The scene opens up to Fanfest!, the little event that the bWo puts on once a month on the weekend leading up to a Pay Per View event. There are thousands of fans mulling around, wearing t-shirts of their favorite wrestling stars, some of Cyanide X, a few more of Faze, and an inordinate amount of Johnny Hemp (bunch of pot heads!). There are booths where fans can try their hand at being an announcer and call a match. There are other areas where fans can wrestle against each other wearing great big pads, so as not to hurt themselves. Then there is the part that draws the biggest crowd of all, which is the section where you can meet some of the bWo's stars, get an autograph, and even exchange mindless chit-chat with them. It just so happens, it is Phobia's turn in the autograph booth. When he steps up to the table, a respectable sized crowd forms, though nowhere near the size he was used to in the other feds he's dominated in the past. Phobia takes a seat behind the table, and the first person to step up is a young kid of about seven or eight and his mother.
Phobia: "Hey there, little kid, what's your name?"
Kid: "My name's Jimmy...I've got a poster I'd like you to sign."
Phobia: "Sure, no problem."
The mother unwraps the poster for Phobia to sign. Phobia takes it and scribbles some words on the poster and hands it back to the woman.
Kid: "Thanks!"
Mother: "You know, you're his favorite wrestler. It broke his heart when he saw you lost the other day."
Kid: "I thought you had Eclipse, until that zombie came down the aisle."
Mother: "Now, Jimmy, what did I tell you about that?"
Kid: "I know, I know, it wasn't a real zombie."
Phobia: "Well, it looked real enough to me, that's what made me get up and see what it was. Normally, I'd agree with you, little Jimmy. I don't go in for that kind of crap. That was a first for me, losing a match because I was distracted by a zombie, but you know what? Eclipse is a great competitor and from what I understand he's revered in the bWo and I took him to the brink, and he knows that. It's just too bad I couldn't keep my concentration and get the win. Let that be a lesson to ya, okay?"
Phobia rustles the kid's hair up a little bit and the mother and son walk off. The next person in line is a kid of about fifteen years old or so. He looks like he's got a real attitude problem, and guess what? He does.
Adolescent: "What a crock."
Phobia: "What's a crock?"
Adolescent: "What you just told that little kid? You took Eclipse to the brink? I don't think so. That guy's one of the top competitors in the fed and he proved it by wiping your ass all over the mat. Just take a damn loss and get on with it, man."
Phobia: "I'm taking the loss. I know it was my fault. I'm not offering up any damn excuses. I'm to blame for not keeping my concentration, but know this, Eclipse learned just what I'm capable of. He felt the Fear Factor and he didn't get up for a long time. It's just my own fault that I didn't cover him for the three count. I have no idea what that thing was that came walking down the aisle and distracted me, but I can assure you that something like that will not happen again. You may not think that I showed much against the elite bWo talent, but why don't you just go ask Eclipse, he'll tell you how I fared."
Adolescent: "Yeah, I'd ask Eclipse, except everyone knows they never have the real stars show up at these events."
Phobia: "Look, do you have something you want signed, or what?"
Adolescent: "Yeah, why don't you sign my ass!"
The teen runs off through the crowd. Apparently the only reason he waited in line to see Phobia was to just give him a hard time. The next person to step up is a guy in his mid thirties. He's got an 8X11 glossy for Phobia to sign.
Man: "Hey Phobia, I think you're going to make it big here in the bWo, and that's why I want you to sign my picture here."
Phobia: "Well, it's nice to run into a someone who believes in me. Seems like my fans are few and far between these days."
Man: "Hey, and good luck against your opponent tomorrow night."
Phobia: "Oh, you mean against JVC Kaboombox? I think I'll be alright. He seems to be on quite the losing streak and here I am, primed and ready to start moving up in the fed. Sure, I lost on Tuesday, but that was to Eclipse, a guy whose jock JVC couldn't even carry."
Phobia signs the picture with a smile on his face and hands it back to the man.
Man: "Heh, fan, right. I own a sports memorabilia store and this is going to be a big time seller when you rise to the top in the fed, so good luck! Sucker."
The man starts to make his way out of the crowd when Phobia nods to a couple of bWo security guys, who look like they could be wrestlers themselves, and they chase after the guy, retrieving the picture from the guy and handing it to a passerby. Satisfied with the actions of the security guards, Phobia tends to the next person in line, who is a person in his early twenties. The guy steps up to the table and throws a picture down on the table in front of Phobia. Phobia, speechless, just stares at the picture, which is this.
******Brief Explanation******
The Dark Warlords are (or should I say were) one of the most dominant stables in the history of wrestling. Although no leader was ever established, as each member had equal say in any matter, most opponents thought of Phobia as the head of the Dark Warlords. Phobia's wrestling history has been dotted with failed attempts at other stables, each time unsuccessful because of ties to the Dark Warlords. He thought that he had left this part of his past behind once he met Matt McLean.
************
Phobia is still taken aback by what he is looking at, but he gathers himself enough to speak.
Phobia: "So...you want me to sign this? Heheh, well, anything for a fan."
Fan: "That's all you can say? You don't have anything else you can say about this? Man, I thought this would mean something to you, I guess I was wrong."
Phobia: "Look, I'm sorry, but that's a part of my past. Right now, I'm a part of the biggest thing in wrestling, The Invasion."
Fan: "The Invasion? Oh Moses, smell the roses. Haven't you heard what Adam King has said? He's said The Invasion is done, it's finished. Less than two weeks into its existence and he wants to end it."
Phobia: "He was just being a little rash. He didn't mean it."
Fan: "What about in a couple of weeks when he still hasn't gotten a title shot? Or worse, what if he gets a title shot and he loses?"
Phobia: "Look, King's got to understand, just like I do, that he and I are in a different position than Team Elilte and Chaos. He and I are in divisions that are a little more hotly contested and title shots aren't exactly falling into our laps. Not taking anything away from the other Invasion members because they would fare very well under any conditions, but King and I don't have things quite as easy as they do. As for him losing when given a shot, that's just not going to happen."
Fan: "Okay, okay, but have you noticed that the other members have barely said a word about you lately? You know why? It's because The Invasion went 3-1 on Tuesday and you were the only one holding them back with a loss."
Phobia: "Hey! I was facing one of the best wrestlers in the bWo...He requested that match with me, and you know why? It's because of what happened in his match the week before. He wanted a piece of The Invasion because Team Elite cost him a chance at tag gold. I was helping clear the way for Team Elite to grab the tag titles."
Fan: "Sure, you see it that way and I see it that way, but none of the other people here see it that way, and neither do your quote, unquote stablemates! They just see you losing and they do not see it as taking one for the team. You shouldn't surround yourself with people you don't know."
Phobia: "Are you kidding me? I don't know anyone in this damn fed."
Fan: "That's why you should be on your own. Either surround yourself with people you can trust, and the people in that picture are the only ones in the world that you can trust, or don't surround yourself with anyone at all."
Phobia: "Thanks for the advice, man, I really appreciate it, but I think it's not exactly as good as you think it is."
Fan: "I hope you're right, Phobia. I hope you're right."
The fan snatches his picture back before Phobia can sign it and storms off. Up next in line is two beautiful blondes who look as though they're about to bust out of their skin-tight tank tops.
Blonde #1: "What was up his craw?"
Phobia: "I have no idea, girls, but let me tell you, you two are a welcome sight after what I've been going through up here."
Blonde #2: "Trust us, you're a welcome sight compared to what we usually have around here."
Phobia (smiling): "That's great to hear...Do you two have something you want me to sign?"
Blonde #1: "No, but we've got something signed for you."
The first blonde hands him a piece of paper and the two walk away. He takes one look at it and sees the names Candy and Krissy and a telephone number. Phobia pockets it as the next person steps up in line. It's a guy about seventeen or so. He hands a poster to Phobia, who's busy trying to watch the girls as they walk away.
Teen: "Hey...Phobia? Phobia!"
Phobia is awoken from his trance and realizes again where he is.
Phobia: "Oh...Yeah, sorry. Who should I make this out to?"
Teen: "Tim...Hey, how do you think you're going to do against Justin Vin Chan tomorrow?"
Phobia signs the kid's poster and hands it back to him.
Phobia: "How am I going to do? Well, let me tell you something, Tim. There's a reason why The Invasion is here...It's because we deserve to be. Each and every one of us in The Invasion has kicked a lot of ass over the years and when we were in the NWWF, McLean saw a little something in us that made him think that we can cut it here in the bWo, and you know what he's right. I'm not going to say I'm the reason this whole Invasion thing started, because there were a lot of factors, but I am the one that started the wheels in motion. It took only one match in the NWWF for McLean to realize exactly how good I was. I made my demand to be called up to the bWo, fought one match, and then the next night I received the call. How many other guys can say that? None. How many guys can say they knocked a bWo legend like Eclipse down with their finisher and had the chance to pin him for the 1-2-3 in their first match? My guess is probably none. Justin Vin Chan go and teach all the vocabulary in the world to those students, but it's not going to make a lick of difference once we step into that ring. There's a certain word that he thinks is the most powerful word in the English language, so I know he'll understand what I mean when I say this phrase...I'm going to kick the living s--- out of him."
A few of the fans who know Phobia and know that he almost never uses profanity are a little stunned at his choice of language and a few people are even a little upset.
Woman in the back: "Well, I never! There are children present."
Phobia pulls the piece of paper that Candy (or was that one Krissy?) gave him.
Phobia (to everyone): "Okay, folks, session's over. I've got a phone call that I absolutely must make."
Fade to black.