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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:26 pm
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:32 pm
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"A company, always on the run..."These words sent the crowd into a frenzy as the name"Salem Croft" was drawn out across the Titantron, written in bloody cursive across a piece of parchment. The haunting tune continued as thick plumes of smoke began to cloud the stage floor. "A destiny, oh it’s the rising sun…As though summoned by the melodic incantation, the stage came to life with flames that crackled like popcorn, a barricade of yellow, orange, and red flares that stood as a wall to those already in the ring, blocking the ramp and making the stage inaccessible as the chilling vocals rang out across the jam-packed arena. "I was born, a shotgun in my hands..."A figure ascended from beneath the stage, the shadowy visage of Salem Croft. The dark specter stood inside the flames and slowly lifted his hands, palms facing the sky. The higher his hands raised, the louder the fans cheered for the lone 'face' in this triple-threat match-up. Though he was obscured by flames and smoke, Salem's demeanor suggested he was relaxed - in fact, he actually seemed carefree as a laugh rang out from within the fiery veil. "Behind the gun I’ll make my final stand…"The tempo started to increase, not just in the song but in the heartbeats of every fan in attendance. You could feel the anticipation in the air, the excitement building as Salem started to slowly waft his hands inward, urging the crowd on as he fed off their energy. The natural high of exhilaration and adrenaline sent Salem wild, and he started jumping up and down eagerly, growls and roars heard from the burning platform. "...and that's why they call me...BAAAD COMPANY, I CAN'T DENY!"With the lead singer's final forceful shout, Salem threw his hands down, provoking a thunderous explosion of fire from the stage, a fury that Salem leaped through and onto the ramp as the audience went crazy for the wide-eyed rebel. Glancing in the ring, Salem fought back a sharp swell of emotion as he felt his eyes well up a little. Rubbing them casually, Salem slowly walked down towards the ring, microphone in hand. "Cut my music." Salem said, his theme song hushing as Salem lifted the apron, drawing a steel chair from underneath the ring. Tossing it onto the mat, the solid metal contraption clanged about, hitting the canvas with a thud to the sound of approval from the crowd. With a nimble leap, Salem jumped onto the apron's edge and ducked under the top rope, folding out the chair before standing next to it. "...if you asked me whether I thought I'd be here tonight, I'd tell you no." Salem started, addressing the crowd that had quieted down to listen. "You see...many of you are likely aware by now that I lost someone pretty close, here recently. I lost an uncle...a mentor...a friend. His name was Randy Thompson, and he was a lot like me - or rather, I'm a lot like him."Pausing for a moment, Salem held his head down to allow his shaggy black hair to cover his face. He didn't want to meet anyone's eyes during what he had to say. "See...my uncle lived in the moment. He wasn't the most liked of my family, and he certainly raised his share of Hell, and then some. My uncle was the kinda guy who told you what he thought, who spoke the truth...and you always knew where you stood with him. He was a war veteran, and he was proud of who he was and what he did. No matter what life threw at him, my uncle never gave up. He stood his ground. He got back on his feet. It may have taken him years, but he'd never let something beat him. He was just a survivor."Pausing for a moment, Salem looked up at the audience, a clear look of sadness on his face as he glanced down at the empty chair by his side. "...I'm a lot like my uncle. That's why I'm here, right now...because I'm a survivor, too. Over the last few days, I've contemplated taking a break, even walking out on my contract. But I know my uncle wouldn't want me to walk away from what I love. He wouldn't want me to back down from this challenge. I came here to be the next face of this industry, and that's what I'm damn well gonna do."Taking the chair in hand, Salem walked with it to the ropes nearest the announce table and set it up off to the side, in the vicinity of the ring steps. "So Uncle Randy, I want you to kick back right here, in this chair...and get a ringside view of me doing what I do best - beating the s**t out of whoever is unfortunate enough to step in the ring with me!" he added, his voice becoming an alarming shout towards the end of his statement. Walking up the ring steps with a new-found determination, Salem's composure went from sensitive to serious in the blink of an eye. Staring back towards the stage with a look that threatened to ignite the entrance ramp once again, Salem waited for his opponent to make his way to the ring.
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 8:26 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 1:48 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:01 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:05 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:32 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:39 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:53 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:07 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:23 pm
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Salem's demeanor went from aggressive to alarmed as Justin reversed his high-flying attempt into a head-rocking Electric Chair Facebuster, though his raised forearms had absorbed a fair amount of the blow. Nonetheless, Salem was left dazed at the floor of the arena, propped up against the apron. His head was a bit cloudy, his vision a bit fuzzy, but Salem could clearly see Justin fatigued against the security barricade nearby and it didn't take a genius to know what came next. Reaching under the apron's skirt, Salem's hand grasped around something cold and hard, the textbook characteristics of a steel folding chair. Salem's anger, rekindled by the feel of the sturdy weapon in his hand, provoked him to stagger to his feet, rushing over to deliver a powerful chair shot to Justin's head before he could recover from their earlier exchanges.
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:34 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:40 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:50 pm
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