Promos

“A young man once approached me.”

“After learning about who I was, he came to sit before me.

“Without a word, I stared back at him with a slightly tilted head.”

“He stared back at me in silence. He took in every detail of my face. As far as he was concerned, this was the first time he had been in the presence of a true Shinigami.”

“Moments passed before he broke his silence. He had only one question for me.. How would he die?”

“Usually, I’d think twice about giving him such information, but this young man seemed to strike my fancy. With a slight smirk, I reached for my notebook and flopped it on the table, flipping to the man’s page. Eager to see how he’d react, I foretold his destiny.”

“Moments of silence passed once more before the man stood up without a word. He looked down at the notebook as if he had seen a ghost before politely thanking me for my time and walking off.”

“But that would not be the last I saw of him. For, I spent the next few months watching from the shadows.”

“I watched every day as this man tried to change his future. I watched as he struggled to gain traction towards defying his destiny.”

“No matter how hard he tried, no matter what types of people he tried to align with, or the successes he achieved by trying to change his life around, his expiration date was fast approaching.”

“The day came. Judgement day. He knew he had one last chance to change the outcome of his life. He aligned himself with the strongest personalities around him. He tried to cushion his fall from grace as much as he thought imaginable.”

“But his death.. it was inevitable.”

“Much like our young friend, Cael Gable approached me with a question quite similar.”

“A question that did not strike my fancy a second time. For I knew, no matter how I answered his question.. and no matter how hard he might try.. there was no changing his destiny.”

“You see, Cael, much like that young man.. you know you are living on borrowed time. You know that within the blink of an eye everything that you have lived for can be snatched away from you and you can be left for dead.”

“You know that whatever information I withhold from you doesn’t change. It’s not me that you hold anger towards.. it’s your destiny. You know as well as I do that your time here on this earth has become very limited.”

“Try as you might to change your future, you cannot and therefore lies your true enemy.”

“If it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight you shall receive. I am the unwanted slap of reality that you truly deserve. Try as you might to align yourself with zealots to ensure your fate be changed, they cannot save you from your grim destiny.”

“This week you may stand across from me a very angered spirit, but even then you cannot change what is.. inevitable.”

“Kneel before the God of the New World..”

“A large man once sat down at a round table. Upon this table laid enough food to feed an entire village for a week.”

“Today, friends and family gather around, all with hopes that their man could finish off this mountain of food before him. If able to do so, he would not only find himself in the record books for eating the most food in one sitting.. but a cash prize was also up for grabs from the local news paper.”

“The first few plates go down with ease. He tosses the fourth plate to the side upon completion and grabs for his water glass, taking a big swig. The spectacle that is this large man was magnificent. There wasn’t a single adverted eye in the building, each onlooker knowing that this man will succeed in his quest with the greatest of ease.”

“A cold sweat begins to form on his brow after a few more plates of food are devoured. His breathing changes. The rate at which he was eating became slower, yet he still continued to pound away at the food.”

“He picks up a large ball park frank and pauses, trying to gather his wits. Several plates in and his stomach had began to span. He took another deep breath before taking a rather large bite from the hot dog.”

“But that would be the last bite he ever took.”

“The oversized bite became lodged inside his gullet. On scene medics rush to the man’s aide, but they failed to dislodge the bite from his windpipe.”

“He had bitten off more than he could chew, and fell into an eternal slumber right there before the entire room.”

“For the majority of her life, Ether has lived the life of that same man.”

“As she saunters through life, she sits down at every table and eats a meal. She too, has an insatiable hunger than can not be quieted.”

“With her fellow JSR friends, she has come to tackle the biggest plate to be laid before her. She’s come to OSW looking to claim all the dazzling prizes that OSW has to offer, but at what cost?”

“Their battle with bMf has been nothing more than an appetizer, and soon she will have finished that plate and pushed it aside.”

“But now she finds herself staring at a ball park frank with a heavy breath. Now she finds herself opposing the ring from the most daunting of tasks to date.”

“I am that ball park frank you have your grubby paws clutched around. I am that last bite that you are trying to force down your gullet, knowing damn well you shouldn’t.”

“Squaring off against me this week is a deathwish. As much as you want to force another bite down your gullet, there’s no walking away victorious.”

“You have bitten off way more than you can chew.”

“Kneel before the God of the New World..”

“Or fall into an eternal slumber as an embarassment to your grandfather.”

“It all begins after your mother carries you within the womb for 9 months. Life truly begins once you are born and given a name.”

“You live out the rest of your life, learning the basic motor skills needed to live.”

“You then use those skills to accomplish your life goals, whatever they may be.”

“You live out the rest of your days trying to live up to the name that was given to you at birth.”

“Every bold decision you make and every step you take is all made in order to make your parents proud.”

“To make them happy. To make them glad that they had given birth to such an amazing person.”

“Then and only then will you be at peace when you grow elderly. Only then can you look back on the cycle of your life with fond memories.”

“It’s at that moment that you can fall into the slumber of death with a sense of accomplishment.”

“Last year at Ring of Dreams, I gave you a name, Simon. I gave you purpose. I gave you life.”

“Since your birth, you have attempted to make me proud. Opportunity after opportunity has come knocking on your door, and with each of those opportunities you have worn your heart on your sleeve and left your all inside that squared circle.”

“But with each opportunity that has presented itself, so too did failure.”

“As hard as you tried. As much effort as you have put in, you just can’t seem to make your father proud.”

“You tried to align yourself with Two-Face. You found it within your best interest that you should befriend the madman he had become. You thought that together, the two of you could rule with a mighty iron fist.”

“But you failed to accomplish much of anything.”

“You’ve been given several chances at the biggest prizes this company has to offer. You’ve went toe to toe with some of the hardest talent on the roster. You’ve left your blood, sweat and tears inside that ring..”

“But you just didn’t have what it takes to become a Champion.”

“Though you’ve been given a name, you’re just as much another face in the crowd as you were before you were born again at Ring of Dreams.”

“You’ve disappointed me, Simon.”

“Your judgement day cometh, yet you’ve no good argument as to why you should move on.”

“You’ve certainly not lived up to the name you were given.”

“Like an overbearing father, I will be there this week to scold you for being a waste of time. This week I will beat you for being the disappointment that you are.”

“And I will show you how it’s done.”

“Because in this world, the name Deathnote brings fear upon the souls of anyone he may oppose. I have built my name to mean something.”

“And at Rust Out, I will once again walk away with the trappings of victory, adding another accomplishment to my ever growing list..”

“Kneel before the God of the New World..”

“Or be banished for being such a fucking disgrace.”

“The sun beat down on the land below.”

“The sweltering heat is the worst enemy of the cold blooded snake.”

“As the sun heats up the land, and the snakes surroundings, their body temperature fluctuates to match that of their surroundings.”

“They are known as being poikilothermic, so the hotter it gets around them, the hotter the snake becomes until it just can’t bare it any more.”

“Snakes are also known for having very small brains, so it is in this state that they become confused. So much so that the rattle of their own tail may spook them enough, and their tiny brains trick them into attacking oneself.”

“They find themselves in an heat-induced confusion that causes them to eat their own selves.”

“Much like the snake he is, Viper Roberts too suffers from being poikilothermic.”

“Since his arrival here in OSW, the path of which he slithers has become increasingly hot. At Red Snow, the path which he has chose over the course of the past year almost cost him his own life at the hands of Alton Whitlock.”

“But it seems this slimey bastard has yet to learn his lesson.”

“As he now finds himself once again playing with fire.”

“Just last week, he flicked his forked silver tongue in such a manner that he found himself with a new follower. Another blind soul he can send to slither into the depths of hell and do his dirty work.”

“Everything Viper has done up until now has been fodder to the fire. With each passing week, he throws more and more gas on the fire that will very well burn him.”

“Because the blood that runs through his veins is cold, yet his nature of being poikoilothermic means that the longer he plays with the fire, the hotter he becomes.”

“This week, that fire becomes raging, and the temperature becomes so hot that the state of confusion becomes unbearable. Soon, that fire that he’s played with for so long will cause so much confusion within that small brain of his that he will in fact begine eating himself.”

“I guarantee you, Viper. You may feel like you’re one step ahead at all times, but that’s just the confusion.”

“Soon, you will cash your own check. Soon, you will sign off on your own death.”

“And I will be there to claim the soul of the slithering snake who just couldn’t handle the heat.”

“At Revolt, I’ll be there to crank up the heat. I will be there to make sure your surroundings become insufferably hot.”

“I will be there make sure the hallucination of your own tail being prey truly begins.”

“Face it, Viper. Being poikilothermic means you can’t handle the heat which you are playing with. Soon that forked silver tongue of yours will write a check that your ass just can’t can’t.”

“And you will get burned. You will become the snake who’s stuck in a state of self-destructive confusion.”

“Kneel before the God of the New World..”

“Or fall victim to being nothing more than a small brained garden snake.”

“You find yourself at an intense rave.”

“A cute girl walks up to you wearing multiple glowing necklaces and bunny ears, asking you to stick out your tongue.”

“You’re weary at first, but you decide to oblige. After all, you’re at a party and ready to let loose.”

“Suddenly, a piece of paper is placed on your tongue and the bitter taste of acid tingles on the tip.”

“The heavy bass from the electronic music can be felt in your chest, beating heavier and heavier.”

“The flashing of multiple colored lights sends your senses into overload as your pupils dilate.”

“The once cute girl has suddenly fully morphed into an actual bunny. You stagger around the dance floor as the waves of euphoria overcome your body.”

“Faces start to melt. The once up-beat tones of the music become slowed. The multiple colors seem to fade into a sea of red.”

“Demons begin dancing around you. You fucked up, pal.”

“Soon you’ll find yourself curled into a ball in some musky corner, crying and pleading for mercy from the haunting visuals in your head.”

“You see, LSD is one hell of a drug. It can be the time of your life, or the worst living nightmare you’ve ever faced.”

“And for you, Wiz.. you’re well on your way to a bad trip.”

“Though you may have been able to cruise through life on your two wheeled scooter thus far enjoying the funkadelic euphoria of a free-willed spirit, that all changed as soon as you walked through the doors of Old School Wrestling.”

“The vibe has shifted, and though you feel like you’re floating amongst the cosmos now, the bad trip is about to kick in.”

“Because within the walls of the Slaughterhouse is nothing but dancing demons and the horrors of melting faces.”

“There’s no more up-beat music to intensify the colors. As the colors fade to crimson, the music becomes slow and disgruntled.”

“The party’s over, Wiz.”

“And I am that bad trip that sends you whirling into a deep downfall of depression. I am the drug that takes the funky view on life that you have and turns it on it’s head.”

“I am the repressed nightmares that linger inside your head. The worst of thoughts that still haunt you from growing up with drug-dealing parents.”

“I am the living horror that will test the very fibers of your being.”

“And soon you will come to realize that OSW is not a place for you. Soon you will find yourself crawling into a corner, bumbling for mercy and shaking in fear.”

“Because there’s nothing here for you but a bad trip, kid.”

“There’s no shiny rainbows or fluffy bunnies hopping through the bright green meadows here.”

“No, for you, the Slaughterhouse is nothing but pain and agony. Suffering that will cause your free-willed spirit to perish.”

“The funkadelic train ends here, Wiz.”

“Kneel before the God of the New World..”

“Or fall from the cosmos in a fit of fear and madness.”

“Two wolves set out on a journey together.”

“A journey that would see them cross vast lands both flat and rugged.”

“The two wolves kept close eye on one another, they traveled closely like a pack.”

“They both had the same intentions. They both wanted to succeed in their journey. But to do so, they would have to cross a very wide rapid.”

“As they approach the white waters of the river, they both begin to question whether or not the end game was worth it.”

“One wolf was wise enough to accept his defeat and turn away. But the other wolf.. he was greedy.”

“The way he seen it, now that he was alone, all of the prizes of success belonged to him.”

“And so he dove right into the raging waters. He paddled his way half way across before he realized he was in over his head, quite literally.”

“As his legs grow tired, the water becomes too much for the wolf, and soon it takes him under.”

“Washing him away to a lonely grave..”

“And there’s nothing to blame but his own greed.”

“Cael Gable is no stranger to greed. A man who is built to seek out success often finds himself on the fence of willpower and greed.”

“Since his return to OSW, Gable has once again set his eyes on the top prizes this company has to offer.”

“Much to his surprise, there was another wolf with the same motives. The same desires.”

“And so, Cael aligned himself with Israel Grimwolf and the two of them set sail on similar journeys.”

“They looked after one another, so to speak. However, Cael Gable allowed his greed to get the best of him.”

“His overwhelming desire for success left him oblivious. And while Grimwolf had been smart enough to turn away when they reached the raging waters, Cael Gable’s greed once again caused a lapse in judgement.”

“I am that raging water, Cael.”

“If you so much as desire to live out this last year of your life, you’re going to have to cross my white rapids here and now.”

“And I’m willing to bet that your heart is much bigger than your actual ability.”

“Though your desire for success has led to many great feats, here is where it ends. That big heart of yours.. the willpower that you hold in trying to become your best self will become your greatest downfall.”

“You may dive into the river with the intentions of conquering the tide, but eventually your arms and legs will grow weak. And as soon as your body starts to fail.. I will wash you away like that has-been you truly are.”

“Because you’ve found yourself in over your head. Your greed has led you down a path that ends in only one outcome.”

“A lonely grave. With nothing but your own greed to blame.”

“Kneel before the God of the New World..”

“Or be swept undertow like the greedy wolf you are.”

“Many men of many different statures gather along the starting line.”

“Some of them are big, bulky muscle head types, while others are slender, average type of men who seem to be light on their feet.”

“The sun barrels down upon them as they do their pre-run workouts. Some men choosing to flap their gums at other less fortunate men.”

“In unison, they line up along the starting line. The arrogant muscle-heads all share one final glance before the call, each of them oozing of over confidence in their own abilities.”

“BANG!”

“A beautiful young lady shoots a blank Into the air, signaling the beginning of the race as everyone scurries off the line.”

“Most everyone. A few runners were so distracted by the beauty of the lady firing the gun that they lost the race without ever leaving the line.”

“The arrogance runs high as the jocks claim and early lead. But this isnt a short race, no.”

“This is a marathon.”

“And those who left the line with a full head of steam quickly tire out and fall behind the pack.”

“Then there’s the middle of the pack. All fit and agile on their feet, pacing themselves as they run.”

“Some of them will fall to hunger or dehydration. Others get disqualified for trying to take short cuts.”

“At the end of the day, there can only be one winner.”

“OSW has never been a short race, but a marathon indeed.”

“Many new faces, such as TAG and Starboy, may come and go, but in the end they are left staring at the beauty that OSW can offer, left standing at the starting line.”

“Those who are big and muscle bound, such as Banzan or Mordecai, they may come out of the gate firing on all pistons.. but they’re indeed running the short race.”

“They tire and fall behind the pack with the greatest of ease.”

“Only the very best of the pack will remain down the final leg of the marathon. No longer will men such as Luke Storm or The Sandman be able to take shortcuts and cheat their way to another day.”

“They will be disqualified and removed from the picture all together.”

“And in the end, there will only be one man crossing this finish line.”

“And I am that man.”

“2022 has fallen upon us as The Year of Death, and I’ll be right there at the helm as the Shinigami who reaps the souls of those muscle heads, those and those who cut the corners.”

“There is no escaping death this year.”

“Each of you shall fall.”

“Each of you shall pay the repercussions of your hang ups, whether you’re a cheater defying the way of life and death or strong and arrogant, bullying your way through lesser men.”

“And the new faces will be left staring at all at what it looks like to be a true Champion.”

“Only I will be crossing this finish line.”

“A new world has risen..”

“Kneel before it’s GOD.”

There was this car. A real classic of its type, a true masterpiece.

But this vehicle had seen a lot in its “life”. Driven all over the country and held by several owners, it had racked up some mileage, experienced some wear and tear.

In other words, it had fallen on hard times. Depreciation and degradation had begun to set in.

So its current owner took it to a mechanic. The expert scrutinised the car, considered the damage and concluded it should be scrapped. It should be destroyed.

The owner wanted a second opinion. The next mechanic disagreed with the first.

The second mechanic accepted there was a lot wrong with the car, but he knew it could be repaired. It was simply a case of eliminating the bad parts, the bits that were causing faults in the car and replacing them with new, improved parts.

The owner went with the second mechanic and, after considerable work, the car was fully repaired and restored. It once again ran like a dream for the greater good of its owner.

OSW is like an old car that has been chugging along for many years. It is a true showpiece; a one of a kind even!

But it has seen better days. This “old car” has had a few owners and been taken from coast to coast. Some owners have treated it well, others have been negligent. So OSW has a little rust on its body and some of the parts have become so corrupted they are now damaging “the engine”.

Now it’s being examined by two “mechanics” with divergent opinions on what should be done with OSW.

Chronoa, you are the first mechanic, whose only solution to OSW’s degradation is to kill it; send it to the cosmic scrapheap.

While, I am the second mechanic, who believes, for all its faults, OSW can be repaired.

If Fate is the ultimate owner of OSW, it must decide on what service should be rendered.

The Black Hand sees a lot of miles left in the tank and believes this old banger can be restored to its former splendour.

We agree, Chronoa, that the problems are severe and critical. There are parts in the machine that are doing real damage. Parts like Sigil, who works only for his own ends, not for the good of the whole, is actively causing the engine to fault.

But like the faithful mechanic, I will not give up on OSW. Every single part in this machine – from the largest to the smallest – will fall under my scrutiny. All those stopping this great vehicle from performing to its highest capacity will be extracted, destroyed and replaced by better parts.

You see, Chronoa, I believe anything can be restored, even old, beaten up bangers like OSW.

They just need the mechanic with the right outlook.

Rather than send this motor to the scrapyard, The Black Hand will have it repaired, restored and it’s engine purring better than ever.

For the greater good.

Two buccaneers were on the search for treasure.

One carried the wolf as its sigil, the other the crow.

The Wolf and The Crow came across the same beach where they knew a vast treasure trove waited to be plundered.

They began to dig into the sand, all day and all night, until they both hit upon wooden chests.

Looking to claim their prize they broke open their chests. Inside his, The Wolf discovered a cache of pure gold. For The Crow there was merely a modest bag of seeds.

With all that gold, it certainly seemed like The Wolf had won the best prize of the two but The Crow was satisfied with his loot.

For while The Wolf’s sudden wealth guaranteed him immediate prestige and the status of a king, gold is finite.

The Crow retired to sow his seed, which soon became a treasure of incredible proportions. Generation after generation of crops were produced, allowing The Crow to feed his family and more for years to come.

While The Wolf, once all the gold ran out, was left destitute.

Grimwolf, we are both adventurers in search of treasure, like the buccaneers of your heyday.

It is here inside The Slaughterhouse that we discovered our beach where the treasure we desired was to be found.

So we set about digging, deep into the very substance of this place. You with your tentacles and me with my daggers.

Soon we hit upon our chests, expecting riches. Inside yours there was indeed gold, plenty of it, and even a crown. You became the Ring King and not long after draped in the gold of the OSW Championship.

But all that wealth didn’t last. How could it when one puts all their faith and their trust into something so soft and malleable, something so unfit for everyday use.

Gold is brittle and will break under the merest strain. That’s why it is necessary to combine gold with harder metals to make it hold its shape. But there’s not an ounce of steel in you, Grimwolf, so now you are penniless and begging snakes to fill your belly!

While it did not shine so brightly, inside my chest is a treasure with more lustre than any gold.

It’s called the greater good.

Like a bag of seeds its potential is infinite. You sow a seed of the greater good and a single plant that it produces will offer more treasure than one hundred chests of pure gold.

And it grows exponentially, each new plant spawning new seeds that can produce generation after generation of food to feed the masses. What is more, it is exactly the kind of food the world needs.

The truth.

The real treasure, Grimwolf, isn’t the gold you lost, it is the crops I am sowing and when it comes to Bad Attitude I will serve up a big plate of the truth about you.

You will swallow it one bite at a time, gulp down every morsel of the treasure I have discovered.

For the greater good.

Two ships set sail on the turbulent sea. The fishermen on board are hunting for prey.

The first ship is kitted out with the best, modern equipment. It’s glistens like gold in the sun.

The captain steering this vessel is prodigous but naive. He’s used to hunting goldfish in a pond but he’s desperate to catch some big fish from dangerous waters.

The second ship isn’t much to look at. It’s like something from a bygone era. But the captain has been fishing this sea for a long time.

The ships find their hunting spots but a wild storm hint. The old ship’s captain drops anchor. It’s strong, made of reliable material and steadies the ship’s position against the torrent.

On the modern ship, there is no anchor so it’s tossed around by the wind and rain, sails ragged, in need of something keep in steady and not blown off course.

In desperation the captain tries several strategies but all are unsuccessful. Without an anchor that vessel is at the mercy of the storm, which showed none by sending it crashing into rocks.

Cael, we are both here on this rough body of water called OSW, risking life and limb to make our catch.

You’ve got it all: the prestige and all the gear. You’ve got the shine from that gold medal to prove it.

Now you’re through fishing for small fry in that pond where you cut your teeth; inside The Slaughterhouse you came with fresh bait to hook some big ones.

We’ve both found our fishing spot and we both know the catch we desire: the OSW World Championship.

It’s eluded both of our hooks so far but we’ve both learnt it is prey that can only be caught during the wildest storms.

When that storm comes we’re going to have to drop anchor to stop the torrent blowing us into the rocks.

And here is where we differ, Cael.

Your ship may have the look, much of the equipment needed for big prize fishing, while mine looks weather-worn.

But on my ship is a great, heavy anchor and can’t yours.

Because ever since you set sail and entered the storm you’ve been spinning around, totally out of control.

You tried several ways to anchor your vessel. You believed in your gold but discovered it didn’t have enough weight to hold you steady.

Then you put your trust in others but learned the hard way that friends are as light as air in a wild sea.

Now you have turned to faith. You think Vayikra and the mission to resurrect Yahweh can ground you but you are still been tossed about by the storm like a ship without an anchor and heading straight towards the rocks.

No such trouble for me because I am anchored by something strong and unshakeable.

The greater good.

It is the material that The Black Hand is forged from and no storm can break it.

From your shipwreck on the rocks you will learn the lesson that no man can flourish without an anchor.