Owen Cruze vs. Adam Allocco

[Owen]

All is dark at the Level Up wrestling school, all that is heard is the occasional scuffling from upstairs, one of the residents of the shelter not sleeping, or perhaps fetching a glass of water. The camera pans through the building, arriving at the office where a single light is illuminated. The door opens, to show Owen Cruze sat at the desk, his hands clasped in front of him and resting on the table. Behind, the door shuts with a creak, as Owen starts to speak.

 

“I think if there is one thing that is certain, it’s that if anyone needed a victory last time out, it was myself. I think in the week prior to that match, I made it very clear how important the match against the Hairless Penguin was to me. Aside from the fact he eliminated me from Taking Hold of the Flame, and ‘payback’ that was required on that score, also, a constant at the back of my is Olek seemingly keeping a close eye on me and what I do. And I can’t disagree, he can’t be blamed. See, I think there is no question, Olek always has the potential to hold a grudge. We’ve seen it many times in the past, so it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility we are seeing it here again. And when I say I wouldn’t blame him, that is the Gods honest truth, I wouldn’t. How can I after what I did? He’s well within his rights to still be angry about that, even if it is over a year ago. But according to him, it’s not about that. From his own lips, we have heard that the only reason Olek is taking a personal interest in what I have been doing of late is him checking on his investment. Making sure I can still ‘go’. Well, I think that if you take Rise to Greatness out of the equation, a match I most certainly could have won if things had gone just the tiniest bit different, I have proven categorically that there is no one in this company that can excite a crowd as I do, the hardest worker in the room bar none. When I spoke of redemption, I knew that even after Rise to Greatness there would be those that still doubted my integrity. When you think about it in detail, it’s no surprise that perhaps the man who I disrespected more than any other would still have those niggling doubts at the back of his mind that I’m never more than a heartbeat away from another blow out. But that’s in all honesty the situation is of no difference to me. Proving myself is something I’ve been doing all my life, so if the boss is keeping a close eye on me, so be it. It doesn’t add any further pressure, or weight on my shoulders. Olek, and I’ll address this directly at you. You keep on attending the shows, it’s good to see you. You keep on purposely making a point to Shaun that I’m on your mind constantly, that those doubts still work their way through your brain on occasion. It literally inspires me to show you, and anyone else who shares your opinion, that I WILL be World Champion again, and that this time, I will be ready to carry that honor, in a way I wasn’t before. Olek, if you are the ‘redeemer’ in this story, and I need your blessing, then you can rest assured that I will make damn sure there is no excuse but for you to put me in that spot. You want effort, desire, determination and a whole world of ability, you are looking at it. Keep watching bro… because I’m only going to get better from here on in. And yeah, I may have been a little surprised initially, but if that needs to happen inside the Chamber where it all started to unravel, then so be it bro.”

 

Owen leans back in the chair, and to the photo of Orlando, Shaun and him that is perched besides the computer, a photo that had spent more than its fair share of time face down in a drawer gathering dust only a few months prior. It was testament to where he was right now that he was able to once again look at that picture with pride, so much achievement in one photo, with only one thing missing, his own legacy. He picks up the photo, looks at it, and then turns it towards the camera, a grin now forming on his face. He rests the picture back on the desk, but this time in front of him and facing the camera.

 

“Did you make this match against Adam Olek, or was it, Shaun? Perhaps you had a quiet word in the booking staff’s ear huh, because there is no doubt the hits just keep on coming. If there was a choice to be made this week, who it was that could test the newfound intensity I now possess, I think there is no question that my opponent is a more than suitable choice. SCW World Champion only a few months ago, his own intensity dialed up a notch due to the circumstances that he was dethroned. The owner of his own redemption story, coming full circle to claim a championship that had eluded him for so long. Yeah, the story received a bump in the road in the shape of Xander Valentine. Yeah, due to whatever was stated in the contract, you won’t get a chance at the title until Xander is no longer the own. But just like me, you feel like you have got everything to prove, don’t you? Losing that title, it wasn’t a part of your grand design, was it? Or at least not as soon as you did, and in that situation. Adam, there is no doubt you are a better man off the back of you getting the help you need. And personally, I’m happy for you. I know what it’s like to stare into that abyss and see only darkness starting back. I don’t know the full extent of your story, and I doubt you know mine, but what I do know is you standing here once again as a competitor, that’s an achievement by itself, though I doubt you recognize that right now. But with all that therapy, all that self-reflection. With everything now at least in your rear-view mirror, I must ask ONE question. A question that will define our altercation on Breakdown.”

 

He looks down at the photo and places his hand at the top of the frame.

 

“Do you still have the self-same obsession with my family? An obsession that has cost you on more than one occasion. Because if last Thursday is any indication, it looks to me you are the EXACT same person that you were before.”

 

Owen takes the photo and places it back in its original position, facing away from the camera. It was just that, a question, but Owen knew that the reaction from Adam was usually one of abuse and disrespect, and Owen needed to be sure that was no longer the case. The Cruze family had been a thorn in Adam’s side for nigh on a decade, and although Owen had done nothing personally towards him, in the past that same grudge had held firm. Whenever a Cruze was placed in Adam Allocco’s way, he went to the ends of the earth to try and embarrass them, even going as far as to disrespect Orlando’s death on more than one occasion. Had this new change of heart brought about any difference, Owen couldn’t be sure.

 

“See, you’ve always gone to great lengths to explain how you hate burns for my family, and you know what, not that long ago we could have probably sat down together and agreed. Thing is, I was out of my mind, I was lost… I wouldn’t have known what the heck I was saying. And would it be wrong of me to suggest that every time you speak about Orlando, or Shaun, or indeed myself there is only one emotion that shines through like a beacon. Yeah, of course you speak of Orlando not being that talented, or Shaun getting all the breaks because of his surname. Yes, you hate the fact that the Cruze name is known all around the world in most corners of the globe, and the Allocco name doesn’t quite hold to that same standing, even though you have probably achieved more than all of us put together. Problem is Adam, and I can refer to literally any statement you’ve ever made towards us, you can rant, and rave, and spit feathers as much as you need to. You can holler, spew venom, and disrespect my family name to the nth degree. But, when you strip it all back, look through the words and try and find an explanation, my Dad said it. Shaun said it, and now I’m going to say it. You are blinded by that hatred. Orlando, Shaun and now I… we’ve never hated you, even when you were being an absolute dick towards each one of us. How could we hate someone that was obviously so driven by jealousy that he couldn’t see the wood for the trees. It had nothing to do with professionalism, or ability, it was never about that, and that’s why I ask the question now. It was ALL about how Orlando and Shaun were perceived in this business, and the stature they held, even with all their obvious faults. And you know what Adam, I get it bro, truly I do. Seeing Shaun come up roses even after strangling a pregnant woman, of course that rankled. His success in almost everything he does must be like a dagger to the heart. Thing is Adam, when you then placed that hatred towards an eighteen-year-old kid, who DIDN’T receive a single hand out because of his surname and fought tooth and nail just like you did on your comeback, that was when you showed that the obsession you have with the Cruze family was out of control. To the point if you saw Taylor and Sebastian out and about, Seb would probably have to take your bullshit as well, it’s that deep rooted. Or at least it seems like it is… hence the question. Did you manage to work through that addiction in the same way you did everything else? Because for once, just once Adam… I’d like this to be quite simply about can I hang with one of the most talented wrestlers in the World. Someone on a par, and perhaps even better than Josh Hudson. Or perhaps I’m asking for too much of you?”

 

Owen pauses for a moment, there was no denying that comment, no debate in the slightest. It had taken Adam what, five months to come back and become World Champion, that wasn’t someone that could ever be overlooked though some might. Maybe that had been the problem, maybe Adam believed that Orlando, and then Shaun had never given him that respect he had earned.

 

“It’s funny isn’t it, how things turn out, to the point where probably more than most, I understand what you have been through. But the thing is, none of that really mattered when you stepped back in the ring. Even at your lowest, you were still a more than capable opponent, just like I almost won Taking Hold of the Flame with my emotions at their lowest ebb. You’ve always been someone who’s managed to keep his personal life out of the ring… I wish I would have been able to do that. But now, it can be argued that you are in the best shape of your life. And that’s why Adam, I don’t see this as a match against someone who has turned his life around, however impressive. Don’t think that I’m not giving you your props for achieving that, but it has little bearing on what will transpire on Breakdown. I don’t see this as a match against someone who may or may not hate my family… just as I can confirm that both Orlando and Shaun never felt that way, or at least that’s the story I’ve been told. After all, you did become World Champion on Shaun’s watch… any real hatred on his part and you wouldn’t have even been in Taking Hold of the Flame. No, do you know how I see his match, Adam? If you don’t, worry not, because I’m going to tell you. I see this as a match against someone who barring a contract, would still be the World Champion. I see someone who was a victim of circumstance, rather than any lack of talent. But most of all Adam, I see someone the other side of the ring that beating would send a real message to the people that matter. I see someone that if I can defeat them, it would propel me into the World Championship picture once again. Nigh on three years since I last held that spot, beating you Adam Allocco would be one of the biggest statements, one of the biggest and most defining nights of my life. Especially as it seems you still have me down as a ‘whiny little kid’. And your reasoning? Because I don’t agree with you.

 

Adam, truth is I couldn’t care less what you learned in rehab. What’s good for you, what works for you, doesn’t automatically mean that its right for me. I mean, you learned that you must TAKE opportunities when they present themselves, and I understand that. But rebuilding my reputation is a lot more difficult than what you went through rebuilding yours, because you’ve ALWAYS been an asshole, and it seems like nothing has changed. I’m not taking away what you’ve been through, it’s obviously been a struggle, but you didn’t have to come back and prove yourself a changed man did you? I was a good guy, recognized by most as loving this industry and my place in it, you’ve always been a selfish prick only in this for yourself. So of course, the match came as a surprise… I was looking at a United States rematch… THEN the World Championship came along. And there is no question, the Chamber being mentioned came as a shock to me. As you don’t seem to realize, even the mention of that structure could have been quite triggering. If you had been paying attention, you would have heard me say quite clearly that I will make the most of it, even if it DID lead to my downfall when I last held the World Championship. So, Adam, I plan on taking that opportunity, and showing that the Chamber doesn’t hold that same fear for me as it did all those years ago. What this is Adam, is just the same as me proving myself to Olek, and he think he knows that if he had anything to do with this. This is just another example of me not being anything like the person I was before. With no intention of looking this gift horse in the mouth. If I’m being put in this Chamber purposely, then you know what, I’m going to win it. Maybe, just maybe this isn’t a grudge… maybe SCW is helping me slay ALL my demons. One, by one. Maybe, I need this Chamber match, to be able to completely and fully move on from everything that happened before.”

 

Was Owen being naïve? Was his first thoughts, that Olek held a grudge more likely than any assistance he was giving? Or maybe, just maybe this was his way of admitting he had made mistakes with Owen’s career and was looking to try and put them right.

 

“But that’s for another time Adam, I don’t want you to think I am focusing on that Chamber when that simply isn’t the case. Going into that Chamber, I am going to need to continue this momentum I am on. I am going to need all the intensity I now bring to the table. To do that Adam, I can’t come up short now, not with so much now being put at stake. 2021 was a shitty year for both of us Adam. 2022 has been much better. I now have the chance to end this year with the World Championship in my possession, and the only way I will end into the back end of the year with the confidence that I can do that, is by outwrestling you in front of the eyes of the world, and then outlasting you within the confines of the Chamber. And that Chamber won’t be all about us Adam, no matter how much you believe it will be all about you, and your chances of reclaiming YOUR title. But this week, in that very ring, it IS all about us. And to anyone watching, anyone who may still have those doubts about me, I ask ONE favor. I ask that you pull up a chair, find a monitor or a television screen, and watch what I do. Adam Allocco is a bona fide SCW legend. Adam Allocco is probably one of the top five wrestlers in the World. Adam Allocco will ALWAYS be main event, that’s a given and always a shoe in for any of the titles on offer. But on Breakdown, accepting all that evidence, I shall be one thing. The one thing that truly matters

 

BETTER.

 

Better in every aspect of our profession. Better in the way I will conduct myself whether in victory, or in defeat. Better in the way I use that ring to my advantage. Better, in picking up the pinfall or submission, an occurrence that will no doubt shock you, and many others to their core.

 

Quite

 

Simply

 

BETTER.

 

Because Adam Allocco, I am a CRUZE. And whether you care to admit it or not, that means something. To me, and millions of people around the world. Judge, Scoff, Whine and Bitch about me… I simply do not care, because when I win, all you are going to have left is excuses. You can’t accept that I’ve changed, and that’s fine, you’ve left me with very little option but to show you. And when that bell rings, my music hits and you are left once again wanting to curse the Cruze family, save your breath. Save your breath till Under Attack, when I walk into that Chamber and repeat the process against you and whoever else is named.”

 

A smile forms on his face, as he salutes the camera.

 

“It’s time to work on that legacy.”

 

He winks at the camera now.

 

“MY legacy.”

 

He leans forwards in the chair again, once again clasping his hands together just like they were when he began. The scene then slowly fading.