"Of Myths & Men" | Rob Chapman

Subject: "Of Myths & Men" | Rob Chapman Mon Dec 30, 2013 5:34 pm

Due: Sunday January 5th, at 11:59 PM EST

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Subject: Re: "Of Myths & Men" | Rob Chapman Thu Jan 02, 2014 1:41 pm

When it begins, there is nothing but blackness on screen. Some may question whether or not the television is still receiving a signal from it's broadcast center, but within seconds it is made apparent that that is the case. Without warning or seemingly reason, down tempo piano chords permeate through the silence. The lack of imagery on the viewer's screens drives home the potency of the sound in the absence of distracting visuals..As the simple tune progresses, it is joined by an acoustic guitar, and a high pitched, haunting vocal. A tune from at least two decades past, yet relevant and resonant as it cuts through the blackness.

Karma police...

I've given all I can, it's not enough...

I've given all I can.

But we're still on the payroll...

Something gray begins to... not fade in, but... how to put it simply? The screen, as the extension of the viewer's eyes on a spectacle many miles away, begins to open, slowly. Everything is blurry, monochromatic, and almost distorted by a natural means. Like awakening from a short sleep after a long night.

This is what you get...

The "eye" closes once again, before opening suddenly. In order to combat the presence of a visual, however bleak it may be, the volume gradually begins to raise toward obstruction...

This is what you get...

The visual is revealed; a solitary gym in a run down looking building. A punching bag hangs from the ceiling, and a figure stands before it, hammering at it with every ounce of energy in his body;

WHEN YOU MESS WITH US

Fists, feet, elbows, knees; even the front of a man's skull make contact with the training instrument, in a primordial fit of what seems like focused rage. The figure, a silhouette due to the lighting conditions, steps away from the punching bag and into a beam of light through the window, illuminating his previously obscured features. Breathing heavily, a voice suddenly speaks over the imagery on the screen.

"I am a simple man."

The sound suddenly quiets down, reverting to a mere audio backdrop as a voice familiar to those watching last week begins to speak quietly. His tone carries a heavy honesty, and it tries to convey strength, the wavering insecurity of primal fear slowly ebbs into his dialect. The image fades to the figure of Rob Chapman, seated on a cot in that same cabin. The image still appears to be monochromatic.

"Danny Diamond claims to be a God...

And of all the men I've ever stepped into the ring with, or listened to preach about themselves...

He might be the closest damn thing to one I've ever met on this vast Earth.

We've clashed many, many times over these past years. We've torn it up in our wake in several different promotions... our matches becoming urban legends caught on camera.

There have been a lot of greats that have pushed me to my limit, either to break me, or allow me to break through my own glass ceiling.

James Knight.

LX-Tim.

Minkaro.

Dominik Diveraz.

Ace Acid.

Mark Storey.

Shade."

As Rob continues to list off the names, he counts them all on his fingers, before closing his hands into fists and resting them against his knees with a soft thud, the scratch of skin against rough denim audible in the now nearly silent room. Radiohead's "Karma Police" is no more. Chapman's scruffy face looks up to peer into the eyes of the viewers, before lowering in contemplation as he continues to talk.

"But none of them...

With all due respect...

Have pushed me...

Pushed me quite as far as Danny Diamond has. We started out with a rivalry that morphed into a benevolent hatred.

That fierce competitiveness spawned a mutual respect that is maintained to this day, and always will be. And out of that, somehow... a union.

I can say with upright honesty, and with certainty, that Danny Diamond is one of my best friends.

It's... a funny and strange thing. I can't help but laugh every time we end up facing one another, because no matter how much I train...

No matter how much I study him...

No matter how much I assure myself...

There's always a lingering fear in the pit of my stomach. A dreadful anticipation that floods every nerve in my body. Because out of all the times Danny and I have faced one another, I've walked away the victor a grand total of three times.

I never walk out of a match with Diamond as the same man.

I always wonder what part of me is going to be left changed and scarred when everything is said and done. Will it be my body?

My mind?

My soul?

Or will it be my confidence? My confidence...

My confidence shouldn't be shaken, but it is. It's held up by a crumbling foundation that erodes away with every passing moment of my continued and reluctant absence in this strange world that has engulfed me for the past eight years...

Eight years?

It's 2014 now, isn't it? I've been at this for almost nine years now, actually. I didn't even realize it. Heh."

There's a long pause. The sound of a raw winter wind rattles the windows of the apartment, sending a chill of anticipation and cold air through Rob's body, from one side to the other. He takes a deep breath and then folds his hands on his lap, shaking his head. It lowers to stare at the floor and remains there.

"I've veered off track... that happens a lot. Haha.

One of those three times I bested Daniel was in our last match, less than a year ago.

I beat him for the first time in three years.

And now...

Now that I've conquered a God...

I don't know if I can do it again.

I've been Hercules. I've had my moment, standing tall atop Mount Olympus...

Looking down at the world as only he ordinarly sees it.

And then...

Then I disappeared into obscurity... only to reappear as an obstacle in the path of Danny Diamond's meteoric career.

But is that all I am?

An obstacle?

A stepping stone?

I know...

I know that as it stands, I can't stay here right now. It kills me, but I can't.

Yet... funnily enough...

That's why I came back.

I need to know if I can come back when the time is right. If I didn't miss my chance to be something more.

I've come so close to being something more on so many occasions, and yet...

No matter what I do, I always fall short."

Rob's head continues to hang lowly for a moment. He takes in a deep breath, and suddenly... it's as if the atmosphere in the room changes. Chapman raises his eyes to be level with the camera. His eyes appear to be in colour, unlike the rest of the imagery on screen. His dark brown hues somehow blazing with intensity. His hands separate and clench into fists. He begins to crack his knuckles. The release of air from inside of his hands echoes throughout the room like distant gunfire.

The fire has just been lit.

"I am TIRED of always coming in second!

I am TIRED of shifting scenes every time I reach the climax of my dream!

I'm just...

Tired.

I'm ready to wake up.

And Danny...

I hope you're ready for everything I'm going to have to throw at you, because if this isn't the fight of my life...

If this isn't a clash of the titans...

That'll be it.

I won't be able to go on anymore.

Even a mountain is only a stepping stone to some, and I can't settle for being that.

I won't."

Rob lowers his head again, swallowing his conviction and his tenacity. It feels like a ball of napalm-coated razorwire sliding down his throat and tearing at his insides as he suppresses his inner voice. He un-clenches his hands, his fingers extending outward and stiffening, before he brings them together, holding his clasped hands near his forehead, as if in prayer. A single word emanates from his throat to close the doorway to his mind, as the eye shuts.

"Amen."

Blackness and silence consume once again.

Vendetta returns to its regularly scheduled broadcast.

Subject: Re: "Of Myths & Men" | Rob Chapman Thu Jan 02, 2014 1:58 pm

I cannot wait for this fucking match. God damn, that was beautiful.

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Subject: Re: "Of Myths & Men" | Rob Chapman Thu Jan 02, 2014 10:00 pm

So much intensity, this promo is delicious. Rob Chapman went iiiiinnnnn.

Guest

I miss LX Tim. He was cool

Subject: Re: "Of Myths & Men" | Rob Chapman Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:59 am

Geeeeeeeez this was awesome!
I've always heard about how great of a writer you are and this has just proven it for me. Amazing. clap

I could picture it all happening in my head as I read it. I don't know what else to say besides that this is insanely epic. clap

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Favorite Current Wrestlers:
1. Sasha Banks
2. Becky Lynch
3.
4.
5.

Favorite All-Time Wrestlers:
Your dad

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"Of Myths & Men" | Rob Chapman

"Of Myths & Men" | Rob Chapman

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