Ring Name: Ryan Marx
Nickname(s): 'The Philosopher', 'The Leader of the New Breed', 'The Zeitgeist', 'The One Messiah', 'The Cursed'
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 260 lbs
Age: 30
Billed From: The Fens, England



Picture Base: Iestyn Rees [x] [x] [x]

In ring: Plain black trunks with a small white Five Pillars logo on the left front side. Black wrestling boots, black knee pads with white tape peeking out from underneath, and white wrist tape.

Entrance Attire: A simple black towel draped over his shoulders.

Out of Ring: The rare times he is seen outside of the ring, he will be wearing an all-black suit with a Five Pillars pendant visible around his neck at all times. The symbol is turned upside down, a representation of the anarchic state of his formerly-organised school of thought.




Theme Song: 'Digital Bath' by Deftones ♫

Detailed Entrance Description: The lights go down, leaving the arena in almost complete darkness. A couple of seconds pass, and then the sound of Deftones' 'Digital Bath' begins to play, echoing throughout the arena. There's no titantron, no video graphics on any of the stage screens. A few seconds go by, the vocals cutting through the dark. A spotlight ignites the stage in a white glow, and underneath it stands Ryan Marx, still and staring down at the ring. He wears no expression on his face as he heads down the ramp, ignoring the booing fans as he enters the ring. He stands in the centre of it and outstretches his arms to the side as he bows his head. The music dies as he goes to his corner, burying his face in his black towel for a second or two before throwing it down to the apron and focussing on his opponent(s).



Disposition (Face, Tweener, Heel): Heel

Gimmick: The Curse has claimed him. As the inaugural Openweight Champion, he was meant to move onto greater heights. However, the curse of the title that he realised was not a 'title' in its own right has devoured him. After relinquishing the belt only to be met with nothing – less than nothing – Ryan has realised the time the belt has taken from him, and now he has fallen into a despair of sorts. Though he has spent so much time amassing followers, spreading his philosophy, and building himself up to a higher status, he now sees it was all for nothing. Time wasted.

He promised an end at Kingsroad, and now it has happened. The Zeitgeist is dead for now, left to be reborn at a later date. Now enters 'The Cursed'. The build-up to Kingsroad was filled with warnings, but it's too late now as the new Marx arrives. After the show, he was given an ultimatum: continue with his fruitless efforts as the 'Zeitgeist', or embrace the curse and its consequences. He chose the latter, and after hibernating through the darkest period of winter, he returns with a heart as black as the shadows and a soul no longer belonging to him. The foundations of his Five Pillars lay in disarray from the work of his own hands, and his motivations have been replaced by the desires of a new force: That Which Stands Behind You.

What does That want? Destruction, fear, and pain. Marx's desires are no longer muddied by convoluted plans for influence, tyranny, and enlightenment. He merely wishes to tear down everything in his path until he has appeased That. And when That is satisfied, when That gives him a new wish to fulfil, only then will the path of pain stop.

Specialty Match/Favourite Match Type: I Quit match

Least Favourite Match Type: Battle royals – Ryan prefers to be more close and personal with his opponents, something most battle royals and multi-man matches don't allow for

Weapon of Choice: Five Pillars necklace – he uses it to choke opponents out or cut them open with the sharp metal symbol hooked onto the chain



Common Moves:

- Suplex variations (e.g. German suplexes, snap suplexes, fisherman suplexes, etc.)
- Elbow smash and other elbow strike variations
- Haymaker
- Stomps to a grounded opponent (usually targets the legs)
- Wristlock on grounded opponent (using his weight to keep the opponent down)
- Knee lift combinations to the body/face
- Running clothesline
- Big boot (often as a running attack, can be whilst standing still)
- Biting (usually bites an opponent's ear, arm if they're holding onto him, nose, or any other meaty body part he can sink his teeth into)
- Kicks and stomps to the face/head on a grounded opponent
- Backbreaker
- Leg drop
- Knee drop
- Eye poke
- Spitting in the opponent's face, usually to stun them
- Pop-up powerbomb


Signature Moves:

- Shadow of Ruin (Pumphandle lift into a reverse STO – [PREVIEW])

- The Fakeout (Delayed vertical suplex – named because he uses it as a fakeout of his 'New Heights' finisher by pretending to hook the arm for a DDT, then switching to a suplex set-up after some taunting)

- New Heights (Vertical suplex DDT, former finisher now a signature move, though he can still finish matches with it if desperate)

- The Fall of Man (Fallaway slam)

- I Think... (Elbow smash to the face followed by a European uppercut, often leading into a...)

- ...Therefore I Am (...superkick, often done whilst the opponent is stunned from the 'I Think...' - can be the set-up into 'The Antithesis' or 'New Heights' if the opponent is still standing and stunned)

- One-handed chokeslam

Finishing Moves:

The Ivory Tower (Electric chair driver)

Inverse Theory (Stretch muffler – whenever he can, Ryan uses his height to put more strain on the opponent's leg, performing the move standing up and landing kicks to their head)

Paint it Black (Ryan spits black 'blood' into the opponent's face, stunning and/or blinding them temporarily - can be used to transition into the Ivory Tower, or just used to stun an opponent long enough to pin them)

New Heights II (Second-rope vertical suplex DDT, used as an uberfinisher that is rarely ever kicked out of)

*Italics means the move is used often.



That Which Stands Behind You – The name of the force that is currently possessing Ryan. Commonly referred to as simply 'That', this force's intentions and desires aren't fully known, nor are its origins. In fact, it's unknown if this force is even real, or if it has been made up by Ryan in his despair-ridden state. Warnings relating to it can be found in the promos leading up to Kingsroad, but now it has fully taken over Ryan and caused him to almost completely abandon his philosophy. More is expected to be revealed about this unseen force.

The Five Pillars – The set of beliefs and philosophy Ryan follows. Despite sharing a name with an Islamic set of beliefs, these Five Pillars are Ryan's own philosophical creation, independent of other religious or philosophical beliefs. His aims are to teach others of the Pillars, which he plans to do by gaining influence from his wrestling achievements.

The Five Pillars are as follows:

I. Pain for pleasure, blood for gold.

II. Bring others down into pain so that they can later rise up into enlightenment.

III. Pain for the body, pleasure for the mind.

IV. Only those who are on the true path to enlightenment or who have been enlightened may have precedence in society.

V. Accept that soon what you know will fade away, and the only thing that will remain is the Enlightened.

Dark and Light – Ryan often refers to himself as the one who thrives in the dark, and has shown a dislike of the light - both literally and metaphorically. Since his loss to Lannister, he has spoken of how he fell into darkness, only to rise up stronger with the power it granted him. In promos, he will avoid the light if he can. He also uses black and white as symbols, as can be seen throughout his promos. He will often sway from 'black' to 'white' - painting his office black and then white, wearing white and then black, and generally switching between the two colours in terms of aesthetic.

Hooded Figures – In some of his promos, hooded figures will appear or interact with Ryan in some way. Their identities are unknown, but it is believed they are followers of the Five Pillars philosophy. Whether they will have an impact later down the line in Ryan's career is undetermined – for now, they appear harmless.

Addendum: Three main followers have been unveiled: Evan, Conor, and Soledad. Further information on them can be found further down. It is unknown if more followers will be named, or if they will remain hooded.

Addendum 2: After falling into his 'Cursed' state, many of Ryan's followers abandoned him after he ignored his duties as their leader. Few remain, whilst most are gone, leaving him to his own despair.

His Past – Ryan has alluded to and explained his past in numerous promos. Here is what is currently known about it:

• He earned a master's degree in philosophy
  
• He worked for the philosophy research department at King's College London, where it is presumed he also studied
  
• He has stated many times that he has 'written journals he received no credit for'. These academic journals were presumably written during his time at the King's College research department, though since he apparently received no credit for them, it is unknown what they're subject matter is or if they even exist at all
  
• He had a religious upbringing, which he rejected and attributes to his 'self-discovery' and later conception of his Five Pillars philosophy
  
• Was born and raised in London, and currently resides somewhere in the Fens, where he is billed from
  

Evan (played by Sebastian) – The first follower to be unveiled. He is arguably the calmest, and acts similarly to Ryan himself. It is unknown how long he has been a follower for, but it is presumed that he is trusted by Ryan considering he was the first to remove his hood and speak freely. His whereabouts are unknown – it can be presumed he has left with the majority of Ryan's betrayed followers.

Conor (played by Conor Claxton) – The most aggressive follower, Conor speaks with far more frenzy than any other followers and even Ryan. He often speaks using doomsday-like metaphors or with promises of more explicit violence, and often tells opponents that they have angered Marx, which begs the question of if Conor is perhaps a representation of Ryan's usually contained anger.




Soledad (played by Jinny) – Right now, Soledad is one of the more integral followers of Marx. Considered to be his loyalest follower, she appeared during Pain for Pride X week and 'married' Ryan, serving as a proxy for the rest of his followers to create a 'solid union' between him and then. She has also become his manager post-PFP:X, and is expected to appear more frequently in his promos. As he has devolved into his 'Cursed' persona, she has stuck by his side, even if it does feel like a chore to do so.

Welcome, have fun

Welcome to EAW Ryan. You should make a promo to introduce yourself as in this business your success is based on activity and promo quality. Be sure to promo before every match.

Thanks for the welcome guys, I'll be sure to do an introduction promo as soon as I can.

Good. can't wait to see what you have to offer. You will be drafted to one of three rosters (Voltage,Showdown or Dynasty) soon.

Awesome, can't wait to start getting involved. Working on that introduction post now, so I hope I can show everyone what I'm made of.

welcome mah boi

Glad to be here man

Welcome aboard, homie. Enjoy ya stay

welcome to the land of the elites.

Thanks for all the welcomes guys.

Figured I'd post my introduction promo here for reference purposes and if anybody wants to check out what I'm about: https://eawnetwork.forumotion.com/t4362-eaw-promoz#98144

Welcome to the best! Enjoy your stay and stuff.

Welcome to EAW!

Welcome to EAW Ryan Marx, you'll be heading to Showdown. Good luck!

Thanks for the welcome guys, and I'm glad to be a part of Showdown. I plan on doing my best there!

Badass promo bro. Glad to have you on THE show, Showdown.

Ryder wrote:

Badass promo bro. Glad to have you on THE show, Showdown.

Thanks a lot man, I appreciate it. And I'm glad to be a part of Showdown.

Welcome in EAW. Hope you'll enjoy your time here.

Alberich wrote:

Welcome in EAW. Hope you'll enjoy your time here.

Thanks for the welcome man.

Thought I'd rehaul the formatting since it was abysmal. Also:

- added the 'additional information' section, which lists the Five Pillars, outlines information that has been mentioned in promos, and gives a little background
- changed a couple minor details
- added his 'Leader of the New Breed' nickname for the memories

More (bigger) changes may come soon.

A TRUE ICON. THE WINNING TEAM. A TRUE LEGEND. IM FLOODING. 

Ryan Marx wrote:

Thought I'd rehaul the formatting since it was abysmal. Also:

- added the 'additional information' section, which lists the Five Pillars, outlines information that has been mentioned in promos, and gives a little background
- changed a couple minor details
- added his 'Leader of the New Breed' nickname for the memories

More (bigger) changes may come soon.

Brody Sparks wrote:

A TRUE ICON. THE WINNING TEAM. A TRUE LEGEND. IM FLOODING. 

- Added 'Cause of the Great Flood' and 'Iconic' to nicknames list

Lars Grier wrote:

Ryan Marx wrote:

More (bigger) changes may come soon.

#ALREADYSHOOK #PHILODADDY

Big updates completed post-Gold Mine:

- New nicknames added
- New theme song (RIP 'Arguing With Thermometers', you did good) and entrance
- New attire (in-ring, entrance, and out of ring)
- Updated gimmick
- Added some new moves to the common list
- Moved 'New Heights' to signature move and replaced the ankle lock
- New finisher: 'The Ivory Tower'
- New uberfinisher: 'New Heights II' which replaces 'The Antithesis'

New and improved edgy Ryan Marx coming to a Showdown event near you.