Texas at its best-Bradshaw
Ressurection. What Carnage has been Unleashed?
By: Bill Banks
What would you do if you could have it all? Women, Money, power, a clean slate, a chance to do it all over again. What price would you pay?
Since their formation in the WWF, the Acolytes have become two unstoppable machines. Devoid of compassion, they attack whatever stands in their way - and to terminate it with extreme prejudice. In sports, coaches achieve such a mindset by molding athletes with discipline and guidance. The Acolytes draw their power from something else - something we haven't put our finger on. Whatever it is, they've become a pair of great white sharks, unleashed into the waters of the WWF like two killing machines. In the Movie Jaws, Quint, played by Robert Shaw, put it best " A shark....has those lifeless eyes. Black, like a dolls eyes, and then he bites you, and those black eyes roll over and the sea turns red, and no matter how much you pound on him, no matter how much you scream, it doesn't stop him from tearing you to pieces."
Heartless and soulless, the two best words to describe what Faarooq and Bradshaw have become. Gone are the days of pride and Bar room brawling. In it's place, the symbols from the book of Necrinomicon, better known as the book of the dead. Like two lost souls who found direction, the careers of the Acolytes were resurrected.
Before finding this common power, Faarooq's prospects were measured in days and months. Time was the only thing holding him back. It seemed so long ago that Ron Simmons was the pride of Bobby Bowden's Florida State Football program. A raw and aggressive talent, the superstar entered the sport and became the first black World's Heavyweight Champion. When he made it into the WWF, he created the Nation of Domination - a faction so fearful it nearly catapulted him to the grandest prize in sports entertainment. Then some said his career plateaued. In a federation filled with young and energetic talent, Faarooq might have looked at them and seen.....himself. What he was, what he wished he had back. With nothing to lose, he gave himself over to an unholy power. Now it's like 1986 again. He is in the best shape of his career, and time seems to be going backwards. How can it be?
Bradshaw has been transformed as well, but in a much different way. Time was the one thing the Texan had plenty of, but he was so hell bent on brawling that he never got anything out of it but a reputation. The days of cowboys on the range are past. In an era of technological evolution, Bradshaw stood alone brandishing a bull rope in one hand and the sign of the longhorns in the other. A bull only knows how to do one thing, and that's fight. Bradshaw was so bullheaded that he could have spent the rest of his career doing just that. And what would that have gotten him? Now, gone is everything even associated with his Texas heritage. A belief in the Necrinomicon has somehow erased what Bradshaw held so dear, and replaced it with a new philosophy.
In some religious cults, prospective members are brainwashed until they accept certain beliefs. You're so convinced of the leaders powers that you live, and die, on his command. Your past life is forgotten, including memories, family and friends. After such an experience, some say they emerged from their old shell to become a new and evolved human being. Sound familiar? Might Faaroog and Bradshaw have done the same, only voluntarily? The term Acolyte is defined as an "Inferior officer or follower in the church, whose duty it is to attend to the priest." Follow the leader, and you'll shine in the light of his divinity. Judging by the symbols on Bradshaws and Faarooqs chests, their interpretation appears opposed to Christianity. Rather, they are all found in the necrinomicon.
For example, one of the drawings on Bradshaw is the symbol for the god of death. On the Acolytes trunks are two emblems resembling pentagrams overlap each other. Has the book of the dead shown Bradshaw and Faarooq the light at the end of the Darkness? In the Necrinomicon there are chapters on how to resurrect the dead. Perhaps they have found a way to achieve that feat with the careers of the living. If they can do this, what else do the Acolytes have to offer? Unlimited wealth? Power beyond their wildest dreams?
Inside the squared circle, the Acolytes annihilate opponents with the ferocity of two caged animals. They show no emotion and are completely silent in their destruction. No matter how hard their foes try to fight back Bradshaw and Faarooq continue to tear them apart. And, after the screaming stops, the last thing the fallen will see are the Acolytes lifeless black eyes.....