Magness Arena
Denver, Colorado
June 13, 2021
Skrabal sits on the edge of the black leather sofa in his locker room, his eyes fixed on a television hung on the wall opposite him. He holds a bottle of beer in his right hand as he stares intently at the screen, fully concentrating on the action in the ring as "War Queen" Leah Aguero takes on El Diablo Blanco.
Skrabal kisses his teeth as the Regina Ball counts the three.
"Seen, seen" Skrabal says to himself before taking a drink of his beer.
Skrabal picks up the TV control, ready to switch the device off, but before he does something on screen catches his attention.
Skrabal rolls his eyes then takes another drink of his beer as he continues watching.
Skrabal smiles, his smile quickly turns into a low laugh and he shakes his head.
"Oh my days fam!" He says to himself before finishing his beer.
Skrabal turns the television off then grabs his bag and leaves his locker room. As he makes his way towards the arena exit he is approached from behind by one of Mile High Wrestling's interviewers, Ariana Bentley, who holds a microphone in her hand and is accompanied by a cameraman.
"Skrabal, Skrabz." Ariana calls out to the former Mile High Wrestling Phoenix and Ultimate Champion.
Skrabal turns around and raises his eyebrows upon seeing Ariana closing in on him.
"Yes fam, what can man like Skrabz do for gyal like you?" He asks while looking her up and down.
"I'd just like a few moments of your time..." Ariana trails off as Skrabal interrupts.
"Gyal you can have as long as ya want, trust."
"To ask you a few questions." Ariana continues.
"Seen, seen... Well ya nah man was on his way out innit, 'bout to head back to the motel but 'ight, I can spare a few. What you sayin' blad?"
"Skrabz, we saw you take care of the boss, Robert Mack, in dominate fashion here tonight. How did it feel to finally get your hands on him after all he's said and done in recent weeks?"
"That man be wastin' my time fam, for real. Ya know he asked me why I come back and I can tell ya one ting, it weren't to be kickin shit outta some washed up, suit wearin', couldn't get it done durin' his day nobody. Nah!"
"A lot of people would say you are downplaying Roberts successes during his wrestling career there, Skrabz."
"A lotta people say a lotta tings fam but I ain't give a shit about none of 'em. I heard it before though innit, big talk about tings achieved elsewhere but this ain't elsewhere, is it? Nah, this be Mi' High and in Mi' High man like Skrabz be the measurrin' stick. I be the odds stacked against 'em all and ain't nobody broke even yet."
"Well one man who could be looking to change that is Gabriel Ohio, what are you thoughts on his appearance here tonight?"
"My thoughts on that be few and far between fam lemme tell ya, I ain't think about it since I left him layin' out there in that ring."
"Indeed, you did strike first, but Gabriel was quick to recover, rapidly rising to his feet and watching you as you left..."
"You think I ain't know that or suttin'? You think I ain't seen it? Fam I saw it ya know... It ain't a ting though, trust."
"Okay, and one more thing before I let you go. Your thoughts on the actions of Leah Aguero tonight, following her match with El Diablo Blanco?"
"Yeah..." he rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "That ain't a ting either."
"Okay, Skrabz. Thank you for you time."
"Now worries fam. I'mma catch ya later innit."
With the short interview reaching its conclusion Skrabal turns and finally continues on his way towards the arena exit.
Skrabals Motel RoomDenver, Colorado
19th July 2021
Skrabal's phone vibrates on top of the well used coffee table in front of him. He reaches forward, picks it up and looks at the screen then swipes up to answer the video call from his lifelong friend and fellow Toll Gang Member, Ty.
"My brudda! How's it goin'?" Ty asks, his toothy smile beaming.
"It's 'ight fam, can't complain ya nah."
"But ya will anyway...." Ty replies, breaking in to a subtle laugh.
"Allow it." Replies Skrabz
"So ya boss backin' off..."
"Blad why people keep tellin' me shit like I ain't know it already?" Skrabz snaps, a mixture of humour and frustration evident in his voice.
"My brudda, it ain't that deep. We havin' a conversation that be all it is. The fuck got you so on edge?" Ty continues.
"The fuck you talkin' about? Man ain't on edge." Skrabz snaps back.
"What is it? Gabriel got you nervous or somethin'?" Ty continues, playfully prodding his friend.
"Yeah I can't stop shakin' fam." Skrabal replies, rolling his eyes.
"Well ya shoulda left him be then, coz it looked to me like he was out there to pick up the scraps of Robert Mack you left behind but you gone caused yaself a...." Ty trails off as Skrabal interrupts.
"Fam if you up in your studio and some random man come in off the street and start pushin' buttons you jus' gonna let him be? You gonna let it slide?"
"What's your point bredda?"
"Point is if I be workin' an' ya get it in my way you jus' might get that work, ya feel me?"
"I feel you."
"Good. So what you sayin'?"
"You remember the plane I got for you?"
"Fam how could I forget?"
"Yeah... well they done fined you for smokin' on it. We lookin' at a five figure bill for a deep clean."
"Five figures, fam what they gonna do? They gonna take the ting apart and wash e'ry lil' nut and bolt pon it?"
"Dunno my G, I'm a go ahead and pay it though."
"Nah fuck that blad, the gyal, what be her name?... Sofia, that was it, she told me I could smoke."
"She prob'ly ain't want the hassle of dealing wit' you if she said no."
"It's a fuckin' liberty fam. She ain't have no prollem smokin' wit' me"
"I'ma go ahead and pay it."
"...Ight. That it?"
"Yeah. Take it easy brudda, I'm a speak wid you soon."
"Seen. Next time ya better have suttin' good to tell me. Look after yaself bredrin'. Toll."
"Toll."
The desire an' the lust, combined with the bile an' the bud, ignites the fire in my gut
I conspire to corrupt, the minds a the jus', as the blind lead the blind wit' they eyes full a dust
Authorisin' my rush, I rise to the cusp, in a mayfly's lifespan, from the light to the dusk
Invite your disgust, King Midas a rust, the only hot topic for these shites to discuss
Diamond in the rough, buried in the slime an' the sludge, not inclined in the slightest to budge
Through the mire I'mma trudge, up to my eyes in the mud, still carryin' my pride an' a grudge
Hypes not enough so I write for the love, consume these insides of a mind full a bud
Relyin' on the puff to design an' construct, ya swan song sung by a choir full a ducks
Skrabals Motel Room
Denver, Colorado
26th July 2021
4:15AM
The scene opens with a close up shot of Skrabal Stanzas apparently laying on a bed, his head supported by a pillow. He smirks then exhales a cloud of smoke towards the camera.
"So Bossman backin' off and it seem to me he be right back on my side, hookin' me up like he done did in the past. Puttin' me right in the middle, the big dick in a pool a pussy and ya done know in that situation man like Skrabz'll tread water all night long... ain't that right?"
He moves his phone from side to side, allowing the faces of the three young women sharing his bed to be seen by it's camera. Two of them nod while the third pulls the sheet over her head, exclaiming "Oh hell naw, my man watches this shit." The video cuts out.
When the video resumes we see Skrabal sitting on that same old brown sofa from previous weeks, a smokey haze fills the space between him and the camera as the former double Champion guzzles a bottle of beer.
"Ya nah I be feelin' offended innit, kinda. Only it ain't due to suttin' somebody done did to me, nah. It be due to suttin' I seen."
He finishes his beer and tosses the bottle on the floor.
"What I seen though?"
He pauses momentarily before continuing.
"Man was sittin' in the back a that Magness arena, private room coz I ain't mingle wit' the rest of 'em. Yeah I had my feet up, bottle in hand and my eyes pon the show waitin' for my time to shine. Then it happen, first ting I seen, Anastasia Ballder-whatever against Kate Steele... Yeah she be from man's ends innit, that there London, so I be thinkin' from the off that she gonna be about it. Then it happen though. What happened?... I'mma let you know. She embarrass herself, she embarrass our city and by association she embarrass man like Skrabz. She stepped in callin' herself Diamond only to get bounced 'round like she made outta flubber... Fam, I'mma tell you, one time, on the level... You embarrass man like that again and you gonna have a lot more than a former model to worry about, trust."
He breaks eye contact with the camera and leans forward, reaching for something out of the cameras line of sight. He leans back into the shot holding glass doob tube.
"But shit, that not been the only ting happenin' that done got man like Skrabz feelin' some way about it, nah. Another ting be this Geist shit. Yeah he, she or they had suttin' for er'yone lately an' while it might got the rest of 'em on they toes man like Skrabz be feelin' a lil dif'rent. Man like Skrabz feel like he might take ya seriously the second ya stop lettin' other people's words speak for ya. If you got suttin' to say to me ya can say it yaself fam, if not ya can keep it movin' and that might jus' be the best option for ya."
He removes the joint then tosses the glass doob tube out of shot where it lands with a clink as it clashes with an empty beer bottle.
"Last time man stepped a foot in that ring he placed it firmly on the toes a the Bossman and if you ask me he gonna be walkin' wit' a limp for the rest a his life coz I be on that Sideshow Bob vibe innit, yeah I got big shoes and the feet to fill 'em while Bossman lookin' like he go for pedicures on the bi-weekly. I beat that man from one side a the ring to the other then picked him up and done did it again but the ting is, it ain't have to be like that. I ain't come back gunnin' for the Bossman coz me beatin' his backside half way 'round Denver ain't do a ting for man Like Skrabz.
He puts the joint between his lips, lights it and inhales.
"Yeah I seen it work for a lot of 'em, both here and elsewhere, they wanna beef wit' they boss on some played out Austin shit but you ask me and I'mma tell ya that be one trope that need the rope, standard! But they all wanna be the anti-hero innit, ting is it be hard to be the anti-hero when ain't no heroes present in the first place..."
He takes another toke on his joint and continues, smoke following his first few words over his lips as he talks.
"Still they wanna relate to the workin' man, the man at home who do all he can to get through the day an' put food on his table while wishin' all day long he could throw' down wit' his boss. Only prollem wit' that be I ain't have to relate to 'em, nah. I be the workin' man in the flesh, I be his representation innit. Coz my attire hi-vis not a shirt and tie an' I be out here showin' 'em wit' nuttin' but big ol' nutsack full a determination anyone of 'em can get to the top in they chosen field. An' most the time they hate me for it, well shit, I wouldn't change it fam. Yeah they love the hate and so do I. But I ain't here to win heart's and minds fam, nah! I save that for those politicians. Man like Skrabz be here to catch dubs, raise straps and nuttin' else."
He takes another slow draw on his joint then reaches down the side of the sofa, grabbing a bottle of beer from his ever-present box of beers"
"Speakin' a dubs, I guess a lil' bit a man like Skrabz must a rubbed off on Lil Miss Maloney coz she went from nuttin' to suttin' real quick, apparently, it's what they say fam but I ain't agree wit' 'em. Still she snatched that dub from four of 'em a couple a weeks back and now she nex' in line for a shot at suttin' that got my fingerprints all over it. Yeah she goin' one on one wit' that War Queen, big strap pon the line at the Spectacular...
He shakes his head, a look of dissatisfaction seeping over his face.
"But before then she gotta step back in that ring wit' the capstone atop the Mi' High pyramid, tag team ting innit, Lil Miss Maloney an' Bullet against man like Skrabz... An' the War Queen."
He rolls his eyes before twisting the top of his bottle of beer.
"Yeah it get 'em talkin', not like they need any encouragement but this help 'em along none the less. It get ya so called wrestlin' journalists and forum neeks poppin' off at the finger tips for days. The current champ and the champ that ain't ever lose the strap teamin' up, but lemme put an' end to any rumours and speculation goin' around... If that War Queen manage to keep the strap then one day, and it ain't matter how it long take, but one day she gonna see me standin' across that ring with my hands out jus' waitin' to take it off her but we ain't there yet. So come Throwdown when that bell rings we gonna handle our bidness and catch the dub coz man like Skrabz done said and proved before that when it come to the work he can get it in wit' anybody. But don't get it twisted blad, an' let me warn ya, Leah, one time, on the level. If you got any plans or half baked ideas that you gonna do to man like Skrabz what ya done did to El Dee ya better get ya mind right 'fore ya get left brainless... Coz I ain't kiss feet outside the bedroom and if you try stick ya stinkin' lil trotters anywhere near man's face I'mma bend ya leg backwards and shove it straight up ya backside, standard!"
He guzzles his beer, drinking like he's been deprived of liquids for days.
"But surely those Maiden's got the advantage in this one right? Coz they tight, they each others chosen family. Prollem wit' that is family, chosen or born in to it, it hold you back if ya let it and that's why ain't a single one of ya stand out by yaself. Yeah as a collective some of 'em fear ya but individually ya gets no respect, coz individually you ain't earned it, not here anyway, not a shred nor a sliver. Why that is though? Well take a seat innit, lemme explain the shit. Man has done postulated before that the Bossman got a ting for gyal like Bullet and shit I can't blame him, she be nice to look at but there be where it stops. When it come to work she doin' half a job but wit' the way the bossman keep rewardin' her for her shoddy performance ya'd think she pullin' e'ry hour of overtime available. I mean fam how many chances ya need? What it gonna take for ya to make one of 'em count?... Don't get me wrong blad she workin' here, there an' e'rywhere that'll have her but the prollem wit' that is the butter ain't taste too good when it's spread so thin and when she steppin' in the Mi' High ring she scrappin' the bottom a the tub, servin' up dry toast. The shit barely palatable, so it get thrown in the trash with the scraps of that hype she been livin' off here since those twenty eighteen times. Tell us about how ya won the Phoenix strap again blad, we ain't heard that story in a minute or two, or shit tell 'em all how ya been the first one to pin mans shoulders to the mat but leave out the part where where it took ya whole crew so it sound hype. Coz that be all ya got, shit that sound hype but ain't stand up to scrutiny, plus tall tales about short reigns and successes we ain't know coz they go to another school, or suttin."
He drinks the last few drops of beer from the bottle and drops it on the floor where it lands with a thud.
"If ya ask me I'mma tell ya Bullet had her time and more opportunities to succeed than a two dollar ring rat and she come up short e'ry time... Ya nah I be reminded a suttin' I said way back, in those twenty eighteen days. Yeah it been a long time so ya might a forgot but I said you ain't bring nuttin' but blank rounds... All this time later an' I see now jus' how wrong I was."
"Coz nobody flinch when Bullet start gunnin'
But starter pistols pop an' e'rybody start runnin'"
"An now she gotta stand there with her fellow Maiden Maloney knowin' she on route for a shot at the big strap and she... Well you ain't, are ya, Bullet? Nah, but give it a couple weeks and I be sure the Bossman'll have suttin' sweet for ya, he usually do..."
He takes a few quick tokes on his joint before continuing.
"An' that brings me to the number one contender to the big strap, Lil Miss Plannin' Retirement... That who you want holdin' the strap? That your next great hope? Is it? Someone who already lookin' passed her shot, someone who already thinkin' about layin' back relaxin' wit' no professional responsibilities to handle? Someone on they way out? That's who you wanna see pretendin' they at the top?
Frustration grows in his voice.
"Are you dizzy blad?"
He shakes his head, the frustration in his voice now matched by the expression on his face.
"Nah seriously, are you?... Ya must be, especially wit' that bullshit she talklin' about makin' opps look a millyun bucks when she feel like it, if that shit fly witchu you dizzy like ya blood pressure droppin' and man'll suggest ya go lay down for a month or two..."
He takes a deep, relaxing toke on his joint then exhales, sighing loudly.
"Is that whatchu think ya did blad? Is it? Ya think you made man like Skrabz look like a millyun bucks? Fam I was born lookin' like money an' I been payin' out dividends to anybody that invest in me, ask the Bossman innit. His wallet packed fat offa my name an' it get fatter e'ry time I show up to work. Butchu think you made me look good... Lemme tell ya, only person come outta that ting back at Rise lookin' like anythin' was you lookin' a fool and that be the Bossmans doin', crazy ting is that shit seem to bother me more than it do you. I ain't think you mentioned the shit once, or maybe I jus' zoned out while you spoke on it coz on the real you bore the life outta me. So here be some advice for ya, if you wanna walk outta this tag ting wit' the dub ya should try talkin' to me an' I might jus' fall asleep in the middle a that ring, or maybe you ain't get a chance to speak 'fore ya find my fist in ya mouth. Coz I ain't need a reason to hit a woman, professionally... But you bein' number one contender to the big strap give me a reason for real coz if ya ask me I'm a tell 'em all you ain't even deserve to be in the five way ting, or shit maybe ya did. Maybe you were right at home amongst ya ilk, out there wit' Bullet, Sullivan, Areano and Ol' whats his name. Maybe that be right where ya fit in, slottin' in nice a tight wit' a couple a never weres an' another couple a never will bes."
He reaches down the side of the sofa again for another bottle of beer and quickly twists the lid off.
"None the less ya got the dub and that be all that matter, so they say, but you ask me I'mma tell ya the most important ting about it be how you did it. And that leave a real big question for ya to answer fam, coz ain't no over the top rope bullshit involved this time out. Nah, if you want this dub ya gonna have to earn it but only ting ya done earned yaself is another grade A whoopin' from man Like Skrabz an' you an' Bullet ain't nuttin' but the first in line."
"This Butcher got the Blade now they ALL on the chop block
These Bunnies left in awe, sell 'em raw as a job lot"
He guzzles his beer again, greedily consuming half the bottle in a couple of seconds.
"So me an' that War Queen, we 'bout to roll into that Magness Arena and roll back out wit' the dub an' ya know man means it when he says he'd do it alone if he had too. Coz truth is I ain't need the help, so Queen can stay on the shelf and watch me handle the ting alone if she want fam, I ain't afraid a the work. It be all I know. Coz unlike some of you out here who walked away from ya rich families I done scratched and clawed my way from nuttin' to make suttin'..."
"First I did it for the money now it's jus' to make myself proud
Still when that milli on my name my first thought; take myself out!"
"Yeah, coz ya can take the man outta poverty but ya can't change his mindset. But mine set on one ting and one ting only."
Again he greedily drinks his beer, quickly finishes what remains of the amber liquid.
"An' it ain't take a fuckin' genius to work out what that be."
He pauses, his eyes locked on the camera as he takes a slow toke on his joint.
"Does it?"
He shakes his head.
"Nah."
He leans forward and taps at his phones screen, ending the recording.