Not so strange if you think about it
Ethan Murphy had been wrestling long enough to know that sometimes wrestling promoters had a sick sense of humor. Booking wrestlers who normally couldn’t stand each other in tag team matches for various reasons and motives. Professional wrestling did indeed make for strange bedfellows sometimes and that was exactly the case for Ethan Murphy on the way to Asylum Wrestling Society’s Ward show on their world tour. This time he’d be competing in Wellington, New Zealand and indeed in a strange bedfellows tag team match. But the most intriguing point about this was his partner and opponents.
Lets focus on his tag team opponents first. TJ Alexander and Hector Vengas. A technical wrestling genius and a brawling former navy sailor? One man grew up in an English suburb and the other grew up in a latin one. No way they should work together but they needed to if they wanted to win. That also went for Ethan Murphy and Orphius Marius who had clear differences as well. Sure they were the same in a “no gimmicks needed”, what you see is what you get kind of way but they carried each other differently. Orphius was more subdued compared to the hot-blooded Ethan. Physical differences, background differences, differences in wrestling styles. What the fuck was AWS management thinking? Other than making fun, chaotic, television.
Ethan already wasn’t big on tag team action as it is but to be paired with a wrestler who had zero chemistry with and virtually nothing in common with made training difficult. He had to study not just TJ and Hector but Orphius too. So Ethan would know what he’d be getting into in a tag match so they could possibly have chemistry in the ring because even though he and Orphius were usually enemies they hated losing more than damn near anything on the planet. Ring chemistry could guide them to victory and make two of some the Asylum’s most prominent solo wrestlers unite.
On top of all of that an impactful promo was necessary too, especially since he had a lot on his mind about his usual tag partner and their odd couple of opponents. Time to clear the air in the privacy of his AWS cell.
Ethan Murphy: Professional wrestling can be weird sometimes and I know for a fact that anything can happen in the Asylum Wrestling Society. But the “strange bedfellows” match with Orphius Marius? Who I've been to war against before and still got the marks on my body to prove it. Against TJ Alexander and Hector Venegas who couldn't be any more different? Hey at least that chaos makes for good TV. It gives the New Zealanders something fun to see.
Ethan chuckled lightly at the thought of this. Wrestlers who were stylistically, visibly, and behaviorally mismatched were teaming up with each other. Yeah the Asylum Wrestling Society was far from a saccharine and typical pro wrestling company but it was still a business. The strange bedfellows tag team match was at the very least ratings gold in the making with the match graphic fading onto the screen because of this
Ethan Murphy: Now about my opponents and tag team partner. Well shit…yeah Orphius and I we don’t do the tag team thing. We fight our own battles usually so win or lose we have nobody to blame but ourselves. We win on our own, we lose on our own, with nobody to blame or share credit with because that’s the kind of men and wrestlers we are but aside from that we’re actually not that different. We can get together and kick the asses of our opponents that are different in every single way. The Englishman who’s too arrogant for his own good and the Latin thug. They don’t stand a chance against Orphius and me.
Ethan believed that while he and Orphius were true solo stars in the Asylum they would unite for the cause of victory. Their desire to win was stronger than their ego.
Ethan Murphy: TJ Alexander, Hector Venegas. While you two are stumbling and bumbling around trying to get on the same page Orphius and I are already there just based on the type of men we are. These people here in New Zealand are going to be in for one hell of a show. One team that’s locked in and ready because we hate losing with a fiery passion. In fact, this strange bedfellows match isn’t really strange for us.
Ethan then flashed a little smirk on camera.
Ethan Murphy: Though we are going to beat you so bad the medical staff will be looking at you strangely. Orpheus, lock in. We got this shit handled if you do because you know I will.
End Scene.