A groan of tedium escapes Paul London. Most people make the same sound when they are in the office of boss who openly dislikes them. John Laurinaitis, who Paul refuses to refer as anything other than "Johnny Ace", sat across his desk from the title holder in his rather drab office. This was an excruciating exercise and London's face was very evident of that. He lightly twirled the purple and silver tie he wore around his neck while staring off into space and everything but Johnny Ace. Laurinaitis didn't look exactly pleased as much either. His hands were folded neatly on his desk and his face didn't really care much emotion with it other than indifference. The dirt sheets had said that the "new regime" were itching to get rid of both Paul and his good friend Brian Kendrick. Laurinaitis had done very little to dispel these rumors or put the PTG Champion's mind at ease. For that reason, Kendrick and London had gone out of their way to be as difficult to deal with as possible. Paul didn't want to go back to Vince ever again and he didn't want to work for Dixie Carter. He couldn't speak to for Brian but he was confident that he could make a decent living in the indies if he needed to. John seemed to be waiting for Paul to actually make contact before addressing him. Folding his hands underneath of his chin, Paul leaned forward with an extra wide Cheshire Cat grin.
| Paul London | Yes Johnny?
| John Laurinaitis | Paul I'm sure you are aware that I'm not exactly high on your work or your attitude.
| Paul London | I would have never guessed.
| John Laurinaitis | Or the fact that we constantly have fined yourself and Brian for continued pot use and it's done nothing for your morale.
| Paul London | Do go on.
| John Laurinaitis | We were planning on having you drop the PTG Title back to Ted Jr last month but his injury prevented us from doing so. And we can't exactly release either one of you at the moment since you are both involved in the Elite angle.
The new management were high on CM Punk because they liked to believe that they were responsible for his success. Despite the fact that they wanted nothing to do with him for a ridiculous amount of time.
| John Laurinaitis | But you have a spot on the pay per view. We want you to make The Miz look good.
| Paul London | The Miz? Who is The Miz? OH. THE MIZ. That guy that you announced you were releasing on the website until you realized that he could occasionally get a spot on MTV and give you some publicity? That Miz?
| John Laurinaitis | The specifics behind our plans for Miz and our intentions with him aren't really any of your concern. Raven is also going to be a part of the match.
| Paul London | Ah. Raven. The guy on his last run. What did you bring him back for again? Do you even plan these things out when you sign people? Or are we both supposed to make Miz look good?
| John Laurinaitis | Paul, you are severely trying my patience. When you are inevitably released I could get you a spot in Japan if you play your cards right.
| Paul London | I don't want or need your help! Just get rid of me already, man! I'm not going to suck your cock for a push.
| John Laurinaitis | I've detailed to you exactly why you haven't been released yet. I don't think there's anything more that needs to be said.
| Paul London | It's been real.
Paul sprung out of his chair and headed for the door as fast as his legs would allow him.
| John Laurinaitis | Paul. One more thing. Your character? Could you try and tone it down a little? We're considering moving the company in a more PG direction.
A few snickers soon became full on laughter. This was until London realized that Laurinaitis had stated this completely straight faced.
| Paul London | Oh. Fuck. You aren't even joking.
London made a hasty retreat from the office. If his days were numbered, now was not the time to tone things down. He had the complete and total opposite in mind..
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The aptly named "Battle Bar" in Oregon was a hotspot for the various creatures of the night that roamed the late evening hours. The camera followed along after Paul London who motioned for the lens to follow him with the pure white gloves he wore. He stood out visually because he was wearing a black suit, complete with tails, a top hat and he also held a cane in his grasp. He looked back over his shoulder with a wry grin as he smoothed a couple of fingers along the brim of his hat.
| Paul London | Gentle viewers, if you are not aware, I will soon be taking part in a hardcore match at the next pay per view extravaganza! With a pair of ne'er do well's by the names of Miz and Raven! If that, in fact, are their real names! Divine intervention struck me and I decided to find a suitable location to practice the art of hardcore chicanery! And what better than the Battle Bar here in Portland Oregon!
London was a stark contrast to his filthy surroundings. Drug use, brawls, scantily clad females, junkies, fiends, roughians and others surrounded him. The sign of the bar flickered and some of the letters were burnt out. London took a deep breath before giving his cane a quick twirl.
| Paul London | Ah. Lovely, isn't it? The smell of..
He searched for just the proper word before lifting a single finger skywards.
| Paul London | ..decay! Hm? What do we have here?
London strolled to an outer wall of the bar where he spotted a ragged homeless man.
| Paul London | Sir, excuse me? Are you friends with Raven? You do happen to share the same fashion sense!
The man was pretty out of it and didn't respond. London placed his cane underneath of his chin to lift his head upwards. All the better to stare into his cold, lifeless eyes with. Not to mention the missing teeth.
| Paul London | Well, well. A close relative, I presume? Raven is an interesting character. He's been through his fair share of wars and encounters. Much like I assume this gentleman has. One would probably give the edge to him. And one would certainly be a fool to do so. Because, despite the many scars that riddle Raven's body, I have an ace up my sleeve. Raven, at one point in time, was as thick as thieves as my good friend Brian Kendrick! In fact, if I were to offer a suggestion to Raven, I would have stayed the way Brian left you so many months ago. Dead. But alas you have returned. And although you may be something of a conundrum, my dear friend Brian figured you out pretty well. And he's given me a wealth of knowledge on how to deal with you. Not that I really need it to take care of an old man like you. I assume it's going to be all the more disappointing when you come to find that you can't even perform in a match with your name written all over it. And I'm afraid the EBWF does not need a so-called "Dark Defender". No, no. What they need is Elite. And more to the point, they need Paul London to remain as the Path to Glory Champion. So, I'm afraid you are going to have to remain just where you are, Raven. In the gutter.
Paul removes the cane from the the man's chin and his head falls back into place. As stated before, he's out of it so he doesn't see the footwear of Mr. London come crashing into the side of his face. He falls over in a heap and Paul turns to the camera and shrugs with a grin.
| Paul London | I've no regrets. He got my cane dirty, after all!
Paul continued his tour before standing in front of the entrance to the bar. He didn't enter because someone, or rather something, was blocking his path. A man? A woman? It was difficult to tell. Surely a transvestite of some kind. One that had seen better days. The clothing it wore was extremely ill fitting and not necessarily appealing to the eye.
| Paul London | The Miz! What are you doing out at this hour? Don't think I don't recognize you, you sly dog!
A sly smirk crossed London's face as he turned to the camera.
| Paul London | Another distant relative? The thing is, I know as much about this..fellow..as The Miz seems to know about me. He talked a lot but did he really even say anything? He didn't even get my height right! I'm 5'10'', to be completely factual. And yes, I can do a whole lot of flips and such. But I can do oh so much more. Like completely kill the dreams of an overrated hack who desperately is yearning for attention. You're not impressive, Miz. At all. And neither is Funaki's limited vocabulary. It IS impressive that he somehow manages to stay employed so kudos to the little guy for that feat. The facts are very simple. The Miz is kept around because he has connections to networks like MTV. He can get a guest spot presenting an award on a basic cable network and the EBWF, who are more interested in movie stars than wrestlers, fall all over themselves for this kind of thing. That's all. You aren't championship material and you definitely are not "hardcore" in any sense of the word. You might find it difficult to make any more guest spots when your face ends up looking like a burn victim. Your verbal ability is very similar to your in ring prowess. Just adequate. And you shouldn't be so jealous of my "flipping" ability. Some of us are athletic enough to actually climb to the top rope and some of us are not.
London, without wanting to touch the creature in front of him, tries to maneuver his way past the creature in front of him. He is halted once more by the presence of a burly biker type that has stepped outside. A lot of leather, a massive beard and sunglasses. He grabs two fists full of London's suit and pulls himself, causing the brim of his top hat to cover his eyes. Paul simply holds his hands up in innocence.
| Biker | What are you doing out here with these video cameras? You think you're a hot shot or something?
| Paul London | I always did think I was kind of cute.
| Biker | Oh, we have a funny guy here.
The biker pulls back his fist for a jaw shattering punch but ends up receiving the tip of London's cane to his knee cap. He yelps in pain and grips the offending appendage before taking another shot to the chin, London swinging it much like a professional golfer. The man falls onto his side and London's top hat falls over, his hair in a disheveled state.
| Paul London | Another reason why I shouldn't be underestimated? Because of what I did to poor Ted DiBiase. It was an accident, mind you. But this..
London lifts the cane over his head and brings it crashing down onto the man's ribs. Again. And again. And again. Each impact is more methodical and impactful than the last. The guy is a bloody mess soon enough and the denizens are staring in wonder at this brutality. Even they are stunned by this.
| Paul London | Isn't. An. Accident. And what I do to Raven and Miz won't be either. When I notice the fear in their eyes I'm not going to stop. I'm going to enjoy each moment until it's over. And it won't end until I'm satisfied. And YOU..
Paul gives the already broken man another kick to the ribs.
| Paul London | OWE ME A TOP HAT!
Storming away, Paul shoves a few of the onlookers out of his path as he disappears from the area.
