Ruthless Aggression

[Fiori]

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to WEDNESDAY NIGHT DYNAMITE!"

The roar of the crowd was deafening, the announcer's voice almost drowned out by the cheers and jeers of an arena packed to the brim with passionate wrestling fans.

In the centre of the ring stood two men, already bruised and battered after an extenstive match, exchanging blow after blow for the audience's entertainment. To the left was the Samoan Submission Machine himself, Samoa Joe. His opponent: The anxious millennial cowboy, "Hangman" Adam Page.

"This has been one hell of a main event thus far, neither man looking ready to back down!" said Tony Shiavone, watching the mayhem unfold from behind the relative safety of the announcer's table.

"Bah gawd, these men just don't know when to call it quits! I ain't seen a fight this intense since '98!" added Jim Ross, a veritable legend amongst the wrestling community.

"Sometimes Jim, it ain't about titles or win/loss records! It's about pride! It's about proving whose the better man!" replied Excalibur, the ascended smark of the announcement team with an iconic luchadore mask.

Samoa Joe stumbled back after a staggering elbow to the forehead, his opponent seeing it as an opportunity to run for the corner and clamber onto the turnbuckle. Standing high above the ring, Adam waited for Joe to regain his bearings before launching himself through the air, arms outstretched as he attempted a Diving Crossbody.

In response, Samoa Joe - ever the strategist - simply walked out of the way, a disappointed look in his eyes as his opponent slammed themselves into the mat. Briefly turning to the hard camera with a "Can you believe this guy?" expression, Joe then started sauntering his way towards Adam's crumpled form, sizing him up for a move of his own...

Only for Adam's forearm to shoot up between Samoa Joe's legs, taking him by surprise.

"OOooh, a Low Blow from Adam Page!"
"He can't do that, it's against the rules!"
"C'mon ref, how did you miss that!?"

Samoa Joe stumbled, legs buckled and a pained expression on his face. With a wicked sneer, Adam Page slithered his way out of the ring before clambering up onto the apron.

"Hangman is lining himself up for a Buckshot Lariet!"
"Damn you Adam Page!"
"Not like this! Not after..."

Suddenly, the lights dimmed. Thunder echoed from the arena speakers.

The fog machines near the iconic AEW entrance tunnels kicked into gear, concealing the rampway with a thick layer of mist. The thunder was swiftly followed by a booming voice, the audience hushed into silence.

Samoa. Sauni e tau le taua
Ia tau matua tau
Ia fai ia mafai
Le Manu sau ia!!

The blare of a heavy metal guitar suddenly echoed from the loudspeakers, just barely drowned out by the screams of the crowd as a shadowy figure emerged from one of the entrance tunnels. The imposing silhouette soon revealed itself to be a towering bruiser of a man, one brow raised and a cocky smirk on his face.

"Oh mah gawd... OH MAH GAWD!"
"IT'S KOA TAGALOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"What's he doing here in AEW!?!"

Koa paid the crowd no attention as he stormed down the rampway, pointing his finger at Hangman Adam Page with a determined glare.

Hangman - quivering in his cowboy boots - quickly scrambled over towards the corner, climbing onto the turnbuckle before leaping backwards.

"Orihara Mooooonsau-OH!"

Koa caught him with ease, holding him upside down as he stood by the ring, before...

"OOOOOOOH!"
"BAH GAWD!"
"PILEDRIVER ON THE CONCRETE FLOOOOOR!"

Koa shot back up to his feet, drinking in the cheers and jeers of the packed crowd. Heel, face, he didn't seem to care if he was booed or celebrated. What mattered was people made a noise whenever he was around.

With evil intentions in his eyes, he hoisted up Adam Page and practically flung him back into the ring, before climbing up onto the apron. Then - much to the announcers' surprise - he too began to ascend the turnbuckle.

"Oh god, he's not..."
"Heaven have mercy!"
"He's gonna do it! He's gonna do it!"

Koa?

He stood upon the turnbuckle, fist raised in the air as he absorbed the crowd's screams.

Koa?

He then launched himself, arms outstretched and sights set on Adam Page's prone form.

Kooooa?

"BIG BANG ATTA-"

"MR TAGALOA?"


"Wh-wuh?"

Koa found himself jolted back to reality, straightening his chair as he sat up to attention. He was no longer in the middle of a wrestling ring, soaring through the air like a majestic eagle. He was in English class, Mrs Donner staring him down with a thoroughly unimpressed look in her eyes.

"I'll ask one more time... Could you tell me who George Orwell is?"

"O... Orwell?" replied Koa, scratching the side of his head. "UUuuuh, y-yeah! Orwell, right, that guy! He, uh... Y'know, he's the guy! He voiced Unicron, right?"

Mrs Donner stared, unblinking. "You weren't paying attention, were you?"

Koa gulped, before sheepishly shaking his head. "S-sorry..."

His teacher sighed. "Please try to avoid getting lost in your own head, Koa" she said, before turning away to resume her lesson.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Koa adjusted himself and cracked his knuckles. Right, it was his first week back from the holidays, and he needed to focus! This was his last year of high school, and he wasn't gonna get distracted and screw it up! No way no how!

.....

...hmm, should he call his finisher the Big Bang Attack, or the Elephant Gun?

((Koa Tagaloa continued in Food for Thought))