Crash
and Burn: Tag-Team Championship match. MIKE SANDERS ABOVE AVERAGE
Last Thursday's Breakdown was a bad night for Mike Sanders to say the
least. He's forced into putting the tag-team titles on the line against
Edge and Christian in one week's time at Crash & Burn... and that's
without a partner following a serious injury to Mark Jindrak. Such an
injury might bring Jindrak down to size a little but it's not exactly
the best timing. Now Mike Sanders is left to find a new partner, and
finding a man fit enough to stand in Mike's corner will not be an easy
task, especially in APW. It's clear that Mike has been dealt a cruel
hand and he's got very few options open to him. Does he go all in and
take a risk by walking out to the ring with a new partner or does he
effectively fold, handing the titles to Edge and Christian by going up
against them two on one? It's a tough decision to make and it's only
compounded by the humiliation of losing at Breakdown and being the man
pinned by Edge. For once it would appear that Mike may have every right
to be angry but if he's to keep a hold of the tag-team titles he'll have
to keep cool, calm and collected. He needs to concentrate on proving
that he deserves to be an APW champion and showing Edge and Christian
that they made a mistake in ever daring to challenge for the titles.
Even with all the odds stacked against him Mike should be able to keep a
hold of his tag-team gold.. after all he's above average Mike Sanders...
surely he can cope with Edge and Christian, The scene opens in a quiet reception area with a number of chairs and sofas along the side of the room. There are set of large double doors with a small reception desk just to the right side of the doors where a young, attractive receptionist is seated. Mike Sanders is sitting in one of the comfortable and expensive looking chairs and looking rather impatient. He has both APW Tag-Team championship belts on him, one around his waist and the other over his shoulder. He soon stands up and walks over to the reception desk leaning against it and beginning to talk to the receptionist. [ Mike Sanders ] " He calls me up, says he's got the solution to all my problems and that he wants to meet me as soon as possible. Well then why the hell am I kept waiting? You don't keep an above average superstar waiting and you especially don't if you're expecting him to team with you and hand over a tag-team championship belt. " [ Receptionist Jill Dunbar ] " I'm sure Mr. Cannon will be ready for you very shortly. He's just an extremely busy man and might not have best estimated when he would be able to see you. " [ Mike Sanders ] " Well he said to be here at 11:20am... [checks his watch] it's now 11:30am. Now I too am a very busy man, I've got a match at Crash and Burn to prepare for and I cannot waist my time waiting around here. Maybe Mr. Cannon thinks he can keep me sitting around for ten minutes but I don't have the time to spare. So, why don't you get on the phone to Mr. Cannon and tell him that if he wants to get his boy's hands on one of the APW Tag-Team titles then he had better get his ass out here this minute. " [ Receptionist Jill Dunbar ] " I'm sorry Sir, but I can't disturb Mr. Cannon in the middle of a meeting. He's got associates from Hong Kong currently discussing the quarterly profits, it's a very important...." [ Mike Sanders ] " [interrupting] I couldn't care if he's got the President in there, he's got even more important business to deal with... and if he is going to ignore me then his boy is about to lose the opportunity to become an APW Tag-Team champion. " Just then the double doors swing open and a group of about five oriental businessmen walk out with Palmer Cannon shaking hands with and smiling widely. He is flanked by two other men that follow the oriental businessmen away fro the reception area over the elevator, chatting casually as they go. Palmer Cannon though peels off from the group spotting the annoyed Mike Sanders and heading towards him. [ Palmer Cannon ] " Good to see you could make it Mr. Sanders, it really is wonderful to finally meet you. I think I informed you quite fully of my proposal on the phone so how about we step into my office. " Palmer gestures to Mike to step through the double doors as they move into his office, which is large with a great deal of expensive furniture and paintings around the room. Palmer closes over the double doors as he offers Mike a seat at his desk on the far side of the room before taking a seat at the other side himself. [ Palmer Cannon ] " Now I do apologise for the wait Mr. Sanders, unforeseen circumstance, you know. Although if there's anything you'd like to drink, tea, coffee, cappuccino, anything at all, my receptionist Jill will be only too happy to get it for you. I would offer you something a little stronger, from my own collection but it is only half past eleven in the morning. " [ Mike Sanders ] " Enough with the pleasantries I don't need anything, so you can cut to the chase. " [ Palmer Cannon ] " Well, as you know Mr. Sanders here at the Network we're interested in what makes good television. We simply want to make sure that the audience gets what they want and I can tell you that they want to see the best possible tag-team wearing the APW's Tag-Team championship belts. Now we believe that you have all the attributes to be part of the best tag-team in the business but with Mark Jindrak sadly hospitalised you need a new partner... and not just any old partner, but somebody who can complement you both inside and outside the ring, someone who with yourself can create the best-tag team the wrestling industry has ever seen. I know such a partner may seem a fantasy, but I have good news for you Mr. Sanders, there is actually one man who fits the bill, who you can form a truly sensational team with. You might already have noticed him, as I'm sure his victory over X-Pac at Saturday Night's Main Event caught your eye. I sincerely believe he is the future of pro-wrestling... the man I am talking about, well, he hail's from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He weighs in at a impressive 242 pounds. He is... KEN KENNEDY! " [ Mike Sanders ] " No need to shout it out, you're not a damn ring announcer. Anyway I hope that's the pitch finished... I think I get the idea. You want me to hand over one of the APW Tag-Team championships to a guy who's barely done a thing in the APW so far and certainly hasn't proved that he's above average. Hmmm... let me think about this for all of one second. " [ Palmer Cannon ] " Now, Now... don't be so hasty Mr. Sanders. This is a great opportunity for you to retain your Tag-Team championships at Crash and Burn. You need to find yourself a partner and I promise you that you will not find any man better than Ken Kennedy. You can't retain those Tag-Team titles all by yourself, so I'm doing you a big favour by offering Ken Kennedy as your partner. In fact, you need me as much a I need you Mr. Sanders. While Ken Kennedy would love to become an APW Tag-Team champion he'll be more than happy to push his way to the top of the singles game and that would leave you out on a limb, with no partner and no chance of keeping the APW Tag-Team titles. " [ Mike Sanders ] " Look here buddy, don't go threatening me about losing the Tag-Team titles... I don't need to take this off you, 'cause there's plenty of other guys who would be more than happy to be handed a title, to simply be gifted a championship. Now the situation is simple you and Ken Kennedy have got everything to gain, he could become a champion in the blink of an eye after only being in the APW a couple of weeks. Where as I can walk out the door right now and get myself another partner. You really don't know your luck that I even showed up today after some phone call coming totally out of the blue. I actually decided to hear you out yet you have the nerve to disrespect me, you say that I can only keep my titles if I team with Ken Kennedy... what a joke! You had a great chance to get your man a title to wear around his waist but you've blown, it I'm not putting up with any more of this. Oh, and I'll leave you with some advice from an old saying, 'Don't kick a gift horse in the mouth'... you'd do well to remember that in the future. " Mike Sanders pulls his chair back and begins to stand up and turn around heading out of the room. Palmer Cannon quickly gets to his feet and calls after Mike who turns around to listen to Cannon's words. [ Palmer Cannon ] " Mr. Sanders wait, please, just one moment. I have no idea what came over me there... I certainly spoke out of turn and I do realise the great opportunity that you're offering myself, the Network and Ken Kennedy. I would be thrilled if you were to walk out to the ring with Ken Kennedy at Crash and Burn, and I understand that it would be a great tribute to Ken Kennedy if you were to offer him a place as your tag-team partner. I take back anything I said that you felt was threatening... I certainly did not mean to insult you and be assured that I have the utmost respect for you as a superstar. Let me also assure you that Ken Kennedy would be an excellent choice as your partner, he has all the tools needed to defeat Edge and Christian. I meant what I said when I told you that Ken Kennedy has the potential to be one of the greatest athletes in wrestling history and if he partners you on Thursday night you will together destroy Edge and Christian and retain the Tag-Team titles. So please Mr. Sanders, reconsider my offer? " Mike smirks a little as he walks back over to Palmer Cannon's desk. Mike remains standing over the desk and takes one of the Tag-Team championship belts from his shoulder and lays it on Palmer Cannon's desk. [ Mike Sanders ] " That was some good old fashioned grovelling alright, I suppose I just had to bring it out in you. Now don't worry you don't need to get on your knees and beg... I'll give your man Ken Kennedy a shot. He can stand in my corner at Crash and Burn, although he better not let me down. I'm going to take your word for it that he is as capable a superstar as you claim, but if I get a nasty surprise to find a glorified jobber standing next to me on Thursday night then you can know now that I'll be coming after you. Now if you're being honest and Ken Kennedy is at least an average wrestler then you and your Network pals will have your wish come true, you'll have your man Ken Kennedy as a co- APW Tag-Team champion. Now I do hope that everything goes to plan and that I still have one of these belts on Friday morning because I worked damn hard with Mark Jindrak to win the belts in the first place. At Steel Punishment there was one hell of a battle between eight superstars... me and Jindrak took out the six men as we literally climbed the ladder of success and got our hands on the gold. You can tell Ken Kennedy what I did that night and how impressive a victory it was... it truly was a huge match but Ken won't need to worry too much, because compared to my match at Steel Punishment taking out Edge and Christian should be a walk in the park. All that your man needs to do is stay out of my way and not make any mistakes, you see he has an above average partner and he can stand back and leave the real action to me. If he does what I tell him to do then I'll make sure we keep the tag-team titles and he can just lie back and ride on my coattails as I drag him to success. " Mike then stares Palmer Cannon in the eyes as he pushes the APW Tag-Team championship belt across the table and over towards him. Palmer appears pleased and moves to get up and shake Mike's hand but Mike motions for him to leave it as he strides back through the double doors and past the reception area. He heads straight for the elevator which actually opens quickly, no waiting about for Mike, who steps in and presses the ground floor button. The elevator doors then close as Mike begins to talk directly to the camera. [ Mike Sanders ] " I could've just made a big mistake... I've given Ken Kennedy the spot as my partner for Crash and Burn. If I've made the wrong choice then I could lose the titles that I fought so damn hard for because of the mistakes of somebody else... somebody who isn't a champion by merit or by skill but my choice. It would be a mark against my judgement if I've let Palmer Cannon con me into believing in Ken Kennedy, but he was right to an extent, I don't have many other options. I'm effectively choosing between one below average idiot and another below average idiot... you can hardly call it a choice. But what's done is done, Ken Kennedy and Mike Sanders are the new APW Tag-Team champions and we're the team that are going to beat down on Edge and Christian at Crash and Burn. Now whether or not I get any help for Ken Kennedy I will make sure of one thing, that Edge and Christian realise and understand that I am an above average superstar... I'm simply not a man to take lightly. You see Edge and Christian have looked down on me, they've treated me like a nobody and they're not confident about Thursday night's match, they're complacent. That's exactly why it'll be a bit of a shock for them when I come out swinging and knock them off their pedestals, they'll be cut down to my size where I'll show them what being above average is all about. Edge and Christian certainly won't be smirking and grinning like a coupe of goons come Friday morning, they'll have faced up to the hard facts that I'm not a man to take lightly and not a man to joke about, 'cause when you just end up... "
[ Mike Sanders ] "And you know what that means, Haha. " The elevator then stops and the camera shows Mike Sanders preparing to step out of of it as the APW logo fades up and the picture then fades to black. |
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Below Average: Kurt Angle, Mark Henry, MNM, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, The Basham Brothers, Steve Austin, The New Age Outlaws. |
