Worry Rock

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Date: Saturday, January 20th
Cameras: ON

“Saludos, loyal fans here in Madrid and back home!”

The voice on camera is not that of Adrien Cochrane. This was one of those rare occurrences where the spiked hair of manager and best friend of the Dropkick King was the first thing everyone on camera sees. Edward Thomas Walker grins widely at the camera. The night sky of Madrid acts as his backdrop until a few lights begin to turn on behind him. As the lights begin to illuminate the area, it’s revealing glow exposing the location of Walker to be in the historic plaza in the nation’s capital.

“Yes, I know. I’m not the man you were expecting to see. Perhaps not the man you were hoping to see either. While the talent is trying to get his circadian rhythm synchronized with this specific time zone in time for his important triple threat tag team match that takes place in...oh...about twenty-four hours, it’s time for Eddie Walker, manager extraordinaire, to show you why one of the greatest competitors to ever step into a squared circle, keeps a middle-aged failed musician around to be his manager. Basically, he’s in no state of mind to form coherent sentences, so I shall make them for him! And I will do so with a viewpoint that may differ from what the Dropkick King would say himself. Different person and what not.

“Yes, you heard me right a second ago. Greatest competitors to step into a ring. I didn’t stutter. Difference between me and Adrien is quite obvious: he humbles himself to make sure he keeps that edge to be better than he is the day before. He thinks he has a long way to go before he is where he wants to be. Always fighting to get better and improve himself. Me? I’m not afraid to call a spade a spade. How many people on this roster was able to get a pinfall victory over my client in the past calendar year? All of 2017? Anyone want to hazard a guess?”

Eddie Walker chuckles before holding up his index finger. The manager is wearing a pair of windbreaker pants and a matching jacket, unzipped to show his octopus logo on his tee underneath.

“One. Johnny Maverick. Funny how the only man who was able to step into a one on one match with my client and is getting opportunities for the top prize of the company is under the impression he isn’t one of the important people, but that’s beside the point. But that leads to a particular person stepping into this ring with Adrien. Johnny Maverick has a protege in this match! I’ll get back to Mr. North, and the rest of the participants in a moment though.

“I’m standing here in the historic Plaza Mayor de Madrid. Basically translates to ‘the Main Plaza of Madrid’ which, as boring as that sounds, shows how important it is. This plaza has been around since the seventeenth century. And so has the Radicalliance. Ronnie North has much more history in this company than Adrien. In fact, literally, everyone in this match has. Most of you go back to IPW. Adrien was just coming out of retirement and getting into his final EXODUS Pro match and about to begin his next adventure in Inferno, as short as it was, all while you all were taking on one another back then. You all have much bigger historical significance in this company than my client, I’m willing to admit that. Jessica Sears is a former IPW World Heavyweight Champion. Kaylee Kassie was a two-time Spotlight Champion. Ronnie North has left his mark in the tag division and so has Damon Graves. Damon Graves might go down as one of the best tag team wrestlers I’ve ever encountered quite honestly. And Avery Miles, my former client, held the Marquee title as well.

“So the only man in this match without a title, in this company’s lineage anyway...is Adrien Cochrane. Even his protege was able to get one before him. And it’s THIS little fact that will cause all of you to be very, very afraid. Because that puts a chip on Adrien’s shoulder. That makes him fight like he has something to prove. You might think this is insignificant. He might lead you to believe he’s not actually worried about it. But no. He wants to change that. He wants to show everyone that he can succeed in this company, no matter the name. He’s not satisfied winning yearly awards like Fan Favorite nor winning the Match of the Year. He wants to prove that he can win any match at any time against anyone. He wants to prove he is good enough to hold championships. While I don’t think he had the tag team division in mind, he sees the people fighting alongside them and knows how much this NGW Tag Team Championship would mean to his partner, who has made it no secret she feels like she needs that spark to silence anyone is doubting her.

“He’s fighting this for her as much as he is for himself. Maybe even more so. Because as much as he wants to prove himself to be one of the best on the roster, he’s getting SICK of people talking about how he’s the only important Guardian. Damon Graves, my client has no ill feelings towards you, but your comment WAS ABSOLUTELY MORONIC AND IDIOTIC. Your ignorance was completely obvious when you said the Guardians was the Adrien Cochrane show. He’s the only one who hasn’t won a belt in this company or is currently holding another company’s World Title. His own words were that HE is the LEAST important member of the Guardians. Both Jew Blazer and Jazmyn Rain are billed higher than him. That’s the type of filth that the Destroyers are spewing. You’re better than them, Damon. Be better than them. I want the Rebel Society to be something much better than them, not another problem to everyone on the roster and uttering such trash like that is beneath what I think you’re capable of.

“Jessica Sears is the only one in this match to be a World Champion in this company. It would behoove all of you to respect her as one. The Paladin of Vengeance is noticing everyone who is discounting her, marginalizing her impact in the Guardians. She’s one of the most talented people I’ve met. All the Guardians are. Hell, I represent Jew Blazer too, and I was proud to see the run he had as the Five Lakes Champion. Jazmyn Rain is doing great things as the Global Champion over in GCW. Goddamn, the two former members of the group were the Tag Team Champions while the stable existed, yet when you people opened your mouth about the group, you all went straight to Adrien and ignored everyone else. Do you want to know why the Guardians have a tendency to get some of the victories such as the Warfare match? It’s because you all are so focused on only a quarter of the squad. So go ahead, Adrien will be the sleight of hand for all of you, while Jessica Sears drops someone with the Silver Moon Shockwave. If you want to give them that advantage, that’s on you.”

Eddie Walker pauses for a moment, soaking in the surroundings. He turns around, the camera getting a good shot at the back of his head and jacket. He extends his arms.

“I love that I could speak to all of you here. I was told many executions were taken here. Like when King Louis XVI was taken here and had his head chopped off, we are here for here for one purpose. We’re gonna execute a king! We are going to overthrow the team currently holding the Tag Team Championship and bring them home to the Guardians.”

It seems as though as Eddie Walker was being told something on an earpiece as he begins holding his ear and listening intently.

“Wait, I got the wrong country? FRANCE?! You guys told me there were executions here!!”

Pause.

“Spanish Inquisition?! That sounds like the kind of reference the OTHER side would make! I can absolutely see them calling Adrien and the Guardians heretics and talking about...that does not fit the narrative the way I thought I was going to make when you told me about this plaza…”

Walker, a bit red in the face from the interruption, turns to the camera again.

“Yeah, we’ll have to edit that out. In closing, while none of you want to give credit where it’s due, there’s one thing stronger than the belief that I have in Adrien Cochrane. And that is how much Adrien Cochrane ‘believes’ in Jessica Sears, Joshua Goldstein, and Jazmyn Rain. You all will see soon enough.”

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