A stroll through memory lane.
2009
We are in New York, Manhattan to be precise. The headquarters of Goth’s wrestling company. The man overlooks the paperwork and smiles to himself for how the company has evolved. It was only a year ago when he bought the remainders of The Global wrestling Alliance after it closed the doors as he and Crazy J started their own. A group of young talented prospects of that old company has remained loyal, being handed an opportunity to shine and become household names… Something that they had been hoping for… an opportunity. His eyes are focused upon the paper work when there’s a knock on the door
”Enter.”
Says the man without taking his eyes off the papers, quickly grabbing his pen and signs on the dotted line to finalize something. He looks up and sees his wife standing there at the opening of the doorway, smiling at him as she is wearing a beautiful black dress. This causes him to lean backwards and smile at her
”Is it my birthday already??”
He says with a wicked smile, causing her to shake her head while moving towards him. She places her hands upon the table while leaning forwards, never taking her eyes off him as she speaks.
”You promised me to take me out for dinner Gerrit, don’t tell me you already forgot??”
He smiles, he had indeed promised her to take her out for dinner. Something that they had not done often since he had become sole owner of the wrestling company. He regretted the falling out that he had with the man that once was a mortal enemy of his. But that was behind him now and he had to move on, he looked at her and gazed into the beautiful blue eyes.
”Of course I have not forgotten Chantal, hell I have even booked the entire restaurant for ourselves.”
He looks up at her, admiring the smile that emerges after hearing the romantic gesture he had made. He had done this in the past, he hated having fans come up to them during romantic dinners.
”But I need to finish these papers. I….”
His words vanish when she places a kiss on his lips and winks towards him before she turns around and moves towards the door. He looks at her moving her hips from left to right. She knew that he was watching and loved to put on a show for him. Reaching the doorway she stops and turns her head towards him.
”Just make sure you don’t keep me waiting.”
She giggles as she walks away from the doorway, he shakes his head laughing before turning his gaze towards the paperwork
”I hate this job.”
He says with a sigh, he didn’t really mean it. But he was a wrestler in his heart and soul. He hadn’t expected GWA to suddenly close their doors after such a long tenure. He had seen legends come and go, Hall of Famers crowned and championship matches decided by an instant of a second. But when Al Cohol and Grinder came to him, asking if he wanted to take over the company he knew he could not refuse. He had been a constant factor in their company, often being referred as the backbone of the company and re inforcer of the stables that the bosses had built to dominate the competition. But he had to admit there were some nights when he could not sleep that he had doubts whether he had made the right decision.
”Of course I have made the right decision.”
And yet he couldn’t lose the thought, he looks over towards the wall where allt he championship belts he has won are behind glass. Besides the championship belts are pictures and dates of when he had won the belts and from whom, he always had a thing for keeping track of his achievements inside the ring, something he lived for. But now? Now it was merely a long forgotten memory from a career that was long behind him. He signed the final piece of paper before looking on his expensive watch.
”Hmmm, I better get dressed. I don’t want Chantal to be late.”
He laughs, he walks over towards his private bathroom, taking off the sweaty shirt and throws it down on the floor without looking back at it. He splashes his face with cold water for a few times before looking up at the mirror in front of him. His dark brown eyes gazes at himself in the reflection. But sees his old self in the reflection as this causes him to startle. He takes a few steps backwards, a clear hesitant look on his face emerges as he looks around to see whether he is on Candid Camera or not.
”this can’t be right!!”
He says with a shocked look on his face, it takes him a few moments to calm down before walking over towards the mirror once more. This time he sees himself, not sure whether he is happy he has not lost his mind or not. He to this very day still loves to lace his boots and get back into the ring, but now he knows he simply can’t. He starts to shake his head while his hands grip tight at the bathroom sink.
”No, I can’t…”
The words are less confident as he had hoped they would be, trying to convince himself that he has got nothing to prove by dominating this company like he has done with so many others.
“I never understood how you had resisted these urges for so long Al”
He whispers, referring to one of the two owners of the GWA. The man that had become more than a mentor, but also a friend. He remembers how Al Cohol once told him that he never felt the need to return to compete full time. Those words were to this very day mindblowing to Goth, because there was nothing more than he would rather do. And yet….
“No, I cannot let these words get to me.”
But he knew that it was futile to try to convince himself differently. The only thing that withstood him from being a full time wrestler once again was the promise that he had made. The promise to follow in the footsteps of his previous bosses, but taking everything into a new direction. He had to admit that he got a kick out of seeing all these young guns compete and win championships. It just wasn’t the same as competing yourself.
His eyes travels towards the championship belts, normally he would ultimately end up with all the world titles he had won. But this time his eyes stopped at the first championship belt that he had won….
“Fang….”
He mutters as his thoughts races back to the night they became tag team champions for the very first time. Him and Fang were known as the young workhorses of the company. He chuckles as he remembers the night they won the tag titles.
“We sure shrowed them didn’t we Jonathan??”
His words fade into the void as there is nobody around him to answer. Reluctantly he lowers his face while reaching for a towel. He dries his face before doing the same with his hair, he looks up t the mirror once more as he sees the old and tired face that is his.
“Jonathan….”
His tag team partner during their days being the Dark Enforcers, a time that he has been yearning for quite some time. He remembered to being named tag team of the year in their first year together. He was proud of that achievement as neither men anywhere near main event level and found a bond with each other as both men vowed to be the very best tag team in the company, even though they both knew they nowhere near that level.
“And yet we succeeded din’t we Jonathan??”
There’s a long pause as if Goth expected his former tag team partner to walk out towards him with an answer. He was smiling, Fang was one of the names that jumped to the opportunity that he was presented to him by his own best friend. Actually winning the world title, a level that he had been dreaming of for many years. Goth was backstage, watching through the curtains of the arena as he witnessed his friend winning the big one. Both men had hugged backstage as neither men spoke for several words. A feeling that he was proud off.
“It just shows you that never giving up pays off eventually….”
But for some reason instead of feeling pride and gratitude he felt sadness.
“And yet, what if??”
What if?? He always saw himself as the measuring stick, something he had blamed the former owners for since his retirement came all so sudden. He had wanted to retire on his own merits, he had felt that this retirement was forced down his throat and he didn’t liked it. He actually had plans to retire, but he wanted that final run of dominance that the world had not seen for quite some time. He wanted to break records, he wanted to win awards. He…
“I know I can’t..”
His hands finally let go off the bathroom sink, he slowly turns around and grabs a towel as he dries his hair in the process. He drops down in his seat and lets the towel rest across his shoulders while staring at the championship belts once more, they were shining just as much after all these years. He took pride in keeping the belts in tip top shape as he enjoyed watching them for many hours a time.
“Maybe one day I can add some more gold to my collection. But for now? I just have to accept facts and take pride in terrorizing the youth, only to make them become better wrestlers… ”
A satisfied smile emerges upon his face, he knew that it would take them a long time to get even close to the level that he thrived himself to reach every single day during his career.
“I guess I could find something positive in being the boss anyway.”
He says with a sickening smile as the shot slowly fades.
A second chance
“Fang, The Original Baller, James Weck, Bill Barnhart, Brother Grimm”
There’s a moment of silence.
”Names of people that I have held tag team titles with, names of people that were known to be singles competitors, who did not have a feel for tag team wresting…. And we succeeded beyond even their own wildest dreams…. ”
A soft sigh can be heard from the man that once again shall be teaming up with Mercedes Vargas to take on the seemingly unbeatable team of Austin James Mercer and Tempest.
”I know I took the pin, I know that I was the one that took the loss. I know that there will be whispers in the shadows that will tell the world that me and Mercedes do not deserve to receive another title shot… and I must admit, they could be right.”
He closes his eyes, dark circles of shadow surrounds his face from a certain angle from the lightning that shines upon him. a strand of hair falls before his left eye as the aging face of a wrestling warrior whose stories are told.
”Luckily I do not consume myself too much with what others think. I prefer to prioritize the judging words of the one person that knows me the best… ME”
He sighs, running his hand through his hair until it is on top of his head. Keeping his long hair away from his face as the concern is visible for the watchful eye to behold.
”Nobody needs to tell me we failed… that I was the reason why Mercedes and I aren’t the newly crowned champions of this company. And where did it go wrong?? It’s quite simple isn’t it?? The educational guess of the constant professional tells me that I took my eye off the ball for one single moment… One damn moment..”
He bites his lower lip, turning his face sideways as he does not want to confront the camera. The agony can be read from the battle scars, a man that was used to win a lot and now??
”Do I walk away from my responsibilities? Never have, that’s not me. I can talk a good game, I could try to find a spin off universe that would tell differently… but that would not change the outcome of the tale that everyone has witnessed on High Stakes…. And yet here we are, once more. You can tell that there’s someone with a cruel intention upon his own sickening mind. Wanting to revisit the beating that both me and Mercedes took…. And there’s no denying to tell the exact truth… we took more than that we dished out… Something that we knew would happen, yet we are both of a caliber athlete that would not dictate us…. Because that would cause fear and doubt to take over…. We prefer to have our opinions to either take control or….”
There’s a moment of silence as he lowers his gaze
”Or have others convince us differently… As we all know the outcome of that tale don’t we??”
A dark look on his face emerges, clearly the loss has been on his mind ever since High Stakes. He remembers his return to the company, beating Caleb Storms and it was followed up by beating then World Champion Mark Cross in a non-title match. He had the believe that it would onloy take time for him before challenging the champion for the gold once more… as if all the years had not passed. But he had a rude awakening ever since… It perhaps caused him to stand on his own two feet once more.
”I….”
There’s a moment of doubt creeping upon him, turning his face away from the camera as he chews on the inside of his cheek. Closing the eye shut that is directed towards the camera as he quickly wipes away the beginning of a tear.
”Forgive me, I have become a sentimental fool ever since I have become a partent. I had to learn, no… I had to be educated to be a parent. Luckily that my wife was as patient as my wife and the mother of my child as she has been as my manager. Because if it wasn’t for her…, I would have not been here as a competitor or even a parent.”
There’s a small smile slowly emerging upon his face.
”Just imagine, the man that started off as the Bringer of Chaos, The King of Kings…, the Gothfather and even more incarnations that I have forgotten ultimately became DAD. The three letter word that I am the most proud off…. And all is to be blamed by the woman that opened up her heart to me…. ”
He growls as an agonizing pain comes over him.
”And yet nothing is going to bring her back… Something that had caused me to give up on everything in this world… I did not smile anymore, I drank away all the misery and pain… and it took another love to get my back on track…. To finally become proud of myself once more.”
His dark eyes stare into the camera, misery can be read from his face as the agony is clearly visible
”And the only thing that was left in my life that had been yearning for closure was to return to the ring. To compete for a final time, because my son never saw me compete… To show him WHY the name Goth was revered by so many… and I had hope.”
Goth repeats the word “Hope” in a whisper as the memory of the mixed tag title match flies through his mind.
”I applaud you Austin, I applaud you and Tempest for the victory over me and Mercedes. But mostly I applaud you, you saw an opening and took advantage to end it all. I had to admit, it caused me some sleepless nights. Not because I felt it was unfair, because how can a clean victory be unfair?? But you know that I am a competitor… or how you to terminalized it as a warrior. And for warriors the only thing that matters is victory… success and adoration. And I can tell that you and I share a common thing in our profession. We both want to be the very best… and I guess you proved to me at that given moment that you were the better man.”
“It has taken many years to come to terms with my career that I am no longer the dominant male. No more the borderline desire to satisfy my needs with gold… But does that mean I don’t want to win anymore???”
A sinister smile reveals the answer to that question as he shakes his head.
”I saw you and Tempest raise those title belts Austin and there were a few things that I noticed. One of them was the many memories I have had sharing the honour of being a tag team champion with your partner. Many prefer to be a singles champion, because many do not want to share responsibilities with others. Because for whatever reason… whereas I cherish the moment to share thoughts, ideas and driving up and down the road together and bond. And with the names that I have mentioned at the start tells enough does it??”
“And yet….”
He scowls, the anger is taking over from him as he slowly rises his hands towards his face and breaths deeply into the palms.
”I’m sorry, please forgive me if I cannot keep up the nice words of respect. Not that I loathe either of you, but I am a competitor and I always see the negative in everything… even if your victory has got seemingly nothing negative to mention. And yet, seemingly is only a warm blanket that covers your mind in a cold winter night. Because the victory celebration told me enough. It told me that me and Mercedes did things to you that none of the other teams could have done… Whereas in the past either the Bombshells or the superstars could manage to get some offence in on one of the two of you… it was US that did not give up, it was US that could not be taken down…. Until….”
He bites his lower lip before shaking his head with authority
”No.., I cannot allow it to take control over me just yet. Because there was something more that I noticed. I noticed relief, I noticed the realization that Tempest ran over towards you with the knowing look on her face that IT COULD have gone either way Austin. I wonder whether you see it that way… or are you merely gloating over the fact that you could have edged another notch upon your belt?? And upon the other end I could not do anything else but nod my head, as I have done the same thing in the past oh so many times.”
“But I am just that kind of man that takes that sight and make it my own Austin. Forgive me if I direct my attention so personally towards you my friend, but that’s just the fact that YOU beat me. I woke up the morning after, I saw you hold that belt and took it personally because I let my team down. MY TEAM!! Oh yeah, I remember the criticism that we aren’t a team, that we are two separate wrestlers that could not be a team. And I have to admit, that was a smart move from your part Austin. Because I took that personally, whereas I should have done the same thing like I did with Fang, with Original Baller, James Weck and yes, even the man that is the current Roulette Champion Bill Barnhart and Brother Grimm. And all I wanted to do is to prove a point, whereas I should just have laughed and move on… Because I have a partner that knows it all just like me… And I didn’t…. Touché Austin, you got me there.”
“But I saw the doubt, I saw how quickly Tempest wanted to eradicate the outcome of the match and move on to the next open challenge. Nah ah my precious, the realization is upon each and every other person’s mind that there is something special happening. The doubt is upon them also, the doubt that who should be the tag team champions in the near future…. You two, or the legendary status of two names that used to be great.“
He slowly turns his hands into fists before dropping his arms besides his body.
”I am glad me and Mercedes got this opportunjity to once again challenge the two of you for the gold… And I cannot speak for Mercedes, but knowing her I am sure that she feels the same. Because I need to know, I need to know whether I can beat you Austin and you Tempest. And I know I cannot put a finger upon you Tempest, But getting face to face with yours truly in an attempt to intimidate me is a weakness that a clueless individual would make. Because I have been in the ring with the very BEST and you are not even coming close to that terminology and you know why?? Because you are at the beginning of a seemingly IMPRESSIVE career. But the sole problem to it all is that after like six months you demand to have everyone kiss your ass.”
“Seriously?? Is that what drives you both?? I hope that isn’t the case, because if that is the situation then at least I am gratified that the better champion pinned the challenger… even if it was yours truly… I hope you are wiser than that Austin… Because it would make me even more gratified IF the roles will be altered and yours truly pins the right champion”
His eyes show determination, the lines around his eyes show that he has not had much of sleep as of late.
”If I once again get pinned I will be able to live with it Austin. Because at least you are a man of respect, I would bow down and move away with grace and dignity. Perhaps one day I could issue an one on one confrontation in the coming year.”
“But until that moment comes I want to take home that championship belt, ji want to give it the dignity that it deserves. The honour and prestige that it has been given by the two of you…. Or at least one of them as I am not so sure anymore by your partner. Forgive me for the disrespectful words of an elderly man, but then again… Are you capable to tell me I am wrong?? Because I know you are someone that soaks up every single word of the veterans that came before you… Not because you feel the same way, but because you will want to use it to improve your wrestling career isn’t it??”
“I just cannot walk away from this line of sports Austin. I cannot walk away knowing that I had one more run left in me, knowing that I can once again place myself in the same breath as greats as J2H, Mikah, Gabriel, Drake Green and yes perhaps even you. But I need to know, because when that day comes…. I have had to have held that championship belt and raise it high above my head and tell the world I have completed my task. No longer are your words my driving force Austin.. It’s my desire, my anticipated and desired goal in life for that is why I came back. Not because I wanted to be a nostalgia pop, but solely because I know there are still championship belts waiting for my name to be etched upon a golden plate waiting for me… And it will all begin with the Mixed Tag Team Championships alongside Mercedes Vargas..”
Goth stares at the camera as it slowly fades
