Bradley Returns

by Chuck Matthews March 13th 2009, 6:32 pm

A middle-aged man stands in front of the camera, smile on his face and a mic in his hand. Next to him stands Chuck Matthews, who seems pleased with the man's presence. This is Tom Bradley.

Tom Bradley: "Well, I never thought I'd say it again, but I'm standing here with Chuck Matthews, who as you know, now competes for No Limit Wrestling Federation. Chuck has personally invited me here today to conduct this interview."

Chuck Matthews: "That's right. When I was told I was to be interviewed this week, I knew right away who I was gonna call. RWF's Tom Bradley is the best there is. I'm sure NLWF has some loser trained to do interviews like this, but I'm Chuck Matthews. If I want Tom Bradley to conduct my interviews, then damn it, Tom Bradley's gonna do it. Welcome, old pal."

Bradley nods at Chuck.

Tom Bradley: "Good to be here, and good to see a familiar face again. Now, just because I've been out of work for the last year doesn't mean I'm out of touch with the wrestling world. Chuck, I know what's been going on here, and with your career. I guess I'll start with the question of the night: How in the world do you expect to take on Johnny Styles and win?"

Chuck Matthews: "Very simple, Tommy boy. Johnny Styles is a good wrestler, but he's said some stupid stuff lately. I mean, some REALLY stupid shit. He goes on about how egocentric I am. What he fails to see is that my ego doesn't come out of hotheadedness. I've accomplished a lot in my career. I've tried making as big an impact here, but I've been slowed. Slowed, but never stopped. Styles talks about how much of a breeze this match will be for him. How he'll "break me like a twig" without even breaking a sweat. Do I need to remind him that he's only wrestled a year longer than I have? Do I need to mention that in those six and seven years, each of us has had thirteen title reigns? Most of all, do I need to replay last week, when One World Nation took DX Affliction to the fucking limit?"

Chuck Matthews?: "That was, without a doubt, the match of the week, maybe even the match of the month. It took up most of the show. Why? Because no matter how much he hates to admit it, Brenton Cyrus and I are, pound for pound, just as talented as Joe Santiago and Johnny Styles. Let's face it. DX Aff- oh sorry, I guess they never reunited...Johnny Styles and Joe Santiago had the upper hand. Here I am, standing next to Cyrus, about to be awarded the belts. We assumed, as everyone else did, that the match was cancelled. Was it our fault? No. Did we care? Not really. But who's going to turn down an easy title reign? Suddenly, we get a load of DX garbage dumped on our heads. Styles had the element of surprise. Styles had a partner neither of us did any research on prior to the match. Yet, we still came within inches of winning. Styles, what makes you think facing me one on one will be any different? You think just because I don't have my tag partner in my corner means I won't be able to stand my own?"

Chuck Matthews: "Speaking of tag teams, that leads me to point number three against SBK. He made a point that while I show off my singles wins, I never display "all my tag team losses." Styles, I don't know who the hell you've been watching, but I've only lost one tag team match since I came here. The match where OWN lost to you two. You go on about how I don't review tapes, but honestly, I think the one who needs to do his homework is you. You're doing two things here, Johnny. Number one, you're letting this whole hall of fame thing go to your head. Hall of famer or not, you're still just a man, just like the rest of us. I'm not impressed. Number two, you're taking your frustration out on me because you know you aren't getting your kid back. You know you can't beat Cyrus. So you'll try for the next best thing. Surely Cyrus's partner isn't a threat. After all, who holds the belt? Wrong again, Styles. Sorry to bust your bubble, but I'm no less of a threat to you than Brenton is. Sure, I'm never going to go abduct a guy's kid. I've taken some cheap shots in my time, but that's a little low even for me. But just because I don't condone what Cyrus has done to you doesn't mean I'm gonna go soft on you in the ring. That's where I get my business done. That's where I'm going to fight you head on, and take you to the limit once again, just like OWN did last week."

Tom Bradley: "A lot of words there, Chuck. Another thing Styles mentioned is how he doubts you'll beat Death Angel at Wargames. For the fans who didn't know, we'll recap. After being traded, Death Angel traded in his half of the Asylum's tag team belts in exchange for the new No Limits Title. He threw out an open challenge for Wargames, which you quickly accepted. Thoughts?"

Chuck Matthews: "Like I said before, I'm here to make an impact. I make impact by doing what no man has done before. In RWF, I invented the Anything Goes match. I dominated it. I became the first man to hold the Tournament Crown and the RWF Title simultaneously. Here, I haven't been so lucky. I gunned to be the first Junior Heavyweight champion. Brenton Cyrus beat me to the belt. I set my sights on being the first Universal Tag Team champion. I fell just short of it. But in both cases, you see exactly that. I've come so close, yet it always seems just inches away from my grasp. Not this time. Death Angel was the first No Limits champion, but it was awarded to him. He hasn't won the title. That's where I come in. I'm going to win it. I'm going to hold onto it for dear life. And when I do, there won't be a damn soul that will take it away from me. THe only obstacle in my way isn't my opponent. It's the match. See, I specialize in hardcore match types. I'm damn good in standard issue wrestling matches. This is a submission match. Now, I know I used to be well known for my talent in submission maneuvers. But I'll admit, that style has faded a bit since then. I simply don't have a lot of submission holds in my arsenal anymore. Don't take that as a weakness, though. Wargames is still two weeks off. That's plenty of time to brush up on my submission skills. You may think you backed me in a corner, Death Angel, but you're so very wrong. Submission match or not, I'm doing whatever it takes to win that belt."

Tom Bradley: "Good luck with that, Chuck. Now the thing on everyone's minds lately is the feud between Cyber Punk and Joe Santiago, and how Johnny Styles fits into the mix. Lately, it seems you and Styles may have the same problem. While Styles may have to choose between DX Affliction and New Design, Johnny Electric has recently shown interest in reforming your own team from the RWF days. Tell us, Chuck. Do you see a Beautiful People reunion anytime soon?"

Chuck Matthews: "Ha. Johnny and I go way back. We've fought as teammates. We've fought as rivals. If One World Nation wasn't such a big success, there's no doubt I'd ditch Cyrus for Johnny. But that isn't the case. Johnny, man, I have a lot of respect for you, but I do what's best for me. No offense, but One World Nation is the best right now."

Tom Bradley: "I have to ask, if Johnny beats Brenton Cyrus this week for the Junior Heavyweight championship-"

Chuck Matthews: "Not gonna happen."

Tom Bradley: "That's really all I can think to ask. So I guess that means this interview is over."

Chuck Matthews: "Three questions? You're losing your touch, Tom."

Bradley laughs.

Tom Bradley: "Maybe I am. Well, it was a pleasure talking to you again, Chuck, and best of luck in your future here in NLWF."

Chuck Matthews shakes Bradley's hand, and the camera slowly fades out.