[Christian Underwood]

 Post all roleplays here.

[DoubleC]

 It all started with a simple tweet.

For many years Chris has followed Sin City Wrestling ever since it became a territory with the National Wrestling Alliance. From competing in the Cruiserweight Tournament to crown the Cruiserweight Champion (which the late Misty won) to participating in the Super J Cup that Atlantic Championship Wrestling held. Badass Championship Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling where the top regions, however Sin City Wrestling soon overtook them to beome the staple promotion, catching the attention of everyone in all the different territories, which lead to the man who brought the historical NWA World Heavyweight Championship to the land of Sin, Spike Staggs.

A shudder goes down his spine as he had attended Path to Glory pay per view, where the National Wrestling Alliance officially died after the actions of Mr Batee, the wrestling sheets over the years have said what the intended and agreed plan had been for the end of the show. However the biggest screw job in professional wrestling history occurred, belittling the NWA, the worlds heavyweight championship and leaving a sour taste for the retiring Spike Staggs. Wanting to leave on a high (in both the NWA and SCW) but cast into the shadows of disgrace thanks to Mr Batee.

Spike Stagg retired in SCW leaving behind some great matches of his time in the famous six sided ring. From defeating Nick Jones, headlining a stables war between new xtremes and supremacy, to headlining the second Blaze of Glory against Rage; even co-main eventing the first Blaze of Glory against the owners Mark Ward and Christian Underwood. When wrestlers joined the ranks of SCW they could only dream of achieving a small percentage of what Spike Staggs did in the promotion, no matter how short a tenure he had as an active competitor, no one could live up to his legend and that would be his everlasting legacy within the SCW.

Stepping aside as an active competitor is always a difficult decision, Chris Crippler had to make that very same decision himself when he took up his position as head trainer of a British promotion, streaming and downloading shows from all over the world would aid his students as he looked to mould their minds. Sin City Wrestling had always been one of the promotions Chris would watch and show in seminars. There had been many companies that took the world of professional wrestling by storm. Boardwalk Wrestling, Four Corners Wrestling, World Elite Wrestling, World Wrestling Headquarters to name but a few. However SCW always had a strong core roster, many big names passed through the six sided ring at one point or another, putting up shows of a high calibre that pay per views pushed wrestlers to find that sixth, seventh gear to up their game.

Last year Chris saw an opportunity to step back into the ring at a promising promotion, Skyfire Wrestling, at the tender age of 52 it was always going to be a struggle as he isn’t as young as what he once was. Despite maintaining a good training regimen and stepping into the odd match here and there at local events around the united kingdom, one off matches was completely different to competing on a weekly basis and traveling around the states, rolling back the years to perform against some great competitors and by doing so claiming championship after championship. Ageism and snorts seemed to plague Chris but the doubters where silenced, a tournament in Japan and Mexico opened up, beating current champions of other promotions and almost winning the La Azteca Rumble against eventual winner, Roxi Johnson. No one would have ever seen a 52 year old do what he had achieved yet the offers to appear on their promotions had trebled come the years end.

With the wonder of social media you see wrestlers from all over the place post lists of wrestlers they’d like to face, promotions they like to appear in, and accomplishments they’d like to try to achieve before the year is out. Many tagged Chris in their lists of people they’d like to face and promotions tagging him in posts of people they’d like to see wrestle in their ring. Normally not one to join in the fad but he took out a piece of paper and wrote a list. The top promotion he’d like to have graced in 2018 was Sin City Wrestling, people he’d liked to have faced had Mark Ward and Spike Staggs written on it, but he never thought that opportunity would arise yet he kept them on his list. The news broke about the closure of SCW and Chris didn’t want to lose the opportunity to at least feature in the six sided ring, contacting the relevant people to make it happen and thankfully he made his victorious SCW in-ring debut on the last Climax Control.

And It started with a simple tweet.

The admiration for Spike Staggs wasn’t just in the SCW, or for Mark Ward when Chris comes to think of it, it was when he came across a version of Global Championship Wrestling and then the GXW, where most of the people who featured in the early days of SCW had either had prominent careers in both organisations or where in the early stages of it. Chris had been very loyal during his tenure with the New Era Wrestling, despite the offers to join other promotions again being on the table, he was exclusive to the NEW but he had always been a student of the game. Watching promotions like NLCW, VWF, GXW and SCCW where always being watched on his laptop and television. A conversation with Mark Ward on twitter back in August resorted in a comment about a ‘dream match’ scenario, if Chris could face someone of SCW past or present, Chris said he’d loved to have faced Mark Ward or even Spike Staggs to test himself against the people he had watched and somewhat admired from afar.

Dreams do come true.

Sitting on a plane heading over to the United States when the news broke from Sin City Wrestling concerning the last ever show, Full Circle, getting his phone out of his breast pocket as it vibrated through alerts like mad, seeing that he would be performing almost halfway through the show against the former SCW and NWA World Heavyweight Champion. A smirk arises upon his face as he put his phone away and considered the match itself, thinking that the show’s name fitted this match very well, through the tweets and retweets and streaming countless shows over the years, SCW closes its doors and he faces the ‘dream opponent’ in the Hall of Fame inductee himself.

This has most definitely come full circle for Chris Crippler.  

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It is the night of the big championship match between Mark Storm and Chris Crippler, Global Wrestling Division’s American Justice Championship on the line, the match built as Hero versus Villain, Mark Storm being Everyone’s hero whilst Chris Crippler being the Villain you deserve. The match went back and forth, both showing why there rivalry from Skyfire to GWD via Japan has encapsulated audiences, leading to the first show of 2018 and both men leaving nothing between them. The match ending with the hero turning to be the villain and Chris Crippler steps out into the backstage area feeling battered, frustrated and somewhat belittled by the actions of the so-called hero; Slamming his clenched first against the fall in frustration as he wonders down the corridor and into the small changing room allocated to him.

Sitting down on the steel chair, grabbing the end of his taped wrists with his teeth and yanking it off, grabbing it with his other hand to pull the tape off in frustration and creaking his neck to the side as his phone rings. Leaning down into his bag to grab it to see ‘Wife’ is ringing him, usually after every match his wife rings to check up on him, and she knows the importance of this match with Mark Storm and what it’ll mean to break the duck by beating his sworn rival. However Chris taps the red telephone and switches the phone off, dropping it back into his bag and letting out a long sigh, he didn’t fancy talking to anyone about the event that just happened as Mark Storm claims another championship victory over Chris Crippler.

A knock comes at the door. “Go away!” Chris yells out immediately. Pulling his elbow pad off and dropping it down to the floor, just gazing forward with the numb feeling filling his body, the realisation and disappointment follow as the events replay over in his mind. In a moment of frustration he stands up, grabbing the chair and flings it across the room, the loud clatter of steel on cement wall echoes in the room. The knock comes again at the door and without a moment’s hesitation, rage filling his body as he slams his hand down on the handle and yanks the door open, ready to snap at the person beyond it but he stopped as he saw the person before him. His estranged daughter.

“Commiserations” Chris’ daughter says. “Mum told me how much this meant to you and my business is only a few hours away, I thought I’d come and see the show with my family, they’re not back here so please don’t ask to see your grandchildren, okay!” She says with a cold tone as Chris’ eyes dart beyond his daughter in hope but where dashed by that statement. “I don’t know why I did come, you never came to any of my school plays or sports events, or even bother with anything in my childhood. You always put this business first! I suppose that is why I am career driven but unlike you I have a family, my children love me, I spend time with them and my husband.. HELL even mum and that means flying over to the UK! AND YOU’RE STILL NOT THERE!” Her voice rising as Chris looks downtrodden. “I have tried to build bridges with you, Dad, I have tried so much to understand this industry to the point of even performing in it! I erased all knowledge of your existence and didn’t tell a sole who you were to create my own legacy!” Chris lets out an accepting sigh. “But you didn’t even bother support me when I needed you”

“You asked me not too!” Chris retaliated back without thinking.

She gives him a very cold look. “You’re meant to support me and I cannot do this anymore, Dad, I came here to support you yet somehow I’m standing backstage having a go at you when you’ve done nothing wrong.” She closes her eyes trying not to let the emotions get her any more than they already have. ”I don’t know why I came here but Lucas said about you wrestling three big names, Mark Storm tonight, Someone called Roxi at the end of the month and someone Lucas idolises in a few weeks, someone called Spike Staggs?”

Chris looks at his daughter and realises that despite the disappointing feeling of losing to Mark Storm, he has the unenvious task of trying to defeat the legend that is Spike Staggs in SCW’s final show, having to put all this disappointment aside and GWD to one side to focus on one of the longest reigning SCW Champions of all time.

“I am totally against this but I love my husband and children, something I obviously get from mum, but he is wondering if you could get us backstage for the show so he might be able to meet his idol from his childhood.” She looks at her father with a look of hurt and trying to look sincere at the same time. He nods his head without saying a word. “Thank you, Dad.” She glances down the hallway, wiping the tears with the sleeve of her jacket, she looks back towards Chris sniffling. “Look I better go!”

Chris opens his arms out in the hope for a hug but his daughter shakes her head, declining it as she heads off down the hallway towards the exit, Chris lowers his arms and shuts the door to his locker room. He hadn’t been a good father to his children and one by one they’re leaving his life through his commitment to the industry, one of the reasons he took up being a trainer in England so he could see his youngest two sons grow up, be a proper father to them that he should have been to his others. But his return back to the sport he loves has strained his relationship once more with his children, yet building bridges is all he can hope for as he will get his estranged daughter and family backstage passes for the event, hoping to create history by defeating the monarch of the Staggs dynasty. Not many men could claim that feat and at Full Circle he hopes to be a part of a very illustrious club that can say they’ve faced and defeated Spike Staggs.

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Chris Crippler looks down at the floor as he stands before Full Circle poster, wearing a black tailored suit, waist coat, white dress shirt with no tie on, his hair very unkempt as it drapes over half of his face whilst looking down. He soon flicks his hair back and glares at the camera with a look of intent, taking a long deep breath in before slowly exhaling, the moment seems right for him to finally start speaking his mind concerning his match with the SCW Hall of Fame Inductee.

“The final episode of Climax Control has happened.. Don’t think anyone would have ever thought those words would come from anyone’s mouth, yet there will not be any more shows broadcast and that is a very sad thought indeed, I always looked forward to streaming the show when I’m travelling or stuck in a hotel room. But I’ll have to stream Honour Wrestling or Supreme Championship Wrestling from now on, which is a shame, however I can at least say I’ve performed on the iconic show! Sure Joshua Acquin may not have been the same man who captured the tag team titles, been the force he was in GIW, he is definitely a shell of his former self but that didn’t stop me beating him in the middle of the six sided ring! I was the first winner of the last show for SCW and no one can take that away from me.”

A genuine smile appears on his worn face before realising he had lowered his guard and looking stern once more.

“Which lead us to the final ever production done by Christian Underwood and Mark Ward. Full Circle. From its debuting show back in 2012, its lows with the National Wrestling Alliance, its continuing rise from independent wrestling company to a global phenomenon. Sin City Wrestling once was the other SCW compared to Supreme, now Supreme Championship Wrestling is in the shadows of Sin City, and that is down to everyone involved within the promotion and the names and faces that have help had five star matches night in and night out. So calling it full circle is truly what it is as it goes back to Gold Coast Casino for the final show”

“Before I even step into the ring you’ve got Honour Wrestling’s Song and Orchid and the Honour Champion Mercedes Vargas, Joshua Acquin, Raynin, heavy metal lover Jessie Salco, everyone’s favourite big guy Casey Williams, recent hall of fame inductee Despayre and ACW original and recent manager to the stars, Ben Jordan all perform before I step out onto the stage to see where SCW calls home. And even though there are some amazing competitors but we all know what will steal the show, last week he was unsuccessful but this could be his swan song, this could be the final farewell Spike Staggs deserves going against one of the most sort out wrestlers in the world. Blowing my own trumpet but when you have promotions like Lions Road, WWH, EHWF, SPW all wanting me to make appearances, plus my contractual agreement with a little independent promotion called Global Wrestling Division PLUS the biggest Mexican promotion putting me in the Rey de Reyes Championship match against former SCW favourite, Roxi Johnson. Spike Staggs maybe Mister SCW but Chris Crippler is Mister Global Sensation!”

“You proclaimed that the reason that you are in the hall of fame is because you didn’t say you were the best, you are the man who sold SCW to the world, you had the second longest run as SCW Heavyweight Champion, you took the promotion onto your back and took SCW to the top and set the foundations for everyone who has passed through.. and who am I to disagree with anything you have said Spike. You where the person everyone wanted to be and everyone wanted to beat! You trained Giani Di Luca who went on to be heavyweight champion and recently won a battle royal in Honour Wrestling! You have done it all but like I am about to reiterate, Spike, this is going to be your final farewell since you didn’t get it originally. Right? You remember that night.. a silly question as I’m sure you have it replaying in your mind to this very day. A night where competitors from SCW, NYDW, PRA, BACW, ICW, ACW and WCCW performed and it was all shroud in the dismay of what happened at the shows end! Mike Sloan capturing YOUR NWA World Heavyweight Championship thanks to Adrian Batee! Instead of losing to a better man, like you did in SCW, you were raped of all dignity and those accomplishments you stated of SCW where belittled thanks to that man! Feeling very dirty, used, abused.. that is how people saw you Spike Staggs. Your name dragged through the dirt. Sure NWA died and SCW thrived. But your farewell to your career you wanted was taken away from you and this… this could be the swansong YOU deserve!”

“Unfortunately I don’t intend on letting you have that farewell you deserve!”

Chris shakes his head defiantly.

“See I don’t have a history here in the SCW, I’m just a fan who wanted to cross off things of a list, you have your blood sweat and tears in the foundations of this promotion, Spike. You have had the honour of having students compete, you have had blood relatives and extended family represent and fight under the SCW banner. And now in Honour Wrestling your legacy continues through others. Countless champions have tried to replicate what you achieved as SCW Champion for only one to beat you, and who would have said J2H would have been that man in the early years of the promotion, like Leicester City being 5000/1 odds to win the premier league, J2H would have been in that bracket along with Casey Williams, Lucian Frost and Matthew Kennedy! Yet he did it. You were stripped of any dignity when it came to your final farewell, not even spitting in Batee face could purify your soul, not even returning at the last Climax Control could you get that farewell as your team might have won but J2H pinned you. No standing beside Despayre as the sole survivors.. you were pinned and it will be the exact same thing come Full Circle!”

“The legend of Spike Staggs, that was belittled and dragged through the mud, who has come back for the final shows to give the fans reminiscing thoughts of yesteryear. Yet the 30 plus year ring veteran, the fan who has come to join on the bandwagon, could be the one who defeats you and leaves the final show with his hands raised in the air. How would that sit with you, Spike? If Batee could ruin a promotion and your career with one action, all it takes is three seconds and that is it, I could be victorious against someone like you.. Frightening thought or would it be respectful because I’m an old guy with the ‘veteran’ label attached to it. You can only go by what you’ve read to believe that I am a veteran, I am a wrestling historian at heart and know many things about wrestlers as a student of the game, a sponge that absorbs information about all opponents and wrestling promotions. You might be the trainer of SCW greats like Giani but my craft hones young minds to be like me. Everlasting. Knowledgeable. When I step into the ring with you Spike, it might be the dream match for me, but it will turn into a nightmare for you as I defeat and destroy the legend you created  here in Sin City Wrestling!”

Chris pulls out of his jacket pocket a black armband and pulls it over his sleeve and points towards it.

“I could be a bastard and say this black arm band signifies the death of your career, mourn what you’ve done and it dies once and for all this Sunday at Full Circle, but you announced last month of the passing of one of the great female competitors this industry has ever known. Misty. I’m sure SCW will honour her memory somehow but how about we acknowledge her with armbands. She might not be there in person but she’ll be somewhere in spirit, wrestle the best match of the night, two old guys battling and destroying each other for the final victory in SCW’s history. Misty would want you to go out with a bang, right? I intend on making sure I defeat you, Spike Staggs, to be petty and cross it off a bit of paper I wrote. For you, the fans, competitors past and present, this means a lot more to you so I hope the Spike Staggs that captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the man who held the SCW Heavyweight Championship for such a long time, the person who achieved hall of fame status turns up and not a shell of his former self. I couldn’t take that if it’s another Joshua Acquin!”

“I think you would have probably preferred to have faced someone from your past, like Nick Jones, J2H, Jordan Williams or even Gabriel, add that extra spice to an encounter of this magnitude. SCW’s final show. Instead you’re like a famous person granting a make-a-wish come true and for that I am sorry, but you will be even more sorry when you’re licking your wounds, wondering how you have let some British outside like myself come into SCW and defeat a former World Tag Champion in Joshua and former NWA/SCW World Heavyweight Champion and SCW legend in Spike Staggs. The New Xtremes founder! I’m just a simple guy who doesn't need to go to the ring to say my point, like you do, all I need is myself, a camera and a simple poster promoting the event like I am here. Who needs to step out into an arena, music blaring, PA system with microphone and have the crowd interaction. Why over complicate when simplicity works better! But who am I to tell a hall of fame inductee what to do? I’m just an outsider trespassing.. about to cause the biggest stir since J2H became the longest reigning world champion in the promotions history!”

“Before these two shows no one would have ever heard of Chris Crippler, apart from Griffin Hawkins and those who do pay attention to what happens outside the world of SCW, but now Chris Crippler’s name could be something you’ll remember. Not for the career I’ve had or what I’ve achieved during the 30 plus years, no, not for elevating independent promotions like Skyfire and GWD to the next platform with my top rated matched with Mark Storm. No. It will be remembered by the people of SCW, fans of SCW, for being the man who put the final nail in the coffin to Spike Staggs career. NWA Promotor defecated upon it many years ago but I’ll end it the way it should of ended, in the middle of the ring, in a top match on one of the biggest shows in SCW history in front of countless fans in attendance and watching via stream or television! You want that ending and you’ll get it but unlike Cinderella who got the fairy tale ending… the end of Spike Staggs will be dealt by my hands! Chris Crippler defeating Spike Staggs! Not the way anyone envisioned apart from one person.. me!”

“I look forward to ending the man who put the foundations into this promotion, I look forward to destroying the legacy the right way, I look forward to putting the best down once and for all.. it is a shame it isn’t the Blaze of Glory event as that would have worked brilliantly with that sentence. However Spike Staggs final SCW match will end the way it should and that, that is full circle for him, for me it is the privilege to say I finally wrestled in an SCW ring and being victorious against past champions! That is my full circle and I look forward to this historic event as it is the beginning of the end of Sin City Wrestling!”

Chris nods his head confidently, pausing for a moment before the camera, then stepping out of sight as one of the SCW technicians takes the microphone off from his jacket. Conversations begin between the staff, producers watching the screen to see how the video went, Chris wonders over and looks at the screen and people with distain before leaving the room without looking back.

[Staggs]

 This has been one wild ride. Just imagine being a true nobody who thought he already had his hay day years in the past.  Contemplate for just a minute that you were ready to give it all up to stay at home and raise the children, mow the lawn knock back a few beers while working on a car, and watching cooking shows for new recipes to try for the family.

Now, imagine that this life you had grown accustomed to was flipped upside down. Imagine showing up to an SCW show with no intentions other than to just support the mother of your child, see a few old friends wrestle, and expecting to go back home to Rachel Ray and stepping in Legos that are spread all over the floor.  Can you imagine the temptation set before you when the man who ended your career, and then proceeds to run salt on that 6 year old wound by giving you a Mr. Mom printed apron? Can you fathom stepping away, knowing that you are happy with life, and just brushing it off? Only to come back each show, just to prove that it doesn't bother you?

Can you imagine having your will tested to the point of nearly breaking, week in and week out? Watching this person punish your loved ones, until you just couldn't take it anymore? Can you then imagine that this would open up another chapter of your life? One that you wouldn't trade for the world?  One that would see you get dumped by your fiance in front of everyone you know and love? One that would see you go on to take not one, not two or three, but four World Heavyweight Championships, a few of them overlapping one another? One that would see old friends betraying you, new friends coming into your life, and helping to mentor the new age of the sport that your family has been apart of for 3 generations? Imagine the bruises, the blood loss, the sweat, the tears, the pain, and the joy.  

Imagine meeting your soulmate, in one of the most embarrassing ways imaginable. Imagine that all of the bad shit that transpired, making this chapter in life seem like a curse, and making it a very clear blessing. Imagine that she made you whole, and if that unnamed jackass hadn't felt the need to show his ass in order to get what he wanted, you would have been left unfulfilled by the glory of her love.

Now imagine seeing one of your children growing up to be just like you. One who doubts himself incessantly. One who grew up in your shadow, and even resented the fact that he would never be you. Imagine that he drove himself to the ultra thin line of sanity and insanity because he thought that he could never match up to you. Imagine that it's true, because he will never be you. Imagine that he will grow older, and he will grow wiser, and he will one day eclipse everything that you've ever done in either part of your career. Imagine that, despite what he thinks, he will be better than you. Can you picture it? Now just imagine that you couldn't be more proud of him. Imagine the pride that one would take in carrying a company on their back, just so that your child could be closer when he reaches for the stars. Imagine having the honor of sharing the ring with your child, and feeling the pride coursing through your veins in one of your last matches ever.

Imagine that this was your life.  I don't have to imagine, because this is what SCW gave me. It breathed a new life into thie empty vessel that was my career. It gave me a reason, and a purpose beyond the little bubble of my life. It brought me joys that outweighed the pain. It brought every dream, that I didn't even realize I had, to life. I owe so much to SCW. It helped to bring my career to new heights, and led to my participating in a dream match with another decorated former champion in Chris Crippler.

Only in Sin City Wrestling can dreams like this come true. I am truly humbled to be taking part in the last ever Sin City Wrestling event ever. I am humbled to stand across from the ring to face off against Chris Crippler.  Win, lose, or draw, two legends will put on a show that no one will soon forget.

I look forward to finally working with you, Chris. I've heard amazing things, and I've seen you put on a few classics yourself. I could bullshit you with a bunch of tough talk about how I'm undoubtedly going to beat you. I could go on about how I'm going to end your career. But the truth is quite the contrary. You will officially end my career. Win or lose, this is it. You will be my last opponent ever, and I respect you enough to shoot straight with you. I don't know what to expect from you, but I didn't get into this sport for the expected. Give me something I don't expect. Prove that you are on my level, and prove that you deserve my career's finale in your resume. If you are the fan that you say you are, then you know that I am plenty full of surprises.

At Full Circle, my career will end, just the same as SCW itself. I am unable to speak in front of a camera, because I am gutted over this closure. I'm proud of what I've helped to build, and seeing this end makes it difficult to give this monumental occasion a proper farewell, so I have released this press statement to say, well... a multitude of things. I am proud to end my career where my son Tim has launched his career. I am forever grateful to have met my wife Vixen here. I am happy to have made friends such as Jon Dough, Casey Williams, Steve Ramone, Jessie Salco, Ben Jordan, and Mickey Carroll, as well as reuniting with friends such as Tom Dudely, Mark Ward Junior, Christian Underwood, and Jordan Williams.

But most importantly, I want to thank SCW for allowing the multitude of blessings to enter my life. I am forever grateful for what I've received from my time. Every bit of hard work that I put into helping this company to reach the status that it now holds, has been paid back in full. Though we have not come full circle. I entered this company hesitantly, unsure of myself or my abilities. I stand before you a happy, confident, and established and respected member of this sport, all thanks to you. It has been a bumpy ride, but if I was given the choice, I would do each and every bit of it exactly the same, all over again... and again... and again. I would enter this match with Chris Crippler, exactly as I am now. I would bid you farewell in the only way that is truly fitting; with a performance that will be remembered for years and years to come.