[Thatcher Rex]

 

“You need to date someone.”

The statement caught Thatcher Rex by such surprise that he nearly dropped the dumbbell in his left hand. He cast an incredulous glance at the woman who had accompanied him to Vegas, who had been present at all of his official functions.

“Well, obviously not me! Sorry, sweets, but I’m just not into you. But you do need to find yourself a woman.”

Thatcher sighed, rolling his eyes at the buxom blonde knows as Madelyne McTaggert.

“And what purpose would that serve?”

“Well, look at the people in SCW. Almost everyone is seeing someone! Odette and Gabriel, Spike and Vixen… these are the top people, Thatcher, and they all have someone hanging on their arm! Besides… it’d be good for you. How long has it been since you were last in a relationship, hm?”

“Three years.”

“And that last one, what was her name? J-“

“Don’t. The memory alone is bad enough, I don’t need to hear her name.”

Madelyne conceded that point; Rex had been through hell with that last one. And if it was anything that Maddie understood, it was a bad relationship. But she also realized that a good relationship could outshine the bad, and Rex hadn’t courted a woman in a very long time. Oh, there were those he’d been interested in, but he hadn’t made his move.

“Is this because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner?”

“Maaaayyybe.”

Thatcher made an exasperated sound, throwing his hands up into the air.

“Well, it’s the romantic time of year! Besides, I’m sure you have your eye one someone out there.”

“Nope.”

“Now there’s a lie if I ever heard one! There are plenty of beautiful women in SCW, and you don’t have an interest in a single one? What are you, dead?”

Thatcher, in an effort to ignore her, began lifting the dumbbell in repetitions. Madelyne wasn’t buying it, though; nobody could keep secrets around her, not if she had anything to say about it.

“So who is it? Come on, tell me! Is it Odette? Laura?”

Thatcher continued to ignore her.

“Is it M-“

“I swear to God, if you’re about to say ‘Misty,’ I’m going to throw you out the window.”

“We’re eight stories up!”

“I know.”

Definitely not his tag team partner, then. But who? Madelyne was bursting with curiosity.

“Is it that Emma woman you had drinks with the other night? The two of you were pretty involved at one point.”

“No, not Emma. Look, I’m not here to find prospective dates, Madelyne. I get friendly with people on Twitter, and that’s about the extent of it. I don’t even have friends in SCW, let alone someone I would get romantically involved with. This is wrestling, not a dating program.”

“You’d be surprised at how much ‘wrestling’ goes on after a date.”

Rex arched an eyebrow.

“Or not.”

“Dating isn’t my focus in SCW, anyway. I’m here to do what I do best, and that’s win. First, this Mixed Tag Tournament, then the Roulette Title. This place already has two champions it can be proud of; it’s time to give them a third.”


*  *  *


Last week, I insulted the female opponent, Angel Kash. I brought up everything from STDs to her fake boobs. I had nothing kind to say about that woman, mainly because there was nothing kind to say about her. But this week, Jelly Tits isn’t going to be standing in the ring with Misty. This week, it’s someone who is far more respectable than, who is leagues above, Kash. We all know her; she is the current Bombshell Champion, an achievement which she should be proud of, despite the ravings of my partner. I’m not going to lie, Vixen. Were this not a Mixed Tag match and you were going up against Misty, I would be rooting for you the whole way. I would absolutely love to see you get some retribution, to prove her wrong in ways that will haunt her deepest nightmares. It’s no secret that she looks upon you with disdain. She’s made her contemptuous view quite public, and nothing would please me more than to see you wipe that smug look from her face.

However, that’s not the case. I made a commitment when I signed up for this tournament. I knew teaming with Misty would be a distinct possibility, but I accepted that, and vowed to give it my all. Even Misty hasn’t questioned the dedication that I bring to this team, and I will give no one, man or woman, reason to do so. You’re one of the good ones, Vixen, and you’ve been put in the same situation as I; you’re stuck with a jerk of a partner, but your personal honor won’t let you just walk away. It won’t let you sabotage said-partner, because while unpleasant as it is to see them bask in victory alongside you, becoming a traitor just isn’t right. So I expect you to do exactly as I plan to do, myself: bring your A-Game, hit us with everything you’ve got. Your chance at Misty will come again; you’re the Bombshell Champion, after all! She’ll come for you, for that title, and you will have your reckoning. You will have your chance to prove who is greater. But not this week, Vixen. I fully intend to see the end of this tournament and walk away with my hand raised in victory.

Despite facing a two-time World Champion.

Oh yes, Nick Jones. I know about you. Your career in this place has been quite the prestigious one, hasn’t it? The sheer amount of days that you’d been champion are staggering. You’re a dangerous man, Jones, a dangerous man indeed. You have the drive, you have the skill, and you have the hunger of a champion. It’s just a shame that the attitude doesn’t match. Now I know that you’ve done some impressive things in this business, things that would earn a man a decent amount of respect. Things that would put your name among the greats. So why do you get nothing but hate from fans and your fellow competitors alike? Why do none of them offer up the respect you so richly deserve?

Because you treat no one else with respect, that’s why. Respect begets respect, and you give it to no one. Instead, you dole out mockery and snappy retorts. You’re an arrogant ass, Jones, no two ways about it. But you’re not concerned with what other people think, are you? No, not you. You’re only concerned with one thing, and that is what you’ve been able to do. Granted, you’ve done a lot more than previous opponents, and I have a healthy respect for your abilities. Like I said, you’re a dangerous man, and dangerous men should not be taken lightly.

They should be taken down.

That’s the direction you’re going, pal. Oh, roll those eyes. Scoff at the words of one of the newest guys to hit SCW simply because he’s been here for three months. Go on. I’ll wait.

Are you finished?

How about now?

Good. Get it all out of your system, Nick, because come Sunday, you’re going to learn the same lessons as all prior opponents: Thatcher Rex is not a man to be mocked.  Staggs labeled me an ignorant sycophant due to a perceived undeserved sense of accomplishment. I assure you now that a sense of accomplishment is well-deserved. Aside from the past accolades in previous companies, there is the fact that not one man in this particular one has pinned my shoulders to the mat. Not a single individual has been able to hook my leg and score that victory.  And Nick, I guarantee, you will not be the man to break that streak.

Clever retorts and witticisms won’t save you. Snide remarks won’t shield you from the fact that you’re going toe-to-toe with someone who refuses to be intimidated by your past accomplishments. As far as I’m concerned, you’re just another man in the ring, one who is in sore need of getting his ass kicked. Earlier, I said I respected your ability… but I don’t respect the man.

Ah, respect. Which brings me to my partner.

Misty.

Oh, Misty.

You’ve said a lot of things, Misty. You’ve beaten Vixen, you’ve had past alliances with Nick Jones, you like to fight… but the thing that stands out most, the one thing that rings through my head even now, is the fact that you asked me to put aside my distrust. You asked me to focus, to see you as a tag team partner. When I heard this, I had to shake my head in dismay. You still don’t get it, do you? You have no idea who I am, even after our little bouts on Twitter. You’re asking me to put aside my distrust of you when you are hesitant to do the very same for me. You tagging me in did in fact infuriate me, but not because I’m jealous of you scoring the victory. It’s not because I wanted to keep Rage down for the three count. I’m not so vain that I think I should be the one bringing home the victories for our team, not by a long shot.

I’m angry because it shows that you didn’t trust me as a tag partner.

I’m angry because you thought I would act in a manner that is the polar opposite of who I am.

You were afraid that I would refuse to tag you back into the match. You thought I would ignore you once I was in there, that I was full of the selfishness and narcissism that is so rampant within you. For someone who considers herself aware of her surroundings, you’re not very observant, are you? Thatcher Rex is not Misty. The Tyrant King is not the Queen of the Damned. You may deny a partner a chance in the ring, but I will tell you now that if you call for a tag, you will receive one. Unlike you, I have participated in a few tag matches before, and I know how to work with a partner. We’re going to need to work through this, or we’re not going to see the end of this tournament. We’re a fractured house. We dislike one another; you hate me, I hate you. But that dislike can be put aside if we decide to work as a cohesive unit instead of a couple of squabbling children.

Because that’s what we amount to right now.

We won our last match, but that was simply the first round. If we expect to get to the second, we’re going to have to do a lot better. We’re going to have to be better. You know better than I the kind of people we’re going to face as the tournament goes on. What kind of advantages do you think Odette and Williams will take if they sense the weaknesses inherent? I’ll tell you what they’ll do: they’ll rip us apart. So you know what I’m going to do? I’m trust you. I’ll extend the olive branch and display the level of trust that you refused to show last week. You say you won’t cheat? Fine. I will take you at your word, but don’t you dare break that word. Do not break my trust.

Like it or not, we’re in this together. For my part, I’ll see it through to the best of my ability. There are times when you’ll be in the ring, and there are times when I’ll be in the ring. We’ll have to keep each other fresh, strong. I’m sure you appreciate strategy, Misty, and I hope that you take advantage of it. Despite our dislike of one another, neither you nor I can win this tournament alone. It’s the Mixed Tag Tournament, not the Singles Tournament, and it’s going to require the best of both of us.

So let’s give them the best.