Las Vegas, Nevada -
The GO GymHave you ever had something on your mind, something so intensely personal that it completely flooded every fiber of your being? Even when you were in the middle of something important, that the topic just so happened to spring to mind and suddenly everything else became all but distant noise, like the whistle of a train from deep within the tunnel. Where everything else just seemed to be caught in some sort of echoing void. It would be hard to imagine such a thing happening here of all places, in one of the most respected training facilities in the entire spectrum of professional wrestling. After all, one of the reasons why those who graduated from this prestigious academy were so successful was because of diligence. They adhered to what they were taught, and one of the most vital pieces of advice to any student, even those who had already graduated, was to listen to those who had the experience factor in their favor. Veterans of the sport would never have become so were they not smart enough to survive and gain enough wisdom to pass onto the next generation should they so choose, so how then…?
“Kristjan!” Gabriel barked, startling Fenris from whatever private thoughts that had just seemingly taken him over. Gabriel had asked him for a private word between them to discuss the all-too important match up that was happening between one of his and Odette’s star pupils and one of the greatest acts in SCW history. Gabriel had met him the moment he stepped out of the men’s locker room and simply said “Walk with me.” and gave the Icelandic star no chance to question or complain - both of which he was prone to do. And quite frequently. They simply walked around the entire perimeter of the gym, by-passing some students who were working out on the many modern pieces of exercise equipment, or Odette was putting a handful through the initial practices inside one of the two rings they had in the very center of these walls. They had not even gotten half a lap around the gym when Gabriel had noticed a far off look in Fenris’s eyes and stopped, and surprisingly, so did Fenris rather than continue to walk on as if he hadn't noticed.
“Oy!” Gabriel called aloud, causing Fenris to blink and turn his head to face and address his mentor. Gabriel shook his head. “You haven’t heard a word that I’ve said to you, have you?”
“What?” Fenris tried to play it off as best he could, glancing casually (and a touch too obviously) around the gym before he faced Gabriel and shrugged. “Of course I have!”
“Oh yeah?” Gabriel questioned him, resting his hands on his hips. He asked, “What did I say?”
Fenris wasted no time in answering, “You need to take this match more seriously.”
Gabriel huffed, shaking his head in a faux sense of annoyance and held up a finger toward his student and he asserted, “That was just a lucky guess!”
“No.” Fenris shook his head and the teacher/student pairing resumed their walk. “That’s just what you tell me every time you take me aside for one of these little chats.” He then playfully rested a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder and smiled. “Not that I don’t treasure every moment we have together.”
Gabriel stared at the man for a brief moment before sighing, “Smart arse.” And he continued walking with the White Wolf at his side. They walked in silence until Gabriel gave him a sidelong glance and admitted, “I was right, though. You’re not taking this match as seriously as you should.”
“One,” Fenris said as he accepted the proverbial gauntlet. “We’re talking about a spoiled rich kid who deigns to grace us with his presence once in a blue moon. And…” he stopped and turned to Gabriel, causing the proprietor of the Gym to pause as well. “I am taking this more seriously than you know.”
“Really.” Gabriel said, more of a statement than a question, to which Fenris repeated, “Really. I had Aron draw me up every major match that little pissant has been a part of. Everything from the first time he won the championship right up until his last match against Mercer and Tempest. I stream them to my TV at home in front of my treadmill and I watch while I run.”
“How long have you been at this?”
“Ever since he answered my challenge and we made it official.” Fenris’s eyes were hard as the ice that matched his cobalt blue color. He added, “I am taking no chances in this one.”
The two resumed their walk and Gabriel asked, “Then do you mind if I ask what the problem is? You keep zoning out. I can’t be that boring.”
“It’s no problem.” Fenris denied with a shake of the head. “David is back in town. He’s been gone the past few weeks and we’re meeting this evening after I get out of here. I just haven’t decided where we’re going to end up.”
“Oh come on now, Kristjan.” Gabriel teased. “Even Despy knows where you two are going to end up.” Causing Fenris to come to a halt, staring at him and Gabriel laughed, “I’m kidding! Gods!” Gabriel rested a hand on his arm and smiled with genuine warmth. He said, “I am happy for you, Kristjan. Odette and I both are. I just don’t want you to allow yourself to get too distracted and pay for it on Sunday.”
“I won’t.” Fenris answered with a steel-edged tone to his Nordic accent. He shared a look with Gabriel and shook his head, “I won’t give that prick the satisfaction of beating me. Ben Jordan I was proud to lose to. Jack Washington? I can even handle losing to that punk! But J2H?” He shook his head. “Fuck that!”
“You have something against him?” Gabriel questioned.
And Fenris was only too happy to grace Gabriel with an answer, “My problem is that I am sick and tired of J2H this, and J2H that! He acts as if he is the greatest thing to happen to wrestling since ring ropes! Krustur! Santa Clause comes around more often than he does! And every time he decides to grace us with his presence, he acts as if it is the highlight of the entire evening! Like he and he alone is the reason for high ratings!”
Gabriel shrugged, “Well you can’t deny the fact the fans love him, no matter how he might act. Ratings do, in fact, go up when he comes back for a match.”
“Yes, well…” Fenris frowned. “Ratings always go up when a novelty act appears.”
“Novelty act?” Gabriel’s eyebrows rose almost to the hairline for how Fenris reduced the reputation of J2H to being parallel with that of a freak show. “Kristjan, you may not like the man, but you can’t deny his success rate. He’s one of the biggest ‘Cinderella stories’ in all of wrestling!”
“He lost his debut to a teddy bear!” Fenris pointed out with just a touch too much heat behind his words.”
“And you just proved my point, Kristjan.” Gabriel stressed. “He spent so much time being the butt of everyone’s jokes here in SCW. He was a jobber. Ninety-nine percent of the roster saw him as nothing more than a waste of a roster space. A joke. So much so he finally got tired of being the butt of everyone’s jokes and decided to do something about it.”
Fenris quipped, “Is this the part where he went to Georgia and got trained in a barn by a god damn hillbilly?”
Which brought Gabriel to a full on stop. Fenris turned and looked at the expression on his face and felt like a child in grade school that was about to get scolded by his favorite teacher.
“A little respect for that hillbilly, hm?” Gabriel chided him with a reprimanding tone. “Austin Parker may not be the likable sort but he’s one of the most gifted technicians this sport has ever seen. The only other person he ever agreed to train was Bo Dreamwolf. I think James made the smartest decision of his life when he campaigned to get Austin to agree to train him. And it obviously worked wonders! Look at the names J has beaten in his time. He’s the only man who had ever pinned Despy in back to back title matches!”
The intercom on the nearby pillar crackled to life and Despayre’s voice, emanating from the lobby, spoke up, “I heard that!” Causing both men to turn and stare briefly at the box before it switched off. Gabriel shook his head with a bemused look at his Despy's antics.
“I just can't stand him!” Fenris declared, hands on hips and shaking his head. Almost fuming toward himself. “Arrogant prick. Struts around like his shit doesn't stink!”
“Wow…” Gabriel stared at him with a wisp of a smile remaining on his face, this time for his student standing across from him. “Who does that remind me of?”
Fenris turned away but then did a double take and frowned deeply. He raised a forefinger and declared, “I am NOTHING like that man!”
Gabriel chuckled, taking a step back with both hands raised in a teasing act of surrender.
“Easy, tiger! I’m just busting your chops!” Gabriel chuckled. “All I'm saying is you two have a great deal in common. And I don’t want you fooling yourself into thinking this match is going to be easy.”
Fenris said, “I already told you, I am not thinning that!”
“Good enough for me.” Gabriel smiled, giving him a confident pat on the upper arm before nudging him toward the locker room. “Now go on. Go get showered and changed so you can go charm the pants off of your man.”
To which Fenris did as tasked and gave his teacher a wink before heading toward the dressing room, saying behind him, “I could get that accomplished by sneezing.” Now it was Gabriel’s turn to do a double take before he just chuckled to himself and shook his head at the confidence level Fenris displayed in every aspect of his life, professionally as well as socially.
And just as the locker room door closed with a soft click, Gabriel’s eyes opened and he sighed, “Shit! We forgot to work out!”
Las Vegas, Nevada -
Turnberry TowersIt was finally later into the evening when night had fallen over the “City of Sin” and the stars were hidden in the clear night sky thanks much in part to the lights of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. And here in the Turnberry Towers where the Baltasarsson brothers called home, there was already a small gathering as Aron had returned from an evening out with Zoey for a drink and was joined by the brothers’ overnight guests, “the Cockney King” Ben Jordan and Miles Kasey. The trio were busying themselves watching “Halloween Ends” on the 64 inch television against the far wall - all the better to celebrate the coming Halloween holiday. The lights were dimmed down low for mood effect. Aron leaned back across the sofa with remote in hand, while Miles leaned back on a plush, cream colored chair and Ben being Ben, made use of Fenris’s own personal chair and reclined quite comfortably. And timing really is everything because just as a very horrific and tense moment was about to occur - the door to the condo swung open with a hard clatter, startling all three present!
“Jesus!”
“Bloody hell!”
“God DAMN it, K!”
Yes indeed, as the door stood open and in walked an obviously inebriated Fenris and his boyfriend, the equally drunk David Shepherd. Aron picked himself up from the floor where he had all but fallen off of Zoey’s lap and grabbed the remote, putting the film on pause. All eyes turned to the drunken pair quite casually as Aron tossed the remote onto the coffee table where Miles leaned over and took it in hand.
“It’s about damn time you got back!” Aron stated with an accusatory tone. “I thought you two were going to meet us all back here for the movie!”
“Sorry
Mom!” Fenris shot back, and his angry tone would have perhaps carried a touch more weight were it not followed by a hiccup and a growl of “God damn it!” between clenched teeth. “We were busy!”
“Doing what?” Aron asked innocently enough, to which Ben laughed, “Getting busy!”
“No, no. We were…” Fenris started to answer his brother before turning on Ben. “No! Fuck!”
“That’s what
I said!” Ben said back in a louder tone, yet still maintaining his jovial mood and Aron and Miles both had a fit of laughter as David removed his coat and hung it up before taking a seat on the armrest of the sofa while Fenris walked past him and all but pushed Aron aside to make room and he fell back onto the [lush cushions with a sigh of relief.
“If you MUST know…” Fenris said with his head tilted back all the way against the back of the sofa with his bloodshot eyes closed to keep what light there was in the room shaded from his senses. “We were walking on the Strip and decided to see a coupe of those tourist traps.”
“The Wax Museum?” Miles asked, to which Fenris scoffed, “Fuck, no! We went to that Mob Museum. David’s never been.”
David then took a seat as it collapsed down beside Fenris, almost landing in his lap and wrapped an arm around the back of his neck. David then shared, “Then we hit one of those fake churches they have strewn everywhere.”
And you could practically hear the screeching halt of the needle on a record as all sound ceased, and the heads of Aron, Ben and Miles turned as one to look at each other, and then at Fenris and David.
“Sorry?” Aron finally found his voice, though it was rich with disbelief. “‘Fake churches’? You mean those wedding chapels with Elvis impersonators?”
David clucked his tongue and shot a ‘bang bang’ salute toward Aron as Fenris groaned, “That was the biggest joke! A fat, fake Elvis conducting fake wedding ceremonies!”
“And you…” Miles leaned on the armrest of the chair, a growing smile on his face at what he was hearing. “You two took part in one of these ‘fake ceremonies’?”
Fenris shrugged, his eyes remaining closed and head remaining where it was. He mumbled, “It killed a few minutes while we waited for our dinner reservation next door.”
Ben cleared his throat and sat upright, “You two didn’t… you didn’t happen to sign anything, did you?”
“Yeah, they really went all out!” David laughed. “They really went all out for that lame experience.” He pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pants pocket and handed it over to Ben who unfolded it and had a look, Miles and Aron hovering over his shoulders from behind so they too could read.
Again, all three looked at each other.
“So…” Miles said. “Who’s going to tell them?”
“Not it.” Ben said calmly, almost immediately. He and Miles then looked jointly to Aron and Ben added, “He’s your brother.”
Aron hung his head and exhaled sharply. This… was not going to go over well. He turned around and walked around Ben’s - er, his brother’s chair, and stood before Fenris and David. Fenris had brought his head up and looked up at his baby brother through bleary eyes.
“Tell us what?” Fenris asked, to which Aron flopped his arms helplessly at his side and opened his mouth…
From out in the hall…
“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THAT WAS A REAL WEDDING CHURCH!?!?!?!?!”
“J2H.”
The opening shot is a clear panning take on the Michelob Ultra Arena as a virtual army of SCW personnel are working overtime to ensure that everything is being set up both correctly and on time for this weekend’s biggest event of 2022 - High Stakes XII. The ring was in the midst of being set up as the steel framework was open for all eyes to see. The stage was being erected and the lighting set up on every corner of the arena. Bodies went to and fro as several lifts driven by employees backed up along the arena with stacks of steel folding chairs on pallets for arena employees to remove and set up surrounding the ringside area.
And there, high up in the stands and watching the entire process unfold, was none other than the ‘White Wolf’ himself, aka Fenris. While his eyes remained fixated on a fresh, new world being scaled around him, his words were for the camera, yet directed at one person only.
“The man, the myth, the self-induced legend. Two-time World Heavyweight Champion and the longest reign of any champion in Sin City Wrestling history. Two-time Roulette Champion. World Tag Team Champion. Internet Champion. 2016 and 2017 Wrestler and Man of the Year. 2017 Couple of the Year with Melody. 2013 Tag Team of the Year. 2016 Most Hated. 2016 and 2017 Match of the Year with Despayre and Drake Green respectively. 2017 feud of the Year against Dmitri. And of course, proud inductee into the SCW Hall of Fame Class of 2019.”
Fenris clapped his hands together, rubbed his palms briskly and then held his arms outward, turning his head to the right with a questioning expression on his face.
“Is that it, James? Did I forget anything? Because, you know. I wouldn’t want to miss anything and risk offending you. We wouldn’t want you to feel the need to correct me and sing your own praises on-camera because we all know how humble you are and just how much you hate to brag about yourself. To have this opportunity to step foot inside of the ring at the biggest event of the calendar year against one of the biggest Superstars in SCW history is… oh what’s the word that I am looking for?”
He looked thoughtful for a brief moment before looking into the camera.
“Disappointed, I guess is what I’m trying to say. I mean, I admit that when I went out there and was venting about how nobody in SCW had the stones to answer my open challenge, I never imagined for a moment that suddenly your music would kick up and out you’d walk. But then again, from what I’ve seen, you were never the sort who enjoyed sharing the spotlight with anyone. You are the picture perfect example of the annoying Millennial that every adult over thirty seems to bitch about; entitled to the point of expecting the world to be handed to you on a whim with a dreaded case of the ‘me, me, me’s”. So of COURSE you would walk out and interrupt the best thing that has happened to SCW since you tucked your tail the first time around and scuttled off back to Beverly Hills or wherever the hell it is that you call home these days! I thought for certain that you would walk out, talk some shit and maybe we might even come to blows…”
He held up a hand and smiled with eyes closed.
“Excuse me. That implies that you would be able to get a shot in against me. Let me be more to the point. I never expected for a single moment that you would have the BALLS to actually accept my open challenge yourself. One could be forgiven in doing so that you finally became a man. Now I understand that your past successes have blinded a lot of people and you yourself have them snowballed, but man…! I stood back and watched. I actually paid close enough attention to see what everyone else either ignored willfully or were just ignorantly blind to. And that is the fact that ever since you pretty much hung up your boots as a full-time competitor, you pick and choose random wrestlers to compete against at various Supercard events, but it is almost always against someone that nobody ever really expects you to lose to.”
He paused, and then nodded.
“I mean, with the exception of Kris Ryans, you did a REMARKABLE job at orchestrating these matches so people could be forgiven in mistaking them for actually meaning something other than your sad, desperate attempt to keep your name relevant in the archives of this business. Let’s look at just who you’ve been up against in recent years, shall we?”
Fenris reached over and picked up a small stack of color 8x10s of various Superstars of the past. As he counted off each name, he gave a casual toss of the photo back over his shoulder.
“Kris Ryans. Austin James Mercer. Those two I could look past because I’ve been in the ring against them and know damn well what each one is - was - capable of. You teamed with Mac bane and well, we know who carried that match. Teddy…”
He snorted back a laugh.
“Teddy Warren? JT Midas!? - Fuck’s sake! Did anyone really expect you to NOT walk away the winner against Warren and Midas? You really lucked out when you agreed to face Teddy and he ended up winning the Internet title by some fluke. Instant title for you! A championship you weren’t even man enough to stay around and defend! That was why when you agreed to team with Crystal against Mercer and Tempest, I rolled my eyes and thought to myself - ‘he just lucked out into another title match he didn’t earn!’ But when your team lost… I laughed long and I laughed loud, wishing I could be a fly on the wall inside of your over inflated head! And here and now – there’s me. You came out and accepted my open challenge, which leads me to think you see me in one of two ways. You either see me as a man that can actually give you the fight of your life, or you see me as just another promotional tool to orchestrate your success rate against. After all, the only match that you lost in all of this time was when you teamed with Crystal against Tempest and Mercer and …”
He sighed.
“Well even I can’t deny the fact that you carried your team and crystal was the reason why you didn’t add yet another belt around that girly waist of yours. But see, here’s the thing; if you see me as the man who is going to bring the fight to you and beat you so bad your own family won’t recognize you, well then you’d be right. If you think I’m going to just roll over, show belly and be one of your self-promotional easy wins…”
A smile slowly spread on the face of the ‘White Wolf’ and he chuckled rather fiendishly.
“Well then you are going to be so fucked up when you learn otherwise and realize just how pig a pile of shit you just stepped in! Now, I see no difference between friend and enemy when I set foot inside of the ring. Take Ben Jordan for example. Probably my best friend in this business and he and I beat the absolute shit out of one another! And I treated him really no different than I did Austin James Mercer who I loathe. Respect…!”
He quickly held up a finger and corrected himself.
“But loathe. Friend or rival, I will treat you the same as anyone else, but give me a reason to hate you… much like Mercer did, and that is when the White Wolf bares his teeth and goes for the jugular. Go back and study your tapes. Look at what I did to Mercer when he attacked my brother! And you… you just could not help yourself. You ran your mouth and made the exact same mistake that Austin did. You brought my family into this. You talked shit about Aron on the mc and on social media and in doing so, you made this personal. And really if I weren’t such a nice guy, I could have easily returned the favor because bitch… whether you can admit it or not, your family is far from perfect and the ammo I could have used would have lasted for DAYS! But I am not going to do that. I don’t need to do that.”
He pointed at the camera.
“You do. You need to try and throw me off of my game plan because maybe, just maybe, you finally realized what you were in for AFTER you accepted my open challenge. Just as some dumb ass pulls a pin from out of a live grenade and only too late realizes what he just did to fuck himself over! And that - THAT - is why I am so disappointed in you, James. Not because you talked shit. That I would expect. Not even (entirely) over the fact that you brought Aron into this. You know I could even look past the fact that you took a cheap shot and kicked me in the balls and used my own move against me - and why?”
He shrugged with his hands palms up.
“Gods know you would need some kind of advantage over me or else you don’t stand a chance in hell in this match! No, what I find so unforgivable and disappointing? That happened the following week. I had you, James. I came THIS close…”
He pinched a thumb and forefinger closely together but not touching.
“... To breaking your arm, but I thought it would be more fun not to stand back and watch you sweat it out. Well, I mean right before I returned fire and laid your sorry ass out with your own move. Eye for an eye, eh James? And that’s where it all went ass up. I half expected you to go right to social media afterwards and throw a royal bitch fit - befitting a royal bitch! But you didn’t.”
He frowned, cocking his head slightly to the side like a confused puppy.
“You did zero. Zilch. Nada. prototypical schoolyard bully mentality. The moment someone fights back and shows you up, the high and mighty J2H tucked his tail between his micro-sized balls and went radio silent because someone showed him up!”
He shook his head in mock dismay and sighed gently.
“Which really concerns me because if that was enough to get you to hide away for two weeks, I can’t imagine how badly you’re going to react when I finally get my hands on you in an OFFICIAL capacity and break that girly body of yours apart, bit by bit. You have been up against a lot of capable athletes in your prime James, but that was five years ago, and you have never been up against a man like me before! I don’t play nice. I don’t just focus on one body part and work it until it’s useless. I twist and snap the entire body from the bottom up until a newborn baby has a better shot at defending itself than you will. Broken fingers. Dislocated knee. It’s all the same to me. I am going to break you apart, stuff you in a gift wrapped package and give you to your wife and son to put together like a puzzle come Christmas!”
Fenris slowly stood up and turned to face the camera.
“Despite everything, I am genuinely looking forward to our match, James. Really! You are, without a doubt, the biggest name that I have ever set foot inside of the ring against. I won’t say you’re going to make this easy, but I can promise you that I am going to make you work harder than ever before! I am going to show the world that the White Wolf is the leader of the pack! And you…?”
He chuckled.
“You’re just another bitch.”
Fenris walked down the steps and off camera, and the scene faded to black.
