The Ghost of Oliver Hardy Sr.

Brandon Z’appel is the new world heavyweight champion. His “boyhood dream has come true”, at least according to Marty McMahon. Oh yeah, I bet his dreams have come true. I bet his entire life is one great big fucking dream!

My life has been nothing more than a nightmare. It has been full of nightmares and pain. I was never a happy person, at least I wasn’t when my daddy was taken away from me by GDW’s own President Kayla Jones, my step-sister. My father took her in. My father tried to teach her discipline and respect and yeah, those lessons were tough. It was some tough love but it was love nonetheless.

What did she do in response? How did she repay him? She killed him. She took him away from me!

Ever since then my life has been a living nightmare. And now here I am, ready to stand face to face, toe to toe, with a man whose very dreams have been fulfilled. I stand ready to ruin his dreams. I stand ready to burn his dreams down to the ground. I stand ready to take away from him in the same manner my step-sister took from me.

I will take away from this entire God-forsaken world!

People think that Brandon Z’appel is unstoppable. My goal isn’t to stop him. They think he’s unbeatable. My goal isn’t to beat him. My goal is simply to annihilate him. My goal is to torture him and to maim him. My goal is to leave Brandon Z’appel wishing that he were dead. And then maybe, just maybe, if he begs me, I will grant him his wish.

I am not impressed with Brandon Z’appel or his sparkling record. Nor do I give a damn about that stupid piece of tin he has around his waist. What I care about is making him feel the pain that I have felt for all my fucking life! What I care about is destroying Brandon. I care about stomping him into the ground and leaving him a bloody mess.

Brandon Z’appel can win the battle for all I care, but I want to win the war, and I will win the war. I will win the war because I have a goal that is greater than myself. I must win, not for me, but for my father, for Oliver Hardy Sr.

My name is Oliver Hardy Jr., but I no longer go by that name. I am now Monoxide and I will be the poison for Brandon Z’appel.

At this time I feel as if I am being lifted up, almost as if I were Jesus Christ himself being lifted up at the ascension. And that is appropriate, because I am the Christ like figure, but unlike Christ I will not sacrifice myself. I will overthrow the rulers that oppress. Specifically Kayla Jones.

The feeling of being lifted up slowly comes to an end. I open my eyes and I find myself sitting on a white cloud up in the heavens. I can stare down and see the globe below me. Considering what just happened and where I am at you’d think that this would shock me but it does not. Nor does the voice from behind me shock me….

Oliver: Hello there, son.

I turn around to find my father standing behind me. A smirk spreads across my face.

Monoxide: Father.

Oliver: I have been watching over you. You know that right?

I nod my head.

Monoxide: Yes, I know that. I know that you will always watch over me and that you will always be with me. You are the source of my strength.

Oliver: I know.

My father, my beloved father, walks over closer to me and we embrace.

Oliver: I watched you at Game Over. That’s a good first step, son. But more needs to be done.

Monoxide: Yes, father, I know. More needs to be done and more will be done. I will make sure Kayla pays for her sins against us both!

Oliver: Not only her, son, but all of GDW. GDW as a whole has sinned against us and needs to pay. You realize that, right son?

Once again I nod my head.

Monoxide: Yes father, I know. This is why I, along with my manager Meagan Collins, have joined the Illuminati. We will make GDW pay and pay dearly for their sins. They will be cleansed, father. I guarantee it.

Oliver: That’s good to hear, but can you go through with the promise?

Monoxide: What do you mean, father?

Oliver: I mean that you need to focus on GDW as a whole, not just Kayla Jones. You are facing Brandon Z’appel, are you not?

Monoxide: Yes, yes I am. It will be a non-title match but that’s fine with me. I don’t care about his championship. What I care about his hurting him and…..

Before I can even finish my statement my father, the great Oliver Hardy Sr., rears back and slaps me in the face. I am stunned at this and I look into his face and I note the intensity etched across his face.

Monoxide: What? What did I do?

Oliver: You are losing focus. You are not seeing the bigger picture of how you can really take down GDW once and for all.

Monoxide: How? Tell me how!

Oliver: You are a fool, son, if you do not care about Z’appel’s world title. Everyone in this business care about the world heavyweight championship. That is the whole point of this business. Do you understand me, boy?

I nod my head.

Monoxide: Yes, father, I do.

Oliver: Your goal must be to someday win the world heavyweight title. Furthermore you must make an example out of the reigning world heavyweight champion.

Monoxide: You are right. You are right, I must make an example out of GDW’s newest pretty boy Brandon Z’appel. I must hurt him and maim him but furthermore I must win championship gold. WHEN that happens, when someday I am the world heavyweight champion the whole of GDW will be rocked to its foundation. Kayla Jones will someday be rocked to her foundation. But for right now Brandon Z’appel must be rocked to his foundation. I will destroy and dismember him.

And then I wake up. I wake up in my own bed and realize that I had a vision. A vision of my wonderful father.

He is right. I must refocus myself. I must make sure I am focused in on Brandon Z’appel and making an example out of him.

Brandon…you, my friend are doomed. You are doomed because you are facing Oliver Hardy Jr., also known as MONOXIDE! And boy, you will not survive your encounter with Monoxide.

I will take you down and take you apart.

Because that is what I do.