Timeline -
A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It also happens to be a handy tool to use when recalling events in one of these here promos. Good thing too because it’s been quite a busy past two weeks for Kristjan and Aron Baltasarsson, so we thought we’d keep things simple and tell the full story in the simplest of ways possible.
Well, at least the best parts.
Las Vegas, NV - McCarran International Airport -
November 20, 2020
How often has this setting been seen over the course of the career of the “White Wolf” Fenris? Between family members and himself, Fenris had at one point been one of the more well traveled Superstars, second only to Ben Jordan or perhaps even Seleana Zdunich. But Fenris has relocated back to his native Iceland along with his brother Aron this past summer, June to be exact. Time had passed by slowly, although both brothers had continued to keep active in Reyjavik. While Aron took some summer courses at his alma mater, Kristjan aka Fenris furthered his competitive training by taking hapkido courses - or joint manipulation - under a Missus Kalei Hale.
But today, something special and surprising was about to occur.
The airport is a mecca for international traveling, responsible for people going to and from destinations that would circumvent the entire globe. But with COVID-19 ravaging the world and several nations implementing travel restrictions, the airport was busy -- but not nearly as flooded as had been seen in times past. Gabriel Stevens, a man of many distinctions -- two-time World Heavyweight Champion. Former and undefeated World Tag Team Champion. Hall of Famer. But perhaps most notably, a trainer of champions. Yes, that Gabriel Stevens, one-half of the Stevens proprietor of the famed GO Gym, the establishment responsible for so many top ranked stars in the world of professional wrestling.
Gabriel stood at the luggage terminal in the airport, watching and waiting as new arrivals from flights made their way down the stairs and escalators to greet friends and family. But this time, he didn’t come alone. His seven year old son Lucas stood at his side, an expression of excitement and anticipation that could only be understood by a child. It was later in the evening at McCarran, the sun had already set and night was slowly creeping in. Under most circumstances, Lucas would have been getting ready for bed, but once he had learned who was arriving, he had begged and pleaded with both dad AND mom until they relented and allowed him to accompany Gabriel.
“Dad?” Lucas gripped his father’s hand tightly, his voice muffled slightly by the mask he had been required to wear. “Where are they?”
Gabriel smirked. Lucas was more nervous about this than he had been on his last birthday. And that excitement had only been compounded the moment the announcement of the arrival of the flight from Iceland Air. It had about broken the boy’s heart when the brothers had left months ago. The running joke was Fenris’s behavior with children was rigid at best because he simply was not comfortable around them. But that did not stop kids, his own included, from being captivated by the man coined by Ben Jordan as “the angriest man in Iceland.”
But dad had seen the arrival well before the son had, mainly because he had purposely steered Lucas to watch the arrivals from the gates when he knew better. Gabriel knew that the international arrivals would come about a different way to the baggage claim, having to go through customs. So while Lucas stared ahead at the throngs of passengers arriving from local destinations, Gabriel’s own head was turned to the left, watching the customs arrivals. And the moment he saw the two familiar faces, he took his son by the shoulders and turned him around to face the same direction. And the way Lucas’s face lit up at the familiar sight of the brothers Baltasarsson and Kristjan’s beloved canine Kyssa, as they worked their way toward them, was reason enough for having brought the young one.
Kristjan and Aron had caught sight of Gabriel and his son only a split second before Gabriel had seen them. And neither were surprised that he had brought company. Gabriel had informed Kristjan in a video chat only days before that Lucas had been over the proverbial moon when he had been let in on this little secret. And they had known from long since that Lucas had developed a strong affection for the older of the two brothers. So while Aron reached out with that bright smile he was known for to clasp Gabriel’s outstretched arm, allowing Gabriel to reel him in for a friendly embrace, Lucas made a beeline right for Kristjan and Kyssa and enveloped Kyssa with his arms around her fuzzy neck, receiving a sloppy doggy kiss in return. Lucas then embraced Kristjan with a tight hug around the waist, about the best the child could do given the differences in height.
“Good to see you two.” Gabriel spoke fondly as he separated from Aron, then held a hand out to the volatile of the two siblings, a gesture that Kristjan at one point might have given pause, but now readily accepted.
Kristjan then looked down at Lucas and frowned. “Do I know you?” He asked in his thick accent, causing the boy to laugh. A laugh that only grew when Fenris reached down to scoop the boy up in one arm and the child wrapped his arms around Kristjan’s thick neck for a much more appropriate hug. There was a confident smile on Kristjan’s face, but it was a smile nevertheless.
Turnberry Towers -
November 20, 2020
Gabriel and Lucas had dropped the brothers off at their Vegas home at the Turnberry Towers immediately after picking them up at the airport, much to the chagrin of Lucas. This was done with the promise to Lucas that they’d see them tomorrow but it had to be under utmost discretion as their arrival was to be a secret until the evening of High Stakes X this coming Sunday. Less than forty eight hours, but to a boy the age of Lucas -- a lifetime! The Turnberry Towers was a forty-five story high rise complex just off the famed Las Vegas Strip, but still close enough to see and enjoy the nightlife of the “City of Sin.” It was a painstaking process to find a home here in America, Las Vegas to be more precise, that satisfied the picky Fenris, but Turnberry did the impossible. It was everything Kristjan wanted. But we’ve been here before, plenty of times, so no need to go into heavy detail.
Having been gone for the past four months, several employees in the lobby of the high rise were startled yet welcoming when they had seen the two brothers enter. A real estate agent who had gotten wind of the brothers return to Iceland had even tried to pressure Kristjan into selling, but we’ll leave it to your (extreme) imagination as to how he responded. In Kristjan’s own words, “It’s MY fucking place!”
So try to imagine his surprise when they unlocked the door to their condo and found…
“What the fuck!?” Kristjan muttered as he was the first to set foot inside and saw across the front room and sound asleep on the sofa -- Dani Weston!?
“What is…?” Aron started to ask as he set foot inside and to his brother’s right, when he too saw the almost comical and puzzling sight, and his eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. Dani was sprawled out on the plush, white sofa, her arms curled around one of the pillows and was sleeping soundly. On the glass coffee table in front of her were the remnants of what seemed to be a snack feast; chips and dip, popcorn, raspberry tea bottles and open boxes of Milk Duds. Wait -- Milk Duds?
Kristjan and Aron shared a look before they walked forward, Kristjan almost subconsciously kicking his trademark flip flops off so his bare feet could be comforted by the soft, white carpeting. He and Aron both set their luggage aside and walked around the sofa, not bothering to wake Dani, who they only just now could see was drooling on the pillow.
“Remind me to burn that.” Kristjan quipped between tight lips as he stood now at the head of the sofa while Aron rested his forearms along the back. Kyssa walked up between the sofa and coffee table, her wagging tail going a mile a minute. Kristjan then just propped his hands on the arm rest of the sofa and leaned over to gaze down upon his ‘little sister’ upside down. And … they waited. Saying nothing.
Kyssa then inched forward after a brief wait, as if the loving pooch was growing irritable at the silent wait. She leaned in and gave Dani a ‘doggy smooch’ on the cheek, prompting Dani to elicit a giggle in her sleep and wipe at her face with her bare forearm. The dog then cold nosed Dani’s arm, causing her to start and her eyes popped open. She blinked away the bleary remnants of sleep, and she found herself looking into Kyssa’s bright blue eyes and she cried out, jumping back.
She then hit a brick wall and craned her neck backward and found herself looking upside down into her “big brother’s” frowning face and she cried out with a sharp shriek and tumbled off of the sofa and landed on the floor! Aron found himself laughing, but Kristjan just stared silently as Dani slowly righted herself, rising to her knees. She looked from Kyssa to Kristjan and Aron, then back to Kristjan.
“What -- what are you doing here?” She whispered in a timid voice that were it any lower, they would have been unable to have heard her. Almost as if she were afraid to ask, lest it be yet another dream where they had left and she had lost two of the most important people in her life.
“We LIVE here!” Kristjan finally barked in his sharp tone, having never found a need to censor himself with anyone, not even someone he adored. “What the fuck are YOU doing here!?”
Slowly finding herself standing, Dani just turned slightly at the waist and her fingers just barely motioned toward the 116x65 inch projection screen mounted on the wall between two shelving units that doubled as a state of the art entertainment center for the brothers and their guests.
“I…” Dani whispered. “You have a better TV and wanted a movie night and…” Her fingers motioned toward the mess she had left on the coffee table, and Dani benign Dani, she quickly grabbed at the snack remnants to start tidying up when she froze. She looked up at the brothers, Aron with a bemused smile and Kristjan who kept that perpetual stare. It was then the proverbial light bulb switched on.
“Wait … you’re back?” She squeaked. “Y-you’re really here? I mean… really?”
Kristjan shrugged, and it was about as close to saying “DUH!” as the Icelandic grouch had ever come to. Dani clapped a hand over her mouth and her eyes immediately started welling up. She walked right to Kristjan and wrapped her arms around him, and Kristjan just sighed and looked over her shoulder to his brother and rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief.
But Aron took note that Kristjan did not pull away from Dani’s hug. In fact, he returned it.
Turnberry Towers -
November 22, 2020
High Stakes X had just concluded, and as expected, the biggest night of the year for SCW had been a HUGE success. And Fenris had done just as he had wished, and shocked the world with his return. He got a huge ovation from the SCW Universe when he showed up as the special guest referee and judge for two SCU championship contests. Almost sending Caleb Storms into cardiac arrest was just icing on the cake. He and Aron had been welcomed back with open arms by friends and fans, but unlike events in the past before they had left, this time there was no big post-Supercard bash. At least, not one that had been enjoyed in years past where everyone, from staff to star alike, came together at a chosen Las Vegas hotspot to celebrate with drinks, food and a night of partying with the knowledge that as much as they’d regret it the next morning with multitudes of hangovers, they’d do it all over again in six weeks time! This time, there were smaller celebrations between closer circles of friends, a necessary sacrifice all thanks in part to this damn pandemic.
And Fenris and Aron? They were still getting used to being back on this side of the world and as such, their bodies and sleep schedules remained unadjusted. They met with Ben and Evie afterwards for a drink or two, but had just recently bid the Jordans a good night with promises to meet up and drink themselves into oblivion at a later time -- and returned to the Turnberry Towers.
Kristjan had opened the door cautiously, and would not have been surprised in the slightest had they found Dani asleep on the sofa -- again. The door had been shut and locked, Aron had taken a seat on the sofa as Kyssa climbed up for some much needed pampering from the younger brother. Kristjan walked toward the kitchen to retrieve something to drink when there was a very determined knock.
Aron sat upright as Kristjan paused and turned around, frowning as he walked past his brother and toward the door, “Who the fuck …?” He asked, but the moment the door was unlocked and swung open, the answer came in the form of Mackenzie Page and the rest of London Underground.
And without a word said, Mackenzie swung her right fist straight around and into the side of Kristjan’s face, a blow with such force it knocked him around and hard against the wall!
“FUCK!!!” He roared as Mackenzie casually strolled in through the door with a “Thanks, we’d love to come in!” and the rest of London Underground; Daniel Morgan, Osbourne and Charlotte Elliot waltzing in right past him.
“Can’t say you didn’t deserve that, mate.” Daniel smiled, shaking a finger at his fellow GO Gym graduate and yes, friend.
“DESERVE it!?” Kristjan yelled, rubbing his jaw. “What the FUCK was that for!?”
“What was it for!?” Mackenzie shot back, having taken the liberty of just strolling into the brothers’ kitchen and popping open their fridge to retrieve a beer, Charlotte following suit to get one for herself and the boys. Mackenzie popped the cap off like a pro and marched right up into Kristjan’s face, one of the few who would and could do so, and she aimed the bottle right in his face.
“You ASSHOLE!” She scolded. “I thought I warned you once before about pulling a stunt like this one you pulled tonight! You came back and didn’t tell us!”
“I’ve been back for two days and didn’t tell ANYONE!”
“Two - days!?” Mackenzie leaned back at the waist, lowering the bottle from her lips. “You’ve been back for TWO DAYS!?”
“Oh shit…” Daniel turned away with a smile, casually rubbing the back of his head as he took a bottle from Charlotte.
“Well what about HIM!?” Kristjan bellowed, waving an arm towards his brother, prompting Aron to exclaim “Hey!”
Kristjan said, “He’s been back too and didn’t tell anyone!”
Mackenzie turned around and her eyes bore into Aron, and she then said, “Sorry Aron, good to see you!” And Mackenzie wrapped her arms around the younger of the brothers for a hug, making Kristjan exclaim, “What. The. Fuck!?”
“I still remember the first time, the only time, that you and I faced each other, Bill.”
The light above the central training ring in the GO Gym turned on, basking the ring and it’s sole occupant, the “White Wolf” Fenris in a soft glow. The camera moved in, Fenris standing forward against the immediate corner, his forearms propped up on the surface of the top turnbuckle pad. The lone light above him gave his facial structure and muscle definition a profound shadow cast.
“September 29, 2019. Climax Control, the Caribbean. I went into that match knowing that I was going to be in the fight of my life. After all, you were a fucking bulldozer inside of the ring! Even though you only had a few inches on me and maybe forty pounds, you were built like a goddamn tank! You knew how to fight. You could take a beating and give one right back. You had a wealth of experience compared to me, you knew all the tricks and shortcuts a ‘veteran’ would know. I came out of that match the winner, and the only thing that could have possibly made it better would have been if the SCW World Championship had been on the line between us. I imagine that as hard as we fight without a title, having the top belt on up for grabs would have just made things even MORE extreme! And I won’t lie. I came out of that one match with an even more important result;”
“You earned my respect. I don’t throw that around lightly, Bill. I earned a living fighting professionally, and it takes a lot to make me stand up and take notice of a man based on his ability to fight and defend himself. Ben Jordan. Austin James Mercer. Jake Raab… and you. My four toughest opponents, past and present.”
Fenris casually glanced up and shrugged.
“Okay, Caleb Storms too. Don’t laugh, the kid has balls of steel! But this is about you, not in the past. The present…”
“When I finally secured a contract to return to SCW, I spent the entire next week wondering who my first opponent would be. Would it be someone that I fought before, maybe Ben or Alex Jones? Would it be someone else entirely new, like Todd Williams or Lincoln Daniels? No, it was you. Imagine my surprise… imagine the thrill! Anyone who knows me, a real fight, real competition … that is what I want most! And to get all that rolled into one with another match against you … and then I started looking back over what’s been going on with you since I left and it leaves me wondering…”
He gnawed at his lower lip and shook his head.
“What the fuck happened to you? What happened to that roughneck bad ass that gave pause to so many men stepping inside of the ring with him? What happened to the veteran who dominated in the old Asylum Wrestling Alliance and was a living legend!? Even in SCW, even though you haven’t quite grasped the same level of success -- YET -- that you did there, you were still a man that some feared, but all respected! But Bill…”
Fenris held his hands out imploringly.
“What. The fuck. Happened!?”
“I remember days where you made headlines in SCW, getting yourself involved in some of the most hard fought matches AND storied rivalries out of ANYONE! But lately? The most notable thing you got involved in was some stupid fucking relationship between your dog and a cactus! I mean, seriously!? You had matches against the likes of, well -- me, but also Griffin Hawkins **coughs*quitter!**coughs**! Jake Raab! Alex Jones! Kris Ryans! And that -- THAT -- is what you’re going to be most remembered for in closing out 2020! Your dog having a love affair with ‘Pete the Cactus!’ That’s not just demoralizing, Bill. It’s … it’s just sad!”
“The only good thing that came out of that entire catastrophe was some kick ass matches you had with Vinnie, but even that didn’t last long enough for people to sit up and once again take notice of the man I know damn well you’re capable of being! You are Bill ‘the Fucking Bulldog’ Barnhart! Not the caretaker of Senor Vinnie! That man may be unhinged but the one thing he does not need is a babysitter! What YOU need, Barnhart, is to remember who the hell you are!”
“Okay, yes! You surprised people when Kris Ryans made his big return to SCW, and you defeated him in his first match back, setting his comeback back by a fair few weeks. Kris is one of the best wrestlers inside and out of the ring, but what did the reactions to that result say to you? What does it say when people were openly and admittedly surprised that you beat him!? That he was the clear favorite to walk away from that match as the winner? People called it a goddamn upset! Does that not speak volumes to you that there is something about you that needs to change!? That the only one close to you that has anything remotely close to a winning streak is your wife who hasn’t even been competing a quarter of the time that you have?”
“You have gotten title shot after title shot, in both singles as well as teaming with your wife, and what had happened!? Each and every time you come close, but just not close enough! I would have had you pegged to have been at LEAST the Roulette Champion by now! Now THAT title was made for a man like you! But Roulette, Internet, World -- Mixed tag! The bosses have thrown title opportunity, one right after the other, in your lap and you just don’t take advantage of them the way that I know you’re capable of! Why do they give you so many chances at titles? Well in my opinion, it’s because they believe in you! As they should because I know damn well i do, but I also think that maybe you’ve grown too accustomed to getting all those title shots handed freely to you! You’ve grown too comfortable Bill.”
“You’ve gotten soft.”
“And now, you probably think that you’re going to have a repeat in the success against me that you had against Kris. And okay…”
Fenris smiled genuinely and chuckled.
“Let’s just say for fun that you do walk away with the win on Sunday. All it is going to say is that you and I tied each other for a number of wins against the other, and we’ll just need one more. A tie breaker. Ask Austin. Ask Ben. The only two men to date who have gotten wins over me. Ask them what the next match after that win against me is like. If anything, I fight harder. I may not come out the winner, but I sure as shit make them wonder what the hell they got themselves into going in the ring against me a second time!”
Fenris then stopped leaning against the corner and stood upright, his hand propped on the turnbuckle.
“Do you know the actual traits a bulldog is known for Bill? Considering you own one, I should think you do. A bulldog has a reputation for courage which yes, fits you perfectly. But a bulldog is also known to be extremely docile, and more of an affectionate sort than a fighter. I don’t know, maybe that’s your problem as of late, Bill. Maybe you’re taking the ‘Bulldog’ moniker of yours too literally. Now, on the flip side? What about a wolf?”
“Complex. Highly intelligent…”
Fenris held his arms out and smiled before he continued.
“... Extremely loyal to family. And extremely aggressive. Sound familiar Bill, hm? Remind you of anyone? Is it any wonder why I was given the name Fenris, after the Norse wolf of legend? No, I did not give myself that ring name. It was given to me! Think about it Bill, and maybe things will go easier for you and you can get that head of yours back on right -- right before I kick it off.”
“Wolf -- versus Bulldog. Is there any doubt as to the outcome?”
