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“Why not you?”
“Why didn’t you get a chance to stand in the ring with me a year ago? Why didn’t you get a shot at MY Heavyweight Championship during my reign? Why didn’t you get a chance to prove how “great” you were against a caliber of my talent? Why didn’t I “choose” you?”
“These questions have come from you a lot, Alexander. Maybe more times than one person can count on one hand. These questions are something you have dwelled. Something you have allowed yourself to become obsessed with. Something that you have let consume your oh so shallow mindset. To the point that it has truly made you delusional. Now that’s not something I can change, but I can propose a question of my own...”
“Why SHOULD it have been you?”
“That’s a very-very logical and respectful question if you ask me. Because if you go back and look at the year twenty-twenty three. Look at the year I was having and look at the year you were having. They are drastically different. Take the night I debuted in Sin City Wrestling for example. Inception VI. I show up, I put my hands on Scott Oliver, and I send a message to all of SCW on what they would be looking forward to. Sure, it could have been a bigger and more glorious debut. Sure, it was a little cheap. I can admit that, but it got the point across.”
“But what did you do that night? You defended the Internet Championship against a man by the name of Fenris. A man that for whatever fucking reason people have tried to compare him and I. There’s no resemblance whatsoever. See unlike him. I don’t crave under pressure and then go into hiding when no one buys my hype anymore... Anyway, I’m getting off track. You defended that championship against Fenris and BARELY managed to retain. You BARELY beat someone that was supposedly one of the biggest names this place has ever produced. You BARELY defeated a man that was on a clear decline then. You BARELY survived and retained that championship. Nothing about that win screams that you’re a big deal or that you’re a threat. If it was a clear decisive win. I’d give you all the credit in the world, but the reality is that win made you look pathetic in every way possible.”
“And more importantly than all of that Alexander. When you look at that night. No one came out of it talking about how you defeated the “great” Fenris. No one was talking about what a great Internet Championship match that was. No one was mentioning your name and how you were going to be a force in the Internet division. No, none of that was going on. And instead they were talking all about me and what it meant for Sin City Wrestling that I was now on the roster. A certified legend was here and all eyes were right on me where they belong. That right there should be enough to answer all the whys to your questions. But I’ll play nice. I’ll fast forward a little more.”
“Blaze of Glory XI. That night was a big night for me. A big name for my career. A big night for Sin City Wrestling. You see almost two months to the day of debuting here. I was competing against Mac Bane for the Heavyweight Championship. Yes, me... the new guy. The guy that people said was all smoke and mirrors was competing for the single most important championship here. Now people can say whatever the hell they want about how I won that championship. Use of chloroform or not. Fact was I defeated Mac Bane. I took everything from him. And I proved that after eight years of not wrestling, I was every fucking bit of good now I was the eight years before.”
“Sure, it was a hated situation. No one wanted me to be champion. No one wanted me to be right. No one wanted me to have everything that I had. But there was nothing they could do about it. Not even all the faith they put in their savior with Mac Bane was enough to stop what I did and what I claimed. But while I was competing for the Heavyweight Championship. What the hell were you doing Alexander? Oh, that’s right. You were defending your Internet Championship against another declining, past their prime, and no longer truly relevant superstar in that of Ken Davison. That might be painful for some to hear. Considering all that Ken had done in and for Sin City Wrestling.”
“But again the facts are the facts. Ken wasn’t nearly as good as he once was. Man was barely hanging out. Barely managing to make it through his matches. Looking weak, fraile, and certainly not showcasing the type of talent that he once had. You beat someone that didn’t have any real importance to them anymore. Sure, it was in a decisive manner. There wasn’t any controversy surrounding that win. But it still doesn’t change the fact you beat someone past their prime. And if I’m not mistaken. That was their last match around here before they ended up disappearing. So that says everything it needs to if you ask me. Much like at this point it should be clear as to why you and I didn’t face each other before this point.”
“Yes, I could keep going down the line. I could bring up that the night of Summer XXXtreme XI. The very night I lost MY Heavyweight Championship to J2H was the same exact night you were in a multi-person Mixed Tag team Championship. A match that most people were checked out on to begin with and a match that everyone knew you and Luna didn’t have the talent to win in the first place. Even on a night where we both lost. I was still the more important man. Still more relevant. Still more talked about. Still had people wondering what I would do next. Whereas you when it came to losing it was just something people knew you for and expected at that point.”
“Now I could keep bringing up night after night. Point after point. Situation after situation. Until I was blue in the face from talking. But you are a man that likes to be delusional, deny facts, and spin a narrative that only benefits you. That much has been made clear. So it’s not worth me continuing to do that. Not when it’s clear what the answer is to all of your questions. Not when it's clear what the answer is to my question I promised. No matter how you try and spin this, Alexander. The reason why it was never you is because...”
“YOU WEREN’T EVER FUCKING GOOD ENOUGH!”
“That’s the long and short of it, Alexander. You were never good enough to stand across the ring from me. You were never good enough to be in my orbit. You were never good enough to share the spotlight with me. You were never good enough to get past the men I faced. You were never good enough to EARN a shot at MY Heavyweight Championship.”
“And you were never good enough to ever get at my championship, let alone be good enough to get a shot at me. That may be a bitter pill to swallow. But the sooner you get it down your throat. The sooner this becomes easier for you. Hell, it’ll be easier for Sin City Wrestling. Even easier for James himself. But you don’t take the easy route Alexander. You never have. So if anything I admire the spunk but... Spunk only gets you far!”
“Keep that in mind. As things are just getting started...”
Beep. . .
Beep. . .
Beep. . .
Went the sound of the heart monitor in the room. Jayden laid there with his head wrapped in a white bandage. The young man was twenty four hours out of surgery that was meant to stop the brain bleed that he had experienced thanks to a cinder block that was smashed against his head. Thanks to one man by the name of Alexander Raven.
His eyes were still closed in a medically induced coma. Carmen sat right there at bedside. Holding her son’s hand in hers. Her eyes closed as she was trying to catch up on sleep of her own. Yes, Jayden was a grown man but a mother’s love, concern, and instincts didn’t stop just because her oldest was of age. Trying to take the time to catch up on her own sleep.
All of the sudden the hospital door came creaking open. Startling the sleeping woman as she sat up in her chair. At first glance what she saw wasn’t realistic to her. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Surely, because standing there at the door was Michael Harris. Her husband. Jayden’s father. The man was believed to be dead after being brutally attacked and tossed overboard a ship only a few months prior.
“Michael?”
Carmen found herself rubbing her eyes something fierce.
“Is that really you?! I have to be dreaming right now. Wake up, Carmen. Wake up right now. This isn’t reality.”
Again she rubbed her eyes. Even went as far as pinching herself. Only to look right back at the direction of the door. He was still standing there. Not only that but the man took a couple steps forward and closed the door behind him for privacy.
Instantly overcome by emotion Carmen shot out of the chair she was sitting in. Her arms were tossed around his neck. He wrapped his own arms around her waist. Tears are flowing down the woman’s cheeks. His first words spoke to her in a soft manner.
“I’m here.”
That grip of his got tighter around her waist. Carmen couldn’t help herself holding onto him just as tight. Finally bringing herself to pull back some. Looking up into his eyes.
“I thought I lost you forever!”
Her voice quivered from the sheer emotion that had overcome her.
“When they said they couldn’t find you. My heart began to break. When they said they were giving up on the search. My entire world was crumbling around me.”
A couple tears streamed down her cheek once again.
“When they said I had to plan a funeral. Everything in me was shattering. But here you are. You’re right in front of me. I don’t know how but you’re safe. You’re well. You’re alive!”
Her hands went from his neck placing them softly on his facial features. He felt every bit of shake in her hand. This was a lot to deal with at one time. He understood that. Gripping her hands and pulled them away from his hands as he cupped them in his own hands. Keeping direct eye contact with his wife.
“There’s going to come a time and a place where I sit you down. I will explain it all. I explain every detail to you on how I am here in the flesh. Something, I still haven’t fully wrapped my own head around.”
There was a pause from him. Shaking his head about.
“But right now the only thing that matters is that I am here. I am here for you. My son. Our family. That’s the only thing that is important.”
He gripped those hands of hers a little tighter. Finally his gaze was able to break away from Carmen. Looking over at his son for the first time. The head bandage. The wires. The tubes. Everything he was hooked up to. This entire room. It really made the reality of the situation set in for him. He felt an ache in his heart that he had never felt before.
Taking a few steps over to the edge of Jayden’s bed. Looking at him as he rested so peacefully. Michael could feel that lump in the back of his throat. Choking back any kind of emotion pouring out of him. For the sake of his wife. All while he could feel Carmen’s grip on his hand got tighter. Her own eyes starting to shift over to where Jayden laid.
“Look at what he did to our precious baby boy.”
Her words were shaky when she spoke.
“Look at the pain and the suffering they caused.”
Carmen’s bottom lip was quivering when she spoke. Taking a second to pause as she looked down at the floor. Any parent having to see their child like this would go through every bit of emotion she was going through. Michael heard every word as he couldn’t bring his eyes to her yet.
“Our boy didn’t deserve any of this. He didn’t deserve to be attacked like that. He didn’t deserve to have an end to his promising career. Not like this. Not this soon. Everything he wanted. Everything he worked for. Everything he dreamed to achieve with his career and life. Ripped away from him!”
Those words hit like a ton of bricks. That emotion is becoming harder to hold back. Especially when he knew that deep down that he was to blame. In fact a lot of this could all be traced back to him and the things he did the year before. He could feel his eyes becoming heavy with tears, but again he choked back that emotion. Refusing to let it pour out of him.
“This is my fault.”
He didn’t even bother to take his eyes off of his son. However, he could feel Carmen’s were shifted right to him.
“I should have never dragged Jayden into this over a year ago. I should have never had him get behind that wheel. I should have never had him make J2H a target. I should have never had him show up to the arena that night.”
His own grip on her hand was beginning to get tighter. For no other reason than the emotion he was trying to fight back was becoming harder to do. So much of it was on the verge of just pouring out of him. Very unlike him, but then again this was the first time he had ever had to deal with and experience something like this as a father.
“All of it is traced back to me. I’m the reason this happened. I’m the reason he’s never going to wrestle again. I’m the reason his bright career is cut short. It’s all on me Carmen. All my fucking fault!”
By then those very hands of his were starting to shake. His heart felt even heavier. Dizziness was starting to consume him. Carmen saw the emotion overcoming his face. After all these years of marriage. This was unlike anything she had ever seen from him before.
“Michael...”
She tugged on his hands. Finally forcing him to look away from Jayden and back to her.
“None of this is your fault. Don’t you dare blame yourself. Not even for a second!”
His eyes might have met hers. He might have heard every word she was saying. However none of it held any weight. None of it held any significance. Nothing against her. No respect meant for her. But she wasn’t going to be able to talk him out of how he felt. She wasn’t going to be able to pull him out of this funk. It simply was not that easy. The emotional woman waved her hand in front of his face realizing that he was zoned out in his own head.
“Do I make myself clear to you?!”
The silence that overcame the two for a brief moment was truly deafening. Only for the man to shake his head from side to side.
“No.”
It was a short answer, but as direct as it could be.
“I know what the reality is, Carmen. No matter what you say. No matter what you believe. No matter how you try to make this better for my mental state. The reality is, I am at fault for everything that happened to our son. And there’s only one thing that is left to do...”
That ominous statement made Carmen’s eyes widen. She knew her husband like the back of her hand. She knew where this was going. She knew what he meant. Shaking her head a little bit with fear. Trying to control the situation the best she could.
“Michael. Don’t. Just don’t. We have all been through enough.”
“I’m aware. But like I said there’s only one thing left to do. This doesn’t end until they pay. This doesn’t end till every last one of them has a hospital bed of their own.”
“Please. I have never asked you for much when it comes to your career. But I’m asking you. I’m begging you to not do this. Look at what they did to you before..”
“And I’m still standing. They tried and they failed.”
“But they know that. They’re not going to fail this time. They made sure they didn’t fail with our son!”
“That’s a deed that can’t go unpunished. I can’t be afraid of what they could or could not do. Not when they deserve what's coming to them. I won’t allow them to win!”
“Michael. Please, fucking please. Listen to me on this!”
“My decision is final, Carmen!”
His voice was stern. Sending the message loud and clear that there was no talking him out of it. All she could do was just throw herself into him. Burying her face into his shirt that was now becoming stained with her tears while she held onto him with everything she had. Michael found himself resting his chin on top of her head while putting his arms around her. Focusing back over to his sleeping son. Life was never meant to be easy, but he was fighting quite the uphill battle from here on out.
“You got your answer as to why, Alexander.”
“In the year twenty-twenty three. You weren’t ever going to be on my radar. Not with how much of a joke that you had allowed yourself to become. Not when you couldn’t back up nearly half of what you said. Not when you couldn’t win when it mattered. At best last year you were on the same level of Bill Barnhart.”
“But this version of you? The year that you’ve had in twenty-twenty four. I’d be a fool not to give you credit where credit is due. You have really managed to change the mindset of who you are and what you are able to accomplish. That much you deserve credit for... And I’d be an even bigger fool to deny progress. There’s been a lot of it, you’ve come a long way from a year ago.”
“Knowing myself Alexander. I could still very much mock you for being in the same position you were in last year when it comes to being a stable in the Roulette Division. But I won’t because I see the difference. This run, this reign as champion. You’ve really stood up in a major manner. You’ve elevated that championship.”
“I’d even go as far as saying you’ve elevated the championship more than Peter Vaugn did during his previous run with it. And I’d go as far as supporting the idea that you’ve made the Roulette Championship a main event level championship. Made it mean more than the Heavyweight Championship these days. So kudos for that.”
“But it goes beyond just that...”
“You’ve made yourself become a true violent man. To the point where when you say you’re going to do something. People are actually fearful of it happening these days. Unlike before when they’d just laugh you off. You said that my son would regret every decision he ever made. You said he’d regret not walking away. You made a promise to end his career. You’ve done just that. Just like when it comes to you saying that this company would regret not treating you with the respect that you deserved. That they would regret not rolling out the red carpet and treating you like a certified superstar.”
“You said that when the time came for your career to wrap up around here. That they would regret every bit of all their wrong doings because of the mark you left on this company. A year ago when you were spitting that bullshit. I was like everyone else that was like just quit already. None of us will give a fuck, but now... I can see regret being felt by this company. The moment you walk out of this company and go on to do whatever the hell it is that you want to do. Sure, there is going to be a void. There’s going to be a giant hole. There’s going to be a sense of something missing. You’ve truly finally began to leave your mark on this company.”
“So once again congratulations Alexander. But are you ready to be met with reality?”
“The harsh reality of things are. Even if they do regret things. They’re never going to admit and they’re not going to give you the time of day of saying you were right. No matter what hole you leave with this company when you are gone. They’ll do what they always do and they’ll find someone to fill up that hole. Even if they aren’t ready for that position or as good as you.”
“They will certainly plug it up and pretend as if you never existed in the first place. They will move on with this new face or even an old face returning. Once again denying you of any satisfaction you think you’re going to get by moving on. You’re not really going to hurt them like you think. You aren’t going to get them groveling at your feet begging for you to come back. Nothing like that.”
“And why do you think I know that? I have been like you in the past Alexander. I have walked out on companies. I have left a void in companies. I have left them high and dry thinking it would harm them. Just to turn around and watch them never admit anything to me. Just to watch them find the next big sensation and ride them till the wheels fell off.”
“Hell, it happened to me a year ago. I may have gotten myself fired, but there is no denying the effect I had on this company. I was the BIGGEST thing they had a year ago, but the moment I made the mistakes I made. They canned my ass, then moved on with old and new faces. Proving that they were going to be just fine without me. Regardless of the good and the bad I did for Sin City Wrestling.”
“In fact Alexander. Some of those people that they are going to move on with when you are gone are the same people that you are tied to. You think for a single second that they won't strap a rocket right back onto J2H and send him to the moon like they have so many times before when you are gone? You think for a single solid second that Kevin Carter is going to keep praising your name and remain loyal when you’re gone?”
“No, those two men have been using you. They won’t stop until you are either gone or until you no longer prove to be a surface to them. Yet despite all this progress you’ve made and despite all this mad-man talk you like to do. You can’t seem to wrap your head around what is very obvious. All you’re doing is setting yourself up for failure in the end. So be it, I guess.”
“And some of those people are people you love to bring up. Love to verbally suck off. Some of them are people you desperately want to be just like. Those same men that you’re going to go into a delusional tirade before long when it comes to talking about me. The same men that you’re going to talk about how much better they are than me. The same men that you’re going to say have done more for this company than I have ever done for it. The same men that you’re going to do everything you can to make them seem as if they're gods. But at the same time the same men I won’t even give the time of day by mentioning them by name because they’re not worth it to me.”
“Little bit of advice here Mr. Raven. First things first. They’re not going to fuck you, bro. No matter how much praise you give them. They’re not going to have you spread eagle like you want. And secondly, this is about you and me. There’s no point in bringing up all these other people. All these other situations. Especially not now. Not when you’ve finally gotten yourself to a certain level. Stop relying on others. Stand on your own two feet and show me what kind of man you are. You pleaded for this match. You dreamed of this match. You begged for this match. You got it. Now show me who you are.”
“Because right now, it doesn’t seem like this is about you. This doesn’t seem like it’s about Alexander Raven versus Michael Harris. It doesn’t seem like it's truly about seeing who the better man is. No, instead it’s become about you being pathetic and doing all the dirty work for James. Out here protecting him and defending his honor. Doing everything you can to keep the two of us away from each other. Or more so doing everything you can to make sure James doesn’t have to meet his demise that he has without a doubt brought on himself. Is that how you want these last few weeks of your time here to be remembered? Just being someone’s bitch?”
“This could have been a game changing moment for you, Alexander. This match could have been that last missing piece to launch you into full on superstardom. Being in the ring with me could have made you everything you ever wanted to be. Had you been doing this for yourself. Because, I was looking forward to meeting and standing across the ring with this new you. This version of you that has seemed like it's the best it has ever been. I was ready to give praise and admit that I was wrong, even if everything you did a year ago proved to me I was right in never wasting my time to begin with.”
“I was looking forward to this match and you being at your best. For no other reason than for when I slaughtered you like the pig you are. I knew there would be no way you or anyone else could cast doubt over the match and the outcome of it. But as much as I was looking forward to it and willing to give you praise. Willing to give you credit where it was due. You proved without a shadow of a doubt that this has been nothing more than a facade all along.”
“I can be a man and admit my fault. I can admit that it took me a minute. I fell right into the same trap that everyone else has fallen into. I bought into all the bells and whistles that is your persona now Alexander. That’s on me for making that mistake. Especially being in this business as long as I have been. I should have known better. But that’s where I do have a leg up on most of the competition and most of those you’ve faced here recently. I caught on before it was too late. I now have fresh eyes and see you for what you have always been.”
“Everything you are now Alexander is a fraud.”
“You aren’t suddenly good. No, the people you have leached to have made you ‘good’ and have made you appear ‘invincible’. You aren’t suddenly a more devious and dangerous man. No, the fact that the three of you play the numbers game. That’s what makes you someone to fear. That’s what makes people on edge when they hear the name Alexander Raven. And maybe more importantly than anything else Alexander...”
“All these conspiracies that you believe in and tell the world. At the end of the day. None of them have even been true. None of them have ever existed. None of them have ever been a reason for why you never succeeded the way that you believe you should have. Instead they’re just the ramblings of a severely mentally disturbed man that was never going to amount to much in this business to begin with.”
“So I leave you with these words. I welcome the numbers game. I welcome the deranged man that you think you are. I welcome every bit of pain and suffering you believe you can dish out. I welcome this match because I know I’ve got nothing to fear. I know that you don’t pose a threat to me. I know you cannot and will not be able to defeat me. Doesn’t matter who is in your corner and who isn’t. I get to walk out of retirement. Punch you in your fucking face. Drop you on your head. Make you fail James. Make you fail yourself in the greatest fashion. And then go right back into retirement without breaking a sweat. You are not on my level. You will never be on my level! I was simply born better than you and tomorrow night you’re going to have to live with that reality going forward.”
“Alexander Raven.
Welcome to your own personal nightmare...”
“Have you been listening?!”