Staying inside...sucks, not gonna lie. I'd rather be outside, but until this pandemic passes, we have to stay in. But I figured I make the best of it by staying inside and watching some matches from Jack Russow, one especially...him v.s Mark Cross. Geoff Matthens were watching on the couch of my living room as we were looking at them go at it.
Geoff Matthens: This kids' got heart...you gotta give him that, probably the biggest heart than anybody on the roster.
Griffin Hawkins: I heard that can't be good for you health wise...
Geoff Matthens: Now's not the time to be a smartass..you are looking at your biggest threat to date. This is the guy who wants to take your spot, you have to focus.
Griffin Hawkins: For Christ sake man...I am focused. Usually I'd be binge watching stuff on the Disney ap, but I figured I study this kid in preparation for the big match coming.
We keep watching the match in the early going. Jack's got it for a while..but is hit with a Bicycle Knee by Mark Cross.
Geoff Matthens: See? Right there! That's what you gotta hit him with!
Griffin Hawkins: I never hit a move like that before..
Geoff Matthens: No, but you got some hard hitting moves. Jack's game is speed, so you gotta keep him grounded.
Griffin Hawkins: That won't be a problem, I think I can throw my best at him to keep him on the ground.
We continue on the match, Jack is up on the ropes and he hits a flying head scissors onto.
Griffin Hawkins: Man...this kid loves him some high flying. Gonna have to match him move for move.
Geoff Matthens: This isn't a pissing contest Hawkins, this is a wrestling contest.
The match eventually concludes as Cross manages to hit the Tiger Driver onto Russow for the one..two...three.
Geoff Matthens: See right there? He is beatable.
Griffin Hawkins: If he can do it...I can do it. Just gotta beat him my own way.
Geoff Matthens: I think you've gotten this taken care of. Gotta go, good luck!
He pats me on the shoulder and leaves the home. I decide to go through more of his matches to study, I see matches with the likes of Kedron Williams and then pause for a second. This is a guy who's really dark and brooding...he might be able to help me with my recent problems lately. I get my cell phone and dial the hotel in Vegas where everyone is staying at and called up the Bell Clerk, looking to talk to at least Kedron or Rinoa. Soon I hear a female voice on the other end.
Rinoa Williams: Hello?
Griffin Hawkins: Rinoa..hey its me...Griffin..
Rinoa Williams: Griffin? This is a surprise..
Griffin Hawkins: Yeah, I know we've...never really spoke face to face. But..I kind of need your husband's help.
Rinoa Williams: With what exactly?
Griffin Hawkins: Okay...I haven't told anyone this in the company but lately I've been having vivid dreams...nightmares.
Rinoa Williams: What kind of nightmares?
Griffin Hawkins: Well..they feel like...past life experiences. Me as some kind of medieval knight fighting hordes of the undead...me as a baby being sacrificed by some dark cult in a castle, a lot of intense stuff.
Rinoa Williams: I see..and when did these dreams start?
Griffin Hawkins: Well..a little bit months ago, but they seemed to intensify when I picked up this album by this band called the Dark Cauldron. Their symbol is the same one I saw in my dream..around the neck of some man in a robe with a long black beard..
I then hear some silence for a while on the other line. After a few minutes she continues.
Rinoa Williams: I see...and you want to talk to Kedron about this?
Griffin Hawkins: Well..yeah. He seems like somebody who knows about this kind of thing, perhaps he can give me some answers to all this.
Rinoa Williams: Where are you at now?
Griffin Hawkins: I'm at my home in Los Angeles..
Rinoa Williams: If you can be at the hotel in Las Vegas in the next week, I think can arrange a meeting. I suggest you bring this album.
Griffin Hawkins: No problem, I'll be there.
Rinoa Williams: But be warned Griffin. Kedron is..not like you. He's not good willed and jovial like you seem to be most of the time. Sure he's undergone some changes recently, but don't expect him to be too friendly.
Griffin Hawkins: Well..I'm not expecting to hang out with him or go golfing together in the near future. All I ask of him is to help me find answers to all this.
Riona Williams: Very well then, I'll arrange a meeting. You have a nice weekend Mr.Hawkins. Stay safe.
Griffin Hawkins: You too, take care.
I hang the phone up. I was finally gonna get closure to all this hopefully and get answers to why this has been happening. I didn't know how Kedron felt about me personally, but he was the only help I got in figuring out what happened centuries ago...I just hope I was ready for the answers.
---------------------------------------------------
~Flashback~
I really hated my home life....being in that house was just something that didn't really suit me. The rich gilded lifestyle would be good for another kid...but it just didn't sit well with me for whatever reason. One day as I got home from school, I took off my coat and was about to go upstairs. But then I heard a voice.
"Griffin? In here now."
I recognized that voice...it was my Dad. It sounded like he was in one of his moods.
Griffin Hawkins: Coming!
I wondered what it was that I did. As I went into the kitchen, his suit jacket was off as he had a small glass of scotch in his hand and a piece of paper in the other. This did not look good.
Griffin Hawkins: You...wanted to see me?
Duke Hawkins: ...What the hell is this?
He hands me the paper, it looks to be a report card.
Griffin Hawkins: Its my report card...
Duke Hawkins: Reads the grades to me.
Griffin Hawkins: B...B....A....B...C....C...C.
I didn't think that sounded too bad, but the way he looked it was as if I had brought home all F's.
Duke Hawkins: Three Cs?...you call this a report card?
Griffin Hawkins: Dad...
He raised his voice.
Duke Hawkins: This is unacceptable!
I guess he wasn't a C person....
Griffin Hawkins: Dad..it's not like I failed any classes or anything, I mean I'm doing good this semester..
He took a drink from his glass before continuing.
Duke Hawkins: Not good enough. How do you expect to get into a good College with grades like this?
I didn't really have the guts to tell him that I didn't exactly have plans to go to College. But it did sound like a good way to get the hell out of this house and away from him.
Griffin Hawkins: Dad I...
Duke Hawkins: I don't want to hear any of your excuses!
His phone then rings, thank God.
Duke Hawkins: Hello?...I thought we took care of this already. Alright fine..just hang tight, I'm on my way.
This usually happens when he's in the middle of an argument or a dinner...he gets called back to the office.
Duke Hawkins: We are not done with this, we'll pick this up when I get back..so don't go anywhere.
He gets up, putting his jacket back on and walks past me, going towards the front door, closing it behind him. At least for the time being I was free to just relax until round 2 begins. Just then, my Mom comes in, obviously hearing the entire argument. I sit down at the table, just grabbing myself an apple off the basket as she comes closer.
Patricia Hawkins: Hey sweetie.
Griffin Hawkins: Hi...
Patricia Hawkins: You know your Dad doesn't hate you, he just wants what's best for you.
Griffin Hawkins: He sure has a funny way of showing it...
Patricia Hawkins: All he wants is for you to do good and get into a good school, he wants you to have a future.
Feeling brave, I decide to be truthful.
Griffin Hawkins: Mom...I don't want to go to College..
Patricia Hawkins: You don't?
Griffin Hawkins: It's just not me...I mean I wanna graduate..but College, I don't know...
Patricia Hawkins: Well, what do you want to do Griffin?
I almost want to tell her I want to be a wrestler, I had watched it since I was little and wondered if I could be that..or the singer of a rock band like Jim Morrison or Kurt Cobain...I had many dreams then...but at the last moment, I chickened out.
Griffin Hawkins: ....I'm still trying to figure out that part.
She then put her hand on my shoulder.
Patricia Hawkins: Whatever you decide...I'll be behind you one hundred percent.
Griffin Hawkins: What about Dad?
Patricia Hawkins: In time he'll accept it...I know he can be stubborn and unreasonable at times, but he just needs time to think on things..he's always under stress.
In her eyes he could do no wrong..but I figured she was just trying to be the peacemaker between us.
Griffin Hawkins: Yeah..I hope. So..what do you think of my report card?
She takes it and looks it over.
Patrica Hawkins: Well..the way I see it, you've improved this semester. You brought up that D in Math, you're actually getting better.
That actually made me smile for the first time since I got home.
Griffin Hawkins: Thanks Mom...I appreciate that.
Patricia Hawkins: Just keep working to get better and who knows, maybe on the next one you'll get a B or an A.
Griffin Hawkins: I'll do my best...I promise.
Patricia Hawkins: I know you will dear..it's probably a good idea if you go up to your room and study.
I nod to her and head upstairs. It was nice that Mom supported me no matter what I wanted to do. From there I would work to be the best no matter what. As much as I hated my Dad, he was right in a way, nothing other than perfect is unacceptable. I know for sure I have to prove myself in times like this.
-------------------------------------------------
...Normally I'd have cameras on during my shoot segment...but due to everything going on in the world, I figure it'd be more simpler to just do the shoot from my the study in my home. I set up my laptop and webcam as I broadcast it across the net, to the fans, to SCW, and of course. Jack. I sit at my desk, dressed in just black jeans and a red Guns N Roses T-Shirt. I sit in my chair and begin to speak.
"Greetings fans...its Griff once again. I know a lot of things are going crazy in the world...and everyone is at an all time high to ride out this virus that's scaring everybody. But the best we can do to take your minds off it...is by entertaining you. 2020 hasn't really been a good year so far..but it does equal one year since I made my return to Sin City Wrestling. I left a previous company behind due to the corrupt politics and was given the chance to pick where I left off by none other than Christian Underwood. For a year I turned the Roulette Division into the world's biggest mosh pit, turning back challengers such as Alex Jones, Travis Levitt, Teddy Warren Steele, Lachlan Kane, the list is endless...but while I was building up the mountain to conquer...someone else has been climbing it..."
I knew Jack Russow had to be watching...of course he was, he wants the title.
"Jack Russow....our first ever meeting for the title. It's ironic...ever since you got here you've been turning heads, racking up victory after victory after victory on your road to the Roulette Title. The same way I was working to the top. If you were to beat me it would be quite ironic...because you've taken the same road to the gold that I have, perhaps even quicker than me. Unlike Travis Levitt...I recognize the threat in front of me, and I know how much you hunger the gold that I carry around my shoulder, because I had that same hunger when I watched Travis strut around with a belt that he barely defended. In the last few weeks I've watched you like a hawk, and I must say...you are one hell of a threat to me. I haven't been in the ring with someone like you in a long time, that is why I consider this my greatest threat to date. And while you are an amazing athlete yourself, I must do whatever it takes to hold onto the gold."
I reach to the side, picking up the Roulette Title.
"This title...is what it's all about. Before I came along, this title was held by a weak shell of a man who did nothing but coast on his accomplishments. And for nearly 300 days, I have put this belt on the map and made it THE title to fight for when many people were telling me that my time has passed and that I made a mistake coming back to Sin City Wrestling. But I knew that somewhere...there was someone young and hungry enough to try and take their shot at me to take my gold...and that person turned out to be you. You have the chance to do what many others before you failed to do and that's dethrone me and take the gold...or will you be just another notch on my Roulette Title tour? Nobody knows what will happen until Blaze of Glory."
I slowly set aside the title on my desk.
"But do you wanna know what your problem is Jack? You get emotional WAY too much. Not saying showing emotion is a bad thing..but you allow the slightest loss to send you over the edge. I've lost many matches myself man...I never said I was invincible, but you lose one match to Mark Cross and then you act like you're not worthy enough to compete for the title. Instead of going crazy about why you lose..you should go back and see WHY you lost, pick up from that, and get back in the game. Because if that is how you handle defeat..you're not gonna last here in SCW. The last thing I wanna see is for you to become another Jake Raab...especially since you got so much more potential than him, hell unlike him you earned your opportunity while all he does is whine and cry like a little bitch until he's given another chance. You on the other hand have earned your one and only shot, and if you blow it, you're gonna go to the bottom of the line, having to earn your way back up."
He was a hothead for sure, perhaps this could work to my advantage.
"It seems every time the camera is on you, all you talk about is family..your Dad did this to you...your Dad did that to you...that's seemingly your go to for every promo you do whenever you have a match. Let me tell you a little something Jack...like you, I have had problems with my Father. My Dad never respected me or what I wanted to follow, when I was a teenager he kicked me out of the house...he told me never to come back until I made something of myself. But here's the thing...I made something of myself and I still never went back. I continued to make a name for myself and escape my family's shadow. See, I had hardships just like you..but I'm okay with that. Because I learned to turn negatives into positives. You on the other hand seem to turn positives into negatives. You put pressure on yourself, allowing your past..your father's name to define you. Way I see it, you need to forget about it and look in front of you. Because if you continue on this way of thinking..you're gonna miss your chance to hold your first ever title in SCW."
I lie back in my chair before continuing on.
"For nearly 300 days I've been rocking and rolling with the Roulette Title...some say it may be you who drives the silver stake in the heart of my title reign....normally the champion would be cocky saying..oh you're just a rookie, you only been here five minutes.
I see it differently. See, you have what it takes to dethrone me. Despite your lack of confidence on social media, you are indeed a threat to my reign..possibly my greatest threat ever. When I said I see myself in you, I meant it. Because I see the same fire, the same hunger, the same want to to prove all the doubters wrong who tell you that people like you don't deserve to be in the main event or be champion. As much as I'd like to tell the doubters to cram it...I gotta be the one who shuts you down as my title reign goes on for another day."
I pick up the gold once again, resting it on my shoulder.
"Blaze of Glory...you and me...in what many are saying could be the match of the night. Two proud warriors who left home to perfect their craft just for the right to be called the best in the industry today. I give you your due Jack...no matter how down on yourself you've been feeling the last few weeks, no matter you questioning yourself if you really have what it takes to dethrone the Jukebox Hero and end what looks to be an unstoppable reign...I believe you are the future of this company. And long after men like myself, Austin James Mercer, Fenris and others retire, the business will be in good hands with men like you. But that's the future..this is the present. And I am looking to play the role of spoiler and shut you down just to make sure that I leave with the gold. If I am to lose this..I'll go down in the proverbial blaze of glory..but on this night, somebody's gonna get rocked."
With that, I turn off the laptop, closing it as I leave my study.