vs. Nate Lawson

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The Beginning

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FWA needs to remember just whose ring this is and if you don’t remember then take a look back at Mayhem because that’s a preview of coming attractions.  That is a look into the future; a future of Angelica Jones being announced as the winner.

I came back to FWA and did exactly what I set out to do.  I defeated an MMA superstar, proving once again that I can adapt to any style, that I can defeat anyone no matter who they are or what they can do inside of a wrestling ring.

But that was just the coming attractions, ladies and gentlemen.  The real show is about to begin at Darkness Within.  What you saw was just a taste of what will be coming in the future.  The main course is on the horizon.

You can look at what happened between me and Nate Lawson and you can cheer him all you want for surviving but you are wrong.  You are deluded, just as he is deluded if he thinks he can match wits with me in the ring.

He survived.  That’s all he did.  But he won’t survive another bout.  He won’t survive round two.  Mayhem was the calm before the storm and Darkness Within is when the storm hits the shores of FWA full force with full effect and it will overwhelm everyone, starting with Nate Lawson.

Mayhem was just the beginning…the beginning of the end…

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Off Camera

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There had been an understanding between Samantha Hodgson and Angelica Jones when they resumed their former allegiance as manager and wrestler.  The understanding, the terms, were quite clear and simple; Samantha Hodgson would manage the business aspect of Angelica’s busy, tenuous career while Angelica herself would do what she does best and that’s destroy, maim, and eradicate human life inside of a wrestling ring.  This business arrangement meant both sides giving up some control.  Samantha had to let Angelica have free reign to do what she felt she needed to do in the ring but outside the ring Samantha had free reign and Angelica needed to listen and abide by her advice.  That’s just how it was and if that was the only sacrifice Angelica needed to make then so be it.  She was willing to do anything to be restored to her former glory and become a world champion again.

Sacrifices had indeed been made.  Samantha ordered that Angelica color her hair blonde instead of its natural red color.  Samantha ordered that Angelica’s wife, Lindsey Carter, not be seen in public with Angelica.  All of this was done for image purposes and, as much as Angelica hated to do it, she bowed to Samantha’s will.  She agreed to do these things, because she made a commitment and she was going to abide by it.  Anything to be champion again.

It seemed as if things were going to work out.  The Boston native ran roughshod in a new federation, International Wrestling Championship, and quickly won their World Heavyweight Title, her tenth championship of her career.  But the company almost immediately shut down afterwards due to financial problems and thus her tenth reign as champion as brought to a quick halt.  Since then, Jones has plied her trade in three other companies.  Frontier, an indy league based in the United Kingdom, the Global Championship Wrestling where she and Samantha have reformed a rival Apocalypse, and now the Future Wrestling Alliance where she has sided with Dante and The Following.

Jones is happy to be wrestling again and is happy to be plying her trade in these three organizations, especially FWA where she had once wrestled before.  It was in FWA where she had been a world tag team champion with Glory Braddock, her cousin and current number one contender to the world heavyweight title that she craves so badly.  It was here in FWA that she has no aligned herself with Dante and, in her first match back in an FWA ring, defeated Nate Lawson in a controversial fashion. Now, coming up at Darkness Within, Jones is scheduled to face Lawson one more time in a rematch from Mayhem.

What she is not happy about is the speed at which things are going.  The self-styled Golden Goddess of professional wrestling is used to getting what she wants when she wants it.  Having to wait, having to rely on patience, is not her forte.

The offices in Worcester, Massachusetts where Samantha Hodgson is teeming with life on this lovely afternoon.  Hodgson’s business has picked up ever since her arrangement with Angelica Jones has been made public.  More and more people want her to manage their careers to success in much the same way she once managed Angelica.  The full waiting room here of potential clients illustrates that fact pretty well.  There is a waiting list, one that Samantha’s secretary has been ordered to abide by rather strictly, but one individual feels she has a right to skip to the head of the line…

Angel: OUT OF MY WAY!

The front doors are flung wildly open as Angelica Jones comes storming into the waiting room.  The Boston native normally doesn’t dress to impress for every occasion but her agent, whose advice she agreed to listen to, told her that image was everything and thus ordered her to dress like a champion at all times.  So, for this occasion, she is wearing a western style retro elegant gold lace dress with an empire waistline that stops just above the knee, a sheath silhouette, a slash neckline, and spaghetti straps which put heavy emphasis upon the elegance of this woman, a wrestling legend. This lovely gold dress tells the story of a woman who believes herself to be the true queen of professional wrestling.

As the red head makes her way up to Samantha’s office door the secretary by the door reaches out with a hand, grabbing Jones by her wrist, to stop her.  Angelica gazes down, at first in disbelief but that disbelief quickly turns into a more quizzical hatred.

Secretary: I can’t let you go in.

Angel: Do you know who I am?

Secretary: It doesn’t matter, Ms. Hodgson ordered me to abide by the waiting list and there are others ahead of you.

Jones leans down so that the secretary can get a good look at the fire in her eyes.

Angel: Are you really prepared to try and stop me?

Her duty as secretary tells her to try and stop her but those eyes, the demonic rage in those eyes is enough to scare even the most battle hardened warrior, let alone a lowly secretary making minimum wage for an egotistical agent like Samantha Hodgson.  Realizing her pay isn’t worth this, the potential pain that could come from trying to stop this professional wrestling legend, the secretary releases her grip on Angelica.

Secretary: No, of course not…

Angel: I didn’t think so.

With that the Boston native turns back to the door and grabs the handles.  She swings them open and storms into Samantha’s office, a large office with giant windows that present a beautiful view of the city.  Large ferns and plants decorate her office as do expensive paintings.  Over by the window is a large oak desk.  Sitting behind the desk, doing paperwork and not paying any attention at all to her uninvited guest, is none other than Samantha Hodgson herself.  Hodgson is wearing a printed drapeneck mesh top underneath a black blazer that tells us all that this woman is all business all the time; to match her black blazer she is wearing a knee length black pencil skirt that shouts femininity while at the same time maintaining the overall business appearance.

Angel: We need to talk.

Samantha: You do know there are certain rules you should abide by in my office, correct Ms. Jones?

Angel: I don’t care about your damn rules!

The Boston native storms up to her desk and slams her fists down upon it.  This gets Hodgson’s attention as she finally looks up at Angelica, albeit unimpressed.  She has seen these outbursts before.  She dealt with her angry side before.

Samantha: Well you ought to care about the rules.  Those are my rules and I thought we had an understanding that you would abide by them.

Angel: Just as I thought you were going to help me become world champion!

Hodgson grins.

Samantha: I did.  I cannot help your little fake IWC went under after you won the title.  But then again, YOU chose to wrestle there, not me.  I advised you to pick somewhere like, say, the Independent Wrestling Cartel, a real IWC, and you ignored me.  Further examples of how it is beyond your capability to make good business decisions and why you need me.

Angel: Getting brave, aren’t we?  No one would dare say that to my face unless they had a fucking death wish!

Hodgson shakes her head as she stands up from her black swivel chair.

Samantha: No, I do not have death wish, nor am I any braver than I had been previously.

She points a long, slender, carefully manicured finger at Angelica.

Samantha: I just know you.

Angel: If you know me so damn well then you know I am pissed off about what’s been going on lately!

Samantha: Then by all means…

She points to a chair in front of the desk.

Samantha: Sit.  Tell me all about it.

Jones looks deep into Hodgson’s eyes.  As much as she would like to strangle her agent right now she thinks better of it and chooses to sit down instead.  Samantha follows suit, sitting back down in her black swivel chair behind the desk.

Samantha: So what is your problem, Ms. Jones?

Angel: My problem is that this business arrangement between you and I seems to be heavily one sided.  Since we’ve gotten back together your business has picked up.  The people have been coming in droves to get your business advice only because they know a Jones has sought your business advice.

Hodgson grins knowingly.

Samantha: Too true…

Angel: Since we got back together you have managed to take control of wrestling operations in Global Championship Wrestling.

Samantha: Only because you wanted to punish your cousin Glory.

Jones nods her head.

Angel: That’s right, but Glory and I have reconciled now.  All is ok between us and yet you still maintain your power in GCW.  You still refuse to give it back to Glory.

Samantha: If you think I am going to give up power then you are crazy.

Angel: It was never about power, Samantha.  It was about punishing Glory.

She shrugs her shoulders.

Samantha: Too bad.  You should have thought about that before you helped me gain power.  What’s next on your list of grievances against me, Angelica?

Angel: In Frontier I haven’t been booked for two straight shows.  In GCW I didn’t get entered in the Best of the Best Tournament.  Instead I get entered into a match to become number one contenders for the tag titles with Aerik Walker?  I want to be world champion, Sam.  Not tag champion.  And in FWA I’m having to face an idiot who I already beat by the name of Nate Lawson.

Samantha: An idiot who made you tap if I remember correctly…

Jones sighs.

Angel: Details, details.  The point is I am facing midcarders and curtain jerkers when I should be in the world title hunt.  You are not helping my case, Samantha, and I want out!

Samantha: You want out?

Hodgson was not expecting this reaction from her top client.  But that doesn’t mean she cannot handle this situation.  The agent stands up, almost towering over Angelica even though she is only a few inches taller than her.  Angelica stands up as well, getting nose to nose with her.  The tension builds.

Samantha: You can get out of this arrangement at any time you wish, Angelica.  You already helped me get my business back up and that’s all I needed out of you.

The tough, cutthroat businesswoman points at Angelica.

Samantha: But you still need me.  You have already proven, very recently in fact with your stupid decision to join the ‘other’ IWC’, the one that went bankrupt and shut its doors, that you know shit about business.  You can fight better than I in a ring but when it comes to the business at hand, the politics that will ultimately decide if you will get a title shot, you need me.  And you know this, don’t you?

There is a pause.  A long pause as Angelica tries to find the appropriate words.  There had been a time when Angelica would have stomped her into the ground for saying such things to her but times have changed.  Jones has begun to doubt herself and the silence tells that story well.  Samantha smirks, knowing she has won.

Samantha: Tell the truth.  You do need me, don’t you?

The Boston native nods her head slowly, still snarling at her menacingly.  To deny it would be pointless.  Samantha knows the truth.

Angel: Yes, I do need you…

Samantha: Right, then get back out there and get ready to face Nate Lawson at Darkness Within.

She reaches out and takes Angelica’s hands with her own.

Samantha: I know I am difficult to deal with at times, but I have your best interests at heart.  Anything I ask you to do is going to get you just that much closer to becoming world champion.  Trust me when I say you will get your title shot in time but you have to have patience and that patience starts with destroying Lawson.  Show the world that the tap out was a fluke.

She points towards the door.

Samantha: Now get out of my office.  I do have other clients to see.

Angel: Right…

Jones turns to walk away.

Samantha: Wait…

Jones stops and turns back to face Samantha.

Samantha: Change your hair color back to blonde.  You are a blonde now, remember?  Blondes are more attractive than that disgusting red hair of yours.

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Euthanization

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Let’s hear it for Nate Lawson!  Let’s have a round of applause for a great warrior, a great fighter…

…a loser.

…a failure.

That’s right, Nate Lawson the loser.  Nate Lawson the failure.  Nate Lawson the supposed MMA fighter who could not handle Angelica Jones at Mayhem.  Nate Lawson who could not rise to the occasion and win when the pressure was on and the spotlight was shining bright.  Nate Lawson the man who failed to deliver when the chips were down.

Oh but wait, I tapped out?  I tapped out?  Not officially.  The referee didn’t see it so it didn’t happen.  What goes down in the record books is me victorious over the MMA fighter, the man Lincoln Booth claimed would be the next big thing here in FWA and yet whose career has stalled since arriving.

Don’t think I haven’t been watching and paying attention, Nate.  I remember how you got your ass kicked twice in one night, by Eric Herrera and then by Glory Braddock.  Herrera is no Angelica Jones and he never will be and despite what she may claim, Glory Braddock is great but not as good as me.  And yet you think you can hang in that squared circle with me?

I don’t think so.

I won, you lost.  I was the victor and you were the failure.  So what are we cheering you for?  The fact that you survived?  I hate to break it to you, but you only survived because I allowed you to survive.

You’re like an old farm animal, Nate, who has outlived his usefulness.  An old steer ready to be taken out to slaughter or a horse that’s too old and needs to be taken out back.  You have done nothing in FWA.  You have been a complete and utter worthless, pathetic, failure in FWA.  You have wallowed in the mid-card and now you have your one and only chance to dance in the spotlight with a major superstar.

These opportunities, though, are only life support and nothing more.  Your career is going into a vegetative state of which it cannot get out of.  All FWA is doing is trying to help you survive at this point.  But there comes a time when survival is pointless.  There comes a time when you have to take off that life support.

Darkness Within will be the biggest match of your career for many reasons.  Firstly, you are facing off against the greatest wrestler ever.  You are facing The Golden Goddess, a ten time world champion.  This will easily be the biggest stage ever for you.  Can you feel the pressure?  You should.

Second reason this is the biggest match of your career is because it will be the beginning of the end for you in FWA.  I am going to remove that life support from the dying carcass that some call your career here in FWA.  I am going to take you out back and I am going to put you down.

In short, I am going to euthanize you.