"Shock and Terror! Brian Kendrick and The Midnight Gang's rise to the top."
That was the headline for the latest issue of EBWF magazine. The remaining members of the Midnight Gang, minus Jamilia Craft, were currently shooting the photographs for what was planned to be used for both the cover and a five page spread. The style was very similar to that of David Fincher, director of movies like Fight Club, Se7en and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. As such it used dark smoky lighting as well as extensive film scratching and manipulation. The set was designed to look like a church with an inverted cross (which had become something of a logo for the group) positioned upon a stained glass window. It looked as though there was a funeral proceeding as an open, white casket was positioned in the middle of the room. The benches were nearly empty save for a few hooded observers and candles placed on the walls kept it all dimly lit. There were also statues of menacing gargoyles juxtaposed with serene angels. In a controversial turn, Paul London was dressed as a preacher who was being depicted as tearing pages out of a bible to use as a wrap for a joint. Digital marijuana smoke would edited in in post production. Brian Kendrick could be found laying in the casket in a black suit. His eyes were wide open and positioned upon the ceiling. Joining him inside were a variety of snakes, all sorts of colors, withering and crawling across his body. One had even managed to slightly coil it's way along his forehead. Photographers snapped photo's of Tiffany as she crawled towards the casket, Exorcist style, dressed in a white gown. Her usual blond hair was covered in a black wig and her face was painted white. Her lips were black as were the pitch dark eye contacts she had on. The World Champion slowly arose to a sitting position and looked down at the reptiles slithering over him. He had been informed that the snakes were defanged so if they bit it wouldn't sting very much. With that in mind, he wasn't very worried. Staring towards his best friend, the two began to grin to one another before cackling with a sort of giddy laughter.
| Brian Kendrick | I can't believe they're letting us fucking do this!
| Paul London | I know, right?
| Brian Kendrick | It's completely goofy but people are probably gonna bitch about the imagery. I love it.
| Paul London | Well, we've got a network now. Someone must like it.
| Brian Kendrick | Unless they bitch about it enough now that we're on prime time and not on pay per views. And decide to give Miz the belt.
| Paul London | Do you care?
| Brian Kendrick | Someone told me to enjoy the ride and live it up. So that's what I'm going to do. If they want Miz to be the golden boy and have him go do all those boring ass talk shows, he can have it. I'm making..art.
Having said this was the uttermost seriousness, Kendrick had a difficult time keeping a straight face. He snickered and London began to laugh along with him.
| Paul London | Whatever. You just want to push things and piss people off.
| Brian Kendrick | I'm entertaining myself. The media thinks I'm a serial killer, devil worshipper rapist. I'm finding my zen in being on top of this company. Where else am I going to be able to do this and get paid well for it?
Turning his glance towards Tiffany, he observed as she chatted away with one of the photographers. Even in the odd get up, she was still gorgeous.
| Brian Kendrick | And I'll probably get that to have sex with me tonight.
| Paul London | Fuckin..
London sounded agitated as he half jokingly and half seriously offered his next suggestion.
| Paul London | Use some pull and get them to hire that Aksana chick! I need a valet to shack up with. Spread the wealth, man.
| Brian Kendrick | Yeah right. Like I could do that. Somebody must like me but I can name a couple of other people who hate me. I might end up dropping the title to Mizanin. I wouldn't be shocked.
Kendrick gave a half hearted shrug while London seemed crestfallen about the idea.
| Paul London | I hope not. The shit's just starting to get fun.
| Brian Kendrick | I think I should keep it at least until WrestleMania. I earned it. I deserve the main event spot. But it looks like they really want to push this whole Trilogy thing and they don't tell me shit, so..
| Paul London | ..Uh..they might, man. We're usually pretty messed up when they have those production meetings. When we go.
Brushing the snakes aside carefully, Kendrick climbed from the casket and smoothed out the suit he had on. Which just looked bizarre on him.
| Paul London | People are getting pissed. The locker room too. Even Phil is saying we're being disrespectful to business and you know Phil..
| Brian Kendrick | My work is good. My promo's are good. Like I told you, Paul, live it up while you still can. If they want Miz to represent the company, I'm probably getting kicked way down the card. Dude's clean cut and probably doesn't cause much of a stir. I don't really know him. But it's going to end eventually.
Kendrick himself must have felt uncomfortable in the suit as he quickly loosened up the tie before discarding it completely.
| Brian Kendrick | ..But until it does..if Miz doesn't get his reign of terror..continue to indulge. If things get too bad I'll just tell everyone I found God. Or something. That'll smooth things over. Worked for Shawn, didn't it?
While it was obvious that Paul was along for the ride, he did seem somewhat hesitant to garner all of the heat Brian was presumably receiving. His attitude was a key reason in Stevie Richards considering becoming an agent. Tyler Reks had requested to be dropped from the Midnight Gang because he didn't want the association. But Brian was his best friend so Paul was going to back him up and support him. Especially since he had finally achieved World Champion status.
| Brian Kendrick | ..Oh yeah. Gonna shoot the promo and get it out of the way tonight. I'll text ya.
| Paul London | Cool.
Brian walked off of the set while Paul began to look over some of the unfinished product that would end up in news stands within the next week or so.
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| Brian Kendrick | New York City is called a lot of things.
Brian Kendrick sat along a rooftop in New York at dizzying height. A light bit of snow fell from the sky as the temperature continued to drop in the winter months. The World Champion's arms were wrapped around his stomach and some of his hair poked out messily from underneath of the gray, striped beanie he wore. His fingernails scratched against his facial scruff as he peered over the edge.
| Brian Kendrick | The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. Empire City. The City of Dreams. A lot of guys in this business dream about wrestling in Madison Square Garden for the World Title. My opponent The Miz, for all his trash talking and bravado, is probably no different. I guess I'm different because I really..don't. But, then again, I also hate New York. I truly do.
The disgust was so evident in his voice that he actually began to look slightly ill.
| Brian Kendrick | I don't get what's so great about it. Jay-Z wrote some wretched song about how inspiring it is but all it's inspired me to do is put a gun in my mouth. Rat infested subways. CONSTANT honking of car horns. 'The Met's Suck! No, the Yankee's suck!'
He tries his best to copy an obnoxious New York accent.
| Brian Kendrick | Guess what? They BOTH suck. And, you know, so does The Miz. And, just like every New Yorker I've ever met, the man has no backbone. And, again, just like this city..I don't see what's so great about him. Or why I have to put my title on the line against him. I would really rather be at home in sunny California right now, where I'm from, a beautiful place, watching Adventure Time but..I've got to defend against this..this..sack of nothing.
A dismissive hand gesture shows that Kendrick finds his selected opponent to be unworthy of his consideration. This is further cemented by the fact that he begins to catch snow flakes on the the tip of his tongue for a moment.
| Brian Kendrick | Miz is soft. We all know that. He talks and talks but that's all he really does. Oh, wait, I'm sorry. Miz is a bad ass now. He jumps guys. He takes a steel pipe to them. That sounds really, really familiar. And he has his own little gang to back him up. Hm. That really does sound like someone I know but I'm drawing a blank. ..Oh..hold on..it's coming to me..that kind of sounds like something I'VE done before. Yeah. Exactly. Miz is a shameless rip off artist. I hit someone with a pipe, Miz goes out and buy's a bigger one. I gather up some friends, Miz assembles his jolly pack of losers. Where, ask I you, is the originality? Where is the honor amongst thieves? Why does this guy think he has a chance against me? Is his stupid catch phrase going to pin me? Is his cosmetically appealing look going to get the job down? He's just mass marketed tool to push merchandise. ..Ah..but speaking of merchandise..
On that cue, Tiffany steps onto the roof in a Midnight Gang T-Shirt. She models and poses in the white merchandise, which features an inverted cross on the front with an image of Brian Kendrick's own eyes inside of them. She twirls around and shows off the back that reads "Midnight Gang" and looks over her shoulder with a wink.
| Brian Kendrick | This hot little number is available at EBWFShop.com. Buy one. Buy ten. Rob a bank. Steal a wallet. Just get one, you idiots. Tiffany has one. And she's going to win the chick Royal Rumble so that's a hell of an endorsement if you ask me..
Tiffany spins around her and jaw drops. She removes her sunglasses and looks both astonished and greatly angered.
| Tiffany | I've got to WRESTLE?!
| Brian Kendrick | ..Yeah.
| Tiffany | God..
The blonde bites her bottom lip before stomping her foot and unleashing a loud expletive.
| Tiffany | ..DAMN IT!
She storms off in a huff and Kendrick just shrugs his shoulders.
| Brian Kendrick | ..What a trooper. What was I talking about? Oh. Right. The Miz. Listen, Mike really doesn't want this. I know this is pretty big deal and all but he isn't in my league. At all. I realize that Miz, like every other ignorant, dumbass upstart, thinks I'm just some "angry, stoner, midget." I am short. I can't help it. I am angry sometimes and when I have to wrestle spineless worms like Miz, I get super agitated. And, yes, I do dabble in 'the pot' from time to time. But that just short changing and leaving out so many other wonderful drugs. But that's neither here nor there. The point is..I shouldn't have to tell anyone not to underestimate me at this point. My track record speaks for itself. Lance Storm? His career doesn't exist anymore because of me. Randy Orton? He's never going to show his face again after what I did to him. From Chris Jericho, to CM Punk, I've beaten everyone. ..But..wait..I don't need to tell Miz this..he can just ask his new running buddies..
That sadistic grin that the EBWF audiences have grown used to makes an appearance.
| Brian Kendrick | Ask AJ Styles. Ask AJ how I completely utterly ruined his life. Go ask him if he doesn't see me in his nightmares. The man he is today is all because of what I put him through. Maybe he can tell Miz how it felt to catch an ass beating in front of his children. Or, hey, he could go ask Ted DiBiase. Go ask Teddy how it felt when I held a knife to this throat and made him say I quit. Let him tell you how I took his pride away. But there's still time for The Miz. This doesn't have to happen to him. I don't have to, I dunno, push him in front of a train before he gets to the arena. I don't have to show up at his hotel room and tear out his intestine's to use for my shoe strings. But I can and will take it that far if I have to..
| Paul London | Pardon me..
The increasingly dark look on the champion's face fades as his team mate Paul London steps onto the roof.
| Brian Kendrick | Ladies and gentleman, Paul London!
| Paul London | Greetings everyone out there in TV Land.
London removes his black top hat and bows to the camera before adjusting the long scarf he's wearing.
| Paul London | I just heard you mention a few familiar names and I felt like reminding everyone of the time I took a steel chair repeatedly to Ted DiBiase's leg and cost him several months of his career. A brilliant time. Grand.
London's smile turn's cold and icy as the jovial nature in his voice fades as well.
| Paul London | And, if Ted Dibiase or even AJ Styles decides to interfere..well..I have zero problems about doing it again. And again. And again.
Paul almost seems to be fuming at the very notion before his good matured attitude suddenly returns.
| Paul London | But we won't have to worry about that, now will we?
| Brian Kendrick | I know that 2012 is supposed to a break out year for The Miz and The Trilogy but it's not going down like that. I'm keeping my title and Paul is going to win the Royal Rumble. You are going to have the two of us in the main event of Wrestle Mania. I like the sound of that, how about you?
| Paul London | Love it.
| Brian Kendrick | It's like this. Dreams, just like New City, are fake. Holding onto a dream is like trying to hold smoke. It's useless and you look like an idiot. The Miz's dream of being a World Champion is fake and never going to happen. Twenty nine men are going to have their dreams extinguished when Paul wins the Rumble. And for some of you, winning would be the only way you would EVER get a World Title opportunity. Don't let all of those songs fool you. This place is a cesspool. None of you are going to live out some twisted fantasy and stand against me on the grandest stage of them all. There's not enough motivation or positive thinking in the world. New York's murder rate is high and Sunday night mine is going to get a little higher. Physically, I'll hurt The Miz. Mentally, when the rest of the roster get tossed over the top rope..well..they're dead and I never even had to lift a finger.
Kendrick and London grin to one another in satisfaction as one can be certain that these two will do anything possible to see their bleak vision come to life.
