Post by Adrien | Adam on Aug 1, 2017 20:00:57 GMT -5
FOR THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT HALF OF THIS RP, CLICK HERE
Date: July 31st, 2017
Cameras: ON
“So, I’m going to admit something. This situation...it’s not ideal.”
The face of the Dropkick King is stoic and reserved. Adrien Cochrane knew that the events were not on his side past week and a half. He nods his head slightly as his mouth narrows a bit. He was wearing a pair of gym shorts and a Descendents t-shirt, slightly different than the usual jeans, plaid, leather jacket, and hat from the Dropkick King.
“And in a way, it’s a lesson for me. See, I’m very meticulous. I have a tendency to analyze situations and strategize what the best of course of action is for me to go ahead and come out on top. I’m the type of person that usually plans a lot of things, not quite to a Chuck Matthews level, and I’ll get to the differences between me and him in a moment. Most of the time, we stick with the plan and everything falls into place the way I want them to. Stacy’s entire debut was something that was planned by me because I didn’t trust there wouldn’t be an attack after the tag gauntlet match. I mean, I was expecting it to be Shields like it was two weeks later, but when Kayla Richards and Coda attacked me and Honey after our victory, it worked as well. I even tried to have her on standby in case what ended up happening did happen: Shields interfered. Of course, Tillman and Alechs were definitely not expected to make their appearances in that plan.
“I guess the difference between me and Chuck Matthews when it comes to us planning things out like that is that I’m plotting out two moves ahead and sometimes, I only predict half of the events that go down. I said I’m meticulous but I never said I was a genius Chessmaster. But I am a guy who gets thrown off when the chips are down and things don’t go down as I planned. It’s something I need to improve on, being more flexible and more ready to abandon the plan when things go wrong.
“The plan was to step into that ring in Memphis, Tennessee, Stacy’s home state, with my girlfriend, a woman I won my only tag team championship with, to take on the duo of Matthew Shields and Kayla Richards, the third show in a row I’m taking on some combination of the Destroyers in a tag team match. That was the plan. And now, the plan had a wrench thrown in it. Now, I’m going to have to make adjustments.”
The New Orleans native takes a deep breath before continuing. The only thing really worth noticing about his surroundings was the big white brick wall behind him, but he did appear to be outdoors based on the lighting, which appeared to be natural from the sun, not artificial from light bulbs.
“Nine days ago, the bottom fell out of that plan. The love of my life had an accident while training for this big match, serious enough for her to be hospitalized and sidelined for quite some time. She’s worried that her career is wrecked. I’m man enough to admit it nearly broke me to watch her demand she wrestle in her condition, tears streaming down her face as she couldn’t even walk.
“She was stoked to be in this match and this company. Her face lit up the moment she saw herself in a match with me on her side. This was no exception. She almost didn’t even care who she was facing. She saw her name next to mine first and foremost. The fact she was going to be taking on the former champion and the top contender was just icing on the cake. The fact it was two of the people who have attacked me for almost every show since my debut motivated her more to get the victory for me.
“Then this happened. Redemption Wrestling is, first and foremost, a business. After the accident that took Ronnie North out of action, they wanted to protect the company from a situation like that again. And that caused Stacy to have her contract terminated because of this injury and her lack of availability due to it. It wasn’t a decision any of us liked, even Devlin Scott hated that this happened. We’re not mad; it was in the agreement Stacy made when she signed with Redemption. Mr. Scott came down, checked in with Stacy to see how she was doing and made it clear that even though she is no longer part of his roster that he is there if there is anything she needed from him. We’re upset but we understand.
“Despite everything that has happened, I still have a match on the sixth of August. Matthew Shields and Kayla Richards does not care how many of us show up for this match, they want a fight. And they are still going to get one. In the event I don’t get a replacement for Stacy in this tag team match, I will fight them in a handicap match. Yes, I’m well aware that the odds of me leaving a handicap match against those two in any better shape than Stacy is in are not very good. I’m perfectly aware of that. And I’m willing to accept the consequences of stepping into that ring with the two because the only other option is not an option and that’s not wrestling at all, and I’ve never been the type to give up.
“Of course, my opponents are having their fun with this. Stevie Wonder could have seen that coming. I think one of the funniest moments of that was Kayla Richards decided to make a comment that I smile too much, which compared to Stacy and even someone like Honey, doesn’t actually end up being a lot. Hell, my manager Eddie probably spends more seconds of the day smiling than I do. When it comes time to compete, I’m the serious one in my little group while Eddie is the snarky sarcastic one with big smirks on his face and Stacy is the bubbly positive one. So if you don’t like the way my GIRLFRIEND is a big positive, smiling person, don’t assume that means I am the same way. We are different people with distinct personalities that differ in some aspects. Do I smile a lot when I’m home and just spending time with Stacy? Absolutely. But the Adrien you see when it comes to my wrestling related activities, whether it’s videos like this or when I’m actually at a Redemption Wrestling show, I don’t smile any more or less than half this roster. I take my job and this business seriously. But I guess the fact Stacy and I are independent people who approach things differently is a foreign concept to you since you and Matthew are starting to bubble into one giant blob of the same person, personality traits, attitudes, and the like.
“Though one difference between these two did pop into my head as I watched Kayla talk about this match. See, awhile back, my manager, Eddie Walker, pointed out a stat to Matthew Shields. Walker compared the win-loss record between Shields and myself. Shields’s defense was that there was tag matches and other situations where he was not the person pinned. But what match did Kayla Richards want to bring up? The match where Tyson Gregory pinned Alex Jones, causing me to lose the #FSociety Championship. So...unpinned losses only count if they’re on their side, right? Is that how your narrative works?
“Actually, while we are on the topic of that, can you please learn to make any references to my twelve-year career from before last year. Like, I feel like that is all you and Shields know about me. You know #FSociety. That’s literally it. You know I’ve been doing this since 2005, right? You got eleven previous years of references that you’re missing out on. Spoiler alert: I was not a very successful wrestler in the first handful of years so you are free to tell me how much I sucked when I was trying to survive the WWA Summer Games or losing all the tag team matches in the AWA when I was paired up Dean Hobkirk in my rookie year. Talk about the struggle I had in the cage match with Ulfric in HRW in 2009. If you’re going to use the past against me, at least use the good stuff. There’s plenty of ammunition out there.
“See, I’m not exactly the type of person to use what they did in other companies in past years against them. If you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you should be getting better than you were previously. I think the Matthew Shields of 2017 is a better wrestler than he was in 2016. If he isn’t, then he’s doing something wrong. Some match he lost in Kyoto Star Wrestling is irrelevant and not even worth mentioning when it comes to talking about wrestling him because it’s not important anymore.
“And exactly how many times are you going to say the same thing OVER AND OVER AGAIN. It’s getting pretty boring. Like, I’m pretty sure I can start doing the whole ‘cut your promo before you do’ thing I’ve done in the past. Kayla has mentioned the Tyson Gregory versus Alex Jones versus Adrien Cochrane match more times than I’ve even brought up being a champion in #FSociety. She’s mentioned at least twice that I’m lucky it was the other Richards sister in that company with me or else I would have never been as successful as well. Do you need me to go grab a bus for you to throw Amber under or are you good, Kayla?
“And then there’s Matt with his repetitive streak of calling me ‘fake’ and ‘two-faced’. You see, usually, when I call somebody something, I tend to back up such claims with evidence and arguments. But Matthew Shields decides he wants to go the Senator Joseph McCarthy route. Trying to say anything I say is disingenuous. Because I do not utter a word that I do not truly believe myself. Sure, my viewpoints might change in time or sometimes I even get corrected, but when I say something, I mean it. You know...kinda like how that time you told Coda you weren’t a monarch. What did you call yourself on Twitter again the other day? A king, right? Oh wait, I’ve covered this already. But with me, what you see is what you get. I don’t need to be deceitful or mendacious to do what I do. I’ll leave the duplicitous behavior to the experts.
“So I stand before you, Shields and Richards. I have no plan this time. Do your worst. But don’t think I’m going to be scared of your overwhelming odds. I’m going to fight as hard as I can whether I get a replacement partner or not. And if I’m on my own, I will probably be taken out, but I’m sure as hell going to do my best to take at least one of you with me. Despite the odds, I believe that I can.”
The reminders, pull the floor from your feet
In the kitchen, one more chair than you need, oh
And you're angry, and you should be, it's not fair
Just 'cause you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there
Date: July 31st, 2017
Cameras: ON
“So, I’m going to admit something. This situation...it’s not ideal.”
The face of the Dropkick King is stoic and reserved. Adrien Cochrane knew that the events were not on his side past week and a half. He nods his head slightly as his mouth narrows a bit. He was wearing a pair of gym shorts and a Descendents t-shirt, slightly different than the usual jeans, plaid, leather jacket, and hat from the Dropkick King.
“And in a way, it’s a lesson for me. See, I’m very meticulous. I have a tendency to analyze situations and strategize what the best of course of action is for me to go ahead and come out on top. I’m the type of person that usually plans a lot of things, not quite to a Chuck Matthews level, and I’ll get to the differences between me and him in a moment. Most of the time, we stick with the plan and everything falls into place the way I want them to. Stacy’s entire debut was something that was planned by me because I didn’t trust there wouldn’t be an attack after the tag gauntlet match. I mean, I was expecting it to be Shields like it was two weeks later, but when Kayla Richards and Coda attacked me and Honey after our victory, it worked as well. I even tried to have her on standby in case what ended up happening did happen: Shields interfered. Of course, Tillman and Alechs were definitely not expected to make their appearances in that plan.
“I guess the difference between me and Chuck Matthews when it comes to us planning things out like that is that I’m plotting out two moves ahead and sometimes, I only predict half of the events that go down. I said I’m meticulous but I never said I was a genius Chessmaster. But I am a guy who gets thrown off when the chips are down and things don’t go down as I planned. It’s something I need to improve on, being more flexible and more ready to abandon the plan when things go wrong.
“The plan was to step into that ring in Memphis, Tennessee, Stacy’s home state, with my girlfriend, a woman I won my only tag team championship with, to take on the duo of Matthew Shields and Kayla Richards, the third show in a row I’m taking on some combination of the Destroyers in a tag team match. That was the plan. And now, the plan had a wrench thrown in it. Now, I’m going to have to make adjustments.”
The New Orleans native takes a deep breath before continuing. The only thing really worth noticing about his surroundings was the big white brick wall behind him, but he did appear to be outdoors based on the lighting, which appeared to be natural from the sun, not artificial from light bulbs.
“Nine days ago, the bottom fell out of that plan. The love of my life had an accident while training for this big match, serious enough for her to be hospitalized and sidelined for quite some time. She’s worried that her career is wrecked. I’m man enough to admit it nearly broke me to watch her demand she wrestle in her condition, tears streaming down her face as she couldn’t even walk.
“She was stoked to be in this match and this company. Her face lit up the moment she saw herself in a match with me on her side. This was no exception. She almost didn’t even care who she was facing. She saw her name next to mine first and foremost. The fact she was going to be taking on the former champion and the top contender was just icing on the cake. The fact it was two of the people who have attacked me for almost every show since my debut motivated her more to get the victory for me.
“Then this happened. Redemption Wrestling is, first and foremost, a business. After the accident that took Ronnie North out of action, they wanted to protect the company from a situation like that again. And that caused Stacy to have her contract terminated because of this injury and her lack of availability due to it. It wasn’t a decision any of us liked, even Devlin Scott hated that this happened. We’re not mad; it was in the agreement Stacy made when she signed with Redemption. Mr. Scott came down, checked in with Stacy to see how she was doing and made it clear that even though she is no longer part of his roster that he is there if there is anything she needed from him. We’re upset but we understand.
“Despite everything that has happened, I still have a match on the sixth of August. Matthew Shields and Kayla Richards does not care how many of us show up for this match, they want a fight. And they are still going to get one. In the event I don’t get a replacement for Stacy in this tag team match, I will fight them in a handicap match. Yes, I’m well aware that the odds of me leaving a handicap match against those two in any better shape than Stacy is in are not very good. I’m perfectly aware of that. And I’m willing to accept the consequences of stepping into that ring with the two because the only other option is not an option and that’s not wrestling at all, and I’ve never been the type to give up.
“Of course, my opponents are having their fun with this. Stevie Wonder could have seen that coming. I think one of the funniest moments of that was Kayla Richards decided to make a comment that I smile too much, which compared to Stacy and even someone like Honey, doesn’t actually end up being a lot. Hell, my manager Eddie probably spends more seconds of the day smiling than I do. When it comes time to compete, I’m the serious one in my little group while Eddie is the snarky sarcastic one with big smirks on his face and Stacy is the bubbly positive one. So if you don’t like the way my GIRLFRIEND is a big positive, smiling person, don’t assume that means I am the same way. We are different people with distinct personalities that differ in some aspects. Do I smile a lot when I’m home and just spending time with Stacy? Absolutely. But the Adrien you see when it comes to my wrestling related activities, whether it’s videos like this or when I’m actually at a Redemption Wrestling show, I don’t smile any more or less than half this roster. I take my job and this business seriously. But I guess the fact Stacy and I are independent people who approach things differently is a foreign concept to you since you and Matthew are starting to bubble into one giant blob of the same person, personality traits, attitudes, and the like.
“Though one difference between these two did pop into my head as I watched Kayla talk about this match. See, awhile back, my manager, Eddie Walker, pointed out a stat to Matthew Shields. Walker compared the win-loss record between Shields and myself. Shields’s defense was that there was tag matches and other situations where he was not the person pinned. But what match did Kayla Richards want to bring up? The match where Tyson Gregory pinned Alex Jones, causing me to lose the #FSociety Championship. So...unpinned losses only count if they’re on their side, right? Is that how your narrative works?
“Actually, while we are on the topic of that, can you please learn to make any references to my twelve-year career from before last year. Like, I feel like that is all you and Shields know about me. You know #FSociety. That’s literally it. You know I’ve been doing this since 2005, right? You got eleven previous years of references that you’re missing out on. Spoiler alert: I was not a very successful wrestler in the first handful of years so you are free to tell me how much I sucked when I was trying to survive the WWA Summer Games or losing all the tag team matches in the AWA when I was paired up Dean Hobkirk in my rookie year. Talk about the struggle I had in the cage match with Ulfric in HRW in 2009. If you’re going to use the past against me, at least use the good stuff. There’s plenty of ammunition out there.
“See, I’m not exactly the type of person to use what they did in other companies in past years against them. If you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you should be getting better than you were previously. I think the Matthew Shields of 2017 is a better wrestler than he was in 2016. If he isn’t, then he’s doing something wrong. Some match he lost in Kyoto Star Wrestling is irrelevant and not even worth mentioning when it comes to talking about wrestling him because it’s not important anymore.
“And exactly how many times are you going to say the same thing OVER AND OVER AGAIN. It’s getting pretty boring. Like, I’m pretty sure I can start doing the whole ‘cut your promo before you do’ thing I’ve done in the past. Kayla has mentioned the Tyson Gregory versus Alex Jones versus Adrien Cochrane match more times than I’ve even brought up being a champion in #FSociety. She’s mentioned at least twice that I’m lucky it was the other Richards sister in that company with me or else I would have never been as successful as well. Do you need me to go grab a bus for you to throw Amber under or are you good, Kayla?
“And then there’s Matt with his repetitive streak of calling me ‘fake’ and ‘two-faced’. You see, usually, when I call somebody something, I tend to back up such claims with evidence and arguments. But Matthew Shields decides he wants to go the Senator Joseph McCarthy route. Trying to say anything I say is disingenuous. Because I do not utter a word that I do not truly believe myself. Sure, my viewpoints might change in time or sometimes I even get corrected, but when I say something, I mean it. You know...kinda like how that time you told Coda you weren’t a monarch. What did you call yourself on Twitter again the other day? A king, right? Oh wait, I’ve covered this already. But with me, what you see is what you get. I don’t need to be deceitful or mendacious to do what I do. I’ll leave the duplicitous behavior to the experts.
“So I stand before you, Shields and Richards. I have no plan this time. Do your worst. But don’t think I’m going to be scared of your overwhelming odds. I’m going to fight as hard as I can whether I get a replacement partner or not. And if I’m on my own, I will probably be taken out, but I’m sure as hell going to do my best to take at least one of you with me. Despite the odds, I believe that I can.”
If they say
Who cares if one more light goes out
In the sky of a million stars
It flickers, flickers
Who cares when someone's time runs out
If a moment is all we are
Or quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out
Well I do
