Oh, You did it now brother
They're coming after you
They're gonna sick the dogs on your trial
You better RUUUUUUNN!
Go!
You made a wrong turn
I thought that you'd learn
Always another way
Bridges don't have to burn today
Scene One: History Repeats
Off Camera
Last Week
New York New York
”Move, now. Get up, hit the ropes and drop down. No Slackers.”
Alex stands on the ring apron, his arms folded over his chest. A black and red wolfslair shirt on and a pair of training shorts. Inside the ring some of the newer trainees where rotating with each other, hitting the ropes, dropping down and leapfrogging and switching.it up. Since his loss to Lachlan Kane he had been a domineering and almost dictator like personality. Working his trainees and team mates to the bone.
He sneers and shakes his head jumping down from the apron. Charlie Jones, his younger sister steps next to him as Alex looks over at Johanna Krieger and Aiden Reynolds, two international stars signed to union Battleground and SCUM wrestling. ”Get in and show them.” Johanna and Aiden look at each other and get up and they start to roll with the trainees who are out of their depth, one by one Johanna takes their back sinking in a choke and Aiden locks in a variety of limb locks. Cries of pain ring out and Alex shakes his head.
”Going a little hard on them aren’t we? Alex raises an eyebrow as Charlie turns her back and leans on the ring apron. Alex scoffs and lays his hands flat on the mat, his eyes tracing back and forth as Johanna and Aiden step down from the ring and go back to working out with Austin and Alicia. ”They aren’t going to get any better just being beaten down and then beaten up by your more..elite names.Alex groans and rolls his eyes pushing off the ring
”That’s it for the day, hit the showers. Use some ice” The trainees all groan in pain and gingerly move from the ring as Alex lets out a sigh looking at his sister. ”Steel sharpens steel Charlie. I need to get these kids ready, they need to know that they aren’t going to break like glass” He moves away leaning down grabbing some of the workout gear packing it up as various other workout sessions go on without him, Alicia and Johanna rolling on the mats trading submissions, Austin and Aiden having a contest involving cardio.
Numerous others, names we have not seen or know who work in the independants also train and seem to be working hard. Alex smiles slowly as Charlie’s next words ring out in his ears. ”But they aren’t steel yet, you can break them and not in the good way.”
Dallas Texas, 12 Years Ago
22 year old Alex Jones stood in the ring, there were other young men around him, Alex had two years of training and in ring experience behind him, he wasn’t sure about the others. Outside the ring ageing Texan legend “Wild” Bill Harrison stood with his arms crossed. His long black hair that used to be a thick mane connecting with his handlebar moustache was now thinning on top and tied back.
Even in his 60’s he was a commanding presence. A mountain of a man at six foot five and still in the high two hundred pounds. He let out a grunt, one that seemed to be annoyed and angry.
”Pathetic.”
With that one word the other trainees all seemed to look defeated, all but Alex who raised an eyebrow and pushed his chest forward. Bill circled the ring, his footsteps very heavy. ”You all have no heart at all. I don’t even know why you’re in my ring. Some of you have experience in companies but it just shows how soft your generation is.” The air was thick with tension, Alex breathed deep as Bill growled locking eyes with the young grappler. ”Indian squats….go till you can’t stand...you pussies.” Bill blew his whistle. Alex sneered and started doing squats, the others growl and already look defeated. But Alex didn’t care, he was driven and ready…
Pain was only temporary….
Promo: Throwback
On Camera
New York, New York
Present Day.
”Bill Barnhart is beneath me…”
Alex Jones paces back and forth, his long hair tied back as the usual arrogant look is pasted on his very punchable face. His black beard looking a little longer than usual. He sighs and thrn turns staring right at the camera.
”Ohhh no, that isn’t allowed to be said in this day and age right?. We are supposed to give respect to everyone. I’m supposed to respect Vinnie. I’m supposed to respect Ben Jordan and everyone else. I’m supposed to respect that little irish dick who was able to FLUKE a win over me. I’m not allowed to have an ego. That’s it right? In this day and age of pro wrestling you are supposed to look at your opponent. You are supposed to see their positives and sing them from the rooftops and sell you match. Every match is supposed to be an ncredible contest between two warriors ready to destroy one another…”
“But that isn’t how this works.”
“This isn’t how wrestling is. See I am better than Lachlan Kane, I am better than Vinnie, I am better than most of the roster and the ones I’m not better than are men who are my equals. Austin James Mercer, Fenris, Ben Jordan with his recent output. Maybe Griffin Hawkins if he gets his head out of the clouds and realises this is a business and friendship means nothing. But a man I didn’t add onto that list is “Bulldog” Bill Barnhart”
He scoffs and rolls his eyes, his arms folding over his chest.
”I’m supposed to kiss everyone’s ass right? I’m supposed to show respect to some of the people who have beaten me. I’m supposed to kiss Vinnie’s ass, give Lachlan a pat on the back and be humble telling you all how I am going to be better next time and on that night this person or that person was better than me. And the question I have is...Why?. Why do I have to be that way and conform to your society?. The one man who has beaten me in the last few months I actually had respect for and still do is Fenris.”
“He hits like a truck and is clearly a man who never backs down and he gets this business. He gets that we all can’t be friends. See Fenris showed Austin and myself respect in our matches with him, he wanted to shake our hands, get a few drinks afterwards and did sing our praises as much as both Austin and I sang his. But even with that respect I know if Fenris needed to get would try and break my goddamn legs for a title shot.”
“I should be getting ready to step in the ring in a few weeks to try and win the SCW world heavyweight title. I should be getting ready to be in the ring with that chump Vinnie, Ben Jordan, Fenris, Lachlan and Austin…”
“Oh and Caleb Storms. That’s right, Caleb storms gets a damn title shot and I’m going to be standing on the fucking sidelines waving my dick around. What a world.”
“But, I’m not. I’m not gearing up for a title fight, I’m not getting what I deserve. Instead I am being booked to walk out there at Climax Control 255 against Bill Barnhart and I wonder. Why?. Why am I having to be degraded into facing this man? Then it hit me. SCW only really want Austin to be at the top. Cause out of the two of us he’s the “respectful” one. He’s the one they can market as a positive roll model while I’m the asshole…”
He shrugs and moves across the floor of the gym, his iPhone still recording as he jumps onto the apron sitting on the edge leaving his legs dangling down.
”Now I’m sure Bill is cranky that I don’t see him in the same league as me. I’m sure he will record a riveting promo that sounds like it was produced and scripted by pressing the middle button on predictive text and will still somehow sound wooden while he yanks on his stupid looking beard while trying to his his pot belly. I’m sure Billy boy will tell us all how he “almost” had Griffin Hawkins and the roulette title last time they faced and like a bunch of flaming dipshits most of you will believe it. But the truth is that Bill Barnhart is a throwback. He’s a man out of time.
A large, out of shape, dinosaur of the wrestling business. See Bill you would have had success in the early to mid 80’s with your skill set and physique. But this is 2019. I’m only 34 and even I get looked at as the “elder statemen”. And the scary part about all this is that you are only a few years older than me Bill. But you look like someone took a time machine back to 1985 and shoved you in it to bring you here.”
“You’re too fat, too slow, too old and too stuck in your ways to beat someone like me. I’ve been competing in the upper levels of SCW since I stepped my foot in here from Honor. You’ve been hanging around the mid card losing to Griffin Hawkins and talking to a narrator after dropping your fat ass in here from Red State Wrestling…”
“I’m sure you put asses in seats there…”
“But this is Sin City Wrestling and you are facing a goddamn bonafide legend. A man who has more world titles than you probably have teeth. A man who needs to remind everyone just how good he is after dropping a match that should have been a sure thing. Cause as I said Bill, I should be getting ready to wrestle for the SCW heavyweight title. Not playing around withy a guy who still thinks a flying hammerlock is the best thing in wrestling….so in a few days you’ll get in that ring, try and waddle over to show me just how big and strong you are….and I’ll do what I do best...and that is be Alex fucking Jones…”
