Post by Aurora Graves on Sept 25, 2016 19:02:19 GMT -5
Irving Theater
Indianapolis, IN
Saturday, September 24, 2016 – 11:00 pm
On the outside, the Irving Theater didn’t look much different from any of the other buildings – just another simple semi-detached structure, with only a sign bolted to the front to distinguish it from the others. But the long line snaking around the corner and down Johnson Avenue suggested that something else was going on in this otherwise-dead part of town.
Beneath the glow of the theater’s marquee, Aurora and Damon stood amongst the other theater-goers, with Aurora dressed in tattered denim jeans and a black Guns N’ Roses “Appetite for Destruction” tank top beneath a dark blue denim vest. For his part, Damon kept things simple – a black leather jacket over a black Motörhead t-shirt over faded blue jeans. Damon leaned against the wall not that far from a window that looked into the neighboring – and currently closed – insurance agency, with Aurora’s arms wrapped around his waist beneath his jacket. Not that she was cold; she just felt like it. Her face was one of pure bliss as she rested her head against his chest, watching as the people in line discussed the movie that they had all come to see:
Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Where else could you see people parading down the street in little more than their underwear – and in the case of a pair dressed as Brad and Janet, LITERALLY in their underwear – and get away with it, all because they were trying to stay as true to the movie as possible? As the aforementioned couple made their way toward the end of the line, they paused beside Aurora and Damon, their jaws hanging open in surprise.
”Brad”: Holy shit, it’s Rebel Ink! I didn’t know you guys were Rocky fans!
Damon chuckled softly as Aurora released her grip of his waist, turning around to greet the pair with her captivating smile.
Aurora: What can I say... we were feeling a little nostalgic tonight, so we looked up to see if there was a shadowcast out here.
Damon: Reminds us of the night we met....
”Janet”: How romantic! Babe, they’re reliving their first date!
Aurora: Actually, it wasn’t a date; he just followed me to the theater. I tried to tell him to get lost, but he’s a persistent son of a bitch.
Aurora cast her sapphire eyes upward to her fiancé’s face, flashing him a loving smile.
Damon: Yeah, four months and two tag team championships later, we’re engaged.
”Brad”: Four months, eh? You two certainly didn’t waste any time.
Aurora: Life is short; when you find something you want, you grab on with both hands and don’t let go...
Damon: Not for anything. Yeah, it happened kind of fast...
Aurora: But you never know what tomorrow may bring. Gotta act while you can, otherwise you never know when you may have missed your chance.
”Janet”: Hmmm... never thought about it that way.
”Brad”: I guess it’s like Eminem said in “Lose Yourself”...
Everyone: You only get one shot.
“Brad” looked at Aurora’s tank top, noting the image printed on the front. He smiled. Aurora was certainly grateful for the fact that he at least had a trenchcoat that concealed most of his – for lack of a better term – “costume”. At least in a bra and knee-length slip, “Janet” was still covered, relatively speaking.
”Brad”: Didn’t take you for a fan of rap music...
Aurora: To be honest, I like almost all music genres. But most rappers I can’t stand. Eminem is one of the few that actually sends a message with his music, for those that take the time to listen.
”Janet”: So, you two have that match at Zero Hour...
”Brad”: No pressure, right? I mean... facing off against three other teams to crown the new tag champs.
”Janet”: Hell of a way to kick of a new promotion, though.
Aurora: I’ll give the boss one thing... he knows how to kick things off with a bang. What better way to bring in the crowds than to book three title matches on the first show? Here’s hoping our opponents can at least put up a decent fight.
”Brad”: With you two in there, they better!
Aurora looked toward the corner as she heard the shuffling of multiple footsteps. There was a sizeable gap in the line up ahead, prompting Aurora to gesture to the rest of the group.
Aurora: Looks like they’re starting to let people in.
Damon: Think they’ll be selling Flaming Bags of Shit?
As they moved to catch up with the rest of the line, “Brad” and “Janet” looked at Damon with confused expressions on their faces, as if he had spoken in some foreign language.
Aurora: Wouldn’t be “Rocky” without them...
”Janet”: Wait, “Flaming Bags of...” what?
A look of realization came over Aurora as she smiled at “Janet”.
Aurora: That’s what the cast in Long Beach calls their prop kits. I thought that’s what everyone called them.
”Brad”: Oh, I see. Yeah... they’re $4 each at the door.
Damon: Excellent! Flaming Bags of Shit are on me!
Aurora: Puddin’, that came out SOOOOO wrong!
Damon: Yeah, Harley... that DID come out wrong. Kinda my intention, if you didn’t notice. Now come on... we’re holding up the line.
At that moment, a man standing behind them, dressed in full Dr. Frank-n-Furter regalia, spoke up.
”Frank”: HEY! No cutting!
Aurora flashed him a sly smile and a playful wink.
Aurora: Relax, Frankie... they’re with us!
Unable to say another word, “Frank” slumped his shoulders as the line moved on.
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Zero Hour was creeping closer and closer, and already, the crowds had started to gather outside the arena, as fans from all over town and beyond swarmed the building, hoping for even the quickest glance of their favorite superstars. The crowd was dotted with fans holding signs touting their favorite wrestlers:
“I Came Here to See Rebel Ink!”
“Part of the Miles High Club”
“#BeatUpJohnBlade”
Clearly, everyone outside was eager to get in to witness the beginning of a new era in professional wrestling. Meanwhile, in another part of the arena...
Aurora Knight posed for the cameras, decked out in her brand new ring gear. Cameras were flashing all over the place, at some point, mimicking a strobe light effect. Damon stood nearby, a proud smile on his face as he watched. Eventually, a member of the crew looked at his watch, then called for the attention of the others.
Head Photographer: Alright, folks. That’s a wrap. Let’s pack it up so we can break for lunch. Looks like they still have some filming to do.
The other photographers gathered up their gear, save for the Redemption camera crew that was on hand. As Damon took his place beside his fiancée, Aurora waited for the last photographer to leave before smiling into the video camera.
Aurora: Do you know what sucks about the world we live in today?
Damon: Too many people are going around, bitching about every little thing that offends them. Nowadays, no one wants to step up and speak their mind, for fear of ruffling someone’s feathers.
Aurora: And then, there’s us. In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t hide behind illusions...
Damon: Says the girl dressed as Harley Quinn.
Aurora: What? It’s a big night tonight. I wanted to go all out with my ring gear.
Damon: I’m not complaining... believe me.
Aurora: I should hope not. Anyway, we’re getting down to the wire, and I know that the fans are practically beating down the doors of the arena, waiting to be let in. They’re eager to see the fruits of what Devlin Scott has been brewing for the past month. These fans are coming to see us step through those ring ropes and unleash hell.
Damon: And yet there are some that think parading around looking like some sort of cartoon character is the way to go. They walk on eggshells, fake smiles plastered on their faces as they put on their little circus act.
Aurora: Gee, Puddin’, you wouldn’t be talking about anyone in particular, would you?
Damon: What was your first clue?
Aurora: Hmph. Anyway, as we prepare to step into the ring against three other teams, we’d like to point out that while everyone else wants to live their lives inside their “safe space,” where everyone is happy and smiling and life is beautiful all the time...
Damon: And I’ll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats, and they’re coming to take me away, HA-HA!
Aurora: And I’M the one that’s dressed like a crazy person...
She smirked at Damon as he shrugged his shoulders.
Aurora: Anyway, it seems we’ve pissed someone off... someone that doesn’t like the fact that we act the way we see the world – as a place where you have to look out for yourself. You can’t rely on others to make things happen...
Damon: You have to get out there and make things happen for yourself. And you’re sure as hell not going to get a damn thing done by acting like everything has to be all smiling and bubble gum all the time.
Aurora: Let’s face the facts... the world is NOT a nice place. Forget Twitter... everything that’s wrong with Twitter is a reflection of what is wrong with the real world, only hidden behind the veil of the “keyboard warrior”. Here’s the thing. If you don’t like what you see on Twitter, you can either unfollow, block, or if it REALLY pisses you off that badly, just delete your account and get the fuck out, already.
And this from the guy whose tag team partner actually has it in his head that every girl involved in this match wants to – and I quote – “jump on his jimmy”.
Aurora and Damon clapped their hands against their faces in a Macaulay Culkin-esque gesture, feigning shock as they stared into the camera.
Aurora and Damon: OH NO!
Damon: Ronnie made a sexual inference toward the women! Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wives, because he’s looking to bang e’rrybody in here!
Aurora: What does it say about you if you let your tag team partner talk about women that way? All the while, you’re worried about how everyone else around you is acting. There’s a saying about people in glass houses, JB. Perhaps you should take heed, and stop throwing stones.
Aurora shook her head, before turning to her fiancé with a sly smile.
Damon: Speaking of that sleazy Magnum PI reject, if you’re looking to fly, I’ll be more than happy to oblige, by sending your ass flying out of the ring! But I’m going to warn you right now... that landing is going to hurt like a motherfucker. You may have been a big thing in IPW, but then again, you’ve never faced off against a team like us before. Aurora and I have more than made a name for ourselves across multiple promotions by doing one thing, and doing it pretty damn well, I might add...
Aurora: And that’s beating the shit out of just about every tag team that’s been put in front of us. After all, they don’t hand out tag team championships like candy on Halloween...
Damon: You have to EARN them! And in just a few hours, my fiancée and I are looking to earn our way to another title reign. So if you’re looking to stop us from becoming THREE-TIME champions, then I suggest you put the lube down, and get ready for a fucking FIGHT!
Aurora: Maybe he thinks that all that baby oil will make it harder for us to grab onto him in the ring.
Aurora’s face took on a look of disgust as she looked at her hands.
Aurora: Just thinking about it makes me want to wash my hands with alcohol....
Damon: In that case, maybe we’d better bring a hose to the ring, so we can make sure he gets a good shower before he makes a mess.
Aurora: Make it a cold one... that horndog on a stick acts like he needs one. My apologies to all of the girls on his payroll....
The engaged pair shared a laugh for a moment before Damon cleared his throat.
Damon: At least he has a job to fall back on. Maybe his partner could get a job working children’s birthday parties. That is, if any of the parents will hire him after finding out about the company he keeps.
With a shake of her head, Aurora rolled her eyes and sighed.
Aurora: That’s enough of the Time Warp Twosome, Puddin’. Time to roll on ahead to the couple that call themselves “Chaos Love.” Frankly, they remind me of a line from an episode of King of the Hill. They’re like a Sloppy Joe sandwich that’s “all sloppy and no Joe.”
Damon: It’s kind of hard to take anyone seriously when the best that they could throw at us is a cheesy line about a chick with a fondness for pricks and the Prince of Darkness.
Aurora: Don’t we have enough people in professional wrestling calling themselves some sort of “royalty”?
Damon: You’re right. Calling yourself a Prince or a Princess or anything like that has become so rampant, it’s pretty much lost its meaning anymore.
Aurora: Though Daisy did say one thing that I’ll agree with. It’s a given that as women, we have to fight just as hard – no – even HARDER than our male counterparts, simply for the fact that most of the boys have this Neanderthal mentality that only the biggest and the baddest will ever stand a chance. We’re called “the weaker sex” simply because we’re smaller, and we don’t have muscles upon muscles to the point where we can’t even put our arms down all the way.
Yeah... one kick to the junk and they fall down like a house of cards in a hurricane.
Damon winced at the image Aurora’s words put into his head. She responded with a narrow-eyed smirk.
Damon: Ouch... that sounds painful just THINKING about it. Thankfully, I’m not that pigheaded. I know that women are just as capable of bringing the fight as the men are, and I treat them accordingly. But if you come off as all talk when you haven’t proven a damn thing, then I’m sorry, but your involvement in this match is going to be fairly minimum, IF that.
Simply put, you two are going to have to fight a hell of a lot harder than that if you expect to make it through this match. This is about who among the four teams is the hungriest for championship glory, and only one team will be left standing to claim that prize. Once you step into the ring with us, we’ll show you the TRUE meaning of “Chaos Love”.
Aurora: Finally, there’s the team comprised of the would-be “First Lady of Redemption Wrestling” and her as-yet silent tag team partner, Angel. Here’s another tandem that I don’t really see getting that far in this match. Too many times, I’ve seen teams come into a match with all of the confidence in the world, only to fall short because one half couldn’t hold their own weight. And as much as I hate to say it, your friend Avery Miles III knows exactly what I’m talking about. But that was another time, and another place.
Damon: Yet some lessons take longer to learn than others. Once again, I see only one side of a tag team putting forth the brunt of the effort, while the other half hides in a corner. I hate to break it to you, Trixie, but your involvement with Devlin Scott isn’t going to be enough to save your ass, unless he talks you out of showing up to this match. Unless of course, you want to take a page out of Avery’s book and try to take everyone else on by yourself.
Aurora: Maybe if you do that, you’ll gain a shred of respect from us, because at least it shows that you have SOMETHING resembling a spine.
Aurora paused, shaking her head as her eyebrows furrowed in disappointment.
Aurora: As for you, Angel, I think it only fair to warn you that you can only get so far in this business riding on someone else’s coat tails. Now, it remains to be seen as to who those coat tails belong to – Avery or Trixie – but if you keep looking to them to clean up after your messes, it won’t be long before you find yourself looking for a new group of friends.
Damon: The thing that pisses me off about this match is that a slacker like you can get eliminated early on, but your partner can still go on without you, and maybe even win the whole damn thing. Meaning you can still reap the benefits of your partner doing all the work. To hell with the competitors that busted their asses to make it all the way to the end! It’s not fair, but in order to make sure that someone like you does NOT get to sit on your ass and call yourself a champion is to make sure that your tag team partner doesn’t make it to the end of the match, either.
Aurora: By all means, Angel... do something to prove us wrong. Show us that you actually do provide something to your team besides a flaming head of hair.
She scoffed as she shifted her weight, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.
Damon: The clock is ticking, folks. In just a few hours, eight people – four teams will kick off a new beginning in professional wrestling. Right now, no one even knows who will be in the main event, but by the time the night is over, everyone will be talking about the team that outlasted six other wrestlers to earn the right to call themselves the Redemption Wrestling Tag Team Champions.
Aurora: And for those of you that haven’t been keeping score, the last time Damon and I took part in an elimination match, WE – not just Damon, not just myself – were the ones standing tall when all was said and done. Simply put, those belts will be coming home with one of the most dominant tag teams in professional wrestling today...
Aurora and Damon: REBEL INK!
As Aurora laughed, Damon drew his knuckles up in front of him, so that the words “STAY DOWN” were on prominent display. Aurora’s laughter continued as the camera zoomed in on Damon’s fists.
