Your first career loss can be a tough pill to swallow, but it can also be helpful and even motivate you. Zayvion Lyons found himself still trying to swallow said pill, but Cleo Phillips was there to get his mind back on track.
“Look, if you ask me you're still a winner.” said Cleo.
Zayvion looked up at her.
“I let you down.” he said “All that training, and I didn't beat Alex Jones and gain the momentum I wanted for Blaze of Glory.”
“That's cap.“ Cleo said “You ain't let nobody down you went out there you gave it your all and you know what? Alex Jones had to cheat to beat you.”
Zayvion nodded as a faint smile creeped on his face.
“Yeah there it is.” said Cleo “You know it's the truth. You pushed Alex Jones to his limit, to the point that he had to resort to a cheap trick just to beat you. If anything your loss is on me.”
“How's that?” said Zayvion raising an eyebrow.
“I'm your manager." said Cleo. "I'm supposed to be the one out there catching that sort of thing. I should have been right there to knock his fat foot off the ropes for you.”
"Ah, you can't blame yourself for that.” said Zayvion “The only reason I came as close as I did to beating him is because of everything you've taught me.”
“Be that as it may." said Cleo “People are watching you now, closer than ever. So you got to refocus yourself, don't worry about Alex Jones and worry about the three motherfuckers ahead of you.”
Cleo stepped closer, lowering her voice as she continued.
“Bill Barnhart, Brayden Williams, and Ciaran Doyle.” she said, raising a finger for each one “Three different problems in the same ring, but all you need is one solution.”
Zayvion leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Bills the power game…" he muttered “He's going to try to keep me grounded but I've solved him before.”
“Exactly..” Cleo replied “He's going to try to slow you down. You already know you can't out muscle Bill Barnhart, you have to out move him and make him blow his gas tank while you're already halfway up the ladder.”
Zayvion nodded the gears began to turn in his head.
“There's still Brayden Williams and Ciaran Doyle.” he said.
“Brayden Williams is the clout chaser of the century.” Cleo said, rolling her eyes. “He's going to go out there and try to create highlight reels and viral moments. So let him while he's distracted trying to create a viral moment you'll be busy actually winning the match.”
“And Ciaran?" Zayvion asked.
“He's the one you have to watch out for if you ask me.” Cleo said. “He's got that hunger about him as well, so you need to show him that you're all business as well and that this is your moment, not his, when you smack him in his pretty little mouth.”
Zayvion laughs.
“Pretty little mouth?” he grinned “You've been waiting to say that one, haven't you.”
“Don't change the subject.” Said Cleo “Ciaran's the one who's gonna give you the biggest problem. Don't let his stripper past and pretty looks fool you. He's a nice enough guy but this match isn't the time to play nice.”
Zayvion nodded as he continued to listen to Cleo's words.
"You're faster than Bill, smarter than Brayden, and hungrier than Ciaran.” said Cleo “They all bring something to the table, but none of them bring everything. So you need to control the pace, you dictate when it speeds up, you dictate when the ladders come into play. Make this match yours.”
Zayvion let the thoughts rummage around in his brain before speaking again.
“If Bill wants to slow it down….” he said “I don't engage, I make him chase.”
“Exactly.” said Cleo “You burn the big man out and you outlast him.”
“And Brayden better not worry about who's watching.” he said “He better be concerned about who's right there in front of him, one who's ready to kick his head in if that's what it takes.”
“And Ciaran?” piqued Cleo
“He's the one that's going to be the toughest to solve.” said Zayvion “Because I feel like he's just as focused on the end goal as I am. He's not coming there to show off, he's coming in there to win which means I can't coast, even for a second. Bill and Brayden I can predict their distractions, but Ciaran I have to treat everything he does like it matters because it does.”
Cleo didn't say anything, she just let Zayvion continue his thoughts.
“You know what's real wild Cleo?” he said “If you had told me a few months ago that I was going to be in a match with this kind of opportunity on the line, all I would be thinking about is how not to mess it up. And now? Now I'm thinking about how I'm going to take it from the three of them.”
“That's called growth.” Cleo noted
“It's not really about them though.” he said after a moment “It's about me staying locked in on the opportunity. There's going to be a moment where everybody's down, and out of position and the match is just waiting for somebody to take it. I don't want to just be the guy reacting to that moment, I want to be the reason it happens.”
“Now that sounds like a contender.” said Cleo “You're not waiting for openings, you're creating them.”
Zayvion lets the words hang in the room around them.
“That's how I win this.” he said with a nod "It's not going to be about me improvising when it goes sideways because I'm going to set the pace, and I'm going to know what comes next, and the three of them are going to follow me.”
“Exactly.” Cleo said leaning in closer to him “You're in this to define yourself.” Every second you stay in control, you're sending a message that you're not just there, you're there to win.”
Zayvion nodded, he was beginning to picture it in his mind, the crowd, the lights and himself in the center of it all. Calm focused and in control. This was about moving forward to the next step in becoming a champion and he was ready.
__________
As he waited in the visitor room of the county jail, Zayvion thought about the memories of him and his crew when they were younger. The memories and the loyalty that you couldn't buy. The way life was just so much simpler then. Now the four of them were growing older and life was pulling them in different directions.
He waved at Three-Ball when he saw him sitting at the table as he entered the visitors room. As soon as Three-Ball saw Zayvion, a huge smile appeared on his face.
“Yo Zay.” He said “Long time no see big dawg!”
“Three! How you been man?” said Zayvion as the two embraced.
“Ah, could be better..” said Three-Ball motioning around.
“Yeah..” said Zayvion with a nod as they took a seat, “Suspended license, DUI, what were you thinking man?”
“I wasn't.” said Three-Ball with a shrug, “But we don't got to talk about my stupid mistakes. I want to hear more about you. I hear you're a big superstar wrestler now.”
“Superstar might be pushing it.” said Zayvion.
“Well the guys say you're out there killing it.” said Three-Ball “I remember you always had that focus. Even as a kid you were always the one trying to plan everything out while the rest of us just wanted to run wild.”
“Yeah back then we were planning on how to steal sodas and snacks from the corner store.” laughed Zayvion.
“Those were the days.” said Three-ball with a laugh of his own. “You remember when we tried to start that basketball league with some of the other kids on the block? We used that old court at the park that didn't even have a net on the hoop. You did everything you could to make it feel real, schedules kept score and rankings even made his jerseys out of old t-shirts.”
“Yea..” said Zayvion with a smile “That was a mess at first. A lot of kids didn't even show up some days, and a lot of them tried to cheat. But I just made adjustments and kept trying to push until it made sense because I wanted it to work so bad.”
“That's what I'm saying man.” nodded Three-Ball “You were always the one keeping the chaos in check. While the rest of us were playing games, you were thinking. And you got that same energy about you now.”
Zayvion let the words sink in. That summer had taught him a whole lot without him even realizing it. He learned how to manage what he could control, and how to plan when things became unpredictable. He learned how to stay calm while the rest of the world was running wild, not reacting to what happened, but controlling what he could.
“I try..” said Zayvion “I try to bring that same principle into the ring . Stay locked in, forget my next move and control the situation instead of letting it control me.”
“That's why you’ve always been different Zay.” Three-Ball said, “Always thinking two steps ahead while the rest of us we're just trying not to get caught.“
“It's not about being different." said Zayvion “It's about taking ownership. Even back then we had a broke down court, and no net. But I wanted it to work and control what I could control. In the ring it's the same thing. I control my mindset, I control the pacing and that's how I make the most of the opportunities in front of me.”
“That's some real shit.” said Three-Ball
“You know I can't be nothing but real.” said Zayvion
“Well hey next time you come visit, you better be a champion.” said Three-Ball with a grin
“I hope so.” said Zayvion.
The two friends continued to chat about memories, finding the time get away from them until one of the guards signal that it was time and called Three-Ball back to his pod. As Zayvion walked out the visitor room the memories of that old sun beaten court, the crooked hoop and the hand-drawn t-shirts he made into jerseys stayed with him. A reminder that no matter the chaos or the uncertainty he knew how to take control and shape the moment. It was that focus and mindset that had always pushed him forward in life, and now weeks before his biggest opportunity yet he had become sharper than ever before.
_________
The cameras open up on a close up shot of Savion lions wearing large headphones, he holds up an old polaroid of four young boys sitting on a park bench together as the sounds of Growing Pains by Ludacris play.
#We were trying so hard
Hard to survive
Because even though we were young
We had to stay strong
No matter what we went through
It was me and my crew
And that's how it went
When we were kids.#
As the music fades out Zayvion sets down the photo, and lowers the headphones, the camera zooms out to get a more full shot of him. He's dressed in a classic urban style, shades resting on the top of his head, posted up against a chain link fence as he begins to address the cameras. His posture is calm and relaxed but there's an unmistakable fire in his eyes.
“Growing up you always need a crew.” he began “There's people you grow with and learn from. That's what it was like for me and my boys. Bug, Lorenzo and Three-Ball. I always thought four was the magic number for the perfect crew and the four of us still remain tight to this day.”
He pauses for a moment letting his mind reminisce.
“Now we're all grown and just trying to find a way in this crazy world.” he said. “Things I
learned growing up from my crew and just life in general, and other lessons I learned from Cleo are what I'm going to be bringing to this ladder match. Speaking of Cleo, she's away on business at the moment. So I thought I'd take the time for y'all just to hear from me. Because at the end of the day this ain't the Cleo Phillips story, you can search the annals of PWS for that. This is the Zayvion Lyons story.”
He pauses for a moment.
“Crazy thing is, my opponents at Blaze of Glory each kind of remind me of my crew in a way.” Zayvion continued ‘"Take Brayden Williams for instance, he reminds me of my boy Lorenzo or Lo’ as we sometimes call him.”
He pauses again.
“Don't get me wrong, Lo’ is one of the realest friends you can have, sometimes too real, the type of dude who will stab a fool for messin' with one of his boys. " said Zayvion “But we all got that friend that gives you a headache, and for us it's Lorenzo. He was always our loudest friend, always trying to be the center of attention. Sound familiar Brayden? Because while you're out there looking for your moment trying to get everybody to look at Brayden Williams I'm out there focused on winning, making something of myself and trying to get myself on a road to become a champion.”
He readjusts his shades and exhales slightly as he continues.
“And Bill you got that Three-Ball energy.” said Zayvion “Always with the power plays. Strong and confident but always constantly falling into the same stuck position. You had the honor of giving me my first match in Sin City wrestling as you did for many others before and just like every single one of them I beat you. I'm coming even harder this time because there's so much more on the line. So if you can't step your game up, then you need to step down and get out of my way, because I'm coming for that top spot and I won't let some Neanderthal like you stop me.”
He pauses again to catch his breath.
“And of course there's Ciaran.” Zayvion continued “You remind me a bit of my boy Bug. You've got a lot of heart and you just got a good soul about you. Bug was always the heart of our group and the glue that kept us together. I know you have a good heart Ciaran, but you're going to need more than just heart if you think you're going to be winning this match. You're going to need grit, you're going to need to dig deep down and find more within yourself.”
He steps away from the fence keeping his eyes locked on the camera as he steps closer to it.
“And don't any of you get it twisted.” he continued lowering his voice “This ain't me disrespecting my crew. That's my family, that's my foundation. They are the reason I know how to read people the way I do, because when you grow up in a crew you learn how to move around different energies. You learn who you can run with and who you got to outpace.”
A small smirk crosses his face.
“At Blaze of Glory it's going to come down to who best understands the moment when everything gets chaotic.” he continued “And I grew up in chaos. When we were kids we didn't have perfect conditions, our basketball courts didn't have nets, the lights didn't always come on at night, the ball was slightly flat half the time,but we still played like it was game seven.”
He pauses for a beat.
“That taught me something.” he said “It taught me that you can't wait for the situation to be perfect, you have to make it work anyway. When everything breaks down I'm going to be the one who stays composed and see the opening before it's even there.”
Another beat.
“So keep looking for that moment Brayden.” said Zayvion “Because all you're going to do is keep looking, you're never going to find it at least not at my expense. You've got a family name like I do, but unlike you I'm not coasting off mine. I'm sure you like to party like I do. Well maybe not like I do, I prefer the block party with the boys, your type of party just isn't for me. No Diddy.”
He grins at the camera.
“You can keep trying to fee-fi-fo-fum your way through this Bill.” said Zayvion “But you're not going to be able to slow me down. I'm going straight to the top and you're going to be stuck in your same position as the proverbial welcoming mat of SCW that everyone wipes their feet on.”
He pauses shortly.
“And you can bring all your smiles and charm Ciaran.” said Zayvion “But you have to look at this more than just a performance, and for Christ's sake, please keep your pants on. We don't need to have you getting flashbacks to your Magic Mike days.”
He chuckles to himself.
“I proved I belong here when I stood toe to toe with Alex Jones." said Zayvion “And the only reason he beat me is because he had to take a shortcut and he damn well knows it. I appreciate him giving me my flowers but if he really wanted to show me respect he would have beat me like a man.”
A soft exhale.
“I proved I belong here.” he continued “Now I prove I can become a champion. Now I prove that every growing pain I went through was building towards this. This is just another test for me and I've been passing tests like this my whole life all those nights with my crew and I didn't know how things were going to turn out we didn't know if we were going to win some basketball game or who was watching us from the sidelines, but we played anyway and that's the energy I bring to SCW and the energy I'm bringing to Blaze of Glory.”
He keeps his eyes locked on the lens.
“I'm not looking to be anybody's stepping stone.” he said “I'm going to be the guy stepping over each and every one of you. I'm going to be the guy climbing that ladder, and I'm going to be the guy that goes on to become the next SCW Roulette Champion. It's time for the Zayvion Lyons prologue to end and for the real story to begin. At Blaze of Glory I'm the one who walks out with the future.”
His eyes stay locked on the camera focused and ready as it fades to black.
Zayvion shielded his eyes from the sunlight as he looked up at the giant radio tower endlessly spearing into the sky. The structure stood in an empty field that Cleo had secured permission to use via her connections.
[/i]
“I got to go all the way up there?” he said, still looking up at the tower. “It's pretty high….”
Cleo stepped in front of him with her arms folded.
“In a ladder match you don't think about how high it is.” She said “You don't think about who's underneath you trying to tip it over. You climb.”
He followed her to the base near the metal ladder system built into the side; it looked has unforgiving as it was intimidating.
“If you freeze up there…” she said “You fall."
Zayvion felt himself swallow heavily, as he reached out and grabbed the first rung. It felt cold and weathered. A reminder that this was not some gym machine bolted to the floor, this was steel exposed to the weather, rising to an open sky with nothing to soften a fall.
“Remember you're not climbing a tower." she said “You're climbing toward opportunity. You master climbing this, a ladder is going to be child's play.”
He looked back at her and up the ladder once more.
“Climb.” She ordered.
He took in a deep breath and with an exhale he pulled himself up. The first few rungs were easy when the ground was still close enough that he could jump, that comforting thought quickly went away the higher he went, it wasn't long before he found himself high enough that jumping was no longer an option.
He wasn't even sure how high he was, maybe about fifteen feet, he could feel the wind pressing lightly on his back like it was testing him, but he kept focus on his pattern. Left hand, right foot, right hand, left foot.
“There you go, steady pace!” he could hear Cleo yell from below.
He made the mistake of looking down when he heard her, the field was already starting to shrink and he felt his stomach dip.
“You looking down?” he heard Cleo yell out to him
“Maybe!” he managed to yell back.
“What's down here?” she yelled back.
“Ground..” He yelled back.
“And what's at the top?” she called back.
He paused for a moment.
“Opportunity.” He yelled.
“So why are you studying the ground?” came Cleo's voice again.
His jaw tightened and he forced his eyes upward again the steel looked like it stretched on forever, red and white beams cutting into the stratosphere with patience like it had all the time in the world.
“Climb!” he heard Cleo yell.
He had no other choice. He moved up another rung and then another he didn't worry about how high he was. He could feel metal vibrating faintly beneath his boots as just enough wind passed through the structure to make it hum slightly.
Eventually he was high enough where he couldn't hear Cleo anymore which meant he had to be fifty feet or more. He wondered about the stability of this old tower. Somehow he could still hear Cleo's voice in his head as though she were right there next to him.
“You think the ladder is going to remain stable? Every single one of those guys is going to try to shake you off it.”
He had to keep going. Training Day with Cleo was no easy task but he understood she was trying to build a warrior and he wasn't about to let her down. If he fell now there would certainly be no Blaze of Glory in his future, only hospital beds and food sucked through a straw and that's if he was lucky.
But luck was for losers, and Zayvion was a winner. His arms were burning and the wind started to feel thinner, but the top of the tower was closer than the bottom at this point.
He let that thought settle in he wasn't halfway anymore he was past it the wind picked up again pushing stronger against his ribs through the open lattice but he kept his grip. Left hand, right foot, right hand, left foot. The rhythm was slower, but still as steady.
He didn't rush, rushing it would get you sloppy and would get you thrown. He kept his footing, testing each rung before committing weight to it as he neared closer to the top platform.
Another round his biceps felt like they were tearing and his thighs were burning furiously but there was no stopping now he had to continue to climb another rung the top platform was just within reach.
This was where it mattered, this was where you either grabbed it or you didn't. He reached up high, grabbed a lip of the platform, hooked his fingers and pulled himself up, rolled onto the platform and just laid there for a moment on his back, breathing heavily, staring up at the open sky. He had done it, and now he was just taking in how quiet it was up here.
Then he heard static and Cleo's voice.
“Zay? You there yet?”
That didn't make sense, how could he hear her from way up here.
“I'm not scraping your body off the ground, so you're either still climbing or you're up there.”
Then he saw it, the walkie-talkie.
Of course.
He grabbed it, pushed in the side button and spoke into it.
“Yo. Cleo? Yeah I made it.” he said into the speaker
“About time.” Cleo's voice came through.
“You try climbing this thing.” he said “It wasn't easy.”
“I know.” her voice came back instantly “Who do you think put the walkie-talkie up there?”
He hadn't even thought of that, and that just made his respect for Cleo grow even more.
“Damn you really climb this thing?” he said
“Yesterday.” she said “I wouldn't make you do anything I haven't done myself.”
“Respec’” he said.
“Now focus.” she shot back “You still have to get back down and bring me my walkie-talkie.”
He took a few moments to just enjoy the view, he had climbed this tower and at Blaze of Glory, he would climb the ladder, both figuratively and literally all the way to the Roulette championship and maybe one day even the World championship.
The descent forced him to face the height again, every rung reminding him how far he had come. As the ground crept closer inch by inch, the fence line returned, then the car, and then Cleo's silhouette looking up. Left hand, right foot, right hand, left foot. The same pattern that had worked for him on the way up when he finally dropped the last few feet and headed into grass he felt his legs slightly before he caught himself.
He looked up at the tower again all the way over the tiny platform he had stood on looked impossibly small, but it didn't feel impossible. Cleo stepped beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder pridefully. He had survived the warehouse, he had scaled the radio tower. Now everything was in his hands, and he was going to grab it, and then prepare for whatever Cleo had ready to put him through for his championship journey.
__________
Zayvion start resting on a bench in a corner of the Lion's Den resting an ice pack on his shoulder, the heavy bag nearby slightly swayed where he left it after his last round.
His arm still burn from the climb the other day but he didn't let that stop him from getting in his own workout while Cleo went about her social worker business, something about a meeting she couldn't miss that left him on his own, or so he thought.
He only saw her shoes, as he felt the shadow come over him. He didn't have to look, he knew who it was, he looked up at Victoria meeting her in the eyes, the Bombshell Internet Championship was slung on her shoulder.
“No babysitter today?” she said.
“Very funny." Zayvion said, unamused. “Cleo is busy today. Is there something you needed?”
“I want to talk to you about Blaze of Glory.” she said. "Your ladder match, you do plan on winning that right?”
“Well I certainly don't plan on losing..” Zayvion replied.
“Don't get smart with me.” Victoria snapped back. “You do understand what this opportunity means?”
He stood up to meet her now.
“I know what it means for me.” he said.
“It's more than that.” she said “Another Lyons holding a championship in this company reminds everyone exactly who this family is.”
Zayvion chuckled.
“You think this is funny?” she said.
“Just interesting.” he replied
“Interesting?” she said
“You talk like the name is what carried me into that ladder match.” he said
“Without this family you wouldn't even have a contract.” she snarled
“You're probably right.” Zayvion admitted “The name got my foot in the door, but after that it hasn't done a damn thing for me. Just like it didn't before I stepped through.”
“You should watch how you speak about the family.” she hissed.
“No. You should listen,” he said, standing his ground.
“This should be good.” she said arrogantly.
“The Lyon's Den is supposed to be about building fighters.” he said “But not everybody here gets the same start.”
Victoria rolled her eyes and scoffed.
“It's the truth.” he said “Let's check the facts.”
“You had the name.”
He held up a finger.
“Vincent had the name.”
He held up a second finger.
“Even Eddie had the name.”
He held up a third finger.
“You all walked in with the doors already open.” he continued “And that's great for the three of you. But me? Alexander? The rest of our siblings coming through here?”
He let that hang for a moment.
“We didn't get that luxury.” he said “We had to fight harder just to prove that we deserve the same damn shot, even though we carried the same damn name. You all had your whole life preparing and training for this, we had to find our way.”
Victoria didn't respond.
“And if you want to get really real.” he continued, "The most successful talent coming out of this place in the last few years isn't even a Lyons.”
Victoria's expression soured.
“It's Cleo.” he said “And if you think I'm wrong let me ask you this, how many world championships have you won? How many halls of fame are you in? What about Vincent? Even Eddie doesn't have those accolades yet. But Cleo does, and she earned them by fighting for what she believed in and fighting for herself. She didn't need a last name to do it, and neither do I. You want me to bring a championship to this family name? Fine, I will. But understand I'm doing it for me, not the family.”
“Like it or not.” she said pointing the finger at his chest "You wear the name and that means something. Don't be a stubborn idiot like your brother.”
“Why Alexander gotta catch strays?” he said “He ain't did nuthin’, you need to stop worrying about us and worry about defending that championship of yours, because from what Zander tells me, Calaway is more dangerous than ever. You wouldn't want to end up in a position where I'm the one with the championship and you're not.”
He smirked in her face just to show how little of a fuck he really did give. This was his fight and he wasn't going to let any of Victoria's bullshit fly.
“You have some nerve.” she said "I'm going to handle Alexandra Calaway like I have every other time. Don't you worry about that. If anything you can tell that brother of yours to pay his final respects to his dear friend.”
“I suppose we'll have to see what happens.” he said.
“I suppose we will.” she said.
For a moment they both stared daggers at each other, but Zayvion didn't back down. It wasn't until Victoria heard Darian call to her that she finally left.
Zayvion sat back down and returned the ice pack to his shoulder.
“Blaze of Glory..” he muttered to himself
Victoria wanted another Lyons champion. The family wanted its legacy and the company wanted its highlights. But Zayvion wasn't doing it for any of them, he was doing it because he had fought too damn hard to stop climbing now. This was his moment and he wasn't going to let anything stop him from grabbing it.
__________
The cameras open on a close up of Zayvion with his eyes closed and his headphones on. The sounds of Rise by GWANE, Crypt and Chvse plays softly.
##People died try'na get close
Who's willin' to climb, until they let go?
One in a million, 'fore 'em to really blow
The rest of y'all, just fadin', like an echo##
As the song fades out Zayvion lowers the headphones and opens his eyes. The cameras pull back to find him posted against the wall of a warehouse with Cleo standing nearby at her own post.
“So it's almost time for the big day boys.” he begins “Only one of us can grab that briefcase and secure a future championship match for ourselves. We all have a chance to show that one of us wants to be the next up, and I ain't finna let any of you stop me from getting my bag. I don't care how big, rich, or pretty you are. I certainly ain't none of those things, but I am going to be the one that grabs that briefcase.”
He keeps a look of confidence but not arrogance on his face.
“I really must have scrambled Ol’ Billy B's brains a few weeks back.” he continued “Because he talked about me like he was going to crush me as if I didn't whoop his big sorry ass six ways till Sunday when I walked in this company.”
“Tell em’” adlibbed Cleo.
“If you need to remind you of exactly what happened.” Zayvion continued “I'll gladly give you a repeat ass whooping. Throw your weight around all you want and brag about all your accomplishments because while you're busy bragging about what you once were, I'm going to be out there accomplishing what I'm going to be.”
“And Bea sweetheart..” Cleo stepped “I come from the streets in New York city so I may not be Straight Outta Compton but if you try anything funny I will introduce you to the strength of street knowledge, and Carleigh that goes the same for your trifling ass too. Neither of ya'll y'all want to catch me in a New York State of Mind.”
Zayvion laughed before he spoke again.
“What about that so called man of yours Carleigh?” he said “You know, at least Bill Barnhart has some accomplishments to his name. But Brayden has yet to do anything other than prove that he's just some nepo baby. He couldn't even grace us with his kind words. You know what though Brayden? Maybe the best thing for you is to just keep quiet and accept the ass whooping that's coming your way. Don't make things worse for yourself G’.”
He smirked into the camera.
“That brings me to you Ciaran.” he said with a more respectful tone. "You know you talked about respect, and how you badly you want this and you know what I fuck with it. But you have to understand you ain't the only one. I'm in this bitch too and I feel the exact same way. So if you're up there trying to grab that briefcase, I'm meeting yo’ ass up there and dragging yo’ ass down.”
He grinned, and winked at the camera
“I've seen this boy dunk….” Cleo adlibbed “He might not even need the ladder.”
“Well let's not get too carried away…” Zayvion laughed. “ I just want Ciaran to understand that there's another that wants it just as bad as he does, so all we can do is go out there and show them exactly who the future of SCW is going to be. We can show them that maybe one day Zayvion Lyons versus Ciaran O’ Doyle for the world championship can headline a live event. This is my live event debut as well, Ciaran, and I fully intend on making an impact.”
He exhales before continuing.
“I'm going to have to beat The Good, The Bad and The Ugly at Blaze of Glory to walk out as the new number one Contender for the Roulette Championship.” He continued “I'll let you figure out which is which.”
“I think I got it..” chimed in Cleo. “Bills the ugly, Brayden is the bad and Ciaran is the good.”
“And circle gets the square.” said Zayvion “But you didn't have to go and ruin all the fun.”
“My bad.” shrugged Cleo.
“No worries.” said Zayvion “Because what really matters is what I'm going to be. You three can be The Good The Bad and The Ugly, but I'm going to be the number one contender for the Roulette Championship.”
He pauses for a beat.
“I'm damn sure you none of you have gone through what I've gone through to prepare for this. “ he said “Hours of intense training sleepless nights all because I want my moment and I refuse to let my hard work be for nothing. I came here to make a name out of myself and get my bag, and I'm not about to waste no time doing it. This is my moment.”
He pauses again shortly.
“Only one of us will be able to climb and move our career to the next level.” said Zayvion “Bill can bring all the power he wants. I overcame that once and I'll do it again. Brayden is going to have to step up his game and really show that he's not more than just a nepo baby who doesn't really belong here. Ciaran has all the confidence and fire in the world and I know he's going to be a problem for me, but at the end of the day I will solve that problem and unfortunately with all due respect Ciaran O'Doyle is going to have to wait another day for his moment. At Blaze of Glory the Flyin’ Lyon will soar the highest.”
“Bet.” said Cleo.
The cameras stayed and focused on Zayvion keeping his look of confidence at the camera as everything slowly faded to black.
[/i]