Post by Alexander Stone on Feb 21, 2022 0:43:41 GMT
***The scene begins where we see Mike Godwinn sitting at a round table with a well-dressed Alexander Stone sitting across from him with the World Six-man tag team championship belt sitting on the table propped up for all to see.***
Mike Godwinn ~ Alex, thank you for joining me tonight.
Alex Stone ~ No problem, Mike. Good to see you again. Let’s hope Afterburn comes back over the summer.
Mike Godwinn ~ That would be amazing. I do miss the broadcast table and calling matches.
Alex Stone ~ You do a great job at it.
Mike Godwinn ~ Thank you, Alex. Let’s start off our conversation and go back to when you signed your first Empire contract. For all intents and purposes, you were the very first superstar to sign a contract with the World Wrestling Empire and if my memory serves me, it was Christmas Eve of 2020.
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, my agent called me and told me that Mark was pursuing me hard and he wanted me to be the very first wrestling to put ink to paper. He knew what he had in me and all jokes aside he knew what kind of money it was going to take to get me to sign. I was a free agent at the time and I was taking some time off around the holidays to spend with my sister and her husband back in Arizona. It was actually Christmas Eve night when I got the call. Mark not only matched what I was asking for but he tossed in an incentive bonus to boot. He was very generous.
Mike Godwinn ~ After you signed with the Empire, it wasn’t very long there after that the rest of the roster started filling out both on the men’s side and the women’s side.
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, once I signed the flood gates opened and we signed a ton of new and veteran talent from all over the world. Kahagas came on board along with Boris and Caristico. These guys are well known in their own countries and it gave the Empire a viewership that went global. We were also very lucky to sign Tito and the Guerillas along with Amber Nova and a number of other very talented women. It was an exciting time to be here.
Mike Godwinn ~ Then, a few short weeks later down in Jackson Mississippi Adrenaline debuted for the first time in nearly what, twelve or thirteen years?
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, it was a very special night. The amazing fans of the Empire remembered what the Empire was like back then and they tuned in to see if Mark still had that magic to put on a great show. But not just that, they wanted to come out and see the superstars of today in action and see if we could pick up the ball and run with it.
Mike Godwinn ~ On that very night you had your first match against a superstar named Babba Ali. A man in excess of four-hundred pounds and you beat him with the Stonebreaker to advance in the World Heavyweight title tournament.
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, they put a monster in front of me and I went right through him. I went out there that night with two things in mind. First, I wanted to win and advance. I felt that being the World Heavyweight Champion was not only my destiny but it is what I am. Pure Gold. And second, I wanted to make a statement that there wasn’t anyone on the roster as good as me. This is my yard. My playground. And all those other guys in the back, they are just renting space.
Mike Godwinn ~ As history states, the tournament went very well for you. You took out Babba Ali followed by Kahagas and then Boris Drago to reach the finals against Caristico. Tell us about that match with him.
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, it was Crossfire. It was the Empire’s first live pay per view event since reopening. Mark poured all his money into the company and we all knew that we needed to hit it out of the park. That match with Caristico was no fucking joke. We fought for what seemed like twenty or thirty minutes, but at the end of the night I walked out with my arm raised and the World title over my shoulder.
Mike Godwinn ~ That was also the first night that you ever stepped foot in the same ring as Tank Edge.
***Stone chuckles a bit.***
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, talk about intimidating as fuck. Here comes a living legend and he was contracted to walk into that ring and put the World title around the winner’s waist.
Mike Godwinn ~ And arguably, he didn’t do that?
Alex Stone ~ Nah, he congratulated me and handed me the belt.
Mike Godwinn ~ And that irritated you? Some may say, even overshadowed your big night?
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, he made me feel slighted. Here I am, just won the God damn World title and he walks into my ring and just slaps me on the shoulder and walks the fuck out like it’s no big deal. I was already worked up from the match and I grabbed the mic and I said a few things that I look back now and I can say that I regret now that I sort of know the guy through Mav’ and ‘Zilla.
Mike Godwinn ~ So you do regret calling him, and I quote; “you old piece of shit”.
Alex Stone ~ You know what they say, “stupid is as stupid does”. I went on to learn the hard way at Day of Reckoning when I climbed into that Hell in a Cell that Tank is not an old man and he obviously still bring it.
Mike Godwinn ~ That was one of the most brutal Hell in a Cell matches I have ever seen. Would you do it again?
Alex Stone ~ Against him? Fuck no. That guy’s crazy as fuck. Seriously, if I could do it again I would. Just to step in the ring with that guy gives me goosebumps. The guy’s a fucking legend. No lie. It would be an honor.
Mike Godwinn ~ Last year you had arguably one of the best title runs as the World Heavyweight Champion that lasted over eighty days and it all came crashing down at Eve of Destruction when you lost to Prophet.
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, the golden boy had everyone duped; but I saw right through his shit. The problem was, nobody wanted to listen to me and now look at that asshole. Thinks he’s God’s gift or some shit.
Mike Godwinn ~ Let’s talk about the Gold Standard for a minute.
***Stone smiles.***
Alex Stone ~ My baby.
Mike Godwinn ~ When I say the Gold Standard, what did you picture for that group when you formed it.
Alex Stone ~ What I wanted was a group of men and women that were not just a bunch of guys in the back throwing up hand gestures. I wanted the best of the fucking best to be part of my team. That’s why I went out and got the Guerillas and I went out and got Amber. We were by far the standard bearers in the Empire and a lot of ways still are.
Mike Godwinn ~ How was your relationship with Amber? Was it more than just teammates?
Alex Stone ~ I would rather not talk about that. She picked Travis and let’s leave that conversation for another day.
Mike Godwinn ~ Alright then, what about Travis? It had to burn you when he had the Guerillas and Amber turn on you.
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, I still got the knife wound in my back. Somehow, that little shit got in their heads and convinced them that he had the better plan. That joining the Bullet Club was the best career move for them. And, in doing that; they tried their best to take me off the chess board.
Mike Godwinn ~ You were out for weeks, maybe months.
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, by that time it just wasn’t the injury I suffered that night; but I had a shit ton of mounting injuries that kept piling up. My doctor advised me to take some time off to let my body heal, so I did.
Mike Godwinn ~ Where do you stand right now with Amber and the Guerillas?
Alex Stone ~ I feel sorry for the Guerillas. We all saw how much of a scum bag Travis can be. He’s a piece of shit that I still have to deal with.
Mike Godwinn ~ And Amber?
Alex Stone ~ No comment. She made her bed and chose to climb in it with him. There’s no going back after that.
Mike Godwinn ~ Since coming back from injuries, you have managed to hold the TV title and the World Six-man Tag Team Championship twice. First with Godzilla and Maverick and again with Mitch Fierce and Maverick. The championships keep piling on for you. Now, you find yourself in the Emperor’s Crown Tournament where you may have to face either Godzilla or Mitch at some point. Are you ok with going up against one or both of your tag team partners?
Alex Stone ~ It’s a pretty shitty situation to be in any time you are forced to wrestle your tag team partner. I know that, they know that; and the fans know that. Nothing good comes out a fight when they are as close as Godzilla and I are.
Mike Godwinn ~ So you’re saying that you’re not that close to Mitch?
Alex Stone ~ I didn’t say that. Don’t go putting words in my mouth. All I am saying is, with ‘Zilla and I; we got history. Mitch and I, we are still feeling each other out.
Mike Godwinn ~ Does this have anything to do with Aoife? Mitch did not seem to care for the way you were handling yourself around her.
Alex Stone ~ Let me be clear. Aoife and I are just friends, that’s it. I’m not like Travis who comes in and steals another dude’s girl while he’s got his back turned.
Mike Godwinn ~ Let me just ask you this, do you have feelings for either Aoife or Amber?
Alex Stone ~ No comment.
Mike Godwinn ~ Is that a no comment for Aoife or Amber?
Alex Stone ~ Drop it Mike, or this interview is over.
Mike Godwinn ~ Ok, settle down. Let’s look ahead to Monday nights match against Conner Edge. This is not the first time the two of you have met in the ring. In fact, it was Conner that defeated you for the TV title that he now possesses.
Alex Stone ~ Yeah, I took the loss but it was Mance that took the pin. Conner has yet to beat me one on one.
Mike Godwinn ~ What are your thoughts going into this match?
Alex Stone ~ My thoughts? My thoughts are the same damn thing as they are for every match that I go in to. I am going to go into that match and show my opponent exactly why they call me Pure Gold. There aint nothen like me.
Mike Godwinn ~ Are you afraid of Conner and what he brings to the table?
Alex Stone ~ Afraid? Afraid of what? His dumb ass hair? His rat’s nest of a beard? Listen, the kid isn’t shit without Go-D whispering in his ear; and I don’t see Go-D around, do you?
Mike Godwinn ~ Actually, after Blackout he flew back to Australia to recovery from his wounds.
Alex Stone ~ My point is Mike, the kid’s a lost puppy without his master pulling his strings. Just look how he’s acting right now when it comes to Prophet. That guys a master manipulator and he’s got Conner dancing around like he’s fucking Pinocchio. Do I take Conner seriously? Fuck yeah. Is the kid going to beat me? Fuck no. This kid’s not even on my level. Listen, everyone can see that deep down inside he’s dying to be like his dad. The problem is, there’s only one Tank Edge and the kid; as good as he is or is going to be, will never be like his father. He’s just a fraction of what Tank is, and it’s not even the good parts of Tank.
Mike Godwinn ~ Alex, before we wrap this up; what is your outlook for yourself in 2022?
Alex Stone ~ More gold Mike. More gold.
***Stone smiles as the interview ends.***