In addition to wrestling and my band, I also have an interesting job. These days everyone is out for themselves. People are out to cheat others, people who only care about themselves. So I took it upon myself to open a little business. You could say it's a Detective Agency. I already solved a successful case months ago and I figured I could help more people.
I'm not doing this for money.
I'm doing this for the helpless...I only hope I can make things better for everyone. On Monday I was sitting in the office reading over the newspaper, checking for any current events that would help me out. I then hear the voice of my secretary on the intercom.
Kaydence Montgomery - Griff? There's someone here that wants to see you.
Griffin Hawkins: Cool, send her in..
In walks a young woman with brown hair, around 27. She has a bright smile on her face.
Griffin Hawkins: Amanda!
It was my old friend from my teenage years...Amanda Ravencroft, heiress of the Ravencroft fortune. The media saw her as this spoiled little princess, but I knew she was far from that. We embrace in a hug.
Amanda Ravencroft: Long time no see!
Griffin Hawkins: I'll say, how you've been?
Amanda Ravencroft: Oh..pretty good. What about you? How's your son? Is the little guy keeping you up at night?
Griffin Hawkins: Yeah, he takes after me after all.
Amanda Ravencroft: That's good to know.
Griffin Hawkins: So what brings you here? Did you come to catch up?
I notice the expression on her face go from happiness to seriousness.
Amanda Ravencroft: I wish it was all that was. Griff...I think my Dad might be up to something..
Griffin Hawkins: Look if it's about him not approving of you seeing that new guy, you need to tell him you're a grown man.
Amanda Ravencroft: It's not about that...I think my Dad might be up to something..
Griffin Hawkins: You mean like...Illegal?
Amanda Ravencroft: Dexter had found some...documents in his office before he got fired. It looked to be a huge sum of money owed to some guy named Samson.
Griffin Hawkins: Your Dad's the CEO of the hotel business Amanda, of course he's gonna owe money.
Amanda Ravencroft: I've checked around, no one in the hotel business has the name Samson..
Griffin Hawkins: So...why do you come to me?
Amanda Ravencroft: I want you to check it out...see what's going on.
Griffin Hawkins: Amanda..this could be dangerous, I don't even know what he's hiding..I got a family to think about, my wife and two kids..what if something happens to me?
Amanda Ravencroft: Nothing will happen unless you blow your cover. Just be secretive about it...
Griffin Hawkins: Amanda I don't know...
Amanda Ravencroft: Please?..You're always helping everyone out, I figure I can come to you. I can't go to the cops, I have no proof..and if I go to him, he'll deny it. You're my last hope.
I can see she really wants this...I had never seen anyone beg me this much for help.
Griffin Hawkins: ...Okay, I'll do it.
She cheers happily, excited.
Amanda Ravencroft: Oh my God thank you!
Griffin Hawkins: But if anything gets traced back to me, I'll deny it. Just letting you know.
Amanda Ravencroft: I understand.
Griffin Hawkins: I'll go down to the hotel and see what I can find..
Amanda Ravencroft: Okay! Good luck!
She left the office as I sat back at my desk. What did I just get myself into? This probably was gonna be my most dangerous case. My only hope is nobody gets hurt out of this.
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Many Years Ago...
When I was still a struggling young rookie in the old days...I got chopped to hell on a daily basis. I came home sore every night. But there was one thing that I enjoyed which seemed less painful to go through...
Poker.
We would all meet in the arena every Wednesday Night to play. I decided to ask my longtime friend Melinda Rhodes
to join me for this occasion...I could use the good luck charm.
Melinda Rhodes: If it's strip poker, I'll choke you with my bra.
Griffin Hawkins: What?! No this is nothing like that! Just a straight game of poker.
Melinda Rhodes: Alright, but it's been awhile. I'm rusty as fuck and haven't played since I was fifteen against my aunt.... who I swear was cheating.
Griffin Hawkins: Great! I just need you in this game with me so I don't feel alone.
Melinda Rhodes: Fine, but you owe me big for this.
We head to the locker room where the others are waiting. Some are vets and and some are rookies just like me, looking more inexperienced than I do. Me and Mel take our seat as an old middle aged man walks in and sits at the table. This was the best Poker player in the locker room.."Diamond" Joe Blackston. Nobody had ever beaten him..
I knew I was in over my head. As I got the cards ready, I looked them over. Mel looked at me oddly.
Melinda Rhodes: What are you doing?
Griffin Hawkins: Looking over my cards?
Melinda Rhodes: You're supposed to have a poker face you goof, show me your poker face.
I give my best Poker face..trying to look serious.
Melinda Rhodes: You look like you just got done jacking off with Icy Hot...but that will have to do.
Throughout the game, I did my best to hang in there. I dunno how I lasted this long, luck had to have been on my side. The guys around the table dropped out one by one. Diamond Joe was a serious shark, I could see him looking me over.
Diamond Joe: It ain't too late for you to give up boy..spare yourself the humiliation and leave your money on the table.
I hated that arrogant southern accent of his...I wanted to wipe the smirk off his face.
Griffin Hawkins: No Joe...I'm in this till the end.
All the others eventually lost, leaving their money. Even Melinda lost the game, but she lasted longer than me. He decided to lay it down as the smirk spreads across his face.
Griffin Hawkins: Alright Joe...what do you got?
He laid down his cards...three sevens and two tens.
Diamond Joe: Full House...what you got pretty boy?
Griffin Hawkins: Oh man...all I got is four..
A small laugh escapes him.
Diamond Joe: Sorry bout your luck..
Griffin Hawkins: ....Four of a Kind.
His arrogant smirk leaves his face. I had beaten Diamond Joe at his own game. I get up and have my hand out.
Griffin Hawkins: Alright slick...pony up the money.
He reaches in his wallet and pulls out a hundred dollar bill...the same hundred I bet in this game.
Griffin Hawkins: Dude..this is a hundred..see I won, so you owe me more money.
Diamond Joe: Get lost kid, don't make me knock your teeth down your throat.
I couldn't believe this jackass was welshing on me.
Griffin Hawkins: Why you gotta cheat for man? You know what? I'm gonna tell all the guys when it comes to playing Poker..Diamond Joe likes to cheat.
He then slowly gets up.
Diamond Joe: You need to watch that mouth of yours boy..or I'm gonna shut it for you.
Mel saw the whole thing and decided to stand between us.
Melinda Rhodes - Easy Griff, easy...just calm down. I'm a master negotiator..I'm skilled in this area.
As she turned around, in one swift motion, she kicked Joe right in the groin, then deliver a quick punch, sending him into the poker table, knocking it over. As he lied there holding his privates in pain, Mel reaches into his pocket and gets the wallet, taking two 50 dollar bills out before dropping it at his feet.
Melinda Rhodes: Pleasure doing business with you Joe.
She hands me the money as we both leave the area, but we come across about three huge guys who don't look happy with what just happened. They happened to be friends of Joe.
Griffin Hawkins: Listen guys uh..it's been fun but we gotta go..seeya!
We both rush past them and run off as they chase us out of the arena. My Poker playing skills surely paid off on this night, little did I know, everything from here would be a much bigger gamble.
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Cameras come to the arena, I am in the hallway sitting at the bottom of the stairs dressed in black leather pants and a Motorhead "Ace of Spades" T-Shirt. In my hands look to be a deck of cards. I begin playing with them for a while before looking to the camera man.
"Many say...we're all dealt cards in the game of life. Sometimes it's good...sometimes it's bad. Sometimes we are satisfied with it...sometimes we try and change our destiny. My whole life I've always been dealt a different kind of card...I would sometimes succeed, other times I'd fail. But I realize that I can't reshuffle the deck. When I came to this company...I knew I'd be playing Poker with a couple of sharks, people who had worked their entire lives to get to this point. I honestly didn't know what would happen to me last week. But as fate would have it, Damian Payne got the Royal Flush as I ascended to the winner's circle. My debut went off without a hitch...but this time it's different. I face a whole different kind of animal, he goes by the name of Samuel Devereux. A man who has spent his whole life gambling on fate...and for the most part it seems to have paid off. But two major players will collide...Denmark's Gambit....and The Rock Soldier. The both of us are playing a high stakes game, and only one will walk out the winner and all the money. While I respect the man for all he's done...I am looking forward to this challenge as I move on through SCW."
It's hard to prepare for someone like this. He was a unique kind of guy who was looking to make a name for himself.
I draw a King of Clubs from the deck, laying it down.
"The King.....something we all desire to be. Ruler of the Sin City Kingdom. I've sat upon many thrones in my career as King...but not in this company. And in your promo, you were right. You and me Sammy....we're not so different. We're both to be perceived as odd....not like everyone else. We both want to be King. The both of us have yet to find some success in Sin City, who knows which road we will go after this match....but know this. I do what it takes to win. I have never been in the ring with someone like you in quite a while, but I've beaten down a lot of weird and wacky dudes in my long career...and while they seemed eccentric with the ability to get into your head.....they are all human. They are flesh and blood just like you and me. The preview of this show said that you are an enigma, a strange man who is hard to figure out. While you are an odd individual...one way or another I will find your weakness. And when that happens....you'll be out of the game."
Devereux was someone who was different from Damian Payne, not someone who relies on strength alone.
"Quite Honestly Sam....I don't really got a problem with you. Hell, I kinda like your style. The whole card thing, reminds me of Gambit from X-Men. But while I do respect you, business is business. I came to this company to prove that I am the best in the industry. That's the same reason you came back here. Just sitting at home watching all these guys claim they are the best at what they do...that gives you the itch to come back. While I am happy for the birth of your baby girl...I have to do what I have to do. And I expect no less from you Samuel. Unlike Damian Payne who looked to be dumber than a bag of sand...you look like somebody who knows their way around the ring. That's why I am looking most forward to step in the ring with you. Hell, this actually excites me. I'm not getting some run of the mill jabroni like Payne this week, I'm facing someone who's a step up. A victory over you Sammy....that would make my stock rise even higher."
For the next card, I put down the Jack of Spades.
"Oh yeah...The Jack. The song AC/DC made a song about. Just a rank beneath the King and Queen. He's also called a Knave...but Jack is more common. In France, the card was referred to as the Valet, and referred between the King and the Knight...leaving the Jack...or should I say...Valet remaining in the deck. You and me Sam..we're Jacks...we are currently right now in the opening card in SCW Climax, but the both of us want more. We both want to eventually go from opening the show...to closing it in the main event. The both of us want to be SCW Champion...and that may be one of us someday. So it's inevitable that we fight in that ring. Two Jacks squaring off to see who will eventually be King...I'm looking very forward to this battle..."
I then take another card out, laying it down.
"What would a King be without his faithful Queen? The Queen card outranks the Jack and the Knight.
I know you want to do everything to please your Queen...I know the feeling. My wife and my children were sitting front row last week as I achieved victory. Everything I do...I do for them. We both do everything for our family, we do right by them. So you know that in this match, I am looking to do everything it takes to win this. To me, family is always important. I swore to my newborn son last year that I would do the right thing by him no matter what it takes. I will fight for my family every day...just like you do. Family is important to us, that is what makes this match interesting. I know you want to make your baby girl proud of you..just like I want to make my son proud of me. So I say we go out there and not just make our family proud, let's make every fan who paid a ticket to see the show of a lifetime proud. Griffin Hawkins and Samuel Devereux, two superstars who have never met before on any stage. In this match, I will do whatever it takes to leave with my hand raised."
I had heard a lot about Samuel, part of me was excited to test my skills against him.
"You are indeed an enigma Sammy, weird and strange. You're not like that other musclehead I facedwho thought might makes right, you are a unique individual. You have an unorthodox style that...interests me. While mine on the other hand is simple. But every style has a weakness....mine has many...but if I can find your weakness....I will go after it. You can come at me with everything, flying moves, a power throw, hell you can shoot lasers from your eyes if that's what it takes. The one thing that I always do is adapt to my opponent. It doesn't matter if he's a high flyer..or a heavy bruiser, or a technical guy who has more moves than you can count. At the end of the night, I always find a way to rise to the occasion and get the victory. Last week I was in the ring with a man who was twice my size and threw me around like a ragdoll...and I managed to out wrestle him and pick up the win in my debut. Sammy, I haven't exactly figured out how I'll beat you. But once I do...you won't see it coming."
I then lay down the final card....The Joker.
"Oh yeah...everyone's favorite...The Joker. Like me.....the Joker is the wild card. Unpredictable at best.
As funny as this looks...I'm in no mood to be playing games. I'm rolling into Sin City to win...and prove that my first victory was no accident. You may be the unorthodox one of the two Samuel...but I'm not sure you'll know how to handle me in that ring. Because I'm not just a high flyer, I'm a technical wrestler as well. I know so many moves you will not know how to handle me. I am coming to Las Vegas to fight...just like you. And I will not rest until I am the winner. I respect you a great deal Sam, and I'm sure it won't be long until you get some more gold around your waist to add to your growing accolades in your trophy room. But that day...is not today. Today we are just days away from what many fans believe just may be the match of the night. If you beat me, I'll look you straight in the eye and shake your hand...will you do the same? Guess we'll find out...because I'm betting it all..."
I get up and leave the area as the cameras focus on the cards on the floor before fading to black.
