07-16-2024, 11:23 PM
{The screen cuts to the tallest building in Detroit in the form of the GM Renaissance Center which was made equally famous in Paul Verhoeven's trilogy of Robocop movies as the in setting headquarters of the corrupt OCP megacorp and it is here that we find two people on the opposite side of the spectrum in the form of the Phantom Troupe's own David Striker and Chris Dumont. Both men are dressed for the season...kind of as David is wearing the black Sabaton "Primo Victoria" t-shirt and tan cargo shorts while Chris is dressed more in line with the slightly infamous Detroit heat as the two men are admiring the building while David is humming Sabaton's "The Red Baron"}
"So, you're in a mood today." Chris said as he glanced over at his friend. "I mean you don't often hum Sabaton...or anything really."
David nodded, "I know. I just don't feel like raging or anything at the moment to be honest. I mean can't a guy be in a good mood while hanging out with his friends?"
Chris nodded but he still found it strange, just a few days ago David was fuming nonstop about how much work and effort he had put into getting ready for the one night only tournament in SCW only to be stopped by a "freaking Sailor Moon ripoff wrestler" to just a day ago his entire demeanor changed as he started to be in a better mood.
Chris simply chalked it up to Sabaton's next tour would actually be in time with their current dates with SCW.
David then looked over at his friend, "So, what about you then? I heard that while I was dealing with BS in Memphis, you had a run in with the last person that you wanted to see."
Chris let his head fall forward and banged against the metal railing in front of him. "Can we not do this please?" he mumbled.
David shook his head, "Actually no we have to do this because right now you've got a successful career as a professional wrestler *and* you're slowly starting something with Aisling and the last thing that the either of you need is the drama that your ex can bring you." David pointed out evenly.
"Look, all that happened was that she showed up at BB King's while I was talking with Kimmie and that's it." Chris said in a darkly defensive tone.
"Still, have you even told Aisling anything about what happened though? I mean we do work in an industry where rumors have a life of their own. I mean you could hear about you having an innocent late lunch with a fellow female wrestler and it could turn everything on its head...I mean you've heard about the problems Polly and the gang have been having lately." David said in a rather pointed tone. "I mean then there is that rumor about the new girl traveling with them...something about that one has Kyle's eyes keeping an eye on that one."
Chris nodded, "Aisling did tell me that they had their own shit to deal with and I'm trusting her. It does seem to be that we talk a lot about Polly and her crew don't we?"
David nodded, "Yeah, mostly because they are as much a part of the Troupe as they can be without actually being there that first day when we started this thing of ours." he said as the two started to walk. "But needless to say that this is fun, just hanging out here in Detroit and trying to do the Robocop walking tour..."
"Even though the movies were filmed in Dallas Texas due to how the buildings here in Detroit actually are." Chris countered as he turned to regard the city's skyline.
"....that it is, that it is."
Chris couldn’t help but chuckle at that comment as the two resumed their walk but his thoughts instead went back to the previous Breakdown and his chance encounter with his former girlfriend;
Jessica Gates.
If the Devil ever had an actual name, then that would be it as far as Chris was concerned and with good reason too…but it wasn’t the kind of reason that was known or well shared outside his extremely small cluster of very close friends.
Friends like David here.
David who was still talking about something apparently.
Chris shook his head hard to try and clear it before he looked over at David again, “Sorry, I kind of zoned out for a few there.”
David nodded, “Yeah, I could tell. Look, I was just curious if you wanted to go and grab a couple of Detroit’s signature sandwiches and just chill before we hit the gym and shit.” he offered up.
“Yeah, I could eat.” Chris admitted before the two changed direction and headed away from the GM building and started to look around for something to eat. “You know, unusually we get Irvine or Kyle to hit up the locals and see what’s good, so why haven’t we done that yet?”
David simply shrugged, “Mostly because I figured that you and I needed some time to hang without everyone in the crew around. I mean it’s not like we spend most of our time surrounded by them all. I’ve got Dylan and DJ over in NFW and then we got the rest of the gang during our time over in Japan for Pro Wrestling Nova.” he explained.
“So do you know when we’re due back over there by the way? I mean I know that Sabin and Gabe are up for a tag title shot on…Tuesday or Wednesday?”
David pulled out his phone and checked it real fast, “Basically we head back to Japan for the tour there with the rest of the boys and then an episode of Defiant before we come back here for the next SCW pay per view if I’m reading the schedule correctly.” David said before he closed down his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. “Anxious to get back to the tour?”
“More like anxious to get it over with actually, three months of going back and forth has really started to wear on me, I think it’s probably part of the reason why I’ve lost so many matches recently in SCW because of the near constant having to catch flights between the two countries which makes me wonder how did my parents pull this off?”
David nodded in agreement, “Isn’t that the truth? I mean didn’t your dad do two back to back events for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance before heading over to Japan to be in the very first Omega Wrestling Alliance pay per view and it’s one day tourneys for two of its titles?”
“Yeah, mom later told me he slept for almost two days as he couldn’t get out of the room they had rented in Tokyo due to how bruised up and stiff he was from all of the hard fighting. They had to get Chris and Little Uncle Kevin to get him to a bathhouse with a special ice bath to help get his muscles to work again.” Chris laughed as he recalled the story he was told since the event happened prior to his birth. “But I’m not my dad, I’m not used to this kind of work load yet.”
David nodded, “So…is it safe to ask one question though?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“What happened when you ran into Jessica the other week? I mean you and I both know that she could not have seen you and *not* tried to pull something, true?” David pointed out.
Chris stopped walking and closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds before finally saying one thing;
“Let’s just say that I’m glad that I’ve got a match this week and leave it at that.”
============================================
{The screen then static jumps to a shot of both halves of Dangerous Minds standing in front of the main entrance to Titan Field in Detroit Michigan with David Striker leaning against the wall while Chris Dumont paces back and forth next to him}
David: Hello SCW, we’re live right here in the Motor City and this week you’ve got the Phantom Troupe’s dastardly duo of Dangerous Minds in myself and Chris Dumont here up against two thirds of Team Desire in Katie and Gigi Steward this week on Breakdown and I’ve got to admit, it’s nice to have something as simple as a tag team match after the last few weeks, eh Chris?
Chris: In a strange round about way, I guess you’re right.
David: {motioning at Chris’ pacing} You have to forgive my partner but he’s only been in town a couple of days as he, like myself, been going back and forth between the States and Japan, working a tour for Pro Wrestling Nova, and when you stuck on an airplane for anywhere from ten to fifteen hours at a time with nothing to do but sit there…well for a guy like Chris here, just sitting around isn’t his thing.
{Chris lets out a very loud and humorless bark of laughter but otherwise says nothing}
David: Hence all of the pacing, but ladies…Katie and Gigi…you can be rest assured that by the time that bell rings on Breakdown, Chris will be fully prepared to do whatever it takes, along with myself, to bring another victory home to the Phantom Troupe. And while I’ll be the first one to admit that everything hasn’t been a bed of roses with some pretty potent losses intermixed with some incredible wins, and while the constant losses in the face of some of the chances that we’ve been given over these past few months might have broken lesser people, all that it has done for Chris and myself has shown that we’re still fighting our way up that ladder because if things were really that simple then this would not be such an epic promotion!!
Honestly, Ladies and Gentlemen, look at the sheer list of names that have come and gone from SCW and you tell me that if things were meant to be easy then this would not be the SCW of *LEGEND*!!
That’s why I have downright refused to allow myself to get frustrated or drowned in my sorrows for not winning a title here in this company because with the sheer level of talent holding those belts, I could measure myself to the level of those greats and if the Phantom Troupe can hold their own against such odds, then fucking *win* or fucking *lose*, we have *EARNED* our places on this roster no matter the cost because right here in this company is where we are fucking meant to be because this is company is the Undiscovered Country…the promised land.
And yes, I know that during the tournament the other week I got beat by a freaking Sailor Moon reject which ended my chances there, but I'm not here to play the king of what ifs, ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to do what I do best and that's fight, be up hill against one of the most established teams here in this company or against two damn rookies who think that the "Scorpion Death Drop" is some song from Thousand Foot Krutch, I'm not here to just sit around and look pretty, I'm here to do a banger after banger after banger after banger as my good friend Kyle would say in a situation like this!
{Chris stops pacing and the camera shifts its view over to him}
Chris: A lot of you might think that David’s taken more than his fair share of hits to the head if he’s talking like that but if you simply look at what he’s preaching, then you’d become a believer yourself.
But it’s that same drive…that same *desire*, if you will, that constantly drives this unit. Because when the Phantom Troupe formed, we knew that we had some awfully big shoes to fill each and every time that we go out there to the ring and this week on Breakdown, Katie and Gigi, we’re going to show not only you, but the entire wrestling world that while you’re looking down at us and chuckling at our chances at winning…we’re actually about to clock you out and down.
But all of that aside, David and I are not joking around because we know that the two of you are no jokes in that ring and when you combine that with the fact that you’ve been teaming a hell of a lot longer than the two of us means that you’ve got a slight advantage over us in terms of experience…but that slight advantage is nothing because neither one of you is as tenth pissed off as we are!
Honestly, Team Desire, we’ve heard the whispering in the back, at the various people who see us show up as ya’ll gather around in your little circles and start to gossip about the kinds of chances that we’ve been given time and again and that only serves to piss us off, adding to the fuel to the fire that burns bright and hot in the very cores of Dangerous Minds.
A fire that’s going to burn the entire fucking lot of you down to the point where not even your marrow will be left because starting on this week’s edition of Breakdown, all of the disgusted side looks…all of the gossip…and most importantly of all, all of the laughing that we heard each and every time we hit the ring in an attempt to capture the win for our side….all of that stops at Breakdown, not because we’re saying that’s how it’s going to go down;
Because that’s honestly how it’s going to happen, whether you like it or not and that is because we’re coming for war pure and simple and if it’s one thing that Dangerous Minds enjoys most…it’s going to war.
David: And war it must be because as we head into the next pay per view, I see great mayhem in the making and I refuse…flatly *REFUSE* to let that happen without the Phantom Troupe at the center.
So come on Team Desire, come at us with your finest violence…or stay the hell out of Detroit.
The choice is yours.
{The screen then static jumps to black}
=================================
"So, you're in a mood today." Chris said as he glanced over at his friend. "I mean you don't often hum Sabaton...or anything really."
David nodded, "I know. I just don't feel like raging or anything at the moment to be honest. I mean can't a guy be in a good mood while hanging out with his friends?"
Chris nodded but he still found it strange, just a few days ago David was fuming nonstop about how much work and effort he had put into getting ready for the one night only tournament in SCW only to be stopped by a "freaking Sailor Moon ripoff wrestler" to just a day ago his entire demeanor changed as he started to be in a better mood.
Chris simply chalked it up to Sabaton's next tour would actually be in time with their current dates with SCW.
David then looked over at his friend, "So, what about you then? I heard that while I was dealing with BS in Memphis, you had a run in with the last person that you wanted to see."
Chris let his head fall forward and banged against the metal railing in front of him. "Can we not do this please?" he mumbled.
David shook his head, "Actually no we have to do this because right now you've got a successful career as a professional wrestler *and* you're slowly starting something with Aisling and the last thing that the either of you need is the drama that your ex can bring you." David pointed out evenly.
"Look, all that happened was that she showed up at BB King's while I was talking with Kimmie and that's it." Chris said in a darkly defensive tone.
"Still, have you even told Aisling anything about what happened though? I mean we do work in an industry where rumors have a life of their own. I mean you could hear about you having an innocent late lunch with a fellow female wrestler and it could turn everything on its head...I mean you've heard about the problems Polly and the gang have been having lately." David said in a rather pointed tone. "I mean then there is that rumor about the new girl traveling with them...something about that one has Kyle's eyes keeping an eye on that one."
Chris nodded, "Aisling did tell me that they had their own shit to deal with and I'm trusting her. It does seem to be that we talk a lot about Polly and her crew don't we?"
David nodded, "Yeah, mostly because they are as much a part of the Troupe as they can be without actually being there that first day when we started this thing of ours." he said as the two started to walk. "But needless to say that this is fun, just hanging out here in Detroit and trying to do the Robocop walking tour..."
"Even though the movies were filmed in Dallas Texas due to how the buildings here in Detroit actually are." Chris countered as he turned to regard the city's skyline.
"....that it is, that it is."
Chris couldn’t help but chuckle at that comment as the two resumed their walk but his thoughts instead went back to the previous Breakdown and his chance encounter with his former girlfriend;
Jessica Gates.
If the Devil ever had an actual name, then that would be it as far as Chris was concerned and with good reason too…but it wasn’t the kind of reason that was known or well shared outside his extremely small cluster of very close friends.
Friends like David here.
David who was still talking about something apparently.
Chris shook his head hard to try and clear it before he looked over at David again, “Sorry, I kind of zoned out for a few there.”
David nodded, “Yeah, I could tell. Look, I was just curious if you wanted to go and grab a couple of Detroit’s signature sandwiches and just chill before we hit the gym and shit.” he offered up.
“Yeah, I could eat.” Chris admitted before the two changed direction and headed away from the GM building and started to look around for something to eat. “You know, unusually we get Irvine or Kyle to hit up the locals and see what’s good, so why haven’t we done that yet?”
David simply shrugged, “Mostly because I figured that you and I needed some time to hang without everyone in the crew around. I mean it’s not like we spend most of our time surrounded by them all. I’ve got Dylan and DJ over in NFW and then we got the rest of the gang during our time over in Japan for Pro Wrestling Nova.” he explained.
“So do you know when we’re due back over there by the way? I mean I know that Sabin and Gabe are up for a tag title shot on…Tuesday or Wednesday?”
David pulled out his phone and checked it real fast, “Basically we head back to Japan for the tour there with the rest of the boys and then an episode of Defiant before we come back here for the next SCW pay per view if I’m reading the schedule correctly.” David said before he closed down his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. “Anxious to get back to the tour?”
“More like anxious to get it over with actually, three months of going back and forth has really started to wear on me, I think it’s probably part of the reason why I’ve lost so many matches recently in SCW because of the near constant having to catch flights between the two countries which makes me wonder how did my parents pull this off?”
David nodded in agreement, “Isn’t that the truth? I mean didn’t your dad do two back to back events for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance before heading over to Japan to be in the very first Omega Wrestling Alliance pay per view and it’s one day tourneys for two of its titles?”
“Yeah, mom later told me he slept for almost two days as he couldn’t get out of the room they had rented in Tokyo due to how bruised up and stiff he was from all of the hard fighting. They had to get Chris and Little Uncle Kevin to get him to a bathhouse with a special ice bath to help get his muscles to work again.” Chris laughed as he recalled the story he was told since the event happened prior to his birth. “But I’m not my dad, I’m not used to this kind of work load yet.”
David nodded, “So…is it safe to ask one question though?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“What happened when you ran into Jessica the other week? I mean you and I both know that she could not have seen you and *not* tried to pull something, true?” David pointed out.
Chris stopped walking and closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds before finally saying one thing;
“Let’s just say that I’m glad that I’ve got a match this week and leave it at that.”
============================================
{The screen then static jumps to a shot of both halves of Dangerous Minds standing in front of the main entrance to Titan Field in Detroit Michigan with David Striker leaning against the wall while Chris Dumont paces back and forth next to him}
David: Hello SCW, we’re live right here in the Motor City and this week you’ve got the Phantom Troupe’s dastardly duo of Dangerous Minds in myself and Chris Dumont here up against two thirds of Team Desire in Katie and Gigi Steward this week on Breakdown and I’ve got to admit, it’s nice to have something as simple as a tag team match after the last few weeks, eh Chris?
Chris: In a strange round about way, I guess you’re right.
David: {motioning at Chris’ pacing} You have to forgive my partner but he’s only been in town a couple of days as he, like myself, been going back and forth between the States and Japan, working a tour for Pro Wrestling Nova, and when you stuck on an airplane for anywhere from ten to fifteen hours at a time with nothing to do but sit there…well for a guy like Chris here, just sitting around isn’t his thing.
{Chris lets out a very loud and humorless bark of laughter but otherwise says nothing}
David: Hence all of the pacing, but ladies…Katie and Gigi…you can be rest assured that by the time that bell rings on Breakdown, Chris will be fully prepared to do whatever it takes, along with myself, to bring another victory home to the Phantom Troupe. And while I’ll be the first one to admit that everything hasn’t been a bed of roses with some pretty potent losses intermixed with some incredible wins, and while the constant losses in the face of some of the chances that we’ve been given over these past few months might have broken lesser people, all that it has done for Chris and myself has shown that we’re still fighting our way up that ladder because if things were really that simple then this would not be such an epic promotion!!
Honestly, Ladies and Gentlemen, look at the sheer list of names that have come and gone from SCW and you tell me that if things were meant to be easy then this would not be the SCW of *LEGEND*!!
That’s why I have downright refused to allow myself to get frustrated or drowned in my sorrows for not winning a title here in this company because with the sheer level of talent holding those belts, I could measure myself to the level of those greats and if the Phantom Troupe can hold their own against such odds, then fucking *win* or fucking *lose*, we have *EARNED* our places on this roster no matter the cost because right here in this company is where we are fucking meant to be because this is company is the Undiscovered Country…the promised land.
And yes, I know that during the tournament the other week I got beat by a freaking Sailor Moon reject which ended my chances there, but I'm not here to play the king of what ifs, ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to do what I do best and that's fight, be up hill against one of the most established teams here in this company or against two damn rookies who think that the "Scorpion Death Drop" is some song from Thousand Foot Krutch, I'm not here to just sit around and look pretty, I'm here to do a banger after banger after banger after banger as my good friend Kyle would say in a situation like this!
{Chris stops pacing and the camera shifts its view over to him}
Chris: A lot of you might think that David’s taken more than his fair share of hits to the head if he’s talking like that but if you simply look at what he’s preaching, then you’d become a believer yourself.
But it’s that same drive…that same *desire*, if you will, that constantly drives this unit. Because when the Phantom Troupe formed, we knew that we had some awfully big shoes to fill each and every time that we go out there to the ring and this week on Breakdown, Katie and Gigi, we’re going to show not only you, but the entire wrestling world that while you’re looking down at us and chuckling at our chances at winning…we’re actually about to clock you out and down.
But all of that aside, David and I are not joking around because we know that the two of you are no jokes in that ring and when you combine that with the fact that you’ve been teaming a hell of a lot longer than the two of us means that you’ve got a slight advantage over us in terms of experience…but that slight advantage is nothing because neither one of you is as tenth pissed off as we are!
Honestly, Team Desire, we’ve heard the whispering in the back, at the various people who see us show up as ya’ll gather around in your little circles and start to gossip about the kinds of chances that we’ve been given time and again and that only serves to piss us off, adding to the fuel to the fire that burns bright and hot in the very cores of Dangerous Minds.
A fire that’s going to burn the entire fucking lot of you down to the point where not even your marrow will be left because starting on this week’s edition of Breakdown, all of the disgusted side looks…all of the gossip…and most importantly of all, all of the laughing that we heard each and every time we hit the ring in an attempt to capture the win for our side….all of that stops at Breakdown, not because we’re saying that’s how it’s going to go down;
Because that’s honestly how it’s going to happen, whether you like it or not and that is because we’re coming for war pure and simple and if it’s one thing that Dangerous Minds enjoys most…it’s going to war.
David: And war it must be because as we head into the next pay per view, I see great mayhem in the making and I refuse…flatly *REFUSE* to let that happen without the Phantom Troupe at the center.
So come on Team Desire, come at us with your finest violence…or stay the hell out of Detroit.
The choice is yours.
{The screen then static jumps to black}
=================================