History is a flat circle

”Move, now. Get up, hit the ropes and drop down. No Slackers.”

Alex stands on the ring apron, his arms folded over his chest. A black and red wolfslair shirt on and a pair of training shorts. Inside the ring some of the newer trainees where rotating with each other, hitting the ropes, dropping down and leapfrogging and switching.it up. Since his loss to Mac Bane he had been a domineering and almost dictator like personality. Working his trainees and team mates to the bone.

He sneers and shakes his head jumping down from the apron. Charlie Jones, his younger sister, manager of Wolfslair Orlando and now the General Manager of upstart promotion Pro Wrestling Excellence steps next to him as Alex looks over at Johanna Krieger and Aiden Reynolds, two international stars signed to PWS Apex and SCW respectively. ”Get in and show them.” Johanna and Aiden look at each other and get up and they start to roll with the trainees who are out of their depth, one by one Johanna takes their back sinking in a choke and Aiden locks in a variety of limb locks. Cries of pain ring out and Alex shakes his head.

”Going a little hard on them aren’t we?” Alex raises an eyebrow as Charlie turns her back and leans on the ring apron. Alex scoffs and lays his hands flat on the mat, his eyes tracing back and forth as Johanna and Aiden step down from the ring and go back to working out with Austin and Alicia. ”They aren’t going to get any better just being beaten down and then beaten up by your more..elite names.Alex groans and rolls his eyes pushing off the ring

”That’s it for the day, hit the showers. Use some ice” The trainees all groan in pain and gingerly move from the ring as Alex lets out a sigh looking at his sister. ”Steel sharpens steel Charlie. I need to get these kids ready, they need to know that they aren’t going to break like glass” He moves away leaning down grabbing some of the workout gear packing it up as various other workout sessions go on without him, Alicia and Johanna rolling on the mats trading submissions, Austin and Aiden having a contest involving cardio.

Numerous others, names we have not seen or know who work in the independants also train and seem to be working hard. Alex smiles slowly as Charlie’s next words ring out in his ears. ”But they aren’t steel yet, you can break them and not in the good way.”

Dallas Texas, 12 Years Ago

22 year old Alex Jones stood in the ring, there were other young men around him, Alex had two years of training and in ring experience behind him, he wasn’t sure about the others. Outside the ring, an aging Texan legend “Wild” Bill Harrison stood with his arms crossed. His long black hair that used to be a thick mane connecting with his handlebar mustache was now thinning on top and tied back.

Even in his 60’s he was a commanding presence. A mountain of a man at six foot five and still in the high two hundred pounds. He let out a grunt, one that seemed to be annoyed and angry.

”Pathetic.”

With that one word the other trainees all seemed to look defeated, all but Alex who raised an eyebrow and pushed his chest forward. Bill circled the ring, his footsteps very heavy. ”You all have no heart at all. I don’t even know why you’re in my ring. Some of you have experience in companies but it just shows how soft your generation is.” The air was thick with tension, Alex breathed deep as Bill growled locking eyes with the young grappler. ”Indian squats….go till you can’t stand...you pussies.” Bill blew his whistle. Alex sneered and started doing squats, the others growl and already look defeated. But Alex didn’t care, he was driven and ready…

Pain was only temporary….

”Alex?....are you fucking listening to me?”


He snapped out of it, turning back to Charlie who raised her eyebrows, her long black hair was tied back away from her face, her eyes raising as she tilted her head waiting for her older brother to acknowledge her. Alex just slowly smiled and gave her a nod. ”I hear you….Charlie, you remember what we went through…” He stared right into her eyes, he could see a switch get flipped, her eyes darted to the side, the memories seemed painful for her.

He stepped forward putting his hand on her shoulder, Charlie flinched and pulled away. ”Yeah, I remember. I also remember it was hard on Dylan, I remember I quit wrestling for six years because of it…” Her voice trailed off, this was one of the first times she had brought up Dylan, one of the first times his name had been uttered inside the halls of Wolfslair New York. ”Dylan didn’t….he didn’t do what he did because of the training, it was because of things outside wrestling, outside the life…you know that…”

There was an awkward silence, Charlie swallowed and snapped out of it looking over at all the trainees, laughing and mingling. Alex wasn’t yelling at them, cursing at them or trying to belittle them, he just smiled. That was the difference. Context. He knew when to be hard on everyone, when to be soft, when to listen and when to talk. Charlie gave a small nod and looked over at them to. ”Yeah, I guess you’re right, besides you’re not like the guy who trained us. You actually care….I wish Dylan was alive to see it”

Alex swallowed, he tried to hide it all, the emotional impact of thinking about their deceased younger brother. The feeling of coming home to find him on the floor, Charlie kneeling next to him, cradling his head in her lap, tears streaming down her face and screaming for help. A chill went up his spine, but he shook his head before offering a smile to his sister. ”I think he…would have loved it here…” Charlie let out a sigh and folded her arms over her chest, silence was all that was between them now. But, they both knew….Alex was right.

Deja Vu

”I could have sworn I have done this song and dance before. Recently in fact…”

Alex Jones, the (now) former SCW Heavyweight champion, sits in front of a chessboard. Not a traditional one, no. The pieces are modeled after various figures in greek mythology, his left hand moving over to the knight, modeled to look like Area, the god of war. He slides it up and to the side, in the L motion, dropping it in the middle of the board.

”This is the first match of the new year. New year new me right? That’s how the saying goes. New year's resolutions and all that jazz?. The truth is, I don’t need to change. I’m fucking incredible the way I am. I am now a two time SCW World champion. An eleven time world champion. And I get it, I do, So many of you can claim to be a forty seven time world champion in a whole host of different companies that no one gives a shit about and haven’t been active in decades. I’m looking at you Matt Knox. But me? Look at my history. Look at the companies that I have been the champion of, that I have risen to the goddamn top of. Aside from SCW…”

“There’s Honor wrestling, twice I became the champion there. I was the first Honor wrestling champion, the first one to hold that belt high in the air. Oh, by the way, completely unrelated but, welcome Finn Whelan to SCW everyone….”

Alex winks and moves a pawn forward before clearing his throat.

”The fact remains I held that title twice, once as it’s first champion and then again as the most important to bring that company back from the brink oif death, buying it some extra time to get the SCW merger done. But, then there’s WWH. Everyone knows that company, for better or worse. Myself, Austin, Kat Jones, Mercedes Vargas, Alicie, Sierra, Finn, we have all been in that company over the years. And in my case, in Kats case, in Finns case, we all held the WWH world title. There is IWF, the company everyone sees finally popping up all over twitter? Yeah I was the Imperial champion there too, not that anyone would knows….”

“Record deletion is kinda lame…”

“But I was at the top there, and the XHF network? That giant conglomerate of companies? Guess what? The original XHF? I was the world champion there to. That is just a small sample of the world titles that I have held, the companies I have represented and been at the top of. This is what I have done my entire career. And while some of you are so narrow minded you don’t see the scope of the wrestling world and are happily sitting there thinking SCW is the only wrestling company that matters, people like myself have been on top everywhere we have gone..”

“So, while some of you want to act like the new year is some kind of magical reset button, I’m here to tell you that it’s bullshuit and you’re just as untalented as you were last year…”

He smirks and shakes his head, moving another Ares knight before turning and getting up from the table, a walk off checkmate that he didn’t even need to exclaim as we hear a groan from the other side of the table, a decidedly feminine one as a few choice German expletives are heard moments later.

”And I have to be honest, most of you have to know by now that Mac Bane is counting his lucky stars, he’s keeping four leaf clovers, he’s looking for Rabbits to steal their feet, cause he knows how lucky he is to not only get out of that fourway with the title but to also have not only won it off me but also do it in a match where I don’t even get my rematch. I want you all to think about that for a moment. I beat Mac Bane, I beat him a second time in a rematch that HE wanted. Then, when he is able to get handed another opportunity this match conveniently has a stipulation that stops me from getting another shot…”

“How is that fair? How is that right?”

“It isn’t”

“See, I carried this company on my back and I defended it against Mac and his cronies yet Mark and Christian seem to be blowing Mac Bane. Wolfslair has been successful as a unit but we have never EVER talking about SCW like it has needed saving. So, I’m locked out. Truth is, that little stipulation would have been fine if it was just on Mac, since he had opportunity after opportunity but in the end it screwed ME over. It made ME get shoved down to the bottom of the ladder. And I have never left the company or taken a break after losing a title.,..I have never walked off like a child…”

He smirks and sneers shaking his head.

”Which brings me to Jack Washington. I have so much history with Jack, I have seen his face across the ring from me just as much as I have Mac. See, I beat Griffin Hawkins for that title, I faced Jack and he was able to beat me. I didn’t take the rematch against Jack for a few reasons. One was that I didn’t believe I deserved it. I held the title for two weeks, The other was, at the time I wanted to see sopme new blood as a world champion, that was you Jackie boy. You deserved that time in the sun and I sat back and watched, I went back to the bottom of the ladder and prepared to work my way up expecting you to be there when I worked and earned my way back to you…”

“Unfortunately it didn;’t work out that way. You traded that title back and forth between yourself and Kris Ryans before losing it to Mark Cross. You and I never got to face each other while you were the champion. However, we did face while I was the champion. You got your shot against me, you got a chance to prove the first time wasn’t a fluke and we went at it and as expected you were a goddamn challenge Jack, I will never sit here and say you weren’t a challenge or you’re not a threat Cause I know damn well you are. But while I have always acknowledged you as part of the main event scene of SCW you have never afforded me the respect I deserve.”

“That’s why you’ll never reach my heights Jack.”

“That’s why you will never be a respected part of the company. You make excuses, you make childish comments that make zero sense. Shit, I watched and listened to you against Supreme Machine. You sat there and rattled on about the guys name. His name Jack. The guy could have been named “Fluffy McNuggets” and it wouldn’t have mattered. What mattered was that you were teamed with Krystal Wolfe who has been one of the most dominant bombshells over the last few months and you weren’t able to get the job done. You had a shot to go through and win the blast from the past, to get a match against Mac Bane and end his reign of terror. Something I can’t do..something I’m not allowed to do…”

“But, you failed, you failed and now for some reason, my first match  back, from time off that I never asked for….is against you…”

“And I have a need to prove myself again Jack, a need to get in the ring and get back on that horse. And the only way I can make sure Christian and Mark wake up and see what they’re doing and where they went wrong is to make sure they know I am un-fucking-deniable. So get in the ring with me Jack, get in the ring and lets burn the goddamn house down again, and lets show Mac and his cronies that SCW doesn’t need saving…”

Conflict of interest

He was hiding.

Not intentionally. It was a subliminal. Since the match was announced he had trained in secret, not taking his time out on the main floor with the others, waiting instead till the end of the day before locking up, or getting there early. It was a hard thing. Being a leader. And, for better or worse, that’s what Alex was. A leader. Not just because he was now the reigning, defending word champion of sin city wrestling, but also the founder and lead trainer of wolfslair. The new York gym, but also Orlando, his sister still holding a higher position but scaling back her duties as she became General Manager of up and coming company Pro Wrestling Excellence.

So it all fell on Alex. It was on him to make sure both gyms ran smoothly, to help push the members to reach their goals as well as his own. It was alot of pressure, and it was pressure that Alex thrived in.

However, there wa sa nagging thought in the back of his head, how long was this going to last? The success, the growth. It was different and new. All the members in their own way were improving, becoming what they were supposed to. It filled him with pride and happiness. But there was the problem. He didn’t feel like he should. These were adults. Grown human beings capable of their own careers and destiny.

So, after his victory, his redemption and his defence, a match was announced that shook who he was to the core. But, Alex would never admit it.

He watched them, they finished their training for the day, the entire gym. The New York contingent, the Orlando group, all under one roof for the first time in what felt like years. In reality it had only been a few months. But, Alex still watched them, all of them. Sierra, Lachlan, Miles, Johanna, Alicia, Dickie, Aiden. The rest of them all laughing and moving around the gym and out the door. Alex smiled, knowing how far they had all come since coming to Wolfslair, and there it was again. The feeling of pride.

They say Pride comes before the fall. And maybe that was his curse. Pride. For years Alex had felt it, pride in his accomplishments, from title wins to names he had collected. Touting them in promo after promo and interview after interview. At nauseum in some points. It made people angry, jealous and in some cases sick. But therein lied the beauty of what Alex was capable of. Using it all to make those around him feel insecure.But this was different.

”Not going to say goodbye?” Austins voice boomed through the small office area. The doors were shut, the windows too, just the blinds pulled open so Alex could see out onto the floor. His wife Sonya gave his sister Charlie a hug, Alex just slowly shook his head, he looked back down at his paperwork, shuffling them before signing the bottom of one of the contracts with a grunt. Austin rolled his eyes, moving his hands to Alex and pushing the papers down onto the desk and away from Alex. ”Not even to your sister huh?....come on..” Alexs’ nostrils flared. He knew Austin was right.

He was trying to put him in a better mindset, it was what Austin always tried to do. Maybe he was the real leader. ”You’re acting like I’ll never see them all again Aus..”

Alex chuckled, Austin didn’t. It was almost like he knew what was on Alexs’ mind before Alex did. The last few months had been hard, Alex questioned everything about himself, why he was getting opportunities, if he could take advantage of them and of course, was he the same competitor he always was? But this was different. Some of the members of wolfslair had come from somewhere else, trained somewhere else. And maybe, just maybe they didn’t quite trust him, maybe they were there for other reasons.

”Besides, I have bigger things to worry about.” He heard Austin scoff, he could feel the attitude change and Austin moved towards the door opening it before leaning against the wall folding his arms. Austin didn’t have to say anything, he never had to say anything. He looked out towards the group, all of them still laughing and smiling He looked back at Alex, nodding in their direction. He sighed moving up to Austin with a shake of his head ”You’re persistent you know that?” He just smiled, Alex sighed and walked through the door.

The mats beneath his feet squeaked as he kept moving toward the group. There was high fives, laughter, quick hugs and like that it was done. The Orlando crew left, there was sadness and the sound faded and disappeared. Alex moved back into the gym as the others left, his hands felt heavy, they weighed down his shoulders. There was work to do, he knew it, they knew it and now Alex had to start it.

Choices

”Did you all believe that this was going to be the end of me?”

Alex sat on the end of an old wooden chair, his head hanging down with his hair flowing. He stared at the ground, he should be happy, celebrating. But for whatever reason, he wasn’t.

”So many thought Jack Washington was going to beat me, take the Sin City Wrestling world title from me and send me back down to the Internet or Roulette divisions or maybe, just maybe kick my ass out of this company and get rid of me for good. Truth be told. He was close. Closer than most. See, Jack is what you would call a prodigious talent. He doesn’t have to work as hard as some because everything comes natural. And kickin my ass came very very natural. But even after he did that, even after he came into the biggest match of the year at the biggest even of the year he still couldn’t stop my redemption. He was it, the final piece of the puzzle, the final little missing passage in that chapter.”

“But now, that piece is in place and that chapter is finished and you’d think I’d be happy. Right?. That I can leave the past behind me now and look toward the future. But what is that future? Where do I go from here? I mean, the number one contender has been decided. And it’s Mac Bane, the former champion, the goddamn bulldozer who I escaped twice now. And I suppose that is something to look forward to.”

“But, I can’t just focus on that.”

“See, being a champion, the champion, means that everyone is gunning for you. Everyone. Not just the number one contender. But everyone else who thinks they’re owed a title shot or they have somehow earned one by simply existing. I have a target on my back and everyone has a goddamn gun. And the sad part about all this is before the match with Jck, my biggest fear was losing to him again, but before that it was getting beaten without successfully defending this….”

Alex pulls the SCW title up, looking at it before lowering it back down and holding it between his knees.

”But now, I don’t know what to be afraid of, I don’t know what I should be desperate to protect or fight for. See, a year ago when I did lose this title, the fight was obvious, the need was obvious. I needed to start from the bottom and fight my way back to the top. I did it by facing the best like Fenris, Ben Jordan and Vinnie, and sometimes I stumbled, I failed and other times I succeeded. It took me to the roulette title and then when I had to put that on the line to face Mac, the fear was failing again, after I won the fear was losing it right away and then the final hurdle was Jack and now I have no idea what I should fight for.”

“Do I fight to simply keep the title? To prove I’m the best? Nah, that time has come and gone. Now the best thing I can think of is to fight for those around me. To give my friends and family a sense of pride.”

“And that is where Levi Russow comes in.”

“Levi fucking Russow. As far as the pecking order in ACW goes, it’s not like I could find someone lower right now could I? Now, for the uninitiated, or for the people who don’t care, Levi is a star in other promotions, a man who for years considered himself to be a veteran wrestling god among men. A guy who in the places where he worked and stayed was indeed important. But when he spreads his wings and tries to fly often comes crashing down to earth in a realisation that he really isn’t as good as he believes. Are you Levi?”

He can’t help but smile and shake his head before standing up, pushing to his feet and stepping forward.

”And you desperately want to recapture that feeling, that feeling of being important.And I get it, I understand it better than most. You watched people you trained with, people you knew surpass you, you watched your own son surpass you. And now here you are, in your early forties and instead of being a beacon for the younger generation or people who you’ve worked with you are nothing but a whiney self absorbed child with dreams of recapturing the self importance you had. And that’s what all this is about isn’t it? This isn’t about you hating me for any substantial reason, this isn’t about you thinking you can slingshot your way up the ladder to face me for the title. No Levi, this is about one thing and one thing alone…”

“Your ego.”

“It’s currently bruised and broken. It’s been destroyed all because people you trusted, people you trained with and helped train decided to walk away from you and train with me. And the sad part, the ultimate tragedy of all of this, your hate, your anger, your ego, it’s all misplaced. It shouldn’t be aimed at me, it shouldn’t be aimed at Lachlan or Miles. It should be aimed at yourself. This has never been about me taking credit for their success or saying I trained them. This whole thing, Wolfslair is a brotherhood.”

“Steel sharpens steel.”

“Yes Lachlan and Miles have become even better athletes and wrestlers working at Wolfslair Orlando and Wolfslair New York, this is true, it’s a fact, a matter of fucking record. But what you are too stubborn to see is that I have numerous times stated how I have improved with them. Seeing their youthful exuberance, seeing how they think of new ways to move and think. Miles and Lachlan have helped me become a world champion again as much as Austin, Alicia, Johanna, my sister and every other member of Wolfslair...this Sin City Wrestling world heavyweight title is not MY championship…”

“It’s OUR championship.”

Alex growls and sneers, his eyes flash and for a moment the respectful leader, the gym head and world champion disappears and instead we see the arrogant one, the guy who did everything he could to become a champion, no matter the cost.

”For months Levi you have thrown cheap shots anyway you can, without ever actually addressing me, running your mouth behind your phone. And myself along with Finn, Charlie and other head trainers ignored it. We went about our business and trained, we became stronger. All the while you threw petty barbs at us, and why? Because people who you considered to be your friends decided to train somewhere else? Or was it because you weren’t invited to be a part of it? Because I didn’t come to your son and ask Jack if he wanted to be a part of it?”

“Or, is it because I didn’t ask the mighty Levi Russow to become a trainer? To help the next generation prepare and become better wrestlers? Is that it Levi? Is it less about Miles and Lachlans decisions and more about mine? And your exclusion? Is that what bruised your ego so easily? Oh Levi, the reason why I didn’t ask Jack to come to Wolfslair is because that would have been disrespect to you. A kick right in the nuts. But, as far as you? The reason why I didn’t ask the great Levi Russow to train others?”

“It’s because you’re not good enough…”

He pauses again, thinking about it for a moment before placing the SCW world title down and folding his arms over his chest, the corner of his mouth twisting up in a small smirk.

”And it’s not because of any lack of skill or foresight when it comes to the ring or the art of professional wrestling, I’m not going to be a stone faced liar here and say you’re not a fucking great wrestler Levi, because you are, your whole family is and Jack could be a legend someday, but you? You are the fuck up that we have all seen. You’re the cautionary tale that we tell the kids to make sure they stay on the straight and narrow. You are the dictionary fucking definition of wasted talent, potential and being your own worst enemy and not being able to get out of your own way.”

“And you want to train with impressionable youth and try and guide them? Mother fucker you couldn’t guide your way out of a walmart with a store map, GPS and a twenty year employee helping you…”

“And instead of improving yourself and being the wise veteran worthy of respect that you see yourself as you’d rather come at me. Attack me, talk shit about me and jump the line for a match with me when, truth be told, in SCW you haven’t earned shit. You faced Alex Rush, good for you, you had a chance to prove your worth against Ken Davidson and instead you shit the bed, went on a tired old rant about it, never taking responsibilities for your failures, and now here you are. After lucking your way into a match, a match that I am sure you thought I would either ignore or simply back out of. Due to some vain belief I’m intimidated by you in some way shape or form.”

“I’m the fucking world champion Levi…”

“I walked through hell twice with Mac Bane.”

“I faced my fears and earned my redemption. What the hell could you possibly do to me that is worse than what I have already been through? So at Climax control, take your veiled threats, bruised ego, childish subtweets and cheap shots, roll them up into a tiny, neat little ball...and shove em right up your Russow…”

Changes.

He knew something was wrong. Austin had been incredibly angry for months. Stomping around the gym, throwing things when he thought no one was looking. Things that would normally wash down his back like they were nothing becoming huge arguments and things that would set him off. Different members of the gym would go out of their way to avoid him, acting like they were walking on eggshells around the former world champion. It broke Alex’s heart. Seeing someone who he had cared for like an older brother spiraling down into a dark hole. There was definitely something wrong in Austin‘s personal life, Alex just didn’t know what it was and he didn’t know how to get there. Whenever Alex would try and talk to him Austin would change the subject, he would make everything about work, everything about the gym or the company.

It was maddening, Austin and Alex had started off as two people who didn’t know each other, all Alex knew about Austin was that he hated Austin‘s father. A dark history between the two men, involving a woman of course. But as time went on not only did Alex start to become kinder to Austin, his family, and the past, but Alex also made sure that Austin would be successful, he started to care about him.

He started looking at Austin like a younger brother. Someone who he could be there for not only in a business sense but also in a personal one. They got to know each other’s wives, Austin got to know Alex‘s children, had Alex was there when Austin's first and second children were born. Alex was there when Austin‘s sister came back into his life when Austin found out that he was an uncle when Austin became a world champion. Alex was there every single time, every step of the way, he had Austins back, and now? Now as Austin seemed so down, depressed, and troubled by everything in his life all Alex wanted to do was be there for his friend. To be a brother. Family.

Today was going to be different.

The second that Alex walked into the gym he could feel something was wrong. Everyone else was over one side, using the exercise equipment or the grappling mats. Nobody was in either of the practice rooms towards the far end of the gym. Nobody except for Austin. He stood in the larger of the two rings, his arms leaning on the top rope to either side of him as his back state against the turnbuckle. His eyes trained directly ahead, across the ring to the opposite corner. There was something different about him, a certain ora of anger that seemed to burn and radiate like heat off of his body.

Alex growled under his breath moving towards the ring past everyone else, they all stopped to watch him approach Austin. They tried to act like they were going to go about their business, grappling on the mat and lifting weights but all the while turning their heads and watching the leader of the gym approach his first in command.

Alex jumped up onto the apron, he leaned over the top rope with his hands clasped together. “Hey, got a minute?” Nothing. Not even an acknowledgment of his presence or existence. Austin just stayed staring forward, no emotion on his face but his body language showing what we all knew. He was fuming. Alex sighed heavily and stepped into the ring. “Aus? Gotta talk man.” This time Alex got a reaction. Austin’s had moved up until the side looking at his longtime friend and mentor. A simple shake of his head as he pushed off the ropes standing straight up.

“Sorry Alex. I have somewhere to be.” Alex moved in front of Austin, his hands up in a defensive position as he shook his head back and smiled at his friend. “Alex….move”

He shook his head again. This time moving his arms and folding them over his chest to stand strong in front of the much bigger man. “Aus, I know there is something going on here. Whatever it is, you don’t have to face it alone.” Austin growled, he reached out and shoved Alex to the side going to move past him. Alex reached out grabbing Austin by the shoulder, Austin turned and with his right arm, with very little effort, shoved Alex backward against the ropes.“Hey big guy….we’re all friends here.”

Austin took a deep breath and went to turn, out of the corner of his eye he saw Sonja. Instead of the usual authoritative look that she would have in her eyes, she looked at Austin with sadness and disappointment. This stopped Austin in his tracks, he shook his head and looked over his shoulder at Alex turning back around moving his head in a small note towards the corner of one of the rings to bring him over. “My sister…the scum bag she had a kid with…he’s not dead, he’s a lying piece of trash….I don’t know what to do.”

There was a book in Austin’s eyes. A look that many other people would mistake for anger. And while there was definitely some anger there, it was something else. Something that only someone who had been in the exact same place he was mentally would know and recognize. Alex swallowed hard, he reached out putting his hand on Austin's shoulder to make sure he looked right into Alex’s eyes “Don’t do it.”

“What?” Austin seemed confused, but not confused as to what Alex was talking about, confused as to how Alex knew what he was thinking.

Alex swallowed hard, trying to work up the confidence to share one of the darkest moments of his life with Austin. “When Dylan died, I wanted revenge. I was angry.” His voice started, it mixed with his breathing as his heart seemed to jump out of his chest and up into his throat. Alex had to swallow hard to push it back down again. “I lashed out, I went after his friends. The guys who…”

He swallowed his heart again, Austin raised an eyebrow. His expression changing as he realise just how much pain this caused Alex. “You don’t have t-“

“No. I do.” He closed his eyes getting ready to continue. Alex took a deep breath and moved around leaning against the top rope. “The guys who gave him the shit he took, that killed him. I sat outside, I was ready to go in there and…” He trailed off, his hands closing into fists. “I was going to make them disappear. But, that wouldn’t have helped. It would have hurt the family I had left….”

His eyes filled with tears, Alex pushed everything down again and looked up right into Austin’s eyes. Austin swallowed hard and his body seemed to relax. He exhaled for what seemed to be the first time in minutes. There was silence between them, Austin cracked a small smile before ordering one word. “Thanks”

A few months later….

Alex felt good. The best he had in a very long time. Walking into the gym he felt confident, he was happy. He was ready to train and ready to spend time with all of the people that had come to train with him. Not only the established styles like Austin and Alicia but some of the new kids who had been on fire recently. He wanted to work with them all, speak to them all, give them the knowledge that he had accumulated in almost 20 years of professional wrestling.

He smiled, he gave a note to a group of the younger kids. He gave a wink to his wife who smiled at him and went back to her paperwork.

He moved around to the back of the gym. Finding Austin in the ring with a group of the younger guys. He was working out with them, hitting the ropes, explaining ring awareness and where they should stand, explaining how they should be close enough that they can move a limb to the ropes or under the bottom row as it will cause a break. Austin was working hard to help. Night and day compared to who he was a few months ago.

Austin smiled as he saw Alex jump up onto the apron. “Alright guys take five.” The group dispersed, Alex stepped into the ring and moved over to Austin with a smile. “Good kids…”

“Yeah. It’s good to see.”

“You see everyone looking at you champ?” Austin laughed and tapped Alex on the shoulder Alex simply shook his head and moves towards the ropes.

“You know….I don’t know if I’d have done it without you.” Austin went to protest. Putting his hands up and stepping forward going to open his mouth. Alex shook his head and put his finger up. “Let me finish…” he waited, Austin took a deep breath, and folded his arms over his chest waiting to see exactly what Alex would say. “Sometimes, you need that support. I never thought I needed it. But this gym. All of you. We look out for each other..so..thanks” Alex held out his hand. Austin went to say something, instead, he looked at Alex’s head reaching out to take it shaking it with just a smile and a nod. And understanding between them, that is what family does.

Redemption

He takes a deep breath in. Calming himself down before starting the usual promotional material before a match. But this is not a usual match. Championship matches are never what you would call ordinary.

”Redemption. It is a word that’s thrown around a lot. Especially in this business where everyone wants to write themselves a good story. Revenge, redemption, justification. All of these things are words that were used to describe our motivations in the business that we love. In this competition, you have to be the best. You have to be striving to be the best because the truth is, if you are not trying to be the best and you are not trying to be the top champion in a company that you shouldn’t be in that company or in this business. I always want to prove that I am the best. Whether that is winning a world championship, or stealing the show with a match against another top opponent. That is what you should do as a professional in this business. Always strive to be the best whether that means being a champion or putting your best foot forward.”

“For the longest time, I didn’t put my best foot forward. I have not been able to shake this feeling that I wasn’t the best that I could be. I would sit there and I would look in the mirror, and the man looking back at me was a reflection of a man who was broken and confused about his place in the world and his place in professional wrestling. This is all I have ever wanted to do. From the first time I saw it on television, from the first time I witnessed a professional wrestling match in person I have wanted to do this. However, that does not make me unique.”

“We all want that.”

“Legitimately, we all want to do this if not we wouldn’t be doing it. And so many origin stories have started with that exact visual. A little kid sitting on the floor of his lounge room, eyes glued to the television watching heroes of his time move around a professional wrestling ring and making magic. But very few of us get to climb the top of the mountain and look at themselves in the mirror and say that they are the best. And mean it.”

“But, I get to look in the mirror and say that. And mean it.”

He gives a small smile. And for the first time, we noticed where he is. A place where we have seen his stablemate, Alicia Lukas. Her family’s home. The plantation in Atlanta Georgia. Behind him he’s a long table, a beautiful white tablecloth stretched across the entire thing. A dinner party was planned for the members of Wolfslair. In Alicia’s hometown

“When I lost the world championship, When I felt it slip away and I heard the bell rang and I heard Jack Washington get announced as the new world champion a part of my heart broke. A part of my soul died. And confidence in myself and respect for who I thought I was faded away. I watched disappear, I felt it disappear and I hated that feeling. I went home I looked in the mirror and I saw a man who was a failure and for the first time in my career, for the first time in my life I had no answer.”

“Every other time I had lost a championship, whether or not that was a world championship or some other title every time I lost it I would go home I would look in the mirror and I would have an answer as to why. A mistake that I made, something in my preparation or something in the match that I screwed up with. Whatever it was manufactured or not it was an answer. It was a reason for me to get up the next morning, have my coffee, go for a run and then go to the gym. It was a reason for me to get up and keep going and striving to be the best and climb that mountain again. But when I last lost this world championship? There was no answer which means there was no motivation for me to get up in the morning.”

“Do you understand what that is like?”

“Do you understand what that means?”

“This is all I ever wanted to do and it was what I was made for, and I wake up in the morning after losing a incredible championship that I wanted to hold and after having an accomplishment that I was proud of slipped through my fingers I woke up and didn’t want to do this any more. And it was my own fault. It was my problem, my responsibility, and my motivation. That feeling deep down inside breaks you. And I needed to change it. So, instead of getting angry and coming out and demanding an automatic rematch…I took a step back.”

Alex slides his hands into the front pockets of his tight-fitting black jeans. A button-up white shirt over his upper body with the sleeves rolled up. A smart casual look with his hair tied back away from his face and his beard trimmed.

“I realised I had to fix it. I had to start from square one. I went back to the beginning and I promised I would fight back up from that position and God help me I did. I faced some of the best of the best and I watched as they overcame me and moved on. Some of the best in this business left me in the rearview mirror and went on to become better. And then came the roulette championship. I faced Cassian Reed who by all accounts was going to be the next big thing in this company. But I looked in his eyes and I saw someone who wasn’t ready. He lost. “

“He failed.”

“And I had a championship in my hands that I never wanted, that I never wanted to represent. But, in being a champion I’ve always had a certain sense of pride and I always want to do my best. So I did. And I wanted to go on and be the best roulette champion that this company has ever seen and I believe I made a good case but what would’ve put it over the top would have been me breaking records. I was seven days away from breaking the longest single reign record.”

“But, I had that taken away from me. In a way.”

“Mac Bane challenged me. He challenged me and in the end both championships got put on the line. And I got why. How would it have been fair for Mac to be putting his championship on the line and me have nothing to lose? So I get it. I understand. But in Mac wanting a credible opponent, he robbed me of being able to say I was the longest raining Roulette champion of all time. And it was either because he wanted a name he could put on his resume as someone who he beat while my name still has some relevancy, or it was because he wanted a legitimate challenge and which ever story it is you believe you have to realise that it was his decision.”

“And it was the wrong one.”

Alex shrugs, he moves across the freshly cut green grass. The sun going down and leaving a beautiful purple and orange hue in the sky.

“Just like demanding a rematch against me is the right one. You see the world championship has been treated horribly over the last couple of months. Jack Washington won it, Lost it and walked away, Mark cross want it, lost it and walked away. I will give you all the credit in the world Mac you didn’t leave. And I’m not about to stand here and tell the world that you are not a great champion because the truth is as brief of a run you had with the championship you are still a dominant human being who knows how to get in that ring and beat the hell out of anyone in front of them. You put everything on the line every single time you get in that ring.”

“You are a hell of a competitor. You are someone who many people should be intimidated by to get in the room with.”

“I’m not going to take that away from you. The truth is I couldn’t even if I wanted to. You, I’d like a certain other two people stayed in this company. But it goes further than that. Kris Ryan’s lost and bailed too. So did Griffin and as much as I hate myself, and have a certain amount of regret in that situation, the truth is that so many of the former world champion to help this title over the last year and a half have disappeared after losing it. So the fact you have stuck around makes me smile. But the difference between you and me is that when I lost I went back to square one and I earned my way back up until I was undeniable. Until even you the world champion had to recognise that I was a threat.”

“But you?”

He can’t help but chuckle again, turning to look over at his stablemates who have now all arrived as well as other members of the gym. The food getting ready to be brought out signaling Alex to come over and eat in the gentle Georgia climate.

“Do you remember what you said to me right before our match at violent conduct? You talked about how my group was a shell of its former self. You talked about all the things you have done since you got here and about how you are a triple Crown champion. You ran me down and spat on my legacy while saying that you were dominant, basically repeating what I already said. You then said if I was able to beat you that it was not something your pride would allow.”

“Apparently Mac your pride wasn’t hurt enough that you couldn’t go crawling to Chris and Mark to beg for your rematch, of course that’s after telling Jack and Mark they would have to “earn it” aren’t you lucky I’m a fighting champion?”

“This is, I was happy trying to dominate the roulette division. I was happy trying to break those records and facing the best that division had to offer. The people who you decided to shit on. And it’s funny because I repeatedly called out Caleb storms for somehow getting championship opportunities handed to him time and time again. Now, while you have a right to get an immediate rematch, being the former champion, the fact you decided to throw yourself under the bus with your comments before our championship match at violent conduct really doesn’t help you does it?”

“You said you wanted the Black Dragon. And at violent conduct, you’ve got him. You want to talk about my group like we mean nothing when Austin is dominating the mixed tag team division with Tempest, when Miles Kasey, who is a member of my gym could be the next roulette champion? When Johanna Krieger has still destroyed almost everyone she has face and Alicia is a bonafide legend who is the only person who would actually be a challenge for your wife? You talk about how you have dominated in such a quick fashion. I see someone who can win championships but can’t actually hold onto them. I have too long rains with other championships in this company under my belt as well as one short one with this championship that broke me. And you think for 1 second that I’m going to allow that to happen again? You are a great professional wrestler Mac and you are someone who is a dominant human being, but I already beat you once. And I’m not afraid of you, I’m not intimidated by you, and I am going to do what I did last time and throw everything I have at you because this might be my final shot. And this is my redemption…”

And with that Alex turned, making his way to his friends and family. The people who mattered most.

Orlando.

It was all in placer. The new gym, the transfers, the ideas. Alex smiled as he finished filing the paperwork, a sigh escaping his lips. The last few weeks had been hectic but rewarding. New contracts had been signed, new ideas and policies put in place. The Wolfslair twitter accounts had been active and interest had flooded in from new names and talents. There was a part of Alex that felt bad, conflicted. His sister had agreed to take up a head trainer position in Orlando. They wouldn’t see each other as much. And as such, in taking the position, she had resigned her spot in Kingdom Pro, vacated her Atlantic title.

Charlane “Charlie” Jones was a star there, she had returned to the wrestling world after a stint in MMA and also as a bodyguard and personal trainer. She had been successful in everything she did. But now, now she was stepping away from the ring. It was her decision, her idea, but that didn’t make Alex feel any more uneasy.

He swallowed hard and shook his head turning around to sit at his desk, his eyes flashing over to the background. It was a “team” picture. The originals. Charlie, Alex, Sonja, Alicia, Austin. The first ones there. In the beginning it was Alex and Sonja, his wife inspiring him to do it, to open it. Then his sister, then Austin and Alicia. He smiled and shook his head, how far they had come in the last couple of years still astounded him. From a small gym with a small group to the name they had become and the group that had taken over SCW.

The door opened and Charlie poked her head through with a small smile. ”You got a minute?” Alex smiled and gave her a nod, she stepped through the door closing it behind her. It was just Alex and Charlie in there, Sonja having stepped out to go talk about merchandising the new logo. Charlie sighed and sat down across from Alex, her arms folding over her chest as she swallowed hard. Alex raised an eyebrow, her body language showing trepidation and anxiety.

”You ok?” Charlie shrugged and sat forward clasping her hands together on the desk.

She let out a sigh and looked her brother right in the eyes. Her long black hair was braided and tied back, she and Alex looked similar, in everything. Height, build, fac%ial features. You could tell instantly they were related. ”I wanted to talk to you about Orlando…” Alex stayed silent, he gave her a small smile trying to be warm and understanding, he wanted to know what was on his little sisters mind. ”I have no problems moving, I have no problems helping out, but...are you sure I should be head trainer?”

Her voice faltered, she looked away, Alex was confused, Charlie had usually been so confident, in traini9ng and in her career. She had come a long way from the awkward, unsure teenager who questioned her place in the world. ”I can’t think of anyone else that would be better for it, why?” Charlie looked back up and shook her head.

She turned and looked out at the gym through thew window, she watched Alicia Lukas and Johanna Krieger talking, Austin James Mercer and Aiden Reynolds working in the ring and Kallie Reznik chatting toi Lachlan Kane. She let out a sigh and looked back at her brother. ”You’ve been the leader here, the driving force. Wolfslair has become a success because of you. I just don’t want Orlando to fail...and I don’t know if I should be the one leading it, Maybe Austin sh-”

Alex put his hand up and shook his head. ”This place got successful because of all of us. You put in just as much work as me, I couldn’t do this without you…” He sighed and pushed to his feet moving over to the window, he pointed up and out at the wall where replica belts and trophies hung, he turned back to Charlie with a smile. ”You see all that? All those titles our members have held? We have all been a part of that Charlie. You, me and everyone out there.”

Charlie gave a nod and smiled, but there was still doubt, doubt that Alex could see and feel. ”I’m glad you have that confidence in me. But still. I have no idea what to do Alex. I can’t go both….wrestle and train...and I’m hoping I made the right decision.”

His heart dropped, he looked away from Charlie and his eyes moved to trail upwards. The replicas of Charlie’s Portland Pro Rogue title, her TFW MMA womens featherweight title and the Kingdom Pro Atlantic Championships all hung next to each other. ”I’m sorry, I’m sorry I put you in this position.” He turned and Charlie went to talk but Alex kept going. ”You have given up and sacrificed so much for this, and now it’s cost you a championship run you earned and deserved…” He trailed off, Charlie got to her feet moving across the office.

She reached out, her arms wrapping around Alex pulling him into a hug, he squeezed her back, the feeling rushing over them as it was awkward, both siblings never being good at expressing their love for one another. ”It was my decision Alex. Not yours.” She paused and stepped back with a small smile. ”If I didn’t believe in Wolfslair so much then I wouldn’t have done it..”

Alex laughed to himself and smirked. ”And you proved the kind of leader you can be by making that sacrifice. So why are you doubting yourself?” It hit her, the realisation that he was right, she again gave her older brother a nod and smiled.

”Well...I guess I’m moving to Florida.”

The king’s fall.

Alex Jones holds the Sin city wrestling roulette title in his hands, his eyes looking over the ornate design, the clever use of the roulette wheel in the middle, his name at the bottom, his head shakes as he laughs to himself and looks forward.

”And still the champion.”

He scoffs and shakes his head before setting the title down next to him and pushing himself to his feet.

”That’s what I’m supposed to say right? I’m supposed to celebrate the fact I’m still the roulette champion and that I defended my title again. See, that’s what a weak person would do, that’s what someone insecure would do. I defended my championship against Miles Kasey and Caleb Storms, that was a defence, that was something to be proud of. But the match against The Troll? Should I be proud of that? Should I look at the records and smile about having two defences? Or should I move on and be prepared for my next match? The truth is, I’m not sure where to go with my career in SCW. None of us do. Austin is gearing up for a tag title defence, Alicia and Johanna are both wondering where their place in the Bombshells division is, and me? Well, I’m going to do everything I can to keep this SCW Roulette title and to make the title mean something greater.”

“I want it to become a prize jewel in this company. To continue my resurrection.”

“My rebirth.”

“And that is what the last few months have been about. Reinvention, coming to terms with the fact I may no longer be the competitor I once was but accepting the simple fact that even though I’m not the competitor I was I’m still better than most of the roster. I am still a goddamn threat and I am still good enough to not only defend the roulette title but maybe win the Internet title in the future, become a grand slam champion and maybe even become a two time SCW world champion. And, truth be told, even though the grand slam is a goal, if I were to defend the roulette title enough to perhaps elevate my name back to the main event scene, well, I wouldn’t say no…”

“Because I have unfinished business.”

Alex swallows hard and shakes his head slowly.

”My world title run was horrible. It was an utter disaster. I did all I could to win it, I said everything I could to get in the mind of the champion at the time. And once I won it, once I held the Sin city wrestling world title in my hands I felt an urge to defend it, to be the champion the title deserved. Only to be beaten by a kid with a chip on his shoulder. A talented kid, but still a kid. And my title reign was so bad, so shitty, that even the company forgot about it. That is how bad my time as the champion of this place was. So, one day, when I am done defending the roulette title and someone is good enough to take it from me...well...maybe I will pull my socks up and come for the Sin city wrestling world title again…”

“Now, why am I mentioning this dark time in my own history and my career? Why am I bringing up the fact I failed as a world champion? Simple. I’m facing someone who I have that in common with. Senor Vinnie.”

“The six foot eight former world champion from Tijuana. A guy who has been the thorn in the side of Wolfslair for a long time now. A guy who Austin has gone to war with many times and lost not one but two championships too. A guy who teamed with Alicia Lukas in the blast from the past tournament. Someone who she was too nice to say cost them the tournament. It seems like Vinnie has been involved in our business for years. And, hey, I can’t deny he has had success. Vinnie has been at the top of the card and has been a main event player since we came into the company years ago…”

“But, consistency has been an issue. And it’s something I can relate to.”

He shrugs and sighs heavily.

”Vinnie and I are both talented, both former world champions and both have unfinished business in the main event scene. And I like you Vinnie, I do, I like you more than I like alot of others in this company. You put it all on the line every time and you never quit, you stay in SCW and always have a goal in mind and want to be successful. You even admit your faults and admit when you lose and when someone has been your better. It’s something to be admired.and respected.”

“Now, I know you’ve got under Austins skin, I know he hates you with a burning passion and a desire that I honestly think needs to be let go.”

“See, that much anger, that much hatred is never good for people like us. It gets in your head and you have been able to win matches against him before the bell rings.”

“But, I’m not going to fall into that trap. I’m not saying you’re not good enough to beat me Vinnie, truth is you are. You’re good enough to beat me without resorting to the cheap cheating tactics you have been using. But, with that being said, I am on a renaissance in my career. A rebirth leading to my future in this business. And as good as you are, as good as you have been and could be again, consistency has not been your friend. It hasn’t been your friend in or out of the ring and as you walk down that road I want you to know that I understand and get it...and that I will never underestimate you.”

Reconciliation

Things were better.

Not perfect, not how it was. But still better. The students, the senior members and instructors all seemed to gell and get over the problems of the past. But there was still tension in the air. Alex opened the gym, nhe set everything up. Did his warm up, talked to a few members who turned up then went and sat in his office. Paperwork and deals, the less glamorous side of wrestling and having a gym. He moved his hands writing and signing things at a furious pace.

His eyes moved up as he knew he was being watched. Feeling eyes on him as he let out a small sigh and tilted his head determined not to acknowledge it. Alex had always been stubborn. He had that streak in him where he was determined to do things his way.

But marriage kind of ends that. Sonya was also stubborn, it was a miracle their marriage and life together has been so calm and collected. The two rarely if ever fight and instead discuss things. Sonya always, always had Alexs’ back and was someone he trusted. In his life, with his past relationships trust was a premium. So having her there, having Sonya as his rock was important. But right now, he knew what she wanted to say, he knew the discussion was coming and Alex was doing everything to avoid it.

Sonya though, was doing everything she could to make it obvious and get his attention.

From making subtle noises, to moving around in her chair to face him, to flicking rubber bands. Sonya was trying everything but her patience, it seems, had limits.

”Ignorance won’t get you anywhere Alexander.” Alex laughed under his breath and looked up before sitting back in his chair and clasping his hands in his lap with his eyebrows up. Sonya gave a roll of her eyes, a tut and click of her tongue before getting to her feet. ”You need to talk to him.”

”Who?”

She growled and turned her nose up. ”You’re not a fucking owl. You know who.” Her arms folded over her chest, Alex couldn’t help but audibly groan and get to his feet moving towards the window looking out at the main floor of the gym. Sonya stood next to him matching his gaze. ”Stop avoiding it.”

”I’m not. But everything has worked out.” He smirked, thinking back to welcoming Austin back and joking with him. Admittedly they had not talked since then, but this is how it had always been. Sonya wasn’t taking this as an answer turning and hitting Alex in the shoulder. ”What? Seriously, the kid is back, he’s working hard, everyone else is fine with him…” Sonya just stared. Her piercing blue eyes staying locked on Alex, he swallowed hard as she again folded her arms over her chest and her lips twisted into an unimpressed scowl.”Fine.” He turned and walked towards the door shoving it open as Sonya laughed and had a wry smile on her face. Alex grumbled and walked out across the gym.

Everyone looked trying not to be obvious as they did. Alex sighed and moved around into the weightroom finding Austin laying back on the bench press. He grunted and pushed up on the bar before looking over at Alex. ”Hey, little help?” Alex moved around lightly pulling the bar back into position and lowering it as Austin sat up, he wiped down where he was laying and got to his feet with a nod. ”Thanks.”

Alex gave a nod back and leaned against the door folding his arms. ”So, how you doing?”

Austin laughed and gave a small shrug before sighing heavily. ”I don’t know honestly. I apologised, I’ve been working with everyone. But something still seems, I dunno”

”Off?”

”Yeah. Like even though people accepted it all they still want the old Austin back.” He sighed and shook his head as he started to undo the tape around his wrists. He pulled on it hard and twirled it as Alex just stayed silent. ”But, I changed, I know I did. Maybe for the worse, but I just can’t go back to ignoring bullshit and just smiling happily ya know?” Alex smirked and nodded in agreement. Austin sighed and shook his head. ”But...I’ll keep my annoyance and anger for those outside the gym. In here, with everyone else?...we’re family.”

Austin smirked and shrugged his shoulders as Alex stepped forward. ”I have no problems with that. Thing is, I get it. I always got it you just didn’t want to listen.” He paused not wanting this to come off as a lecture. ”You kept telling me I went to far, I told you back then it was us against them. Wolfslair isn’t just a gym it’s an idea. Outside the ring, we help each other, but inside the ring, we destroy everyone.”

He offered his fist, Austin looked down and smiled before bumping it with his. A wave of relief washed over Alex as he backed up and looked around the area. Austin had been putting in work, he was determined. And it was now time for Alex to match that.

The Bulldog

”Here we go. My first defence.”

Alex smiled, his long hair tied back as he looked over at the roulette title.

”You know, many people said that I shouldn’t have had that title shot and to be honest they were right. I didn’t really do anything to earn it. But, that is what stock gets you. You built up equity in a company and the business itself and you get opportunities based on that. And I get it, some people don’t think that is fair. But people like myself, Austin, Alicia, even Johanna. We have earned that kind of treatment. Some others have to, whether you like it or not Crystal has, Roxi has, Fenris has, Mercedes, Ben Jordan, Vinnie, even Myra Rivers with her historic reign.”

“When you stay in a company, roll with the punches and constantly show that you are the top, you get opportunities.”

“The ones I can’t understand are those like Jesse Salco, Caleb Storms and my opponent this week Bill Barnhart.”

“Those names are people who have had longer tenures and gave handed opportunities for simply not knowing when to fucking quit. And, hey I understand, sometimes when people get on a little run they get rewarded, a small carrot thrown at them. Caleb took that carrot and made it into a salad by “winning” the internet title.,”

Alex pauses for a moment and rolls his eyes, trying to not go on a rant he clears his throat and refocuses back on Mr Barnhart.

”Bill, it’s a matter of public record here that you have a win over me. On that night you were at the best you have ever been, you were the bad ass veteran we all thought you were. You were a big beefy bad ass. And me? Well, I wasn’t. I have been going through so many things when it comes to my career and standing up in the last two years but, a few weeks ago it clicked. I’m not the same man I was fifteen years ago. Not physically and not mentally. I can’t act like the same angry kid with a chip on my shoulder when I’m 36 years old. That isn’t how life works.”

“So yeah, the best you was able to beat me one on one. Awesome.”

“But, ask yourself. Was I at my best then?”

“Was the Alex Jones you beat the same one that stands before you now? I have been doing this in some form or another for 18 years, from the moment I graduated high school and sighed up at a gym I have been eating, sleeping, living and breathing professional wrestling. I have had my ass kicked by bigger and better men than you. I have also beaten better men than you. I showed I can keep up with the new crop of kids when I beat Milo Kasey and then Cassian Reed. Two exciting talents that will only get better.”

“What have you done Bill?”

Alex laughs to himself and shakes his head before pulling the Roulette title up and over his shoulder.

”You got handed this shot because you impressed in a losing effort. I needed and wanted to defend this title so they gave you a shot. And now here you are gearing up for this opportunity but while I can sit here and talk about how you’re a veteran and you try hard week in and week out you will never do the same for ANYBODY. You won’t look at a man like Austin James Mercer and give him props for being a world champion or the internet champion, you don’t give a shit about anyone but yourself.”

“You beat me, you were better than me. Once.”

“But I have been consistently better than you.”

“At into the void Caleb Storms and Milo Kasey are waiting for me and I will be the one to go on to face them because they deserve someone who will appreciate the gravity of the match ahead of them and this championship. A title built on unpredictability and chaos, one that should not be held by someone as horrible and predictable as you. Seriously Bill, go back and watch your promos against me or Austin, or anyone for that matter. Have you ever given a shit about the company or peoples accomplishments in it?”

He pauses again waiting for an answer that simply will not come.

”You bury your head in the sand, make stupid jokes and expect any of us to give you respect? I can look at Caleb and Milo, mI can see what they have done and what they couple accomplish where ou, well, don’t. And I get why Bill. See I asked what you’ve done since you beat me. And if you asked me that question. Well. I’ve been a triple crown champion. I won the Sin City Wrestling mixed tag titles with Johanna and went on a great run defending them the most.”

“Where is your mixed tag title reign with your wife Bill?”

“I must have fallen asleep and missed the whole thing. Or hey what about your world title reign, have you had one of those in SCW? Cause I sure as shit have. I beat Griffin Hawkins and watched him sulk his way out of the company and throw a massive tantrum about it. And then to top it off. I have this. The Roulette title. So, I am one championship off being able to say I am a grand slam champion, I am a triple crown champion and I have earned it every damn step of the way and now? Now that I have been able to step back and realize i'm not the same kid as I was in 2003 I can finally move on, get better and realise that the rest of my career can still be great.”

“But, that’s the difference between us Bill. I recognise others, I recognise the faults in myself and I push forward to overcome them and be better.”

He steps back and smirks, his hand clutching the title hard as he looks at the nameplate and back up again.

”So, after all that. After going through our history as well as your attitude towards not only myself but everyone else. After reminding you of what I have been able to accomplish just in this company, I have to ask..yet again…”

“What have you done?”

A broken pack.

”What the fuck was that?”

It was the night of Inception IV. The golden ring casino in Las Vegas Nevada. The limited crowd in attendance was still making noise as Alex Jones stormed backstage. Sweat poured from his body after a hard fought match against Fenris. He was sore all over, tired and beaten up. But all of that was overruled by the burning feeling of anger that now raged in his veins. He moved down the hallway passed the production crew and all the officials standing around to keep the show moving. Alex turned down the hallway towards the locker rooms knowing that is where Austin was heading.

The six foot six former world champion had his back turned to Alex and wasn’t paying him any attention. Austin turned into a room and Alex followed. The door shut behind Austin and Alex stopped in front of it, his hands were shaking, his body looking ready for a fight. But then it entered his mind, the doubt. Austin was his friend, like a brother. The two of them bonding over a love of wrestling and what it meant to their lives. Alex had been there for Austin when his father died. He had been there for the birth of his two children to celebrate it.

Was this worth breaking that bond?

Alex took a deep breath and tried to calm himself before entering. There was no point in blowing this up, there was no future in it. He ran his hands through his hair before reaching under his wristband for an elastic hair tie. He pulled his black hair into a bun and cleared his throat before entering. Austin was there, in his street clothes, his left arm still in the black brace as he had them folded over his chest. Alex took a deep breath and grabbed a towel before sitting down next to Austin, he toweled himself off getting the sweat from his body before tossing the towel into his bag.

Austin shook his head, a sneer coming across his face as he looked away from Alex disgusted. His heart sank. He hated disappointing people, he hated the feeling of a friend slipping away and a bond being broken. Alex leaned forward on his knees, his hands together as he thought of what to say. ”I’m not happy with what happened out there.” That was an understatement. Alex was furious, setting underneath the calm exterior. Austin had got involved, trying to hand Alex a win he didn’t deserve. A win that was not going to be earned unless it was from Alex’s own actions.

Austin snarled and looked as if he was trying to keep his own anger in. He turned back to Alex tilting his head. His voice was deep but commanding, this was not the same Austin that walked into Wolfslair years ago. This was a different animal all together. ”We had him Alex, I handed you Fenris on a silver fucking platter. And you refused to take it. What the fuck is wrong with you?” The question and attitude rubbed Alex the wrong way and gave rise to a different emotion. Shame. Alex felt it there, his old mantra of win at any cost had disappeared and been replaced in recent months. Since his loss to Jack Washington. Since losing the SCW World title.

”Winning like that, what would it have accomplished? You shouldn’t of been out there….”

Austins head snapped to the side, he pushed up from the chair he was sitting on standing over Alex, his hands balled into fists,he pushed his chest out like an alpha animal trying to assert his dominance and look bigger than he was. Not that Austin needed to look any bigger than he naturally was. His two hundred and sixty five pound frame had not lost anything with his injury. Austin worked out, he kept himself ready for when he was going to be cleared. His injuries almost completely healed. ”It hurts me seeing the pathetic shell you’ve become. The old Alex would have jumped all over Fenris, got the win and then celebrated like a conquering king after. Not whined like a petulant child.”

A child?

Alex’s eyes lit up, he also got to his feet standing face to face with his former protege and friend. He could feel the anger rising up again, the shame slowly fading as he had to fight every single urge in his body to just strike out at Austin, he swallowed hard and pushed passed him, Alex needed to get out. He needed to just get away. ”Alex…” He stopped in his tracks in front of the door. Maybe Austin realised he went too far. Maybe he would apologise. ”I expect you to fall in line.” He growled the words, forcing them out as if he was in charge. It was like the new lion, beating down the old leader of the pack.

Alex slowly turned and shook his head. ”Fall in line? Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?. Everything I have done was for the good of the Gym, for the good of the group. And now because I didn’t want or need your help you think you can dictate how I act?” There was a thickness that added into the air between them. The room felt smaller as their egos took up more space. Austin tilted his head again and stepped forward to Alex as they again got nose to nose. And then it happened.

crack

A hard right hand from Austin snapped Alex’s head sideways, he saw stars, or more accurately bright lights. He stumbled back into the door, Austin then ducked down and tackled Alex through it into the hallway, Alex hit the corner of a table, he regained his senses long enough to reach around and grab Austin in a front headlock to hold him in place. But in seconds they were surrounded. Mark and Christian were there with referees, officials and trainers as well as Alicia Lukas and Johanna Krieger. They pulled them apart. Austin put his hands up as Alex held his lower back. ”Get him the fuck out of here!” They pulled Austin away, Johanna followed Austin as Alicia looked over at Alex, before she could say anything Alex put his hand up to signal he was ok.

Alicia gave a small nod and followed Johanna and Austin. Alex went back into the locker room, he turned and sat back down on the bench letting out a deep breath while bringing his hands up to his face, his thumbs rubbing his temples as he felt a huge headache hit him like a ton of bricks. FUCK! He kicked his bag, he shook his head and couldn’t help but wonder.

Where do we go from here?

Luck of the Irish

”I don’t even know where to start here.”

His voice was deep and calm, but with a small solemn touch. There was sadness there being poorly hidden behind a smirking, arrogant face. His hair was tied back, his body covered in a tight fitting black shirt and bootcut jeans, his hands clasped together in front of him as he sat forward on a chair inside a nondescript room. He was alone. Very fitting.

”Failure, I guess that should be stamped on my headstone now when I eventually pass away right? The last few months have been one hit after another. One shot to the ego after another. As if my entire career has now been assassinated by someone up on the grassy knoll. I lost the SCW world title, I failed against Ben Jordan, I failed against Vinnie and then I lost to Fenris. Four  matches against some of the biggest names in the company. Four matches against former world champions. And each time I felt a little more of myself slip away. With that being said I can’t really feel cheated or make excuses. I lost those matches off my own back.”

“Some people would say that Vinnie and Fenris were both ones I should have won. But I failed to see Vinnie using cheap tactics and I turned Austins help away. And that last one. That last one is a match that I feel proud of.”

“I know, weird right?”

“But hear me out. Fenris and I got thrown into the situation. We faced each other one on one in a match neither of us were prepared for mentally. Now I won’t say it was a match neither of us wanted because let's face it, we are competitors. Fenris and I have the same attitude. Anytime, anyplace, anywhere against anybody. We went toe to toe, Austin got involved and I refused to win that way. Maybe that makes me a sad old man, maybe that means I have finally got to the point in my career where winning right means more than simply winning. I don’t know.

He shrugs his shoulders and sighed heavily before looking up again.

”I’m sure a lot will be made about the rift in Wolfslair. The fact Austin and I are clearly not on the same page, and yeah that is playing on my mind. The feeling of a family fracturing and falling apart. But with that being said, I need to get my head back into the game. The Blast from the past is starting and this year I’m not taking part. This year I chose to sit it out, because I don’t want to be a liability to anyone who is in it. That doesn’t mean I won’t be in action however. As Mark and Cheristian decided to book myself and O’Malley one on one. And hey, what’s another highly competitive match for me against someone who could very well be an SCW world champion?”

“But let’s get it out of the way early. I don’t like O’Malley. I don’t like his attitude, I don’t like his face, I don’t like his stupid fucking accent.”

“I think O’Malley is an arrogant, self righteous prick. And hey, I can be that way too.. O’Malley and I are close to the same age, but unlike O’malley I have the pedigree and record to back up my moments of cocky arrogance. I have a history that most people seem content to ignore or, in Jack Washington's case, make fun of and misrepresent to a criminal degree. But O’Malley? O’Malley has had an up and down career in SCW and SCU, he’s won titles and has tried to make the best of it and the more I think about it the more alike he and I are sounding. It’s probably why I dislike him to be honest. Without going to deep into my own fucked up mental state at the moment, I don’t like looking in the mirror, so I sure as shit don’t like looking at fucking o’Malley”

He scoffs to himself and swallows hard before getting to his feet and moving around a little grabbing a bottle of water.

”With all that being said, just because I don’t like someone doesn’t mean I can’t respect them. The last few months o’Malley has upped his game. Being the number one guy in SCU, being the SCW roulette champion, he has shown that he can hang with the best of the best and despite my string of losses, despite the fact I have been beaten down to the point of obscurity I am not a nobody, I am still a former world champion, I am still a future hall of famer and I am still a threat in this company. But, will O’Malley recognise that?”

“Will he show me the respect I deserve or underestimate me?”

“Will he look at Alex Jones and think of bringing his A game or will he look at me like I am nothing but a washed up has been who can’t buy a fucking win to save his life?. That would be a mistake, cause in this business the only thing you can count on is yourself and I am not going to stop fighting. I want the SCW world title back, I want to be able to redeem myself after the arrogant prick I became and how I let myself get drawn in and beaten by Jack, I want to earn that respect back. And I’ll do that by getting in that ring and giving all the effort I can. I am not done by any means in wrestling or SCW. So whether I like you or not, I can admit this is a challenge. So lets dance…”

End of the road
Dallas, Texas
13 Years Ago

He had never been so angry. Not even when he would get into arguments with his father. He understood, Charlie wanted to protect Dylan. She and Alex got into an argument, yelling back and forth. She believed Alex was being to hard on Dylan, that Alex needed to be more understanding. And he’s tried. For weeks and months Alex had tried to get his brother on the straight and narrow. The drugs have been an issue, Dylan using them to deal with whatever mental anxiety he had. Using them to forget and to run away.

Run away.

Alex ran away once. The second he turned 18 years old he was out the door and ready to leave. After saving up almost every single sent from working from the age of 16 he needed to leave Texas. He needed to leave the house that he shared with his family. To get away from his father. He didn’t see it is running away. He saw it is getting it to live his life. But in leaving, he abandoned his brother, abandoned his sister. And all of those feelings have come to ahead in their argument. He was certain Dylan heard them yelling back-and-forth. But he didn’t come out, he didn’t come to speak to them or to make his feelings heard.

But the argument had pushed Alex over the edge. He felt like Charlie had been blaming him. Like all of Diylans issues were his doing. So he grabbed his car keys and stormed out of the house speeding away. He needed time to think, time to cool down. As he drove further away a sick feeling into the pit of his stomach but he pushed through ignoring it. He came to a nearby park stopping getting out with a bottle of water needing to move around. He paced back-and-forth, his head hurting from being so angry. How dare Charlie say the things that? How dare she blame him? As much as he understood her worry for Dylan and wanting him to sort his life out blaming him wasn’t the way. Or so he thought. He needed to close his eyes and breathe deep, let all the anger go.

He was lost.

He had no clue what he was going to do. How he was going to change everything. His brother was in deep and Alex had no idea how to relate to him. How was he gonna get him out of this? How was he going to make sure his brother knew that he had so much more of his life to live?. Maybe he needed to be better, calmer, more understanding. His hands drifted up to his hair as he ran them through looking up to the sky. He needed to breathe and calm himself down. His phone buzzed, he sighed and pulled it out from his pocket. It was Charlie. He answered it pulling it to his ear and straight away he knew something was wrong.

He couldn’t understand her. Charlie was crying and screaming. ”What? You need to calm down. I can’t hear..” He made out a few words. A chill went up his spine and he realised what was happening. Alex started to panic. ”Call 911! Charlie hang up and do it now!” Alex ran back towards his car, He unlock the door and got in. He started it up and had to get home as fast as he could. He sped down the street. He turned left, he came to a screech the ambulance was already there. Alex pushed the car door open rushing into the house. ”Charlie?. Charlie?” He pushes his way down the hallway and up the stares towards the bathroom.

Paramedics were moving Dylan out. He wasn’t moving, one of them using a pump as the others carried him, Alex moved into a door frame so they could get by. Charlie stepped out, tears streaming down her face. ”He...he wasn’t moving. He wasn’t breathing. I tried..I couldn’t.” She was shaking, she could barely keep herself together. Alex swallowed hard and reached out wrapping his arms around Charlie. She squeezed him tight and Alex shook his head. He had bonuses what to say. He was still lost.

”Come on, we have to get to the hospital…

. He tried to seem like he was strong. He tried to seem like he knew what was going to happen and that he was confident. But right now Alex was terrified. He wanted to be strong for his sister, he wanted to be strong because he thought it would fool himself into believing that Dylan was going to be fine. But now all we could think about was Dylan being carried past, his eyes were open. And there was nothing there. But now Alex had to lie, had to lie to himself and lie to his sister. Because he had no other choice

Are you happy now?
 
He was angry and frustrated. Who wouldn’t be? Alex Jones has spent the last 18 years working on being the best of the best. Priding himself when he won a championship that the person who beat him would earn it. That they would have to fight tooth and nail to get that championship off of him. But now, he was. His first match after losing the sin city wrestling world championship. And he honestly had no idea what to do. This is the first time ever happened, the first time he lost a championship this fast. And it made him sick to his fucking stomach.

” so, I bet you are all very happy right now aren’t you? So many of you are grinning ear to ear, laughing at my expense. Because 14 days is all I could do to hold onto that championship. 14 days where I got to call myself the best in this goddamn company. And then I came face to face with Jack Washington. Jack beat me, I have never once said that he didn’t, I never tried to take away from his victory. But, as time has gone on I’ve just gotten angry and angry about this entire situation. A kid, who is batting just over 50% was able to get in the ring with me at violent conduct and beat me. He didn’t earn that championship match, I earned mine because I just came off a successful run as a champion, I have a history of being the best. “

“10 world championships. 10 of them. Countless other championships, wins over some of the best names in this business. I have earned the right to go after any championship I choose. But Jack Washington? He was a cocky little shit who got lucky you’re gonna spend Jordan. He shouldn’t of even come close to beating Ben Jordan. But because he put in one good performance and Ben seems to struggle with the kid he ends up being able to write a cheque and faced me at one of the biggest shows of the year.”

“And now, instead of having a respected legend as you’re well champion you have this cocky arrogant little shit, this little parrot who if you didn’t say anything about him he had nothing to say because he can’t come up with an original thought. Someone who would rather dredge up someone’s dead past and lie about it and actually do anything of note.“

“Congratulations Sin city wrestling, you don’t deserve me as your world champion. You don’t deserve me as one of your best competitors. And I’m no longer going to fight to make sure this company is taken seriously because now? Now I’m going to get in that rain and I’m gonna beat the hell out of anyone you put me in there with, and I’m gonna do it to expose you. Mark Ward, Christian Underwood… You are both going to run out of challenges for me. And whether Austin or I end up earning our way back to that world championship..Wolfslair will rise again.”

Alex smiles, dressed in a well fitting black suit. He unbuttons the jacket opening it up putting it to the site before adjusting the tie.

”But my my, what an amazing event we have lined up. Our Halloween special, where all the matches have spooky stipulations. Just in case any of you don’t realise this, I am a 36-year-old-man. Not a child. I don’t care what kind of stipulation gets put on this match. I’m more interested in my opponents. One of them is a giant, A well put together mad man who seems to have an affinity for certain Victorian era serial killer. The other one, is the whipping boy of sin city wrestling. Interesting match. At least it would be interesting if it was just Caleb versus Jack one on one. But this is the first match you have me and after losing the world championship? Is this a joke?”

“Are you people trying to drive me insane? Maybe you think treating me like this is going to get me to quit this company. I know that’s what the majority of you want. I know you want me gone. Do you think with me gone then maybe the dominos will fall and suddenly Austin, Alicia and Johanna will be easier to handle? Face it. Wolfslair is the measuring stick. We hold championships, they matter. We lose them...they fade…”

“But now, well now your former world champion is in a match with two people who aren’t fit to tie my boots.”

“Jack is someone who is rarely seen in sin city. He’s not a regular here, he doesn’t deal with the week in week out running of this company. Why is he in a match with me? How did he earn the right to share the ring with a god?. Last time anyone remembers seeing him in the ring was against Austin. Everyone wondered, can Austin go against someone who is just as big as him? Austin beat him like he was nothing. And now he is being put in a match against myself and Caleb storms? Jack, I don’t care if you’re 6’8 and 278 pounds. That just means you’re a big, strong, inept moron. And I’m going to enjoy making an example out of you.”

Alex shrugs and lost him self before pushing up to his feet and adjusting his suit and tie.

”But then, there’s Caleb Storms. It’s funny but I just got done talking about how the last time we saw Jack he was being beaten up by Austin. And the last time we saw you Caleb, what happened? It’s almost like I’m facing the ghosts of Austin’s past. But Caleb you are a very special case. While Jack is used sparingly in this company and at least looks intimidating you seem to be always in sin city wrestling’s business. Week after week you get booked, you turn up. And fail. It really is incredibly endearing Caleb. Some people would say it’s worthy of respect and part of me does. Part of me respect you for having the kind of grind and heart to turn up week after week knowing that you aren’t actually one of the best in this company but willing to try and get better and try to improve.”

“With that being said Caleb the way you try and improve doesn’t work. You try and improve by turning up and sounding more confident every single week and in the end when you do inevitably fail instead of growing and getting better, admitting your faults, you stick your head in the sand like some kind of weird arrogant ostrich. I mean shit, before your match with Austin you started talking about how the Internet title rain would’ve ended against you, when he already destroyed you defending that title against you. You went on a weird tangent about putting in 120% effort.“

“Mathematically impossible by the way but also extremely redundant“

“At this point no one really gets anything from beating you Caleb. You don’t get a reputation boost, you don’t get a boost in the rankings here in sin city wrestling. In fact, what most people get when they beat you, is a sense of dread and sadness. They feel sad because they have beaten someone like you who should be so used to loss at the moment we should call you the New York jets. And I’m not going to coddle  you Caleb, I’m not going to go easy on you. Instead Jack and you are going to know what it’s like to feel the wrath of a disgruntled world champion.”

Not what you thought…

”Losing someone isn’t the end..”

Atlanta Georgia. Not one of Alexs’ favorite places. It was a hot August day, Alex had his arms folded over his chest, decked out in a suit. He undid the buttons on the jacket letting it sit open. His long hair was tied back, his beard was neatly trimmed.His hands slid into his pockets as he looked down. Alicia Lukas gave a small nod, her long blond hair tied back and away from her face, her make up looking immaculate, she wore a black dress and slowly folded her arms over her chest.

She looked forlorn, a long deep breath passing her lips as she stared out at the crowded room. It was 2018, the room was full of people in black clothes. Alicia’s siblings moved around the room talking to people, her brother Josh towered over all of them, being six foot ten, mhis long hair was also tied back, Her sister Zoey wiped away a tear as she chatted away to family members. A large casket sat down the end of the hallway in another room, the top open. It was a wake. A wake for Alicia’s father Jason

Alicia cleared her throat looking over at Alex. ”I know. I know it isn’t the end. It’s just. He was always gone, I never really knew him.”

Her voice faded, Josh seemed the most distant. Zoey cried, Alicia felt guilt. But Josh, he stood in a room full of people and had to pretend to care. It all seemed very familiar. ”I met him once…” Alex sighed and looked over at Alicia who raised an eyebrow, she seemed to be confused. ”Your dad. I met him when I first broke in.” Alex smirked and shook his head before stepping around in front of Alicia to distract her from all the guests who looked over at her making her feel uncomfortable.

”I was at a spot show in Texas. It was small, maybe 200 people…” His voice trailed off, he shook his head thinking back, it was around that time Alex had his own problems, his own loss. But he continued. ”Your dad was there to sign some autographs, he was different than I remembered, his hair had started to go grey, not blond, he did a run in...powerbombed a guy...he was a professional..”

Alicia gave a small nod and cleared her throat. ”Wrestling was all he really felt right in, he wasn’t a good husband or father...he didn’t know how.” Alex put his hand up onto Alicia’s shoulder and smiled weakly.

”He was proud of you. Not just for what you did in the ring, but the woman you have become….Violet.” Alex never used her name, not her real name. Alicia choked up and sighed, she didn’t want to cry, she hadn’t cried. She buried it deep down and she had to be the strong one, for her sister and for her boys who lost their grandfather. Alex Stepped forward wrapping his arm around Alicia. ”You’ll be ok kid...you’ll be ok” His mind faded away, into the past….

July 2007 Dallas Texas. The sun beat down. The heat was high but low humidity as a warm summer breeze moves through the trees and across the grass. Cars kept pulling up to the small house and people dressed in black slowly shuffled into the house past an older woman, her face covered with a black veil as they all stopped to offer words of sympathy. Drowned out by the gravity of the situation. A tall blond woman sat next to the older one, Her hands in her lap as she stared forward. 

Sitting alone to the side, his legs up and crossed on a white painted beam is Alex Jones. Much younger than we see him now. No beard or color in his hair. It sits tied back out of his fresh boyish face, his upper body slender and undefined hidden under a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. He lifts a beer to his lips sipping it with a shake of the head, The blonde looks over and sighs deeply. Alex turns and looks out onto the street as more seem to be coming, a boy much younger than him but looking oddly similar stands with a few older people, they all talk to him, offer words of kindness and support. 

He didn’t even hear her footsteps, her voice cutting through the haze. “I know it’s a wake but would it kill you to look like you cared about Dad?” Charlene “Charlie” Jones, Alex’s younger sister stood next to him. She was physically big for her age, at 15 she stood 5’9, only slightly shorter than her older brother, athletically gifted with a kind face and bright blue eyes much like his own.

Alex sat there taking another sip of beer, a sigh coming after the mouthful. “It seems like when you die your sins are absolved and everyone seems to forget what a royal asshole you were….”

The words spit like venom, anger, and frustration behind them as he noticed the young boy crying. Dylan Jones, or DJ. he was 13, he wiped his eyes turning from the group of relatives and well-wishers, no one noticed the tears. No one except Alex and Charlie. “He’s not taking it well Alex.” He scoffed and shook his head. His mind drifting to another place he’d rather be, far away from all the mess he’d left behind.

A place with a certain pale girl with long black hair and a mean look in her eye that seemed to disappear when Alex smiled. “And what do you want me to do Charlie?. The old man is gone, nothing will bring him back and honestly...I wouldn’t want him here anyway….” Alex shook his head again kicking his legs off the banister, a few small white paint chips fell to the floor and Alex turned to his sister. 

“He wasn’t the same man, he changed. He knew the mistakes he made and he-”

”STOP!” It was said louder than Alex had intended, it rang out through the house and out onto the porch. The older woman obviously their mother looked up shocked. Alex sighed and turned away taking another sip of his beer.

Charlie shook her head and looked at it.“Continuing the family legacy I see…” Alex ground his teeth together and looked down and away, his hand gripping the glass bottle as he noticed Dylan, his younger brother's eyes staring a hole right through him.  “He never forgave you for leaving.” Alex shook his head and finished the beer throwing the bottle down into the trashcan on the ground below the patio.

“Yeah, the old man told me not to come back, remember?” Alex’s mind flashed back to that night, the sound of the glass bottle breaking in the small trash can taking him back to that moment, the small scar on his cheek burning with the memory or glass shattering off the wall and hitting his face.

“No Alex...not Dad…” Her head moved slightly motioning back down to Dylan who had now looked away and focused elsewhere.

Alex sighed again and swallowed hard. “You’re putting all this on me?. I don’t need this…” Alex pushed up and away making his way into the house as Charlie followed.

Alex made it to his old room but before he could close the door Charlie stepped in. “I didn’t say we were done” Her voice was low and filled with hate. Alex raised an eyebrow and stepped back surprised. “You don’t get it, when you walked out you weren’t just getting away from Dad you walked out on us...me... mom...Dyl….You left us, Alex, you stood there and took the abuse and even though Dad stopped drinking last year, how do you think it was before that?” Charlie snarled, her eyes filling with tears, her hands shaking along with her voice and breathing. “Who do you think he took his abuse out on?. It wasn’t mom, it wasn’t me….he needs you, Alex….” He looked down and balled his hands into fists, his stomach aching as his heart seemed to drop into it. He swallowed hard and again his mind flashed back to her. 

“You don’t understand, I have...I have a life, Charlie.” His sister shook her head and stepped forward taking his hands in hers.

“It’s family, our family. Our brother, mom, me. We need you….what do you have there?...a job?..friends?...a girl?...” Alex twitched, Charlie scoffed knowing the answer with a sigh. “No piece of ass is worth abandoning your family, if it was meant to be you’ll be together someday. But right now...right now your place is here…” She calmed herself and gave him a kiss on the cheek turning to leave. Alex sat on his old bed, his hands under his chin. 

“...Fuck…”

Griffin Hunting

”Well, didn’t take long did it?”

It’s definitely the voice of Alex Jones. But not as clear as it would usually be. Alex steps forward, his long hair is wet and hanging down. His eyes burn and shine with a fire he hasn’t had in months. His arms fold over his chest, around him is dark as a light comes from above. Alex's face is covered by a mask, black with a wolf's snarling mouth on it over his own.

”Shhh, shhh can you hear it?”

His eyes trail up and to the side, he unfolds his arms and his right hand raises, a few fingers sliding his hair behind his ear before moving to his earlobe pushing it forward, Alex stays silent for a few seconds, we don’t hear anything until Alex chuckles and folds his arms again.

”It’s the sound of people whining and complaining. Complaining about my position in Sin City Wrestling. Complaining that I have a title shot, complaining that I am in another main event. Complaining, complaining, complaining. That is all most of you do. O/Malley and his bitch are constantly complaining. A man I have respect for in Fenris complains despite the fact he took his ball and went home. But, if any of you have an issue. Let me explain a few things to you. Look at the mixed tag division. Arguably the best two teams to step into the ring in that division are London Underground and Team Eggplant. Team Eggplant are made up of two wrestlers who haven’t done shit as singles stars.”

“I’m sorry Lach, Si, but it’s true. The mixed tag division goes through stages of being competitive and relevant. Johanna needed a starting off point. So I stood next to her to help her career, but also to boost that division. Because a name like me, a star like me, it boosts the prestige of those titles. I mean, Malachi and Bella are going to be good champions, but they have to face Mikah and Kris Ryans, two of the most decorated professional wrestlers in SCW and that is just going to make those titles mean even more. For name value. I have been here, in this company working my ass off just like everyone else for months and I am also a bonafide legend of this business. So for anyone to have a bitch about me getting a championship match?...”

“Kiss my ass..”

“For years now I have been in this company. I didn’t have to, I could have just sat back and lived my life with what I have already done. I have enough money to retire on, I invested well, I saved, I’m not stupid. So this for me, it was never a money thing. I didn’t need SCW, SCW needed me. When the merger happened SCW got the ones that had already been in both companies, but without me, there would be no Austin, there would be no Alicia. Neither of them would have signed their contracts. They would have gone somewhere else.”

“I made it happen, I ushered in this new golden age.”

Alex tilts his head. In his mind he’s right. In his mind he started this. Wolfslair was his dream, his future. He had been over wrestling. He wanted to retire, to sit back and enjoy life. But the lure of the ring and glory was too much. That and the need to be the best of the best. It was an addiction.

”And, did I get a thank you? No, no i didn’t. See, I stepped forward and did my best and in the end I got involved in the title picture, a picture that at the time I wasn’t as invested in as I should have been. It was all about Austin. It was all about Alicia. Those two kids needed to take the brass rings. And not only did they reach up and grab them, they took them down and made them their own. I came in when I was needed, I won some matches, lost others, but the entire time I was still one of the best in the world and I never asked for ore demanded ANYTHING. I didn’t ask for a roulette title match, I didn’t ask for a mixed tag title match the second Johanna and I teamed, I didn’t even ask for this title opportunity..”

“I asked to be considered, I made it known I wanted a shot, I made it known I would work my way up to one but SCW, they didn’t see it that way. Mark and Christian are smart, Mark and Christian reward people who show how good they can be. Atleast thats what I thought till I saw how SCW are marketing this….See.Jesse Salco, Caleb Storms, Bill Barnhart, Vinnie, Crystal, they all sit around and demand title shots but I prefer to go out there and earn them…”

“But, my name. My name earned me this. My sacrifices earned me this and here we are a few days away from Climax Control 277 and what really pisses me off, what really gets under my skin is that I’m obviously being used. See, while the romantic side of this match is me getting the shot to begin with and people complaining, the real narrative that the company iosd pushing forward with is I’m the first “threat” and that I called Griffin out on his way to the next supercard and to Jack Washington…”

“Are you kidding me?.”

“I called out Griffin, I called him out and I said I would EARN my way to him, but SCW put me in this match two weeks after he beat Ben. And why?. Why would they do that? Why would they have Griffin Hawkins vs Alex Jones and then remind everyone Jack Washington ran his mouth? Because, they think since Griffin Hawkins won against me before, Griffin can beat me again, get a win under his belt and go on to the next supercard to face the golden boy….right?”

He scoffs, rolling his eyes. His anger and frustration boiling over. He steps back and forth, the light from above still on him with nothing around. Nothing to distract you or take your focus off of Alex. He is the focal point. Get it? Metaphors!

”If you think, for one damn second that I won’t get off on destroying SCW’s plans and forcing them to change everything, then you don’t know me at all. See, I am all about being the variable, the intangible, the pain in the ass. That is all me. I have stood back, deliberately, I have watched others go on to be champions and I have done it with a smile on my face like a proud father watching his kids go to school for the first time, but now it’s MY time. Now it’s MY narrative. This is about Alex Jones winning his tenth world title, and yes, I am still searching for that. I have been winning other titles and tag titles and all that jazz but I am still on the hunt for number ten and if you think I’m not willing to destroy Griffin to get it?...well you’re dumb as shit…”

“Thing is, I like Griffin. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he is a stand up guy. I like Griffin as a human being and he has a great taste in music and is respectful and works hard. And he has great hair. Hell, as a world champion he’s even pretty good. Pretty good, not great. I mean, we get it Griffin, you had this as a goal. You wanted this. The dream since you stepped into the company. So amazing, so poetic, so heartwarming. So generic. It’s all of us Griffin, even me. We all want to be the SCW world champion, if you don’t then you shouldn’t be in the company. Shit Caleb Storms and that moron Stephen Callaway want to be the damn world champion too.”

“But, you did it. You reached your dream and your goal. Congratulations. Really Griffin. You beat Ben Jordan, that is no easy thing to do, you beat me, you went on a great Roulette run. You’re a great wrestler Griffin. You’re a great athlete. But this, this is just business…”

“I want my damn tenth world title. I want my time in the spotlight and it is your job to stop me. It’s your job to step on MY dreams and to live yours. And the difference between us Hawkins is that you’ll smile, shake my hand and wish me luck, I’ll smile, shake your hand, and get ready to stab you right in the back and snatch that pretty gold belt off your shoulder or from around your waist. People like you win the big one, have that wonderful feel good moment in the sun and raise the title over your head, then don’t go on. Because you don’t have the killer instinct to do what needs to be done. You’re not like Fenris, Austin, Ben or me.”

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I’m saying when push comes to shove, you don’t know when to pull the trigger Griffin…”

“The Internet and Roulette titles are different than that one. They are different in how you feel when you hold it. How you present yourself and what people will do to get it. You and I went to war for the Roulette title and in the end you won, you had your hand raised and I give you full credit for it. I’m not here to take that away from you or say it was some kind of fluke. On that night, Griffin Hawkins was better than Alex Jones.”

Alex slowly applauds and nods his head. It was a real admission. An admission of honesty but also failure. Something that has annoyed and burned in Alex's mind for months. He failed against Griffin, he watched Austin win two singles championships, he watched Alicia win the bombshells title twice, go on a hell of a run and become a star. It was his turn now…

”But, what now? I have spent months sitting in the mixed tag division, earning more defences than anyone else has. I have been watching others build themselves up and be looked at as better than me. I watched Austin lose to Vinnie, I watched you beat Ben. I’m done watching Griff. I’m done sitting on the sideline and I can change everything by getting in that ring and simply being the best. Las Vegas Nevada, Sam’s town...Climax Control...Alex Jones versus Griffin Hawkins...you had a hell of a run, you deserve what you got...but...I’m going to take it all away Griffin….”