Beijing, China
July 30th
Tiananmen Square served as a prominent location for not only tourists the world over, but also for the very citizens of the city of Beijing itself. The Square is perhaps best known for the tragic massacre in 1989, following protests and a military crackdown the square is best known for the 1989 protests and massacre that ended with a military crackdown, watched the world over by a global media coverage. These days, however, Beijing citizens as well as people from all across the world visit for the wondrous attractions such as the beautiful floral displays and attractions such as the Tiananmen Tower, the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China. But on this particular day, something else was taking place that has attracted the attention of wrestling fans worldwide. Today, Tiananmen Square would serve as host for Sin City Wrestling. Although China was not known for professional wrestling, there was still a great interest in the sport in this country and the fans were hungry for the type of wrestling action that only SCW could provide.
And thus far, the show had been a rousing success with eager fans reaching out to the men and women of SCW, cheering them on their chosen favorites. But while the action continued inside of the ring, more was taking place “backstage” that would affect future happenings. Due to the open nature of the program, special tents and trailers had been brought in for the privacy of both wrestlers and staff alike, allowing them to prepare, get dressed and conduct all business both before and during the show.
One of the more important trailers set up was for the wrestlers’ physical benefits as it served as a proverbial first aid station. Although China did not have a recognized paramedic career for sporting events, Chinese officials worked with Mark Ward and Christian Underwood for a physician and nurse to lend their professional talents for the evening, the better to ensure all were physically well for the evening. In fact, it was just such an instance that had brought our attention toward the First Aid station where Carter McKinney, known best by his in-ring moniker Helluva Bottom Carter, stood stoic as he watched the physician and nurse give his boyfriend Miles Kasey a careful examination.
Miles sat on the table, sans shirt which MIGHT have had something to do with Carter’s intense stare, as the physician lifted his arm and added some pressure just below near the ribcage, asking “Téng ma?”
Miles, like Carter, shifted a look to the nurse who loosely translated, “He asked if that hurt?”
“Be honest.” Carter said simply, arms folded over his chest and Miles shot him a look, knowing how seriously Carter had been taking his injuries. He supposed it was only fair, given Miles acted the exact same way when Carter had been laid up for weeks on end thanks to Austin James Mercer - the very same man who was responsible for Miles’s own injuries.
Carter coughed into his fist, “Payback!”
“What was that?” Miles asked, to which Carter feigned innocence and Miles sighed, then turned to the nurse and admitted, “They do still feel sore when I take in deep breaths.”
The nurse relayed the information to the doctor who took a step back and said, “Ta keyi chóngxin chuan shàng chènshanle.”
“You can get dressed.” The nurse translated loosely, to which Miles grabbed his short that was laid out across his lap while Carter murmured, “Damn.” Miles, of course, overheard this and looked up at his boyfriend with a playful smile before he struggled to get the shirt on over his head with his ribs crying out in protest. The nurse and Carter both lent a hand, and once he had managed, Miles turned to the doctor who was jotting something down on a clipboard.
The doctor looked up and said, with the nurse translating…
“Ni de laoban ràng wo pínggu ni de jìnbù.”
“Your bosses asked me to evaluate your progress.”
“Suirán ni yijing cóng wo dé zhi de qíngkuàng zhong qudéle jìnzhan, dàn wo juédé ni zuì hao zhìshao zài jìngguan yizhou.”
“And while you have made progress from what I have been told, I feel it would be best if you were to sit out at least one more week."
Miles closed his eyes and groaned, disappointed as he had hoped to be back in action the following week in Peru. He asked, “Are you sure?”
The nurse relayed the question to the physician who looked almost affronted at his expert opinion being questioned, to which Miles held up his hands, begging off his own query. Satisfied, the physician then said something additional to the nurse, “Wo quèshí xiangxìn ni de feixíng suo chansheng de qìya shì ni de lèigu réngrán rúci suantòng de yuányin. Rúguo ni méiyou chéngxíng, wo cai ni de jiànkang zhuàngkuàng kenéng huì haozhuan.”
The nurse turned to Miles and Carter to translate, “I do believe the air pressure from your flight here is why your ribs are still so sore. Had you not made the trip, I would guess you could be medically cleared.”
Miles immediately shot a look up at Carter and said, “Don’t say it.”
Smiling with a smug sense of playful righteousness, Carter said, “Hey when you’re as right as I am, you don’t have to say it.”
Moments later, the door to the trailer opened and Miles stepped out first, followed closely by Carter. Waiting outside for word was none other than SCW’s Co-Owner, Christian Underwood. Knowing what is to be asked, Miles turned to face the boss man as Christian asked, “Well? Are you medically cleared?”
Miles could have risked a little white lie in order to get back inside of the ring a week earlier than expected, but it just was not his style. Instead, he openly admitted, “No.” Hands on his hips, he tilted his head back and the frustration was evident on his face, even at that angle.
Carter added, “The doctor said it’d be about another week before he’d get released without risk.”
Christian nodded, having had a suspicion that might end up being the case. He ran his fingers through his hair and said, “Damn shame. I had you scheduled for a shot at J2H next week, Miles.”
If the disappointment was not evident before, it sure as hell was now at the news that he was this close to having a crack at the World Heavyweight Championship only to have it taken away from him just as easily. Mac Bane had once asked when Miles would be challenging for the top tier title in SCW. The answer was seemingly pushed back even further on his professional calendar.
“Christian, I…” But whatever else Miles was going to say to possibly endeavor toward going ahead with the match of a lifetime was stalled by Christian holding up a hand and he said, “Save it. I’m not the nice boss, remember? There’s nothing you can say that is going to put you at any further risk. Especially against someone like J2H.”
Miles nodded, disappointed but altogether understanding of the situation he had been put in. Christian drew in a breath and shrugged his shoulders as he spoke up, “Still, that does put us in a spot because we have scheduled J2H for next week in a title defense so he is going to need a proper challenger.”
Christian’s gaze then turned toward Carter, and the boss clapped him on the shoulder and he said, “Congratulations.” Before Christian took his leave. Christian blinked, then looked first at Miles who seemed just as surprised or caught off guard, before he spun about to the retreating visage of the boss, “Wait… what!?”
Cuzco, Peru
The weather in Peru had not lived up to what preceded it across the world. China. Jordan. Each stop thus far during the 2023 World of Wonders tour had been graced with blue skies and warm temperatures, but such was not the case in Cuzco, Peru. The skies had been gray and overcast since the arrival of Sin City Wrestling earlier in the week. And just this previous evening, the sky had seemingly opened up and a heavy downpour had erupted from the clouds. Rain poured for hours on end, lasting almost the entirety of the evening and well into the night. It was now the next day, and while the rain had not ceased completely, it had been subdued to more of a light drizzle.
One would think this would be quite enough to keep everyone indoors, but such was not the case where Carter was concerned. He loved the bright sunshine, but one of his favorite scents was the smell of ‘morning after rain’. There just was nothing to compare it to, and that was why Carter worked to convince Miles to go on an extended walk with him out in the countryside of Cuzco. For both a breath of fresh air as well as a break from the confines of their hotel room. After all, how many times could they pass the time by… well, you know!
Thanks in passing from the advice of his own Mom in London, Miles had made certain he and Carter both had packed some form of gear for possible weather related changes. Thus, they were both sporting light jackets to stave off the chill of the wet weather in this higher altitude. The hotel was far enough behind them now and the cityscape slowly faded in the distance as the pair walked comfortably at one another’s side, their fingers interlaced with the other’s hand in a genuine display of comfort at the other’s company and touch. They walked on the side of the road to keep their distance from the random vehicle that passed them by as pavement gave way to grass and buildings to trees and shrubbery. The famed Macca Picchu could be seen in the distance as the sprinkle from the heavens pelted both men’s hair and faces as they simply walked in a comfortable silence.
That is, until Miles broke the silence and asked, “So, did you tell your family about your big match on Sunday?”
“Miles, you know they don’t approve of my wrestling.” Carter answered casually, but still after a brief pause, he admitted, “I did call and tell Grams though, about having a shot at the World Heavyweight title.”
“What did she say?”
“What she always says.” Carter half-laughed. “‘Try not to get hurt.’” He said in his best imitation of his lovely Grandmother. He then added, “Then she wished me luck.”
“And your Mom?”
“I don’t know.” Carter said in a low tone of voice. “I just talked to Grams.”
“Carter…” Miles stopped walking, and given Carter’s hand was linked to his own, his boyfriend wasn’t given much choice in stopping as well. Miles turned Carter around to face him and he could easily read Carter’s face, knowing this wasn’t a discussion his boyfriend wanted to indulge in. Well… tough.
Miles went on to say, “You haven’t talked to your mom since the cruise.”
“I don’t have anything to say to her.” Carter shrugged. “Not after she brought my Dad onto that ship. Not after everything…”
Miles pointed out, “You know you’re not going to get answers to the ‘why’ until you speak to her, right?” He took Carter’s chin in his fingers and lifted his gaze so he could see those gorgeous blue eyes that always caused a lump in Miles’s own throat. “Right?”
“Miles, I don’t think there’s anything she can say for ‘why’ that’s going to make me feel any better about betraying me.”
“Betray is a little harsh…” Miles started to say, having taken Carter’s Mom and Grams into his heart as if they were his own, and so he felt a subconscious desire to defend or understand what had happened and why. But before he could finish what he wanted to say, Carter turned to continue their walk and Miles had little alternative but to catch up and walk at his side.
Carter said, “Don’t get me wrong, I still love her. I’m just angry with her. Hurt by her. I always knew she never stopped loving my Dad and… vice versa I suppose. It’s just…” He tensed and shook his head, “I’ll talk to her … eventually. But I’m just not ready.”
Miles nodded, understanding completely and it was a start toward fences being mended. Miles knew well enough just how much Carter loved his Mom, and to be separated from her like this was just killing him inside, even if he put on a brave face to deny it.
“How about Grams?” Miles finally asked. “Does she know anything?”
“I think so.” Carter answered. “But she’s so tight-lipped when someone confides something to her that she… Oh ho HO!”
Carter then came to a stop, and a look of utter delight crossed his youthful, handsome face.
“What?” Miles asked. “What is…?” Miles then turned to where Carter’s attention was solely focused and saw a large puddle just off the side of the gravel road and in the grass. He turned as Carter leaned heavily on his shoulder with one arm to remove his shoes with his free hand.
“Seriously?” Miles choked back a laugh. “Aren’t we a little old to be playing in puddles?”
“You’re never too old to play in a puddle in the rain!” Carter protested, stripping off his socks and tucking them into the shoes on the ground. “Growing older isn’t an option, but growing up is!”
Miles just shook his head, but the smile on his face couldn’t be smothered at Carter’s enthusiasm over something so innocent. Carter walked up to the edge of the puddle and Miles called after him, “If you get sick, don’t come crying…” But Carter jumped onto the puddle for a good stomp – and practically vanished beneath the surface of the water! Only the top of his blonde scalp could be seen before he struggled and erupted from the near six foot deep, water-filled hole and Miles fell over onto the grass in a hysterical fit of laughter!
“Well, here I am J2H. The challenger you didn’t expect. Probably the last person right now you expected to be setting foot inside of the ring against with your title at stake, hm? Well, if I’m going to be perfectly honest, I have to admit I wasn’t expecting this either. At least I wasn’t expecting it to happen at this point in time. I had a lot of success down in Sin City Underground before its closure, and when I came to SCW, I would like to think that I’ve done pretty well for myself even if not at the same level. I’ve had a number of hurdles thrown in my path. Some I’ve overcome and others… not so much.”
“So imagine my surprise when I get taken aside by Christian Underwood himself and I am told I was next in line after Miles Kasey to get a shot at the top championship for the Superstars. Well, all I can say is deep down I firmly believe that Miles should be the one with this title shot and trust me J2H – you’re damn lucky it’s not him or else you’d be kissing that shiny gold best of yours bye-bye sooner than you’d care to admit. But I suppose you owe Austin James Mercer a fruit basket or something because he’s the reason right now you’ve got me in the ring instead of Miles. But don’t make the mistake of thinking this means things will be going any easier for you because… they won’t.”
“I’ll be the first to admit I was questioning the logic of giving me a title shot at you, because I had a plan of my own. I wanted to work my way up from the bottom to the top, just like I did down in SCU. I wanted to start with the Roulette Championship, then go after the Internet and THEN … the World Heavyweight Championship. I even went so far as to try and talk to Mark Ward about this, thinking it had to have been a mistake. He wasn’t the only one to assure me that my being the next choice as challenger to you wasn’t an error in judgment. Miles. Ariana. And plenty of others have been messaging me, giving me all the support a person could ask for and then some. I was even met with a handful of protests when people suspected I wanted to back out of this match because I didn’t think I was ready or worthy.”
“Of course, that was then. This … is now. You see, you and I J2H? We’re not so different. Oh sure, there’s the simple fact that you have millions of dollars in your bank account and your track record inside of the ring is second to none. But we’re only a few years apart in age and where I am right now? It’s not so different from where you first got your start. I mean… your real start. Not where you started where you were losing matches to teddy bears and were basically the joke of the men’s division. That was not you. Even I can admit that. That was a rich little punk who didn’t know what the hell he was doing and believed his bank account could buy all the success and respect that he THOUGHT that he deserved. No.”
“This is the real you, J2H. The man that is going to be standing proudly across the ring from me. The man that swallowed his pride and went to Atlanta where one of wrestling’s finest tore you down and built you back up to being the man that you are right now. That I can admit. That I can respect. The only thing I ask is that you think hard and acknowledge just how parallel things are between you and I. You see when you entered that Gauntlet match eight years ago, nobody in the world gave you a chance in the world at walking away with the championship. Everyone thought based on your past showings that you’d be eliminated before you even had a chance to start. But… that’s not what happened, is it? You literally shocked the world by outlasting everyone and pinning GOTH of ALL people! After that, you set the world on fire. You set a record for the longest reign ever, and you even came back after losing it to win it a second time – and now, a third.”
“Me? People took one look at me and how I dressed and the way that I acted, and thought I’d be a joke for no other reason than I was a gay kid in a sport filled with macho men. They thought I was in it for the cheap thrill of rolling around with a bunch of men and had no real hopes for any success. But whereas you had Austin Parker to thank for turning you into the man you became, I have the GO Gym, and Gabriel Stevens for doing the same for me. And for all those assumptions of how I’d never make it?”
“SCU Pride Tag Team Champions. Combat Champion. TV Champion. And the youngest ever Underground Champion. And now, here I am… challenging you for the SCW World Heavyweight title. The thing you hold most dear in your professional life. And like you when you first challenged for this title, I don't think too many people are looking at me too favorably right about now. They see me going up against the Great One, and thinking I don’t stand much of a chance. But like you, I intend to shut those critics right up and surprise the world by walking out of Peru with the World Heavyweight title.”
“So do yourself a favor James, and don’t make the same mistake everyone else did when they set foot inside of the ring against me. Don’t look past or through me. Look AT me. Because otherwise you’re going to be leaving the ring, minus something.”
“And it’ll be MY turn to set the world ablaze.”
