Prologue - “The highest of highs, the lowest of lows.”
It was meant to be my most important moment.
I stood in the ring and I heard the roars of the crowd around me. The pressure that had built throughout the match bubbled and overflowed at the top. When the end came, when my music hit and the Hellsgate title was handed to me the emotional came from myself and the fans. They knew someone who wouldn’t give up on them was now a champion.
And I knew I was right. That this was my calling.
That being a professional wrestler was what I was put on this earth to do. And to be.
The pure elation I felt holding the championship, knowing my wife was at home with our newborn son, knowing the rest of my family was watching me. It was something not easily described. A feeling of pride and happiness. My heart beating so fast and full of light. It was a feeling only beaten by the marriage to Lisa and the birth of my son.
I was on top of the world. I had all I wanted. A great home life, a successful career and the rift between myself and my father had been healed and we actually liked each other.
I should have seen it coming.
I should have known those good times couldn’t last.
But never in a million years would I have guessed what dark cloud was about to come over my family and my life. I never even thought of it. First was the break-up. I was blindsided. They were so happy, so perfect for one another. I saw in my father's eyes the pure love he had for Elena. I saw the same from her. I saw Isabella look at my father like he was one of the greatest men in the world.
But the break up could be handled. The separation was not the end of the world. But his death?. That brought the walls crashing around us all. The sun that shone on all our lives and the happiness we all had disappeared into the darkness in seconds. I went from on top of the world to buried underneath it.
I watched part of my family disintegrate and my father pass on….
But I’m not going to let it end me, I’m not going to let it stop my momentum or my career. He wouldn’t want that. And with my wife and son behind me, while they sit at home I want to give them both something to be proud of, something to care about. Because they are what I fight for.
My family will not fade away into the night.
Even without our patriarch….
Rest in peace Christian Mercer…..your memory will never die, as your legacy...is now my own
Scene One-Generations
Off Camera
Garrison New York
A few months ago
No one could escape the mood in the apartment. An apartment once filled with laughter and happiness now seemed dark and heavy. It felt claustrophobic. Lisa walked through the kitchen and down the hallway, her beautiful face normally done up in dramatic makeup to reflect her personality was now natural, her face showing the weight of the world on her shoulders. The sadness inside at the loss of a man she thought of as a father. A man who offered guidance and love. The glue that held the family together.
She was numb, numb to the world and numb to the people who loved her and that she loved. But a voice seemed to cut through the fog, it came from inside Marcus’ bedroom. A small beam of light coming through the crack in a straight line dancing across the dark hallway floor. As Lisa got closer she could see through pushing the door lightly to open it finding Austin standing inside, their young son in his arms, his deep voice in a small whisper.
“I’m sorry Marcus.” His hand cradled behind Marcus’ head, his little body resting across his large forearm as Austin moved around the room. His son looked up sleepily at his father, his little eyes studying his face. Austin couldn’t help but smile slightly. The look of unconditional love warming him. Lisa listened closely wondering why her husband apologized to their son. Austin sighed heavily and took a deep breath in trying to hold back tears.”He loved you. He really did. The day you were born he stood there in the hospital with a smile I had never seen…”
Austin trailed off, his voice heavy as his heart as he cleared his throat and bounced Marcus a little to calm him down. Austin’s eyes trailed from his son to a small frame sitting on a chest of drawers next to Marcus’ crib. “I never got to know him as well as I wanted. I always thought I had more time. And when your mom got pregnant with you, well, I thought we could get to know him together.” A lump formed in Austin’s throat as he sighed heavily. Lisa grabbed the door biting her lip but resisting every urge to step in and hold her husband.
“I won’t make his mistakes Marcus. I won’t leave it too late. I won’t let time slip away.” Austin couldn’t hold it, tears started to stream down his cheeks as he lowered Marcus into his crib, the newborn staring up at his father making little noises. “I’ll never take you for granted. And you’ll know every day you have a father that loves you….just like I loved your grandfather…” Austin slowly looked back up at the picture. A photo of Christian and Elena together, both smiling and happy.
“And I still love you….Mom….”
Scene Two-The Advice I never had…
Off Camera
New York, New York
A few months ago.
They all stared, the whole group of trainees and trainers at Wolf's Lair. This had been his father's idea. A place for training the next generation. Christian Mercer had been a silent partner, working alongside Alex Jones and his wife Sonja. A few months ago in preparation for his return to the ring Austin had turned up, Alex agreed to help him train. It felt like home. A place where his father had put in so much time, money and effort. But now they all stood looking at him. Austin's blood boiled. He had felt nothing the last few days, he had been numb.
But now with all the looks of pity and sadness, he felt the anger rise in his heart. His long hair tied away from his face as he tilted his head sideways staring back at them all. A glare that could end them if looks could kill. Before Austin could say anything a voice perked up from behind him. An angelic female voice. That of Sonja Jones, one of his fathers best friends. It was lower than usual with a weight of sadness that Austin knew too well. “Baby boy what are you doing here?”
Austin turned and smiled lightly before offering a hug, Sonja wrapped her arms around him and let out a deep sigh. Austin pulled back and looked down at his workout bag. Sonja sighed and shook her head slowly. “No, not today, not now. You should be with your wife and son…” He let out a deep sigh and looked away. “Sonja, I just...I needed to get out. Lisa and I had a little fight, tensions are high...I need this…” Sonja looked into his eyes and gave a small nod motioning towards the locker room. Austin grabbed his bag walking in and after a few minutes coming out in his gear, everyone again stopped and stared as silence filled the large gym. Sonja whispered to Alex Jones who looked up and called Austin over to an empty ring in the corner.
“You sure about this kid?” Alex’s voice was soft and calm, Austin popped up onto the apron and gave a small nod, Alex stepped back and moved around. “Alright, you can work with me…” The tension and silence was almost deafening. Alex and Austin squared up to one another, Austin towering over Alex. They locked up and Austin tried to use his anger pushing it into his strength, but as he pushed Alex back Alex relaxed and turned using Austin's own body weight against him throwing the much larger man onto his back.
“You can’t wrestle angry kid.” Austin growly and powered out throwing Alex off him, they got to their feet and went to tie up, the other trainees all watching now as Alex ducked under grabbing Austin’s arm into a hammerlock, he kept himself behind Austin who tried to use his power to get up, this time Alex tripped the bigger man to the mat and held him there. “Strength doesn’t always mean an advantage, Aus.”
Austin relaxed and Alex let him up, Austin swallowed and looked ready to go but Alex just shook his head before turning sharply to the others standing around “Don’t you all have drills to do?” His voice was full of authority and a little anger as they all sprung to life. Alex leaned back against the ropes and sighed heavily running a hand through his hair as Austin stood silent and stoic. The anger seeming to disappear slowly. “Kid, you shouldn’t be here...you have to deal with the grief…”
“Sonja is here…”[/colo] Alex smiled slowly and shook his head. “She was close to your dad, but she’s throwing herself into work and see over there in the office?. Dylan is in there, asleep. She has me and our son close at hand.” Alex paused for a moment putting his hand on Austin’s shoulder. “You need ti-” “How would you know?”
Austin blurted out and Alex sighed with a shake of his head before swallowing and lowering his voice in a whisper. “I was 17 when I left home. The last thing my father said to me was “good don’t come back.”..” He sighed again trying to build up the courage to say more. “My father was a piece of shit Aus, and I never saw him alive again, four years later I finally walked through the door...and he was gone. I never got to say goodbye, I never got to mend that fence. You did….” Alex takes a deep breath. [color-red]“Your dad wasn’t perfect, he and I had a lot of history...but he tried...and he was so proud of the man you had become…..he loved you…” Austin took a sharp breath in and wiped his eyes as Alex moved around and locked up with him to hide the emotion Austin was showing from everyone else.
“It’s ok kid…..it’s ok….”
Scene Three-Legacy…
On Camera
New York, New York
A few days ago.
The cold spring breeze blew across the street as Austin James Mercer stood with his arms crossed over his large chest. His long brown hair flowing down over his shoulders and back. His piercing brown eyes staring ahead as they seem to blaze in anger.
”SCW, a new company taking over the one I signed with after my WWH tenure ended. I was one of the hottest free agents on the market. Honor came to me and said they wanted a new star. A man with a legacy, a prodigy. Someone who would get in the ring and fight with respect and honor, excuse the pun. See, for years I was the youngest member of the Mercer clan. My family ran the Northeast in the early days of the last century, my great, great grandfather, his sons and daughters and so on and so forth all the way to my father Christian…”
“Christian Mercer is a name that should have been huge. With the global expansion of professional wrestling and where this sport was heading my father should have been the biggest star or one of the biggest stars in the early 90’s through to the mid-2000’s. He should have been a multi-time world champion. The first in a list of names from my family to be that bright shining light. My uncles, my aunts, they were all too old to make the impact needed but my father was the right age, the right look, the right skills to become “the man”. But, he didn’t….”
“So, what went wrong?. Why is it that he faded away and never realized the potential he had or the dream of our family?”
“It wasn’t something he wanted. See my father wanted to be successful but also saw what this business had done to members of our family. Drug addiction, corruption, injuries. He never wanted that for himself or for me. He took consulting jobs, got his MBA in business and went to work for Athos corp, one of the biggest companies in Vegas, managing casinos and all sorts of businesses and he was good at it. But the itch was there, the business is in our blood and for a time he trained younger wrestlers. He then stepped into the ring after I had started training…
Austin laughs to himself, his mind flashes back to those early days, teaming with his father, working out in the gym, Growing closer despite Christians reluctance to step into Austin's career.
”He teamed with me in IWF, he managed me until we left the company. I joined Honor the first time, he fell in love with Elena DeDraca, one of the most talented women this business has ever seen. He was still involved with wrestling but in a way he enjoyed. He helped manage Wolfslair training facility. And as I took charge of my own destiny and career I saw the smile on his face. I saw a look of pride. He finally realized that our families name and legacy was going to live, and thrive and grow. But it would be under MY watch. I would be the Mercer to stand above all and reach the heights and levels that he should have.”
“Just as I had reached the first ceiling, just as I knocked on the glass, smiled and broke through tragedy struck. Just after I won the WWH Hellsgate championship my father passed away. He left behind a wife who loved him, a stepdaughter who thought the world of him, a grandson who was robbed of the chance to know him, a daughter in law who looked at him as a father. And me, a son who needed his guidance and love. A son who just wanted to make him proud.”
“Since his passing, I have had so much to be grateful for. I have Elena in my life as a mother, I have my wife Lisa, our son Marcus and a daughter on the way. I signed a contract with Honor wrestling and from the time I stepped into that company, it felt like home. And I started to beat EVERYONE they put in front of me. From winning the mayhem survival match to beating the former Honor champion, Kevin Hunter. The fans around the world were reminded of the monster that I can be. And look at me. I’m six foot six, two hundred and sixty-five pounds of bad news. I’m a natural athlete with this business in my blood.”
Austin growls the last few words and seems to stand up even straighter pushing his chest out to show his broad shoulders and large arms not being hidden very well under the black and red “Wolfslair” shirt that clings to his body.
”But, natural ability and a second nature only gets you so far. I also have the heart and soul needed to be successful. The drive to be the best. It’s a drive I see in Mickey Carroll's eyes. I was familiar with Mickey when I came to Honor. I saw his tag wars, I saw him stand side by side with the Bad Boys until he stepped out on his own and claimed that spotlight. I saw him go to war with the best Honor wrestling had to offer including Alex Jones. I also know this isn’t your first merry-go-round in SCW.”
“In Honor though, in Honor, you reached the potential many thought you had and now you still stand on top of the mountain. You hold a title that many others tried to make matter. Alex did somewhat but you have been able to keep it at that level. You and your reign are something to aspire to. I’m not here to shit on it or call you names or disrespect you. You have earned the right to look at everyone else from Honor or in SCW and say that you are the best and you are the measuring stick. You might even be better than Fenris. But here we are, ready to face each other for the said title and I can promise you I will fight tooth and nail for this. I will get in that ring and I will do everything I can, within the rules to walk out as the champion. And hey you might just be that damn good and hand me my first loss in six months. You might just be that good that you can slow down the rise and legacy of Austin James Mercer…”
“Or….you might not.”
“I’m not like anyone else you have faced Mickey, I’m sure you’ve been in the ring with some truly great wrestlers. Alex included. But I’m special. It’s not even ego when I say something like that. There are very few people on this earth who come close to bringing to the table what I have. Strength, size, speed, technique, knowledge and I’m even entering into the prime of my career. It’s not a certainty I’ll beat you, Mickey. Not at all. But you are facing an uphill battle as you return to SCW and I make my debut. Win or lose let us make this match one to remember.”
