Post by Cass Baumer on Jun 4, 2017 6:45:17 GMT
DATE: 06/03/17
CAMERA: ON
Once the YouTube video began to play, Cass Baumer stood in front of a large banner with the words Dirty Deeds etched across the center. Sloppily taped to the wall behind her, she glanced at the sight of the current FAW Hardcore Champion and sat down right in front of the poster, legs bent underneath her as she knelt on the floor.
"So... Do I understand the consequences of my actions?"
Cass stared directly into the eyes of the paper-thin Kenzi Gray that dominated one-fourth of the official FAW Dirty Deeds laminated poster with a hand touching the white.
"I've been doing these reports two months now, and I've already pushed one person closer to cutting herself. I've alienated Melissa and lost a good friend over what essentially amounts to a difference of opinion. I let Aiden give Jay a concussion because of these goddamn reports and that's something I never wanted to see happen."
"Friend after friend... Gone. I know. I have eyes. I can see the pain what I'm doing is causing other people on a daily basis. I can see the backlash. I can see people throwing empty death threats, challenging me to matches in other companies. I see people so full of rage and humiliation over what I reported that it can even leave a lasting damage to their psyche."
"It's burning bridges. It's sacrificing friendships. And sure, the smart ones understand that most of the headlines I report were given to me by anonymous sources. The smart ones laugh and shake their head, denying the rumor and wondering who on Earth could have sent that report to me. They don't let it ruin their day and certainly don't let it get to them! Those are the people who enjoy the reports I make. Those are the people who proudly like and retweet the tweets like nothing else, people who get genuinely disappointed at the mere mention that I'll be posting fewer reports for a while. Those people? Those people understand. Those people are amazing!"
With a bright smile, she suddenly paused and sighed slightly.
"I wish all the people I call friends felt the same way but I suppose it's a double-edged sword."
"On one end, you've got people so invested in the reports and on the other, you've got people reacting. It's the perfect system. You can't satisfy everyone, but fuck! At least the way I'm doing it is entertaining. You know what everyone else would do? Wrestlers mindlessly threw 2-dimensional insults at each other. Whether it's on Twitter or in promotional videos themselves, it's always the same. Let's face it."
She grinned and mocked a generic wrestler with a goofy exaggerated voice.
"'I'm so tough! I'm the best thing going in wrestling right now! My opponent sucks. My opponent is absolute garbage who doesn't even deserve to be in the same ring as me! Why is this match even happening? I know I've had three matches in this federation so far but I totally deserve to be the World Heavyweight Champion so the boss should just hand it to me! RAWR!!!'"
Cass cheekily glanced at the camera now.
"I'm sure a name just popped into your head too, huh?"
Glancing back at the poster, 'The Headliner' continued.
"I wanted a way to get myself noticed, and I achieved it. I used marketing, hype culture, and merchandising to get my name out there. I'm looking at wrestling with a whole new perspective and depending on who you ask; it's making the wrestling community more entertaining as a result!"
Standing up to her feet, she carefully gripped the poster on the wall and pulled it down, peeling shreds piece by piece to reveal a different Dirty Deeds poster underneath:
Pointing to her own face on the giant laminated banner, she grins from ear to ear, reveling in the sight.
"I've done what some wrestlers who fought for 20 years straight weren't able to accomplish! I've fought in less than ten matches, and I've made it on an official FAW poster without even holding a championship going into the Pay-Per-View!! That's marketing, people! And marketing is fucking awesome when used correctly!"
Standing beside the poster with her face on the front, she continued to speak.
"It can be argued that it's not technically official. It was replaced with the current incarnation — the Kenzi Gray version. And while she deserves to be on that poster, she's the FAW Hardcore Champion right now whether I like it or not, the fact that I was even considered to be on the banner at all... That just shows the impact I've made in not only FAW but in wrestling in general."
"And don't get me wrong. I've been training nonstop back in Nightfall. I've been improving my skills in the ring at every available moment so I can live up to all the hype I've already garnered around the Baumer name. I've prepared for this match against Kenzi Gray and Sarah Lacklan, and all the bullshit politics shit aside, I'm ready to walk into that arena with everything I've got and I'm ready to walk out as a two-time FAW Hardcore Champion — even though I arguably shouldn't have lost it in the first place."
With a pause, Cass has a small change of heart.
"Actually... I take that back! Whether I like the decision Zooey made doesn't matter. The past is past, and no amount of bitching is going to change it, right? So Kenzi Gray for all intensive purposes beat me fair and square for that FAW Hardcore Championship. No bullshit. No rumors. That's the honest truth. You might as well just call me Gabe with all these truth bombs I'm dropping right now! 'Cept I don't turn my back on family, but that's a conversation for another day."
"So congratulations, Kenzi. I don't like how it happened but right now... Yeah. You're champion. I hope you've been enjoying it. No sarcasm."
"You know what's fucked up, though? You've been claiming that championship's under 24/7 rules when that's a blatant lie. It's an attention ploy and trust me; I'd know a lot about that shit. You have these unsanctioned 'matches' with Sarah Lacklan and AMC — probably some sex thing, I don't even want to know — and then you act like we should take anything you say seriously. You disrespect that belt and treat it like a toy, but I was telling the truth when I told you that once I've got the Fuckin' Awesome Hardcore Championship in my possession, I'll be happy to buy all three of you some plastic toy replicas for your own entertainment. I'm sure you'll hardly even remember the difference! It amounts to the same thing around your waist, right?"
"I'll make sure to get that championship sterilized, by the way. If I bought a black light and shined it over the title, I guarantee it'd be a germaphobe's worst nightmare at this point. It'd be a perv's wet dream, but nah. I don't want that on a title I'm wrapping around my waist."
Cass smirked.
Flat out though? I respect you a fuck ton more than I respect Sarah Lacklan but maybe I didn't give her enough credit."
"I might not like her personally, but Sarah did well going up against Tyson Gregory. She didn't win mind you, but she went up against the #FSociety Champion in a more competitive match that I thought she'd have. She's the real deal in the ring, in a tag team or alone, so yeah. I might have been underestimating her. It looks like that's about to change."
"So whatever it is you want to call yourselves... Team Kickass or whatever Sarah decides to call the both of you going into this match... I'm ready..."
"I'm ready to shove your hopes and dreams down your throats when I walk out with the FAW Hardcore Championship slung over my shoulder, leaving the both of you unconscious on the concrete! I'm ready to earn a spot on the next official FAW Pay-Per-View banner! I'm ready to cement myself as not just one of the best rookies in wrestling today, but one of the most talked about fighters who ever walked the face of the Earth!"
Cass smiled wide as she repeated the first line once again.
"So... Do I understand the consequences of my actions?"
Gesturing towards her face on the banner, she nodded.
"Two options: You can either stay invisible as another face in the crowd, or you can do everything in your power to get yourself noticed."
"Be The Headliner or be the blonde interviewer who everyone ignored?"
"You wanna disagree with me? Fine. Just understand why I do it, and we'll be golden, just like the FAW Hardcore Championship I'll have in my possession soon."
Cass paused and looked down, plopping herself into a seated position as she sat right next to her own face on the poster.
"And to the people I hurt who didn't deserve it? Mel, Jay, even Kenzi on some level once this match is over.."
With emotion in her tone, her voice was a little shaky.
"I'll make it right somehow. Just don't expect me to change who I am, okay?"
Cass took a deep breath as she leaned against the wall, seated with her head down as the video neared its end.
"So... Do I understand the consequences of my actions?"
"... All too well."
With a gulp, she looked back towards the camera for the last time as the video faded to black.