Right after Climax Control 361.
What? What is going on? Why is it dark? Fuck, I can't open my eyes, come on James, what the fuck happened? Why am I in my own head?
Think.... just think, what was the last thing you remember? You was walking through the parking lot, about to get the hell out of.... fuck, where was I? I can't even remember that.
Think... You was leaving somewhere you can't remember, you was walking through a parking lot, that was it! You could see the car and something hit you. A car hit you. It must have been Harris trying to get you out of the game, but a fucking car? He fears me that much that the son of a bitch tried to kill me.
Open your eyes James, see what's around you... Unless you can't, shit, am I dead? Did the motherfucker kill me or something and this is it, this is what death is like? Just stuck in your own head constantly talking to yourself? This can't be how it ends for me, hit by some bitch because he's too scared to lose his title.
What's that bleeping? What the hell is that? If I'm dead, this must be my punishment, a life time of bleeping in my head. Nah, I can't do that. Open your fucking eyes James.
His eyes fire open, but only to be seen in a hospital room, through blurred vision, he can only see two doctors moving around him and a nurse assisting them.
Nurse: Mr Huntington-Hawkes, try not to move, the slightest movement can cause more damage.
J2H's voice was groggy but he knew he needed answers and lot of them.
J2H: Where the hell am I?
Nurse: You're at a medical centre, you were hit by a car as you were leaving an arena.
J2H: Michael fucking Harris.
The nurse doesn't catch the name completely as she busies herself around him, while the doctors check his vitals.
Doctor: It seems considering the nature of the accident, it could have been worse.
J2H cleared his throat, trying to turn his head but a neck brace kept it in place.
J2H: It wasn't a fucking accident.
Female voice: Now now James, no need to be a potty mouth.
Again he tried to turn his head to see where the voice was coming from, but his neck was firmly in place. Seeing this, the female moved her head in to view to show it as Devona.
J2H: Fuck, I really am dead and now I'm in hell.
Devona smiled at J2H.
Devona: I'm an angel, don't you know?
J2H scoffed but a sharp pain ran through his body, causing him to wince.
J2H: Yeah, so was Lucifer, don't you know?
Devona: Well, that shows you haven't got brain damage, at least no more then usual.
J2H closed his eyes for just a few seconds, unimpressed by Devona's half truth attempt at humor. His eyes flash around the room, trying to clear his head.
J2H: Out of all the people they could have sent with me to where ever the hell I am at the moment, why did they send you? Like seriously, why you?
Devona tapped her chin, looking at him.
Devona: I guess I was just the unlucky one who happened to be nosey at all the noise going on in the parking lot and I saw you looking like a badly shaped pretzel and my doctor instincts kicked in.
J2H: You're an animal doctor.
Devona: And you're an animal at times.
A sigh passed through J2H's lips, he was in no position to argue with anyone, pain went through him at every slight turn. He could feel pain all over his body and his face told the story.
Nurse: We should give you something to help with the pain.
J2H: No, I don't want anything to help with the pain, I don't like shit that fucks with your mind, I can handle it, just do what you gotta do.
Devona: Well aren't you a big boy.
J2H: Shut up!
The nurse chuckled as she moved away from J2H.
Devona: Maybe you should take something for the pain, the pain of me having to listen to you talk.
J2H gritted his teeth, unable to turn to Devona.
J2H: This is why you're an animal doctor, because they can't understand a word you say which is great cause your bedside manner is fucking awful. How about being useful and calling my wife, or telling me what the fuck happened?
Devona: First off, Christian called Melody and she will be here as soon as she possibly can. Secondly, I don't know the details. All I know is you got hit by a car, but I would say it was more then planned because there was a camera set up and it was shown.
J2H: That son of a bitch Harris is behind it. He couldn't have just done it, he had to show the world just for a pissing contest, I swear to everything unholy that I will get the motherfucker back for this. Just let me get up from this thing and I will go deal with him.
The nurse leaned over him, stopping him from pulling himself up.
Nurse: I really wouldn't recommend that. You have two cracked ribs and a concussion right now, and that's from the primary assessment, there's no internal bleeding as far as we can tell but we need to do scans for other injuries. You could have more then just those mentioned. You could have brain injuries.
Devona: How would we tell the difference?
Devona laughs but J2H lays there unimpressed by Devona's joke.
J2H: I swear to God I would have rather had Jason Adams here with me spinning around in his chair then have you making really piss poor jokes.
Devona: Ah, lighten up, you're alive and stable, it could have been much worse.
J2H: But I'm here! I should have been on a plane, going home.
Devona scratched her head, looking at J2H and putting an oxygen mask over his face.
Devona: What's that James? You want that pain medication now?
Muffled sounds came from J2H, but Devona winks at the nurse, who smiles back and quickly presses a nearby machine, sending pain medication through his veins.
J2H: Motherfu....
Darkness, nothing but darkness as the sedating pain medication quickly kicked in, leaving him in a world of his own. Hours passed but it felt like minutes before the medication effects started to wear off, his eyes opened again to see the room lit, but staring through the window with a glance of side eye, he noticed it was night time.
J2H: What time is it...?
Devona: About three in the morning.
To his surprise, Devona was still there and he was no longer restrainded by anything.
J2H: What are you still doing here? And where is Melody?
Devona stood up from the chair she was half asleep in before he woke up and moved closer to him.
Devona: Melody is about an hour away at the moment and no one else was going to come and visit you, so I decided to stay here.
J2H shook his head and strangely felt comfort that he wasn't there alone, even if he would never admit that to Devona or anyone else for that matter.
J2H: You didn't have to do that.
His head was groggy and his eyes were heavy but he needed answered.
Devona: Well I did anyway. Did you know that you snore like a rhino?
J2H half sat up in bed and looked at Devona, noticing the neck brace is still on him.
J2H: I do not! And if I did, it's because someone got the nurse to drug me and but me in laa laa land for a while.
Devona smiled proudly at J2H, nodding towards him with a sharp shake of her head.
J2H: That was not cool, I was handling the pain well. Now, what the hell is wrong with me?
Devona: Well, the done tests and scans while you were old cold. You have a big time concussion, a couple of cracked ribs, you have whiplash, so you need to wear that thing around your neck for a while, oh and that boot you have on your right foot, it's because you chipped a bone in your foot.
J2H looked down for the first time noticing the air boot on his foot.
J2H: That did all those tests while I was asleep?
Devona: I guess you must have great insurance or something. No internal bleeding, no organ damage but you have a lot of deep bruises.
J2H: If that fuck face has taken me out of Summer XXXTreme, I swear to whoever, as soon as I can come back, I will and he will be stuck in a hospital for a long, long time.
He felt the anger in him but the residual medication in him took the edge off slightly.
Devona: Most should heal in time for that but you need to rest a lot. The cuts and bruises and broken bones should be ok, they're not big breaks.
J2H: Let me guess, you looked at the x rays...?
Devona: Well, yes, the main worry is your neck, that could take time but you could be ready in time.
He sighed, a million thoughts rushed through his head as he laid his head back down on the pillow.
J2H: I got money and there's nothing money can't fix. I just need to find the best in the world that can deal with these injuries and I'll be back in time to kick the shit out of him and win the world title.
Devona: You know you don't have to rush back? That title shot will be waiting for you, they won't take that away from you. There's no point risking your life over a championship.
He knew she was right, but he wasn't willing to admit that to her.
J2H: I'll be fine, I just need to get out of this place and on a plane. Spend a few days relaxing and I'll be back at work next week. I'm not one of those dick bag challengers who have nothing to say or do.
Devona: Christian is not going to let you work. He called to check up on you and you're not working till your ready to work and have been cleared by specialists. You know how he is, he won't let you do anything unless you've been cleared to do so.
Hearing that annoyed him. When he won the championship the first time, he was a champion who showed up every week, probably one of the few things he and Michael Harris had in common, but even when he wasn't a champion, he would still be there when full time contracted. He had a deep despise for wrestlers who just showed up to wrestle.
J2H: I might not be full time contracted at this point, but I'm not like those lazy pricks on the roster. I'm not one of those dick bags that know about a title shot a month in advance and do nothing to sell it. I need to be there, I need to work, I need people to be interested.
Devona: And you also need to heal because if you show up there, and get involved in something, you're gonna end up ruining your chances. It only takes one shot to your head and your neck is ruined again.
J2H: I can't just sit around and do nothing while that asshole walks around thinking he's got me beat. I need to get out of this bed and go and fuck him up.
Devona: I wouldn't recommend it. Look, take the week and see what happens. Right now I'm going to guess you're not going to be allowed to leave here for a while, so stay, get the best care you can and worry about work later. Just get some rest for now. I'll stay till Melody gets here.
He could feel himself becoming tired, even after a short interaction with Devona so wasn't going to argue, he just nodded his head towards Devona before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
There's still a lot of this story to be told and in time, it will be, but until then, let's just to the present.
J2H sits in the Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, Arizona, the night sky shining down on the ring in the empty stadium, just J2H stands in the middle of the ring. Camera's are seen set up around him around the ring in a long shot. The camera switches to one closer to his face.
J2H: Just over a month ago, I wondered if I would ever stand in this ring again. I wondered if I would be able to stand up, let alone face anyone again, but there was one driving thought in my mind. I knew I had to be ready for Summer XXXTreme, I knew I had to be on that fucking ship because someone had hell to pay and here I am, standing in this ring again and on Sunday, I gotta show that I am still the fucking man.
He turns his head to a camera to his right.
J2H: Guess what? I already know I'm still the fucking man.
He smirks.
J2H: In just over a couple of short weeks, I have one of the biggest matches of my career against a man who has come back, pissed all over the competition and is becoming more hated then I was and believe me, that's some work because I only had to breathe and people hated me, I only had to exist for hatred to fall my way. It's a huge match, and Christian said to me before I walked out to that ring last Sunday, what kind of shape am I in. I told him I was match ready and he said for me to prove it this coming Sunday, so it got me thinking, he's got a few top guys there he can throw me against, he's got a decent roster he can choose from. Hell, I know he could have made a call to a big superstar and got him back for a match, but what does he give me?
He rolls his eyes.
J2H: Bill fucking Barnhart...
J2H lets out a long audible sigh.
J2H: Out of everyone, he scrapes the bottom of the barrel and pulls up a shit guy like Bill Barnhart. Bill fucking Barnhart of all people. A guy that claimed to have an IQ of one hundred and thirty, yet the silly bastard still tries to convince people that he's younger then he is. I mean look at you Bill, you must have had one hell of a tough life to look the way you do. You must have been beaten with the ugly stick repeatedly. You're trying to claim that there is ten years difference in our ages, ten years and seriously look at you and look at me. You look old enough to be my grandfather, yet you claim to have a high IQ. Pretty sure you're more then a little bit mentally challenged. I'm pretty sure Bea is not only a mail order bride, because who would willingly want to touch you? I'm also pretty sure she's your live in carer because you clearly have early dementia.
He taps the side of his head.
J2H: Everything, and I do mean everything about you Bill is so old fashioned, that no one can believe in it anymore. Your look is straight out of times before you claim to have been born. Your finishing moves were probably used in the first ever wrestling show that ever existed. Seriously, who uses a fucking hammer lock as a normal move anymore let alone as a finisher? Let's talk about your outdated sleeper hold...
J2H can not help but laugh before continuing.
J2H: A fucking sleeper hold! A sleeper hold as a finishing move, I mean seriously! No dragon sleeper, nothing cool, just an old fashioned shit move like that as a way to bring the people to their feet. The easiest move to ever counter, but you've been pulling that one out of the bag for a long time. It reflects who you are as a person and a wrestler. Just fucking boring. Everything you do is boring Bill, everything you do is so out of touch I mean let's take a look at those promo skills you have that puts people to sleep.
J2H yawns, dramatically bouncing his hand off his mouth.
J2H: Makes me get a damn good night's sleep just fucking thinking about them. Let's be honest, having Bea talk shit for you is embarrassing, not because her voice is like sandpaper, or because you looks like someone who love you long time, which is just uncomfortable in itself, she's just really bad at it. Like she has the charisma of a peanut and that's insulting to the nut. Talking about all the shit you've done in your time here is embarrassing because you ain't done shit here worth talking about. Having her drone on about your opponents makes you look like a straight up pussy. It makes you look like you're not man enough to speak yourself, it makes you look like you're not worth people's interest. Anyone who needs a manager to talk shit about your opponent ain't worth a damn. I mean especially if they sound like her. Especially if people would rather stick chopsticks in their ears deep enough to hit the brain, then listen to someone like her. That reflects on you bill, that reflects on how shit you are in this business. This is not the eighties anymore where the guy looks tough and someone talks for him, because you don't even look tough. You just stand there looking sweaty and repulsive to the point where I know people switch off when they see you on screen because they don't want to see their dinner come back up. You're literally a disgusting human being. You haven't evolved at all. You're on the same level as an ass scratching gorilla.
He shudders at the thought.
J2H: What else do you do in those promos of yours? Song lyrics, oh yeah, you love a song in those, a little sing that is like nails on a chalkboard. You know what that tells me? It tells me you don't have anything good to say, it tells me that nothing in your head is remotely creative so you pull out the Tom Petty stuff to show people you won't back down. Yeah, I'm shitting my pants at the thought of a song used against me.... An old song that no one's heard of it years.
Sarcasm drips from his voice.
J2H: Are you seeing the bigger picture here Bill? Are you seeing what I'm trying to tell you at this point? You're not a fit in this modern wrestling world, you're as old as dirt, everything about you is as old as dirt. Wasting promo time to sing, having mail ordered bride sing your praises when you ain't done shit, fuck, even the stupid bulldog and pink song through your entrance. It's cringe worthy stuff, it proves right there that you're about as modern as the invention of the wheel. It's as modern as the first time someone discovered fire. You're primitive, everything about you is primitive, you're a caveman Bill, not set for this world, certainly not set for this business. Let's not fuck around with words Bill, you compared to me, you're not even close enough to be considered a modern day wrestler compare to me.
He points to himself.
J2H: This is seriously the biggest match of your life and that's not because of you, it's not because you've earned anything, it's simply because it's me in the ring against you. I win Blast From The Past, forced to sit out this entire cycle and still come back and get the main event spot, you and your undeveloped brain and broken down really at least seventy year old body is just coming along for the ride. You know why you were chosen?
He waits for a few seconds.
J2H: Because they know you're not a challenge to me, they know you're just here to take that giant L. They could have given me anyone, they could have given me someone who could actually beat me but they gave me you. Think about that for a second. You're stuck doing shitty mixed tag matches, failing to get a championship shot, rent a bride gets involved in another person's match, sending you to probably opening the supercard, and yet here you are in the main event against me. It's doesn't take a genius to work out why you're here and regardless of your claims, you're not a genius so I will spell it out for you. You're here to lose, because you're not on my level, you're not even close and you never will be.
A smirk crosses his face.
J2H: That's the cold hard truth Bill because look me, I built this company and made it what it is today, right now, I'm all people can talk about. I mean what else is going on around here? Absolutely nothing, that's what's going on around here, not a damn thing. I'm also the future, the future SCW World Heavyweight champion and that's something you can never ever claim to be, that's something you will never ever hold claim to. I don't give a fuck how close you think you've come in the past, I am streets ahead of every single person you've ever faced. I'm the best wrestler you will ever face, even if you drag your career out for another forty years, I will still be the best you've ever face. I don't lose Bill, I sure as shit won't be losing to you. I know who I am, you know who I am, you know that I am the best wrestler to ever step foot in an SCW ring, everyone knows that. You're cannon fodder, you're the front line that no one expects to return home, you're the guy that's just there to take the beats you deserve.
A confident look crosses J2H's face as he smiles.
J2H: No one is giving you a chance in this one and rightly so. Not even I am giving you much thought, the only thought you're getting from me is I am going to use you to send a message to Michael Harris. I know that weasel son of a bitch is gonna be watching this close. You're gonna be the message I deliver to him that no matter what he tried to do for me, no matter what he cooked up, no matter how much he tried to break me before he could face me, it didn't work. He took a shot at the king and he missed, he went for that hail Mary and got it completely wrong, he did that and it's going to cost him everything and I'm gonna show him what he's in for when I face you. I will show him that I'm as sharp as a straight razor and you're gonna be my punching bag. I'm gonna use you to show him just what he's got to be worried about.
J2H smiles again.
J2H: The only thing I'm worried about in this match Bill, is getting that sweat of yours all over me, cause even in pictures, you just look like you fucking stink.
A disgusted look appears on his face.
J2H: I am coming to make an example out of you sweaty and try as you may, use all the cheesy as fuck lines, sing your songs, have her talk for you, practice your ancient moves, get the dog ready, lie about your age and IQ, cue up your worst possible theme music that has no connection to you, but none of that is going get you out of the starting gate.
J2H walks towards one of the camera.
J2H: And that's real talk bitch!
He walks past the camera and out of site as the scene fades to black.
