After the last few weeks I've had, I feel like relaxing...so I decided to head down to my usual hangout, Ray's Tavern, best bar in Los Angeles. It had been quite a while since I've been there, hope they remember me. And so I walk in to the sounds of people playing pool, watching the football game on TV or just chatting with one another. I walked in past some of the people and headed up to the bar. The bartender notices me and smiles.
Ray Wilkins: Well, look who shows up!
I can't help but smile...crazy old Ray always had that sense of humor.
Griffin Hawkins: Long time no see Ray...
Ray Wilkins: I'll say...we were starting to think you thought you were too good to drink with us anymore now that you've become this big star.
Griffin Hawkins: Come on Ray...you know I'd never forget this place.
Ray Wilkins: Good to hear...so what'll ya have?
Griffin Hawkins: Just one beer...I'm not gonna stay long, wife's cooking dinner tonight.
Ray Wilkins: True Boy Scout till the end. That'll be a dollar.
I put a dollar down as he pours me some beer in a small glass. It really felt good to be back in my old hangout, but I didn't have time to reminisce about the old times. I noticed a familiar young man sitting a few bar stools down from me. I go down to investigate him..he had short brown hair and looked to be in his early 30s to late 20s.
Griffin Hawkins: ...Aiden?
He then turns around and looks to me.
Aiden Ravencroft: Well surprise surprise.
Aiden was Amanda's brother...heir to the Ravencroft throne. He was set to take over as soon as his father Clark and his mother Cassandra steps down. Me and him...didn't exactly get along a long time ago due to family tension..so I was unsure of what was gonna happen.
Griffin Hawkins: ...Is this stool taken?
Aiden Ravencroft: Nah...I ain't waiting for anybody. Knock yourself out.
I slowly sit down beside him.
Griffin Hawkins: You were the last person I expected to see in here..I mean no offense but your family is a pretty big deal in this city..
Aiden Ravencroft: Hey, rich or poor...I always enjoy a good beer after a long day of work.
Griffin Hawkins: Yeah, me too.
This was probably the first conversation me and him ever had..not a bad start so far.
Aiden Ravencroft: Listen um...Griff, I know back in the day I've been kind of a dick to you. I had a lot of personal problems going on and..I may have taken them out on you which was pretty messed up.
Griffin Hawkins: Hey it's okay man...we all were going through something back then.
Aiden Ravencroft: That still doesn't make it right...I mean why should I hate somebody just because they are the family's competition? So right now I wanna put all this shit behind us and start a new.
Griffin Hawkins: ...I'd like that.
He smiles and takes a sip of his beer.
Aiden Ravencroft: So..what brings you to this place?
Griffin Hawkins: Oh just having a beer...seeing some old friends, you?
Aiden Ravencroft: Eh..just need a place to unwind.
Griffin Hawkins: Then why do you look so stressed?
He looks down in his glass before taking a deep breath.
Aiden Ravencroft: Can I confide in you with something?
Griffin Hawkins: Sure..
Aiden Ravencroft: The old man is stressing me out..talking about me taking over the company when he retires.
Griffin Hawkins: Well..is this what you want? I mean you don't have to follow in his footsteps.
Aiden Ravencroft: Oh no..I do. It's just that...I dunno if I can do it. Running a hotel franchise is a huge deal. I'm gonna have a million people depending on me. If I screw up, it'll kill the company.
Griffin Hawkins: Well you've obviously been paying attention to the old man over the last few years of your life, I think you'll do great.
Aiden Ravencroft: A lot of times I wish I had my sister's guts...Amanda was always a free spirit, I always got pressure put on me because I am the oldest.
Griffin Hawkins: I see..so..what are you gonna do?
Aiden Ravencroft: I don't know...
Just then a young lady with brown hair comes up to me, running her hand down my shoulder.
Lola: Hey handsome...care to buy me a drink?...
Griffin Hawkins: Sorry miss, I'm married.
Lola: She doesn't really have to know..
Griffin Hawkins: Really ma'am..I..
Just then I see her boyfriend come up to me.
Chad: Hey..the fuck you doing hitting on my girl?
I had a feeling she was trying to get him jealous.
Griffin Hawkins: Look man she came on to me..I wanted nothing to do with her.
Chad: But that didn't stop you from checking her out now did it?
Griffin Hawkins: Dude..I don't want any trouble..
He then started shoving me, I had to defend myself somehow...but before I could, Aiden got up and knocked him senseless with one punch. I was shocked as hell to see that. He straightens his suit jacket as he looks down on the man as his girlfriend helps him out.
Griffin Hawkins: ...Holy shit man!
He just smirks.
Aiden Ravencroft: You can repay me by buying me another drink.
I couldn't help but accept. I had no idea how bad he had it though...he was going to ascend to a higher point in his life and he wasn't ready for it...yet he defended me tonight. I think he might be ready for the next step..I hope I am.
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~Many years ago~
I was happy Marquis took me in...another person wouldn't have given a chance on some street kid who just tried to rip them off, but yet...he took me in which was really surprising.
But there was something else I had yet to discover.
One night I had decided to get some Pizza at the same place we ate at when we first met. I figured he was probably hungry so I got a full box of it..a meat lovers pizza. After paying for it, I decide to make the trip home...thankfully his apartment was right down the block. The smell of the pizza was so intoxicating and I couldn't wait to share it with Marquis. But as I headed into the neighborhood, I heard what sounded like a struggle. I figured I should just keep walking before whoever's hurting the other hurts me. But I thought I heard Marquis' voice. I decide to go down the alley to investigate. As I slowly walk though the alley I see the fight...and it turns out it was Marquis. Some thug was fighting with him in the alley, I go to help him but what happened next shocked me. I watched as his fangs sank into his neck. I drop the Pizza in shock. He turns to me...realizing I was there this whole time.
Marquis Laveaux: ....Griffin...
With a shriek, I run away out of the alley....I kept questioning what I just saw...did he just bite into that man's neck? I didn't stick around long enough to ask...for all I know I could've been next. I keep running until I come to a dead end. Before I could leave I see Marquis coming over, blood still around his lip.
Marquis Laveaux: Griff....
Griffin Hawkins: Get the fuck away from me man!
Marquis Laveaux: Just calm down..
Griffin Hawkins: Calm down!? You just mauled that guy like a mountain lion on a antelope! I will not calm down!
Marquis Laveaux: If you just listen to me it will all make sense..please.
I really didn't know whether to run away or stay...but something told me to listen to him.
Griffin Hawkins: Okay...
Marquis Laveaux: I know it's not easy for you to believe...but I'm a Vampire.
I just look at him oddly. Is he serious?
Griffin Hawkins: That's your explanation?...you're a Vampire?
Marquis Laveaux: When was the last time you saw somebody bite into someone else's neck?
Griffin Hawkins: Vampires aren't real..it's just in movies like Dracula or The Lost Boys, I never seen a real life Vampire before.
Marquis Laveaux: That's just typical Hollywood garbage...I'm the real deal.
Griffin Hawkins: ....This is all too weird...
Marquis Laveaux: I know it's all hard for you to take..I was gonna tell you eventually..
Griffin Hawkins: Before...or after you kill me?
Marquis Laveaux: Why would i kill you? I took you in when you didn't have a home.
Griffin Hawkins: How do I know I can trust you?...
Marquis Laveaux: You're just gonna have to take your chances. When I said that you reminded me of myself when I was younger..I meant myself in my former life, before I became this. Back when I ran from my problems and didn't have anybody.
That's one thing we seem to have in common..
Griffin Hawkins: ...I understand.
Marquis Laveaux: I promise...as long as you stay by my side, I'm not gonna hurt you.
I look him in the eyes...looking for sincerity.
Griffin Hawkins: ....Well, I guess this means I'm gonna have to eat that Pizza all by myself...seeing as you had your dinner tonight.
He just smirks.
Marquis Laveaux: I'm sure Tristian will help you eat it..let's go home.
We walk away out of the alley. I had to be out of my mind...I have a Vampire for a friend, what was gonna happen to me from here on? If I only knew...
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Cameras open in a different place for once...Home Depot. It's obviously after hours seeing as no one else is there. Luckily I'm good friends with the manager, having bought all my hardcore weapons in the past from this store. I sit uptop on what looks to be a tall ladder, dressed in black ripped jeans and a Rocky Horror Picture Show T-Shirt. I look down at the camera man and begin to speak.
"Success...the one thing that everyone thirsts for. We all want to climb the proverbial ladder rung by rung until we reach up and snatch the brass ring. We are looking to ascend to the next level. Sometimes we succeed....sometimes we stumble. In my career I have faced adversity. It always seems no matter what...every time I wanted something, someone was there to stop me. Someone was there to keep me back...thinking I don't deserve to have the success that I desire. Last week...Christian Underwood came out to tell me...that I don't deserve to be the number one contender. Sure..I beat Ryan Keys and made him tap out in the middle of the ring...by all rights I should be first in line for a shot. But he wants me to earn it...despite beating the Internet Champion fair and square in the middle of the ring. I have to fight James Tuscini..the former Champion in a ladder match for the right to become number one contender. But hey...I'm not gonna complain. Because once again this is my chance to prove that I am Championship material by putting my body on the line in one of the most dangerous matches in SCW. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to climb that ladder and take what is rightfully mine. And as much I respect James Tuscini..business is business, and I gotta do what I gotta do if I want to become Champion. Christian Underwod can throw as much trash in my way he wants..but nothing will stop me from becoming SCW Internet Champion."
I slowly begin descending the ladder slowly, continuing to speak as I reach the bottom.
"Let's talk about the challenger himself...James Tuscini....the Italian Dragon. This man has had quite a career here..former Internet Champion...multi time Roulette Champion..2016 Rookie of the year. This man is no pushover. In a lot of ways I respect him. He's like a modern day Rocky Balboa...he's got all this passion, all this heart, all this determination to be the best at what he does today. I'm not taking anything away from him whatsoever because he is a hell of an athlete. But this...this is no movie. The good guy is not gonna ride off into the sunset. This is reality. And the reality is...James Tuscini is standing in my way of becoming the number one contender to the Internet Title. In this ladder match...I am looking to pull out all the stops. I've won Championships before in ladder matches, and I onetime won a World Title Briefcase in one. I ask Tuscini to bring everything he has if he wants to win this. But it seems lately...he doesn't know what he wants.."
I figured he needed to listen to this for himself.
"It seems as of late you have been all over the place...wanting to go for the tag titles, then later the internet title, and then having some little cat fight with Dmitri...and all this was last week on Climax Control! You seem to have a million things going on at once..running around starting fires and starting wars that you don't need to fight. But I wonder if I have all of your attention with all the gaga that's going on. Quite frankly, for your sake I hope I do. Because this is your chance to reclaim your Internet Title, and if you blow it...that'll be just another failed endeavor on your career highlights. Me, I'm different. Before I had aspirations to go for any titles...I made sure to get rid of that annoying pain in my ass Steve Ramone. After I sent him packing...there was nobody else stopping me from carving my own path to success here in SCW. Unlike you...I have no distractions holding me back. I don't have like a million people following me around wherever I go trying to decide things for me. Everything I've done, I've done on my own...and I set my goals one at a time. I'm looking to become the Internet Champion..everything else is secondary."
I wanted Tuscini to be focused...if I win this match I don't want any excuses.
"I also wanna ask you something James...you really think that Dmitri gives a shit about you? You really think he's your BFF? I saw the look in his eyes last week when you asked him for a title shot should he retain his belt..and what does your oh so good friend do? He turned you down like the prettiest girl in school turning down the class nerd...making excuses claiming you haven't proven yourself. Hell..you're the reason he's no longer Champion today. Don't you get it yet? He is using you...you're nothing more than a puppet to him. He pulls the strings and you dance. Hell, I bet when you wanna go to the bathroom you have to raise your hand and ask permission...he probably wipes your ass for you too. I bet if he told you to put on a dress and dance you'd do it in a heartbeat. Last week you had a chance to tell him that you and him are done..but you didn't. When was the last time you stood on your own two feet? When was the last time you were a man? It's almost as if you have Stockholm Syndrome. Hell..you should be in conversation with the powers that be about an actual shot at the World Heavyweight Title seeing as you beat Calvin Harris a few weeks ago...but no, you're gonna allow your oh so good friend Dmitri to go for it while you remain in his shadow. You made mention on Climax Control last week how you're gonna be a singles champion by the end of the year....but are you gonna be a champion?...or are you gonna continue to be Dmitri's little bitch? I want to ascend to the next level in my SCW career..while you would rather stay on the same level you've been on in the last few months"
I just shake my head.
"Your problem James is you're willing to settle for being mediocre. You beat Calvin Harris in a non title match...but you're not gonna go for the title because you know for a fact that you won't get so lucky like you did before. On Climax Control you mentioned you're actually PROUD of the fact that you got eliminated third in the Tag Team Battle Royal. I mean..that's an accomplishment to you? That's like being the smartest kid in a special school.
And now the Internet Title is in your sights..and if you want it...you gotta climb this ladder you see here to get it. But there's also a possibility that you will NOT be the number one contender...chances are it may be me who climbs up and grabs that briefcase...and I'm not gonna waste any time once it's in my arms. My eyes are on that belt...and you are just another obstacle for me to overcome. For you...it'll be just another title chance that you failed to get for yourself. See, you already lost the title to Ryan Keys at Violent Conduct IV, and this chance at redemption won't go as well as you think. Because as far as I'm concerned, you're looking at the next Sin City Wrestling Internet Champion."
James Tuscini was a big chance for me to prove myself, I wasn't gonna take it lightly.
"Now....this match is a ladder match. There's no rules....no pinfalls..no submissions..and no excuses.
See, this isn't my first ladder match as I said earlier...I didn't just decide this match on a whim. I decided this match so I can prove myself that I am willing to put my body on the line...that I am willing to risk my well being..that I am willing to put my life on the line just to become Champion. Anyone who has followed my career knows that I know how to bring it in a ladder match....but you probably haven't done your homework on me. You're not prepared for what I'm gonna do to you. You don't know the lengths I'll go just to reach up and grab that contract...but in a matter of days....you'll know. By the end of the match...you will know. You will know why I am bar none one of the greatest athletes in the sport today. I realize you're this...bad ass Italian who takes no shit from anybody, and judging by your matches as of late, you live up to your moniker. But the truth is...you have never faced an athlete like me in your life.
You're gonna know first hand what Griffin Hawkins is all about."
I begin to climb the ladder until I stop right in the middle of it.
"Sad thing is Jimmy...is that if Christian was thinking...which isn't his strong suit, this all would have been settled in a simple way. I would've had no problem giving you a title shot after I beat Ryan Keys. Hell, I wouldn't even had minded if this was a Triple Threat Ladder Match...yet...here we are. You and me...for that contract that's gonna be hanging high above our heads. I got no problem with it honestly...I mean, I have been in many ladder matches in my career and this one is no different. Because once that bell rings...there is going be nobody to stop me from taking that contract. And you can bring your little entourage...Winky and Blinky or whatever the hell their names are to give you that extra advantage...but it makes no difference. You and Christian are only delaying the inevitable. I beat the Internet Champion last week...and as far as I'm concerned, I'm the uncrowned Internet Champion. But for it to be official, I'm gonna go through you. Do people think I'm gonna come all this way only to get stopped by the forgotten Mario Brother? I don't think so. If you think you hit rock bottom at Violent Conduct IV when you lost the Internet Title...trust me..you're gonna feel a lot worse after this Sunday."
I then climb some more until I am on top of the ladder, looking down at the camera man.
"The view from here is...quite nice. But the one thing that will make this view even better...is when I am holding the the contract to the Internet Title Match over my head. I am on a mission to ascend to an even higher plain..and you, you'll continue to drop further and further down the ladder of success here in SCW. I'm no stranger to gold...and the one gold that catches my eye....is the same one you're after. There can only be one winner of this match, and that is gonna be me. I'm not looking past you at all to get my hands on Ryan Keys once again, because I consider you a threat in that ring. You've held gold many times and you put on some damn good matches and you pulled out some impressive victories. But none of them have been against me, and that is not gonna change. So you got till now and Sunday to prepare for this match....because if you're not ready for me and the pain and carnage that I'm about to bring...then you'll lose. You'll have no choice but to sit back and watch as I go on to defeat Ryan Keys to become Internet Champion. As a matter of fact....he's gonna have a front row seat to this event. I want him to see everything that I do to you. Till then....sleep well."
The camera man pans away from me, turning off everything and ending the segment.
