(Cody Rhodes)

(Cody arrives on set and takes a seat opposite our broadcast colleague for this final interview before Fall Brawl.)

(Interviewer)

Cody, in 24 hours, you're wrestling a man you've been up and down the road with. You've been a part of Bullet Club together. You've been in numerous tag team matches together. Does that make things any harder going into this championship match tomorrow, facing a friend?

(Cody)

Yes, it's always difficult to get into that ring with someone you share that level of familiarity with. They know your prematch routine. They know all of your moves and your best strategies. They've seen you do your thing enough times that if they're any kind of tag partner as well, they can anticipate what you're going to do before you do it.

But see, that's a double-edged sword. Because as much as they know about you and what you're going to do, you know just as much about them. One thing about me, I'm an absolute sponge when it comes to this business. I soak up everything informationally that I can. That's why as a rookie, I had success against Bob Holly so soon in my career. When we teamed together, I learned more about him than he did about me and I used that knowledge to gain an advantage. When I ran with Randy Orton in Legacy, I learned so much more about him than he did about me. Now, Randy Orton is phenomenally gifted and only a select few ever come out ahead against him, but if you look at how things played out, I learned enough that I could use to get in a few wins against him here and there. That group had the younger Ted DiBiase in it too and did Ted have any kind of success against Randy or me? No, he didn't because he didn't do the work and the study like I did.

(Interviewer)

I noticed that when I called Marty your friend, you failed to confirm it.

(Cody)

Are we still friends? I don't know. For my part, I'm willing to stay at least friendly. But I don't know that Marty feels the same way. I'm not going to give the guy and handout, but I'll certainly give him a handup if he needs it. In fact, I offered in case he needed it now and he didn't want it. Fine. That doesn't hurt my feelings. I'm sure he can do what he thinks is best for himself.

(Interviewer)

But you offered him somewhat menial jobs, did you not?

(Cody)

I can't help what jobs are open at any given time. Right now, those are a couple of position I know AEW can fill. What am I supposed to do, make him an EVP when Matt and Nick and Kenny and I are the ones who decided to take a risk and bet on ourselves and he chose to stay behind and take the guaranteed money? No. That would be the equivalent of a handout and a controversial one at that.

Am I supposed to put him on the air and let him wrestle for us? ROH won't even let him in their building right now. Our audience wouldn't accept that right now, not until these allegations are sorted out and he's either vindicated or faces justice.

(Interviewer)

Can Marty save the HWL?

(Cody)

Marty can do a lot of things if he puts his mind to it and applies himself. He's got a lot of talent. But how do you save something that's already as good as it needs to be? Is he going to bring in new talent? Is he going to stir any freeloaders to take action? He's been at it about three months now and I've seen no improvements that can be attributed to his efforts. We don't have better food in catering. The matches are just as good now as they were before. So exactly how is he going to save the HWL? Is he going to save our souls? That's got to be some kind of joke. The only thing Party Marty ever cared about saving was the last beer for himself.

So, no. Marty can't save the HWL because there is no saving to be done. There's only a bunch of bland religious rhetoric that quite frankly is hurting the ratings during his segments. In fact, I have it on good authority the only time a Marty Scurll segment ever outperformed our average audience is when he baptized his followers with Eddie Edwards' piss.

(Camera Guy)

Hey! That wasn't funny.

(Cody)

Sorry, Fred. I forgot they did it to you too. That wasn't right.

(Pause as Cody makes an apologetic gesture.)

It was funny though.

(Cameraman Fred starts to leave.)

(Cody)

Come on, Fred. Don't be like that. If you can't laugh at yourself, you might as well go out there and join those guys at Marty's compound. Look at me. I have this ridiculous tattoo on my freaking neck. And I can laugh with them when they mock me for it. It's not the end of the world.

(Interviewer)

What is going to be the key to this match on Saturday.

(Cody)

That's hard to say. As you pointed out earlier, we are both very familiar with each other. We each know what the other would like to do in any given situation. We're locked in on each others tendencies.

So, what it comes down to now is, who has the better change-up? Who is going to be creative enough to throw something at the other that they're not prepared for.

In baseball, the change-up is one of the most important pitches to master. If you go in there and just stick to your guns and throw fastball after fastball, sooner or later the other guy is going to time your fastball and knock it into the seats. So, you have to give him something he's not ready for and give him something to think about other than when he needs to time his swing to hit your fastball.

Marty, as good as he is, leans hard on the same tricks. He loves that Crossface Chicken Wing. But more importantly, Marty primarily relies on his backup. That's why the very first time he was on TV after the Bullet Club left, he brought in PCO and Brody King to watch his back and fill the void we left. That's the way he was able to win the World Championship here. It took help from the rest of Eden's Gate. Marty is very much a creature of habit.

Me? I have a few tools in my arsenal I like to go back to, and I have my big guns like the Cross Rhodes and the Cody Cutter and the Disaster Kick. But I have a very deep bag of tricks. Marty knows a lot of what's in that bag, but does he know it all? And knowing my own tendencies and what he knows, what's to say I don't throw him a change-up at just the right time?

(Interviewer)

If that happens...

(Cody)

If that happens, then it's strike three. Game over. Put one in the win column for Team Cody.

If that happens, New Champion.

If that happens, Marty's done.

(Fade to black)

Gulak:

Yeah Darby, you're real tough alright, playing in thumbtacks and glass make you stupid Darby not tough. I bet you would even think that banging your head of the wall over and over again would be tough, how about hitting yourself in the knee cap with hammer? Or shooting yourself with a gun? Self mutilation is not an art form Darby, having a tattoos that takes up half your face doesn't make you rad, and jumping off high objects doesn't make you impressive it either makes you suicidal which is not cool nor tough, it's stupid! 

But Darby stupid is as stupid does right? You will continue taking your high dives off cages onto thumb tacks because that's all your good at. You never learned a true skill you just sat at home and watched Jack Ass until you were old enough to become one. What's worse Darby is that makes you unoriginal which makes you even less impressive. 

When it comes down to it Darby, you are just an Instagram influencer trying to teach the next generation of degenerate filth how to do "a really cool flip". Creating more little morons like you who want to be like Darby Allin. 

Darby I wont allow you to ponder such idiotic questions any longer. I'll give you the answer because today I feel it's more of an "open book test". I would be the same person without Marty Scurll as I have always been, but the one difference is I would not be able to find the path to righteousness. The path that you need to be more aware of and be trying to get to these days before it's too late.

Look Darby, if I had one request from you it would be but of the simplest of tasks that I know you can achieve, you may even be an A plus student in this one Darby. I would like to task you to jumping off of a very high cliff onto a spike, i would task you to do something so extreme that you never wake up in the ER for it, I would like you to do a stunt so extreme that you just never wake up from, and Darby, I would request that you do this, so that all of your "followers" follow you. I can just picture it now! The disclaimer at the beginning of your "tik tok" Don't try this at home, unless you are a brain dead humanoid like Darby Allin" as you splat to the ground and those millions of morons try to be like "Darby Allin"

Darby you make me sick, but I am going to use all the faith I have to hold that back this Saturday at Fall Brawl as I stretch you from all sides of the ring. 

Last edited by shubz (9/25/2020 6:37 pm)

(Mickie James)

Which is it, Allie? Am I a whore or a virgin talking fantasy? It can’t be both. It can be neither, but not both as you say. I think my husband, Nick, and son, Donovan, should be able to clear that up for you. Or maybe some of the multiple pregnancy photos of me on the Internet.

That’s the kind of contradiction that keeps coming out of your twisted little mouth every time it opens. It’s doublespeak. It feels like you’re trying to talk to people that aren’t here.

You ask what’s wrong with Father Marty showing you the way? That’s it in a nutshell. Everything is a twisted up line of bullshit. How many people have to see through it before we are done?

Not even you know what’s real and what’s the lie coming out of your lips Any more, do you sugar pie? All you’re doing is fooling yourself and getting into a situation that you can’t handle.

It’s almost like you’re saying words just to hear yourself talk or to meet some sort of quota. It certainly is t because you have anything of merit to say.

But here comes the meaningful stuff. Are you ready for it? I’m going to bring the hurt, Allie. Up until now, you’ve not really fought anybody one-one with any real skill. You’ve battled Maria Kanellis, a bipolar bride and some fake demons... and that’s about it.

Me? I’ve beaten Asuka. I’ve beaten Trish Stratus. I’ve beaten Bayley and Sasha Banks. I’ve beaten the very best and they just don’t make them like that on Impact Wrestling any more. Or AEW.

Stick to doing what you’re best at, Allie. Warm little Marty’s bed and try to sleep your way up the ranks. Break the bonds of your own marriage, something you just so violently thrust into my face. You point out the lash in my eye whilst ignoring the thorn in your own.

But that’s about enough of the sweet talk, Cunt. Let’s get down to brass tacks.

You’re not leaving Fall Brawl the same. You’re going to leave a piece of you behind that you can’t afford to lose.

Gulak:

Darby, the idiocy of your Championship reign ends tomorrow night. Tomorrow night at Fall Brawl where I finally get my chance to dethrone you and take what is rightfully mine. Eden's Gate is fast approaching our destination and all I can think about is what I am going to do to you in the middle of that ring. Darby, we have talked about how Eden's Gate is full and how we need not save anymore sinners, but I still feel it is my duty to show all of your Instagram followers just what a complete loser you are, and why you are not worth looking up to.

You claim to be an individualist but Darby, with social media there is no longer a such thing as an individualist. There is no such thing as creativity, when everybody wants to be trending for doing the hip new thing. Darby this is an age where you have quiet clearly thrived, an era where everybody looks to their phones to entertain them with the latest social media video of a dumb ass doing a stupid stunt. Darby you are part of the general public and you are camouflaged in the sea of people just like you.

You are not interesting, you are not special, your not even an individualist. You are Darby Allin, just another joe in generation Y. Not worth the hype and not worth my time. The only reason I bother with you is because of that Cruiserweight Championship you have. But Darby, once I am done with you, there will be no need for you anymore and you will slip back into the sea of other morons who try to pull the same stunts you do. Your a stunt man Darby, this is wrestling, something that you will never grasp the concept of.