“Well fuck me sideways and call it a day.”
The roaring laughter of Kale Smith brought the scene to life as the screen opened up with the wickedly white teeth of the Aussie who was grinning from ear to ear. It was as if he had just won the best and fairest at the local show, the way he beamed with pride as before he kicked off with his speech this week.
“Man, it feels good to be back, it feels good to be alive and it feels even better knowing that Britt and I made it through to round two of the Sin City Wrestling Blast from the Past Tournament. Talk about being over the moon.”
Kale rocked back in the chair that he was sitting on, tipping it backwards as he clapped his hands together in excitement. Instantly bringing his hands up to run them threw his hair, the thrilled look on his face couldn’t be mistaken as his smile was bright enough to light up any room.
“A lot of people said we couldn’t do it, a lot of people ran their mouths and said that Britt didn’t have what it takes to be a team player, that she wouldn’t show up and that she was leave me high and dry, well… I hope it tasted like shit when you had to eat those words. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner, I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome and slowly but surely as we chomp our way through the competition in the Blast from the Past I hope you all start to realise that you should never judge a book by it’s cover… nor should you corner someone and brand them because of their past, because trust me… people can change, people can grow and mark my words, Britt and I are going to show the whole world just how far we have come.”
His tapped his right boot on the floor, before slapping his right hand on his knee. Kale could barely stay still; his body was on edge and he was over the moon to be back in Sin City Wrestling and he was stoked to be back inside the six-sided ring. It has been a mission to get back here and there wasn’t going to be a damned thing that would tear him away from it, well not right now, not while he was trying to make a name for himself.
“Step by step we are going to push our way through the ranks, and we aren’t stopping until the fat lady sings.”
Kale rubbed his hands together, as if he was salivating for more action. It was an odd feeling, but his actions couldn’t hide the fact that he was beginning to feel comfortable being back inside a wrestling ring again, he was starting to come out of his shell, and he was holding up his end of the deal that he had with Mark Ward and Christian Underwood. They told him when they resigned him, not to waste this last opportunity and Kale wasn’t going to let it slip between his fingers, he was going to grit his teeth and put in the best fight of his life.
“A lot of people doubted me, and yet two weeks ago you witnessed this big fella right here, make the Sin City Wrestling veteran in Joshua Acquin tap in the centre of that ring and trust me, nothing feels as good as making a grown man, who has plagued this division for years, slam his hand on the canvas over and over again, begging for relief. “
He chuckled, the only was he knew how but suddenly and violently his laughter came to a halt.
“Wait a minute.”
His right eyebrow arched as he just processed what he had just said, knowing that it probably sounded a little disgusting, but nothing was going to remove the cheesy grin from his face.
“You know what I meant, don’t read too much into it. Just know that all the doubts that Britt and I have had over shadowing our union will make for great television when we are able to work together and knock our way through the competition. Beating Effie and Joshua wasn’t a walk in the park, but trust me it was good enough for me, to light a fire under my arse to realise that maybe, just fucking maybe, that if we stick together and work together on the same page, we may just have it in us to give this thing a red hot crack… maybe just maybe this week at Climax Control… we could take down the current Sin City Wrestling World Bombshell Champion Alicia Lukas and the returning Blade Alexander.”
There was a look of hope in Kale’s hazel eyes as he spoke. He wasn’t ruling out a loss, but he had to be optimistic because deep down, he wanted nothing more than to advance in this tournament he wanted nothing more to seen as a serious competitor in Sin City Wrestling. Kale wanted people to see past his fun-loving side and take him for what he was and that was a beast of a man, that was capable of doing anything and anything in this industry. Putting his size to the side, he was fast, calculated and he had tasted injury so early in his career that he was wise enough to know it wasn’t something worth facing twice. Even if he did come across as a dumb arse teddy bear, he wanted to overturn the rumours and show everyone that he had what it took to stand in the middle of the ring with Sin City Wrestling’s very best and be able to hold his own.
“On Sunday night, I get to lace my boots and stand across the ring from the Veteran that is Blade Alexander and well, talk about a fair dinkum challenge that has been put before me. The man in no stranger to Sin City Wrestling, he is no stranger to winning and making his presence felt, however he said it best himself in his return that there has always been one thing that had eluded his career and that in capturing the Sin City Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship… that’s why he returned, that’s while he polished off the old boots and dusted off the old trucks, so he could come back and put the final nail in wall, so he can hang one more accolade on his shining wall of mementos.”
Kale cracked his knuckles as be brought his elbows up on to his knees before he rested forward in his chair. His chin now sat on his hands as he looked directly down the lens of the camera. The mode had shifted from laughter and fun to a more serious side of the fun-loving Aussie.
“Blade wants this for his ego, he wants this to satisfy his worth to justify his return, but mate… you’re in the same boat that a lot of us are in and I’d hate to break it to you, but the water is fucking choppy. This isn’t some sort of dream mate, where you get to walk in and everything is handed to you all because you plead and tug at some heart strings about you being hungry for something… because sometimes hunger isn’t enough, sometimes ego isn’t enough and sometimes things don’t play out the way you want them to.”
A cold stare was all Kale could entertain the camera with, his harsh accent making his approach even more direct as he just glared down the camera. It was unlike Kale to act this way, the thought of letting down his partner Britt this week was enough to push him to his limits. He knew everyone would be betting against them, he knew everyone would be predicting Alicia Lukas and Blade Alexander to walk into Climax Control and whoop their arses. They had the odds stacked in their corner, the World Bombshell Championship, the returning legend. Kale felt as if Britt and he were the ones being shoved into a dark corner, now all he needed to do was show her and show the world that he had the guts and the balls to push back and go after what he wanted. It wasn’t about winning the tournament at the moment that was an ending too far out of sight for right now, Kale’s sights were set on the next stepping stone and that for him was surviving the likes of Blade Alexander. It wasn’t going to be easy, it wasn’t going to be a given it would be something he would need to work to the bone to accomplish.
“This Sunday you will be standing across the ring from me, a man you have never faced before, a man who is willing to give it his all, a man who has busted his arse to even be allowed to step foot back into this company and if you think for a single second, this is going to be easy for you… if you think this is going to be handed victory, or an effortless fight? You have another fucking thing coming for you.”
An animalistic growl escaped his lips as his fists came together and balled up. It wasn’t as if he was howling for attention, however you couldn’t help but feel it was his way of protecting what he was and what he wanted. He hated having his back pinned against a wall, he hated feeling like the underdog. All his life he was made out to immature and carefree and yet the look on his face and words that were spilling from his lips were starting to show the world another side of him. It wasn’t easy opening up, it wasn’t easy to rip back the layers but with each and every week the Sin City Wrestling fans got to learn a little bit more about the otherwise unknown Aussie.
“I owe it to my tag team partner who regardless of her past is doing her best to put her best foot forward, even though no one else wants to give her a chance, I’m willing to trust her in this tournament. I know Britt has what it takes to bring the fight to Alicia because trust me, she’s as mad as a cut snake and motivated as fuck to pave her own way in this industry. I’m not discrediting Alicia, in no way shape or form, but she really doesn’t have anything to lose in this tournament, she will still walk out the Sin City Wrestling World Bombshell Champion… but as for little Britt, she has everything to gain and a shit tonne to prove and trust me, that’s a wild and deadly combination.”
Kale’s face cracked a smile as he beamed with pride as he spoke about his mixed tag team partner, he wasn’t sure if all this confidence in her would bite him on the arse one day but right now he had to put the wind in her sails because everyone was too focused on her past to move forward and focus on the future. That future being that Kale Smith and Brittany Williams could potentially get away with the win that no one sore coming in the Blast from the Past. The tides is the tournament could change if the two were willing enough to work together and push past the World Bombshell Champion and returning legend. Kale took a moment to let his words sink in before he cracked his neck from side to side, before he rested back into his chair.
“I also owe it to myself for crawling out of the shit heap and not giving up, not quitting… I’ve been waiting for this day for three years… I bled for this, I’ve broken bones for this, and I’ve overcome countless rejection from the co-owners of Sin City Wrestling for this. I had more doors shut in my face than you can ever imagine Blade, and trust me that does something to a man that makes him want to fight harder for what he wants and I’m here to say that I didn’t back down, I didn’t hide, I didn’t cower in a corner and give up… I kept going, I kept working and I did everything in my power to prove my worth. Unlike you I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to give it a red hot go, I didn’t decide to walk back into a company I once worked for to be welcomed with opened arms, I didn’t get the privilege of being offered this opportunity. I had to fucking fight for it. I had to prove who I was, I had to beat Caleb for even a chance to enter the Blast from the Past tournament. I don’t take those stepping stones lightly, so I made damn sure that when I lifted my boot, I left a fucking mark.”
There was a snarl in Kale’s tone as he spoke, it was raw and too the bone. His focus never shifted from the lens of the camera as he started to wrap this one up.
“And if you think that I’m going to let you just walked back in and take what you want? Than mate you haven’t been paying attention, not one bit… not at fucking all and that will be your unravelling. Your dream stops with me and when the match is all said and done, the place on the wall you wanted to hang the Sin City Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship will be vacant and the nail you were going to use to plant it there is going to be stoved through your chest and pierced straight into your heart… the dream is over and it’s about fucking time you woke the fuck up and accepted it.”
A smile returned to Kale’s face as he rocked backwards in his chair. That cheeky grin took over from the stone-cold glare that had riddled his face for most part of this promotional video. He knew it was time to end this, but he was taking his time in letting his last words for this week’s build up to come from his lips.
“I will see you in Scotland, Blade but trust me when the bell tolls at the end of the match, your enchanted ending that you have dreamed out in your head, won’t come to fruition… in fact it will become your nightmare when you gaze upon Britt and myself advancing… you’ll have to sit back and make a harsh decision, do you stick around and be a man of your word and go after the dark horse that has eluded you… or do you disappear because its convenient? Chose wisely mate, because I would love nothing more for our paths to cross again as we scale the sides of the mountain, in race to reach the summit, to get our hands on the Sin City Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship.”
With that said and done, Kale moved forward in his chair before he stood up and left the scene. It was just an empty studio one solo chair in a room that was filled with darkness and as the microphones picked up on the sound of his boots slapping against the floor as he walked away the footage faded off into the darkness.
--
Edinburgh Scotland is a beautiful city with a medieval yet somewhat funky fresh vibe bustling in the streets. Like most cities in the world it has succumb to the likes of Starbucks, Gucci and McDonalds but there was something about this cold wet, dark town that made you still feel as if you had stepped back in time. Kale had spent the week on edge thinking that at any moment, someone would jump out of him dressed in all metal and challenge him to some sort of sword fight, but to his dismay it hadn’t happened and after taking himself on as many tours of this beautiful city each and every day he found himself at the same place at just about the same time. A pub.
It wasn’t that Kale was a heavy drinker, it was just it was just somewhere he could go to think and not have to feel like everyone was gawking at him for being alone. This week had been a week where he felt as if he had no one in his corner, he hadn’t heard from Alex Rush but that wasn’t unusual behaviour from his buddy. Alex had the knack for getting up and doing his own thing, not to mention he was a recording artist so he could have been locked away in a recording studio for all he knew. To add to that Alex was a bit of a drifter and would often find himself off on little adventures for days before he returned with stories of such great travels. It was what Kale liked about him, he was so carefree, and he didn’t care about anything materialistic he just lived in the moment, it was something Kale wished he could do at times, but something always held him back from just going off barefooted into the streets in search of goblins or riches.
The Aussie had decided against hanging out with London Underground, after a stern talking to from Nicky George about leaving Charlotte alone. Kale had to take a step back and reflect on his previous actions. In Kale’s eyes Charlotte was the most beautiful bombshell he had ever seen inside or outside a wrestling ring and yes, he had once or twice put the hard word on her, as he attempted to peel back that icy exterior but when she shot him down, he respected her choice. Yet, he knew just as much as he loved to try his best to chat her up, she loved just as much to knock him back down. Although there is only so much back and forth one can do before someone starts to think that it’s all too much, so Kale decided to zip his lips and give the group some distance after all he didn’t want to come across as some sort of love-sick puppy. That wasn’t the case at all, he just enjoyed the banter and this week without it, it had brought Kale’s attention to much more pressing issues than chasing a girl.
He had to get his shit together, after all he was just days away from lacing up his boots and being stuck in the middle of the ring with one of Sin City Wrestling’s finest Blade Alexander. This wasn’t going to be an easy match, this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park and if Kale didn’t go into this weekend with his head screwed on right, he was going to let his team down. That was something he couldn’t live with right now, because like he had said since returning to Sin City Wrestling, he had to prove to a lot of people they had made the right choice in allowing him to even step foot back into the company. Also, unpredictively he had started to develop a soft spot for his tag team partner, no not romantically but he felt protective of her and the more people bashed her on social media the more that fired him on to make sure he was always at his best to help their team walk away from each match they faced together with a victory under their belts. It wasn’t going to be easy, but Kale had the week by himself to work on himself and without any distractions and man like him could become dangerous.
Yet here he was at the same time every day, staring down into the bottom of his empty pint looking for answers. In his week in Scotland alone he had been faced with the reality that without Alex he was really a lone wolf, well dingo… come one people he’s Aussie in Sin City Wrestling and he honestly felt that if he was to fall off the face of the world no one would even notice. A loud sigh was all it took for that thought to stop running over and over in his mind. It was fucked up the more he thought about how back home he had the support of his six siblings, his mother and the AFL team he left behind all so he could chase his dream of becoming a wrestling superstar and what did that get him? A 6:30pm time slot at same bar everyday surrounded by people who couldn’t give a simple fuck who he was or what he did. It was eerie but at the end of the day Kale knew he had to make the best of it.
So, what, his failed attempts at looking for friendships had failed? It wasn’t for his lack of trying, he had reached out to several of his co-workers, but they seemed to be so wrapped up in their own lives they couldn’t even entertain the idea of making a new friend. Not only that if he even spoke to a girl on Twitter, one troll in particular made him out to be interested in something more than he cared for. Yes Effie, I’m talking about you, with your #nomeansno tweet, as if that wasn’t going to force a guy back into his shell. Kale respected Effie, he wasn’t chasing her… he didn’t see her like that, he would never see her like that. That wasn’t a line Kale wanted to blur, nor would he ever go after a woman that he damn well knew was taken. Yet, because he reached out to simply try and make some new friends, he was basically highlighted a pervert for nothing… a completely innocent gesture had him wishing he never activated his damn account again.
This week alone had him so deep in thought that Kale missed as bartender made her way over towards him, she removed the empty pint from his hand only to replace it with a freshly poured new one. Yet in his deep thoughts he had missed all of it play out before him, but subconsciously his body knew what he needed to do as he brought the glass to his lips, he downed half the glass with one mouthful before he rested the cup back down to the hard-wooden bar top. He didn’t like this feeling on loneliness, but it was something he was just going to have to suck up and move on with. It wasn’t easy to make friends in this game, but what was harder was trying to make a name for yourself and if the first part of his point was becoming impossible Kale was going to focus on the second part. Regardless of being alone, he was going to make the best out of what he had and what he had was the chance to shine on Sunday and show the world that he was back to make a name for himself in Sin City Wrestling. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was a goal he could focus his mind on to take away from times like these.
As Kale sat alone at the bar, his left hand was wrapped around the base of his glass while his eyes remained focused on the bench top before him. If he wasn’t starting so har, he might have missed the screen of his phone light up and the word “Sydnie” flash across the screen. It was his eldest sister. Reaching towards the phone, his thumb hovered over the reject button for a moment, but with a deep sigh be his accept before bringing the phone up to his ear.
“It’s a bit late for a phone call back home isn’t it?” Kale muttered out as if he was tired already of the conversation.
However, the displeased look upon his face didn’t stay there for long as soon as he stopped talking the muttering sound of his sister’s crying voice on the other end of the phone was ringing deep in his ears. As Sydnie continued to sob to him, Kale was trying to piece together the words she was trying to tell him.
“Slow do Syd, I can’t understand a red cracker or what you’re yapping on about.” Kale tried to get his sister to calm down.
He was just met with silence as someone in the background had taken the phone from his sister in the background and now, he was talking to his younger brother.
“Kale.” The quiet voice on the other end of the phone line called out.
“Joey.” Kale’s eyes lit up after his hearing his brother’s voice after so long.
However, there was no time for Kale to smile as the following words came out of his younger brother’s mouth and damn near knocked him off his stool.
“It’s mum, she’s been in accident… she’s in hospital.” Was all the boy could say before a whimper left his lips. “It doesn’t look good.” Another whimper of agony echoed deeply into Kale’s ear.
It was in that moment Kale knew that the rest of the story wasn’t going to be good, but he wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing his family needed him regardless of their falling out they needed him, and he needed them. Well that’s what he was telling himself over and over again that his family needed him. It wasn’t their battle, his siblings were still in contact with him, but Kale hadn’t heard from his mother in years and now she was at home suffering and he was in the run-down pub in Scotland, hours away from seeing her. The guilt in the pit of his stomach acted like a noose as it strangled him from air.
“I’ll come right home.” Kale stood up as if to mirror his words. “I’ll be on the next flight.” He raised his voice in anger knowing that he was here, and his mother was at home in pain without him.
“Kale you can’t…” Joey sighed deeply into the phone. “She doesn’t want to see you… we just thought we should call you and let you know. I’ll keep you posted mate. I’m sorry.” And with that said and done, the phone clicked, and the call ended.
Kale looked down at the black screen of his phone, as his fingers wrapped around it an anger. What the fuck was he doing? Reaching forward he grabbed a hold of the pint and downed the last mouthful before slamming a fist full of cash down on the bar as payment. He wanted to go home and everything in his body was telling him to fuck it all and just get on a damn plane to see his mum. Yet, every time he put one foot in front of the other, he had flash backs of their falling out and he replayed the moment his mother kicked him out, the sting on his cheek came back to life as in his mind he replayed the slap that she slashed across his face.
His hands balled up in fists of rage, his eyes welled up in a venomous mixture of sadness and rage and all he could do was push past the sea of people that were in front of him as he stormed his way across the street and into Holyrood Park. His attention was fixated on one thing and one thing only the loch, as he marched his way towards it. Kale couldn’t explain his actions all he knew is that his body was on fire from rage and he needed to cool down as he just strode one foot after another before he hit the water. Kale kept walking through the murky water ignoring the onlookers who were gawking at him, he just pushed himself through the water that felt like cement on his legs, and soon enough the water was deep enough for him to dive under and all he could do in that moment was scream, and no one absolutely no one could hear the pain that was escaping his body.
Right now, Kale was feeling like his head was just above water in every aspect of his life and well right now his head was below it and he was letting it all out. The life he chose was never going to be easy, the life he left was never going to be forgiving and the life he was living well it turns out at the moment it was a lonely one, but he was destined to do great things if only he could gather all his thoughts, bottle all of his emotions and get himself together in time for Sunday night.
The Australian would have to deal with one thing at a time, and the easiest of the three was to clear his head and march forward to Climax Control where he hoped to be the best tag team partner he could be and help guide his team to victory. Brittany deserved him at his very best and he was going to give it his all. As for his family? he knew he would be on the first flight out to Darwin to see his mum, in spite of her not wanting to see him. And, as for him doing it all on his own, well that weight on his shoulders would always be there and well, under this pressure the rest of the world gets to watch him grow.
