Bringing the heat to Hard Mode
The Bayou Blaze; Antoine LeClair and his younger brother Gabriel LeClaire, have finally done it after months of getting back into combat. They were FINALLY AWS Tag Team Champions again! All of the fighting and clawing to get back to championship status has finally paid off! They defeated World Elite, the West Texas Hangmen, and the Tongan Terror Squad to be the AWS Undisputed Tag Team Champions after climbing that literal and metaphorical ladder to success! They won the ladder match and left with gold!
That was when they had to do all of the usual champion things. Getting Bayou Blaze sideplates, they had a little post show interview, they had some media appearances, they weren’t new to this. But all of that was nothing that they couldn’t handle. Why? Because they were champions once again! And no disrespect to AJ Flare and Kofi Von Erich, Apollo Latu & Malachi Latu, Buck Rawlins & Wade Mercer. They put the LeClair brothers through hell but as the trainers checked them out and made sure they were fit to go home and rest in the bayous of Louisiana with their gold.
This was vital as Antoine and Gabriel didn’t believe in resting on their asses. They were driven to compete and loved the action in the ring and knew that not long after they set foot back in their compound in the south they’d have new opponents booked for them to defend those titles against. No rest for the weary after all. Coincidentally like clockwork, a day after they returned to Louisiana they knew who they were facing. The one and only Hard Mode…
Hard Mode went from a funny, easy to cheer for team of gamer nerds that just happened to be good wrestlers that stood out compared to most of the Lunatics because of it. But now NOBODY was laughing. Hard Mode main-evented shows, they held gold in the company. They would kick your ass in the ring and then celebrate with a gaming session before bed. Nobody wanted to mess with Riley Rune “The Legacy Link” or Mia “Combo Breaker” Nygma and the Bayou Blaze were facing off against them at the upcoming Ward show in the Allstate Arena. Big venue on the flagship TV show of the Asylum Wrestling Society. And while the tag team titles weren’t on the line that didn’t mean that the men could slack off in the slightest even if they wanted to. Being a champion came with expectations. You were expected to hold your ground even in non-title matches and they were going to do just that. Starting with a promo.
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There was no setting for the scene at first glance. Just a black screen with nobody on it. No audio either…for a few dramatic seconds at least
Antoine LeClair: This is not a game.
Gabriel LeClair: You’re facing champions now!
Antoine LeClair: We got gold Hard Mode.
Antoine & Gabriel: Time to make a statement!
And as the brothers spoke one torch lit up, then another, then one more, then two more. Just enough to illuminate the screen until both Antoine and Gabriel appeared on screen looking into the camera with full focus with the championships on their shoulders
Antoine LeClair: See we know that as champions in the Asylum it comes with one thing that means a whole lot. Standards.
Gabriel LeClair: Standards to win matches, standards to kick ass, against all opponents. It don’t matter if our titles are on the line or not. It don’t matter if we’re facing men or women dawg.
Antoine LeClair: You see the Bayou Blaze burns up everybody no matter what the situation. These titles we got. Yeah they ain’t on the line against Hard Mode. We got nothing to lose against Riley Rune and Mia Nygma, our titles on the line. We know that.
Gabriel LeClair: But respect is. So at Chicago for Ward imma keep it true to y’all Hard Mode…you gonna get your asses kicked…
And then more flames lit up behind them to match their rising passion and fire in their voices.
Antoine LeClair: Now this is just business Hard Mode. Nothin’ personal. We know you two got skills. This isn’t some “battle of the sexes” poubelle we know y’all are real and we’re gonna fight y’all like we’re fighting men and Riley, Mia, we know that’s how y’all want it. Y’all are are “Hard Mode” after all
Gabriel LeClair: Hell we just fought six other men to get these titles but I agree with my brother right here because this match is ain’t personal but we got pride on the line. What we look like losing to a team and our gold ain’t even up for grabs on a random Ward. Nahhhh ain’t happenin’ The windy city ain’t blowing out our flames!
Antoine LeClair: The air just makes them stronger mon amis~. We’re not losing any match. Not yet. Titles or not.
And that was the point of the LeClairs entire stance. No man vs. woman sexism crap that’s been done hundreds of times before. Just champions ready to prove their champion-level dominance. Yeah the Undisputed Tag Team titles weren’t on the line so they had nothing to tangibly lose but their pride was. They didn’t want to look weak and lose. Especially this early. As more torches lit up behind them.
Antoine LeClair: So at Ward the Bayou Blaze will set the ring on fire and Riley, Mia, we know you won't be able to handle it.
Gabriel LeClair: But if you disagree like we know y'all do we will beat you at Ward and if you got a problem with it well…
Antoine LeClair: Laissez les bon temps rouler!
And then the brothers walked off screen with the final torches being lit and the flames spelled out “BAYOU BLAZE WILL BEAT HARD MODE” marking the end of the promo.