VICTORY LAP
The second night of Tropical Turmoil continues to rock and roll all the way across Petco Park, one night of exciting action already complete and another in full swing has really given the whole stadium a big buzz of overflowing anticipation.
That buzz continues to grow into mixed response noises as the cameras cut backstage to the smiling face of Dirk Dickwood, The Glueminati’s operations man. The camera is zoomed into his gleaming mug as he begins to speak.
Dirk Dickwood: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my extreme privilege to introduce you to PRIME’s NEW Five Star Champion, the visionary Financier of The Glue Factory, the head honcho of The Glueminati… CECILWORTH FARTHINGTON!
Although most of the crowd have a pavlovian response of booing Farthington as the camera slowly pulls back to reveal The 5 Star Champion standing to Dirk’s right, quite a few members of the crowd have broken out of the generic emotional state of the crowd and give respect to Farthington after his all out war with Coral Avalon in the main event of Night 1.
As the camera pulls Farthington into focus, we can see the results of the Night 1 action in his face and on his chest. His chest is still screaming red from the assault of Avalon, including some very nasty uppercuts that slammed into his chest. A blue/fading-into-black flesh pool sits under the champion’s eye. To complete the “beaten and bloody” summer fall fashion, Farthington also has a bandage across his temple with stitches presumably sitting behind the bandage.
The camera actually manages to fully zoom out to a full body shot. Farthington has the 5 Star Championship firmly around his waist, dressed in a plain black hoodie and track pants. Dirk Dickwood though? He’s clutching at the back of a wheelchair.
The wheelchair belongs to former PRIME Universal Champion, Phil Atken. Atken gets a surprisingly warm response from the Night 2 crowd as he pops up on the screen. Atken for his part is sitting pretty stoically in his chair, side-eying Farthington the entire time. Completing the ensemble, to Farthington’s right stands Hank, a good boy who just wants the best for everyone. It’s quite the sticky quartet.
Cecilworth Farthington: I’m sorry that these comments were unscheduled but I felt it was my duty, as your Five Star Champion, to reassure the concerned fans in the crowd tonight, as well as the many more watching at home.
Cecilworth smiles to himself as he looks down at what is clearly a thoroughly polished 5 Star Championship.
Cecilworth Farthington: Later this evening, my adopted nephewy thing Tyler Adrian Best is fighting the PRIME Universal Champion Brandon Youngblood and the two men are going to kill each other until only one survives. TAB is a generational talent and I will never hear anything otherwise. He is very capable of doing what many may feel is the impossible. Unfortunately, we can’t really enjoy this match, can we PRIME faithful, after all Tyler, in a fit of fatherly issues…
Cecilworth coughs a little and looks over at Atken, whose glare towards Farthington remains unbroken.
Cecilworth Farthington: …has decided that should he win the Universal Championship, he will abscond with the title and scuttle and scurry his way over to Chicago for a big party and celebration. Should this unfortunate event come to pass, and TAB does indeed win the Universal Championship, I just wanted to stand here tonight, and say to all of you fine fans that I PROMISE you, the most valuable title in the company will not go with him.
Cecilworth’s more solemn expression at the start of this little interjection, most likely from the immense suffering currently going on in his body after Coral Avalon’s brutal in ring assault last night has started to fade, being replaced with a cheeky lil grin from a cheeky lil boy.
Cecilworth Farthington: However, should Brandon Youngblood manage to scrape and claw and show everyone why he is still very much a threat… well… let me just assure all of you, the most valuable title in the company will not go with him.
Cecilworth starts pointing at the 5 Star Championship to help fill in the gaps for the high and distracted of the crowd.
Cecilworth Farthington: See, there’s been a lot of talk lately with the fear of what happens if TAB wins, what he’ll do, what his true motivation are, how many times he’s licked the inside of his grandpa’s eye hole. There’s been a lot of questions. They all operate under a false premise. The Universal Championship is not PRIME’s most desirable prize. THIS IS.
Farthington and Dickwood jointly gesture to the belt around his waist.
Cecilworth Farthington: Rezin. FLAMBERGE. Nate Colton. Hayes Hanlon. Coral Avalon. Cecilworth Farthington. This belt is only held by the best wrestling in this company. THE BEST OF THE BEST. The wrestler’s wrestlers. While the Universal Championship has been caught up in controversy and interpromotional wars, the men who came to PRIME to show what they were made of only had their eyes in one direction. The Five Star direction. Five stars. The best of the best, the top tier, only the most elite can tough it and now…
The small smile that has been building on Farthington from the outset forms into a full self-satisfied chuckle. There is at the same time a rather powerful scowl on the face of Atken, who clearly does not appreciate Farthington’s implications about the Universal Championship. He elects to continue giving his mentee a death stare instead of joining in on the conversation though, probably making the smart call for his own sanity.
Cecilworth Farthington: I’m its champion. I am the top of the pile. I am this company’s trump card. I AM NUMBER ONE. Whether TAB wants to run away from The Glueminati, whether TAB wants to move back to Chicago, that’s on him, that’s his future and I respect him enough to make that decision on his own. With or without him, with or without the Universal Championship…
Cecilworth gives a reassuring pat to the backs of Atken, Hank and Dickwood. You’ll never guess how Atken took it.
Not well.
The answer is not well.
Cecilworth Farthington: PRIME will still have its tippity top tier champion, and The Glueminati will continue to rule the waves. I thank all of you, over these past few months, you have all started to view me as your hero and now, I can truly, truly claim to be your champion. No need to thank me, the gratitude of everyone in Petco Park is more than enough. So, sit back, relax, and don’t worry too much about tonight’s main event…
The camera starts slowly zooming in on the 5 Star Championship.
Cecilworth Farthington: Your champion will always be here.
And with those words, we fade to black and dance away to another part of tonight’s Tropical Turmoil event.