Stark vs Allesandro Devastation - Chapter 27

(Stark sits in a big office with sleek grey walls. Outside the big wall-to-wall window is a clear view of WrestleWorld. Stark sits back in his chair and pulls out his phone, getting no reception and shaking his head until the door behind him opens and a woman in a black suit walks in.)

Stark: Is this going to be much longer or something? I gotta get back to Tokyo for SSW soon man…

Receptionist: Just a second. I believe he was on the phone with someone named Cleopatra?

Stark: Ah word? That’s fine then, he can take his time.

(Stark sits back in his chair and the receptionist excuses herself. A few minutes later, Jaywalker walks in with a folder in his hand, taking a seat across from Stark.)

Stark: Is that the contract? How much are you guys paying me?

Jaywalker: Hello to you too, Stark, and we’ll get to those details in just a second. First of all, let me officially welcome you to WrestleWorld! How was the entrance hospitality?

Stark: Yeah whatever, it was nice but I’ve seen better. Anyways for heading into a place where people fight for gold and even kill each other over it if need be, I don’t see the need for all the bells and whistles. Why not just get to the point?

Jaywalker: Well WrestleWorld is all about the experience. From the moment you enter until the moment you leave, WrestleWorld is nothing more than a world of it’s own. But I can’t blame you for not understanding that yet Stark, you’re a smart guy so it’ll come to you sooner than later. Not everything can be as bare bones as SSW, after all. Some people enjoy the finer things in life!

Stark: You’re right about that. I got the munchies on the plane ride here and ate an entire month’s worth of your snacks.

Jaywalker: You ate an entire month’s worth of snacks in one plane ride…?

Stark: That’s what the flight attendant told me yeah.

Jaywalker: Wow. That’s no problem anyways, just a small cost to welcome a man of your caliber to WrestleWorld, after all. Not to mention the added benefits for both of our companies to be working together finally. The wrestling world will grow more connected today, and to all of our benefits.

Stark: You are right, but I do want to remind you that I stand - well, sit - in front of you here today, not as the Chairman of SSW, but as a fresh competitor in WrestleWorld… Frankly I don’t personally care whether or not SSW and WrestleWorld get along. I had no intentions of joining here before that either. After all Jay, if I wanted to go back to EAW I could have just gone back to EAW, right? 

Jaywalker: And there goes your signature brand of hostility…

Stark: You can call it that, as a matter of fact, they all call it that, because it’s easy to label the truth as hostility when you don’t want to hear it. Some facts, however, are undeniable, so you can cover your ears if you want Jay, but I’m not going to close my mouth.

Jaywalker: Some things are undeniable… if I’m not mistaken you said something similar to Nathan Fiora before your match OWA’s Clash of the Titans. How did that go?

(Stark stands up out of his chair and takes a step forward, but laughs and sits back down, straightening his tie.)

Stark: Alright, you’ve got me there. A loss is a loss, although I’d like to remind you I wasn’t pinned. But honestly, that’s okay. I’m a leader, not a King, so things like the World Championship aren’t my style, I was in it to try to mess up Fiora more than I was actually trying to become champion, but now I can sit back and leave the rest to my boy Darkane.

Jaywalker: Hmm, I always took you as a man who preferred to take things into his own hands but I could be wrong. 

Stark: Why are you trying to stir the pot now man?

Jaywalker: I just find it funny that you have the audacity to respect me in this world that I built with my own vision, but you’re far from the first, so I can’t be too upset. Either way, I can’t deny that even outside of being SSW’s Chairman and creating business relations there, you’re still a valuable asset to WrestleWorld, even if only for the fact that controversy creates cash.

Stark: Oh if you want controversy I’ve got you covered there.

Jaywalker: I’m sure you do. That being said, if you’re not here right now just as a representative talent crossover for SSW… What exactly are you here for?

Stark: Starting to get anxious Jay? Don’t worry. Nothing bad is gonna happen… yet. My drawing power to you outsells the danger I bring, and WrestleWorld is a big place, it’d be very easy to get pieces moving and in position right under your noses, and you’d never notice a thing. That’s a curious choice you’ve made, and probably why I assumed not many invitations were expressed prior to this. Actually, if I’m not mistaken, I’m the one who stretched my hand out first Jay, so what should that tell you?

Jaywalker: Well it was only a matter of time before one of us did, but yes, you were surprisingly the one who did it first, but I do want to ask… why?

Stark: Well that’s not something I’m going to give away for free, Jay… You should know me better than that by now. But to put your mind at rest, I’ll just say that there’s no reason for you to worry. Not because I don’t have anything planned, that would be a lie and I’m not really fond of lying, but because even if I do start something, there won’t be anything you’ll be able to do about it. Before me stands an army of those who would fight by my side in SSW, in OWA, and countless other places around the world. I have just as much influence as you do Jay, after all, we’re both owners of these establishments. Why WrestleWorld specifically? I couldn’t care less about the bigger picture of this place. I’m not going to get ahead of myself and claim that I’m here to change the structure, or that I disagree with the Architect system, or anything else political like that. I’m here to carry out some personal agendas - vendettas even, if you will. And these weren’t anything I was in a particular rush to do, until…

(Stark pulls out his phone and opens Twitter before he begins reading something.)

Stark: “Because I see the other Champions in Wrestleworld making open challenges elsewhere. The Owner of your American Dream will follow tradition. And I will defend the Championship of the United States against all enemies, f̶o̶r̶e̶i̶g̶n̶ and domestic...Hashtag… HateThat.” These were the words said by the champion of your American Dream division, Allesandro Devastation. Now you see, I couldn’t care less about Allesandro, and like I said before, championship gold doesn’t interest me as much as it used to. But… that’s not how the situation went. I’ve been trying for a LONG time… and you should know this personally Jay, I’ve been trying to get in contact with Kevin Devastation for a long time, and that sorry piece of shit never had the courtesy to return my calls. I can concede that Kevin Devastation is in fact, not a member of a certain delegation that I’m sure talents like Maverick have already reminded him of plenty. But there’s one thing I’m always going to say until he gives me what I want - Kevin Devastation is a punk bitch, and a coward, and nowhere near deserving of ANY praise he’s EVER gotten in his sorry career, until he puts his money where his mouth is and faces me like a MAN. 

Jaywalker: I still don’t see what this has to do with you showing up to challenge Allesandro on the last Chapter. I’m still going to have to fine you for that, by the way.

Stark: Man I don’t give a shit, I’m pretty sure I’m a billionaire! To the point though. Why Allesandro? I thought it was obvious. If I can’t get Kevin Devastation in the ring with me, then I’ll beat his little demon spawn -- and Kevin, dude, I hate to tell you this, but looking at Allesandro and then looking at you… You’re raising someone else’s son. Allesandro reminds me a lot of Nathan Fiora, two undeserving champions. I mean, underneath all of his father’s money, what really is there to Allesandro? He’s cashed in and that seems to be it. I heard that before that both he and his father took back to back losses to Maverick, and that little bastard isn’t even in the company anymore!

Jaywalker: That’s a separate issue. I assure you that every champion currently reigning, formerly reigning, or will reign in the future - and that even includes you if it were ever to happen, Stark, is deserving of what they achieve. 

Stark: Are we sure? As far as I thought, he used your WrestleWorld equivalent of the Cash in the Vault to cash in on Bloud Matsuda to win that belt, and if I’m not mistaken, he hasn’t even defended this belt until I stepped up and challenged him -- and this was after WEEKS of him ducking me on Twitter after issuing an open challenge, what the hell was up with that?

Jaywalker: Well you weren’t presently signed to the company at that point! And you weren’t even supposed to be here on that last chapter! 

Stark: Yeah I know, but Lannister let me in. We’re tight like that, former SSW Tag Team Champions you heard?

Jaywalker: I’ll need to talk to him about that… 

Stark: There’s no issue there man. I’m here now, let’s sign that contract so that the announced match becomes official and not another victim of the ever looming “card is subject to change”. 

Jaywalker: Well I guess that’s all that needs to be said there then. Just sign the contract and everything will be official.

(Jaywalker puts the folder down in front of Stark. Stark opens it and sees the contract, his eyes go wide.)

Stark: Holy shit that’s a lot of money!

Jaywalker: Indeed, our resources are abundant farther than the eye could ever see, and if it means getting you in through the door of WrestleWorld.

Stark: Well pleasure doing business with you… Let’s hope you don’t regret this.

(Stark gives Jaywalker a creepy smile and extends his hand to shake it. Jaywalker looks disturbed but shakes his head and returns Stark’s handshake. Jaywalker leaves the room with the contract and Stark sits back down in the chair, chuckling before pulling his phone out and making a call. Stark looks towards the cameraman and tells him to close the feed.)

Stark: Yo, we’re in --

(The feed cuts out.)

______________________________________________________________________________________


(The feed resumes in The Bonsai Garden. Stark is training at his personal Dojo, wrestling with SSW Young Lion Ryo Shimada. Shimada comes off the ropes but Stark trips him into the Crossface and locks it in with ease. Stark lets go when Shimada taps out, and then helps the Young Lion up to his feet.)

Stark: Good run there.

Shimada: Was it really, that was like the eighth time in a row you just beat me there.

Stark: Well I don’t expect you to beat me if I’m being completely honest, but if I’m going to wrestle Allesandro straight up I do have some ring rust I definitely need to get off me, and you’re helping me big there on that end. This isn’t one of my matches with Fiora, there’s no Keelan Callihan here to catch the fall… this is all on me. This is one versus one. If I lose here, there won’t be many excuses for me to make, not that I really do in the first place. But I don’t want to talk all this shit just to get my ass beat by Kevin’s step-son. I’m not trying to downplay Allesandro, but I will disrespect him. As far as I know, the facts are this; Allesandro Devastation schemed his way to the Sapphire Briefcase under an alias because he was too scared to reveal to the world that he was raised by Kevin Devastation. He then proceeded to do as his father did and get his ass handed to him by Maverick. And finally, he took advantage of a weakened Stephanie Matsuda to steal her American Dream Championship. So I’m sure you can see why it would be hard to take Allesandro as seriously as he’d like me to, especially when it’s his father I was trying to fight in the first place. The same way I see Nathan Fiora as a poor man’s World Champion protected by the establishment is the same way I view Allesandro Devastation, a paper American Dream Champion protected by his father’s money, especially when you consider the quality of champion before him in Claudia Michaels and Stephanie Matsuda.

Shimada: Have you seen what Allesandro has had to say?

Stark: What can he even say? It’s going to be the same old shit anyone else says about me, being a stoner, being a clown, not taking things seriously… He can say or think whatever he wants, privileged entitled children like him are hard to get through to anyways. They grow up with the world view and perspective that they are special, that they are owed things, and that’s how they’ll always think. That’s why unlike Stephanie Matsuda who clawed her way up to the top of the American Dream division and dethroned one of the most dominant champions in recent wrestling history in Claudia Michaels, Allesandro Devastation took the cheap way to the crown. Can you blame him? Is he from the mean streets of the Bronx? Nah, he was born into wealth, born into status, and rode the momentum of his privilege to the very top of WrestleWorld. But just like every rich kid learns sooner or later, true prestige and class cannot be bought. Deep down under the golden exterior paid for with Kevin’s money that Allesandro hides behind, is the same little bitch that he’s been his whole life. Allesandro has never had to work for a damn thing, despite the narrative he tries to push. Sounding like Trump with his small loan of a million dollars, except Allesandro had an even greater fortune to play around with. He won’t understand what it takes to be a self-made man, and that’s why he fears going up against men like me, and women like Cloud. True grit, true determination, that shit isn’t something you’re born into like being the heir to an F500. That’s something you get when the whole world is stacked against you yet you’re still able to pull yourself up through the dredges and find yourself standing at the top. I climbed the ladder, Allesandro took the elevator - so when it comes to whose arms are more fit to hold the weight of being a man, a leader, a CHAMPION, I think the answer is obvious.

(Stark hits the ropes one more time and hits Shimada in the back of the head with the Rasenshuriken, knocking him out. Stark kneels down next to Shimada and pats him on the back of the head.)

Stark: Sleep for a minute kid. Dream now because those dreams are what are going to guide you in the future. Allesandro is another one who likes to talk about dreams. And I can easily imagine how it must have been for Allesandro, growing up in the shadow of who he thought was a great man, looking up to the great myth and legend of “Kevin Devastation” and probably hoping his whole life for one thing, for daddy’s attention, for daddy’s approval - but all daddy gave little Allesandro was the keys to his kingdom, but from what I’ve seen of you Allesandro, he never taught you how to behave like a king. I don’t see a man standing at the top of an empire when I look at you Allesandro, I see a kid who’s in way over his head, who has found himself somewhere he isn’t ready to be. Allesandro is going to downplay me, he’s going to look at a kid like New York who started from nothing yet still created an empire as large as his father has, because sure, while Devione Industries may be impressive - that’s Kevin’s achievement, not Allesandro’s. As for the Bonsai Garden, that’s all me baby. You can deal with your fancy technology, I’ve got all I need here in my abode, and the money does roll in. We’re talking more figures than successful defenses you have with that belt. I may just be another goon from New York City, and Allesandro is the ultimate blue blood trust fund CHILD… This is an interesting match up for sure. I’m not going to do anything stupid like declare victory for myself here Allesandro, but win or lose you WILL remember the name Stark for generations to come, and you may not ever come to like me but you WILL respect me…

(Stark looks down and laughs before looking into the camera with a serious face.)

Stark: Or like everyone else around here… I’ll teach you to fear me.