Post by Harvey Marx on Mar 25, 2024 17:30:43 GMT
Big Ticket Studios
Chicago
March 19, 2024
“The quiet feels wrong, and nothing’s familiar but the weight of the wrench on my hand. It’s been a very reliable tool over the years. I’ve never had to do much more than pick it up to get what I want.
This is the first time I’ve used it for it’s intended purpose. This would have been faster with the main lights on, but those are for showtime. There hasn’t been a show down here since I signed on as the WGWF’s ring announcer more than a year ago. The first bolt holding down The Big Ticket’s boxing glove throne starts to turn easily. It has been here for less than two years.
I look up and take in the view from center stage. The framed pictures on the walls are lit from underneath by the emergency lighting. Huge stars of the wrestling industry leap off the prints even through the shadows. Gerard Angelo, Lissie Hope, Atticus. These publicity shots are yesterday’s story. Fans are fickle, advertisers are worse, and the blood of the competitors trickles straight into the bank accounts of men in suits. It’s all very familiar to a promoter. I’m usually the suit.
I did the bleeding at the end of the Strength Trials.
The second bolt is free now. Just an easy counter-clockwise rotation. My critics think I’d like to turn back the clock on Cambodia. I had an 0-5 record punctuated by a Scotsman shattering an ancient skull over my head. Some say it was karma for all the lies and skeletons Harvey Marx is hiding. The Big Ticket’s been exposed, and the truth hurts.
Let’s be honest folks. The truth just doesn’t sell.
Do you like documentaries? That’s truth with an agenda. Your favorite cable news show is truth in a billionaire’s pocket. Reality TV is pure genius. Total bullshit since 1992 and audiences still can’t get enough. Promoters work from the same playbook. My world is all about pushing narrative and I’ve thrown my weight behind a better one when it comes to the Strength Trails. I wasn’t there for wins and losses. I was brought in for branding, back room deals and buy rates, for hashtags and hard cash. Three men wanted to host supershows on three continents and I’m the bridge. After coming here from another universe, doing business across nations is easy. Was I a mascot for the promotion in Season Two? All I know is this Colossal Cash Cow looks good on a poster about strength.
There was plenty of confrontation outside the ring, too. Staying ahead of the press in the infamous "fourth team" scandal kept me on my toes. If you don't think politics and powerbombs have anything to do with each other, stay out of combat sports.
Big Ticket Entertainment works on a lot of levels for our clients. The approach is the same inside the ropes and on the red carpet. In this business, someone has to fall if someone is going to rise. Opponents, fans, or press, I’ll crank the Big Ticket Energy and hit them until they stop getting up.”
*The sound of an elevator bell turns Marx around. Miss Albright drives her power wheelchair to the start of a winding ramp. The path down the ramp is lit up at her approach.*
Leonora: Perfect! We’ll edit that for The Big Ticket’s CULT vignette. Strong close, but I disagree with one thing. You’ve always saved a few extra shots for the reporters Harlan.
*The big man’s posture relaxes. His grin loses an air of theatricality, but his eyes are still dancing. When he answers, the booming voice is dialed back to a normal speaking tone. The Brooklyn growl of a moment ago becomes a smoother Russian accent*
Marx: I do like to make them work. It’s like they’ve never seen a pro do damage control before.
Leonora: It’s more like controlled damage, but that’s what we do. We'd still need this set if we had stayed in the Black Pyramid Universe. Sucker punch live is too raw for daytime and doesn’t have enough laughs for late night.
*Miss Albright makes her way down the ramp and into the center pit to join Marx next to the throne.*
Marx: The guy from the Cambodia job laughed at my jokes.
Leonora: You had him tied to a chair and were holding a golf club.
Marx: At least in CULT we won’t need to apologize for who we are. I thought I’d be breaking down the set alone?
Leonora: I had to get out of the penthouse for a while. It smells like a roadside bar. Don’t look at me like that, I was alright with the smoke.
*Marx nods and doesn’t acknowledge the lie. He knows she is sensitive to respiratory irritants.*
Leonora: English wouldn’t put the smokes away even if I asked him to. I’d look weak. Besides, the bastard is dangerous enough without nicotine withdrawal.
Marx: Do you ever wish you could call him that to his face?
Leonora: I’ve called him much worse to his face. Flattery goes a long way with him.
Marx: How’s our crew done for the CULT account? I’m sure Halsey Knox has been an asset for pre-show hype.
Leonora: Yes, our business will always have a place for a beautiful woman with a great body and an even better voice. I’m glad you hired the other twin, too. You never know when we might need a handsome man good with an axe. I’ve enjoyed being the face of BTE at CULT events since Heaven Sent, but the landscape is changing.
Marx: The new partnership with Sick Sick Sick Productions, a new arena, a psychopathic corporate raider taking a turn as the new head of marketing. English has gone from years raging against the barbarians at the gate to speed dating with scumbags. He’s finally figured out his twisted little corner of the industry can actually turn a major profit.
Leonora: He wants us to handle the press conference announcing the Corey Black signing.
Marx: I think Corey did just fine introducing himself at Red Planet.
Leonora: Did you have a hand in that?
Marx: I spent months working to put a CULT contract in his hands and I closed that deal at the pay per view. It’s not on me if he wanted to beat the hell out of his new boss to say hello. I’m a businessman, not a babysitter.
Leonora: Your next order of business is the Killdozer Cup.
Marx: Harvey Marx is going to make his CULT debut right on time and ready to shuffle, shake hands, move tickets, and convince the world he’s more dangerous than you are.
Stage lights go up, gleaming off Miss Albright’s gold and emerald web pendant. Marx looks around at the set of Sucker Punch Live. The throne is in a pit well below the audience. Harlan Markov can still see the fight pit in the Soviet prison where he spent three years. Harvey Marx was created when a fighter had to become a showman even bigger than he already was. His eye sparkles as he flips the Big Ticket switch, bringing his voice back to Brooklyn.*
Marx: This set may have seen its last talk show, but it hasn’t seen its last promo.
Harvey Marx here, head of promotions for Big Ticket Entertainment.
Back-alley death matches are a far cry from the blockbuster shows I usually do. CULT has a boatload of new investors and backstage personnel, and I’m here for my cut. Trust me, folks, it takes a lot of money and effort to put together a brand that looks as cheap and lazy as this one. We’ve got grainy TV spots and the unapologetically edgy matches those glossy promotions just won’t book. Welcome to total mayhem outside the mainstream!
Don’t forget major corporations and a multi-million dollar arena. If all this math still adds up for YOU, you’re in our target demographic!
You’re here for violence, not to listen to old Harv talk about how the sausage gets made, right? Here’s the thing. There are games going on everywhere in combat sports. You either play or get played.
It’s my job to put over the Killdozer Cup. I’ve come up with the perfect angle. I’m gonna win the damn thing myself.
Reginald Dampshaw III is an overdressed opportunist! He’s obsessed with his insane fortune!…Be patient, folks, I’ll get around to insulting him soon. There’s a lot to admire about this guy. You might think The Big Ticket would want to sit down with him over a Cuban sandwich and take notes about his success. But he thinks he’s above that.
He’s got no time for this rags to Rolls-Royce carnival barker who spent three years brawling behind bars. My bank account tells the story of every mark I’ve outmaneuvered and outmuscled on camera and on the street, but Reggie’s too busy spending his grand pappy’s pounds to listen.
There's no such thing as a gentleman's deathmatch. There are safer ways to see how the other half lives, Reggie. You've come to CULT to look down dark allies, look down your nose at freaks and oddities? Well, step right up to this super-sized sideshow if you want to find out what a monster can do.
Reggie’s curious about things that go bump in the night…Claire Hawkins says she’s one of them
She’s ready to unleash her darkest impulses in CULT! So far, Claire’s been a brooding storm of sweeping, Shakespearean verse about the dark arts and fangs. Her ancient brew is nearly perfect!
Add a bit of Amy Lee and Robert Pattinson to that cauldron of yours, and you've got a recipe for a fucking legend!
Look, the most magical thing I’ve got is a my banana bread recipe. That’s got as much to do with what matters in the ring as your Victorian Voodoo and Winona Ryder witchcraft. My crew and I have a soft spot for a certain fairy taIe, so I know how to handle a witch. I don’t have a house to crush you with.
But 450 pounds should do just fine.
The King
I usually charge by the word, but just two say everything. I helped sign Corey Black for CULT, and now I find myself in the ring with him in his first major match. A responsible member of the wrestling media would never encourage sordid rumors, level accusations and fan the flames of conspiracy theories ahead of a major event…But we can’t all be the great Denzel Porter. Who needs a dirt sheet when you’ve got Harvey Marx?
The bossman gets beaten by his famously unmanageable free agent and OUT OF NOWHERE an Enormous Entrepreneur on the payroll for months gets word of his debut against the problem child? Corey Black is a big draw and a big threat. So am I. Am I here to soften him up? Are the two of us going to lock horns, distracted while the owner keeps running his sick little circles around the whole show? There’s no way to know. But I know you’re all going to tune in to find out!
Diabolical plot or just damn good booking? The money’s just as green either way. My contract is a very broad one written to the needs of each promotion I work with. Even one with needs as…specialized as this one. I get results.
But loyalty costs a lot more than my services do, and my respect is not for sale.
I’ve got a reputation that stands just as tall as yours, Corey. The clash between the king of all wrestlers and the industry’s most sought-after kingmaker looms large. You win most of your matches before they begin. Too many make the mistake of trying to fight a legacy. I’ve helped build plenty of those from the other side of the ropes. You’re just a man who’s gonna wish The Big Ticket stayed there.
Chicago
March 19, 2024
“The quiet feels wrong, and nothing’s familiar but the weight of the wrench on my hand. It’s been a very reliable tool over the years. I’ve never had to do much more than pick it up to get what I want.
This is the first time I’ve used it for it’s intended purpose. This would have been faster with the main lights on, but those are for showtime. There hasn’t been a show down here since I signed on as the WGWF’s ring announcer more than a year ago. The first bolt holding down The Big Ticket’s boxing glove throne starts to turn easily. It has been here for less than two years.
I look up and take in the view from center stage. The framed pictures on the walls are lit from underneath by the emergency lighting. Huge stars of the wrestling industry leap off the prints even through the shadows. Gerard Angelo, Lissie Hope, Atticus. These publicity shots are yesterday’s story. Fans are fickle, advertisers are worse, and the blood of the competitors trickles straight into the bank accounts of men in suits. It’s all very familiar to a promoter. I’m usually the suit.
I did the bleeding at the end of the Strength Trials.
The second bolt is free now. Just an easy counter-clockwise rotation. My critics think I’d like to turn back the clock on Cambodia. I had an 0-5 record punctuated by a Scotsman shattering an ancient skull over my head. Some say it was karma for all the lies and skeletons Harvey Marx is hiding. The Big Ticket’s been exposed, and the truth hurts.
Let’s be honest folks. The truth just doesn’t sell.
Do you like documentaries? That’s truth with an agenda. Your favorite cable news show is truth in a billionaire’s pocket. Reality TV is pure genius. Total bullshit since 1992 and audiences still can’t get enough. Promoters work from the same playbook. My world is all about pushing narrative and I’ve thrown my weight behind a better one when it comes to the Strength Trails. I wasn’t there for wins and losses. I was brought in for branding, back room deals and buy rates, for hashtags and hard cash. Three men wanted to host supershows on three continents and I’m the bridge. After coming here from another universe, doing business across nations is easy. Was I a mascot for the promotion in Season Two? All I know is this Colossal Cash Cow looks good on a poster about strength.
There was plenty of confrontation outside the ring, too. Staying ahead of the press in the infamous "fourth team" scandal kept me on my toes. If you don't think politics and powerbombs have anything to do with each other, stay out of combat sports.
Big Ticket Entertainment works on a lot of levels for our clients. The approach is the same inside the ropes and on the red carpet. In this business, someone has to fall if someone is going to rise. Opponents, fans, or press, I’ll crank the Big Ticket Energy and hit them until they stop getting up.”
*The sound of an elevator bell turns Marx around. Miss Albright drives her power wheelchair to the start of a winding ramp. The path down the ramp is lit up at her approach.*
Leonora: Perfect! We’ll edit that for The Big Ticket’s CULT vignette. Strong close, but I disagree with one thing. You’ve always saved a few extra shots for the reporters Harlan.
*The big man’s posture relaxes. His grin loses an air of theatricality, but his eyes are still dancing. When he answers, the booming voice is dialed back to a normal speaking tone. The Brooklyn growl of a moment ago becomes a smoother Russian accent*
Marx: I do like to make them work. It’s like they’ve never seen a pro do damage control before.
Leonora: It’s more like controlled damage, but that’s what we do. We'd still need this set if we had stayed in the Black Pyramid Universe. Sucker punch live is too raw for daytime and doesn’t have enough laughs for late night.
*Miss Albright makes her way down the ramp and into the center pit to join Marx next to the throne.*
Marx: The guy from the Cambodia job laughed at my jokes.
Leonora: You had him tied to a chair and were holding a golf club.
Marx: At least in CULT we won’t need to apologize for who we are. I thought I’d be breaking down the set alone?
Leonora: I had to get out of the penthouse for a while. It smells like a roadside bar. Don’t look at me like that, I was alright with the smoke.
*Marx nods and doesn’t acknowledge the lie. He knows she is sensitive to respiratory irritants.*
Leonora: English wouldn’t put the smokes away even if I asked him to. I’d look weak. Besides, the bastard is dangerous enough without nicotine withdrawal.
Marx: Do you ever wish you could call him that to his face?
Leonora: I’ve called him much worse to his face. Flattery goes a long way with him.
Marx: How’s our crew done for the CULT account? I’m sure Halsey Knox has been an asset for pre-show hype.
Leonora: Yes, our business will always have a place for a beautiful woman with a great body and an even better voice. I’m glad you hired the other twin, too. You never know when we might need a handsome man good with an axe. I’ve enjoyed being the face of BTE at CULT events since Heaven Sent, but the landscape is changing.
Marx: The new partnership with Sick Sick Sick Productions, a new arena, a psychopathic corporate raider taking a turn as the new head of marketing. English has gone from years raging against the barbarians at the gate to speed dating with scumbags. He’s finally figured out his twisted little corner of the industry can actually turn a major profit.
Leonora: He wants us to handle the press conference announcing the Corey Black signing.
Marx: I think Corey did just fine introducing himself at Red Planet.
Leonora: Did you have a hand in that?
Marx: I spent months working to put a CULT contract in his hands and I closed that deal at the pay per view. It’s not on me if he wanted to beat the hell out of his new boss to say hello. I’m a businessman, not a babysitter.
Leonora: Your next order of business is the Killdozer Cup.
Marx: Harvey Marx is going to make his CULT debut right on time and ready to shuffle, shake hands, move tickets, and convince the world he’s more dangerous than you are.
Stage lights go up, gleaming off Miss Albright’s gold and emerald web pendant. Marx looks around at the set of Sucker Punch Live. The throne is in a pit well below the audience. Harlan Markov can still see the fight pit in the Soviet prison where he spent three years. Harvey Marx was created when a fighter had to become a showman even bigger than he already was. His eye sparkles as he flips the Big Ticket switch, bringing his voice back to Brooklyn.*
Marx: This set may have seen its last talk show, but it hasn’t seen its last promo.
Harvey Marx here, head of promotions for Big Ticket Entertainment.
Back-alley death matches are a far cry from the blockbuster shows I usually do. CULT has a boatload of new investors and backstage personnel, and I’m here for my cut. Trust me, folks, it takes a lot of money and effort to put together a brand that looks as cheap and lazy as this one. We’ve got grainy TV spots and the unapologetically edgy matches those glossy promotions just won’t book. Welcome to total mayhem outside the mainstream!
Don’t forget major corporations and a multi-million dollar arena. If all this math still adds up for YOU, you’re in our target demographic!
You’re here for violence, not to listen to old Harv talk about how the sausage gets made, right? Here’s the thing. There are games going on everywhere in combat sports. You either play or get played.
It’s my job to put over the Killdozer Cup. I’ve come up with the perfect angle. I’m gonna win the damn thing myself.
Reginald Dampshaw III is an overdressed opportunist! He’s obsessed with his insane fortune!…Be patient, folks, I’ll get around to insulting him soon. There’s a lot to admire about this guy. You might think The Big Ticket would want to sit down with him over a Cuban sandwich and take notes about his success. But he thinks he’s above that.
He’s got no time for this rags to Rolls-Royce carnival barker who spent three years brawling behind bars. My bank account tells the story of every mark I’ve outmaneuvered and outmuscled on camera and on the street, but Reggie’s too busy spending his grand pappy’s pounds to listen.
There's no such thing as a gentleman's deathmatch. There are safer ways to see how the other half lives, Reggie. You've come to CULT to look down dark allies, look down your nose at freaks and oddities? Well, step right up to this super-sized sideshow if you want to find out what a monster can do.
Reggie’s curious about things that go bump in the night…Claire Hawkins says she’s one of them
She’s ready to unleash her darkest impulses in CULT! So far, Claire’s been a brooding storm of sweeping, Shakespearean verse about the dark arts and fangs. Her ancient brew is nearly perfect!
Add a bit of Amy Lee and Robert Pattinson to that cauldron of yours, and you've got a recipe for a fucking legend!
Look, the most magical thing I’ve got is a my banana bread recipe. That’s got as much to do with what matters in the ring as your Victorian Voodoo and Winona Ryder witchcraft. My crew and I have a soft spot for a certain fairy taIe, so I know how to handle a witch. I don’t have a house to crush you with.
But 450 pounds should do just fine.
The King
I usually charge by the word, but just two say everything. I helped sign Corey Black for CULT, and now I find myself in the ring with him in his first major match. A responsible member of the wrestling media would never encourage sordid rumors, level accusations and fan the flames of conspiracy theories ahead of a major event…But we can’t all be the great Denzel Porter. Who needs a dirt sheet when you’ve got Harvey Marx?
The bossman gets beaten by his famously unmanageable free agent and OUT OF NOWHERE an Enormous Entrepreneur on the payroll for months gets word of his debut against the problem child? Corey Black is a big draw and a big threat. So am I. Am I here to soften him up? Are the two of us going to lock horns, distracted while the owner keeps running his sick little circles around the whole show? There’s no way to know. But I know you’re all going to tune in to find out!
Diabolical plot or just damn good booking? The money’s just as green either way. My contract is a very broad one written to the needs of each promotion I work with. Even one with needs as…specialized as this one. I get results.
But loyalty costs a lot more than my services do, and my respect is not for sale.
I’ve got a reputation that stands just as tall as yours, Corey. The clash between the king of all wrestlers and the industry’s most sought-after kingmaker looms large. You win most of your matches before they begin. Too many make the mistake of trying to fight a legacy. I’ve helped build plenty of those from the other side of the ropes. You’re just a man who’s gonna wish The Big Ticket stayed there.
