| Referee Emily Falls counts to three. |
|
Skrabz stands in the ring with Robert Mack.
|
| Gabriel Ohio walks down the ramp. |
| Referee Emily Falls counts to three. |
|
| Skrabz drops Ohio with a Mic Check. |
| Gabriel Ohio laughs. |
| Referee Emily Falls counts to three. |
|
| Gabriel Ohio chokeslams Skrabz through the commentary table. |
| Gabriel Ohio gives Skrabz a Fall From Grace off the roof of a mini van
|
| Referee Emily Falls counts to three. |
|
Skrabal wakes again with urgency after another restless nights sleep. He immediately pulls himself to a sitting position and wastes no time hopping out of bed. He walks passed the sheet covered mirror on his way into the main room. Skrabal sits down on the brown sofa and takes a bottle of beer from the box of beers on the floor. He takes a joint from the Tupperware box of joints and lights it then picks up his phone from the three legged table and reads the screen, another five missed calls... He sighs, a cloud of smoke expanding out of his mouth along with his breath, spreading out and adding to the haze of smoke that already fills the room. After a few seconds he taps at the screen and finally returns a call to his friend and fellow Toll Gang Member , Ty.
Ty answers almost immediately, this time absent his usuall beaming smile.
"Finally..." Ty says, sounding exasperated.
"Fam I..." Skrabal begins before being cut off by Ty
"It's cool, I get it bredda. I know how you get."
"Yeah bu..." Skrabal starts again but is once again cut off.
"No buts bredda. You good?"
"Always..."
"Is that him? He finally pick up the phone?" Nash suddenly shouts in the background.
"Oi I told you take that boy seriously! I told you it look like he been handlin' you!" Nash continues, letting out his anger at Skrabz.
"Allow it bredda, it's not the time." Ty interjects, trying to keep the peace.
"Naw FUCK THAT! I told him but what he go do? He start flyin' round the world like a diva, private jet shit, just so he can do a lil bullshit podcast. Tell my I'm wrong, Ty!" Nash rants, putting his displeasure for Skrabal's recent actions on full show.
"You not wrong, but you think he ain't know the shit?" Ty agrees but does his best to remain diplomatic.
"How the fuck do I supposed to know what he know? He ain't speak to us since, probly in doors wid some chick he ain't know the name of, shmokin' an' drinkin' his sorrows away when he should be handling bizniss like he used too." Nash continues ranting.
"Bredda chill, it ain't nothin' to..." Ty trails off as Skrabal interrupts.
"Nah he right, that be exactly what I done."
"I TOLD YOU!" Nash shouts, feeling vindicated.
"Bredda we family, I already knew it. Jus' like I know you run back to the Xanny soon as shit get tough for you. So I urge you give the bredda some room, let him be." Ty tells Nash, putting him in his place.
"Fuck you!" Nash tells Ty.
Some banging is heard in the background as Nash throws something, then a door slams shut and everything falls silent.
"Fam that was unnecessary ya nah, ain't no need to bring his shit up like that."
"He need to learn to shut his mouth sometimes." Ty tells Skrabal.
"Shit, I agree wit' that."
"Look I ain't gonna lecture you about your lifestyle. You held it down before while doin' the shit you do, but that bullshit you pulled flying back home for BRW was weak."
"I fucked up fam, I ain't scurred to admit it."
"I be glad to here it. So you gotta get back at it asap, don't let anyone start thinking this the end for you."
"I be way aheada you blad."
"What you got planned?" Ty asks, his eyebrows raising involuntarily as his interest is piqued.
"Jus' wait an' see fam, wait an' see."
"'Ight then... Look I'mma let you go. I better go talk to Nash."
"Seen. Tell him he right again, thatta cheer him up. Take it easy bredrin. Toll."
"Toll."
Skrabal taps at his phone, ending the call. He then looks across the room at Sabrina, who is sitting on the floor smoking from a bong. She exhales a huge cloud of smoke then looks at Skrabal and smiles.
"Time to go innit." Skrabal tells her, nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry, what?" A surprised Sabrina asks, her smile quickly fading.
"You heard me..." Skrabl replies as he stands up from the sofa.
"Are you serious right now?" Sabrina asks, sounding a little hurt.
"Just get the fuck out fam." Skrabal tells her coldly, as he walks towards the shower with a bottle of beer in hand.
Thirty minutes later a clean and freshly shaved Skrabal leaves the shower to find his room tidy, with all cans and bottles collected and placed in bags by the door. The once dirty dishes sit clean, drying next to the sink. Sitting on the three legged coffee table is his ash tray, empty and clean, slotted underneath it is a handwritten note that contains a short message and a phone number.
Skrabal picks up the note and reads it.
"Thanks for a great time. I think.
Anyway I cleaned up for you. It doesn't take long.
Call me!
- Sabby"
Skrabal shook his head and laughed slightly, then screwed the note up and threw it on the floor.
Throwin’ stones in ya fully glazed premises
A bait premise when ya pressured on the precipice
Bare ya innards, parade ya blemishes
Stare in the mirror get acquainted with ya nemesis
Gain the benefits of double XP
But only when the native in the cupboard’s set free
When ya double edged dreams start to buckle at the seams
Remember nuttin’s ever fixed you jus’ struggle on keen
Still I’m sat on the sea bed
Countin’ the sea shells she said she’d sell but she left in deep debt
Shout to the fleas eggs, found in the recess
Between a life fullla strife an’ a cheap death
Had my state a mind data mined
Found a mass a ancient files all labelled up wit’ danger signs
An oesophagus synonymous with rainin’ fire
Non-bio softener for the fabric a space and time
Strange design, wired incorrect
Waved goodbye to any semblance of intellect
Coz every single cog up in my conk is clogged with discontent
The penny never gonna drop so stop wit' tryina hit collect
Skrabal's Motel Room
Denver, Colorado
August 7th 2021
3.15AM
An inebriated Skrabal Stanzas sits on the floor of his Denver motel room. His has his back pressed against the magnolia wall behind him and his head held low, covered by the hood of his black Toll Gang hoodie. He holds a bottle of vodka in his right hand and a lit joint burns in his left.
"Ya nah maybe I should quit..."
He moves the bottle of vodka towards his mouth as if to take a drink, then moves it away again.
"Before it get worse innit."
Again he goes to drink from the bottle of Vodak but thinks again.
"I mean it bound to happen again, right?"
He finally takes a swig of Vodka from the bottle.
"Man's teeterin' pon the edge a that slippery slope right now..."
He takes another swig drink from the Vodka bottle.
"It be a long way down fam... Maybe I should jus' go home innit. Fly back to yard, put this whole ting behind me..."
He takes a third swig of Vodka directly from the bottle.
"Pretend it never happen'...
He takes final swig of Vodka then slams the bottle down on the floor, the slides it away from him over the cheap, wood effect, linoleum flooring.
"Coz that be what we do, right? That the example I seen 'em set, I mean shit one of 'em even lived up to it right here in Mi' High jus' two weeks ago, recent history. Couldn't get shit done an' now she ain't do shit no more, she gone. Shit a bunch of 'em gone since too, on a budget cut vibe, some of 'em I ain't even hearda before so it show you jus' how quite they been.."
A subtle laughs escapes from under his hood as he lifts his joint to his mouth.
"Still, maybe man like Skrabz should get gone too... Nah, I should prolly go cry pon the socials innit. Make excuses or suttin'... Or maybe I should go thank Ohio for the opportunity."
He shakes his head.
"Nah, fuck that an' fuck Ohio."
His words are propelled with venom. He pauses momentarily and takes another toke on his joint.
"But I'm jus' tryina fit in fam, I ain't know how to be like the resta ya. Should I write a blog or suttin? Shit, maybe I should sit cross legged pon the stage an' wave at the camera nex' time I be out there. Or maybe man should go do one a those lil sit down basement interviews that all these neeks an' nerds be gettin' off too, have 'em seein' 'Man like Skrabz shoots hard' all up in ya recommended. Coz I be out here catchin L's like 'em so maybe I should jus' go all in an' start actin' like 'em too."
He pauses for another toke on his joint and reaches out of shot for a bottle of beer before continuing.
"Coz they be expectin' me to be on that Oasis steeze, Gallagher twins vibe... They think I be askin' What's The Story while I be Mournin' Glory sat watchhin' my career die..."
He twists the lid of his beer before continuing.
"But I come to find out it ain't matter how hard I try I ain't like a single one of 'em. Bossman say I ain't been a part of that lockerroom like it suttin' I should aspire too but fam after this ain't know way I ever could be...
He takes a quick drink of beer.
"Coz ya seen it finally happen,' for first time since Twenty Nineteen man like Skrabz been caught lackin'. An' while some of 'em might rejoice at the ting all it done proved to me is suttin' I been sure of since the day I first stepped a toe in the buildin'. Coz I had my first taste in a long time of suttin' the rest of 'em done been well accustomed too an' I can tell ya from the first lil' bite that I ain't like it an' I about to start livin' off it. This shit ain't sustain me, not for a second, but somehow some of you out here makin' careers off it...
He raises his head, his bloodshot eyes looking directly at the camera for the first time.
"Fam my mirror got a sheet over it coz I ain't been able to look at myself but some of 'em out here spend more time lookin' at 'emselves and posin' for the camera than they spend in the ring, an' they ain't doin' halfa the work I done did in it in the first place... They show up, lay down, smile for the neeks in the seats then go post they latest photo shoot pon the socials for those same neeks to do whatever they do wit' em...
He shakes his head, disgust evident in his expression.
"An' that's what ya want me to mingle wit'? That be the hustle ya want me to respect? Is it?... "
He shakes his head again. His look of disgust replaced with an expression of anger.
"Nah fam, fuck that! "
He takes another toke on his joint.
"I ain't about to cry, I ain't about to whine, an' I ain't about to make excuses. I hole my hands up as high now as I did back when they held a strap each only this time I say I got caught lackin'... Once... But it ain't a ting, all the shit mean is I got a lil more work to do and I done told ya for three years straight that I ain't afraidda it, so that's exactly what I be about to do... I'll tell you who ain't though..."
He pauses for a moment, his eye fixed on the camera.
"Mister catch A Dub And Go Hide, Trauma in the flesh. Gabriel Ohio... "
He shakes his head and takes a long drink of his beer.
"Yeah I done perused the ting, looked high an' low for it but his name ain't nowhere to be seen. I tell ya I had to do a double take, on a rub my eyes and look again vibe coz for real I expected to see him at the top a the whole ting wit' that buzz he snatched. Instead I see some other bullshit about number one contendership matches featurin' a couple new man... Point is Gabriel content to let that buzz fade out, coz he ain't showin' up to work fam, jus' like all those weeks previous... Yeah it be real easy to sit back an' show up e'ry now an' then to throw ya weight around a lil, but it be a whole dif'rent ting to do it e'ry time we out here... But I guess he be back in another couple months or suttin for that big show pay day, once he well rested wit' plenty time to prepare. Meanwhile man like Skrabz gonna be here e'ry show, live an' in the flesh in the middle a that ring. Coz that's what I does fam, and ain't a lil bump in the freewa.. motorway gonna slow me down or stop me."
"Coz he mighta undertook me but tings a stay the same
I had to drop a gear an' hit the brakes to stray into his lane"
"So if you be thinkin' it's over for man like Skrabz ain't nuttin' else to tell you butchu you wrong. If you think I'mma pull a Lil Miss Maloney an' call it quits then lemme set it clear, this ain't nuttin' but a pit stop, a refulin' and some fresh wheels but I ain't retire yet fam, ya get me? It be full out peddle to the metal from here on and ain't nuttin' or no one gonna slow me down again."
He takes another drink from his bottle of beer.
"But don't get twisted, this ting with Ohio ain't done blad, we ain't finished yet, nah. In fact it's on sight for life an' it ain't matter where I see him... An' I will see him fam, trust."
He greedily finishes his beer and slides the bottle way across the floor.
"But we keep it movin' still, back to the grind innit. I ain't know any other way, I take whatever they got for me an up nex' it be another one a those Maidens innit. Yeah, it's been about five minutes since I looked across that ring and seen one of 'em lookin' back at me so it be about time for it. This time it be Psycho, she done had her hands full wit' Mark Wright for a while innit, an' despite e'ry chance she had to make it count she done did the typical Maiden ting an' got caught slippin' e'rytime... I know what you gonna say though."
He looks at the camera, his expression deadpan.
"You gonna say, 'Nah Skrabz you wrong, she caught that big dub in that big eight body tag ting'..."
He shakes his head and looks away from the camera before quickly looking back at it.
"Then I'mma ask you, yeah but who she catch the dub on? She catch it on El D?... Maybe she done tamed that Mad Dog..."
He takes quick a toke on his joint then continues, his red eyes set dead on the camera.
"Buthcu gonna say nah, it be Justice Cross... An' you nah what I'mma say nex' innit. I'mma look you square in the eyes jus' like I am right now an' I'mma ask you one time, on the level... fam who the fuck is Justice Cross?"
He takes another toke on his joint then stubs it out in an ashtray out of shot.
"Oh but I be forgettin' one ting innit, an' I be sure she gonna remind us all of it. The night she shocked the world, yeah I can 'em hear 'em all now"
He looks at the camera and speaks with a high pitched voice in a sarcastic, mocking tone.
"She beat Ohio an' Ohio beat you, so that means in theory she could beat you too."
He shakes his head again.
"Shut the fuck up!"
He sneers.
"I'm still BIG SKRABZ still the who's who and what's what
Still profiteer an' domineer so hop off
Still volunteer to commandeer the top spot
An' still guaranteed to fuckin' beat this one off"
He reaches out of shot for another bottle of beer.
"But yeah, she did beat him fam, along time ago. Scarred his face an' blah blah blah... It sound solid but when ya break it down it ain't nuttin' but a highlight in a career full a lows. You pick ya top five moments an' it bound to be one of 'em... Fam I couldn't pick a top five. Man like Skrabz have to settle for a list a lows and there only be about five of 'em so I guess they all make the cut. Point is that shit you did be old news, coz recently you on that transgender bukkake vibe, this chick blowin' shots all over the place, ya get me?... I mean ya threw one shot away by hittin' Mad Dog wit' that lil stick you carry around when maybe ya wouldda had more luck throwin' the shit for him. Then you went an' got yaself smeared all 'round a cage by his paws..."
He twists the lid off his beer and takes a drink.
"I ain't know if the Bossman be rewardin' you for ya fuck ups or punsihin' me for mine, coz despite recent tings and past history me an' you ain't no where near the same. This be a can a coke to cocain, a lone voice to a soul train, this my home; you got no place!... Butchu you prolly think this is your chance, right? You prolly think it be the best one you ever gonna get, coz surely man like Skrabz be wounded, he gonna be second guessin' himself. He gonna be havin' those self doubts an' insecurities, wonderin' if this the beginin' a the end... Nah fam, if that be whatchu thinkin' ya couldn't be more wrong. Coz this be the worst possible time this shit coulda happened for ya. If you wouldda caught me a couple weeks back you might a caught me lackin' but now ya got no chance..."
He pauses for another drink and leans out of shot, reaching for a fresh joint.
"But still they prolly think the tide done turned now, what they ain't know is man like Skrabz be high on the crest ridin' the wave. Coz I had two choices fam, one was die an' burn, the other was survive an' learn an' ya shouldda already done know which one I grabbed at... So Pyscho now you got jus' two options goin' into this ting, you can either get beat or get beat an' embarrassed. Coz where some of 'em might have they shit all twisted after lookin' up for the three count man like Skrabz ain't nuttin' but motivated. I be chompin' at the bit an' strainin' at the leash to get my teeth into suttin' and you just unlucky enough to be put in mans way."
He puts his joint in his mouth and lights it, inhaling smoke deep into his lungs.
"Ya nah it be kinda funny what the Bossman gone an' planned for you, coz you jus' left the cage wit a Dog but now you gotta face up to an animal."
He laughs arrogantly, his bloodshot eyes locked on the camera.
"Coz Mark Wright done did ya wrong, left you broken an' hopeless. An' now you 'bout to get smoked in a moment coz to man like you Skrabz you ain't nuttin' but token opponent."
He takes another puff on his joint before continuing.
"So all that chantin' an cheerin' I'm sure they all been doin' in the back two weeks ago about to get shushed wit' the quickness, coz it be straight back to bidness. It has to be fam, I can't settle for nuttin' less. I ain't here to network, I ain't here to shake hands or make friends fam, I ain't here to pose for the camera or send the neeks in the seats home happy, never that! I be here for one ting an' one ting only an' that be to catch the dub an' raise the strap... Only I gotta sit in the back an' watch as two new man who wouldn't know their way to top if they fell from it fight to find out which one of 'em in line for a shot at my strap. Yeah, don't get it twisted that shit still belong to man like Skrabz, ain't nuttin' changed."
He pauses and takes a drink of beer followed by a couple of quick tokes on his joint.
"Well fam I be sick to fuckin' death a sittin' back jus' waitin' to get mine while e'rybody else get it handed to 'em. I be sick to fuckin' death a gettin' side tracked by these bullshit distractions like the Bossman an' Ohio. From now I got a one track mind and the big strap be the finish line...
He takes a long, slow draw on his joint and exhales a cloud of smoke directly at the camera.
"I be done playin' the extra fam. Man like Skrabz be ready, set and fit for action... An' you jus better hope you ain't in the frame when I start shootin'"
He leans forward and taps at his phone, ending the recording.
