior mentality that I have imbued to you that keeps you strong, keeps you focused. When you came to me and asked me to teach you, those first 6 months were a test.
Max: You mean when you Miyagi'ed me?
Kurosawa: I don't understand the reference.
Max: I'm sure. You had me cleaning and cooking for months before you taught me an arm bar.
Kurosawa: That was to prove your worth and to show me that you had the drive to utilize my teachings.
Max: Yeah...making Frito Pie for an old Japanese man that has a penchant for American cuisine really proves a lot.
[Kurosawa laughs and pats his stomach]
Kurosawa: I never knew the delights that corn chips, cheese, and chili could bring my soul!
[The two share a laugh. Kurosawa grabs his chair and slides it directly in front of Max.]
Kurosawa: This is not the end for you, Max. Deep down, you know that. I sympathize with the loss of your father and your current MWA situation.
Max: Thank you.
Kurosawa: But, on the other side of the coin, I feel that you are losing your edge. Do you remember the match you had with Lacklan back in JECW?
Max: How could I forget? That was the first time I incapacitated a competitor.
Kurosawa: He never returned to the ring. Imagine how Lacklan felt when he was told that he would never wrestle again. I can only assume that he was filled with rage. It is that rage, Malcolm, that is going to be your friend.
Max: Lacklan's rage?
[Kurosawa closes his eyes in pain and shakes his head.]
Max: I'm sorry. Bad time for a joke.
[Kurosawa gets directly in Max's face.]
Kurosawa: The time for joking has come and passed. The time has come for you stop listening to those voices in your head telling you to stop, and listen to your heart. You have won the hearts of the MWA fans, and you have earned the respect of the MWA locker room. The time ha--
Max: Respect?! RESPECT?!
[Suddenly, Max rises from his chair and proceeds to sling it into the yard.]
Max: You think that locker room respects me and what I have done? What a damn joke. I have been in that ring week in and week out since September and I have been winning. 6 months I have fought, and what do I have to show for it? This house?
[Max picks up his glass and hurls it through the front window.]
Max: This house could burn in flames tonight and I wouldn't piss on the ashes. The house, the cars, all of this means NOTHING to me. I know what I have done during my stay here, and calling it "phenomenal" doesn't do it justice. Only two people have bested me in six months, and only one remains. Pinex has been dodging me ever since our match and I can only assume Braddock is working at Whole Foods now. I have been supressed long enough.
[Max walks up to his master, looking like he is trying to choke back more rage he has had bottled up inside of him.]
Max: If this is how the game is going to be played, I'm going to change the rules.
[Kurosawa smiles and bows to his former pupil.]
Kurosawa: That is all I needed to hear..
There comes a time for all that marks the final straw
When there is no recourse to the law
If we tread the trails our odyssey unveils
Victory is red in tooth and claw
- Tyr "Take Your Tyrant"
[Present Day]
[Brandon "B2" Barajas has started his morning stroll down the main streets of Portales, New Mexico. After his victory over Jason Talbot, he is walking on air. There is even a slight skip in his step. Brandon arrives at his favorite place to be during an off week from the MWA: A small sandwich shoppe that was built in an old movie theater from the 50's. He goes inside and orders his usual, a genoa salami sandwich on rye with banana peppers, oil and vinegar. He then makes his way up to the balcony area to enjoy his meal and is shocked to see Maximum Violence sitting at the table.]
B2: We can't be seen like this....people will talk.
Max: Oh come now, Barajas! What's the point in living if you can't do it a bit dangerously from time to time?
[Barajas lets out a nervous laugh as Max motions him over to join him and he does so reluctantly. He places his sandwich in front of him, but then doesn't give it another thought.]
B2: What are you doing here?
Max: I wanted to congratulate you on a hard fought victory, man. Talbot is no push over.
[B2 hears this and laughs.]
B2: I gotta say, it was the most fun I've had in a long time.
Max: You looked good out there. Seems like you were listening to me all these years after all.
B2: Well, I did pull a few tricks out of the ol' Max Bag. Worked out pretty well, actually.
Max: I noticed. It was nice to be able to sit at home and watch my good friend battle. I'm proud of you, Barajas.
B2: Thanks man. What about you? Get anything productive done during your suspension?
Max: I did, actually. Kurosawa came down and gave me some guidance. I think he had other motives as well.
B2: That man does like his french fries and cheeseburgers.
[Max lets out a hearty laugh, almost too hearty. After wiping a tear from his eye, he grabs B2's sandwich and takes a bite out of it. He closes his eyes, almost as if he has been taken away by a wave of extacy. Barajas sees this and mutters angrily under his breath "That's my sandwich."]
Max: This is a fucking delicious sandwich.
[He then tosses the sandwich back in Barajas' plate.]
Max: Y'know, I have been thinking about your career as of late. You have been doing very well for yourself since you signed that contract.
[B2 is still stewing over the fact that his sandwich has been defiled by foreign hands.]
B2: Yeah, things really are tops.
Max: Can I see your contract?
[This breaks B2's trance on his sandwich.]
B2: Why do you want to see my contract?
Max: Just curious.
B2: But I told you all the specifics about the deal after it was finalized.
Max: I know. Sounds like you got a great deal as well.
[Max then leans in to speak to B2.]
Max: Call it old age, but ever since my contract debacle, I've gained a sense of paranoia when it comes to paperwork. And I just want to make sure that my good friend isn't going to suffer the same fate. Anything out of the ordinary on the contract?
B2: No way. Very straight forward talent contract.
[Max hears this and sighs.]
Max: Good to know..
[Max stands up and puts his jacket on.]
Max: Well, I better get going. You going to Wales?
B2: Probably not. I'm not on the card.
Max: Ah, pity...
[Max makes his way around the table and begins to walk by B2, but stops. He places a hand on his friend's shoulder.]
Max: I gave you a chance, Brandon. And you have disappointed me. I know what is in your contract. I know WHO got you that contract.
[Max begins to squeeze Barajas' shoulder. B2 winces but stifles any sound of pain.]
Max: There is going to come a day where the two of us will meet in the ring. I'm not going to request it, and I'm sure you won't. But, when that day comes, your run in the MWA is going to come to a swift end. So, enjoy it.
[Max grabs the back of Barajas' head and pulls it back, looking B2 in the eyes.]
Max: You tell that bitch one thing: If she thinks she is the one that is going to end Maximum Violence's career, she is sadly mistaken. I'm not going anywhere.
[Max lets go of Barajas' hair.]
Max: Welcome to the battlefield, Barajas.
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Everbody take your tyrant
Make him pay for all his stay
Revolution take your tyrant
Bid him bleed for all his greed
- Tyr "Take Your Tyrant"
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Coming back from what all would assume to be a 30 day vacation from the hustle and bustle of professional wrestling would heal ones soul and rejuvenate your spirit. It was quite the opposite for me. It took a bit for me to get used to the fact that I couldn't fight for 30 days. It's not like I could walk the streets and challenge random people to a fight. Believe me, I tried, it is very illegal. So, I stewed and wallowed in my self pity and I basically had my boots hung up. I was done. Dealing with these things that have been trying to destroy me was using all the energy I had. When that well ran dry, all the fight was out of my body and I was ready to quit. What is the point of war if you are the only one fighting it? For six months I had fought and I was victorious. Then, in a very short span of time, it all imploded right before my very eyes.
I had made the decision that it was time to end The Campain.
That's how the story would have ended had it not been for an insane old japanese juggernaut. Kurosawa reminded me why I am here, and what I am to do. With the rush of a revitalized career, I had forgotten my way. I had become complacent with my position in the MWA as a crusher of competition, but nothing more. To be blunt, I had become soft. You would think that after all I had done and all I have accomplished, the name Maximum Violence would swiftly follow those of Steve Pinex, Nana Moto, or Kacy Knight.
You would think that, but you would also be very wrong.
Apparently it has become the practice of some of the MWA "elite" to pop their heads out of obscurity and come back for that rush of competing. For some, the words "Hall Of Fame" usually precede the names of these so-called legends. Now, I know I have been away from the game for quite some time, so I guess that if you have your hall of fame credentials under your belt, it gives you a life long pass to head back to the stables and saddle that horse for one more ride, maybe even two more. When you have a torrent of big names coming back to a storied organization, things can be lost in the shuffle and confusion of all the glitz.
One of them being the man you see before you.
Before the likes of Gaither, Knight, and Worthington made their returns to the MWA, I was here. Now, I know I'm not one of the MWA standards, but I am a wrestling standard. I am THE wrestling standard. I wasn't here a month before I destroyed hall of famer Sean McBride. It was only a few short months later that I made August Joyce submit while his hall of fame cohort Tim Worthington watched. The masses applauded every single victorious skirmish I had. They were finally getting what they wanted, what they deserved: A Warrior. Someone that wouldn't shy away from a challenge. Someone that would stop at nothing to win. I gave them that. But then, it got to a point where my focus changed from regaining my place in professional wrestling to pleasing all that would give me an opportunity to do so.
It was then that my career began it's downward spiral. I lost my father, decisions that should have been made by me were now being made by someone whose only purpose was to destroy me. The worst of it all was finding out that my good friend had betrayed me not once, but twice, and all for his own selfish needs. Suddenly, my career seemed like it was going to end the way it started, with me standing alone. Now, I have always prided myself on getting things done on my own, and I have done that. During all this confusion and betrayal, I have been putting people down week in and week out. I have been victorious through all adversity, but my soul has been wounded by the careless acts of others.
But now, all those problems are just images shrinking in my rear view mirror.
Even with all this happening, I am still on top. Imagine how it is going to be now that my focus has been regained. I think the violence that is in store for the MWA can only be rivaled by a machete-wielding goalie. And I must say, I am looking forward to it. This newly found passion for battle is something that is going to take me places I haven't been in years, and it starts in Wales.
When I was first told that, on the night of my return to the MWA, a battle royal for the #1 Contenders spot at Revelations was going to be held, it made the past melt away. Now this is where I shine! Not only do I get to fight for a shot at the winner of Pinex/Nana, but I also get to do it against a majority of the MWA locker room. Some frown at the mention of the words "battle royal", but it warms my heart at the mere thought. One on one battles are great in their own right, but when you are put in the ring against a slew of other people, it adds a sense of war to the whole thing. Always having to watch your back, forming alliances, then destroying them. I've had a lot of experience in the latter.
The list of competitors is an impressive one. It is destined to be a very entertaining evening for all involved. 13 competitors meeting in the ring to decide the fate of a champion, it doesn't get much better than that. The result, on the other hand, isn't going to be any different when Maximum Violence is involved. I am going into the battle royal, and I am going to win the battle royal. All you elites involved, enjoy your time in the MWA, because it is dwindling down. I cannot be stopped, and I cannot be contained. The Maximum Violence going to Wales isn't going to be the witty fun-loving Max, but the Max you were all introduced to six months ago. The elites are an endangered species, and I'm about to go out and start collecting pelts. And to whomever holds the world title at Revelations...
Your fucking head is going to look great stuffed and mounted on my wall...
Believe that.
