Tulsa, Oklahoma
All-Star Wrestling
Austin Parker and Mark Ward stood at ringside, watching intently at the action inside of the squared circle while the match inside continued on with it's intensity.
Austin knew the local promoter of this modest but successful indy promotion, a good friend of his over the past fifteen years who had put on shows in near every major city in the southern United States. He brought some quality independent professional wrestling to various high school gymnasiums and lodges and civic centers, employing some talented youngsters alongside grizzled veterans. Men and women. Singles and tag teams. He had it all, a little bit for everyone's tastes, but just yesterday afternoon while Austin and Mark were visiting Bo and his grandmother in their home city of Tahlequah, Austin received a call from this friend.
A top talent he had booked had injured himself in a training session and was thus unable to make it to the show to compete. It would be a 'hit or miss' situation so he asked Austin if there would be any way he could manage a bit of a favor for him...
It just so happened that Austin did know a certain local wrestling celebrity and it took very little prodding to get Bo into the car with his gym bag and off they went.
The crowd in the Tulsa Civic & Convention center cheered as Bo Dreamwolf clamped on a side headlock against his scheduled opponent, the masked Viper. The match was nearing the twelve minute mark and the fans had been solidly behind their local favorite against this masked heel, ever since the opening bell.
Viper managed to pry his way free from the headlock and he grabbed Bo's arm and wrapped it over the top rope and delivered a swift kick to it, threatening to hyper extend Bo's elbow from the blow. Bo grabbed his arm, favoring it, as the Viper moved up behind him like an animal stalking its prey and the masked man delivered a wicked kidney shot to the back that sent spasms of pain coursing through Bo's back, more so than it should have. Bo staggered forward and Viper grabbed him from behind in a full nelson and he continued to work him over, using Bo's long hair to his advantage by working his fingers in the black tresses to keep him secure. He gripped those tresses to maneuver Bo over to the top rope and grind his forehead across it, resulting in a vicious rope burn. Bo yelped in pain and Viper spun him around, pinning him in the corner where he buried a knee deep in his stomach.
Mark slapped his hands against the apron of the ring, shouting encouragements inside to Bo while Austin silently rubbed his chin and studied the happenings going on.
The Viper grasped two handfuls of Bo's hair and used it as a handle to snapmare him over onto the mat. he then leap frogged over Bo's head and ran into the ropes, coming off with a sliding lariat. Viper then covered Bo and hooked his leg but was only able to get a count of two. Viper grabbed him by the hair and drove a fist into his head before dragging him up to his feet. he sent Bo into the far corner with an Irish whip but as he charged in, Bo kicked his legs up and wrapped them around Viper's head in a scissors hold. Viper struggled to pry his legs apart but Bo kept the scissors locked on tight. Viper then sought to counter by turning around and Bo used this to his advantage by pushing off the corner and bringing Viper across the ring with a monkey flip.
"Nice move!" Mark was heard saying, commenting on the unique counter to the corner attack.
The Viper started to get back up, bent over at the waist, and this positioning allowed Bo to sail over his back with a sunset flip that perhaps would have been the end but Viper was too close to the ropes and grabbed hold of the bottom strand with both hands. Bo rolled back, releasing the maneuver but kept hold of Viper's foot to keep control of the situation. Bo started to reach down and pull Viper to his feet but the masked heel used his wits and grabbed Bo, pulling him over into an inside cradle and a handful of trunks that surprised the young Native American and almost cost him the match, save for a timely kick out. Both men were up but Bo with his back turned and he didn't turn about in time before the Viper clubbed him in the back with his forearm, knocking him to his knees.
Austin frowned in observing this. He slowly stepped closer to where Mark stood and whispered to him and Mark nodded.
The Viper sent Bo reeling with a short-arm clothesline, then pulled him up before he had time to recover and drove him down to the canvas with a scoop slam. The Viper then looked out at the two ring legends and sliced a thumb across his throat before he proceeded to make his way to the top of the corner while Mark and Austin started calling into the ring to Bo to 'get up'. Viper positioned himself carefully and then jumped back in a daring moonsault attempt -- only to have Bo roll out of the way and the Viper crashed hard on his front side!
"Little shit...!" Austin turned to Mark and cursed. "Played us all with that one!"
Mark chuckled and said to his friend, "Can't imagine where he learned that!"
The Viper was stunned, staggering to his feet and clutching his ribs, when Bo grabbed him around the waist from behind and brought him up and over with a bridging German suplex for the successful three count! The crowd cheered enthusiastically as the referee raised Bo's hand while he remained down on one knee, holding his back while the announcer declared him the victor for all to hear.
_______________________________
Well, maybe tonight I wasn't entirely to be viewed as a stick in the mud. True, most of the other guys after the show went to the gentlemen's club known locally as the Ritz Cabaret. Actually, that's where Mister Ward wanted to go as well. "Be a team player." He said to me. Team player my eye. It was pretty obvious why the guys opted to make that their hang out spot for after the show, which isn't entirely a bad thing mind you. It would prove for a nice distraction. Still, Mister Parker wouldn't budge, being a married man, and I was more than just a bit hungry so we went elsewhere, with quite a bit of grousing from Mister Ward. Mister Parker told him that he was free to go with the others if he wanted but I knew better; considering I was their ride.
<img align=left src= "http://www.smoketulsa.com/picture/timthumb-3.jpeg?pictureId=12209516" height=300 width=480>Instead, we decided to head out to a place I knew called SMOKE., a combination of restaurant and bar. It's a very nice place actually with live music, the food I was craving and the alcohol that Mister Ward had a hankering for.
It's actually where we are right now, seated at a table booth against the far wall where we could do a bit of 'people watching' while still maintaining our privacy while we ate and drank. I have to admit I liked this place. I always have. My sister and I once took a bit of a road trip in our late teens while our grandparents were away, and that's how we found it. Since then, if we were able, we'd try to return at least once a month to enjoy ourselves.
It's funny, isn't it, when a certain place attaches itself to you, body and soul? Maybe that's why I wanted to come here tonight. I wanted to experience it again, this time with two men who were also important in my life. Mister Ward looked right at home, I admit. Mister Parker himself appeared more into looking around at the people and paintings on the wall than even I. And if it wasn't the atmosphere that attracted me, it was the food itself. Don't worry. I won't bore you with the details of the food we ordered. Needless to say I put away a couple of their famous chicken fried steaks while Mister Ward and Mister Parker each had what was called a New Yorker. (I don't think I ever saw two men eat so much as those two are able when they put their mind to it!) Unfortunately while they also indulged in a couple pitchers of beer, I was relegated to sweet tea as I was apparently the designated driver.
"So what was up with you tonight?" Mister Parker asked me just as I took a bite of the food from my plate. Why does it always seem when you're out at a restaurant and someone says something to you, it's always after you have a mouthful of food? I looked up and he leaned back with his frosted glass of beer in his hand. he seemed to be studying me when he asked, "You having some back problems or something?"
Damn, I thought silently. I felt like a deer must feel like when its caught in a car's headlights. My back had been flaring up and I had forgotten my pills at home in the rush we were in to leave and get to Tulsa in time for the show. I had been kicking myself over that but hoped things would go well enough I wouldn't need them. That kidney shot Viper had given me had told a different story. I was loath to lie but what was I to do? Tell the truth? I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head,, denying the fact.
I answered, "No, not really. The muscles just been a bit sore. Tightened up I guess." I reached for my glass of sweet tea and took a drink and knew the explanation wasn't entirely accepted by either of them. "The shots he was giving me didn't help matters much."
"Well that's the odd thing." Mark jumped in. "From where we were standing, he didn't work your back over all that much. A kidney shot, a slam and a suplex here and there..."
"All of which I'm sure you recall what they felt like?" I offered, trying to diffuse the bit of investigating they seemed intent on before it really got anywhere. "My back was sore before I even got in the ring. All of that just aggravated it."
A moment's pause and Mister Ward finally yielded with a nod. "Fair enough." He said and went back to work on the 'frito pie' the waitress had just delivered to the table for him. Mister Parker stared at me a moment longer before turning his attention to the flat screens against the bar's wall. There was a game on that had attracted his attention, for which I am grateful. Although I don't really think he altogether believed me or my explanation. I tried to divert my attention to the remaining food on my plate and casually glanced at the TV screen, the same game Mister Parker was studiously watching, when Mister Ward spoke up.
"I hear from Austin here you got offered a contract with WGPW."
This caught me off guard, as I hadn't thought Mister Parker would confide in him this little business offer. WGPW stood for World Grand Prix Wrestling, a promotion that was gaining steam here in the United States. Oh, nothing like the level of WWE, or even TNA. It was close more to something akin to Ring of Honor I would say. The head officials of this promotion had watched me on a webcast of SCW and contacted me at home to offer me a spot on their growing roster. They didn't get the answer they were expecting.
"Yeah." I nodded, setting my glass down and looking Mister Ward in the eye so he knew I was being truthful. "I turned them down."
"Really." He said and picked up his pitcher and poured the last remnants of the beer into his glass, then signaled to the waitress for another. he turned back to me and asked, "Mind if I ask what brought that on? They're a growing promotion and might be able to offer you a bigger contract than SCW." He exchanged a glance with Mister Parker and looked at me again. he continued, "I mean, Sin City Wrestling is an indy. They're pretty much touring the entire country."
"And that's exactly why I turned them down." I explained. "I have no desire to really do that any more. At least at this point in my life."
"At this point?" Mister Ward scoffed. "Christ kid, you're just a pup!"
Mister Parker turned to him with a smile and said, "He's five years younger than you, Mark."
Not one to turn down an offered gauntlet, Mister Ward turned to him with just as wide a smile and said, "And he's sixteen years younger than you! I win!"
Mister Parker arched his brow and turned back to the sports on-screen, muttering a curse under his breath. Mister Ward turned to me and I had no success in shielding the smile I felt. Mister Parker was never pleased when someone made a crack like that about the age differences between us.
I spoke up and said, "My point is, I have other responsibilities aside from just wrestling. I feel bad enough just going on these tours of Japan I get offered a couple times a year because it takes my away from Grams. I just don't want to be on the road five days a week and only get to be home a few days out of the month. And it's not just that, I do have my teaching position to consider. That means too much to me to give up on. The school is kind enough to work with my SCW schedule when needed, but going national or even international is asking too much."
"Gee," Mister Ward mused, putting on a playful tone to his voice to match the expression on his face as he sagged his shoulders. "And here I thought it had to do with your loyalty to Christian and myself."
"That too." I chuckled as I popped a French fry in my mouth.
That was when Mister Parker tore his attention from the game and turned to Mister Ward and smirked, "Ah think it also has a good deal to do with that uber fan he's made recently."
I almost choked on that damned fry as Mister Ward started chuckling at my expense. I knew of course they were referring to Brandi Shotze. I was set to respond in kind to the manner in how Christian Underwood was always checking their backsides out (although he had the good sense to not set foot in their showers 'accidentally' like a certain big breasted Bombshell had done to me) when my cell rang.
I glanced down at the number and had to admit surprise. it was my sister, Abigail. I looked up at the two men and held up a forefinger. "Pardon me a moment." I said. "I'll nail you both with my scathing rebuttal in just a minute."
I clicked the answer button and held the phone up to my ear.
"Hello, sister mine." I said and tried to ignore the sudden perk of interest I saw in Mister Ward from the corner of my eyes. "What's up?"
"Can you come get me?"
"Excuse me?" I heard the words but thought certainly I misunderstood them, or at least heard them incorrectly. "What did you say again?"
"You heard me, Bo." She said, not one known to repeat herself. "Can you come get me? Please."
"What's wrong?" I asked and felt the eyes of my two dinner companions turn my way out of concern as opposed to simply being interested.
"Bo, please! I'll explain later. Just please come get me!"
"Okay." i answered. "Calm down. Where are you?"
"At the Greyhound bus terminal just outside of Oklahoma City."
"At the...!" I practically spat. I knew then something was very wrong. Abigail hated buses. When she came to visit or to watch over our Grandmother she drove or Darius indulged her in a plane ticket. But to ride on a dirty, smelly bus was a bit much for her. "Abigail..."
"Bo! Please don't prolong this! Just come get me!"
"Alright. Alright, calm down." I glanced up and by now the situation was not lost to either Mister Ward or Mister Parker who could easily overhear. "Listen, I'm in Tulsa right now. I was on a show, but I'll call Grams and tell her I won't make it back tonight."
"Bo..."
"Stop. I'm on my way. Promise. Just sit tight." I clicked the phone off and closed my eyes for a brief moment, drawing in a deep breath before exhaling it silently.
"What's going on?"
I opened my eyes and found theirs on me and there was concern welled deep within. I started to stand up, grabbing for the check but Mister ward quickly beat me to it, snatching it away from me.
I said, "Abigail's at the bus station in Oklahoma City. She needs me to come get her."
"is she alright?" Mister Ward asked as he fished out some cash and dropped it to the table with the bill.
"I don't know." I answered, shaking my head and moving out of the booth. I knew damn well for a fact that she wasn't if she actually got on a bus by herself. I knew things were worse for her and Darius than she was willing to admit but this call just became the proverbial nail in the coffin.
"Well," Mister Parker slid from the booth and drained the last remains of his beer from the mug and set it down on the table. "Let's go find out."
I stared at them for a brief moment. i fully expected they'd need to return their own respective ways; Mister Ward to Las Vegas and Mister Parker to Georgia. I didn't expect them to actually want to come with me to get my sister. It's times like these that makes me truly understand the value of friendships developed over the years.
I gave them both a nod and turned to head for the exit with both of them right at my side.
_______________________________
By now it was well past midnight.
I know. Everybody hates those annoying time jumps that are rampant in these wrestling promos, but think about it this way; would you rather I spend the majority of time here talking about the one and a half hour long road trip from Tulsa to Oklahoma City? Luckily the distance was short, perhaps a hundred miles or so at the most. I left my passengers do most of the talking between themselves; topics such as their families and wrestling in general. As Mister Parker stated, the vast level of horse shit that WWE has become. To that I would have to agree. It's gotten to the point where they spend seventy-five percent of their air time with segments and interviews as opposed to matches. Why even bother tuning in for a two hour wrestling program when you'll be lucky to see thirty minutes of actual wrestling? It's sad.
"There it is." Mister Ward said and I glanced over to where he had pointed and saw the Greyhound terminal just a block away. I pulled the car into the parking lot and wasted little time in turning the engine off and hopping out, with Mister Ward and parker hot on my heels. I meant to find my sister and as quickly as possible.
It didn't take long, as she must have been diligently watching for me since I had ended our call. I didn't even get to the entrance door when i heard her voice call out to me.
"Bo!"
The three of us stopped and I turned to spot her stepping out of another of the terminal's doors and she hurried toward me as fast as she could, carrying two heavy suitcases. Mister Ward wouldn't give up such a golden opportunity and he was the first to rush over and relieve her of her burdens before i could assume my brotherly duties and do so myself. She gave him the briefest smiles of thanks before she brushed her long hair from her eyes and she turned and hurried over to me.
I stopped and allowed the two of them to approach where Mister Parker and I stood, waiting for them. No sooner did she get to my side than did she throw her arms around my neck and hug me more fiercely than I believed possible. She would not cry, not in front of the two men with me, but I could feel her strong desire to.
I finally let her go and rested my hands on her shoulders and made her look me directly in the eye when I asked, "What happened?"
She paused, unable or unwilling to answer. Before I could repeat the question, a flicker of her eyes toward my companions told me of her discomfort at airing whatever skeletons in the family closet in front of strangers; strangers to her that is. I nodded and said, "It's fine. We can discuss it when we get home. Let's..."
"Abigail!"
She jumped and turned around and whispered, "Oh no..."
The rest of us looked and I felt the frown on my face immediately as I saw my brother-in-law Darius hurrying over toward us, an angry scowl on his face and sporting another one of his immaculate suits. Christ, did he ever go anywhere where he didn't look like he belonged in a business meeting? he arrived right in front of us and did not even bother to dignify myself or Mister ward or Parker. his eyes were on my sister and I did not like the ugliness I saw in them.
"I can't believe you!" Darius scolded her, and in front of us no less. "I can't believe you actually had the sheer gall to walk out of our home like that! Just up and vanish!"
"Hey." I started, trying to soothe the anger that was welling up inside of me to come to my sister's defense. "Ease up."
Darius turned to me and put his forefinger up in my face and said, "I don't think I was speaking to you." He turned back to Abigail and said, "Come on. we're going home." he grabbed for her arm but she deftly pulled it away.
She stared hard at her husband and shook her head slowly. I could see her eyes glistening but she was a trooper and fought back the tears as mightily as she was able. She said, "I am going home. You can go to Hell for all I care."
"You listen to me..." Darius started and that was when Mister parker took a step forward and placed his arm in front of Darius, blocking my sister from her husband's advance.
Mister Parker said, "Ah think the lady said her piece."
"You listen to me..." Darius said, again sticking his finger up but this time he made the mistake of putting it in my mentor's face and Mister Parker quickly clamped his hand around it, causing my brother-in-law to wince openly.
Mister Parker said, "You do that again boy and ah'll see how you like it when ah bend the damn thing all the way back." And he let him go and Darius grabbed his hand, massaging his sore finger.
He glared at Mister Parker and shook his head defiantly, "I should call my lawyer right now and sue..."
"You've been pretty good at that lately." Abigail cut him off. "Calling your lawyer for every little thing."
"Be quiet." Darius warned.
Abigail of course, wasn't about to listen when she had a head full of steam and she took a step closer and said, "Why don't you tell Bo here about that last call you made to your hot shot lawyer? Hm? Why don't you tell him what you're trying to do and what caused all of this?"
Darius growled, "I said be quiet Abigail."
I looked back and forth between them and frowned, "What're you talking about, Abbey?" I was surprised when she didn't react to that despised nickname I had bestowed her with years ago. "What's going on?"
"Don't..." Darius started but Abigail turned away from him and faced me instead.
She said, "He's trying to challenge Grams' signing the house over to you! He's looking for his lawyer to have her declared incompetent so he can take the matter to a judge so he stands a better chance at getting his hands on it!"
I stared at my sister for what seemed like an eternity, before I glanced up at Darius who swallowed hard under my stare but did his damndest to maintain his composure. I cast a sidelong glance at Mister Ward and Parker who appeared to be just as upset at this man as I was. Well, perhaps 'man' was a bit of an indulging term when it came to Darius. Worm was better suited.
"I always knew you would try anything to get that house." I said as I started to take a step toward him. "But I had no idea you two-faced, back stabbing son of a..."
But before I could do what I wanted, Mister Ward grabbed my arm and pulled me back away from the bastard. I tried to pull free but i give him credit; he has a hell of a grip.
He shook his head and said, "Don't waste your energy. Wanker's not worth it."
"Oh go ahead." Darius stated, now acting the role of the brave one -- especially since I was being held back. "Let him. I'd have his sorry ass hauled to jail in the blink of an eye." He turned to Abigail and this time beckoned her with a demeaning wave of the hand. "Now enough of this foolishness. We're leaving."
Abigail just glared at him and shook her head, not saying a word but making her intention fairly evident. Mister Parker stepped up past me and beside her and this time it was he who pointed a finger in Darius's face and then away from the group of us.
Mister Parker said, "Yer right. Enough of this foolishness. It's time you left little man."
Darius frowned, aghast that anyone would speak to him in such a manner. he sneered, "I can decide that for myself, thank you. I am a big boy after all."
Mister Parker scoffed at this statement and leaned down, his 6'5" frame towering over Darius's own 5'8" one. Mister Parker stared hard into his eyes and I watched my brother-in-law flinch when Mister Parker asked, "Compared to who?"
"This is none of your business you inbred hillbilly." Darius said and he suddenly had Abigail by the arm and he said forcefully, "Now let's go!"
It happened so fast, none of us had a chance to intervene in our own manner. I know I started forward the moment he touched my sister. As did Mister Ward and Mister Parker. But Abigail beat all three of us to the punch -- literally when she hauled off and decked Darius right in the jaw! My sister has always been a lady at heart. She's a petite 5'4" but she can be a real pistol when she's angry and the way Darius's head spun around from the blow and he fell back against the wall of the terminal was clear evidence to that. Mister Ward immediately barked out in laughter at the sight of my sister having punched her greedy husband right in the kisser! Mister Parker just smirked and nodded as Darius rubbed his sore jaw and hurriedly checked his teeth for any that might have been knocked loose. I did nothing, save for scoop up my sister's bags as she took my arm and I escorted her back toward the parking lot and the car with Mister Ward and Parker right on our trail.
I heard Darius call out, "If you leave Abigail, don't think I won't have those divorce papers drawn up!"
Abigail pulled from my arm and turned around and answered his challenge, "I'll see to it that is the first promise that you keep you bastard!"
Nothing else need be said. We headed for the car where I loaded the luggage into the trunk, and Mister Ward (of course) opened the front passenger door for Abigail.
I was taking my sister home.
_______________________________
"Wow. So much has happened over the past several days, that I'm not entirely certain what all if happening and what I can do to correct it and make things better. For now though, I understand the simple fact if I want to move ahead and succeed, and do right by my family and friends, I need to focus my attention squarely on what's happening inside of the ring, and what's about to happen."
"I don't think I've ever been a part of a bigger match than what was announced to be the main event at the next supercard of Sin City Wrestling; Summer XXXTreme. I mean, when you take six men, each talented in their own way and all either champions or top tier contenders, you're bound to have a match of the year candidate on hand. Whoever walks away from that match will be the champion, but you can rest assured that it'll be the fans who are the winners in the purest sense of the word."
"But now, of all things, to find those same six men split into teams of three for a six man tag team match to really hype this upcoming Heavyweight title match? Wow. I can't say as I understand the pairings together. Friends opposing friends. Rivals teaming up with one another. I tell you, it's going to cause more than its fair share of chaos once that bell sounds, but there's no way that I can deny the fact this match alone is worthy of main event status on any show anywhere in the country."
"On my team are two men I'm overly familiar with; one more so than the other and one I'm not entirely certain that I can trust to watch my back. Jordan Williams is one of the top legends in this game, and not because of family ties or kissing the proverbial backside here and there. You don't get a championship history that this man has without knowing full well what you're doing inside of that ring. he and I have that common bond in the fact we both have ties to one Austin Parker, a man who helped Jordan with his training, and the man responsible solely for my own. I fully admit that even after all these years, I still go to Mister Parker to brush up on anything he has to pound into this hard head of mine. You never stop learning. That's something I was told once, and I do take it to heart. Lucas Darby on the other hand, I'm not entirely certain what to make of him. On one hand, I can see he is one of the fastest rising stars in the SCW, and deservedly so. He's tough, and has that look that makes him a marketable package. I believe he deserves this chance at the SCW Championship, but considering it was just two weeks ago that he attacked me in the ring during that little 'pier six brawl' all six of us were involved in... Lucas, I'm fairly certain you want to win this match just as much as I do. More so, perhaps. So you watch my back, and I'll watch yours in return. We'll save the actual fighting for when the gold is on the line."
"But now the three that we've been paired to go up against? Oh I am so looking forward to stepping into the ring with all three."
"Rage, it was just last week that we fought to a no contest, you and I, over that Heavyweight Championship you wear so proudly around your waist. A no contest. You do, of course, understand what that means? While it means that I wasn't able to wrest the title from you, it also means that you were unable to defeat me and set aside my challenge for that gold. It means that in the future, I will be looking for that singles rematch for the championship that I think I've worked hard for and deserve. But first things first. I look forward to facing you once again in this match where we are on clear sides, no chaos of a six-pack match. I know you deserve to hold that title. You never would have beaten a man like Nick Jones if you didn't. It's what makes the desire to face you again so great. You proved yourself worthy of that title, and it's now something I too have to prove. One of the greatest legends of the ring had said time and again, that to be the man, you have to beat the man. You're the man, Rage. That's a fact. That alone should be hint enough of how badly I want to quell the rage that burns inside your heart. This six-man match is just the first step."
"Now, Nick? I do not know what to make of you as of late. Despite the fact that so many people will openly say a leopard can't change his spots, or in your case, a skunk can't change his stink, you seem to be proving the so-called experts wrong. I find myself stumped trying to understand you and the things you do, the reasoning behind, well, everything. You're an enigma, wrapped inside of a riddle, and I am looking for the answer. I haven't forgotten the things that we've done to one another. I haven't forgotten what you've cost me in the past. I just sincerely hope that everything you've been showing us is genuine and sincere, because if it's not? You're going to find yourself at the top of a list of every wrestler in the back. You'll have so many men here gunning for you, and I intend to be right there at the front of the line. If you happen to be sincere, well then you have my sincerest apologies, and I wish you the best of luck in everything you want to accomplish. But for now? Business is at hand, and I will do my best not to let anything personal again come between us. I'm respectfully asking you show me the same courtesy. Otherwise I'll tie you up in such a knot that the Boy Scouts of America themselves will be at a loss as to how to undo it."
"And Kain, you're the only one of the three men that I'm opposing tonight that I have yet to set foot in the ring against, as either a tag team partner or opponent. That's a good thing, I think. It's always best for your experience factor to go up against a variety of opposition, the more talented and diverse, the better. I've watched you since your arrival in SCW, and I don't think anyone has made more of an impact against the main eventers like you have. Perhaps not by using the most legal of tactics, but in the end, you've had the most main event spotlights shining down on you so in your case, i guess the end justified the means. I won't deny the success rate you've had, or the fact you're what I see as a complete package. You're one of the most evenly skilled athletes that I've ever watched set foot inside of a wrestling ring, so I can't imagine why you feel the need to stoop to the tactics that you do. Alas, it's not for me to question. You do what it is that you feel the need to do, but don't think to try such endeavors with me, Kain. I was taught by the very best, and I have no qualms at the thought of being able to take you down to the match and keep you there. Some mistake my quiet respect for my opponents as a weakness. In the end, it's not my shoulders that usually end up pinned to the mat. think about that Kain, before you opt for those shady short cuts against me that you so favor. We're new to one another, so think of this match as a sneak preview for the feature attraction."
"I know I will."
