Defying convention.
OORP: Sorry guys for the lack of posting. So much for an easy week!
FADE IN.
(At the Manhattan penthouse suite of Larry Tact, the camera gets familiar with a few of the amenities, cycling through several shots: a wall-mounted HDTV, with entertainment sound and gaming systems nearby; plush, black leather sofas and a couple recliners; tables set on the parque floor, near the wall-length windows leading to an outer sitting area, which itself is larger than just a balcony. One addition is that the formerly mini-bar has expanded. It's now the size of a kitchenette, with bottles of varying size and description taking up most of the expanded space.
As for the man, himself, he is presently lounging on one of the sofas, wearing a pair of deep blue Jet Lag cargo pants and Ralph Lauren pullover hoodie. He takes a drink from a bottle of Southern Tier Pumking, enjoying the moment.)
LARRY TACT: "It's times like these when people may begin to question me. Coming off of my unanticipated appearance at WrestleVerse, perhaps people tuned into Aggression to find out what my motives were. Or maybe they wanted to see if I would turn on Anarky, leaving him lying in that tag team Main Event. Because wouldn't I be in a perfect position to do so, and set up a match for the World Heavyweight Championship?"
"Or maybe people expected I was going to show some rust... perform below a level that would be expected of teaming with the World Champion. After all, I've been away for over a year, and certainly there have been many people who would jump at the chance to be in the Main Event of Aggression 60?"
"Then again, maybe people didn't know what the hell I was doing at WrestleVerse, nor what I was thinking in volunteering to team with someone who, the last time I was in EPW, I bloodied and was bloodied by inside a Steel Cage."
"Well for anyone who may be interested, and maybe that includes Anarky... at Aggression 61, I'll give some clarification as to my return and actions. But that's for then..."
(He takes another drink of Pumking, and exhales in satisfaction.)
"For now, it's all about tag team wrestling. It seems I'm picking up where I left off, finding my way back into EPW the same way I left, in the tag ranks. But those World Tag Team Championships? It doesn't seem they're part of the return package. They've changed hands and I'm left to sort out how I feel about that."
"It's funny, I never planned to team with Jared Wells, really. It was just one of the ideas we thought up one night, and it stuck. As it turns out, we took the division by storm and never looked back, going undefeated. So now I look at Anime-zing Dragon holding those Championship belts and I remember what Jared and I accomplished. I also remember how it ended for me. And I guess you could say I have a right to be bitter, or at least disgruntled, and even having a claim to stake at the EPW World Tag Team Championships."
"But I don't feel bitter, and I'm not disgruntled. Don't get me wrong, it happened, the feelings were there, no doubt about it. Now, though... I can smile. Because looking at Karl and Otaku holding those titles, and seeing the division keep on chugging and changing, makes me realize that I did make an impact. Maybe I wasn't doing all the things, and making the choices, people wanted me to make before. Even so, Jared Wells and Larry Tact made a mark on EPW.
(He takes another sip of Pumking and tips it in our direction with a smirk.)
"And hey, we were featured on that DVD... that counts for something, right?"
(He sets the bottle on a coaster on top of the glass table between the sofa and entertainment setup, then leans back again, arms draped across the back of the plush leather.)
"Karl 'the Dragon' Brown. We've never faced before, and that's a fact. But I've had you on my radar for some time. I'll admit, though, I was expecting to run into you one-on-one, not in a tag format. But this will do... for now. It won't satisfy me for good. Maybe sooner than later, Karl, I don't know. Just rest assured that you're looking at a future singles opponent, and why? Well, since High Flyer brought up the proverbial bucket lists... 'the Dragon' has been on my list for a while. A list of the great technicians I need to face."
"You're good, Karl, better than good, in fact. And I'll agree that Otaku's a nice compliment, he adds some flavor and unpredictability. It's plain to see how you found your way to holding the tag gold. But allow me to undertake the task of putting Anarky and I into words Otaku would understand... as my brother and I recently took a trip to Japan, and found out we have some common cultural interests."
(He clears his throat, scratching his cheek for a moment.)
"Okay. So, this goes back a ways, but if you'll recall your DragonBall Z for a moment. Anarky is like Vegeta. He's the ultimate bad ass, take no prisoners fighter. He won't pull punches against anyone, just unleash his full fury on the people who oppose him. There's two gears: all-out or nothing. And really, I've yet to see the latter. And even though the bastard doesn't appear to look any different over time, he keeps changing, keeps evolving and recreating himself. He continues to grow more powerful."
"I, on the other hand, am more of a Piccolo-- remember, though, we're in Z timeline here, not original DB. I'm a tough bastard, I won't take crap from anyone, but I understand that I've got to work a little harder than others to make it work. I've got born talent, but also have some vulnerabilities. It means I have to redouble my efforts to keep up with the rest of the pack, because I'm just different. I'm not a born killer, but more of a dynamic machine. I don't change so drastically, but I'm constantly evolving, too. Sometimes it's stronger, sometimes it's wiser, but there's always something at work."
(He takes up the Pumking again, swirling the bottle as he contemplates.)
"Thing is, when the two of them team together, they're a nearly unstoppable force. It was rare for them to do so, because they often clashed terribly. They weren't friends, but they agreed to team up because there was something greater at stake for each of them. There was a more important purpose at work, and it was bigger than allowing differences to divide them."
"That's Anarky and Larry Tact."
(He takes a drink.)
"So how do you stop two people who can straight-up dominate a match on their own, much less when they're on the same page and cohesive? There isn't a point to just giving you an answer, especially if you don't understand it."
"It's true, we aren't a regular tag team. On the other hand, we're also two people who don't let that stop us. Did we expect to be paired up in an encore tag team match this week? I know I didn't, but I take it as a challenge, maybe even from Dan Ryan himself. Can we do it, can we hold up as a team and shine the way stars do in this industry? How bad do we want to succeed?"
"Certainly bad enough to set our differences aside. And you can bet your DVD box set collections that we'll be better at 61 than 60, for two reasons. First, I've gotten that 'first week back' stuff out of the way. Second, we've gotten that 'first week teaming' stuff out of the way. We won't be perfect, but talent and sheer drive allow you to gloss over some things, and make you figure out other things you may not even have expected. And even seemingly polarizing personalities of World Tag Team Champions can be taken off their game by another unlikely, but talented, team."
"I'll let you two submit your own answer at 61, in the ring, and see how it works out for you."
(He sets the bottle back down on the caoster.)
"As for High Flyer and Tony Davis-- the ever-rising Team VIAGRA... Flyer, you made an interesting point about yourself. You brought up things that you want to do in your career, and the thing is, everything you listed is finite. It's got an answer, an end. Except for one thing, that bit about kicking everyone once. It's got no end. What that tells me is that you never want it to end, your participation in this industry. Really, you probably aren't too far from Anarky and I. If you could find a way to do this forever, you may just make it happen. Because you've got the passion, the addiction, the desire, whatever you want to call it. You've got 'It' and 'It' has you right back. Wrapped right around 'Its' finger."
"The difference is that Anarky is spitting in the face of everything convention. He's the World Heavyweight Champion again, when maybe people didn't think he could do it. I made my return after people might have written me off as, "Banned From EPW," and I did so in the biggest match of EPWs grandest event of the year. I'll admit, I do enjoy a good entrance."
"And now we're teaming again, at 61, when people definitely thought we wouldn't even make it through one match. When the court of public opinion had odds on us imploding, instead we're taking this chapter in a direction few, if any, could have expected from us."
"We defy convention... no, we use convention to create our own spectacle. And convention is now preaching that Anarky and Larry Tact won't be able to topple two seasoned teams of the best tag team division on this circuit."
"Well, I'm not a big fan of preachers. And once again, we've got convention right where we want it: primed to be used for something better than itself."
"Try and prove otherwise."
FADE OUT.