Shadow
”No….No No…:”
Alex shook his head and jumped up onto the ring apron before getting into the ring. He stood in front of two young men, his son Dylan, only sixteen years old and just starting his journey in this world, and a young man named Reece who had come from Canada. He shook his head again looking at them both before clearing his throat ”If you get taken down in a headlock, you need to feel which way is better to roll and turn, and the way to counter is not always a head-scissor or an armbar…” He was frustrated, annoyed, and angry. He knew they were both better than this.
Alex wore a black tank top and loose shorts with wrestling shoes. He didn’t know why he bothered. He wasn’t getting in the ring. But today just felt different. Like his body wanted him to do it. Needed him to do it. Dylan folded his arms over his chest as Alex shuffled Reece sideways. ”Why don’t you show us then old man?” He chuckled, he loved being the only one aside from Alicia and Austin who could give Alex shit.
The owner of Wolfslair narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. Dylan hadn’t been told how bad the injuries were or that they were the reason Alex retired. He had kept that away from his children. Especially since they spent more time with their mother than him and Sonya. But, he wasn’t about to be challenged by his kid, in his gym. Alex stepped forward and sighed ”Ok, take me down…” Dylan and Alex locked up, Dylan hooked his arm over Alex’s head and neck flipping him over his hip and taking him down. Alex was on his back, hitting the mat with a loud thud.
”So, if I have all my weight on, I don’t know, your neck and chest where do we go?” Dylan raised an eyebrow looking up at Reece who was watching, Alex shifted his hip, turning his body around and pushing on Dylan's elbow to slide his head out, pulling Dylan's arm back into a seated hammerlock with a smirk.
]”See, you were so worried about me using my legs you didn’t see that coming. “ Dylan nodded as Alex let him go. Reece and Dylan moved forward and started training, exchanging counter moves and footwork. Alex looked over and out of the corner of his eye saw Sonya. She had her arms folded over her chest and walked into the office. Alex jumped down and followed, a hollow feeling in his gut as he entered the office and closed the door behind him.
He knew what this was about, but also wasn’t about to be the first one to talk. Sonya shook her head and growled before finally breaking the silence between them ”Why were you in the ring?”
He shook his head and his mouth twisted into a smirk before answering her as calmly as possible, without sounding snarky. Or so he thought ”You were on my back about sitting in the office and not helping, so I go out there and actually do something and now it’s a problem?” Sonya stayed silent for a moment and Alex shook his head throwing his hands in the air. He had a point, and she hated it. He stepped closer to her desk putting his palms flat on it and leaned forward. [=color=lightgreen]”You can’t have it both ways, either I help out there, or just do paperwork in here…”[/color]
Sonya took a deep breath and snarled ”You can stand at the side of the ring and explain things, getting in there will just cause more damage. And you might get some wild idea that you can do that again and go back to work…”
”And?....With the proper treatments I could…”
”Could what?” She snapped, shaking her head ”Could go back and hurt yourself worse? Face it, everyone in the wrestling business has to retire, some do it before they should, some after. I don’t want you to be one of those old fucks who stay around and become an embarrassment. Just focus on training Dylan, if you think it’s appropriate”
Alex scoffed and folded his arms over his chest ”Why wouldn’t it be?”
”Well, if he was my child, I’m not sure I’d want him following in my footsteps knowing how hard the business is, or what he would have to live up to…”
Alex’s nostrils flared as he leaned forward and ground his teeth together ”Well, lucky that he isn’t your child then isn’t it?” There was a tense few moments as Sonya's eyes welled up. Alex was right but his words and movements were harsh. Sonya had tried to be a good stepmother to Dylan. But both Dylan and his sister Alexandra had been reluctant to get close to Sonya, the children from Alex’s first marriage had never been willing to be there for her. But they had, in passing, enjoyed spending time with their younger siblings.
Sonya took a deep breath and stormed out. She was angry, she was hurt. But Alex had finally snapped. After months of being told what he could do, what he couldn’t do, what he should do, and what he shouldn’t. He had finally had enough. Sonya had always been the controlling type. Not asking for an opinion, telling Alex what his opinions should be. She had even been the one to bring Finn in. Alex took a deep breath and sat down, slamming his fist on the desk and sitting back flicking a pen across the room.
The door opened and Aaron popped her head in ”Hey uh, can I…come in?” Alex nodded slowly, Aaron stepped through the door, her long hair tied back, her makeup done immaculately to draw attention to her eyes and lips. She wore a black workout top and shorts before moving over with a piece of paper, she then slid onto Alex’s desk with a grin ”So, I had two new girls who are coming in, both independent standouts, one of them is Sierra Williams younger sister and the other is from your home state of Texas and…you’re not listening to a word I’m saying are you?”
Alex looked up suddenly and sighed shaking his head ”Sorry, just….personal stuff” Alex paused before sitting forward ”Sonya is just being overbearing. And, the truth is I don’t think we’re right for each other anymore. She is being too controlling, trying to tell me what I can and can’t do. It’s maddening Aaron…It’s driving me insane…”
She stayed silent for a moment, her eyes turning contemplative and thoughtful, and also, somehow, full of empathy. She leaned over and sighed heavily ”Oh I am so sorry to hear that…I don’t get it. I always thought a woman should support her man. And even if she doesn’t agree it should be something that is talked about, not controlled.”
Aaron smiled warmly and Alex nodded with a deep sigh. ”See, you get it. I honestly don’t know why Finn would divorce you…”
Aaron looked down and blushed, her hand slowly sliding over the top of Alex’s as she leaned in close. ”Thank you for saying that. It means a lot. But the things Sonya does, and how she treats you…” Aaron leans in closer and squeezes his hand ”I would…never…do that…” Time stood still, Alex looked up and their eyes met. There were sparks between them, a spark that he hadn’t felt with Sonya in years.
He knew they had grown apart, but not as far as was now evident. Alex took a deep breath and squeezed Aaron's hand before the door opened. Aaron pulled her hand away and turned, she looked over her shoulder and smiled as Alicia stood there, her eyebrow raised. ”I’ll talk to you later…” She smiled and moved toward the door, she looked at Alicia who eyed Aaron off with suspicion. As Aaron left she closed the door behind her, a mischievous grin coming across her lips.
Record breaker, risk taker, kingmaker.
”Will that silence some of you arrogant, self-righteous crybabies? A win over one of the top contenders in this company. A kid like Carter who, let's face it, could be a world champion if things were different? I mean, I meant what I said. I have an eye for talent. And Carter is a talent…”
Alex paused and rolled his neck, feeling it crack as he took a deep breath and continued. His long hair tied up in a bun as he folded his arms over his chest, his lips twisting in a smirk.
”But, as I head into this world championship march I’d be a fool not to take at least a small glance at the elimination chamber and all those inside it. From the greats like J2H to the young rookies like Jayden Harris, the chamber has it all. And sure, men like Bill Barnhart shouldn’t be there, but there is enough talent in that cage to know that whoever wins is going to earn it. And they will be a worthy challenger for either myself or Finn. Carter has shown us he is ready for the challenge, Miles is in there too as is Eddie Lyons and Senor Vinnie. A star-studded group for sure.”
“The winner will either face me or Finn. And that right there should tell you how much better the men's side of things has become since I returned. See, the women's division over the last few years has gotten so much more interesting and the men's side has just been there. It’s almost like most of the roster has been terrified of facing Finn.”
“A sad fact.”
“But, the chamber is proving something. The SCW World heavyweight championship is the prize that it always should have been. See, everyone in that chamber had to EARN the right to get in it, then they would have to face and destroy one another to EARN the right to face myself or Finn. And Finn has been a great champion, a little boring because he has been so dominant, but still a great champion. Carving a path through the entire division because you have all allowed him to. All the complaints about him and his reign are coming from people who didn’t have the balls to stop him…”
“Something that I rectified.”
“And the only reason why I came back is because none of you could do the damn job that I am now forced to do. I had to take the title from Mac Bane and the Saviors when he started getting out of control, I gave up the roulette title to save the world title. Something I am forced to do yet again. All because not one of you could do what needs to be done. So, as I head into this world title match and you all complain and wonder why I came back and got this opportunity, you have to realize that you only have yourselves to blame.”
He pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing.
”Although, it isn’t just all of you that is at fault here. It is also Finn Whelan himself. See, when I returned I went after Miles because of how he went about things. What he decided was the best way, and I disagreed. But not once did I say that he shouldn’t have gone after Finn, not once did I say he didn’t earn the right to want to get that world title. He should have been pissed off, he should have gone for it. But it was the way he went about it that rubbed me the wrong way. I was never defending Finn, I was never “on Finns side” I have always been on one side. One side alone.”
“Mine”
“And in being on that side, in standing tall against what I consider to be the wrong way to do things I have come to one stark realization. Finn deserves to be the world champion. But also deserves to be beaten and exposed for the selfish prick he is. And trust me on this, no matter what you think about me, Finn is worse. See, he and I have a history. A personal one as well as a professional one. And it was one I went over before. But let's just remind everyone. This jealous, childish little asshole disliked me because of his sister. Because his sister and I had a connection, a connection she ruined because of her piss poor attitude and arrogance. I guess this is something that runs in the family doesn’t it Finn?”
“Honestly, I know your type and you’re sitting there, not wanting to be like your parents, when not only are you like them you’re also exactly like your fucking sister. Only ever concerned with yourself and what you want and what you need. Your future, your life. And if it only affected wrestling then it would be fine. The business side of things is selfish, but there is a whole other side that YOU almost ruined because of your attitude.”
“Aaron and I came together for a lot of reasons and yes, one of them was a mutual disdain for you.”
He can’t help but let out a small chuckle before looking to his side and smiling off screen, at what we can assume is probably Aaron.
”This could have been just about business Finn. Just about the world title and just about SCW. It could have ended there. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time we've clashed over gold, would it? But this has always been personal. From the issues with your sister and then you to you coming into MY house, messing with MY family. Let's step back from the wrestling side of it for a minute, shall we? Let's look at how you impacted my personal life. My soon-to-be ex-wife decided to bring you into the company. Not the wrestling company that we now work for, my company.”
“Wolfslair.”
“A gym that I created to form the future stars of tomorrow. My legacy. She brought you in and you just decided to join with no questions asked. No consulting Me. And why? Because you knew it would piss me off. You knew that I’d hate the idea of it, but you also knew that I’d go along with it because she asked me to. That kind of controlling behavior is something that would slowly drive a wedge between her and I.”
“But you didn’t care”
“Then, just as I would open up and begin to depend on you, begin to accept you as part of the fold you would then convince us to take back Miles Kasey after he left us high and dry. After he turned his back on us and left not saying a word. It was you who convinced us to take him back. And you were wrong because it came back to bite you in the ass. And in that whole thing despite my better judgment, I did take your side in how he went about things. Because you were right. He should’ve just come to you like a man and asked for a championship opportunity.”
“And if things are just ended right there and then I guess we could just shrug and say it was fine. But that isn’t how it ended. No, because of the personal issues that you have with things involving your brother and your girlfriend you left the company. You left Wolfslair. Just as we needed you and you were a part of everything you took off all because of your own selfish needs. What about the needs of everyone who depended on you? What about the needs of the entire company?”
Alex slams his fist down on the table and his face curls into an angry sneer.
”So, Aaron and I decided it was time you realize what kind of selfish piece of shit you are. And I decided it was time to take something from you that you care about. The SCW World Championship. And it’s something that you love and have defended for over a year. And now you are pulling that record in, the longest-reigning one. To beat J2H and get your name in the record books. But, when the dust settles I know what really hurts you. And that is being viewed as second best to me.”
I took the honor title out of your hands, I warred with you in WWH and now here we are in SCW, and for the good of a woman who I no longer care about I let you keep succeeding here. I stepped back instead of stepping toward you. But no more Finn, no more am I going to stand by and let you stomp around here like the arrogant shit you are.”
“You and that tattooed bitch standing next to you.”
“But, you take all that out of it. The personal motivations through Wolfslair and broken marriages and broken relationships from two decades ago, the business history between us through almost a decade, and all the different companies we have been in. And we are left with one thing. Something that motivates me even more than all of that. The SCW World championship. The one last shot at glory I have, the last chance at my fingertips to be a world champion again.”
“It’s like a drug.”
“And I am addicted.”
“I need that championship, I need that moment. I need to stand at the top of the mountain one more time and call myself a champion. And beating you, taking that title from you would be the icing on the cake the cherry on top, and the hundred-year-old bottle of scotch to cap it all off. So, Finn, Blaze of Glory is a fitting name and a fitting view. Cause I am going to go down in one, one way or another. And to quote one of the greatest actors of our time. I am coming for you, and I am bringing hell with me…”