Liberation

The moment is coming. For every upstart in Wrestleworld, this is the mecca. The Crown Coliseum. With a capacity of 80,000 screaming fans, this is where careers can be made. Dreamworld has a show so big that it couldn’t be contained to just one night. Even if half the building is empty, it’s the biggest show that Colt Montoya has ever been a part of. This is his opportunity, this is the time. Across from him is the King of the World. A man who has shown his ruthless ways to ensure victory against some of the very best in the business.

Everybody has said, ‘Colt Montoya is a future player’. He is the guy who is going to carry the business into 2021, and bring home numerous championships over the course of his career. They’ve said it to the point where it almost reads from a script. There’s no denying what he can do, but what has he done? A blood feud with Jay Jones, and several close call matches against the likes of Killebrew, Ozymandias, Wraith, Jacob Senn. All of those men found out first hand what the man can do. Now, backed by his girlfriend and manager, Kimberly Chase, the ship is beginning to steer in the right direction. The ship is heading to Dreamworld, for one hell of a stop.



::Crown Coliseum::



The following was filmed on Saturday,  August 8, 2020

The arena is almost completely empty, aside from the crew working on the stage and working on the lighting in the arena. It’s amazing how quickly those men and women work. This is going to the place where the guard will begin to change. New champions, up and comers finding their footing, it all can happen here. While most of the seats are empty, two are currently filled. One, with Mallory Montana. A great interviewer, who will get the answers out of someone regardless if they want to spill the beans or not. The other, Colt Montoya. Conspicuous by her absence, the manager, Kimberly Chase.

“Colt, thank you for meeting with me. I was wondering if we could have a talk about your match coming up with King Tristan Killebrew?”

“I don’t see why not. Usually I try not to go to the arena unless the matches are happening, but this is incredible. What a view.”

They both look over the view of the arena. This place is massive.

“Coming up at Dreamworld, you’re facing Killebrew in what many are saying to be the biggest match of your career. With such energy built around the match, do you feel that there’s a lot of pressure on you to ensure the victory after your loss recently against him?”

“To say that there’s pressure, Mallory, is an understatement. Anybody who’s been watching Wrestleworld, they’ve seen what happens when big matches take place. Dreamworld is a big night for absolutely everybody. I don’t care whether or not they’ve fought in front of more people, or have been in this arena that much more than I have. Everybody feels it, everybody gets those butterflies. Now, with that said, you’re right, there is a huge amount of pressure on me to make sure that I avenge my first true loss in the company. My head was swimming after our match, and deep down, I knew I had lost without actually physically losing. As soon as I got hit with that elbow, I couldn’t move. I knew he was going to cover me, and I knew he was going to pin me. It’s the most helpless I’ve ever been, and to be honest, It gave me that feeling that I had to get better. I needed to change something.”

His eyes gaze upon the stage, including the ramp going down to the ring. It didn’t even look like a traditional Wrestleworld ring. Something in the air, something about the aura, it felt different. This wasn’t Chapter, this wasn’t DOMINION.

“Speaking of changes, you recently brought on a manager, also your girlfriend, Kimberly Chase. How did that come about, and what impact is she going to have on your match with Killebrew coming up? Also, where is she?”

“I can hit the last one first here. Kimberly had a lot of work to do, so she’s at the Ranch taking zoom calls and skype this, and webcam that. I’m not savvy on technology, but I know she’s a very busy woman. To the earlier point though of how this all came to be. We ran into each other, and had a talk. She mentioned a lot of good points about how I needed to make some adjustments in the ring. Something was missing, according to her, and I can’t disagree with that. Jay Jones took a lot out of me in our match. Tristan Killebrew took a lot out of me when we fought. There’s no doubt in my mind that had I continued that path, I wouldn’t do so well against the likes of Ryker or in the tag match against Killebrew and April Song. Something needed fixing, and that’s where Kimberly really came into play. She caused me to stop focusing so much on the Ranch, and focus on getting better in the ring. The pain has its pleasure, the risk has its reward. What I’m bringing to Dreamworld isn’t the overconfident Outlaw who wanted to just fight anyone for the sake of fighting.I have her to thank for that.”

Mallory nods, watching Colt’s expression. He seems very calm, yet still very confident in his abilities to defeat someone like Tristan Killebrew. The big opportunity, they say.

“I find it fascinating how this war between the two of you even started. You stood on the stairs in St. Petersburg following Kingdom Come, asking for any and all challengers. Jaywalker took notice and immediately put you in a match with Killebrew. Afterwards, the true colors of Killebrew really came out, he made it clear that he felt you were not worthy to be in the same ring as him. What did it feel like to get disrespected the way that you did by Killebrew?”

“Look, I’m not going to bullshit you. When I stood on those stairs, I was very, very drunk. I just came off of ending a rivalry with a guy who tried to kill me. Naturally, you get the energy and the will to fight. Once I sobered up, the energy was gone. I always had a will to fight, and always push to do my best inside of the ring, but I may have taken Tristan Killebrew lightly. I might have overlooked the guy, assuming that there would be more challengers to come. I was thinking of people like Havoc, Wraith, Arata Asakura. I wanted to fight everybody, and prove that not only do I belong, but that I am indeed the best out there. I still believe that. Unfortunately, Killebrew got me. Even more unfortunate, he ran his mouth, he had no issues about telling me how worthless I am. He had no issue bringing up that in Wrestleworld’s eyes, I’m a complete nobody. He stirred all of that just to ensure that I listened. Guess what, Mallory? I did listen. I heard everything that man said, every insult, every pot shot, I heard everything.

When he decided to run his mouth again going into our tag team match, I knew there was only one option. If I can’t put him through the mat with a Sundown, I will damn sure beat him with a wrestling move, and that’s exactly what I did. He can’t deny it, he exited that ring his head much lower than it was when he walked in. He knew he was beaten, and he knew it was time to get the act together. It was time for war.”

Colt slowly takes a drink of his water. He looks down at the floor for a moment before looking back at the stage.

“With all of those negative feelings harbored towards Tristan Killebrew, what actual adjustments have you made in terms of what you’re going to do in the ring? Did you go to the chalk board and come up with some new ideas, or how did you go about strategizing for this match?

“I’ve always been under the belief that it doesn’t matter how much you plan for a match. I’ve always had that feeling in my heart that no matter what I choose to do, I will always bring my best. I don’t usually think about the match before it happens. All I know is I have two hands and a heart. That, most of the time, will get me through the day, and onto the next. It’ll get me through the tough times, and it’ll get me through the best times. Always there, always reliable. Unfortunately there’s a curveball thrown into play, and once you’ve tasted defeat, you want to change everything about you. You want to fix the problems by, like you said, going to the board and drawing up a new plan. I’ve thought about it, and yeah, I have made some adjustments. I know what he’s expecting from me. He’s expecting a hard hitting bastard who’s going to take a direct fight to the guy. He expects a brawler, and he expects to win. I have a habit of disappointing my opponents. It’s just something I do, and do well. I had to dust off the notebook a little bit from my days in Mexico, and in Europe. I had to get in that ring with trainers and sparring partners to try out some of those things. I had to do a lot of things that some would call selling out in the business, but I see it as an opportunity to expand my horizons. I don’t get the same amount of time to train that I used to, but when I’m there and getting the game going, I’m playing to win.”

And win is what he must do. Tristan Killebrew has put him in such a corner that a loss isn’t acceptable, it’s non-negotiable. A loss at Dreamworld would prove simply that Tristan Killebrew was right, and Colt Montoya was wrong. Back down the card he goes, facing the newcomers in their debut matches every two weeks. It’s not the best life, one would say.

“Colt, you seem very focused on this match. It’s a far cry from the last time we talked, and you asked me to hold your beer and you had to put a shirt on. Is Kimberly Chase changing you THAT much?”

“To be clear, I have no idea. I truthfully have no understanding of what was and what is Colt Montoya. I’ve been the same guy my entire career. The guy who gets in the ring, no matter who it is, and fights like each match is more important than the one before it. This right now, going into Dreamworld, is the biggest match of my life, not career. My biggest moment. Whether it was throwing no-hitters in high school, venturing around the world once that baseball dream died. Every next moment is the most important moment of my life. After I beat Tristan Killebrew, the next moment will be that much more important. Each win will be that much sweeter, because after Dreamworld, everybody who said that Colt Montoya had a glass ceiling, they will be proven wrong. All the people in Vegas who opened the betting line and said that Tristan Killebrew was the favorite to win, they’re going to have to reconsider what the standards are for this business. I will have to set that standard. So, personally I feel I haven’t changed. I still love Buckshot and the Rangers. I still enjoy a cold beer, and I still enjoy winning wrestling matches. Trust me, same guy.”

On that note, Colt does have that honesty about him. He can be brutally honest with people, and can be the most supportive guy in the room in the same breath. He can do what most only dream about, but what he can’t do is go back in time and re-wrestle his match with Killebrew on one of the Chapter shows. Instead, he can fix the past by fixing his future.

“You brought up the Vegas odds. They did say you were the underdog, even if it was by the slimmest of margins. Let’s say you defeat King Tristan Killebrew, what is next for The Last Breathing Outlaw? What changes for you going forward?”

“Obviously, putting Tristan Killebrew to pasture is the number one thing on my mind right now. I have to beat this guy, and I have to do it as convincingly as possible. I’m not going to settle for a flash pinfall, or a cute flying move to win the match. I’m not settling on a fluke. Hell, I’m not even keen on settling on a pinfall victory. I don’t want that man’s shoulders on the mat for a three count, I want him gone. I want him to feel the way he made me feel when he refused a simple handshake. All he had to do was shake my hand, Mallory, and we wouldn’t be here. If he doesn’t submit, or if I don’t knock his ass out, then I failed at my job. That’s my reality.

What’s next afterwards? Well, I do have a crown that I need to give to Kimberly. Truthfully, I find the thing revolting, but she seems to like it. After that, I’m going to be keeping a very close eye on Havoc and Ozymandias. I have a feeling that the European Division is about to get very interesting, to say the least. None of that matters though if I don’t beat Killebrew. None of it matters if I finish second place at Dreamworld. Those things are going to determine where I go next, and what I do next. Until then, I say let’s fuck this guy up, grab a crown and a beer. See that beautiful smile on Kimberly’s face when I come away with the biggest win of my career. Then we can talk further about business. Cool?”

A very confident smile arrives on the face of Colt, coming off as so genuine in his motives. Things couldn’t be any easier to explain, he wants to beat Tristan Killebrew otherwise he’s going to slip down the card and be a failure. There aren’t too many opportunities to make a big impression, Dreamworld is one of the biggest ways to do it.

He slowly stands up, looking over at Mallory Montana before giving her a handshake. He slowly descents down to the arena floor via the stairs, looking at every single detail of the arena before coming to a stop. If there is one thing he can honestly say, the war with Killebrew will come to an end, and another opportunity will rise from it. Championship gold, more elite opponents, or perhaps the world’s greatest beer bash following a successful defeat of the King of the World. You decide.