Retaliation of a Failure

by **krzy** Sun Apr 04, 2021 6:29 pm

AGAIN!

Tailcoat Val has a microphone in hand, barking out orders as Angel lifts the steel chair and JAMS it down onto Ziegler's knee.

AGAIN!

As she orders it, Angel obliges--metal meeting bone with a sickening crunch as Angel strikes Ziegler's knee again. Gotta be thankful for small mercies that Ziegler is wearing kneepads, because who knows what condition that body part is in underneath? Angel lifts the chair again, but Val didn't give any orders. She snatches the chair away from him and tosses it out of the ring. The chair sails through ropes and nearly hits our beloved commentator in the face! That likely wasn't an accident on her part.

Do you know who stands before you? One of the most decorated champions of all time. One of the hardest working men to ever call himself a CMV wrestler. And half of that battle has been waged outside of the ring, trying to get a modicum of respect for all that he's given this company. Many wrestlers have been slighted so much less and demand so much more for their hurt feelings, and those are the charlatans CMV trips over itself to stroke the egos of.

She turns her fiery glare toward the commentator.

I had the misfortune of listening to you singing the praises of Ziegler the moment the bell rung, and it was then that I knew that a message had to be sent. I don't care what Ziegler's been doing for months, he's not your International Champion. "The one title that's eluded him." Is that all it took to get a shot at the man who defeated Shay Hoxton?--just the chance to tick off a box on his to do list? You know what title has been eluding Brett Angel since he left UnMatched? I think you do, and yet he's never gotten so much as a contender's match. You don't appreciate what you have here. You've gone out of your way to belittle his mental state, and you act surprised every time he competes in the ring like a parent might while watching their toddler take their first steps.

Val motions to the tape covering Angel's shoulder.

Years ago at Ascendance, Brett Angel suffered an injury that should have ended his career. Years later, he's still reminded of that moment. His greatest failure at the greatest stage, broadcast for all the world to see, and he only took enough time for the injury to barely heal. But that sacrifice wasn't good enough. Nothing has ever quite been good enough. Yet you all dare act surprised that he would stand at my side. But I'm not helping him out of a sense of charity. Leading a man to success that this company doesn't want to see succeed brings its own joy.

The crowd is torn. They want that success for Angel, they want to see him reach the top of this side of CMV just like he did all those years ago on UnMatched…but is this truly the way? Is what Val says coated with at least a sliver of truth? Or is it simply a means, a twisted fabrication of history, to justify her tactics?

We have a clear goal in mind. Until then, the International Championship ensures Brett Angel only faces the best of the best to get him ready for that moment. And unlike when he was truly an outcast, he has an Arsenal to deal with those a little too comfortable with running their mouths.

She looks down at Ziegler, rolling on the ground holding his knee in agony.

A failure…yet it's you who looks up at him.

With a smirk on her face, Tailcoat Val lifts the International Championship high above her head.