Hotdogs and Redemption
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 6:54 pm
OOC: Welcome back Skyler! Good luck!
The Fallout pay-per-view had been bitterly disappointing for Wade Barrett and Ryback. After months of waiting for their shot at the Tag Titles, the belts had been vacated, and instead of Barrett and Ryback facing Edge and The Miz - or Edge and Randy Orton - they’d been booked to face the random pairing of CJ Parker and Tyler Breeze instead. It should have been an easy victory for Barrett and Ryback, but against all odds, Parker and Breeze had won the match and become the new champions. Neither Barrett nor Ryback had been booked since, and just as both men had been expecting to spend WrestleMania on the sidelines, they’d been given a shot at redemption. On the last Warfare before Mania, Barrett and Ryback had been booked against EBWF’s newest tag team, The Ascension. The winning team would get a Tag Title shot at WrestleMania... so if Barrett and Ryback wanted to have their WrestleMania moment, it was a match that they couldn’t afford to lose. Determined not to waste another opportunity, Barrett wanted to make sure that he and Ryback went into their match on Warfare with the right focus. Of course, being tag team partners with Ryback meant a constant battle with The Big Guy's other focus - food.
Ryback: Come on, Wade! We're in Chicago! We've gotta make sure we eat some of their famous hotdogs!
Barrett and Ryback were backstage at the Allstate Arena, and despite their match being just hours away, Ryback still couldn't seem to think about anything other than those damn hotdogs.
Wade Barrett: I told you already, Ryback. We can have hotdogs later. First, we've got to deal with the Ascension.
Ryback: We're gonna squash those Assertion losers! We're the best tag team in EBWF, Wade... leaving us off the Slammy ballot was a joke! I hope someone got fired for it.
Wade Barrett: We don't need a gold statue to prove that we're the best, Ryback. We need to prove ourselves in the ring. We had a chance to win the gold at Fallout - the Tag Titles should have been ours - and we blew it. We underestimated Tyler Breeze and CJ Parker, and we paid the ultimate price. I won't let the same thing happen with Konnor and Viktor.
Ryback: I don't know anything about Kevin and Vikrum, Wade, but I don't need to. I've been pumping iron like there's no tomorrow! All these Aces and Sension guys need is a couple of Meat Hooks to the skull - they won't know what's hit 'em!
Wade Barrett: It's not that simple, Ryback. We need to be more than just strong, I would've thought you'd figured that out by now. We need to be smart too.
Ryback: When have I ever not been smart?! I have an IQ of 70... my teachers said I was an abysmal student.
Wade Barrett: Do you know what abysmal means, Ryback?
Ryback: Of course! It means I'm awesome. Do you really think I'd have an IQ of 70 if I didn't know what abysmal means?
Before Barrett could answer Ryback's question, they were interrupted by a knock on their locker room door. A few moments later, Renee Young entered, accompanied by an EBWF cameraman.
Ryback: Renee! Hey! Do you know where I can get some hotdogs?!
Wade Barrett: Don't answer that.
Renee gave Barrett a sympathetic smile. Every time Renee interviewed Barrett and Ryback, it seemed like she understood how difficult Ryback could be to manage.
Renee Young: Sorry, Ryback, I haven't seen any hotdogs anywhere. I just came to see if I could ask you a few questions about your match tonight?
Wade Barrett: Of course, Renee. Ask away.
The camera started rolling and Renee introduced the segment.
Renee Young: Good evening, EBWF Universe! With me at this time are Wade Barrett and Ryback, who later on tonight will take on the debuting team of Konnor and Viktor, more commonly known as the Ascension. The winners of this match will earn a shot at the Tag Team Titles on the greatest stage of them all, WrestleMania! Ryback, Wade, how do you feel about facing Konnor and Viktor on their EBWF debut? Is taking on a newcomer more of a challenge than taking on an experienced superstar, given the unknown quantity?
Wade Barrett: It's hard to say, Renee. In some ways going up against an opponent you know well is better, because you know their strengths and weaknesses. However it's also tougher, because they know what to expect from you too. With an opponent you don't know, it's different. You can scout them before the match, but until you're in the ring, you don't know what they're capable of.
Ryback: And they don't know what we're capable of! We're going to destroy the Ass Tension, Wade! I know it!
Barrett glared at Ryback, frustrated that the Big Guy didn't seem to have listened to anything he'd said.
Wade Barrett: When you're up against a team you don't know, Renee, the biggest danger you face is yourself. If you underestimate your opponents, it can cost you dearly. Ryback and I found that out the hard way at Fallout.
Renee Young: I understand what you mean - at Fallout, you challenged CJ Parker and Tyler Breeze for the then-vacant EBWF Tag Team Titles, in a match you touted as favorites for. However it was Parker and Breeze that walked away with the gold. Does that frustrate you?
Ryback: It doesn't just frustrate us, Renee! It infiltrates us! That pretty boy and that hippy freak had no right taking our titles... we got screwed! Those belts should have been ours!
Wade Barrett: It is frustrating, Renee, because like I said before, we underestimated Parker and Breeze. But now we have a second chance, and I promise, we won't make the same mistake again.
Renee Young: With that in mind, have you spent much time scouting your opponents prior to this match?
Wade Barrett: Not really. Some wrestlers like to spend hours watching videos of their opponents - Ryback and I aren't like that. We...
Ryback: ...We like to hit the gym!
Barrett glared at Ryback.
Wade Barrett: I wasn't done talking. Ryback and I, we like to focus on getting ourselves in the best possible condition for our match. Yes that means spending some time in the gym, but we also try to focus ourselves mentally. Konnor and Viktor are an up and coming tag team with potential, so we've watched a few of their matches, to make sure we know what to expect from them. But we haven't obsessed over it. What's more important is knowing what we can do... and the Ascension will find out just what we're capable of when they step into the ring with us tonight.
Renee Young: If you beat the Ascension tonight, you'll get another chance to challenge CJ Parker and Tyler Breeze for the Tag Titles at WrestleMania. Ryback, Wade, despite enjoying success as a tag team since you joined forces last year, you've yet to become champions in the EBWF, either as a team or individually. In the past, you've both gone after the PTG Title. What would you say is your main focus right now - the Tag Titles? Or do you still both have ambitions to pursue a solo career too?
Ryback: Of course I wanna go solo, Renee! I'm gonna be hotter than Zayn Malik! Ha!
Barrett looked at Ryback curiously.
Wade Barrett: All those Freudian slips, and you manage to get Zayn Malik's name right. I don't know whether to be impressed or concerned.
Barrett then turned his attention back to Renee.
Wade Barrett: We both want to enjoy singles success, Renee. Neither Ryback or I joined signed for the EBWF with being the stars of the tag team division in mind. We both have ambitions of being World Champion, and you know what? I honestly believe that both of us we'll be World Champion one day. But when we were both competing for the PTG Title, and we found ourselves at loggerheads with each other, we released we had a lot in common. We decided to put our differences aside, and work together. Neither of us have given up on our singles careers, we just know we can accomplish a lot by working in unison. So winning the Tag Titles is important to us. I guess you could say that's our focus right now, but I can assure you, we've both been watching the likes of AJ Styles, Trent and Brian Kendrick. When the opportunity for one or both of us comes along to win singles gold, we'll make damn sure we take it. But right now, we're making sure we take out Parker and Breeze, and put the Tag Titles where they belong - around our waists. The first step is taking care of the Ascension. Next stop? WrestleMania.
Ryback: You talk about me making Roy Dean slips... I don't even know what that means, but what the hell's a loggerhead?
Wade Barrett: It's a British idiom. It means we were in conflict.
Ryback: You're a British idiom! Ha!
Renee: Ummm... Ryback, Wade, thank you for your time.
Renee and the cameraman left the room as Barrett tried to resist the urge to hit Ryback with the Bull Hammer.
The Fallout pay-per-view had been bitterly disappointing for Wade Barrett and Ryback. After months of waiting for their shot at the Tag Titles, the belts had been vacated, and instead of Barrett and Ryback facing Edge and The Miz - or Edge and Randy Orton - they’d been booked to face the random pairing of CJ Parker and Tyler Breeze instead. It should have been an easy victory for Barrett and Ryback, but against all odds, Parker and Breeze had won the match and become the new champions. Neither Barrett nor Ryback had been booked since, and just as both men had been expecting to spend WrestleMania on the sidelines, they’d been given a shot at redemption. On the last Warfare before Mania, Barrett and Ryback had been booked against EBWF’s newest tag team, The Ascension. The winning team would get a Tag Title shot at WrestleMania... so if Barrett and Ryback wanted to have their WrestleMania moment, it was a match that they couldn’t afford to lose. Determined not to waste another opportunity, Barrett wanted to make sure that he and Ryback went into their match on Warfare with the right focus. Of course, being tag team partners with Ryback meant a constant battle with The Big Guy's other focus - food.
Ryback: Come on, Wade! We're in Chicago! We've gotta make sure we eat some of their famous hotdogs!
Barrett and Ryback were backstage at the Allstate Arena, and despite their match being just hours away, Ryback still couldn't seem to think about anything other than those damn hotdogs.
Wade Barrett: I told you already, Ryback. We can have hotdogs later. First, we've got to deal with the Ascension.
Ryback: We're gonna squash those Assertion losers! We're the best tag team in EBWF, Wade... leaving us off the Slammy ballot was a joke! I hope someone got fired for it.
Wade Barrett: We don't need a gold statue to prove that we're the best, Ryback. We need to prove ourselves in the ring. We had a chance to win the gold at Fallout - the Tag Titles should have been ours - and we blew it. We underestimated Tyler Breeze and CJ Parker, and we paid the ultimate price. I won't let the same thing happen with Konnor and Viktor.
Ryback: I don't know anything about Kevin and Vikrum, Wade, but I don't need to. I've been pumping iron like there's no tomorrow! All these Aces and Sension guys need is a couple of Meat Hooks to the skull - they won't know what's hit 'em!
Wade Barrett: It's not that simple, Ryback. We need to be more than just strong, I would've thought you'd figured that out by now. We need to be smart too.
Ryback: When have I ever not been smart?! I have an IQ of 70... my teachers said I was an abysmal student.
Wade Barrett: Do you know what abysmal means, Ryback?
Ryback: Of course! It means I'm awesome. Do you really think I'd have an IQ of 70 if I didn't know what abysmal means?
Before Barrett could answer Ryback's question, they were interrupted by a knock on their locker room door. A few moments later, Renee Young entered, accompanied by an EBWF cameraman.
Ryback: Renee! Hey! Do you know where I can get some hotdogs?!
Wade Barrett: Don't answer that.
Renee gave Barrett a sympathetic smile. Every time Renee interviewed Barrett and Ryback, it seemed like she understood how difficult Ryback could be to manage.
Renee Young: Sorry, Ryback, I haven't seen any hotdogs anywhere. I just came to see if I could ask you a few questions about your match tonight?
Wade Barrett: Of course, Renee. Ask away.
The camera started rolling and Renee introduced the segment.
Renee Young: Good evening, EBWF Universe! With me at this time are Wade Barrett and Ryback, who later on tonight will take on the debuting team of Konnor and Viktor, more commonly known as the Ascension. The winners of this match will earn a shot at the Tag Team Titles on the greatest stage of them all, WrestleMania! Ryback, Wade, how do you feel about facing Konnor and Viktor on their EBWF debut? Is taking on a newcomer more of a challenge than taking on an experienced superstar, given the unknown quantity?
Wade Barrett: It's hard to say, Renee. In some ways going up against an opponent you know well is better, because you know their strengths and weaknesses. However it's also tougher, because they know what to expect from you too. With an opponent you don't know, it's different. You can scout them before the match, but until you're in the ring, you don't know what they're capable of.
Ryback: And they don't know what we're capable of! We're going to destroy the Ass Tension, Wade! I know it!
Barrett glared at Ryback, frustrated that the Big Guy didn't seem to have listened to anything he'd said.
Wade Barrett: When you're up against a team you don't know, Renee, the biggest danger you face is yourself. If you underestimate your opponents, it can cost you dearly. Ryback and I found that out the hard way at Fallout.
Renee Young: I understand what you mean - at Fallout, you challenged CJ Parker and Tyler Breeze for the then-vacant EBWF Tag Team Titles, in a match you touted as favorites for. However it was Parker and Breeze that walked away with the gold. Does that frustrate you?
Ryback: It doesn't just frustrate us, Renee! It infiltrates us! That pretty boy and that hippy freak had no right taking our titles... we got screwed! Those belts should have been ours!
Wade Barrett: It is frustrating, Renee, because like I said before, we underestimated Parker and Breeze. But now we have a second chance, and I promise, we won't make the same mistake again.
Renee Young: With that in mind, have you spent much time scouting your opponents prior to this match?
Wade Barrett: Not really. Some wrestlers like to spend hours watching videos of their opponents - Ryback and I aren't like that. We...
Ryback: ...We like to hit the gym!
Barrett glared at Ryback.
Wade Barrett: I wasn't done talking. Ryback and I, we like to focus on getting ourselves in the best possible condition for our match. Yes that means spending some time in the gym, but we also try to focus ourselves mentally. Konnor and Viktor are an up and coming tag team with potential, so we've watched a few of their matches, to make sure we know what to expect from them. But we haven't obsessed over it. What's more important is knowing what we can do... and the Ascension will find out just what we're capable of when they step into the ring with us tonight.
Renee Young: If you beat the Ascension tonight, you'll get another chance to challenge CJ Parker and Tyler Breeze for the Tag Titles at WrestleMania. Ryback, Wade, despite enjoying success as a tag team since you joined forces last year, you've yet to become champions in the EBWF, either as a team or individually. In the past, you've both gone after the PTG Title. What would you say is your main focus right now - the Tag Titles? Or do you still both have ambitions to pursue a solo career too?
Ryback: Of course I wanna go solo, Renee! I'm gonna be hotter than Zayn Malik! Ha!
Barrett looked at Ryback curiously.
Wade Barrett: All those Freudian slips, and you manage to get Zayn Malik's name right. I don't know whether to be impressed or concerned.
Barrett then turned his attention back to Renee.
Wade Barrett: We both want to enjoy singles success, Renee. Neither Ryback or I joined signed for the EBWF with being the stars of the tag team division in mind. We both have ambitions of being World Champion, and you know what? I honestly believe that both of us we'll be World Champion one day. But when we were both competing for the PTG Title, and we found ourselves at loggerheads with each other, we released we had a lot in common. We decided to put our differences aside, and work together. Neither of us have given up on our singles careers, we just know we can accomplish a lot by working in unison. So winning the Tag Titles is important to us. I guess you could say that's our focus right now, but I can assure you, we've both been watching the likes of AJ Styles, Trent and Brian Kendrick. When the opportunity for one or both of us comes along to win singles gold, we'll make damn sure we take it. But right now, we're making sure we take out Parker and Breeze, and put the Tag Titles where they belong - around our waists. The first step is taking care of the Ascension. Next stop? WrestleMania.
Ryback: You talk about me making Roy Dean slips... I don't even know what that means, but what the hell's a loggerhead?
Wade Barrett: It's a British idiom. It means we were in conflict.
Ryback: You're a British idiom! Ha!
Renee: Ummm... Ryback, Wade, thank you for your time.
Renee and the cameraman left the room as Barrett tried to resist the urge to hit Ryback with the Bull Hammer.