Get It Together
Jet City South - San Diego
28 April 2020
OFF-Camera
It was the fourth straight day that Coby Quik had beaten Kris down to the makeshift gym that he had built in what used to be a grocery store, then a bowling alley, and finally a laundromat beneath his apartment. It had been Kris’ idea for them to train with each other. The way that they pushed one another had paid off years ago when both of their careers were on the rise. They had been hoping to recreate the magic. However, since agreeing to meet first thing every morning, Kris had failed to actually show up. Coby had just pressed ahead without him until now. This morning was different though. Instead of starting his routine, Coby turned around and went back upstairs. Within moments he was beating on Kris’ bedroom door, no longer giving him space.
Coby: We got work to do! Let’s go!
There was an immediate rustling inside the room that gave Coby an odd sense of satisfaction. It sounded as if Kris was knocking over a variety of objects on his way to the door and his disheveled appearance told Coby that his friend had been fast asleep. Kris only opened the door far enough to fill the space with his face, but his eyes were only half open and stinging from the light in the hallway.
Kris: What time is it?
Coby pushed the door open, knocking Kris off balance from still being half asleep.
Coby: Time to get up and actually put some work into this thing you have dragged me into.
Coby moves across the darkened space as Kris tries to get his bearings. Before Kris even realizes what Coby is doing, he yanks back the curtain, letting light into the room and blinding Kris all over again.
Kris: That’s totally uncalled for...
Kris, now turning away and shielding his eyes, never sees Coby turn back to him. Despite being the smaller of the two, Coby sizes Kris up and easily sweeps his legs out from under him, planting The Miracle on his back in the middle of his own bedroom.
Coby: You know… I thought losing would wake you up.
Kris uses his arms to cover his face, trying to get rid of the stars floating in front of his eyes. Not long ago he was dead asleep, and this was not how he had intended to start the day. If Coby thought that this course of action was going to force Kris to be receptive, he was wrong.
Kris: I’m really not mentally prepared to be lectured, can we try to pencil it in for tomorrow?
Coby pulls the chair away from Kris desk and places the legs around his friend’s torso. He promptly sits down on it, pinning Kris to the ground beneath it. Once Kris moves his arms, he is face-to-face with Coby looking down at him.
Coby: What’s the difference between the two of us?
Kris still was not convinced to participate in the conversation in a productive manner.
Kris: I understand personal boundaries and you don’t….
Coby had been around long enough to know that Kris was not going to be helpful. After all, if he was going to give Kris that much credit, he would not have gone as far as to pin him to the ground beneath the chair. He had learned a long time ago that sometimes Kris just needed to hear things, whether he wanted to or not. The problem was not getting him to talk. The problem was always keeping him somewhere that he would be forced to listen.
Coby: I didn’t just sign a contract and expect smooth sailing. I checked out the roster of the place. I did a little scouting at the show beforehand. I gameplanned for my opponent. I busted my ass during the week to prep. I knew what to expect. I won.
Coby pauses just long enough to give Kris a chance to change his mind about listening to what he has to say. Unfortunately, Kris was not on the same page.
Kris: Yeah, you fought a guy your own size and walked out with a win. You should have. Whoever trained you was talented.
Despite being only one of the three different people to help him through his training at Jet City, Kris always found a way to try and take full credit for it. It was Kris’ gym now, at least on paper. Any success was his success. Any failures got blamed on his brother. Coby was smarter than to let it get him off track though.
Coby: The people that trained me made sure to let me know that I couldn’t just sit back and wait for good things to happen for me. I had to go out there and make it happen for myself. I had to be smarter than the people around me. I had to train harder than they did. I had to want it more. I had to prove them wrong about me. That’s what I learned. I damn sure didn’t learn to give up after a setback.
Coby finally saw a little bit of light arise in Kris’ eyes at the assumption that he was just going to give up.
Kris: I’m not givi---
Coby Quik-ly (puns) cuts him off, not even letting Kris get his defense started.
Coby: That sure is what it looks like. You can call it blowing off the gym, or wallowing in self pity, but it all amounts to the same thing. You lost, and now you lost interest. If I knew that you were going to quit this early on, I wouldn’t have even come down here.
Of course, that was not entirely true. Coby had used Kris as an excuse for getting back into the business. He was not about to let that get in the way of his guilting Kris into action though.
Coby: You know, for all your talk about all of us at Jet City meaning something to you, you have a terrible way of showing it through your actions.
It was not an accusation that Kris was willing to just lay back and take though.
Kris: I did everything that I could for you guys.
It sounded good to Kris, but he had unwittingly made Coby’s point for him.
Coby: Exactly! You talk about it like it is some kind of past tense thing. We are still here! We are still competing! It’s not a thing of the past. It’s not something that we used to do. You are out there as the biggest representative of all of us, and you’re blowing it.
Kris tries to shake off the responsibility of carrying their brand on his shoulders just as he always does.
Kris: Jason and Parker are th---
Coby cuts him off again though, having already heard that excuse too many times.
Coby: Those two might have been great at one point, but we both know that they are both done inside the ring. And yeah, Jay was a Triple Crown Champion. Sure, Parker was a Grand Slam like you. I mean, I have held championships of my own, and Courtney even won the Blast From The Past tournament that everyone gives Fenris the credit for. None of us are the face of Jet City though. You are.
Kris had never thought that a day would come where he was outside of his brother’s shadow. He had always been able to be the talented fuck-up that just barely skates by somehow. Jason had always been the driving force. For the first time, Kris was starting to notice that things had changed.
Kris: I don’t think I’m the guy for that particular job...
Maybe it was because Coby had gotten to him while he was half asleep, but it had been easier than expected to dig under Kris’ rigid exterior.
Coby: I don’t think you have a choice. Court has been out of action almost as long as you have been. I’m really just getting started again, and nobody in SCU really knows me yet. You are the one everyone is going to be looking at.
Coby could see in Kris’ eyes that he was running through how his actions reflected on Jet City as a whole, as if the weight of his disappointing return was not enough.
Kris: ...so when I look like shit, we all look like shit.
Coby nodded. He did not need to rub it in any further, although Kris definitely would have if their roles were reversed.
Coby: Now you see why I’m gonna need you to get your shit together, right? You’re making me look bad.
Kris nods, and taps his hands on the legs of the chair Coby was using to pin him down.
Kris: So you’re going to let me up now?
The smile on Coby's face turns down into a frown, and he shakes his head, much to Kris’ dismay.
Coby: Not unless you are ready to get up and get to work. Like, for real this time.
Instead of agreeing immediately, Kris grabs the legs of the chair and attempts to push them up off of the ground. Coby seems confident, but the chair starts to wobble. Instead of trying to overpower him physically, Coby simply reaches down and flicks Kris in the center of the forehead, causing him to laugh. The laughter makes it impossible for Kris to hold his grip, and he gives up.
Kris: Who flicks someone in the forehead? I’m pretty sure you’re some kind of terrorist.
Coby shakes his head.
Coby: Not me. I learned that one from your brother.
It actually made sense to Kris that it would be advice that Jason gave. There were countless times where their disagreements had turned physical and ended a lot like this.
Kris: He give you the chair thing too?
Coby nods with the smile back on his face.
Coby: He said you would need someone like me to keep you in line if you were going to make it.
Just like that, Coby’s words cut through years of fog in Kris’ memory. There was a reason why all of this had seemed so familiar. A conversation that he had with his brother came to mind, and Kris had to fight hard to keep the feelings that it stirred off of his face. Now was not the time to dig into that. The point was that Jason was right back then, just as Coby was now. He had been going about everything the wrong way. It was time to fix that.
Kris: Then let me up and let’s get to work.
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The Climb
30 April 2020
ON-Camera
”Let’s start off with the stupid questions.”
The camera feed opens looking down on Kris Ryans. The natural light of the area shows that they have to be outside, but the ground appears to be nearly twenty feet beneath them.
Confused? I’m talking about the stupid shit that all of the backstage interviewers are going to be buzzing about. The questions that don’t deserve answers.
The camera pans back a little to show that Kris’ hands are locked into small knobs on the wall. His legs are spread apart, with each of his feet on different levels of posts in the wall.
Things like, was my return a setback for me? Do I regret making the decision to come back? Have I lost a step or... nine? What does the future hold? Am I just going to take my ball and go home?
Fans appear to be looking down from the top of the rock wall Kris attempts to climb up, but the former champion appears to have reached one of the more difficult spots. His eyes search for a path up as he speaks.
The last thing that I want is anyone to be running to ask me something like this when I step into the GO Gym for my next match. I don’t want my return to be the focus of the night. So we are going to clear some shit up right now, and then we’re all going to move past it.
Just as he finishes his thought, he uses all of the strength he can muster to leap up off of the posts on the wall to get to a grip spot that had been just out of reach. Kris dangles there for a second, searching for a foothold without being able to really look down.
I was overconfident.
His left foot finds a divot in the wall to step into, while his right finds one of the grip knobs to stand on top of. He reaches out for a higher spot with his free hand and nearly loses his balance.
I was sloppy.
Instead of looking up, Kris looks down to his footing, finding a place to move up, allowing him to easily reach the spot that he had missed before.
I underestimated my opponent, and also how easy it was going to be to just slide back into competition after being away for so long.
He appears to be two-thirds of the way up the wall, with the camera panning back to show a giant inflated mat beneath him should he actually fall during his ascent.
I was wrong, and it cost me the first impression of my return. That’s something that I am going to have to live with. It’s not something that is going to get me off track though. I’m not going to let falling short cause me to rethink the fact that I want to be out in the ring. I have already had to give up a lot just to be back in SCW. I want this. That has not, and will not, change.
As he speaks Kris is moving more and more confidently up the wall, not letting his near miss moments ago get into his head.
A stumble is not a defeat. I’m not going to try and take anything away from Bill Barnhart. The guy beat me. He deserves the opportunity that he has been given after pulling out what everyone has been calling an upset. I walked in expecting to win, and everyone was putting their money on me. That bit me in the ass.
He comes to another spot where there is nothing within reach. Instead of continuing straight up though, he moves horizontally a few notches. He continues to speak, though not really focused on the camera recording him.
I’m actually kind of grateful for it though. I could have lost to a much more annoying person. The opportunity at the Internet Championship could have gone to someone less deserving. I could have continued thinking that there was nothing wrong with the way I was approaching coming back. Winning that match would have had consequences down the line. Maybe it would have cost me a lot more than just a first impression.
Viewers can tell that the climb is starting to wear on him a little. Sweat starts to bead down his forehead and into his eyes when he looks up to try to find a way up.
It’s good to get the failure out of the way early, but it’s not something that has ever actually happened since my first match here. I lost my actual debut in Sin City, only to come back better, and more focused on creating the career that I have had here.
The Miracle does not stop moving in order to reminisce about the past, even working his way back towards the camera as he climbs.
On the other hand, the times that I have come out feeling bulletproof, I have lost focus in some big spots. When I went on the streak to win the Internet Championship, the inevitable downfall handed me my worst losing streak to date. I ended up hurt and in rehab not long after. I came back with my brother but Jet City dropped the tag titles in embarrassing fashion after being dominant for months. I let Crimson derail my entire career not once, but twice after that. Both times I ended up seriously injured and had to take time away. All because I couldn’t get out of my own way. I felt like nothing could stop me.
He is back to being directly beneath the camera now, just feet below reaching the top of the wall.
So, I’m kind of glad that Bill Barnhart stopped the trend from starting again this time around. Sure, losing sucks, and I am bad at admitting when someone had my number, but I’m not going to dwell on that. I’m not going to fixate, or kind someone else to blame for it. There is no explaining it away. I just have to own it, and move on.
The top lip of the wall appears to give the former champion some trouble. His arms look like they want to give out, but he refuses to give up when he is this close to the top. Kris places his hand on the top of the wall, and then swings to get his leg up as well. From there, he rolls, laying at the feet of the cameraman. He seems pleased with himself.
Losing was a wake up call, and it happened at the perfect time. Luckily, I have some people around to knock some sense into me, and get me to start pushing myself back to where I need to be. I didn’t become a Grand Slam Champion by sitting back and relying on tricks and minimal effort. I wanted to come out and prove everyone wrong about me. I had to put in the work. That hasn’t changed.
Kris slaps the top of the wall and pushes himself up to his feet. He takes a deep breath before looking down to the ground below. He gives a shrug to the camera and a confident smirk.
I know that I’m playing catch up now, but at least I’m not afraid of the climb back to the top…. Or a fall all the way back to the bottom to start over….
Kris holds his arms out to his side and falls backwards off of the top of the wall. The cameraman rushes forward and the camera catches most of Kris’ fall down to the giant inflatable below. He bounces upon impact, rolling backwards and landing on his feet on some of the mats below as the camera fades to black.
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Jet City Calling
Jet City South - San Diego
8 May 2020
OFF-Camera
What a difference eleven days had made. Following his loss to Bill Barnhart, Kris had been blowing off showing up to training. He had not been preparing mentally for Finn Whelan. He had been dragging his heels about putting in the work required to make a successful comeback. However, Coby had finally gotten things turned around. Not only had Kris put the failure of his return behind him, but he was actively taking part in preparing for the next challenge. At the beginning Coby was able to brag about how Kris could not keep up with him, but after the Grand Slam Champion started to shake off some of the rust and get a lot of his timing back, Coby found himself struggling to gameplan for Kris inside the ring.
As Kris’ confidence came back, so did his ability to improvise unique ways to get himself out of trouble. With Coby as a stand in for Finn, Kris had the perfect training dummy. All three men were similarly built. All three of them employed similar styles inside the ring. For maybe the first time in his career, Kris was actually focused and looking ahead, instead of flying by the seat of his pants. It was a good change. One that Coby hoped would stick. After all, the sharper Kris got, the more Coby could use Kris to push himself. That was the only way that Coby was going to be able to keep up in SCU.
This was their last day to really push themselves ahead of the show, not wanting to go too hard in the days leading up to the actual fight. The two men had already packed everything up, and were supposed to be closing down for the day when Coby made his way back into the gym. Instead of finding Kris ready to head out, the only thing that he could hear was the same sequence of sounds echoing through the otherwise quiet space.
*THWACK* *THWACK* *THUD*
The same three sounds repeat yet again, while Coby searches for the source. He gets closer to it as it cycles a third time. Before the fourth though, he finally finds Kris. The former champion is standing in the center of the ring they had built, staring at one of the corners. In it, he has a heavy bag set up. Coby had seen Kris working on something like this before he had taken time away, but Kris had never quite gotten it right. The fact that he was back at it told Coby all he needed to know about where Kris’ level of confidence was at. Kris sprints towards the bag, getting airborne just a few steps before he reaches the corner. He drives his forearm down into the top part of the bag.
*THWACK*
Kris lands on his feet in front of the bag but in rapid succession, he follows with a knee to his would-be opponent’s rib area.
*THWACK*
Kris leaps to his left and plants his foot cleanly on the middle rope. However, instead of attempting the roundhouse kick that Coby had seen finish off the combination before, Kris hooks his legs around the bag and falls backwards to the mat, flipping it out of the corner and down to the center of the ring.
*THUD*
Kris smacks the mat and rocks back on his shoulders. He kicks his legs, and rolls forward, kipping back up to his feet. He was winded, but there was a smile on his face when he saw the positioning of the bag on the mat. Kris lets out a heavy sigh, and falls back to be sitting on the middle turnbuckle in the corner of the ring. Coby finally lets his presence be known, clapping a few times to acknowledge Kris’ accomplishment.
Kris: Oh, shut up! I couldn’t get the kind of distance that I wanted all week. I think I finally got it down.
Coby holds up his hands to make himself appear innocent of trying to mock Kris.
Coby: I remember when you first started working on that and needed Jason’s help to get the timing right. I’m thinking you might finally be onto something.
Kris shrugs his shoulders, and points out to where the bag lays in the center of the ring.
Kris: I need something to create some space, and it feels like people in SCW have just been getting bigger since the last time I was around. It wasn’t so much of a size disadvantage. I could just kind of wing it…. Now though...
Coby does not have any trouble finding the words that Kris was missing.
Coby: ...now people like Bill Barnhart are just going to hold you to the ground and make you tap out every time you step into the ring.
Kris looks up annoyed, but Coby is long past being afraid of his scowl.
Kris: Not exactly, but yeah. The same old tricks aren’t going to keep working. I need to keep people away from me so that I can keep myself off of the ground. Luckily, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem this time around though.
Coby takes two running steps and leaps up to the apron of the ring. The two of them had built it themselves, but it was well enough done to pass for the real thing. He ducks in between the middle and top ropes and makes his way to the center of the ring across from Kris.
Coby: Alright, so forget about that for a minute. What are you going to need to work on for this week, huh? Let’s see what you got...
Kris laughs, and points at Coby before pushing himself up off of the turnbuckle. He takes a few steps closer to the center of the ring but not within striking distance of his friend.
Kris: You standing in for Finn? You know enough about how he moves?
Coby just nods, and makes the first move towards Kris. Coby catches him with a running knee to the midsection, but Kris is able to backpedal away from most of the contact.
Coby: You were ready for that knee at least.
Coby goes for a straight kick to the center of Kris’ chest, but the Grand Slam Champion catches it and pushes him back. Kris charges out of the corner and leaps to attempt a running wheel kick, but Coby has it scouted and slips under it. As Kris gets back to his feet Coby attempts an enziguri that narrowly misses catching Kris face. Coby continues to be the aggressor, closing the distance between Kris and himself with a spinning back elbow that actually lands. Kris continues to backpedal and finds himself with his back against the corner. Coby closes in, looking to send a chop across Kris’ chest.
Kris: Not fast enough….
Kris rolls forward, ducking under the chop but planting his heels firmly into the mat. He leaps backwards, and would have leveled Coby with a pele kick if Jet City’s Quikest had not managed to get his hands up in front of his face first. Instead Coby falls back against the same corner he had backed Kris up into just moments before.
Coby: You’re the one moving so slow...
Coby charges out of the corner, having scouted Finn with Kris and knowing what he would do with this opening. Coby tries to hook an arm around Kris’ neck and attempts the sit-out sleeper slam that Finn had used to lay out opponents, but Kris is able to counter by hooking his arm around Coby’s neck and dropping himself backwards into a neckbreaker. Coby immediately grabs at the back of his head as the two lay in the center of the ring.
Kris: Yeah, but I was ready for that. If I keep trying to create space he is destined to attempt that Fenian Rising thing to turn the tides. It was the one thing he will go to if I am winning, which I intend to be. Tough break that you would think I didn’t know that.
Coby lets his arms fall back to the mat and he actually lets out an amused chuckle.
Coby: I really thought I had you for a second.
Kris shakes his head, allowing himself a moment to gloat.
Kris: That’s just what I wanted you to think. Sometimes you have to sucker people in to create yourself an opportunity.
Coby shrugs his shoulders, having no problem admitting defeat.
Coby: I just would have hit you in the side of the head with a running knee and called it a day. This guy is a little like you. There is definitely a passion for adding some flare. You know, style points.
Kris was not just going to let that kind of insult to his style stand though.
Kris: There is nothing flashy about just booting someone in the face to end a match-up and I’ve been doing that for forever.
Coby again has the perfect amount of experience dealing with Kris to be able to explain away his answer effortlessly though.
Coby: Yeah but before that it was that flipping leg drop so that you could cheat and hit people with that bulky brace. I think that is about as close to the line as you can get without breaking rules.
Not having any shame, Kris does not even try to deny it.
Kris: First of all, still going to be doing that. It’s awesome. I enjoy being in the air. Plus, you gotta take what you can get. I have cleaned up a lot of my tricks, but there is no need to color all the way inside the lines at all times.
Coby sits up on the mat and starts to push himself back to his feet.
Coby: That’s where we are going to have to agree to disagree.
Kris rolls to his side and pushes himself up off of the mat. He knew that Coby saw the rules as rigid and never meant to be broken, but Kris had not always had the relationship with them that he does now. He used to think that rules were meant to be broken, and to get away with it meant you were skilled. More recently though, he has strayed from breaking them but was never afraid to test their pliability.
Kris: I’m not going to be hitting people with brass knuckles or sneaking low blows when the referees are not looking, but I am not above trying to gain an edge.
Coby gestures around the room that they are standing in, the smile gone from his face.
Coby: What do you call all this? You think everyone has the time, money, or ability to set up their own personal gym like this? You think everyone can just create their own environment to train in? This right here is your leg up on the competition, and you still don’t quite get that, do you?
Kris takes a second to look around at what they had built in the very short time that they had been in San Diego.
Kris: They have their GO Gym, and Staggs whatever…. People can train anywhere.
Coby uses Kris point against him instead of trying to deflect away from it.
Coby: ...and when you look at the people that Staggs has trained, or the ones that come out of the GO Gym, look at how successful they are in SCW. Look at how they have come in and dominated. For that matter, look at everything that the Jet City people have been able to accomplish under the radar there. People that have this kind of set up, and can prepare like we can already have every advantage that they need.
It was not an angle that Kris had ever looked at it from. Coby was not done trying to shake Kris out of his old line of thinking though.
Coby: You went into your last match flippant, and relying on your shortcuts and little tricks to win. It didn’t work out. It hasn’t ever worked out. For every single one of your successes there is an equal failure that could have been avoided. How many times have you gotten hurt? How many times have you gotten pushed out of your comfort zone and it cost you a match? This….
Coby again points around the room at the equipment that they are surrounded by.
Coby: ...this is the key to winning. What we have been doing for the last two weeks is how you are going to take your spot back in SCW. If you want to get back to winning, this is the way. Not bending the rules. Not trying to cheat under the radar. And definitely not….
Coby cuts himself off before he goes too far. Although, the way that he stops manages to grab Kris’ attention almost more than any of the words that actually made it out of his mouth.
Kris: What were you going to say? Definitely not…. what?
Coby takes a step back from his friend, knowing that Kris is not ready to hear what he had stopped short of letting slip out. They were getting there, but now was not the time.
Coby: How about this, you go win that match, and maybe I can impart some more wisdom. I don’t give free tips to people that can’t handle themselves inside the ring.
Kris knew that Coby was mostly joking, but was willing to play along for the time being.
Kris: So that’s how it is?
Coby nods as he makes his way out onto the apron of the ring. He does not look back at his friend as he hops down to the floor.
Coby: That’s what’s up!
Kris picks up a towel from near the center of the ring and tosses it in Coby's direction. It catches the ceiling and falls short of reaching the Underground star.
Kris: We agreed on no catchphrases!
Coby puts his hands up in the air as he makes his way back towards the exit. He yells back at Kris without breaking his stride.
Coby: Sometimes it needs to be said!
Without waiting for Kris to call anything back to him, Coby makes his way out of the back entrance of the building, leaving Kris to finish cleaning up and locking up on his own.
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Known Unknowns
San Diego, CA
6 May 2020
ON-Camera
It is supposed to be hard to step into the ring against someone that is new to the company.
Kris sits in the middle of the ring inside a dimly lit room. The camera seems to hover in front of him, but he is not looking at it. Instead, he sits back a little in the chair and lets out a heavy sigh.
I mean I admit it. When I saw the card go up, I may have been more nervous than I thought I would be. I mean had it been someone like Dmitri, Caleb Storms, Ben Jordan, or even Fenris I would have been more in my comfort zone. These are people with history here. They are people that I have shared the backstage area with. They are known quantities. Regardless of their level of talent, I know what to expect. There is a safety net there.
Clearly Kris is still not quite over coming up short in his return to the company.
Bill Barnhart was not one of those known quantities, and look how that ended up going for me. I wouldn’t necessarily call it my finest moment.
He tries to shrug the memory away, but some of the negativity still shows on his face. He does what he can to attempt to move past it.
I know that Finn Whelan is going to want to capitalize on the fact that I lost my last time out. I know that he has to be thinking that this is the jackpot spot to be in. He is only two matches into his SCW career and he gets to take on one of the best that has ever been in Sin City’s six sided ring.
He has said the words dozens of times before, but this time they do not sound the same. It is possible that his most recent loss had shaken the Grand Slam Champion’s confidence.
I know that my last match may not have been all that impressive, but there is no denying my place in SCW history. I guess I am a Triple Crown Champion according to the people running the show around here, but it’s actually a Grand Slam. I was man of the year just two years ago. Finn Whelan could have found himself in the ring across from someone that has yet to do anything impressive. He could have been in a match where he would have been the heavy favorite to win. Instead, he finds himself against “The Miracle” Kristopher Ryans.
He pauses, and allows himself to think about what this match could have been.
On another show, at another time, that’s a match worthy of a main event.
Both men had risen to the top of their profession, and both in some of the most violent ways. Had they entered Sin City Wrestling at the same time, the Roulette Division may not have survived. Kris tries not to let his mind linger on what could have been though.
I know that I haven’t earned that spot back yet, and I know that Finn is not there in SCW yet either, but nobody could argue the appeal.
Kris sits forward in his chair. The cadence of his voice starts to speed up as he gets more excited about the possibilities of this match.
I mean this guy is an unknown as far as Sin City goes, but that doesn’t make him an actual unknown. It doesn’t mean that he is unproven. He may be new around this locker room, but that doesn’t mean people don’t already know his name. How could I be part of Jet City without being familiar with The Seattle Saint?
Kris had taken pride in familiarizing himself with the talentpool in Seattle. It was how his brother had recruited for PRIDE both times the company was open. It was how they scouted talent for the Jet City Sports Lab. This card was hardly the first time he had come across Finn Whelan’s name.
To go even further, how could I, Kristopher Ryans, not know of Finn Whelan? If you don’t count the wonderfully different childhoods that we had, looking at Finn is a lot like looking in the mirror.
Kris pushes himself up from the chair and starts to move towards the camera. He holds his hands up though, pleading innocence before the viewers can accuse him of anything stereotypical.
This isn’t one of those villain ‘we are a lot alike’ speeches either. This is just me making an observation. I know that the guy might be relatively new around here, and he wasn’t exactly talking everyone’s ear off in his debut, but the more you learn about him the more it makes sense.
Kris runs his hand through his hair, trying to wade through how best to phrase his words.
The guy bounced around early in his career with Elena Dedraca and got into some trouble here and there not unlike myself and my brother when we teamed as Jet City. I’m not saying the two things are exactly equivalent, but the more I think about it, the more things like that just started to line up.
He shrugs his shoulders, but quickly finds another example.
The guy had some problems to deal with outside the ring. The kind of problems that plagued my early career and got me sent home from shows more than a handful of times. He picked fights with people just for something to do, because he didn’t really care about much else.
The smile that crosses Kris’ face almost makes it seem like he is talking about himself. It was starting to become clear why he had been so excited for this opportunity.
So then he trained. He got a leg up by being shown the ropes by people that had already climbed to the very top of this business. He always seemed to be the underdog, no matter what the situation. If anyone can relate to that it’s me. I started off as a Nobody and had to fight tooth and nail to become a Somebody. Every time I took a step forward everyone was just expecting a backslide. There was a point where I thought no amount of success was going to change the way that people thought of me. I’m glad that I was wrong.
Kris had only just started to accept that he had moved out of his brother’s shadow, and the weight that was lifted off of his shoulders was clear on screen. He seemed more free now than he had in his previous stints with the company.
I remember back when I was actually holding the SCW World Heavyweight Championship, Finn’s name just kept popping up in the finals of tournament after tournament. It seemed like everyone was always counting on him to lose, but the dude was always there at the end. It always seemed like the biggest prizes were always just out of reach for him though. I remember there was a company that closed on him once before a title match. That has to be a tough break.
He shakes his head, and does his best not to try and sound insulting. Instead of dwelling on the bad, Kris shifts gears, just as he starts to pace along the ropes.
Luck changed for him, not unlike it did for me. He went from a guy that was always just a little bit short to the guy sitting on top of the mountain. When I was tearing apart SCW fighting Crimson, Finn was dominating another company in a way that very few people can say that they have.
Kris almost sounded impressed, which was not something that his opponents could typically say of him.
Finn seems like the type of guy that is fueled by proving people wrong. I may be reading into it too much, but I think he is just a guy trying to make his impact on this business. He’s the type that wants people to remember him alongside some of the best to ever do it. Competing in the middle of a ring is the thing that he is best at, and he wants to show that off. I can’t say that I blame him.
After all, Kris shares the exact same type of personality. He stops at one of the corners of the ring and the camera stops with him, hovering just in front of him. Kris seems to be trying to pull out anything else that he could remember but nothing comes to mind. He shifts gears away from it as not to get stuck in a loop.
I honestly can’t say that I’ve kept up with what he’s been up to in my time away. I know that there was a time that we overlapped when I ventured outside the confines of Sin City to a ring with only four corners. I don’t think we ever actually got to cross paths though. He was just a guy on social media that I had a feeling was going to end up making people look silly when he finally rose to the top.
The smile on Kris’ face starts to fade though.
...and it looks like that time is now. It looks like the person that he is going to attempt to make a fool of, is me.
He raises his hand up to his chest, and does his best to convey his over-the-top hurt feelings to the viewers.
The problem is, regardless of how little he says in his promos, and regardless of how short and sweet he makes his appearances, he is not an unknown to me. He does not have the Bill Barnhart advantage of being someone that has flown under my radar. He had put together one hell of a career, and it has been entertaining to follow. The problem for him, is that I have followed. The crowd of people that told him that he could never amount to anything: I wasn’t in it.
He shrugs his shoulders, and the smile starts to come back to his face.
Now Finn Whelan is going to attempt to come into my environment and try to steal away a win from me? That’s not going to happen. Last time around I was hoping that I wasn’t going to have to leave my comfort zone. This time around I am better prepared, sharper, and more ready than I have ever been. It is just an added bonus that I am just as familiar with Finn as I am with people that have been on this roster for years. I told people when I came back that I was going to be taking back the spot that was taken away from me. I was going to refresh people’s memory when it came to the things that I did here. I was the nobody that proved everyone wrong. I was everything that Finn Whelan has tried to be for his entire career. This matchup couldn’t have come at a better time, because Finn helped me realize something that I almost forgot. Luckily, Coby was here to beat it into me before Finn got the chance.
Kris looks directly into the camera, not thinking about all of the fans watching at home anymore. The part of the show that was for them is already over. He drops the jovial tone and becomes more blunt.
So Finn, now that it’s clear that I know you, maybe I should introduce myself in case this is your first time. I’m Kristopher Ryans. I know you. I hope, for your sake, that you learn a little something about me. You're going to need to, because I just remembered that I’m the miracle that everyone's been waiting for. I’m the one that proves the naysayers wrong. I'm the resident underdog that always manages to come out on top eventually. And I'm going to be the person to hand you the first loss of your SCW career.
He laughs, and the confident smile returns to his face.
Someone go ahead and call Finn Whelan an ambulance… There’s gonna be an accident!
With that the video fades to black.
