Unleashed.

Fade up to a clear night sky, the camera slowly pans down to reveal a host of city lights, brightly illuminating as far as the eye can see. Still, slowly, the camera then moves around to reveal a man with his back to the camera, dressed in a black coat that drops to the floor. The man looks out over the other side of what must be a high-rise building to other parts of the lighted city.

"Stunning, isn’t it? The city of Bristol at it’s finest. There are few places where you can truly observe the whole of Bristol in it’s illuminated glory, where you can see the Suspension Bridge, Ashton Gate, and so much more of the city shine so brightly. Luckily for me however, Vortex Incorporated’s headquarters is one of those places."

With a smirk, the man turns to reveal himself as Rob Arnold. He is wearing an all-black outfit, to merge in with the night sky.

"I suppose that’s mans legacy, at least for the short term, the attempt to shine brightly for all to see. For anybody on the outside looking in, they would see illuminated cities like this one, trying to show how great and power they are. It’s been a human way of thinking since fire was created. This Sunday is no different, every man and woman on that show will wish to shine the brightest. They want anybody looking on to think the most from them, and they will do anything to achieve it."

Rob looks down at the grown, slightly embarrassed.

"Now until a day or so ago, I wasn’t included in that list of people. I’ll admit, I’ve not been giving it my full effort. I could put up a whole host of reasons but in reality it doesn’t matter. I don’t believe so anyway. You see, my father once said to me that it’s not what’s happened, it’s what you do next is what’s important." Rob looks back up, "And that’s what I certainly believe right now. What happens next is that I go to Reunion and I shine, I illuminate, I leave My-Ron in the dark where he belongs."

Rob sneers at the self-mention of Novaar.

"I’ve attempted to ignore a lot of the rubbish that My-Ron has been spouting in the last few weeks, no, months. I’ve also attempted to ignore any sort of jibes The Reaper, David Shand has had to throw my way. However the sad reality is when people shout so loudly, eventually you’re going to hear. I’ve heard what they’ve had to say, and frankly I couldn’t be any more disappointed in either of them. I want to be shocked and surprised, but frankly every little thing I thought about them has been proved right. The Trinity, to me has been very predictable over the years." Rob turns so the camera is now looking over his shoulder, face still partially in view as it observes the Bristol scenery.

"It’s high time that the Trinity was educated, set straight in my opinion. The problem around these parts is that these two shout so loud that people believe every single word that comes out of their mouths. Yet often, the truth gets skewed, ignored, and dumped in a basement." Rob shakes his head, "It’s incredible that the two of them have accused me of blatant lying when in fact they’re so ignorant to the truth themselves. Let me start with you My-Ron and your claim about our match. Let me tell you how it went down, I had a lot going on, so I told my lawyers to set everything up, and, if required, let you choose the match type. Now that may have got lost in translation, it may not have even got to the negotiating table. But let’s both be realistic, you were always going to want to do something over the top for a show like this, and I had to make sure my end I got this match."

Rob raises an eyebrow and looks at the camera for a moment, "I had to make sure I was going to get this match so I could humiliate you. The fact that it never made it onto the contract never mattered anyway, I was always going to let you concoct some rubbish like you have."

Rob laughs, and turns back to the camera, leaning on a rail behind him.

"Oh and let’s not forget the fantastic article that David Shand commissioned lately. I was amazed to read his views of the final days of the CWA. David, you sold that company down the river, you were the man in charge of the place and you had the opportunity to shut the place down, you didn’t, you passed the reigns over of a ship that frankly could have been saved. The problem is, you didn’t want it to be saved, did you? You’d had your fun with the place, and after that all was irrelevant. You even say you stopped trying, you put in half hearted performances, why? Because you wanted to keep your cancerous claws in the company until it was forced to liquidate. Some of us still battled and fought for that place all the way to the end." Rob’s eyes don’t even flicker after unloading this outburst on Shand, his face is one of thunder.

"You both see what I’ve said as lies, yet clearly you’ve just distorted the facts to make me out to be the bad guy. Have I said anything wrong? No, I haven’t, I’ve represented the facts in my favour. So are you both lying? Of course not, I wouldn’t ever be so arrogant to make such claims, no matter what either of you think of me." Rob’s nostrils flare with anger at the last part of the sentence, clearly angry with the attempt by both members of the Trinity to damage his character.

"My-Ron, you want to make it out like I’ve been a coward, such a coward hiding away and so called finding my smile. I have to ask you My-Ron, we all know you’re a bit mental, but when exactly did you go over the edge? Since when did planet My-Ron go supernova? Even for you, this is the biggest pile of crap I’ve ever heard you say. I’ll tell you where I’ve been My-Ron, I’ve been in America. Let me tell you why, you may not like this though, so you may wish to sit down."

Rob looks on, a bit smug at his previous jibe. "You see, I’ve always faced a bit of a problem, as has any guy trying to make it in this business over here. If you’re a wrestler trying to make it in the UK, you’re eclipsed by a Reaper-sized shadow. You can’t get anywhere because this guy is too busy at the top of the tree not giving anybody else chance to grow or breathe. You also have you My-Ron, dancing like a little puppet for Shand and the general public like you do. What this does, is creates a stigma in mind of the general public. It leaves a print and all they think about is you guys, now as a man who knows his marketing, I won’t deny you that it’s a fantastic bit of marketing. Best way to impose yourself on this country is shout loudly, shout what people like to hear, and you get the hearts and minds of the audience." Rob smirks, "It’s just like politics over here, nobody ever votes for the guy who tells you the truth, they gravitate to whoever tells them what they want to hear."

Rob turns back to the scenery, placing his hands on the rail. "However, you go to America, and talking only gets you so far, you have to put the results behind the talk to get any kind of respect. Whilst David Shand went off the radar, Rob Arnold was making a massive name for himself over there, people didn’t like me, because I told it exactly how it was, as I always do. However I still got respect and became a big star over there because I got my head down and beat everybody put in front of me. Bigger guys than Shand, odder guys than My-Ron, I took them all on and won, night after night I shone bright. So the CXA Management sent me over there, because they want as much international recognition for this show as possible. They sent me My-Ron, because I’m the bigger star, nobody really knows or cares about a clown like you, they want a guy with the substance, me. If you’d got out of your bubble for five seconds you would have known about me being over there, still, no shocks that you didn’t."

Rob grips on the rail, starting to build up now.

"It hasn’t ended there though, has it? Both members of the Trinity have set out to try and damage any shred of reputation I have in this country. This country that I so proudly represented over the years, and from calls I’ve been getting, it’s beginning to work. They dare shout their distorted arrogance about me and people continue to believe it, despite everything I’ve done for the country, the wrestling business. It gets worse though, My-Ron is practically stalking me and my life now. Showing up at my favourite café on the Devon coast? How dare you My-Ron? What makes you think it’s acceptable to start following me around, causing my wife to start wondering if you’re going to start showing in our house? Is that next on your list? You need to back off if you know what’s good for you, because you’re pushing boundaries that you wouldn’t want to cross with me." Rob’s eyes are stone-fixed on the camera.

"Oh and the offensive doesn’t stop there, does it? They both, Shand in particular, want to start talking about my newly acquired business and private life. Now David, not to dig up old bones, but isn’t this exactly the kind of thing I did all those years ago to upset you? I do believe it’s pretty similar. Again, another exposure of the Shand hypocrisy at its finest. You are both to sell short of exactly what I do and have done. My portfolio, whilst not sizeable to Shand Holdings, is still far bigger than any middle manager either of you would portray me as. What you both fail to understand is that I work in the role I do right now to keep challenging myself, because that’s what I do, that is how I operate." Rob runs his hand through his dark, shaggy hair somewhat aggressively.

"I’ve been trying to work out what it is, what makes the anger flow through the group of us when it comes to each other, because no matter how you try and look at it, we don’t like each other one point. We never will even come close to being on any Christmas card lists will we?" Rob smiles briefly, before returning to his rant, "It’s amazing, because in the beginning, I never had an issue with either of you. I made genuine comments about you Shand and perhaps I was young and naïve to allow the comments to go public, but I meant what I said, to this day I do. You took it upon yourself to step on me from there on in. Why?"

Rob pauses and turns, pacing to the centre of the building once again.

"I’ve been asking myself that for years, to start with obsessively. Lately it’s been more of a ponder but I finally believe I’ve worked it all out. You can’t stand me because I’m the exact same as you, but you will never tell people the gritty reality when your image could be at stake. You don’t take the risks that I do, you don’t tell it how it is like I do and I believe you’re jealous. Now I know you’re going to brush it off, because you always do, but for you to carry through everything you have against me, well it can’t be anything else. In later years the jealousy has grown because I’ve achieved so much more than you’d want me to. You’ve constantly puppeteer My-Ron and this time it’s to stand up to me." Rob points as if he were talking to Shand in person.

"You want to say you side-stepped me? I beg to differ, you won’t ever face me because you’re damn scared that I would beat you, and once again I would be proved right, because god forbid David Shand is proved wrong, the world would no doubt crumple in two." Rob’s voice has built up constantly, now he is almost shouting.

"For the past few months, people have questioned me, questioned the Rob Arnold passion and pride. Even my close friends, even Chio Reto has questioned it. The reality was they were right to, they were all completely right. Rob Arnold walked into this Reunion show with the least motivation yet all the confidence. In the last few months, that motivation has grown exponentially to the point now where I feel just like my old self again. I haven’t been this ready to tear somebody limb from limb in three and a half years." Rob Pauses, "People have asked, what is Rob Arnold all about? Is he really that self-obsessed? Yes, of course I am, I’m an opportunist and proud of it. However I’m angry that it could be questioned that I do not love this business, I have always given everything to this business, I have enough battle scars to prove that."

Rob takes a few steps towards the camera, his face etched in emotion and rage.

"The reality of this all, why I’m here, why I’m at Reunion on Sunday is simple. The wrestling business will be here long after I’m gone, and whilst I’ve shone as bright as these lights behind me, I still have to make my mark, I still have to do some more to leave my mark. This Sunday, I will shine so bright and burn my mark into wrestling history, Sunday will be the night where Britain realised their true star had been staring them in the face for years, and they’d been following the wrong messiahs. This Sunday My-Ron Novaar, is where everybody realises why The True Innovator was so hotly spoken of in America, and they should have never let him go."

Rob pauses, somewhat to catch breath, he takes another step towards the camera, making it a very intimate shot now.

"You wanted to see the real Rob Arnold? Here he is, unleashed. On your own head be it My-Ron, because I have no hesitation in crucifying you. All your faces, gimmicks, your puppeteer, they’ll all count for nothing when I get my hands on you. Watch me shine this Sunday, trust me, there’s nothing you can do about it."

Fade.

OOC: Nice. Good to see the old Rob back, all the way.

Nice work Rob

ooc: That was pretty awesome.

ooc: I agree this was certainly more of a return to form.

I don't want to start a row and I'm honestly not having a go, but I'll be honest and say that while I thought Rob's stuff was good before, and I understand where he's coming from in the character, I personally didn't appreciate the way in which he didn't seem ready to give anything to his opponent in his stuff. I thought it just struck the wrong balance for this show between confident and just bashing someone.

That's not in any way a knock on Rob's talents - I hope he knows I think he's a good writer - I just thought the story would have been better, and more doors opened, if Rob had been more willing to give Myron's character some credit. TBH, that was why I had Shand respond to Rob's side of the press conference.

But this is better, and it rounds Rob's story off well. Well done.

ooc: Eh, things might not have gone to plan, but it seemed to me as if they created their own major distinctions between the characters of Rob and Chio in that one press conference alone, Chio's attitude somewhat countering it. Which made for a good read, and lasting repercussions on the part of Chio.

This seems to have made Rob's character more serious though, so good on him.

ooc: I've not been at all happy with what I've produced TBH. The problem has stemmed from only having a small handful of evenings free nowadays, and half of them I've been so knackered I've fallen asleep whilst writing the damn things.

The Conference didn't go to plan at all, not from my side, the first few questions were fine, from there I struggled.

I tried playing out that wilst Rob was a changed man there were still the elements of the old Arnold, ready to go, the problem is there was still an air of no motivation, no real desire and just excuses. I've read it back again and can see three or four lines I would change immediatly, which would take less onus off the anti-Novaar theme and more on to the pro-Rob theme.

From reading back the PC, I made the decision to change focus and haul back to 2006-style, focus on promos and vignettes which have always been my stronger side. I decided to bring back the old attitude that had poked out occasionally until now.

I completely take DS's comments and agree with them mainly through my own frustraition. I'd only slightly argue the point that of giving nothing to the opponent. To an extent he gave back what he took, though I wrote it poorly, so it seems like there's zero respect. Rob would and does hold respect for pretty much most opponents, however even as a face he wouldn't really ever say it, because of his own self-obsession.

I've been gutted that my RP's have been so hit and miss over the pass few months, the poorer ones have been more out of frustraition than anything, and I know if we did this whole thing three months later, I'd have been able to put the real time in. Ah well.

ooc: Certainly don't beat yourself up about it. As I said, I think (we all think) you're a good writer, and we all know how lack of time can get in the way. I've enjoyed Rob's story. It was just frustrating to see times when things could have gone a certain way and didn't.

But I'd much rather have Rob Arnold as part of this show even with time pressures than I would not have him part of it.

NOTE: Myron is having computer problems at the moment and needed to leave the office early. But we've chatted today about this thread, and he asked me to post this for him. This is his reply, not mine:

.........

I think I need to address the respect thing. I'd disagree slightly with
Rob (the character) getting back what he got. The Cyberstar has just as
big an ego as Rob and isn't one to shy away from an insult. So I did
call Rob a coward early on.

That was because, at the time, there was very little coming back. I
totally understand why and the reasons behind the lack of time. But with
no Rob Arnold The Prince had to find ways to pick at his opponent. The
idea behind it was that he was trying to provoke Rob (the character).

Even then there were mentions that Novaar didn't like Rob but never took
him for somebody who hid. I did try to drop in some mentions of Rob's
abilities.

My idea was very much like Taker did with Triple H. To make sure the
world knew that Rob (the character) was a worthwhile opponent but that
he (Novaar) had plans and that he WOULD have his victory at the PPV. I
think both DS and I put in some stuff about how we thought our opponents
we people that had the talent to go a long way...just not as far as us.

But I have enjoyed the whole PPV. I've not agreed with everything and
I'm sure people haven't with my stuff. But I do think it's been worth
doing. There has been some very good writing from people.

My absence from the board has been more to do with being busy myself
now. I will be on again more next week or so. I'm going to take some
time off writing stuff but I've been tempted to e-fed again. Who knows,
I might do another run somewhere.

But here's to a good PPV.

Myron Fox