Championship Fallout (promo)

[Zarel Damone]

It's not hard living inside of a drum
It's not bad bad bad bad
Let's live our lives on the inside of a drum eh
Eh eh eh eh

Drumlife by Brandy hits the PA as Andre Damone dashes out onto the stage, his energy high despite the previous night's results

It was your eyes that gave you up through that stupid disguise
You tryna hide behind that drink and you almost slipped by
I see you there sophisticated ignoring the beat
Your mouth might be closed
But baby listen to your heart and its screaming

"Making his way to the ring, from St. Louis Missouri, weighing in at 225 pounds, Andre Damone!"

Halfway down the ramp, Andre drops down to his knees and looks up with his arms extended, a cue for pyros to shoot up on the stage.

You're one of us
One of those beautiful fools you are
You're one of us
You were born in it so you should live in it

Andre hops up and begins to head down the ramp, high fiving fans along the way.

Live in a drum whoa
You'll never be in it alone
If you lived in a drum whoa
Right now you'll already be home
Live on live on
The drum life never gets old
Live on live on
The drum life keeps going on

Halfway down the ramp, he dashes down to the ring and slides inside, hopping up and running to the turnbuckle. Smiling out at the fans, he backflips back into the ring and takes up a mic as the music cuts out.

"You know, last week was probably not one of my better weeks. I didn't win my rematch for the United States championship and later in the night I went down to help my father even out the numbers game, and get a little payback of my own against the reigning world heavyweight champion. I saw my moment, Ken had kicked the referee, and I was going to send him a little message. I splashed him from the top rope, but apparently Ken kicks like a nine year old girl because the referee was already up. So the match ended in a disqualification instead of Ken losing the championship."

the crowd boos.

"It was clearly my intention to aid my father in gaining the world heavyweight championship he had been screwed out of twice by the Umbras. But things happen and now here we are. Neither of us are holding gold...."

red lights flash as Stricken by Disturbed hits the PA, interrupting Andre

You walk on like a woman in suffering
Won't even bother now to tell me why
You come alone, letting all of us savor the moment
Leaving me broken another time
You come on like a bloodstained hurricane
Leave me alone, let me be this time
You carry on like a holy man pushing redemption
I don't want to mention, the reason I know

Zarel Damone steps out onto the stage and heads down the ramp, his eyes locked on his son. He steps up into the ring and takes up a mic but paces the ring for a few moments after the music cuts out.

"Now let me get this straight, you called yourself trying to help me? That's the story you're out here to tell?" Zarel stops. "Did you forget I raised you? I've been in this business longer than you've been alive and I taught you everything you know about it. So for you to stand out here in front of all these people and lie kind of pisses me off kid. I had things well in hand. I knew what I was getting into and I had a game plan. I beat Ken Armand from pillar to post and back again. Yeah, the ref was down but I was about to teach little Alicia a life lesson in getting in the line of fire of a monster. Then you came down and you splashed Ken. You didn't come down and pull her out of the ring. You attacked the world champion. And let's focus on something here. Did I ask you for help?"

Andre raises the mic. "Well it seemed to me you needed a bit of help after spending all of 2017 getting jumped by the Umbras and then by Ken Armand two Nitros ago. You got dropped and Damien stuffed you into a casket. So clearly you could use some backup here and there, Dad."

Zarel stops and pushes his sunglasses up on his head. "Let me tell you something, boy, Ken Armand nor Damien Umbra have done a damn thing I haven't done myself. Nineteen years in the game, I've won titles in almost every federation in just about any way you can imagine. You might surprise me once, but you won't get me twice. I had that match last night. So Let me tell you the truth. The truth is that you couldn't get the job done and get the United States championship back so you decided to interfere in mine. It would really suck to be the only Damone in the company not holding a title or challenging for one, right? It's jealousy, plain and simple. And before you deny it, I know it's the truth. I know that look in your eyes. See, that look is what led me to turn on my own twin brother over a decade ago. He had something I wanted and I beat him down and battered him around the world for years until I got it. But you can't beat me down. You don't have the skills." Zarel pauses. "That ain't right. You don't have the balls."

The crowd lets out a "Ooooo!"

Tony: This is getting personal.

Larry: Well, it could be argued that Andre actually cost his dad the world heavyweight championship. And Zarel is speaking from experience. He did turn on his brother all those years ago.

Tony: I imagine it has to be a bit different to turn on one's father.

Larry: Different but it ain't any worse. Turning on the guy you literally shared the womb with or the guy that put you in the womb, it's still betrayal.

Andre smirks. "Jealousy, Dad, that's what you think this is. No let's get down to the truth. Let's get down to the underlying issue here. The real issue is that it's far past time you step down. It's time for you to be done. The entire first generation should be done yet you insist on staying around. Here you are in a new federation still chasing world championships. What, have you not won enough? What's left for you to prove? You just have to be one of those veterans that doesn't know when his time has past. So let me be the one to tell you, your time was up a good six years ago. We don't need you here anymore."

Zarel steps back, perhaps shocked or perhaps just disappointed, but he raises the mic to speak again. "Funny, because I'm still working at the same level I always did. But I can solve this real easily. You think my time is up, and I think you don't get to have a time in the limelight. You might be my son, but I can still put an end to your career right here, right now."  

[Drako Damone]

Aviator by Audio Push ft Brandy begins to play as the lights in the arena dim down. On the titantron, a video begins to play, starting with a highlight of Drako performing a moonsault.

I'm flya then a motha sucka
Like an Aviator
I'm flya then a motha sucka
Like an Aviator
You know you can't touch me
'Cause I'm somehwere in the clouds
I'll be lookin' up or
I'll be lookin down
Flya then a motha sucka
Like an Aviator
Flya then a motha sucka
Like an Aviator

Drako steps out onto the stage, a mic in hand as he looks down at his older brother and his nephew in the ring ready to come to blows. The music cuts out as he speaks.

"Hold on just a damn minute. Now I've barely been on the job an hour and already I have to deal with the family drama. Fortunately, I have been paying attention and I know exactly what needs to be done. I even have contracts waiting for you in your locker rooms with everything that I'm about to lay on you. Now, since you both have decided that there's no place for the other here in WCW, allow me to put it all into perspective."

Drako pauses and begins to pace the stage.

"I see why my brother is upset. Unobjectively I can say he had the main event last week won. He had everything in hand. Andre, nephew, by your own admission, you cost him the world heavyweight championship. That is a pattern that ends right here and right now. Now I said earlier tonight that I was going to be a bit more hands on. Let me clear some things up. WCW stands for World Championship Wrestling and unlike some folks, I'm not calling this sports entertainment. I'm not here to make movies and sitcoms. I'm here to put on a product of wrestling, and damn it that's what I'm going to do. So I'm putting an end to this first generation vs third generation Damone crap right now."

Drako pauses again, this time looking directly at the ring.

"One of you is going to have to eat his words. You want to end each other's careers. You want to make family dinners awkward as hell? Fine, let's do it. We're going to settle this issue in the ring at Starrcade. It will be the first ever father vs son retirement match. Andre Damone vs Zarel Damone. Whoever loses will retire, not just from WCW but from the entire wrestling business. One way or another, a career ends. And because we are Damones, I know how we do things. So I'm going to add another stipulation on it. This will not be a normal match. I'm not going to burden one of my referees with enforcing rules. The only thing the referee is going to do is count someone's shoulders down or record the submission. In case you didn't catch, that means this career threatening match will be no holds barred!"

the crowd erupts in cheers.

"Now, let me also be clear in this. I will personally ensure that no one interferes in that match because I will not have any excuses at the goddamn family dinner about why someone doesn't get to go wrestle anymore. In addition to that, you two will not lay a hand on each other until Starrcade or I will consider it a forfeit of the match and you will therefore be forced into retirement without having competed. Now let's make sure the fans get what they want and we get what we want and what's best for us all in the end. I expect those contracts to be signed and returned to me by the end of tonight. Now play nice."

Drako's music hits and he heads backstage again  

[Zarel Damone]

Zarel looked up at his brother as he issued his orders. The match is made, and is unavoidable now. Slowly, he turns back to Andre.

"You realize that your uncle just saved you from the worst beating of your life, for now. But at Starrcade, there's no one and nothing that will save you from what I have in store for you."

Andre stares his father in the eyes and raises the mic. "Old man, you'd better be a bit more concerned about what I'm going to do to you. I'm younger, I'm faster, and I've got far more to lose than you do. At Starrcade, you get to go the way of old yeller. Starrcade is the shed, you're the dog, and I've got the shotgun to put you down."

Andre's music hits as he exits the ring