Below Average Joe

[D.J]

The Varsity Club had been busy this past month. They were involved in a couple of skirmishes that led to the beat downs of such superstars as AJ Styles. They were clearly taking the strength in numbers approach that groups in wrestling's past had taken, and they didn't seem to care one single bit about it. It was a clear conscious decision that VC was going to attempt to take over this company together. It was a methodical approach that the group seemed to be going with, but at Aftermath they would have a real chance to take that plan to the next level. The groups unofficial leader Alex Riley, would be going one on one with the so called "destroyer" Samoa Joe. The winner would become the new #1 contender for the EBWF World Championship. A victory for Riley on this big of a stage with such a prestigious title on the line, could really bull rush the Varsity Club right into the main spotlight of the EBWF. This had to be weighing heavy on the groups mind, as the event rapidly approached. One thing was for sure- they wouldn't be shy with discussing it on the road to Aftermath.

The scene opened up to an outside shot of a large Winnebago making it's way down the highway. The scene quickly cut to inside said Winnebago, to find the Varsity Club as it's inhabitants. All of them donning their black with Red Letters "VC" Letterman's jackets and gray slacks. Darren Young was behind the wheel, and the other three men sat behind him. The Riley, closest to the back of the Winnebago, looked disturbed, his hair was slicked back, and he took a sip of a light blue Gatorade he was holding in his right hand. Miz looked at Alex with a little bit of concern on his face, and broke the silence.

The Miz: Alex- you good man?

Alex seemed to quickly snap out of the disturbed trance he was in to answer.

Alex Riley: You know what Miz? I am good.. I'm great.. I'm fantastic.. I'm dare I say it... awesome...

Miz smirked, as did O'Neil and Young.

Alex Riley: I'm doing just wonderfully because soon, I am going to become the #1 contender for the EBWF World Championship. Which means that I'm going to OFFICIALLY become the #1 man in this business. I say officially because I think we all know that I ALREADY AM the #1 guy in this business.. now I'll have the strap that confirms it. This company is like a football team, and there's no question about it.. I'm the freaking quarterback. I'm the guy that the media gushes about, the guy that gets the most chicks, the guy that is on the cover of the program, the guy that gets to live the fantasy that other guys can only dream of. When I become the EBWF Champion, the amount of "haterade" people will be drinking over me, will be at an ALL TIME HIGH.. because right now they're saying.. "yeah he's amazing at everything... but AT LEAST HE ISN'T THE EBWF CHAMPION." Now we're 2 matches away boys.. 2 matches away from that not even being true anymore.. 2 matches from now I will win "life bingo" with my last square being "hold the EBWF Championship" and the first guy that stands in my way.. is a big ole' boy named Joe..

Titus O'Neil: Isn't he Samoan?

Alex Riley: Indeed he is.. which is why he is cleverly known as.. "Samoa Joe."

The Miz: Clever!

Alex Riley laughed.

Alex Riley: Right?! Anyways, this guy is one of my absolute favorites. He's got this air about him, this mystique about him, undoubtedly created by absolute idiots and pussies- that he's this intimidating presence, this competitor that should be feared, this man capable of absolute destruction. When all I see is a man that has and will only lay waste to candy bars and cheese doodles. This guy snarls, and looks angry all the time and I guess that's suppose to make people shake in their shoes. All it makes me want to do, is ask if he needs to sit on the toilet for awhile.

The group laughed.

Alex Riley: I mean right? Doesn't it look like this guy just has to take the biggest crap ever.. which is actually appropriate because he IS the biggest piece of crap ever. So it all kind of works and fits. Joe- I don't care what people think about you- what you want them to think about you- what you try to MAKE them think about you- I see right through your layers.. and you have A LOT of layers.. of skin.. you're fat.

Group laughter- wouldn't be a VC segment without a fat joke.

Alex Riley: I see right through you though Joe. You aren't intimidating, you aren't someone to fear. You're a facade, you're a wolf in cow's clothing.. I am NOT afraid of you. Joe isn't going to kill me, Joe is going to get his ass beat by a man that is better than him in every way, and Joe is then going to get NOWHERE NEAR the EBWF Championship ever again. Last month at Wrestlemania, you had your shot, and ya lost.. now I know what you're thinking.. Alex you lost too, you had a chance to unify the Intercontinental and Path To Glory Championship- and you blew it.. and you know what Joe.. you wouldn't be wrong. However, I'm a big game player, I knew that I was destined for bigger and better things than the Gateway Championship or whatever the hell it's called now. I may have an off quarter in a regular season game that nobody really cares about, but when the lights are on- and it's the championship game- Alex Riley delivers.. and then he bangs your girlfriend. Or in your case Joe- your blow up doll.

Everyone smiled.

The Miz: You're going to bang his blow up doll?

Alex Riley: Hell ya- why not? I am the real destroyer bro- I destroy people like Joe in the ring, and then I destroy their lives outside of it. I don't really care about Samoa Joe.. I don't care if I crush his spirit, I don't care if I expose him for not being as tough as everyone wants to make him out to be. I don't care if I dash his hopes of becoming EBWF Champion, I don't care if I end his career, shit.. I don't even care if I KILL him.. all I care about is being the EBWF Champion.. and having a kegger after.. and playing flip cup.. and beer pong.. and kings.. and quarters.. and getting shit faced.. after I kick the shit out of this so called "monster." Ha "monster" what a friggin joke.. Can you imagine kids being scared of this guy.. "there's a Samoa Joe in my closet." I mean yeah.. there may be a "Samoa Joe" in the closet in the EBWF.. but I'm certainly not scared of him.. and if he was under my bed.. it's probably because he's shamelessly eating the pot roast from last night like a rabid animal.. not to scare anyone. This guy is no monster, he's no killer, he's no assassin. He's a speed bump, and I'm sure as shit not slowing down as I run over him.

Darren Young called back from the drivers seat.

Darren Young: That would send you high into the air though wouldn't it?

Alex Riley: Straight to the top bro.. because first it's Joe.. and then it's Black.. or Orton.. do I care which one? Of course I friggin don't. I know what I'm capable of, and if I can tell anything from listening to that fat piece of shit talk, he has absolutely, positively.. NO idea. He spent more time talking about you guys, like you were going to interfere or something.. you believe that? This dude thinks I need your guys help to beat him? He's 100 percent delusional in every way. DELUSIONAL- and he's really delusional if he thinks he's walking away from Aftermath with anything but a beat down, and a bloody nose, and a bloody face, and a broken arm, and a broken career.. but that's it.. NOTHING ELSE.. ok maybe a broken leg.. maybe a fractured spine..but definitely nothing positive.. and DEFINITELY not the title of #1 contender for the EBWF Title. You see Joe- I'm like anybody, I like a good story. When you came into this company, everybody was all excited.. like "yayy whooo hoo" Samoa Joe!".. and they probably said other stuff but I stopped listening after "whooo hoo Samoa Joe," because I just can't figure out why anyone would be excited about you being here. Like what do you do? I'm serious? It's not even an insult.. I'm really asking. Like all I've seen you do is waddle to the ring, and like throw your flabby body on top of people.. and oh yeah... lose wrestling matches. Like remind me again why I'm supposed to be excited you're here? Remind me again, why people actually think you are capable of beating me on Sunday? Remind me again, why I'm talking about you right now and wasting so much of my wonderful words on you? Remind me again why I'm supposed to be afraid.. when it's clear that you're nothing but a BELOW AVERAGE JOE.

The Miz nodded.

The Miz: There's too many people like this in the business bro. They always come and go. "Internet Main Eventers" in the sense that there's definitely more buzz on the world wide web about them, than what they are actually capable of bringing to the company. Samoa Joe is an "Internet Main Eventer" in every way.. he's someone people get hyped about, then in 3 months they are like "Really? That's all he is? That sucks." The plain and simple fact A-Ri.. is this dude needs to be put out of his misery, so that we can all move on and pretend that we never had to pretend to care that the ONE AND ONLY SAMOA JOE- was ever even a thing in the EBWF. Somebody needs to send him off with Brian Kendrick, Cody Rhodes, Taka Michinoku, and all the other EBWF island of misfit toy, once upon a time superstars that we were told to give a crap about.. and I see no reason why that somebody shouldn't be you dude.

Alex Riley nodded.. seeming to digest what Miz had just said.

Alex Riley: It's like *N'Sync once said Miz.. "It's gonna be me." I'm the guy, the only guy.. who's right for the job of carrying the EBWF into the next era of it's existence. If for no other reasons than I'm the only guy who can make an *N'Sync reference and then go beat the shit out of somebody after. That's a special type of bad ass, and it's that type of bad ass.. who's going to help to say "bye bye bye" to Samoa Joe.. because after Aftermath.. he will be "Gone," and you'll have to excuse me if it doesn't "tear up my heart" even in the slightest.. because when I think about that spotlight.. all I can really come up with to say to it.. is that " I want you back," and I've been "driving myself crazy," trying to figure out a way to get to where I belong.. so call me "selfish" but let's face it when people look at me they think to themselves "god must have spent a little more time on you." So me being the EBWF Champion is just something that is my destiny.. it's written in the stars. "This I promise you" Joe.. I'm going to beat you.. I'm going to end you.. I'm going to ruin you.. and I know you don't believe it.. or maybe you're too proud to admit it.. but I'm going to burst your bubble big guy... "POP."

Darren Young stopped the Winnebago. He cocked his head around and looked at Riley. O'Neil and Miz did the same.

Alex Riley: That just happened.

The Miz: I just.. I don't know what to say.

Darren Young: I do.. THAT. WAS. AWESOME!

Titus O'Neil: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays..

There was silence..

Titus O'Neil: Sorry..

The camera panned out to the Winnebago driving on the highway once again. The scene faded out. We faded back in to the arena in Indianapolis. It was hours before EBWF Aftermath and the pre show was in full effect. The arena was buzzing, but quickly turned to boo's as the tron showed Alex Riley and the Varsity Club in their dressing room.

Alex Riley: Can you feel it fellas? In a couple of hours I'm going to be the #1 contender for the EBWF Championship. In a couple of hours, whoever is lucky.. or should I say unlucky enough to win in tonight's main event, will know that their run at the top will be on a countdown to being over. Tonight Samoa Joe and I will stand in the ring together and all these idiots in Indiana will watch.. waiting.. suspecting.. for Samoa Joe to be the wrecking ball he claims to be.. but what they will see will be far far different.

The crowd booed Riley.

The Miz looked into the camera.

The Miz: Go ahead you moron's boo us.. hiss at us.. do whatever the hell you want. It's not going to change a single thing about what's about to take place tonight. In life there are Varsity types.. like us.. and then there are JV.. or worse.. people that aren't even capable of being categorized as anything but scrub nobody's. Samoa Joe.. is a scrub nobody.. and he's the worst type of SN.. he's an SN who thinks he's VC material... to which I say N-O.

The Miz smirked at himself before continuing.

The Miz: Take it from someone who has been at the top of the mountain twice already in his career. It takes someone capable of holding the crown, to notice someone who's capable of holding the crown. Alex Riley is ready, he's ready to be the man, he's ready for the responsibility.. he's ready to be the #1 guy in this business. Samoa Joe.. may be ready to eat the crown.. but he's not ready to wear it.

Alex Riley: So let this be a message to you Samoa Joe- and all of you here tonight who believe in him. Samoa Joe being a dominant superstar is a phony idea. It's a fake idea.. like Santa Clause being real.. or Andrew Luck being capable of leading the Colts to a Superbowl.

The crowd booed as Alex smirked.

Alex Riley: Open your eyes.. WIDER.. and see the reality of the situation. All of the things that the Varsity Club has done.. will PALE in comparison to the destruction we bring to tonight's match. The beating we gave AJ Styles 2 weeks ago will look like a day in the park walking a puppy.. compared to the annihilation of Samoa Joe that is about to take place. You all will sit there.. and turn to your stupid friends and say.. "oh my gosh.. I can't believe this.." Pfft.

The Miz: Pfft.

Darren Young: Pfft.

Titus O'Neil: Pfft.

The crowd booed loudly.

Alex Riley: Well.. idiots.. believe it. Because yes.. Indianapolis.. you look at me and think.. "man that's a guy who has everything." Great buddies, hot chicks, cool clothes, expensive cars, fancy houses, kick ass parties. Everything.. EXCEPT.. the one thing that every single man who has ever laced up wrestling boots obsesses over. To which I say.. that soon.. VERY soon infact.. I WILL be the GUY WHO HAS.. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.. because soon.. very soon.. I will be Alex Riley- the guy with great buddies, cool clothes, expensive cars, fancy houses, kick ass parties.. and oh yeah.. most importantly.. I will be YOUR NEW.. EBWF.. WORLD.. CHAMPION.

The crowd booed.

Alex Riley: You mad bro?

He winked and the VC all smirked confidently as the tron cut to static.