Part 1 - Dragon on Tour

We are taken to a wrestling arena, made almost immediately obvious as the ring pans into view within seconds. A Japanese flag looms large from the rafters, and the words Pro Wrestling JAPAN can be seen written in both Western and Japanese characters on alternating sides of the ring curtain. With the show about to begin, most of the seats in the arena have already been filled, predominantly with Japanese fans, who sit politely, talking quietly amongst themselves as they wait for the show to begin.

The camera begins to zoom in on a man very familiar to Sin City Wrestling fans, as he shuffles his way along one of the rows to find his seat.

The Dragon: すみません...すみません... [su-mi-ma-sen...su-mi-ma-sen...] (Excuse me...)

Mark’s progress is suddenly halted as the next fan along stands up from his seat, blocking the path of the much larger man.

Fan 1: マーク クロス! [Maa-ku Ku-ro-su!] (Mark Cross!)

A second voice, equally excitable, pipes up from a couple of seats behind.

Fan 2: はい, マーク クロス! [Hai, Maa-ku Ku-ro-su!] (Yes, Mark Cross!)

From the row in front, a third fan leaps up from his chair, both hands holding out his t-shirt for Mark to see - Clocking eyes on his own face is plastered alongside Valentina’s...a Fire Dragons shirt.

Fan 3: 火のドラゴンはクールです! [Hino-do-ra-gun wa kuru-desu!] (Fire Dragons are cool!)

As Mark begins to chuckle, giving a double thumbs-up to the fan with the shirt, he is tapped on the shoulder by the second man, who is now holding out a leather-bound notebook in both hands, head bowed, much like the Japanese presented their business cards.

Fan 2: サインをお持ちください。[Sai-yo-muchi kudasai?] (May I have your autograph?)

The Dragon: はい、もちろん。 [Hai, mo-chi-ron] (Yes, of course)

Mark took the book in the same manner, double-handed, head slightly bowed. He found a pen stowed helpfully in an elastic loop on the cover. He scrawled a short message in hiragana and kanji before signing his autograph, returning it the same way a few moments later.

When it came to my early career, it’s been said that Japan made me. Hell...I’ve probably said that Japan made me before, but that’s...not strictly true. I love this place, I feel comfortable here, and it’s where I’ve had some of my finest matches, but it isn’t home. The Japanese wrestling culture merely suggested a different approach that I decided to adopt early on in my transition from football to wrestling.

When I first came here, I was not long out of the NFL, two years if that. I was wrestling regularly in the US, mostly small shows of course. I wore an old jersey to the ring, threw more spears and chop blocks than I can count...and for a guy that played in the biggest game, the Superbowl, in the country’s most popular sport? The fans would be behind me all the way. Anywhere in the Oakland area? Guaranteed sellout crowd as the Raider Nation came out in full force to support their former player. I was pretty happy with how the career change was going...right up until the same stuff that got me adoration in the States got me a whole host of boos here. I didn’t get it. I was confused. I asked my trainer about it after my first couple of shows and his words, in very broken English still ring in my ears most mornings as a reminder to be true to myself…’you just a walking talking gimmick’

He was right, of course. The average Japanese wrestling fan isn’t boring by any means. They chant, they cheer and they boo. They’ll blow the roof off a joint if the action is good enough. They buy merchandise of their favourite wrestlers and they wear it at the shows…not that different to the US, or back home in England. So what went wrong for me? The Japanese respect the sport, of two men or women displaying a high level of skill, the ART of technical wrestling, developed by the many hours of training, put on display. The jersey itself wasn't the problem, costumes and masks aren’t taboo here, but it was because I tried to hide behind ring attire to cover up for the fact that I just wasn't a very good worker back then.

It was a struggle finding plain black t-shirts my size in their department stores, but I got there in the end, and I bought plenty. The football jersey got buried somewhere in the bottom of a kitbag, never to be seen again all Spring tour, and I got to the hard work. You’ve seen Kill Bill right? An ancient, white-haired Kung Fu master shouting “AGAIN” as he watches me fail time and time again? That’s not a million miles from the truth. It was relentless, it was visceral, it was physically, mentally and emotionally draining, but nothing I hadn’t done with the Raiders of course. We’d run plays until we could run them in our sleep, then we’d run them again. Take the pigskin, get nailed, get up, do it again. We went Bruce Lee 10,000 kick style all over again, only this time it was Shining Wizards rather than HB Dives, and Go 2 Sleeps rather than post corners. I was first in the Dojo in the morning and the last to leave in the evening every single day. I came into that tour a plucky brawler, I left as a legitimate Strong Styler. The flood gates were opened, and I came back to the US determined to invest all my time and energy from then on into becoming the most technically proficient, well-rounded competitor on any roster.

Like the Japanese, I began to respect the sport a lot more than I ever have the business of wrestling. I could have sold more shirts, by choosing to put on an act. I could have landed bigger contracts in more major league promotions, if I'd chosen to be a better entertainer and a less capable wrestler. It sounds counterintuitive, right? I give you...the US market everybody. My 'sacrifice' has made me a Champion, and one of the most valuable partners up for grabs for Blast from the Past. To anyone questioning that choice - Sorry, not sorry.

Announcer: 今、リングに彼女の道を作り、5フィートと5インチの高さに立って、ユタ州、米国で生まれました。フェース シムプソン

(Now making her way to the ring, standing at 5 feet and 5 inches tall, born in Utah, USA...Faith Simpson!)

Chants of MI-RAI (The Future) begin to echo around the arena, almost drowning out Mark’s first entrance music "Are You Ready to Fly" as it blasts over the PA system. Faith’s blonde locks burst through the curtain, her movements still displaying every ounce of nervous energy that she was known for as she bounded towards the ring, but her face showed the signs of mental exhaustion.

Having worked with Faith for four years now, getting the phone call telling me that she was struggling emotionally, it dropkicked me right in the feels, but I knew how important moments like these were for her development. Wrestling for a living could be hard. Training intensely every day, being disciplined, sticking to a meal plan, long hours spent travelling on short hours of sleep, trying to keep a work-life balance in the most challenging of circumstances. From what I’d been told, she wasn’t missing a step in the ring, that filled me with confidence, but I wanted to see it first-hand. After all, nobody knew more about her performance levels than I did.

The chants of “MI-RAI” continued to bounce off of every surface in the spacious arena, growing in intensity as Faith’s opponent made her way to the ring. She looked older, Mark’s age, probably...and the death stare she was giving her younger opponent told us two things, she was less than impressed with the attention the ‘gaijin’ teenager was getting, and was determined to bring her down a peg or two tonight. The older woman’s first advance was ducked effortlessly by Faith, who was on hand to bulldog her opponent’s face into the mat a pace or two after she came back off the ropes. The crowd erupted, it was infectious. Mark even joined in the chant.

I wasn’t surprised to find Faith already well and truly in the good books of the PWJ fans. Faith is a different animal. She has something I never had, never will.  In fact, she has something most coaches can only dream of in one of their students to be honest. Put her in a ring, she doesn’t have to think, she just does. I haven’t figured out how, and she can't explain either most of the time, it’s completely on instinct. She’s third generation wrestling blood, maybe that’s it...but she is wrestling in its purest, truest form. All we have to do is work on getting her physically stronger, and give her some new weapons in her moveset to unleash in the ring.

The ever familiar sight of a Faith Simpson opponent smashing the mat in anger greets us next, the experienced head on her shoulders baffled, having not even managed to lay a finger on the young pretender yet. Nothing Faith had done up to this point had been devastating, it was more probing, frustrating, and when there was a threat of retribution she got out of dodge. It had been a professional, measured performance, but it wouldn’t last forever, that was no fun. Pushing back up to one knee, the opponent was at perfect height for a SHINING WIZARD from Faith, the crowd again voicing their approval at the Strong Style signature move.

Faith was gonna be absolutely fine. I’d crossed paths with a lot of wrestlers, either as fellow competitors, guys I’d trained, or legends that I’d tapped up for advice over the years. Real life happens to the best of us...and a good percentage of any locker room wear their hearts on their sleeves when you get to know them. You can tell when things aren’t good out of the ring straight away. It shows in their body language. It shows in their PERFORMANCE. Faith was young, sure, but since leaving school, going full-time, she lived and breathed nothing but wrestling. That was her grand scheme of things, and she didn’t take her eye off the ball.

Another cheer erupted as Faith’s opponent’s face hit mat once more, this time from a DDT that she stumbled into after a desperate lunge. Seeing the end in sight, the girl began to climb for the top rope.

I face an opponent this week who has shown he is able to keep his head held high, even if behind-the-scenes his relationships have been ripped to shreds, his investments have lost money hand-over-fist, or results haven’t gone his way in the ring. Impressive stuff. This match is different, since there’s a clear gap in skill, but it serves as a reminder to me that no matter what TNA has going on outside of the ring, it isn’t going to work in my favour when the bell rings.

Instead of showing us the final moments of the match, the camera follows the path of Mark “The Dragon” Cross, who has worked his way back to the edge of his row, and is already climbing the stairs to exit the arena. Without once turning back, his left hand raised in the air, his fingers shot up one-by-one to match the count of the referee...1...2...3. Faith’s “Have A Little Faith” connected from the top rope. Victory assured, and on to the next one.

I left the arena, got in a taxi, and went to the airport. I hadn’t told Faith I was coming, and I didn’t plan on letting her know I was there either. We’d spoken about the importance of this Tour in her development, being able to stand on her own two feet, away from family, friends, and the comforts of home, and she wanted me to trust that she could handle it on her own too. I didn’t doubt her for a second, and I didn’t want her to believe that I had. The truth was, I doubted myself. Was it too much too soon, had I made the wrong decision sending her to Japan in the first place. Well done Mark, you didn’t make a mess of this one.


Part 2 - Guy Time

We are taken to a nondescript kind of location, with neutral painted block walls and very little decoration to speak of other than what had been put in the scene by the crew - A perfect set for filming. Placed within the shot are two chairs, already occupied by two familiar faces of Sin City Underground fame, Backstage Interviewer Dev “Big D” Khatri, and Mark “The Dragon” Cross, current Underground champion. Placed in between them sits the title belt in question on a small round table, that also holds a bottle of water for each of them.

Dev: So did you talk to Valentina about the Fire Dragons 2.0 thing before you got merchandise made up?

Mark shrugged nonchalantly.

The Dragon: Talk to her about what?

Dev: Oh...you know…a week after finding out you’re partnered up with a former Triple Crown champion, not to mention a previous winner of Blast from the Past, and you’ve already made t-shirts calling it the 2.0 version of your old team?

The Dragon: Well when you put it like that…

Dev: Do you consider it an upgrade, Evie for Valentina?

The Dragon: Do you, Big D?

Dev: I wouldn’t like to say.

The Dragon: Gemma Frost would have. First of all Fire Dragons 1.0 didn’t lose its title in the ring, Val got injured, so I’m not looking to put everything we achieved on the shelf. By this point I was already defending the Underground championship here, challenging for titles on the main show, my dance card had already gotten pretty full, and it was the right decision for us to step aside. You have to question how valid it is to hold a title when you didn’t defeat the champions, and we might have to address that in the near future. Look - When it first came together, I was a ring-rusty Brit working his way back to full-time, Valentina had bags of potential but her results were patchy at best. Version 1 came together when we both needed that extra boost. It jump-started my career again too and I won’t forget that. I've seen the chatter about Val being the weak link, it started from minute one, I've talked about it before in the past, so I won’t go over the same old ground, but from certain viewpoints I can see why it’s a valid argument. You see what that is?

Mark gesticulates to the title belt sat between them.

Dev: Your Underground title.

The Dragon: And out of any SCU title that is?

Dev: Erm...the best one?

Mark nodded enthusiastically

The Dragon: Correct - Held by the strongest singles competitor in the company at the time. So it’s not that far of a stretch to suggest that if you put the holder of that belt in a tag team, they might become the strongest link. I didn’t hold it at the beginning of course, but my early results probably showed the potential. Now there’s a female version...see where I’m going with this?

Dev scratched the back of his head for a moment.

Dev: Valentina...something something...win the Underground title?

The Dragon: You're a smart cookie Dev, it’s why I like you. Valentina wins the Underground title, proves herself as the number one female wrestler standing atop the pyramid, and any raised eyebrows about the balance of our partnership drop back to their regular height. Permanently. She’s good enough to pull it off too.

Dev: You didn’t ask my question about whether you’re upgrading though - Does Val need to become Underground champion to prove her worth to you or something?

Mark holds his hands up defensively.

The Dragon: Not where I was going with that, no. Over the years, I’ve virtually always stuck to singles matches and haven’t had much in the way of a sustained partner, but it can’t be a lot of fun hearing things like ‘the main reason you’re winning is because you’re paired up with Mark Cross.’ No amount of me saying that’s not the case is going to make any difference of course, because those same doubters will write it off as me just sticking up for my partner. The reason I am here with my belt, challenging for bigger prizes on the main show, and in this tournament is because of her. Otherwise, I’d be in Japan right now watching my protege get the glory instead, living vicariously through her. I just want to see my buddy shut the doubters up once and for all, that’s all.

Dev: As annoying as you’ve both been with your pranks backstage at times, you’ve certainly built some great chemistry in and outside of the ring...but your first encounters with your new partner have been...less than friendly to say the least...and with the Blast From The Past winner getting a shot at her husband, what motivation does Evie Jordan have to hold up her end?

The Dragon: Because she can.

Dev: Because she can?

The Dragon: Exactly. Because she’s looked through the sixteen teams, seen she paired with one of the few current Sin City champions in the contest, and even though we haven’t exactly warmed to each other outside of the ring, has figured we;ve got a good chance of taking the whole thing down…then have another run at that Bombshell title at the same time. That isn’t how everyone thinks, it's a natural human condition to say ‘Blast from the Past? Completed it mate - Got the achievement’ and leave it well alone. Why spoil it? A real competitor though, a warrior, a winner, a champion? Who cares, I'll win it again and this time I'll hardly even break a sweat. Evie's past successes confirm that winning is something she does very well, and full credit to Ben Jordan, he conducts himself in the right way by opening himself up to anyone willing to ask for a chance at that title, SCW or SCU. That could have been me...grabbing a microphone and just asking...but I prefer to earn my shot, that’s why I’m in this tournament in the first place. Maybe I possess a little of that warrior spirit myself?

Mark reached across for his bottle of water, taking a long swig from it. Dev took the opportunity to do the same.

Dev: So let’s move on and talk about your first opponents, any thoughts?

The Dragon: Hey Dev, you remember when Taylor Swift was releasing nothing but breakup songs and we were starting to ask if maybe the problem was...well...her?

Dev: I guess?

He wore the expression of someone who was hoping he could nod, agree, and get away from this line of questioning. Clearly not a Tay-Tay fan. Disappointing.

The Dragon: Yeah, that. Travis strikes me as a guy with such a level of self-importance that he feels he could wander in with no real training, ring-rust and all, and waltz through into the semi-finals. I've started to do my research as always, and you know what jumps out the most? Mr. TNA can have the whole world falling in around his ears, most of it from his own errors, his own mis-steps, and still the arrogance flows from him like a torrent. He lives in a bubble, seemingly immune to the reality around him. Either it's a front, then I'd hate to be the therapist that has to try and hold him together away from the ring, or he is completely oblivious, and wholly unprepared for his Sin City return.

Dev: Do you think that counts against him, having to get familiar with his surroundings again?

The Dragon: I think it counts against anyone coming back to be honest, not just him, but he’s an excellent example. Travis Nathaniel Andrews…TNA...The FORMER Sin City Roulette champion...is a human representation of the single biggest issue that dogs entrants into Blast from the Past that aren’t still active here in Vegas - He's a former everything. I don't want to tear the guy down by writing off his past achievements, they’re far from insignificant, and they deserve respect, especially since the list is long...but look at it this way - He was Roulette champion once, I'm Underground champion now. He won matches here once, I'm winning matches right now, in Sin City rings, week in, week out. I have Mixed Tag title winning prowess, in this company, right now. He has proved, I am proving. He thinks he's the greatest gift to the sport of wrestling, and because of that he doesn't train as hard as I do. He believes he doesn't have to. There are a lot of comeback kings and queens, and once they have that first W under their belt, it'll be less of a disadvantage but in round number one? You don’t want to be finding your feet when I’ve already hit the ground running.

Mark took another sip from his bottle of water as Dev pressed on.

Dev: To TNA’s partner Jessie Salco then, who has been consistently active for a number of years here...how do you think she stacks up against Evie?

The Dragon: It’s an absolute no-contest on that front. Jessie hasn’t beaten Evie straight up despite getting how many opportunities, three, four bites of the cherry? It’s all one-way traffic. Anyone can beat anyone else on a particular night, sure, but repeat results, they’re a telltale sign of things to come. Take my own example, Caleb Storms, Bill Barnhart, Teddy Warren-Steele, all of them suffering multiple defeats at my hands over the past twelve months. Who of sound mind is going to put their money on anyone but me against those men? I mean...if you particularly wanted to drain your bank account, you’ll get attractive odds, but it’s not a high percentage move. Against this level of quality, Jessie is primed and ready to bounce straight out of the first round once again.

Dev: Now hang on, you talked about respecting former achievements, yet you’ve completely written Jessie off - She’s a former champion too.

Dev leaned forward as he cut in. Mark nodded, respectfully, at the challenge.

The Dragon: Three years ago Dev. Go back to what I said about her partner, how he has done while I am doing. Evie has been more successful, and done it more recently. Jessie’s not long had to snap out of a run of over six calendar months without a win, that’s not the form of someone who is ready to win a title belt in the first place, let alone defend it every week. These two have gone out in the first round as a partnership before, and what’s passed since then? Time. Time when Jessie has been in far worse form than she was when she snagged that title. Time when Travis hasn’t been in a Sin City ring at all. Like I say, I respect anyone with the wherewithal to become a champion, but that can only stretch so far. There’s only so much stock you can put in any one achievement, and they always begin to dilute over time. Everything has a shelf life.

Dev: Anything else to add about your match this week?

Mark shakes his head simply.

Dev: So you've spent most of your career actively avoiding tag team wrestling, what can you tell me about that decision?

The Dragon: It got drummed into me during the early stages of my training that the main reason guys chose to be tag team specialists is they have nowhere to hide in singles competition, they have glaring weaknesses that get exposed, but in a team with the right balance of skills, they can cover them up to a point. A talented wrestler should be able to improve in those areas, to the point when they're no longer a weakness, and become a much more well-rounded competitor. I've done the well-rounded thing. I started out with Strong Style, trained in dojos out in Japan - In come the stiff strikes and technical, damaging grappling. I used boxing training to put even more snap into my punches, to increase my stamina, to level up my footwork. MMA, to work better on the floor, and to evade submissions. I wanted everything thrown at me, so I could learn to adapt, and I got that. It gave me so much confidence in my own performance level out there, that I didn’t really want to leave any part of it up to someone else.

Dev: Your stance seems to have softened on it this past year, what changed?

Mark shrugged again

The Dragon: It just...found its place in my schedule I guess. Most of the companies I’ve worked for have been one show per week, every week, same arena, done. I had nothing to focus on other than that one match and that one opponent. Usually I’d rent an apartment in the city, train in a local gym, get in a solid, repeatable routine. With Sin City, it’s been a whole different animal. Tours across the globe, an intense travelling schedule, doubling up with an Underground show on a Thursday, then Climax Control on a Sunday...pulling double duty with two matches in a night - It’s hectic. Miss a few training sessions being on the road? No trouble - Have a match! Sometimes tag-teaming is a perfect warm-up, keeping me sharp with a big match on the horizon, while still leaving me in a good enough condition to bring it 110% when that opportunity comes.

Dev: OK last question - Who are the danger pairings left in Blast from the Past?

Mark sat back in the chair a little, pondering that last one for a moment. He’d thought about it before, of course, waiting in anticipation for the draw of their first opponents.

The Dragon: There’s a few banana skins left honestly - I like Tallyn and Jack Washington, they’re young but they have the potential to make a ‘Culture Shock’ level splash early. Gabriel and Odette know how to produce quality, just ask my partner, and I’ll be watching them with a keen eye. Austin James Mercer and Candy, two current champions and already through the first round...I feel like those two probably aren’t well-matched outside of the ring, but if they work well together in the squared circle then they’re definitely the team to watch. Also Kate Steele and Javi - One’s a champion, the other one was until I relieved them of the very belt sitting between us.

Dev: Any shock results?

The Dragon: Dani! I was sad to see her go out so soon, especially with the amount of work to see her get back in the ring in the first place, but maybe coming up against Kate on championship form and a...erm...fired up Gonzales was maybe a tough first match to come back to. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next from her.

Dev: Alright, I think that’s all we’ve got time for - Mark, thanks so much for joining me, and best of luck out there!

The Dragon: Cheers Dev!

The scene fades away as the pair shake hands in front of the Underground title.

 Part 1 - The Sorrow

The faces of Mark “The Dragon” Cross and Irish redhead “Deadly” Devinee Delaney appear side-by-side, a green tinge to both of their images. Between the two of them, the letters “PTT” and “Memory” show, reminiscent of a codec call from the Metal Gear Solid games. The conversation is a real Brit-fest, with Mark’s English and Devinee’s voice dripping with heavily-accented Irish.

The Dragon: Hey Devinee - How’s Japan?

Devinee: It’s good t’be back, ya know? Miss this place.

The Dragon: And Faith? How’s it going with that new girlfriend of hers?

Devinee: It’s not.

The Dragon: Oh wow - it sounded like she was really into her, even with the language barrier. How’s she holding up?

Devinee: Uhh...she’s been drinking more.

The Dragon: She doesn’t drink when she’s here.

Devinee: Exactly. I’m worried, d’ya think we should bring her back?

The Dragon: How bad is it?

Devinee: Well uhh…

The Dragon: Is she winning?

Devinee: Always.

The Dragon: How is she in training? Missing any sessions?

Devinee: 100% record. Beats me there most mornings.

The Dragon: It’s fine then.

Devinee: A teenage girl you’ve been training for the last four years is 7,000 miles from home and drinking to get over a break-up, how can you say that?

The Dragon: Because you did. I did.

Devinee: That’s different.

The Dragon: Why, because we’re British?

Devinee: It’s not good f’her.

The Dragon: Hey, you might be right, but we’re her coaches first and foremost. We look after wrestling matters and as far as those go, she’s as right as rain. She has friends, she has her family, if she needs a support network she can get one.

Devinee: I’m her friend. You’re like an older brother t’her.

The Dragon: And she won’t listen to us. You know she won’t appreciate it coming from you or me. Look - This isn’t the first time Faith’s got bent out of shape over a girl. If anything, it makes her better in the ring sometimes, angrier. If her performance drops or it gets bad we can step in, but she isn’t going to thank us.

Devinee: Ughh maybe ya got a point. Her Da’ did think this Japan thing would toughen her up a bit.

The Dragon: He’s been around the sport longer than both of us...but if she starts losing call me and we can have a rethink.

Devinee: Next week then? She’s fightin’ me next.

Mark sniggers in response.

Devinee: What? What’s funny?

The Dragon: Why’d you sign yourself up for that?

Devinee: I didn’t I was booked! I’ve beaten her b’fore.

The Dragon: I know, three years ago, I was there, but that was three years…

Devinee: You know what *beep* you Mark, why can I never rely on you to just *beep*ing believe in me for once in your life. You know what I’m gonna start her on a little losing streak and then she’s YOUR problem how about tha’?

The Dragon: Well that escalated quickly…

Devinee: I’m a good wrestler, and I’ve done this a helluva lot longer than golden girl.

The Dragon: And that’s why we wanted you on her coaching team...just...don’t inflict any long-term injuries alright?

Devinee: Deal.

The Dragon: Hey, Nee?

Devinee: I’m still not OK with you calling me that again yet...

The Dragon: Cool. You played Metal Gear Solid right?

Devinee: I ha’ to do the Psycho Mantis fight for you remember? Why?

The Dragon: Could you give me a lil “Snake...snaaaaaake?” to finish?

Devinee: Wha...oh you’re gonna do something stupid aren’t ye? Just leave me outta your silly little pro…

The Dragon: BYE!

The scene fades.

Part 2 - What’s up, slappers?

Following on from some good early traction on his Twitch channel, Mark “The Dragon” Cross was back again with another live stream. The scene opens to the same, newly converted gaming room that we’d seen from him the last time out. The collection of guitars behind him seemed to have grown, and his noblechair was now equipped with a blue branded neck pillow, the sides of it on show behind him.

The Dragon: What’s up slappers!?! Sorry - I’ve recently discovered Davie504 on YouTube, I think it’s become my new favourite channel, and I’m probably a little bit obsessed. I even got my bass out of storage...but you probably didn’t come to see me talk about guitars. Not tonight anyway. Hey, it’s The Dragon, thanks for jumping on with me tonight, and for those of you that have joined me over the past few days for my Football Manager streams, thanks a lot for keeping me company, it’s surprising how quickly we’ve got a little community building. As you can probably tell, I’m new to this, so still a few things to iron out. I’m useless at keeping up with chat, so I’ve got a second monitor on order that should help make that a little easier, but since I’m talking mostly about Climax Control here, I won’t have the chat up at all so I don’t get distracted and stick on topic - By my standards anyway.

Mark clears his throat.

The Dragon: Just before we get started though, a few questions I’ve got this week that I can answer real quick, what is a typical day for me...well, my home is in Miami, Florida. I try and come back here as often as I can between shows. I set up my own wrestling gym here, the Dragon’s Lair, which is maybe a 20-30 minute drive from my place, and I train virtually every day. Usually 3-4 hours, maybe less the day before or after a match. I study tape daily, on my opponent if possible, or on wrestlers with similar styles if there’s limited material, and I’ll usually do that at the gym as well, as I find I’m less distracted. That usually means getting back here at 3pm, I’ve got a swimming pool and a hot tub for recovery, then the rest of the day is my own. That gives me time to practice guitar, play games, watch a movie - and I watch a lot of other wrestling shows in my spare time too. I train hard, I try and absorb as much information as I can, and I make sure I give myself plenty of time to relax in-between. If I can bring you guys along for more of the down-time, I’ll definitely look to do that.

Mark reaches for a Fire Dragons mug, which he takes a long, satisfying sip from.

The Dragon: Also a lot of you have asked about how Faith’s been doing. She’s wrestling a tour with Pro Wrestling JAPAN, for those that don’t know already, and while I know she’s been quiet, it’s nothing to worry about. Being around a new culture can be daunting, and the training regime in the dojo is challenging, but another one of her coaching team is wrestling the same tour, and she’s in good hands. I know you were expecting regular updates, a whole Vlog series, but sometimes these experiences work out to be far more challenging than we first expect, and this isn't new. It isn't new for any of us in this business. Real life still rolls on for us wrestlers. Things happen. We can choose to break down, or we can carry on being a professional, doing a job, and putting the hours in. I mean look - Faith is nineteen, and yet she shows more focus and maturity than my opponent this week, and with a lot of the guys and girls I’ve shared locker rooms with over my career. I would love to say that I helped instil that in her early on. Maybe she had it already, or maybe it was a combination of both...whatever...but she has faced adversity and she has stayed on task. Are they typical teen dramas? Well yeah of course - but we all remember how "life-altering" they felt at that age. In the grand scheme of things, just how big are our problems anyway? My wife left me, that sucked. It still sucks, but I have my health. I have friends. I have a roof over my head, and I get to get up and do what I love every single day. I'm proud of that, and I’m proud of Faith, but I'm surprised. Surprised that we are oddities rather than the norm.

Mark takes another sip from the mug, holding it up to the camera for added effect, then pointing to it.

The Dragon: Distractions. Let me tell you a little something about distractions. I first picked up a guitar maybe 10 years ago. I didn’t have a natural talent for it, and basically, I'm still a shitty guitar player. I was too busy working at being a better wrestler when I first started, I still am now. I've flown planes, but I don't have a pilots licence. I've surfed, but I'm not much of a surfer…and all of these examples are because I can't afford to give them the level of commitment they need to take me to expert level. Enter the Homer Simpson meme here.

A picture of Homer Simpson fills the screen, with the text “Every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain.”

The Dragon: The fact is, I don't waste time on ventures that are going to divert my attention away from the endgame. I played in a Superbowl in the final season of my professional football career. We lost, but personally I had a pretty good game. In fact, it was my best season in the league. I went to "the big show" in my contract year...but the NFL was changing. I was the 'every down' Running Back - I could block a bit, run a bit, catch a bit, I wasn't the fastest or the strongest in the league...and every conversation I had regarding a new contract highlighted at least one of those flaws. Nobody wanted a Swiss Army knife anymore. They wanted to replace one guy like me with two or three guys that could do one of the jobs really well - I knew in pretty short order that I was done.

Mark shrugs nonchalantly.

The Dragon: I stopped waiting for the phone to ring. My agent was still confident, he’d get me on a practice squad, I could go back to NFL Europe...I could be like Ricky Williams and ball in Canada, just without the drugs bust on my record...but I knew the writing was on the wall and I cut my losses. I found something else because I had to keep busy. I committed to it fully because I wanted it. I became a wrestler. I gave up on ever playing football again, because I didn’t want my wrestling to be held back by living in the past, and I became a winner, I went one step further and captured the big prizes. I found my true calling and I went for it whole-heartedly. See it’s even more so today, but a few years in one of the big leagues, NFL, NBA, MLB, you name it, as long as you’re smart with your money you can pretty much set yourself up for life. I invested well, in stocks and in property, not fast cars and extravagant parties. I didn’t have to jump from one sport where I’d put life and limb on the line straight into another, and I’ve had people say to me, “hey why don’t you go and enjoy your money, you earned it after all, take it easy for a few years, you could do this, you could do that” but that’s never been the goal.

Mark looks down at the desk for a moment, collecting his train of thought.

The Dragon: I’ve never stopped being true to me. Mark Cross. The Dragon, in wrestling circles. You know what I’ve also had people say to me? You should work on your mic skills. You should try and appeal to a wider audience. Maybe wear a costume, change your name, you’ve got the in-ring talent, you could make it to the very top. In that...they might well be right...but that’s not me. I had virtually NO game with the ladies when I was younger, not until I made the jump to NFL Europe. When I started to make waves as an athlete, it boosted my self-confidence no-end believe it or not. I mean come on I was dropping Dad jokes as a teenager. This? Me in front of a camera? I do it. It’s part of the job and in truth, I like doing it...and I know there are people that are interested in hearing my viewpoint, and what I have to say. Others...a lot of others...probably just want it to end. I could have done something about that. I could have taken acting classes, or something. Instead I took more wrestling classes...because otherwise that’s all I’d be doing. Acting.

Mark shifts his chair to the side, revealing one of the frames hanging on the wall behind him. Within it is a large poster for “The Dark Knight” movie.

The Dragon: If you ask me who my favourite Superhero was, tough choice, but I’d probably say Batman was my guy. In a world of mutations, superhuman strength, hearing, X-ray vision, you name it...Bruce Wayne is basically just a guy with some nice gadgets who does a lot of pushups. That’s real. To me it makes him the most relatable, the most human...yet the results he gets, the things he achieves...that counts for something. That MEANS something.  

Mark looks back to his rack of guitars, which he has now turned his chair towards.

The Dragon: I will retire one day. I'll probably still be involved, continue coaching, maybe do some commentary work (lucky for you guys) but that'll be more about giving back to the industry rather than for me. I'll probably grab my guitar, write some songs, take them on the road to whatever dive bar will let me play, see if my music is good enough to maybe move a couple of people, who knows...but not now. “The Dragon” may hang up his boots but the man behind the “mask” is still the same. It’s not me giving up. It’s just me freeing up time to commit to the next thing, because I don’t have side projects. I have the wrestling project. The be better in the ring project. The get in the best shape of my life project. The winning more titles project. I even dug the beating Teddy Steele project out of the filing cabinet for one more run.

The Dragon: And this...brings me quite nicely to Teddy Steele. He spends so long trying to be a musician, a lyricist, a manager, a womaniser...a woman...that he's never properly knuckled down and got on with his own project of being a wrestler. It’s sad, and in a way, I feel for him. At times, I think he’s more than a little misunderstood, and I think more often than not, he wishes things could be different, that he could learn to knuckle down...but then he’ll dive off down some other rabbit hole that doesn’t lead to Wonderland. There’s only one Wonderland that I know of. It’s dunking yourself in a lava-hot tub as your aching muscles breathe a collective sigh of relief at the end of an intense training session. Hard work. That’s the golden ticket. I’m under no illusions here, I’m not indestructible. I’ve developed some holes in my game that just weren’t there before I dropped to part-time. I learned from that mistake, it’s an ongoing process to address those, and yes, scary thought to those who have slipped up against me already, I strive every single day to be better than I was the day before. Can Teddy beat me, straight up? Yes - but he hasn't. Can Bill Barnhart beat me straight up, yes - but he hasn't. That’s twice over, for both men. If the result stays the same for a third time, I think maybe we need to leave quite a substantial gap before we do it again.

The image of a GRIME mask flashes on and off the screen for a few seconds before we cut to shaky phone camera footage from a hotel bar. A thumbnail of Mark talking away from his live stream shifts to the bottom right, the audio muted. With his chat muted, as he’d explained at the start of his video, he seemed completely unaware. In the new scene, his arm is draped lazily over the shoulder of a woman...the same one whose apartment we saw him escaping from after his two victories at the High Stakes Supershow.

There are a small group of strangers sitting, standing and leaning around the couches as the phone wobbles around.

Guy #1: Kiss, marry, avoid. SCW Bombshells.

The Dragon: Ah c'mon…

Guy #1: Kate Steele, Sierra Williams, Bobbie Dahl - Go!

Camera Guy: No...Kate, Sierra, Valentina.

Guy #1: OOOOOOOH

Girl: That’s less fun don’t put Valentina in there!!

The Dragon: With the camera, seriously?

Camera Guy: Don't worry bro I'm so wasted I'll forget I have this!

The Dragon: Ugh I dunno...

Crowd: DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT

The Dragon: OK OK fine...avoid Sierra, she'd eat me alive.

Girl: And we all know how these next two are gonna go...

Camera Guy: Just let him answer

The Dragon: Kiss...umm...Val marry Kate

Girl: What!?!

Guy #2: No way!!

The Dragon: What?

Guy #1 She's...weird. Her husband’s weird. The whole thing’s just...weird ya know?

The Dragon: Oh come on, anyone loyal enough to put up with his bullshit every day has GOT to be a keeper right? I mean I can be pretty hard to live with but I’ve gotta be a Godsend compared to that...Besides she doesn’t seem that bad...and she might be able to teach me not so suck so much at guitar…

The girl’s hand shoots to his arm to comfort him.

Girl: I bet you’re not that bad bab…

Mark laughs out loud, probably too loud for being indoors, which cuts her immediately off.

The Dragon: Nice try, but I’m terrible. I’ve been playing for 10 years and I’m terrible.

Guy #1: So Kate walks over here right now, says that she’d leave Teddy for you, you’d say yes.

The Dragon: Hey if it means chalking up another win against him...

Crowd: OHHHHHH!

Camera Guy: Send her some flowers or something man!

The Dragon: ...Why?

Guy #2: Yeah dude, that’d be so funny!

The Dragon: Nope. Nopenopenope. Already been involved in one broken up marriage this year, mine, I’m swerving that like...erm...some like...plane or something...I’m drunk, I’m going to bed.

Mark pushes himself up from the couch, holding his arms out to the sides as if to balance himself. We see him move away from the group, accidentally bumping his hip on the edge of one of the couches which staggers him sideways for a couple of steps. The girl, maybe surprised by how her new famous wrestler friend had left without her, hopped up from the couch and gave chase, bare-footed with a pair of stiletto heels in her hand.

We're taken back to the live stream, this time with Mark’s audio reactivated.

The Dragon: I honestly don’t know why Teddy would have wanted this match-up to happen. He needs momentum, a couple of easy wins against a few rookies, maybe some softer opponents here and there...he’s not ready to avenge losses against Roulette champions in Griffin or guys with the ability to give the top guys a run for their money like me. That takes confidence, that takes focus, that takes motivation. Maybe even anger. The type of burning rage you get filled with when someone looks at your wife the wrong way, and you just want to rip their head clean off their shoulders. It might be the push he finally needs to put wrestling, the ancient art of doing a lot of damage to another man, at the top of his agenda. Shame I’m not that guy.

Mark shrugs as he cracks the top on a bottle of water, taking a long sip.

The Dragon: I don’t have too much more to say about the guy, as I’ve pretty much exhausted it all. The story with Teddy hasn’t changed since the last time I faced him, and while he was fast out of the blocks against me, at times in the match he almost felt like a no-show. We’ve heard the usual histrionics - I won’t fight you. I won’t show up. I’ll lay down. You’re turning my wife against me wah wah wah. Honestly in Sin City Wrestling, I can’t tell if my opponent is going to show up, in Sin City Underground I can’t finish a match without somebody else running in and getting involved. You know what would be a nice surprise? If everyone turned up for their own matches, wrestled in those, then stayed backstage for everything else. That’s what we call starting 2020 right.

Mark takes another glug of water.

The Dragon: So I think I’m going to wrap it up there. Thank you very much everyone for watching, please drop the channel a follow if you haven’t already, and be sure to turn on notifications to get a heads-up when I’m live next. For those of you making the trip to Port Charlotte, I look forward to seeing those Fire Dragons t-shirts!! Cheers guys.

The scene fades to black.

 Part 1 - Resolution

We are taken to a small meeting room that doesn't look like a scene we've ever been in before in recent videos. Seated around a small round table are Mark "The Dragon" Cross, Faith "The Future" Simpson and their accountant, Andy.

The Dragon: Thanks for coming guys…

Without warning, Faith leaps into action, scrambling up and across the table in a flash of flowing blonde hair, sending Andy and his chair floorward in a kind-of Lou Thesz press, raining down a flurry of fists on the man.

The Dragon: Oh no...Faith please don't...leave him alone…

Mark's words have a grand total of zero conviction, almost bordering on sounding bored. Casually he walks around the table, pulling weakly at Faith's arm, who swats him away effortlessly.

Andy: I know whose side you're on!!

Andy tries and fails to cover himself up with his hands and arms against the onslaught as Mark watches on with a shrug.

The Dragon: You hit her with a chair Andy, I'm just letting the odds level themselves.

Andy: Aaaaaah get her off me! Not the face not the face!

The scene fades to black as the sound of shattering glass can be heard with the next flurry of fists.

Part 2 - Resolution...for real.

The scene opens in similar fashion to before, with Mark, Faith and Andy seated around a table, with three differences. Faith has a bag of frozen peas wrapped around her right hand, Andy has an ice pack pressed to his cheek, and sat in front of him on the table is a pair of spectacles, now broken.

The Dragon: I’ve had a couple of days to think, and I appreciate what you both tried to do here, I know it was for the right reasons, but this should have been on me from the very start. Whether Matilda and I get back into a relationship again or not, and no matter what impact it has on my career, I'm going to be a Dad. I want to play as big a part in that as possible, and it could have been jeopardised. To be honest I'm lucky she kept trying to contact me, I could have been written off and never found out.

Andy: Yeah, the whole thing got away from me…

The Dragon: You’re not kidding. You remember that thing you said to me Andy, about how you guys don’t need me anymore? I’m winning. A lot. I’m enjoying every second of this little renaissance, and I don’t think it’s a surprise that it happened either, you know what, it’s kind of mutual. I mean, you know who started this for me right?

Faith: Valentina.

The Dragon: Valentina, exactly. You know what the biggest thing I feel with you Andy? Guilt. Guilt because of what you choose to miss out on for the sake of me. And you Faith? What happens with my career doesn’t matter in the end, because in the next ten years you’re going to eclipse anything I’ve done, or Octane, or Devinee, probably all of us combined to be honest, and we’ll just be sitting here hoping you remember from the early days. Now Andy...you're still my accountant…

Faith: You've gotta be…

A raised finger and a sideways glance stops her in her tracks.

Faith: Sorry.

The Dragon: I've spoken to Octane and Devinee, they're both happy to continue working with you on their stuff too. Faith, I assume you want us to find you someone else.

Andy: I know a guy I can recommend here in Miami. He's good, he won't rip you off.

The Dragon: Thanks Andy.

Faith: Yeah...thanks…

The Dragon: I also ask that you stop following me around the world - Go back to England, be with your family. I appreciate that my career has taken a sudden upturn and you've tried to handle some things for me...and Faith, all the guys at the Lair have appreciated you stepping up and being on hand for them when I haven't been able to. I feel like they look up to you even more than me now, and you'll be sorely missed around the place when you head to Japan Next week. I've decided I'm going to bring someone in to help with the gym, and my "off-camera" duties, so you guys don't feel any obligation to do it for me.

Faith: You're getting a manager.

The Dragon: Yeah that's the plan. Objections?

Faith: Cool with me.

Andy: Yeah. Makes sense.

The Dragon: Awesome. Listen, sincerely to both of you, thanks for always being by my side. I really appreciate it...but I have to take it from here.

Andy: I’ll...I’ll get a flight in the morning...thanks…

Andy hurriedly scoops up his broken glasses and makes a swift exit out of the room

Faith: Do you ever feel like Andy wanted an excuse to be out here, rather than with his wife and kids?

The Dragon: I mean...twin babies must be hard work right? I bet he sleeps way better in hotels than he does back at home. Plus I heard Sally can be a right bitch when she's tired.

Faith: Wow, you’ve really ruined his life for the next few months, haven't you?

The Dragon: Yup. What a week. How’s the hand?

Faith gingerly lifts the bag of peas, staring down at knuckles that were turning varying shades of blue and crimson.

Faith: Bruised. You’re still driving me to the airport right?

The Dragon: Sure! Have you started liking ramen yet?

The scene begins to fade away as the pair begin to discuss Faith’s upcoming trip to Japan excitedly.

Part 3 - Task at Hand

We are taken to the now-familiar office area of The Dragon’s Lair gym on South Beach, Miami, Florida. It is recognisable by the afterthought of a desk in the corner, with the vast majority of the real estate being taken up by the equipment used for watching back and analysis of past wrestling matches. This time it is being used to watch the demo of a 2019 highlight reel for the social media accounts of Mark “The Dragon” Cross, who has seen an unprecedented hike in followers and interactions given the year he’s just had. As the video comes to an end, he picks up and turns his chair to address the camera.

The Dragon: From a nobody to a legitimate title contender in pretty short order. What a crazy few months it’s been for me huh? I’ve watched the comments rumble on, everything ranging from “who is this guy” from fans who don’t branch out beyond their favourite promotions, or fellow wrestlers who don’t bother to do their research…next to ”I didn’t think he still had it in him” from those that saw me at my best, remembered as I slipped out of the limelight to concentrate my efforts on coaching someone who deserved the spotlight far more than me, all the way up to “we knew that was going to happen, it was just a matter of when” from my team, from past opponents, and from my long-suffering fans that maybe caught some shaky phone footage of me wrestling short-notice in a tiny venue for a miniscule crowd. I’ve said it before, even I was maybe in that middle ground for a little while...but no longer. I just needed that chance to spread my wings and take flight again. I’m still not at the height of my powers, more work needed there, but I’m in a position to have more title belts to than I have shoulders to put them on. That’s pretty special for a guy still trying to find his best form.

Mark reaches across to turn off the monitors just to his right, that were buzzing quietly with white noise.

The Dragon: It felt good to pick up one more win before the run into December II Dismember. It’s been a good year to say the least, and taking on Sin City Wrestling duties on top has kept me busy, but I’m hardly spreading myself thin, and I’ll take any excuse to be in a ring and work on my craft a little bit more. I think for Teddy, the result was inevitable - he’s been found out. On the face of it, when you look at some of the names involved at Summer XXXtreme, and the victory that made him Roulette champion in the first place, it was a pretty impressive feat. Former and existing champions up and down that match-up for a start, but immediately afterwards I wondered, one-on-one, straight up against anyone in that match, how many would he come out on top in? Griffin and I both sent him packing as I suspected they would. I think it proves just how ‘right’ this match-up is. Not only will it raise the bar for the Roulette division going forward, but as the opening match it’ll set the tone for an incredible last show of 2019 too. I have to say credit to management for making this one happen, and I have a feeling this won’t disappoint.

Mark clears his throat.

The Dragon: So now we get to the match, and this is where things get difficult. I probably find this the most challenging thing about our sport if I’m honest, firing shots at someone you respect, and a more than worthy champion to boot. Challenging, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.

Mark reaches for something at the edge of the scene - A megaphone. He puts it to his lips and an amplified, low-fi version of his voice hits the microphone

The Dragon: Your NEW World Heavyweight champion...Griffinnnnnnnnnn Hawkins!

Mark drops the megaphone out of shot.

The Dragon: Try that on for size for a moment and tell me in the comments section below how you feel about it.. I'll wait. You, in the red shirt, let me know what you think. How about you, with the cool glasses? Get typing, let's go.

Mark pauses for a moment.

The Dragon: Now me? Personally, I actually quite like the sound of that. Griffin, like myself, is probably somewhere on that radar after all. I think he would do our company proud as the headline act, would behave with honour and integrity that a real champion should, and most importantly, I think he has the ability, and an undeniable level of talent that would put anyone with an opinion that matters around here on notice. My opponent this week is the real deal.

Mark glances down at his watch.

The Dragon: In that regard, I think we are very similar. My time here has seen me defeat two former Roulette champions, take down experienced heads, deliver the goods against some of the very best the company has to offer, even nearly breaking the winning streak of a guy that some of the roster are scared to share the same BUILDING with, let alone go toe-to-toe with them in the heat of battle. I have my methods, and from promotion to promotion, they tend to lead to resounding success, and here is where we differ the most - Ring work.

Mark reaches for a bottle of water from the floor, taking a long sip.

The Dragon: Let me set the scene for a minute. You have a hankerin’ for some whiskey tonight, so you go to your liquor cabinet and as you open it up you’re presented with two choices. A bottle of Mark “The Dragon” Cross, a British single malt. Complex, multi-faceted, expertly aged by a wealth of different experiences, and every time you take a sip it’s almost like you’ve discovered something completely new and exciting. Next to that you have that distinctive square bottle of Griffin Hawkins, that sour mash, unrefined, not even officially a bourbon kind of whiskey that meets the budgets of any dive bar patron, isn’t all that classy, but is guaranteed to kick like a mule and deliver proven results every time.

Mark scratches the back of his head as he let's it sink in for a moment.

The Dragon: Don't get me wrong, this isn't a total slam dunk, and it's not an "I'm a better wrestler so I'm gonna win" line. That’s so predictable right? I mean...I love Jack Daniel's. If I’m settling in for a long drinking session it’s my drink of choice. I don't want complex, I want to be smashed in the face with simple, straightforward, rough around the edges Tennessee whiskey. It has a place, and I see why the style works so well for Griffin. After all, it's tough to prepare for what an opponent is going to throw at you when the opponent themselves isn’t 100% on what’s to come. Especially when you know the guy is champion for a reason, and whatever they bring to the table, it’s probably going to hurt. The struggle is definitely real. Let’s go back to our whiskey example real quick.

Mark looks around him, hoping that there might be a bottle of the stuff sitting around as a prop. He's out of luck.

The Dragon: I’ve spent a lot of time wrestling out in Japan over the years. It’s where I first learnt Strong Style, and went from a brawler that would just take a lot of punishment until the other guy got exhausted to a proper, legitimate wrestler. Japanese wrestling fans generally aren’t a big fan of gimmicks. Aside from maybe Mexico, who I’ll exclude here on account of the significance of masks,making Japan the place in the world where the purest form of wrestling is most appreciated, and where your popularity will take a battering if you try and make it all about showmanship like here in the States. Griffin would probably get a pass on his rockstar image, the Japanese rock scene is pretty vibrant, but his style? Ehh....

Mark shrugs as he continues.

The Dragon: So how do I prepare for Hawkins? We’ve touched on Strong Style, blows and strikes to rock you to your very core, powerful grappling that knocks the wind out of your sails. Last week we saw a rare cameo appearance of Kyukyoku Ryujin, the high flying speed demon alter ego that can always come out of the woodwork when I need something a little different. A dangerous array of submissions, displayed just a few days ago on the Underground brand, that while I don’t like how they slow down the pace of a match, I love the way they can slow down an opponent when I need to get rid of any head of steam they might have been building up. MMA training, for the dangers that crossover athletes like Fenris and Jake Raab can present. Boxing training, to put some extra fire in my fists and some extra air in my lungs over a long battle. I prepare for every eventuality, so there’s no thing or no person that I fear when I step inside a wrestling ring. If someone wants to beat me, it isn’t because they exploit a weakness in my game. It’s as well rounded as you’re ever going to find at any tier of professional wrestling. It has to be because they’re better on the night. No easy task...but if you want to be a champion, or stay a champion, that’s what it takes.I know a lot of guys in my position that live on their former glories, and often it’s to keep the money rolling in to fund their lavish lifestyles. I’m cut from a different cloth. When you judge me, when you prepare to face me, whatever the situation, I want you to disregard my past resume. The promotions that have me listed in their “Legends” or “Alumni” sections. The Hall of Fame nomination that only didn’t come because the money ran out. The stacked win-loss record. The title wins. The title defences. The scalps against some of the biggest names in wrestling. I’ve done this a long time, so the list is extensive...but I want you to throw that in the trash.

Mark leans forward towards the camera.

The Dragon: Look at what I am now. Look at what I’ve already achieved in a short space of time. The men I’ve beaten. The quality of the performances. The level of destruction as two or three moves tilt the momentum in my direction and start a landslide that ends with my hand being raised by the referee at the end. I wasn’t a title winning wrestler then, I’m a title winning wrestler NOW. The evidence is undisputed. Griffin - You know I like you as a wrestler, and as a human. None of this is personal, and neither will what happens in the ring either. I’m looking forward to this one man. See you out there.

The scene fades to black.

Part 4 - Shiny Things

We are taken to the Miami home of Mark "The Dragon" Cross, the camera already inside as the front door opens. Mark is first to enter, followed closely by the brunette who we'd seen getting her ultrasound scan the week before. Matilda begins to explore immediately, looking around the kitchen/dining room with open-mouthed wonder. She spots the swimming pool as she reaches the large glass windows that look out onto it.

Matilda: You live here all by yourself?

The Dragon: I do now. I didn't for a long time, there were two of us for maybe 7-8 years?

Matilda: It must be so lonely.

Mark takes a seat at the breakfast bar, watching as the girl inspects the room.

The Dragon: Sometimes. I'm pretty comfortable in my own company though. You know I can't believe in three months you never came over to my house.

Matilda: I was scared it would be too...like this.

The Dragon: How do you mean?

Matilda: I heard about people that lived here, the houses, it was too…

The Dragon: Rich?

Matilda: Well Papa said everyone here lives in Playboy mansions. Now I've seen it I don't know why he was so worried...

The Dragon: HEY!

Matilda: But I bet this costs more than I'd ever make in my lifetime though...why do you still wrestle Mark? More of this, a bigger house, a faster car, what?

The Dragon: Purpose.

Matilda: Purpose?

The Dragon: You know, a reason to get up in the morning, to be productive and make something of my day. I could easily float around out in that pool, get a nice tan, find some model thet probably doesn't speak much Englidh to keep around as token arm candy, the end, right? Instead I have a Roulette title to challenge for. I have a Double Down championship to defend. I have a girl that I'm training who has the potential to do more in this sport than I ever have or ever will. This keeps me hungry.

Matilda silently walks around the kitchen, opening cupboards, running her hand over the coffee machine, probably her Italian roots drawing her to it like a magnet.

The Dragon: You're not saying much.

Matilda: What?

The Dragon: You normally would have said what was on your mind by now, that's all.

Matilda: Leave me to do all the talking like always huh? I'm thinking. I'm thinking about what if I did just go along with all this. Uproot my life to live here in this mansion with you, be judged by my parents, deal with the jealousy of my family who struggle every day just to pay their bills while I worry constantly about your loyalty while you're on the road.

The Dragon: It doesn't have to be like that.

Matilda turns on her heel to face him, hands on her hips.

Matilda: Why, because you'll give it all up for us? After that whole purpose speech you just gave me.

Mark shrugs.

The Dragon: If you want me to, yeah. I'll come off the road, concentrate on running the gym, maybe do some local shows around Miami to keep myself in shape and leave it there. We could buy that restaurant you've dreamt about...

Matilda: Just like that you'd buy me a pizza restaurant?

The Dragon: I know how much that dream means to you and your family.

Matilda lets that sink in for a few moments...then shakes her head...then heads for the door.

Matilda: I gotta go…

The Dragon: Or no restaurant...what have I done wrong here exactly?

Matilda: Why couldn't you have been an asshole about this…

The Dragon: Would that have made it easier, if I said I didn't want any part of this pregnancy? Really!?!

The front door slams as Matilda makes a swift exit.

The Dragon: Mattie...I drove you here…

Mark shakes his head as he turns to address the camera.

The Dragon: I know how the next hour of my life is going to go. Matilda’s going to try and walk back home to South Beach which will probably take her...oh...3 hours? I’ll jump in the car, find her walking on the path, I’ll try and talk her down from inside the car while she walks, holding up an angry line of traffic behind me, eventually she’ll get in, we’ll sit in silence for a while, then I’ll try and break the silence and get grunts and one word answers like I’m speaking to a teenager, until finally as I pull up outside of her parents house will we actually be able to have an adult conversation about things. Italians huh?

With a sigh, he grabs his keys from the breakfast bar, heads for the door, and leaves. As the door slams shut we hang on the silent kitchen/diner for a few moments as the scene fades to black.

 We are taken to a video-on-demand replay of a recent stream on Twitch.tv. Mark “The Dragon” Cross can be seen seated front and centre of the shot, microphone clipped to his shirt lapel. Sitting behind him at a laptop is a blonde, who we soon recognise as Faith, his star student.

The Dragon: Hey guys, and welcome to my live stream right here on Twitch. So as it turns out, winning a title and going on a hot streak? That does wonders for your follower count…

Faith: ...along with having a great social media manager! You know you're gonna have to learn to do some of this yourself when I'm touring Japan right?

The Dragon: ...Yeaaaaaaaah. Anyways I'm going to start doing more for you guys on here, my laptop can just about handle OBS so even when I'm travelling I can check in with you guys. We figured a Q&A would be the best idea, and you've been winging your questions in so if you're ready for them SMASH like now.

Faith: It's not YouTube...oh my fu…

A palm makes it’s way towards the face as Mark continues uninterrupted.

The Dragon: OK first question from @lukeyd123 on Twitter. Have you spoken to Emmie Ward lately, and have you battled any addictions of your own?

Faith: Ooh, great question. Hard hitting.

The Dragon: Really getting dark out of the gate huh? Part one, I haven't spoken to Emmie - Honestly, we weren't close. Especially on tour, which is where we were when I started branching out to the main show, people tended to stick around the hotel a little more or hit a nearby bar. We'd end up in the same place and chat for a bit, usually until someone's friend arrived or whatever, but that's it. A beer or two never goes amiss, so it was like that with a lot of the guys. Plus I don’t know what help I’d be as the answer to your second question is no, not really.

Mark took a sip from his bottle of water before continuing.

The Dragon: I used to drink excessively when I was younger. We'd hit clubs and bars 4, sometimes 5 nights a week. The thing is though, at that age we felt invincible. We'd all wake up the next morning, no hangover, get up and go to work like nothing had ever happened. Plus, if it wasn't a social occasion, I wouldn't touch a drink. I'd actively avoid it to give my liver a break to be honest. At times when we were younger and dumber we even branched out to...erm...recreational pharmaceuticals...but honestly if I was with my friends? No drink, no drugs? I still would have been loving life. I think that’s what made us different from addicts, and why I can still maintain a good relationship with my vices.

Faith: Got any wild stories? A quick one, I know what you're like.

The Dragon: Too many. OK here’s one, my 21st birthday. My beer goggles were in full effect, and I ended up leaving a bar with this girl, go back to her place, all sounds good right? I wake up the next day...the girl, maybe a 6 out of 10 at a push? Plus at that age girls always wanted to go again in the morning, definitely not ideal, so I think about my escape. I hear her whole family downstairs. Parents, a brother and a sister judging by the voices. No way I’m making it down there and out the door unseen. A few minutes later, I’m hanging out of an upstairs bathroom window by my fingertips trying not to break my neck on the fall.

Faith: Did you die?

The Dragon: Nuh-uh, managed to land on my back on the lawn. Bet they would have seen some six foot plus bloke falling past their kitchen window though right? I just got up and ran for it.

Faith: Smooth. OK next one - How did you feel after your match against Fenris?

The Dragon: Yeah that was a tough loss to take honestly. I think a lot of guys, even 'full-time' Sin City main roster guys would just expect to lose to Fenris. Caleb Storms definitely doesn’t want any piece of him. See, if I went in there with that same mindset, or got outclassed, lost easily, I'd walk away and admit I wasn't good enough, back to the drawing board. Thing is, I was competitive in that match. I could have had him. If we had that match 100 times and tallied up the wins I think it would have been pretty close. I just didn't quite have enough on the night, and when it’s such fine margins, gutted. I had fingertips on the Roulette title at Summer XXXtreme, I nearly took out the White Wolf at the first time of asking. Big things are right around the corner.

Faith: Since you’ve had both of these recently - Who is it tougher to win the war of words with someone you respect or guys that don't talk back to you?

The Dragon: It's a really challenging question, honestly. I mean look, 10 years isn't a long time, but for some aspects of our industry it seems like an eternity. I'm known as an old school guy…I describe myself as an old school guy...and when I started all you needed was a chair, a camera and enough dirt on an opponent to tear them a new one for 10 minutes or so. The game's changed now. I had a guy go surfing before we faced off against each other. I mean, what am I supposed to do against that, grab a guitar and sing Surfin’ USA at him?

The Dragon: I know what my answer is. The guys that give you "nothing" do leave behind hours of footage of them competing, and even if I won't necessarily say it on camera, my wealth of experience tells me that I probably have the quality to get through. Guys like Griffin, Fenris, who I respect immensely? I generally don't have a bad word to say about them, AND I know I'm in for one hell of a fight when the bell rings.

Mark glances down audibly laughs as he reads a message on his phone.

The Dragon: Ooh here's one just in...is Faith single?

Faith: Nonononono…

The Dragon: Well her Facebook status is probably set to 'It's Complicated' but sorry Sledgehammer2k20, she's only into girls.

Faith: She might be watching this!!

The Dragon: Keri's not going to be watching this, it'll be fiiiiiiine. Hi Keri!

Faith: You're such a douche. Can I ask a tough one now?

The Dragon: I guess that's fair.

Faith: If you could choose one tag team partner for life  who would you rather pick, Griffin or Valentina?

The Dragon: One tag team partner for life? Jeeeeez that one's brutal. I mean, on paper? Griffin and I teaming up makes one heck of a partnership, and putting that level of talent together week in week out would be a super exciting prospect BUT I’ve gotta stick with my girl Val on this one.

Faith: Your loyalty really is unwavering huh?

The Dragon: It is, what can I say!?! Wrestling has never felt like a job or a chore to me, ever, in over a decade, and I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world for it being my life, but teaming up with Valentina made me realise just how much fun the ride could be. I’ve always been about finding an extra few percent here and there, the right preparation every time, and you know what while it keeps me in this business, and keeps those wins piling up...with the Fire Dragons we just kind of went out there and were “us” for a while. I think I needed that at this point in my career and I’d be sad if I couldn’t experience that again with this very hypothetical question

Faith: Who has the better hair…

The Dragon: Hawkins. All day.

Faith: Better guitarist, you or Griffin?

The Dragon: Hawkins. I've been playing guitar for longer than I've been wrestling and I'm still awful! To be honest I'm one of those drummers that wishes he was a guitarist, but I find drums really really dull. I’ve tried doing the band thing more than a few times as a drummer, and it just doesn’t keep me interested for long enough.

Faith: If you could only ever play one guitar again what would it be?

The Dragon: Who's making me choose between one of my children?

Faith: shredfest_69 on Instagram

The Dragon: Brilliant. I love them all dearly, but easy answer - My USA Fender Tele. It's one of the 2015 limited edition Double Cut Telecasters if you wanna look it up. Plug straight into the amp, bridge pickup, volume on full, that's all I ever need.

Faith: No way!! That one is so boring! What about that sexy purple thing you have? With the birds?

The Dragon: The 10-Top PRS Custom 24?

Faith: Uhh...yeah?

The Dragon: That's a $4000 dollar guitar Faith, it's wasted on me and my 12 bar blues standards. And I'm worried about marking up that sweet sweet finish. Next?

Faith: Are you guys good against the Good Shepherds?

The Dragon: Yeah I think we’ve got things in hand. Of course I’ve prepared for this match like I always do...aside from that one time at band camp a month or so ago...and I know what we’re going to be in for in terms of the match. I won’t bore you with that, but let me at least say this - I’m all for people having faith in something, a higher power. If nobody is getting hurt in the process and you keep yourself to yourself then by all means, have at it. It’s when things get preachy that I’m less impressed.

The Dragon: Don’t convert to our ways? You’re an infidel. Drink a beer after your match and you’re a sinner...

Have a child out of wedlock even if you don’t know about it…

The Dragon: That seems kinda specific Faith...but back to the point. It bothers me when those of faith feel like they’re raised up on a pedestal for us all to aspire to. It irks me when their beliefs get rammed down our throats until we finally give in and agree, normally just to shut them up but no, not this time.

Mark reaches under the desk, pulling out his Double Down tag team championship belt, which he slings over his shoulder..

The Dragon: When you step into a wrestling ring, well, you’re in my church now. Inside the squared circle, the anointed carry gold to display their ascension to the promised land, and they will judge those who deem themselves worthy to enter it. The Brothers have a family connection, Griffin and I have a championship connection. As contenders and champions we move in similar circles, and if he is anywhere near as diligent as I, we will have been watching each other from afar for some time. Preparing to face each other as opponents only strengthens the knowledge of what we can be as a team, and that counts for a lot too. I think our combined quality will be too much.

Do you worry about anything underhanded from Griff? HannahBanana on Twitch chat.

The Dragon: No concerns whatsoever. We both know December II Dismember is coming up, and we both know that’s going to be one hell of a contest, obviously, but I think there’s enough mutual respect between the two of us to make sure that we carry our own weight out there and keep it above board. The fans deserve to see that match in all of its glory, with both of us in tip top shape and firing on all cylinders. That involves getting the job done as quickly and as cleanly as possible, and I think we’ll both be pulling for that. Plus, he’s Canadian! They’re all too nice to turn on their partners, right?

With the live stream set to continue for some time longer, we are saved from being subjected to any more as the scene fades to black.

 Part 1 - Off The Rails

The scene opens to a small apartment. It’s a mess of clothes strewn everywhere, takeaway containers, and possibly the biggest mess of all, a very hung over Mark “The Dragon” Cross. Our favourite boring Brit is having to use near surgical precision to free his arm from...whatever that girl’s name was...from the night before without waking her. The camera turns away to survey the view out of the window while Mark finds his underwear and jeans, dressing himself to a suitable standard to be shown on the screen.

We spin back into the room, where Mark has been able to retrieve his shirt, which he begins to button up as he opens the first door he comes to, hoping to find the bathroom. Sitting up in bed, aged maybe three or four at a guess, is a young girl. She looks expectantly towards the door as it swings open.

Kid: Mummy?

The Dragon: Aaah...a child…

Realising it definitely isn’t Mummy, and not recognising the stranger, the child lets out a blood-curdling cry that pierces right through the skull of a worse-for-ware Dragon. Not wanting to deal with the noise, or the awkward morning-after conversation, he abandons the socks and shoes that still needed to be put back on him and makes a break for it.

Mark foot-slaps it out of the apartment, along the balcony, down the stairs…

The Dragon: Oh jeeeez how did my car get here? Ow...ow...ow…

The sun-baked parking lot was scalding to his bare feet, and suddenly he was glad of having it, even if whatever he did last night was a sure-fire DUI had he been pulled over. It was a rental Mustang convertible, for some reason with the roof already down, and he launched himself straight over the top of the door rather than opening one.

Girl: HEY!! CALL ME!

Mark fires up the car, drops it into drive and puts the pedal to the metal, screeching out of the car park in a cloud of smoking and burning rubber.

The Dragon: Don't even have your digits!!

We are cut to a hotel bar. Seated at one of the stools is Andy, accountant/occasional agent of Mark "The Dragon" Cross with Eggs Benedict and orange juice in front of him. We catch one side of a heated phone conversation.

Andy: I really don’t see how you being pregnant affects any...hey who are you calling stupid? How about you just tell me how that’s relev-OH FUCK...is it...why haven’t you told him...there is no right time to drop a bombshell like that and derail his career, what do you mean when you think the time’s right...lookIgottago…

As the forlorn figure of Mark “The Dragon” Cross slumps alongside him at the bar, Andy very swiftly brings his call to a close.

Andy: What happened to you? And where the hell are you shoes?!?

The Dragon: That thing you said, about keeping things under control. I think you're right.

Andy: I thought you and Val were having a quiet few drinks?

The Dragon: We did, but I got the flavour…And I went back to the bar. And woke up in an apartment next to some girl I didn't recognise.

Andy’s phone rings. Mark visibly winces as the ringtone cuts right through the fuzziness that occupied his head. Andy cancels the call.

Andy: Grim.

The Dragon: Exactly. She had a kid too..

The barmaid comes over to take the new arrival's order.

The Dragon: Do you have any Red Stripe?

Andy: You're getting a beer? It's breakfast time.

The Dragon: Red Stripe's a breakfast beer.

Andy: It's not a...never mind.

The phone rings again. Andy is quicker to it this time and cancels it almost immediately.

The Dragon: Ugh that sound. Someone's popular.

The phone rings again.

The Dragon: Andy, answer it or turn it off. Please.

Andy: Sorry...one sec…

Andy picks the phone off the bar, tweaks a few settings, and manages to get it onto silent. He leaves it face up next to him, and we can see it light up intermittantly as the same person tries to get through again.

Andy: So I don't think you and that pizza girl back in Miami are a good idea.

The Dragon: I know.

Andy: I know I said to call her, but you shouldn't.

The Dragon: I wasn't going to. Why are you so...

Andy: Oh, good. She's not the one that got away then?

The Dragon: I mean...probably. I found another few pictures of us…Two people that should have been together all along finally hooking up though? Someone already ran that storyline for this Supershow just gone.

Andy: Now who's breaking the fourth wall?

The Dragon: Honestly, right now? I'm too hung over to care.

Andy: Do you have one of those pictures?

The Dragon: Yeah, hang on.

Mark presses a few buttons on his Samsung Galaxy, finding the picture and sliding the phone along the bar. Andy peers at it for a second.

Andy: You look really happy to be fair.

The Dragon: When we both forgot my life was a little extraordinary, we were. It was the other times that were the problem.

Andy: So Mark I don't think I've ever asked...how do you feel about kids?

The Dragon: Mine or other people's?

Andy: Is there a difference?

The Dragon: Of course. I'm not fussed about other people's, but if it was mine? I mean I would have helped make that.

Andy: Would you still wrestle?

The Dragon: Doubt it. When Amanda and I were talking about kids a few years back I was looking for new coaches for Faith.

Andy: You'd walk away? Just like that? Even from coaching?

The Dragon: I mean...why not? With parenthood it's not about me anymore, it's about making good memories for my kids. Being away all the time, travelling the globe, putting my body on the line? That doesn't fit with the programme. Plus like you said before High Stakes, nobody NEEDS me to be wrestling.

Mark's pint of beer lands on the bar. He pulls it close, catches the smell of alcohol and instantly pushes it back away from him. Nope.

The Dragon: Are you OK Andy? You look like you've seen a ghost?

Andy: Yeah umm...I need to make a call…

Andy spins himself off the stool and disappears off into the depths of the hotel. Mark’s phone pings next to him with a message, which the camera zooms in to see:

“Matilda Cipriani 10:34 - WE NEED TO TALK!!!!!”

Mark glances to it, shakes his head, then lowers it slowly to the bar. Nope. Not. Today.


Part 2 - Press Conference

We are taken to Sin City Wrestling's High Stakes press conference. Next to take the stage, Double Down championship belt loosely draped over his shoulder, is Mark "The Dragon" Cross.

Murmurs of "Oh no, not this guy...we haven't got all day...Is there going to be time to get anyone else in…" can just about be heard rumbling around the room.

The Dragon: I can hear you mumbling back there - Don't worry I'm under strict instructions to keep it brief. I won’t keep running back in either.

A few nods of approval as the first question fires in.

Reporter: So a pretty memorable night for you at High Stakes! Which win meant the most to you?

The Dragon: I think I probably said this in the build-up, but capturing the Double Down title was my number one focus. The opportunities that may come on the main show is an added bonus, but keeping the straps in Fire Dragons hands will be my main focus.

Reporter: Even after two impressive victories at the Supershow, you still ended up in a heated exchange with Alex Jones, about your SCU status and your footballing past. Do the comments get to you?


The Dragon: Not at all - I’d love it if people were coming after me for the right reasons, and slapping the Underground scrub back down ain't it chief. I've had a bit-part role on the main show so far, it’s what I signed up after all, but I've already taken down Bill Barnhart…

Mark holds his fingers up and counts as he rolls through the names.

The Dragon: ...Caleb Storms, Jake Raab, and Stephen Callaway. I'm the guy on a hot streak right now. If anyone wants to test their mettle against someone in the kind of form I’m in right now? That deserves respect right? I figure if I keep stacking up victories like I am now, the script will flip soon enough.

Reporter: Do you expect a match between the two of you any time soon?

The Dragon: Who, me and Alex Jones? I doubt it. Let's face it, if I had a match against everyone that doubted my abilities because I signed for Underground, or because I played football before I wrestled, my calendar would be pretty full. It's probably more fun to watch us flap our gums at each other on Twitter than book the match to be honest.

Reporter: That'd be a good match though, right?

The Dragon: One hell of a match. Two guys with the potential to be World champions? That’s Supercard main event level quality. Whether we see it or not is out of both of our hands.

Reporter: OK, so what's next for you?

The Dragon: Defend our titles, win more main show matches, troll anyone on Twitter that falls for the bait, keep boring you guys with my ramblings. Any more ques...oh time’s up? Cool, thanks guys!

Mark “The Dragon” Cross collects his title belt from the table and promptly leaves for the next person. His ability to keep it short when he wanted to almost seemed to impress a few around the room as they waited for their next victim.


Part 3 - Show of Respect

The scene opens once again to a wrestling gym - Predictable. Mark “The Dragon” Cross is again sporting the Double Down tag title over his shoulder, the thing probably worn on his person more than his ever-growing collection of watches since victory at the Supershow. In his hand is a book, which he shows to the camera. It looks handmade, like it was sheets of paper that had been stapled together to look like a book, and the writing within it was in different colours of crayon, almost like it was scrawled by a child.

The Dragon: So sadly, I don't need this, since it's one of those rare matches based on playground level mudslinging. I write in this book right-handed so it almost looks like a child wrote it. Shame really, I had some good ideas on here too...Bill's only one year older than me, homie you didn't age well...his wife's script is written with Bill's script and a piece of tracing paper...the dog has more personality than both of them combined...that was a good one, but alas, we move on and we treat Bill with the same level of professional courtesy that he’s shown me.

Mark launches the book over his shoulder and behind him. The sound of ruffling paper can be heard as it smacks against the ring canvas.

The Dragon: Bill Barnhart the rematch...now he’s a potential banana skin for me. It wasn’t that long ago since we faced off against each other, but we’ve both gone in rather different directions. His form since then? Indifferent. Mine - Anything but, and one of the victories on this upward curve included...well...this…

Mark holds aloft his SCU Double Down tag championship belt for a second, before lowering it down to rest on the mat next to him.

The Dragon: So at this point you’d say advantage me, right? On the face of it, probably yeah, and I think once we’ve talked through everything, the conclusion will be the same. I have to play Devil's Advocate with myself, or find someone to do it for me. It’s all part of the preparation that goes before any match-up, especially one that can open up even more doors for the winner, and while I got one free pass a few weeks back, I won’t be slacking in my preparation again.

Mark stretches out his shoulders, feeling the effects of the training session he’d just finished.

The Dragon: Let’s start with the obvious - Bill admitted that he underestimated me a little the first time we squared off, and this was ahead of his High Stakes match, before this match had even been announced. I accept that, he wouldn’t be the first to have done that since I came to Vegas, and definitely won’t be the last. What happens when you underestimate in this business? You don’t work so hard figuring out what an opponent is going to throw at you. You ease up on your training schedule, or you build an extra cheat day into your nutrition plan, you don’t apply enough pressure early on in the match, or hey, maybe you don’t mentally prepare yourself for being pushed to your limit. Most likely, it’s a combination of those things, but every one of them has the same outcome, the best version of you isn’t going to turn up when it counts. Problem for me? A better Bulldog Barnhart will be waiting for me out there, one much more like the opponent I’d prepared for in our first match.

Mark holds up two fingers to the camera.

The Dragon: Problem number two - What does pulling double duty involve for me? More matches. What does more matches give you? More footage to go over. Now whether Bill sits and goes meticulously through footage like me, that’s down to him to tell you, but we’re both old school guys. Giving your opponent a verbal lashing, watch tape behind the scenes, then turn up on the night and leave it all in the ring. That’s the bread and butter for guys like us. Boring. Predictable. Effective. The issue for me? He has plenty of material to work with just on recent Sin City matches alone, without going back over ten plus years of previous footage.

Mark goes to hold up a third finger, but stops himself.



The Dragon: Oh, that’s it. Just as the same Bill Barnhart won't be in the ring this week, it won't be the same Mark Cross either. It probably surprised a few, admitting I wasn’t completely confident in my own abilities when I made my debut on the main show, especially amongst my own team. I mean, my record on Underground was already speaking for itself, but I think the thing I feared the most is probably what drives a lot of guys to retirement - We all know what our best feels like. You know, those times when you’re in the zone, beating anything and anyone in your path comprehensively. That’s the pinnacle, the performance level we want to reach every time the bell rings. I’m over a decade into this business, Bill’s the same. We both know what our absolute best feels like, and this isn’t one of those “shoot for the moon and at least you might reach the stars” kind of situations. Turn up, don’t bring the best game that you know you have, and lose? Nothing more frustrating.

Mark shrugs.

The Dragon: I learned a long time ago, the best way to improve, aside from working harder than anyone else, is to be honest with yourself. I’ll also admit - Anyone who’s watched my matches here in Sin City, pick any one of them, and my performance isn’t flawless. I’m still not reaching that level I want to be at. I’m still making a few mistakes out there, and while it gives me plenty of material to go over in training, it probably has my opponents rubbing their hands together with glee. Getting to the bottom of that and ironing it out? That’s on me and my team...so why is this situation not frustrating like I just mentioned?

Mark picks up his title belt again, looking down at it.

The Dragon: I’m not losing. This thing we do, it's a combat sport. We can all take a banging...not the good kind...to varying degrees, and all have that fighting spirit burning away inside of us To some it's a mere flicker, for others it's a roaring furnace, but it's always there. You can't control every moment of every match, as the bloke is going to come back at you at some point, right? I practice in Strong Style, punishing strikes, powerful grappling, excellent technical wrestling. Wearing down an opponent, playing the long game? Fine by me, but why risk hanging in there any longer than needed, what if the wounded bear mounts a comeback? No thanks. We can’t perform at 120% all the time, it’s a given. The best champions are the ones that learn to win at any cost.

Mark returns the belt to his shoulder.

The Dragon: I’ve purposely tried to avoid regurgitating Bill’s words ahead of this match, but I will touch on just one point. I think if he, or anyone else, decides to write me off as being nothing more than an opportunist away from singles competitions - Watch the matches back. You’ll see it’s me smacking people across the back with deck chairs. It’s me duking it out with the champion with one hand on the belt. It’s me administering the Go 2 Sleeps and sending opponents to their Ketteiteki Desaki...it’s “Final Destination” in Japanese by the way...and collecting the pinfall. Just because I’m not involved in anything doesn’t mean I’m not inflicting the most damage, or having the most impact and you know what’s worse about singles? It’s only being directed at one target. It doesn’t get diluted in any way. I won’t be recruiting help for this one. I have more than enough in my locker to bring it home myself.

Mark looks around on the floor, reaching for a bottle of water. He opens it, takes a long swig, then stares at it thoughtfully before returning his attention back to the camera.

The Dragon: One last thing, before this starts to get used against me more than anything else...and since I still have a 7 hour black spot in my memory from the night of High Stakes...Going back to a full-time schedule and the opportunities here in Sin City isn’t getting to my head, and I’m not going off the rails. The work hard, play hard mentality isn’t new to me. I'm very out of practice, and as I get deeper into my thirties DAMN the hangover kicks like a mule - but in my teens I was the guy that'd go on a full session on a Saturday, wake up in a stranger’s bed in who knows where, somehow find my way to the game, score 4 touchdowns, then go home to my own bed and collapse. I still managed to dig deep and find a performance somehow.

Mark puts the bottle of water down next to him.

The Dragon: Obviously I can't do that now. Even after the end of my marriage, I drink maybe once every couple of weeks, a pint of beer or a glass of whisky, but I know I can still go hard for big occasions, like title wins on the biggest show on the calendar, so therefore, if anyone ran into me in a sorry state, I apologise for anything I might have said, I still don't remember. To me, all things are good in moderation in this game. What we do is tough, physically,  mentally, and it doesn't allow a lot of free time if you’re putting the hours in to become the best. Sometimes we have to let our hair down once in a while so we can keep on performing for a few more months. The battle is making sure it isn't a crutch, as long as we don't get strung out on something like poor Emmie...hope she kicks the drink and gets back in action soon...I think a little harmless fun is healthy for us all.

Mark grabs another quick sip of water, keeping the bottle in his hand as he begins to wrap up.

The Dragon: For anyone that might be worried, I’m not sure if anyone is -  I'm fine. I'm better than fine. The wins are pouring faster than the alcohol on High Stakes night and I'm back with a big gold strap over my shoulder where it belongs. I'm on cloud effing nine right now, living my best life, feeling great, and delivering big performances week in, week out. I don't plan on that changing anytime soon, and as much as Bill wants revenge for last time out, he’ll have to wait for part 3. After the referee raises my hand...don't wait for me at the bar.. I'm sticking to the good old H2O for a few weeks. Cheers guys!

Mark holds his bottle of water aloft like it's a champagne flute, taking a regal sip with his pinky in the air as the scene fades out.

 Part 1 - Old Flames

We’re taken backstage to Climax Control 250. Walking back to the locker room after his tag match win is the familiar face of Mark “The Dragon” Cross, a white towel draped over his shoulders which he uses to wipe away stray beads of sweat occasionally. The man walking beside him is less familiar. He is older, dark-skinned, with grey hair cut in a flat top fit for any military. He is shorter than Mark, but looks in remarkably good shape for his age.

McKane: Man that was a close one...

The Dragon: At least the right result came out of it.

McKane: Don't take it for granted, you were lucky.

The Dragon: Yeah I know, it's not like I make a habit of skipping prep work.

McKane: Like it or not you're back in the big time now man…

The Dragon: Yeah I get that - We don't need to go over old ground here.

McKane: You know Dragon? I think we do. Ever since you started doing the ‘put Faith first’ thing it’s like you’re a completely different guy sometimes. You need to call Devinee.

The Dragon: Ohhhh...so that's why you're here?

A quick pause for context - The second man is Leon "Octane" McKane. He was a legend in his heyday, a Hall of Famer, Mark's first wrestling coach, and the pair had worked together for over a decade. He and Mark were Faith Simpson's training team in the first Dragon's Lair gym in New Orleans. When Mark returned to Miami to be closer to home and set up a second gym there, closely followed by Faith, Leon remained to run the existing operation. With Mark reducing to part-time to focus on Faith's development, “Octane” found himself short of a full-time student and while running the New Orleans “Lair” kept him plenty busy, he missed it. Enter "Deadly" Devinee Delaney, Mark's friend, former teenage girlfriend, and a full-time wrestler who’d been at it for over half of her life.

Leon's sudden appearance in Hawaii, while welcomed, was also extremely surprising, since the pair mainly just spoke on the phone, since it was easier. Up until now, anyway.

McKane: Why'd you tell her about the girl in New York man!?! That was asking for trouble.

The Dragon: Trouble with wgo? We broke up over 15 years ago. I've been married and divorced since. I didn’t know she wanted to rekindle anything.

McKane: Then you're either blind or stupid my man.

The Dragon: We both know I’m not good with hints and signals...Look - We weren't good together. We couldn’t communicate with each other back then, and since you flew all the way out to Hawaii to speak to me instead of her, we clearly still can’t now. Did you really think coming here would make me see the error of my ways? That I’d go and sweep that little Irish firecracker right off of her feet and we’d live happily ever after?

McKane: Well...uhh…

The Dragon: She won't talk to me. And she hasn't given you the full story or you wouldn’t have come here. Faith did the smartest thing out of all of us when she decided not to get involved, and she's the teenager out of our little group of misfits.

McKane: That's real rough…I mean, would you ever...you know...

The Dragon: She was 18 when she first got on that plane out here and that was the moment I’d written ‘us’ off, but it’d be one of those fairytale endings right? She’s clearly had feelings pent up for the last 15 years, one phone call from me isn’t gonna change that.

McKane: Yeah sorry man I shoulda just called...you know I’m not good with this stuff…

The Dragon: It’s all good - Just ask Devinee to call me about it. The New York thing is third date level early anyway, nothing’s set in stone. Anyway enough of that, I've got a fluke win to celebrate, and you’ve come a long way, let's get some whiskey.

McKane: I need to tell you about this kid that's been showing up at the Lair man...real smooth operator...he probably would have given Faith a challenge a couple of years ago…

The Dragon: No way, another one!?! Got videos?

McKane: You know I don't know how to work this damn phone Dragon, but he'll have all the tools in a couple of years...not much of a talker though…

The voices begin to fade to nothing as the pair disappear off down the corridor, exchanging stories on the way to the nearest bar.


Part 2 - Game Time

The scene opens to the white walls of a wrestling gym. At a guess, we can assume we’re back in Miami, Florida, and the home of Mark “The Dragon” Cross who is strolling about purposely in a Fire Dragons t-shirt and sweatpants. Electronic music can be heard in the background from a small bluetooth speaker being manned by a teenager we haven’t met before. She’s sitting outside of the female locker room. Hearing something familiar, Mark saunters over.

The Dragon: What are you listening to?

Becky: Oh it’s the latest mix from Crossy...he’s this DJ from Miami…Faith told me about him...

The Dragon: He’s British. He just lives in Miami.

Becky: Do you guys hang out with many famous people here? Anyway I don’t know what he looks like ‘cause he always wears this mask…do you guys know him or something?

The Dragon: You could say that. I mean, Mark “The Dragon” Cross...Crossy…

Mark holds his arms above his head, crossed in an “X”

Becky: I don’t know what you me...oh...WHOAAAAAA OH MY GOD Faith didn’t say you were...I mean, she didn’t even let on you were cool let alone...That’s like…

The Dragon: Oh brilliant. Thanks.

Becky: FAAAAAAAITH!

The girl grabs up her speaker and disappears into the locker room, screaming her friend’s name at the top of her lungs. Thankfully as the door closes, the sound becomes muffled, and it presents a golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. The Dragon turns to address the camera.

The Dragon: So Climax Control, huh? Well that was a close one...he says after delivering the kind of ending that would normally be reserved for putting the rest of a company on notice. Or for putting someone down that just keeps wanting to get up…but I guess the fans only see the performance, they don’t know everything that took place leading up to it...

The Dragon: ...but I can’t lie. I was unprepared for that match-up last week. I didn’t know what I was walking into, and in those situations you have to rely on ability, experience, and instinct to get you through. Not much different to normal of course, when fists and suplexes start flying, you’re far from following a script  out there, no matter how much you know about your opponents, but how many times do the phrases ‘competitive sport’ and ‘fine margins’ go together in a sentence? I wouldn’t want to make that a drinking game. I don’t scout on one performance. It takes a lot more than that to pick up patterns, tendencies, weaknesses...reactions to being backed into a corner, will that make them crumble, or are you poking a wounded bear in that situation. It's all part of the planning.

Mark looks around for a second for a bottle of water, which he finds and takes a long swig from. He replaces the cap and brings it along for the ride.

The Dragon: But anyway - Let me start right out of the gate here with Jake Raab. I mean...what’s worse than not having a scouting report on an opponent anyway? Oh - Having the wrong scouting report. That’ll do it. I think Jake might have the wrong file. This situation I find myself in? This match? I didn’t ask for it.

The Dragon: See, everyone needs a dose of tongue-in-cheek British humour once in a while, right? Walking around backstage, asking anyone with a pulse who I was on the card against at the Supershow, all part of the act. I didn’t expect my bluff to be called, honestly. I knew exactly what my double duty contract would entail, filling gaps, last-minute injury replacements, the guy you can call on when Climax Control needs someone who turns up and delivers the goods week in, week out. Am I worth more than that? Sure. One of the main men in the company has you down as a future World title contender? If priority number one was pure, unadulterated progression of my own career then hey, I’d be kicking someone’s door down about it and asking why I’m facing three scrubs on one of the pinnacle shows on the calendar, but that's not my angle here. With the greatest respect, flash back a couple of years and I wouldn’t have wound up in Underground whatsoever. Bigger crowds, TV ratings to worry about? It demands a much more family friendly product that we put out for SCU every week. Nothing to do with the talent walking around the place, and everything to do with my own safety and self-preservation. That’s less of a concern for me right now, and that’s an important point, so we’re going to come back to it in a second.

Mark takes another sip from his water bottle.

The Dragon: The biggest talking point since I made the step up, I think, is that I’m some bottom feeder from the budget brand coming up to the big show and trying to make a name for themselves...it’s all too easy to write me off automatically, or Valentina, or whoever else decides to follow in our footsteps. He wasn’t GOOD ENOUGH to get a deal anywhere else. His profile says PART-TIME wrestler on it, this guy doesn’t believe enough in himself to commit everything to it. That’s great copy isn’t it? Headlines a-plenty, trying to make guesstimations about me, my motivations, my talents. This is probably a good time to loop back to my previous point, and listen carefully to this Jake - What is this Underground experience all about? In part, for dealing with guys like you.

Letting that sink in for a second or two, Mark clears his throat.

The Dragon: My coach...he used to bring other guys in to teach me other disciplines, add to my repertoire as a fighter. It started off when he packed me off to Japan to learn Strong Style, wrestling a spring tour over there, and when he saw how much it transformed me, it was a trend he continued. Jiu jitsu guys...boxing guys...MMA guys…I respect MMA guys a lot more than I do a big percentage of wrestlers I come up against, honestly. Putting yourself in a ring where you can get knocked out cold, and the guy will get a couple of bonus smacks in before the referee decides to call it? Jeez, that’s hardcore. I mean, we’re all in combat sports, right? I’ve sat front row at boxing shows and been blown away at just how hard the shots are with weighted gloves on. Oh, then I go back to the gym and work on the same techniques as they’re using for my own game...but again I’m going off tangent...so let me just say I think I’ve got a pretty good understanding of you Jake.

The Dragon: I understand the need for a new challenge. I’ve been there. NFL? Completed that mate, played a Superbowl - How about wrestling? I understand the need to experience combat in some of its rawest forms. For you, it was MMA. For me, it was finding a product that was a little more hardcore than what’s available on mainstream TV and streaming platforms. The hard work and determination that captured you the MMA titles? Same thing that has helped put gold straps over my shoulder. WRESTLING gold straps, and this is what splits the difference between the two of us, unfortunately.

As he hears the opening and closing of a door behind him, Mark begins to move away from the ring at one end of the gym, knowing it'll be in use very shortly.

The Dragon: What often happens when you feel like you’ve achieved everything you can in a sport? You lose your hunger. You can’t train as hard as you used to, because that motivation is gone. You make the jump to something else, something where the wins don’t come anywhere as easily, where your record on the year is sub.500 and your name is some way short of any talk of a championship belt and you become Jake Raab. You go from guaranteed wins to nothing much to write home about, just to give yourself a reason to get up in the morning and don’t get me wrong - I believe you can be a champion again, Jake, here, in a wrestling ring...but your time isn’t yet.

As he gets far enough away from the ring, followed by the camera, Mark stops and turns to give the lens his full attention.

The Dragon: When my contract with the Raiders ended, I wasn’t done. I was still hungry, but my phone had stopped ringing. I was still training every morning, making sure I was ready for that call when it came...but it didn’t. I wasn’t at the pinnacle like maybe you were. I made a Superbowl, sure, but I was a British guy playing a skill position on a winning team. I know international athletes in football are becoming more prominent now, but back then it was unheard of...and the only position they ever filled was as a kicker or punter, generally. I woke up every morning with something to prove and a job I needed to excel at just to stay afloat and away from the practice squad. I didn’t belong. I was out of place, and it was only a matter of time before I’d get found out. So I was often told anyway.

The Dragon: I’m doing your life in reverse Jake. I found wrestling. I earned my stripes. I took my title shots, I put those belts around my waist and I defended them. I’m this match’s biggest underdog because of the brand I wrestle for, and it’s most dangerous combatant because of what I’ve achieved in the ring, and what I’m still achieving now. Throw me in against a 100+ clubber like Griffin Hawkins and I’ve got a grasp on the title while we’re throwing hands against each other. Drop me in against Senor Vinnie on zero notice and I’ll come out looking like a contender. I might even come to win. How?!? This guy couldn’t get a contract anywhere else, could he? He’s just a big fish in a small pond taking the easy life over in Underground surely?

The Dragon: Or maybe I’ve just decided I want to rule both ponds for a while instead?

Again he pauses for a drink of water.

The Dragon: Now that project is going to take some time, but how to set the wheels in motion? You have to get yourself on an upward curve...and as I look across to my partner I have to ask...what happened to Caleb Storms? I know better than to underestimate a former Roulette champion, and for the talent he clearly has but I can't help but feel like he's gone off the boil a little bit In recent months.

He shrugs at the camera.

The Dragon: In the Roulette title match, he felt like a non-feature, a bystander...a bit like Teddy-Diamond-Stone-Whatever...but without the presence of mind to snag the title after the champ and I had knocked seven bells out of each other on the cables. When it comes to hearing from him between matches, it's always short and sweet. Not necessarily a bad thing, I can think of many who'd wish I would keep it short and sweet...but maybe he doesn't have that much to say? Maybe there are other distractions.

The Dragon: I see it often - A young competitor gets some early success, their head gets turned, new opportunities present themselves, wrestling ends up on the backburner for a while. The win-loss record takes a bit of a nose dive but good things continue to happen away from the ring. Not bad huh? Happens to the best of us. Happened to me every time the phone didn't ring at the end of my NFL career to a point. I could buy a house. Outright. I could buy a car. I could think about where the future would lie if the call never came. Endorsement cheques were still coming in the mail too. Not a bad life, right?

The Dragon: ...but these things affect our performances. One day in the not too distant, you’re going to take a look at your win-loss record and it’s going to wind you up. It’s going to make you angry, you might take it out on your partner a little bit, and don’t worry, she’ll understand. You’ll get in the gym and you’ll hit things harder, work harder, block out the distractions, and career will become priority number one again. You’ll become a danger to us all, and the thought of having your name in a match would be a scary prospect. After all, we know you have championship pedigree. The thing is, that moment hasn’t come yet. Jake Raab? He has something to prove. Me? I’m really in the mood to spoil a few parties in the name of SCU right now. As for Stephen Callaway? Well he's next up. Honestly Caleb after your win against him, I feel like he's the only one to truly fear your presence at High Stakes, but potentially he's the most interesting case of all.

Mark pulls himself a chair and grabs a seat, the camera beginning to lower to compensate.

The Dragon: Now Stephen...you're maybe one step further along the line than both Jake AND Caleb - Surprisingly enough. You definitely need some better council though, write me off as a failed footballer? I wasn't a Hall of Famer, but how many British players do you know that made a Superbowl, out of interest? Plus...I'm not in wrestling to try something a little different because I was born...it's been over a decade...but I guess if you want to dismiss us all then you can stop watching now, right?

The Dragon: ...or maybe you want to stick around to find out why I think you're further ahead of the curve? Thought you might. Unlike Jake Raab, you have a list of WRESTLING titles to your name. Unlike Caleb Storms, you actively want to turn your bad form around. It's already eating you up a little inside, and that will get you right back on the path, eventually.

The Dragon: I say eventually because these things take time. They take time, tough decisions, cause friction with partners, involve soul searching and a lot of extra gym reps and it doesn't happen overnight,  that's why it's so scary that Caleb hasn't even gotten himself on the path yet. Stephen I don't want to ruin your little comeback trail, but I am standing in your way and that unfortunately means you're going to be stuck in that cycle for just a little while longer. Stick at it. You'll get there eventually.

Cameraman: Hey Dragon...listen man I’ve got a flight to catch...any chance we can wrap this up soon? If I knew we were cutting a promo...

The Dragon: Yeah that’s fine - Don’t worry about it I’ve just got one more thing, as there’s something that’s been irritating me for a while now. I’ve let it slide for the most part, it’s advantage me if I’m underestimated by an opponent, right? The thing I’m wondering though is this - When it comes to singles competition, one on one? I’m undefeated in Sin City ANYTHING. The main show, Underground. Anything. Yet still I’m taking spots on cards from those more deserving, apparently, for no other reason, from what I can tell, is the last word at the top of their contract says “Wrestling” rather than “Underground” and it’s ridiculous. There’s an easy fix to this. Other than pipe down and earn your spot that is...I mean...nobody wants to open a show do they, the crowd aren’t warmed up yet, if they’re not still queuing for a hot dog. You’re so far away from those title matches and main events everyone wants to see, it’s basically wrestling’s equivalent to trash time. Let’s make it a proving ground. Anyone thinks I’m wasting their precious ring time? Step in there alone with me one night on Climax Control and then tell me I’m not worthy.

Cameraman: You good?

The Dragon: Yeah that’ll do - Have a good trip back! Appreciate you coming down.

The scene fades to black.


Part 3 - Jungle Jack & Jill

We’re treated to a trip to Miami for the second time, this time to the home of Mark “The Dragon” Cross, who is treating his muscles to a dip in the hot tub after another training session. A small speaker is playing music in the background. The camera pans out from him as two figures appear behind him.

Becky: Hi Crossy…


Mark almost jumps out of his skin, not expecting to hear voices from behind him, causing a great amount of splashing as he turns to find out who the intruders are.

The Dragon: AHHHHH! What the hell!?! Who are...oh, Becky…what are you doing here?

Becky: Faith told me where you lived.

The Dragon: Of course she did.

Becky: Yeah so umm...this is my boyfriend...he's a producer...can he play you one of his tracks?

The Dragon: You're kidding right? OK mate...fine...show me what you've got…

Without a word, the young lad reaches for his phone out of his pocket, and within a few seconds there’s a track playing. He turns the volume up to full, facing the speaker in Mark’s direction, who is already nodding his head along to it.

The Dragon: You know what, this is good stuff, you've really got something here. One problem though…

Becky: OH NO! What is it?

The girl instantly looks horrified, like she made a big mistake coming here after all.

The Dragon: Becky, you follow the Crossy Instagram, right?

She nods.

The Dragon: What does the first line of the biography say?

Becky: Umm something like 'House, Trance and EDM since 07' right?

The Dragon: Yeah it is. What does your boyfriend make?

Becky: Uhhhhhhm…

Confused, she looks across at her boyfriend. Mark had figured that she clearly wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed by now...but her heart was clearly in the right place.

Warren: It’s trap, babe.

The Dragon: Exactly...so what am I going to do with a trap beat in one of my sets?

Becky: Ohhhh...

The Dragon: Also I have to ask...how the hell did you guys even get in here? The fences here aren't exactly small.

Becky: Oh, we're freerunners.

The Dragon: Freerunners.

Warren: Yeah, you know, parkour? We have a YouTube channel…

The Dragon: You're freerunners. With a YouTube channel. So you bounced the fence into my place, and instead of telling me about that, you played me a track I can't use? That's WAY more interesting, what's the channel called!?!

Becky: Ummm...The Jungle Jack and Jill? It’s a silly name really but it stuck.

Warren: Besides we’ve made t-shirts and stuff now we can’t go back…

Mark pushes himself up and out of the hot tub, grabbing his towel from off the end of a sun lounger and draping it over himself.

The Dragon: I’m in a team called the Fire Dragons mate, I really can’t judge anyone’s name. By the way, about your track - I'll give you the names of some guys. Tell them you spoke to me and they'll give it a fair listen.

Warren: That's really cool, thank you...

Becky: Hey...is that Faith in there?

The pool area to Mark’s house is overlooked by the kitchen, with a large glass front. From within the kitchen area, a flash of blonde hair appears, notices the two unexpected guests, and very swiftly disappears again.

The Dragon: Noooooo Faith’s travelling to New Jersey. Don’t worry about her. So how many subscribers are you guys on…

The scene fades away.

 Part 1 - Memory Lane

The Dragon: Well that looks…safe…

The scene opens to The Dragon's Lair, Miami training base of Mark "The Dragon" Cross and Faith "The Future" Simpson, to name a few. Surveying their work are Mark and an unknown redhead, who appear to have jury-rigged their own version of an Ultimate X setup above the practice ring using ladders, planks and scaffolding. It looks like backyard-level-low-budget trash, and definitely not the epitome of good design.

Devinee: So let me get this straight, despite being one of the finest technical wrestlers I've ever seen, and even after you insist on flying around the ring all the time, ride chairlifts to the top of mountains with no seatbelts when you go skiing, then throw yourself down it afterwards...oh, and that time you jumped out of the back of a plane on a skydive, yet you find this scary?

The Dragon: Yeah, that's basically it.


Devinee: Look if you want to be Roulette Champion, this is all part of the game, the unpredictability of it all. You'll be fine when you get up there.

The Dragon:I know I will be, doesn't make it any nicer to look at.

Devinee: You know you'll be fine? I thought you were scared of heights?

The Dragon: I am...look just because I'm scared I just choose not to let it hold me back from living my life, having experiences, you know?

Devinee: ...OK you're strange. Let's do this.

At this opportunity we introduce "Deadly" Devinee Delaney, the mystery Irish voice from the phone call a few weeks back. Also in her mid-thirties, she and Mark dated briefly in their teens, managing to keep the friendship going long after their relationship went down (spectacularly)  in flames. With over a decade of in-ring experience, Devinee is a dangerous technical wrestler with a vast array of submissions, and her consistency has made her a great choice for tag team partner, where most of her career title success has come from to.

Devinee: I see why you didn't get...Faith to do this…

Out of the three, Devinee was the most keen to keep her feet on the ground, as she gingerly climbs one of the ladders and ends up hanging, less than gracefully, upside down like a sloth dangling from a tree.

The Dragon: I know right, she'd have grabbed the belt and back flipped off by now. Don't you just hate that talent?

Devinee: Little bitch...whoa…

Devinee's foot slips a little from the cable, and she has to use core strength she didn't know existed to get it back in position before gravity took over.

The Dragon: When are they expecting you back in Japan, like 3 days right? Don't hurt yourself, you've got a tour to finish.

Devinee: Don't think Galveston Island Wrestling will be impressed if their...whoa...star new recruit doesn't show up either…

The Dragon: Are you really going through with that? You remember what they did to Faith, right?

Devinee: The company didn't, Aspen and Alexis...look are we really gonna do this now? Can you wait until I'm on the ground?

The Dragon: I just...I didn’t think you were serious...

Much to the surprise of them both, a sudden snapping of cable sent Devinee rapidly towards the mat, clattering into Mark as they both went to ground in a tangle of legs and arms.

The Dragon: Ugh...Can you believe there was a time we used to lay like this by choice...

Devinee: It wasn’t quite like this, besides that was 15 years ago, get off already…

The Dragon: YOU FELL ON ME!

Devinee: You haven't changed much since then...always gotta be right…

The Dragon: And you're still a stubborn bitc...OW!

As the pair both struggled to untangle themselves and get up, Devinee is able to free a leg, driving a boot hard into the shoulder of the Roulette Champion contender.

Devinee: Don't make me go and tell your Spanish senorita we used to date, bet she’d be a whooooole lot less comfortable knowing I was around...that'd probably mess up your plans right?. Yeah. You wanna put your nose in my business, I'll put mine in yours. At least then you have a reason to call me a bitch.

The Dragon: C'mon Nee, don't be li…

Devinee: You don't get to call me that.

The Dragon: But I….

Devinee: Nope. I struggled to understand what happened to us for SO LONG. I didn't get why you, with your fancy pants English accent and your perfect family life accepted me. Some little pikey girl, living in a caravan with her Mam and her boxer brothers while her Dad was in prison. I asked why anyone could love me, let alone you...but the thing is I was just a project to you wasn't I? I used to think I was the luckiest girl in the world, but as soon as I grew my own wings and wanted to take my own path you tried to drag me with you, because you weren’t quite there yet.

The Dragon: I pushed you to try and make it as a wrestler…

Devinee: Until it meant leaving the country to do it, and that wasn’t part of your agenda. I was going anyway. All you had to do was hold me in your arms and tell me you were proud of me.

The Dragon: You didn't need that from me...

Devinee: You’re right, I didn’t. But I wanted that from my PARTNER. It's taken me 15 damn years to pluck up the courage to tell you but you broke my heart that day. GIW? I was signing that contract anyway, because they wanted me.

The Dragon: I never knew th...

Devinee: You couldn't change teenage me, you definitely can't change my mind now. Just...don't pull this stuff with Faith. Or that Valentina girl for that matter. I get you want to help their careers but sometimes people just need you to be their cheerleader once in a while.

Devinee wiped away a tear that was threatening to run down her cheek as she turned her back, pacing for the door of the gym.

Devinee: Great, I’m crying again...and I’m leaving…

FLASHBACK - 26th June 2001 - Canterbury, England.

It's a hot summer's day in Kent, a perfect chance to get out in nature and top up a tan. We are greeted by two teenagers laying under a tree, one with rather questionable dress sense, one with flame-red hair and a STRONG Irish accent (she grew out of it the longer she spent away from Ireland). The young Mark is idly running his fingers through the young Devinee's hair as they chat away.

Devinee: I'm gonna do it y'know...go tru withit…

Mark:: Do you really think you can make it big out there, in America? I mean, I can hardly understand your accent half the time, what chance have they got over there?

Devinee: And? They just gotta watch me wrestle not listen to me talk so they do.

Mark:: Why do you need to go there anyway? It's not like the shows are going to be any bigger over there, it'll still be tough to get discovered...and if you go it'll be even harder to come back, it’ll be starting all over again.

Devinee: I mean… You could just tag along, for the craic y'know?

Mark: For the crack? Just drop everything and come with you across America? What about football?

Devinee: Mark it's America...they call it AMERICAN football, clue's in the name?

Mark:: I don’t stand a chance there Nee, too many high school and college kids ahead of me. I need NFL Europe, scouts have already spotted me playing here, I’ve got trials in a few months…

Devinee: So what, I have to give up on my dream 'cause yours is here huh? Are yous even happy f'me?

Mark:: I...I just don't think it'll be any better for you there…

Devinee: I don't care. I'm gonna do it. If you're not gonna support me I'm...I…

Mark: I'm sorry, I don't know if I can…

There's a moment of awkward silence between the pair. The Irish redhead's eyes filled with tears a few seconds before her English partner wraps his arms tightly around her. This is where they stay for what seems like an eternity...until a fist struck Mark's chest. Then another. Then another.

Devinee: Get the hell off me…

The blows kept coming, Mark trying to keep his grip.

Devinee: Mark...let...me...go….GETOFFME

Eventually the girl managed to break herself free from his embrace, setting off at a march away from him.

Mark: Nee, wait!

Devinee: Follow me and your NFL career is over. I'll break something you're gonna need I swear. Oh, and keep your fingers outta my goddamn hair from now on.

Mark: Don't...

Devinee: Prick.

Mark: ...go….

PRESENT DAY

We are returned back to the Dragon’s Lair. Mark is still sitting on the ring mat, the snapped cable now dangling behind him in the shot as he addresses the camera.

The Dragon: Sooooo yeah, we've been here before. I'm used to Devinee's hot-headed outbursts, and 99% of the time they're not aimed at me, but when they are, the whole thing seems to go from zero to a hundred real quick...guess that's what having a history with someone does for you.

He shakes his head a little at the thought.

The Dragon: I don't have to make a lot of tough decisions anymore. Nice situation to be in. Generally I just turn up, train, coach or wrestle, then head home or back to my hotel. I can commit 110% to whatever I'm doing because those distractions that plague a lot of my peers I've long since been able to stamp out. Divorce hadn't been on the cards up until it happened a few months ago but in the end, it's one less plate to keep spinning, right? For Devinee and for Faith, I get it. They still need this sport to provide for them, which makes it so much harder to step back when you're so heavily invested in it. Does that mean I want it less? Or is it so much more powerful because this is my choice. Entirely mine. I’ve been in the same boat as them, when a tryout, or a match, or a job interview, is so important for how my life is going to turn out...that’s a lot of pressure. It’s paralysing. I mean, I wake up at 6am to train willingly. I chug down "meh" tasting protein shakes by choice. I add an extra few miles onto a training run because I'm feeling it and want to push myself a little further. There is no part of me that resents this, no small nagging voice in the back of my mind telling me I can quit if I want to, we'll find a way. The pressure doesn’t get to be, because what pressure? I could hang up my boots tomorrow and be fine.

Mark pushes himself up from the mat to standing, now leaning casually against the ropes.

The Dragon: ...but I wouldn't be fine. I'd be bored. I wouldn't really know what to do to fill my hours, and being around it as a coach would just make me even more hungry to get in the ring with each passing day. Like I said a minute ago, I think this makes me an even more dangerous prospect. Each victory fills me with pride. Each defeat charges me with the desire to learn and improve. That's why I want the Roulette championship, and why I intend to do the division proud with the title in my clutches. Devinee’s life choices aren’t mine to make. They never were. All I can do is call it like I see it, offer a rational solution and explain my reasoning. I've been around this sport a long time now, I've given it my all, and I've experienced everything it has to offer. My views carry some weight. More often than not I turn out to be bang on right. I can't sign a contract, or tear one up unless it has my name on it. I can't win a match for someone unless I'm in it. That’s all on them. There’s only one person you can rely on in life, and that’s yourself. I back me 110%. If you want a safe bet for Summer XXXtreme, you should probably bet on me.


Part 2 - Old School

??: You sure this is how you wanna do it man?

The Dragon: How’d you mean?

??: Y’know, going off on a rant against five guys? That’s kind of old school man, times change

The Dragon: That’s how we used to do it, why change now?

??: Cool, well camera’s rollin’

The Dragon: You know, I was starting to think this was going to be a wasted venture after the tournament defeat. We came here with such promise, and I really believed we were going to make a splash right then and there in the first match. That doesn't mean it's the end of the story though, and we both find ourselves with golden opportunities for a title. I wasn't ready to throw in the towel on that dream and while it didn’t go exactly to plan, I manaed to get my wish.

Mark began to pace side-to-side, the camera following his every move.

The Dragon: This doesn't feel unwarranted though, honestly. Just because the tag team thing didn’t work out, that didn’t automatically make it a one-and-done kinda situation. I didn't come here to prove anything to anyone, I just came to give a good account of myself. The Fire Dragons didn’t get a title shot this time around, never mind, I made a name for myself as a singles wrestler. It’s how I got my biggest wins, took down the greatest names, won the most title belts. My past record speaks for itself, and victory against Barnhart was just a little bit of extra proof that I still have that in my locker. I've always been that guy that likes to go the extra mile. Besides, winning a title gives me an excuse to stick around longer, right? Even if it involves the odd double-duty.

We follow as Mark walks out of shot momentarily, the lens following as he stops to a large Sin City Underground logo stuck to the wall, which he now stood next to.

The Dragon: It always was my plan to go back to Sin City Underground at the end of all this. The contract offer to stay here longer came as a bit of a shock. I’d be going back on words that I gave to several people, getting in the way of my coaching commitments, and it would feel like taking an opportunity away from someone that needed it more  No, I'm not saying they're more deserving, before you jump the gun, I feel like I probably work harder and train harder than most of the guys that need to wrestle just to put food on the table, but when a guy with championship level abilities and championship level work ethic shows up, I can understand the interest in trying to keep them in the mix a little while longer. I think this is where the title shot came from. Only when you meet me first-hand, do you appreciate just how much I love this sport, and how much it means to me to still be a part of it. I haven't been around here long, but everything about me screams next level, and this is why it's up to me to bring that to Summer XXXtreme. I appreciate that opportunity for a longer stay, but I feel like if I don’t leave with a title in my hands, I’ll call time on the big show, at least for now. Talk about some extra motivation huh?

Mark walks along a little further, this time stopping at an image of Griffin Hawkins, current Roulette champion.

The Dragon: Now Griffin Hawkins isn't stupid, probably one of the reasons he’s champion in the first place. He won't be writing me off as some jump from the development division, in fact he’ll respect every one of us that stands between him and the title belt.. For him my inclusion adds an extra danger man to the mix. I’m not the “put him in the match so he gets out of my office” guy. I’m not the “crashed out of the mixed tag division so let’s try some singles” guy. Or his angry brother. I’m a proven winner. I have a championship mindset and an unmatchable work ethic. I’m the challenger that nobody wants in their match, because historically, no matter the champion and their pedigree, they are probably telling themselves hey this Mark Cross guy could beat me. They’d be right, I can. I don’t envy the task Griff has on the Sun Princess. This is hardly a dream situation.When it comes down to multiple men in a ring, there are plenty of opportunists, who will try and bide their time, and let the others do the hard work, only to swoop in at the end. This is probably the typical behaviour of someone from the budget brand, from the very low opinion that many have had about Valentina and I since we came here. Let me just say to you all right here and now, that I fully intend to lead from the front in this contest. If I’m capturing my first title here, it will be earned. I will put my stamp on it, so that anyone who comes to challenge me KNOWS they’re in for an all out war to rip it from me. I will not wait for the opportunity to present itself fortuitously, that was already done when I got put in this match, and while it hangs there above the water, my job is far from finished.

Mark moves along to the next picture.

The Dragon: In my opening comments, I pointed out that Griff isn’t stupid. I don't think the same can be said of...erm...Black Sexy Teddy (not Warren)-Steele...whatever his name is now. I wish I could live in the same fantasy land as him sometimes, where he lived in total denial about his time in Sin City Underground, and the match where I scored another victory against him the last time we squared off. That seems to have changed now, and his memory appears to have come back, but I mean, did he honestly believe the match didn't happen for a while? That’s a real talent if that’s the case, deal with lapses in confidence by just wiping the losses from your memory and starting a clean slate? I find that hard to believe. Deny it as much as you want, but you can’t hide from it. I know. You know. The fans know. Everybody knows...and for the second time of asking I will come out on top against you in a Sin City ring...pool...you know what I mean.

Mark rips the poster away to reveal...another image of Teddy.

The Dragon: A leopard never changes its spots, no matter how much it may decide to change its name. If it were me? I learn from my losses. Embrace them. Each one makes me just a little bit better in the ring. A defeat throws a little more fuel on the fire. Teddy is what he is, and a chosen one, he ain’t. Teddy branched into wrestling before he’d fully mastered management, then took to spitting bars before he’d even scratched the surface on his ring work, and this is problem number one. I accept, Teddy, that you have improved. I watch your matches every week in fact. I believe you have the talent, and you seem like a good guy, but last time out I was still ramping up from a part-time schedule. I was a little more rusty than I would have liked. I’ll be in better shape too, and I have more footage of you in action now. I’m even more aware of your capabilities, and you look like someone still learning their craft. Good for you, it’ll happen soon, but don’t run before you can walk. You’re not quite ready for this. Be as persistent in your training as you were to get into this match and it’ll happen sooner rather than later.

The Dragon: Next to Malachi. He seems to keep things short and sweet, so I’ll ty and do the same now. This man of few words has been gunning for a chance to get after his brother for a while by the looks of things, I have to wonder if he’s in this match for a shot at the title, or just to piss in Lachlan’s cornflakes like the good old days. I mean...option two works great for the rest of us. With any luck you’ll be too busy dunking each other in the pool to worry about influencing the contest too much. All I’ll say is this - Look at Hawkins. Look at me. Hell, with his persistence, look at Teddy! You have too many opponents in this match fully invested in the title. If you have anything else on your mind, you aren’t even in contention. I hope you can put it behind you and give us your all, but I just don’t see it.

Along the Dragon moves one more time, stopping at Caleb Storms.

The Dragon: Caleb...music fan, wrestling fan turned Roulette Championship winning wrestler. I have to respect what you’ve been able to accomplish already at your age. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve got out there, especially since the wheel stopped at a match type that suits your wrestling style, bet you must be feeling pretty confident of your chances of taking the strap back. My only question really...what motivates you now? You got out of a bad situation at home, spend a few years doing what you love, with someone you love, won a few titles, have a seat at the table to have the chance at another...and it feels like this is enough for you. Better than being at home and getting a regular job, right? Well yeah, of course. But what gets you out of bed in the morning? What makes you work harder? What makes you want nothing more than the dub, and simply being in the match is no longer enough? These are my questions to you, because I don’t see it myself. You’ll turn up, you’ll be talented, but what about when you have to dig deep inside yourself for some extra mettle that you didn’t know existed? Will you be able to muster that up, or are you getting your hair wet?  

Mark shifts on again, this time Lachlan Kane is pinned up against the white brickwork, the last competitor.

The Dragon: Lastly, to Lachlan Kane. I guess one of the main reasons we wound up here in the first place, interestingly. I get to square off against you for a championship at Summer XXXtreme. It wasn't what we expected. I figured it would be Team Eggplant vs Fire Dragons in the final, with the no-hopers walking away victorious as you sat there regretting ever taking us for granted. Beggars can’t be choosers though, a different title, without someone in our corner to have our back, but the result could still wind up the same. You and your partner wasted no time in dismissing the Fire Dragons as some budget brand nobodies and you know what? I'd have been fine with taking my time off from Underground in peace, actually stayed put in Miami for a few consecutive weeks without flying off somewhere, but you guys had to pipe up and everything changed. I just want everyone in this match to know that they have you and Sierra to thank when they go home empty-handed, I mean that girl loves to give it on social media doesn’t she? I’ll clarify now though, I don't particularly have a problem with you. I respect you have championship quality in the ring, and I've spent the past decade being underestimated and overlooked for one reason or another. I've lost count of the number of guys I've put in their place over the years. I don't hate them for it. It just inspires me to bring it just that little bit harder, and this time I have five other days to ruin, not just one. It’s business, nothing more than that.

Mark went to move on, stopping himself a moment as he thought.

The Dragon: I’ve spoken about this in the past, how I give my all in every single match, and every single training session, but every now and then an occasion comes along where a few extra percent are available to use. A title shot rising out of the ashes, one last chance to prove my worth here, that sounds worthy of a next level performance. Someone so vocal, so dismissive, standing as one of my opponents, after making me willingly give up a couple of weeks off to wrestle here instead...I’m fired up for this one. I didn’t have to be here, I chose to be. I wrestle because I want to. To the best of my ability. And at the highest level of performance. I have nothing to lose, so I’m leaving it all out there, and let’s see how far that takes me. History suggests there’s a high chance of me bringing this one home. Anyway, I’ve got a boat to catch. If anyone needs me I’ll be by the pool.

Grabbing a pair of Ray Ban Aviators out of his pocket, Mark slaps on the shades and exits stage right as the scene fades to black.

Part 3 - DJ Dragon

We are taken to a small backstage area of the newly opened Halo Club in Miami, Florida. SCW wrestler Mark "The Dragon" Cross can be found wearing blue Levi's and a black t-shirt with a white X on the front. It's a logo we haven't seen him wearing before in the ring.

Slung across his back is a slender black case, with a clean white "Near Mint" logo showing near the main waterproof zip.

He is joined a moment later by fellow wrestler Faith Simpson, who'd started giggling as soon as she'd got in eye line

The Dragon: What are you laughing at?

Faith: Nice fanny pack, loser!

The Dragon: It's not a...look, number one, it's on my shoulder, and number two, on the website they call it a tour pack alright?

Faith: What do you even have in there?

The Dragon: I can fit everything in here, my GoPro, cables, batteries, my passport, USBs with all my tracks on, headphones…

Mark unzips the headphone pocket to reveal a flash of white with the distinctive "b" logo on the side.

Faith: When did you get Beats headphones?

The Dragon: I've always had them, they're my DJ headphones.

Faith: You have a pair of headphones just for DJing? I thought this was a joke…

The Dragon: Faith I used to DJ in nightclubs back in England when it was all vinyl turntables and real records...I've been doing this longer than wrestling…

Faith: Why didn't you tell me this!?!

The Dragon: It never came up.

Faith: I can't believe after four years I'm only just finding this out...if I didn't think this was gonna be totally embarrassing for you I'd have invited friends…

The Dragon: Gee, thanks…

Faith: Hey, Sarah! Where are you right now? Do you know where the new Halo Club is that's just opened? Yeah my friend is DJing tonight, come down, bring everyone!! Guest list? Yeah he can hook you up!

The Dragon: He can't…

Faith: Six? Yeah sure that'll be fine

The Dragon: It's just a trial!

Faith: Look, leave that to me, just go knock em dead alright? So what time are you all getting here? Yeah he's amazing!! Honestly I don't know how he hasn't been at Tomorrowland yet, you're gonna love it...

Faith’s voice trails off into the background as she moves off into the distance, on the hunt for someone able to grant guestlist privileges. Mark finds himself beckoned up into the DJ booth. With practiced precision, his tour pack is taken from his shoulder, headphones retried and plugged in, along with a USB drive for each of the club’s Pioneer CDJs. In almost record time he nods to the announcer.

??: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the Halo Club your DJ for the night...CROSSY!

With a press of a button, the opening bars to Eric Prydz - Every Day fill the speakers, Faith’s blonde locks nowhere to be seen as she’s long disappeared into the crowd,

 Monday 15th July 2019 – Somewhere in the desert…

The scene opens to an old abandoned warehouse out in the desert, complete with smashed windows, graffiti-soaked walls and the unmistakably eerie sounds of silence. We feel the slight camera sway as it moves in the direction of the building, one side of the shot filled by Dev Khatri, who can be seen walking gingerly towards the structure, clearly contemplating what poor life choices he’d made to put himself in this situation. As he and the camera make their way inside the gap where a sliding garage door had once been, he calls out into the abyss.

Dev: Dragon? You in here?

The Dragon: Hey Dev, thanks for coming.

The unmistakable British accent echoes around the desolate building from out of the darkness, almost booming as it rushes to fill the empty space.

Dev: Why are you in the da...not this again…

The Dragon: I left the night vision goggles at home, don’t worry, I just want to shoot a regular…

The camera is unmoving but the sound of crunching glass underfoot is heard as Dev Khatri disappears out of shot and makes a break for it, his voice trailing away as he opens up distance between the building and himself.

Dev: Hell no, I’m not paid enough for thiiiiiis…

The Dragon: Dev...mate...DEV! BIG D! Aww...is the cameraman still here?

Cameraman: Yeah, Dragon.

The Dragon: Cool. I mean, I guess I can make it work...

We hear a squeal of tyres from outside of the building.

Cameraman: Hey man, any chance I can catch a ride back with you after this? Big D just took my wheels...

The Dragon: Oh yeah, sure thing! Just make sure all this gets edited out for me yeah? Just make it seem like everything just went to plan.

Cameraman: Uhhh yeah, we can do that.

The Dragon: Cool. It’s just my first time on Climax Control, I want it to be perfect, you know?

Cameraman: Yeah sure thing man, start when you're ready.

Taking his cue, the silhouette of a man appears out of the dark, with each step it becomes clearer that the voice belonged to Mark "The Dragon" Cross, now officially enjoying his holiday from Sin City Underground. He is dressed in jeans and a Fire Dragons t-shirt.

The Dragon: I like to hang out in abandoned buildings sometimes. It's strange, I know, but I've made a habit out of being unorthodox, so you'll just have to go with me on this one. It's not about having a quiet place to think, as such…there are much better options for that…but more about a chance to reflect, to get some perspective on life and what’s truly important.

Mark takes a moment to assess the scenery around him, kneeling down to survey a few of the shards of broken glass laying on the ground.

The Dragon: Take the phrase "it's a house, not a home" and let's think about that for just a second.  I mean, what is a house anyway? Four walls and a roof...if you're lucky, of course. This old factory, four walls and a roof. A wrestling gym, an arena, that bar where you picked up a genuine 11/10 and took her home that one time when you were in Tulsa, different shapes, different sizes, different materials, but every time the same outcome - it's all just four walls and a roof. What makes them different from each other, and why do we place such importance in buildings in the first place?

Mark throws the piece of glass in his hand to the side, standing back up to his feet, taking another few steps closer to the camera.

The Dragon: Is it the people? The stories, the memories? Was it over in that corner where an employee lost a hand and changed the course of a life forever, or a Christmas party where two co-workers became romantically involved after a few too many drinks, went on to get married, maybe started a family...or is it just what you see in front of you now, bricks and mortar, an empty shell, a blank canvas. I feel like this place lost all importance when the company moved on to pastures new, maybe to come up in conversation here or there, but generally forgotten about, discarded and left to fall into an ever-worsening state of disrepair, potentially to never be restored back to its former glory.

He kicks out to the side, sending pieces of glass flying with a satisfying, high-pitched sound as they come to fall some distance away.  

The Dragon: I think about wrestling, this sport that consumed my life and comfortably filled the gap left by the end of my NFL career in pretty quick succession. I've met a lot of wrestlers, worked with them, fought against them, and it strikes me just how many of are just like this building. Hollow, empty, just going through the motions collecting pay check after pay check, putting themselves and their bodies through senseless punishment, anything to avoid having to take a "regular job" just to keep sticking it to their parents many years later…sometimes I think they force themselves to get up one more time in the hope I’ll hit them so damn hard that it’ll bring their whole life to an end I mean fucking COME ON have a bit of respect for yourself, seriously...

Mark smacked the back of his left hand against his palm, the sound echoing through the emptiness.

The Dragon: See, I vow to never be like one of these ruined, dilapidated old buildings. The very thought of having nothing to drive me, to inspire me, it makes me sick to the pit of my stomach. What I do means in this industry means something. My life has a purpose. It isn't just a job. It doesn't pay the bills. In fact, I didn't need the money from the very first time I laced up a pair of wrestling boots, yet it's still the reason I get up at 6am every morning for a run, or why I swallow down a foul tasting protein shake instead of bacon piled high on a stack of...well that's a lie I still eat pancakes on a Sunday...but those shakes taste HORRIBLE most of the time, even the 'coffee' flavour ones, I mean that's not like any caramel macchiato I've ever tasted, but still. I’m not living for the pay day. I’m living for the victory. That’s what gets my blood pumping.

We see the Brit take a moment to compose himself with a few deep breaths as he stares idly at the floor for a moment or two, his eyes returning back to the camera shortly after.

The Dragon: So what kind of win exactly, does it matter? That's the right question. I mean, so what if Team Eggplant think we're a bunch of nobodies from the lesser brand, they dropped their titles like a hot potato when all was said and done, why waste time on them anyway? Maybe they’re the nobodies now, the has-beens. Surely storming through the tournament is priority, hold the title myself, make them come and try to take it, shut them down then and prove to be the rightful champion. I mean, yeah I guess, but my crosshair is still locked on them, and it’s probably for the same reason I climbed in a ring with one working arm to face the guy that broke the other one...I won that match by the way...A lot of people say I've carved a career out of "upsetting the odds", but the trouble is, the odds have been upset so often in the last decade that it's not really a surprise any more, and where’s the fun in that? The Fire Dragons winning the Mixed Tag titles, given my history, that’s almost predictable. Let’s call it what it is, these days. I take just as much pride swooping in out of nowhere and royally fucking someone's day up, just because I can.

Mark shrugs at the camera, almost apologetically.

The Dragon: I was told by my ex-wife that I struggled to be emotionally available, believe it or not, which is probably part of the reason she's an ex in the first place, if we’re being honest. She misunderstood that part of me, and it wasn’t out of a lack of caring, or a lack of observation, but I work in a pragmatic way and would always jump to the practical solution, how could we make it better, rather than spend the time sitting with the feelings. For example, I watch Sierra Williams, she doesn't get the opponents she wants, she's angry and upset, and the last thing she wants is some practical thinker like me looking at the situation from afar and being all like "oh don't worry just train harder and win some more matches and stuff and you'll get there"

Mark steps closer to the camera, staring down the barrel of the lens, lowering his voice.

The Dragon: ...but the thing is, I do get how she feels, I completely do. I will emphasize with her and with Lachlan as they trudge off the ship, defeated, pushed even further back in their quest to recapture the tag team gold that they managed to let slip, every time the subject of concentrating on solo careers, maybe even a new place to ply their trade. I can picture it now. I'm feeling the feelings with them, I imagine how heart-wrenching that situation must be…and I'm doing it with a silly smirk on my face knowing that it was all my fault. Would I like to come over to the big show, win the tournament, take the Mixed Tag Team titles? Of course I would. Putting Kane and Williams in their place after writing us off? I think that means even more to me. You see, this is where my 110% comes from. Every match is important. I give every training session my all, and more often than not, that'll be enough to get the job done against most guys on most rosters. Any match is a must-win in my eyes, but some of them are more must-win than others. Title matches, that much is obvious, but a chance at revenge, even just the chance to shut up some kid who needs to talk less and wrestle more, that makes the victory taste so much sweeter. Every one makes me hit harder, or hoist higher, or dig deeper to get up and keep fighting on.

Again Mark steps closer to the camera, more fire in his eyes than on his “Fire Dragons” team shirt

The Dragon: Talent is just one small part in it. A lot of kids have talent. In Faith Simpson I've trained one for the last 4 years, show her a move once and she can execute it flawlessly, without really thinking about it, sickening really. I've fought many like her over the years, often it’s kids in bad situations who ride it just far enough to get out of where they're living, or the bad crowd they fell into, they start to get that big pay day...and then what? It becomes all about the cars and the fancy watches. That thing that drove them to eek out every bit of juice that their talent could muster suddenly goes away...as soon as they have the cold hard cash in their hands. I mean I get it; money absolutely buys you happiness, no matter what they tell you but it's not the best for making you come back for more.

I am the wrestling world's complete package. Peak physical conditioning. An unshakeable work ethic. Money didn’t change me. I've practiced every move in my locker hundreds, maybe thousands of times, and I've probably seen any situation you could throw at me in a ring just as many. I have a Plan A, a Plan B, a Plan C, and if those fail I'll just freestyle it until my hand is raised aloft in victory anyway. I have speed, power, agility, and I'm always working in the gym to try and unlock a little more. I may not be the most entertaining outside of the ring, but I'm one of the last anyone wants to face in it. Don't believe me? Watch a few matches. Look at my record. See who I've beaten, and in just how highly regarded a lot of the names on that list are in wrestling circles, then come back and challenge me on that. You know what my biggest dilemma is going to be in 2019? How the return to the Underground is going to happen when we're Mixed Tag Team champions over here. Double-shifts, anyone?

Mark raises his arms aloft, his head tilted, leaving the question hanging as the scene fades out.

Wednesday 17th July – Miami, FL

The scene opens to 'The Dragon's Lair', the Miami training base of Mark Cross and Faith Simpson, along with a rag-tag variety of grapplers that have also called the building home since it was opened four or five years ago. The building is well equipped with weight area, a full-size ring and punch bags of varying shapes and sizes. It is empty aside from Mark, stood in the centre of the ring and Faith, on the outside, leaning on one of the corner posts.

The Dragon: So...say Val's just smashed your face against the side of the ring...you're dazed...

Faith: She wouldn't.

The Dragon: Why not?

Faith: She’d never catch me. I'm too fast.

The Dragon: But what if she did?

Faith: Nope.

The Dragon: But what if she had to.

Faith: Not happening.

The Dragon: Ok who do you want it to be?

Faith: Ummmmmm...John Blade.

The Dragon: Greatest wrestler in all time and space, good choice. So…he smashes you face first into the ring...

Faith: Uh-huh...

Playing up to the part, Faith begins to stagger around, holding her forehead. Taking off at a fast run, Mark bounces off the ropes and charges towards the opposite apron, launching from one leg into a corkscrew flip to the outside...

Faith: Oh fuuuuu...

Faith suddenly gave up on the "dazed and confused" look when she saw her mentor, normally the epitome of solid technical wrestling rotating through the air towards her like your regular garden-variety adrenaline junkie. A split second later, she finds herself skidding across the gym floor from a perfectly executed hurricanrana, eventually rolling to a halt in front of one of the Lair's heavy bags.

The Dragon: You weren’t 2fast4that.

Faith: So...why would you ever need that?

The Dragon: You know I like backup plans! Plus you never know when you need to catapult an opponent on the outside into a barricade!

Faith: Gonna need them if you keep up this Fire Dragons thing...

The Dragon: Still not sold on Val then?

Mark reaches for his bottle of water and towel from the side of the ring. Dusting herself off, Faith walks over to join him.

Faith: Well...she's winning me over, I mean she's waaaaaaay better than I was expecting when I first heard your choice of partner, from what people were saying on forums anyway, I just...I dunno...

The Dragon: Wish you were out there instead?

Faith: Umm...kinda? I know it's what you told me to do, but I think I enjoy focussing on just singles anyway. Just seems odd seeing you out there with anyone else, especially when it’s not a superstar, leaves me wondering if I could have done better if you’re not winning every match?

The Dragon: I think that's natural, a bit of the fear-of-missing-out thing, even when you've got enough to worry about as it is? That's exactly how I feel when I can't make it to one of your matches.

Mark swats at Faith playfully with the towel.

Faith: Really? I can look after myself you know!

She responds by punching him on the arm.

The Dragon: Ow! Yeah, I know! Me too, doesn't mean it can't feel odd not being there.

Faith: ...yeah I guess you're right. Anyways, wanna go over this match footage then?

The Dragon: ...it still feels odd you going over my match footage...

The pair turn and start walking away from the ring and towards a side room. What had originally been an office had been kitted out with monitors and editing equipment for going over match footage. It was where wrestlers from ‘The Lair’ probably spent as much time as they did in the main gym, game-planning being key to their ethos.

Faith: Oh shush, how many times have you done this for me!?! I've got some really good stuff. You know they didn't even put their team name on the card?

The Dragon: ...they have a team name?

Faith: Have you done any research yet!?! It's Culture Shock.

The Dragon: Culture Shock, got it. Jack Asher lost to Lachlan Kane, can we start there?

Faith: One step ahead of you. If you want Kane and Williams, you can't lose to opponents they’ve already put away. If you guys don’t pick up the W here you may as well use the rest of your holiday to top up your tan. Or watch some of my matches.

Faith brings up the match from Climax Control 237 from back in May, which has already been edited down to the key moments.

The Dragon: Alright, point taken. How’s his mindset after the loss to Kane?

Faith: More fragile than normal, maybe. Looking at his comments on social media, he’s putting a lot of weight on Emmie stepping up to the plate and doing the job out there. Could also mean he’ll come out of the blocks firing to try and put you away, I mean even after the loss he doesn’t seem like a guy short on confidence.

The Dragon: Either/or, I can work with that.

Faith: Exactly – You know what Strong Style brings to the table, technical and powerful. If he comes after you, wait for him to overextend, and make it HURT.

The Dragon: And if he doesn’t, just go on the offensive anyway, pile on any feelings of doubt he had from that last loss and send him scurrying back to the corner, bring Emmie Ward into the picture. How does she match up against Val?

Faith: Ehhh…

The Dragon: Hit me with it.

Faith: Not that well, honestly. First, she’s going to be unpredictable. Emmie’s a speed demon. Compared to me? She’s almost half a foot shorter, she doesn’t have the same leverage, and her ground game is improving but still leaves a lot to be desired, so it’s not like she’s going to outclass either of you - Val’s got to get hold of her first, that’s the problem, and that’s the key match-up to this whole thing. If Valentina can keep her head and lay hands on Emmie, she needs to use her size advantage and do big damage. You know the haymaker knockout punch? That. But maybe with some kinda grappling move, ya know?

The Dragon: She’s hurting, in comes Jack Asher, probably frustrated that he has to bail out another failed partnership, over to me, ready to fight fire with fire. Plus, I had to deal with you at your most predictable, so if I end up in there against Emmie I should be able to follow the same game plan. Anything I need to worry about with Asher?

Faith: Talented amateur wrestling background, got good submissions, he’s the real deal and he’s championship quality, so don’t expect an easy ride with him but you’ve beaten so many guys like him in the past, this is no different. You’re not in a cage, it’s a tag match, and Val could break up a submission hold with Emmie hanging all over her there’s such a difference in height between those two. He’s going to struggle to use his strengths out there, just make sure it’s you vs him.

The Dragon: Think they’ll be prepared for us?

Faith: Judging by Twitter, I doubt it – It sounds like they think of you as two nobodies from the B show. Maybe that’s all part of the act, but if they have the slightest clue about what you’ve done in the past, they haven’t let on so far. Emmie’s too inexperienced to try and get by without a proper game plan, but she’s probably too green to know how to make one, and chances are Asher’s been so sick of her hanging around lately they won’t be hanging out together watching tape.

The Dragon: Got it. Thanks Faith, that’s a great start.

Faith: No worries! I’ll keep at it, see what else I can find.

Satisfied with the first video session, Mark steps up from the desk and heads to the doorway, making a few further strides along the wall before stopping, leaning back against the wall as he faces the camera.

The Dragon: This is going to be an interesting contest. I didn’t expect the red carpet to be rolled out for us as we fly the flag for Sin City Underground, far from it, and we will have to be on our game to bring the victory home for the budget brand, the B team, the nobodies, whatever derogatory term you want to call us. Jack the Gripper and Emmie the Kid stand in our way from a spot in the semi-finals, it’s a close call…but I’m confident we can bring this one home.

Mark taps the wall twice with his fist.

The Dragon: Emmie Ward…you remind me of someone. A lightning-quick high flyer, young, inexperienced, fresh to the sport, with a family name to live up to and a bit of pedigree to go along with that bloodline. Faith here came to me four years ago, a raw untapped talent, unbelievable levels of natural ability, she could flow through move after move on instinct, barely able to explain how she was doing the things that she was. To be honest, it didn’t matter half the time, she’d blitz through opponents before they could even manage to lay a finger on her. We didn’t need a game plan for her. Faith won her first match aged fifteen, her first title at sixteen, and she’s gone on to continue that success from then on. We train together virtually daily, we try and come up with new tricks every week to try and catch the other off-guard. Sometimes it even works. Faith’s quick to tell opponents that she’s “2fast4u” and you know what? Most of the time she’s right. It takes a lot of effort to lay a hand on her when she’s in full flight, but at least I can say I’ve had plenty of chances to practice, and plenty of times I can say I was fast enough to catch her.

Mark points a thumb in the direction of the video room he’d just left.

The Dragon: Faith? She’s four years further along the line than you are in your career. She knows what holding a title feels like. She knows how to defend one. She knows how to react when things aren’t going all her way, and she can adapt. She’s three, four years more technical. She’s years more physically honed to the rigours of the wrestling industry. I get it, you’re raw. You’re full of surprises, you’re unpredict…oh wait, you remember what I just said, about how you remind me of someone? It turns out, I’ve spent years preparing to face someone like you. I just didn’t know it yet. I don’t want to dismiss you out of turn, but you’re missing some tools that will come with time…and contrary to the belief of your teammate, you can’t carry the show against us.

Mark stretches out a little, feeling the effects of the training session.

The Dragon: So that brings me to Jack Asher. Don’t worry Jack, I won’t tar you with the same brush as most do, the pretty little rich boy that never had to work a day in his life. I know your four State championships won’t have come from fluke. You will have had to work hard, had the skills to back it up too clearly, and from everything that comes out of your mouth, we know you back yourself. That’s fair. Overconfidence? Probably. I don’t know if you know much about me…I don’t know if you even care, so let me give you a free pointer or two before we step into a ring together, in case you didn’t think me worthy enough to watch any tape of my matches.

The Dragon pushes himself up from the wall.

The Dragon: It’s guys like you that bring out my very best in the squared circle, you keep me honest. Trivia question while we’re at it - Which country in the world is responsible for the most sales of Mark “The Dragon” Cross merchandise. Is it here, in the United States, where I’ve spent the majority of my career? No. England, my home country? Guess again. Maybe Japan, where wrestling is considered a pure art form and the “showmanship” that we’re most known for in the US is frowned upon. Yup, the land of the Rising Sun. I say this, because you know ring craft. You can construct a match. You talk a good game, but you wrestle a better one, and so do I. Nobody likes a show-off, and most think I’m pretty boring, so we’re in the same boat there in our own ways.

Again, Mark steps closer to the camera, going for the big finish.

The Dragon: For the guy that likes to let his wrestling do the talking, I’ve had a lot of things to say this week huh? Well I guess it was important for you all to see what I’m about, to get an idea about how my mind works. Don’t worry, I fully intend to back it all up with a performance in the ring. If we were battling this out in five years’ time? Emmie, Valentina, Asher, they could all be world beaters, and I would have just hit my forties, maybe my powers would have started to diminish, I don’t know. Luckily for me, we’re wrestling this in the present day. Emmie’s entertaining, but she’s got too many rough edges. Valentina’s wrestling the best she ever has, proving doubters wrong wherever she goes. Jack Asher is a contender, but he hasn’t learned humility, and that attitude won’t get him anywhere. And me? I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been. I’m in my prime, I’m motivated, and I’m ready for anything that anyone in Sin City Wrestling want to throw at me. I’m not here for a long time, but I’m here for a good time, and I plan on getting off the boat undefeated in the main brand. Come at me – I look forward to seeing you all in the ring.

The scene fades to black