[It was good to be home, the Royal Pain tour hadn’t gone as well as Eddie had hoped, but he at least was able to cap it off with a victory at the end. Maybe it wasn’t over Finn Whelan, or even HB Carter. But it was a victory none the less and now, now he had the chance to take a championship from Finn Whelan, not the World Championship but the tag team championships that Finn held with World Bombshell Champion, Kayla Richards. It all sounded great, but there was only one problem. Victoria.
SCW had thrown both members of the Lyons family quite the curveball, giving them a tag team championship opportunity. It was no secret that they didn’t get along, but in SCW did anyone really get along with Victoria? It was going to be one of the biggest uphill battles of his career. He had to go against two of the very best, but also had to figure out how to get on the same page as his royal pain in the ass of a cousin.
He nearly thought about training Sabrina, she was certainly more tolerable that his cousin. But his girlfriend just wasn’t the athletic type, and deep down he knew in ring competition wasn’t for someone like her. There was Cleo Phillips, his close friend and co-hort at The Lyons Den. She would be an amazing partner, and would certainly enjoy knocking the ever loving crap out of Kayla. But Cleo had her own business, she was the PWS World Champion, and certainly didn’t have time to sign for another company.
‘Sure do wish you were signed to SCW instead.” Eddie grumbled, as he sat with Cleo. The two had just finished a sparring session. “Maybe you and I could be facing The Wolves instead.”
“Yeah, but you know Coach man.” she replied, “He’ll put talent in different companies, but they’ll still be exclusive to their respective companies. That means you and Victoria in SCW, and Alex and myself in PWS.”
“You think I can trust her?” Eddie said.
“Honestly.” Cleo said, “As crude as she is, I do think you can trust her on this occasion. If there’s one thing she doesn’t like, it’s losing. She’s gonna be a complete bitch about it, and she’s gonna act superior to you but she won’t risk losing the match. Especially since it means she could hold two championships.. She’ll probably blame you if you do lose though.
“And take all the credit if we win.” Eddie said shaking his head.
“Haha, no cap.” Cleo laughed, “But point is, she’s going to want to win just like you. You just need to figure out how to push past all her other bullshit.”
“Easier said than done.” Eddie sighed, “You’re lucky you got Alex. He can be an ass at times, but at least he keeps to himself.”
“Fair point.” said Cleo
“Coach said on X he needed to talk to us.” Eddie continued, “Probably wants to try getting us on the same page.”
“Most likely.” said Cleo, “You know he just wants the best for all his students. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I mean you know what to expect from Victoria. She’s got a big mouth, but we both know she can back it up as well. She doesn’t have that championship of hers by accident. She won it from Alexandra Calaway, someone I’ve been to war with as well. So I know it didn’t come easy for Victoria. Your best bet, is to just do you and let her do her. Let her run her mouth, and you just worry about handling business when you need to.”
Eddie nodded, Cleo was right and he knew it. Victoria was annoying and she was certainly going to try to take the lead in all of this. She would play the superiority card, and act as though she was Eddies superior, but if he could keep his focus on the match and ignore his cousins boastful attitude, they really did have a good chance of winning.
“So like I said, just let her run her mouth.” Cleo continued, “Don’t let her get to you. Grit your teeth and bear it as they say. Show the SCW fans what The Lyons Den can do when they fight together.“
“Yeah, maybe it’s not so bad.” said Eddie, “I guess we’ll figure this out more when we meet with Coach.”
“Yeah, no doubt he’ll sort it all out for both of you.” she said.
Eddie’s phone buzzed, and as he checked it a smile grew on his face.
“Sabrina?” said Cleo.
“Yeah, we’re gonna meet for dinner later.” he said, “I guess we’re getting Italian.”
“Damn, now I want lasagna.” said Cleo.
“Anyway, I better run.” said Eddie with a laugh, “Got some SCW business to attend to, before I meet with the lady.”
“A’ight” said Cleo sharing a fist bump with Eddie, “I’ll see you around, and remember..don’t sweat it so much. It’s just Victoria.”
They both shared a quick laugh, and fist bumped one more time, before Eddie left the training school, and Cleo went back to her own workout routine.
__________
The air was crisp and cool, as the cameras opened on Eddie Lyons outside among the trees, taking in the serenity of the nature around him. He leans back in his Jeans and SCW T-shirt against a large oak tree, a pensive expression on his face.
“You know, I had hoped to take a championship from Finn Whelan at Violent Conduct. But it just wasn’t my time. Fair enough.” he said, “But never did I thought I’d find myself in this situation. I have a chance to take a championship from him, but I have to work with my cousin Victoria to do it.”
He sighs heavily, he doesn’t really want to team with his cousin more than anyone else does. Should they win, he’ll be stuck with her, and should they lose…well cruel as she may be, Eddie doesn’t plan on losing. They can win the titles and figure out their shit later, maybe…hopefully. He pulls a polaroid out of his pocket and holds it up to the camera, as it zooms for a closer look.
It’s of three children, a blonde boy and girl, and a slightly younger boy with messy brown hair, all three are holding replica belts, and doing run of the mill wrestling poses.
“Do you remember Victoria?” he said, “You, Vincent and myself. We had dreams of being champions together. The three of us as one, it was all we ever wanted. Then things happened, my father moved his family to Baltimore, and you and Vincent went on to have your WWH careers. Now it’s years later, and you’ve gone down a dark path. Vincent left on his boat ride of self discovery, and me? I just kept on being myself. I don’t need any journey of self discovery because I know who I am. You may have strayed from your path, but I haven’t. What I am seeing this as is an opportunity. An opportunity to get you back on that path. Back to the Victoria I knew growing up before you allowed yourself to be consumed by hate and jealousy. I do believe that person is still in there somewhere, and I’m going to take it upon myself to see if I can pull them back out. I owe it to our family to at least try. Honestly Vicks, I might be the only person left in that locker room you can trust, and that’s only because we’re family.”
Its that pesky honor that Eddie binds himself too. Family should look out for one another, through good or bad. It may be a weakness, causing him to sacrifice personal gain in favor of adhering to his principals. But honor also strengthens his character, and can lead to more self respect in the end when one finally does achieve their goals by doing things the “right” way. He wasn’t sure if he could change Victoria but he had to do something, especially if they ended up champions together.
“We’ll talk later Vicks I’m sure.” said Eddie pocketing the picture and, grinning as he used his cousins childhood nickname, “I want to talk to Finn Whelan. Our esteemed World Champion…”
He pauses for a moment, and looks around at the natural scenery around him. After a moment he shrugs and sighs.
“Sorry the crickets seemed to have missed their cue.” he grinned, “I kid. I kid. Truthfully, you’ve been a helluva World Champion. Nobody has been able to beat you. You have one hundred percent earned your right to call yourself the best. Nobody can take that away from you.”
Eddie pauses again, and takes in a nice breath of fresh air.
“Now, that whole thing that happened between us in PWE?” he said, “Water under the bridge as far as I’m concerned. I’ll never know why you chose to target me back then, but if I want to beat you NOW? I can’t hold onto old grudges, but you should understand something too.”
The fire started to grow in his eyes, circumstances aside this was a big opportunity for Eddie Lyons. He was going to square off against the world champion, and that alone could mean a lot for his future depending on his performance. He needed to be his best, no better than his best. He had to find what he was missing, and embrace it.
“Back then, I was just a kid still finding himself.” Eddie said, “But I’ve grown as well since then. I’ve faced some of the best in this company and beaten them. I won’t be pushed around so easily this time. It’s about time someone put a dent in this little dominant streak of yours, maybe it’ll even begin the downfall of Finn Whelan. Who knows? I’m just focused on one thing at this point and thats those Mixed Tag Team Championships.”
He pauses again, reposturing himself against the tree as he continues.
“I know the big question is if we can even get along.” Eddie shrugged, “And honestly. I’m not sure. My cousin is pretty unpredictable. But I know I can trust her to work toward getting the victory. Do you really think she wants to blow an opportunity to hold two championships? Like, have you MET Victoria? She’ll do whatever she feels necessary to win, and I’ll do the same. We may disagree with each others tactics, but at the end of the day…we’re both going to want those championships, because neither of us are going to roll over and die. It’s just in our blood, and the one thing we have in common.”
It was odd to admit he had anything in common with his cousin beyond a blood connection, but it was the truth. They both had that never die attitude about them, Eddie just happened to be a good deal more humble about it.
“By the way Kayla…” Eddie continued, “I haven’t forgotten about you, but your more of a Victoria problem anyway, and as the Bombshell World Champion, I’m sure she sees you the same way I see Finn. Victoria may be callous, but she’s not stupid. She knows what it means to get in the ring against the Bombshell World champion. But as mentioned, I’ll allow The Lyoness to shred you, while I focus my attention on Finn.”
He grins at the camera and looks down at his shoulder.
“Damn, I’m the only one without gold in this encounter.” he said, “Something I’m sure all three of you will point out. But that’s okay. Just means I got nothing to lose here. I mean I’ll get and earful from Victoria on why I lost the match, but other than that I’m good. I said a few weeks ago it was time for the ascension of Eddie Lyons, and that still stands. I may have hit a few bumps, but that’s bound to happen. I hit a few bumps before I was able to become Roulette Champion, but I got there. That’s how I do my winning, I take my hits and I keep fighting back. You slap me in the face, I smile and slap you back harder. If we beat you here, who’s to say I can’t beat you for that World Championship as well? Then Victoria and myself would be the ones dripping in gold. That…well it would be something. But lets not get too far ahead of ourselves, right now it’s about the mixed tag team championships, and how they are coming to The Lyons Den.”
He sighs heavily, it’s clear he has his concerns about Victoria but is doing his best to keep his own focus and put his best foot forward to deal with the cards he’s been dealt.
“You talked a lot about family to Kris, and your upbringing.” said Eddie, “I can’t say I had it as tough as you. Some might even call me privileged, because I got to grow up in this business since I was a child. It’s really all I’ve ever known or wanted. But I still had my own fight. I have to go out there and show that Eddie Lyons is his own man. I don’t want to be known as the son of Ray Lyons. My father, and my uncles had their time way back when they were doing IWF, I’m sure you’ve heard stories from your ex-wife about those days. I’m told there was a lot of drama and politicking, but the memories everyone made together are what really made it work.”
He leans back against the tree again, getting a more comfortable position.
“Point is, I have expectations of me just because of my lineage.” said Eddie, “I have to prove that I’m NOT just some nepobaby trying to live off my family name. I know I had everything I needed to make it in this business at the tip of my fingers and I won’t let any of it go to waste. I may have had a jumpstart, but I’m still my own man and I will create my own legacy for the Lyons name.”
Eddie speaks his his usual confidence, showing his fearless and unbreakable nature. He’s one of the few left on the roster that hasn’t yet shared the ring with the World Champion, with all that about to change Eddie is a man ready to show Finn Whelan just who the fuck he is and why people like Aiden Reynolds believe he is the one that will dethrone Finn Whelan.
Aiden just had the championship wrong.
“I won’t take anything away from what the two of you have done.” Eddie said, “You and Kayla have dominated as both tag team and world champions. What I don’t like is this idea you’re unstoppable. Because you’re not. Nobody is. I’m not, Victoria isn’t and neither are the two of you, and I think that Eddie Lyons…the one you have yet to square off with will be your kryptonite. It’s about time for the Wolves of Gheimhridh to meet their match in the form of The Lyons Den. My cousin is no quitter and neither am I. As unlikely of a team as we may be, we’re still family and we’ve known each other our whole lives. I know things about her nobody else does, and she does for me as well. We don’t need to be best friends, or to even like each other to be a successful team, we just need to know how to work with each other and nobody can do that better than family.”
He couldn’t believe himself, was he possibly juggling the idea of making this team a permanent thing, even if they did come up short? If they did, could he even reel her in some, perhaps make her more slightly more palatable to everyone else in the locker room. Or perhaps she would break him, and Eddie himself would become more aggressive and vicious. They would bring an interesting and fresh dynamic top say the least.
“It’s just become so mundane.” Eddie continued, "Finn wins again. Kayla wins again. The Wolves win together…again. It’s almost what people expect at this point. It’s time we change their expectations, starting by you losing to a team nobody expected. I’ve praised you, time and time again. Even called you the best because I consider myself an honest man and you have earned the right to be called such. You are the best, and that’s why I seek to defeat you. Because I want to beat the best, and I want to show the best that Eddie Lyons is not one to fuck around with. After the smoke settles on Climax Control, you will find yourselves one championship lighter and the message sent to the locker room is that the downfall of Finn and Kayla will have begun.”
He looks to the camera, still beaming with his ever confident and headstrong aura.
“Vicks…” he said, grin appearing on his face, “Let’s go out there and show them what happens when The Pride works together, and bring those championships back to our den. We can figure out the rest along the way. I’m probably going to get some flack from people for saying this, but I have your back. You’re still my cousin and you’re still my blood and that the end of the day, as the old saying goes. Blood is thicker than water.”
He keeps his confident gaze on the camera. The look of a man determined to become a champion again even if if meant teaming with arguably the most unliked Bombshell on the roster. He couldn’t control Victoria, but hopefully she understood the bigger picture as well, and as the person who knew her better than anyone else in the locker room,. Eddie was absolutely sure she did.
-fade to black-