Take A Step Back
18 May 2020
ON-Camera
Unfortunately, I have to start off by doing something that is going to make me feel dirty.
The video starts to roll with Grand Slam Champion Kristopher Ryans in the center of the frame. He appears to be recording from a laptop but his surroundings leave a lot to be desired. The eggshell colored wall behind him is decorated by two pictures in the plainest of black frames: one of a bowl of white rice, the other of lightly toasted bread on a saucer plate. Kris, despite his plain white t-shirt, is the only splash of any color in the frame. He takes a drink out of a bottle of water, and lets out a heavy sigh.
I have to thank Alicia Lukas for pointing out that since my return, I have been a little…. well...
He gestures to the things around him.
You get the point...
Viewers can tell that he is struggling to keep a smile off of his face, but for now is winning the battle.
She’s not wrong though. I hate to give her any credit at all, but she made a good point. I have been a little...
He struggles to pull out the right word to finish the thought, not wanting to use any of the ones Alicia had thrown at him in making her point.
...let’s just call it restrained.
Kris appears at least mostly satisfied with the alternative that he came up with.
...but it’s not like it is without reason. Before I came back I found myself looking back at some of my matches from early on in my SCW career. Not only was I calling people out that tried to stake a claim to anything based on their past, but I also never seemed to care about what people thought about me. After all, back then everyone thought of me as a nobody. I was the one showing up to prove them wrong. Somewhere along the way I lost track of both of those things.
Kris crosses his arms in front of his chest. He was not good at speaking on his own shortcomings, so his words were not coming easily.
I have been so focused on how people remember me, and my place in history, that I forgot about how things used to be. Before I took time away there was a long period of time where I was the most successful person in the company. I went from underdog, to the person expected to win no matter what the obstacle in front of me was. I forgot what it was like to be on the other side of things.
He lets a small laugh escape his lips and shakes his head like he was putting more pieces of the puzzle together even as he was talking.
I know I’m hard-headed. I’m not exactly the most reasonable person in the world. Maybe it was always going to take getting the same shit shoveled at me by Griffin, Alicia, and the rest of the company to open my eyes. You would think that at this point in my career I would have already figured this kind of stuff out though.
He shakes his head again, clearly still giving himself a hard time.
If people told me at the beginning of my career that at some point people beating me was going to be considered an upset, I would have laughed at you. Yet, that is exactly why everyone was so surprised when Bill Barnhart walked away with a victory in my return. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have settled for Griffin Hawkins or anyone else ignoring me. I wouldn’t have waited for the fans, or management to come around to the idea of getting what I wanted. I didn’t used to think about things like how I was going to be perceived. I just went out in front of the crowd, did what was best for me, and let the rest play out.
He uncrosses his arms, starting to loosen up and become more comfortable now that he was not picking on his own shortcomings.
I can’t force anyone to change their minds about me. I never could, but at least it didn’t used to matter to me as much. Like Alicia put it, all of that stuff is kind of...bland. It is not the reason that I got into this business. It is not the reason that I enjoy being in the ring. It’s not really what I came back for. All of it is just a big distraction from doing what I do best.
He lets out another deep breath, but it does not sound as deflated as when he began.
Sometimes you have to take a step back and listen to the criticism. At least while I was doing it, I got to sit in the crowd for Climax Control and watch Griffin Hawkins come up just a little bit short himself. Kind of makes the things he said about me sting a little bit less when he gets beaten by Raab after talking down to him like he did me.
A smile crosses his face.
...and even though Alicia was out here dishing out the harshness, I think she managed to stir up some of the memories that led to this epiphany I am having.
He gives a slight nod of acknowledgement to the camera.
As for everyone else that thinks that this return was a bad idea, or destined to fail, I’m no longer going to carry your bullshit around with me. I’m not here to cater to everyone’s expectations. I have always cut my own path through the crowd, and somehow I managed to rise to the top. My problem was I tried to fix something that I wasn’t broken. From now on, I won’t be wasting time on things that don’t matter. I have Jack Washington to think about, and then putting a stop to Griffin Hawkins upward momentum in this company after that.
Kris winks at the camera with a smile on his face.
Rest assured none of it will be boring though.
With that, the feed cuts out and the screen fades to static.
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Blindspot
Jet City South - San Diego
19 May 2020
OFF-Camera
There was one thing on Kris’ mind as he made his way through Jet City. He knew that Coby was going to have beaten him there as a way to start the day of training with a feeling of superiority, but Kris was not showing up for the two of them to spar. Before Kris went to find his seat in the crowd of Climax Control, Coby had pulled him aside to issue a warning. Kris hadn’t wanted to go into it with cameras following them, but had filed it as something to bring up once he had the chance. Luckily for Kris, the Sin City Underground newcomer had not spotted him as he made his way through some of the weight-lifting equipment. The young star was still warming up, running the track along the outside of the space.
As Coby passed by him, Kris made his way stealthily across Jet City, making sure to stay in his friend’s blind spot. He knew that he only had one opportunity, the curve where the front desk would be once they were actually able to open the gym back up. As Coby veered with the temporary path they had created Kris ducked out from behind a support beam and managed to plant his shoulder firmly into Coby’s midsection. The smaller man’s momentum folded him in half and he rolled over Kris before hitting his back hard on the ground.
Kris: Good morning!
The impact had sent Kris to the ground as well, but he was mostly unharmed. Coby rolled around a few feet away from Kris and was struggling to fill his lungs with air. Kris was able to get himself back up to his feet by the time Coby was able to catch a breath.
Coby: What...is wrong...with you….?
Kris had been ready to go with his answer, but waited to enjoy Coby fighting with the words in order to get them out.
Kris: I was actually going to ask you the exact same thing. That is why I came all the way down here...
Coby rolls over onto his back, now able to breathe again normally. It was not the first time that Kris had blindsided him, and he doubted that it would be the last. The pain itself started to fade the moment that Coby caught the tone of Kris’ voice. He knew this conversation was coming, and should have expected that Kris would lash out like this first.
Coby: Oh...so this is about Mikah?
Kris’ mouth was already open, ready to berate Coby, but his friend’s response caught him totally off guard.
Kris: How did you k--
Coby waved the question off before Kris could finish it, and pushed himself up into a seated position on the floor.
Coby: I know that you need to stay away from her if that is what you are going to ask. I know that she is a distraction. I know that you don’t need her for anything, but for some reason have allowed yourself to rely on her to do things that you could easily do yourself.
Kris wasn’t exactly prepared for Coby to be this forthcoming about his reasoning behind the warning he gave at Climax Control. After all, Mikah had been in Coby’s wedding. They had all been friends for years.
Kris: I don’t know why you suddenly have a problem with her after all this time, or what that has to do with me.
Coby shakes his head as he pushes himself back up to his feet. His hand reaches down to his ribs and his face twists in pain as he tries to straighten himself up. It was going to take a little while for the imprint of Kris’ shoulder to leave his abdomen, but he was not going to let Kris literally talk down at him for the whole argument.
Coby: I love Mikah to death. She is terrible for you though.
Kris opens his mouth to argue, but Coby does not pause long enough to let him get a word in.
Coby: I get it. She is going through some shit and you told her that she could chill here. That’s fine. Friends should do that for each other when they can. But we both know that’s not where the line is drawn.
Kris does not even try to protest, instead attempting to change the subject.
Kris: She got me back into Sin City, and I helped you get into Underground. Really you should be thanking her.
Kris can tell before Coby even starts to open his mouth that his former trainee is not buying it.
Coby: You could have stepped out into the ring at any point in the last two years and the reaction you got would have inked your contract. From what I’ve seen from you and Christian over the years, you could have gotten him to agree in five minutes of less. Even Mark seems thrilled to have you back. You didn’t need to go through all of that shit. You could have just been you, and done it your way. Not hers.
Kris again tries to cut into Coby’s lecture.
Kris: Maybe not bu--
Kris points an index finger at Coby while trying to make his counterpoint, but in a flash it is slapped away. Coby trucks right through Kris’ words, not done making his point yet.
Coby: ...and you walked in half-cocked like you were the greatest of all time and got embarrassed in your first match back. You know who does that shit? Mikah. She would go out drinking, always talk about not wanting to show up or do her job, come out and do it thoughtlessly. Sure, she managed to pull out the win more often than not, but she is way more physically talented than you are, and nobody in her division was seven feet tall or close to five hundred pounds. Being like her is going to get you hurt, and you get hurt enough on your own.
Kris had made the mistake of thinking that his friend had come to the argument unprepared, but instead found himself being shot down before he could even make a single valid point. Instead of being able to vent all of his frustrations at his friend, Kris was forced to turn it inward.
Kris: Alright, maybe I was taking my eye off the prize a little bit, but friends do that for other friends. Besides, she’s going to help me with my problem of not having a tag team partner.
Coby was surprised that Kris was still even hanging on to that dream. One thing was for certain, if Kris had a blindspot, Mikah was in it.
Coby: Has she ever even said yes to that?
Kris goes to nod his head, but hesitates. He thinks back to the conversations that he and Mikah had on the subject. The two of them had discussed it several times, dating as far back as the Kris and Mikah Show, and leading their respective divisions as champions. Yet, he couldn’t recall once that she had ever given him a real answer. Coby picks up on Kris’ lack of response quickly
Coby: That’s what’s up...
Usually it was a phrase that Coby said with excitement, like a call to arms, this was felt more like Coby’s own person brand of ‘I told you so’ more than anything else though.
Kris: So what, you’re saying that I should just send her packing?
Coby shakes his head hastily, and backtracks some of his criticism.
Coby: That’s not what I’m saying at all. Mikah’s not a bad person. She’s just not a person that you need to get lost in. She’s a blast to be around, but she’s not someone whose advice I would take when it comes to career decisions. You need to get back to doing things your way, cause you’re gonna drown otherwise.
The former SCW Champion’s mouth opens and closes a few times without any words being produced. He laces his fingers together and cradles the back of his head in his hands as he lets out a deep breath. Kris knew that Coby was right. Now that he was running the last few weeks backwards in his mind he could see the things that he should have done differently. After the week of being shown up by Griffin and Alicia Lukas, Kris was not about to give Coby any satisfaction of officially backing down from yet another argument. Thinking quickly, he shifts the subject instead, nodding towards Coby’s ribcage. He was content to drop the subject and call it a draw if Coby would let it slide.
Kris: You going to need a minute to walk that off?
Coby shakes his head with a smile on his face. He knew that it was as close as he was going to get to Kris admitting defeat. Honestly, he did not even care about winning the argument, it was more about pointing out the problem to Kris. There was no forcing The Miracle to do anything, you just had to push him in the right direction and hope he got it. Trying to force the issue was not going to get him anywhere. He had been sent to San Diego to keep Kris focused, so that is what he needed to do.
Coby: I’m good to go if you are. You have a long way to go if you’re going to beat Jack and then Griffin back-to-back.
Coby tries to give Kris a light shove, but the SCW Grand Slam Champion slaps his hand away before it can contact his shoulder.
Kris: Well, I like my chances more than yours against John Blade.
Coby’s mouth drops open in offense, but Kris spins away from Coby and takes off running along the same track that Coby was on before Kris had nearly flipped him out of his shoes. Coby tries to shake off the lingering pain in his ribcage and chases after Kris, ready to get the day started.
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Knockoffs
San Diego, CA
20 May 2020
ON-Camera
The video starts with Kris Ryans walking through a few empty halls. There is a white towel around his neck that he is using to wipe sweat off his forehead as he passes the camera. Whoever is operating the camera follows closely behind him and viewers can see the discoloration of his gray shirt from it being soaked. When Kris starts to speak, he is clearly out of breath.
This week has been a little harder than most. It would be a lie for me to try and say that Jack Washington isn’t good. He is. There is no denying that. The guy came into SCW through the Blast From The Past Tournament, and killed it in the first round, picking up the win for himself and his rookie partner.
Kris is standing next to a control panel in the center of the new Jet City Sports Lab that he and Coby Quik had been working on making functional since his plans to return to SCW. Kris’ hands move across the panel, and lights around him start to shut off in sections.
You could argue that he would have gone further in the tournament if it wouldn’t have been for that very same rookie partner. I know better than anyone that you are only as good as your partner in Blast From The Past, and he got booted out when Tallyn took the fall to the team that went on to win the damn thing. I guess if you are going to lose, you may as well lose to the eventual winners. Although, I can’t really hold Tallyn’s mistake over Jack’s head. I know if anyone tried to blame me for Polly Playtime’s incompetence, I would be a little salty about it. And let’s face it, Tallyn probably isn’t even on Polly’s level.
The darkness closes in around him as he talks until only a single bright light overhead remains. Kris turns from the panel, and actually looks into the camera, shaking his head.
I’m getting off track here. We’re supposed to be talking about Jack. He even went as far as to win the Jack-Off on Climax Control a couple of weeks back.
Kris starts to move back down the hallway that we had followed him down to start the video. Instead of trailing behind him, the camera now backtracks in front of him, allowing Kris to talk directly to the fans with a wide smile on his face.
You know, now that I say that out loud, I’m hearing how that can easily be taken the wrong way when you follow it up with the show name. Although, probably still a fitting name based on how publicly everyone in the hotel has been about not exactly social distancing from each other’s bedrooms.
He shakes his head again, clearly disappointed at having gotten off track again.
...but again, we are getting away from the point. Jack Washington walked into Climax Control a couple weeks ago, and put down Jack Russow fresh off that huge win against Griffin Hawkins. I mean, that guy had championship momentum coming in and our Gentleman Jack Washington swatted him down like he wasn’t shit. It was kinda impressive. After all, Griffin Hawkins had been on one of the biggest rolls in company history, and Russow ended it. Then Washington just steps up and takes the new Roulette Champion down a peg really easily. Now we finds himself across the ring from an SCW Grand Slam Champion.
Kris taps himself twice on the chest with a smirk on his face as the camera backs out of the building into a back alley. Kris follows through the door and closes it behind him, taking a moment to lock it before they move on.
So on one side we have Jack, the impressive newcomer and momentum killer. On the other side there’s me, trying to prove to everyone that I am still as good as I have ever been.
The camera moves to Kris’ side as he steps away from the building and follows next to him as he walks down the alleyway behind the building.
It’s not unlike my situation standing across from Finn Whelan. Although, Finn is much further along in his career than Jack is. Sure, this kid has been a Limitless Champion before, but Finn has carried more than one company on his back, and dominated tournaments around the world. When I looked at him though, all I could see was someone that was on the same path that I was. The more research I do, the more that I see similarities in the way we fight, the reasons we fight, and the things that we struggle with.
He laughs, but there is more annoyance in it than joy.
It is almost like walking into my house to find a bunch of knock-offs sitting on my couch, watching my TV, and eating all of my food. It is like stepping into my gym and seeing a bunch of K-Mart clones trying to walk down the same path that I took to the top of SCW.
He stops, and turns to the camera, giving the viewers his full attention instead of just bringing them along for the ride any longer.
...but that’s kind of a problem for me.
He offers a simple shrug to the camera.
This lane is taken.
Kris’ face is blank, and the usual joking undertone in his voice is gone.
Look, I’m not going to go out to that ring and put on the most technically sound display. I might be able to get people up out of their seats based on surprise and unpredictability but there is nothing that I can do that others can’t. I don’t always say the right things. I rub people the wrong way. I fuck up. A lot. A quick look back on my history in this company will show you half a dozen missteps for every single inch I ever gained in this company. I got where I am by being myself and forcing people to accept that I wasn’t going to be satisfied with settling for mediocrity. I demanded the things that I thought that I earned, and when people didn’t like it, I made sure to put them in their place. I stepped over the people that thought that they were better than me, and was breaking records even as people were talking about how I would never amount to anything special. I was dealt the same hand as half of this new class of wrestlers in SCW and I already played it to perfection. Their underdog story doesn’t play here. I was a nobody that became The Miracle. The story’s been told, and now I’m back. They’re going to go need to follow someone else’s blueprint because mine’s not for sale.
He shakes his head, wanting to move on from the subject, but now visibly starting to become irritated by the situation.
...and it wasn’t even some surgically precise rise to the top. If anything, it was more akin to someone trying to scratch and crawl their way out of a grave. Most of the time I was my own worst enemy, but so be it. At least that I can say that I made it this far without changing who I am. I say what I want to. I don’t stop to think about the consequences. When it gets me into fights, I usually fight my way out. Was it easy? No. Was it stupid? Probably. However, that path led me to being an SCW Grand Slam Champion. On one hand I can see the appeal to everyone trying to follow it, because it led me to all of the success that I have enjoyed. On the other hand, they say lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice.
He pauses for just a moment, his mind racing well ahead of his words. It takes a second for Kris to take a deep breath and attempt to get back on track.
These people can’t be me, no matter how hard they try. That is why when they are confronted by the real thing, they fall short. Not because I am the best. Not because I am the strongest, but because that is what I do. I’m a punching bag that talks shit and punches back until you give up trying.
Not that I think it would take much to get ol’ Jack here to give up. I mean the guy has had a handful of successful matches here, but other than that he is practically a ghost. The guy comes out and shocks everyone by beating Russow at Jack-A-Pa-Looza, and we haven’t seen or heard from him since. It’s been weeks. Has anyone rallied up a search party to find this guy? Did anyone even notice he was gone? Would anyone have even cared if they did?
A big match like that, and a surprise win over a new champion should have propelled this guy into the mix for championships. He should have been in Mark and Christian’s office saying that if Russow couldn’t beat him a few weeks back, he doesn’t deserve another free day as champion. We are talking about the same Jack Washington that had the confidence to say Russow was going get embarrassed on his first night as champ, and then managed to come through on the promise when everyone was laughing at him.
However, when it came time to fight for his shot, to claw his way up out of the ground, Jack was quiet as a mouse. Everyone has been fighting for a place at Into The Void; everyone but Jack. This is a guy that was talking about waiting by the phone for SCW to call. This was a guy that was supposedly excited to get the opportunity to step out of a family member’s shadow and pave his own way to excellence.
Kris shakes his head, clearly not buying the story.
Seems to me like he is more of a lazy, half-assing, knock off that isn’t going to be able to cut it when confronted in the ring by the real deal.
Kris holds his hands up in his defense, already sensing the offense that some of the viewers were going to take to his needlessly harsh words.
Somebody needed to tell him, right?
He looks to have worked though some of his annoyance, with a smile starting to work its way back across his lips.
You know, Jack, maybe you went back home after Blast From The Past because that is where you belong. Instead of storming into the offices in the back after your partner cost you your spot in the tournament, you packed your shit and you left. You didn’t ask to stick around. You didn’t demand an opportunity to prove your worth. Despite all of your talk, you sat around waiting for the phone to ring instead of stepping up and taking what you had earned. You didn’t cut your own path. You waited for an opportunity to be given to you.
...but what did you do with that opportunity?
You came in talking about wanting to hurt people, and see what it takes to break them down. You told Russow that you wanted to beat him as painfully as possible; that you wished his dad could be there in the front row to witness what you would do to him. You wanted to break a champion’s spirit at the moment where he was riding highest. Despite your best efforts to fuck it up, you managed to pull off the upset, and yes, it was an upset regardless of all of your talk. We all know a tune-up match when we see one and the powers that be were attempting to feed you to their new champion.
Winning that match doesn’t make you special. It makes you a fluke.
Think I’m lying?
Then where have you been? If they expected anything of you other than to get demolished by the new Roulette Championship would you not be getting your chance to take that title off of him at Into the Void? The second that Bill Barnhart walked away with a win over me, they handed him an opportunity that nobody would have given him beforehand. After your big win, they let you sit on the bench until they needed you for another tune up match for a real talent.
Sure it was harsh, but Kris had never been one to hold back on his opinions of others until recently, and he got called boring for his efforts. He had clearly made the decision to stop worrying so much about how he was going to be received.
Don’t walk into this match thinking that you are going to be a speed bump on my path to Into the Void. You’re nothing but a springboard for momentum, and after this you can go back to being irrelevant for a few more weeks.
He laughs, another one of his old phrases coming to mind.
Do yourself a favor before you walk in and accept one simple truth: You’re just there to take the L.
Kris starts to backpedal down the alley away from the camera, which fails to follow him. Instead, as the former champion disappears from sight, the camera fades out to black.
