“Godly” Ken Davison is in a bad way. Despite sucking it up in public, Davison was nursing several injuries that he had suffered, and some would say rightfully so, at the hands of Ragdoll and Montague Cervantes, known in the UGWC as Tragedia del'Arte during their deathmatch a month ago. Still, Davison would not stand down from Agostino Romano or anyone else, for that matter. One of his more admirable attributes was his ability to see things through, no matter the cost. At the moment, Davison is in no condition to do any of those things.
Perhaps one of the things that was good about the fact that he kept his circle small was the fact that when needed, he could sit home and rest. About the circle that he has kept, if nothing else, it was persistent. The saxophone solo from Ghost’s “Miasma” breaks the silence, causing Davison to audibly groan as he sits up to answer his phone. He looks at the display and it reads “Sean.” Davison takes another deep breath, wincing as he does, before he answers the phone.
“Dude! What’s poppin’?”
Sean is what you would call “a different kind of cat.” He had literally nothing in common with Davison except one… family. It just so happened that Sean was Davison’s adoptive brother. Many, many moons ago, it was Sean’s family that took him off the streets and into their home when Ken was a teenager. However, that is another story for another time. Here and now, it was Sean that was the one person Davison trusted the most in the world.
“My back, if I’m lucky.”
“Yeah, bro. You’ve taken a hell of an ass whooping lately. Can’t say you don’t deserve it, dude. I mean, you asked for that deathmatch.”
“Let’s be fair. I had a paint to make and we made it.”“You mean a point?” Sean chuckles as he corrects Ken.
“Dude, I’m hopped up on pain meds, trying to take care of Kyra and dealing with a five year old who, I am convinced, is totally insane. Do you know how many episodes of ‘Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten’ can one kid watch?”
“At least you never had to deal with ‘Yo! Gabba! Gabba!’ Just sayin’,” Sean says with a groan.
“So, are you going to be able to handle your business or does my sorry ass have to come out of retirement?”“I’m good, Sean. You have Julia and the kids to worry about. I’m not dragging you back into this circus. And leave her home with all five kids? Are you on dog food?”
“Awright, bro. But you say the word and I’m there, no questions asked.”
“We’ve got this, Sean. Mac and I always have a plan. You know that.”
“Dude, you could totes call Alexi. He’d be down.”
“Sean, do you ever slow down? I said I’ve got this.” Ken says, cutting his brother off.
“Awright, brohan. Awright.”
“You know, you say “Awright” an awful lot for something that isn’t even a real word.”
“And you’ve got the Wolves under control?”
“For fuck’s sake, let it go? If you want to wrestle again, then wrestle. Otherwise, let this go. Seriously.”
It’s not that Ken was trying to be a dick. He was, but he wasn’t trying to be. Sean is just the kind of person you need to be direct with.
“At this point, I’m more worried about Agostino Romano. The guy is like…” Ken hesitates, realizing that in a lot of ways, Agostino was the same as Sean.
“It’s like wrestling is secondary to him. Like he’s just happy to be there.”Unlike his usual condescending self, Davison's tone is rather jovial. It's almost like Shawn is talking to a different person.
"Though I would never admit this in public, Agostino is good. Hell, it's more than just good. Not right now. But he certainly has the potential to be. The problem is gathering his thoughts are like With the proper motivation, he could take that next step. He could ascend. When I look at him, Sean, I see a lump of clay, just waiting to be molded by a sculptor, an artist like myself. The kid’s pure of heart, he deserves that kind of example. Instead, he's sitting there like a lump of Play-Doh being molded by a kindergartener like Jack Michaels."“We don’t use that name here,” comes the voice of Ken’s fiancee, Kyra Johnson from the other room.
“Sorry.”
"So… uh… Dudeicus Rex. You are never going to let that go. Are you?""No. I’m not.""Listen, bro. It's been real, but I gotta bounce. Dinner's ready. I'm serious, homeboy. You need me, you say the word."
"Got it. Give Julia and the kids my love."
"You got it, dude. Peace out." Sean pauses for a moment.
“And, bro… don’t burn yourself out.”The phone beeps as Sean disconnects, leaving Davison once again alone with his thoughts… and his pain.
Sometime later, we see “Godly” Ken Davison not in his robes, as we would expect, but in a pair of clean black denim jeans and a black t-shirt representing the Baltimore Elite, a tag team that w comprised of himself and Kyra Johnson. He sits inside of a bar, sitting at a round wooden table in a matching chair. Behind him is a bar made of steel, with a black bar top and matching bar stools. The walls are lined around the perimeter with a checkered flag pattern. In Ken’s hand is a menu with the logo for the bar printed on it; “The Burnout.”
“My entire career, I have had almost everyone out there, from the fans, to the locker room, to the office, have doubted what I am truly capable of. To walk into Sin City and actually be shown the respect that I should have earned over the course of my career is a breath of fresh air. Each and every person watching this needs to understand why the rest of the Saviors and I see eye to eye on things. We are winners. We all have all the traits that a winner should possess. The qualities that we possess are the qualities each and every man and woman in this company, no, every man, woman and child in the world, should hope to possess. What I want to do now is focus on the qualities that make people like us the epitome of what you aspire to be.” Davison pauses for just a brief moment.
“Agostino, take notes.”Davison smiles as he lays his arm down on the table.
“I am among the hardest working people in this company. It doesn't matter if you are an athlete or a business person, anyone who is successful in their field will tell you that they work harder than anyone else. When I was a young man, I wanted more than anything else to become a professional wrestler. I had so many things working against me. When I came into this business I was walking through the land of giants. When over 95% of your competition is six feet six inches tall and you only stand five foot ten inches tall yourself, the odds are against you. Not only that, but how many people actually make it? I didn't have the advantage of being a giant. What I do have the advantage of being a trailblazer. Night after night I honed my craft. I took my beatings. Most importantly, I've learned from them. Most people would have chosen another line of work eventually. One of my old friends, he never made it in this industry. When I asked him why he was quitting he turned to me with one of the most serious faces I've ever seen on a person's face and he said to me, and this is a direct quote “I like to eat.” That is why I'm a professional wrestler and he is not; hard work and perseverance.”Davison points to himself as he speaks, driving in his point.
“Another thing I've learned is that ego can be a destructive thing. Unfortunately, every time I've let my ego get the better of me I have been torn down, whether it's been by Amber Ryan, Mac Bane, or even my own fiancee. Each and every time I have done that I have crashed and burned. I've had friends who are men and women of faith try to tell me that this is God teaching me gracious humility. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I believe in some divine being taking time out of his busy schedule running pandemics and wars to look down and decide to personally teach me a lesson. I am not the kind of man who will sit here and pretend that I am something I am not. Winners can accept losses and winners can overcome them. The last time I was humbled, it was by Amber Ryan in another company. She beat me and humbled me. I grew from that and defeated Amber Ryan for a World Championship. That is another reason why I am a winner. I am able to learn from my setbacks.”
“Furthermore, winners maintain a sense of rock solid intensity. And, well, Agostino Romano may very well have all of the other qualities I've listed so far, but this, this is where he is lacking. Agostino Romano is simply put, not deserving of being in the same ring with the GKD, “Godly” Ken Davison. He lacks the focus. He lacks the desire. With all of his other interests, he spreads himself too thin. It’s like “Hey, I’m just glad I was good enough to become a champion.” That’s the vibe I get. It doesn’t mean a damned thing to win a championship in this business. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. What matters is remaining a champion. Remaining a champion shows the desire, willingness, and intensity to be the best. What you did, Agostino, was show the world that the potential is there. Nothing more. Nothing less.”Davison reaches over and takes the glass of water next to him, whetting his throat before placing the glass quietly back down on the coaster he took it from.
“This next point, this next quality, is one that I share with everyone that is involved in the points I am making. Whether or not they have any other quality, this one allows them to succeed. The point is that most of us in this locker room, hell, in this company, possess. It's also a quality that I possess. Nobody will ever question the passion that I have. In fact, most people recognize that I am fueled by that passion. Agostino, however, is not the type of man who brings any passion. I realize that is going to make this the hardest match of my life because of that because I feel that passion. Agostino Romano has no passion and because I feed off of that very same passion, I am going to starve.”
“Your attitude, Agostino, it pisses me off. You need to understand that anger is precious. A silverback uses his anger to maintain order and warn his troop of danger. Of course, you aren’t a silverback and you don’t have a troop. I respect your skills, but question your ability to use them. Imagine what you could do if you took things seriously. Imagine what you could do if you got good and angry. Imagine the possibilities.”Davison stands up, walking over to the glass window separating the interior of the bar from the elements outside.
”You can stop now. Imagining what could happen does not realize what will happen. What will happen is that I am going to walk into our match for the Internet Championship. What will happen is that I will beat you. What will happen is I will make you suffer. Then one of two things will happen. I will either place in in the Hands of God and show you and the rest of the men in this company the kind of grip I will hold on that championship or…” Davison allows the word to draw out, adding a miniscule amount of suspense.
“Or I will simply knock you senseless and throw you out of the ring, taking the win but not your championship. In a way, I would imagine that would be worse… walking around the locker room holding a championship that you know you don’t deserve. I imagine that would be deliciously devastating. Still, I don’t believe you deserve that. For all your faults, Agostino, you are a pure, innocent soul. So, I will take that championship from you and relieve you of your burden because unlike you, I am a winner, not a burnout like you.”Davison turns away from the camera and walks up to the bar, where he can be heard ordering something as the camera fades to black.
