Pride (Invite)

[scott]

Overload was live and on the air from the Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Japan. The Japanese fans packed into the arena in droves for XWA's annual trip to the country, and this year there was a lot of anticipation. As the pyro display ends, we go to ringside.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to XWA Overload. I'm Tony Gomez, he's Travis Rose, and we are LIVE from Tokorozawa, Japan!

Here's in Japan, Wrestling is more then just a sport, it's a lifestyle. Infact, one could go as far as saying that in order to truly be considered a success in this business, you have to compete here in Japan, and be successful at it.

Well if that's the case, we've got a number of Overload wrestlers who have cut their teeth right here in Japan. And tonight, we continued the time honored tradition of showcasing the talent XWA has to off...

Before Tony could finish, the theme of Upper Echelon hits the PA.

Hold that thought. Here comes Upper Echelon...

Upper Echelon members Scott O'Dell, Primo Valiante, Bryan Jasta, Osiris Alston and Kastor Troy all file out from backstage met with expected boos from the fans. Even those in Japan knew what these men stood for, which not many were very thrilled with. They make their way down to the ring and enter. O'Dell is handed a mic, and he begins the address.

The concept of success it would seem, is greatly misconstrued in the wrestling industry. More specifically, here in XWA. And I'll give you some examples to that fact. There are men on the XWA payroll who this company owes it's very existence to...like say for example, us. Men who have made XWA Billions, that's right...BILLIONS of dollars. Men who have furnished Carmella Blackheart's posh New York City penthouse and got Rodolphe Gallas his stylin' Bugati Veyron with their blood, sweat and tears. Yet who does corporate favor? Flavor of the month jokes for wrestlers who damn well know if it weren't for their corporate favoritism, they'd be on the unemployment line. Let's be real here people. How many of XWA's talent, Overload or Takedown would last somewhere else? Somewhere were the management didn't pity them or coddle them to be the face of the company. Hell, you have people on "The B Show" that have jobs here in XWA because they COULDN'T hack it elsewhere. It all boils down to numbers, folks. Numbers don't lie. And the numbers are as plain as day. The men who stand in this ring right now are the movers and shakers of XWA.

Scott pauses to look about the ring to his allies.

Each and every one of us has made an impact in XWA. An impact that made XWA money. Lots of money. I could run down the accolades, but I'd be here for a half hour tops. The underlining fact is, we are the definition of success in this business. Yet because of our success, and the way we've gone about getting that success all our careers, we're vilified for it. But if that's what it takes, then I'll take it every time. If being at the top of the sport by my own terms, without so much as a hint of corporate endorsement makes me bad, so be it. Unlike some of the other so called "mainstays" of XWA, I'm where I am in this business because of one man and one man alone. Me. There's a reason why I'm the franchise of XWA. And let's face it, XWA brass loves it. And by brass, I mean the Board Of Directors. They see things the same way I do. The same way we do. Professional Wrestling is indeed a business, be it competitive or sports entertainment. And like all businesses, it's all about how much capitol you pull in at the end of the day.

Now,in business...when one is successful, they're rewarded for it, right? If you go to work and do your job beyond the the level expected of you, naturally you get promoted, correct? So tell me why despite the fact that all of us in this ring as done nothing but make XWA money, men who walk around wise cracking, grand standing and making themselves look like god damn fools are the ones getting recognition. Or worse still, men who are in no way deserving of the status they have get immediate recognition. I'm not even gonna bother dropping names, they know who they are. That ladies and gents, is what we call bad business. But thankfully, for us as well as XWA, the days of bad business is over with. Someone in XWA Management has finally decided to do something about the weak reaping the benefits of what we, the elite have built.

Ladies and gentlemen...Mr. Marshall Dane.

A chorus of boos ring out from the crowd.

Behind the scenes no longer, Marshall Dane as already been putting his stamp on XWA. And I have to say, Tony...the place is looking a little more entertaining since he's arrived.

If by entertaining you mean someone in a position of power giving blatant favoritism to anyone who he thinks will boost ratings, yea...very compelling stuff.

Is that a hint of resentment I hear in your voice, Antonio? Remember, he's your boss too.

My bosses are Rodolphe Gallas and Carmella Blackheart. Marshall Dane is just a money grubbing exec whose seen fit to exploit XWA talent to get even MORE money.

Did you not hear a word O'Dell just said? Money is what this business is driven by. Purists like you might beg to differ, but like he said, "The proof is in the numbers."

[dane]

Form backstage, Marshall Dane emerges. On his face, a satisfied grin. In his hands, a mic and a clipboard. He joins Upper Echelon in the ring.

Gentlemen, I have to say I'm impressed with what I saw last week. Two out of three matches won isn't bad, especially considering that you Scott, managed to defeat Jayson Jones in what I would definitely call a very critical match for you. All and all, you all delivered on your end. So now, I'm going to deliver on mine. The rest of the board and myself covet the time XWA spends oversees. It's a chance to showcase our brand in foreign markets, which is every bit as important as back home. Now...

He takes a look down at the clip board, then adds.

In the interest of fairness, I have decided on a few matches tonight. Matches that the board and I agree will be quite interesting. The 1st match will be you Scott, Primo and Jasta...against the team of Adam Devlin, Osh Vaughn and Jayson Jones...in a 6 man Elimination Tag Match. If I remember well, it was late last year that Stan O'Malley himself made that very same match in an attempt to band his troops together, and the three of you crushed them in a 3-0 sweep. I'm confident in the fact you'll have a repeat performance.

His focus then turns to Alston.

Mr. Alston. Tonight, you'll go one on one against Van Hayden. A match I know you've longed for some time now.

Finally, he turns to Kastor.

Then there's you, Mr. Troy. Tonight, I'm giving you the chance to complete the task you actually came to XWA to fulfill...taking out Ryan Fierhart. How does a No Holds Barred match sound to you?

The grin on Kastor' face told the answer.

Gentlemen, the board and myself are very, very happy with the contributions you've made to this company. Last week, I wanted to see what you all could do. This week, if you're all successful...let's just say, we plan on making it worth your while.

No sooner then when Dane finishes, the entrance theme of Overload's GM cues up.

Tony: Nooooooooooooooooow it's about to get interesting.

[seifer]

At the top of the stage, Stan gazes down to the ring with a none to pleased scowl on his face. His music fades out, and he begins his tirade.

Dane, you've got some god damn nerve. You come here to my show two weeks in a row and make your own matches. Matches that humor Upper Echelon. Men who would see fit to run Overload if not XWA into the damn ground if they're left unchecked. That ain't sittin' well with me my friend. I'm the GM of Overload. I don't give two drops of monkey piss if you're head of the board of directors. I'm General Manager here. If anyone has the power to make matches, it's me. And ONLY me. So you can take your little clipboard, and you matches...and cram 'em up your $5000 suit wearin' ass.

Travis: Never at a lose for words, is he?

Tony: Can you blame him? Dane's trying to undermine his position for the sake of boosting ratings. You tell me if that makes any sense.

[dane]

With a sinister chuckle, Dane responds.

That just goes to show how truly green you are at being a businessman, Stan. You see, me being Administrative Director means my jurisdiction spans all employees of XWA, including anyone in administrative and managerial positions. There are only two people in the company who have the power to veto, overwrite or nullify any decision I make. The President & Vice President of XWA. What I'm doing, is what they for the last three years have failed to do. Correct the direction this ship is going. And my work is far from done. Takedown's GM should be happy he even has a job still, as should you. The men in this ring are among the best competitors in the sport. In the world even. Yet how have you utilized them? You haven't. The biggest thing you've done as GM was coming up with the concept of The Crucible, and screwing over the deserving talent in favor of pushing the "working class" talent. As Scott here said, Pro Wrestling is a business. Businesses are supposed to make money. So why is it the money makers are forced to have to band together as they have in order to get recognition they're rightly entitled to? Because you don't know how to do your job. So I'm going to do it for you.

He looks around to the men in the ring.

The matches as stated will take place tonight. Anyone opposed to that will be in breach of contract and justly dealt with, including you. Furthermore, how about I spice things up a bit, eh? If team Braveheart can sweep Upper Echelon tonight in the Elimination Tag Match, you can feel free to put the 1st man eliminated into whatever match you see fit. But if Upper Echelon wins, I get to put YOU in a match, O'Malley. Since you so enjoy being in the ring so much, why not take advantage of it, eh?

[adam]

As Dane finishes, out to the stage comes Adam Devlin. With a mic of his own in tow, he stands side by side with the GM to voice his opinion on the match making of Dane.

Ya' know...I had to come out here to speak my mind. Standin' in the backstage listenin' to you out here, runnin' your mouth about how Stan has misused the elite talent of Overload made me sick to my damn stomach. There's no one in this arena who knows you better inside and out then I do, Dane. We've got history. Back in 2007, you burst into XWA with the most dynamic, fearsome, destructive force the sport has ever seen, "The Colossus" Steven Higby. A force that damn near took me out. I remember the tale end of season one. You standing at ringside with your jaw dropped on the floor as I hoisted 480lbs over my my shoulders and drove him down to the mat. Beating Higby was a turning point in my career. And it was also the last time we'd see you on XWA programming until now. Obviously, a lot has changed in four years. You went on and joined XWA Inc, and worked your way up to being Administrative Director. There's only two people in the entire company you answer to, Mr. G and Ms. Blackheart. But just because you're a corporate big wig these days, it obviously hasn't change the fact that you're still a douchebag.[/font]

The Seibu Center fans cheer in support of Devlin as he continues.

While I'll agree that the men in that ring are pretty elite company, some of the biggest names in the sport. XWA's bottom line if you will...doesn't have them to thank for it's existence. It's men like me you should be thanking. Men like Van Hayden, Kayn, Syrus The Entertainer, Ryan Fierhart, Jonny Punch, and everyone else who's been here since year one who've bled for this company. Men who have made XWA their lives. Dare I say, even you Scott...you're one of the founding fathers of XWA. You and me, we're employees number one and two. When this place opened back in January 2007, we were the 1st two men signed to contracts. And granted, our careers went different directions, you damn well know you owe Rodolphe Gallas every cent you ever make in this company, because had it not been for him giving the two of us the chance to compete, we'd never be where we are in our careers.

I understand the reason why Upper Echelon was formed. Because you all believe you're getting pasted up on by the on air management in favor of the guys who can be mass marketed. I get it. But what I don't get is what the hell makes you think you're entitled to it. One of XWA's slogans is "In the ring is the only place that matters". That couldn't be any more true personally to me. It doesn't matter how witty you are on a mic, or how many T-shirts you sell, or how many TV shows you do guest spots on. At the end of the day, we're Pro Wrestlers. How we make our money is between those ropes. To some of us though, it's more then a business. It's our lives. Men like Osh Vaughn and Cody Black have put food on their families tables because of this business. Hell, between the two of them is more collective wrestling experience then you, Primo, Jasta and Alston combined. We'd be blessed if we last in this sport as long as they have. Men like them, the veterans....they're the ones to me personally who are owed something. Because they paved the way for us to be what we are today. You can try to put your spin on it however you want, but that doesn't change the fact that like Stan here said last year, you need to pull your own weight around here. Not throw it around like you bunch have done for months on end.

His closing comments focus back on Dane.

I personally like the matches you made for tonight. It gives me, Osh and Jay-J a chance to atone for that night last year. The mistake we made then, is that we didn't wrestle as a unit, where as Scotty-Boy, Primo and Jasta have all teamed up on numerous occasion prior to that night. You slapping your little stipulation on it tells me one thing, and one thing alone. That you're afraid they can't get the job done this time around. So you stack the deck in their favor and hope that we break under the pressure of possibly forcing a retired wrestler turned GM back in the ring. Well lemme tell ya' somethin', Dane. I speak on behalf of Jay-J and Osh when I say we couldn't be more prepared for what we have to do tonight. You want ratings? Oh...you'll get your ratings tonight, pal. But it won't be how you anticipated, that's for sure.

[kaster]

With a gesture of his hand, O'Dell hands Kastor the mic so he could share his own "words of insight" on the coming events.

That's one thing I've always admired about you, Adam. You speak with such passion. Such conviction. In mere minutes, you can get an entire arena and a nation of TV viewers on your side. Damn shame it's all a joke.

Boos from the fans follow suit.

I've say by and watched you and your buddies talk about honor and integrity for two years now. Let me tell you what honor and integrity gets you in this sport. It gets you a little booth at Comic Con where if you're lucky 20 people will come see you the whole convention. You talk about Cody Black and Osh Vaughn like they're saints. I've known Cody for the better part of 15 years, son. I can tell you he's guilty of far worse things then I am in this business. When Primo approached me last year about joining the cause of Upper Echelon, I thought long and hard about it. Much like my brother Pollox did. Initially, I was going to take the same road as him and decline, but then I realized something. I remembered something that the man I was under the wing of when I was your age told me. "To survive as a wrestler, you need to be a wolf, not a sheep." And as we all know, wolves hunt in packs. The men surrounding me in this ring are exactly that. Young, hungry, blood thirsty wolves who get it. They get the fact that success in Pro Wrestling isn't given, it's taken. Just like me, Cody, my brother Pollox and Johnny Aces took it back in 1999 when we formed Revolution X. Back then, we came to the decision that in order to stand out from the pack, we needed to be vicious, violent and cut throat. Just like these guys in the ring with me. And that's why I stand here with them. To give them the same guidance that was given to me.

He moves up closer to stand beside Dane.

The difference is this man right here. A visionary. If I had a man like Marshall Dane at my side back in 1999, the company I was in then wouldn't have went belly up. Marshall Dane knows that Pro Wrestling is a business. A true man's sport. And like all sports, the best players get the biggest attention. That's what this is all about, fellas. The best getting what they deserve. Do you think we give a crap about the guys trying to cut their teeth? Hell no!!! They need to pay their dues just like the rest of us did. There's a reason why we're main eventers. Because we know what it takes to be one. All we've ever asked for is to be treated as such. But XWA brass saw fit to turn it's ear to us in favor for who they could peddle merch to impressionable tweens and internet geeks to as opposed to the wolves who make it money. No more. This time around, it's time for you and your boys to pony up. Tonight's only the start of it. We stand united because we've earned our spots...hook or crook. Now we get to see what you boys have earned...if anything at all.