6CW Proving Grounds Monday 9th March 2020

Our scene opens in the locker rooms of the Emirates Arena as Genesis comes to an end, the door of the locker room swings open as Liam Wood is being supported by Varyag but as the pair make it in to the room Wood pushes his hired muscle away causing him to almost collapse, clearly still feeling the damage from his world title match against champion Jackson Jackson.

Wood:
Just get the hell off me!

Varyag attempts to help Wood up but again he's pushed away by the defeated man who stands up by himself before launching a huge right hand at a locker, causing it to dent in under the force

Wood:
That was meant to be MY moment! I was meant to walk back in here with a title over my shoulder but NO! Instead I leave with nothing and Jackson can act like he's the better man! This isn't how it was meant to be, I'm made to be a champion...that belt should be mine!

FOR F**K SAKE!

Wood kicks the bin across the room as Varyag watches on unmoved. Wood turns to Varyag quickly before continuing his rant

Wood:
You had one job and you f**ked it up, you f**ked this all up. You let that idiot Frank Horrigan get involved and you took away what was mine! This is all on you! I brought you in to help me and you're the reason I'm left here with nothing.

No win, no world title...NOTHING!

If I'm not winning, then what use are you to me?! I should be champion right now, I should be back at the top of the mountain where I god damn belong but instead I'm sharing a locker room with an idiot...

Wood pauses trying to compose himself

Wood:
One more chance you hear?! One more chance to do the right thing or that's it...I'll ship you back to wherever it is you're from and you can rot. Without me, you don't make it...you understand?!

Varyag grits his teeth and looks at Wood for a moment with a glare before finally speaking

Varyag:
Yes boss...

Wood then walks up to him

Wood:
Good, get that through that thick skull of yours

Wood taps Varyag on the side of head heavily before storming out leaving Varyag alone

"O Fortuna" blasts out of the speakers and the Glasgow crowd stare at the stage. The Consultant comes out first, closely followed by Karl Kramer. He still wears his red and black shorts, with his mohawk glazed red and black as well. The two men stand on the stage, looking out to the audience and with Karl stepping on the spot. As the cannon fire goes off, he slaps his right arm across his chest three times, before striding down to the ring.

JT: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to you all as we watch the number one contender for the UK championship making his way to the ring. Kramer was already a huge competitor but perhaps a little green. What do you you think gentlemen?

HE: Well that inexperience in the ring has cost him over the last few weeks, but now he has a shrewd operator alongside him. His uncle, Charles Kramer, may not be everyone's cup of tea but he has many many years of experience in wrestling.....

JR: ........and that experience has been as a manager and in important backstage roles. So not only will The Consultant look after his nephew in the ring, but also lobby for him behind the curtain.

JT: Could a win at Proving Grounds be the start of something big for these two?

HE: I'm not sure but Charles is already making his mark. He has picked the biggest dog in the yard for his nephew to go after in Crime Lord. And we know that he and Johnny Lawless have had discussions.

JR: Charles Kramer has made a career out of rubbing people up the wrong way to get what he wants. It has been very effective so far.

JT: Where does this leave Karl Kramer? He was a novice but well liked by the fans. Now it seems he is hugely focused and not really here to entertain.

HE: I guarantee one thing......with the Cannonball there will be a light switch moment and the powder keg will explode. Then the rest of the roster needs to look out.

The Kramer's get to the ring and climb the steel steps. Karl steps in and paces the ring, while Charles calls for a microphone. The music dies down and The Consultant eyes up the crowd with a smirk on his face.

CK: Ladies and gentlemen, fellow enthusiasts of the wrestling world and believers of that faith. Let me introduce to you all to the reincarnation of my nephew. Rising up from the hate and delivering his true potential. Gaze upon the next 6CW World Heavyweight Champion of the World......the Cannonball........Karl Kramer!

Kramer raises his arms up briefly before leaning against the corner. The Consultant smirks again and points his cane at the camera.

CK: Oh, you think I am getting a bit ahead of myself? Well there are 3 things to say to that. Firstly, there is no-one in 6CW that can compete against Karl Kramer. When it comes to goals and milestones, Karl has achieved much more than purely being restricted to the four posts of this ring. Adversity is something he has had every day and he has smashed his way through with no thought of the consequences. He has feasted on those that mock. He has trodden upon those that do not take heed. He sees the chance to bring 6CW right down to its molecular parts and crush them with his bare hands.

JT: A strong opening statement......

CK: Secondly, he now has the most important gentleman in wrestling history right smack bang in his corner. Yours truly. I have looked at 6CW and what it is trying to achieve, and I weep for history of this place. Nobody on the roster could ever match some of the golden eras I have been a part of. From champions to contenders, I shake my head in disbelief at how far this hallowed place has fallen. What 6CW needs is a man of experience to steady the ship. To clean out the lightweights and make the new blood shine. When Jackson Jackson is your figurehead for the company, then you may as well turn off all the lights and shut up shop. He is one of many poor imitations in this place and frankly their poison can only mean one thing - the pitiful demise of 6CW.

The crowd look amongst themselves and start to boo.

JR: The obvious reaction to that from the fans. Maybe not as vocal as I would have imagined however.

Charles looks back at Karl and nods. His nephew rolls his eyes and stays in the corner.

CK: Lastly, the most obvious statement of the lot. James McManus will be one of the shortest reigning champions in history. Because on the next show, Karl Kramer will win, destroy and move on. The Cannonball has been fired and McManus is the first victim to lose his head. Don't just soak that one in......bet everything on it coming true!

Charles smirks again as Karl comes up behind him. He takes the microphone and stares at the camera.

KK: Crime Lord, good luck in your match. We will speak again real soon.....

He thrusts the mic back in his uncles chest before going back to the corner.

The Consultant shakes his head and points his cane at McManus.

CK: Why did you even come out here James? To tell people that after 7 long years, the level of your aspirations is simply to hold the UK Championship?

He shakes his head again.

CK: I don't doubt you James, because you never fail to disappoint. This is why Karl Kramer beating you is a foregone conclusion. It is the usual stepping stone process that new wrestlers on the roster have to go through. But as you have stated so well, you are not a novice James. You have been here a long time. So you have had more than enough chances to climb the ladder. But the reason you haven't climbed higher is not simply due to lack of talent. But more to that fact you are satisfied with a beautiful title that other guys on the roster would shudder to put round their waists.

Kramer turns to his nephew.

CK: Look closely at your opponent. He has everything that you have wasted many a year not aspiring to. Strength. Charisma. A will to win. All these things and more mould a perfect World Champion.

He turns back to McManus.

CK: And then we look at you James. Tired. Boring. Battle weary. Someone who is happy going through the motions and who picks up a token title here and there. It isn't something to tell your grandchildren about is it? That James McManus is the full stop on a great wrestling legacy. A pitiful uninspiring end on someone who is so clearly a footnote in 6CW history.

Both Kramer's smirk.

CK: James, say no more and just turn around. Your bland unintelligent ramblings are suffocating those of us who are on the path to greatness in 6CW. Stay out on the side of the road and watch real men stride past.

Charles Kramer laughs.

CK: Please stand up James. It is a pathetic sight to see yourself acting all moody and aggressive. It is not fitting to a permanent under achiever such as yourself.

He points to Karl with his cane.

CK: The problem with you is you are so intent to hear what Karl has to say, instead of listening to my words. Believe me that everything I say, Karl agrees with. It is as simple as that. Why does he need to waste his breath on someone so obviously beneath him? James McManus, you are stain on 6CW which should have been disinfected long ago. It is breeding contempt and no one in this stadium, in this company or in the whole wide world believes you are on the path to anything that contains the word "greatness". Unless the words "of failure" follows it.

The Consultant paces the ring.

CK: This grand book you are writing contains the same sentence over and over again......"James McManus promises big and delivers nothing". You may be half way through writing that sentence and stopping, but the rest of us are eagerly waiting for the final few words again. We have seen this happen to many times for you to suddenly surprise us with anything different.

Kramer smiles a pitiful smile at McManus, visually patting him on the head as he speaks.

CK: You are not a ruthless destructive edge James. You are a blunt instrument of marshmallow proportions, and someone needs to use it to knock some sense into you. Going back to your roots means you are going back to being a failure you always was and always will be. UK Championship or not.